BLIND TACK BOLT WITH HIGHER CLAMP-UP STRENGTH

Abstract

A blind tack fastener includes a pull stem having an elongated shaft with an extended tail portion. The blind tack fastener also includes a crush-initiating washer, a crush sleeve, and a swage collar, surrounding the elongated shaft of the pull stem. The elongated shaft has a breakaway groove configured to create a predictive fracture point below the head-end surface of the swage collar, such that a hole in the swage collar serves as a centering lead-in for a drill that can be used to remove the blind tack fastener.

Claims

1. A method of processing a workpiece comprising a plurality of parts with a hole extending through the workpiece, the method comprising: inserting a pull stem and a crush sleeve of a blind tack fastener through the hole in the workpiece such that a swage collar of the blind tack fastener is located on a first side of the workpiece and a crush-initiating washer of the blind tack fastener is located on a second side of the workpiece; pulling the pull stem of the blind tack fastener to form a bulb in the crush sleeve of the blind tack fastener, thereby compressing the parts of the workpiece between the swage collar and the bulb in the crush sleeve; breaking the pull stem below a head-end surface of the swage collar; performing one or more manufacturing operations on the workpiece; and removing the blind tack fastener by drilling the pull stem through a hole in the head-end surface of the swage collar.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising swaging the swage collar onto lock grooves located in an outer surface of the pull stem.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising centering a drill bit over the pull stem in the hole in the head-end surface of the swage collar prior to drilling the pull stem.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein breaking the pull stem below the head-end surface of the swage collar comprises breaking the pull stem at a breakaway groove located within an inner bore of the swage collar.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein formation of the bulb is facilitated by an inward taper on a head-end surface of the crush-initiating washer and a taper on the tail-end surface of the crush sleeve.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the workpiece comprises more than two parts.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the pull stem comprises aluminum or an aluminum alloy having a yield strength greater than about 60 ksi and a machinability rating greater than about 40%.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the crush-initiating washer comprises high-alloy steel having a yield strength greater than about 150 ksi.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the crush sleeve comprises aluminum, copper or an alloy having a yield strength less than about 20 ksi and a ductility greater than about 15%.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the swage collar comprises aluminum or an aluminum alloy having a yield strength less than about 20 ksi.

11. A method of processing a workpiece, the method comprising: inserting a pull stem and a crush sleeve of a blind tack fastener through a hole in the workpiece such that a swage collar of the blind tack fastener is located on a first side of the workpiece and a crush-initiating washer of the blind tack fastener is located on a second side of the workpiece; pulling the pull stem of the blind tack fastener to form a bulb in the crush sleeve of the blind tack fastener, thereby compressing the workpiece between the swage collar and the bulb in the crush sleeve; and breaking the pull stem below a head-end surface of the swage collar.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: performing one or more manufacturing operations on the workpiece; and removing the blind tack fastener by drilling the pull stem through a hole in the head-end surface of the swage collar.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising swaging the swage collar onto lock grooves located in an outer surface of the pull stem.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising centering a drill bit over the pull stem in the hole in the head-end surface of the swage collar prior to drilling the pull stem.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein breaking the pull stem below the head-end surface of the swage collar comprises breaking the pull stem at a breakaway groove located within an inner bore of the swage collar.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein formation of the bulb is facilitated by an inward taper on a head-end surface of the crush-initiating washer and a taper on the tail-end surface of the crush sleeve.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the pull stem comprises aluminum or an aluminum alloy having a yield strength greater than about 60 ksi and a machinability rating greater than about 40%.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the crush-initiating washer comprises high-alloy steel having a yield strength greater than about 150 ksi.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the crush sleeve comprises aluminum, copper or an alloy having a yield strength less than about 20 ksi and a ductility greater than about 15%.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the swage collar comprises aluminum or an aluminum alloy having a yield strength less than about 20 ksi.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] FIGS. 1A-1B illustrate a perspective view and an exploded perspective view, respectively, of one example of a blind tack fastener in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0016] FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate side cross-sectional views showing one example of a method for utilizing the blind tack fastener of FIG. 1 to attach two parts of a workpiece together.

[0017] FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of an aircraft production and service methodology.

[0018] FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an aircraft.

[0019] Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The present disclosure describes a new and improved blind tack fastener, which can be made of a relatively soft material, such as aluminum, yet still exhibits higher clamp-up strength than traditional tack fasteners.

