Segmented Cord Guard Structure for Right-Angle Bend Durability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cord guards for hand tools experience excessive wear and damage due to high loads when bent at nearly a right angle, leading to premature failure and potential breakage of the power cord.
Innovation Solution
The cord guard design includes alternating large-diameter and small-diameter portions, with the small-diameter portions having a shorter length than the large-diameter portions, allowing adjacent large-diameter portions to contact each other when bent, thereby distributing the load and maintaining a suitable radius of curvature, and incorporating a trumpet-shaped exit portion to facilitate flexible bending.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the cord guard is bent at nearly a right angle to allow flexible positioning, then ease of operation is improved, but the load on the cord guard and power cord increases causing damage and reduced reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The cord guard is segmented into alternating large-diameter portions and small-diameter portions along its extending direction. The small-diameter portions act as bending zones that concentrate flexing, while the large-diameter portions maintain structural strength and protect the power cord from excessive bending loads.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the cord guard have different diameters to provide localized properties: small-diameter portions for flexibility and bending, large-diameter portions for strength and protection. This local differentiation allows the cord guard to be flexible where needed while maintaining overall durability.
2Ease of operation
If the cord guard has a small radius of curvature when bent, then ease of operation is improved, but the flexural strength decreases leading to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The cord guard is divided into alternating large-diameter portions and small-diameter portions. The small-diameter portions enable tight bending with small radius of curvature, while the large-diameter portions maintain flexural strength and prevent damage during bending operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The cord guard has varying diameter along its length, with small-diameter portions positioned at bending locations to enable small radius of curvature, and large-diameter portions at protective locations to maintain flexural strength and prevent damage.
3Ease of manufacture
If the large-diameter portions and small-diameter portions have the same width, then manufacturing is simplified, but the flexural strength is insufficient under repeated loading
Solution Approach 1:
The cord guard has different widths for large-diameter portions and small-diameter portions along its extending direction. The large-diameter portions have greater width to provide enhanced flexural strength and protection, while the small-diameter portions have reduced width to enable flexible bending. This local differentiation in width provides both the required strength under repeated loading and the necessary flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
The electric work machine includes a housing, a motor, a power cord, and a cord guard. The cord guard includes an internal space, a coupling portion, an exit portion, and an intermediate portion. The coupling portion is coupled to the cord outlet. The power cord passes through the internal space and is exposed to an outside from the exit portion. The intermediate portion is located between the coupling portion and the exit portion and includes large-diameter portions and small-diameter portions. Outer diameters of the small-diameter portions are smaller than outer diameters of the large-diameter portions. The large-diameter portions each have a first length in an extending direction of the cord guard. The small-diameter portions each have a second length in the extending direction, and the second length is shorter than the first length.