Dual-Thread Setting Bolt for Fast Removable Joining
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing joining elements require pre-drilling and lengthy cycle times for connecting components, and are difficult to remove without causing damage.
Innovation Solution
A nail with a self-tapping and non-self-tapping threaded sections that allows for non-pre-drilled connections and easy detachment by applying torque in opposite directions, using a pulsed force impulse for insertion and rotation for joining and releasing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If flow-form screwing is used to join non-pre-drilled components, then the connection can be made without pre-drilling, but the cycle time becomes relatively long due to friction heating and material hardening requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the thermal-mechanical flow-forming process with a purely mechanical insertion process. The nail is driven axially into pre-formed holes through impact or pressing forces, eliminating the need for friction heating and subsequent material hardening time. The thread formation occurs mechanically during insertion rather than through thermal plasticization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses pre-formed holes in the components instead of creating holes through friction heating during the joining process. This preliminary preparation of holes allows for rapid nail insertion without the time-consuming thermal softening and hardening cycles required by flow-form screws.
2Ease of manufacture
If a two-part nail with hollow shaft is used for non-pre-drilled connections, then positive and non-positive joining can be created with little effort, but the nail becomes difficult to remove without damage to components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the nail into two functional segments: a shaft portion with threads for engagement and a head portion with a drive feature. This segmentation allows the shaft to be inserted and engaged while the head remains accessible for torque application during both installation and removal operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a drive feature (such as a hexagonal or cross-shaped recess) in the head as an intermediary mechanism. This drive feature enables torque transmission for both driving the nail in and extracting it, solving the removal difficulty without requiring damage to the components.
3Productivity
If a nail with self-forming thread is used for rapid insertion, then non-destructive connections can be made, but the nail requires torque application for detachment which complicates the design
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the head to serve multiple functions: it provides bearing surface support during insertion, contains the drive feature for torque application during both installation and removal, and maintains structural integrity throughout the process. This multi-functionality reduces overall design complexity despite the added capability for controlled detachment.
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
Enables rapid, non-destructive connections and detachments of components without pre-drilling, reducing cycle times and minimizing damage during assembly and disassembly.
Implementation Method 1
The shaft (30) has, facing towards the head (10), a first axial threaded portion (40) with a self-forming thread (44)
Implementation Method 2
a first axial threaded portion (40) with a self-forming thread (44), facing away from the head (10), with a supporting thread (46) which is not self-forming
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A nail for producing a non-destructive, rotatably detachable connection between at least a first and a second component, of which at least one component is not pre-drilled, which has the following features: a head with a side facing away from the shaft, on which a drive feature is arranged, and a side facing towards the shaft with an under-head annular groove, a shaft formed integrally with the head and extending in the axial direction of the nail, which ends in a point at an end opposite the head, in which the shaft has a first axial threaded section facing towards the head with a self-forming thread, a second axial threaded section facing away from the head with a load-bearing and non-self-forming thread and an axial point region.