Floating Nut Plate

In a nut plate fastener comprising:

• a nut defining a helically-threaded cylindrical opening along a first axis, the nut having all nut walls parallel to the first axis, the nut having opposing first and second planar surfaces, the first and second planar nut surfaces being orthogonal to the first axis, the nut having four tangs in two pairs, the tangs extending along the first planar nut surface to define a generally rectangular nut flange, the generally rectangular nut flange being symmetric along both its major and minor axes which intersect the first axis at a point of intersection, the generally rectangular nut flange defines two symmetrically disposed flange notches each situated on the major axis in opposed relationship relative to the point of intersection, the notches each being located between one pair of the four tangs;
• a nut plate base, comprising an electrically nonconductive base plate, the nut plate base having first and second planar base surfaces, the first planar base surface slidingly contacting the generally planar flange on the first planar nut surface, the nut plate base defining a cylindrical base through hole capable of receiving a bolt to be threadingly engaged with the helically-threaded cylindrical opening, the first planar base surface includes a pair of nut capture bridges in opposed relationship relative to the cylindrical base through hole each bridge having a central post positioned to engage a flange notch, the bridges configured, in concert, to capture the nut by overarching the pair of tangs defining one corresponding central post.

A method for assembling a nut plate fastener, the method comprising:

• forming a metal nut having a generally cylindrical nut body oriented about a central axis:
• the nut body defining a generally cylindrical threaded hole oriented about the central axis, the diameter of the nut body exceeding the diameter of the threaded hole, the nut body extending from a first planar face to a second planar face, the first and second planar faces being oriented perpendicularly to central axis and parallel to each other;
• the nut further comprising first, second, third, and fourth nut tangs each extending along the first planar face such that, in concert with the first planar face, each of the first, second, third, and fourth nut tangs is oriented to define one of four corners of a generally rectangular nut flange face, the nut flange face defining a longitudinal axis passing through the central axis at a point of intersection and perpendicular to the central axis and, further, a latitudinal axis passing through the central axis and the longitudinal axis at the point of intersection, the latitudinal axis being perpendicular to each of the central axis and longitudinal axis, the first and third tangs extending to define a first nut flange edge parallel to and offset from the longitudinal axis by an edge offset distance and the second and fourth tangs extending to define a second nut flange edge in opposed relation to and parallel to the first nut flange edge and offset from the longitudinal axis by the offset distance, the first and second nut tangs being symmetrically disposed relative to the longitudinal axis defining a first nut tang notch centered on the longitudinal axis and the third and fourth nut tangs being symmetrically disposed relative to the longitudinal axis and defining a second nut tang notch centered on the longitudinal axis;
• and
• injection molding a nut plate base comprising a flat elongated base plate, the base plate having a first and a second planar base face, the first and second planar base faces being parallel to each other, the base plate defining a cylindrical plate bore having a bore axis and a bore diameter, the bore diameter being greater than the diameter of the threaded hole but lesser than the diameter of the nut body, the first planar base face further comprising a nut cage to hold the nut in contact with the nut flange face such that the threaded hole and the plate bore rest in substantial coaxially alignment, thereby to allow a bolt to pass through the plate bore to engage threads within the threaded hole, the nut cage comprising each of a first and a second nut cage bridge, the first and second nut cage bridges being oriented about the plate bore in opposed symmetric relationship, the first nut cage bridge comprising a first center post and the second nut cage bridge comprising a second center post, the first center post to engage the first nut tang notch and the second center post to engage the second nut tang notch;
• curing the injection molded nut plate base at a heat and for a duration selected to cure the nut plate base sufficiently to increase in molecular weight through a process of chain extension, branching and cross-linking;
• flexing the nut plate base sufficiently to separate the first and second nut capture bridges to allow insertion of the metal nut into a position such that when inserted, the first center post engages the first nut tang notch and the second center post engages the second nut tang notch;
• and
• inserting the metal nut between the bridges such that the metal nut is captured in a position such that the first center post engages the first nut tang notch and the second center post engages the second nut tang notch.