Technical contradictions. Technical contradictions of the task

RECEPTION 18
USING MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS
a) Bring an object into oscillatory motion.
b) If such a movement is already taking place, increase its frequency (up to ultrasonic).
c) Use resonant frequency.
d) Use piezo vibrators instead of mechanical vibrators.
e) Use ultrasonic vibrations in combination with electromagnetic fields.

Author's certificate No. 220380. Method of vibrating arc surfacing and welding of parts under a layer of flux with low-frequency vibrations of the electrode, different in that, in order to improve the quality of the deposited metal, high-frequency ultrasonic vibrations of the order of, for example, 20 kHz are superimposed on low-frequency vibrations.

Copyright certificate No. 307896. A method of sawdust-free cutting of wood using a cutting tool that changes its geometric dimensions, different in that, in order to reduce the effort of introducing the tool into the wood, cutting is carried out with a tool whose pulse frequency is close to the natural frequency of vibration of the wood being cut.

US Patent No. 3239283. Static friction sharply reduces the sensitivity of thin instruments and prevents hands, pendulums and other moving parts from turning easily in bearings. To avoid this, the bearings are made to vibrate, and the elements of the device constantly make an oscillating movement relative to each other. An electric motor is usually used as a vibration source. At the same time, the kinematics of the device becomes significantly more complicated, and the weight increases. American inventors John Broz and William Laubendorfer developed a bearing design in which the bushings are made of piezoelectric material and covered on both sides with thin electrically conductive foil. Electrodes are soldered to the foil, through which alternating current is supplied, creating vibration.

By making the ship's hull narrower, we reduce friction costs and achieve high speed. But at the same time, the stability of the ship also decreases; in rough seas, it can capsize. By making the ship wider, we will achieve good stability, but the speed will decrease.

By reducing the size of the buttons on the panel of a mobile phone, we make it as compact as possible. But dialing the number will become inconvenient. By increasing the size of the buttons, we get the opportunity to conveniently dial a number, but to accommodate such buttons you will need a large case.

Using passwords consisting of several dozen characters, we increase security computer programs from burglary. But such a password is difficult to remember. A short password is easy to remember, but also easy to forge.

By using more spacious buses, we reduce the number of buses on routes and the cost of driver wages, but at the same time, the boarding and alighting times for passengers and travel intervals increase. By using small buses, we reduce travel intervals, but the cost of driver wages increases.

Triz

The technical contradiction can be represented by the following diagram (Fig. 10):

IDENTIFYING TECHNICAL CONTRADITIONS

This work can be done in several steps.

Rice. 11. TP diagram for a window

Rice. 12. TP diagram for scuba gear

The formulation of an IS in the form of a TP has a heuristic potential - it seems to cut off the path to finding compromise, non-ideal solutions, and also allows you to use the “Techniques for eliminating technical contradictions” tool.

Controversies

PHYSICAL CONTRADICTION

Physical contradiction has even greater heuristic potential.

The standard way to improve vehicles is optimization, that is, choosing the optimal values ​​of their characteristics. At the same time, they try to achieve a simple compromise between the opposing requirements for the vehicle. But this is not always possible. When optimization does not allow achieving the desired consumer quality, an inventive problem has to be solved.

To do this, you need to precisely set the task - to achieve the highest possible level of realization of the opposite properties. This problem is formulated in the form of a so-called physical contradiction.

Large thickness Small thickness Large Small

for strength for transparency for autonomy for maneuverability

Rice. 13, FP for window Fig. 14. FP for scuba

Let's look at 40 basic techniques for eliminating technical contradictions.

1. Crushing principle

A. Divide an object into independent parts.

b. Make the object collapsible.

V. Increase the degree of fragmentation of an object.

Example. The cargo ship is divided into similar sections. If necessary, the ship can be made longer or shorter.

2. The principle of adjudication

Separate the “interfering” part from the object (the “interfering” property) or, conversely, select the only necessary part or necessary property.

Unlike the previous technique, which dealt with dividing an object into equal parts, here it is proposed to divide the object into different parts.

Example. Typically, on small pleasure craft and boats, electricity for lighting and other needs is generated by a generator powered by a propeller engine. To generate electricity in the parking lot, it is necessary to install an auxiliary electric generator driven by an internal combustion engine. The engine naturally creates NOISE and vibration. It is proposed to place the engine and generator in a separate capsule, located at some distance from the boat and connected to it by a cable.

3. Local quality principle

A. Move from the homogeneous structure of an object or external environment (external influence) to heterogeneous.

b. Different parts of an object must perform different functions.

V. Each part of the facility must be in conditions most favorable for its operation.

Example. To combat dust in mine workings, water is supplied to the tools (working parts of drilling and loading machines) in the form of a cone of small drops. The smaller the droplets, the better the fight against dust, but small droplets easily form fog, which makes work difficult. Solution: a layer of large drops is created around a cone of small drops.

4. The principle of asymmetry

A. Move from a symmetrical object shape to an asymmetrical one.

b. If the object is already asymmetrical, increase the degree of asymmetry.

Example. Shockproof car tire has one sidewall of increased strength - for better resistance to impacts on the sidewalk curb.

5. The principle of unification

A. Connect objects that are homogeneous or intended for related operations.

b. Combine homogeneous or related operations in time.

Example. Dual tandem microscope. One person operates the manipulator, while a second person is entirely occupied with observation and recording.

6. The principle of universality

The object performs several different functions, eliminating the need for other objects.

Example. The briefcase handle also serves as an expander (a.s. no. 187 964).

7. The “matryoshka” principle

A. One object is placed inside another, which, in turn, is inside a third, and so on.

b. One object passes through a cavity in another object.

Example. “An ultrasonic concentrator of elastic vibrations, consisting of half-wave sections fastened together, characterized in that in order to reduce the length of the concentrator and increase its stability, the half-wave sections are made in the form of hollow cones inserted into one another” (a.s. No. 186 781). In a. With. No. 462 315, exactly the same solution was used to reduce the dimensions of the output section of the transformer piezoelectric element. In a device for drawing metal according to a. With. No. 304 027 "matryoshka" is made of conical dies.

