Highly adaptable temporary fastener

Abstract

The application discloses a high-adaptability temporary fastener. A sliding section is arranged in the outer cylinder of the temporary fastener. The front end of the claw cylinder is a stretchable claw. The center screw rod penetrates through the outer cylinder, and the front section of the center screw rod is a polished rod which penetrates into the claw cylinder. The center screw rod only has the freedom of rotating around the axis thereof. The movable cylinder is arranged in the outer cylinder and is in sliding connection with the sliding section. The rear end of the claw cylinder is connected with the movable cylinder. The movable cylinder and the claw cylinder only have the freedom of linear reciprocating movement along the axis of the outer cylinder. The center screw rod penetrates through the movable cylinder and is in threaded connection with the movable cylinder. The temporary fastener in the technical scheme can change the clamping force of temporary fixation, satisfies more use condition requirements, and the adaptability is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to fasteners, and more specifically to a highly adaptable temporary fastener. Background Technology

[0002] In aerospace and automotive assembly, whether assembling thin-walled parts or components, temporary connections are often required. These temporary connections are typically secured using temporary fasteners. Some temporary fasteners include push rods and jaw cylinders. In use, the push rod is pressed into the jaw cylinder, causing it to push the jaws open outwards. Once opened, the jaws are larger than the inner diameter of the component's through-hole, thus clamping the component's outer wall and achieving temporary fixation. However, these temporary fastener structures cannot change the clamping force on the fixed connection and cannot meet the requirements of some application scenarios. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide a highly adaptable temporary fastener with variable clamping force.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides a highly adaptable temporary fastener, comprising an outer cylinder, a claw cylinder, a central screw, and a movable cylinder. The outer cylinder has a sliding section inside; the front end of the claw cylinder is an expandable claw; the central screw penetrates the outer cylinder, and its front section is a smooth rod that passes through the claw cylinder. The central screw only has the freedom to rotate around its own axis; the movable cylinder is placed inside the outer cylinder and forms a sliding connection with the sliding section; the rear end of the claw cylinder is connected to the movable cylinder; the movable cylinder and the claw cylinder only have the freedom to reciprocate linearly along the axis of the outer cylinder; the central screw penetrates the movable cylinder and is threadedly connected to the movable cylinder.

[0005] In this technical solution, rotating the central screw in one direction can drive the movable cylinder and the claw cylinder to move backward in a straight line relative to the central screw. This allows the front section of the central screw to pass through the claws of the claw cylinder and open the claws, clamping the component to be fixed between the claws and the outer cylinder. After mutual fixation, continuing to rotate the central screw in the same direction can increase the clamping force, while rotating the central screw in the opposite direction can decrease the clamping force. Therefore, the temporary fastener can change the clamping force of the temporary fixation, meeting more usage conditions and improving adaptability.

[0006] In the optional scheme, the cross-sectional shape of the sliding section of the outer cylinder is elliptical or polygonal, and the cross-sectional shape and size of the movable cylinder are the same as those of the sliding section.

[0007] In an optional embodiment, the jaws at the front end of the jaw cylinder include at least three evenly distributed jaw arms with gaps between the roots of the jaw arms. The heads of the jaw arms are provided with outwardly protruding bosses, and the rear side of the bosses is a stop surface.

[0008] In an optional configuration, the rear end of the claw cylinder is provided with a flange, and the front end of the movable cylinder is provided with a radial T-slot, with the flange at the rear end of the claw cylinder inserted into the T-slot.

[0009] In an optional configuration, the rear end of the movable cylinder is provided with an internal thread, and the central screw forms a threaded connection with the rear end of the movable cylinder.

[0010] In an optional design, a weight-reduction hole is provided in the middle section of the movable cylinder.

[0011] In the optional design, the head of the center screw is a conical head, and the end of the conical head is hemispherical.

[0012] In an optional configuration, the rear end of the center screw is a hexagonal bolt head.

[0013] In an optional configuration, the temporary fastener also includes a rear cover, the rear end opening of the outer cylinder having an internal thread, the rear cover being screwed into the rear end opening of the outer cylinder, and a central screw passing through the rear cover and being axially fixed relative to the rear cover.

[0014] In an optional design, the rear cover has a radial through hole, and the central screw has an annular groove at the position corresponding to the radial through hole. A retaining plate is inserted through the radial through hole, and the retaining plate has a U-shaped opening. The width of the U-shaped opening is smaller than the outer diameter of the annular groove and larger than the inner diameter of the annular groove. The annular groove is inserted into the U-shaped opening to form a snap-fit.

