US 7,306,418 B2Granted

Deforming member and captive fastener retaining method

AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation

InventorStephen R. Kornblum

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Abstract

A fastener is retained within an opening of a workpiece by deforming a portion of an edge of the opening inwardly to prevent removal of the fastener. A deforming member associated with a head of the fastener includes a body having a clamping surface extending radially form a central axis. A wedge-like deforming element has a deforming member and having a deforming face angled axially and radially outward from the clamping surface. The deforming element, when pressed against a malleable edge of the workpiece, deforms at least a portion of the edge into the fastener opening thereby creating a stop which reduces the diameter of the opening and mechanically retains the fastener therein. The deforming member may be formed as a separate washer assembled on the fastener or may be made integral with the fastener head.

Claims6

Dependent claims

An interim assembly of a workpiece with at least one loosely retained fastener adapted for subsequent mounting of the assembly to a separate component by attachment of the fastener, the assembly comprising:

a workpiece having an outer surface and at least one fastener opening through the workpiece and partially defined by a malleable edge portion of the workpiece;
a fastener centered on an axis and having a head at one end, a fastening portion on another end, and a reduced diameter portion between the ends, the fastening and reduced diameter portions being received in the fastener opening;
and
a radial clamping surface associated with the head and surrounding the reduced diameter portion, the clamping surface having a wedge-shaped deforming element with a deforming face which extends radially and axially outward at an acute angle from the axis to adjoin a radially outer face, which extends axially a fixed distance outward from the clamping surface, the outer face forming an acute angle with the deforming face not greater than the acute angle of the deforming face relative to the axis;
the workpiece including a stop made by inwardly deforming, with the deforming element, part of the malleable edge portion of the workpiece into the fastener opening sufficiently to block removal of the fastening portion of the fastener from the fastener opening while loosely retaining the fastener in the fastener opening to permit subsequent attachment of the fastener to said separate component;
wherein an area of the outer surface of the workpiece, extending outward from and adjacent to the fastener opening, is generally flat for engagement by the radial clamping surface and the wedge shaped deforming element, to limit inward deformation of the malleable edge portion of the workpiece to a predetermined amount while avoiding any substantial outward deformation of the workpiece by the deforming element;
the radial clamping surface and the deforming element comprise a deforming member having an outer surface generally parallel with the clamping surface and engagable by the force transmitting device for deforming the edge portion of the workpiece;
and
wherein the deforming member is a washer with a fastener receiving opening therethrough and centered on the axis.

6 more elements

a workpiece having an outer surface and at least one fastener opening through the workpiece and partially defined by a malleable edge portion of the workpiece;
a fastener centered on an axis and having a head at one end, a fastening portion on another end, and a reduced diameter portion between the ends, the fastening and reduced diameter portions being received in the fastener opening;
and
a radial clamping surface associated with the head and surrounding the reduced diameter portion, the clamping surface having a wedge-shaped deforming element with a deforming face which extends radially and axially outward at an acute angle from the axis to adjoin a radially outer face which extends axially a fixed distance outward from the clamping surface, the outer face forming an angle with the deforming face not greater than the acute angle of the deforming face relative to the axis;
the workpiece including a stop made by inwardly deforming, with the deforming element, part of the malleable edge portion of the workpiece into the fastener opening sufficiently to block removal of the fastening portion of the fastener from the fastener opening while loosely retaining the fastener in the fastener opening to permit subsequent attachment of the fastener to said separate component;
wherein an area of the outer surface of the workpiece, extending outward from and adjacent to the fastener opening, is generally flat for engagement by the radial clamping surface and the wedge shaped deforming element, to limit inward deformation of the malleable edge portion of the workpiece to a predetermined amount while avoiding any substantial outward deformation of the workpiece by the deforming element;
and
wherein the radial clamping surface is formed on a washer with a fastener receiving opening through the washer and centered on the axis and the washer is engagable by the fastener head during subsequent attachment of the fastener.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.