Alternating Saw Tooth Geometry to Deflect Nails From Gullets

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Solution Overview

Problem

Saw blades often suffer from durability issues due to nails lodging in the gullets of teeth during operation, leading to breakage or damage, especially when cutting materials like nail-embedded wood or metal.

Innovation Solution

The saw blade design features consecutive cutting teeth with protrusions on some teeth, which inhibit nails from entering the gullets, and varying gullet sizes to minimize nail impact, enhancing durability and cutting efficiency by positioning nails for optimal cutting.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional saw blade teeth without protrusions are used, then cutting speed and efficiency are maintained, but nails easily lodge in the gullets causing tooth breakage and reduced durability

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetooth durabilityVSAvoidtooth structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by adding protrusions only to specific teeth (every other tooth) rather than modifying all teeth uniformly. This localized modification provides nail-deflecting protection where most needed while maintaining simpler tooth structures in alternating positions, thus improving durability without excessive complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The tooth structure is segmented into two types: teeth with protrusions and teeth without protrusions. This segmentation allows the blade to handle different functions - some teeth deflect nails while others perform standard cutting, resolving the contradiction between durability and structural simplicity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If all gullets are made large to prevent nail lodging, then nail impact is reduced, but material removal efficiency and cutting speed decrease

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenail impact resistanceVSAvoidcutting speed
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by creating alternating patterns of larger and smaller gullets along the blade. Larger gullets are positioned to receive and deflect nails, while smaller gullets maintain efficient material removal. This localized differentiation resolves the contradiction between nail resistance and cutting speed

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The gullet structure is segmented into two sizes alternating along the blade length. This segmentation allows the blade to alternately perform nail-deflection functions and efficient cutting functions, maintaining overall productivity while providing localized protection against nail impact

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If protrusions are added to all teeth to prevent nail lodging, then durability improves, but material removal efficiency and chip evacuation decrease

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetooth durabilityVSAvoidmaterial removal rate
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the tooth population into two groups: teeth with protrusions for nail protection and teeth without protrusions for efficient material removal. This segmentation ensures that not all teeth have protrusions, thereby maintaining adequate chip evacuation space and cutting efficiency while still providing durability benefits through the alternating protected teeth

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3625012B1Saw blade
Publication Date: 2022.07.06 MILWAUKEE ELECTRIC TOOL CORP
  • EP3625012B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3625012B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3625012B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A saw blade includes a cutting portion having consecutive first, second, and third cutting teeth. Each cutting tooth includes a rake surface, a relief surface, and a tip. The first cutting tooth includes a protrusion extending from the relief surface of the first cutting tooth. The cutting portion includes a first gullet positioned between the first cutting tooth and the second cutting tooth and a second gullet sized differently than the first gullet positioned between the second cutting tooth and the third cutting tooth. The cutting portion includes a first pitch extending over the first gullet from the tip of the first cutting tooth to the tip of the second cutting tooth. The cutting portion includes a second pitch different than the first pitch extending over the second gullet from the tip of the second cutting tooth to the tip of the third cutting tooth.