Self-piercing pop rivet fasteners

A pop rivet assembly comprising as distinct and separable elements:

• (a) a piercing pin for punching a hole through a workpiece upon application of a force;
• (b) a hollow housing having a top end and a bottom end;
• and
• (c) a drive pin for (i) transmitting a force to the piercing pin to punch a hole through the workpiece, (ii) emplacing the housing in said hole, and (iii) affixing the housing to said workpiece;
• said housing having a center bore with a relatively large diameter at its top end and a relatively small diameter at its bottom end;
• said drive pin shaft being stepped and having a bottom section with a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the top end of said bore and at least one section with a diameter greater than the diameter of the bottom end of said bore;
• said piercing pin extending into and projecting from the bottom end of said housing, and said bottom section of said drive pin shaft extending into and projecting from the top end of said housing, with said piercing pin and said drive pin each being separately attached to said housing;
• said drive pin and housing being arranged so that when said drive pin is driven further into said housing in the direction of said piercing pin said drive pin will drive the piercing pin out of the housing and also radially expand the bottom end of the housing;
• and
• said drive pin having a peripheral flange located outside of said housing which is sufficiently large in diameter to be intercepted by an end surface of said housing when said drive pin is driven into said housing in the direction of said piercing pin.

A strip of pop rivet assemblies comprising:

• (a) a plurality of piercing pins for punching holes through a workpiece upon application of a force;
• (b) a plurality of hollow housings each having a top end and a bottom end and attached to one another in side-by-side relation;
• and
• (c) a plurality of drive pins for
• (a) transmitting a force to the piercing pins to punch holes through the workpiece;
• (b) emplacing the housings in said holes, and
• (c) affixing the housings to said workpieces;
• each of said drive pins and said piercing pins being a separate and distinct element;
• and
• said drive pins and said piercing pins extending into and protruding from the top and bottom ends respectively of said housings, said piercing pins and said driving pins being separately attached to said housings, said drive pins having peripheral shoulders located outside of said housings which are sufficiently large in diameter to be intercepted by an end surface of said housings when said drive pins are driven into said housings in the direction of said piercing pins, said drive pins and housings being arranged so that the bottom ends of said housings will expand when said drive pins are driven further into said housings in the direction of said piercing pins, said piercing pins having pointed heads projecting from the bottom ends of said housings which have a diameter at least as great as the outside diameter of said bottom ends of said housings, and said driving pins having a length such that when they are driven further into said housings they will drive said piercing pins out of the bottom ends of said housings.

A strip of pop rivet assemblies comprising:

• (a) a plurality of piercing pins for punching holes through a workpiece upon application of a force;
• (b) a plurality of hollow housings each having a top end and a bottom end and attached to one another in side-by-side relation;
• and
• (c) a plurality of drive pins for
• (a) transmitting a force to the piercing pins to punch holes through the workpiece;
• (b) emplacing the housings in said holes, and
• (c) affixing the housings to said workpieces;
• each of said drive pins and said piercing pins being a separate and distinct element;
• each housing having a bore extending from its said top end to its said bottom end, with said bore having an upper section with a first selected diameter and a lower section with a second selected diameter smaller than said first selected diameter;
• said drive pins comprising shafts having upper sections with a first diameter and lower sections with a second diameter which is smaller than said first diameter and greater than said first selected diameter;
• said piercing pins having shafts with a diameter greater than said second selected diameter, said driving pins having their lower sections disposed in the upper sections of said bores and gripped by said housings and said piercing pins having their shafts disposed in the lower sections of said bores and gripped by said housings;
• and
• said drive pins having peripheral shoulders located outside of said housings which are sufficiently large in diameter to be intercepted by an end surface of said housings when said drive pins are driven into said housings in the direction of said piercing pins, and said drive pins and housings being arranged so that the bottom ends of said housings will expand when said drive pins are driven further into said housings in the direction of said piercing pins.

