THE ELEGANT INVENTION -- SEEKING IDEALITY
Problem 1: Removing layers of
insulation
Certain metallic surfaces must be coated
with a thick layer of insulating material. Removing this coating later
is difficult, however. How might this be accomplished?
As mentioned in the second
tutorial, applying the principle of prior action to the above
problem leads to the suggestion that a steel wire be placed underneath the
insulation layer (i.e., before the insulation is applied). Pulling
the wire then easily cuts the insulation.
Although this is a good approach, it does
not completely solve the problem. The next step is to select a wire of
appropriate diameter. To withstand the pulling force, a relatively thick
wire must be used; however, this requires more material (wire), and also
necessitates greater force to cut the insulation.
The following physical contradiction was
formulated: the wire must be thick in order to withstand the
pulling force and the wire must be thin to minimize the cutting
force and reduce material consumption.
The principle of separation based on
condition recommends placing the system in one state (either thin or
thick, in this example) and trying to change the conditions of the
environment or other adjacent systems to satisfy the opposite requirement.
To determine which should be the
"basic" state, we must understand the conditions influencing the
situation. And to do this we must consider the relationships between wire
thickness, required cutting force, and mechanical strength. For example,
by reducing the wire's diameter we proportionally reduce the required
cutting force, but we also reduce (by the power of two) the strength of
the wire, which is a function of its cross-sectional area. But the
necessary strength of the wire also depends on the the hardness of the
insulation layer that the wire must cut. If we reduce the insulation
hardness, a thin wire can be used.
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One
well-known way to soften a material is to heat it. This can be
done by passing an electric current through the wire. The hot wire
burns through the insulation layer, reducing the amount of pull
required (and thus reducing the probability that the wire will
break). |
Problem 5. Producing pure copper
In the electrolytic process by which pure
copper sheets are produced, a small amount of electrolyte liquid remains in the
pores on the surface of the sheets. When the copper sheets are stored the
electrolyte evaporates, creating oxide spots on the surface which reduce the value of the copper and
result in substantial losses.
The best way to
solve the problem was to avoid creating the pores in the first place.
This approach was immediately rejected by the manufacturer, however, because it required lowering the d-c
current
substantially, which would dramatically reduce
productivity. Instead, they decided to reduce the financial losses by
washing the sheets of copper prior to storage to remove the electrolyte
from the pores. This was not only costly but inadequate, and attempts at
improving the washing process continued for over 15 years.
For most of the students who responded, this
problem was not a difficult one. Indeed, once the contradiction is
formulated (the current must be low to avoid pores, and must be high to increase
productivity) the solution can be reached in a fairly
straightforward manner by applying the methods for dealing with physical
contradictions. To do this, we ask ourselves the following: Where
(if trying to resolve a contradiction in space) or when
(for resolving a contradiction in time) do we really need the current
to be low to avoid pores? The answer is obvious: we need low current at the
end of the process to prevent the pores, while during most of the process
the current can be high to ensure a high level of productivity. Given the
fact that the complete cycle takes 72 hours, it was discovered that reducing
the current for the last 30 minutes only was enough to produce pore-free
copper.
Two important comments can be made:
Comment 1 --
Initially, this was not an easy problem at all.
Indeed, for over 15 years (with millions in losses sustained every year) engineers from
similar productions all over the world tried to solve this
problem. They achieved very limited success, mostly by pursuing better ways to wash
off the electrolyte. Those who worked on this problem during a TRIZ workshop
were amazed that they could find an answer in half an hour. It is important,
however, to emphasize why this problem became easy to solve:
- Psychological inertia was reduced by
realizing that it is much better to eliminate the root causes
of the problem (the pores, in this case) than to fight the harmful results
of the problem (the poor
appearance of copper sheets). Indeed, by focusing on the root causes, the entire problem statement
was changed.
- The "impossible" (as noted in
the previous tutorial, when asked if there was
a way to eliminate the pores, the manufacturer stated that it was
"impossible") was transformed into a contradiction.
- The Separation Principles were applied to resolve the formulated contradiction.
Comment 2 --
Experienced TRIZ specialists know that contrary to
solving a problem by trade-off (which always produces less than ideal
results), resolving a contradiction often yields unexpected additional
benefits. In this case, while discussing the idea of lowering the current at the end of the
process, it was revealed that the current normally used was not the best from
a productivity standpoint. Rather, the current level was the result of a previous
trade-off by which an "optimal" current was chosen.
This optimal current didn’t provide the highest
productivity level, nor did it completely eliminate the pores, although it
reduced them. After this discovery, the recommendation was made to increase
the current during the main part of the process (still reducing it at the end,
of course), to increase productivity even more.
Problem 4.
Braking of an automatic welding drum
Automatic welding machines use a steel wire
unreeled from a rotating drum as an electrode. A special motor in the welding head pulls the
wire during the welding process. When welding stops the
motor stops, but the drum continues to rotate under its own momentum and
the wire becomes entangled as a result.
The idea of using brakes to stop the drum
from rotating freely was considered and rejected because it necessitated a
more powerful pulling motor and, hence, a heavier welding head. This idea
could be reconsidered, however, after formulating the following physical
contradiction: The
brakes should be present to stop the drum from rotating, and should not be
present to avoid expending additional energy.
It is quite obvious that this contradiction
should also be resolved in time: that is, braking should be applied only when welding
stops. Some respondents recommended the addition of
movable brakes controlled by a special electronic device, which would monitor
the process and signal the brakes when appropriate. And indeed, such systems
had been designed, but they were costly and
inconvenient.
