Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method for installing fasteners are disclosed involving a fastener installation tool and a socket assembly. The fastener installation tool comprises a tool component and a gear head. The gear head comprises a lever, a retaining slide, a retaining slide housing, and at least one gear. The socket assembly comprises a socket, a hex key, and a hex key retainer. An end of the drive shaft of the socket has an annular groove around the circumference of the exterior surface of the drive shaft. When the retaining slide is slid into a locked position, the retaining slide engages the annular groove of the drive shaft of the socket, thereby attaching the drive shaft of the socket to the gear head of the fastener installation tool. A socket gear of the gear head matingly engages the drive shaft of the socket to rotate the socket.

Abstract: An improved hydraulic coupling includes a fitting and a nut that are threadably connectable together. The fitting includes a generally annular groove having a lateral frusto-conic engagement surface. The nut includes a plurality of elongated fingers that each include a projection having an outwardly-disposed edge. When the coupling is assembled, the edges are frictionally engaged with the engagement surface as a result of the elastic deflection of the fingers. The frusto-conic shape of the engagement surface provides progressively greater frictional resistance in a direction of unthreading of the coupling, whereby loosening of the coupling during operation of the fluid circuit is resisted.

Abstract: A fastener having a bolt and a threaded swageable collar. The bolt includes a head portion, a flange portion, and a shank portion which extends through two aligned apertures formed in adjacent panels. The shank portion includes a threaded gripping portion and a locking groove adjacent to the gripping portion. The collar is cylindrical having an internally threaded section and a swaging section whereby the collar is fastened to the bolt by threading the threaded section of the collar onto the threaded gripping section of the bolt and swaging the swage portion of the collar into the locking groove of the bolt.

Abstract: A backup mandrel for attaching a grommet to a washer in an aircraft panel opening having a housing and a nose piece attached to the housing, the nose piece having an opening. A stem is attached to the housing and has a first and a second portion, such that the first portion is disposed within the housing and the second portion protrudes from housing through the nose piece opening. A sleeve is also attached to the housing and has a first and a second segment, such that the first segment is disposed within the housing and the second segment protrudes from the housing through the nose piece opening, wherein the sleeve is displaceably mounted around the stem.

Abstract: A blind fastener with an improved drive nut and assembly process. The blind fastener includes a screw, a sleeve, a nut, and a drive nut. The drive nut has a smooth bore and protruding nibs that mate precisely with a driving recess located in the nut head. A side portion of the drive nut is deformed to retain the drive nut on the screw against the nut. Once the new assembly process for the blind fastener has been completed, the drive nut will have been mated with the nut head to prevent any rotation of the nut during installation of the blind fastener. The assembly process includes placing the sleeve over the threads of the screw to a position adjacent the screw head. The nut is then threaded onto the screw adjacent the sleeve. The protruding nibs of the drive nut are next aligned and physically engaged into the driving recess of the nut head by sliding the smooth bore over the screw.

Abstract: A fastener assembly having an elongated shaft with an exterior surface defining a plurality of open-ended longitudinaily-extending splines on one end of the shaft and a second plurality of longitudinally-oriented closed-ended spline circumferentially spaced from the first splines. The assembly includes a substantially triangular retaining ring having an inwardly directed tab is positioned in the middle of each side of the ring. Cross-over slots interconnect the first and second splines and are sized to require the retaining ring tabs to flex to permit transition of the ring tabs between the first splines and the second splines.

Abstract: A blind fastener with an improved drive nut and assembly process. The blind fastener includes a screw, a sleeve, a nut, and a drive nut. The drive nut has a smooth bore and protruding nibs that mate precisely with a driving recess located in the nut head. A retaining device is used to retain the drive nut on the screw against the nut. Once the new assembly process for the blind fastener has been completed, the drive nut will have been mated with the nut head to prevent any rotation of the nut during installation of the blind fastener. The assembly process will now include placing the sleeve over the threads of the screw to a position adjacent the screw head. The nut is then threaded onto the screw adjacent the sleeve. The drive nut's protruding nibs are next aligned and physically engaged into the driving recess of the nut head by sliding the smooth bore over the screw. A retaining device is placed over the screw adjacent the drive nut to retain the drive nut to the screw.

