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US 6,548,184 B1Granted
Joint for sheet material and a method of joining sheet material
AssigneeROLLS-ROYCE plc
InventorJeffrey C Bishop
Life of this patent
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AssigneeROLLS-ROYCE plc
InventorJeffrey C Bishop
Estimating the term…
A joint for joining a first metal sheet (10) to a second metal sheet (30) comprises a plurality of projections (18) on the edge (12) of the first metal sheet (10). The projections (18) are symmetrical about a plane extending perpendicularly to the plane of the first metal sheet (10). The symmetrical projections (18) are rotatable about an axis (X), the axis (X) is arranged in the plane of the first metal sheet (10) and in the plane extending perpendicularly to the first metal sheet (10). A plurality of slots (32) are provided through the second metal sheet (30). The symmetrical projections (18) extend through the slots (32) in the second metal sheet (30) and the symmetrical projections (18) are rotated such that the symmetrical projections (18) are arranged in the plane perpendicular to the plane of the first metal sheet (10) to clamp the second metal sheet (30) between the edge (12) of the first metal sheet (10) and symmetrical projections (18).
A joint for joining a first ductile sheet, having edges and a main body, to another structure comprising at least one projection on one of said edges of the first ductile sheet, the at least one projection being rotatable about an axis, said axis being arranged in the plane of the first ductile sheet and in a plane extending perpendicularly to said one of said edges of the first ductile sheet, at least one slot extending through said another structure, the at least one projection extending through the at least one slot of said another structure, the at least one projection being rotated such that the at least one projection is in a plane arranged at an angle to the plane of the first ductile sheet and the at least one projection abutting said another structure at both sides of the slot to clamp said another structure between the edge of the first ductile sheet and the at least one projection, the at least one projection comprising a root portion which extends from the projection into said main body of said first ductile sheet, the root portion extending for a distance from the said one of said edges of the first ductile sheet into said main body of the first ductile sheet, wherein there is a first additional projection extending from said one of said edges of the first ductile sheet adjacent the at least one projection, there being a second additional projection extending from the said one of said edges of the first ductile sheet adjacent the at least one projection, the first and second additional projections extending into the at least one slot in the said another structure to relatively locate the first ductile sheet and the said another structure, the said additional projections being on opposite sides of the at least one projection.
A joint as claimed in claim the 1 wherein the at least one projection is rotated such that the at least one projection is in a plane arranged perpendicularly to the plane of the first ductile sheet.
A method of joining a first ductile sheet having edges to another structure comprising forming at least one projection on an edge of the first ductile sheet, the at least one projection being rotatable about an axis, the axis being arranged in the plane of the first ductile sheet and in a plane extending perpendicularly to said edge of the first ductile sheet, forming at least one slot extending through the said another structure, inserting the at least one projection through the at least one slot in the said another structure, rotating the at least one projection around the axis such that the at least one projection is in a plane arranged at an angle to the plane of the first ductile sheet in such that the at least one projection abuts the said another structure at both sides of the slot to clamp the said another structure between the edge of the first ductile sheet and the at least one projection, forming a root portion of the at least one projection which extends from the projection into the main body of the first ductile sheet, the root portion extending for a distance from the edge of the first ductile sheet into the main body of the first ductile sheet, the method including the step of forming at least a first additional projection extending from the edge of the first ductile sheet adjacent the at least one projection, forming at least one second additional projection extending from the edge of the first ductile sheet adjacent to the at least one projection, inserting the first and second additional projections into the at least one slot in the other structure to relatively locate the first ductile sheet and the other structure, the first and second additional projections being on opposite sides of the at least one projection.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.