The present invention relates to a nut tightened to a portion required to have a sealing performance or effectively mounted on a molded product made of a metal such as magnesium, a magnesium alloy or the like which is liable to generate electrolytic corrosion.
As various members (for example, oil pan, engine head cover, AT mission case) of a car and the like, recently, molded products made of magnesium or a magnesium alloy are used. When a nut made of a metal such as iron having a higher electric potential than the above-described members is used to bind the members tightly, an electrolytic corrosion action may occur at a portion where different kinds of metals contact each other and thus the members may corrode. Thus, a method of preventing the occurrence of the electrolytic corrosion by interposing an insulation washer between different kinds of metals to be fixedly bound to each other with a nut and a method of treating the surface of the nut or the like to prevent the occurrence of the electrolytic corrosion are conceivable. In these methods, there is a possibility that the washer and the nut rub each other, which may result in a decrease of an electrolytic corrosion effect or there is a possibility that an electrolytic corrosion prevention film separates from the surface of the nut or the like, which may result in a decrease of the electrolytic corrosion effect.
The nut is also proposed as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3042599.
The nut is a fastening member to be engaged by the male screw of the bolt inserted into through-holes formed through not less than two members where the nut is to be mounted. The members where the nut is to be mounted are fixedly fastened by means of the bolt and the nut in the nut disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3042599, the sliding member composed of the covering member consisting of the synthetic resin film is interposed between the seat surface of the bolt and that of the nut.
In the nut disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3042599, in mounting the nut on the portion where the nut is to be mounted, the film is interposed between the nut and the portion where the nut is to be mounted. Thus the axial force is held by the contact surface of the film and that of the portion where the nut is to be mounted. Therefore it is impossible to transmit a sufficient axial force. The nut disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3042599 has the boundary between the nut and the film and the boundary between the film and the portion where the nut is to be mounted. Therefore after the nut is mounted on the portion where the nut is to be mounted, the liquid-tight sealing property cannot be held sufficiently.
An object of the present invention is to provide a nut which is capable of holding an axial force by a seat surface thereof when the nut is mounted on a metal molded product liable to generate electrolytic corrosion and securely preventing a liquid from penetrating into a portion of the metal molded product where the nut is to be mounted and the metal molded product from generating the electrolytic corrosion.
To achieve the above-described object in a nut of the present invention having a nut body including a female screw part extended axially and a flange part projected outward from a side surface of the nut body and an unconductive ring-shaped resinous member covering a peripheral portion of the flange part, the flange part has a disk-shaped flange body portion and a seat surface-forming portion which is extended downward from a lower surface of the flange body portion and has a smaller diameter than the flange body portion and a seat surface to be pressed against a portion where the nut is to be mounted; the unconductive ring-shaped resinous member has an edge part located below the seat surface and outward from the flange body portion and an annular skirt part whose diameter gradually increases to the edge part; and the annular skirt part deforms in mounting the nut on the portion where the nut is to be mounted in such a way that the annular skirt part does not prevent the seat surface from being pressed against the portion where the nut is to be mounted and forms an annular liquid-tight sealing portion for the portion where the nut is to be mounted.
The nut of the present invention is described below by using embodiments shown in the drawings.
A nut 1 of the present invention has a nut body 2 including a female screw part 5 extended axially and a flange part 4 projected outward from a side surface of the nut body 2; and an unconductive ring-shaped resinous member 3 covering a peripheral portion of the flange part 4.
The flange part 4 has a disk-shaped flange body portion 41; and a seat surface-forming portion 42 which is extended downward from a lower surface of the flange body portion 41, has a smaller diameter than the flange body portion 41, and has a seat surface 43 to be pressed against a portion where the nut is to be mounted.
The unconductive ring-shaped resinous member 3 has an edge part 31 located below the seat surface 43 and outward from the flange body portion 4; and an annular skirt part 32 whose diameter gradually increases to the edge part 31. The annular skirt part 32 deforms in mounting the nut on the portion where the nut is to be mounted in such a way that the annular skirt part 32 does not prevent the seat surface 43 from being pressed against the portion where the nut is to be mounted and forms an annular liquid-tight sealing portion for the portion where the nut is to be mounted. The nut of the present invention is especially effective for preventing the occurrence of electrolytic corrosion.
As shown in
The nut body 2 is made of an iron-based steel material such as high tensile strength steel and stainless steel. As shown in
The nut 1 has the flange part 4 which is formed at the lower end of the head part 6 and has a larger outer diameter than the head part 6. As shown in
In the nut 1 of this embodiment, the seat surface-forming portion 42 has a smaller diameter than the flange body portion 41, and an annular side surface 44 of the seat surface-forming portion 42 forms a tapered portion whose diameter decreases to the seat surface 43. On the lower surface of the flange body portion 41, an annular flat portion 45 is formed between an upper-end peripheral edge of the annular side surface 44 and a peripheral edge of the lower surface of the flange body portion 41. The flange body portion 41 has the shape of a disk having substantially equal outer diameters. A tapered portion 46 whose diameter decreases to the head part 6 is formed on an upper surface of the flange body portion 41.
