Abstract: A self-plugging blind fastener of the break-stem type, is suitable for fastening apertured sheets together, and comprises a headed tubular body and an elongate stem disposed in the bore of the body. The stem comprises a plug, and a stem-tail connected to the plug by a breakneck which is concealed by overlapping lips. The plug has a stop face, and an annular locking groove between the breakneck and the stop face. The body has a deformable locking collar upstanding above an adjacent region of the upper surface of the head. The diameter of the bore reduces, to provide a stop face and a locking region of smaller diameter, within the head. The fastener is set by pulling the plug into the bore until the stop faces meet, to form a blind head, and then deforming the collar to force the body to bulge into the locking groove of the plug.

Abstract: A fastener system for securing workpieces together including a blind fastener located in aligned bores and when installed providing a preselected interference fit with the bores, the fastener including a pin and a sleeve with the pin having a shank with a sizing portion and expansion portion, the sleeve having a shank portion adapted to be pre-assembled onto the sizing portion and, while pre-assembled, having its outer surface reduced in diameter to a preselected magnitude such as to provide the desired interference with the bores when the expansion portion is moved therethrough.

Abstract: The invention is a blind fastener of the type having a hollow sleeve, spindle, and locking collar. The fastener differs from conventional blind fasteners in that the spindle has a cold work mandrel portion between the pull stem and shear pin portions thereof. Furthermore, all the principle dimensions and tolerances thereof are based on the sleeve shank outer diameter. The more important dimensions are the sleeve inside diameter of between 0.9000 times the minimum sleeve outer diameter and 0.8964 times the maximum sleeve outer diameter, the shear pin diameter of the spindle is between 0.9632 times the minimum sleeve outer diameter and 0.9534 times the maximum sleeve outer diameter and the tapered cold work mandrel portion larger diameter is between 0.9684 times the minimum sleeve shank outer diameter and 0.9585 times the maximum sleeve outer diameter.

Abstract: A threaded fastener for installation in threaded engagement with an initially unthreaded apertured workpiece and which after installation can be removed in the manner of a screw or bolt, has a shank and an enlarged head. At least part of the shank intermediate between its ends has an external screw thread having a sharp crest, and can be radially expanded to cause the thread to embed in the workpiece. A bore extends through the head and the entire shank or at least the threaded part of the shank for receiving means for expanding the shank. An end portion of the shank remote from the head may be unthreaded to avoid splitting of the shank during expansion.The method of installing the fastener involves pulling a tapered mandrel along the bore to expand the shank. The mandrel may have a key-forming head of non-circular cross-section whereby the bore of the fastener can be adopted to receive a key of non-circular cross-section for turning the fastener in the workpiece.

Abstract: An anchoring apparatus for insertion into a borehole in a rock stratum for supporting the rock surface or wall, such as in a rock tunnel or rock excavation, includes a tension member in the form of an axially elongated steel rod with force transmission ribs on its outer surface and an anchoring element, such an anchoring nut, engageable with the rod. The anchoring element has an inside surface with inwardly extending projections and the adjacent flanks on the projections form grooves within which the force transmission ribs engage. The anchoring element is formed of a higher strength material than the rod. When a predetermined axially extending tension force acting on the rod is exceeded, relative movement takes place between the anchoring element and the rod. The flanks on the projections on the anchoring element in contact with the ribs on the rod shear off a portion of the ribs contacted.

Abstract: A blind fastener including a pin and a sleeve and having grip compensating means for accommodating workpieces varying in total thickness and having means for expanding the sleeve for filling the clearance between the fastener and associated openings in the workpieces and at the same time providing material from the sleeve in the area of expansion to define a lock between the pin and the sleeve.

Abstract: A blind rivet with a deformable annular clamping ridge around the leading end of the expansion section of the setting pin, with a tapered leading face and a crest diameter a few thousandths of an inch larger than the inside diameter to which the sleeve of the rivet is to be expanded, thereby to provide a high momentary clamping force against the workpieces to be riveted, greater bearing area as a result of the greater initial effective diameter, and a better hole filling because of the excess material provided by the ridge. The ridge may be of the same material as the remainder of the head, to be deformed as an incident to wire-drawing elongation of the head, or may be a soft-coating applied to a harder core material.

Abstract: A method of forming a fastener joint in a composite material work piece subject to an operating load comprising the steps of forming a hole of a prescribed hole diameter through the composite material work piece placing a tubular metal sleeve member with a compressible cushion layer around the outside thereof within the hole through the work piece; non-elastically expanding the tubular metal sleeve member radially and circumferentially to force the cushion layer into contact with the hole surface and compress the cushion layer; and placing a fastener in the tubular metal sleeve member to maintain the sleeve member radially and circumferentially expanded and the cushion layer compressed to a thickness to transmit the operating load from the work piece to the fastener through the cushion layer and sleeve member. The joint formed by the method is also disclosed.