US 12,241,496 B2Granted

Member for fastening and method of manufacturing same

AssigneesKabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsHideaki Matsuoka, Gaku Kitahara, Tatsuyuki Amago, Hiroyuki Mori, Jun Yaokawa, Kyosuke Izuno, Kohei Takahashi, Tomohiko Sekiguchi, Ayaka Kagami

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Abstract

A method of manufacturing a member for fastening by joining a nut with a tubular joint portion extending from a main body formed with an internal thread to a panel with a mounting hole for the nut on an aluminum base material. The joint portion has a rotation-preventing portion with a concave and convex shaped outer peripheral surface and a guide portion extending from the rotation-preventing portion to one side. After the guide portion is inserted into the mounting hole, the nut is energized by electrodes in contact with both nut end surface sides. The nut then generates heat, and the periphery of the mounting hole is heated and softened. When the nut is pressurized with the electrodes, the rotation-preventing portion bites into the mounting hole, and the one end portion of the guide portion is swaged to become a retaining portion on one surface side of the panel.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A method of manufacturing a member for fastening obtained by joining a nut to a panel of an aluminum base material,

the panel having a mounting hole for the nut,
the nut comprising:
a main body having an internal thread and a bearing surface, the bearing surface being wider than the mounting hole;
and
a tubular joint portion extending from the bearing surface side to one side in an axial direction of the internal thread, the tubular joint portion being longer than a depth of the mounting hole,
the tubular joint portion having a rotation-preventing portion and a guide portion, the rotation-preventing portion having a concave and convex shaped outer peripheral surface, the guide portion extending from the rotation-preventing portion to the one side and having a width smaller than an maximum width of the outer peripheral surface of the rotation-preventing portion,
the method comprising:
an energization step of energizing the nut from a pair of electrodes to soften a periphery of the mounting hole of the panel by resistance heat generation of the nut, the guide portion of the nut being inserted in the mounting hole from another surface side than one surface side of the panel, the pair of electrodes being in contact with both end surface sides of the nut;
and
a pressurization step of swaging one end portion of the guide portion by a pressing force applied from the electrodes to the nut to form a retaining portion and allow the rotation-preventing portion to bite into the mounting hole, the retaining portion having a widened width on the one surface side of the panel.

7 more elements

A member for fastening comprising a nut joined to a panel of an aluminum base material,

the panel having a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a mounting hole for the nut extending through the first and second surfaces,
the nut made of a material having an electrical resistivity higher than an electrical resistivity of the aluminum base material of the panel, the nut comprising:
a main body having an internal thread and a flat bearing surface that is not axially recessed, the bearing surface being wider than the mounting hole and contacting the first surface of the panel;
and
a tubular joint portion extending from the bearing surface side to one side in an axial direction of the internal thread, the tubular joint portion being fitted in the mounting hole and extending entirely through the mounting hole beyond the second surface of the panel,
the tubular joint portion having a rotation-preventing portion, a guide portion, and a retaining portion, the rotation-preventing portion extending from the bearing surface of the main body, the guide portion located distally of the rotation-preventing portion, and the retaining portion located distally of the guide portion and being a distal-most end of the tubular joint portion, the rotation-preventing portion having a concave and convex shaped outer peripheral surface biting into an inner surface of the mounting hole and extending only partially through the mounting hole from a first surface side of the panel to a location within the mounting hole between the first and second surfaces of the panel, the guide portion extending from the location within the mounting hole between the first and second surfaces of the panel to a second surface side of the panel, and the retaining portion extending radially outward from the mounting hole and contacting the second surface of the panel, wherein
the guide portion and the retaining portion of the tubular joint portion do not have the concave and convex shaped outer peripheral surface.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/164,159Filed 3 Feb 2023
Priority: JP 2022-04415018 Mar 2022
Published: US 2023/0296125 A121 Sep 2023
Granted: 4 Mar 2025
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

F16B 37/061
By means of welding or riveting: by means of welding
B23K 11/0066
Welding of a small piece to a large or broad piece: riveting
B23K 11/14
Resistance welding; Severing by resistance heating: projection welding
B23K 11/185
Of non-ferrous metals: of aluminium or aluminium alloys