Self-Drilling Bolt and Nut Assembly
AssigneeHandy & Harman
InventorsTimothy F. Gillis, Mark Joseph Guthrie, Michael W. Maziarz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A self-drilling bolt and nut assembly includes a nut which has a window to permit visual inspection of the fastener thread upon engagement with the nut. The nut also includes a protective cap or receives a protective cap so that upon threadably engaging the fastener with the nut, the drill tip of the fastener is automatically received in the cap. The nut also has at one end a plurality of projections to enhance the locking engagement. The self-drilling bolt may have an integral washer and employ a clamping plate engageable against the washer.
Claims19
A fastener/locking assembly comprising:
- a self-drilling fastener comprising a head and a shank extending from said head to a drill tip, said shank having a first unthreaded portion adjacent said head and a second portion having a thread;
- a nut comprising a body having at one end a locking surface and at an opposite second end a recess, said body having a central bore with an internal surface complementary to said thread;
- and
- a cap received in said recess and retained with said nut wherein upon threadably engaging said fastener with said nut and advancing said fastener relative to said nut, said drill tip is received in said cap.
A fastener/locking assembly comprising:
- a self-drilling fastener having a head and a shank extending from said head and terminating in a drill tip, said shank having a first unthreaded portion adjacent said head and a second threaded portion having a thread adjacent said drill tip;
- a nut comprising a body having at one end a locking surface, said body having a central bore defined by a surface complementary to said threaded portion, and said exterior surface being configured to resist or permit application of torque;
- and
- a cap carried by said nut so that when said fastener is threadably received in said nut, said drill tip is received in said cap and said cap separates from said nut.
A self-drilling bolt and nut assembly comprising:
- a fastener having a proximal end and a distal end and comprising a head at the proximal end and a shank extending from said head to a drill tip and having a threaded portion adjacent said drill tip, said drill tip having a terminus at said distal end;
- and
- a nut having an exterior surface configured for applying or resisting a torque and having an axial bore with an axially extending internal threaded surface threadably engageable with said fastener, said nut having a first end defining an opening for inserting said fastener and an axially spaced opposite second end having a cap with an elongated cylindrical portion and entirely enclosing said drill tip and terminus and defining a window between said first and second end at an intermediate axial position of said internal threaded surface, so that said nut threadably receives said fastener, wherein a portion of said threaded portion is visible through said window.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.