Hinged Sheet Metal Pipe Clip for Secure Fastening
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pipe clips lack enhanced security and ease of use in securely fastening pipes to walls, ceilings, or other supports, as they often rely on simple flanges and fastening elements that can be prone to misalignment and failure under stress.
Innovation Solution
The pipe clip incorporates a hinged female fastening element monolithically formed with the clip body, which cooperates with the male fastening element's shank or head, allowing for resilient engagement and secure tightening, with features like bent loops and half nuts to facilitate secure attachment and prevent retraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If simple flanges and fastening elements are used in conventional pipe clips, then the device complexity is reduced and manufacturing is easier, but the reliability and security of pipe attachment deteriorates due to misalignment and failure under stress
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening element incorporates a hinged member that can dynamically adjust its position and orientation during installation and under load. The hinge allows the fastening element to swivel and adapt to misalignments between the pipe and support, maintaining secure attachment without requiring precision alignment during installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The clip body is divided into functional segments including the annular clip portion, flanges, and the hinged fastening element. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently - the annular body provides structural support, the flanges enable mounting, and the hinged element provides secure fastening with alignment tolerance.
2Reliability
If conventional fastening elements are used without hinged members, then the ease of operation is improved by simplifying installation, but the reliability deteriorates as the fastening elements are prone to misalignment and failure under stress
Solution Approach 1:
The hinged fastening element provides dynamic adjustment capability that automatically compensates for alignment variations during installation. The hinge allows the fastening element to swivel into proper alignment as the pipe is inserted, eliminating the need for precise pre-alignment while ensuring secure fastening under load.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinged fastening element is self-aligning through its hinge mechanism. During installation, as the pipe is inserted through the annular clip body, the hinged element automatically swivels to accommodate the pipe's position and achieves proper alignment without requiring manual adjustment or complex alignment procedures by the installer.
3Ease of manufacture
If the hinged female fastening element is monolithically formed with the clip body, then the device complexity is reduced by integrating parts, but the ease of manufacture may worsen due to the complexity of forming hinged structures from sheet metal
Solution Approach 1:
The hinged female fastening element is monolithically formed with the clip body from the same sheet metal piece. This merging of components eliminates the need for separate parts and assembly operations, reducing the total number of components and simplifying the manufacturing process despite the complexity of forming the hinge structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge portion is formed by creating a fold or bend in the sheet metal during the forming process. This parameter change in the metal's geometry - transforming a flat sheet into a three-dimensional hinged structure - allows the creation of the fastening element with rotational capability directly during manufacturing, eliminating subsequent assembly steps.
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 provides a secure, reliable, and easy-to-use pipe clip that ensures stable attachment of pipes, even under stress, by allowing the male fastening element to swivel and engage securely with the hinged female element, enhancing the clip's stability and functionality.
Implementation Method 1
a hinged member which is monolithically formed with the clip body from the same piece of sheet metal, said hinged member engaging the male fastening element in order to cooperate with its shank or head
Data Source
Figure 1~5
Figure 6~9
Figure 10~13
AI summary
A pipe clip (1) for fastening a pipe to a wall, ceiling or another support, comprises a metal annular clip body with an opening (15) for attaching the pipe clip (1) around the pipe. The opening is delimited by a first and a second end of the clip body. A first and second flange (7, 5) are monolithically formed with the clip body from the same piece of sheet metal at the first and second end and extending in a radial direction. A male fastening element (13) is provided comprising a head and a shank. The shank is associated with the first end and the head engages the second end of the clip body for tightening the first and second end of the clip body together in a mounted state. The pipe clip (1) comprises, in addition to the first and second flange (7, 5), a hinged member (16) which is monolithically formed with the clip body from the same piece of sheet metal. The hinged member (16) engages the male fastening element (13) in order to cooperate with its shank or head.