Fixed Bar Dredge Core Assembly Structural Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fixed bar dredges used in sport fishing often experience structural failures due to spreader bars breaking at their attachment points to the centralized hub, especially under high-speed trolling conditions, necessitating improvements in design and assembly for enhanced structural integrity.
Innovation Solution
A high-strength tubular core assembly with radially extending spreader bars secured by crimp sleeves and swivel fittings, allowing for enhanced strength and support, and the attachment of dropper fasteners for luring strips to attract game fish.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional fixed bar dredge construction is used with centralized hub attachment, then manufacturing cost is reduced and assembly is simplified, but structural integrity fails under high-speed trolling conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the dredge structure into modular components: individual spreader bars with integrated attachment mechanisms that can be assembled separately and then connected to the hub. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for strength while maintaining assembly simplicity through standardized connection interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies different material properties and structural characteristics to different parts of the dredge. The spreader bars use specific cross-sectional geometries and materials optimized for their local stress conditions, while the hub provides centralized support with appropriate reinforcement at attachment points, creating local quality enhancements throughout the structure.
2Strength
If spreader bars are made lightweight for cost-effectiveness, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but structural integrity deteriorates under high-speed trolling loads
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the structural parameters of the spreader bars including cross-sectional geometry, wall thickness, and material selection to achieve the minimum weight necessary for structural integrity. By carefully adjusting these parameters, the design maintains strength under high-speed trolling loads while minimizing overall weight and manufacturing cost.
Data Source
AI summary
A fixed bar luring dredge comprising a high-strength core member tubular in form and assembled to hold a plurality of spreader bars extending through and attached to the core member in a fixed radial pattern with each spreader bar being disposed in a separate and distinct plane to enhance the strength and support of the spreader bar members in trolling. Each spreader bar is sized to pass transversely through a pair of opposed openings in the wall of the tubular core member and is secured therein with a respective crimp sleeve at each opening. Separate swivel fittings with rotatable sections formed to fit longitudinally within of the core member are positioned partially inside the chamber of the core member at opposite ends thereof, each of the swivel fittings having a respective transverse opening formed therein that serves to engage one of the spreader bars passing through the core member and thereby hold the respective swivel fitting in place. The spreader bars are each provided with a plurality of dropper fasteners fitted along the outer length of each bar for suspending a respective number of luring strips bearing selected baitfish images designed to attract game fish while trolling.