Single-Piece Swivel Bolt Assembly for Low Pressure Drop
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional swivel assemblies often include excess parts, leading to reduced reliability, structural fatigue, and leakage pathways, and require additional manufacturing operations resulting in material waste and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A swivel assembly comprising a single-piece swivel bolt and housing formed using additive manufacturing technology, featuring a transverse channel and annular channel configuration to reduce pressure drop and eliminate excess components, with integrated retention mechanisms and optimized fluid flow paths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional multi-part swivel assemblies are used, then assembly flexibility and ease of manufacture are improved, but reliability decreases due to excess parts, structural fatigue, and leakage pathways
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate components (bolt, retention mechanism, sealing elements, and housing features) into a single integrated swivel assembly. This eliminates excess parts and potential leakage pathways while maintaining ease of manufacture through additive manufacturing technology, directly resolving the contradiction between reliability and ease of manufacture.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional manufacturing processes are used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but material waste increases and part costs rise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs additive manufacturing technology, which fundamentally changes the manufacturing parameter from traditional subtractive methods to additive layer-by-layer construction. This enables complex integrated geometries to be manufactured with minimal material waste while maintaining ease of manufacture, directly addressing the contradiction between ease of manufacture and material waste.
3Ease of manufacture
If multiple separate components are used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the retention mechanism, sealing features, and bolt functionality into a single monolithic swivel assembly, the patent eliminates multiple assembly steps. The single-piece construction reduces assembly time significantly while maintaining ease of manufacture through additive manufacturing, directly resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and assembly time.
4Manufacturing precision
If sharp corners and bends are used in passages, then manufacturing precision is improved, but pressure drop increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates rounded corners and smooth curved transitions in the fluid passages instead of sharp corners. This curvature design reduces flow separation and turbulence, minimizing pressure drop while maintaining manufacturing precision through additive manufacturing capabilities, directly addressing the contradiction between manufacturing precision and pressure drop.
Data Source
AI summary
A swivel assembly including a swivel bolt and housing is disclosed. The swivel bolt may include a first portion, a second portion, and a body portion connecting the first portion and second portion. The second portion may include a transverse channel. The housing may be configured to receive at least a portion of the second portion of the bolt and the housing may include an annular channel operatively aligned with the transverse channel of the swivel bolt. A swivel bolt may be formed as a single piece and/or may be formed using additive manufacturing technology. In embodiments, a swivel bolt may include a fluid passage having a bend with shaped or contoured inner and outer surfaces.