U.S. patent application number 10/836044 was filed with the patent office on 2004-10-14 for self-punching fastener for pressing into a metal sheet which achieves optimal safety against rotation and pressing out.
This patent application is currently assigned to TEXTRON Verbindungstechnik GmbH & Co. oHG.. Invention is credited to Ludwig, Detlef, Ross, Gerold.
Application Number | 20040202524 10/836044 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 7960775 |
Filed Date | 2004-10-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040202524 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ross, Gerold ; et
al. |
October 14, 2004 |
Self-punching fastener for pressing into a metal sheet which
achieves optimal safety against rotation and pressing out
Abstract
A self-punching fastener (10), which in a way is safe against
rotation and pressing out and which can be pressed into a metal
sheet member (40) having an annular body, the side of which facing
the metal sheet has radially disposed projections (15, 25), which,
during the pressing-in, are pressed into the metal sheet member
(40) and thereby secure the fastener (10) against rotation, wherein
in the center an interior thread (11) is positioned and, wherein on
the side facing the metal sheet member (40) in the set state there
is provided an annular depression (12) into which the material
displaced during the setting is pressed.
Inventors: |
Ross, Gerold; (Bendorf,
DE) ; Ludwig, Detlef; (Niederstetten, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Robert L. Waddell
Domingue & Waddell, PLC
P.O. Box 3405
Lafayette
LA
70502
US
|
Assignee: |
TEXTRON Verbindungstechnik GmbH
& Co. oHG.
|
Family ID: |
7960775 |
Appl. No.: |
10/836044 |
Filed: |
April 29, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10836044 |
Apr 29, 2004 |
|
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10128642 |
Apr 22, 2002 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
411/181 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16B 37/068 20130101;
Y10T 403/4966 20150115; B23P 19/062 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
411/181 |
International
Class: |
F16B 037/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 22, 2001 |
DE |
201 13 853.0 |
Claims
1-6. (canceled).
7. A self-punching fastener (10) for pressing into a metal sheet
(40) that achieves optimal safety against rotation and pressing
out, said self-punching fastener comprising: an annular body having
a side that faces the metal sheet (40) when said self-punching
fastener (10) is pressed into the metal sheet (40) and set;
projections (15, 25) radially positioned on said side of the
annular body that faces said metal sheet (40), said projections
(15, 25) being pressed into said metal sheet (40) during pressing
in of said self-punching fastener (10) to secure said self-punching
fastener (10) against rotation; an interior thread (11) positioned
in a center of said annular body; an annular depression (12) on
said side of the annular body that faces the metal sheet (40) into
which a displaced material of said metal sheet (40) is pressed when
said self-punching fastener is pressed into said metal sheet (40)
and set, said annular depression (12) being limited by a collar
(14) positioned on an outer rim of said annular depression (12) and
by a collar-shaped projection (13) positioned about said annular
depression (12) in a direction of said interior thread (11);
wherein said projections (15, 25) are evenly distributed and
radially positioned in said annular depression (12) substantially
on said outer rim of said annular depression (12) at said collar
(14) and not positioned in said annular depression (12) at said
collar-shaped projection (13); wherein said collar-shaped
projection (13) is shaped as to punch a hole into said metal sheet
(40) during setting of said self-punching fastener (10), said hole
having a diameter of said collar-shaped projection (13); wherein
said collar (14) has an undercut (17) with respect to annular
depression (12) which receives said material of metal sheet (40)
during the pressing in of said self-punching fastener (10) to lock
said self-punching fastener (10) against axial pressing out.
8. The self-punching fastener (10) according to claim 7, wherein
said collar-shaped projection (13) has a height that is adapted to
a gauge of the metal sheet (40) to be punched.
9. The self-punching fastener (10) according to claim 7, wherein
said collar-shaped projection (13) has an undercut (16) with
respect to annular depression (12) which receives said material of
the metal sheet (40) during the pressing in of said self-punching
fastener (10) to achieve a locking of said self-punching fastener
(10) against axial pressing out.
10. The self-punching fastener (10) according to claim 7, wherein
annular depression (12) has a bottom face which is inclined from an
interior to an exterior of said annular depression (12) in the
direction of said metal sheet (40).
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to a self-punching fastener,
which in a way safe against rotation and pressing out can be
pressed into a metal sheet having an annular body, the side of
which facing the metal sheet is having radially positioned
projections, which are pressed into the surface thereof during the
setting in the centre of which an interior thread being provided
and which on the side of the annular body facing the metal sheet in
the set state is having a surrounding annular depression into which
the metal sheet material displaced during the setting is
pressed.
[0002] It is the task to be solved by the present invention to
improve such a fastener in such a way that with the same geometry
in a maximal range of gauges of the metal sheet can be used with a
high safety against rotation and pressing out without a previous
punching or a special preparation of the holes into which the
fastener is to be set being necessary.
