US3479727A

US3479727A - Riveting

Info

Publication number: US3479727A
Application number: US682368A
Authority: US
Inventors: Albert J Colautti; Donald H Suszko
Original assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Current assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Priority date: 1965-10-11
Filing date: 1967-11-13
Publication date: 1969-11-25
Anticipated expiration: 1986-11-25

Description

Nov. 25, 1969 A. J. COLAUTTI ET AL 3,479,727

RIVETING- Original Filed Oct. 11, 1965 INVENTORS fi/Jer/ cfa/azzz' (5 BY one/a 75. 5.215111% .9 2 2 p A T TO R N E Y f :ii"ii-iii.. fi

PRIOR ART United States Patent Int. Cl. B23p 11/00 US. Cl. 29-444 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A controlled degree of looseness in a rivet which provides a pivot for two relatively movable members is achieved by exerting an upsetting force on the rivet while resisting the force by an abutment engaging the perimeter of the rivet head so that the head is sprung slightly by the upsetting force and then springs back to provide the desired degree of clearance.

This application is a division of our application Ser. No. 494,606, filed Oct. 11, 1965, now Patent No. 3,357,084, issued Dec. 12, 1967.

Our invention relates to a new method of riveting.

Conventional riveting methods include inserting a headed rivet through apertures in the members being fastened and then upsetting the rivet while the head portion is held against an anvil surface. This conventional riveting method results in a tight riveted connection and is very undesirable in situations where a slight amount of tolerance or play is desired in the riveted assembly.

It is, therefore, an object of the subject invention to provide a riveting method whereby a controlled amount of tolerance can be provided between the members joined in a riveted assembly.

In general, the invention features the use of an anvil having a cavity sized to support the outer perimeter of a rivet head and yet allow the center portion of the rivet head to be forced into the cavity upon actuation by a punch or other force-producing element. This distorting or dishing of the rivet head occurs prior to the upsetting of the rivet shank at the other end and results in a controlled amount of spring back up completion of the upsetting operation. It is this controlled spring back which results in the amount of tolerance desired in the riveted assembly.

Other objects, features and advantages of the subject invention will become obvious upon reference to the following detailed description and the drawings depicting the preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation view with parts in section showing a riveted assembly accomplished by use of the apparatus and method of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an elevation view with parts in section of the apparatus of the invention as it is about to contact a rivet to result in a riveted assembly;

FIGURE 3 is the same view as FIGURE 1 at the instant where the apparatus of the invention has dished the head of the rivet;

FIGURE 4 is the same view as FIGURE 3 at the point where the apparatus has upset the shank portion of the rivet; and

FIGURE 5 is a view of a conventional riveted assembly.

More particularly, the apparatus of the subject invention includes a punch and an anvil 12. The punch 10 may be of any suitable material having properties sufiicient to withstand the forces developed in this type of operation and may be actuated by any suitable manual or power-driven mechanism (not shown). The punch 10 is seen to include a shank portion 14, a body portion 16, which is adapted to be connected to the actuation means,

Patented Nov. 25, 1969 'ice and a work-contacting end 18. The work-contacting end 18 includes force concentrating

cross ribs

20 and 21 which extend axially therefrom.

The anvil 12 may also be of any suitable material having properties capable of withstanding the force developed in such an operation. The anvil 12 may also be of any suitable size and shape and is supported on a base 22. The work-contacting end of the anvil 12 is seen to have a recess 24 which has an annular stepped shoulder portion 26.

' A rivet 28 is shown passing through apertures in the

members

30 and 32 which are to be assembled. The

members

30 and 32 may be any two devices which are required to be assembled together. In this particular embodiment the member 30 is a lockbar plate and the member 32 an upper channel in a seat adjusting mechanism for an automobile. This particular embodiment was chosen because it is a situation where it is desired to have a controlled amount of tolerance between the lockbar plate and the upper channel to create a pivot permitting rotational movement of one relative to the other in a plane normal to the axis of the rivet, but not so as to allow rocking movement of one member relative to the other.

The rivet 28 is seen to include a relatively broad, flat head 34, an intermediate shank 36 extending through an aperture 38 in the member 30, and a lesser diameter shank 40 extending through an aperture 42 in the member 32.

The remaining discussion will be directed toward the operation of the subject invention as seen in sequence from FIGURES 2 t0 3 t0 4 to l.

