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US 4,757,609 AGranted
Apparatus for joining sheet material
AssigneeBTM Corporation
InventorEdwin G. Sawdon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There is disclosed an improved apparatus for joining a plurality of pieces of sheet metal or other sheet material items by first drawing and then laterally extruding portions of the material to be joined into an enlarged shape which will permanently mechanically interlock the sheet material pieces. The apparatus utilizes a novel die construction in which portions thereof are resiliently biased toward one another and pivot or slide laterally in response to lateral extrusion of the joining material, and which is applicable to conventional "lanced" type joints as well as to a novel leakproof joint. A method of forming a leakproof joint between a plurality of pieces of sheet material and a method of fabricating a novel die construction are also disclosed.
Claims30
An apparatus for joining two or more sheet material items, the apparatus comprising:
- punch means;
- a die assembly including pair of die portions defining an opening of receiving said punch means to forcibly deform portions of the sheet material items when said punch means and said die portions are moved relatively toward one another in a generally longitudinal direction with said sheet material items disposed therebetween, said die portions being movable relative to one another in a generally lateral direction;
- means for longitudinally supporting said die portions during said deformation of said portions of the sheet material items;
- anvil means located in said opening, said die portions moving laterally away from one another in response to at least parts of said sheet material portions being deformed laterally outwardly by movement of said punch means against said anvil means;
- and
- elastic biasing means surrounding said die portions for resiliently biasing said die portions toward one another.
3 more elements
An apparatus for joining two or more sheet material items, the apparatus comprising:
- punch means;
- a pair of die portions defining an opening for receiving said punch means to forcibly deform portions of the sheet material items when said punch means and said die portions are moved relatively toward one another in a generally longitudinal direction, said die portions being pivotally movable relative to one another in a generally lateral direction;
- means for longitudinally supporting said die portions during said deformation of said portions of the sheet material items;
- anvil means located in said opening, said die portions moving laterally away from one another in response to at least parts of said sheet material portions being deformed laterally outwardly by movement of said punch means against said anvil means;
- and
- elastic biasing means surrounding said die portions for resiliently biasing said die portions in a generally lateral direction toward one another.
3 more elements
An apparatus for joining two or more sheet material items, the apparatus comprising:
- punch means;
- a pair of die portions defining an opening for receiving said punch means to forcibly deform portions of the sheet material items when said punch means and said die portions are moved relatively toward one another in a generally longitudinal direction, said die portions being slidably movable relative to one another in a generally lateral direction;
- means for longitudinally supporting said die portions during said deformation of said portions of the sheet material items;
- anvil means located in said opening, said die portions moving laterally away from one another in response to at least parts of said sheet material portions being deformed laterally outwardly by movement of said punch means against said anvil means;
- and
- elastic biasing means surrounding said die portions for resiliently biasing said die portions in a generally lateral direction toward one another.
3 more elements
An apparatus for joining two or more sheet material items, the apparatus comprising:
- punch means;
- a pair of die portions configured to cooperate with the punch means to forcibly deform portions of the sheet material items when said punch means and said die portions are moved relatively toward one another in a generally longitudinal direction, said die portions being movable relative to one another in a generally lateral direction, said die portions defining a generally circular opening therebetween for receiving said sheet material portions when said sheet material portions are forcibly deformed into said opening by said punch means, said opening being complementary in shape to the cross-sectional shape of said punch means and providing a generally uniform clearance between said punch means and said die portions in order to prevent shearing of the sheet material items when said sheet material portions are forcibly deformed into said opening by said punch means;
- means for longitudinally supporting said die portions during said deformation of said portions of the sheet material items;
- anvil means located in said opening, said die portions moving laterally away from one another in response to at least parts of said sheet material portions being deformed laterally outwardly by movement of said punch means against said anvil means;
- and
- elastic biasing means surrounding said die portions for resiliently biasing said die portions in a generally lateral direction toward one another.
3 more elements
An apparatus for joining two or more sheet material items, the apparatus including longitudinal movable punch means, the apparatus further comprising:
- spaced die portions configured to cooperate with the punch means to forcibly deform portions of the sheet material items when the punch means and said die portions are moved relatively toward one another in a generally longitudinal direction, said die portions being movable relative to one another in a generally lateral direction, said die portions including a number of die segments defining a non-circular opening therebetween for receiving the sheet material portions when the sheet material portions are forcibly deformed into said opening by the punch means, said opening being at least partially complementary to the cross-sectional shape of the punch means, said die segments defining at least two sides of said opening substantially in alignment with corresponding sides of the punch means in order to cooperate with the punch means to shear the sheet material items at locations adjacent the sheet material portions when the sheet material portions are forcibly deformed into said opening;
- means for longitudinally supporting said die portions during said deformation of said portions of the sheet material items;
- anvil means located in said opening, said die portions moving laterally away from one another in response to at least parts of said sheet material portions being deformed laterally outwardly by movement of said punch means against said anvil means;
- and
- elastic biasing means surrounding said die portions for resiliently biasing said die portions in a generally lateral direction toward one another.
2 more elements
An apparatus for joining two or more sheet material items, the apparatus comprising:
- punch means;
- a pair of die portions defining an opening for receiving said punch means to forcibly deform portions of the sheet material items when said punch means and said die portions are moved relatively toward one another in a generally longitudinal direction with said sheet material items disposed therebetween, said die portions being movable relative to one another in a generally lateral direction;
- means for longitudinally supporting said die portions during said deformation of said portions of the sheet material items;
- anvil means located in said opening, said die portions moving laterally away from one another in response to at least parts of said sheet material portions being deformed laterally outwardly by movement of said punch means against said anvil means;
- and
- elastic biasing means surrounding said die portions and molded thereon for resiliently biasing said die portions in a generally lateral direction toward one another.
3 more elements
An apparatus for joining two or more sheet material items, the apparatus comprising:
- punch means;
- a pair of die portions defining an opening for receiving said punch means and configured to cooperate with said punch means to forcibly deform portions of the sheet material items when said punch means and said die portions are moved relatively toward one another in a generally longitudinal direction with said sheet material items disposed therebetween, said die portions being movable relative to one another in a generally lateral direction;
- means for longitudinally supporting said die portions during said deformation of said portions of the sheet material items;
- and
- anvil means located in said opening, said die portions moving laterally away from one another in response to at least parts of said sheet material portions being deformed laterally outwardly by movement of said punch means against said anvil means,
- the lateral dimension of said punch means being approximately twice the combined, undeformed thicknesses of said sheet material items, and the lateral dimension of the spacing between said die portions being approximately equal to the sum of the lateral dimension of said punch means plus approximately 80 percent of the combined, undeformed thicknesses of the sheet material items.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.