8. Anti-weight principle

A. Compensate for the weight of an object by connecting to another object that has lifting force.

b. Compensate for the weight of an object by interaction with the environment (mainly due to aero- and hydrodynamic forces). Example p. “A centrifugal brake type regulator of the speed of a rotary wind engine, installed on the vertical axis of the rotor, characterized in that in order to maintain the rotor rotation speed in a small speed range with a strong increase in power, the regulator weights are made in the form of blades that provide aerodynamic braking” (a.s. No. 167 784).

It is interesting to note that the claims clearly reflect the contradiction that the invention overcomes. For a given wind force and a given mass of cargo, a certain number of revolutions is obtained. To reduce it (with increasing wind strength). you need to increase the mass of cargo. But the loads rotate and are difficult to get to. And now the contradiction is eliminated by the fact that the loads. given a shape that creates aerodynamic braking, i.e. the loads are made in the form of a wing with a negative angle of attack.

The general idea is obvious: if you need to change the mass of a moving body, but the mass cannot be changed for certain reasons, then the body must be given the shape of a wing and, by changing the inclination of the wing to the direction of movement, receive additional force directed in the desired direction.

9. The principle of preliminary anti-action

If, according to the conditions of the task, it is necessary to perform some action, it is necessary to perform an anti-action in advance.

Example. “A method of cutting with a cup cutter rotating around its geometric axis during the cutting process, characterized in that, in order to prevent the occurrence of vibration, the cup cutter is pre-loaded with forces close in magnitude and directed opposite to the forces arising during the cutting process” (a.s. No. 536866 ).

10. Principle of preliminary action

A. Perform the required action in advance (in whole or at least partially).

b. Arrange objects in advance so that they can come into operation without wasting time on delivery and from the most convenient location.

An example is the above solution to Problem 41.

11. The principle of “pre-planted pillow”

Compensate for the relatively low reliability of the facility with previously prepared emergency means.

Example. “A method for processing inorganic materials, such as glass fibers, by exposure to a plasma beam, characterized in that, in order to increase mechanical strength, a solution or melt of salts of alkali or alkaline earth metals is first applied to inorganic materials” (a.s. No. 522 150). Substances that “heal” microcracks are applied in advance. There is a. With. No. 456 594, according to which a ring is placed on a tree branch (before cutting down), compressing the branch. The tree, feeling the “pain,” sends nutrients and healing substances to this place. Thus, these substances accumulate before the branch is cut down, which promotes rapid healing after cutting.

12. The principle of equipotentiality

Change working conditions so that you do not have to raise or lower the object.

Example. A device has been proposed that eliminates the need to lift and lower heavy molds. The device is made in the form of an attachment with a roller table attached to the press table (AS No. 264679).

13. The “vice versa” principle

A. Instead of the action dictated by the conditions of the task, carry out the opposite action.

b. Make a moving part of an object or external environment motionless, and a motionless part moving. V. Turn an object upside down, turn it inside out.

Example. Considering problem 9 (about a dust filter), we became acquainted with a. With. No. 156 133: the filter is made of magnets, between which ferromagnetic powder is located. Seven years later, a. With. No. 319 325, in which the filter is turned out - “An electromagnetic filter for mechanical purification of liquids and gases, containing a source of magnetic field and a filter element made of granular magnetic material, characterized in that in order to reduce specific consumption electricity and increase productivity, the filter element is placed around the source of the magnetic field and forms an external closed magnetic circuit."

14. The principle of spheroidality

A. Move from rectilinear parts to curved ones, from flat surfaces to spherical ones, from parts made in the form of a cube or parallelepiped to spherical structures.

b. Use rollers, balls, spirals.

V. Go from rectilinear movement to rotational, use centrifugal force.

Example. A device for welding pipes into a tube sheet has electrodes in the form of rolling balls.

15. The principle of dynamism

A. The characteristics of the object (or the external environment) must change so as to be optimal at each stage of work.

b. Divide an object into parts that can move relative to each other.

V. If the object is generally stationary, make it mobile, moving.

Example. “A method of automatic arc welding with a strip electrode, characterized in that, in order to widely regulate the shape and size of the weld pool, the electrode is bent along its generatrix, giving it a curvilinear shape, which is changed during the welding process” (a.p. No. 258 490).

16. The principle of partial or redundant action

If it is difficult to obtain 100% of the required effect, you need to get “a little less” or “a little more” - the task can be significantly simplified.

The technique is already familiar from task 34: the cylinders are painted with excess, which is then removed.

17. The principle of transition to another dimension

A. The difficulties associated with moving (or positioning) an object along a line are eliminated if the object gains the ability to move in two dimensions (i.e., on a plane). Accordingly, problems associated with the movement (or placement) of objects in one plane are eliminated when moving to three-dimensional space.

b. Use a multi-story layout of objects instead of a single-story one.

V. Tilt the object or place it on its side.

d. Use the reverse side of this area.

e. Use optical fluxes incident on an adjacent area or on the opposite side of an existing area.

Technique 17a can be combined with techniques 7 and 15b. The result is a chain that characterizes the general trend in the development of technical systems: from a point to a line, then to a plane, then to a volume and, finally, to the combination of many volumes.

Example. "A method for storing a winter supply of logs on water by installing them on the equator of the roadstead, characterized in that in order to increase the specific capacity of the equator and reduce the volume of frozen wood, the logs are formed into bundles: with a width and height in cross section exceeding the length of the logs, after which the formed bundles installed in a vertical position" (a.s. No. 236 318).

18. Use of mechanical vibrations

A. Set an object into oscillatory motion.

b. If such a movement is already taking place, increase its frequency (up to ultrasonic).

V. Use resonant frequency.

d. Use piezo vibrators instead of mechanical vibrators.

d. Use ultrasonic vibrations in combination with electromagnetic fields.

Example. “A method of sawdust-free cutting of wood, characterized in that in order to reduce the force of inserting a tool into the wood, cutting is carried out with a tool whose pulsation frequency is close to the natural frequency of vibration of the wood being cut” (a.s. No. 307986).

19. The principle of periodic action

A. Go from continuous action to periodic (pulse) action.

b. If the action is already carried out periodically, change the frequency.

