Floating Anchor Nut Structure for Limited Blindside Clearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current floating anchor nuts face difficulties in situations with limited blindside clearance, leading to potential damage or fouling of nearby components due to manufacturing tolerances and restricted access, which can result in reduced reliability and increased risk of corrosion or failure.
Innovation Solution
A floating anchor nut design featuring a plate with a bolt aperture and retention features that allow limited parallel displacement, along with a flange positioned partway along the nut's body, enabling the nut to 'float' and accommodate misalignment while maintaining secure engagement with the bolt, and optionally including a counter-bore for improved clearance and reduced bolt length.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional floating anchor nut is used, then the nut can accommodate misalignment between components, but the bolt may impinge on components behind the nut when blindside clearance is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the flange from the distal end to an intermediate position along the nut body, effectively changing the spatial dimension of the nut's structure. This dimensional change allows the proximal end portion to extend further into the blindside clearance space, accommodating misalignment while preventing bolt impingement on behind-components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a localized structural variation by positioning the flange at a specific intermediate position rather than uniformly distributing its length. This local quality change enables the proximal end portion to protrude through the plate, providing misalignment accommodation precisely where needed without affecting the overall nut length or bolt engagement.
2Device complexity
If the flange is positioned at the distal end of the nut body, then the nut structure is simplified, but the blindside clearance is reduced and bolt length must be increased
Solution Approach 1:
By moving the flange to an intermediate position along the nut body's length, the patent effectively redistributes the structural elements along the longitudinal dimension. This allows the proximal end portion to extend into the blindside clearance space, increasing the effective clearance without adding overall nut length or complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the bolt aperture diameter is increased to accommodate nut displacement, then the nut can float more freely to accommodate misalignment, but the structural strength of the plate is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a localized solution by positioning the flange at an intermediate position, which concentrates the floating capability where needed while maintaining a smaller bolt aperture diameter. This local quality approach allows the nut to displace freely in the required direction without requiring a large aperture that would compromise plate strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the nut structure into distinct portions (proximal end portion, flange, distal end portion) with the flange positioned at an intermediate location. This segmentation allows the proximal end portion to extend through the plate for floating capability while the distal end portion maintains thread engagement, achieving both adaptability and structural integrity.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A
AI summary
A floating anchor nut (1) configured to receive a bolt (2) is described. The floating anchor nut comprises a plate (3) having a bolt aperture (5) and retention features (7, 9) for retaining a nut. The floating anchor nut additionally comprises the nut (11) that itself comprises an internally threaded body (13) and a flange (15) extending from an outer surface (17) of the body, the nut being retained through interaction of the flange with the retention features, the retention features allow limited parallel displacement with respect to a plane of the plate. The flange is positioned along the body so that at least a portion of the body is counter-sunk into the bolt aperture of the plate.