Curved Screw Drive Profiles for Coaxial High-Torque Engagement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing screw and turning tool connections often suffer from unintentional detachment and misalignment, leading to damage from excessive torque, especially in automated processes, due to the play between complementary driving profiles.
Innovation Solution
The method employs driving profiles with inclined, concave or convex surfaces that come into contact on both sides of the apex when plugged together, avoiding contact in transition areas to create a non-positive clamping connection, ensuring coaxial alignment and high torque transmission without damaging the edges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional complementary driving profiles are used, then torque transmission is achieved, but play between profiles causes unintentional detachment and misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The driving profiles utilize curved surfaces instead of flat surfaces. The outer driving profile has a concave curved surface while the inner driving profile has a convex curved surface, allowing them to mate together. This curvature eliminates play between the profiles while maintaining torque transmission capability, preventing unintentional detachment and ensuring precise coaxial alignment.
2Reliability
If magnetic turning tools are used to prevent detachment, then holding force is improved, but additional effort and complexity are required
Solution Approach 1:
The driving profiles are designed to self-align and self-lock through their complementary curved geometry. The concave-convex mating surfaces automatically guide the components into coaxial alignment and maintain a secure connection without requiring external magnetic fields or additional holding mechanisms, eliminating the complexity of magnetic turning tools.
3Ease of operation
If play between driving profiles is present, then assembly is easier, but edge damage occurs under excessive torque
Solution Approach 1:
The curved mating surfaces of the driving profiles distribute contact forces across a larger area and guide the components into proper alignment during assembly. This eliminates edge concentration of stresses that leads to damage under torque, while the smooth curved geometry facilitates easy insertion and assembly.
4Ease of manufacture
If flat drive surfaces are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but coaxial alignment cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The curved surfaces are designed with specific radii that can be manufactured using standard machining operations. The concave surface of the outer profile and the convex surface of the inner profile are complementary, allowing them to mate precisely. This curvature inherently guides the components into coaxial alignment while remaining manufacturable with conventional techniques.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design allows for secure, rotation-proof connections with precise coaxial alignment and high torque transmission, preventing edge damage and enabling use in automated processes.
Implementation Method 1
the inclined drive surfaces of the components come into surface contact with one another when the components are axially plugged together, so that the interaction of the driving profiles creates a force-locking connection and/or clamping connection between the components
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for connecting a screw (1) and a rotary tool (8) for conjoint rotation, wherein the drive surfaces (6, 10) of the drive profiles (5, 9) have a constant inclination with respect to their profile axis (PA, PI) which is the same for all drive surfaces of both components (1, 8). In the component comprising the outer drive profile (5), the drive surfaces (6) are all concave or all convex, and in the component comprising the inner drive profile (9), the drive surfaces (10) are curved so as to be complementary to the drive surfaces (6) of the outer drive profile (5) such that, in the assembled state, the drive surfaces (6, 10) of the two components (1, 8), as viewed in the peripheral direction, come into flat contact/engagement with one another on both sides of the apex of the concave/convex curvature. The drive profiles (5, 9) are designed such that they do not come into contact with one another in the transition regions between the drive surfaces (6, 10).