Frangible Tap Structure for Controlled Fracture and Easy Removal
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional taps often fracture during threading operations, making it difficult to remove the broken portion from the cavity due to the fracture occurring close to the top, leaving little or no material for removal tools to grasp.
Innovation Solution
A frangible tap design featuring a weakened section, such as a recess or cavity, with a smaller cross-sectional area than the threaded section, configured to fracture under lower torsional stress, allowing easy removal by fracturing at this section instead of the threaded section.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional tap is used to form threads in a bore, then the threaded section can create secure threads, but the tap may fracture at an unpredictable location making removal difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The tap is segmented into distinct sections with different structural properties: a threaded section for forming threads, a frangible section with reduced cross-sectional area for controlled fracture, and a drive section for rotation. This segmentation ensures that when the tap fractures, it occurs at the predetermined frangible section rather than at the threaded section, making removal easier.
Solution Approach 2:
The frangible section is pre-weakened during manufacturing by reducing its cross-sectional area relative to the threaded section. This preliminary action creates a predetermined failure point that will fracture first under torsional stress, preventing unpredictable fractures at the threaded section and facilitating easy removal of the broken tap.
2Reliability
If the frangible section has a smaller cross-sectional area than the threaded section, then the frangible section fractures first under torsion, but the tap structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The tap employs local quality by making only the frangible section have a reduced cross-sectional area, while the threaded section maintains its full structural integrity for thread formation. This localized modification achieves the desired controlled fracture behavior without requiring complex changes to the entire tap structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The tap is divided into functionally distinct segments: the threaded section for thread formation, the frangible section with reduced cross-section for controlled fracture, and the drive section for rotation. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall structural simplicity.
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
Facilitates easy removal of the tap from the cavity by ensuring the fracture occurs at a designated weaker point, preventing damage to the tap or the threaded material.
Implementation Method 1
the frangible section is configured to be weaker than the threaded section under torsion, such that the frangible section is configured to fracture under a torsional stress lower than what would fracture the threaded section
Data Source
AI summary
A frangible tap may include a drive shaped and sized to be driven by a manual or power driver to rotate the frangible tap. The frangible tap may include a shank coupled with the drive. The frangible tap may include a threaded section coupled with the shank, the threaded section comprising a plurality of teeth configured to form threads in a bore by rotation of the threaded section within the bore. A frangible section may be formed in one of the shank and the drive, the frangible section configured to be weaker than the threaded section under torsion, such that the frangible section is configured to fracture under a torsional stress lower than what would fracture the threaded section.