Guide Gib Lubricating Grooves for Deep Drilling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing guide rails in deep hole drilling tools experience high friction and temperature issues due to inadequate lubrication, leading to cracking and reduced service life, particularly in hard metal components.

Innovation Solution

The introduction of pocket-shaped lubricating grooves with a square or oval base, narrow width, and shallow depth, strategically placed along the sliding surface to enhance lubrication and reduce friction, combined with the use of hard metal and potentially a hard material coating.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If cooling lubricant is supplied along the lateral boundary surfaces in wide depressions, then cooling is improved, but lubrication at contact surfaces is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooling of sliding surfaceVSAvoidlubrication at contact surfaces
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by creating narrow lubricating grooves with specific cross-sectional shapes (V-shaped, U-shaped, or flat-bottomed) that concentrate lubricant delivery precisely at the contact surfaces between the guide rail and bore wall. This localized approach ensures optimal lubrication where friction occurs most intensely, rather than distributing coolant broadly across the sliding surface.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The sliding surface is segmented into multiple contact zones with individual lubricating grooves positioned in each zone. This segmentation allows cooling lubricant to be delivered to multiple discrete contact points simultaneously, ensuring comprehensive lubrication coverage across the entire sliding surface while maintaining narrow groove dimensions for effective lubricant concentration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Duration of action of stationary object

If guide rails are made of hard metal for wear resistance, then service life is extended, but susceptibility to thermal cracking increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice life of guide railVSAvoidthermal cracking
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of stationary objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces cooling lubricant as an intermediary substance delivered through narrow grooves to the contact surfaces. This intermediary layer reduces direct friction and heat generation between the hard metal guide rail and bore wall, thereby protecting the guide rail from thermal cracking while maintaining its wear-resistant properties.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the inherently high-friction contact between hard metal guide rails and bore walls into a beneficial lubricated interface. By incorporating narrow lubricating grooves, the design transforms the potential harm of friction-induced thermal cracking into an opportunity for controlled lubricant delivery that reduces heat generation and protects the guide rail structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Temperature

If sliding surface area is reduced to minimize contact friction, then heat generation decreases, but lubrication coverage becomes insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefriction heat generationVSAvoidlubrication coverage
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transitions from considering only the two-dimensional sliding surface area to incorporating the third dimension of groove depth and cross-sectional shape. By creating grooves with specific depths and shapes (V-shaped, U-shaped, or flat-bottomed), the design delivers lubricant directly to the contact zone, ensuring adequate lubrication coverage without requiring an excessively large sliding surface area.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

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

Significantly improves lubrication at contact zones, reducing the risk of crack formation and extending the service life of guide rails by ensuring consistent coolant delivery and reducing wear and heat transfer.

Implementation Method 1

The guide strip (900) is characterized in that a plurality of pocket-shaped lubricating grooves (901) are arranged in the sliding surface (940) of the guide strip (900), viewed in the longitudinal direction of the guide strip (900), whose extent is limited to the sliding surface (940) alone

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLubrication: Lubrication

Implementation Method 2

In the event of insufficient cooling and/or lubrication by the cooling lubricant, the friction between the guide rail and the bore wall can be very high in this contact zone, which means that very high temperatures can occur

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Implementation Method 3

In the event of insufficient cooling and/or lubrication by the cooling lubricant, the friction between the guide rail and the bore wall can be very high in this contact zone, which means that very high temperatures can occur

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Implementation Method 4

A guide bar has at least one sliding surface which is intended to interact with the bore wall

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentEP2542369B1Guiding pad
Publication Date: 2017.05.03 BOTEK PRAEZISIONSBOHRTECHNIK GMBH
  • EP2542369B1 patent drawingFigure 1a
  • EP2542369B1 patent drawingFigure 1b
  • EP2542369B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

A guide gib (500) for a deep drilling tool of a substantially rectangular shape with a longitudinal direction (L) and a width (B) and with at least one sliding surface (540) is characterized in that at least one lubricating groove, preferably a plurality of lubricating grooves (501, 502), is/are arranged at least in the region of a contact zone of the sliding surface.