Self-Aligning Pipe Clamp Assembly for Stable Bolt Fastening
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe clamps face issues with friction, alignment, and force distribution, leading to instability and potential failure, especially in extreme temperatures and harsh environments, and are prone to misalignment and stress due to lateral forces.
Innovation Solution
A pipe clamp design featuring an annular structure with flange elements and individual alignment elements, including spherical washers and barrel nuts, that engage in a form-fitting manner to reduce friction and ensure proper alignment, while support structures provide stability against lateral forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional pipe clamps are used with standard flange and bolt connections, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but friction increases and alignment precision deteriorates leading to connection instability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces spherical alignment elements (spherical washers or spherical protrusions) that engage with corresponding spherical recesses in the flange elements. This spherical geometry enables self-alignment of the clamp components, reducing friction during assembly and ensuring precise alignment. The curved surface allows for rotational adjustment and automatic positioning, eliminating the need for complex alignment procedures while maintaining connection stability under thermal expansion and lateral forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces individual alignment elements as intermediary components between the flange elements and the bolt connection. These alignment elements (such as spherical washers or dedicated alignment pins) act as mediators that facilitate proper positioning and reduce direct friction between the flange surfaces. By inserting these intermediary alignment features, the system achieves better alignment precision without requiring overly complex flange designs, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity.
2Reliability
If the pipe clamp components are positioned correctly to reduce friction, then connection stability improves, but the alignment precision and manufacturing complexity become critical issues
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical alignment elements are designed to enable self-alignment of the clamp components during assembly. The spherical geometry allows the components to automatically position themselves correctly through rotational movement, eliminating the need for precise pre-positioning or complex adjustment procedures. This self-aligning mechanism ensures that the components achieve proper positioning through their own geometry rather than requiring high-precision manufacturing and manual alignment, thus improving reliability without excessively increasing manufacturing precision requirements.
3Strength
If larger bolts are used to increase clamping force, then connection strength improves, but the device weight and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical alignment elements reduce friction during tightening by enabling smooth rotational movement and self-alignment. This reduced friction allows the bolt to achieve full clamping force more efficiently, maximizing the utilization of the bolt's strength. Consequently, smaller diameter bolts can be used to achieve the same effective clamping force compared to conventional flat-flange designs, thereby reducing the weight of the clamp assembly while maintaining connection strength.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C~1D
Figure 1E
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a pipe clamp, comprising an annular structure configured to receive at least one pipe; the annular structure including a first flange element arranged at one end of the annular structure and a second flange element arranged at another end of the annular structure; at least two individual alignment elements configured to be arranged on a fastener to respectively engage with the first flange element and the second flange element in a form-fitting manner, wherein one of the at least two individual alignment elements has a flange-engaging shape that is substantially spherical. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides a pipe clamp comprising an annular structure configured to receive at least one pipe; the annular structure including a first flange element arranged at one end of the annular structure and a second flange element arranged at another end of the annular structure; wherein the first flange element and the second flange element include respective support structures extending towards each other and overlapping one another. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides a pipe clamp comprising an annular structure configured to receive at least one pipe; wherein the annular structure comprises at least one fixation structure configured to engage with a protruding edge of the at least one pipe. Also, the present disclosure provides a pipe clamp assembly, comprising one or more pipe clamps recited herein, and a fastener mounted to the first flange element and the second flange element. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides a method for providing positional stabilization of one or more components comprised in one or more pipe clamps and/or the pipe clamp assembly recited herein during fastening of the same.