Nut integrity monitoring device and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11053971-B2
Application number	US-201716314254-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2017
Priority date	Jul 8, 2016
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

An attachment for monitoring a nut of a screw connection for crack formation, deformation, and/or breakage includes a socket portion which is attached to the outer circumference of the nut and has a conductor which is interrupted in the case of a deformation, crack, or breakage of the nut. The conductor is embedded in at least one material. The attachment is produced by injection molding with the conductor embedded within the socket portion. The monitoring attachment is particularly useful for operating a shutoff device for a wind generator in the event of failure of a nut which secures a turbine blade to the generator hub.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An attachment device for monitoring the integrity of a nut of a screw connection, comprising
a) a housing including a socket portion which is configured for placement on an outer surface of the nut;
b) a conductor embedded within a material and connected within said socket portion, whereby said conductor is interrupted if the nut is deformed, cracked, or broken; and
c) at least one magnet arranged in one of said housing and said material for fastening said housing with the nut.

2. An attachment device as defined in claim 1 , wherein said conductor is one of an electrical and optical conductor and said material is non-conductive.

3. An attachment device as defined in claim 2 , wherein said material is a polymer material.

4. An attachment device as defined in claim 3 , wherein said polymer material is electrically conductive.

5. An attachment device as defined in claim 4 , wherein said electrically conductive polymer material is a polymer material containing metal additives.

6. An attachment device as defined in claim 2 , wherein said material is one of a glass, ceramic, carbon fiber, wood and metal material.

7. An attachment device as defined in claim 3 , wherein said polymer material is one of a polyamide, a polybutadiene terephthalate, a polypropylene an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene and a polyetheretherketone.

8. An attachment device as defined in claim 1 , wherein said conductor is one of completely and partially embedded within said material in accordance with an axial dimension of said conductor.

9. An attachment device as defined in claim 8 , wherein said conductor is embedded in the form of a non-peripherally closed ring.

10. An attachment device as defined in claim 1 , wherein said material comprises a plurality of layers of material, at least one of which is nonconductive.

11. An attachment device as defined in claim 1 , wherein said socket portion is formed as an injection molded interconnection device.

12. An attachment device as defined in claim 1 , wherein at least one of said socket portion and said conductor is formed in a three-dimensional printer.

13. An attachment device as defined in claim 1 , wherein said conductor is formed of one of a metal wire and a circuit.

14. An attachment device as defined in claim 1 , wherein said socket portion contains at least one break point.

15. An attachment device as defined in claim 1 , wherein said socket portion is formed as a unitary structure of polymer material in which said conductor is embedded.

16. An attachment device as defined in claim 1 , wherein material comprises at least one layer of nonconductive polymer film in which said conductor is embedded, said polymer material being arranged on said socket portion.

17. An attachment device as defined in claim 16 , wherein said polymer film comprises an injection molded interconnection device.

18. An attachment device as defined in claim 1 , wherein said socket portion has an in internal geometric configuration which matches an external geometric configuration of the nut.

19. An attachment device as defined in claim 1 , wherein said housing includes at least one lug which engages in the threads of a screw or bolt of the screw connection.

20. An attachment device as defined in claim 1 , wherein said socket portion is configured as a ring.

21. A method for forming an attachment device as defined in claim 1 , comprising the steps of
(a) supplying an injection mold with a cavity;
(b) placing said electrical conductor in said cavity; and
(c) injecting said cavity with an electrically nonconductive polymer material for form said socket portion with said electrical conduct embedded therein.

22. A method for using an attachment device as defined in claim 1 to control a shutoff device in a wind generator in response to deformation, cracking or breaking of the nut.

Assignees

• Weidmueller Interface Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Helm Peter
• Bergmann Franz-Josef
• Schlingmann Hans
• Heggemann Christian
• Niggemann Steffen
• Bauerkämper Dirk

Classifications

• F16B37/14

  Cap nuts; Nut caps or bolt caps · CPC title

• F16B31/02 Primary

  for indicating {the attainment of a particular tensile load} or limiting tensile load {(apparatus for, or method of, determining value of torque or twisting moment for tightening a nut or other member similarly stressed G01L5/24)} · CPC title

• F16B2001/0035

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F16B2200/83

  Use of a magnetic material · CPC title