Nutless Bolt With Radial Ball Locking for Easy Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing nutless bolts lack an efficient mechanism for locking and unlocking, which complicates their installation and removal, especially in applications where secure fastening is required.
Innovation Solution
A nutless bolt design featuring a shaft with an axially extending bore, a locking mechanism that extends radially to lock the bolt in place, and an actuator that moves axially to engage and disengage the locking mechanism, allowing controlled locking and unlocking through a controlled breaking mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a locking mechanism is added to secure the bolt in place, then the reliability of fastening is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator is divided into two separate portions: a first portion that remains in the body and a second portion that can be removed. This segmentation allows the locking mechanism to be activated and then separated, simplifying the overall system while maintaining security during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The second portion of the actuator is designed to be extracted or removed from the body after the locking mechanism is activated. This extraction simplifies the device by removing the actuation component after it has served its purpose, while the locking mechanism remains intact to maintain fastening security.
2Ease of operation
If a controlled breaking mechanism is implemented for actuator separation, then the ease of operation is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator is pre-configured with a controlled breaking mechanism that is designed to fail at a specific predetermined location. This preliminary preparation ensures that when the actuator needs to be removed, it will break in a controlled manner at the intended fracture point, facilitating easy removal without requiring complex removal procedures.
3Ease of operation
If the actuator is designed to break into portions, then the ease of operation for removal is improved, but the reliability of the locking mechanism may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator is segmented into a first portion that remains in the body and a second portion that can be removed. The locking mechanism is designed to be actuated by the first portion and then maintain its locked state independently after the second portion is removed. This segmentation enables easy removal of the actuation component while preserving the integrity and reliability of the locking mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The second portion of the actuator is extracted after serving its actuation function. The locking mechanism is designed to remain engaged and maintain fastening security even after the actuator portion is removed. This extraction process facilitates easy removal or replacement of actuator components without compromising the reliability of the locked fastening system.
Data Source
AI summary
A nutless bolt 10 for fastening a wear plate 12 to a structure 14 comprises a body 16 having a shaft 18 and a stop 20 coupled to the shaft 18. Shaft 18 is dimensioned to pass through a hole 22 in structure 14 while stop 20 is configured to stop the body 16 from falling wholly into or through the hole 22, and to engage with the wear surface plate. An axial bore 24 is formed in body 16 and houses locking balls 58 and a rod 28. The body 16 also has radial channels along which the balls 58 can roll. The rod 28 has a tapered portion 70 which increases in outer diameter from a first location L1 to a second location L2. In use the balls 58 are initially at the first location L1 on the rod 28 and partially within respective channels 56. Pulling the rod 28 in an up-hole direction results in the rod 58 moving in a radial outward direction as they roll along the tapered portion 70 to the location L2. The balls now lie partially outside of the of the body 16 locking the bolt 10 in the hole 22. Applying additional pulling force on the rod increases tension in the rod to intentionally cause a controlled break or separation of the rod into a first portion 72 that is withdrawn from the bore and a second portion 62 that remains in the bore and bearing against the balls 58.