Resilient Furniture Dowel Fastening for Consistent Hold
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fastening devices for furniture fittings do not effectively consider the material properties of furniture parts when transmitting load, leading to inconsistent holding performance across different materials and tolerances.
Innovation Solution
A resilient dowel core and sleeve system with axial slits and inclined surfaces, made from spring steel, that deforms differently based on material hardness, ensuring constant closing pressure and improved load transmission, regardless of material type, through continuous expansion and constant surface contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a rigid dowel system is used for fastening furniture fittings, then assembly is simple and tool-free, but the holding performance varies significantly across different material hardness and tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The dowel core is designed with elastic-resilient properties allowing it to dynamically adapt its deformation based on the material hardness of the furniture part. The resilient dowel core can deform more in softer materials and less in harder materials, automatically adjusting to maintain consistent holding performance across different materials without requiring different dowel types or manual adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameter of the dowel core from rigid to elastic-resilient, fundamentally altering its mechanical behavior. This parameter change enables the dowel to exhibit variable deformation characteristics based on external conditions (material hardness), transforming a static fastening system into one that responds adaptively to different mounting conditions.
2Reliability
If the dowel core is made highly resilient to adapt to soft materials, then holding performance in soft materials improves, but the closing force becomes insufficient for hard materials
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient dowel core provides dynamic force adaptation through its elastic properties. When inserted into soft materials, the dowel deforms more, generating sufficient closing force through its resilience. When inserted into hard materials, the dowel deforms less, maintaining adequate closing force without excessive deformation. The same resilient component automatically adjusts its force characteristics based on the material resistance it encounters.
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 consistent and enhanced hold in various materials, including hardwood, MDF, and chipboard, while minimizing the impact of material tolerances and requiring less force for actuation, ensuring reliable fastening across different materials and hole sizes.
Implementation Method 1
The fastening device has a resilient dowel core and a radially resilient dowel sleeve which are in constant surface contact with each other in the inserted condition. The effect of such a resilient dowel core is such that when the furniture part is made from a hard material, this dowel core deforms inwardly, and when the furniture part is made from a soft material, the dowel core springs inwardly to a lesser extent.
Data Source
AI summary
A fastening device for furniture fittings on furniture parts which includes at least one dowel core that can be inserted into a hole of a furniture part. The dowel core can be arranged inside a dowel sleeve, and an actuating device moves the dowel sleeve relative to the dowel core. The dowel sleeve spreads on the dowel core and the dowel core is radially resilient.