V. Use the pauses between impulses for another action.

Example. “A method for automatically controlling the thermal cycle of resistance spot welding, mainly of small-thickness parts, based on measuring thermo-emf, characterized in that in order to increase the control accuracy when welding with high-frequency pulses, thermo-emf is measured. in pauses between welding current pulses" (a.s. No. 336 120).

20. The principle of continuity of useful action

A. Operate continuously (all parts of the facility must operate at full load at all times).

b. Eliminate idle and intermediate strokes.

Example. “A method of processing holes in the form of two intersecting cylinders, for example, bearing cage sockets, characterized in that, in order to increase processing productivity, it is carried out with a drill (countersink), the cutting edges of which allow cutting both during forward and reverse stroke of the tool” (a . pp. No. 262 582).

21. Breakthrough principle

Conduct the process or its individual stages (for example, harmful or dangerous) at high speed.

Example. “A method of processing wood in the production of veneer by heating, characterized in that in order to preserve natural wood, heating it is carried out by short-term exposure to a gas flame with a temperature of 300-600 ° C directly during the production of veneer” (a.s. No. 338 371).

22. The principle of “turning harm into benefit”

A. Use harmful factors (in particular, harmful environmental influences) to obtain a positive effect.

b. Eliminate a harmful factor by combining it with other harmful factors.

V. Strengthen a harmful factor to such an extent that it ceases to be harmful.

Example. “A method for restoring the flowability of frozen bulk materials, characterized in that in order to speed up the process of restoring the flowability of materials and reducing labor intensity, the frozen material is exposed to ultra-low temperatures” (a.s. No. 409 938).

23. Feedback principle

A. Enter feedback.

b. If there is feedback, change it.

Example. “A method for automatically regulating the temperature regime of firing sulfide materials in a fluidized bed by changing the flow of the loaded material as a function of temperature, characterized in that in order to increase the dynamic accuracy of maintaining a given temperature value, the supply of material is changed depending on the change in the content of sulfur dioxide in the exhaust gases” (a .s.no. 302 382).

24. The principle of "intermediary"

A. Use an intermediate object that carries or forwards the action.

b. Temporarily attach another (easily removable) object to the object.

Example. “A method for calibrating instruments for measuring dynamic stresses in dense media under static loading of a sample of a medium with a device placed inside it, characterized in that in order to increase the accuracy of calibration, the sample with a device placed inside it is loaded through a fragile intermediate element” (a.s. no. 354 135).

25. Self-service principle

A. The facility must maintain itself, performing auxiliary and repair operations.

b. Use waste (energy, substances).

Example. In an electric welding gun, the welding wire is usually supplied by a special device. It is proposed to use a solenoid powered by welding current to feed the wire.

26. The principle of copying

A. Instead of an inaccessible, complex, expensive, inconvenient or fragile object, use its simplified and cheap copies.

b. Replace an object or system of objects with their optical copies (images). Use a scale change (enlarge or reduce copies).

V. If visible optical copies are used, switch to infrared or ultraviolet copies. Example. “A visual textbook on geodesy, made in the form of an artistic panel written on a plane, characterized by the fact that for the purpose of subsequent geodetic surveying of the image of the area from the panel, it is made according to tacheometric survey data and is equipped with miniature geodetic rods at characteristic points of the area” (A.S. No. 86560).

27. Cheap fragility instead of expensive durability

Replace an expensive object with a set of cheap objects, sacrificing some qualities (for example, durability).

Example. Disposable mousetrap: plastic tube with bait; the mouse enters the trap through a cone-shaped hole; the walls of the hole unbend and do not allow it to come back out.

28. Replacing the mechanical circuit

A. Replace the mechanical circuit with an optical, acoustic or “smell” one.

b. Use electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields to interact with an object.

V. Move from stationary fields to moving ones, from fixed to time-varying ones, from non-structural ones to those having a certain structure.

d. Use fields in combination with ferromagnetic particles.

Example. “A method of applying metal coatings to thermoplastic materials by contact with metal powder heated to a temperature exceeding the melting point of the thermoplastic, characterized in that in order to increase the adhesion strength of the coating to the base and its density, the process is carried out in an electromagnetic field” (a.s. no. 445 712).

29. Use of pneumatic and hydraulic structures

Instead of solid parts of the object, use gaseous and liquid ones: inflatable and hydro-filled, air cushion, hydrostatic and hydro-jet.

Example. To connect the ship's propeller shaft to the propeller hub, a groove is made in the shaft, in which an elastic hollow container (a narrow “air bag”) is placed. If compressed air is supplied to this container, it will inflate and press the hub to the shaft (a.s. L 313 741). Typically, in such cases, a metal connecting element was used, but a connection with an “air bag” is easier to manufacture: precise adjustment of the mating surfaces is not required. In addition, this connection smoothes out shock loads. It is interesting to compare this invention with the later published invention according to A. With. No. 445 611 for a container for transporting fragile products (for example, drainage pipes): the container has an inflatable shell that presses the products and prevents them from breaking during transportation. Different fields of technology, but the tasks and solutions are absolutely identical. In a. c. No. 249583 inflatable element works in the grip of a crane. In a. With. No. 409 875 - presses fragile products in the sawing device. There are a great many such inventions. Apparently, it’s simple, it’s time to stop patenting such proposals, and introduce a simple rule into design textbooks: if you need to delicately press one object against another for a while, use an “air bag.” This, of course, does not mean that the entire technique 29 will cease to be inventive.

An “air bag” that presses one part against another is a typical Su-field, in which the “bag” plays the role of a mechanical field. In accordance with general rule development of sepole systems, a transition to a sepole system should be expected. Such a transition actually occurred: in a. With. No. 534 351 it was proposed to introduce ferromagnetic powder inside the “air bag”, and for... to strengthen the pressure, use a magnetic field. And again, the imperfection of the patenting form led to the fact that it was not the universal idea of ​​​​controlling the “air bag” that was patented, but a particular improvement of the grinding “air bag”...

30. Use of flexible shells and thin films

A. Instead of conventional structures, use flexible shells and thin films.

b. Isolate an object from the external environment using flexible shells and thin films.

Example. “A method for forming aerated concrete products by pouring the raw material into a mold and then holding it, characterized in that in order to increase the degree of swelling, a gas-impermeable film is laid on the raw material poured into the mold” (a.s. No. 339 406).

