Bolt tightening method and bolt tightening apparatus

• US 20060218768A1
• Filed: 02/22/2006
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Shinagawa, Hiroshi, Fujii, Yutaka, Makimae, Tatsumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,398,700 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/407.30
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 19/066 by electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 23/14 Arrangement of torque limiters or torque indicators in wrenches or screwdrivers couplings for transmitting rotation or clutches F16D; devices for measuring torque per se G01L
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49766 torquing threaded assemblage or determining torque herein
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49767 Determining relative number of threaded member rotations

Abstract

After it is tightened with a snug torque T_A, a bolt is tuned by a total turning angle θ_S equivalent to the sum of an initial-set turning angle θ_A and a corrective additional-turning angle (θ_B+θ_C). The corrective additional-turning angle (θ_B+θ_C) is the sum of a first corrective additional-turning angle θ_B and a second corrective additional-turning angle θ_C, the first corrective additional-turning angle θ_B being to compensate for a situation where a bolt turning angle θ22 corresponding to the snug torque θ_A on an extension line of the bolt tightening torque properties C2 in a late tightening stage II is different from a bolt turning angle θ11 corresponding to the actual snug torque T_A, the second corrective additional-turning angle θ_C being to compensate for a decrease of an effective bolt axial force that is caused by an existence of the initial tightening stage I.

Claims

1. A bolt tightening method applicable to a bolt having bolt tightening torque properties, in which a torque gradient expressed in terms of the ratio of an additional tightening torque exerted on a bolt to its additional turning angle has a first torque gradient in an initial bolt tightening stage and a second torque gradient in a late bolt tightening stage subsequent to the initial bolt tightening stage, a magnitude of the second torque gradient being greater than that of the first torque gradient, the method comprising the steps of.

tightening the bolt with a predetermined snug torque;

and

turning the bolt subsequently by a total turning angle that is equivalent to the sum of a predetermined initial-set turning angle and a corrective additional-turning angle,

wherein said corrective additional-turning angle is the sum of a first corrective additional-turning angle and a second corrective additional-turning angle, said first corrective additional-turning angle being to compensate for a situation in which a bolt turning angle corresponding to said snug torque on an extension line of said bolt tightening torque properties with the second torque gradient is greater than a bolt turning angle corresponding to said snug torque on a line of said bolt tightening torque properties with the first torque gradient, said second corrective additional-turning angle being to compensate for a decrease of an effective bolt axial force that is caused by an existence of said bolt tightening torque properties with the first torque gradient.

2. The bolt tightening method of claim 1, wherein said first corrective additional-turning angle is equivalent to an angle difference between a first corrective starting point angle that is equivalent to said bolt turning angle corresponding to the snug torque on the line of the bolt tightening torque properties with the first torque gradient and a first corrective ending point angle that is equivalent to said bolt turning angle corresponding to the snug torque on the extension line of the bolt tightening torque properties with the second torque gradient.

3. The bolt tightening method of claim 1, wherein said second corrective additional-turning angle is equivalent to an angle difference between a second corrective starting point angle corresponding to a second corrective starting point torque that is equal to or smaller than said snug torque on the extension line of the bolt tightening torque properties with the second torque gradient and a second corrective ending point angle corresponding to a point of intersection of an extension line of said bolt tightening torque properties with the first torque gradient and the extension line of the bolt tightening torque properties with second torque gradient.

4. The bolt tightening method of claim 1, wherein said torque gradient is calculated based on a gradient-calculation starting point angle that is obtained by turning the bolt from a standard turning angle corresponding to a predetermined standard torque by a specified angle, a gradient-calculation ending point angle that is obtained by further turning the bolt from the gradient-calculation starting point angle by a specified angle, and respective bolt tightening torques corresponding to the gradient-calculation starting point angle and the gradient-calculation ending point angle.

5. The bolt tightening method of claim 4, wherein said torque gradient calculation is used when said second torque gradient is calculated.

6. The bolt tightening method of claim 1, wherein the bolt tightening method is applied to a case where an elastic deforming member is located between fastened members and the fastened members are fastened to each other with the elastic deforming member by tightening the bolt, and an amount of deformation of the elastic deforming member is greater than that of the fastened member in the initial bolt tightening stage.

