Wire Rope Carabiner Assembly for Lower Weight and Strength
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional carabiners made of solid metal are heavy and costly to manufacture, requiring a balance between weight reduction and maintaining safety and strength.
Innovation Solution
A carabiner design incorporating a hook member with a hook-shaped tube and wire rope, where the wire rope is compressed with the hook-shaped tube and retaining frame to reduce weight and eliminate the need for welding, enhancing deformation resistance and stiffness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the carabiner is made of solid metal to ensure strength, then the strength is improved, but the weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making only the critical load-bearing portions solid metal (the retaining frame and nose), while the non-critical hook member is made of lighter wire rope. This localized application of solid material ensures strength where needed while reducing overall weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining solid metal components (retaining frame, nose) with wire rope material for the hook member. This composite structure integrates the high strength of solid metal with the low weight of wire rope, achieving both strength and weight reduction goals.
2Strength
If the carabiner is made of solid metal to ensure strength, then the strength is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the carabiner into multiple components (retaining frame, hook member, nose, gate member) that can be manufactured separately and assembled through compression. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized independently and reduces manufacturing complexity compared to producing a single solid metal piece.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional welding process with a mechanical compression assembly method. The hook member is compressed into the retaining frame without welding, eliminating the need for complex welding operations and reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining structural integrity.
3Weight of moving object
If the hook member is made of wire rope and hook-shaped tube to reduce weight, then the weight is reduced, but the deformation resistance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing reinforcement at the socket portion where the hook-shaped tube connects to the retaining frame. This localized reinforcement at the critical connection point increases deformation resistance without adding weight throughout the entire hook member.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining the flexible wire rope with the rigid hook-shaped tube structure. The tube provides structural support and deformation resistance at critical locations, while the wire rope maintains low weight, creating a composite hook member with optimized performance.
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 design reduces the carabiner's weight while maintaining safety and strength, improving manufacturing efficiency and reducing costs by eliminating the welding process.
Implementation Method 1
a portion, where the socket portion, the inserting tube, and the wire rope are overlapped, is compressed to fix
Data Source
AI summary
A carabiner includes a retaining frame, wherein each of two opposite sides of the retaining frame has a pivotally connecting portion and an inserting tube, respectively. The inserting tube has an inserted hole inside and is fitted around by a socket portion of a hook-shaped tube of the hook member. A wire rope passes through the hook-shaped tube. A bottom end of the wire rope is inserted into the inserted hole. A nose is engaged with a free end of the hook-shaped tube and a free end of the wire rope. A portion, where the socket portion, the inserting tube, and the wire rope are overlapped, is compressed to fix. The pivotally connecting portion is pivotally connected to a gate member. A top end of the gate member is detachably hooked to the nose. With such design, the weight of the carabiner could be reduced without worsening the safety.