[0021] FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view and FIG. 1B illustrates an exploded perspective view of one example of a blind tack fastener 100 in accordance with the present disclosure. In the illustrated example, the blind tack fastener 100 comprises a pull stem 105 having an elongated shaft 110 with an extended tail portion 115 located at a tail end of the fastener 100. The blind tack fastener 100 further comprises a crush-initiating washer 120 surrounding a portion of the elongated shaft 110 of the pull stem 105, adjacent to the extended tail portion 115 of the pull stem 105, and a crush sleeve 125 surrounding a portion of the elongated shaft 110 of the pull stem 105, adjacent to the crush-initiating washer 120. In addition, the blind tack fastener 100 comprises a swage collar 130 surrounding a portion of the elongated shaft 110 of the pull stem 105, adjacent to the crush sleeve 125.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1B, the elongated shaft 110 of the pull stem 105 has an outer surface with a first outer diameter, d.sub.1, and the extended tail portion 115 has an outer surface with a second outer diameter, d.sub.2, which is larger than the first outer diameter, d.sub.1. The elongated shaft 110 also includes a breakaway groove 135 located at a selected distance, d.sub.3, from the extended tail portion 115 of the pull stem 105, as well as a plurality of annular lock grooves 140 located between the extended tail portion 115 and the breakaway groove 135. The extended tail portion 115 also has a rounded shoulder surface or fillet 145, which contacts a complementary fillet engagement surface 150 of the crush-initiating washer 120. The fillet 145 of the extended tail portion 115 is configured to relieve stress between the pull stem 105 and the crush-initiating washer 120 during installation of the blind tack fastener 100. Preferably, the pull stem 105 is made of a material having a relatively high yield strength and machinability rating. For example, in some cases, the pull stem 105 may comprise an aluminum pull stem made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy having a yield strength greater than about 60 ksi and a machinability rating greater than about 40%.

[0023] The crush-initiating washer 120 has an inner surface that contacts the outer surface of the elongated shaft 110 and an outer surface with an outer diameter substantially equal to the second outer diameter, d.sub.2, of the extended tail portion 115 of the elongated shaft 110. In addition, the crush-initiating washer 120 has a head-end surface 155, which contacts and engages a tail-end surface 160 of the crush sleeve 125. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2D, the head-end surface 155 of the crush-initiating washer 120 and the tail-end surface 160 of the crush sleeve 125 are tapered toward the elongated shaft 110, to enhance bulb formation in the crush sleeve 125 during installation of the blind tack fastener 100. Preferably, the crush-initiating washer 120 is made of a material having a high yield strength. For example, in some cases, the crush-initiating washer 120 is made of high-alloy steel having a yield strength greater than about 150 ksi.

[0024] The crush sleeve 125 has an inner surface that contacts the outer surface of the elongated shaft 110, and an outer surface with an outer diameter substantially equal to the second outer diameter, d.sub.2, of the extended tail portion 115 of the elongated shaft 110. In addition, the crush sleeve 125 has a head-end surface 165, which contacts and engages a tail-end surface 170 of the swage collar 130. Preferably, the crush sleeve 125 is made of a material having a relatively low yield strength and a relatively high ductility. For example, in some cases, the crush sleeve 125 may comprise an aluminum crush sleeve made of aluminum or a suitable alloy having a yield strength less than about 20 ksi and a ductility greater than about 15%. In other cases, the crush sleeve 125 may be made of copper or another suitable alloy demonstrating similar characteristics.

[0025] The swage collar 130 has an inner bore with a smooth inner surface that interfaces with the lock grooves 140 of the elongated shaft 110 with a clearance fit. The swage collar 130 also has an outer surface with an outer diameter, d.sub.4, larger than the second outer diameter, d.sub.2, of the extended tail portion 115 of the elongated shaft 110. Thus, the tail-end surface 170 of the swage collar 130 extends beyond the head-end surface 165 of the crush sleeve 125, creating an annular lip surrounding the head-end surface 165 of the crush sleeve 125. Preferably, the swage collar 130 is made of a material having a relatively low yield strength. For example, in some cases, the swage collar 130 is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy having a yield strength less than about 20 ksi.

[0026] FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate side cross-sectional views showing one example of a method for utilizing the blind tack fastener 100 of FIG. 1 to attach a first part 210 and a second part 215 of a workpiece 205 together. In a first step, as shown in FIG. 2A, the tail end of the blind tack fastener 100 is inserted through aligned holes in the first part 210 and the second part 215 of the workpiece 205. The swage collar 130 is located on a first side of the workpiece 205, with the annular lip on the tail-end surface 170 of the swage collar 130 abutting an outer surface of the first part 210 of the workpiece. At the same time, the extended tail portion 115 of the pull stem 105, the crush-initiating washer 120 and a portion of the crush sleeve 125 protrude through the holes to the other side of the workpiece 205.

