Composite Vent Assembly Clamping Mechanism for Bladder Sealing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The use of chemical adhesives to bond inflatable bladders to vent components in composite fabrication is time-consuming, temperamental, and prone to failures due to air bubbles and high pressures, leading to inconsistent airtight seals and increased costs, with chemical adhesives requiring additional curing cycles and skilled labor.
Innovation Solution
A mechanical vent assembly that connects to the open end of an inflatable bladder using complementary clamping surfaces and a carriage member to form a sealed connection without adhesives, accommodating irregular shapes and maintaining consistent clamping pressures through heating and cooling cycles via a compression member.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If chemical adhesives are used to bond the bladder material to the vent component, then an airtight seal can be formed, but the bonding process becomes time-consuming and temperamental requiring additional curing cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the chemical adhesive bonding step entirely from the process. Instead of using adhesives that require curing time, the invention uses a mechanical clamping system where the vent component is physically secured to the bladder material through clamping surfaces and fasteners, eliminating the time-consuming curing cycle while maintaining the airtight seal
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the chemical bonding system (adhesive application and curing) with a mechanical fastening system. The vent component features clamping surfaces that engage with the bladder material, and fasteners apply mechanical pressure to create the airtight seal immediately without requiring chemical curing time
2Reliability
If chemical adhesives are used to bond the bladder material to the vent component, then an airtight seal can be formed, but the process requires highly skilled workers and increases labor costs
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical clamping system is designed to be self-aligning and self-sealing. The complementary clamping surfaces automatically position themselves correctly during assembly, and the fasteners naturally apply the necessary pressure to create the airtight seal without requiring operator skill or judgment, making the process easy to manufacture
Solution Approach 2:
The patent removes the skilled labor requirement by eliminating the chemical adhesive application process. The mechanical fastening system can be assembled by workers with basic training, as it does not require the specialized skills needed for proper adhesive application, mixing ratios, or curing condition control
3Reliability
If chemical adhesives are used to bond the bladder material to the vent component, then an airtight seal can be formed, but air bubbles in the adhesive weaken the bond and can cause failures under high pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces chemical adhesive bonding with mechanical fastening, eliminating the medium (adhesive) that can trap air bubbles. The direct mechanical contact between clamping surfaces and the bladder material, secured by fasteners, creates the airtight seal without any intermediary substance that could contain harmful air pockets
Solution Approach 2:
The invention removes the adhesive layer entirely from the bonding process. By using direct mechanical clamping between the vent component and bladder material, there is no adhesive medium to introduce air bubbles, thereby eliminating this source of bond failure under high pressure conditions
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 mechanical vent assembly provides a reliable, quick, and cost-effective solution for forming airtight seals, reducing labor and material costs, and minimizing failures during composite fabrication by eliminating the need for chemical adhesives and ensuring consistent clamping forces despite temperature and pressure variations.
Implementation Method 1
a compression spring adapted for maintaining the clamping force between the clamping surfaces on the inflatable bladder as the vent assembly undergoes variations in pressure and temperature
Implementation Method 2
maintains substantially consistent clamping pressures on the inflatable bladder material despite the heating and cooling cycles inherent in the composite fabrication curing process that can lead to expansion and contraction of the vent assembly's components
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A The composite fabrication vent assembly (12) comprises a body member (14) having a first clamping surface (16), a clamping member (18) having a second clamping surface (20), and a carriage member (22) interconnecting the body member and the clamping member such that the first and second clamping surfaces are in opposing relationship. The carriage member is adapted for translating the body member and clamping member relative to one another from an open state to a closed state. When the open end of an inflatable bladder (26) is inserted between the opposed first and second clamping surfaces of the vent assembly, the clamping surfaces form an airtight seal with the open end of the bladder as the clamping surfaces are translated to the closed state. The vent assembly can then control the flow of gas into and out of the inflatable bladder through one or more passageways in the vent assembly.