Blind Rivet Sealing Structure with Integrated Taper and Mandrel Head
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing blind rivets, particularly the open type, suffer from insufficient water tightness due to exposed mandrel heads, and sealed types often require additional parts like washers or O-rings to achieve a secure seal, increasing cost and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A blind rivet design featuring a disc-shaped flange with a taper adjacent to it, where the taper's angle (3-80°, preferably 15-35°) ensures a secure seal by increasing contact stress at a narrow area, and a mandrel with a head that expands the sleeve's diameter to sandwich the base body, forming a linear seal without external washers or O-rings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If an open type blind rivet is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but water tightness is insufficient due to exposed mandrel head
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of exposing the mandrel head outward (conventional open type), the invention inverts the configuration by having the mandrel head remain inside the rivet body after fastening, with only a small portion exposed. This inversion maintains manufacturing simplicity while significantly improving water tightness by eliminating the large exposed surface that allows liquid seepage.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies local quality by creating a sealed cavity within the rivet body that specifically addresses the water tightness issue at the critical sealing interface, while the rest of the rivet structure remains simple and easy to manufacture. The sealed chamber confines the mandrel head and prevents liquid penetration paths.
2Reliability
If a sealed type blind rivet is used, then water tightness is improved, but additional parts like washers or O-rings are required, increasing device complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the sealing function directly into the rivet body structure itself, eliminating the need for separate washers, O-rings, or other external sealing components. The rivet body incorporates an integrated sealed chamber that performs both the fastening and sealing functions, reducing device complexity while maintaining excellent water tightness.
Solution Approach 2:
The rivet body is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as the fastening element and as the sealing structure. The integrated sealed chamber provides water tightness without requiring additional specialized sealing parts, making the rivet a universal component that combines mechanical fastening and fluid sealing in a single element.
3Ease of manufacture
If a taper with small angle is used to overlap the hole, then manufacturing is easier, but water tightness cannot be attained when hole diameter varies
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the critical parameter from taper angle to taper length. By using a longer taper with a larger angle, the sealing interface is extended along the rivet axis, providing a longer overlap region that compensates for variations in hole diameter. This parameter change maintains ease of manufacture while ensuring reliable water tightness across different hole sizes.
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
This design achieves a high degree of watertightness with a single blind rivet by securely sealing the interface between the rivet and the base body, reducing the need for additional sealing components and maintaining structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
the head of the mandrel is arranged at the bottom of the bottomed hole... when the head of the mandrel expands the sleeve's diameter to sandwich the base body
Implementation Method 2
a taper adjacent to the flange... the taper's angle (3-80°, preferably 15-35°) ensures a secure seal by increasing contact stress at a narrow area
Data Source
AI summary
A blind rivet having sealing and water-tightness features. The blind rivet is fastenable to a member having an opening and includes a rivet body and mandrel. The rivet body has a flange having a large diameter, a taper portion which is adjacent the flange and a sleeve which extends along the axial direction from the taper portion. A hole having a bottom is formed from the surface of the flange to the bottom of the sleeve. The mandrel has a head. The head of the mandrel is disposed at the bottom portion of the hole. A thick portion is formed at a portion of the sleeve, and thus the head is irremovably held in the hole. The mandrel is pulled, the sleeve is enlarged, and a substrate is sealed between the enlarged portion and the flange. A sealing structure using the blind rivet is also provided.