Plug Connector Housing Snap Ring Groove Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing connector housings with screw attachments are not stable enough to withstand tensile and leverage forces, particularly under heavy cable loads, vibrations, and impacts, leading to potential disconnection of electrical connections in applications like the food industry and railway sector.
Innovation Solution
A connector housing design featuring a sleeve housing with a circular outer groove and a screw attachment with a circular inner groove, held together by a snap ring that distributes forces over a large circumference, providing stability through a snap ring with a rectangular profile that engages in both grooves, allowing for radial elasticity and increased rigidity without deforming the housing components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If individual locking lugs made of plastic are used to hold the screw attachment rotatably on the sleeve housing, then the assembly can be manufactured with deformable components, but the connection becomes unstable under heavy cable loads, vibrations, and impacts
Solution Approach 1:
The connection system is segmented into three main components: the sleeve housing, the screw attachment, and the snap ring. The snap ring acts as a separate intermediary element that bridges the sleeve housing and screw attachment, distributing forces across multiple contact points rather than relying on a single deformable joint. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall connection stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The snap ring serves as an intermediary element between the sleeve housing and the screw attachment. It mediates the force transmission between these two components, providing a stable connection that can withstand heavy cable loads, vibrations, and impacts. The snap ring's elastic properties allow it to absorb and distribute forces evenly, preventing the instability that would occur with direct plastic-to-plastic deformation.
2Ease of operation
If the sleeve housing and/or screw attachment are made deformable to enable assembly, then the locking lugs can engage the grooves, but the housing components lack the rigidity to withstand heavy loads and forces
Solution Approach 1:
The snap ring introduces a dynamic element to the otherwise rigid connection system. Its elastic properties allow it to deform temporarily during assembly and under load, then return to its original shape. This dynamic behavior enables the connection to absorb shocks and vibrations while maintaining overall structural integrity, combining the benefits of deformability for assembly with strength for load-bearing.
Solution Approach 2:
The snap ring's material parameters are specifically selected to provide the right balance between elasticity for assembly and rigidity for load-bearing. By changing the material parameters of the snap ring (using elastic materials like spring steel or resilient plastic), the system achieves both ease of assembly and high force resistance without requiring the housing components themselves to be deformable.
3Reliability
If a snap ring is used to rotatably hold the screw attachment, then forces are distributed over a large circumference, but the snap ring requires radial elasticity that conflicts with housing component deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The deformation requirement is extracted from the housing components and transferred to the snap ring. Instead of requiring the sleeve housing or screw attachment to deform during assembly, the snap ring alone provides the necessary radial elasticity. This extraction allows the housing components to be made of harder, more rigid materials while maintaining assembly ease through the snap ring's elastic properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic property is localized to the snap ring rather than being distributed throughout the entire assembly. The snap ring is specifically designed with radial elasticity at the precise location where deformation is needed for assembly, while the housing components maintain their rigidity elsewhere. This localized quality optimization allows force distribution over a large circumference without requiring widespread deformation of the housing components.
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 design ensures high stability against tensile and leverage forces, maintaining the screw attachment securely on the sleeve housing even under heavy loads, vibrations, and impacts, allowing for the use of harder materials and improved force absorption without disengagement.
Implementation Method 1
The connector housing further includes a snap ring (5) having its inner periphery disposed in the first groove (11) and its outer periphery disposed in the second groove (22) to rotatably hold the screw attachment (2) to the socket body
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 2c
AI summary
The problem addressed by the invention consists in specifying a structural form for a plug connector housing having a socket housing (1) and having a screw attachment (2) held rotatably thereon, which ensures increased stability with respect to tensile and lever forces (F), in particular under the action of vibration and regular and/or individually occurring shocks. Said problem is solved by means of a plug connector housing having a socket housing (1) and a screw attachment (2), wherein the socket housing (1) has an outer surface of circular cross section with an encircling first groove (11) formed therein, and wherein the screw attachment (2) has an inner surface of circular cross section with an encircling second groove (22) formed therein, and wherein the plug connector housing furthermore has a circlip (5) which is arranged with its inner circumference in the first groove (11) and with its outer circumference in the second groove (22) in order to hold the screw attachment (2) rotatably on the socket housing (1).