Hilti Aktiengesellschaft

Elmar Thurner

Reinhard Buhri

Alfred Tobler

Elmer C Hoepker

A fastening element assembly is made up of a nail-like fastening element and a deformable sleeve displaceably secured on the fastening element shank. The assembly is used to secure sheet metal plates to a base material of variable strength. At its leading end the sleeve has an outwardly extending flange. When the assembly is driven into a receiving material or base, the sleeve is displaced in the rearward direction along the shank toward the trailing head on the fastening element. The shank widens conically toward the head. As the sleeve is displaced rearwardly, it is radially expanded. When the trailing end of the sleeve contacts the head, the sleeve collapses or is deformed in the axial direction in the manner of an accordian. Excess energy applied to the assembly during the driving step is converted into deformation work acting on the sleeve.

Fastening element assembly with a deformable sleeve

An explosive powder charge operated fastening element assembly setting device is used to drive a fastening element into a hard receiving material such as concrete, steel and the like. The device includes a striker piston transmitting driving force to the fastening element assembly. The forward end of the striker piston has a marking projection. If excessive driving energy is transmitted from the striker piston to the fastening element assembly, the marking projection forms an imprint in a guidance disk of the assembly. The extent of the imprint provides a gauge of the excessive driving force which results in unsatisfactory insertion of the fastening element. If an annularly-shaped marking projection is used, the imprint formed by it can be viewed from all sides of the fastening element.

Fastening element setting device with setting indicator

An attachment unit is made up of a nail and a sleeve fitted onto the nail. The nail has an axially elongated shank with a head at one end. The sleeve has a first axially extending section followed by a second axially extending section with the second section located closer to the head. A flange is located at the end of the first sleeve section spaced from the second sleeve section. An exterior thread with a root diameter is formed on the first sleeve section. The second sleeve section has a outside diameter smaller than the root diameter of the thread. When the nail is driven into a receiving material, its head runs into and laterally deforms the second sleeve section. After the nail is driven in, a nut can be placed over the second sleeve section and threaded onto the exterior thread.

Attachment unit including nail and sleeve

An anchoring assembly, in particular for use in a composite concrete and structural steel beam, consists of a cylindrical container shaped member open at one end and closed at the other with an opening extending through the closed end. A fastening stud is positioned in the bore in the member adjacent the open end and it is arranged to be driven through the bore into a receiving material, for instance, a structural steel member, by an explosive powder actuated setting gun. The fastening stud has an elongated shank with a larger diameter head at one end and a washer fitted on the shank and spaced axially from the head. The radially outer surfaces of the head and washer act as guide surfaces as the stud is driven through the bore into the receiving material. The opening through the closed end has an axially extending frusto-conically shaped section diverging toward and terminating in the outer surface of the closed end.

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Feldkirch, Austria

Elmar Thurner