Tapered Guide External Thread Member for Oblique Entry Prevention

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional bolts with pilots are ineffective in preventing galling and seizure due to increased length and weight, and insufficient inclination correction when the internal screw is short, leading to oblique entry issues during high-speed tightening operations.

Innovation Solution

An external thread member with a tapered guide portion and a guide screw thread on its peripheral surface, which corrects inclination through a moment acting as a fulcrum, allowing normal engagement and pitch adjustment, eliminating the need for a conventional cylindrical guide and reducing the length of the screw tip, while a cylindrical surface with the same diameter as the root diameter of the normal thread area reduces interference and tolerance for inclination.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a cylindrical guide is provided to correct inclination, then oblique entry is prevented, but the length and weight of the screw tip increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprevention of oblique entryVSAvoidlength of screw tip
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the essential function of the cylindrical guide (inclination correction) and implements it through a different mechanism - the tapered guide portion with guide screw thread that corrects inclination through rotational engagement rather than through a separate cylindrical guide structure, thereby eliminating the need for excessive length

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the geometric parameters of the guide portion from a cylindrical shape with constant diameter to a tapered shape with varying diameter. The tapered guide portion has a smaller diameter at the tip that gradually increases toward the base, allowing it to engage and correct inclination through rotation while maintaining a compact overall length

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If a cylindrical guide is provided to correct inclination, then oblique entry is prevented, but the weight of the screw increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprevention of oblique entryVSAvoidweight of screw
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts the essential function of the cylindrical guide (inclination correction) and implements it through a different mechanism - the tapered guide portion with guide screw thread that corrects inclination through rotational engagement rather than through a separate cylindrical guide structure, thereby reducing unnecessary material and weight

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention merges the functions of the guide portion and the screw thread into a single integrated structure. The guide screw thread is formed directly on the tapered guide portion, combining the inclination correction function with the fastening function, thereby eliminating the need for separate heavy components

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Length of moving object

If the internal screw is short, then assembly is compact, but the cylindrical guide cannot sufficiently correct inclination

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelength of internal screwVSAvoidinclination correction capability
Core Design Contradiction:
Length of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The invention employs a dynamic inclination correction mechanism where the tapered guide portion rotates during engagement. The rotational motion allows the guide screw thread to progressively engage and correct inclination dynamically throughout the engagement process, rather than relying on a static cylindrical guide that requires sufficient axial length

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The tapered guide portion introduces a curved geometric profile that facilitates rotational engagement. The tapered shape creates a wedging action during rotation that effectively corrects inclination even with limited axial engagement distance, overcoming the limitation of short internal screws

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

4Productivity

If high-speed tightening is performed, then productivity is improved, but oblique entry and galling occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetightening speedVSAvoidprevention of galling and seizure
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The guide screw thread on the tapered guide portion performs preliminary action by engaging and correcting inclination before the main screw threads engage. This preliminary inclination correction ensures that subsequent high-speed tightening occurs with proper alignment, preventing galling and seizure while maintaining high productivity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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

Effectively prevents oblique entry and insertion, thereby preventing galling and seizure of screw threads, even when the screw tip is short, within the defined length of an incomplete thread portion, as per JIS B 1003 standards, and reduces the occurrence of galling and seizure by adjusting the pitch and disengaging the guide screw thread.

Implementation Method 1

the diameter of the tapered guide portion increases with rotation, and the guide screw thread at the biting position is naturally disengaged from the screw thread of the internal screw, so that the inclination of the shank portion is being corrected by a moment acting thereon with an engagement portion of the transition screw thread or the complete screw thread as a fulcrum

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Data Source

PatentEP3808999B1Male threaded member
Publication Date: 2024.03.27 TOPURA CO LTD
  • EP3808999B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3808999B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3808999B1 patent drawingFigure 3(A)~3(D)

AI summary

A external thread member capable of preventing oblique entry or insertion by a short screw tip shape is provided. A external thread member including, in its shank portion (20), a normal thread area (22) in which a complete screw thread (21) to be fastened to an internal thread member is formed, a guide thread area (24) provided at a tip side of the shank portion with respect to the normal thread area (22) and in which a guide screw thread (23) having a diameter smaller than that of the complete screw thread (21) and having a same pitch is formed, and a rising area (26) in which a transition screw thread (25) gradually rising from the guide screw thread (23) to the complete screw thread (21) is formed, is characterized in that a tapered guide portion (30) with a diameter gradually decreasing toward a tip end of the shank portion is provided at a tip end side of the normal thread area (22) of the shank portion (20); the tapered guide portion (30) includes at least the guide thread area (24); the guide screw thread (23) is formed on an outer periphery of the tapered guide portion (30); and the tapered guide portion (30) has a maximum diameter equal to or smaller than an inner diameter of an internal thread and equal to or larger than a root diameter of the complete screw thread (21).