Bolt fastening structure for easily fastening bolts

• US 5,651,588 A
• Filed: 04/25/1996
• Issued: 07/29/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kato, Yoshihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Stormer, Russell D.
• Application Number:
  US08/637,339
• Time in Patent Office: 460 Days
• Field of Search: 301/6.1, 301/35.57, 301/35.62, 301/105.1, 301/111, 301/114, 411/537, 411/538, 411/539, 29/894.321, 29/894.361
• US Class Current: 301/35.626
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 27/0005 with ball bearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 3/165 with locking devices for the fixing means, e.g. screw or nut covers
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 35/048 Specially-shaped necks F16B35/06 takes precedence

Abstract

A bolt-fastened structure includes a supporting member having a through-hole, and a bolt fitted in the through-hole of the supporting member. The supporting member includes at least one of a first notch provided to partially enlarge an opening edge of the through-hole at one side of the through-hole, and a second notch provided to partially enlarge another opening edge of the through-hole at opposite side of the through-hole. The first notch and the second notch are symmetrically located with respect to a central point of the through-hole.

Claims

1. A bolt-fastened structure, comprising:

a supporting member having a through-hole and first and second sides, said through-hole having a central axis and an opening edge at each of the first and second sides of the supporting member, said supporting member including at least one of a first notch at the opening edge of the through-hole at the first side of the supporting member and a second notch at the opening edge of the through-hole at the second side of the supporting member; and

a bolt fitted in the through-hole of the supporting member, the bolt having a central axis and a threaded portion, the threaded portion having a radius;

wherein said first notch and said second notch are symmetrically located with respect to the central axis of the through-hole, and said supporting member further including a first chamfered portion located on the first side of the supporting member and a second chamfered portion located on the second side of the supporting member.

2. The bolt-fastened structure according to claim 1, wherein said first notch has an inside wall and a cross-section in which an outside surface of the bolt contacts the inside wall of the first notch, and said second notch has an inside wall and a cross-section in which the outside surface of the bolt contacts the inside wall of the second notch.

3. The bolt-fastened structure according to claim 1, wherein said first notch has an outermost point and said second notch has an innermost point, and said first notch and said second notch are arranged such that, when inserting the bolt into the through-hole in a slanting direction at an angle to the central axis of the through-hole, both a distance between the central axis of the bolt and the outermost point of the first notch in the supporting member and a distance between the central axis of the bolt and the innermost point of the second notch in the supporting member are greater than the radius of the threaded portion of the bolt.

4. The bolt-fastened structure according to claim 1, wherein said first chamfered portion has an outermost point and said first notch is provided at the outermost point of the first chamfered portion.

5. The bolt-fastened structure according to claim 1, wherein said second chamfered portion has an innermost point and said second notch is provided at the innermost point of the second chamfered portion.

6. The bolt-fastened structure according to claim 1, wherein said supporting member includes an annular groove, and said at least one of said first notch and said second notch is constituted by a portion of said annular groove.

7. The bolt-fastened structure according to claim 1, wherein said bolt has a serrated neck portion, said serrated neck portion having an outside diameter greater than an inside diameter of said through-hole.

8. The bolt-fastened structure according to claim 1, wherein the threaded portion of the bolt has an outside surface which contacts the inner wall of both said first notch and said second notch.

9. The bolt-fastened structure according to claim 1, wherein said supporting member comprises an axle hub of an automotive vehicle.

10. A bolt-fastened structure, comprising:

a supporting member having a through-hole and first and second sides, said through-hole having a central axis and an opening edge at each of the first and second sides of the supporting member, the opening edge at the first side of the supporting member including at least one of a first notch at the opening edge of the through-hole at the first side of the supporting member and a second notch at the opening edge of the through-hole at the second side of the supporting member, the first notch having an outermost point and an inside wall, and the second notch having an innermost point and an inside wall; and

a bolt fitted in the through-hole of the supporting member, the bolt having a central axis and a threaded portion, the threaded portion having a radius;

wherein said first notch and said second notch are symmetrically located with respect to the central axis of the through-hole, and said first notch and said second notch are arranged such that, when inserting the bolt into the through-hole in a slanting direction at an angle to the central axis of the through-hole, both a distance between the central axis of the bolt and the outermost point of the first notch in the supporting member and a distance between the central axis of the bolt and the innermost point of the second notch in the supporting member are greater than the radius of the threaded portion of the bolt.