The seat surface 43 is formed as a ring-shaped flat surface. A preferable width W (
As shown in
The tensile break elongation of the material forming the ring-shaped resinous member is favorably not less than 10%, more favorably not less than 15%, and most favorably not less than 20%.
As examples of materials forming the ring-shaped resinous member 3, it is possible to use polyacetal; polycarbonate; polyester (polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate); polyolefin polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-propylene copolymer); polyamide (nylon 6, nylon 66); polysulfone; polyarylate; blend polymers or polymer alloys of these substances. The polyacetal and the polyamide are especially preferable.
As examples of materials forming the ring-shaped resinous member 3, synthetic rubber such as urethane rubber, silicone rubber, butadiene rubber, propylene rubber; natural rubber such as latex rubber; and elastomers such as olefin elastomers (polyethylene elastomer, polypropylene elastomer); amide elastomers (polyamide elastomer); styrene elastomers (for example, styrene-butadiene-styrene copolymer, styrene-isoprenestyrene copolymer, styrene-ethylene butylene-styrene copolymer); urethane elastomers (polyurethane elastomer of polyester family, polyurethane elastomer of polyether family) may be used.
In the nut 1 of this embodiment the ring-shaped resinous member 3 does not cover the seat surface 43 of the seat surface-forming portion 42, but covers the annular side surface (tapered portion) 44 of the seat surface-forming portion 42, the annular side surface of the flange body portion 41, and an annular peripheral edge of the upper-surface tapered portion 46 of the flange body portion 41. In the nut 1 of this embodiment, as described above, the outer diameter (maximum outer diameter) of the seat surface-forming portion 42 is set smaller than the outer diameter of the flange body portion 41. Therefore a lower annular portion 33 of the ring-shaped resinous member 3 which contacts the annular side surface 44 of the seat surface-forming portion 42 is located below the flange body portion 41. Therefore the ring-shaped resinous member 3 does not cover the seat surface 43 of the seat surface-forming portion 42, but covers the annular side surface 44 of the seat surface-forming portion 42, the annular flat portion 45 of the flange body portion 41, the annular side surface of the flange body portion 41, and the annular peripheral edge of the upper surface of the flange body portion 41.
Therefore the flange body portion 41 is sandwiched between the lower annular portion 33 and an upper annular portion 34 covering the annular peripheral edge of the upper surface 46 of the flange body portion 41. Thereby the ring-shaped member 3 is prevented from being separated from the nut body 2 in performing an operation of mounting the nut on the portion where the nut is to be mounted and after the nut-mounting operation is performed. The lower annular portion 33 has a form of contacting the tapered portion 44 of the seat surface-forming portion 42. More specifically, the lower annular portion 33 has the shape of a wedge extended to the peripheral edge of the seat surface 43.
Because the annular skirt part 32 deforms when the nut is mounted on the portion where the nut is to be mounted, a contact surface of the lower annular portion 33 in contact with the annular flat portion 45 of the flange body portion 41 is stretched outward. Thus there is a possibility that the area of the contact surface decreases. As shown in
In this embodiment, the ring-shaped resinous member 3 has the edge part 31 which is located below the seat surface 43 and outward (in other words, outward from the peripheral edge of the flange body portion 41) from the flange body portion 41 and the annular skirt part 32 whose diameter increases to the edge part 31. The unconductive ring-shaped resinous member 3 becomes gradually thinner to the edge part 31. Thereby in mounting the nut on the portion where the nut is to be mounted, the edge part is easily deformable. The annular skirt part 32 of the ring-shaped resinous member 3 deforms in mounting the nut on the portion where the nut is to be mounted in such a way that the annular skirt part does not prevent the seat surface 43 from being pressed against the portion where the nut is to be mounted and forms an annular liquid-tight sealing portion for the portion where the nut is to be mounted. It is preferable that the diameter of the annular skirt part 32 becomes gradually larger to the edge part 31. In this embodiment the annular skirt part 32 becomes taperingly larger to the edge part 31 in the diameter thereof.
A taper angle θ (
In the nut 1 of this embodiment as shown in
The form of the ring-shaped resinous member 3 is not limited to the above-described one. For example, as with a nut 20 shown in
As with a nut 30 shown in
The form of the annular skirt part is not limited to the above-described tapered one, but as with a nut 40 shown in
As with a nut 60 shown in
As with a nut 70 shown in
In the ring-shaped resinous member 3 of the nut of the present invention, the annular skirt part 32 elastically deforms when the nut is mounted on the portion where the nut is to be mounted. Following the deformation of the annular skirt part 32, the ring-shaped resinous member 3 is pressed against the annular peripheral edge of the upper surface of the flange body portion. More specifically, as shown in
As shown in
In the nut of the present invention, when the nut is mounted on the portion where the nut is to be mounted, the nut is capable of displaying a predetermined axial force with the seat surface thereof being pressed against the surface of the portion where the nut is to be mounted, and the annular skirt part of the unconductive ring shaped resinous member closely contacts the surface of the portion where the nut is to be mounted, thereby preventing the penetration of water into the gap between the nut and the portion where the nut is to be mounted and preventing the electrolytic corrosion from being generated by the flow of electric current between the nut and the portion where the nut is to be mounted.
