DRIVE FASTENING SYSTEM

Abstract: A fastening system for securing an article (14) to a base (15) uses a conventional drive fastener (12). A reaction surface (21) on the article contacts the bearing surface (18) on the underside of the fastener head (19) causing the fastener head to tilt relative to the body (13) of the fastener. The reaction surface also causes the body of the drive fastener to deform when it is fully driven into the article, and a portion of the material (27) from the reaction surface is displaced into the aperture (16) to increase the retention force of the fastener.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to drive fasteners and to a drive fastening system in which the drive fastener is deformed to increase the retention force thereof. Drive fasteners are well known in the art. A drive fastener comprises an elongated body having an enlarged head which is driven into preformed apertures formed in the articles which are to be fastened together. According to conventional manufacturing techniques, when using a drive fastener to fasten an item to a base, the aperture in the item is sized to present a clearance fit to the fastener, while the aperture in the base is smaller to create an interference fit with the fastener. The interference fit between the base aperture and the fastener creates a retention force which holds the fastener in the aperture and the item to the base. Drive fasteners may be either rotational or nonrotational. Rotational fasteners are formed with helical splines along the length of the fastener which form complementary threads in the aperture in the base upon the application of a pushing force to the drive fastener head. A problem arises, however, since the retention force of a rotational drive fastener is related to the number of splines per inch. Since the number of splines per inch is low, the retention force is not as great as a conventional screw. As a result, a rotational drive fastener will fail by counter-rotating out of the self-threaded apertures upon the application of a force to the fastener which is opposite in direction to the insertion force. Nonrotational drive fasteners are formed with a knurled or ribbed pattern along the length of the fastener which becomes imbedded in the base aperture, or with no pattern at all. Such nonrotational fasteners are susceptible to failure by withdrawing from the base aperture upon an application of a suitable force to the fastener. Document US-E-15 925 and Document BE-A-501 432 show nut-and-bolt type fastener which is tightened by tension. The head of the bolt is positioned at an angle of the shaft of the bolt and further the threaded bore through the nut is cut at an angle to endfaces of the nut. Both constructions causes on edge of the bolt heads and/or one edge of the nut to come into single point contact with the impinging face of the two pieces which are supposed to be clamped together. To prevent backward rotation of the nut it is necessary in both documents that there is an increasing tightening force by turning-down operation. SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, a drive fastening system utilizes a conventional drive fastener which deforms as it is driven to a final seated position. A reaction surface which surrounds the aperture into which the fastener is inserted forces the head of the fastener to tilt relative to the axis of the aperture. In one embodiment, the reaction surface is planar and sloped relative to a plane which is perpendicular to the axis of the aperture; and in another embodiment, the reaction surface is stepped to present two levels of contact to the underside of the drive fastener head. In a further embodiment, the bearing surface of the fastener is formed with a protrusion which when forced against the reaction surface causes the drive fastener head to tilt relative to the axis of the aperture. In all embodiments, whether a rotational or a nonrotational fastener is used, the reaction surface causes a tilting of the fastener head relative to the axis of the aperture and a deformation of the fastener body. After the fastener has been inserted, the deformed fastener exhibits a higher retention force than a conventional drive fastener. It is, accordingly, an object of the invention to provide a drive fastener system which develops a higher retention force than prior art drive fastener systems. It is another object of the invention to provide an improved drive fastener system which utilizes conventional rotational and nonrotational drive fasteners. It is a further object of the invention to provide a drive fastener system in which the fastener deforms as it is seated in its final position in the articles to be fastened together. These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description in which reference numerals used throughout the description designate like or corresponding parts which are shown on the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a drive fastener system according to the prior art. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the drive fastener system according to the invention. Figures 3, 4, 6, and 7 are sectional views showing a drive fastener securing an article to a base. Figure 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of Figure 4. Figures 8 through 17 show alternate forms of drive fasteners which may be used with the drive fastener system of the invention. