GB2160576A

GB2160576A - Fastener mountings

Info

Publication number: GB2160576A
Application number: GB08511231A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Willi Kraus
Original assignee: TRW United Carr GmbH and Co
Current assignee: TRW United Carr GmbH and Co
Priority date: 1984-05-02
Filing date: 1985-05-02
Publication date: 1985-12-24
Also published as: GB2160576B; ES286483Y; GB8511231D0; FR2563891B1; DE3416262A1; DE3416262C2; FR2563891A1; ES286483U

Abstract

The invention relates to a plastics fastener 1 for fastening at least one article eg at 2, 3 on a support or carrier plate 12, a profiled pin 11 which is secured thereto being received in an opening 5 in the retainer. Resilient webs or arms or the like 6, 6' which extend transversely to the longitudinal axis of the opening, are disposed opposite one another and extend over a reduced area of the inner periphery 7 of the opening 5 to engage the profiles on the pin 11. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Fastener The invention relates to a fastener, particularly but not exclusively, to a fastener for retaining at least one article on a support and which is adapted to be mounted on a stud which is secured to the support. The stud may have profiles angled relative to its longitudinal axis, and may be for example a screw-threaded stud, the stud being receivable in an opening in the fastener, retaining members being provided in such opening.

In a known fastener of this kind, the retaining zone has as shaping or profiling longitudinal ribs received in profiled parts of a pin secured to a support or carrier plate (DE-PS 3 002 031). Considerable force is required with this known construction both to assemble and disassemble the plastics retainer. When the fastener is assembled on a shaped pin of a carrier plate, these substantial forces are disadvantageous in cases in which the discrete fasteners are not secured consecutively to individual pins but, for example, a large number of fasteners are required to be secured simultaneously on the corresponding pins with the use of a special assembly tool, for very substantial pressures would be required for simultaneous securing of the fasteners to the associated pins and increase the cost of the corresponding assembly devices.

It is the object of this invention so to device a fastener of the kind described so that only reduced pressures are needed for assembly, yet once assembly has been completed substantial pull-off forces retain the fastener satisfactorily on the stud.

In a particular embodiment of the invention the retaining members are resilient ribs or arms or the like which extend transversely to the longitudinal axis of the opening, are disposed opposite one another and extend over a reduced area of the inner periphery of the opening. The advantage of the resilient ribs or the like is that they require only reduced pressures for assembly of the retainer on a shaped pin. Upon completion of assembly the ribs so engage the profiling of the pin concerned that very substantial pull-off forces are necessary to disengage the fastener from the plate.This feature leads to very substantial advantages more particularly in automotive engineering in that a large number of fasteners can be assembled simultaneously on the corresponding pins, yet after the fasteners have been assembled they remain satisfactorily and reliably secured to the plate and are not affected by severe vibrations.

Advantageous embodiments are disclosed by the subclaims.

The invention will be described in greater detail hereinafter with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a side view of a fastener; Figure 2 is a plan view of the fastener to an enlarged scale and partly broken away; Figure 3 is a side view of the fastener, the view being at a 180 offset from the view of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a section on the line IV-IV of Figure 2, and Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation of a shaped or profiled pin on a support or carrier plate.

A plastics fastener 1 shown in Figure 1 has, for example, two retaining sections 2, 3 of use, for example, for receiving petrol lines of a motor vehicle.

Disposed between the sections 2 and 3 is a mounting section 4 which, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, includes a continuous cylindrical bore 5. As Figure 2 shows, ribs 6, 6' are so disposed opposite one another around inner periphery 7 of bore 5 as to project from periphery 7 towards the centre of the bore 5. The ribs 6, 6' protrude from flexible arcute webs 9, 9' which are attached at one side thereof to the mounting section 4 and which extend circumferentially to define the shape of the bore 5. As Figures 1, 3 and 4 show, a number of ribs 6, 6' are disposed one another another. The ribs 6, 6' take up a zone of only from 30 to 40 of periphery 7.

