Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastic Rod End for High Load Capacity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rod ends made of plastic have limitations in transmitting high mechanical loads due to the relatively low strength of plastics, and they also face challenges in achieving both weight savings and economic manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
A rod end design featuring a bearing partially or fully enclosed by a fiber-reinforced plastic component that extends in the form of a loop around the bearing, utilizing continuous-fiber reinforced thermoplastics for enhanced strength and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If rod ends are made of plastic to achieve weight savings, then weight is reduced, but mechanical strength and load transmission capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining plastic matrix with reinforcing fibers (glass fibers, carbon fibers, or aramid fibers) to create fiber-reinforced plastic rod ends. This composite structure maintains the weight advantage of plastics while the embedded fibers provide the necessary mechanical strength and load transmission capability, directly resolving the contradiction between weight reduction and strength maintenance.
2Ease of manufacture
If short-fiber reinforced plastics are used to simplify manufacturing, then ease of manufacture is improved, but strength and load capacity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fiber length parameter from short fibers to continuous fibers in the composite material. This parameter change significantly improves the mechanical strength and load transmission capability of the rod end while still maintaining manufacturability through injection molding processes, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and strength.
3Strength
If metallic materials are used to increase strength, then mechanical strength is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses fiber-reinforced plastic composite materials that combine the low weight characteristic of plastics with the high strength characteristic of fibers. This composite approach achieves mechanical strength comparable to or exceeding metallic materials while maintaining the significant weight advantage of plastic, directly resolving the contradiction between strength and weight.
4Weight of moving object
If fiber-reinforced plastics are used to achieve weight savings, then weight is reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the fiber reinforcement and plastic matrix into a single integrated composite material system that can be processed through conventional injection molding. This merging approach maintains the weight advantage of plastics while avoiding excessive manufacturing complexity by using established composite processing techniques, thereby resolving the contradiction between weight reduction and manufacturing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention achieves a high mechanical load capacity of a rod end by means of a component loop that passes around a bearing, where the component may be made of continuous-fiber reinforced composite material with thermoplastic matrix and where the continuous-fiber reinforced composite material with thermoplastic matrix may extend into a threaded stem of the rod end, and the component made of continuous-fiber reinforced composite material with thermoplastic matrix may be enclosed by short-fiber reinforced, long-fiber reinforced, or unreinforced thermoplastic. The threaded stem can be implemented with an external or an internal thread.