Sealed Clamp Drilling Tool for In-Process Chip Evacuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drilling methods in aeronautical structures produce numerous machining chips that require costly and time-consuming cleaning and disassembly/reassembly steps, leading to alignment issues and quality problems due to incomplete chip removal and ejection.
Innovation Solution
A drilling method using a clamp with upstream blowing and downstream suction to contain and extract chips within a sealed environment, combining upstream air flow through the drill bit and lateral flutes for complete chip evacuation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional drilling methods are used to drill aeronautical structures, then drilling can be performed, but numerous machining chips are produced that spread in the vicinity and require complete disassembly for cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
A suction chamber is introduced as an intermediary device between the drill bit and the environment. This chamber captures machining chips at their source and directs them through a suction system, preventing chip spread without requiring disassembly for cleaning. The suction chamber acts as a mediator that isolates the drilling operation from the surrounding workspace.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful factor (machining chips) is extracted from the drilling environment through the suction system. The chips are removed from the vicinity of the drilled bore by the suction chamber and transported away through the suction system, eliminating the need for subsequent cleaning operations and disassembly.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If structures are disassembled and reassembled for cleaning, then chip removal can be achieved, but alignment problems occur and additional machining is required
Solution Approach 1:
The suction chamber serves as a continuous intermediary that maintains chip containment throughout the drilling process. By providing ongoing chip removal rather than requiring periodic disassembly for cleaning, the relative positions of structural parts remain unchanged, preserving bore alignment and eliminating the need for additional machining.
Solution Approach 2:
The suction system operates continuously during drilling, providing uninterrupted chip removal. This continuous action prevents chip accumulation and spread without interrupting the drilling process or requiring disassembly, thereby maintaining the precision of bore alignment throughout the operation.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If a suction chamber is used to recover chips, then chip removal is improved, but the chamber is bulky and unsuitable for confined areas
Solution Approach 1:
The suction chamber is nested within or integrated with the drilling tool structure. By placing the suction chamber in close proximity to the drill bit and incorporating it into the existing tool geometry, the design achieves effective chip containment without adding significant external volume, making the tool suitable for confined drilling areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The suction chamber is designed to be compact and localized around the drill bit rather than being a large external structure. The suction system is concentrated in the immediate drilling zone, providing effective chip recovery with minimal increase in tool size, enabling use in confined spaces.
4Ease of manufacture
If drilling is performed during first assembly, then initial positioning can be established, but chip spread requires subsequent disassembly and reassembly
Solution Approach 1:
The suction chamber acts as an intermediary that enables drilling during first assembly without creating the chip spread problem that would otherwise require disassembly. By continuously containing chips at the source, the suction system allows the assembly process to proceed efficiently through drilling without interrupting for cleaning or reassembly operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The suction system provides continuous chip removal throughout the drilling operation, maintaining a clean working environment without interrupting the assembly process. This continuity eliminates the need to stop for disassembly and cleaning, allowing drilling to be performed during the first assembly without productivity loss.
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
Enables efficient chip removal without disassembly, ensuring precise bore alignment and reducing assembly time by eliminating intermediate cleaning steps, thus enhancing productivity and quality.
Implementation Method 1
An upstream blow directed towards the parts to be assembled circulates air through the drill bit and then in the opposite direction in lateral flutes extending along this drill bit
Implementation Method 2
a downstream blow in a sealed environment in the hollow downstream branch of the clamp of the drilling tool and in the opposite direction to said upstream blowing
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The invention relates to a drilling tool (100) comprising a clamp (2) with an upstream limb (2a) and a downstream limb (2b) gripping one or more parts (1a, 1b) to be drilled, a means for blowing compressed air being sealingly installed on the downstream limb (2b) and a drill (3) provided with a drill bit (3a) having lateral flutes (3b) co-operating with a sealed machine nose (2k) of the upstream limb (2a) in contact with the part to be drilled in order to discharge and recover drilling debris.