Sanitary Fixture Frame Assembly Using Clinched Crossbar Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing installation structures for sanitary fixtures, particularly built-in ones, face challenges with expensive, slow, and polluting welding processes, which can cause material tension and deformations, and require finishes to be applied after assembly.
Innovation Solution
The use of clinching as a joining method for the struts and crossbars, eliminating the need for welding or rivets, allows for a faster, cleaner, and more cost-effective assembly process while preventing material tension and enabling pre-finishing of individual components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If welding is used to join crossbars to struts, then strong structural connection is achieved, but assembly time increases and production costs rise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the welding process (thermal-mechanical system) with a mechanical clinching process. The clinching device uses a punch and die to create interlocking folds in the metal layers through cold plastic deformation, eliminating the need for heat-based welding while achieving comparable structural strength and enabling faster assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the joining mechanism from thermal fusion (welding) to cold plastic deformation (clinching). By altering the physical state and deformation parameters of the metal layers during joining, the process achieves strong connections without the time-consuming welding cycle, thereby improving productivity while maintaining structural integrity.
2Strength
If welding is used to join crossbars to struts, then structural connection is achieved, but energy consumption increases and environmental pollution occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes the energy-intensive welding process with a mechanical clinching operation that uses cold plastic deformation. The clinching device transforms mechanical energy directly into deformation work on the metal layers, eliminating the need for thermal energy input and associated environmental pollution while maintaining connection strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts what would normally be waste energy in welding (heat) into useful cold plastic deformation. By utilizing the mechanical work of the punch and die directly on the material, the process eliminates harmful thermal effects and energy loss, turning the joining process into a more efficient and environmentally friendly operation.
3Strength
If welding is used to join crossbars to struts, then structural connection is achieved, but material tension and deformations occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces welding with a controlled mechanical clinching process that uses a punch and die to create precise interlocking folds. This substitution eliminates the uncontrolled thermal expansion and cooling shrinkage of welding, preventing material tension and deformation while maintaining connection strength and dimensional accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the joining parameters from thermal process (welding with heat input) to cold mechanical process (clinching with controlled plastic deformation). This parameter change eliminates the thermal stresses that cause material tension and deformation, thereby improving manufacturing precision and dimensional stability of the assembled structure.
4Strength
If welding is used to join crossbars to struts, then structural connection is achieved, but finishes must be applied after assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables preliminary finishing of individual components before assembly. Since the clinching process joins components through mechanical interlocking without heat or filler materials, protective coatings and finishes can be applied to crossbars and struts separately before they are clinched together, simplifying the manufacturing process and eliminating the need for post-assembly finishing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention allows the structure to be manufactured in segmented form with finishes applied to individual components (crossbars and struts) before assembly. The clinching joining method preserves these pre-applied finishes by not requiring post-assembly coating, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity and improving ease of production compared to welding which requires complete assembly before finishing.
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
This approach reduces assembly time and costs, minimizes material deformations, and allows for earlier application of finishes, resulting in a more efficient and compliant manufacturing process for sanitary fixture installation structures.
Implementation Method 1
The two parts are plastically deformed, forming a shape coupling, in which the two metallic components to join are pressed so that a locking fold is formed between them
Implementation Method 2
the clinching process is a cold one, although it is also possible to slightly heat the punch and die to encourage a plastic effect during contact between the two layers to be joined
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
Figure 5
AI summary
An installation structure (1) for sanitary fixtures comprises a frame (2) having a pair of struts (3) parallel to each other and one or more crossbars (4) arranged between the struts (3); the crossbars (4) are joined to the struts (3) by clinching joints (17) that join respective flat coupling portions (11, 13) of a strut (3) and a crossbar (4) .