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Turning now to the drawing figures, Figure 1 shows a prior art drive fastener system in which a pair of rotational drive fasteners 12 are used to secure an article 14 to a base 15. Each of the drive fasteners comprises an elongated body 13 which is provided with helical splines 20 and a head 19 having a bearing surface 18 formed on the underside thereof. Each fastener 12 is received by an aperture 16 in the article 14 which is surrounded by a reaction surface 17. The reaction surface 17 contacts the bearing surface 18 and is generally perpendicular to the elongated body 13. In use, the pair of drive fasteners 12 are inserted into the apertures 16 and driven into the smaller aligned apertures (not shown) in the base 15; and the interference fit of the splines 20 in the apertures in the base 15 cause the fastener to rotate as it passes through the apertures and to form complementary threads on the aperture walls. Figure 2 shows a drive fastener system according to the invention. An article 14 which is to be fastened to a base 15 includes a pair of mounting apertures 16 (only one shown) which are dimensioned to be a clearance fit with the drive fasteners 12. A sloped reaction surface 21 formed on the article 14 immediately adjacent each mounting aperture 16 is angled relative to a plane which is perpendicular to the axis 23 of the mounting aperture 16 and relative to the bearing surface 18 of the drive fastener 12. Figure 3 shows a cross section of an article 14 which is attached to a base 15 by a rotational drive fastener 12. The mounting aperture 16 is in general alignment with a base aperture 24, and immediately adjacent the mounting aperture 16 is a sloped reaction surface 21. The sloped reaction surface 21 is planar and nonperpendicular to the axis 23 of the mounting aperture 16. As shown, the reaction surface 21 is angled relative to the bearing surface 18 on the underside of the drive fastener head causing the highest portion 22 of the bearing surface 18 to contact the sloped reaction surface 21 before the remainder of the bearing surface 18. As depicted in Figure 3, the drive fastener 12 is not yet driven to its final position. Figure 4 shows the drive fastener 12 in its final position in the mounting aperture 16. The sloped reaction surface 21 causes the entire fastener head 19 to tilt relative to the axis of the elongated fastener body 13. Additionally, the body 13 deforms or bends within the apertures 16 and 24. The deformation of the fastener body is best seen in Figure 5 which shows a tapered gap 26 formed between the body 13 and the mounting aperture 16. The tapered gap 26 is an indication that the upper portion of the fastener body 13 is bent to the left relative to the axis 23 of the apertures 16 and 24. In actual practice, it has been found that the bending of the fastener body is not localized to the upper portion of the body which is surrounded by the aperture 16 but is distributed along the entire length of the drive fastener causing the body to develop a slightly bowed shape. Figure 5 also shows a mass of material 27 displaced by the bearing surface 18 into the aperture 16 between the drive fastener body 13 and the location 28 of the original aperture wall. This displaced material 27 further locks the fastener into the mounting aperture by increasing the turning resistance for the bowed fastener 12 in the apertures 16 and 24. A rotational drive fastener system according to the invention has a much greater retention force than prior art rotational drive fasteners. It is believed that the increased retention force is created by a combination of effects: 1. The bearing surface 18 of the fastener head in contact with the angled reaction surface 21 is very difficult to counter-rotate in order to back the fastener out of the mounting aperture; 2. The bent or deformed fastener body 13 has a higher resistance to turning in the apertures 16 and 24 than a straight fastener; and 3. The material 27 which is displaced by the bearing surface 18 into the mounting aperture 16 creates an interference fit and contributes to the deformation or bending of the fastener body 13 to further inhibit counter-rotation of the fastener within the mounting aperture. In actual practice, commercially available rotational stainless steel fasteners have been used to fasten an article 14 which is a zinc casting to a base 15 which is a glass fiber reinforced epoxy sheet. However, it will be appreciated that the article 14 and the base 15 may comprise any other materials which can be fastened together through the use of drive fasteners. When used in the embodiment as shown in Figure 2, the oppositely angled reaction surfaces 21 cause the bearing surfaces of the drive fasteners to impart a moment of rotation 29 to the article 14 in the direction of the arrow. The moment of rotation 29 acts to lock the drive fasteners 12 against the apertures 16 and 24 to further increase the turning resistance of the fasteners. The increased turning resistance increases the retention force of the fasteners and retention forces 3 to 4 times greater than normally exhibited by drive fasteners in a similar configuration have been measured. Turning now to Figure 6, an alternate embodiment is shown in which a stepped reaction surface 31 formed around a mounting aperture 16 comprises a high step 32 and a low step 33. The stepped reaction surface 31 causes the bearing surface 18 of the drive fastener to tilt relative to the axis of the mounting aperture when the drive fastener is driven against the reaction surface. The tilting of the bearing surface 18 causes the elongated body 13 of the drive fastener to bend in the apertures 16 and 24, and a portion of the high step 32 is displaced into the mounting aperture 16 resulting in an interference fit between the drive fastener body 13 and the mounting aperture 16 similar to that shown in Figure 5. Figure 7 