Elongated Plug With Pivotable Lips Resists Drive-Out
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing expansion plugs are insufficiently capable of withstanding forces attempting to drive them out, as they generate insufficient reaction forces due to their design.
Innovation Solution
An elongate plug with pivotable lips along its length, manufactured from elastically deformable plastic, which pivot from a rest position to an active position when a nail or screw is inserted, protruding outward to engage with the concrete and resist drive-out forces, and featuring offset lips, wings, and ribs to prevent rotation and ensure secure anchoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a conventional expansion plug design is used, then the plug can be easily inserted into the drilled hole, but it generates insufficient reaction forces to withstand drive-out forces
Solution Approach 1:
The plug incorporates pivotable lips that dynamically change position from a retracted state during insertion to an expanded state during fastening. This dynamic mechanism allows the plug to adapt its geometry to maximize engagement with the concrete, thereby generating sufficient reaction forces to withstand drive-out forces while maintaining ease of insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug utilizes elastic deformation of the plastic material to change the parameters of its structure. When the screw is inserted and tightened, the elastic material deforms, causing the lips to pivot outward and increase their engagement depth into the concrete. This parameter change enables the plug to transition from a low-profile insertion state to a high-engagement fastening state, resolving the contradiction between ease of insertion and resistance to drive-out forces.
2Reliability
If the plug body is made from elastically deformable plastic, then the lips can pivot to engage the concrete, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The plug body is segmented into multiple functional zones: a cylindrical insertion portion, a transition zone with pivotable lips, and an expansion zone with oval cross-section. This segmentation allows each zone to perform its specific function independently, simplifying the overall design while achieving reliable anchoring through the coordinated action of these segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug utilizes the elastic properties of the plastic material to create flexible lips that can pivot and deform. This approach replaces complex mechanical hinge mechanisms with simple elastic deformation, reducing structural complexity while maintaining the ability to generate reliable anchoring forces through the pivoting action of the lips.
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 plug effectively resists drive-out forces and remains securely anchored in concrete surfaces, preventing rotation and axial displacement, ensuring reliable fastening.
Implementation Method 1
The elongate plug is manufactured particularly from a plastic, preferably elastically deformable plastic such as polyamide
Data Source
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AI summary
Elongate plug provided with a pin-like body with a longitudinal bore for receiving a nail, screw or the like therein, with the feature that the body is provided along at least a part of its length with lips which, under the influence of the nail, screw or the like being received therein, are pivotable from a rest position, in which the lips lie at least substantially in the outer surface of the body, and an active position in which the lips extend outward relative to the outer surface of the body.