Patent ID: 8468768

Claim:
An anchoring element suitable for being anchored with the aid of mechanical vibrations in a bore in an object, the anchoring element comprising: a coupling-in face, and a thermoplastic material forming at least a part of an anchoring element surface, the anchoring element being capable of being compressed along a compression axis not parallel to the coupling-in face when a compressing force is applied to the coupling-in face; wherein at least one of the following conditions is fulfilled: the anchoring element comprises at least two components, which are designed to be shifted relative to each other by the compressing force along shifting surfaces extending obliquely to the compression axis; the anchoring element is one piece and is spreadable; the anchoring element is one piece and comprises buckling locations, in which the anchoring element buckles through the effect of the compressing force; whereby the anchoring element is shaped to be expanded so that a distance between a peripheral anchoring surface of the anchoring element and the compression axis is locally enlarged when a compressing force is coupled into the anchoring element via the coupling-in face while the thermoplastic material is in a solid state; wherein the thermoplastic material forming at least a part of the peripheral surface of the anchoring element is arranged at least in regions of the peripheral anchoring surface; wherein the anchoring element is further capable of transmitting mechanical vibrations from the coupling-in face to the anchoring surface; so that, when the anchoring element is positioned in the bore and a compression force and mechanical vibrations are coupled into the anchoring element via the coupling-in face, the anchoring element is caused to be compressed and, due to the distance enlargement, to be pressed at least locally against the side walls of the opening and therewith the thermoplastic material is allowed to be at least partly liquefied where it is in contact with the side walls and to be pressed into structures of the object in order to form a form-fit connection after resolidification.