31. Application of porous materials

A. Make the object porous or use additional porous elements (inserts, coatings, etc.).

b. If the object is already made porous, first fill the pores with some substance.

Example. "An evaporative cooling system for electrical machines, characterized in that, in order to eliminate the need to supply a cooling agent to the machine, the active parts and individual structural elements are made of porous materials, for example porous powder steels, impregnated with a liquid cooling agent, which evaporates during operation of the machine and thus provides short-term, intensive and uniform cooling" (a.s. No. 187 135).

32. Principle of color change

A. Change the color of an object or external environment.

b. Change the degree of transparency of an object or external environment.

V. To observe poorly visible objects or processes, use coloring additives.

d. If such additives are already used, use phosphors.

Example. US Patent No. 3,425,412: A transparent dressing that allows the wound to be observed without removing the dressing.

33. Principle of homogeneity

Objects interacting with this object must be made of the same material (or properties similar to it).

Example. “A method for producing a permanent casting mold by forming a working cavity in it according to a standard by casting, characterized in that in order to compensate for the shrinkage of the product obtained in this mold, the standard and the mold are made of a material identical to the product” (a.s. No. 456 679).

34. The principle of waste and regeneration of parts

A. A part of an object that has fulfilled its purpose or has become unnecessary must be discarded (dissolved, evaporated, etc.) or modified directly during the work.

b. Consumable parts of the object must be restored directly during the work.

Example. "A method for studying high-temperature zones, mainly welding processes, in which a probe-fiber is introduced into the zone under study, characterized in that in order to improve the possibility of studying high-temperature zones during arc and electroslag welding, a consumable probe-fiber is used, which is continuously fed into the zone under study at a speed not less than the speed of its melting" (a.s. No. 433 397).

35. Changing the aggregate state of an object

This includes not only simple transitions, such as from solid to liquid, but also transitions to “pseudo-states” (“pseudo-liquid”) and intermediate states, such as the use of elastic solids.

Example. German patent No. 1 291 210: the braking section for the landing strip is designed in the form of a “bathtub” filled with a viscous liquid, on which a thick layer of elastic material is located.

36. Application of phase transitions

Use phenomena that occur during phase transitions, such as changes in volume, release or absorption of heat, etc.

Example. "Plug for sealing pipelines and necks with various shapes section, characterized in that, in order to unify and simplify the design, it is made in the form of a glass into which a low-melting metal alloy is poured, which expands during solidification and ensures the tightness of the connection" (a.s. No. 319 806).

37. Application of thermal expansion

A. Use thermal expansion (or contraction) of materials.

b. Use several materials with different coefficients of thermal expansion.

Example. In a. With. No. 463423 it is proposed to make the roof of greenhouses from hinged hollow pipes, inside of which there is an easily expanding liquid. When the temperature changes, the center of gravity of the pipes changes, so the pipes themselves rise and fall. By the way, this is the answer to problem 30. Of course, you can also use bimetallic plates mounted on the roof of the greenhouse.

38. Use of strong oxidizing agents

A. Replace regular air with enriched air.

b. Replace enriched air with oxygen.

V. Expose air or oxygen to ionizing radiation.

d. Use ozonated oxygen.

e. Replace ozonated (or ionized) oxygen with ozone.

Example. “A method for producing ferrite films by chemical gas transport reactions in an oxidizing environment, which differs in that in order to intensify oxidation and increase the uniformity of films, the process is carried out in an ozone environment” (a.p. No. 261 859).

39. Application of inert medium

A. Replace the usual medium with an inert one.

b. Carry out the process in a vacuum. This technique can be considered the antipode of the previous one.

Example. A method for preventing cotton from catching fire in storage, characterized in that, in order to increase the reliability of storage, cotton is treated with an inert gas during its transportation to the storage place" (a.s. No. 270 171).

40. Use of composite materials to move from homogeneous materials to composite ones

Example. “A medium for cooling metal during heat treatment, characterized in that, in order to ensure a given cooling rate, it consists of a suspension of gas in a liquid” (a.s. No. 187060).

Let's try to solve the sprinkler problem using the usual techniques. The wingspan needs to be tripled; well, making a three-hundred-meter farm is technically quite feasible. What will we lose? Your weight will increase. If the wingspan were tripled, the truss would become 27 times heavier.

Machines and mechanisms (in general, technical objects) have several the most important indicators, characterizing the degree of their perfection: weight, dimensions, power, reliability, etc. There are certain interdependencies between these indicators. Let's say that one unit of power requires a certain weight of the structure. In order to increase one of the indicators in ways already known in this branch of technology, you have to “pay” by deteriorating the other.

Here is a typical example from aircraft design practice: “Doubling the area of ​​the vertical tail of one type of aircraft reduced the amplitude of the aircraft’s vibrations by only 50%. But this, in turn, increased the aircraft’s susceptibility to gusts of wind, increased drag, and made the aircraft’s structure heavier, which raised additional challenges. TO

The designer, taking into account specific conditions, chooses the most favorable combination of characteristics: something wins, and something loses. “When you are considering a solution and technical conditions,” says the famous aircraft designer O. Antonov, “which may never be written down on paper, highlight the most important thing. Only as a last resort, if something cannot be accomplished, go to the permissible one. What is acceptable is some non-compliance with the given technical conditions, a compromise solution, so to speak. Suppose, when designing an airplane, you meet the requirements for payload and speed, but you are a little out of luck with the take-off run. Then you will begin to weigh these three important requirements and, perhaps, give up a little on the run-up - let the run-up be not 500, but 550 meters, but all other qualities will be achieved. This is exactly what is permissible.”