Several respondents went further, noticing the
similarity between this problem and invention 14, wire enameling
method:
To manufacture a particular electronic
wire, the wire is first passed through a liquid enamel bath and then
through a die that removes any excess enamel and sizes the wire. The
die must be hot to ensure reliable calibration; however, if the wire feed
is interrupted for several minutes or more, the enamel in the hot die
hardens and firmly grips the wire. The process must then be halted while
the wire is cut and the die cleaned.
The contradictory requirements (the
enamel should be hot to ensure calibration and should be cold to avoid
hardening) are separated in time as follows:
The die should be in a hot zone while
moving and in a cold zone when it stops moving. This is achieved by fixing
the die to a spring. When the wire moves, it pulls the die into a zone
where it is heated (either by induction or by contact with the hot chamber
walls). When the wire stops, the spring pulls the die back into the cold
zone.
This is an elegant solution: the required movement has
been achieved automatically and, for all practical purposes, without special
devices. The TRIZ specialist would say that this solution has a high degree
of "ideality."
Genrich Altshuller, the creator of TRIZ, discovered that
all
technological systems evolve towards increasing ideality. Ideality is
defined as the ratio of the sum of a system’s useful functions to the sum of
its undesired factors or effects. This ratio is a qualitative
representation of the overall "price"
we pay for the useful functions, including the cost of the system, the space
it occupies, the energy it consumes, etc.
IDEALITY = Useful
functions/undesired factors and effects
Based on the above definition, Altshuller
developed requirements that an ideal system must satisfy: The ideal system
performs its function without actual existing. Actually, we don't need
the system itself -- what we need is the function. What's
more, all harmful
effects are associated with the system rather than with the function. For
example, we need a means of transport rather than, specifically, a car. Of course,
an ideal system is exactly that -- an ideal, a fantasy. In reality we can only aspire to
the ideal system, but very often we can
approach it quite easily.
Invention 17. Corrosion testing
Testing a material’s resistance to
aggressive mediums (acids) is usually performed by submerging a
cube-shaped sample of the material in an acid. The acid is held at a fixed
temperature for a predetermined length of time, after which the sample is
rinsed, dried, and weighed to determine its loss in mass. Such tests are
usually conducted in platinum vessels because platinum is very resistant
to acids. Platinum is expensive, however, and thus most testing facilities
have only one test vessel. As a result, testing must be performed
sequentially -- a time-consuming process.
To improve the situation, it was suggested
that the test sample itself should hold the acid, making the chamber unnecessary.
Invention 18. Date-stamping eggs
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At poultry farms, eggs roll down into
collecting trays. Workers then pack the eggs into cartons.
To avoid introducing a special stamping
machine, the gloves used by the workers can be fitted with an ink supply
that feeds a date-stamp on one of the fingers. As the eggs are packed,
they will then be date-stamped.
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Invention 19. Self-restoring archery target
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A typical archery target must be
replaced after several rounds.
An alternative target is made of an electromagnetic
ring filled with a ferromagnetic substance. The ring is held vertically;
the arrow holes are restored after each shooting.
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Invention 20. Self-dismantling of a crane
In order to dismantle a crane for
maintenance, a second crane is usually required to remove the heavy parts of
the first crane.
An alternative is to make use of a
simple device that allows the crane to lift many of its own parts.
Invention 21. Turning train wheels during
operation
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A train wheel must have a unique shape to
be in optimal contact with the rail -- however, the wheel gradually wears
and its shape changes. It must then be removed, set on a lathe and turned
to restore the original shape.
As an alternative method to restore their
shape, train wheels can be turned by using their rotation during
operation. This is done with the help of a special cutting tool fixed to
the body of the railroad car.
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Invention 22. Using existing airflow
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The upward stream of air produced by
convection from the heat of a light bulb can be used to rotate a lamp
shade.
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Invention 23. Foot power
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If a pump for spraying trees is fastened to
the operator's boot, pump pressure can be created as the operator walks.
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Invention 24. Using a fence as a heater
Solar batteries require a large working
surface to operate effectively, and thus can consume an inconvenient
amount of space.
In Germany, solar collectors have been
successfully tested which are used simultaneously as fences for
cattle-breeding farms and to heat water. Black polyethylene pipes heat
the water to 54 degrees C in the summer and 38 degrees C in the fall and
spring. This is sufficient to supply the farm (including the farmhouse)
with hot water. The system can produce heat during the winter as well,
because antifreeze pumped through the system prevents it from freezing.
The ideal vision serves as a target
for problem-solving. Even
if the ideal solution is not 100% achievable, it directs you to the area
where the most elegant and powerful solutions reside. To develop an ideal
vision of a solution, try to think according to the following patterns:
- An element producing a required useful
effect is no longer necessary
- An element causing a harmful effect is
removed from the system
- A harmful effect withdraws itself
- A required useful effect is achieved
without increase in cost or system complexity
ASSIGNMENT 1
Try to apply the ideal vision approach to find solutions
for the following problems:
Problem 1 (continued). Removing layers of
insulation.
To reduce the hardness of the insulation layer
-- i.e., to soften it -- we decided to warm up the material (see the beginning of
this tutorial). What is the most ideal way to do this?
Problem 6. Silvering contact leads
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When
silver-coating copper lead wires attached to copper contacts,
silver waste is minimized by using a plastic sheet with small
holes to accommodate the lead wires. The sheet prevents the bodies
of the contacts from entering the silver-plating electrolytic
bath. During the
production run, however, the level of the bath changes slightly, resulting in
defective
parts. What can be done to avoid
this?
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Problem 7. Ideal cartridges
Each time an automatic rifle is fired, an
empty cartridge case must be removed from the chamber. The cartridge case
is made of brass, a relatively expensive material. Any suggestions?
ASSIGNMENT 2
Try to apply the ideality approach to things
around you and to come up with a better approach.
Next: Tutorial
#4
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