Lock Receptor Translation Guide for Latch Wear and Leakage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Latch systems with moveable lock receptors experience wear and leakage due to misalignment of central axes, leading to undesired forces and friction, which cause skewing and subsequent wear on components, including the lock, lugs, and bushings, resulting in inefficiency and increased maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
A translation guide is fitted into the fixed lock receptor to maintain alignment of the lock's central axis with the actuator and lock receptor axes, preventing skewing and wear by using a copper-nickel-tin alloy shrunk-fit into the opening, ensuring a specific ratio of length to diameter and stroke distance that inhibits leakage and wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a bushing is designed to withstand static or rotational loads in a shear plane, then the bushing can handle expected design loads from the lock and lug during use, but the bushing experiences undesired forces and wear when the lock translating through a moveable lug impinges a part whose central axis may not be in exact alignment
Solution Approach 1:
A translation guide is introduced as an intermediary component between the lock and the moveable lug. This translation guide aligns the central axis of the lock with the central axis of the moveable lug during translation, preventing misalignment and the resulting undesired forces and wear on the bushing. The translation guide mediates the interaction between the lock and moveable lug, ensuring proper alignment while allowing the bushing to withstand its designed load capacity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the central axis of the lock skewing occurs during translation, then the lock can accommodate misalignment between fixed and moveable lugs, but this skewing causes wear on the lock, lugs, and bushings, resulting in inefficiency and increased maintenance costs
Solution Approach 1:
The translation guide serves as a mediator that prevents the lock's central axis from skewing during translation. By providing a guided path with proper alignment features, the translation guide ensures the lock translates along the correct axis without accommodating misalignment through skewing. This maintains reliability by preventing wear on the lock, lugs, and bushings while still allowing the system to handle the intended range of motion.
3Strength
If a tight clearance is used between the lock and opening interior to control load transfer, then the desired connection and load transfer between distinct parts is achieved, but friction and wear increase during translation
Solution Approach 1:
The translation guide acts as an intermediary that separates the functions of load transfer and translation guidance. The tight clearance between the lock and opening interior can be maintained for effective load transfer, while the translation guide provides a separate guidance function with its own clearance characteristics. This allows the lock to translate smoothly through the translation guide with reduced friction, while still maintaining the tight clearance needed for proper load transfer between the lock and the fixed lug.
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 inhibits wear and leakage, maintaining alignment and reducing maintenance needs, thereby enhancing the reliability and efficiency of the latch system by preventing central axis skewing and associated friction and wear on components.
Implementation Method 1
a copper-nickel-tin alloy shrunk-fit into the opening
Data Source
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AI summary
A manufacture configured to and process for inhibiting, from wear, a lock (102) in a latching system comprising: a gland (106) surrounding an actuator (104) translating the lock through: a first fixed lock receptor (602) and a moveable lock receptor (604). The manufacture and process include: inhibiting a skewing, of a lock central axis of the lock with the lock translating through the first opening and the opening in the moveable lock receptor, away from substantially aligning with: a first central axis of a first opening of the first fixed lock receptor, and an actuator central axis of the actuator, via fitting a first translation guide into the first fixed lock receptor. Also included is inhibiting: wear of a gland around an actuator in the lock while translating, and leaking, past the gland, of an actuator fluid within the lock; and skewing of an actuator central axis of the actuator.