Modular Assembly Having Press-Fit Fastener Holes
A modular assembly having a press-fit fastener hole. The press-fit fastener hole may include a plurality of lobe regions and a plurality of contact regions that may be spaced between lobe regions for a press-fit engagement with a fastener. The fastener may have a first diameter and the contact regions collectively may define an imaginary second diameter that is less than or equal to the first diameter.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Ser. No. 61/768,916 filed on Feb. 25, 2013, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present disclosure generally relates to fasteners, and more specifically, to fasteners that may be used to attach different modules or sub-assemblies together, such as a vehicle oil pan to an engine block.
BACKGROUNDIn manufacturing industries, skilled artisans will appreciate that it is sometimes desirable to partially assemble components to one another using pre-positioned fasteners. This may enable further assembly at a different manufacturing location (e.g., even by a different manufacturer). Conventionally, pre-positioned fasteners include various mechanical locking devices (e.g., split washers, nylon nuts, etc.), threadlocking material (e.g., commercially available Loctite™), or captive fasteners, just to name a few examples. However, these conventional pre-positioned fasteners require extra materials having extra weight and cost—and in some cases, may not retain the fastener's position, the fastener's orientation, or both.
SUMMARYAccording to one embodiment, a modular assembly is provided having a press-fit fastener hole. The press-fit fastener hole includes a plurality of lobe regions; and a plurality of contact regions spaced between lobe regions for a press-fit engagement with a fastener having a first diameter, the contact regions collectively defining an imaginary second diameter that is less than or equal to the first diameter.
According to another embodiment, a modular assembly configured to be coupled to another component is provided. The modular assembly includes a pan having a flange with at least one hole therethrough; and at least one fastener press-fitted within the at least one hole. Each of the at least one holes includes: a plurality of lobe regions, and a plurality of contact regions, each contact region being located at an intersection of two or more lobe regions, wherein the press-fit engagement of the fastener and the hole is associated with an inner diameter of the hole as defined by the contact regions and an outer diameter of the fastener.
Preferred exemplary embodiments will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements, and wherein:
Manufacturers today oftentimes require their suppliers to provide them with parts in the form of modules or sub-assemblies (hereafter referred to as modular assemblies), which the manufacturer may then combine with other parts so as to form a larger assembly or even a finished product. In some circumstances, it is desirable for the supplier to provide the modular assembly with fasteners (e.g., bolts, screws, etc.) already in place, so that the manufacturer can simply line up the modular assembly with another part and attach them together with the already provided fasteners. Consider the exemplary engine assembly 10 illustrated in
Engine assembly 10 includes a modular assembly (e.g., an oil pan 12), an engine block 16, and an intervening gasket 18. The oil pan 12 is attached to the underside of the engine block 16 with a number of pre-installed fasteners 14 that are already retained and aligned in press-fit fastener holes 30 located around the perimeter of the oil pan, such as in a mounting flange 32. These fasteners 14 thread into corresponding holes 38 in an engine block mounting flange 36. A thin, complementary shaped gasket 18 is compressed between the oil pan 12 and the engine block 16 and seals a sump 34 located between those two parts, as is widely understood in the art. It should be appreciated that engine assembly 10 is only one potential application or use of the press-fit fastener holes described herein, as they may be used in any application (automotive or non-automotive) where it is desirable to provide a modular assembly with pre-installed fasteners so that the modular assembly can be more easily attached to other parts. Some non-limiting examples of other applications where press-fit fastener holes may be used include: transmission pans and timing belt, chain, gear, cam and/or valve covers; thus, the term pan should be construed broadly to include any suitable type of pan, cover, sump, lid, etc.
Turning now to
In the exemplary embodiment shown in
As shown in
The shank portion 82 is an elongated shank or shaft that axially extends away from the head portion 80 and, according to this example, includes threaded section 84 and a pilot section 86. The exterior or male threads 88 of the threaded section 84 are designed to interact with interior or female threads in the mounting holes 38 in the engine block bolt pattern, as illustrated in
The fastener 14 may have various sizes, dimensions, configurations, material compositions, etc. and may be any type of known bolt, screw or the like. For example, the length, the thread count, the threads per inch (TPI), the pitch, the lead, the units (Metric or English), the head or shank portion configuration, or any other suitable parameter may vary according to the particular application in which the fastener 14 is being used. Although the fastener described herein is not limited to any one type of fastener or bolt, the exemplary fastener 14 is an M6 or M8 bolt. Fastener 14 may be made of various metals (or metal alloys), plastics, or even ceramics, and the fastener may or may not be coated (e.g., zinc plating, galvanizing, chrome plating, etc.), to cite a few examples.
In order for the interference fit to adequately retain the fastener 14 in the press-fit fastener hole 30 (and adequately retain its alignment), the engagement between the contact regions 60 and the threads 88 of the fastener 14 should adequately support the weight of the fastener 14 once it is located within the hole 30; if it does not, the bolt could simply fall back through the hole (e.g., at the time of engagement or later during shipment). Conversely, the engagement between the contact regions 60 and the threads 88 should not be so great as to prevent the bolt from being later fully installed or threaded into the hole 38 of the engine block; e.g., the interference fit between the bolt and the contact regions should not be so great as to damage the threads 88 in such a way that the threads fail to engage the female threads within the engine block hole 38. Also, the engagement should not be so excessive so as to produce high or faulty bolt torque readings at installation. In some embodiments, this engagement should be sufficient to retain a relatively perpendicular alignment of the fastener to the mounting flange 32 so that the manufacturer later does not need to carry out an additional alignment step. In one example, the engagement between the contact regions 60 and the threads 88 of the fastener 14 may result in an angular displacement or misalignment of the bolt (i.e., the angle between a line perpendicular to the surface of the gasket 18 and the central axis of the bolt) that is less than or equal to about 5°; in some instances, it may be less than or equal to 1°. If the angular misalignment is greater than this, the bolt may not line up properly with the corresponding hole 40 in the gasket and the engine block hole 38. In another embodiment (not shown), the contact regions 60 may have female threads thereon sized to receive the fastener threads 88, and the fastener may be rotated into the press-fit fastener hole 30.
