Gauge Block Viewing Windows for Bent Tube Tolerance Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing checking gauges for bent tubes obscure the areas of the tube that are out of tolerance, making it difficult for users to visually determine the exact deviations from manufacturing specifications.
Innovation Solution
The design includes gauge blocks with channels and viewing windows that allow users to see the bottom of the tube within the channel, enabling quick visual assessment of tolerance deviations and providing graduations to determine the degree of deviation, along with end fittings for accurate support and positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a traditional checking gauge with a channel is used to check tube tolerances, then the tube can be positioned and measured, but the gauge blocks obscure the areas of the tube that are out of tolerance, making visual determination difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The gauge block is segmented with viewing windows that divide the block structure, allowing specific areas to be transparent. This segmentation enables the tube to be viewed through the gauge block at critical measurement locations, resolving the contradiction between maintaining structural measurement capability and enabling visual observation of tube deviations.
Solution Approach 2:
The viewing window acts as an intermediary element between the observer and the tube. It allows light to pass through the gauge block to reveal the tube's position and any deviations, serving as a mediator that enables visual information transfer without compromising the gauge block's measurement function.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the gauge blocks are made solid and opaque for structural stability, then the gauge maintains its shape and positioning accuracy, but the user cannot see the bottom of the tube or determine the degree of deviation
Solution Approach 1:
The gauge block exhibits local quality by having different optical properties in different regions. The majority of the gauge block remains opaque and solid for structural stability, while specific localized areas contain transparent viewing windows. This allows the gauge to maintain overall structural integrity while providing localized visual access to the tube for ease of operation.
3Loss of information
If viewing windows are added to the gauge blocks to enable visual inspection, then the user can see tube deviations, but the gauge structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The viewing windows are merged into the gauge block structure during manufacturing, creating an integrated design rather than adding separate components. The viewing windows are formed as inherent features of the gauge block, combining the structural and visual inspection functions into a single unified element, thereby minimizing additional complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A gauge for checking tolerances of a bent tube includes a gauge block having a channel in which the tube is placed for checking. Viewing windows in the side of the gauge block permit the bottom of the tube to be viewed within the channel. The viewing windows are sized to match a preselected tolerance.