[0015] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of this application. In order to better understand the technical means of this application, it can be implemented according to the contents of the specification. In order to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of this application more obvious and understandable, some embodiments are listed below for detailed description. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 A front view of a temporary fastener connecting a thin-walled member according to at least one embodiment.

[0017] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Sectional view of section AA.

[0018] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of a temporary fastener clamping a thin-walled member according to at least one embodiment.

[0019] Figure 4 Right view of a temporary fastener according to at least one embodiment.

[0020] Figure 5 for Figure 4 BB section sectional view.

[0021] Figure 6 An exploded view of a temporary fastener for at least one embodiment.

[0022] It should be noted that the products shown in the above views have been appropriately scaled down / enlarged to fit the drawing size and ensure clarity of the views, and there is no limitation on the size of the products shown in the views. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are all within the scope of protection of this application.

[0024] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. The illustrative expressions of the above terms in this specification should not be construed as necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification.

[0025] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0026] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature includes the first feature being directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature includes the first feature being directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0027] One or more embodiments of this application are temporary fasteners, the specific structure of which is as follows: Figures 1-6 As shown. Temporary fasteners can be used for securing connections between more than one thin-walled component in the aerospace or automotive industries. Figure 1 A front view of two thin-walled pieces 90 connected by a temporary fastener. Figure 2 for Figure 1 A sectional view of section AA, where direction X represents the front and its opposite direction represents the rear. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the temporary fastener includes an outer cylinder 10, a claw cylinder 20, a central screw 30, and a movable cylinder 40. The front end of the outer cylinder 10 is used to abut against the thin-walled part 90, and a sliding section 11 is provided inside the outer cylinder 10. The front end of the claw cylinder 20 is an expandable claw 21. Figure 2 The diagram shows the unclamped state, where the jaw cylinder 20 penetrates the thin-walled component 90 and the jaws 21 are closed. The central screw 30 penetrates the outer cylinder 10. The front section of the central screw 30 is a smooth rod 31, which inserts into the jaw cylinder 20. The rear section 32 of the central screw 30 has external threads. The central screw 30 only has the degree of freedom to rotate around its own axis, meaning it cannot move axially along the outer cylinder 10. The movable cylinder 40 is placed inside the outer cylinder 10 and is slidably connected to the sliding section 11. The rear end of the jaw cylinder 20 is connected to the movable cylinder 40. The movable cylinder 40 and the jaw cylinder 20 only have the degree of freedom to reciprocate linearly along the axis of the outer cylinder 10. The central screw 30 penetrates the movable cylinder 40, and the rear section 32 of the central screw 30 is threadedly connected to the movable cylinder 40. Therefore, when the central screw 30 rotates, it drives the movable cylinder 40 and the jaw cylinder 20 to move axially. When it is necessary to use temporary fasteners to clamp the thin-walled part 90, the jaw cylinder 20 is passed through the through hole 91 of the thin-walled part 90, resulting in the following: Figure 2 As shown in the diagram, the jaws 21 of the jaw cylinder 20 are in the closed state (as shown in the diagram). Figure 2 As shown), rotating the central screw 30 in one direction can drive the movable cylinder 40 and the claw cylinder 20 to move backward (in the opposite direction of X) relative to the central screw 30, so that the front section of the central screw 30, the smooth rod 31, passes through the claw 21 of the claw cylinder 20 to open the closed claw 21, resulting in the following... Figure 3 In the shown state, the extended jaw 21 is larger than the inner diameter of the through hole 91 of the thin-walled component 90. The jaw 21 abuts against the outer wall of the thin-walled component 90, clamping the thin-walled component 90 to be fixed between the jaw 21 and the front end of the outer cylinder 10. After mutual fixation is achieved, continuing to rotate the center screw 30 in the same direction can increase the clamping force, while rotating the center screw 30 in the opposite direction can decrease the clamping force. Therefore, the temporary fastener can change the clamping force of the temporary fixation, meeting more usage conditions and improving adaptability.

[0028] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3As shown, the head of the smooth rod 31 of the center screw 30 is a conical head 311, and the end 312 of the conical head 311 is hemispherical, which makes it easier for the smooth rod 31 to open the claw 21, while avoiding the end 312 of the smooth rod 31 being too sharp and causing injury to other parts or operators.

