Pliers Locking Mechanism Force Transmission via Gripping Region
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pairs of pliers with locking mechanisms often fail to securely transmit forces perpendicular to the axis of rotation, leading to potential disengagement under load, especially when attempting to open the pliers from a locked position.
Innovation Solution
The locking part is designed to be in supporting contact with both the joint region and the gripping region of the plier legs in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation, ensuring that forces are directly transmitted through the locking part, preventing disengagement by avoiding shearing forces on the connection point.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the locking part is mounted on the first plier leg near the joint with a pivot pin, then the locking mechanism can be implemented, but shearing forces act on the pin connection leading to potential disengagement under load
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the force transmission function from the pivot pin connection and relocates it to the gripping region. The locking part now contacts the gripping region directly to transmit forces perpendicular to the rotation axis, while the pivot pin only serves as a rotation axis without bearing load. This separation of functions eliminates shearing forces on the pin connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the dimension of force transmission by extending the locking part's contact point from the joint region (near the rotation axis) to the gripping region (far from the rotation axis). This spatial relocation in another dimension allows forces to be transmitted through a different path that avoids creating shearing moments on the pivot pin.
2Ease of operation
If the locking part contacts only the joint region of the second plier leg, then the locking action can be achieved, but forces are not directly transmitted into the gripping region causing instability under load
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the locking function with the force transmission function by having the locking part simultaneously contact both the joint region (for locking action) and the gripping region (for force transmission). This combination ensures that forces are directly transmitted into the gripping region, providing stability under load while maintaining ease of locking operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A pair of pliers has a first and a second plier leg, which are mounted so as to be rotatable relative to one another in a joint region and which form gripping regions on one side of the joint region and a plier jaw on the other side. A locking part fixes position of the pliers. The locking part is rotatably mounted on the first plier leg at a transition between the gripping region and the joint region of the plier leg, and, in the fixed position, fixes the pliers by contact with the joint region of the second plier leg. The locking part, in the fixed position and under load, is in supporting contact both with the joint region of the second plier leg and with the gripping region of the first plier leg in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the plier legs.