Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastic Rod End for High Load Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional plastic rod ends have low strength and can only transmit small loads, limiting their application in aerospace and other fields where lightweight yet high mechanical load transmission is required.
Innovation Solution
A rod end design featuring a fiber-reinforced plastic loop encasing a bearing, with continuous-fiber reinforced thermoplastic extending into a threaded stem, providing high mechanical load capacity and economic manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If conventional plastic rod ends are used, then weight is reduced, but strength and load transmission capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs fiber-reinforced plastic composite materials, specifically embedding continuous or long fibers (such as glass fibers, carbon fibers, or aramid fibers) within a thermoplastic matrix. This composite structure combines the low weight advantage of plastics with the high strength of fibers, enabling the rod end to achieve both weight reduction and enhanced load transmission capability simultaneously.
2Strength
If fiber-reinforced plastic is used, then strength is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the fiber-reinforced plastic component with the bearing and threaded stem into a single molded part. The fiber-reinforced plastic forms a loop around the bearing and extends into the threaded stem, combining multiple functional elements (bearing housing, reinforcement structure, and threading) into one monolithic component manufactured via injection molding or similar processes, thereby reducing assembly steps and overall manufacturing complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1~4
Figure 5~8
AI summary
The present invention achieves a high mechanical load capacity of a rod end (1) by means of a component loop that passes around a bearing (4), where the component may be made of continuous- fiber reinforced composite material with thermoplastic matrix (3) and where the continuous-fiber reinforced composite material with thermoplastic matrix may extend into a threaded stem (2) 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 (5). The threaded stem can be implemented with an external or an internal thread.