Patent Application
20170335876
Apparatuses and systems consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to fasteners. More particularly, apparatuses consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to fasteners such as rivets configured to attach two bodies together.
One or more exemplary embodiments provide a fastener configured to attach or hold two bodies together. More particularly, one or more exemplary embodiments provide a fastener with a retainer portion configured to retain a portion of a body or bodies to which the fastener is attached.
According to an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, a fastener apparatus for a vehicle is provided. The fastener apparatus for a vehicle includes a head portion; a fastening portion connected to the head portion, the fastening portion configured to fasten a body of the vehicle; and a retaining portion configured to retain a portion of the body of the vehicle after the fastening portion is fastened to the body of the vehicle.
According to an aspect of another exemplary embodiment, a fastener apparatus is provided. The fastener apparatus includes: a head portion; a fastening portion connected to the head portion, the fastening portion configured to fasten a body; and a retaining portion configured to retain a portion of the body after the fastening portion is fastened to the body.
The fastener apparatus may also include a rivet comprising the head portion, the fastening portion and the retaining portion.
The fastening portion may include a cylindrical body.
The retaining portion may be an interior part of the cylindrical body.
The interior part of the cylindrical body may be partially hollow from a first end of the cylindrical body to a point that distal from a second end of the cylindrical body.
The interior part of the cylindrical body may include at least one from among serrations, teeth, notches, and jagged edges.
The interior part of the cylindrical body may be hollow from a first end of the cylindrical body a second end of the cylindrical body.
The interior part of the head portion may include a hollow center portion.
The body may include a polymeric composite material.
The interior part of the cylindrical body may include a first hollow interior portion and a second hollow interior portion. The first hollow interior portion may have a first diameter larger than a second diameter of the second hollow interior portion.
The retained portion of the body may include at least one from among a slug, a non-integral portion of the body, and a portion that is disconnected from the body.
According to an aspect of another exemplary embodiment, a fastener apparatus is provided. The fastener apparatus includes: a fastening portion configured to fasten a body; and a retaining portion configured to retain a portion of the body after the fastening portion is fastened to the body.
The fastener apparatus may also include a rivet comprising the head portion, the fastening portion and the retaining portion.
The fastening portion may include a cylindrical body.
The retaining portion may be an interior part of the cylindrical body.
The interior part of the cylindrical body may be partially hollow from a first end of the cylindrical body to a point that distal from a second end of the cylindrical body.
The interior part of the cylindrical body may include at least one from among serrations, teeth, notches, and jagged edges.
The interior part of the cylindrical body may be hollow from a first end of the cylindrical body a second end of the cylindrical body.
The body may include a polymeric composite material.
The interior part of the cylindrical body may include a first hollow interior portion and a second hollow interior portion. The first hollow interior portion may have a first diameter larger than a second diameter of the second hollow interior portion.
The retained portion of the body may include at least one from among a slug, a non-integral portion of the body, and a portion that is disconnected from the body.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the exemplary embodiments will become more apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings.
Fasteners such as rivets are used to attach, bind or tie together separated bodies. One application of a fastener is to tie together parts of a body of a vehicle. As new materials are being used to construct lighter and more fuel efficient vehicles, there is a need for new types of fasteners to attach or hold together vehicle components made of newer materials such as polymeric composites.
A fastener with a retaining portion will now be described in detail with reference to
It is also understood that where it is stated herein that a first element is “connected to,” “formed on,” or “disposed on” a second element, the first element may be connected directly to, formed directly on or disposed directly on the second element or there may be intervening elements between the first element and the second element unless it is stated that a first element is “directly” connected to, formed on, or disposed on the second element.
The head portion 101, the fastening portion 102, and the retaining portion may integrally form the fastener 100. In one example, the fastener 100 may be a rivet or other type of fastener. The fastener 100 may be formed by a machining process performed on a compound or material such as a metal. Alternatively, the fastener 100 may be formed by injecting a liquid or a gel compound into a mold and allowing the compound to solidify. However, the fastener 100 is not limited to above discussed processes and may be created using other processes.
The fasteners describe above may be used to hold together polymeric composite to polymeric composite materials, metal to polymeric composite materials, etc. In particular, the fasteners described above may hold together a stack of sheets of material, where a composite sheet is at the bottom of the stack of sheets of materials being held together. The other materials in the stack may be different types of materials. The fastener, according to an exemplary embodiment, may be used to pierce through a composite sheet and form a hook to bind or hold the composite sheet to a body or set of sheets. The sheets may include one or more from among a metallic material, a polymeric composite material (e.g., a thermoplastic composite material, a carbon fiber material, a fiberglass material, etc).
One or more exemplary embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings. The exemplary embodiments described above should be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Moreover, the exemplary embodiments may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventive concept, which is defined by the following claims.
