Gut Casing Support with Interlocked Stop Member
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gut supports for sausage casings face issues with stoppers detaching during transport, leading to production delays, potential contamination, and material weaknesses that can result in broken parts ending up in sausages, compromising food safety.
Innovation Solution
A tubular support with diametrically opposed holes and a flexible, resilient strip-shaped stop member that extends through both holes, providing a secure obstacle to prevent sliding and integrating seamlessly with the support, ensuring the stop member remains attached and detectable for safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a stopper is provided on the support to prevent gut sliding, then the gut remains secured during transport, but the stopper may become separated and end up in the sausage, creating food safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The stopper is integrated into the support structure by providing a through-hole in the support that receives and secures the stopper, eliminating the risk of separation. The stopper becomes a unified component of the support rather than a loose attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
A through-hole acts as an intermediary element between the support and the stopper, allowing the stopper to be securely retained while maintaining a clean separation from the gut. This intermediary structure prevents direct contact between the stopper and gut while ensuring the stopper remains in place.
2Reliability
If the end sections of the support are bent or deformed to provide stop elements, then the stopping function is integral, but the material is locally weakened and may break off during handling or transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The support is divided into distinct functional sections: the main body that maintains full structural strength, and the end sections that are specifically designed with through-holes for stoppers. This segmentation allows the stopper function to be integrated without compromising the overall strength of the support, as the through-hole structure distributes stress more effectively than localized bending.
3Reliability
If long cuts are provided in the end sections to create stop elements, then the stopping function is achieved, but the support material is weakened and may break off
Solution Approach 1:
The through-hole is pre-formed in the support structure during manufacturing, allowing the stopper to be inserted and secured in advance. This preliminary action ensures that the stopper is properly positioned and retained from the beginning, eliminating the need for subsequent cutting or deformation that would weaken the support material.
4Ease of operation
If the support uses a snapping function to secure the stopper, then assembly is simple, but the snapping function can be undone during handling or transport
Solution Approach 1:
The through-hole structure provides automatic retention of the stopper through its geometric configuration. The stopper is inserted through the hole and retained by the hole's shape and position, eliminating the need for separate snapping or locking mechanisms. This self-retaining design ensures the stopper remains secure during all handling and transport operations.
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 prevents stopper detachment, reduces material weaknesses, and simplifies the transfer process, enhancing food safety by ensuring the stop member remains securely clamped within the support, reducing handling errors and production time.
Implementation Method 1
a stop member being substantially strip-shaped, being made from a flexible resilient material
Data Source
Figure 1A~2E
Figure 3A~3D
Figure 4A~5
AI summary
A support for supporting a shirred gut casing comprises a tubular support member (100) and at least one stop member (200). An end section of the support member is provided with two diametrically opposed holes (108). The separate stop member is strip- shaped, is made from a flexible resilient material, and extends through both holes of the support member. The stop member comprises a broadened or thickened central portion (206) to prevent the stop member from moving through the holes.