End Cap Groove Structure for Stable Brazing Ring Placement

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing methods for securing an end cap to a rail body by brazing often result in stress concentration and potential breakage due to grinding, increased costs, and complex production processes, as well as the risk of foreign matter damage from turnings and additional steps required for grinding and cleaning.

Innovation Solution

A rail body with an end cap where the insertion part has an engagement groove composed of side and bottom surfaces, matching the inner diameter of the rail body, allowing for secure placement and retention of a brazing material ring without displacement, eliminating the need for grinding and facilitating visual verification of the brazing process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If the inner surface of the end part of the rail body is ground to provide a step for placing the brazing material ring, then the brazing process can be performed, but the thickness of the ground part is reduced causing stress concentration and potential breakage under internal pressure

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebrazing processVSAvoidrail body strength
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of grinding the rail body to create a step structure, the invention inverts the approach by providing a step structure on the end cap's insertion part. The insertion part has a step structure with a first surface and a second surface at different positions in the insertion direction, allowing the brazing material ring to be placed on the step of the end cap rather than requiring a step in the rail body. This eliminates the need for grinding the rail body while still enabling proper brazing material placement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Reliability

If grinding is performed on the rail body to create a step structure, then the brazing material ring can be retained, but turnings are generated that may serve as foreign matter and damage the rail body

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebrazing retentionVSAvoidforeign matter damage
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the step structure from the rail body and relocates it to the end cap's insertion part. By providing the step structure on the insertion part instead of grinding the rail body, the harmful turnings are eliminated while the brazing material ring retention function is preserved. The step structure on the insertion part provides a retention space for the brazing material ring without generating any turnings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Ease of manufacture

If grinding is performed on the rail body to create a step structure, then the brazing material ring can be placed, but additional processes such as degreasing and washing are required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebrazing preparationVSAvoidproduction process
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention removes the grinding process from the manufacturing sequence by relocating the step structure to the end cap. This eliminates the need for subsequent degreasing and washing processes that would be required after grinding, thereby simplifying the overall production process while maintaining the brazing preparation functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Strength

If the outer diameter of the insertion part is the same as the inner diameter of the rail body with no step on the inner surface, then the rail body integrity is maintained, but the brazing material ring may be displaced during insertion

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverail body integrityVSAvoidbrazing material ring positioning
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The invention inverts the location of the step structure from the rail body to the end cap's insertion part. This allows the insertion part to have the same outer diameter as the rail body's inner diameter (maintaining integrity) while still providing a step structure on the insertion part that prevents brazing material ring displacement during insertion.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

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 reliable brazing without stress concentration or breakage, simplifies production by avoiding grinding, and maintains the rail body's integrity under internal pressure, while allowing for easy and accurate placement of the brazing material ring.

Implementation Method 1

the end cap is inserted into and placed inside an end part of the rail body and secured to an inner circumference of the rail body by brazing

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectBrazing: Brazing

Data Source

PatentEP3477092B1End cap
Publication Date: 2024.07.31 USUI CO LTD
  • EP3477092B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3477092B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3477092B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

To obtain an end cap that enables a brazing material ring to be appropriately placed and brazing to be reliably performed when inserting and placing an insertion part of the end cap in an end part of a rail body and securing the end cap by brazing it with the brazing material ring and, also, that is unlikely to result in a broken rail body when internal pressure is applied. An end cap to be inserted into and placed inside an end part of a rail body 2 and secured to an inner circumference of the rail body 2 by brazing, wherein an outer circumference of an insertion part 3 for insertion into the rail body 2 comprises an engagement groove 10 that is composed of a pair of side surfaces 11, 12 and a bottom surface 13 and that is capable of engagement with a brazing material ring 15.