Fiber-Reinforced Rod End Structure for High Load at Low Weight
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional plastic rod ends have low strength and are unable to transmit high mechanical loads, limiting their application in weight-sensitive fields like aerospace, while metallic rod ends are heavy and costly.
Innovation Solution
A rod end design featuring a fiber-reinforced plastic loop around a bearing, with a continuous-fiber reinforced composite material and thermoplastic matrix, capable of transmitting high mechanical loads while maintaining a low weight, using a ring to enhance structural integrity and a form-fit configuration to maintain a constant cross-sectional area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If conventional plastic rod ends are used, then weight is reduced, but mechanical strength and load transmission capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The rod end is made from fiber-reinforced plastic composite material, combining plastic matrix with reinforcing fibers (glass, carbon, or aramid) to achieve both lightweight properties and high mechanical strength. The composite structure allows the material to transmit high mechanical loads while maintaining low weight, resolving the contradiction between weight reduction and strength enhancement.
2Strength
If metallic rod ends are used, then mechanical strength is improved, but weight and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fiber-reinforced plastic composite replaces traditional metallic materials, providing comparable or superior mechanical strength while significantly reducing weight. The composite material's high strength-to-weight ratio enables the rod end to meet mechanical load requirements without the weight penalty of metals.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameters by using fiber-reinforced plastics with specific fiber types, orientations, and volume fractions to achieve the required mechanical properties. By optimizing fiber content and arrangement, the material can match or exceed metallic strength while maintaining lightweight characteristics.
3Ease of manufacture
If short fiber reinforced plastics are used, then manufacturing is simplified, but load transmission capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The use of continuous or long fibers in the composite material provides superior load transmission capability compared to short fibers, while the thermoplastic matrix enables conventional molding processes. The combination allows for both ease of manufacture through standard injection molding and high load transmission through the continuous fiber reinforcement.
Data Source
AI summary
Various implementations of a clevis may include a continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic that may be least partially looped around a first opening in the clevis and a second opening in the clevis. Implementations of a clevis may include a stem and the continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic may extend into the stem.