Membrane Attachment Device with Snap-Action O-Ring Retention
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing attachment devices for membranes, such as balloon attachments, are prone to detachment when the membrane is stretched or the O-ring is subjected to high temperatures, potentially leading to safety hazards like the device becoming a projectile or being swallowed.
Innovation Solution
A two-part attachment device with snap-action fastening and a resilient O-ring holder, where one part is a spigot and the other a cap with recesses and protuberances, ensuring secure entrapment of the O-ring and membrane portions, even under stretching or temperature changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single integral plastics injection moulding with O-ring is used for attachment, then the device can be simply constructed and attached to the membrane, but the attachment becomes unreliable when the membrane is stretched or the O-ring is subjected to high temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment device is divided into two separate interengaging parts instead of a single integral structure. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized independently, with features like resilient portions and snap-action mechanisms that enhance reliability while maintaining ease of manufacture through separate molding processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The interengaging parts incorporate resilient portions that allow dynamic movement and adjustment. The parts can move relative to one another to accommodate membrane stretching and temperature-induced dimensional changes, maintaining secure engagement through elastic deformation rather than rigid fixed geometry.
2Ease of operation
If the O-ring is used to secure the attachment device to the membrane, then the device can be easily attached, but the O-ring may be forced off under high temperature or membrane stretching causing detachment
Solution Approach 1:
The design incorporates resilient portions in the interengaging parts that act as pre-positioned cushioning elements. These resilient features absorb and compensate for dimensional changes in the O-ring due to temperature or membrane stretching, maintaining engagement pressure and preventing the O-ring from being forced off before failure can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient portions allow the geometry and physical state of the interengaging parts to change in response to temperature and stress conditions. The material properties and dimensional parameters of the resilient sections are designed to vary with environmental conditions, maintaining consistent engagement forces across different operating conditions.
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 device provides a secure and reliable attachment to the membrane, preventing detachment and ensuring safety by maintaining the attachment even when the balloon is inflated or exposed to temperature variations.
Implementation Method 1
The protuberance and/or the recess may be mounted on a resilient portion to enable the snap-action
Data Source
AI summary
An attachment device for attachment to a membrane without puncturing the membrane. It comprises two interengaging parts (10, 12) and an O-ring (50) held by the interengaging parts (10, 12) when the device is in use. The interengaging parts (10, 12) are movable relative to one another from a position in which they are able to receive the O-ring (50) to a position in which they trap the O-ring (50). As a result, when the device is attached to a membrane (52), the interengaging parts (10, 12) can be located on one side of the membrane (52) with the O-ring (50) on the other side of the membrane (52) adjacent to the interengaging parts (10, 12), and the O-ring (50) can be slipped over at least one of the interengaging parts (10, 12) with the membrane (52) extending between the O-ring (50) and at least one of the interengaging parts (10, 12). In this way the O-ring (50) is received by the interengaging parts (10, 12), whereupon the interengaging parts (10, 12) may be moved relative to one another so that they trap the O-ring (50) and with it portions of the membrane (52), to secure attachment of the attachment device to the membrane (52).