Pipe Sealing Plug Tab Structure for Easy Manual Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe sealing plugs are difficult to remove efficiently from pipes during installation, leading to inefficiencies in construction sites and potential contamination risks during transportation.
Innovation Solution
A closure plug design featuring a tab element with a predetermined breaking point, allowing easy manual removal without tools, and a reinforcing rib for enhanced strength, along with a marking gauge for precise marking after removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the sealing plug is designed to remain securely in the pipe during transport, then contamination prevention is improved, but removal difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing plug is segmented into a main body with retaining elements for secure positioning and a separate tab element for removal. The tab element is connected via a predetermined breaking point, allowing it to be pulled off when removal is needed. This segmentation enables the plug to remain securely attached during transport while allowing easy removal by pulling the tab.
Solution Approach 2:
The tab element acts as an intermediary between the installer and the sealing plug body. Instead of directly manipulating the secured plug body for removal, the installer pulls the tab element, which transmits force through the breaking point connection to remove the plug. This intermediary element makes removal easy without compromising the secure attachment during transport.
2Reliability
If the sealing plug has a compact structure to minimize hooking risk, then transport safety is improved, but accessibility for removal decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing plug has different structural qualities in different regions. The main body is compact with retaining elements that minimize protrusion to prevent hooking during transport. The tab element, located at the front section, protrudes freely to be easily accessible for grasping and pulling. This local differentiation of structural properties resolves the contradiction between compactness for safety and accessibility for removal.
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4~5
AI summary
A sealing plug (1) for closing a pipe (2) comprising a plug section (3) extending around a central axis (M) with at least one retaining element (4), which plug section (3) projects into the pipe (2) in the connected state, wherein the at least one retaining element (4) provides a force-fit connection between the sealing plug (1) and the inside of the pipe (5), and a front section (6) with a tab element (7), wherein the tab element (7) is freely accessible in the connected state, such that the tab element (7) can be grasped by an installer and that the sealing plug (1) with the tab element (7) can be pulled out of the pipe (2).