After the various fasteners 14 have been installed in their respective holes, the modular assembly with its pre-installed fasteners may be shipped or otherwise provided to the manufacturer for subsequent assembly operations (step 103). The manufacturer may then attach the oil pan 12 and gasket 18 to the underside of the engine block 16, as described above, and can do so in a more efficient manner due to the fasteners or bolts being already installed, aligned and ready to go.
It should be appreciated that the illustrated engine block, gasket, oil pan, and fasteners are provided only by way of example. The engine block may be any other component or assembly. The oil pan may be various other pans, covers, trays, plates, modular assemblies, etc. And the fastener may also vary as previously described.
Other embodiments of the modular assembly, fastener and/or press-fit fastener holes also exist. In the illustrated examples that follow, like reference numerals indicate like or similar elements or functions.
For example,
In another spacer embodiment shown in
In the implementations shown in
In another spacer embodiment shown in
In other embodiments, the press-fit fastening holes may have different shapes. And in some instances, the contact regions 60 may be flat rather than angular cusps. For example, in one embodiment shown in
Other embodiments may also exist. For example, additional annular retention and alignment features made from low density foam or other suitable materials may be inserted around the bolt to assist with retaining and aligning the bolt within the hole, as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 61/807,008 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
It is to be understood that the foregoing description is not a definition of the invention, but is a description of one or more preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention. The invention is not limited to the particular embodiment(s) disclosed herein, but rather is defined solely by the claims below. Furthermore, the statements contained in the foregoing description relate to particular embodiments and are not to be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention or on the definition of terms used in the claims, except where a term or phrase is expressly defined above. Various other embodiments and various changes and modifications to the disclosed embodiment(s) will become apparent to those skilled in the art. All such other embodiments, changes, and modifications are intended to come within the scope of the appended claims.
As used in this specification and claims, the terms “for example,” “e.g.,” “for instance,” “such as,” and “like,” and the verbs “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and their other verb forms, when used in conjunction with a listing of one or more components or other items, are each to be construed as open-ended, meaning that the listing is not to be considered as excluding other, additional components or items. Other terms are to be construed using their broadest reasonable meaning unless they are used in a context that requires a different interpretation.
Claims
1. A modular assembly having a press-fit fastener hole, the press-fit fastener hole comprising;
- a plurality of lobe regions; and
- a plurality of contact regions spaced between lobe regions for a press-fit engagement with a fastener haying a first diameter, the contact regions collectively defining an imaginary second diameter that is less than or equal to the first diameter.
2. The press-fit fastener hole of claim 1, wherein the press-fit fastener hole is located in a flange of the modular assembly.
3. The press-fit fastener hole of claim 2, wherein the press-fit fastener hole has three lobe regions, the lobe regions defined by three overlapping ellipses.
4. The press-fit fastener hole of claim 2, wherein each of the contact regions include a cusp.
5. The modular assembly of claim 2, further comprising the fastener having a shank with the first diameter, wherein the shank is slidably received in the press-fit fastener hole, wherein when the shank is located in the press-fit fastener hole, the position and orientation of the fastener are retained.
6. The modular assembly of claim 5, wherein the fastener shank has a plurality of male threads along its axial length engaging the contact regions, wherein the male threads are adapted to be both press-fit against the contact regions and afterwards be received by female threads.
7. The modular assembly of claim 5, wherein the first diameter is 1-10% larger than the imaginary second diameter.
8. The modular assembly of claim 5, wherein the orientation of the fastener shank with respect to the flange is retained within 5 degrees.
9. The modular assembly of claim 5, further comprising a pan comprising the flange, wherein the pan is one of an oil pan, a transmission pan, a timing belt cover, a chain cover, a gear cover, a cam cover, or a valve cover.
10. The press-fit fastener hole of claim 1, wherein the press-fit fastener hole is located within a spacer of the modular assembly.
11. The modular assembly of claim 10, wherein when the fastener is located in the press-fit fastener hole of the spacer, the position and orientation of the fastener are retained.
12. A modular assembly configured to be coupled to another component, comprising:
- a pan having a flange with at least one hole therethrough; and
- at least one fastener press-fitted within the at least one hole,
- wherein each of the at least one holes includes: a plurality of lobe regions, and a plurality of contact regions, each contact region being located at an intersection of two or more lobe regions, wherein the press-fit engagement of the fastener and the hole is associated with an inner diameter of the hole as defined by the contact regions and an outer diameter of the fastener.
13. The modular assembly of claim 12, wherein the contact regions are radially inwardly extending cusps.
14. The modular assembly of claim 12, wherein the at least one fastener is configured for position and orientation retention within the hole until the modular assembly is fixedly coupled to the another component via the at least one fastener.
15. The modular assembly of claim 14, wherein the orientation of a longitudinal axis of the fastener is retained with respect to the flange within 5 degrees.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 25, 2014
Publication Date: Dec 31, 2015
Applicant: Shiloh Industries, Inc. (Valley City, OH)
Inventor: Joseph A. Gutierrez (Farmington Hills, MI)
Application Number: 14/766,088