A strip of pop rivet assemblies comprising:

• (a) a plurality of piercing pins for punching holes through a workpiece upon application of a force;
• (b) a plurality of hollow housings each having a top end and a bottom end and attached to one another in side-by-side relation;
• and
• (c) a plurality of drive pins for
• (a) transmitting a force to the piercing pins to punch holes through the workpiece,
• (b) emplacing the housings in said holes, and
• (c) affixing the housings to said workpieces;
• each of said drive pins and said piercing pins being a separate and distinct element;
• and
• said drive pins and said piercing pins extending into and protruding from the top and bottom ends respectively of said housings, said piercing pins and said driving pins being separately attached to said housings, said drive pins having peripheral shoulders located outside of said housings which are sufficiently large in diameter to be intercepted by an end surface of said housings when said drive pins are driven into said housings in the direction of said piercing pins, and said drive pins and housings being arranged so that the bottom ends of said housings will expand when said drive pins are driven further into said housings in the direction of said piercing pins;
• said housings having a relatively large diameter orifice at their upper ends and a relatively small diameter orifice at their lower ends, and each of said drive pins having a shaft with a diameter greater than the diameter of the orifice at the bottom ends of the housings.

A pop rivet assembly capable of forming a rivet hole in a workpiece consisting of at least two members, inserting a pop rivet into the rivet hole and securing it in place in response to a single blow by an operator, said assembly comprising as distinct and separable elements:

• (a) a piercing pin for punching a hole through the workpiece upon application of a force;
• (b) a hollow housing having a top end and a bottom end;
• and
• (c) a drive pin for (i) transmitting a force to the piercing pin to punch a hole through the workpiece, (ii) emplacing the housing in said hole, and (iii) affixing the housing to said workpiece;
• said piercing pin comprising a conical head and a shaft protruding from the base of said conical head;
• said drive pin comprising a flanged head and a shaft having an upper section with a first diameter and a lower section with a second diameter that is smaller than said first diameter;
• said housing having a center bore with an upper section having a relatively large diameter and a lower section having a relatively small diameter;
• and
• said piercing pin shaft extending into said lower section of said center bore and being gripped by said housing at said lower section, and said drive pin shaft lower section extending into the upper section of said bore and being gripped by said housing at said upper section.

A strip of pop rivet assemblies comprising:

• (a) a plurality of piercing pins for punchings holes through a workpiece upon application of a force, said piercing pins having pointed heads;
• (b) a plurality of hollow housings each having a top end and a bottom end and disposed in parallel relation to one another;
• (c) a plurality of drive pins for
• (a) transmitting a force to the piercing pins to punch holes through the workpiece,
• (b) emplacing the housings in said holes, and
• (c) affixing the housings to said workpieces;
• and
• severable strip means extending between and connecting said drive pins so as to hold said drive pins in parallel relation to one another;
• each of said drive pins and said piercing pins being a separate and distinct element;
• said drive pins and said piercing pins extending into and protruding from the top and bottom ends respectively of said housings, said piercing pins and said driving pins being separately attached to said housings, and said drive pins and housings being arranged so that when said drive pins are driven further into said housings in the direction of said piercing pins the following actions will occur:
• (1) the drive pins will drive the piercing pins out of the housings and (2) the drive pins will radially expand the bottom ends of the housings;
• and
• said pointed heads having an outside diameter at least as great as the outside diameter of the bottom ends of said housings.

A pop rivet assembly comprising as distinct and separable elements:

• (a) a piercing pin for punching a hole through a workpiece upon application of a force;
• (b) a hollow housing having a top end and a bottom end;
• and
• (c) a drive pin for (i) transmitting a force to the piercing pin to punch a hole through the workpiece, (ii) emplacing the housing in said hole, said (iii) affixing the housing to said workpiece;
• said housing including a center bore with an upper section having a first selected diameter and a lower section with a second selected diameter smaller than said first selected diameter;
• said drive pin comprising (1) a shaft having an upper section with a first diameter and a lower section with a second diameter that is smaller than said first diameter and greater than said first selected diameter, and (2) a peripheral flange on the upper section of its said shaft;
• said piercing pin having (1) a pointed head and (2) a shaft with at least a portion of said shaft having a diameter greater than the said second selected diameter of said bore,
• the lower section of said drive pin shaft being disposed in the upper section of said bore and gripped by said housing, and the upper section of said drive pin shaft projecting from said housing so that said flange is outside of said housing;
• the said portion of said piercing pin shaft being disposed in the lower section of said bore and gripped by said housing and said pointed head being outside of said housing;
• said flange being large enough to be intercepted by an end surface of said housing when said drive pin is driven into said housing in the direction of said piercing pin;
• and said pointed head having a diameter at least as large as the outside diameter of said housing at said bottom end so that when said piercing pin is driven through a workpiece it will form a hole large enough to accommodate said housing.