Compression Indentation Fastener Head for Pull-Through Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fasteners, such as nails and screws, face challenges in pull-through resistance, particularly in thick substrates, and often cause surface fiber rupture due to their design, leading to structural integrity issues during high wind or seismic events.
Innovation Solution
A compression indentation fastener device with a smooth shank and a head featuring a relief portion that compresses and displaces substrate material, increasing pull-through resistance and preventing fiber rupture, while maintaining structural integrity across varying substrate thicknesses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If conventional fasteners with small heads are used, then the fastener can be installed easily, but the pull-through resistance is insufficient especially in thick substrates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the fastener head by introducing a relief portion that creates a bearing surface extending beyond the head periphery. This structural parameter change increases the bearing area and pull-through resistance without requiring a proportionally larger head size, thus maintaining relative ease of installation while improving holding strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The relief portion creates a bearing surface that extends in a radial dimension beyond the head periphery, utilizing an additional spatial dimension to increase the effective bearing area. This allows the fastener to distribute loads over a larger area without increasing the head's primary dimensional footprint, thereby improving pull-through resistance while maintaining installation characteristics.
2Force
If the fastener head is enlarged to increase pull-through resistance, then the bearing surface area increases, but the head may cut and rupture surface fibers of the substrate material
Solution Approach 1:
The relief portion creates a localized bearing surface with specific geometric characteristics (frustoconical convergent surface and divergent surface) that concentrate compression forces in a controlled manner. This local quality change allows the bearing surface to increase pull-through resistance while the controlled compression geometry prevents uncontrolled fiber rupture that would occur with a simply enlarged head.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the bearing surface by introducing the relief portion with specific angular surfaces. This parameter change allows the bearing area to increase while the controlled geometry of the relief surfaces distributes compression forces to compact rather than rupture fibers, thus improving pull-through resistance without causing surface fiber damage.
3Force
If a washer-like device is used to enlarge the effective bearing surface, then the pull-through resistance increases, but the device complexity increases and the fastener protrudes above the substrate surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the bearing surface enlargement function directly into the fastener head structure by incorporating the relief portion as an integral feature. This eliminates the need for a separate washer-like device, reducing overall device complexity while achieving the same pull-through resistance enhancement through the integrated bearing surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The relief portion serves multiple functions: it enlarges the effective bearing surface area, it compacts substrate material to increase holding strength, and it maintains a profile that does not protrude excessively above the substrate. This multi-functionality replaces what would otherwise require separate components, reducing device complexity while achieving enhanced pull-through resistance.
4Strength
If the fastener head compresses substrate material to increase pull-through resistance, then the structural integrity improves, but the installation force required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The relief portion changes the geometric parameters of the bearing surface to create optimized compression angles through the frustoconical surfaces. This parameter optimization allows the head to compress substrate material effectively to increase structural integrity while the geometric design manages the compression force requirements during installation.
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
The fastener design significantly enhances pull-through resistance and structural integrity by creating a densely compacted substrate area, outperforming conventional small-head and enlarged-head fasteners, especially in thicker materials, and reduces the risk of surface fiber damage.
Implementation Method 1
the relief portion is a depression that extends continuously about the second end of the shank and that is open at the anterior side of the head to receive and compress a volume of the substrate material
Data Source
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AI summary
A compression indentation fastener device is described comprising a shank and a head. The head extends outwardly from an end of the shank in a transverse plane to define a head periphery. The head has an anterior side and a posterior side. The anterior side includes an exposed area extending between the shank and the head periphery. The anterior side includes a relief portion in the form of a depression. The relief portion is open at the anterior side of the head such that the relief portion receives a volume of substrate material when the exposed area of the head impacts the substrate material. The head may be integral with the shank or the head may be comprised of discrete head portions that mate with one another. Additionally, the head may be centered on the end of the shank or offset relative to the shank.