[0029] In some embodiments, the cross-sectional shape of the sliding section 11 of the outer cylinder 10 is elliptical or polygonal, and the cross-sectional shape and size of the movable cylinder 40 are the same as those of the sliding section 11. Therefore, after the movable cylinder 40 is placed into the sliding section 11 of the outer cylinder 10, it will not rotate around the axis of the outer cylinder 10, thus preventing the movable cylinder 40 from being driven to rotate by the central screw 30. Figure 4 Right view of the temporary fastener. Figure 5 for Figure 4 Sectional view of section BB in the middle. Figure 5 The main focus is on showcasing the cross-sectional shape of the outer cylinder 10, the sliding section 11, and the movable cylinder 40. For example... Figure 5 As shown, the sliding section 11 of the outer cylinder 10 has an elliptical cross-sectional shape, while the movable cylinder 40 has an elliptical cross-sectional shape of the same size. In other embodiments, the cross-sectional shapes of the outer cylinder sliding section and the movable cylinder are polygonal, such as quadrilaterals, hexagons, or octagons. Furthermore, as... Figure 5 As shown, the outer cylinder 10 is provided with flat surfaces 101 on the top and bottom respectively. The flat surfaces 101 are mainly used for external clamps to clamp the temporary fasteners from the top and bottom.

[0030] In some embodiments, such as Figure 6 As shown, the jaws 21 at the front end of the jaw cylinder 20 include at least three evenly distributed jaw arms 210, with a gap between the roots of the jaw arms 210. The head of each jaw arm 210 has an outwardly protruding boss 22, and the rear side 221 of the boss 22 is a stop surface. When the jaws 21 are opened, the bosses 22 move away from each other, and the rear side 221 of the bosses 22 abuts against the outer side of the perforation in the thin-walled member, preventing the thin-walled member from detaching from the jaw cylinder 20. In at least one other embodiment, the jaws 21 have four evenly distributed jaw arms 210.

[0031] In some embodiments, such as Figure 6 As shown, the rear end of the claw cylinder 20 is provided with a flange 23, and the front end of the movable cylinder 40 is provided with a radial T-slot 41. The flange 23 at the rear end of the claw cylinder 20 passes into the T-slot 41, so that the claw cylinder 20 and the movable cylinder 40 are fixed to each other in the axial direction. The axial movement of the movable cylinder 40 will drive the claw cylinder 20 to move in the same direction.

[0032] In some embodiments, such as Figure 6As shown, the rear end 43 of the movable cylinder 40 is provided with an internal thread, and the rear section 32 of the central screw 30 forms a threaded connection with the rear end 43 of the movable cylinder 40. If the rear section 32 of the central screw 30 has a left-hand external thread, rotating the central screw 30 counterclockwise will cause the movable cylinder 40 to move backward. If the rear section of the central screw 30 has a right-hand external thread, rotating the central screw 30 clockwise will cause the movable cylinder 40 to move backward.

[0033] In some embodiments, such as Figure 6 As shown, a weight-reducing hole 42 is provided in the middle section of the movable cylinder 40. The weight-reducing hole 42 is a square through hole. The weight-reducing hole 42 helps to reduce the weight of the movable cylinder 40 and avoids the overall weight of the temporary fastener being too large.

[0034] In some embodiments, such as Figure 6 As shown, the rear end 34 of the center screw 30 is a standard hexagonal bolt head, which makes it easy for operators to use a wrench or power tool to turn the center screw 30.

[0035] In some embodiments, such as Figure 6 As shown, the temporary fastener also includes a rear cover 50. The rear end 12 opening of the outer cylinder 10 has an internal thread, and the rear cover 50 is screwed into the rear end 12 opening of the outer cylinder 10. The central screw 30 passes through the rear cover 50 and is axially fixed relative to the rear cover 50, that is, the central screw 30 can only rotate relative to the rear cover 50, and the central screw 30 is restricted by the rear cover 50 and cannot be detached from the outer cylinder 10. Specifically, as... Figure 6 As shown, the rear cover 50 has a radial through hole 51, through which a retaining plate 60 passes. The retaining plate 60 has a U-shaped opening 61. The central screw 30 has an annular groove 33 at the position corresponding to the radial through hole 51. The width D1 of the U-shaped opening 61 is smaller than the outer diameter of the annular groove 33 and larger than the inner diameter of the annular groove 33. The annular groove 33 is inserted into the U-shaped opening 61 to form a snap-fit. Therefore, the rear cover 50 restricts the axial movement of the central screw 30 through the retaining plate 60, while maintaining the degree of freedom for the central screw 30 to rotate around its own axis. The structure is simple, reliable, and easy to install, with low production costs. Furthermore, as... Figure 6 As shown, the back cover 50 has four evenly distributed cut surfaces 52 around its perimeter, which facilitates the use of wrenches or other tools to tighten or loosen the back cover 50 during disassembly and assembly.

