Tapered screw fastening means for bushings, sleeves and bearings

A bushing, sleeve, bearing or like part is secured in a structural member with a clamping device which is screwed into the structural member at right angles to said part to cause a tapered portion of the device converging toward terminating a reduced diameter material end portion to forcibly engage the said part.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The invention relates to clamping arrangements for bushings, sleeves, 
bearings and the like. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Claming arrangements for securing bushings, sleeves, bearings and the like 
in fixed structures commonly utilize various devices in concert such as 
screws, clamping rings, sleeves and variously shaped wedging elements. 
Because of the number of parts and the use of specially shaped pieces, 
these arrangements are unduly costly. Furthermore, a considerable amount 
of time is often required for their assembly, and it isn't unusual for the 
clamping pieces to work loose after rather short periods of time and so 
lose their effectiveness. 
It is a prime object of the present invention to provide an improved 
clamping device which can be inexpensively produced utilizing conventional 
machining techniques, and which can easily be adjustably positioned in a 
fixed member to secure a bushing, sleeve, bearing or the like thereto. 
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved, adjustable 
clamping arrangement consisting of a few easily produced, easily 
assembled, self-locking parts with which a bushing, sleeve, bearing or the 
like can be effectively secured in a fixed member. 
It is still another object of the invention to provide a self-tapping, 
locking clamping device with which a bushing, sleeve, bearing or the like 
can be reliably secured against movement in a fixed member. 
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during a 
reading of the specification taken in connection with the accompanying 
drawings. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A clamping arrangement in accordance with the invention for a bushing, 
sleeve, bearing or like part which is supported in structural member 
includes a through hole extending in the structural member at right angles 
to the longitudinal axis of the supported part and disposed so that a 
surface portion of the said part extends into the hole. Such arrangement 
further includes a threaded clamping device with a terminating reduced 
diameter material entering end portion, an opposite head end portion 
adapted to receive a tool for applying a turning torque thereto effective 
to advance the device in the hole, and a tapered intermediate portion 
which is converging in a direction extending from the head end portion to 
the material entering end portion and which is forced against the 
supported part by the advance of the device to cause a holding force 
dependent upon the adjusted position of the device to be applied to the 
supported part.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, reference character 10 designates a structural 
member which is shown as being of plastic, but which may also be of metal 
such as aluminum or zinc, and wherein there is supported a bushing 12. As 
shown, the bushing includes an annular groove 14 in the outer surface. 
Structural member 10 is provided with a through hole 16 extending at right 
angles relative to the direction in which the bushing extends in member 
10. Hole 16 is adapted to receive a tapered clamping device 18 and is for 
such purpose provided with enlarged and reduced diameter opposite end 
portions 20 and 22, respectively. The tapered clamping device 18 includes 
a head end portion 24 with a slot 26 for a screwdriver, an intermediate 
tapered portion 28, and a material entering self-tapping threaded end 
portion 30. The self-tapping threaded end portion of the device is screwed 
into reduced diameter end portion 22 of the hole 16 with a screwdriver to 
advance the device in the hole and cause the tapered portion 28 of the 
device to forcibly engage the bushing 12 in annular groove 14 with a 
clamping force dependent upon the magnitude of the applied torque. The 
clamping force serves to prevent rotational and axial movements of the 
bushing 12 in structural member 10. The presence of tapered portion 28 of 
clamping device 18 in groove 14 locates the bushing longitudinally in 
member 10. 
In FIG. 3, there is shown a bushing 32 supported in a structural member 34, 
and a clamping device 36 which is used in combination with a locking 
member 38 to securely affix the bushing in the structural member. Clamping 
device 36 is generally similar to the clamping device 18 already described 
in being formed with a head end portion 40, a tapered intermediate portion 
42, and a threaded material entering end portion 44. As shown, structural 
member 34 includes a through hole 46 which extends at right angles with 
respect to the direction in which the bushing extends im member 34. The 
hole 46 includes an enlarged end portion 48 into which portions 40 and 42 
of the clamping device extend, an enlarged opposite end portion 50 wherein 
an internally threaded locking member 52 is received, and a threaded 
reduced intermediate portion 54. End portion 50 of the hole 34 and locking 
member 52 may be square in cross-section as illustrated in FIG. 6, or 
hexagonal, or have any other polygonal configuration effective to prevent 
the locking member from turning in structural member 10. The clamping 
device 36 is turned in hole 34 to screw threaded end portion 44 of the 
device into the locking member 52 in hole portion 50. The intermediate 
portion 42 of device 36 is thereby brought to bear against the surface 55 
of bushing 32, and at the same time member 52 is drawn tightly against the 
bottom surface 54 of portion 50 of hole 34 to lock the clamping device in 
a selected position effective to hold bushing 32 against movement in 
structural member 34. 
Referring to FIG. 4, there may be seen a bushing 56 in a structural member 
58, and a clamping devie 60 used in conjunction with an internally 
threaded locking member 62 to affix the bushing 56 in the member 58. 
Clamping device 60 is provided with a threaded head end portion 64, a 
tapered intermediate portion 66, and a pilot material entering end portion 
68. Reference character 70 designates a hole extending through structural 
member 58 at right angles relative to the direction of the bushing in the 
structural member. The hole includes enlarged end portion 72 wherein there 
is disposed internally threaded locking member 62. The hole further 
includes a tapered portion 76 and reduced diameter end portion 78. The end 
portion 68 of clamping device 60 is received in reduced diameter hole 
portion 78 which serves as a guide for the device. Tapered portion 66 of 
the clamping device registers in an intermediate portion of the hole 
including tapered portion 76 and is caused to forcibly engage the bushing 
56 in a locating groove 80 as head end portion 64 of the clamping device 
is screwed into locking member 62. 
In FIG. 5, there is shown a bushing 82 without a locating groove secured in 
a structural member 84 by clamping device 86 located in hole 88 extending 
through member 84 at right angles to the bushing. The clamping device 86 
is generally similar to clamping device 60 of FIG. 4, but has a coarsely 
threaded self-tapping head end portion 89 which is screwed directly into 
the enlarged end 90 of hole 88 to cause an intermediate tapered portion 92 
of the device in portion 94 of the hole to act against the bushing 82 as 
the device is guided by pilot end portion 96 in reduced diameter end 
portion 98 of the hole. 
In each of the arrangements shown in the various figures of the drawings, 
the structural member in which the bushing is supported may be plastic as 
illustrated, or it may be of a metal such as aluminum or zinc. The locking 
members 52 and 62 of FIGS. 3 and 4 are preferably metal as shown, but can 
also be plastic. The use of a locking member in connection with a clamping 
device as described herein has a special advantage when the structural 
member in which the clamping device is used is plastic because the locking 
member becomes effective to securely hold the clamping device with the 
application of only a moderate torque thereto and so avoids damage to a 
plastic structural member. 
Locking members 52 and 62 may be formed as separate parts away from the 
structural members 34 and 58, and then inserted in the structural members 
for threaded engagement with the clamping device which is screwed into the 
locking member while the locking member is held in place in the space 
provided for it in the structural member. If the structural member is 
metal, the locking device may be molded of plastic in the structural 
member and then drilled and tapped in place. 
While the present disclosure is of preferred embodiments of the invention, 
it is for purposes of illustration only, and is not to be construed as a 
limitation of the invention. Numerous alterations and modifications of the 
structures herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in 
the art, and all such modifications and alterations which do not depart 
from the spirit and scope of the invention are intended to be included 
within the scope of the appended claims.