As seen in FIGURE 2, the rivet 28 has been inserted through the

members

30 and 32 and is resting on the stepped shoulder portion 26 in the recess 24 of the anvil 12. It can also be seen that the punch 10 has been moved to a position where it is about to contact the end of the shank 40 of the rivet 28. Moving to FIGURE 3, it is seen that the

cross ribs

20 and 21 of the punch 10 contact the end of shank 40 of the rivet 28 first, thereby concentrating the displacement force in the center of the rivet 28 and forcing the center portion of the head 34 into the cavity 24 until it bottoms on the lower surface 44. At this point it is seen that the intermediate shank 36 of the rivet 28 has been displaced downwardly such that the member 32 is resting on the member 30. Moving to FIGURE 4, it is seen that once the head portion 34 of the rivet 28 has bottomed on the surface 44 in the cavity 24, the force of the punch 10 then upsets the shank portion 40 in a radial direction. At the point shown in FIGURE 4 the

members

30 and 32 are held tightly together under the force of the punch 10 and the holding action of the anvil 12. Moving to FIGURE 1, it is seen that when the punch 10 and anvil 12 are removed from the assembly, the rivet head 34 springs back a predetermined and controlled amount to thereby move the intermediate shank 36 and create a controlled amount of tolerance in the assembly between the

members

30 and 32. The amount of this spring back is a function of the depth of the cavity 24, the properties of the material of the rivet 28, and the dimensions of the rivet head 34. Therefore, the depth of the cavity 24 should be designed for the maximum amount of tolerance expected between the upper surface of the intermediate shoulder 36 and the upper surface of the member 30. Hence, the procedure just described results in a riveted assembly whereby two members are assembled together with a controlled amount of tolerance built into the riveted assembly. It should be noted that the rivet head 34 does not have to bottom in the cavity 24 as it will still spring back an amount proportional to its displacement. Additionally, it should be clear that the displacements shown on the drawings are exaggerated for purposes of illustration. Furthermore, it is not es s ent ial that ashouldered rivet be used as a simple rivet with a shank of constant diameter would be likewise. operable under the method of this invention, 1

FIGURE 5 shows a conventional riveted assembly, whereby a rivet 46 of the same type as that used in the present invention holds members 48 and 50 together. It can be seen that this conventional riveting method results in a tight riveted assembly. The only way a tolerance between the members 48 and 50 can be assured in the conventional riveting assembly is to use a rivet with the intermediate portion 52 being slightly longer than the thickness of the member 48. If this difference in size could be controlled with exact precision, the desired tolerances between the members 48 and 50 could be accom- 'plished with a conventional riveting operation. However, in modern-day high production assembly operations, it is extremely expensive and virtually impossible to control tolerances of assembly parts to the accuracy required to assure the desired tolerance between the members 48 and 50.

Hence, the conventional riveting method as shown in FIGURE 5 is extremely impractical for modern-day riveting assemblies wherein a controlled amount of tolerance between the members being assembled is desired.

The present invention provides a riveting method whereby a controlled amount of tolerance between the members being assembled can be riveted into the assembly regardless of slight variations in the size of the rivet and the members being secured.

It should be clear to those skilled in the art to which it pertains that the present invention has many uses other than the embodiment shown and described and that many changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention.

We claim:. a

1. A method of providing a riveted joint of controlled tolerance between two members having aligned apertures comprising the steps of:

providing a rivet having a shank and a head at one end of the shank extending radially from the shank, inserting the rivet through the said apertures so as to engage the head against one said member, supporting the head of the rivet only at its perimeter and concurrently exerting an axial force on the other end of the shank, so that the head is dished by the axial force exerted through the shank,

'upsetting the shank of the rivet against the other said member to provide a riveted connection between the members,

and thereafter relieving the axial force to cause the head of the rivet to spring back from its dished condition and thereby create a controlled axial looseness in the riveted connection.

.. 2. A method as recited in claim 1 in which the upsetting is effected by the said axial force.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,610,664 12/1926 Ellison 29469 2,724,867 11/1955 Smith 29469 X 2,756,495 7/1956 Lathrop 29469 X 2,997,716 8/1961 Huelster 227- X 3,013,272 12/1961 Barratt 227140 X 3,209,446 10/1965 Nicholas 29444 X WAYNE A. MORSE, 111., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 29469, 526; 227-140