[0027] In a next step, as shown in FIG. 2B, a tool (not shown) is used to the pull the elongated shaft 110 of the pull stem 105, which compresses the crush-initiating washer 120 against the crush sleeve 125. As discussed above, the fillet 145 of the extended tail portion 115 provides stress relief at the interface between the pull stem 105 and the crush-initiating washer 120 while the pull stem 105 is being pulled. In addition, the inward taper of the head-end surface 155 of the crush-initiating washer 120 and the tail-end surface 160 of the crush sleeve 125 facilitate bulb formation in the crush sleeve 125 during this step. As a result, a bulb 220 is formed in the crush sleeve 120 as the pull stem 105 is being pulled. This bulb 220, in turn, interacts with the annular lip on the tail-end surface 170 of the swage collar 130 to compress the first part 210 and the second part 215 of the workpiece 205 together until the desired clamp-up force is achieved. The swage collar 130 may then be swaged onto the lock grooves 140 of the pull stem 105 using a variety of suitable swaging tools and methods that are well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0028] In a next step, as shown in FIG. 2C, the elongated shaft 110 of the pull stem 105 may be severed at the predictive fracture point created by the breakaway groove 135. The remaining portion of the elongated shaft 110 has a length, d.sub.3, which is preferably selected such that the broken head-end surface 180 of the elongated shaft 110 is positioned below the head-end surface 175 of the swage collar 130 by a selected offset distance, d.sub.5. As a result, the hole in the swage collar 130 can advantageously serve as a centering lead-in for a drill that can be used in a subsequent step (not shown) to remove the blind tack fastener 100, once the desired manufacturing operations have been performed on the workpiece 205. In some cases, for example, the offset distance, d.sub.5, is selected such that a 135 drill tip can be inserted into the hole in the swage collar 130 and the full diameter of the drill bit contacts the swage collar 130 before the drill tip makes contact with the broken head-end surface 180 of the elongated shaft 110. This configuration advantageously facilitates removing the blind tack fastener 100 by drilling the pull stem 105 through the hole in the head-end surface 175 of the swage collar 130, thereby enabling the blind tack fastener 100 to be drilled out automatically and replaced with a permanent fastener, without requiring human interaction.

[0029] The blind tack fastener 100 of the present disclosure is advantageously configured such that it can exert a relatively high clamp-up force on the first part 210 and the second part 215 of the workpiece 205. In some cases, for example, the blind tack fastener 100 can exert a clamp-up force of at least about 300 pounds on the workpiece 205. In other cases, the blind tack fastener 100 can exert a clamp-up force of at least about 400 pounds on the workpiece 205. These high clamp-up forces are sufficient to support an automated one-up assembly process on the workpiece 205. The blind tack fastener 100 advantageously eliminates the need for two employees to install and remove two-sided tack fasteners that exhibit high clamp-up force (e.g., nuts and bolts), which decreases assembly cycle time and labor.

[0030] Referring to FIGS. 3-4, the systems and methods of the present application may be implemented in the context of an aircraft manufacturing and service method 300 as shown in FIG. 3 and an aircraft 400 as shown in FIG. 4. During pre-production, exemplary method 300 may include specification and design 302 of the aircraft 400 and material procurement 304. During production, component and subassembly manufacturing 306 and system integration 308 of the aircraft 400 takes place. Thereafter, the aircraft 400 may go through certification and delivery 310 in order to be placed in service 312. While in service 312 by a customer, the aircraft 400 is scheduled for routine maintenance and service 314 (which may also include modification, reconfiguration, refurbishment, and so on).

[0031] Each of the processes of method 300 may be performed or carried out by a system integrator, a third party, and/or an operator (e.g., a customer). For the purposes of this description, a system integrator may include without limitation any number of aircraft manufacturers and major-system subcontractors; a third party may include without limitation any number of vendors, subcontractors, and suppliers; and an operator may be an airline, leasing company, military entity, service organization, and so on.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 4, the aircraft 400 produced by exemplary method 300 may include an airframe 420 with a plurality of systems 422 and an interior 424. Examples of high-level systems 422 include one or more of a propulsion system 426, an electrical system 428, a hydraulic system 430, and an environmental system 432. Any number of other systems may be included. Although an aerospace example is shown, the principles of the disclosed embodiments may be applied to other industries, such as the automotive industry.

[0033] Apparatus and methods embodied herein may be employed during any one or more of the stages of the production and service method 300. For example, components or subassemblies corresponding to production process 306 may be fabricated or manufactured in a manner similar to components or subassemblies produced while the aircraft 400 is in service 312. Also, one or more apparatus embodiments, method embodiments, or a combination thereof may be utilized during the production stages 306 and 308, for example, by substantially expediting assembly of or reducing the cost of an aircraft 400. Similarly, one or more of apparatus embodiments, method embodiments, or a combination thereof may be utilized while the aircraft 400 is in service 312, for example and without limitation, to maintenance and service 314.

[0034] Although this disclosure has been described in terms of certain specific configurations, other configurations that are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, including configurations that do not provide all of the features and advantages set forth herein, are also within the scope of this disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure is defined only by reference to the appended claims and equivalents thereof.