Linear Motion Guide Tongue Unit Impact Dispersion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing linear motion guiding devices suffer from damage to the tongue unit under high-speed conditions due to insufficient shock resistance and increased manufacturing costs associated with Gothic arc shapes, and insufficient stiffness of fixed parts.
Innovation Solution
A linear motion guiding device with a tongue unit featuring a plane and a circular-arc surface where the curvature radius is smaller than the ball's radius, and the tongue unit is made of metal materials with a fastening mechanism, dispersing the impact force across two boundaries and enhancing shock resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If the tongue unit is made with a sharp tip to reduce contact area, then the contact pressure increases, but the plastic deformation and damage occur more easily under high-speed conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The tongue unit tip is designed with a spherical surface having a curvature radius R1 that is 0.01 to 0.05 times the ball diameter Db. This curvature allows the ball to contact the tongue unit at two points simultaneously, dispersing the impact force and reducing contact pressure while preventing plastic deformation and damage under high-speed conditions
2Stress or pressure
If the tongue unit tip is made flat or convex to increase contact area, then the contact pressure decreases, but the manufacturing precision and stiffness control become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The tongue unit tip curvature radius R1 is specifically controlled to be 0.01 to 0.05 times the ball diameter Db. This parameter optimization achieves the right balance: the tip is curved enough to disperse impact force and reduce contact pressure, but not so curved that it becomes difficult to manufacture or maintain stiffness
3Reliability
If Gothic arc shape is used for the arc groove to disperse impact force, then the shock resistance improves, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the entire arc groove Gothic-shaped, only the tongue unit tip is given a spherical curvature with radius R1 = 0.01 to 0.05 Db. This localized curvature application provides the necessary impact dispersion and shock resistance while avoiding the complex manufacturing and high costs associated with full Gothic arc geometry
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 suppresses damage to the tongue unit under high-speed conditions by dispersing the impact force and increasing the durability and stiffness of the tongue unit, while reducing manufacturing costs by using metal materials and a modular design.
Implementation Method 1
A linear motion guiding device with a tongue unit featuring a plane and a circular-arc surface where the curvature radius is smaller than the ball's radius, and the tongue unit is made of metal materials with a fastening mechanism, dispersing the impact force across two boundaries and enhancing shock resistance
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A linear motion guiding device that is unlikely to cause a damage to a tongue unit of an end cap even when the linear motion guiding device is used under high-speed conditions is provided. An end cap (22) includes, at an end of a side of a raceway of an arc groove (222) that forms an outer peripheral surface of a direction changing passage (42), a tongue unit (25) that scoops up a ball (3) from a raceway (41) and guide the ball to a direction changing passage (42) . A distal end surface (251) of the tongue unit includes a plane (251a) perpendicular to a direction along the raceway (41) and a circular-arc surface (251b) that caves into an arc shape from the plane. A curvature radius of a circular-arc surface is smaller than a radius of the ball. A center of a circle indicating a curvature of a circular-arc surface is present on a line shifted from a groove bottom line of the arc groove by at least an offset amount between a raceway groove (12) of a side of the guide rail and the raceway groove (212) of a side of the slider.