Curved Bucket Scraper Blade for Low-Waste Material Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tools, such as rectilinear trowels, are inefficient in removing material from cylindrical buckets due to material escape between the curved sidewalls and the tool's edge, lacking a simple and inexpensive solution for the final portions.
Innovation Solution
A scraping tool system with a flat, monolithic design featuring a blade that conforms to the cylindrical bucket's sidewall, including a handle and scraper structured as a single piece with an arcuate edge, allowing efficient scraping and easy handling, and incorporating a hanger for storage and shipping efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a rectilinear trowel is used to remove material from a cylindrical bucket, then the tool is simple and inexpensive, but material escapes between the curved sidewalls and the rectilinear edge of the trowel
Solution Approach 1:
The trowel blade is transformed from a rectilinear shape to a curved shape that conforms to the cylindrical sidewall of the bucket. The curved leading edge and curved trailing edge allow the blade to follow the curvature of the bucket wall, preventing material from escaping between the tool and the sidewall, thereby improving material removal efficiency while maintaining simplicity
2Productivity
If a curved blade is used to conform to the bucket sidewall, then material removal efficiency improves, but the tool complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The handle and blade are merged into a single monolithic piece formed from one continuous strip of material. This integration eliminates the need for separate components and assembly processes, reducing tool complexity while maintaining the curved blade design that improves material removal efficiency
3Ease of manufacture
If a monolithic single-piece design is used, then manufacturing cost decreases and assembly is simplified, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The blade geometry parameters (curvature radius, edge profiles) are optimized to match standard bucket dimensions. By standardizing these parameters, the manufacturing process can achieve the required precision through repeatable forming operations, balancing the need for precision with the benefits of monolithic construction
Data Source
AI summary
A scraping tool for removing material from a bucket. The scraping tool has a blade which conforms to the curved sidewall of a bucket and is substantially flat so it can be inexpensively manufactured and efficiently stacked for shipping and storage.