Threaded Brake Shoe for Fail-Safe Clamping of Movable Parts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for arresting movable or extendable parts in machine constructions can fail, posing safety risks during maintenance or repair work, as they may unintentionally cause movement of these parts, leading to potential injury.
Innovation Solution
A brake shoe with two engagement bodies connected by a threaded axle, allowing for mechanical fixation of movable parts. The brake shoe includes guide axles for linear movement and can be attached to a construction, with optional strain gauges and control boxes for tension indication and audible alarms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a central control unit with electric motor stopping or hydraulic pump stopping is used to arrest movable parts, then the system can control the position of extendable parts during normal operation, but the system may fail when faults occur, posing safety risks during maintenance work
Solution Approach 1:
The braking system is segmented into independent brake shoes, each with its own threaded axle and engagement bodies. This segmentation allows individual brakes to be applied to specific extendable sections, providing decentralized safety control that doesn't depend on the central control unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the electrical/hydraulic control system with a purely mechanical braking system. The threaded axle converts rotational motion into linear clamping force through mechanical threading, eliminating dependence on electrical motors or hydraulic pumps that could fail.
2Reliability
If a mechanical brake shoe with threaded axle is used to fix movable parts, then safety is improved by providing a fail-safe mechanical arrestment system, but the device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The brake shoe merges multiple functions into a single integrated component: the threaded axle serves as both the actuating mechanism and the clamping element, while the engagement bodies combine braking surfaces with positioning features. This reduces the number of separate parts compared to traditional brake systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The threaded axle design allows the brake shoe to self-regulate the clamping force through mechanical threading. As the axle is rotated, the threading automatically converts rotational motion into increasing linear force, providing self-adjusting clamping without requiring external force measurement or control systems.
3Ease of operation
If manual tightening of threaded axle is required to activate brake shoe, then ease of operation is improved by allowing simple manual activation, but the precision of clamping force application may be insufficient without tension monitoring
Solution Approach 1:
The strain gauge mounted on the threaded axle provides real-time feedback on the clamping force being applied. This feedback is transmitted to the control box, which can indicate when the desired tension is achieved, allowing the operator to precisely control the clamping force while maintaining simple manual operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces subjective manual judgment of clamping force with objective measurement through the strain gauge system. The mechanical threading continues to provide the force multiplication, but the strain gauge substitutes for human estimation, ensuring precise and consistent clamping force application.
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 brake shoe effectively prevents movement of extendable or movable parts by applying a mechanical clamping force, ensuring safety during maintenance by providing a reliable means to arrest these parts, even when primary systems fail.
Implementation Method 1
the engagement bodies are connected by a threaded axle, such that by rotating the threaded axle in a first direction around a rotation axis parallel to the axle, the engagement bodies are urged towards each other
Implementation Method 2
a strain gauge is mounted on the threaded axle, and where the strain gauge is connected to a control box, which control box may be preprogrammed to indicate the tension in the bolt as a result of the input from the strain gauge
Data Source
AI summary
A brake shoe is provided including two engagement bodies, where the engagement bodies are connected by a threaded axle, such that by rotating the threaded axle in a first direction around a rotation axis parallel to the axle, the engagement bodies are urged towards each other, and by rotating the axle in a second direction different from the first direction, the engagement bodies are urged away from each other, and where at least one guide axle is provided parallel to the threaded axle, where the two engagement bodies may slide freely along the at least one guide axle, and further where an attachment is provided for attaching the brake shoe to a construction.