Academician A. N. Krylov talks about such an episode in his memoirs. In 1924, the scientist worked as part of the Soviet-French commission that examined Russian warships in the harbor of Bizerte, which had been taken there by Wrangel. Here, side by side with the Russian destroyer, stood a French destroyer - about the same age and size. The difference in the combat power of the ships was so great that Admiral Bui, the chairman of the commission, could not stand it and exclaimed: “You have guns, but we have farts!” How did you achieve such a difference in the armament of destroyers?” Krylov responded like this: “Look, Admiral, at the deck: except for the stringer, in which the entire fortress is, everything else, which is like a roof, has rusted almost right through, the pipes, their casings, deckhouses, etc. - everything is worn out. Look at your destroyer, everything on it is like new, however, our destroyer is six years old without maintenance and without painting, but not in this the main point. Your destroyer is built from ordinary steel and has a design stress of 7 kg per 1 mm2, as if it were a commercial ship that should serve for at least 24 years. The Hauf is built entirely from high-resistance steel, the stress allowed is 12 kg and more - in some places 23 kg/mm2. A destroyer is built for 10-12 years, because during this time it manages to become so outdated that it no longer represents a true combat force. All the gain in the weight of the hull was used to strengthen the combat weapons, and you see that in an artillery battle our destroyer will smash to smithereens at least four, that is, your division, before they approach the firing range of their farts.” “How simple it is!” - said the admiral."

The art of a designer largely depends on the ability to determine what needs to be won and what can be sacrificed for it. Inventive creativity consists of finding a way in which no concession is required at all (or it is disproportionately small compared to the result obtained).

Let's assume that to speed up loading and unloading at unequipped airfields, it is necessary to create a portable lifting device mounted on heavy transport aircraft. This problem can be solved using the means already available in modern technology. Based on the general principles of designing lifting devices and using, say, experience in creating lightweight truck cranes, a qualified designer is able to design the required device. It is clear that this will increase, to one degree or another, the dead weight of the aircraft. While winning in one thing, the designer simultaneously loses in something else. Often you can live with this, and the designer’s task comes down to winning more and losing less.

The need for an invention arises in cases where the task contains an additional requirement: to win and... lose nothing. For example, the lifting device must be powerful enough and at the same time not weigh down the aircraft. To solve this problem well-known techniques impossible: even the best mobile cranes have considerable weight. A new approach is needed here, an invention is needed.

Thus, an ordinary problem becomes inventive in cases where a necessary condition for its solution is the elimination of a technical contradiction.

It is not difficult to create a new machine, ignoring technical contradictions. But then the machine will be inoperative and lifeless.

Does invention always consist of eliminating a technical contradiction?

It must be said that there are two concepts of “invention” - legal (patent) and technical. Legal concept is different in different countries, besides, it’s tea! is changing.

The legal concept strives to reflect as accurately as possible the boundaries within which this moment legal protection of new engineering structures is economically feasible. For a technical concept, it is not so much these boundaries that are important as the core of the invention, its historically stable essence.

From an engineer's point of view, creating a new invention always comes down to overcoming (full or partial) a technical contradiction.

The emergence and overcoming of contradictions is one of the main features of technical progress. Analyzing the development of mills, Marx wrote in Capital: “An increase in the size of the working machine and the number of its simultaneously operating tools requires a larger propulsion mechanism... Already in the 18th century, an attempt was made to drive two runners and two stands by means of one water wheel. But the increase in the size of the transmission mechanism came into conflict with insufficient water power..."

This is a clear example of a technical contradiction: an attempt to improve some property of a machine comes into conflict with another property.

Numerous examples of technical contradictions are given by Friedrich Engels in the article “The History of the Rifle.” In essence, this entire article is an analysis of the internal contradictions that determine the historical development of the rifle. Engels shows, for example, that from the moment the rifle appeared until the invention of rifles loaded from the breech, the main contradiction was that in order to enhance the firing properties it was necessary to shorten the barrel (loading was carried out from the barrel and was made easier with a short barrel), and to enhance The “bayonet” properties of the rifle had, on the contrary, to lengthen the barrel. These contradictory qualities were combined in a breech-loading rifle.

Here are several problems from different branches of technology that contain technical contradictions. These problems were not invented by the author, but were taken from newspapers, magazines, and books.

Mining

For a long time, to isolate the area of ​​an underground fire, miners have erected lintels - Special walls made of brick, concrete or paving stones. The construction of lintels is greatly complicated if gases are released in the shaft. In this case, the jumper must be made airtight, every crack must be carefully sealed, and all this under the constant threat of explosion. To protect themselves, the miners began to build two lintels. The first - temporary - is put in hastily. It allows air to pass through and serves only as a barricade, under the cover of which one can, without haste, build a second, permanent one. Thus, the miners gained in safety, but lost in labor intensity.

Chemical Technology

As the pressure increases, the synthesis rate increases and, consequently, the productivity of the synthesis column increases. But at the same time, the energy consumption for compressing a given amount of gas increases: for design reasons, it is necessary to limit the size of the devices and, consequently, their power. The solubility of the nitrogen-hydrogen mixture in liquid ammonia and its losses increase.

Electronics

Modern electronics is faced with a serious dilemma: on the one hand, performance requirements are constantly increasing and, accordingly, electronic systems are becoming more complex; on the other hand, restrictions on size, weight and power consumption are becoming more and more stringent... Reliability problems caused by the increased complexity of equipment are of equal, and perhaps even greater, importance.

Radio engineering

A radio telescope antenna has two main characteristics - sensitivity and resolution. The larger the antenna area, the higher the sensitivity of the telescope and the further it can look into the depths of the Universe. Resolution is the “visual acuity” of a telescope. It shows how well the device distinguishes between two different radiation sources.

values ​​located at a small angular distance from each other. In addition, the large “radio eye” should cover as much of the sky as possible with its gaze. To do this, the antenna must be movable. But moving a bulky antenna while keeping its shape unchanged to the nearest millimeter is very difficult. Until this contradiction is resolved, the construction of telescopes is proceeding in two directions: either very large, but stationary antennas are built, or movable and relatively small ones.

Motor industry

The valve timing mechanism consists mainly of parts that move back and forth. Increasing the engine speed means increasing the inertial loads. To avoid this, they try to reduce the mass of reciprocating parts, for which the valve mechanism is placed directly in the cylinder block. But the combustion chamber becomes flattened, slit-like, with a large heat transfer surface. This is one of the contradictions: an increase in the number of revolutions with a lower valve arrangement leads to an increase in power and efficiency, while a slit-shaped chamber negates all the gains.

