Blind Bulbing Tacking Rivet for Damage-Free Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional tacking rivets often damage aperture surfaces due to radial expansion, making it difficult to insert permanent rivets and remove them without damage, and require different sizes for varying workpiece thicknesses, increasing inventory costs.
Innovation Solution
A tacking fastener system comprising a stem and an elongated sleeve that forms bulbs upon plastic deformation during installation, allowing secure temporary assembly of workpieces without damaging the surfaces and accommodating varying thicknesses with a single length of fastener.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a typical tacking rivet radially expands its body to engage workpieces, then the tacking rivet secures the workpieces together, but the aperture surfaces are damaged making it difficult to insert permanent rivets later
Solution Approach 1:
The tacking rivet is divided into two separate components: a stem and a sleeve. The stem remains relatively small and does not expand radially, while the sleeve is disposed around the stem and provides the fastening function. This segmentation allows the stem to pass through the aperture without damaging the surface, while the sleeve can engage the workpieces through a different mechanism that does not harm the aperture.
Solution Approach 2:
The sleeve acts as an intermediary element between the stem and the workpieces. The stem pulls the sleeve to deform it against the workpiece surfaces, creating the fastening effect without the stem itself contacting and damaging the aperture surfaces directly.
2Ease of operation
If a typical tacking rivet is removed from workpieces, then the tacking rivet can be reused or discarded, but the aperture surfaces are damaged making removal difficult
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the tacking rivet into a stem and a sleeve, the removal process can focus on extracting the stem through the aperture. The sleeve remains deformed against the workpieces and can be left in place or removed separately, while the aperture surface is protected from damage during the removal process since the stem does not expand radially.
3Adaptability or versatility
If different sizes of typical tacking rivets are used for workpieces of different thicknesses, then the tacking rivets can properly secure various workpiece thicknesses, but inventory costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The combination of a standard stem and a sleeve with variable engagement characteristics creates a universal tacking rivet system. The sleeve can be designed with specific properties (such as material, diameter, or deformation characteristics) that allow it to adapt to different workpiece thicknesses while using the same stem component, thereby reducing the need for multiple stem sizes and simplifying inventory management.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows for parameter changes in the sleeve (such as material properties, diameter, or length) to accommodate different workpiece thicknesses, while the stem remains standardized. This enables a single stem design to work with multiple sleeve variations, reducing inventory complexity while maintaining adaptability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables easy installation and removal of tacking rivets without surface damage, reduces manufacturing costs by eliminating the need for precise aperture shapes and sizes, and allows a single fastener length to secure workpieces of different thicknesses.
Implementation Method 1
The elongated sleeve is plastically deformed during installation to form a plurality of bulbs
Data Source
AI summary
A tacking fastener for securing workpieces together to form a temporary assembly includes a stem and an elongated sleeve. The stem includes a head disposed at a proximal end portion, a tapered portion extending between the proximal end portion and a central portion, a break notch extending around a circumference of the proximal end portion between the head and the tapered portion, and a plurality of ridges and grooves disposed along a distal end portion. The elongated sleeve is disposed around the stem between the head and the plurality of ridges and grooves and configured to form a tacking rivet upon installation of the tacking fastener. The elongated sleeve is plastically deformed during installation to form a plurality of bulbs, thereby being capable of securing workpieces of varying grip length. The stem and the tacking rivet remain within the workpieces after the workpieces are secured.