[0036] The assembly process of the temporary fastener is as follows: First, place the rear flange 23 of the claw cylinder 20 into the T-slot 41 at the front end of the movable cylinder 40 and make their central axes collinear; the center screw 30 passes through the rear cover 50 and the annular groove 33 of the center screw 30 is aligned with the radial through hole 51 of the rear cover 50; insert the clamping plate 60 into the radial through hole 51 and engage the U-shaped opening 61 with the annular groove 33; insert the center screw 30 into the movable cylinder 40 and the rear section 32 of the center screw 30 forms a threaded connection with the internal thread of the rear end 43 of the movable cylinder 40; the smooth rod 31 of the center screw 30 passes into the claw cylinder 20 but the smooth rod 31 does not contact the front claw 21; then insert the assembled components into the outer cylinder 10. Before insertion, the movable cylinder 40 must be rotated to match its cross-section with the cross-section of the sliding section 11; the claw cylinder 20 passes out from the front end of the outer cylinder 10; finally, screw the rear cover 50 into the rear end 12 of the outer cylinder 10 to form a fixed connection, and the temporary fastener assembly is completed.

[0037] The above examples are merely illustrative of the technical content of this application to facilitate reader understanding, but do not imply that the implementation methods of this application are limited to these. Any technical extensions or re-creations made based on this application are protected by this application. The scope of protection of this application is determined by the claims.

Claims

1. A highly adaptable temporary fastener, characterized in that, It includes: The outer cylinder has a sliding section inside it; A jaw cylinder, wherein the front end of the jaw cylinder is an expandable jaw; A central screw, which penetrates the outer cylinder, has a smooth front section that inserts into the claw cylinder, and the central screw has only the degree of freedom to rotate around its own axis. The movable cylinder is placed inside the outer cylinder and is slidably connected to the sliding section. The rear end of the claw cylinder is connected to the movable cylinder. The movable cylinder and the claw cylinder only have the freedom to move linearly back and forth along the axis of the outer cylinder. The central screw passes through the movable cylinder and is threadedly connected to the movable cylinder.

2. The highly adaptable temporary fastener as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The sliding section of the outer cylinder has an elliptical or polygonal cross-sectional shape, and the cross-sectional shape and size of the movable cylinder are the same as those of the sliding section.

3. The highly adaptable temporary fastener as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The front end of the chuck cylinder includes at least three evenly distributed chuck arms. There is a gap between the roots of the chuck arms. The head of each chuck arm is provided with an outwardly protruding boss. The rear side of the boss is a stop surface.

4. The highly adaptable temporary fastener as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The rear end of the claw cylinder is provided with a flange, and the front end of the movable cylinder is provided with a radial T-slot. The flange at the rear end of the claw cylinder passes into the T-slot.

5. The highly adaptable temporary fastener as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The rear end of the movable cylinder is provided with an internal thread, and the central screw is threadedly connected to the rear end of the movable cylinder.

6. The highly adaptable temporary fastener as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The movable cylinder has a weight-reduction hole in the middle section.

7. The highly adaptable temporary fastener as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The head of the central screw is tapered, and the end of the tapered head is hemispherical.

8. The highly adaptable temporary fastener as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The rear end of the central screw is a hexagonal bolt head.

9. The highly adaptable temporary fastener as described in any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The temporary fastener also includes a rear cover, the rear end opening of the outer cylinder is provided with an internal thread, the rear cover is screwed into the rear end opening of the outer cylinder, the central screw passes through the rear cover and the central screw is axially fixed relative to the rear cover.

10. The highly adaptable temporary fastener as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The rear cover is provided with a radial through hole, and the central screw is provided with an annular groove at the position corresponding to the radial through hole. A retaining plate is inserted through the radial through hole. The retaining plate is provided with a U-shaped opening. The width of the U-shaped opening is smaller than the outer diameter of the annular groove and larger than the inner diameter of the annular groove. The annular groove is placed into the U-shaped opening to form a snap-fit.

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