Mechanical assembly by means of autogenous riveting

• US 10,395,801 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2017
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Legrand France SA (Legrand SA)
• Original Assignee: Legrand France SA (Legrand SA)
• Inventors: Denerf, Didier, Lequeux, Christophe, Fortanier, Philippe, Labreze, Eric, Clisson, Laurent, Francillout, Matthieu, Cahuzac, Bertrand, Retout, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Thiem D
• Application Number:
  US15/449,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20170178769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 29868, 29842, 29844, 29857, 29874, 29715, 29 34 R, 295221, 29597, 29717, 29729, 29748, 29751, 29753
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 13/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing conductors or cables
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 13/0036 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 5/08 Several wires or the like stranded in the form of a rope
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/06 Riveted connections by explosion H01R4/08
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/10 effected solely by twisting, wrapping, bending, crimping, or other permanent deformation
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 43/04 for forming connections by deformation, e.g. crimping tool
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49194 Assembling elongated conductors, e.g., splicing, etc.

Abstract

A mechanical assembly of a multi-strand cable including a plurality of strands and a substrate, the plurality of strands being aligned at the substrate in a first direction and the substrate having a convex edge in a plane perpendicular to the first direction. The plurality of strands is assembled on the substrate by swaging the strands around the convex edge, leading to the deformation of a portion of the strands around said convex edge. The substrate includes an opening in a plane substantially parallel to the first direction, the edge of which forms at least one portion of the convex edge. The swaging operation is carried out on the portion of the strands positioned between the edges of the opening such that a portion of the plurality of punched strands passes through the opening and projects around the convex edge onto the top and bottom sides thereof.

Claims

1. A method of assembling a multi-strand cable having a plurality of strands aligned along a first direction at a height of a support having a slot formed in a plane perpendicular to a first direction and having two convex edges facing each other, the method comprising:

performing a pre-compacting operation of the multi-strand cable;

subsequent to the pre-compacting operation, performing a pre-heating operation of the multi-strand cable;

subsequent to the performing a pre-heating operation, performing a riveting operation with a first tool comprising a die, a blank holder, and a punch, wherein the riveting operation comprises;

embossing a portion of the multi-strand cable in an area corresponding to the slot in order that the embossed portion of the multi-strand cable penetrates in the slot and bypasses the two convex edges;

compacting the embossed portion of the multi-strand cable around the slot;

creeping the multi-strand cable in the area so that the plurality of strands are joined together and with the support;

optimizing a distribution of compacted material of the multi-strand cable on the convex edges via an imprint formed in the die, dimensions of which are adapted to distribute material coming from the multi-strand cable over a surface of the two convex edges; and

wherein the support is disposed in the die at a height of the slot and the punch applies on the multi-strand cable in the area of the slot of the support; and

wherein the blank holder allows guiding the punch to perform the embossing and compacting and creeping a portion of the multi-strand cable on a side of a face of the support facing the multi-strand cable.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a post-heating operation is performed subsequent to the riveting operation.