As shown in
In the example shown in
The nut 1 of the present invention is engaged by a male screw part of the bolt 9 penetrating a hole formed through the plate 11. As the engagement therebetween progresses, the edge part 31 of the annular skirt part 32 of the ring-shaped resinous member 3 contacts the plate 11. By further progressing the engagement therebetween, the annular skirt part 32 contacts the plate 11 and deforms outward. A nut-mounting work finishes when the seat surface 43 of the nut 1 is pressed against the surface of the plate 11 to obtain a state shown in
The form of the nut is not limited to the above-described forms. The nuts of all the above-described embodiments may have a form as shown in
The nuts of all the above-described embodiments may have a form as shown in
The forms of the nuts of all the above-described embodiments may be so-called locking nuts.
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Although the above-described embodiments have been described by exemplifying the case in which the nut is used to combine the plate with the member where the nut is to be fixed, the present invention is not limited to the example. The nut of the present invention can be utilized for various parts in addition to the parts of a car.
The nut of the present invention has the following forms:
(1) In the nut of the present invention having the nut body including the female screw part extended axially and the flange part projected outward from the side surface of the nut body and the unconductive ring-shaped resinous member covering the peripheral portion of the flange part, the flange part has the disk-shaped flange body portion and the seat surface-forming portion which is extended downward from the lower surface of the flange body portion and has a smaller diameter than the flange body portion and the seat surface to be pressed against the portion where the nut is to be mounted; the ring-shaped resinous member has the edge part located below the seat surface and outward from the flange body portion and the annular skirt part whose diameter gradually increases to the edge part; and the annular skirt part deforms in mounting the nut on the portion where the nut is to be mounted in such a way that the annular skirt part does not prevent the seat surface from being pressed against the portion where the nut is to be mounted and forms the annular liquid-tight sealing portion for the portion where the nut is to be mounted.
Therefore the nut is capable of holding the axial force thereof exerted by the seat surface thereof when the nut is mounted on the metal molded product liable to cause the electrolytic corrosion and securely preventing a liquid from penetrating into the portion of the metal molded product where the nut is to be mounted and the metal molded product from causing the electrolytic corrosion.
The embodiments of the nut may have the following forms.
(2) In the nut according to the above-described (1), the annular skirt part increases to the edge part in the diameter thereof taperingly or cursedly.
(3) In the nut according to the above-described (1) or (2), the nut body has the annular side surface formed by the side surface of the seat surface-forming portion and the annular flat surface formed between the upper peripheral edge of the annular side surface and the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the flange body portion; and
the ring-shaped resinous member does not cover the seat surface of the seat surface-forming portion, but covers the annular side surface of the seat surface-forming portion, the annular flat surface of the flange body portion, the annular side surface of the flange body portion, and the annular peripheral edge of the upper surface of the flange body portion.
(4) In the nut according to any one of the above-described (1) through (3), the ring-shaped resinous member becomes gradually thinner to the edge part.
(5) In the nut according to any one of the above-described (1) through (3), the annular skirt part has the flat portion formed in the neighborhood of the edge part.
(6) In the nut according to any one of the above-described (1) through (4), the annular skirt part has the inner annular portion having the curved surface bulged outward and the outer annular portion inwardly curved a little.
(7) In the nut according to any one of the above-described (1) through (6), the unconductive ring-shaped resinous member is formed on the nut body by insert molding.
(8) In the nut according to any one of the above-described (1) through (7), the annular skirt part elastically deforms when the nut is mounted on the portion where the nut is to be mounted; and following the deformation of the annular skirt part, the ring-shaped resinous member is pressed against the annular peripheral edge of the upper surface of the flange body portion.
(9) In the nut according to any one of the above-described (1) through (8), the annular skirt part becomes taperingly larger to the edge part in the diameter thereof; and the taper angle of the annular skirt part with respect to the axis of the screw part is 60° to 89°.
(10) In the nut according to any one of the above-described (1) through (9), the projected length L of the distal end of the edge part with respect to the seat surface is 0.05 mm to 1.5 mm.
(11) In the nut according to any one of the above-described (1) through (10), the unconductive ring-shaped resinous member is made of the unconductive resin having the tensile break elongation not less than 15%.
(12) In the nut according to any one of the above-described (1) through (11), the upper portion of the female screw part is dosed to form a bag-shaped nut.
(13) The nut according to any one of the above-described (1) through (11) has the shaft part extended downward from the flange part; and the shaft part is provided with the female screw part.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2006-322449 | Nov 2006 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
PCT/JP2007/072834 | 11/27/2007 | WO | 00 | 6/30/2009 |