Decorative Setting Assembly With Axial Deformation Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge of securely setting decorative elements like stones or pearls on jewelry or timepieces made of hard and fragile materials, such as ceramic or sapphire, is complicated by the need for precise installation, high cost, and aesthetic considerations, especially when the elements are small in size.
Innovation Solution
A setting assembly with a deformable area that plastically deforms under axial force, allowing secure holding by fracturing or bending to fit into a bed, using a setting with a tubular upper body and a lower foot, ensuring frictional engagement with the bed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an intermediate setting is used between the structure and decorative element, then the holding security is improved, but the cost increases and the installation becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The setting is designed with a deformable area that automatically deforms under axial driving force during installation, enabling self-setting into the bed without requiring complex external tools or highly skilled operators. The deformable area acts as a self-actuating mechanism that transforms the insertion force directly into setting action.
Solution Approach 2:
The setting utilizes plastic deformation of the deformable area under axial force to change its physical state from deformable to fixed. This parameter change allows the setting to transition from a flexible insertion state to a rigid holding state, simplifying the installation process while ensuring secure holding.
2Reliability
If plastic or shape-memory material settings are used, then the holding in bed is improved, but the cost increases and the choice of elastic material conflicts with aesthetic requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The setting is designed with a specific local deformable area that undergoes plastic deformation, while the rest of the setting body maintains its structural integrity and aesthetic appearance. This localized deformation approach allows the use of aesthetically pleasing materials without requiring elastic or shape-memory properties across the entire setting.
Solution Approach 2:
The deformable area is designed as a sacrificial element that undergoes irreversible plastic deformation during installation. This disposable-like approach to the deformable area simplifies manufacturing and material selection, as it does not need to maintain aesthetic properties after deformation, while the main setting body retains its aesthetic appearance.
3Reliability
If elastic settings are used, then the holding is improved, but the aesthetic appearance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The setting is segmented into a deformable area and a non-deformable aesthetic body. The deformable area handles the functional requirement of plastic deformation for setting, while the aesthetic body maintains its visual appeal. This segmentation allows the two conflicting requirements to be satisfied in different parts of the same component.
Solution Approach 2:
The deformable function is extracted from the aesthetic body and concentrated in a specific deformable area. This extraction allows the main setting structure to be designed purely for aesthetic purposes, while the separated deformable area handles the mechanical deformation required for installation and setting.
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
The solution provides a cost-effective, easy-to-install, and aesthetically pleasing method for securing decorative elements, preserving the structure and allowing for varied sizes and shapes without damaging the piece.
Implementation Method 1
at least one deformable area (7), which is plastically deformable under the action of a force at least axial imparted to the setting (1) in the driving direction
Implementation Method 2
ensuring frictional engagement with the bed
Data Source
AI summary
A setting (1), including, aligned along an axis for driving into a bed (8) of a piece of jewellery or timepiece (9), an upper body (15) including a first surface (2) to receive a component to be set (10), a setting element (4) to hold the component (10), and a lower body (16) including a second front surface (6), between which bodies (15; 16) a deformable area (7) is plastically deformable under the action of an axial driving force greater than a predetermined driving force, to bring the setting (1) into a stressed state wherein the deformable area (7) is irreversibly deformed and/or fractured, in the form of a clot radially pushing back a peripheral surface (3) of the setting (1) towards a lateral wall of the bed (8), or/and in the form of a fault radially pushing back the upper body (15) towards this lateral wall.