Cap with injected sealant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10774869-B2
Application number	US-201916521135-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2019
Priority date	Aug 21, 2013
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

A cap for forming a sealed cavity around an end of a fastener protruding from a structure. The cap has: a cap body with an annular base terminating at a rim which surrounds an opening into a central cavity; an annular skirt providing an annular pocket between the skirt and the base; and an inlet hole in the skirt. The inlet hole is in fluid communication with the pocket and arranged to interconnect with a sealing material injection device to provide a flow of sealing material through the skirt via the inlet hole into the pocket. An outlet is also provided in the skirt. The outlet is in fluid communication with the pocket and arranged to enable air to escape the pocket through the skirt via the outlet hole as the sealing material flows from the inlet hole into the pocket.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cap for forming a sealed cavity around an end of a fastener, the cap comprising:
a. a cap body with an annular base terminating at a rim which surrounds an opening into a central cavity;
b. an annular skirt providing an annular pocket between the skirt and the base;
c. an inlet hole in the skirt, wherein the inlet hole is in fluid communication with the pocket and arranged to interconnect with a sealing material injection device to provide a flow of sealing material through the skirt via the inlet hole into the pocket;

an outlet in the skirt, wherein the outlet is in fluid communication with the pocket and is arranged to enable air to escape the pocket through the skirt via the outlet as the sealing material flows from the inlet hole into the pocket; and,
wherein the annular skirt surrounds a cap axis, and the inlet hole and outlet are positioned on opposite sides of the cap axis.

2. The cap of claim 1 , wherein the skirt has only a single outlet.

3. The cap of claim 1 , wherein the outlet comprises an outlet hole in the skirt.

4. The cap of claim 1 , wherein the annular pocket between the skirt and the base has a depth which reduces towards the outlet.

5. The cap of claim 1 , wherein the skirt comprises a tubular projection which projects outwardly from the skirt and leads to the inlet hole, and the tubular projection is arranged to interconnect with the sealing material injection device to provide the flow of sealing material through the skirt via the inlet hole into the pocket.

6. The cap of claim 1 , wherein the rim of the annular base lies in a plane around all or a majority of its circumference, and the skirt terminates at a skirt rim which is in the same plane as the rim of the annular base.

7. The cap of claim 1 , wherein the skirt extends from an outboard end where it meets the cap body to a skirt rim, and wherein the pocket extends from an outboard end proximate the outboard end of the skirt rim to an inboard end proximate the skirt rim.

8. The cap of claim 7 wherein the pocket has a width which increases as it extends from its outboard end to its inboard end.

9. The cap of claim 1 , wherein the cap body further comprises one or more projections, the (or each) projection extending inwardly into the central cavity.

10. The cap of claim 1 , wherein the cap has a cap axis, and the skirt has a flared part which extends away from the body at an acute angle to the cap axis.

11. The cap of claim 1 , wherein the cap body is formed with ribs which project inwardly into the central cavity, each rib has an inboard end, and each rib has a hook at its inboard end.

12. A cap for forming a sealed cavity around an end of a fastener, the cap comprising:
a. a cap body with an annular base terminating at a rim which surrounds an opening into a central cavity;
b. an annular skirt providing an annular pocket between the skirt and the base;
c. an inlet hole in the skirt, wherein the inlet hole is in fluid communication with the pocket and arranged to interconnect with a sealing material injection device to provide a flow of sealing material through the skirt via the inlet hole into the pocket;

an outlet in the skirt, wherein the outlet is in fluid communication with the pocket and is arranged to enable air to escape the pocket through the skirt via the outlet as the sealing material flows from the inlet hole into the pocket; and,
wherein the outlet comprises a recess in a rim of the skirt.

13. A cap for forming a sealed cavity around an end of a fastener, the cap comprising:
a. a cap body with an annular base terminating at a rim which surrounds an opening into a central cavity;
b. an annular skirt providing an annular pocket between the skirt and the base;
c. an inlet hole in the skirt, wherein the inlet hole is in fluid communication with the pocket and is arranged to interconnect with a sealing material injection device to provide a flow of sealing material through the skirt via the inlet hole into the pocket; and,
wherein the skirt terminates in a skirt rim which surrounds the pocket, and the skirt rim is set back axially with respect to the rim of the annular base.

14. A cap for forming a sealed cavity around an end of a fastener, the cap comprising:
a. a cap body with an annular base terminating at a rim which surrounds an opening into a central cavity;
b. an annular skirt providing an annular pocket between the skirt and the base;
c. an inlet hole in the skirt, wherein the inlet hole is in fluid communication with the pocket and is arranged to interconnect with a sealing material injection device to provide a flow of sealing material through the skirt via the inlet hole into the pocket;

wherein the cap has a cap axis, and the skirt has a flared part which extends away from the body at an acute angle to the cap axis; and,
wherein the inlet hole is in the flared part of the skirt.

15. The cap of claim 14 , wherein the flared part of the skirt comprises a tubular projection which projects outwardly from the skirt and leads to the inlet hole, and the tubular projection is arranged to interconnect with the sealing material injection device to provide the flow of sealing material through the skirt via the inlet hole into the pocket.

16. A joint comprising:
a structure;
an end of a fastener protruding from the structure;
a cap for forming a sealed cavity around an end of a fastener, the cap comprising:
a. a cap body with an annular base terminating at a rim which surrounds an opening into a central cavity;
b. an annular skirt providing an annular pocket between the skirt and the base; and
c. an inlet hole in the skirt, wherein the inlet hole is in fluid communication with the pocket and arranged to interconnect with a sealing material injection device to provide a flow of sealing material through the skirt via the inlet hole into the pocket;

wherein the cap comprises a cured sealing material in the pocket which secures the cap to the structure; and,
wherein the cap body has one or more projections, the (or each) projection extending inwardly into the central cavity and gripping the end of the fastener.

17. A method of assembling the joint of claim 16 , the method comprising:
fitting the cap over the end of the fastener so that the (or each) projection grips the end of the fastener;
interconnecting the inlet hole with a sealing material injection device; and
providing a flow of sealing material from the sealing material injection device through the skirt via the inlet hole into the pocket.

Assignees

• Airbus Operations Ltd

Inventors

• Dobbin Richard

Classifications

• F16B37/14 Primary

  Cap nuts; Nut caps or bolt caps · CPC title

• B64D45/02

  Lightning protectors; Static dischargers · CPC title

• F16B33/004

  Sealing; Insulation (by means of washers F16B43/001) · CPC title