Spring-Biased Expansion Bolt for Tool-Free Reuse and Swivel Loading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing expansion bolts and pivot mechanisms are either permanently fixed in structures or require tools for removal, limiting their reusability and ease of use, especially in applications requiring fall protection for workers.
Innovation Solution
A modular expansion bolt design featuring radially spreadable elongate elastic members, a pivot and swivel mechanism, and a biasing system that allows for elastic expansion and retraction, enabling easy insertion and removal without tools, and accommodating pivoting and swiveling for improved load distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If expansion bolts are permanently fixed in structures, then anchoring strength is improved, but reusability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The expansion bolt incorporates a dynamic expansion mechanism where the body can transition between expanded and contracted states. The biasing means (spring) enables the bolt to automatically expand when installed and contract when removal is needed, allowing the same bolt to be reused multiple times while maintaining anchoring strength during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state of the expansion bolt by using a biasing mechanism that alters the expansion parameter. The bolt transitions from a contracted state (for insertion) to an expanded state (for anchoring) and back to contracted state (for removal), enabling reusability while maintaining strength during the anchored phase.
2Strength
If expansion bolts require tools for removal, then anchoring strength is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The expansion bolt is designed to be self-removing through the action of the biasing means. When the tethering force is released, the spring automatically pushes the expansion body to contract, causing the expansion members to disengage from the hole walls. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for tools or special removal procedures, making operation simple while maintaining anchoring strength during use.
3Strength
If expansion bolts are fixed in single orientation, then anchoring strength is improved, but adaptability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The pivot and swivel mechanism introduces dynamic orientation capability to the expansion bolt. The pivot member allows rotation about a first axis, and the swivel member allows rotation about a second axis perpendicular to the first, enabling the bolt to adapt to different loading directions while maintaining anchoring strength through the expansion mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The expansion bolt becomes a multi-functional device that can accommodate loads from multiple directions. The combination of expansion anchoring, pivoting, and swiveling capabilities makes the bolt universal for various tethering applications where load direction may vary, while the expansion mechanism ensures anchoring strength is maintained in all orientations.
4Strength
If expansion bolts use rigid structures, then anchoring strength is improved, but susceptibility to permanent deformation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The expansion bolt uses elastic deformation as a key parameter change mechanism. The expansion members are designed to elastically deform when expanded against the hole walls and to return to their original shape when the expansion force is released. This elastic parameter change allows the bolt to maintain anchoring strength while resisting permanent deformation, enabling reuse.
Solution Approach 2:
The biasing means creates a dynamic system where the expansion members are constantly under controlled stress. The spring maintains the expansion members in a state ready to expand or contract, allowing them to respond elastically to loading conditions without permanent deformation, thereby improving reliability while maintaining strength.
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 solution provides a cost-effective, reusable expansion bolt system that can be easily installed and removed, offering enhanced safety and flexibility for workers by distributing loads effectively and minimizing the risk of permanent deformation.
Implementation Method 1
A compression spring 32 is provided between the loop 30 and the collar 20, to bias the device into its expanded configuration
Implementation Method 2
Its bias protects against small amounts of slippage out of the hole that may otherwise occur as a result of the surface of the hole crumbling or deforming in response to the load applied to the loop 30
Implementation Method 3
a plurality of radially spreadable elongate elastic members cantileveredly projecting from the base
Implementation Method 4
The ring element may be pivotally attached to the central shaft member, to allow for pivoting the ring element about radial axis
Implementation Method 5
The ring element may be swivelly attached to the central shaft member, to allow for pivoting the ring element about a longitudinal axis
Data Source
AI summary
An expansion bolt including a housing member integrally formed as a single piece of material, the housing member having a base, a plurality of elongate elastic members extending distally from the base, the elongate elastic members distally terminating in respective spoons, and the elongate elastic members having thicknesses that are substantially less than thicknesses of the base and the spoons, a central shaft member extending through the housing member and terminating in a wedge member, the spoons defining a cavity for receiving the wedge member, the elongate elastic members structured to bend outwardly in response to the wedge member moving into the cavity, and a biasing member for biasing the shaft member relative to the housing member in the direction of said increasing relative translation.