US3672553A

US3672553A - Apparatus to produce a riveted connection

Info

Publication number: US3672553A
Application number: US52414A
Authority: US
Inventors: Erich Doring
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1966-06-15
Filing date: 1970-07-06
Publication date: 1972-06-27
Anticipated expiration: 1989-06-27
Also published as: CH461925A; ES341308A1; SE344172B; AT272044B; GB1184693A; NL6707118A; BE699468A

Abstract

An apparatus wherein a riveted connection is formed between two strips. A rivet is held in an upper die member or dolly directly above a lower die member having an opening therein. Superposed strips are positioned adjacent the lower die member covering the opening therein. Relative movement between the die members causes the body of the rivet to punch a hole through the superposed strips. The extending end of the rivet body is then deformed to form a closure head portion whereby the strips are rigidly connected.

Description

United States Patent Doring [4 1 June 27, 1972 [54] APPARATUS TO PRODUCE A RIVETED CONNECTION [72} Inventor: Erich During, Thalbachstra 8,

' Moosburg, Upper Bavaria, Germany [22] Filed: July 6, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: $2,414

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 643,154, June 2,

1967, abandoned.

498,423 5/1893 Cummings ..227/53 3,022,687 2/ 1962 Richards.. ....227/51 X 3,478,567 11/1969 Galatia ..227/61 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 716,430 1/1942 Germany ..227/51 Primary Examiner-Granville Y. Custer, Jr. Attorney-Woodhams, Blanchard and Flynn [5 7] ABSTRACT An apparatus wherein a riveted connection is formed between two strips. A rivet is held in an upper die member or dolly directly above a lower die member having an opening therein. Superposed strips are positioned adjacent the lower die member covering the opening therein. Relative movement between the die members causes the body of the rivet to punch a hole through the superposed strips. The extending end of the rivet body is then deformed to form a closure head portion whereby the strips are rigidly connected.

6 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures Pk-JEMEUJUI: 2 7 m2 sum ear 2 AQQ APPARATUS TO PRODUCE A RIVETED CONNECTION This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 643,154, filed June 2, 1967, now abandoned.

This invention relates to an apparatus for producing a rivet connection.

To connect several layers of strips, it is known to provide bores in the superposed strips and then the rivet is placed therethrough. The strips are then pressed together by means of a rivet setter and the closure head portion is formed by means of a riveting snap.

In the case of riveters, the machine automatically carries out the drilling, inserting and deforming of the rivet. As soon as the rivet is shaped, the sheet metal is automatically guided for subsequent operations thereon.

Said known apparatuses have the disadvantage of requiring a plurality of operations to produce the desired rivet connection. Thus, they are expensive and have a relatively low effec tiveness and efficiency. On the other hand, the riveted connection is long lasting so that one often accepts the above disadvantages because of the advantage of the desired durability.

It is the purpose of this invention to provide an apparatus which makes possible an increased productivity by reducing the operations and thus reducing the cost of the rivet connection.

To attain said purpose, the invention provides that the body of a rivet held by a dolly is used as a punch and is pressed through the strips to be connected, which strips are resting on a die. Thus, the operations known in the prior art of drilling and of pressing together of the strips is no longer required. Furthermore, the apparatus of the invention makes it possible to easily connect large area workpieces. This has so far been technologically very difficult and complicated because the rivet connections caused a moving of the strips and the bores had to be reamed out so that a fitting or opening was made for the rivets to be inserted.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the die is used to form the closure head portion after the body of the rivet has been pressed through the strips. The die advantageously fulfills two functions so that the riveting snap and the rivet setter are not required. This also reduces the cost and increases the effectiveness and efficiency. Since the body of the rivet is used as a punch, exact sized openings for the rivets are obtained and a rivet connection of high quality and great rigidity is achieved.

According to a still further embodiment of the invention, the die in the apparatus is constructed in one piece having a conical opening to receive the body of the rivet, which body is used as a punch, and having a device to fon'n the closure head portion of the rivet. Therefore, the die is advantageously a simple structural element being practically trouble-free, being inexpensive to manufacture and easy to replace. The closure head portion of the rivet can be easily created by overpressing or deforming the body of the rivet extending from the strips on the die.

