Push-to-Engage Shackle Pin Assembly for Fast Secure Rigging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shackles are difficult to assemble quickly and safely in hazardous environments, such as during rescue operations at sea, due to the manual threading of pins, which can lead to mishandling and safety risks, and previous modifications with push-to-engage nuts were not optimally configured for loading conditions and lacked exchangeability.
Innovation Solution
A shackle design featuring a U-shaped body with a threaded connection at one ear and a pin with an axial threaded section, allowing for secure engagement and disengagement through axial translation, and a removable connector with an external thread and internal engaging portion, along with a retaining screw for added safety, enabling quick and secure assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual threading of shackle pin is used, then connection can be securely made, but assembly time increases and safety risks increase in hazardous environments
Solution Approach 1:
The pin is segmented into a threaded distal end and an unthreaded intermediate section. The threaded section engages with the threaded connection for secure attachment, while the unthreaded intermediate section allows for push-to-engage assembly without rotation, enabling quick connection while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring rotation to engage the pin (conventional threading), the design inverts the engagement method by using axial translation (pushing) to engage the threaded section with the threaded connection, enabling rapid assembly without manual threading operations.
2Productivity
If welded push to engage nut is used on conventional shackle, then assembly speed improves, but loading condition handling deteriorates and adaptability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The threaded connection is merged with the second ear of the shackle body, creating an integrated component rather than a separate welded nut. This integration ensures the threaded connection is precisely configured to handle loading conditions while maintaining push-to-engage functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The threaded connection is designed with specific geometric parameters (thread pitch, diameter, engagement length) that are optimized for both push-to-engage assembly and loading condition handling. The axial dimension of the threaded connection is specifically controlled to ensure proper engagement while maintaining strength.
3Ease of operation
If welded push to engage nut is used, then assembly is simplified, but adaptability and exchangeability are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The threaded connection is extracted as a separate, removable component from the shackle body, allowing it to be easily exchanged for different connectors or configurations without welding or permanent attachment, thereby maintaining adaptability while preserving push-to-engage simplicity.
4Device complexity
If conventional shackle design is used, then structural simplicity is maintained, but assembly safety and predictability are reduced in hazardous environments
Solution Approach 1:
The threaded connection is pre-configured with specific geometric features (threaded portion, axial dimension) that enable predictable engagement. The pin's threaded distal end is pre-matched to the threaded connection, ensuring reliable and safe assembly without requiring complex procedures or judgment calls in hazardous environments.
Data Source
AI summary
A shackle includes a body having a first ear, a second ear opposed to the first ear and separated from the first ear to define a gap, a U-shaped bow extending from the first ear to the second ear and a pin. There is a first opening defined in the first ear and a threaded connection at the second ear. The pin has a proximal end, an intermediate section and an axial threaded section positioned distally of the proximal end. The axial threaded section and the intermediate section are dimensioned to be inserted through the first opening in the first ear and into the second ear with the intermediate section extending across the gap. The threaded section on the pin is engageable with the threaded connection at the second ear by urging the pin axially in translation relative to threaded connection.