Floor panel fastener assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10589835-B2
Application number	US-201715473282-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2017
Priority date	Mar 29, 2017
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

A fastener assembly for attaching a floor panel to an airframe is disclosed. The fastener assembly includes a collet, a pin, a capnut, and a subplate. The collet comprises at least one tang, extending from a cylindrical collar that defines a collet aperture. An external thread is formed on the collar, and a tab is formed on a distal end of the tang. The collet tang extends through a floor panel aperture, a subplate aperture, and an airframe aperture, and may interact with a subplate asymmetry. The capnut is screwed onto the collet, such that the pin is forced to slide along the collet tang and the tab is engaged with the airframe.

First claim

I claim:

1. A fastener assembly comprising:
a collet with a cylindrical body defining a collet aperture, and including a tang;
an external thread formed on the collet and surrounding the collet aperture;
a pin sized to conform closely to the collet aperture, slide through the collet aperture, and slide along the tang; and
a capnut with an internal thread that mates with the external thread;
wherein the capnut is shaped to push on the pin and force the pin to slide along the tang as the capnut is screwed onto the external thread.

2. The fastener assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a second tang.

3. The fastener assembly of claim 2 , further comprising a third tang, wherein the tang, the second tang, and the third tang distribute forces radially from a central axis of the collet aperture.

4. The fastener assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the tang is formed with a substantially smooth interior bearing surface; and
the pin includes a rounded blunt end for slidably engaging the substantially smooth interior bearing surface without scraping away material from either the pin or the tang.

5. The fastener assembly of claim 1 , wherein the capnut includes a tooling recess to facilitate screwing the capnut onto the collet.

6. The fastener assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
the pin includes a flanged head that engages the capnut; and
the capnut includes at least one dimple in an inner cavity that retains the flanged head within the inner cavity so that the pin and the capnut may be manipulated as an integral unit.

7. The fastener assembly of claim 1 , further including a tab comprising:
a wedge-shaped ramp at a distal end of the tang, the wedge-shaped ramp defining a ramp length progressing from a narrow point farthest from the collet to a wide point closest to the collet; and
an extended flat portion formed as part of the wedge-shaped ramp, the extended flat portion defining an extended length from the wide point of the wedge-shaped ramp to a shoulder that may engage a structure.

8. The fastener assembly of claim 7 , wherein the distal end of the tang extends in toward a central axis of the collet aperture such that the tab does not impede removal of the collet from the structure.

9. The fastener assembly of claim 7 , further comprising a subplate with a subplate aperture sized smaller than the external thread of the collet.

10. The fastener assembly of claim 9 , wherein the subplate aperture defines a center and defines a subplate asymmetry about at least one line extending through the center, and the tang interacts with the subplate asymmetry to limit rotation of the collet relative to the subplate.

11. The fastener assembly of claim 9 , wherein the pin and the tang extend through the subplate aperture, with the capnut held on a first side of the subplate, and the tab held on a second side of the subplate opposite from the first side of the subplate.

12. An airplane comprising:
an airframe;
an airframe aperture formed in the airframe;
a panel attached to the airframe;
a panel aperture formed in the panel and aligned with the airframe aperture;
a subplate sandwiched between the panel and the airframe, and bonded to the panel;
a subplate aperture formed in the subplate and aligned with the airframe aperture and the panel aperture;
a collet including a collar having an external thread and integrally formed with a tang, the tang extending through the airframe aperture, the panel aperture, and the subplate aperture, and including a tab that engages with the airframe;
a pin extending through the airframe aperture, the panel aperture, and the subplate aperture, the collar extending at least partially around the pin and the pin bearing against the tang to keep the tab engaged with the airframe;
a capnut threaded onto the external thread of the collar and trapping the pin in place relative to the tang so that the tab is engaged with the airframe, thereby attaching the subplate and the panel to the airframe.

13. The airplane of claim 12 , further comprising a second and a third tang wherein the tang, the second tang, and the third tang distribute forces radially from a central axis of the collar.

14. The airplane of claim 12 , wherein:
the tang is formed with a substantially smooth interior bearing surface; and
the pin includes a rounded blunt end for slidably engaging the substantially smooth interior bearing surface without scraping away material from either the pin or the tang.

15. The airplane of claim 12 , wherein the capnut includes a tooling recess to facilitate screwing the capnut onto the collet.

16. The airplane of claim 12 , wherein:
the pin includes a flanged head that engages the capnut; and
the capnut includes at least one dimple in an inner cavity that retains the flanged head within the inner cavity so that the pin and the capnut may be manipulated as an integral unit.

17. The airplane of claim 12 , wherein the subplate aperture defines a center and defines a subplate asymmetry about at least one line extending through the center, and the tang interacts with the subplate asymmetry to limit rotation of the collar relative to the subplate.

18. A method of attaching a panel to an airframe, comprising:
sandwiching a subplate between a panel and an airframe, the subplate including a plurality of subplate apertures, and the airframe including a plurality of airframe apertures that correspond to the plurality of subplate apertures;
inserting a tang through one of the plurality of subplate apertures and a corresponding one of the plurality of airframe apertures, the tang including a tab to bear against the airframe, and an externally threaded collet distal from the tab;
inserting a pin through the one of the plurality of subplate apertures and through the corresponding one of the plurality of airframe apertures, thereby holding the tab of the tang against the airframe; and
threading a capnut onto the externally threaded collet to tension the tang relative to the subplate and the panel.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
inserting a second tang through a second of the plurality of subplate apertures and a corresponding second of the plurality of airframe apertures, the second tang including a second tab to bear against the airframe, and a second externally threaded collet distal from the tab;
inserting a second pin through the second of the plurality of subplate apertures and through the corresponding second of the plurality of airframe apertures, thereby holding the second tab of the second tang against the airframe; and
threading a second capnut onto the second externally threaded collet to tension the second tang relative to the subplate and the panel.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising bonding the subplate to the panel.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Mills Christopher J

Classifications

• F16B37/14

  Cap nuts; Nut caps or bolt caps · CPC title

• F16B19/1081

  fastened by a drive-pin (F16B19/109 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B64C1/18 Primary

  Floors · CPC title

• F16B37/043

  with snap action · CPC title