US 5,540,528 AGranted

Rivet made of plastic material for securing a plate-like workpiece to a support assembly with an approximately plane surface

AssigneeITW-ATECO GmbH

InventorsHans-Gunter Schmidt, Karl Worner

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Abstract

A rivet made of plastic material for securing a plate-like workpiece to a support assembly with an approximately plane surface comprises a shank having a hollow axial passage and at least two axially parallel slots open towards the free end of the shank, the shank portions formed thereby comprising at the outer sides thereof ramp-like portions projecting obliquely outwardly and downwardly, with the axial passage tapering towards the free end of the shank, a first plate-shaped flange at the other end of the shank, the flange having at its under-surface an annular relatively sharp sealing edge engaging the surface of the support assembly when the shank is inserted into an opening of the support assembly, a second plate-shaped flange upon the side of the first flange opposite to the shank and axially spaced thereform, and an expansion member having an annular sealing rib at its upper end, the annular sealing rib being sealingly engaged with the axial passage, when the expansion member is driven into the passage.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A rivet assembly for securing a workpiece to a support plate in a sealed manner, comprising:

a shank member having an axial passage defined therethrough, and slot means defined within a free end portion of said shank member so as to render said free end portion of said shank member expansible;
a workpiece having an aperture defined therein;
a support plate having an aperture defined therein for receiving said free end portion of said shank member;
a first flange member integrally formed upon said shank member adjacent the end portion of said shank member which is disposed opposite said free end portion thereof, said first flange member including means thereon for sealingly engaging a first surface of said support plate when said shank member is disposed within said aperture of said support plate so as to prevent the ingress of foreign matter into said aperture of said support plate;
a second flange member integrally formed upon said shank member at said end portion of said shank member which is disposed opposite said free end portion thereof for engaging a first surface of said workpiece so as to positionally retain said workpiece with respect to said support plate;
and
an expansion member disposed within said axial passage of said shank member for expanding said expansible free end portion of said shank member into engagement with a second surface of said support plate so as to lockingly retain said shank member within said aperture of said support plate, said expansion member having means disposed thereon for sealingly engaging said axial passage of said shank member, when said expansion member is disposed within said axial passage of said shank member, so as to prevent the ingress of foreign matter into said axial passage of said shank member.

4 more elements

A rivet for securing a first panel member, having a first aperture defined therein, to a second panel member, having a second aperture defined therein, in a sealed manner, comprising:

a shank member having an axial passage defined there-through, and slot means defined within a free end portion of said shank member so as to render said free end portion of said shank member expansible;
a first flange member integrally formed upon said shank member adjacent the end portion of said shank member which is disposed opposite said free end portion thereof, said first flange member including means thereon for sealingly engaging a first surface of said second panel member when said shank member is disposed within said aperture of said second panel member so as to prevent the ingress of foreign matter into said aperture of said second panel member;
a second flange member integrally formed upon said shank member at said end portion of said shank member which is disposed opposite said free end portion thereof for engaging a first surface of said first panel member so as to positionally retain said first panel member with respect to said second panel member;
and
an expansion member disposed within said axial passage of said shank member for expanding said expansible free end portion of said shank member into engagement with a second surface of said second panel member so as to lockingly retain said shank member within said aperture of said second panel member, said expansion member having means disposed thereon for sealingly engaging said axial passage of said shank member, when said expansion member is disposed within said axial passage of said shank member, so as to prevent the ingress of foreign matter into said axial passage of said shank member.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.