[0003] According to the prior art, the known solutions were based
on the assumption that an optimal safety against rotation and
pressing out and a broad range of use of the fastener is achieved
if for the locking against rotation continuous ridges are provided
within the annular depression and if the bottom of the annular
depression is parallel to the surface of the metal sheets to be
worked.
[0004] Contrary to this, the present invention is based on the fact
that for achieving an optimal safety against rotation burl-shaped
locking elements are provided in a maximal distance to the central
axis to make use of the most effective lever against the rotational
momentum at the utmost supporting collar of the annular
depression.
[0005] A further advantage of the solution according to the
invention is consisting in the fact that by the above described
displacing of the security against rotation and the inclined
formation of the bottom of the annular depression at the innermost
limit of the annular depression--the punching collar--there is more
space for the penetration of the cutting ring of the punching die
available, which means it is possible to work with larger
thicknesses of the metal sheets or larger gauge ranges with the
solution according to the invention.
[0006] The coordination between the punching die geometry and the
shape of the annular depression and the kind of security against
rotation according to the invention is ensuring that after the
pressing-in of the metal sheet material a jamming on the punching
die is prevented and therefore a high working safety is
secured.
[0007] Into the undercuts formed during the production of the parts
as well at the inner punching collar as on the supporting collar of
the annular depression during the pressing-in of the parts the
material of the metal sheet is shaped into said undercuts ensuring
that even with the working in thin metal sheets a high safety
against rotation and pressing out of the fastener is achieved.
[0008] The shape of the projections or burls can be arched as well
as with sharp edges (triangular).
[0009] In the following, the invention is more detailly described
with reference to the attached drawings.
[0010] FIG. 1 is showing a fastener according to the invention in
the shape of a nut consisting of an annular basic body 10. In the
centre of the cylindrical fastener 10 there is a through-bore which
at least over a part of the height of the fastener 10 is formed as
a thread 11.
[0011] On the bottom side, the fastener 10 according to the
invention is provided with an annular depression 12, the bottom
face of which starting from its inner limitation--the punching
collar 13--is inclined to its outer limitation, i.e. the supporting
collar 14. Within this annular depression 12 at the outer
supporting collar 14 there are provided evenly distributed
burl-shaped locking elements 15 in an annular array. The punching
collar 13 is having an undercut 16 towards the axis 20 of the
fastener 10 according to the invention and the supporting collar 14
is having an undercut 17 in the direction of the exterior
enveloping face 18 of the fastener 10 according to the invention.
The punching collar 13 is having a cutting edge 19.
[0012] FIG. 2 shows the fastener 10 according to the invention of
FIG. 1 in a bottom view. The shape and the position of the
burl-shaped locking elements 15 are clearly shown. The burl-shaped
locking elements 15 are positioned at the outer supporting collar
14 and are forming a free-space towards the punching collar 13. In
this representation (FIG. 2) the variant with annularly shaped
burl-shaped locking elements 15 is shown.
[0013] FIG. 3 shows the fastener 10 according to the invention in
an embodiment having sharp-edged (triangular) burl-shaped locking
elements 25.
[0014] FIG. 4 shows the fastener 10 according to the invention in
accordance to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 as well as the punching die 30 and
the metal sheet member 40. From this representation it can be
learnt that the metal sheet member 40 does not have a prefabricated
hole and does not need any further preparation. The punching die 30
is having a cutting edge 31 and a swaging ring 32 having a special
geometry 33. The exterior enveloping face 34 of the swaging ring 32
is running conically towards the central axis 20 of the punching
die 30. This is ensuring that after the punching and pressing-in of
the metal sheet member 40 into the annular depression 12 a jamming
of the swaging ring 32 in the metal sheet member 40 is avoided.
[0015] FIG. 5 shows the fastener 10 according to the invention of
FIG. 1 to 3 shortly after the finalization of the setting
procedure. By the punching collar 13 in corporation with the
cutting edge 31 of the punching die 30, a disk 41 has been punched
out of the metal sheet member 40 and the material of the metal
sheet member 40 has been swaged into the annular depression 12 by
the swaging ring 32 enclosing the burl-shaped locking elements 15,
25. The stemmed out disk 41 is discarded downwardly from the
punching die 30.
[0016] FIG. 6 is showing the fastener 10 according to the invention
completely set in a metal sheet member 40. The action of the
undercut 16, 17 at the punching collar 13 and at the supporting
collar 14 is clearly shown. The annular depression 12 is filled
with the material of the metal sheet member 40. The burl-shaped
locking elements 14, 25 are embadded in the metal sheet member 40.
The positive action of the bottom face of the annular depression 12
inclined to the exterior for enlarging the active length of the
punching collar 13 and therefore for increasing the range of
useable gauge ranges of the metal sheets for the fastener 10
according to the invention can be clearly noticed.
* * * * *