Impact Force Disperser for Glass Resilience
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Glass products, such as automobile windshields and home windows, are prone to breakage due to impact forces from debris, and existing manufacturing advancements to improve resilience are costly and may not effectively prevent breakage in existing products.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus comprising a housing with a contact member and a biasing member is used to inhibit glass breakage by transferring impact forces to the biasing member, which then returns to its initial position, imparting a reduced force back to the glass surface, thereby reducing the likelihood of breakage without altering the manufacturing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If manufacturing advancements are made to improve glass resilience, then the strength and breakage resistance of glass products is improved, but the cost of the product increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a resilient member as an intermediary element between the glass surface and external impact forces. This mediator absorbs and disperses impact energy, protecting the glass without requiring changes to the glass manufacturing process itself. The resilient member acts as a buffer that intervenes in the transmission of force from debris to glass surface.
2Strength
If manufacturing advancements are made to improve glass resilience, then the strength and breakage resistance of glass products is improved, but the existing glass products cannot benefit from these improvements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the protection system into two independent components: the glass surface itself and the separately applied resilient member. This segmentation allows the resilient member to be added as a standalone protective layer on existing glass products without requiring remanufacturing of the glass. The protection function is separated from the glass manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient member is positioned in advance on the glass surface to prevent impact damage before it occurs. By pre-installing the protective element, existing glass products can benefit from enhanced breakage resistance without undergoing manufacturing changes. The protection is prepared beforehand and applied to the finished glass product.
3Reliability
If a contact member is used to receive impact forces, then the glass breakage is inhibited, but the impact force must be temporarily transferred and dispersed
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient member changes its physical parameters (compression, expansion, density) in response to impact forces. When impacted, the member compresses to absorb energy, then expands to disperse the force. This dynamic parameter change allows the simple structure to effectively manage complex force transfer without requiring sophisticated mechanisms.
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 disperses impact forces, reducing the likelihood of glass breakage and providing an economical alternative to enhance the resilience of glass products without requiring changes to the manufacturing process.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing member biasing the contact member toward the housing aperture
Implementation Method 2
impact force is transferred from the glass item to the biasing member via the contact member
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus for dispersing impact forces are provided. An apparatus for dispersing impact forces includes a housing having a contact end with an aperture; a contact member located at least primarily inside the housing; a biasing member biasing the contact member toward the housing aperture; and a sensor. The housing contact end is secured to an impact receiving surface. The sensor initiates an alert when an impact force received on the impact receiving surface causes the contact member to shift a predetermined distance from an initial position.