DOUBLE FLUSH CLINCH STUD

• US 20060099050A1
• Filed: 10/06/2005
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pem Management Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Pem Management Incorporated
• Inventors: Maloney, Michael J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,374,381 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 411/500
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 19/062 Pierce nut setting machines
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 19/06 Solid rivets made in one piece
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 5/04 by means of riveting rivets F16B19/04
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4992 by flaring inserted cup or tube end
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/75 having a joining piece extending through aligned openings in plural members

Abstract

A double flush clinch stud includes adjacent clinch means of different diameters with planar end surfaces. The stud may be employed in forming an assembly wherein two metal sheets are joined in face-to-face contacting relationship. This assembly can provide a flush attachment on the outside surfaces of both sheets when the length of the stud is equal to the combined widths of the sheets. In an alternative embodiment, the top undercut groove can be adapted to be underfilled with the material of the top sheet. In this alternate configuration, the top sheet is effectively constrained between the head of the fastener and the second sheet while permitting the top sheet to pivot with respect to the second sheet.

Claims

1. A clinch-type fastener for joining parallel sheets having aligned apertures, comprising:

a shank having a head at one end and an endcap at the opposite end;

the head being a first displacer having a top surface and being the largest diameter of said fastener;

a first undercut groove on said shank located immediately below said first displacer having a first diameter;

a second displacer on said shank located immediately below said first undercut groove having a second diameter less than said first diameter;

a second undercut groove on said shank located immediately below said second displacer; and

the endcap located immediately below said second undercut groove and being of lesser diameter than said second displacer.

2. The fastener of claim 1 wherein said fastener further includes opposing, planar top and bottom surfaces.

3. The fastener of claim 2 wherein said surfaces are circular.

4. An assembly, comprising:

the fastener of claim 1 joining two metal sheets in face-to-face contacting relationship;

a first planar sheet having a first hole therein including sidewalls which occupy substantially all of said first undercut groove of said fastener; and

a second planar sheet joined in face-to-face relation to said first sheet, said second sheet having a second hole therein of lesser diameter than said first hole in said first sheet and being concentric therewith, said second hole being of lesser diameter than said first hole and having sidewalls which occupy substantially all of said second undercut groove of said fastener.

5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein the top surface of said fastener is flush with a top surface of said first sheet and an endface of said endcap of said fastener is flush with a bottom surface of said second sheet.

6. The assembly of claim 5 wherein said first and second holes are circular.

7. The assembly of claim 4 wherein the second hole is a blind hole in the second sheet.

8. The assembly of claim 4 wherein the first undercut groove of said fastener is of sufficient diameter such that it is underfilled by the material of the first sheet thereby providing relative rotary motion between said fastener and said sheet.

9. The assembly of claim 8 wherein both said first and second undercut grooves are of sufficient diameter such that they are underfilled with the material of said first and second sheets respectively.