Impact-Rupturable Lubricating Pellet for High-Voltage Switches
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual application of lubricants to high-voltage electrical switches poses safety and health risks, and existing lubricants often fail under high-temperature arcing conditions, requiring a safer and more effective lubrication method.
Innovation Solution
Encapsulating a nonsolid lubricant in a frangible or impact-rupturable pellet that breaks upon impact, releasing the lubricant onto the target surface, with a preferred water-based formulation and biodegradable shell to ensure safety and environmental sustainability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual application of lubricants is used, then lubrication can be applied directly to the target, but safety and health risks increase due to high-voltage exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a remotely deliverable lubricant delivery system as an intermediary between the operator and the high-voltage target. The lubricant is encapsulated in a projectile that can be fired remotely, allowing application without direct contact with the hazardous target area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs pneumatic propulsion to deliver the lubricant-encapsulated projectile to the target. Compressed gas propels the projectile through a barrel, enabling remote delivery of lubricant to high-voltage equipment without exposing operators to electrical hazards.
2Reliability
If existing lubricants are used under high-temperature arcing conditions, then lubrication is provided, but the lubricants fail to maintain effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameters of the lubricant delivery system. The lubricant is encapsulated in a solid projectile form that transitions to liquid form upon impact and heating, allowing the lubricant to be delivered in a controlled state and then activate under the specific temperature conditions of the target surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The lubricant is pre-loaded and encapsulated within the projectile before delivery. This preliminary preparation ensures the lubricant is positioned and protected during transport, then released at the precise moment of impact when it is needed, ensuring reliability under high-temperature conditions.
3Reliability
If nonsolid lubricants are used, then better lubrication performance is achieved, but containment and delivery become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a thin-walled capsule or shell to contain the nonsolid lubricant. The shell is flexible enough to be formed into a projectile shape but rigid enough to contain the lubricant during transport. Upon impact, the shell ruptures or deforms, releasing the lubricant onto the target surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The lubricant is nested within the capsule, which itself may be nested within the projectile structure. This nested arrangement allows the nonsolid lubricant to be contained and delivered through a unified delivery system, simplifying the overall device complexity while maintaining performance.
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
Enables safe and efficient lubrication of high-risk areas without manual contact, maintaining lubrication effectiveness across temperature ranges and promoting biodegradability and environmental safety.
Implementation Method 1
the impact-rupturable pellet containing the lubricating substance as described in this invention are set into projectile motion with the shell substantially intact at a velocity sufficient to create the force permitting rupture of the shell and release of the liquid dye composition therein upon physical impact with the target surface
Data Source
AI summary
A method of lubricating an electrical apparatus by projecting a lubricating pellet which includes an impact-rupturable shell defining an interior cavity, a lubricating substance consisting of grease or oil or other lubricating substance disposed throughout the interior cavity and contained within by said shell, providing a impact-rupturable container when the lubricating pellet is ejected from a pellet discharge device, hitting an intended target and disbursing the lubricating substance onto the target.