Winch Rigging Link With Curved Soft Shackle Retainer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional winch hooks often cut and fray recovery straps and fail to securely hold two ends of a recovery strap, leading to potential strap escape during slackness.
Innovation Solution
A winch rigging link with a body featuring a cable retainer and a soft shackle retainer at opposite ends, where the soft shackle retainer has a channel with curvature in the lengthwise and widthwise plane, maximizing the bend radius and strain resilience of the soft shackle, while minimizing the link's volume and weight, and including rubberized bumpers for secure stowage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional winch hooks are used to attach recovery straps, then the winch can perform towing and recovery operations, but the hooks cut and fray recovery straps and allow strap ends to escape during momentary slackness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary component (the winch rigging link with soft shackle retainer) between the winch cable and the recovery strap. This intermediary uses a soft shackle with a curved channel that cradles the strap ends, preventing direct contact between the hard winch hook and the soft recovery strap material, thereby eliminating cutting and fraying while maintaining secure retention
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the retention mechanism from a hard, sharp-edged hook to a soft shackle with a curved channel having specific radius of curvature. This parameter change allows the channel to conform to and protect the recovery strap while maintaining the mechanical strength needed for secure retention during towing operations
2Adaptability or versatility
If D-ring shackles with larger opening are used to accommodate more than one end of recovery strap, then the opening capacity is improved, but the volume and weight of the link increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the depth dimension of the link body to create a curved channel that runs through the soft shackle retainer. This allows the channel to accommodate multiple strap ends in a three-dimensional space without increasing the overall width or length of the link, effectively using vertical space to achieve multi-strap capacity while maintaining compact dimensions
3Strength
If the link body is made with larger dimensions to accommodate soft shackle and provide sufficient bend radius, then the strain-taking resilience is improved, but the volume and weight of the link increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a curved channel with optimized radius of curvature in the soft shackle retainer. This curvature allows the soft shackle to bend naturally along a predetermined path, distributing stress evenly and maximizing strain-taking resilience without requiring excessive link dimensions. The curved geometry provides the necessary bend radius while maintaining a compact overall link size
Data Source
AI summary
A winch rigging link has a body defining a cable retainer and a soft shackle retainer at opposite ends. The body has a length, a width less than the length, and a depth less than the width. Furthermore, the body defines opposing faces bounded by the length and width and spaced apart by the depth. The soft shackle retainer comprises a channel running widthwise across the soft shackle retainer an in between the faces. The channel defines a bearing surface having curvature in a lengthwise and widthwise plane. The cable retainer may be permanently attached to a winch cable and the soft shackle retainer attached to a soft shackle or the like when required for winch rigging. The configuration of the link maximises the bend radius of the soft shackle or the like retained by the soft shackle retainer, despite the relatively narrow profile of the body thereof.