Adjustable Nut Retainer for Component Thickness Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing retainer devices for threaded nuts are inadequate in accommodating a wide range of component thicknesses and often fail due to thread contamination and jamming issues during painting, leading to ineffective joints and costly replacement processes.
Innovation Solution
A retainer device with a housing member and support member that have adjustable engagement mechanisms, such as channels and tongues, allowing for varying distances between surfaces to accommodate different component thicknesses while maintaining clamping force, and a housing member with a curved bore for secure nut retention and corrosion protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a welded or fixed threaded nut is used in a component, then the joint strength is improved, but the threads become contaminated by paint and blast treatment materials causing jamming and connection failure
Solution Approach 1:
The invention separates the threaded nut from the component body by using a retainer device that holds the nut in a recess. This segmentation prevents direct contact between the threads and paint/blast treatment materials while maintaining joint strength, thereby resolving the contradiction between strong joints and reliable connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer device acts as an intermediary between the component and the threaded nut. It provides a protected environment for the threads while still allowing the nut to function properly, thus preventing contamination without compromising joint strength or connection reliability.
2Manufacturing precision
If a cage fastener with tongues is used to retain the nut, then the nut positioning is improved, but the device cannot accommodate a wide range of component thicknesses
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer device incorporates a compressible resilient element that allows the positioning member to be pressed toward the component surface. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the device to accommodate various component thicknesses while maintaining precise nut positioning through the positioning member that extends into the recess.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state of the positioning member by making it compressible and resilient. This allows the member to deform and adapt to different component thicknesses while still providing accurate nut positioning, thus resolving the contradiction between precision and versatility.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If thread protection using silicone rubber inserts is applied, then thread contamination is reduced, but additional cleaning operations with a tap are required increasing time and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the threaded nut from the environment where contamination occurs (the component surface subject to paint and blast treatment) and places it in a protected recess. This eliminates the need for post-painting thread cleaning operations, as the threads are never exposed to contaminants in the first place, thus reducing both contamination and cleaning time.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer device is installed before painting and blast treatment operations, establishing a protected environment for the threads beforehand. This preliminary protective action prevents contamination from occurring, eliminating the need for subsequent cleaning operations and reducing overall process time.
4Duration of action of stationary object
If the nut is welded or fixed to the component, then replacement is prevented, but the entire towbar must be replaced when the nut fails
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the fastening system into three replaceable parts: the retainer device, the threaded nut, and the bolt. This allows individual components to be replaced independently without replacing the entire towbar, maintaining permanent retention through the retainer while reducing replacement complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The design allows the threaded nut and bolt to be discarded and replaced independently when worn or damaged, while the retainer device remains in place on the component. This selective replacement approach reduces material waste and manufacturing costs compared to replacing the entire assembly.
Data Source
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AI summary
A retainer device, for positioning a threaded nut relative to a bore in a component for attachment of a threaded bolt, having a housing member for receiving a threaded nut and a support member that is attachable to the housing member so as to attach the housing member to the component by clamping the component between opposed surfaces of the housing member and the support member, wherein the support member is attachable to the housing member in a plurality of positions in which the distance between the opposed surfaces of the support member and the housing member is varied.