Abstract: A nose assembly for fitting onto a fastener installation tool for installing fasteners of the type in which a part of the fastener is broken off during the installation process, the nose being provided with a housing and a sleeve, the sleeve having a spring, and a collar which is movable within the housing against resistance of the spring, wherein plunger means are provided on the collar, and wherein the sleeve is threadably engaged with the collar, such that movement of the sleeve causes corresponding movement of the collar and plunger means, the plunger means being arranged to actuate a trigger thereby to open an air valve and allow a flow of compressed air through the tool, thereby to allow installation of the fastener into a workpiece.

Abstract: A blind fastener (11) for installation in a thermoplastic workpiece, which blind fastener has a leading end face (21) which is substantially flat and non-abrasive and without drilling teeth, so that when the leading end face of the fastener is held in contact with the near face of the thermoplastic workpiece (22) and heat and pressure are applied to the contacted area of the workpiece by means of the leading end of the fastener, the fastener progressively forms a hole through the thermoplastic workpiece in which hole it can then be installed.

Abstract: A container (12) for use with a tool (2) for installing fasteners of the type in which a part of the fastener is broken off during installation, the tool (2) having a body, the container (12) being for collecting broken-off fastener parts during operation of the tool, the container (12) comprising: attachment means (20, 21) for removably attaching the container (12) to the body (8) of the tool, the attachment means (20, 21) being resiliently biased into attachment with the body (8) by resilient biasing means; and one or more contact region (22, 23) for receiving manual pressure from a user, at least one of the said one or more contact regions (22, 23) being coupled to the attachment means (20, 21); wherein the resilient biasing means are such that the attachment means (20, 21) can be detached from the body of the tool by the user applying manual pressure on the said one or more contact regions (22, 23) thereby detaching the container (12) from the body of the tool (2).

Abstract: A riveting tool (10) for placing a blind breakstem rivet (20), the tool comprising: a body (11); a nose casing (6) securable to the body, the nose casing having a nose tip (8); a jaw housing (7) inside the nose casing, the jaw housing containing jaws (5) for gripping and pulling a rivet stem (21) in use, the jaw housing having an end which incorporates an aperture through which the jaws are urged towards the nose tip by resilient biasing means (3); and adjustment means by which the distance from the end of the jaw housing to the inside of the nose tip may be adjusted. Preferably the adjustment means are provided by a thread on the nose casing, engageable with a corresponding thread on the body, thereby enabling adjustment of the distance from the end of the jaw housing to the inside of the nose tip.

Abstract: The present invention provides a hydro-pneumatically operated fastener installation tool (2), including a head (4) having hydraulically driven gripping and pulling means for gripping and pulling the stem of a fastener, thereby to install the fastener, and a hydraulic inlet port (6) provided in the head (4) for supplying hydraulic fluid to a cylinder (8) to drive the gripping and pulling means, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the hydraulic inlet port (6) is non-circular, such that a cross section of the inlet port (6) has a longitudinal axis and lateral axis, wherein the longitudinal axis runs widthways across the tool head (4).

Abstract: A breakstem rivet placing tool conventionally includes a flow restrictions for hydraulic fluid used to drive the tool in a stem pulling direction. This serves to prevent recoil of the tool due to rapid acceleration of an internal piston when the stem of the breakstem rivet breaks. Prior art flow restrictions create a jet of high velocity hydraulic fluid into the tool which may damage components by erosion. A revised fluid damper valve deflects and/or diffuses the fluid flow to avoid damage by erosion.

Abstract: Apparatus (4) for removing a sealing plug from a bore (11), which sealing plug comprises an outer sleeve (13) and an inner stem (14) retained within the outer sleeve, the removal taking place after a suitable hole has been drilled part of the way into the stem, which removal apparatus (4) comprises a tapered punch (15) for forcible insertion into the hole in the stem (14) thereby to create an interference fit between the punch (15) and the stem (14) and thereafter driving the stem (14) out of the sleeve (13) whilst also retaining the stem (14) on the punch (15) by virtue of the interference fit, and sleeve-engaging means (16) engagable with the sleeve (13) after the punch (15) has removed the stem (14) from the sleeve (13), the sleeve-engaging means (16) and the punch (15) being thereafter removable from the bore thereby to remove both the sleeve (13) and the stem (14) from the bore whilst the sleeve (13) and the stem (14) are both retained on the appropriate parts of the apparatus.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a blind threaded insert from metal which method comprises the steps of at least partially forming the insert, by a cold-forming process, other than the internal thread; forming the internal thread; and annealing the appropriate part of the insert to promote later deformation during installation.

Abstract: A nose assembly for fitting onto a fastener installation tool for installing fasteners of the type in which a part of the fastener is broken off during the installation process, the nose being provided with a housing and a sleeve, the sleeve having a spring, and a collar which is movable within the housing against resistance of the spring, wherein plunger means are provided on the collar, and wherein the sleeve is threadably engaged with the collar, such that movement of the sleeve causes corresponding movement of the collar and plunger means, the plunger means being arranged to actuate a trigger thereby to open an air valve and allow a flow of compressed air through the tool, thereby to allow installation of the fastener into a workpiece.

Abstract: A fastener placing tool (11) for placing fasteners of the breakstem blind rivet type incorporates a force/stroke monitoring device (22) which comprises an assembly body (24) detachably mounted on the tool between the latter and the anvil (18), a load-cell sensor (33) carried by the assembly body (24) for sensing the force applied by the hydraulic piston (16) to the jaw assembly 17 with respect to the anvil (18), and a non-contact stroke-sensor (35) carried by the assembly body (24) for sensing the position of the jaw assembly (17) relative to the anvil (18). The stroke-sensor (35) operates without physical contact with the jaw assembly (17) or any part of the tool moving therewith. To this end the jaw assembly (17) is connected to the hydraulic piston (16) by means of an adaptor tube (23) which has a conical tapering outer surface.

Abstract: Abstract: A shuttle (11) for feeding tubular rivets (12), which are of relatively short axial length compared with their head diameter, along a flexible hose (26) to a movable rivet-installation tool has an aperture (18) running parallel to its axis along its whole length. Through this aperture a rivet can be both inserted into, and removed from, the shuttle. It also enables the sideways removal from the shuttle of an elongated mandrel, over the end of which a rivet has been axially fed. The exterior of the shuttle (11) and the interior of the hose (26) have similar cross-sections, which are a sliding fit and which co-operate with each other to maintain the shuttle (11) in a pre-determined rotational relationship with the hose (26), to facilitate insertion and removal of the rivet as aforesaid.

Abstract: A blind fastener (11) for installation in a thermoplastic workpiece, which blind fastener has a leading end face (21) which is substantially flat and non-abrasive and without drilling teeth, so that when the leading end face of the fastener is held in contact with the near face of the thermoplastic workpiece (22) and heat and pressure are applied to the contacted area of the workpiece by means of the leading end of the fastener, the fastener progressively forms a hole through the thermoplastic workpiece in which hole it can then be installed.

Abstract: A method of forming a radially expandable externally grooved tubular fastener from metal, comprising the steps of providing a suitable tubular blank (11) having a tubular wall (12) and squeezing the tubular wall between an internal member (17) with a surface which engages the internal tubular wall face (15) of the blank and a plurality of external members (18) provided with suitably shaped surfaces engaging the external tubular wall face (16) of the blank (11) thereby to form grooves (23) on the external tubular wall face (15) of the blank (11).