Helical Service Carriage Rolling Guide for Low-Wear Hose Winding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional service carriage systems for hose guidance in air-to-air refueling experience pin wear issues, leading to non-uniform hose winding and potential hose binding with the drum, necessitating frequent replacement or repair.
Innovation Solution
A service carriage system with rolling elements that move along helical guides, providing multiple contact points to reduce friction and prevent the carriage from switching guides at intersections, thus minimizing wear and ensuring smooth operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional service carriage with a pin is used to move along helical guides, then the carriage can be driven along the guides, but the pin experiences wear and may become stuck at cross points
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional pin with a spherical rolling element that moves along helical guides. The spherical shape allows the element to roll smoothly along the curved helical path and navigate cross points without the linear contact and wear issues of a pin. This curvature adaptation resolves the contradiction by maintaining ease of operation while eliminating wear and sticking problems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the sliding mechanical contact of a pin with a rolling mechanical contact of a spherical element. This replacement changes the fundamental mechanical interaction from sliding friction to rolling friction, significantly reducing wear on the guides and improving reliability by preventing the pin from becoming stuck at cross points.
2Productivity
If the pin moves back and forth along helical guides, then the hose can be wound onto the drum, but the pin wears and requires periodic replacement or repair
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical rolling element maintains continuous contact with the helical guides through rolling motion, enabling uninterrupted hose winding operations. The curved spherical geometry distributes contact stresses more effectively than a pin, preventing wear-induced failures and extending the duration of action for the entire carriage system.
Solution Approach 2:
By replacing the sliding pin with a rolling spherical element, the patent fundamentally changes the wear mechanism. Rolling contact generates minimal wear compared to sliding contact, thereby extending the service life of both the rolling element and the helical guides, and eliminating the need for periodic replacements that interrupt productivity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the pin traverses cross points of intersecting guides, then the carriage can reverse direction, but the pin may bump into corners and become stuck
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical rolling element naturally navigates the cross points where helical guides intersect by rolling over the corner regions. The curved spherical geometry allows seamless transition between opposite helical guides without the linear pin encountering sharp corners. This enables reliable direction reversal while maintaining adaptability of the carriage system.
Solution Approach 2:
The substitution of sliding pin contact with rolling spherical contact fundamentally resolves the sticking problem at cross points. The rolling element's spherical geometry and rolling motion allow it to smoothly traverse the intersection regions where guides cross, eliminating the bumping and sticking that occurs with conventional pins and ensuring reliable bidirectional operation.
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 rolling element design reduces wear and prevents sticking, ensuring uniform hose winding and extending the service life of the system by maintaining smooth movement and reducing the need for frequent maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
a movable element configured to be located in the first and second helix-shaped guides and movable along the guides. The movable element includes a set of rolling elements configured to roll one behind the other along the first or second helix-shaped guide of the shaft
Implementation Method 2
a shaft comprising a first and a second helix-shaped guide in its surface, each helix shaped-guide is configured to define a linear movement along the longitudinal axis of the shaft of a carriage in opposite directions
Data Source
AI summary
A frictionless service carriage system including: a shaft 1 having a first 2 and a second 3 helix-shaped guide in its surface, each helix shaped-guide 2, 3 defining a linear movement along the longitudinal axis of the shaft 1 of a carriage 4 in opposite directions and both helix shaped-guides 2, 3 crossing each other 2, 3 along the longitudinal axis of the shaft 1, wherein the carriage 4 includes a movable element 5 located successively in each of the helix-shaped guides 2, 3 and movable along the guides 2, 3, the movable element 5 comprising a set of rolling elements 6 along the first or second helix-shaped guide 2, 3 of the shaft 1 and configured such that in a crossing with the other helix-shaped guide 2, 3, the set of rolling elements 6 has at least two contact points with the helix-shaped guide 2, 3 for which it rolls.