LIGHTNING-RESISTANT FASTENER, CAP, AND METHOD OF MOUNTING LIGHTNING-RESISTANT FASTENER

• US 20120074257A1
• Filed: 04/02/2010
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Bessho, Masahiro, Ishikawa, Naomoto, Kamino, Yuichiro, Nishimura, Wataru, Nohara, Toshikatsu, Hashigami, Toru, Tsuzuki, Tamaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,520,358 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/1.A
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/02 Lightning protectors; Static dischargers in general H01T
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 33/004 Sealing; Insulation by means of washers F16B43/001
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 33/06 Surface treatment of parts furnished with screw-thread, e.g. for preventing seizure or fretting corrosion preventing means F16B33/008; settable coatings for locking threaded members F16B39/225; deformable coatings for locking threaded members F16B39/34
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 37/14 Cap nuts; Nut caps or bolt caps
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 39/01 specially adapted to prevent loosening at extreme temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 39/021 by injecting a settable material after the screwing down
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49835 with shaping
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49947 by applying separate fastener

Abstract

There are provided a lightning-resistant fastener and a cap, which, while assuring sufficient insulation properties, provide improved workability and highly stable quality to thereby enable a reduction in the manufacturing cost of an airframe, and a method of mounting the lightning-resistant fastener. A hole 32 is formed in a cap 30, and a screw groove 32a is formed in the hole 32. The configuration enables the cap 30 to be reliably and easily positioned and installed on a fastener member 24 and reliably prevents the cap 30 from coming off after the installation thereof. This improves the workability to reduce the production cost while assuring sufficient insulation properties and enables the cap 30 to be installed with stable quality irrespective of workers. Preferably, the cap 30 is made of a resin in view of mass producibility, weight reduction, and the like.

Claims

1. A lightning-resistant fastener comprising:

a fastener member, which is made of a conductive material, used for fastening a second member on the interior side of an airframe of an aircraft to a first member constituting the airframe; and

a cap, which is made of an insulating material, installed so as to cover the fastener member projecting to the interior side of the airframe, wherein

the fastener member comprises an engaging part in a portion projecting to the interior side of the airframe; and

the cap comprises an engaged part engaged with the engaging part of the fastener member in the central portion of the inner peripheral surface thereof, and

the cap is installed to the fastener member in a state in which the engaging part of the fastener member engages with the engaged part while a gap is provided between the cap and a portion of the fastener member other than the engaged part.

2. The lightning-resistant fastener according to claim 1, wherein the gap is filled with an insulating sealant.

3. The lightning-resistant fastener according to claim 2, wherein a groove extending along the direction away from the second member is formed in the engaging part or the engaged part.

4. The lightning-resistant fastener according to claim 1, wherein a head part of the cap has a shape on which a tool for screwing the cap on the fastener member can be laid.

5. The lightning-resistant fastener according to claim 1, wherein non-slip work is applied onto an outer peripheral surface of the cap.

6. The lightning-resistant fastener according to claim 1, wherein the cap comprises a projecting knob part for a worker to turn the cap manually.

7. The lightning-resistant fastener according to claim 6, wherein the knob part is connected to the cap via a connecting part, and the connecting part is twisted off when the cap is screwed increasingly on the front end part of the fastener member by gripping the knob part and tightening torque thereof reaches a predefined level.

8. The lightning-resistant fastener according to claim 1, wherein the inside diameter of the inner peripheral surface of the cap gradually decrease toward a side where the engaged part is formed, from an opening end side on the opposite side of the side where the engaged part is formed.

9. The lightning-resistant fastener according to claim 8, wherein on the opening end side of the cap, the thickness of the sealant in the radial direction of the cap is set at a predefined value or more.

10. The lightning-resistant fastener according to claim 1, wherein a step part or a flange part projecting toward the outer periphery side is formed on an outer peripheral surface of the fastener member.

11. The lightning-resistant fastener according to claim 1, wherein the adhesion strength between the cap and the sealant is smaller than the adhesion strength between the sealant and the fastener member.

12. A cap installed to a front end of a fastener member which fastens a first member and a second member together, wherein

the cap is made of an insulating material and has an umbrella shape;

the cap comprises an engaged part on an inner peripheral surface of a top potion of the cap, the engaged part is engaged with an engaging part formed on the fastener member which penetrates the first member and the second member and projects on the second member side; and

the cap is installed to the fastener member in a state in which the engaging part of the fastener member engages with the engaged part while a gap is provided between the cap and a portion of the fastener member other than the engaged part.

13. A method of mounting a lightning-resistant fastener, comprising the steps of:

causing a fastener main body to penetrate through a first member constituting an airframe of an aircraft and a second member attached to the first member on the interior side of the airframe from an outer periphery side of the airframe in a state in which the first member and the second member are laid on each other;

installing a fixture to the fastener main body from the interior side of the airframe; and

engaging an engaged part of a cap with the fastener main body projecting from the fixture on the inside of the airframe by causing the fastener main body to penetrate from the outer periphery side of the airframe.

14. The method of mounting a lightning-resistant fastener according to claim 13, wherein the method further comprises a step of filling a sealant on the inner periphery side of the cap, which is made of an insulating material and has an umbrella shape, and comprises the engaged part on an inner peripheral surface of a top portion of the cap, before the engaged part of the cap is engaged with the fastener main body and after the fixture is attached from the interior side of the airframe.