Method for the connection of sheet metal parts and component assembly as well as setting head and die button

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10208782-B2
Application number	US-201815895560-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2018
Priority date	Nov 6, 2013
Publication date	Feb 19, 2019
Grant date	Feb 19, 2019

Abstract

A component assembly having a stacked arrangement comprising an upper and lower sheet part, of which at least one is formed as an organic sheet composite part, with an auxiliary joining part and with at least one apertured metal washer, wherein the auxiliary joining part has a functional section having an undercut at one end and also has a piercing section at the other end having a lateral shaft surface and a shaft recess formed therein, wherein the metal washer contacts a surface of the organic sheet composite part, with the functional section or the piercing section extending through an aperture of the metal washer and wherein washer material has been driven into the undercut or into the at least one shaft recess.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for the connection of an upper sheet part ( 17 ) and a lower sheet part ( 19 ) of which at least one is executed as an organic sheet composite part, with the aid of an auxiliary joining part ( 45 ) and at least one metal washer ( 41 , 43 ) having an aperture, wherein the auxiliary joining part ( 45 ) has first and second ends, there being a functional section ( 51 ) with an undercut ( 56 ) at one of said ends and a piercing section ( 53 ) with a lateral shaft surface and a shaft recess ( 55 ) formed therein at the other of said ends, the method comprising the following steps:
i) the upper sheet part ( 17 ), the lower sheet part ( 19 ) and the metal washer ( 41 , 43 ) are brought into a stacked arrangement in such a way that the metal washer ( 41 , 43 ) contacts the organic sheet composite part,
ii) the piercing section ( 53 ) of the auxiliary joining part ( 45 ) is used in order to pierce a slug ( 59 ) from the stacked sheet parts ( 17 , 19 ),
iii) either the functional section ( 51 ) or the piercing section ( 53 ) is passed through an aperture ( 47 ) of the metal washer ( 41 , 43 ) until the undercut ( 56 ) or the at least one shaft recess ( 55 ) is at least partly surrounded by washer material,
iv) an adequate pressure is exerted on the metal washer ( 41 , 43 ) in order to drive washer material into the at least one shaft recess ( 55 ) or into the undercut ( 56 ) and thereby to join the auxiliary joining part ( 45 ) to the metal washer ( 41 , 43 ), and
v) the other respective one of the undercut or of the shaft recess is brought into a holding engagement with a sheet part formed as a sheet metal part or with a further metal washer ( 41 , 43 ), with the sheet metal part or the further metal washer being located at the side of the stacked arrangement remote from the first metal washer.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the same shaping is selected for the undercut as for the shaft recess.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the metal washer ( 43 ) is positioned at a lower side of the lower sheet part ( 19 ) which is executed as an organic sheet composite part by means of a die button ( 15 ) which has a mount ( 31 ) for the metal washer ( 43 ) and a passage ( 37 ) for leading away the piercing slug ( 59 ).

4. A method in accordance with claim 3 , wherein in step (iv) the metal washer ( 43 ) is deformed in the region of the rim of the aperture ( 47 ) by means of at least one projection ( 35 ) provided in the mount ( 31 ) of the die button ( 15 ), the projection optionally being a ring projection.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the metal washer ( 41 ) is positioned by means of a setting head ( 13 ) at the upper side of the upper sheet part ( 17 ) executed as an organic sheet composite part, the setting head having a plunger and the auxiliary joining part ( 45 ) being passed through the aperture ( 47 ) of the metal washer ( 41 ) by means of the plunger ( 20 ) of the setting head ( 13 ) acting on the functional section ( 51 ).

6. A method in accordance with claim 5 , wherein in the step (iv) the metal washer ( 41 ) is deformed in the region of the rim of the aperture ( 47 ) of this metal washer ( 41 ) by means of a projection ( 27 ) provided at a lower side of an outer plunger ( 21 ) of the setting head ( 13 ) acting on the sheet metal washer ( 41 ), the projection ( 27 ) provided at the lower side of the outer plunger optionally being a ring projection.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein both the upper sheet part ( 17 ) and also the lower sheet part ( 19 ) are formed as organic sheet composite parts, with a lower metal washer ( 43 ) being positioned by means of a die button ( 15 ) at the lower side of the lower organic sheet composite part ( 19 ) and an upper metal washer ( 41 ) being positioned at an upper side of the upper organic sheet composite part ( 17 ) by means of a setting head ( 13 ) and being aligned with the lower metal washer ( 43 ).

8. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the sheet parts are pressed against one another in the step (ii).

9. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the stacked arrangement is formed with one or more intermediate layers located between the upper sheet part and the lower sheet part.

10. A method for the connection of an upper sheet part ( 17 ) and of a lower sheet part ( 19 ) of which at least one is formed as an organic sheet composite part, with the aid of an auxiliary joining part ( 45 ) which has a first end and a second end and also with the aid of a pierced metal washer ( 41 , 43 ), the method comprising the following steps:
(i) the upper sheet part ( 17 ), the lower sheet part ( 19 ) and the metal washer ( 41 , 43 ) are brought into a stacked arrangement in such a way that the metal washer ( 41 , 43 ) contacts the organic sheet composite part,
(ii) a piercing section ( 53 ) of the auxiliary joining part ( 45 ) is exploited to punch a slug ( 59 ) from the stacked sheet parts ( 17 , 19 ),
(iii) the first end of the auxiliary joining part is passed through an aperture ( 47 ) of the metal washer ( 41 , 43 ) to such an extent that it is at least partly surrounded by washer material, and, either,
(iva) an adequate pressure is exerted onto the sheet metal washer ( 41 , 43 ) in order to drive washer material into at least one undercut ( 56 ) of the first end of the auxiliary joining part ( 45 ), in order to join the auxiliary joining part ( 45 ) to the metal washer ( 41 , 43 ), or
(ivb) the first end of the auxiliary joining part ( 45 ) is embossed in order to hereby join the auxiliary joining part ( 45 ) in the region of the first end to the metal washer and the second end of the auxiliary joining part ( 45 ) either
(va) is brought by embossing into a holding engagement with a sheet part formed as a sheet metal part or with a further metal washer ( 41 , 43 ), with the sheet metal part or the metal washer being located at the side of the stacked arrangement remote from the first metal washer, or
(vb) is joined by deformation of the sheet metal part or by deformation of a further metal washer ( 41 , 43 ) to the sheet metal part or to the further metal washer, with the sheet metal part or the further metal washer being located at the side of the stacked arrangement remote from the first metal washer.

11. A method in accordance with claim 10 , wherein the metal washer ( 43 ) is positioned at a lower side of the lower sheet metal part ( 19 ) which is executed as an organic sheet composite part, by means of a die button ( 15 ) which has a mount ( 31 ) for the metal washer ( 43 ) and a passage ( 114 ) for leading away the piercing slug ( 59 ).

12. A method in accordance with claim 10 , wherein both the upper sheet part ( 17 ) and also the lower sheet part ( 19 ) are executed as organic sheet composite parts, with a lower metal washer ( 43 ) being positioned by means of a die button ( 15 ) at the lower side of the lower organic sheet composite part ( 19 ) and an upper sheet metal washer ( 14 ) being positioned by means of a setting head ( 13 ) at an upper side of the upper organic sheet composite part ( 17 ) and aligned with the lower metal washer ( 43 ).

13. A method in accordance with claim 10 , wherein the sheet parts ( 17 , 19 ) are pressed against one another in step (ii).

14. A method in accordance with claim 10 , wherein an auxiliary joining part is used in the form of a cylindrical pin formed as a cylindrical part having a cross-sectional shape and size which is at least substantially constant over its entire length.

15. A component assembly ( 60 ) having a

Assignees

• Profil Verbindungstechnik Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Diehl Oliver
• Lembach Andreas

Classifications

• B29C65/562

  using extra joining elements, i.e. which are not integral with the parts to be joined (using plastic snap elements B29C65/58; using plastic rivets B29C65/601) · CPC title

• B29C66/21

  said joint lines being formed by a single dot or dash or by several dots or dashes, i.e. spot joining or spot welding · CPC title

• B29C66/8161

  said pressing elements being supported or backed-up by springs or by resilient material · CPC title

• F16B37/062 Primary

  by means of riveting · CPC title

• F16B5/04

  by means of riveting (rivets F16B19/04) · CPC title