Spiral Clamping Element Self-Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing clamping technologies fail to provide a simple and high-strength connection between a clamping element and a fixing element protruding from a component, often requiring complex assembly and lacking self-locking mechanisms to prevent automatic release.
Innovation Solution
A clamping element with a circumferential wall and a rising supporting portion designed like a spiral staircase or thread, featuring latching points that allow ratchet-like tightening and self-locking, ensuring secure engagement with the fixing element and preventing unscrewing, along with a brim-like supporting portion for resilient support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a simple clamping element design is used, then ease of manufacture and assembly are improved, but connection strength and reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The supporting portion is designed with a curved, spiral staircase-like geometry that rises along the inner circumferential wall. This curved structure enables the fixing element to engage in a ratchet-like manner, providing progressive tightening and self-locking while maintaining a simple single-piece clamping element design that is easy to manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The supporting portion is designed to extend over an angular range of less than 360 degrees, creating discrete engagement zones along the spiral path. This segmentation allows the fixing element to latch at specific points during rotation, providing incremental tightening and self-locking without requiring a complete circular structure, thus simplifying manufacturing while maintaining connection strength.
2Reliability
If a self-locking mechanism is added to prevent automatic release, then reliability is improved, but device complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The clamping element design enables self-locking through the interaction between the curved supporting portion and the fixing element. As the fixing element rotates the clamping element during tightening, it naturally engages behind the rising supporting portion, creating automatic self-locking without requiring additional locking mechanisms, springs, or complex assemblies. The structure serves its own locking function.
Solution Approach 2:
The spiral staircase-like curved geometry of the supporting portion creates a ratchet effect where the fixing element can advance during tightening but cannot reverse. The curvature provides mechanical interference that prevents automatic release, ensuring reliability while maintaining a simple single-piece design without additional locking components.
3Strength
If a rising supporting portion with spiral staircase design is used, then connection strength and self-locking are improved, but manufacturing complexity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The supporting portion is integrated directly into the clamping element as a single monolithic structure. The curved spiral staircase-like geometry is formed as part of the clamping element's body, eliminating the need for separate components. This merging of functions into a single piece simplifies manufacturing processes while providing the complex geometry needed for strong, self-locking connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The spiral staircase-like curved supporting portion is designed to be manufacturable as a single molded or machined feature of the clamping element. The continuous curved geometry can be created using standard manufacturing processes such as injection molding or CNC machining, providing complex functional geometry without requiring multiple assembly steps or complex tooling.
Data Source
AI summary
A component connection has a first component, from which a fixing element protrudes, and a clamping element, which in a tightened rotating position is directly supported relative to the first component directly by way of the fixing element or is indirectly supported relative to the first component by way of a further component. The clamping element has a recess into which the fixing element protrudes from a lower side of the clamping element, wherein a seat portion of the recess is designed in the form of an ascending spiral staircase or thread and at least one free end of the fixing element reaches behind this seat portion in an interlocking manner, such that the at least one free end is seated on the seat portion and when the clamping element is in the tightened rotating position, presses against the seat portion.