Protective Sleeve Fastener Assembly for Shear and Bending Loads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Previous splitter bar style fasteners are susceptible to degradation due to shear and bending stresses, and their clamping legs are prone to damage during insertion and removal, leading to alignment issues and reduced durability.
Innovation Solution
A fastener assembly with a protective sleeve that circumferentially surrounds the clamping legs and splitter bar, providing slots for the extensions of the splitter bar and reinforcement sections to enhance structural integrity, decouple bending and shear stresses from the clamping legs, and prevent damage during tooling operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If clamping legs are designed as independent elements in previous splitter bar fasteners, then the fastener allows for simple construction and rapid clamping/unclamping action, but the clamping legs become susceptible to shear and bending stresses and cannot cooperatively interact to withstand loads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the previously independent clamping legs into a unified structure where the legs are formed as a single piece with integrated reinforcement features. This allows the legs to cooperatively interact and share shear and bending loads, transforming them from independent elements into a coordinated load-bearing system that maintains construction simplicity while significantly improving strength.
2Ease of operation
If clamping legs are positioned adjacent to workpiece apertures during clamping, then the fastener enables workpiece securing through accessible openings, but the legs experience unwanted loading and become prone to damage from workpiece shifts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates reinforcement features and structural design elements into the clamping legs before they are subjected to operational loads. These pre-built reinforcement features act as cushioning elements that absorb and distribute unwanted loading from workpiece shifts, protecting the legs from damage while maintaining their positioning adjacent to workpiece apertures for ease of operation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If clamping legs are allowed to slide back and forth independently during fastener use, then the legs can accommodate movement, but they cannot cooperatively interact to withstand shear and bending stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the movement accommodation capability with cooperative load resistance by forming the clamping legs as an integrated structure. The unified design allows the legs to move together as a coordinated system rather than independently, enabling them to accommodate workpiece movement while maintaining structural integrity and sharing shear and bending loads effectively.
4Strength
If the protective sleeve is added to surround clamping legs and splitter bar, then the fastener's structural integrity and ability to carry shear and bending loads is significantly increased, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the protective sleeve with the clamping legs and splitter bar into an integrated assembly. The sleeve is designed to work in unison with these components, creating a unified load-bearing system where the reinforcement features are built into the overall structure rather than being separate add-on elements. This integration increases strength while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A fastener assembly is provided. The fastener assembly comprises a clamping unit including two clamping legs each having a shank and a clamping foot extending therefrom and a splitter bar including two extensions and a shaft extending between the two clamping legs and radially expanding and retracting the clamping feet responsive to axially translation of the clamping unit. The fastener assembly further comprises a protective sleeve partially circumferentially surrounding at least a portion of the clamping leg shanks and the splitter bar, where the protective sleeve comprises two slots having the two extensions extending there through.