Push Pull Double Swivel Coupler for Hydraulic Line Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Push-pull couplers used for connecting and disconnecting pressurized lines, such as hydraulic or pneumatic hoses, often experience damage due to non-uniform tensile forces and side loading when a vehicle moves away from a station, leading to fluid spillage and hazards, as the couplers are not designed to handle non-parallel or varying tensile forces effectively.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a pivot bracket with swivels along multiple axes, allowing couplers to pivot so their adapter faces become normal to the applied tensile forces, ensuring clean disconnection by aligning with the force vectors, thus minimizing damage and maintaining alignment with the force direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the coupler is fixed to the base without swivel capability, then the structure is simple and stable, but the adapter face cannot align with tensile forces causing side loading and nonuniform stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The coupler is transformed from a fixed static structure to a dynamic structure with swivel capabilities. The first swivel mechanism allows the coupler body to rotate relative to the base, and the second swivel mechanism allows the adapter to rotate relative to the coupler body. This enables the adapter face to dynamically align with tensile forces during operation, converting non-uniform static stresses into aligned dynamic forces.
2Stress or pressure
If the coupler allows free movement to align with tensile forces, then stress distribution is improved, but the device complexity increases due to multiple swivel mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The coupler is divided into segmented components that can rotate independently: a base, a coupler body connected to the base via a first swivel mechanism, and an adapter connected to the coupler body via a second swivel mechanism. This segmentation allows each component to rotate independently to align with applied forces, achieving stress distribution improvement through modular design rather than a monolithic complex structure.
3Productivity
If multiple couplers are displaced from one another, then they can handle multiple lines, but the tensile forces on each coupler are not parallel causing non-uniform stresses
Solution Approach 1:
Each coupler in the multiple-coupler configuration is equipped with independent first and second swivel mechanisms. This allows each coupler-adapter assembly to dynamically orient itself independently in response to the specific direction of tensile forces applied by its connected line, ensuring that even when couplers are displaced to handle multiple lines, each adapter face remains normal to its respective tensile force.
4Ease of operation
If the line is pulled out at an angle to the adapter face, then disconnection occurs, but damage is caused to the line or adapter
Solution Approach 1:
The double swivel mechanism ensures that the adapter face dynamically maintains a normal orientation to the applied tensile force throughout the disconnection process. When the line is pulled, the first and second swivels rotate to align the adapter face with the pull direction, enabling the line to be pulled out cleanly along the normal to the adapter face rather than at an angle, thus preventing damage to the line or adapter during disconnection.
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 solution ensures clean and synchronized disconnection of lines from couplers, reducing damage and fluid spillage by aligning the couplers' faces with the tensile forces, allowing for efficient and safe disconnection of hydraulic, pneumatic, or electrical lines during vehicle movement.
Implementation Method 1
the coupler will pivot such that the face of its adapter will be normal to the predetermined tensile force
Implementation Method 2
Upon the exertion of a predetermined tensile force by the connected line, the coupler will pivot
Data Source
AI summary
A push pull coupler for hydraulic or other line that pivots about two axes in response to a predetermined tensile force exerted by a line connected to an adapter of the coupler, so that a face of the adapter is normal to the predetermined tensile force. A tensile force greater than the predetermined tensile force causes the disconnection of the line from the adapter. In one embodiment, a second push-pull coupler pivots around a third axis different from the first and second axes, responsive to a second predetermined tensile force that doesn't have to be parallel to the first predetermined tensile force. The faces of the couplers' adapters therefore become normal to the respective tensile forces exerted on them prior to disconnection of the lines.