HK40001749B - Apparatus for fastening and/or aligning objects - Google Patents

Description

Device for fastening and/or aligning objects

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority to co-pending U.S. Application No. 62/375,682, filed on August 16, 2016, entitled “RADIAL EXPANDING ALIGNMENT PLUG,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to fastening and alignment assemblies for mechanical couplings, and more particularly to radially expanding fastening and alignment assemblies.

Background Art

Radially expanding fastening and alignment assemblies are known in the art. The known radially expanding fastening and alignment assemblies comprise an outer tubular expandable element formed as a sleeve having an inner tapered portion and a matching inner expansion element formed as an inner stud having an outer tapered portion that cooperates with the tapered portion of the sleeve. The outer sleeve is inserted into a hole in the object to be tightened, such as two adjacent flanges to be connected to each other. The inner stud is then inserted into the outer sleeve and pulled by an external device to force the tapered portions to slide against each other, thereby expanding the outer sleeve. Currently, a hydraulic tool or a plurality of jack screws are used as external devices for applying a tensile load to the radially expanding fastening and alignment assemblies known in the art.

Applicant's subsidiary, JETYD Corporation, improved upon the radially expanding fastening and alignment assembly in its US Patent No. 8,057,145, which issued on November 15, 2011 and is entitled "RADIALLY EXPANDING BOLT ASSEMBLY," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. US8057145 discloses a radially expanding bolt assembly comprising: a hollow element insertable into a hole in an object and having an inner surface, at least one inner surface portion of which is tapered; an expansion element insertable into the hollow element and having an outer surface, at least one outer surface portion of which is tapered and cooperates with the inner tapered surface portion of the hollow element; an additional element for moving the expansion element in opposite axial directions for tightening and loosening the bolt assembly; and a gasket positionable between the object and one of the additional elements at one axial end, such that the one additional element moves the expansion element in one axial direction and expands the hollow element due to the cooperation of the tapered surface portions so as to clamp it in the hole in the object, while the other additional element moves the expansion element in the opposite axial direction and disengages the tapered surface portions from each other, such that the hollow element contracts and the radially expanding bolt assembly can be removed from the hole in the object.

It is believed that existing radially expanding fastening and alignment assemblies can be further improved.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a radially expandable fastener/alignment plug assembly for use with a torque power tool is provided, the assembly comprising: a sleeve member insertable into a hole in an object, the sleeve member having a radially expandable element having a tapered inner surface portion toward a first end; an expansion member insertable into the sleeve member, the expansion member having a tapered outer surface portion toward the first end that mates with the tapered inner surface portion of the radially expandable element of the sleeve member; and a moving member formed between a second end of the sleeve member and a second end of the expansion member. The sleeve member has an internal engagement structure at a second end and an upper rotational coupling structure at the second end for receiving reaction torque from the torque power tool. The expansion member has an external engagement structure at the second end. The moving member for axially moving the expansion member (such movement causing the radially expandable element of the sleeve member to expand) has an internal engagement structure that mates with the external engagement structure of the expansion member and an external engagement structure that mates with the internal engagement structure of the sleeve member. It should be noted that the expansion member, the moving member, or both may have an upper rotational coupling structure for receiving the applied torque from the torque power tool. Preferably, the assembly is self-reactive, so that the driving torque can be applied to it and react to generate high levels of tension and expansion forces without the need for external reaction points.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention may be illustrated by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG1A is a side view of a radially expanding fastener/alignment plug assembly of the present invention;

FIG1B is a perspective view of an assembly of the present invention;

FIG2A is a cross-sectional view showing the internal components of the assembly of the present invention in a relaxed state; and

FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing the internal components of the assembly of the present invention in a tensioned state.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

