Wall Fixture Anchor Catch Mechanism for Bolt Removal Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fixture sets for tubular metal profiles face issues with anchor release during bolt removal, leading to loss of the anchor and reduced usability, and they often compromise on tensile strength or require larger holes for installation.
Innovation Solution
The fixture set incorporates a splitter with a catch mechanism and barbed free ends on the anchor arms, which catch and lock into the splitter when the bolt is removed, preventing anchor detachment and maintaining high tensile strength by using a metal anchor with controlled elasticity and optimized catch placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional anchor design is used without a catch mechanism, then the anchor can be easily inserted and removed, but the anchor becomes lost when the bolt is removed
Solution Approach 1:
The catch mechanism acts as an intermediary element between the anchor and the splitter. The barbed free ends of the anchor arms engage with the catch during insertion, and the catch prevents the anchor from detaching when the bolt is removed, thus mediating between easy insertion and secure retention
Solution Approach 2:
The catch mechanism is pre-positioned on the splitter before anchor insertion. The barbed free ends of the anchor arms are designed to automatically engage with the catch during the insertion process, performing the retention function in advance before bolt removal occurs
2Strength
If a metal anchor with high tensile strength is used, then the fixture set can withstand at least 10 kN tensile load, but the anchor requires larger hole size for installation
Solution Approach 1:
The anchor employs local quality enhancement by concentrating material in critical areas. The arms have varying cross-sections with thicker sections at the barbed free ends for engagement and at the base for strength, while being thinner in the middle to reduce overall size. This allows high tensile strength where needed while minimizing the hole size required
Solution Approach 2:
The fixture set uses composite construction combining the metal anchor with the splitter and bolt assembly. The metal anchor provides localized strength at the expansion point, while the overall system distributes loads across multiple components, allowing high tensile strength without requiring an oversized hole
3Area of stationary object
If the anchor arms are made highly elastic to enable radial expansion, then the anchor can be inserted through smaller holes, but the anchor does not maintain sufficient tensile strength
Solution Approach 1:
The anchor arms exhibit local quality differentiation in their mechanical properties. The barbed free ends and base sections use higher strength material or thicker cross-sections to maintain tensile strength, while the middle sections have optimized thickness to enable sufficient radial expansion through the wall. This localized optimization allows small hole size without sacrificing overall strength
Solution Approach 2:
The anchor design utilizes parameter changes in the arms' geometry and material properties. The arms are designed with specific thickness variations along their length, and the material is selected to provide controlled elasticity - enough to expand radially through the wall opening but sufficient remaining strength to withstand tensile loads of at least 10 kN
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
This design ensures the anchor remains affixed to the splitter upon bolt removal, allowing for reuse and maintains a tensile strength of at least 10 kN while minimizing the hole size required for installation, thus addressing the issues of anchor loss and tensile strength.
Implementation Method 1
The radial expansion is caused by deformation of the metal anchor
Implementation Method 2
when the anchor is urged to slide in said first direction, in particular by tightening said bolt
Implementation Method 3
the anchor is made of a metal which has an elasticity such that when the barbed free ends of the anchor are each expanded over a distance of 2 mm from said longitudinal axis, they contract over at most 40% of this distance when they are released
Data Source
AI summary
A fixture set for fixing an accessory to a wall includes a bolt; a splitter having a sleeve portion and a wedge portion; and a metal anchor configured to be screwed to the bolt and having radially expandable arms configured to slide along surfaces of the wedge portion when the anchor is urged to slide in a first direction. The arms have a free end configured to lock the anchor against the wall upon radial expansion of the arms. The splitter has a catch situated entirely within minimum bounding cylinder of the sleeve portion. The free end of a respective arm is barbed and configured to be caught in the catch when the anchor is urged to slide in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, after having slid the anchor onto the splitter in the first direction with the barbed free end having passed the catch.