Patent ID: 8613178

Claim:
An anchoring element suitable for being anchored in an object with the aid of mechanical vibrations, comprising: a core piece, the core piece comprising a shaft portion and a distal broadening portion, the distal broadening portion having a proximally-facing coupling-out face, a mantle piece, the mantle piece comprising a thermoplastic material liquefiable by mechanical energy, wherein: the mantle piece surrounds the shaft portion at least partially, the mantle piece forms at least a part of a lateral face of the anchoring element, the mantle piece has a distal coupling-in face, proximally of the coupling-out face, and the mantle piece is formed so that the coupling-out face is capable of being pressed against the coupling-in face, wherein the core piece is of a material that is not liquefiable or liquefiable at substantially higher temperatures compared to the thermoplastic material, wherein the shaft portion of the core piece reaches from proximally of the mantle piece at least to the distal broadening portion, wherein the shaft portion is equipped for being coupled to a source of mechanical vibrations, whereby the core piece is capable of serving as a sonotrode in an anchoring process in which the core piece is pulled against the mantle piece, and thereby the coupling-out face is pressed against the coupling-in face, while mechanical vibrations are coupled into the core piece until at least a portion of the thermoplastic material of the mantle pieced is liquefied from a solid to a liquid state and pressed, in the liquid state, into structures of the object adjacent the lateral face to form, after re-solidification, a positive-fit connection with the object, whereby the core piece is anchored in the object after being de-coupled from the source of mechanical vibrations.