Snowmobile Ice Scratcher With Coil Spring Pivot
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Solution Overview
Problem
Snowmobiles operating on hard packed snow or icy surfaces experience reduced cooling and lubrication of track and slide rails due to smaller snow sprays, leading to increased friction and premature wear, and existing ice scratchers are prone to damage when reversing.
Innovation Solution
An ice scratcher design with a coil spring and pivot mechanism that allows the scratching member to maintain contact with the surface regardless of direction, using a bent metal rod with coil springs and a V-shaped member to generate snow or ice sprays efficiently and absorb shocks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a simple rod with coil spring is used as ice scratcher, then the device can generate snow spray effectively, but the rod may bend or break when the snowmobile moves in reverse direction
Solution Approach 1:
The ice scratcher employs a dynamic pivoting mechanism that allows the rod to rotate about a pivot point. When the snowmobile moves forward, the coil spring maintains downward force for snow spray generation. When the snowmobile reverses, the rod automatically pivots to align with the direction of motion, preventing bending or breaking. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between maintaining spray generation effectiveness and ensuring structural durability during reverse operation.
2Reliability
If the ice scratcher maintains constant contact with the surface, then cooling and lubrication are improved, but the device cannot adapt to uneven surfaces or reverse motion
Solution Approach 1:
The combination of coil spring and pivot mechanism creates a dynamic system that maintains reliable surface contact while adapting to varying conditions. The coil spring ensures constant downward force for consistent cooling and lubrication, while the pivot allows the rod to adjust its angle for uneven surfaces and reverse motion. This dynamic design simultaneously achieves reliability in cooling/lubrication and adaptability to different operating conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The ice scratcher is designed to automatically adjust itself without external control. The coil spring self-regulates the downward force, and the pivot mechanism self-adjusts the rod's orientation based on the direction of motion and surface conditions. This self-service capability ensures both consistent performance for cooling/lubrication and automatic adaptation to uneven surfaces and reverse operation.
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 ice scratcher effectively generates snow or ice sprays for cooling and lubrication in both forward and reverse directions, reducing wear and improving operational efficiency by maintaining contact with the surface and absorbing shocks.
Implementation Method 1
a coil spring having a spring axis, a first member connected to the coil spring
Implementation Method 2
The coil spring generates a downward force on the end contacting the surface, such that the end generates a spray of snow or ice as the snowmobile moves forward. The coil spring also allows the end contacting the surface to follow the surface which may not always be even.
Implementation Method 3
the second leg being pivotally connected to the connector about a pivot axis, the first leg extending on a first side of the connector, a fourth member connected to the second leg and being disposed on a second side of the connector, the L-shaped member and the fourth member being pivotable together about the pivot axis
Implementation Method 4
devices have been developed to scratch a surface of the ice or snow to generate a spray of ice or snow when the snowmobile operates on such surfaces
Implementation Method 5
The sprayed snow makes contact with the heat exchanger and absorbs the heat from the coolant flowing in the heat exchangers
Implementation Method 6
the third member limiting rotation of the L-shaped member and the fourth member about the pivot axis by abutting the fourth member
Data Source
AI summary
An ice scratcher for attachment to a snowmobile has a first ice scratcher end, a second ice scratcher end opposite the first ice scratcher end, a first coil spring having a first spring axis disposed at or near the first ice scratcher end, a first elongated member having a first end connected to the first coil spring, a second coil spring connected to a second end of the first elongated member, the second coil spring having a second spring axis, and a second elongated member having a first end connected to the second coil spring and a second end at or near the second ice scratcher end. Alternative embodiments of the ice scratcher are disclosed. A snowmobile having the ice scratcher is also disclosed.