Tube-End Inner Surface Fixation Using Radial Locking Flaps
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for fixing equipment to the inner surface of a tube, such as end plugs and expandable packers, are either easily removable or unsuitable for applications involving fluid flow, lacking a robust and durable solution for securing devices within tubes.
Innovation Solution
A device comprising an elongated body with holes for bolts, a ring with threaded bores and rotatable flaps that radially open against the tube's inner surface, providing a strong and secure fixation using metallic materials and a mechanism to control the ring's position and flap rotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an end plug with a bendable component is used to close the tube, then the tube end is protected from damage and dirt entry, but the plug can be easily removed and requires replacement over time due to loss of compression effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the fixation parameter from elastic compression (bendable component) to mechanical interlocking (flaps with teeth engaging longitudinal grooves). This transformation makes the fixation durable and tool-removal resistant while maintaining ease of installation through simple pushing motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The flaps are designed to be movable during installation, allowing the device to be pushed into the tube easily. Once installed, the flaps engage with the longitudinal grooves to provide stable, tool-resistant fixation. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction between easy installation and secure fixation.
2Reliability
If an expandable packer with radially expanding component is used to seal the tube, then fluid passage is blocked, but the approach cannot be used in tubes with fluid flow and the expandable component may be swabbed off during removal
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is segmented into multiple flaps (at least two) that can independently engage with longitudinal grooves. This segmentation provides reliable sealing through distributed contact points while maintaining structural integrity during removal, avoiding the swabbing-off problem of single expandable components.
Solution Approach 2:
The flaps are designed to be movable during installation to allow easy insertion, then engage with longitudinal grooves to provide stable fixation. This dynamic behavior enables the device to function reliably in fluid-containing tubes while preventing component loss during removal.
3Ease of operation
If a simple pushing installation method is used to insert equipment into the tube, then the installation process is simple and user-accessible, but the equipment cannot be securely fixed to the tube end
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates movable flaps that transition from a flexible state during installation to a locked state during fixation. This allows simple pushing installation while achieving secure, tool-resistant fixation, resolving the contradiction between installation ease and fixation security.
Solution Approach 2:
The flaps automatically engage with the longitudinal grooves of the tube during the pushing installation process, providing self-fixation without requiring additional tools or steps. This self-service mechanism maintains installation simplicity while ensuring reliable fixation.
Data Source
AI summary
A device is for fixing equipment to an end of the inner surface of a tube. The device has an elongated body, a ring adapted to surround and slide along a segment of the elongated body, and at least two flaps rotatable on the ring. Each hole in the elongated body is adapted for bearing a bolt aligned with the longitude of the elongated body. The ring has at least two threaded bores designed to mate with the threads of the bolts so that the position of the ring on the elongated body is controllable by applying torque to the bolts; and the flaps are positioned homogenously around the ring. The elongated body has at least one portion adapted to guide the flaps so that the flaps radially open against the inner surface of the tube.