Segmented Collet Socket for Corroded Valve Actuators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional collet devices are inadequate for engaging corroded valve actuators, which require high torque and have rounded edges due to burial in soil, making them difficult to grip with conventional sockets.
Innovation Solution
A collet device with a perimeter wall featuring angled engagement portions and discrete sections, a sleeve with a tapered interior, and a biasing mechanism that allows for increased friction and torque application, enabling effective engagement and rotation of corroded valve actuators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional sockets are used to engage valve actuators, then the device structure is simple, but the gripping ability is insufficient due to rounded edges from corrosion
Solution Approach 1:
The collet is divided into multiple discrete sections (typically three) that can independently engage with the valve actuator. Each section has an inner surface that contacts the actuator, allowing the segmented structure to adapt to rounded or corroded edges while maintaining secure grip. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by providing reliable engagement without requiring a completely complex device design.
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement portions of the collet sections feature specific geometric characteristics (angled outer surfaces, positioned at predetermined locations) that are optimized for contacting corroded valve actuator edges. This localized optimization of contact surfaces improves gripping ability on damaged components without complicating the overall device structure.
2Force
If conventional sockets are used, then the device is simple, but the torque application capability is insufficient for large valve actuators
Solution Approach 1:
The collet sections are received within a collet body that contains a tapered bore. The sections nest within this tapered environment, allowing them to be biased toward each other and engage the valve actuator with significant force. This nested structure enables high torque application capability while maintaining relatively simple device geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The tapered bore of the collet body changes the geometric parameters of the engagement environment. As the collet sections are forced toward each other within the tapered bore, the contact force and resulting torque capability are significantly increased, enabling the device to handle large valve actuators without excessive structural complexity.
3Force
If the collet sections are forced together to engage corroded actuators, then gripping force increases, but the sections tend to spread apart
Solution Approach 1:
The collet sections are designed to be movable relative to each other, allowing them to dynamically adjust their positions as they are forced together by the tapered bore. This dynamic capability enables the sections to maintain proper alignment and engagement force even when encountering variations in the corroded actuator geometry, resolving the stability issue.
Solution Approach 2:
The tapered bore of the collet body acts as an intermediary that forces the collet sections toward each other in a controlled manner. This intermediary structure ensures that the sections are biased together with sufficient force to engage corroded actuators while maintaining their relative alignment, preventing them from spreading apart.
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 robust and effective means to grip and rotate corroded valve actuators, overcoming the challenges of corrosion and high torque requirements, ensuring secure engagement and efficient operation.
Implementation Method 1
The interior surface tapers inwardly as the interior surface extends from the bottom end to the top end. The interior surface abuts the engagement portion of each of the sections and biases the second ends of the sections toward each other as the first end moves inward of the bottom end of the sleeve.
Implementation Method 2
A biasing member extends through the top end of the sleeve and engages each of the sections of the collet to retain the sections within the sleeve. The biasing member is actuated to bias the sleeve downward toward the second end of the collet such that the sections close together to engage the valve actuator.
Implementation Method 3
The engagement portion is angled outwardly as the engagement portion extends downwardly from the first end toward the second end. The inner surface of the perimeter wall engages the valve actuator, providing the friction necessary to grip and rotate the corroded component.
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable socket assembly includes a collet having a first end, a second end, and a perimeter wall. The second end has a receiving aperture therein. The collet is divided into a plurality a plurality of sections. A sleeve has a bottom end that receives the collet. The sleeve has an interior surface that tapers inwardly and abuts the sections to move toward each other as the sleeve moves toward the second ends of the sections. A biasing member extends through a top end of the sleeve and engages each of the sections. The biasing member is actuated to bias the sleeve downward to close together the sections and engaged the valve actuator. An engagement head is attached to the upper end of the biasing member and engages a tool to rotate the collet.