Agricultural engineering

There is such a concept - power on the hook.” This is the portion of a tractor engine's power that can actually do useful work. The indicator of this power for a given tractor depends primarily on the adhesion properties of its propellers (wheels or tracks) and on the adhesion weight of the machine. A powerful but lightweight machine slips under heavy loads, so to perform useful work Only a small part of the tractor engine power can be used. Heavy tractors have better traction with the soil, but a significant part of their engine energy is spent moving its own weight across the field... Designers lighten the machine and increase its power. And during operation, movement begins in the opposite direction, since weight loss means deterioration in adhesion properties, that is, a decrease in effective power by

hook. So you have to make the car heavier on the spot - put cast iron discs on the wheels, make extensions on the tracks and wheels, nullifying the achievements of the designers.

Automotive industry

If you increase the engine power without applying any new design solutions, its weight and fuel consumption will increase. This means that the supporting system (frame, body) of the car must be more powerful, heavier, and there is less space for passengers.

Soft tires ensure a smooth ride, the car floats on uneven roads like a shuttle. But the lower the tire pressure, the greater the road resistance, the lower the speed. You can make a car that is low and stable, but it won't go down bad roads. The designer finds a middle ground, weighs which of the car’s qualities can be neglected and which should be highlighted.

Shipbuilding

When designing a yacht hull, three main requirements must be taken into account: 1) minimum resistance to the hull shape, 2) minimum friction resistance, 3) maximum stability.

These requirements are mutually contradictory. A narrow, long yacht has a low shape resistance, but it has low stability and cannot carry a large enough windage. Increasing stability by increasing the weight of ballast is accompanied by a simultaneous increase in draft and, consequently, an increase in friction resistance. Increasing stability by increasing the width of the hull causes an increase in the resistance of the hull shape. The designer’s task is to find the “golden mean”, to reconcile conflicting design conditions2.

Aircraft manufacturing

The chief designer comes up with an idea. Well, let's say you need an airplane to transport large and heavy objects.

light loads; It is necessary to ensure convenience and speed of loading. For this purpose, it is required that the fuselage, spacious and streamlined, be as close to the ground as possible when parked, which means that a low landing gear is needed, it is easier to stow it into the fuselage.

The weight of the payload determines the weight of the structure, and all together - the power and number of engines. If the engines are turboprops, they are mounted on the wing, and the wing must be raised so that the propellers do not touch the concrete. Another detail is clear: the wing must be placed on top of the fuselage.

This is just the first step of the project. Many different requirements are gradually clarifying the “face” of the future aircraft. The need for good takeoff and landing properties on unpaved airfields leads to the use of low-pressure volumetric pneumatics, a straight wing with powerful aerodynamic mechanization.

In this case, however, a very high speed cannot be obtained, but for the sake of other important qualities the designer has to look for a reasonable compromise K

According to the regulation, the invention must have “substantial novelty.” But what does the word “I am essential” mean? The “Guidelines on the Methodology for Examining Applications for Inventions” says this: “Significant novelty in solving a technical problem is characterized by the fact that this solution has new, previously unknown features that inform the object of the invention. (device, method, substance) new properties that create a positive effect.” With minor variations, this definition has been used for decades and has led to countless application disputes. Novelty, the definition says, is the presence of new properties. But what are considered new properties? There are no exact instructions on this matter. And it turns out: novelty is when there is novelty...

In practice, “substantial novelty” inevitably comes down to the concept of “significant change” (compared to the prototype) and further to the concept of “significant change”. Changed a lot - there is an invention, changed a little - no invention. Moreover, “a lot” or “a little” is ultimately determined by the personal opinion of the expert.

Meanwhile, there is an objective criterion: an invention is the elimination of a technical contradiction. Using this criterion, it is possible to significantly objectify the examination of applications.

Let's look at a specific example.

The magazine “Inventor and Innovator” published an article by expert E. Nemirovsky “What is an invention?” In it, the author cited an episode from personal practice.

Two engineers developed a feeder design for feeding bookbinding covers into the machine. “When considering this application,” the expert writes, “I remembered approximately the same device contained in one of the German patents. The only difference is that our inventors installed the walls of the stacking box at a distance less than the length of the binding cover... I considered this difference to be insignificant and prepared a draft decision to refuse to issue an author’s certificate.”

Everything here is typical. This is a classic example of the comparison method. The expert is not interested in why the changes were made or what results are obtained. No, the principle of formal comparison applies. The expert finds a prototype. The change seems insignificant to him: just think, they changed some length of the wall! And an insignificant, insignificant change means, in the expert’s opinion, the absence of significant novelty. And he calmly writes a draft refusal.

But this time the comparison method clearly misfired. E. Nemirovsky says: “However, our inventors explained that the side supports described in the German patent must be very rigid in order to eliminate arching of the foot. On the other hand, if the stops are too hard, the suction cups will not be able to pull the lid out of the box. This contradiction made the feeder unworkable. As soon as the distance between the walls was changed, they began to accept the weight of the lids... the new size ratio adopted by the Moscow inventors made it possible to make an inoperative device operational. I admitted that I was wrong. The inventors were given an inventor's certificate." Here, at the very end of the article, Nemirovsky uttered the word with which he should have started: “contradiction.” It turns out that the point is not the significance or insignificance of the change made, but that there was a technical contradiction and the invention made it possible to eliminate it.

One more example.

Leningrad engineers L. Ginzburg and Y. Persky sent a request for a lamp unit with a toroidal transformer. “You managed to create a very good design,” the expert replied, “but there are no elements of significant novelty in it.” The Leningrad Regional Council of VOIR reviewed the application and... found a significant novelty. Here's what it consisted of:

“When designing a lamp unit that combines a high-voltage lamp (valve) and the filament transformer feeding this lamp, it is necessary to isolate the lamp sockets and other points of the valve that are under high voltage from surrounding objects of a different potential, including the filament transformer. Until now, design practice everywhere has followed the path of creating a sufficiently large discharge distance between the lamp sockets and the transformer housing. To do this, it was necessary to install a long insulator with high-voltage installation between the transformer and the valve. Meanwhile, when designing equipment, it is important not to increase, but to reduce dimensions.

And so engineers L. Ginzburg and Y. Persky proposed to slightly enlarge the window of the toroidal filament transformer and place lamp sockets and other high-potential points (resistance “grid” - “cathode” and high-voltage terminal) inside this window, filling it with compound. An ingenious solution made it possible to abandon the insulator and external high-voltage installation. But the most important thing is that the overall dimensions of the block have been reduced, and with this design principle they no longer need to be expanded as the valve voltage increases.”

