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-9926963-B2
Application number	US-201414533361-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 5, 2014
Priority date	Nov 6, 2013
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

A method for the connection of sheet parts, of which at least one is formed as an organic sheet part, with the aid of an auxiliary joining part and an apertured metal washer, the auxiliary joining part having a functional section with an undercut and a piercing section with a shaft surface and a shaft recess. The sheet parts and the metal washer are brought into a stacked arrangement in such a way that the metal washer contacts the organic sheet part. The piercing section slugs are punched out of the stacked sheet parts. The auxiliary joining part is joined to the metal washer. The other of the undercut or of the shaft recess is brought into a holding engagement with a sheet part not formed as an organic sheet metal part or with a further metal washer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for the connection of an upper sheet metal part ( 17 ) and a lower sheet metal 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 metal part ( 17 ), the lower sheet metal 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 metal part ( 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 metal part not formed as an organic sheet composite part or with a further metal washer ( 41 , 43 ), with the sheet metal part not formed as an organic sheet composite part or with 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 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 ( 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 metal 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 metal part ( 17 ) and also the lower sheet metal 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 metal parts are pressed against one another in the step (ii).

9. A method for the connection of an upper sheet metal part ( 17 ) and of a lower sheet metal 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 metal part ( 17 ), the lower sheet metal 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 metal 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 metal part not executed as an organic sheet composite part or with a further metal washer ( 41 , 43 ), with the sheet metal part not executed as an organic sheet composite 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 not executed as an organic sheet composite part or by deformation of a further metal washer ( 41 , 43 ) to the sheet metal part not executed as an organic sheet composite part or to the further metal washer, with the sheet metal part not executed as an organic sheet composite part or the further metal washer being located at the side of the stacked arrangement remote from the first metal washer.

10. A method in accordance with claim 9 , 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 ).

11. A method in accordance with claim 9 , wherein both the upper sheet metal part ( 17 ) and also the lower sheet metal 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 ).

12. A method in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the sheet metal parts ( 17 , 19 ) are pressed against one another in step (ii).

13. A component assembly ( 60 ) having a stacked arrangement consisting of an upper sheet metal part ( 17 ) and a lower she

Assignees

• Profil Verbindungstechnik Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Diehl Oliver
• Lembach Andreas

Classifications

• B29C66/41

  Joining substantially flat articles (B29C66/47 and subgroups take precedence); Making flat seams in tubular or hollow articles (B29C66/51 and subgroups take precedence) · CPC title

• 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

• Y10T29/49948

  Multipart cooperating fastener [e.g., bolt and nut] · CPC title

• B29C66/7392

  characterised by the material of at least one of the parts being a thermoplastic · CPC title

• B29C66/721

  Fibre-reinforced materials (B29C66/729 takes precedence) · CPC title