Leaktight Battery Box Rivet Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current battery tray assembly methods using welding are costly, require skilled labor, and can result in leaks or corrosion, especially in harsh environments like train transport, where vibrations and corrosive electrolytes pose challenges.
Innovation Solution
A battery tray assembly using rivets with elastomeric seals, where the rivets' shank occupies the holes' volume for a leakproof seal, eliminating the need for welding and providing resistance to vibrations and corrosive electrolytes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If welding is used to assemble metal plates, then assembly strength is improved, but manufacturing cost increases and assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the welding process (thermal/mechanical system) with a mechanical fastening system using rivets. The rivet assembly process involves inserting a rivet through aligned holes in overlapping metal plates and deforming the rivet tail to create a secure mechanical connection, eliminating the need for welding equipment and skilled welders while reducing manufacturing costs and assembly complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the connection process into discrete segments: hole preparation, rivet insertion, and tail deformation. This segmentation allows for standardized, pre-drilled holes and interchangeable rivet components, enabling modular assembly that is easier to manufacture and maintain compared to continuous welding processes
2Strength
If welding is used to assemble metal plates, then assembly strength is improved, but assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs preliminary action by pre-drilling holes in the metal plates before assembly. This preparation step, performed during manufacturing, eliminates the need for time-consuming hole creation during assembly operations. The rivets are then quickly inserted and deformed to complete the connection, significantly reducing overall assembly time while maintaining strong joints
3Reliability
If butyl rubber seal with compression bolts is used, then sealing function is improved, but vibration resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sealing function and vibration resistance into a single integrated rivet component. The rivet simultaneously provides mechanical fastening to maintain structural integrity under vibration and creates a seal by occupying the hole volume and preventing electrolyte penetration, eliminating the need for separate seal materials that would deteriorate under vibration
Solution Approach 2:
The rivet acts as an intermediary element that performs multiple functions: it mechanically joins the metal plates while its deformed tail fills the hole volume to create a seal. This single intermediary component replaces the combination of separate seal materials and fasteners, providing both sealing and vibration resistance through its dual functionality
4Productivity
If spot weld points are used, then assembly speed is improved, but leak resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the spot welding process with mechanical rivet fastening. The rivet, when inserted through pre-drilled holes and deformed, creates a mechanical seal that is more reliable than spot welds at preventing leaks. This substitution maintains assembly speed through standardized hole patterns and quick rivet installation while significantly improving leak resistance
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 rivet and elastomeric seal combination ensures a leakproof and vibration-resistant battery tray, simplifying assembly, reducing costs, and maintaining mechanical strength even under intense vibrations, while limiting electrolyte absorption and preventing seal degradation.
Implementation Method 1
the shank of the rivet is deformed so as to substantially occupy in a sealed manner the entire volume of said holes of the first and second plates
Implementation Method 2
an elastomeric seal comprising a material selected from a butyl rubber, an ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer and a nitrile rubber... which limits the absorption of electrolyte by the seal in the event of leakage of electrolyte from a secondary cell
Data Source
AI summary
Leaktight box for alkaline electrolyte battery, comprising an assembly of metal plates, where:a first and a second plate overlap in a zone of overlap and are assembled with rivets each comprising a head, a stem and a bulb;the stem of the rivets is deformed in such a way as to occupy in a leaktight manner substantially all of the volume of said holes of the first and second plates;preferably an elastomer seal comprising a material chosen from among a butyl rubber, an ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer and a nitrile rubber, where said seal is disposed in continuity with the overlap zone in continuous contact with the first and the second plate in such a way as to complete the leaktightness of the box.