Ribbed Tip Plate Bushing Creep Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bushing designs for producing glass fibers are prone to creep strain when exposed to high temperatures, leading to costly failures due to the use of significant amounts of precious metals and requiring extensive man-hours for construction.
Innovation Solution
The bushing system incorporates a plate with upwardly extending side walls and ribs, along with a tip plate, to minimize creep and reduce the amount of precious metal alloy needed, featuring a design that includes a plurality of apertures and ribs for increased rigidity and reduced material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the thickness of bushing components is increased to combat creep, then creep resistance is improved, but the amount of precious metal alloy used increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The bushing is divided into multiple functional components: a support plate with ribs for structural strength, a tip plate with apertures for fiber formation, and side walls for containment. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, using precious metals only where necessary for creep resistance while reducing overall material usage.
Solution Approach 2:
Precious metal alloy is applied selectively to specific regions requiring creep resistance, such as the rib structures and aperture edges, rather than uniformly throughout the entire bushing. This local quality approach maintains strength where needed while minimizing precious metal consumption in less critical areas.
2Strength
If conventional bushing designs are used with multiple welds, then structural integrity is achieved, but manufacturing time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple bushing components (support plate, tip plate, side walls) are merged into a single integrated structure that can be manufactured as one piece or pre-assembled unit. This eliminates the need for multiple welds during final assembly, significantly reducing manufacturing time while maintaining structural integrity through the integrated design.
Solution Approach 2:
The bushing components are designed and pre-fabricated with built-in structural features (ribs, apertures, side walls) that provide structural integrity without requiring final assembly welds. This preliminary action of incorporating strength features during manufacturing rather than through post-assembly welding reduces overall manufacturing time.
3Strength
If ribs are added to the plate to increase rigidity, then creep resistance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Ribs are added to the plate structure, transitioning from a two-dimensional flat plate to a three-dimensional form with vertical rib elements. This dimensional change provides additional rigidity and creep resistance through the rib geometry without requiring additional separate components, thereby increasing strength while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A bushing system may include a bushing that is configured to receive a molten material. The bushing may include a plate defining a first plurality of apertures through which the molten material flows. The plate may include a longitudinal axis, as well as a first side wall and a second side wall disposed on a side of the plate opposite the first side wall. The first side wall and the second side wall may extend at an upward angle from the plate. The plate may also include a plurality of ribs extending along at least a portion of the plate. The bushing system may also include a tip plate coupleable with the bushing. The tip plate may be configured to receive the molten material from the bushing and may define a second plurality of apertures through which the molten material flows to form fibers.