The dispute with the examination ended like this: “It was proven that the authors managed to overcome the above-mentioned contradiction and solve the problem precisely because in their design the filament transformer plays the role of not only a transformer, but also an insulator of high-voltage points of the valve. The use of a transformer as an insulator is the novelty of the design.” The inventors received an author's certificate.

If inventors learn to see inventions as eliminating technical inconsistencies, and examiners learn to find ways to eliminate such inconsistencies in applications, the number of rejected applications will be greatly reduced.

Sometimes the technical contradiction contained in a problem is clearly visible. These are, for example, problems whose solution in the usual way leads to an unacceptable increase in weight. Sometimes the contradiction is imperceptible; it seems to be dissolved in the conditions of the problem. Nevertheless, the inventor must always remember the technical contradiction that he has to overcome.

“We need to achieve such and such a result” is only half the task; the inventor needs to see the second half: “to achieve, without losing, such and such.”

Questionnaire surveys show that experienced inventors are good at seeing the technical contradiction contained in the problem. Thus, P. Friedman (Leningrad), who has more than twenty copyright certificates for inventions, writes: “I am studying the difficulties and contradictions of existing machines, devices and systems.” Kaunas inventor J. Chepele very accurately characterizes this most important feature of inventive skill: “We must find a technical contradiction in the problem, then use the methods suggested by experience and knowledge to eliminate the contradiction.”

The famous Soviet inventor B. Blinov, summing up the results of his thirty years of inventive work, writes: “Based on experience, I say: you will not become an inventor if you do not learn to clearly see contradictions in things.”

The inventor Yu. Chiniov had nine copyright certificates; Having mastered the method of invention, Yu. Chinnov received another three dozen copyright certificates, solving a number of problems that were considered unsolvable. One of Yu. Chinnov's main tools is the analysis of technical contradictions. When Yu. Chinnov was tasked with designing a high-performance machine for twisting telephone cables, he first of all revealed the technical contradiction contained in the problem:

“When designing the machine, it turned out that increasing its productivity is hampered by the tension force of the threads (wires), which arises from the friction of the threads during their movement against the walls of the torsion frame and leads to unacceptable stretching of the threads (wires). With an increase in the speed of rotation of the frame and its diameter, the centrifugal force pressing the threads to the frame increases, and, consequently, the friction force of the threads.

It turns out a vicious circle:

With an increase in the diameter and rotation speed of the torsion frame, the centrifugal force increases unacceptably, which ultimately leads to stretching of the threads. On the other hand, by reducing the diameter of the torsion frame, it is possible to increase the torsion speed, but then the diameter of the receiving coil installed inside the frame and, consequently, the length of the manufactured cable are unacceptably reduced.

An obvious technical contradiction!

In inventive practice, there are often cases when the main thing is to discover a technical contradiction, and once it is discovered, it is not difficult to overcome it. It also happens, however, that a clearly visible technical contradiction scares off the inventor: it is necessary to combine the incompatible, but this seems impossible!

“We need to find a way to twist the cable into the passage,” says Yu. Chinnov further, “that is, take the receiving coil out of the rotating frame and fix it on a stationary base outside the frame. Such a coil can be made of unlimited diameter, and the cable can be made of unlimited length, and, in addition, the torsion speed can be increased.

Head of the Tashkent New Technology Design Bureau cabesh-j of the plant warned me that inventors and designers had worked a lot in this direction. In the end, they came to the conclusion that it was as impossible to invent a method of torsion for passage as it was to invent a perpetual motion machine.

However, I did not give up the idea of ​​coping with this task. I decided to act according to the method of invention..."

Don't be afraid of technical contradictions!

Here is one of the simple tasks. Solve it yourself; To do this, it is enough to clearly formulate the technical contradiction.

“When you look at a racing car, the wheels immediately catch your eye. They give the car a fierce look. Meanwhile, they create additional air resistance, reduce maximum speed. Even ordinary passenger cars have wheels covered by a streamlined hood. So why aren't racing car wheels covered with fairings?

When cornering, the rider always keeps an eye on the front wheels. Having seen their position, he receives the first information about the direction of movement of the car. Now suppose that the wheels are covered by wings. By turning the steering wheel, the driver must watch how the car goes and intervene when the car noticeably deviates from the intended path. This is why road racing cars are made without wings. Cars designed for racing on specially equipped tracks are a different matter. There's no need for agility. And the cars are hooded up!

To solve this problem, you need to accurately find what is “incompatible” and answer the question: where and what will have to be changed to eliminate the “incompatibility”? The problem relates to racing cars. This means that the solution may not be designed for mass and long-term use.

TECHNICAL CONTRADITIONS

Let's try to solve the sprinkler problem using the usual techniques. The wingspan needs to be tripled; well, making a three-hundred-meter farm is technically quite feasible. What will we lose? Your weight will increase. If the wingspan were tripled, the truss would become 27 times heavier.

Machines and mechanisms (in general, technical objects) have several important indicators that characterize the degree of their perfection: weight, dimensions, power, reliability, etc. There are certain interdependencies between these indicators. Let's say that one unit of power requires a certain weight of the structure. In order to increase one of the indicators in ways already known in this branch of technology, you have to “pay” by deteriorating the other.

Here is a typical example from aircraft design practice: “Doubling the area of ​​the vertical tail of one type of aircraft reduced the amplitude of the aircraft’s vibrations by only 50%. But this, in turn, increased the aircraft’s susceptibility to gusts of wind, increased drag, and made the aircraft’s structure heavier, which raised additional challenges. TO

The designer, taking into account specific conditions, chooses the most favorable combination of characteristics: something wins, and something loses. “When you are considering a solution and technical conditions,” says the famous aircraft designer O. Antonov, “which may never be written down on paper, highlight the most important thing. Only as a last resort, if something cannot be accomplished, go to the permissible one. What is acceptable is some non-compliance with the given technical conditions, a compromise solution, so to speak. Suppose, when designing an airplane, you meet the requirements for payload and speed, but you are a little out of luck with the take-off run. Then you will begin to weigh these three important requirements and, perhaps, give up a little on the run-up - let the run-up be not 500, but 550 meters, but all other qualities will be achieved. This is exactly what is permissible.”

