Nut Retaining Assembly With Resilient Tabs for Variable Part Thickness
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing retaining system for nuts in mounting systems is limited by its inability to accommodate parts of varying thickness, often leading to deformation and breakage, and fails to ensure contact between parts around through-holes, resulting in inadequate retention of the nut during tightening.
Innovation Solution
A retaining system featuring resilient tabs and radial extensions with cooperating shapes that allow the nut to be securely retained without interposing parts between the system components, enabling fixation to parts of any thickness without risk of damage, and ensuring contact between parts during tightening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the retaining system is made rigid to ensure stable retention of the nut, then the retention reliability is improved, but the system becomes susceptible to deformation and breakage when accommodating parts of varying thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining system incorporates resilient tabs that can dynamically adjust their position and shape. These tabs are designed to be flexible enough to accommodate parts of different thicknesses while maintaining secure retention of the nut. The resilience allows the system to adapt to varying dimensions without deforming or breaking, resolving the contradiction between rigidity for reliable retention and flexibility for adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining system utilizes material properties that allow change in physical parameters such as elasticity and resilience. By selecting materials with appropriate mechanical properties, the system can maintain structural integrity while accommodating dimensional variations in the parts being joined, thus achieving both reliable retention and adaptability to varying part thickness.
2Reliability
If the retaining system uses a clamp structure with side portions to retain the nut, then the retention capability is improved, but the system requires parts of sufficient width and cannot accommodate narrow edges
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient tabs in the retaining system can dynamically adjust to accommodate parts of various widths including narrow edges. Unlike rigid clamp structures, these tabs can flex and conform to the available space, maintaining effective retention capability while being compatible with parts of different dimensional characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining system employs flexible resilient tabs rather than rigid clamp structures. These flexible elements can adapt to narrow edges and parts of limited width while maintaining their retention function, thus resolving the contradiction between retention capability and compatibility with various part dimensions.
3Reliability
If the retaining system is positioned close to the through-hole to ensure proper nut retention, then the retention effectiveness is improved, but the system cannot ensure contact between parts around the through-hole
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining system is segmented into multiple functional elements: resilient tabs for nut retention, a base for structural support, and positioning features for ensuring part contact. This segmentation allows each element to perform its specific function optimally - the tabs retain the nut effectively while the base and positioning features ensure proper contact between parts around the through-hole.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the retaining system have different local qualities optimized for specific functions. The resilient tabs are designed with high flexibility for retention, while the base and positioning features have appropriate rigidity and geometry to ensure contact between parts. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between retention effectiveness and part contact stability.
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 provides secure retention and centering of the nut, allowing for effective assembly and preventing deformation or breakage, ensuring reliable operation across varying part thicknesses.
Implementation Method 1
each resilient tab comprising a free end and being configured to adopt an undeformed state in addition to a deformed state in a resilient manner
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly comprising a nut, in addition to a retaining system which is configured to retain the hole of the nut substantially in the extension of a through-hole of a part. The retaining system comprises at least two resilient tabs which are configured to be housed in the through-hole of the part, the free ends of the resilient tabs being positioned, in the undeformed state, on a circle having a greater diameter than an internal diameter of the through-hole. Also a mounting system comprising such a retaining system for a nut.