Fastener-sleeve assembly and strip of collated fasteners

A strip of collated fasteners, the strip comprising a plurality of fasteners and a carrier molded from a polymeric material, each fastener having an elongate shank with a pointed end and having a head, the shank defining an axis and having two portions of different diameters, namely a thicker portion adjoining the head and a thinner portion adjoining the pointed end, the shank having a shoulder joining the thicker and thinner portions, the carrier comprising a separate sleeve associated with each fastener and being frangible between the separate sleeves, a representative sleeve being disposed around the shank of the associated fastener, the representative sleeve having an initial, axially measured length, which the representative sleeve assumes when disposed around the shank of the associated fastener but not compressed axially, the representative sleeve having a critical, axially measured length, at which the representative sleeve splits when disposed around the shank of the associated fastener and compressed axially, wherein the thicker portion of the shank of each fastener has an axial length between the initial and critical lengths of the associated sleeve.

An assemblage comprising a steel substrate, a steel workpiece disposed against the substrate, a fastener having an elongate shank with a pointed end and having a head, the shank defining an axis and having two portions of different diameters, namely a thicker portion adjoining the head and a thinner portion adjoining the pointed end, the shank having a shoulder joining the thicker and thinner portions, and a polymeric sleeve disposed around the elongate shank, the fastener being driven through the workpiece, into the substrate, so that the shoulder is disposed approximately where the workpiece is disposed against the substrate and so that the sleeve is compressed axially and bulges outwardly between the head and the workpiece.