Gripping Apparatus for Wire with Angled Slot Engagement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gripping devices for elongate materials like wires are prone to failure under excess load and are difficult to adjust, leading to the wire pulling through or deforming, which can result in the wire being unable to support applied forces effectively.
Innovation Solution
A gripping device with a body featuring a longitudinal opening and a translational movement slot at an acute angle, where the gripping element, such as a pinion wheel, engages with the wire, causing it to bend slightly, increasing the surface area for engagement and supporting heavy loads, and includes biasing means like a compression spring to maintain grip.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the gripping element is designed to engage the wire with high force, then the gripping strength is improved, but the wire surface becomes flattened and the gripping element cannot penetrate sufficiently, causing the wire to release
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a longitudinal slot dimension that allows the gripping element to move along the wire length, transforming a two-dimensional surface contact problem into a three-dimensional engagement solution. This enables the gripping element to access fresh wire surface areas along the slot length, preventing surface flattening from causing release.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the engagement parameters by allowing the gripping element to translate along the slot, effectively changing the contact point parameters along the wire length. This dynamic parameter change enables continuous engagement with fresh wire surfaces, maintaining gripping reliability even under high forces.
2Force
If the gripping device is designed for heavy loads, then the load capacity is improved, but the wire deforms excessively and pulls through the device
Solution Approach 1:
The longitudinal slot provides an additional dimensional space for the gripping element to travel, allowing it to engage the wire at multiple positions along the slot length. This distributes the wire deformation across multiple engagement points, preventing excessive localized deformation that would cause pull-through.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripping element is made movable within the longitudinal slot, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position along the wire. This dynamic capability enables the system to accommodate wire deformation under heavy loads while maintaining effective engagement, as the gripping element can shift to optimal engagement positions.
3Device complexity
If the gripping device uses a fixed gripping element, then the structure is simple, but the device is difficult to adjust for different wire conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a simple dynamic mechanism where the gripping element can translate along the longitudinal slot. This provides adjustability for different wire conditions and diameters without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms, maintaining structural simplicity while enhancing versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The gripping element's ability to move along the longitudinal slot allows it to self-adjust to different wire positions and conditions. The wire itself guides the gripping element's movement along the slot, eliminating the need for external adjustment mechanisms and maintaining structural simplicity.
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 device effectively supports heavy loads by increasing the surface area engagement with the wire, preventing it from pulling through and deforming, thus ensuring secure holding under increased forces.
Implementation Method 1
The biasing means may be a spring, which spring may be a compression spring
Data Source
AI summary
A gripping device comprises a body having a longitudinal axis and including at least one elongate opening for receiving an elongate element, a gripping element, and means for bringing the gripping element into engagement with an elongate element located in the said opening, wherein the gripping element is mounted for translational movement in a slot having a longitudinal axis, and the longitudinal axis of the slot is set at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the opening, and wherein a force component exerted on an elongate element located in the said opening causes the gripping element to move in the slot and towards the elongate element, and wherein said opening is defined by walls and wherein one of the walls includes two intersecting surfaces lying at an angle to one another, the angle between the two surfaces being concave.