Structural support member with swaged female interface
AssigneeBull Moose Tube Company
InventorsMark Scott Abernathy, Jeffrey A. Packer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A swaged interface includes a male element that includes a male cavity defined by at least one male sidewall, and a plurality of first openings defined in the at least one male sidewall. The swaged interface also includes a female element that includes a female cavity defined by at least one female sidewall, and a plurality of second openings defined in the at least one female sidewall. The female element has an inner cross section sized to receive the male element such that each of the first openings is aligned with a respective one of the second openings. The inner cross section is formed by swaging.
Claims9
A method of forming a first column segment for a structural column, said method comprising:
- providing a precursor column segment including a female cavity defined by at least one female sidewall, the at least one female sidewall having an initial inner cross section;
- swaging a first portion, adjacent to a first end of the precursor column segment, of the at least one female sidewall, by forcing the first portion of the at least one female sidewall into a die and forcing a mandrel into the female cavity, such that the inner cross section of the first portion is expanded to a preselected cross section, wherein the swaged first portion defines a female element of the first column segment;
- removing the mandrel from within the female cavity;
- and
- machining a plurality of openings through the at least one sidewall of the female element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.