US 4,283,091 A · Shock proof fastener assembly for vehicle wheels and other applications

Abstract

A shock and vibration-proof fastener of general application and particularly suitable to hold dual wheels demountably assembled to a cargo vehicle hub. The fastener is designed to isolate the threads thereof from radial and torsion stresses utilizing a split collet encircling the shank of the fastener with its periphery converging toward the collet ends at angles of the order of 4 to 1 relative to the collet axis and having a nesting interference fit with a similarly tapered bore through the parts or wheels to be clamped together. The fastener shank has a threaded well in one end mateable with a cap screw having a self-aligning conical surface on the underside of its head engaging the rim edge of a loose fitting washer. The self-aligning surfaces are preferably provided with a ring of teeth and notches interengaging along helical surfaces having a pitch substantially greater than that of the fastener threads. This feature, acting in concert with a ring of shallow teeth on the washer face in contact with the parts being clamped, positively safeguards against loosening unless unwrenching forces are applied to the washer.

Claims27

Dependent claims

In combination, a fastener assembly for a plurality of parts, comprising:

a headed fastener having a shank provided with a threaded well axially of the end thereof;
a split resilient collet having an undulating configuration circumferentially thereof and sized to have a slip fit over said shank and an outer surface tapering to a smaller diameter at its opposite ends at shallow taper angles of the order of 4 to 1 and no greater than 20.degree.;
a pair of members clampable immovably to said shank each having a bore tapered substantially from end to end thereof in the same direction at a taper angle of the order of 4 to 1 and sized to have an interference telescopic fit over a respective end of said collet and the smaller diameter portion of said bore being substantially greater than the diameter of said shank;
and
said headed fastener including a cap screw having threads mateable with said threaded well effective as the same is wrenched to compress said pair of members toward one another about a respective tapered portion of said collet thereby contracting said collet firmly and rigidly against said fastener shank.

2 more elements

A vehicle hub having an outwardly facing planar wheel seating surface for use in securing a pair of tire-supporting wheels thereto, comprising:

a ring of studs fixed to said hub and projecting from said wheel seating surface for a distance approximating the combined thickness of a pair of wheel discs to be mounted thereover, the outer ends of said studs having threaded wells extending partially along the length thereof;
a split resilient collet having a loose fit over each of said studs, the periphery of said collets tapering convergingly toward the opposite ends thereof at a shallow taper angle of the order of 4 to 1 relative to the axis of said collet;
and
cap screw means mateable with respective ones of said threaded wells and each including a washer assembled over the shank of a headed cap screw and bearing against a generally conical surface embracing the underside of the cap screw head.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Shock proof fastener assembly for vehicle wheels and other applications

Life of this patent

Shock proof fastener assembly for vehicle wheels and other applications

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims27