Adjustable Spacer Nut With Clamping Spring Lug
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spacer nuts for connecting spaced-apart fastening portions of components are difficult to handle and produce, as they require secure positioning and precise alignment, which complicates adjustment and assembly.
Innovation Solution
A spacer nut design featuring a threaded part, intermediate piece, and spacer piece with a clamping mechanism that allows for secure holding and adjustment without needing to be secured in place, enabling easy handling and assembly by using a screw to align and adjust the spacing between components, with features like clamping spring lugs and thread-securing means for enhanced stability and usability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the spacer nut is designed with multiple separate components (threaded part, intermediate piece, spacer piece) for adjustable spacing, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer nut is divided into three main segments: a threaded part, an intermediate piece, and a spacer piece. Each segment can be independently adjusted or replaced, allowing the overall spacing to be modified without changing the entire fastening system. This segmentation enables adaptability while keeping each individual component relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediate piece is nested within the threaded part, and the spacer piece is nested within the intermediate piece. This nested structure allows multiple functional elements to be compactly arranged, reducing the overall complexity of assembly while maintaining the adjustable spacing capability. The components fit together in a hierarchical manner that simplifies handling.
2Manufacturing precision
If the spacer nut requires secure positioning and precise alignment during assembly, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer nut incorporates self-aligning features where the threaded part and intermediate piece automatically orient themselves during assembly. The internal thread geometry and contact surfaces are designed to guide the components into proper alignment without requiring external alignment tools or complex positioning procedures, thus maintaining precision while improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The threaded part and intermediate piece are pre-configured with matching thread patterns and alignment features during manufacturing. This preliminary preparation ensures that when the components are assembled, they naturally align with the required precision, eliminating the need for complex alignment operations during the actual assembly process.
3Reliability
If the through-passage opening in the spacer piece has a clamping portion with elastic deflection, then the reliability is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping portion utilizes elastic deflection, which changes the physical state of the material from rigid to flexible under load. This parameter change allows the clamping force to self-adjust and compensate for dimensional variations in the screw and spacer piece, maintaining reliable clamping action even when manufacturing tolerances vary within acceptable ranges.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer piece is made from a composite material or a material with specific elastic properties that allow controlled deflection in the clamping portion. This material selection provides both the necessary structural integrity and the elastic compliance needed to generate consistent clamping force, reducing sensitivity to manufacturing precision requirements.
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 spacer nut design simplifies handling and production by allowing secure holding and adjustment of components without needing to be secured in place, improving usability and stability through clamping actions and thread-securing mechanisms, enabling precise alignment and adjustment of components with reduced complexity.
Implementation Method 1
at least one such clamping portion is formed by a clamping spring lug. Said clamping spring lug can be elastically deflected as a result of the insertion of the screw into the through-passage opening, whereby said clamping spring lug can, even in the case of relatively large tolerances with regard to the outer diameter of the screw, always generate a clamping force
Implementation Method 2
the friction between the screw and the corresponding portion of the through-passage opening in the spacer piece is so great that a rotation of the screw leads to the spacer piece being carried along
Data Source
AI summary
Spacer nut for connecting spaced-apart fastening portions of two components, having a threaded part forming an internal thread for a screw, having an intermediate piece forming a thread and a through-passage opening, wherein the threaded part and the intermediate piece can be, or are, connected to one another such that an accommodating space for the fastening portion of a first component is formed between them and the internal thread and the through-passage opening in the intermediate piece are arranged in alignment, and having a spacer piece with a thread, which can be screwed together with the thread of the intermediate piece, a through-passage opening, which is in alignment with the internal thread, and a contact surface, which incorporates the one end of the through-passage opening of the spacer piece and is provided for abutment against the fastening portion of the second component.