Method and apparatus for securing a tubular bushing in a circular opening

A method of installing a tubular bushing in a circular opening extending between first and second sides of a structural member, said circular opening having a cylindrical sidewall, said method comprising:

• providing a puller tool which includes an elongated tubular nosepiece having a forward end, an elongated tubular sleeve positioner within the nosepiece having an axially split forward end portion and a sleeve contacting forward end, and a mandrel having, in series, an inner end portion, a small diameter portion, an increasing diameter portion, and a maximum diameter portion, said mandrel extending through the sleeve positioner;
• extending the mandrel so that the small diameter portion of the mandrel is within the sleeve positioner, the axially split forward portion of the sleeve positioner is gripping the small diameter portion of the mandrel, and the increasing diameter portion, the maximum diameter portion and a part of the small diameter portion of the mandrel project endwise outwardly from the sleeve positioner and the nosepiece;
• providing a one-piece split sleeve and positioning such sleeve on the projecting part of small diameter portion of the mandrel;
• providing a tubular bushing having a substantially constant outside diameter and a substantially constant inside diameter, said outside diameter being sized to snugly fit into the opening in the structural member, and said inside diameter being sized to pass the maximum diameter portion of the mandrel and the split sleeve when the split sleeve is on the small diameter portion of the mandrel;
• sizing the sleeve positioner so that it grips the small diameter portion of the mandrel, and sizing the sleeve so that when it is on the small diameter portion of the mandrel it frictionally engages the small diameter portion of the mandrel, and sizing the bushing so that when it is on the split sleeve and the split sleeve is on the small diameter portion of the mandrel, the bushing frictionally engages the split sleeve;
• inserting the mandrel, the split sleeve and the bushing into the opening in the structural member, with the split sleeve within the bushing;
• positioning the nosepiece against the structural member;
• pulling on the inner end of the mandrel to initially move the sleeve positioner, the sleeve and the bushing rearwardly, until the end of the bushing confronting the nosepiece is in contact with said nosepiece;
• stopping movement of the sleeve positioner and holding the sleeve positioner against further axial movement, following movement of the bushing into contact with the nosepiece;
• continuing retraction of the mandrel axially to move first the increasing diameter portion and then the maximum diameter portion of the mandrel axially through the split sleeve, for expanding the split sleeve radially and imposing a radially outwardly directed expansion force on the bushing for expanding the bushing within said opening;
• wherein the mandrel and the split sleeve are dimensioned such that the radial expansion of the split sleeve exerts sufficient radial forces on the bushing to plastically expand the bushing and place the sidewall of the opening into tight gripping contact with the outer surface of the bushing;
• and
• removing the split sleeve from the bushing after the mandrel has passed through the split sleeve, leaving the tubular bushing within said opening, firmly secured by the expansion to the sidewall of the opening.