Construction for fastening members together

Details Construction for fastening members together Construction for fastening members together

2000-09-01

2002-08-06

Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)

Land vehicles: bodies and tops

Bodies

Structural detail

C296S030000, C296S190050, C293S155000, C052S749100, C052S749100, C052S787120

Reexamination Certificate

active

06428074

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a construction for fastening together a plurality of members to a base member with a screw member, and more particularly to a construction for fastening members together which is effective in fastening together a plurality of members which thermally expand and contract in different direction from each other.
In a case where a plurality of members are fastened together to a base member with a screw member which are provided so as to extend, for example, in opposite directions to each other and are formed of, for example, resins which thermally expand and contract in different directions, since if the two members interfere with each other, not only is the aesthetic appearance of the members so fastened together damaged but also the durability of the respective members is affected, conventionally, the two members are both fixed rigidly and are supported such that the other portions of the members are allowed to expand and contract from the fixed point functioning as a reference point, the respective members are fastened together so as to produce a certain gap between the members, or the members are formed into shapes which allow the respective members to move in expanding and contracting directions, so that such expansion and contraction can be absorbed.
In a case where the members take complicated shapes, however, the expanding and contracting directions cannot always be controlled, and depending on a case, there is a risk of the aesthetic appearance of the members fastened together being damaged. In addition, when the members are fastened such that there is produced a certain gap between the respective members, there is caused looseness of the members, and this not only results in the lack of high quality feeling but also constitutes a cause of generating abnormal noise. When the members are formed into the shapes which allow the respective members to move in the expanding and contracting directions to thereby absorb such expansion and contraction, there is imposed a limitation to the shapes of the members or to directions in which the members are assembled together, and thus, there is caused a risk of the degree of freedom in designing shapes for the members being deteriorated or the assembly of the members becoming complicated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was made with a view to solving the aforesaid problems which are inherent in the prior art, and an object of the invention is to provide a construction for fastening members together in which in a case where a plurality of members which thermally expand and contract are fastened together to a base member with a screw member, those members do not interfere with each other when they thermally expand or contract, which facilitates the assembly of the members and which does not damage the aesthetic appearance of the members so fastened together to the base member.
With a view to attaining the aforesaid object, according to the invention, there is provided a construction for fastening together a plurality of members (for example, a front pillar garnish and a fender member) which thermally expand and contract to a base member (for example, a body) with a screw member (for example, a nut member and a bolt), wherein an interference preventing spacer member such as a washer is interposed between the respective member which washer is positioned in a radial direction relative to the screw member.
With this construction, since the respective members do not interfere with each other, with one member, the fastened portion where the members are fastened together functions as a reference point for absorbing the thermal expansion and contraction, while with the other member, an elongate hole is used at this fastened portion for absorbing the thermal expansion and contraction, whereby the single fastened portion allows fastening corresponding to the respective members. Moreover, since there is caused no looseness of the respective members, there is no risk of the aesthetic appearance of the members being damaged which are so fastened together to the base member.


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