Tube Connector Assembly That Avoids Rivet Stress Risers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing passenger seat base frame assemblies in aircrafts rely on rivets or through-bolts for connection, which can cause stress risers and require additional apertures, leading to potential stress concentration and galvanic corrosion.
Innovation Solution
A connector with adjustable dimensions, featuring stoppers and an adjustment slot, is used to secure elongated tubes without rivets, allowing for flexible material options like rubber or plastic, reducing stress concentration and enabling quick assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If rivets or through-bolts are used for connection, then structural strength is improved, but stress concentration and galvanic corrosion occur
Solution Approach 1:
A rubber or plastic connector is introduced as an intermediary element between the fastener and the tubular structural members. This flexible connector distributes the mechanical loads over a larger area, eliminating stress risers while preventing direct contact between dissimilar metals, thus preventing galvanic corrosion.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector material properties are changed from rigid (metal) to flexible (rubber or plastic). This parameter change allows the connector to deform and distribute stresses uniformly, eliminating stress concentration while maintaining structural integrity under dynamic loads.
2Reliability
If additional apertures are created for rivets or through-bolts, then connection reliability is improved, but stress concentration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful function of creating apertures in the tubular structural members is eliminated. Instead of passing fasteners through the tubes, the invention extracts the connection function to a separate flexible connector that interfaces with the tubes externally or internally without requiring apertures in the structural members.
3Reliability
If traditional connectors are used, then assembly is secure, but assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is designed with flexible material properties that allow it to be inserted and secured quickly without requiring precise alignment or complex fastening procedures. The flexibility enables the connector to adapt to slight variations in positioning, reducing assembly time while maintaining secure connection.
Data Source
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AI summary
Described are base frame assemblies for a passenger seat having an elongated tube (202, 204) and a connector (206). The elongated tube (202, 204) may include an inner surface, an outer surface, and a connecting aperture extending from the inner surface to the outer surface. The connector (206) may include a first end, a second end, a central opening (311) extending from the first end to the second end, a first stopper (302) at the first end, a second stopper (304) proximate to the second end, a contact surface (306) between the first stopper (302) and the second stopper (304), and an adjustment slot (310) defined as extending from the first end to the second end. The connector (206) may be positioned within the connecting aperture such that a portion of the elongated tube contacts the contact surface (306) between the first stopper (302) and the second stopper (304) that may together overlap a portion of the inner surface and outer surface of the elongated tube.