CENTERING DEVICE AND FASTENING ARRANGEMENT

Abstract

A centering device for guiding a fastener or a drill during a setting operation. The centering device is arranged in or at a passage opening of a component, which forms a fastening point. The component can be a substantially flat metal part, in particular a lug or bracket for a faade element. The centering device is arranged at the plane of the back of the passage opening and includes a collar and connecting elements between the collar and the edge of the passage opening. The collar has a substantially flat to bead-like annular shape and is formed in the component. The central opening of the collar forms a centering seat for a fastener or drill during setting. A fastening arrangement has a component, centering device and matching screw. The screw forms a form fit via its lower head portion in the passage opening after completion of the setting process.

Claims

1. A centering device (200) for guiding a fastener (300) or a drill during a setting operation, the centering device (200) being formed in a component (100) having at least one fastening point (110), the component (100) comprising a substantially flat, plate-shaped metal part having a front side (120) and a rear side (130) which define two planes with a spacing S therebetween and which are substantially parallel at least in a region of the fastening point, and the fastening point (110) includes a passage opening (140) in the component between the front side (120) and the rear side (130), the centering device (200) comprising: a collar (210) arranged in or near the plane of the rear side (130) in the passage opening (140); a connecting element between the collar and an edge of the passage opening; wherein the collar (210) has a substantially flat to bead-shaped annular form and is formed from metal of the component, a central opening (220) of the collar (210) forms a centering seat for a fastener (300) or drill during the setting operation, and the collar is connected to the edge of the passage opening (140) of the fastening point (110) via at least one web (230, 235) or a connecting surface (240) as the connecting elements; and wherein a material thickness h of the at least one web (230, 235), the collar (210) or the connecting surface (240) is h<<S.

2. The centering device (200) according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the collar (210), the at least one web (230, 235) or the connecting surface (240) are integrally formed, without complementary, inset, inserted, clamped or pressed-in structural elements.

3. The centering device (200) according to claim 1, wherein the passage opening (140) of the fastening point (110), the collar, and the at least one web or the connecting surface (240) are produced from the component (100) by single- or multi-stage stamping and forming steps.

4. The centering device (200) according to claim 1, wherein, as measured in a direction of the predetermined setting operation, the material thickness of the collar is less than 1 mm.

5. The centering device (200) according to claim 1, wherein an inner diameter of a central opening (220) of the annular collar (210) is between 1.5 and 2.5 mm.

6. A fastening arrangement (400) comprising: the component (100) having the fastening point (110) with the centering device (200) according to claim 1; a fastener (300) substantially comprising a head (310) with a force application structure (315), a lower head portion (320), a shank portion (340) with a thread and a tip portion (350); and the fastener (300) has a diameter D.sub.U in a lower head portion (320) which is dimensioned such that, after completion of the setting operation, said lower head portion forms a form fit in the passage opening (140) of the component (100) in at least one direction.

7. A method of installing a component including the centering device (200) according to claim 1, the method comprising: guiding the fastener (300) or the drill bit in the centering device during the setting operation.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] FIG. 1 shows component 100 with various fastening points in an oblique and side view;

[0034] FIG. 2 shows three exemplary designs of passage openings with centering devices;

[0035] FIG. 3 shows a fastener in the form of a self-drilling screw having a lower head portion, in accordance with an embodiment of a fastening point; and

[0036] FIG. 4 shows a fastening arrangement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] FIG. 1 shows a component 100 with various fastening points in an oblique view on the left and side view on the right. Specifically, the component is designed as a lug that can connect a faade element to a substructure, see also FIG. 4. The metal part is shown as a flat component 100, here provided with an offset, which shows an elongated hole on its (in the drawing) upper third as well as a round hole, each with a centering device 200. Below this is a classic elongated hole. The left element of the drawing shows the front side 120. The two openings 140 each form a fastening point 110. The design as an elongated hole with centering device 200 allows a sliding point, while the right round hole forms a fixed point.

[0038] The centering device 200 in the left elongated hole is recessed, shown in the plane of the back side 130. The thickness of the metal part is indicated by S. In the right figure of FIG. 1, S indicates the thickness of the metal part at the opposite (bottom) end. The component 100 is described herein as a substantially flat, plate-shaped metal part, as is known and customary for the application described. Some variation (even local) in the thickness of the material (S) is not unusual.

[0039] The openings 140 are described herein as passage openings because they provide a passage for the fastener 300. Nonetheless, the centering device is shown at the bottom of the opening (as viewed from the front) or in the plane of the back 130 of the component 100; it closes off a portion of the passage opening 140. Nonetheless, this does not make the opening 140 a blind hole.

[0040] The cranked embodiment shown in FIG. 1 on the right in the side view shows an offset by the distance V of the lower part of component 100 relative to the upper part. This offset is not mandatory to the invention in the embodiment shown, but is a design feature.

[0041] FIG. 2 shows three exemplary embodiments of passage openings with centering devices, which are designated as left, right and bottom in the following.

[0042] The illustration on the left shows a passage opening 140 as an elongated hole with a single, centrally located centering device 200. The collar 210 is configured as an irregularly shaped ring around the central opening 220 which merges into webs 230, 235 on two opposite sides which in turn merge into the longitudinal sides of the elongated hole. The illustration below shows a variant of an elongated hole, wherein here the collar 210 is connected to the edge of the elongated hole only on one side via a web 230.

[0043] The illustration on the right shows an embodiment of a centering device 200 having a round hole as a passage opening 140. The collar 210 around the central opening 220 merges seamlessly into the connecting surface 240, which connects the collar 210 to the edge of the passage opening 140. A.sub.K denotes half the diameter of the passage opening 140. This diameter approximates the diameter D.sub.U of the lower head portion of the fastener 300 with appropriately designed tolerances to achieve a snug fit.

[0044] FIG. 3 shows a fastener 300 in the form of a self-drilling screw with a drill point 360. The main components, shown in the figure from top to bottom, are the head 310 with a countersunk force application 315, the lower head portion 320 with diameter D.sub.U, a short non-threaded shank portion 330, a shank portion 340 with thread and a tip portion 350 with the drill point 360. The nominal diameter D.sub.N of the fastener is measured over the threaded tips as usual, the diameter of the drill tip D.sub.S is known to be made smaller than D.sub.U to allow the thread forming properties of the portion 340. Overall, D.sub.S<D.sub.N<D.sub.U applies.

[0045] The type of force application 315 is selected by the person skilled in the art depending on the requirements according to their expertise.

[0046] A threadless shank portion 330 is preferred; with appropriate dimensioning of the substructure, it allows the thread to penetrate a load-bearing sheet of the substructure and this load-bearing sheet to come to rest in the area of the portion 330. This can prevent the opening created by the fastener (self-tapping drill screw) from being torn out by the thread of the fastener when the fastener is overtightened in the setting process, which can massively impair the pull-out forces of the fastening arrangement. The thread 340 may be of single-start or double-start design. FIG. 4 shows a fastening arrangement 400 with a faade element 420, to which a component 100here designed as a lugis fastened. The fastener 300 can be used to screw the component 100 to the substructure 410. Pre-drilling of the substructure 420 is not necessary when using a fastener 300 as in FIG. 3. If a pure thread-forming, non-self-drilling fastener is to be used, a centering device according to the present invention can also serve a drill in order to create a positionally accurate opening.