Fiber Mesh Shim with Polymer Bonding for Pressure Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Shims made of composite materials experience a reduction in thickness under high pressures, leading to challenges in maintaining adjusted thickness within acceptable tolerance ranges, especially in mechanical assemblies subjected to temperature constraints and pressure.
Innovation Solution
A feeler gauge comprising a stack of sheets with a mesh network of fibers coated with a polymeric material, where particles smaller than the mesh dimensions and harder than the fibers are incorporated to create a cohesive force lower than the breaking limit, allowing sheets to be peeled without tearing, and a manufacturing method involving selection, impregnation, stacking, and polymerization to achieve high shear strength and pressure resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If composite material shims are used to achieve lightness and ease of use, then the shim can be easily handled and installed, but the thickness reduces under high pressures causing the adjusted thickness to fall outside acceptable tolerance ranges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure consisting of multiple fiber sheets bonded with polymeric material. This composite design provides both the lightness/ease of handling required for operational ease and the structural integrity needed to maintain thickness under pressure, resolving the contradiction between ease of use and thickness precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the physical and chemical parameters of the composite material by selecting specific fiber types, mesh sizes, and polymeric materials with appropriate bonding characteristics. These parameter changes enable the shim to maintain its thickness properties under high pressure while retaining ease of operation.
2Strength
If the adhesive bonding force between sheets is increased to improve cohesion under pressure, then the shim maintains better thickness stability, but the sheets can no longer be peeled without tearing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating different bonding characteristics at different interfaces. The polymeric material provides sufficient cohesion to maintain thickness under pressure, while the fiber mesh structure and bonding geometry are designed to allow controlled peeling during manufacturing and adjustment without tearing the sheets.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent carefully controls the bonding parameters of the polymeric material to achieve an optimal balance between cohesive strength and peelability. By adjusting the bonding force parameters, the shim maintains thickness stability under pressure while retaining the ability to be peeled for thickness adjustment during manufacturing.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the number of sheets is increased to achieve the desired thickness, then the shim provides better thickness adjustment capability, but the overall structure becomes more complex and harder to handle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the shim into multiple thin fiber sheets with mesh structures. This segmentation allows for precise thickness adjustment by adding or removing individual sheets, while the uniform mesh design and polymeric bonding maintain structural simplicity and ease of handling despite the multi-layer construction.
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 solution maintains the adjusted thickness with high precision, prevents bending, and enhances pressure resistance by creating microstructures that obstruct sheet penetration, ensuring the shim remains flat and maintains its thickness even under high pressures.
Implementation Method 1
a polymeric material which binds at least a first part of the fibers of said sheet to a second part of fibers of an adjacent sheet with a cohesive force lower than a breaking limit of the fibers
Implementation Method 2
a steaming step in which the pressed stacked sheets are brought to a temperature sufficient to polymerize said material so as to coat the fibers with polymeric material
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The spacer comprises a stack of sheets comprising a network mesh of fibers (7, 8), which determines a thickness of the sheet. The fibers are coated with a polymer material, which binds a first part of the fibers to a second part of fibers with a cohesion force less than a breaking limit of fibers to allow peeling of a sheet without tearing. The network mesh comprises particles (9) of micrometric or nanometric dimensions smaller than the dimensions of the mesh and the diameter of a fiber and a hardness equal to that of fibers. The particles and the fibers comprise a same material. An independent claim is included for a method of making a spacer.