Resilient U-Shaped Clamp Nut for Thermal Expansion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fixing devices for plastic parts on sheets, such as motor vehicle bodywork, face issues like corrosion due to water passage through screw holes, uneven expansion under heat, and bending, which prevent rigid fixation.
Innovation Solution
A fixing device featuring a U-shaped clamp made from resilient material with a nut placed between its arms, allowing partial retraction and limited mobility to accommodate expansion differences, and incorporating a flexible seal to prevent water ingress and rotation, ensuring secure and flexible attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a screw is used to fix the plastic part to the sheet, then the part can be attached to the sheet, but water can pass through the screw hole causing corrosion
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing device is segmented into multiple functional components: a clamp element for mechanical attachment, a sealing element to prevent water ingress, and a nut for securing the assembly. This segmentation allows each component to address specific problems independently while working together as a complete solution.
Solution Approach 2:
A sealing element is introduced as an intermediary component between the screw hole and the environment. This sealing element prevents water from entering through the screw hole while allowing the screw to maintain its fixing function, thus resolving the contradiction between attachment strength and corrosion prevention.
2Strength
If the plastic part is rigidly fixed to the sheet, then strong attachment is achieved, but thermal expansion differences cause stress and bending
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp element is designed with resilient material and features that allow it to deform elastically. This dynamic characteristic enables the fixing device to accommodate thermal expansion differences between the plastic part and the sheet, preventing stress concentration and bending while maintaining secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The resilient material of the clamp element changes its physical parameters (elastic deformation) in response to thermal stress. This parameter change allows the device to adapt to dimensional changes caused by thermal expansion differences, maintaining structural stability while preserving attachment strength.
3Strength
If the nut is fixed in position, then secure attachment is achieved, but the plastic part cannot accommodate thermal expansion
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp element's resilient design allows it to dynamically adjust its position and shape in response to thermal expansion of the plastic part. The nut remains securely held by the clamp while the clamp itself can deform to accommodate dimensional changes, thus maintaining both attachment strength and thermal adaptability.
4Stability of the object's composition
If a U-shaped clamp with resilient material is used, then thermal expansion is accommodated, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functions are merged into a single clamp element: mechanical attachment, sealing, and thermal compensation. The resilient material and U-shaped design integrate these functions without requiring separate components, thus reducing overall device complexity while maintaining stability under thermal stress.
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 solution provides a secure, corrosion-resistant, and flexible attachment that accommodates thermal expansion differences, preventing stress on attachment points and ensuring a rigid yet adaptable fixation.
Implementation Method 1
at least one U-shaped clamp formed from a single sheet of resilient material
Implementation Method 2
under the influence of heat, the sheet and the plastic part do not expand in the same way
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The device has a nut (2) adapted to cooperate with a screw for fixing a workpiece on a sheet and a U-shaped grip (1) formed from a single sheet of a resilient material. The nut is placed between two branches (11, 12) of the grip. The nut is held by arms (15, 16) formed integrally with one of the branches of the grip, and extends on both sides of the nut upwardly sloping from a free end (14) of the other branch in a direction of bottom (13) from the grip so as to retract itself partially when the grip is pre-position on the part.