shows a further embodiment of the invention in which the drive fastener head 34 is formed with an asymmetric protrusion 35 on the bearing surface 37. The protrusion 35 is formed by striking the top edge of the head 34 with a staking tool to displace a portion of the original head material below the bearing surface 37; however, the protrusion 35 may also comprise a nib of material which has been attached to or integrally fabricated on the bearing surface 37. In this embodiment, the reaction surface 36 may be perpendicular to the axis of the mounting aperture 16 and parallel to the bearing surface 37. As the fastener is driven fully into the mounting aperture 16, the asymmetric protrusion 35 bears against the reaction surface 36 causing the bearing surface 37 to tilt relative to the axis of the mounting aperture 16. The tilting of the bearing surface causes the elongated body 13 of the fastener 12 to become deformed or bent, and the asymmetric protrusion 35 penetrates into the reaction surface 36 and displaces a portion of the material immediately adjacent the mounting aperture 16 into the mounting aperture. Figures 8 through 13 show nonrotating drive screw fasteners which may be utilized in the fastening system of the invention. Figure 8 shows a fastener 40 including an enlarged head 41 having a bearing surface 42 on the underside thereof and an elongated body 43 with a plurality of longitudinal ribs 44. The ribs 44 are parallel to each other and to the axis of the elongated body 43. The nonrotating fastener 46 shown in Figure 9 is similar to the fastener 40 with the exception of the asymmetric protrusion 47 formed on the underside of the enlarged head 48. Figure 10 shows a nonrotating drive fastener 50 having an enlarged head 51 with a bearing surface 52 formed on the underside thereof. The elongated body 53 of the fastener is provided with a knurled surface 54. The nonrotating fastener 56 shown in Figure 11 is similar to the fastener 50 with the exception of the asymmetric protrusion 57 formed on the underside of the enlarged head 58. Figure 12 shows a nonrotating fastener 60 having an enlarged head 61 with a bearing surface 62 formed on the underside thereof and a smooth elongated body 63. The nonrotating fastener 65 shown in Figure 13 is similar to the fastener 60 with the exception of the asymmetric protrusion 66 formed on the underside of the enlarged head 67. The nonrotating fasteners 40, 50, and 60 shown in Figures 8, 10, and 12 respectively, may be used in a fastening system as shown in Figures 3 through 6. Such use will cause the heads of the fasteners 40, 50, and 60, when fully seated in the item and the base, to tilt relative to the axis of the elongated fastener body. The tilt of the fastener head will cause the fastener to bend along its length, and a quantity of material surrounding the aperture in the item in which the fastener is installed to be displaced into the aperture between the fastener body and the wall of the aperture. The deformed fastener exhibits a higher retention force than a nondeformed fastener, and it is believed that the higher retention force is caused by the bending of the elongated fastener body and by the material which is forced into the aperture and blocks the withdrawal of the body therefrom. The nonrotating fasteners 46, 56, and 65 shown in Figures 9, 11, and 13, respectively, may be used in a fastening system as shown in Figure 7. The asymmetric protrusion on the fastener head as it comes into contact with a reaction surface will cause the head to tilt relative to the axis of the fastener body and the body to bend along its length. The tilted head will displace a portion of the material surrounding the aperture into the aperture, and the combination of the displaced material and the deformed fastener body will increase the retention force of the fastener for the reasons given above. Tests have shown that although drive fasteners are normally used in an interference mode in which the diameter of the fastener body is on the order of .5080mm (.002") greater than the diameter of the base aperture, the fastener system of the invention may be used with drive fasteners in a clearance mode in which the diameter of the fastener body is slightly less than the diameter of the base aperture. Drive fasteners in a clearance mode ordinarily have no retention ability at all; however, due to the bending of the elongated drive fastener body and the displacement of material into the aperture between the fastener body and the aperture wall, a clearance mode fastener will produce a retention force in the aperture. The ability to utilize a clearance mode fastener to develop a retention force is useful in applications where it is desirable to avoid a normal interference fit between the fastener body and the aperture. Figures 14-16 show an alternate embodiment of the invention in which a wedge-shaped washer 71 is used with an elongated fastener 72 to provide a sloped reaction surface 73 which contacts the underside 74 of the fastener head 76. Figure 15 shows the fastener 72 in its final position against the wedge-shaped washer 71 in the articles which are being fastened together. Figure 17 shows in cross section an alternate form of a wedge-shaped washer 77 having two surfaces 78 on either side thereof which are sloped relative to the axis 79 of the washer. The wedge-shaped washers shown in Figures 14-17 allow the advantages of the invention to be realized through the use of a standard driven fastener which fastens an article to a base wherein the article has a surface which is perpendicular to the axis of the mounting aperture and the wedge shaped washer provides a sloped reaction surface.