The device to form the closure head portion of the rivet can, according to a further characteristic of the invention, be a slot in the upper face of the die, the width of which is smaller than the diameter of the unformed body of the rivet. Thus, an axially directed force applied to the head of the rivet will cause the portion of the rivet body extending outwardly from the strips on the opposite side from the head and laterally beyond the width of the slot to be sheared from the body of the rivet and deformed as same is driven into the slot to cause a flow of rivet material laterally of the slot so that rivet material will be positioned between the upper face of the die and the bottommost strip. A continued axially directed force on the rivet head will further deform the laterally displaced rivet material to urge same into firm engagement with the bottom surface of the bottommost strip to firmly clamp the two or more strips between said laterally displaced rivet material and the head of the rivet.

The invention will be disclosed more in detail by the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, wherein:

FIGS. 1-4 illustrate the operation of the method of the invention to produce the rivet joint;

FIG. 5 is a top view along the line V-V of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the rivet joint taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the layers of material and the rivet; and

FIG. 9 illustrates a modified embodiment of the joint.

Two strips 1 and 2 are to be connected. They are placed one on top of the other on a die 3. A rivet 4 which is held by a dolly 4A on an upper die head is brought exactly above a conical opening 5 in the die 3. Upon lowering of the rivet in the direction of arrow I, the body of the rivet 6 is pressed through the superposed strips which rest on the die 3. Thus, the body of the rivet 6 is punched through the strips 1 and 2 and is inserted into the conical opening 5 (FIG. 2).

The strips 1 and 2 together with the inserted rivet 4 are then removed from the opening 5 and from the die 3 or said die 3 is lowered so that both strips and the inserted rivet are exposed. For example, the die is moved sidewardly and is thus positioned with the slot 7 underneath the unshaped body of the rivet.

The strips and the rivet are lowered or the die is lifted so that the body of the rivet still arranged on the upper die head is pressed into the slot 7. Since the width 8 of the slot 7 is smaller than the diameter of the body of said rivet, an axially directed force, that is a force parallel to the arrow I, applied to the head of the rivet will cause the portion A (FIG. 5) of the rivet body 6 extending laterally beyond the width of the slot 7 to be sheared from the body of the rivet and deformed as same is driven into the slot to cause a flow of rivet material laterally of the slot so that rivet material 9 (FIG. 6) will be positioned between the upper face of the die and the bottommost strip 2. A continued axially directed force on the rivet head 4 will further deform the laterally displaced rivet material 9 to urge same into firm engagement with the bottom surface of the strip 2 to firmly clamp the strips 1 and 2 between the material 6A and the head of the rivet.

The connected strips are lifted or the die 3 is lowered whereby the process of the invention to manufacture a riveted connection is completed.

Many different shapes of rivets can be used in this process. The material of the strips to be connected can be metal, plastic or similar materials.

The rivet used here can be provided advantageously with grooves along its body and can have a point on its leading end. Thus, the rivet can be easily pressed through the two strips with the grooves becoming embedded in the strips.

Furthermore, if desired, a washer or disk can be used between the finished closure head portion 9 and the outer surface of the adjacent strip 2 to further improve the connection between the strips.

If riveters are used, each rivet can be advantageously held on a magnetic dolly by means of their die heads. The sheet metals which are to be connected are automatically placed on a die which comprises a plurality of dies 3. The rivets are moved down and pressed through the sheet metals at their respective places. After the sheet metals are lifted or the die is lowered, and after relative sideward movement between the sheets and the die, a closure head portion is simultaneously formed on each end of the rivet bodies which were pressed through the metal by a renewed lowering of the sheet metals or a lifting of the die. The riveting process is thus completed.

Said riveter has a high productivity due to a simultaneous use of the process of the invention on a plurality of rivets.

According to FIG. 8, a rivet 10 having a cylindrically shaped head 11 can be used to perform the process of the invention. Said rivet 10 is especially suitable for use in riveters because of the plane surface of the cylindrically shaped head 11. After the body of the rivet has been pressed like a punch through the strips positioned one on top of the other, a renewed lowering of the rivet and of the strips produces the circular flared portion 12 by pressing the body of the rivet extending from the strips on the planar portion of the front face of the die. In this embodiment of the invention, the slot 7 of the die 3 can advantageously be omitted and a good rivet connection is still achieved. For forming the flared portion of the rivet, the front face of the die is advantageously used, which thus results in a further advantageous simplification of the process of the invention.

According to FIG. 9, a flush rivet 13 of the invention can be used to connect two strips 1 and 2. Here again, the body of said rivet is used as a punch and is punched through the strips and is arranged therein. After being punched into said strips, said body is deformed to fonn the flared portion as explained above.

Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed above for illustrative purposes, it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, including the rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the present invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A simplified riveting apparatus, comprising:

a movable dolly for holding at least one rivet having an elongated body portion and a head at one end thereof;

a die positioned adjacent said dolly and supporting a plurality of sheets which are to be riveted together, said die having a recess in the front facing thereof covered by said sheets and alignable with the body portion of said rivet when said dolly and said die are in a first relatively located position, said dolly being movable toward said die to punch said rivet through said sheets when said dolly and said die are in said first relatively located position, said die further having a groove of a width smaller than the diameter of the body portion of said rivet on the front face thereof laterally adjacent said recess for forming a closure head on the body portion of said rivet, said groove being alignable with said body portion of said rivet when said dolly and said die are in a second relatively located position, said dolly being movable toward said die to effect a shearing of the portion of the rivet material exceed ing the width of said groove and a simultaneous deforming of same to position the sheared and deformed rivet material between the front face of said die and the lower surface of the bottommost sheet to securely clamp said plurality of sheets between said rivet head and said sheared and deformed rivet material.

2. In a riveting apparatus for use with a rivet having an elongated body portion and a head at one end, the combination comprising:

a die having means defining a recess in the front facing of said die and closure head forming means on the front facing of said die laterally adjacent said recess for forming a closure head on the body portion of said rivet; and

a dolly for holding at least one of said rivets, said dolly and said die being adapted l to move toward and away from each other during each cycle of operation and (2) to alter the relative lateral location therebetween between first and second locations once during each cycle of relative movement of said dolly and said die toward and away from each other, said recess in said die being aligned with said body portion of said rivet in said first relative location during a first cycle of operation, said closure head forming means being aligned with said body portion of said rivet in said second relative location during a second cycle of operation.

3. A riveting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said means for forming the closure head on the body portion of said rivet is a groove in the front face of the die laterally spaced from said recess having a width smaller than the diameter of the body portion of said rivet.

4. A riveting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said means for forming the closure head on the body portion of said rivet is a planar position of the front face of said die.

5. A riveting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said rivet has a cylindrical head and wherein said body portion thereof is to be pressed through the sheets to be riveted,

whereby the body portion of said rivet projecting from the sheet may be moved toward said die to form said closure head when said dolly and said die are in said second relatively located position.

6. A riveting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said rivet has a head on one end which is imbedable into said sheets so that said head is flush with one side thereof and the body portion of said rivet may be formed to provide a closure head.

Claims

1. A simplified riveting apparatus, comprising: a movable dolly for holding at least one rivet having an elongated body portion and a head at one end thereof; a die positioned adjacent said dolly and supporting a plurality of sheets which are to be riveted together, said die having a recess in the front facing thereof covered by said sheets and alignable with the body portion of said rivet when said dolly and said die are in a first relatively located position, said dolly being movable toward said die to punch said rivet through said sheets when said dolly and said die are in said first relatively located position, said die further having a groove of a width smaller than the diameter of the body portion of said rivet on the front face thereof laterally adjacent said recess for forming a closure head on the body portion of said rivet, said groove being alignable with said body portion of said rivet when said dolly and said die are in a second relatively located position, said dolly being movable toward said die to effect a shearing of the portion of the rivet material exceeding the width of said groove and a simultaneous deforming of same to position the sheared and deformed rivet material between the front face of said die and the lower surface of the bottommost sheet to securely clamp said plurality of sheets between said rivet head and said sheared and deformed rivet material.

2. In a riveting apparatus for use with a rivet having an elongated body portion and a head at one end, the combination comprising: a die having means defining a recess in the front facing of said die and closure head forming means on the front facing of said die laterally adjacent said recess for forming a closure head on the body portion of said rivet; and a dolly for holding at least one of said rivets, said dolly and said die being adapted (1) to move toward and away from each other during each cycle of operation and (2) to alter the relative lateral location therebetween between first and second locations once during each cycle of relative movement of said dolly and said die toward and away from each other, said recess in said die being aligned with said body portion of said rivet in said first relative location during a first cycle of operation, said closure head forming means being aligned with said body portion of said rivet in said second relative location during a second cycle of operation.

5. A riveting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said rivet has a cylindrical head and wherein said body portion thereof is to be pressed through the sheets to be riveted, whereby the body portion of said rivet projecting from the sheet may be moved toward said die to form said closure head when said dolly and said die are in said second relatively located position.