Gas Cylinder Actuator Bushing for Uncontrolled Piston Return
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas cylinder actuators face issues with uncontrolled return of the piston-stem, leading to potential breakage and ejection, posing safety risks and necessitating rapid gas discharge to prevent structural damage and operator harm.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a deformable or breakable bushing between the piston and the jacket, designed to absorb kinetic energy and create a gas discharge passage during uncontrolled return, preventing ejection and ensuring safe gas release without structural damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a preset part of the piston or stem breaks off to discharge pressurized gas, then gas discharge is enabled, but the structural integrity of the gas cylinder actuator is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The bushing is designed as a separate, sacrificial component that can be segmented or broken into parts during uncontrolled return. This segmentation allows the bushing to fail in a controlled manner, creating gas discharge passages without requiring the piston or stem to break, thus preserving the structural integrity of the main actuator components.
Solution Approach 2:
The bushing acts as an intermediary component positioned between the piston and the stem. It absorbs the impact of uncontrolled return and fails sacrificially to create gas discharge paths, protecting the piston and stem from direct damage. The bushing mediates the energy transfer and failure mode, ensuring safety while preserving critical structural components.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the stem is held inside the jacket by an abutment shoulder, then ejection is prevented, but the kinetic energy of the piston-stem cannot be dissipated
Solution Approach 1:
The bushing is pre-installed as a sacrificial cushioning element between the piston and stem. During uncontrolled return, it absorbs and dissipates the kinetic energy through controlled deformation and breakage before the piston-stem assembly can gain enough momentum to eject the stem from the jacket. This beforehand cushioning prevents both ejection and energy accumulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The bushing is designed to fail sacrificially, converting the harmful kinetic energy of uncontrolled return into beneficial gas discharge and energy dissipation. The breakage of the bushing, which might seem like a failure, actually serves the dual purpose of creating gas escape paths and dissipating energy, thereby preventing more serious damage to the actuator.
3Reliability
If rapid gas discharge is enabled to prevent structural damage, then safety is improved, but the piston-stem may still be ejected with force
Solution Approach 1:
The bushing is pre-positioned to fail first during uncontrolled return, creating gas discharge passages before the piston-stem assembly can accelerate to ejection velocities. This preliminary action of the bushing breaking opens escape routes for the pressurized gas, reducing pressure buildup and preventing the piston-stem from gaining enough force to eject the stem.
Solution Approach 2:
The bushing serves as an intermediary that fails sacrificially to create gas discharge paths, mediating between the pressurized gas and the external environment. This intermediary failure enables controlled gas discharge that reduces the force available for ejection, while the bushing itself absorbs the impact and prevents direct transmission of forces that would cause stem ejection.
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 effectively dissipates kinetic energy and ensures safe exit of pressurized gas without breaking the piston-stem or structural components, preventing uncontrolled ejection and maintaining performance comparable to conventional actuators.
Implementation Method 1
a bushing (20), which is coupled to the tubular jacket (11) with means of preventing translation with respect to the axis X, and is designed to encounter the piston portion (17), such that the bushing (20) is configured to at least be deformed in the event of impact with the piston portion (17) owing to the uncontrolled return of the piston-stem (15)
Implementation Method 2
so as to allow the passage of that piston portion (17) and the formation of a gas discharge passage between the piston-stem (15), the sealing means (23) and the passage and guidance hole (14)
Data Source
AI summary
A gas cylinder actuator with safety device for uncontrolled return of the piston-stem, comprising:a tubular containment jacket,two opposing heads for closing the tubular jacket, a first head which is provided with a through hole for passage and for translation guidance with respect to an axis of symmetry for a piston-stem, and a second, opposing head,a piston-stem, which comprises a stem portion and a piston portion,sealing elements which are arranged so as to act against the stem portion at the passage and guidance hole,a chamber for pressurized gas being defined between the tubular jacket, the heads and the piston-stem;such gas cylinder actuator comprises, between the first head and the piston portion, a bushing, which is coupled to the tubular jacket with elements of preventing translation with respect to the axis, and is designed to encounter the piston portion, the bushing being configured to at least be deformed in the event of impact with the piston portion owing to the uncontrolled return of the piston-stem, so as to allow the passage of the piston portion and the formation of a gas discharge passage between the piston-stem, the sealing elements and the passage and guidance hole.