Semi-compliant fasteners for mechanical locking

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11890682-B2
Application number	US-202117348360-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2021
Priority date	Jun 15, 2020
Publication date	Feb 6, 2024
Grant date	Feb 6, 2024

Abstract

A method for connecting or joining a first substrate and a second substrate across an interface between the first substrate and the second substrate. The method includes disposing a fastener precursor in the bore and sintering the fastener precursor in the bore. The fastener precursor densifies and shrinks in at least one dimension to mechanically interlock with a contour in the bore and form a mechanical fastener in the bore, and the mechanical fastener forms an interlock between the first substrate and the second substrate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for connecting or joining a first substrate and a second substrate across an interface between the first substrate and the second substrate, the method comprising:
disposing a fastener precursor in a bore that extends into the first substrate and the second substrate; and
sintering, without shrinking the first and second substrates, the fastener precursor in the bore, wherein the fastener precursor densifies and shrinks in at least one dimension to mechanically interlock with a contour in the bore and form a mechanical fastener in the bore, and wherein the mechanical fastener forms an interlock between the first substrate and the second substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bore comprises a chamfer, and the mechanical fastener interlocks with the chamfer.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the chamfer has an angle of about 60° to about 120°.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contour comprises an undercut region, and the fastener precursor mechanically interlocks with the undercut region.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein a major surface of the first substrate contacts a major surface of the second substrate.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fastener precursor comprises a sinterable composition deposited in the bore.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the sinterable composition comprises a powdered metal.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the sinterable composition comprises a ceramic material and a polymeric binder.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the ceramic material is chosen from particles, whiskers, and combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fastener precursor comprises a sinterable fastener preform inserted in the bore.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the sinterable fastener precursor is formed using a fused filament fabrication (FFF) process.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mechanical fastener has a cross-sectional shape comprising a trapezoidal first portion, a trapezoidal second portion, and an elongate linear middle portion between the trapezoidal first portion and the trapezoidal second portion.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the mechanical fastener comprises a bore extending through the first portion, the middle portion, and the second portion.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein sintering the fastener precursor in the bore comprises applying pressure to the fastener precursor during the sintering to deform the fastener precursor.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein sintering the fastener precursor in the bore comprises applying pressure to opposed ends of the fastener precursor.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fastener precursor comprises an elongate linear central bore.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein sintering the fastener precursor in the bore comprises applying pressure to the fastener precursor with a tool positioned parallel to the elongate linear central bore and deforming an end of the fastener precursor.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the first substrate differs from the CTE of the second substrate by at least about 5%.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Corp

Inventors

• Shuck Quinlan Yee
• Nelson Scott
• Xu Raymond Ruiwen

Classifications

• B22F7/062 Primary

  involving the connection or repairing of preformed parts · CPC title

• B22F10/18

  by mixing binder with metal in filament form, e.g. fused filament fabrication [FFF] · CPC title

• B28B11/243

  Setting, e.g. drying, dehydrating or firing ceramic articles (B28B11/242 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B22F7/08 Primary

  with one or more parts not made from powder {(B22F7/062 takes precedence)} · CPC title