Fastening collar installation apparatus and methods of installing a fastener system
AssigneeHowmet Aerospace Inc.
InventorArnaud Brunet
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Fastening collar installation apparatus and methods of installing a fastener system are provided. The fastening collar installation apparatus comprises an anvil, a sleeve, and a lever. The sleeve comprises a first section comprising a first sleeve end and a second sleeve end, a sleeve cavity, and a slot. The first sleeve end is intermediate the anvil and the second sleeve end. The slot extends a first distance from the first sleeve end. The lever is slidably received by the slot of the sleeve and configured to move between a first lever position in the slot and a second lever position in the slot. The lever comprises a second distance from a first lever end to a second lever end. The second distance is less than the first distance.
Claims20
A fastening collar installation apparatus comprising:
- an anvil comprising
- a first anvil end;
- and
- a second anvil end,
- wherein an anvil cavity extends into the anvil along a first axis from the first anvil end, the anvil cavity configured to receive at least a portion of a mandrel;
- a sleeve comprising
- a first section comprising a first sleeve end and a second sleeve end, the first sleeve end is intermediate the anvil and the second sleeve end,
- wherein a sleeve cavity extends from the first sleeve end along a second axis, and a slot extends a first distance from the first sleeve end;
- and
- a lever slidably received by the slot of the sleeve and configured to move between a first lever position in the slot and a second lever position in the slot, the lever comprising
- a first lever end;
- and
- a second lever end, wherein the first lever end is intermediate the second lever end and the anvil,
- wherein a second distance is defined from the first lever end to the second lever end, and wherein the second distance is less than the first distance;
- wherein, in the first lever position of the lever, the first axis and the second axis are aligned;
- and
- wherein, in the second lever position of the lever, the first axis and the second axis are not aligned.
A method for installing a fastener system comprising a fastening collar and a mandrel, the method comprising:
- positioning a first anvil end of an anvil of a fastening collar installation apparatus in contact with the fastening collar, the fastening collar installation apparatus comprising:
- an anvil comprising:
- the first anvil end;
- and
- a second anvil end,
- wherein an anvil cavity extends into the anvil along a first axis from the first anvil end, the anvil cavity configured to receive at least a portion of the mandrel;
- a sleeve comprising
- a first section comprising a first sleeve end and a second sleeve end, the first sleeve end is intermediate the anvil and the second sleeve end,
- wherein a sleeve cavity extends from the first sleeve end along a second axis, and
- wherein a slot extends a first distance from the first sleeve end;
- and
- a lever slidably received by the slot of the sleeve and configured to move between a first lever position in the slot and a second lever position in the slot, the lever comprising
- a first lever end;
- and
- a second lever end, wherein the first lever end is intermediate the second lever end and the anvil,
- wherein a second distance is defined from the first lever end to the second lever end, and
- wherein the second distance is less than the first distance;
- wherein, in the first lever position of the lever, the first axis and the second axis are aligned, and
- wherein, in the second lever position of the lever, the first axis and second axis are not aligned;
- subsequent to the positioning, forcibly contacting the first anvil end of the anvil with the fastening collar while the lever is in the first lever position, thereby deforming the fastening collar onto the mandrel;
- moving the lever to the second lever position, thereby misaligning the first and second axis and bending the mandrel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.