Demountable Wire Carrier for Heat-Treated Loop Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for processing wire into articles, such as springs, often require additional steps like straightening and heating, which can be cumbersome and inefficient, and do not effectively utilize the properties of heat-treated wire to enhance material resilience and reduce material requirements.
Innovation Solution
A method involving heat-treating wire, allowing it to cool, and then storing it in loops within a container with a carrier apparatus that allows for assembly and easy withdrawal, enabling efficient formation of articles like springs without the need for bulky straightening or heating equipment, using a carrier system with end-stops and frame members for secure wire retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If wire is heat-treated to enhance resilience and reduce material requirements, then material efficiency improves, but additional processing steps and equipment complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the heat treatment process and wire storage system into an integrated apparatus where the drum serves dual purposes: as a heating element during heat treatment and as a storage container for the treated wire. This merging eliminates the need for separate heat treatment equipment and storage facilities, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining material efficiency benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The wire is heat-treated and stored in the drum before the actual spring forming operation. This preliminary heat treatment enhances wire resilience and reduces material requirements for subsequent forming, allowing the wire to be prepared in advance and stored ready for use, thereby improving material efficiency while the integrated system keeps processing steps manageable
2Reliability
If wire is stored in loops within a container for extended periods, then material readiness improves, but wire deformation and handling complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wire is divided into individual loops that are separately contained within the drum, with each loop able to be independently removed. This segmentation prevents loops from tangling or deforming each other during storage, maintaining wire shape integrity while ensuring material readiness for future use
Solution Approach 2:
The drum is designed with a removable end and allowing the wire to be pulled through dynamically. This dynamic access method enables easy retrieval of wire loops without complex handling operations, maintaining wire shape while ensuring reliable material readiness when needed
3Productivity
If a removable end-stop design is used for the carrier, then wire loading and unloading efficiency improves, but carrier assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier is segmented into modular components including the drum, end-stops, and frame members that can be independently assembled and disassembled. The removable end-stop design allows quick wire loading and unloading by simply detaching one component, improving productivity while the modular nature keeps overall assembly complexity manageable through standardized connection interfaces
Solution Approach 2:
The end-stop is designed with dynamic attachment and detachment capabilities, allowing it to be quickly connected and disconnected from the drum. This dynamic feature enables efficient wire loading and unloading operations, while the simple mechanical connection mechanism keeps the overall carrier assembly complexity low
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 method enhances wire resilience, reduces material usage in spring formation, and simplifies the processing steps by leveraging heat-treated wire properties, allowing for more efficient and flexible storage and use of wire, particularly in forming coil springs.
Implementation Method 1
heat-treating the wire, allowing it to cool before forming the article
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4
AI summary
A demountable wire carrier (100) is for supporting loops of wire W and comprises a lower end-stop (110), an upper end-stop (120) and a plurality of frame members (130) extending between (10) the end-stops. The carrier is shown standing inside a cylindrical loop-forming container (140) into which the wire W has been fed in the direction of Arrow A, so that the wire forms loops around the inside of the container wall. The introduction of the wire takes place when, prior to assembly of the carrier, only the lower end-stop (110) is positioned inside the container, so that the loops of wire rest on the lower end-stop (110). After all the wire has been introduced into the container (140), the frame members are connected to the lower end-stop, and the upper end stop is then connected to the frame members to complete assembly of the carrier.