1A-2B , as an example, a radially expandable fastener/alignment plug assembly 1 for use with a torque power tool (not shown) includes: a sleeve member 10 insertable into a hole (not shown) in an object, the sleeve member 10 having a radially expandable element 14 with a tapered inner surface portion 11 toward a first end 13; an expansion member 20 insertable into the sleeve member 10, the expansion member 20 having a tapered outer surface portion 21 toward a first end 27 that mates with the tapered inner surface portion 11 of the radially expandable element 14 of the sleeve member 10; and a moving member 30 formed between a second end 15 of the sleeve member 10 and a second end 23 of the expansion member 20. The sleeve member 10 has an internal engagement structure 16 at the second end 15 and an upper rotational coupling structure 18 at the second end 15 for receiving reaction torque from the torque power tool. The expansion member 20 has an external engagement structure 22 at the second end 23. The moving member 30, which is used to axially move the expansion member 20 (which expands the radial expansion member 14 of the sleeve member 10), has an internal engagement structure 31 that cooperates with the external engagement structure 22 of the expansion member 20, and an external engagement structure 32 that cooperates with the internal engagement structure 16 of the sleeve member 10. It should be noted that the expansion member 20, the moving member 30, or both can have upper rotational coupling structures 25 and 34, respectively, for receiving the applied torque from the torque power tool. Preferably, the assembly 1 is self-reactive, so that a driving torque can be applied to it and reacted thereto to generate high levels of tension and expansion forces without the need for external reaction points.

The following description relates to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 1A-2B. The engagement structures 16, 22, 31 and 32 include threads. In this case, the threaded engagement between the engagement structures 22 and 31 and the threaded engagement between the engagement structures 16 and 32 can be formed with different pitches, different thread directions, or different pitches and different thread directions. The moving part 30 includes a double-threaded nut, which is configured for axial movement of the expansion part 20, which causes the radial expansion element 14 of the sleeve part 10 to expand. The expansion part 20 includes a stud. The rotational coupling structures 18 and 25 include polygonal structures, i.e., toothed structures.

An industrial bolting device is also disclosed that includes an electrically, hydraulically, manually, or pneumatically driven torque power tool (not shown) that tightens the radially expanding fastener/alignment plug assembly 1 .

In other words, the present invention relates to a fastening and alignment system for mechanical couplings. It discloses a plug that expands radially, enabling the coupling assembly to index or align mating holes in a mating flange by expansion, thereby forcing the inner bores of the two holes to align about the axis of the expansion fastener. A preferred embodiment is a self-reactive assembly as described above. The self-reactive assembly is capable of applying a driving torque and reacting it within the assembly, thereby enabling the use of internal helical threads to generate high levels of tension without the need for external reaction points.

The present invention discloses a three-component radial expansion fastener/alignment plug assembly 1. The assembly 1 comprises: an expansion sleeve component 10; a tapered stud 20; and a double-threaded nut 30.

The expansion sleeve assembly 10 expands when a tapered stud 20 having a matching tapered surface 21 is pulled through the sleeve 10 by torque applied by a torque tool (not shown) at its mechanical threads 22. The portion 13 of the expansion sleeve 10 that is located within the bore of the object to be aligned (not shown) has a tapered or lower surface 11 that drives the expansion. The expansion portion 13 may have a groove or slot 14 that is axially oriented to enable outward expansion strain without exceeding the material's stress limit.

The upper portion 15 of the expansion sleeve 10 has internal threads 16 that mate with the double-threaded nut 30. The upper portion 15 has an oversized shoulder 17 that sits outside the bore of the object being aligned. The shoulder 17 of the upper portion has a rotational coupling 18, such as a toothed structure, to provide a location for the reaction torque from the torque tool housing when the working torque is applied to the double-threaded nut 30. It should be noted that, as shown in FIG. 2A , the expansion sleeve 10 is taller than the mating stud 20.

As shown in FIG2A , the double-threaded nut 30 has an internal thread 31 and an external thread 32 with opposite thread directions. The upper portion 33 of the double-threaded nut 30 has a rotational coupling 34, such as a toothed structure, which enables application of an applied torque from a torque tool to the double-threaded nut 30. In the area of the holes to be aligned, the tapered surface 21 of the tapered stud 20 mates with the tapered inner surface 11 of the expansion sleeve 10. The upper portion 23 of the tapered stud 20 has an external threaded portion 22 that mates with the internal thread 31 on the double-threaded nut 30.

It should be noted that as shown in the figures, the top side 24 of the tapered stud 20 may have a threaded hole 25 that can be used for rotational coupling with a torque tool having a different engagement means than the mating rotational coupling means 34 .

During operation, as shown in FIG2A , the bottom surface 26B of the tapered stud 20 is positioned flush with the bottom surface 19B of the expansion sleeve 10, thereby enabling the assembly 1 to have the smallest possible diameter D1. The top surface 35A of the double-threaded nut 30 is positioned flush with the top surface 19A of the expansion sleeve 10. The assembly 1 is inserted into a hole in the object to be expanded and/or aligned. The assembly 1 is pushed far enough into the hole so that the bottom surface 17B of the shoulder 17 of the expansion sleeve 10 rests against the surface of the object surrounding the hole.

As shown in Figure 2B, a rotational torque is applied to the dual-threaded nut 30, simultaneously generating a reaction on the rotational coupling 18 of the expansion sleeve 10, which causes axial translation of the tapered stud 20. This translation causes the mating tapered surfaces 21 of the tapered stud 20 and the mating tapered surfaces 11 of the expansion sleeve 10 to interact, resulting in expansion to a new, larger diameter D1'. The tightened tapered stud 20' moves axially a distance H1' relative to the expanded expansion sleeve 10' and the tightened dual-threaded nut 30'. Applying torque in the opposite direction to the tightened dual-threaded nut 30' of the assembly 1' disengages the mating surfaces, allowing the expanded diameter to be reduced back to D1 for easier disassembly.

It should be noted that any suitable alternative structures and materials may be used to achieve similar results for assembly 1 .

It should be understood that each of the above elements or two or more elements together may also find advantageous application in other types of structures different from the above types. The features disclosed in the foregoing description or the following claims or the accompanying drawings (suitably expressed in their specific form or as a device for performing the function or as a method or process for obtaining the result) may be used alone or in any combination of these features to implement the present invention in various forms.

While the invention has been shown and described as embodied as a three-piece self-reactive fastener for use with a fluid-operated tool, the invention is not limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The terms "comprises", "comprising", "having" and their variations used in this specification and claims mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included. These terms should not be interpreted as excluding the existence of other features, steps or components.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will sufficiently reveal the gist of the invention to enable others, by applying current knowledge, to readily adapt it to various applications without missing the essential features which constitute the general or specific aspects of the invention from the viewpoint of the prior art.

Claims (9)

1. A radially expanding fastener/alignment plug assembly for use with a torque power tool, the assembly comprising: A sleeve component capable of being inserted into a hole in an object and having a radial expansion element having an inner surface portion tapered toward a first end; An expansion member, which can be inserted into the sleeve member, and has an outer surface portion tapered toward a first end, the outer surface portion engaging with a tapered inner surface portion of a radial expansion element of the sleeve member; A movable component is formed between the second end of the sleeve component and the second end of the expansion component; The movable component is used for axial movement of the expansion component, and the expansion component causes the radial expansion element of the sleeve component to expand. The sleeve component has an upper rotary connection structure at the second end for receiving reaction torque from a torque-powered tool; and The moving or expanding component has an upper rotary connection structure at the second end for receiving the applied torque from the torque-powered tool. 2. The radially expanding fastener/alignment plug assembly of claim 1, further comprising: The sleeve component has an internal engagement structure at the second end; The expansion member has an external engagement structure at its second end; and The moving component has an internal engagement structure that mates with the external engagement structure of the expansion component and an external engagement structure that mates with the internal engagement structure of the sleeve component. 3. The radially expanding fastener/alignment plug assembly of claim 2, wherein: the engagement structure includes threads. 4. The radially expanding fastener/alignment plug assembly of claim 2, wherein: the engagement structure includes threads, and the internal and external threads of the moving part have different pitches, different thread directions, or different pitches and different thread directions. 5. The radially expanding fastener/alignment plug assembly of claim 1, wherein: the moving part includes a double-threaded nut. 6. The radially expanding fastener/alignment plug assembly of claim 1, wherein the expanding component includes a stud. 7. The radially expanding fastener/alignment plug assembly of claim 1, wherein: the rotary coupling structure comprises a polygonal structure. 8. The radially expanding fastener/alignment plug assembly of claim 1, wherein the rotary coupling structure includes a toothed structure. 9. The radially expanding fastener/alignment plug assembly of claim 1, wherein: the rotary coupling structure of the sleeve component includes a toothed structure, and the rotary coupling structure of the expansion component includes a tapered polygonal hole.