Fastener for composite structures

A vehicle, comprising:

• a composite panel including nonparallel first and second face sheets and a reinforcing core lying therebetween, said panel also including an aperture extending through said first and second face sheets and said core, said aperture defining an axis extending perpendicular to said second face sheet, said fastener comprising:
• a socket, said socket including a flange with a first surface, and with a second surface bearing against the outer surface of said first face sheet in a region around said aperture, said socket further including a body thicker than said flange and including a first surface coplanar with said first surface of said flange, said body also defining a through aperture about a socket axis and having a first transverse dimension, and a cavity in the shape of a portion of a sphere having a second diameter larger than said first diameter, and centered about said socket axis, said spherical cavity extending from said first surface to said through aperture, said cavity having a first depth, as measured along said socket axis from said circular through aperture to said first surface;
• a swivel, said swivel including a knob portion rigidly coupled to a post portion, with both said knob portion and said post portion centered about a swivel axis, said knob portion of said swivel including a portion of a ball having said second diameter, said portion of said ball having a dimension, measured along said swivel axis, which is less than said first depth, said post portion of said swivel being in the shape of an externally threaded circular cylinder, said post portion of said swivel extending through said through aperture of said socket, with said knob portion of said swivel being contained within said cavity;
• and
• a spacer in the form of a circular cylinder defining a spacer axis and first and second ends, and a bore, at least a portion of said bore adjacent said first end being threaded to match said threaded exterior of said post portion of said swivel, at least a portion of said threaded portion of said bore of said spacer being threaded onto said post in an amount sufficient so that said fastener may extend through said aperture with said flange adjacent to, and flush with, said first sheet, and with said second end of said spacer flush with the outer surface of said second face sheet of said panel, at least one of said post and said spacer further including additional fastening means located on that portion of said one of said post and said spacer nearest said second face sheet, whereby the length of said fastener between said second end of said spacer and said second surface of said flange of said socket equals the length of said aperture between said outer surfaces of said first and second face sheets.