A method for making a screw hole in a workpiece including a plate-shaped portion includes: preparing an auxiliary member having a flat plate shape; forming, in the plate-shaped portion, a first pilot hole having a minor diameter smaller than a major diameter of the screw hole; forming, in the auxiliary member, a second pilot hole having a minor diameter smaller than the major diameter of the screw hole; fixing the auxiliary member to the plate-shaped portion so that the first pilot hole is concentric with the second pilot hole; and making the screw hole in the plate-shaped portion and the auxiliary member by inserting a tap in the first pilot hole and the second pilot hole.

A fastening structure includes a blind rivet and a nut. The blind rivet includes a rivet body having a hollow sleeve, a rivet head at the end of the sleeve and a through-hole; and a mandrel having an elongated stem and a mandrel head. The nut is positioned around the sleeve side end of the rivet body and the mandrel head and abuts one of the workpieces. The end portion of the sleeve is enlarged by the mandrel head and is embedded in the internal screw threads of the nut. The workpieces are thus fastened between the nut and the rivet head.

The invention relates to a functional element, in particular to a bolt element, for attachment to a workpiece, in particular a sheet metal part. The functional element comprises a fastening section that has a reshaping section that can be reshaped to fasten the functional element to the workpiece, in particular wherein the reshaping section is a rivet section, and a functional section having a functional region, wherein the functional section is connected, in particular is rotationally fixedly connected, to the fastening section. The fastening section and the functional section are produced from different materials.

A stud assembly is assembled by inserting a sphere into a cavity of a stud, where the cavity is cylindrical in shape, inserting a neck of a rivet into the cavity until the neck touches the sphere, and press-fitting the rivet into the cavity until the neck melds with the sphere.

A drain rod system for connecting at least two rods together and/or to a peripheral device, said rods and/or devices connected or coupled together by one or more connection means which including a first male portion at least part of which includes a non-circular member and a second female portion at least part of which is configured to receive at least part of the non-circular member extending from an adjacent male portion. The connection means further including first and second threaded engagement members, said first threaded member including a thread or threaded portion and at least part of the second threaded member adapted to receive at least part of the thread or threaded portion, wherein at least one or both of said threaded members includes a grip portion to enable the user to engage or disengage the male and female portions and/or the first and second threaded members by hand.

The invention relates to a functional element, in particular to a bolt element, for attachment to a workpiece, in particular a sheet metal part. The functional element comprises a fastening section that has a reshaping section that can be reshaped to fasten the functional element to the workpiece, in particular wherein the reshaping section is a rivet section, and a functional section having a functional region, wherein the functional section is connected, in particular is rotationally fixedly connected, to the fastening section. The fastening section and the functional section are produced from different materials.

The present invention relates to a fastening unit for fastening to a workpiece, said fastening unit comprising a rivet element and a reshaping element coupled to the rivet element and movable relative thereto, wherein the rivet element has a rivet section and the reshaping element has a reshaping section and a support section, which is arranged at a region of the reshaping element remote from the reshaping section, for axially supporting the fastening unit at an abutment. The rivet section and the reshaping section are designed such that, on an axial relative movement between the rivet element and the reshaping element that is produced by an introduction movement, the rivet section cooperates with the reshaping section and can be reshaped by it in a radial direction.

The inventive nut plate fastener includes a nut plate base comprising a flat elongated base plate. The base plate has each of a first and a second planar base face arranged parallel to each other. A cylindrical plate bore diameter is selected to be greater than the diameter of the threaded hole but lesser than the diameter of the nut body. A nut cage holds the nut in contact with the nut flange face such that the threaded hole and the plate bore rest in substantial coaxially alignment. The nut cage includes a first and a second nut cage bridge oriented about the plate bore in opposed symmetric relationship. Each bridge includes a center post positioned to engage the respective nut tang notch.

An adjustment element with which a component is fastenable and positionable in the space and including a sleeve-like hollow screw with a first and a second axial end and an outer thread to which a component can be retained and can be positioned in axial direction of the hollow screw, adjacent to the first axial end, the hollow screw has a fastening collar which is configured integrally and projects radially to the inside and which encompasses a tubular fastening opening of the hollow screw, and an axial support sleeve arranged within the tubular fastening opening so that the hollow screw is rotatably fastenable with a fastening means to a component in a rotatable manner, which passes through the axial support sleeve.

A nut plate assembly includes a plate member, a shell member, a nut, and a bias member. The plate member includes a retention tab. The shell member includes a first end coupled to the plate member by the retention tab and a second end opposite the first end. The nut is disposed within the shell member and is moveable between a first position proximate the shell member first end and a second position proximate the shell member second end. In addition, the bias member is disposed within the shell member and is configured to bias the nut toward one of the first position and the second position.