Helical Concave Striking Tool for Jam-Free Penetration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional striking tools with pyramidal working heads and flat triangular faces often experience braking and jamming issues during material penetration, particularly when deeply inserted, due to excessive contact surfaces and inadequate debris evacuation.

Innovation Solution

The striking tool features four concave and helical working faces connected by helical edges, reducing contact surfaces and concentrating percussion forces, along with a vent effect for debris evacuation, achieved through a configuration where the working faces converge to a point and transition to a reduced diameter zone with a frustoconical intermediate section.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If flat triangular working faces are used on the pyramidal head, then the tool structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the contact surface area is too large causing braking and jamming during material penetration

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveworking head structureVSAvoidpenetration speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies curvature by replacing the flat triangular faces with concave curved surfaces that form a helical configuration. This curvature reduces the contact surface area between the tool and material while maintaining structural integrity, thereby reducing braking forces and improving penetration speed without complicating manufacturing significantly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a helical dimension to the working faces, transforming them from simple flat or concave surfaces into three-dimensional helical surfaces. This adds a rotational component to the penetration action, reducing contact area and braking effects while enhancing the tool's ability to evacuate debris and continue penetrating material.

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

2Ease of manufacture

If flat triangular working faces are used, then manufacturing is simplified, but debris evacuation from the working zone is inadequate leading to tool blocking

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveworking head structureVSAvoidtool blocking resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The concave curvature of the working faces creates a natural channeling effect that directs debris away from the working zone. The curved surfaces guide fragmented material and dust along the helical path, preventing accumulation and blocking at the tool tip, thereby improving reliability without complicating manufacturing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The helical configuration adds a rotational dimension to debris evacuation. As the tool penetrates, the helical faces naturally screw debris outward and upward, creating an effective evacuation path that prevents blocking and maintains reliable operation throughout the working cycle.

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

3Productivity

If working faces are configured to reduce contact surface area, then penetration improves, but the concentration of percussion forces may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepenetration speedVSAvoidpercussion force concentration
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The concave curved surfaces concentrate percussion forces along the helical edges and ridges formed by the curvature. While reducing overall contact area, the curved geometry naturally channels and focuses the impact forces onto specific zones, maintaining effective force concentration for material fragmentation and penetration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The helical configuration transforms the force application from a purely axial impact into a combination of axial percussion and rotational compression. This multi-dimensional force application concentrates energy along the helical paths, enhancing both penetration efficiency and material fragmentation while maintaining effective force concentration.

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

This configuration enhances penetration and debris evacuation, reduces the risk of tool blocking, and increases fragmentation power by concentrating forces and generating lateral compression, while promoting efficient dust and debris removal.

Implementation Method 1

the concave and helical working faces of the striking tool, object of the invention, have the primary effect of reducing the contact surfaces with the worked material, in the working area, so as to limit the phenomena opposing to the penetration forces of the tool

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Implementation Method 2

The helical orientation of the working faces and edges, on the head of the tool, also has the effect of generating lateral compression forces, which add to the percussion forces applied longitudinally to the tool during work

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCompression: Compression

Implementation Method 3

The configuration of the working faces promotes a vent effect for the evacuation of dust and debris from the worked material, generated in the working zone located at the 'bottom of the hole' where the splitting of this material takes place

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Data Source

PatentEP2392432B2Striking tool of the pick type
Publication Date: 2019.10.23 DIAGER
  • EP2392432B2 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2392432B2 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The tool has an elongated body (2) i.e. cylindrical rod, whose one end is provided with a pyramidal work head (4). The work head has concave work surfaces (6) that are distributed around a longitudinal axis of the tool. The work surfaces converge towards a tip (5) situated on the longitudinal axis, and are obtained in a helical manner, along the longitudinal axis. The work surfaces are connected with one another along helical edges (7) that converge towards the tip situated on the longitudinal axis.