Whitesell International Corporation

Fabristeel Products, Inc.

Whitesell Formed Components, Inc.

John M Parker

John J Vrana

Kerry V Boggs

Richard P Ward

Harold T Woods

David M Shuart

Stanley E Wojciechowski

Harold A Ladouceur

Zdravko Kovac

Jeffrey C Lewis

Michael J McShane

Robert G Walker, Ii

David H Shuart

A self-attaching nut for attachment to a panel includes a central pilot portion having a bore therethrough, and having a substantially cylindrical outer surface. A flange portion surrounds the outer surface of the pilot portion, and the flange portion includes an annular groove surrounding the pilot portion. The annular groove has a substantially V-shaped axial cross section. The self-attaching nut further includes a plurality of spaced raised buttons formed on a surface of the annular groove. The spaced raised buttons are configured to substantially prevent relative rotation between the nut and the panel, and configured to aid in preventing pull-out of the nut from the panel.

Self-attaching nut

A clinch element including a body portion having an annular lip portion projecting from an end face of the body portion including an arcuate free end and a frustoconical outer surface. One embodiment includes an annular lip projecting from both end faces of the body portion. A method of attaching the clinch element to one or two panels which includes driving the free end of the lip portion against an outwardly inclined frustoconical chamfered face of a die cavity, deforming the annular lip over the panel and a die member having a projecting piloting point and an annular die cavity surrounding the piloting point.

Clinch element and method and apparatus for attaching a clinch element to a panel

A self-attaching nut for attachment to a panel including a central pilot portion having a generally cylindrical outer surface, a flange portion surrounding the outer surface of the pilot portion including an annular groove surrounding the pilot portion having a substantially V-shaped bottom wall and a generally planar panel support surface surrounding the annular groove. The panel support surface includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced radial ribs extending into the annular groove, but spaced from the outer surface of the pilot portion. The grooves may be convex or concave or a combination of convex and concave grooves. In one embodiment, the nuts are rectangular and the back face include two pair of transverse linear grooves for interconnection by frangible wires in side to side relation.

Self-attaching female fastener

A method of attaching a clinch spacer to a panel including forming a clinch spacer having a body portion including an axial bore, an annular flange portion surrounding the bore and an annular barrel portion integral and coaxially aligned with the flange portion having a diameter less than the flange portion including an end face having an outer lip extending at an angle radially outwardly and axially from the end face; forming an opening in the panel; and driving the barrel portion through the opening in the panel against a die member having a generally V-shaped annular projecting lip which is driven against a second face of the panel, deforming the panel radially inwardly against the outer surface of the barrel portion and deforming the outer annular lip radially outwardly and axially against the panel, forming a secure installation.

Clinch spacer and method of attaching the same to a panel

Method of attaching a clinch spacer to a panel

The method of forming self-attaching female fasteners by rolling a continuous metal strip including a central pilot portion having parallel sides and flange portions on opposed sides, severing at least the pilot portion and cold forming the rectangular pilot portion into a cylindrical end portion. Wing-shaped radial portions are formed in the pilot portion which may be severed or remain for anti-rotation features. The strip may remain continuous, wherein the severed pilot portions are spread and the flange portions are thinned or the strip may be severed into discrete fasteners. The female fasteners thus include generally cylindrical pilot portions and rectangular flange portions which may include rolled grooves.

Self-attaching female fastener elements and method of forming same

A self-attaching nut having a central pilot projecting from an end face of the body portion, an annular groove surrounding the pilot and an annular panel support face surrounding the groove, wherein the outer side wall includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced notches, each having an outer wall which extends from the bottom wall of the annular groove to the panel support face and the bottom wall of the groove includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced radial ribs integral with either the outer or inner side walls of the annular groove having a radial end spaced from the opposed side wall and a top face inclined toward the bottom wall of the annular groove providing improved torque resistance and push-off strength. Alternating circumferentially overlapping radial ribs integral with the pilot and the outer groove wall and ribs which extend below the bottom wall of the groove are also disclosed.

A self-attaching fastener includes a pilot portion having an outer side wall and is surrounded by an annular flange. The annular flange includes a planar end face defining a peripheral edge with a diameter greater than a diameter of said outer side wall of the pilot portion. The end face includes a plurality of first circumferentially spaced anti-rotation elements each having a planar top face spaced above the planar end face of the annular flange and a second plurality of second circumferentially spaced anti-rotation elements each having a planar top face spaced below the planar end face of the annular flange. Each of the first and second anti-rotation elements extend from about one of the peripheral edge of the annular flange and the outer side wall to a location spaced from the other of the peripheral edge of the flange portion and the outer side wall of the pilot portion.

Heavy metal pierce nut

Method of forming a sealed joint between a nut () having a cylindrical pilot (), an annular flange portion () surrounding the pilot and a re-entrant groove () and a panel with a die having an annular lip () which deforms a panel portion into the groove () and simultaneously shaves an outer surface of the pilot onto the panel. The annular groove in the flange portion includes an arcuately inclined outer side wall () and an inner side wall () arcuately inclined toward the flange portion.

Self-piercing female fastener, method of forming a sealed female fastener and panel assembly and panel assembly

A locator stud including a shank and a flange portion integral and coaxially aligned with the shank and a bearing surface between the shank and the flange portion, a method of installation in a panel, including forming an opening in the panel, inserting the flange portion into the panel opening and driving a plunger having an opening receiving the shank, a first annular die surface deforming the bearing surface radially outwardly and a second projecting annular die surface deforming the panel radially inwardly into a concave outer surface of the flange portion and wherein the panel of the locator stud and panel assembly includes a V-shaped depression surrounding the locator stud.

Method of attaching a locator stud on a panel

A fastener element including a barrel portion, a first radial flange portion integral and coaxially aligned with the barrel portion and a second radial flange portion having a diameter greater than the first radial flange portion coaxially aligned with the first radial flange portion including an annular face having circumferentially spaced radial ribs and a method of installing the fastener element which includes forming an opening in a panel which receives the barrel and first radial flange portions, wherein the panel is deformed radially inwardly against the first radial flange portion and the first radial flange portion is preferably deformed radially outwardly forming a secure fastener and panel assembly.

Fastener, method of attaching a fastener to a panel and fastener and panel assembly

A method of cold forming a self-attaching female fastener () which includes deforming a fastener blank () having an annular pilot, () an annular flange () surrounding the pilot and a groove () in the flange having cylindrical walls and annular protrusions () on the flange and pilot, then deforming the protrusions toward each other to form an annular re-entrant groove () having relatively inclined arcuate walls.

Method of cold forming a self-attaching female fastener element

A self-attaching nut including a central pilot portion, a flange portion surrounding the pilot portion having an end face including an annular groove in the end face having inclined inner and outer side walls and a plurality of circumferentially spaced radial ribs integral with the outer side wall extending beyond a midportion of the bottom wall, but spaced from the inner side wall. In one embodiment, the top faces of the radial ribs is inclined to adjacent the inner side wall of the annular groove and in another embodiment, the radial inner ends of the ribs are spaced above the plane of the bottom wall and include an inwardly inclined face.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

John M Parker