Unitary Swing Arm With Adjustable Tension Plate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current all-terrain vehicle (ATV) swing arms are prone to cracking and failure due to weld discontinuities under stress, and they are not interchangeable between single and dual connection types of axle bearing carriers, limiting user options and requiring costly replacements.
Innovation Solution
A unitary swing arm construction with an adjustable tension plate that accommodates both single and dual connection types of axle bearing carriers, eliminating the need for welding and providing interconnection points for secure attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If swing arms are constructed by welding multiple pieces together, then the manufacturing process is simpler and components are easier to produce, but the welded joints create weak points that are prone to cracking and failure under stress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate components into a single unitary swing arm structure made from one piece of aluminum extrusion. This eliminates the need for welding multiple pieces together, thereby removing the weak points at welded joints while maintaining ease of manufacture through the use of extruded aluminum sections that can be assembled without welding.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes aluminum extrusion material to construct the unitary swing arm. Aluminum extrusion provides a composite structure that combines strength, durability, and resistance to fatigue while being manufacturable through extrusion processes. This material choice enables a weldless construction that maintains both ease of manufacture and high reliability.
2Strength
If swing arms are designed for specific connection types (single or dual connection), then the design can be optimized for that specific application, but the swing arms become non-interchangeable and users must purchase different swing arms for different axle bearing carrier types
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the unitary swing arm with universal mounting features that can accommodate both single connection and dual connection types of axle bearing carriers. The swing arm includes multiple mounting locations and configurations that allow it to function with different connection types, making it interchangeable and adaptable while maintaining optimized strength for each application.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates adjustable and reconfigurable mounting features on the unitary swing arm that allow users to adapt the connection configuration based on the specific axle bearing carrier type being used. This dynamic adaptability enables the same swing arm design to optimize strength for different connection scenarios without requiring multiple specialized designs.
3Strength
If specialized swing arms are manufactured for each axle bearing carrier type, then each swing arm can be optimized for its specific application, but the variety of swing arm types increases inventory complexity and costs for users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal swing arm design that can serve multiple connection types (single and dual connection axle bearing carriers) through integrated mounting features. This single versatile design eliminates the need for multiple specialized swing arm variants, thereby reducing inventory complexity and device variety while maintaining optimized strength characteristics for each application through careful design of the mounting interfaces.
Data Source
AI summary
An axle bearing carrier assembly having a swing arm of unitary construction that operatively associates with an adjustable tension plate for selectively connecting one of two different types of axle bearing carriers to the swing arm.