Elastically Deformable Wear Ring for Tool-Free Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wear rings, particularly those made of metal, complicate and increase the cost of installation due to their rigid nature, requiring additional fixation methods like bonding, which delays and increases manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece, elastically deformable plastic or reinforced plastic wear ring with recesses on its front and rear sides, allowing for temporary widening and easier mounting, featuring a cross-sectional width that increases radially towards the rear, enabling direct clipping into a mounting groove without the need for bonding, and incorporating lateral projections for enhanced flexibility and secure engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If wear rings are made of rigid metal materials, then they provide sufficient strength and durability, but they require additional fixation methods like bonding which complicates installation and increases manufacturing costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from rigid metal to elastically deformable plastic, allowing the wear ring to be temporarily deformed for easy installation into the mounting groove and then spring back to its original shape to provide sufficient operational strength without requiring bonding
Solution Approach 2:
The wear ring transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic elastic structure that can deform during installation and then maintain its shape during operation, enabling tool-free mounting while preserving structural integrity
2Ease of operation
If wear rings are made flexible to enable easy mounting, then installation becomes simpler, but the ring may lack sufficient strength to prevent unintended removal
Solution Approach 1:
The wear ring is segmented with circumferential slits that allow it to be compressed and inserted into the mounting groove, then expand to engage with the groove walls, providing both easy installation and secure retention without bonding
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses reinforced plastic materials that combine the elasticity needed for easy installation with sufficient strength for secure retention, creating a composite structure that satisfies both contradictory requirements
3Reliability
If wear rings require bonding for fixation, then they achieve secure positioning, but the installation process is greatly complicated and delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The wear ring is designed to self-fixate into the mounting groove through elastic deformation and geometric engagement features, eliminating the need for external bonding processes and enabling quick tool-free installation while maintaining secure positioning
4Strength
If wear rings have uniform cross-sectional width, then they maintain structural integrity, but they are difficult to mount without additional fixation
Solution Approach 1:
The wear ring features an asymmetric cross-section with different widths at different locations, including narrower sections that facilitate insertion into the mounting groove and wider sections that provide engagement surfaces, enabling easy mounting while maintaining overall structural integrity
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
Facilitates quicker, cost-effective mounting and secure positioning of the wear ring, reducing the risk of damage during installation and use, while maintaining sufficient strength to prevent unintended removal, and allows for easier replacement without laborious removal processes.
Implementation Method 1
The wear ring is formed in one piece from an elastically deformable plastic or a reinforced plastic material
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a wear ring (10) for guidance of two machine components (30, 32) arranged movably relative to one another along/around a movement axis (34), which is formed in one piece from a plastic or a reinforced plastic material and which is slit such that it has two free ends (14). The wear ring (10) has a cross-sectional width W, which at least sectionally, increases in a radial direction towards the rear side of the wear ring (10). The wear ring has one or more recesses (24) formed on its front side (16) and/or on its the rear side (18) for increasing its deformability and thus facilitate mounting thereof in a mounting groove of a machine element (30, 32). The invention further relates to a wear ring arrangement with a wear ring clipped into a mounting groove (54) of one of the machine components (30, 32) of the wear ring arrangement (100).