Flow drill screw and tip configuration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12228159-B2
Application number	US-202318168280-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2023
Priority date	Feb 13, 2023
Publication date	Feb 18, 2025
Grant date	Feb 18, 2025

Abstract

A screw includes a head portion, an externally threaded shank extending from the head portion, the externally threaded shank having an external surface, and a flow-hole-forming tip disposed at a distal end portion of the externally threaded shank. The flow-hole-forming tip includes a radiused lower zone having an external surface tangent to the external surface of the externally threaded shank, a conical middle zone having an external surface tangent to the external surface of the radiused lower zone, the conical middle zone defining a vertex angle, and a radiused distal end zone having an external surface tangent to the external surface of the conical middle zone. The flow-hole-forming tip includes a width of the flow-hole-forming tip is greater than a length of the flow-hole-forming tip and/or the vertex angle is greater than or equal to 90 degrees.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A screw comprising:
a head portion;
an externally threaded shank extending from the head portion, the externally threaded shank having an external surface; and
a flow-hole-forming tip disposed at a distal end portion of the externally threaded shank,
wherein the flow-hole-forming tip comprises:
a radiused lower zone having an external surface tangent to the external surface of the externally threaded shank;
a conical middle zone having an external surface tangent to the external surface of the radiused lower zone, the conical middle zone defining a vertex angle; and
a radiused distal end zone having an external surface tangent to the external surface of the conical middle zone,

wherein the flow-hole-forming tip comprises at least one of:
a width of the flow-hole-forming tip is greater than a length of the flow-hole-forming tip; and
the vertex angle is greater than or equal to 90 degrees.

2. The screw according to claim 1 , wherein the radiused distal end zone has a radius of about 0.5 mm.

3. The screw according to claim 1 , wherein the width of the flow-hole-forming tip is at least 1.25 times the length of the flow-hole-forming tip.

4. The screw according to claim 1 , wherein a radius of the radiused lower zone is at least 4 times greater than a radius of the radiused distal end zone.

5. The screw according to claim 1 , wherein the flow-hole-forming tip does not include a cutting edge.

6. The screw according to claim 1 , wherein the radiused distal end zone defines a surface roughness (Ra) greater than a surface roughness of the radiused lower zone.

7. The screw according to claim 1 , wherein the externally threaded shank comprises multi-helix threads.

8. The screw according to claim 1 , wherein the flow-hole-forming tip further comprises a friction coating.

9. A screw comprising:
a head portion;
an externally threaded shank extending from the head portion, the externally threaded shank having an external surface; and
a flow-hole-forming tip disposed at a distal end portion of the externally threaded shank,
wherein the flow-hole-forming tip comprises:
a radiused lower zone having an external surface tangent to the external surface of the externally threaded shank;
a conical middle zone having an external surface tangent to the external surface of the radiused lower zone, the conical middle zone defining a vertex angle greater than or equal to 90 degrees; and
a radiused distal end zone having an external surface tangent to the external surface of the conical middle zone.

10. The screw according to claim 9 , wherein the radiused distal end zone defines a surface roughness (Ra) greater than a surface roughness of the radiused lower zone.

11. The screw according to claim 9 , wherein a width of the flow-hole-forming tip is greater than a length of the flow-hole-forming tip.

12. The screw according to claim 9 , wherein the flow-hole-forming tip does not include a cutting edge.

13. A structural assembly comprising:
a plurality of workpieces, at least one of the workpieces comprising a casting;
a screw disposed between the plurality of workpieces, the screw comprising:
a head portion;
an externally threaded shank extending from the head portion, the externally threaded shank having an external surface; and
a flow-hole-forming tip disposed at a distal end portion of the externally threaded shank,

wherein the flow-hole-forming tip comprises:
a radiused lower zone having an external surface tangent to the external surface of the externally threaded shank;
a conical middle zone having an external surface tangent to the external surface of the radiused lower zone, the conical middle zone defining a vertex angle greater than or equal to 90 degrees; and
a radiused distal end zone having an external surface tangent to the external surface of the conical middle zone.

14. The structural assembly according to claim 13 , wherein the casting is one of an aluminum material or a magnesium material.

15. The structural assembly according to claim 14 , wherein the casting is a 7xxx series aluminum material.

16. The structural assembly according to claim 13 , wherein a width of the flow-hole-forming tip is greater than a length of the flow-hole-forming tip, and the width of the flow-hole-forming tip is at least 1.25 times the length of the flow-hole-forming tip.

17. The structural assembly according to claim 13 , wherein a radius of the radiused lower zone is at least 4 times greater than a radius of the radiused distal end zone.

18. The structural assembly according to claim 13 , wherein the flow-hole-forming tip does not include a cutting edge.

19. The structural assembly according to claim 13 , wherein the radiused distal end zone defines a surface roughness (Ra) greater than a surface roughness of the radiused lower zone.

20. The screw according to claim 13 , wherein the flow-hole-forming tip further comprises a friction coating.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc
• Semblex Corp

Inventors

• Dornik Nicholas
• Freis Amanda Kay
• Huff Garret Sankey
• Ruszkiewicz Brandt J
• Crockett Stephen J

Classifications

• F16B25/00

  Screws that cut thread in the body into which they are screwed, e.g. wood screws {(F16B35/065 takes precedence; joining sheets or plates using screws with two separate threads F16B5/0275, using screws with adjustment sleeves F16B5/0283)} · CPC title

• F16B25/106

  by means of a self-piercing screw-point, i.e. without removing material · CPC title

• F16B25/0021

  the material being metal, e.g. sheet-metal or aluminium (F16B25/0031 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F16B5/02

  by means of fastening members using screw-thread ({F16B5/0004 takes precedence}; construction of screw-threaded connections F16B25/00 - F16B39/00) · CPC title

• F16B37/005

  into which threads are cut during screwing · CPC title