7. The bolt tightening method of claim 6, wherein said fastened members comprise a mounting body and a bearing cap, which have a half-circle shaped bearing bore respectively, said elastic deforming member comprises two halves of a half-shell bearing fitted in the bearing bore of the mounting body and the bearing cap, the half-shell bearing has an outer periphery that is greater than a periphery of the bearing bore in a state before the mounting body and the bearing cap are fastened, and when the mounting body and the bearing cap are fastened, the half-shell bearing is deformed in the initial bolt tightening stage in such a manner that a greater part thereof is eliminated.

8. The bolt tightening method of claim 7, wherein said bearing bore is formed after said bearing cap is fastened to said mounting body by tightening the bolt in such a manner that at first the bolt is tightened with said snug torque and then turned by said initial-set turning angle.

9. A bolt tightening apparatus applicable to a bolt having bolt tightening torque properties, in which a torque gradient expressed in terms of the ratio of an additional tightening torque exerted on a bolt to its additional turning angle has a first torque gradient in an initial bolt tightening stage and a second torque gradient in a late bolt tightening stage subsequent to the initial bolt tightening stage, a magnitude of the second torque gradient being greater than that of the first torque gradient, the apparatus comprising:

a bolt turning device operative to turn the bolt around a bolt axis;

a torque detecting device operative to detect a torque applied to the bolt;

a bolt turning angle detecting device operative to detect a bolt turning angle;

a control device operative to control an operation of said bolt turning device; and

a corrective additional-turning angle calculating device operative to calculate a corrective additional-turning angle that is equivalent to an amount of additional tightening of the bolt to be added to a predetermined amount of initial tightening of the bolt,

wherein said control device is configured so to operate said bolt turning device until a bolt tightening torque detected by said torque detecting device becomes a predetermined snug torque and subsequently operate said bolt turning device until a bolt turning angle detected by said bolt turning angle detecting device becomes a total turning angle that is equivalent to the sum of a predetermined initial-set turning angle and the corrective additional-turning angle calculated by said corrective additional-turning angle calculating device, and said corrective additional-turning angle calculating device is configured so as to calculate a first corrective additional-turning angle and a second corrective additional-turning angle, the first corrective additional-turning angle being to compensate for a situation in which a bolt turning angle corresponding to said snug torque on an extension line of said bolt tightening torque properties with the second torque gradient is greater than a bolt turning angle corresponding to said snug torque on a line of said bolt tightening torque properties with the first torque gradient, and said second corrective additional-turning angle being to compensate for a decrease of an effective bolt axial force that is caused by an existence of said bolt tightening torque properties with the first torque gradient, the sum of the first corrective additional-turning angle and the second corrective additional-turning angle being said corrective additional-turning angle.

10. The bolt tightening apparatus of claim 9, wherein said first corrective additional-turning angle calculated by said corrective additional-turning angle calculating device is equivalent to an angle difference between a first corrective starting point angle that is equivalent to said bolt turning angle corresponding to the snug torque on the line of the bolt tightening torque properties with the first torque gradient and a first corrective ending point angle that is equivalent to said bolt turning angle corresponding to the snug torque on the extension line of the bolt tightening torque properties with the second torque gradient.

11. The bolt tightening method of claim 9, wherein said second corrective additional-turning angle calculated by said corrective additional-turning angle calculating device is equivalent to an angle difference between a second corrective starting point angle corresponding to a second corrective starting point torque that is equal to or smaller than said snug torque on the extension line of the bolt tightening torque properties with the second torque gradient and a second corrective ending point angle corresponding to a point of intersection of an extension line of said bolt tightening torque properties with the first torque gradient and the extension line of the bolt tightening torque properties with second torque gradient.

12. The bolt tightening apparatus of claim 9, wherein said torque gradient calculated by said corrective additional-turning angle calculating device is calculated based on a gradient-calculation starting point angle that is obtained by turning the bolt from a standard turning angle corresponding to a predetermined standard torque by a specified angle, a gradient-calculation ending point angle that is obtained by further turning the bolt from the gradient-calculation starting point angle by a specified angle, and respective bolt tightening torques corresponding to the gradient-calculation starting point angle and the gradient-calculation ending point angle.

13. The bolt tightening apparatus of claim 9, wherein a mounting body and a bearing cap, which have a half-circle shaped bearing bore respectively, are fastened with two halves of a half-shell bearing fitted in the bearing bore of the mounting body and the bearing cap, the half-shell bearing having an outer periphery that is greater than a periphery of the bearing bore in a state before the mounting body and the bearing cap are fastened, the half-shell bearing being deformed in the initial bolt tightening stage in such a manner that a greater part thereof is eliminated when the mounting body and the bearing cap are fastened.