Method and device for the rigid connection of two thin elements

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10011388-B2
Application number	US-201314383663-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2013
Priority date	Mar 20, 2012
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

According to the present invention, the device comprises: a flange having an at least approximately trapezoidal tapered section; a counter-flange having a shape complementary to that of said flange ( 1 ); and clamping means for clamping said flange and said counter-flange one in the direction of the other, interposing the edges of said elements shaped at least partially in the shape of said counter-flange.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Method for rigid connection, via opposing edges thereof, of two thin elements, the method comprising:
clamping a flange and a counter-flange in a direction closer toward each other, thereby interposing formed edges of two thin elements of a composite fibre/resin material between a cavity of the flange and a protrusion of the counter-flange, wherein the flange cavity has a flared cross-section shape which is at least approximately trapezoidal and defined by a cavity base having a planar cross-section surface that is disposed between two oblique cavity portions that have planar cross-section surfaces that are each located at oblique angles with respect to the planar cross-section surface of the cavity base, the counter-flange protrusion has a cross-section shape which is at least approximately trapezoidal and is convergent with and complements the flange cavity flared cross-section shape and is defined by a protrusion base abutment face having a planar cross-section surface that is disposed between two oblique edges that have planar cross-section surfaces that are each located at oblique angles with respect to the planar cross-section surface of the protrusion base abutment face wherein the protrusion oblique edge surfaces are thereby aligned to be convergent with the flange oblique portion cross-section surfaces of the cavity and the protrusion base abutment face surface is thereby aligned to be convergent with the flange cavity base surface; and
the clamping the flange and the counter-flange in the direction closer toward each other pressing between them the formed edges of the two thin elements, wherein the two thin elements are at least partially formed into a rigid connection having the shape of the protrusion of the counter-flange and each comprise a base portion that is disposed in alignment with and between the protrusion base abutment face surface and the flange cavity base surface, and at least one oblique portion that is disposed in alignment with and between convergent ones of the oblique edge surfaces and the flange cavity oblique portion surfaces; and
wherein a depth of the cavity of the flange and a thickness of the formed edges of the two thin elements are selected so that, at the end of clamping of the flange and the counter-flange, there is a gap between the base surface of the cavity and the formed edges;
wherein at least one of the thin element base portions of the formed edges of the two thin elements abuts the protrusion base abutment face surface and thereby prevents tilting of one of the formed edges of the two thin elements relative to an other of the formed edges of the two thin elements;
wherein the two thin elements have a shape selected from the group consisting of a planar shape and a cylindrical shape; and
wherein the formed edges of the two thin elements form the thin element base portions to have planar surfaces that are spaced from the flange cavity base surface by the spacing gap, said spacing gap enabling the clamping means to clamp the flange and the counter-flange in the direction toward each other without being limited by any abutment contact between the formed edges of the two thin elements and the flange cavity base surface.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the two thin elements have the cylindrical shape and are two cylindrical portions of a container assembled end-to-end.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
the clamping means pressing a first formed edge of the formed edges of the two thin elements to form, on either side of the thin element base portion of the first formed edge, two of the at least one thin element oblique portions that are each disposed in alignment with and between the convergent ones of the oblique edge surfaces and the flange cavity oblique portion surfaces, the first formed edge thereby corresponding to the at least approximately trapezoidal counter-flange protrusion; and
the clamping means pressing a second formed edge of the formed edges of the two thin elements to form the thin element base portion and one of the at least one thin element oblique portions via engagement with the first formed edge.

4. A Device, comprising:
a flange which forms a cavity which is at least approximately trapezoidal and defined by a cavity base having a planar cross-section surface that is disposed between two oblique cavity portions that have planar cross-section surfaces that are each located at oblique angles with respect to the planar cross-section surface of the cavity base;
a counter-flange which has a protrusion which is at least approximately trapezoidal and is convergent with and complements the cavity of the flange and is defined by a protrusion base abutment face having a planar cross-section surface that is disposed between two oblique edges that have planar cross-section surfaces that are each located at oblique angles with respect to the planar cross-section surface of the protrusion base abutment face wherein the protrusion oblique edge surfaces are thereby aligned to be convergent with the flange oblique portion cross-section surfaces of the cavity and the protrusion base abutment face surface is thereby aligned to be convergent with the flange cavity base surface; and
clamping means for clamping the flange and the counter-flange in a direction toward each other so that they press, between the cavity of the flange and the protrusion of the counter-flange, formed edges of two thin elements of a composite fibre/resin material located between the cavity of the flange and the protrusion of the counter-flange, wherein the two thin elements are at least partially formed into a rigid connection that is at least approximately trapezoidal and each comprise a base portion that is disposed in alignment with and between the protrusion base abutment face surface and the flange cavity base surface, and at least one oblique portion that is disposed in alignment with and between convergent ones of the oblique edge surfaces and the flange cavity oblique portion surfaces;
wherein at least one of the thin element base portions abuts the protrusion base abutment face surface and thereby prevents tilting of one of the formed edges of the two thin elements relative to an other of the formed edges of the two thin elements;
wherein the two thin elements have a shape selected from the group consisting of a planar shape and a cylindrical shape; and
wherein the clamping means for clamping presses, between the cavity of the flange and the protrusion of the counter-flange, the formed edges of the two thin elements to form the thin element base portions to have planar surfaces that are spaced from the flange cavity base surface by a spacing gap, said spacing gap enabling the clamping means to clamp the flange and the counter-flange in the direction toward each other without being limited by any abutment contact between the formed edges of the two thin elements and the flange cavity base surface.

5. The Device according to claim 4 , wherein the counter-flange is an integral portion of the edge of one of the two thin elements.

6. The Device according to claim 4 , wherein the clamping means are screws which are supported on the counter-flange and screwed into the flange.

7. The Device according to claim 4 , wherein the clamping means are screws which are supported on the flange and screwed into the counter-flange.

8. The Device according to claim 6 , wherein the screws comprise heads which are accommodated in recesses formed on the flange by which they are supported.

9. The Device according to claim 5 , wherein the counter-flange is an integral portion of the edge of one of the two thin elements and comprises a partial housing for the flange.

10. The D

Assignees

• Mbda France

Inventors

• Durand François
• Bertrand Xavier
• Sistac-Meler Javier
• Leclercq Benoit

Classifications

• B65D11/22 Primary

  Reinforcing for strengthening parts of members · CPC title

• Y10T29/49826

  Assembling or joining · CPC title

• Y10T29/53

  Means to assemble or disassemble · CPC title

• B65D90/08

  Interconnections of wall parts; Sealing means therefor · CPC title

• F16B5/0664

  at least one of the sheets or plates having integrally formed or integrally connected snap-in-features · CPC title