Mechanics of a Snap Fit

Physical Review Letters
Keisuke Yoshida, Hirofumi Wada

Abstract

Snap fits are versatile mechanical designs in industrial products that enable the repeated assembling and disassembling of two solid parts. This important property is attributed to a fine balance between geometry, friction, and bending elasticity. In this Letter, we combine theory, simulation, and experiment to reveal the fundamental physical principles of snap-fit functions in the simplest possible setup consisting of a rigid cylinder and a thin elastic shell. We construct a phase diagram using geometric parameters and identify four distinct mechanical phases. We develop analytical predictions based on the linear elasticity theory combined with the law of static friction and rationalize the numerical and experimental results. The study reveals how an operational asymmetry of snap fits (i.e., easy to assemble but difficult to disassemble) emerges from an exquisite combination of geometry, elasticity, and friction and suggests optimization of the tunable functionalities for a range of mechanical designs.

References

Dec 13, 2006·Physical Review Letters·Alain Goriely, Sébastien Neukirch
Jun 20, 2015·Advanced Materials·Sicong ShanKatia Bertoldi
Sep 1, 2015·Advanced Materials·Ahmad RafsanjaniDamiano Pasini
Feb 14, 2017·Nature·Corentin CoulaisAndrea Alù
May 13, 2017·Physical Review Letters·Tomohiko G SanoHirofumi Wada

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