Force Damper Plastic Deformation Single-Use Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fall mitigation systems, such as force dampers, are not designed for single-use safety, as their integrity cannot be verified after initial deployment, leading to inconsistent performance across varying object weights, posing safety risks.
Innovation Solution
A force damper with a housing, driving member, and resilient members made from materials that undergo plastic deformation upon force arrest, featuring elongatable portions like zig-zag, sinusoidal, or helical regions, ensuring single-use functionality by imparting a second force and providing visible deformation for safety assurance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a force damper is designed to be reusable, then device complexity and cost are reduced, but safety and reliability cannot be verified across multiple uses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by utilizing plastic deformation of the resilient member's material properties. When the force damper arrests a fall, the resilient member undergoes permanent plastic deformation that alters its physical parameters (shape, density, volume), providing a permanent marker that prevents reuse while maintaining consistent performance characteristics for single-use operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements the disposable principle by designing the resilient member to be consumed during single use. The plastic deformation permanently alters the resilient member, rendering it unsuitable for repeated use. This ensures that each force damper is used only once, eliminating the need for verification of integrity across multiple uses while maintaining safety standards.
2Reliability
If the resilient member undergoes plastic deformation, then single-use functionality is ensured, but the device cannot be reused
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes plastic deformation to permanently alter the resilient member's physical parameters after single use. This parameter change (permanent shape modification) ensures the device cannot be reused while maintaining reliable performance during its single operational cycle. The plastic deformation serves as both the safety mechanism and the reuse prevention mechanism.
3Ease of manufacture
If the elongatable portion is made plastically deformable, then visible deformation indicates single-use operation, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating the plastic deformation characteristic in a specific location - the elongatable portion of the resilient member. This localized design allows the rest of the force damper structure to remain simple and reusable, while only the specific elongatable portion undergoes permanent deformation to provide visible single-use indication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes curved geometries in the elongatable portion (such as helical, sinusoidal, or zig-zag patterns) that are inherently more compliant and easier to deform plastically. These curved structures provide visible deformation during single use while maintaining manufacturability through standard forming processes, balancing complexity with functional requirements.
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 ensures safe, single-use operation by guaranteeing plastic deformation in resilient members, preventing reuse and ensuring consistent performance across different falling masses, thereby enhancing worker safety and compliance with regulatory requirements.
Implementation Method 1
The resilient member is formed from a material that at least partially undergoes plastic deformation when the first force is arrested
Implementation Method 2
The resilient member is disposed between the stop and the third surface and imparts a second force on the stop toward the second surface
Implementation Method 3
the elongatable portion is plastically deformable; wherein, the elongatable portion comprises one or more of a zig-zag region, a sinusoidal region, or a helical region
Data Source
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AI summary
A force damper arranged to progressively arrest a first force imparted by an object moving in a first direction is disclosed. The force damper includes a housing enclosure having a first housing end and a second housing end. The first housing end includes a first connection point, and the second housing end includes an opening. A driving member is disposed within the housing enclosure and includes a first shaft end, a second shaft end, and a shaft therebetween. The first shaft end includes a stop and the second shaft end includes a second connection point. A compressible member is disposed within the housing enclosure between the stop and the opening. The compressible member is formed from a material that at least partially undergoes plastic deformation when the first force is arrested and imparts a second force on the stop toward first housing end.