High-Vibration Clamp Assembly With Captive Nut Plate Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing clamp assemblies in fire and heat detection systems of aircrafts fail to securely retain cables or tubes due to severe vibrations, leading to potential system failures.
Innovation Solution
A clamp assembly design featuring a base with legs and tabs, a cap with fixation plates and jaws, and a nut-bolt system that creates retention loops to securely hold cylindrical structures, including electrical circuits, using a nut plate captivated by tabs to prevent loosening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a staked nut with locking knurls is used to secure the clamp, then the clamp can be fixed to the support, but the clamp shakes loose under severe vibratory forces
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp assembly is divided into separate functional components: a base with mounting plate and legs, a cap with fixation plate and jaws, and a fixation structure with bolt and nut. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function - the base provides mounting, the cap provides retention, and the fixation structure provides secure attachment that prevents loosening under vibration
Solution Approach 2:
The substantially cylindrical structure is retained within a retention loop formed by mating partial jaws of the base and cap. The cap is positioned over the base, with the cylindrical structure nested within the formed loop, creating a secure retained assembly that prevents movement under vibratory forces
2Device complexity
If the clamp assembly uses traditional staked nut fixation, then the structure is simple, but it fails to prevent loosening in high vibration environments
Solution Approach 1:
The fixation structure extends the traditional bolt-nut connection by adding a nut plate that protrudes laterally from the nut in a direction perpendicular to the bolt axis. This dimensional extension allows the nut plate to be captivated by tabs on the base, creating a multi-dimensional constraint system that prevents loosening in high vibration environments
3Reliability
If the clamp is designed with retention loops formed by partial jaws, then the cylindrical structure is securely retained, but the assembly becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The retention function is segmented into multiple partial jaws (first, second, third, and fourth partial jaws) that are distributed between the base and cap. Each partial jaw contributes to forming a retention loop, and the segmentation allows for modular assembly where the base and cap can be manufactured and assembled separately
Solution Approach 2:
The base and cap are designed with multiple partial jaws that serve dual functions: the base provides both mounting (via legs) and retention (via partial jaws), while the cap provides both fixation (via fixation plate) and retention (via partial jaws). This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components
Data Source
AI summary
A clamp assembly is provided for retaining a structure in a high vibration environment. The clamp assembly includes a base for fixing the clamp assembly to a support, the base having a mounting plate, two legs at opposite edges of the mounting plate for spacing the mounting plate apart from the support, and a tab extending from a wall of each of the two legs towards a center of the mounting plate. The clamp also includes a fixation structure including a bolt and nut for fixing a secondary structure to the mounting plate, with the nut including or fixed to a nut plate extending laterally from an axial direction of the nut. The nut plate is discrete from and captivated adjacent the mounting plate by the at least one tab extending from the wall of the at least one leg.