Thread forming fasteners for ultrasonic load measurement and control
First Claim
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1. An apparatus comprising:
- a thread-forming fastener including a head for engagement by a tool for applying a torque to the fastener, and a body portion extending from the head and including thread-forming portions;
an ultrasonic transducer coupled with the fastener, for making ultrasonic load measurements in the fastener; and
an identifying element applied to the apparatus, wherein the identifying element includes data associated with the fastener, wherein the identifying element is a permanent mark applied to the apparatus, and wherein the permanent mark is a bar code.
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Abstract
An ultrasonic load measurement transducer is mated with a thread-forming fastener to provide a load indicating thread-forming fastener that can be used for the precise and reliable assembly of critical bolted joints, such as those in the automobile and aerospace industries, among others. Steps can then be taken to accurately measure and control the load in the thread-forming fastener during tightening, and to inspect the load in the thread-forming fastener after assembly. A similar result can be achieved for a thread-locking fastener by mating an ultrasonic transducer with the thread-locking fastener assembly.
66 Citations
22 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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a thread-forming fastener including a head for engagement by a tool for applying a torque to the fastener, and a body portion extending from the head and including thread-forming portions; an ultrasonic transducer coupled with the fastener, for making ultrasonic load measurements in the fastener; and an identifying element applied to the apparatus, wherein the identifying element includes data associated with the fastener, wherein the identifying element is a permanent mark applied to the apparatus, and wherein the permanent mark is a bar code. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An apparatus comprising:
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a thread-forming fastener including a head for engagement by a tool for applying a torque to the fastener, and a body portion extending from the head and including thread-forming portions; an ultrasonic transducer coupled with the fastener, for making ultrasonic load measurements in the fastener; and an identifying element applied to the apparatus, wherein the identifying element includes data associated with the fastener, and wherein the identifying element is a non-volatile memory device applied to the ultrasonic transducer. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification