Monogram Aerospace Fasteners, Inc.

Donald G Starr

Disclosed is a fastener and method for temporarily fastening a plurality of workpieces. The fastener uses pressurized fluid to facilitate the actuating clamping motion of a temporary fastener as opposed to conventional mechanically actuation devices. The fastener of the present invention generally comprises a housing, a spreader member connected to the housing, a piston located within said housing and capable of movement therein in response to the introduction of pressurized fluid within the housing, and a pair of expandable flexible fingers connected at one end to the piston and extending outside the housing where fluid-actuated movement of the piston causes the fingers to partially retract within the housing and wedge within the aligned apertures of the workpieces to temporarily clamp the workpieces together. A check valve within the piston assembly prevents the escape of pressurized fluid from within the fluid pressure chamber when the source of pressurized fluid is removed. The temporary fastener provides an instant load-release feature so that manual removal of the fastener is provided.

Device and method for temporarily fastening a plurality of workpieces in response to the introduction of pressurized fluid

An alignment device with a radially expandable tube for temporary alignment of a plurality of apertured workpieces in which the precise alignment of associated apertures is required. The radially expandable tube extends from the housing, and contains a plurality of bearings, each associated with at least one radially expandable ring. Each bearing has a tapered surface that engages and radially expands its associated ring upon relative movement of the bearing into the ring. The expansion of the rings applies a radially outwardly directed force on the interior surface of the tube.

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San Pedro, CA, United States of America

Donald G Starr