Academician A. N. Krylov talks about such an episode in his memoirs. In 1924, the scientist worked as part of the Soviet-French commission that examined Russian warships in the harbor of Bizerte, which had been taken there by Wrangel. Here, side by side with the Russian destroyer, stood a French destroyer - about the same age and size. The difference in the combat power of the ships was so great that Admiral Bui, the chairman of the commission, could not stand it and exclaimed: “You have guns, but we have farts!” How did you achieve such a difference in the armament of destroyers?” Krylov responded like this: “Look, Admiral, at the deck: except for the stringer, in which the entire fortress is, everything else, which is like a roof, has rusted almost right through, the pipes, their casings, deckhouses, etc. - everything is worn out. Look at your destroyer, everything on it is like new, it’s true that our destroyer has been six years without maintenance and without painting, but that’s not the main point. Your destroyer is built from ordinary steel and has a design stress of 7 kg per 1 mm2, as if it were a commercial ship that should serve for at least 24 years. The Hauf is built entirely from high-resistance steel, the stress allowed is 12 kg and more - in some places 23 kg/mm2. A destroyer is built for 10-12 years, because during this time it manages to become so outdated that it no longer represents a true combat force. All the gain in the weight of the hull was used to strengthen the combat weapons, and you see that in an artillery battle our destroyer will smash to smithereens at least four, that is, your division, before they approach the firing range of their farts.” “How simple it is!” - said the admiral."

The art of a designer largely depends on the ability to determine what needs to be won and what can be sacrificed for it. Inventive creativity consists of finding a way in which no concession is required at all (or it is disproportionately small compared to the result obtained).

Let's assume that to speed up loading and unloading at unequipped airfields, it is necessary to create a portable lifting device mounted on heavy transport aircraft. This problem can be solved using the means already available in modern technology. Based on the general principles of designing lifting devices and using, say, experience in creating lightweight truck cranes, a qualified designer is able to design the required device. It is clear that this will increase, to one degree or another, the dead weight of the aircraft. While winning in one thing, the designer simultaneously loses in something else. Often you can live with this, and the designer’s task comes down to winning more and losing less.

The need for an invention arises in cases where the task contains an additional requirement: to win and... lose nothing. For example, the lifting device must be powerful enough and at the same time not weigh down the aircraft. It is impossible to solve this problem using known techniques: even the best mobile cranes have considerable weight. A new approach is needed here, an invention is needed.

Thus, an ordinary problem becomes inventive in cases where a necessary condition for its solution is the elimination of a technical contradiction.

It is not difficult to create a new machine, ignoring technical contradictions. But then the machine will be inoperative and lifeless.

Does invention always consist of eliminating a technical contradiction?

It must be said that there are two concepts of “invention” - legal (patent) and technical. The legal concept is different in different countries, and besides, you expect it! is changing.

The legal concept strives to reflect as accurately as possible the boundaries within which legal protection of new engineering structures is currently economically feasible. For a technical concept, it is not so much these boundaries that are important as the core of the invention, its historically stable essence.

From an engineer's point of view, creating a new invention always comes down to overcoming (full or partial) a technical contradiction.

The emergence and overcoming of contradictions is one of the main features of technical progress. Analyzing the development of mills, Marx wrote in Capital: “An increase in the size of the working machine and the number of its simultaneously operating tools requires a larger propulsion mechanism... Already in the 18th century, an attempt was made to drive two runners and two stands by means of one water wheel. But the increase in the size of the transmission mechanism came into conflict with insufficient water power..."

This is a clear example of a technical contradiction: an attempt to improve some property of a machine comes into conflict with another property.

Numerous examples of technical contradictions are given by Friedrich Engels in the article “The History of the Rifle.” In essence, this entire article is an analysis of the internal contradictions that determine the historical development of the rifle. Engels shows, for example, that from the moment the rifle appeared until the invention of rifles loaded from the breech, the main contradiction was that in order to enhance the firing properties it was necessary to shorten the barrel (loading was carried out from the barrel and was made easier with a short barrel), and to enhance The “bayonet” properties of the rifle had, on the contrary, to lengthen the barrel. These contradictory qualities were combined in a breech-loading rifle.

Here are several problems from different branches of technology that contain technical contradictions. These problems were not invented by the author, but were taken from newspapers, magazines, and books.

Mining

For a long time, to isolate the area of ​​an underground fire, miners have erected lintels - Special walls made of brick, concrete or paving stones. The construction of lintels is greatly complicated if gases are released in the shaft. In this case, the jumper must be made airtight, every crack must be carefully sealed, and all this under the constant threat of explosion. To protect themselves, the miners began to build two lintels. The first - temporary - is put in hastily. It allows air to pass through and serves only as a barricade, under the cover of which one can, without haste, build a second, permanent one. Thus, the miners gained in safety, but lost in labor intensity.

Chemical Technology

As the pressure increases, the synthesis rate increases and, consequently, the productivity of the synthesis column increases. But at the same time, the energy consumption for compressing a given amount of gas increases: for design reasons, it is necessary to limit the size of the devices and, consequently, their power. The solubility of the nitrogen-hydrogen mixture in liquid ammonia and its losses increase.

Electronics

Modern electronics is faced with a serious dilemma: on the one hand, performance requirements are constantly increasing and, accordingly, electronic systems are becoming more complex; on the other hand, restrictions on size, weight and power consumption are becoming more and more stringent... Reliability problems caused by the increased complexity of equipment are of equal, and perhaps even greater, importance.

Radio engineering

A radio telescope antenna has two main characteristics - sensitivity and resolution. The larger the antenna area, the higher the sensitivity of the telescope and the further it can look into the depths of the Universe. Resolution is the “visual acuity” of a telescope. It shows how well the device distinguishes between two different radiation sources.

values ​​located at a small angular distance from each other. In addition, the large “radio eye” should cover as much of the sky as possible with its gaze. To do this, the antenna must be movable. But moving a bulky antenna while keeping its shape unchanged to the nearest millimeter is very difficult. Until this contradiction is resolved, the construction of telescopes is proceeding in two directions: either very large, but stationary antennas are built, or movable and relatively small ones.