Countersink Go/No-Go Gauge for Flush Rivet Depth Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for determining the precise depth of countersinks in structural walls for rivet installation are inefficient, often resulting in delays and difficulties in removing rivets due to improper sizing, which wastes time in manufacturing processes.
Innovation Solution
A go/no-go gauge is designed to determine whether a countersink is formed at the correct depth, allowing technicians to check if the outer surface of a rivet or threaded fastener is flush with the structure's surface within a predetermined tolerance band, using a tool with a grip shaft, cylindrical extension, and tolerance features to ensure accurate sizing without installing and removing rivets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an actual rivet is used as a gauge to determine countersink depth, then the measurement is simple and intuitive, but the rivet may get stuck or become difficult to remove when the countersink depth is too large, causing delays and wasted time
Solution Approach 1:
The gauge is divided into a head portion (mimicking the rivet head) and a shank portion (mimicking the rivet shaft), with the shank extending beyond the head to provide a gripping surface. This segmentation allows the gauge to be easily removed by gripping the extended shank, solving the removal difficulty problem while maintaining the simplicity of using a rivet-like object for measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The gauge serves as an intermediary tool that combines the measurement function of a rivet with the ease of removal feature of a separate gauging tool. By creating this intermediate device with an extended shank, the patent enables easy gripping and removal while maintaining accurate countersink depth verification.
2Ease of operation
If a go/no-go gauge is designed with a shank extending beyond the head to facilitate gripping, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases compared to using a simple rivet
Solution Approach 1:
The gauge head is designed to locally mimic the critical dimensions of an actual rivet head (diameter, shape) for accurate measurement, while the shank portion extends locally beyond the head to provide a gripping surface. This localized modification adds minimal complexity only where needed for removal, while preserving the simple rivet-like appearance and measurement function.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the entire gauge complex with multiple features, the patent inverts the approach by keeping the measurement portion simple (rivet-like head) and adding the complexity only in the form of an extended shank for gripping. This minimal inversion solves the removal problem with the smallest possible increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A countersink go/no-go gauge is configured to aid a determination of whether a countersink aperture for a rivet is formed to a desired depth. The countersink go/no-go gauge includes a head having a depth defined between a top surface and a bottom surface and a shaft extending from the top surface of the head. The depth of the head is substantially equal to a desired depth of a countersink aperture. In some embodiments the go/no-go gauge includes tolerance features to provide a range for an acceptable countersink depth.