Grooved Nail Shank Design for Material Reduction and Holding Power

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing nail designs fail to reduce material usage while maintaining holding power and bending yield strength, often limiting the size of the head geometry which affects pull-through resistance.

Innovation Solution

A nail with a shank featuring a large number of shallow grooves configured along its longitudinal axis, allowing for a full round head and increased holding power without significantly impacting bending yield strength, and optionally incorporating protrusions to enhance moment of inertia and strength.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If grooves are formed deeply into the shank to increase holding power, then holding power is improved, but the head geometry is limited and cannot have a full round head

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveholding powerVSAvoidhead geometry
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSShape

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies partial action by forming grooves that extend only a limited distance along the shank rather than deeply into it. The grooves are positioned to optimize holding power while stopping before interfering with head formation, thus achieving the desired balance between withdrawal strength and full round head geometry

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

2Loss of substance

If material is reduced to lower manufacturing cost, then manufacturing cost is improved, but holding power and bending yield strength are adversely affected

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvematerial usageVSAvoidholding power
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of substanceVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the shank by forming multiple grooves along its length, which removes material to reduce weight and cost. However, the grooves are strategically designed with controlled depth and spacing to maintain structural integrity, ensuring that holding power and bending yield strength are not significantly compromised while achieving material reduction

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Loss of substance

If grooves are formed to reduce material usage, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but bending yield strength is significantly affected

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvematerial usageVSAvoidbending yield strength
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of substanceVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by creating grooves with specific characteristics (depth, width, spacing, and longitudinal position) that optimize material removal in certain areas while preserving structural strength in critical regions. The grooves are designed to affect local material distribution without compromising overall bending yield strength

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP2126380B1Grooved fastener
Publication Date: 2013.07.24 ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS INC
  • EP2126380B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2126380B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2126380B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

A nail (10) having a plurality of grooves (14) configured to reduce the amount of material needed to create the nail and increase the holding power of the nail, while only "minimally affecting the bending yield strength of the nail and other important properties. The nail includes a relatively high number of grooves having a relatively shallow depth to retain a cross-sectional geometry of the shank 812) that permits the formation of a full round head (11) of sufficiently large diameter such that pull through resistance of the nail is not- significantly affected. Various embodiments of such a nail are disclosed. In a first embodiment, the grooves are semi-circular and are disposed evenly and symmetrically about the circumference of the shank. In a second embodiment, a protrusion is formed at one tangent point (corner) of each of the plurality of grooves. In a third embodiment, a protrusion is formed at each tangent point of each of the plurality of grooves. Ih other embodiments the grooves may be unevenly and asymmetrically disposed about the circumference- of the shank, the grooves may comprise non-semi-circular geometries and the grooves may comprise deformations.