Claims: A fastening system securing an article to a base with at least one drive fastener, said drive fastener having an elongated splined body, an enlarged head, and a bearing surface formed on the underside thereof, and said article having at least one aperture formed therein with a reaction surface adjacent the aperture and adapted to contact the bearing surface of the fastener head, characterized in that the system is so designed that during securing the reaction surface causes the fastener head to tilt relative to the axis (23) of the aperture and the fastener body to deform, whereby the retention force of the fastener is increased. The fastening system of claim 1 further characterized in that the reaction surface (21) is planar and is nonperpendicular to the axis of the aperture. The fastening system of claim 2 further characterized in that the bearing surface of the fastener head deforms the article immediately adjacent the aperture. The fastening system of claim 3 further characterized in that the bearing surface of the fastener head displaces a portion of the article surrounding the aperture into the aperture. The fastening system of claim 1 further characterized in that the reaction surface (32, 33) is nonplanar. The fastening system of claim 5 further characterized in that the bearing surface of the fastener head deforms the article immediately adjacent the aperture. The fastening system of claim 6 further characterized in that the bearing surface of the fastener head displaces a portion of the article surrounding the aperture into the aperture. The fastening system of claim 7 further characterized in that the reaction surface is a stepped reaction surface (32, 33), the stepped reaction surface having a high step (32) which contacts the bearing surface of the screw head before the remainder (33) of the reaction surface. A fastening system securing an article to a base with a drive fastener, said article having a reaction surface and an aperture formed through the reaction surface and the article, and said drive fastener having an elongated splined body and an enlarged head having a bearing surface formed on the underside thereof, characterized in that an asymmetric protrusion (35) is formed on the bearing surface which during securing contacts the reaction surface and causes the fastener head to tilt relative to the elongated body and the fastener body to deform, whereby the retention force of the fastener is increased. The fastening system of claim 9 further characterized in that the asymmetric protrusion deforms the article immediately adjacent the aperture. The fastening system of claim 10 further characterized in that the asymmetric protrusion displaces a portion of the article surrounding the aperture into the aperture. The fastening system of claim 1 with a pair of drive fasteners and a pair of apertures, characterized in that one of the reaction surfaces causes one of the drive fastener heads to tilt in a direction which is dissimilar to the direction of tilt of the other drive fastener head. The fastening system of claim 12 further characterized in that the dissimilar tilt of the two drive fastener heads creates a moment (29) in the article which increases the retention force of the drive fasteners. The fastening system of claim 13 further characterized in that the pair of mounting apertures are located in diagonally opposite corners of the article. The fastening system of claim 1 further characterized in that the drive fastener is nonrotating, and the reaction surface is planar and nonperpendicular to the axis of the aperture. The fastening system of claim 15 further characterized in that the bearing surface of the fastener head deforms the article immediately adjacent the aperture. The fastening system of claim 16 further characterized in that the bearing surface of the fastener head displaces a portion of the article surrounding the aperture into the aperture. The fastening system of claims 17 further characterized in that the elongated body (53) of the fastener is knurled (54). The fastening system of claim 17 further characterized in that the elongated body (43) of the fastener is ribbed (44). The fastening system of claim 17 further characterized in that the elongated body (63) of the fastener is smooth. The fastening system of claim 9 further characterized in that the fastener is nonrotating and a single nib (47) of material comprises the asymmetric protrusion. The fastening system of claim 1 further characterized in that the reaction surface is provided by a washer (71) having at least one surface (73) which is nonperpendicular to the axis of the aperture. The fastening system of claim 1 further characterized in that the reaction surface is provided by a washer (77) having two surfaces (78) which are nonperpendicular to the axis of the aperture.

Inventors: PERUGINI, MICHAEL N.
Applicants: LITTON SYSTEMS, INC.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: F16B15
IPC codes: F16B5, F16B15, F16H19, F16B39, F16B19, F16B4