As Figures 1 to 4 show, the central zone of the fastener 1 is formed with an aperture 8 which extends transversely through the fastener 1. The ribs 6 and 6' so extend into the aperture 8 that the same is bounded externally by the outside surfaces of the webs 9, 9' of carrying the ribs 6, 6' respectively. Also, and as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4, the bore 5 is associated in its top part with a duct 15 which extends from the outside to the centre.

As Figures 3 and 4 show, a gap 13 separates the web 9 at the top from the top part of the mounting section 4.

Consequently, the web 9 having the ribs 6 is secured to the mounting section 4 only at its side part and at the bottom.

On the other hand, and as Figures 1 and 3 show, the web 9' having the ribs 6' is secured both at the top and at the bottom and at the side to the mounting section 4.

As will be apparent from Figure 2, the outside surfaces of webs 9, 9' extend equidistant to the front edges of the ribs 6, 6' and merge in the side zone into lateral surfaces 16, 16' respectively of the mounting section 4 bounding the aperture 8.

As will be apparent from Figure 4, a conical entry zone 10 precedes the ribs 6, 6' lengthwise of the bore 5 and serves to facilitate the insertion of a profiled pin 11 which is shown in Figure 5 and which is secured to a support or carrier plate or the like 12. The pin 11 has, for example, a coarse screwthread which extends at an angle to its longitudinal axis. When a fastener 1 according to the invention and shown in Figure 3 is placed on the pin 11, after mounting, the discrete ribs 6, 6' engage, because of their special arrangement and because of their resilience, the profiling of the pin 11 and ensure reliable retention despite reduced pressures in assembly, so that substantial forces would be needed to pull the fastener 1 away from the plate 12.

As Figure 4 shows, the ribs 6, 6' are conically coverging parts - i.e., starting from a wide base on inner periphery 7 of the bore 5, they narrow conically towards the centre of bore 5. This conicity of the ribs 6, 6' improves retention.

Since, as previously stated, a gap 13 separates the ribs 6 at the top from the top part of the fastener 1, a transverse rib 14 is provided on the web 9 in order to increase rigidity in the top part, thus ensuring that the ribs 6 are of adequate stability despite the presence of the gap 13.

The invention therefore provides in all a simply constructed fastener which can be assembled on a shaped or profiled pin with the use of reduced pressures, yet after assembly the fastener provides very secure retention. Consequently, in the interests of efficiency a large number of fasteners 1 can advantageously be placed simultaneously on the corresponding shaped pins.

Claims

1. A fastener adapted to be mounted on a profiled stud having a mounting section comprising a bore and retaining members provided in the bore wherein the retaining members are resilient crosspieces which extend transversely of the longitudinal axis of the bore and extend over a reduced portion of the circumference of the bore.

2. A fastener according to claim 1 comprising two opposed sets of cross-pieces.

3. A fastener according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the cross-pieces occupy an angular zone of approximately from 30 -40 of the inner circumference of the bore.

4. A retainer according to any preceding claim wherein an aperture extends transversely through the fastener in the area of the bore.

5. A fastener according to claim 4 wherein the aperture is disposed centrally of the fastener.

6. A fastener according to any preceding claim wherein the cross-pieces are mounted on one or more flexible webs wherein each web is attached at one side edge thereof to the mounting section.

7. A fastener according to claim 6 wherein at least one of the webs has at least one free end.

8. A fastener according to claim 6 or claim 7 wherein at least one of the flexible webs has one end connected to the mounting section and one free end.

9. A fastener according to claim 6 wherein at least one of the flexible webs is connected at both ends to the mounting section.

10. A fastener according to any preceding claim comprising a conical entry zone for the stud.

11. A fastener substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1-4 of the accompanying drawings.

12. An assembly comprising a fastener according to any preceding claim, a stud and a support member wherein the stud is attached to the support and the fastener is mounted on the stud.

13. An assembly according to claim 12 wherein the stud is screw-threaded.

14. An assembly substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1-5 of the accompanying drawings.