Power Tool Side Handle Vibration Damping via Spring Steel Arms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing side handles for power tools, such as drills, fail to effectively reduce vibration transfer to the operator due to the compression of rubber vibration dampeners, which compromises their performance.
Innovation Solution
A side handle design featuring a central bar with a tubular grip mounted via a vibration dampening mechanism comprising a spring with resiliently deformable L-shaped arms and a central hexagonal plate, allowing for axial, rotational, and perpendicular movement to absorb and reduce vibration while maintaining operator pressure support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a rubber vibration dampener is used in the side handle, then vibration transfer is reduced, but the dampener becomes compressed during operation which reduces its performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from rubber to spring steel, transforming the dampener from a compression-based system to a bending-based system. The spring steel arms are designed to flex and return to their original shape, maintaining consistent vibration damping performance without the compression issues that plague rubber dampeners.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic movement capability to the dampener arms, allowing them to flex and move in response to operator pressure and tool vibrations. The arms are designed with specific geometry and thickness to allow controlled bending while maintaining structural integrity, enabling the dampener to adapt to varying operational conditions.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the dampener is made from resilient rubber, then vibration is absorbed, but sideways pressure during operation compresses the dampener and reduces its effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from rubber to spring steel, transforming the dampener from a compression-based system to a bending-based system. The spring steel arms are designed to flex and return to their original shape, maintaining consistent vibration damping performance without the compression issues that plague rubber dampeners.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the single rubber dampener into multiple separate spring steel arms (typically three or more) arranged radially around the central axis. This segmentation allows each arm to independently flex and absorb vibrations from different directions, providing more uniform vibration damping while accommodating operator pressure from various angles without compression.
3Strength
If the side handle is attached to the drill body, then it provides support during operation, but it transmits vibrations directly to the operator's hands
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces spring steel arms as intermediary elements between the rigid handle body and the drill attachment point. These arms act as a mechanical mediator that transmits necessary structural support forces while filtering and damping vibration frequencies through their elastic bending behavior, preventing direct vibration transmission to the operator's hands.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses thin-walled spring steel arms that function as flexible structural elements. These arms have sufficient stiffness to provide mechanical support and maintain handle positioning, yet are thin enough to flex and absorb vibrations, creating an effective vibration isolation pathway while maintaining structural integrity.
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 design effectively reduces vibration transfer to the operator's hands by utilizing resilient arms to absorb and dissipate vibrations, enhancing user comfort and reducing the risk of injury during tool operation.
Implementation Method 1
a vibration dampener between the hand grip and the base to reduce the amount of vibration transferred from the base to the hand grip
Implementation Method 2
the vibration dampener comprising a spring having a central plate, which is mounted in a non moveable manner on the central bar, and a plurality of resiliently deformable arms attached to the plate
Data Source
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AI summary
A side handle for a power tool comprising: a central bar 1012; a tubular grip 1016 which is mounted on and surrounds the central bar 1012 via a vibration dampener; the vibration dampener comprising a spring 1000 having a central plate 1004, which is mounted in a non moveable manner on the central bar 1012, and a plurality of resiliently deformable arms 1002 attached to the plate 1004 and which extend away from the plate 1004 towards the grip 1016, the ends of each of the arms being non moveably attached to the grip 1016.