Expanded – threaded – driven – headed – tool-deformed – or locked-thr – Having structure to restrict rotation of threaded – mating... – Including settable material
Patent
1990-09-04
1991-09-03
Wilson, Neill R.
Expanded, threaded, driven, headed, tool-deformed, or locked-thr
Having structure to restrict rotation of threaded, mating...
Including settable material
411 82, 2482053, F16B 3900, F16B 3706
Patent
active
050448528
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to adhesively secured fasteners, such as fasteners which may be adhesively secured to a substrate and thereafter utilized to secure another part or parts to the substrate.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
With the advent of quick setting adhesives, such as adhesives which will cure from a liquid to a solid phase in but a few seconds, increasing attention has been given to utilization of such adhesives in the automotive industry for the attachment of trim or other components to automobile bodies. In a production environment where the body is moving on a conveyor line, and the parts to be secured are brought to the moving body and but a few moments are available for securing the parts to the body, a problem has arisen as to how to hold the fasteners to the parts or the automobile body, as the case may be, while the quick setting adhesive goes from its liquid phase to its solid phase, i.e., changes state sufficiently so that a fastener will be retained
Heretofore it has been common practice to secure parts together using adhesives by clamping them for a sufficient length of time that the adhesive could cure or set. On large or irregularly shaped automotive body panel, clamping the fasteners thereagainst involves a cumbersome inefficient production step best avoided. While fasteners may be temporally secured to the substrate by piercing the substrate and having a portion of the fastener extend through the resulting hole to temporarily lock the fastener to the substrate while adhesive thereon sets, such as shown in the above mentioned related cases, the resulting perforations of the substrate create serious corrosion and other problems. Accordingly, it is desirable to be able to avoid the necessity of clamping fasteners against a body panel without resort to external devices and yet not effect the clamping by virtue of piercing the panel.
Another problem confronting the fastener designs is the retention of the adhesive in a non-reactive state within or on the fastener and providing some way that the adhesive can be suddenly made reactive and be deposited at the point of intended use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
We have disclosed a fastener utilizing a quick setting adhesive which may be temporarily fixed against a substrate without piercing the same and without the necessity of extraneous clamps to hold the fastener against the substrate while the adhesive sets. We accomplish this by providing the fastener with a vacuum cup. The fastener is also provided with an adhesive reservoir containing the quick setting adhesive. In use, the fastener is pressed against the substrate to flatten the vacuum cup and temporary affix the fastener to the substrate. Simultaneously, the adhesive reservoir is actuated to expel adhesive therefrom into the interface between the fastener body and the substrate. Upon setting of the adhesive, the fastener is securely and permanently attached to the substrate.
The construction of the fastener is such that the adhesive is contained within an adhesive reservoir within the fastener so that the fastener may be handled without contaminating the workman or the apparatus prior to actual use of the fastener. Two similar yet different approaches to the design of a fastener embodying the invention is disclosed.
The fastener body which is to be adhesively secured to a substrate is formed of a material to which the adhesive will adhere, while the reservoir and means for controlling egress of adhesive therefrom is formed of a material to which the adhesive either will not adhere or will not cause the adhesive to set up while stored therein or in contact therewith.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a first embodiment of the fastener;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 3--3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the fastener applied to a substrate with vacuum cup flattened thereagainst.
FIG. 5 is a pl
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Meyer Englebert A.
Sweeney Theodore J.
Theodore Sweeney & Company, Inc.
Wilson Neill R.
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