Abstract: A blind fastener with an improved drive nut and assembly process. The blind fastener includes a screw, a sleeve, a nut, and a drive nut. The drive nut has a smooth bore and protruding nibs that mate precisely with a driving recess located in the nut head. An end of the drive nut opposite the nibs is deformed to retain the drive nut on the screw against the nut. Once the new assembly process for the blind fastener has been completed, the drive nut will have been mated with the nut head to prevent any rotation of the nut during installation of the blind fastener. The assembly process will now include placing the sleeve over the threads of the screw to a position adjacent the screw head. The nut is then threaded onto the screw adjacent the sleeve. The drive nut's protruding nibs are next aligned and physically engaged into the driving recess of the nut head by sliding the smooth bore over the screw.

Abstract: A fastener system for multi-piece swage type fasteners, including a pin and a collar, and providing a stump type fastener constructed to be set as a pull type fastener with the fastener pin having a threaded gripping portion and including an installation tool having a swage anvil and a rotary nut member adapted to be threaded onto the threaded pull portion of the pin whereby a relative axial force is applied between the pin and the collar via the nut member and swage anvil to cause the anvil to radially overengage the collar to swage it into locking grooves on the pin and the pull portion remaining on the pin after installation.

Abstract: A fastener system for multi-piece swage type fasteners, including a pin and a collar, and providing a stump type fastener constructed to be set as a pull type fastener with the fastener pin having a threaded gripping portion and including an installation tool having a swage anvil and a rotary nut member adapted to be threaded onto the threaded pull portion of the pin whereby a relative axial force is applied between the pin and the collar via the nut member and swage anvil to cause the anvil to radially overengage the collar to swage it into locking grooves on the pin and the pull portion remaining on the pin after installation.

Abstract: A fastener system for multi-piece swage type fasteners, including a pin and a collar, and providing a stump type fastener constructed to be set as a pull type fastener with the fastener pin having a threaded gripping portion and including an installation tool having a swage anvil and a rotary nut member adapted to be threaded onto the threaded pull portion of the pin whereby a relative axial force is applied between the pin and the collar via the nut member and swage anvil to cause the anvil to radially overengage the collar to swage it into locking grooves on the pin and the pull portion remaining on the pin after installation.

Abstract: An armrest attachable to a tool to provide support for a worker's wrist while the tool is being manipulated or actuated. The armrest underlies the worker's forearm so the weight of the tool is borne partly by the worker's fingers and hand and partly by the worker's forearm. Stress on the wrist is minimized and good wrist posture is maintained. Due to the location of the armrest, the worker's forearm is located directly behind the tool handle where it can absorb kickback forces that occur as an incidental part of a lockbolt installation process.

Abstract: An offset pin puller apparatus usable with a fluid-operated actuator tool for exerting an axial pulling force on a grooved fastener pin projecting through a workpiece. Jaws mounted within the apparatus are held against axial motion while an associated collet moves axially to cam the jaws into clamped engagement with the fastener pin. The jaws are released from the fastener pin by abutment of a jaw release assembly with an inner wall of the apparatus. Such abutment effects an axial and radial separation of the jaws from the collet during a return stroke of the actuation tool.

Abstract: A nose assembly attachable to an actuating tool for pulling a pin type fastener through aligned holes in two or more workpieces includes a pin-engagement jaw structure that is locked to or unlocked from the fastener through a lost motion connection. A transverse pin that extends radially through a rear portion of the jaw structure and into an axial groove in an annular housing functions in response to axial motion of a collet member that is operated within the housing by a reciprocable piston in the actuation tool.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for loading fastener collars of the lockbolt variety into a tubular magazine associated with a fastener collar-feeding apparatus. Collars are stacked on an elongated flexible mandrel, after which the mandrel-collar assembly is inserted as a unit into the tubular magazine. The mandrel is then pulled out of the magazine while deforming a collar retainer provided on the mandrel thereby releasing the collars from the mandrel and leaving the collars loaded in place within the magazine.