Pneumatic Tool Rigid Ring Sealing for Valve Knob Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pneumatic tools made of lightweight plastic materials suffer from plastic deformation near the valve knob, leading to misalignment and obstructed rotation, and tight fastening of casing members can cause deformation, compromising airtight sealing and tool functionality.
Innovation Solution
A pneumatic tool design featuring a casing with a ring-shaped, rigid pneumatic sealing device that maintains a constant distance between the casing and cylinder unit, ensuring concentric alignment and smooth rotation of the valve knob, using a ring member with abutting surfaces to prevent deformation and ensure airtight sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the casing is made of lightweight plastic material, then the overall weight of the pneumatic tool is reduced, but the end portion of the first casing member near the opening is susceptible to plastic deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite structure combining lightweight plastic material for the casing with a rigid support ring made of metal or rigid material. This composite approach allows the casing to maintain its weight advantage while the support ring provides the necessary structural strength to prevent plastic deformation at the opening end portion.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid support ring acts as an intermediary element between the lightweight plastic casing and the valve knob assembly. It mediates the mechanical stresses, preventing them from being transmitted to the plastic casing material, thereby avoiding deformation while preserving the lightweight characteristic.
2Strength
If the end portion of the first casing member is designed to be thicker, then plastic deformation is avoided, but the overall weight of the pneumatic tool increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly thickening the entire casing, the patent segments the structural reinforcement function to a specific location by adding a rigid support ring only at the opening end portion where stress concentration occurs. This localized reinforcement provides necessary strength without increasing the weight of the entire tool.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing structural reinforcement (rigid support ring) only at the specific location (opening end portion) where it is most needed to prevent deformation, rather than uniformly increasing the thickness of the entire casing. This maintains overall lightweight design while addressing the specific weakness.
3Reliability
If the first and second casing members are fastened tightly together, then airtight sealing is ensured, but the manipulation of fastening members causes deformation of the end portion of the first casing member
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid support ring is installed in advance at the opening end portion of the first casing member before the fastening operation. This preliminary action provides pre-reinforcement that prevents deformation during the subsequent fastening process, ensuring that the casing members can be tightly fastened for airtight sealing without compromising the concentric alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid support ring serves as a cushioning element that absorbs and distributes the mechanical stresses generated during fastening operations. By providing this beforehand cushioning, the patent prevents stress concentration that would otherwise cause deformation and misalignment, while still allowing tight fastening for airtight sealing.
Data Source
AI summary
A pneumatic tool includes a casing, a cylinder unit, a valve knob and a pneumatic sealing device. The casing has a main portion that has an inner surface defining a receiving space therein, and an outer surface opposite to the inner surface. The cylinder unit is mounted in the receiving space. The valve knob is disposed in the receiving space and is rotatably connected to the cylinder unit. The pneumatic sealing device includes a ring member that is ring-shaped and rigid, that surrounds and is connected to the valve knob, and that is clamped between the inner surface of the casing and the cylinder unit for keeping a distance between the casing and the cylinder unit constant.