Abstract: A blind rivet system including a number of parts to be joined that have aligned holes. A tubular rivet body is disposed in the aligned holes and includes a rivet head portion and a sleeve portion. The head portion and sleeve portion include a longitudinal bore. A mandrel having a head portion greater in diameter than the bore and a shaft portion is disposed within the longitudinal bore. An adhesive is disposed in an annular space defined by the interior surface of the bore and an exterior surface of the shaft portion. An installation tool having a seal intersects with the rivet head portion such that when the head portion is drawn within the bore during installation, the adhesive is maintained within the tubular rivet body and extruded from the annular space to a region between faying surfaces of the parts to be joined.

Abstract: A first and second component joint includes using a fastener having a first end, and a flange having a diameter greater than a tubular barrel portion. A second end having a second tubular barrel portion merges into a shoulder of a flange part having a greater diameter than the barrel portion. The first tubular barrel portion is deformed radially outwardly sandwiching the first component between the flange and the first barrel portion. The second end of the fastener is introduced through a hole in the second component by applying the second component to the first component so the shoulder of the flanged part abuts the second component spacing the second component from the first component. The fastener device is fastened to the second component by deforming the second tubular barrel portion radially outwardly sandwiching the second component between the shoulder and the tubular barrel portion.

Abstract: A method to prepare a terminal assembly for different varieties of bamboo, required to form a system of nodes useful in construction, with which points or ends of bamboo such that they can be joined together easily and with great precision; and so that the bamboo can be joined to any other type of material, incorporating it into all kinds of structural system.

Abstract: A method of securing body panels to a space frame for a vehicle is disclosed. The body panels are secured to rivet nuts that are assembled to frame members. The location of the rivet nuts or rivet nuts supporting surface is measured and the rivet nuts are milled or machined to correspond to reference body coordinates. The milled rivet nuts function as a integral shim pack and obviate the need for shims between the space frame and body panels.

Abstract: Mechanical and adhesive charged blind fasteners have an annular one way flat or O-ring seal mounted at one end of a cylindrical rivet body sealingly engaged with an axially extending mandrel stem to provide a torodial chamber. The body has radial adhesive-extruding openings therethrough around which a vacuum may be established for initial adhesive charging purposes. For charging, the seal is deflected by the force of a flow of adhesive from a supply responding to the establishment of a positive pressure differential between the supply and the exterior of the body. With the torodial chamber opened, viscous adhesive readily flows therein from the supply. After being filled, the vacuum is terminated and the seal naturally recovers and closes the body to confine the adhesive therein. Adhesive charging can be achieved by other mechanisms that impress a load on the supply to effect seal opening.

Abstract: A method of forming a valve cover suitable for attachment to an engine head is disclosed. The valve cover is molded from a plastic material to include at least one structure of a positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system. Additionally, the design of the valve cover includes various advantages including, for example, structural integrity, ease of installation or the like.

Abstract: A rail bracket mounting system, including a bracket that is attached to a post. The bracket is formed to support the notching of a rail. The end of a rail is then nested into the bracket, and is supported by the bracket. The rail is then secured to the bracket by fasteners such as screws, and a cover may then be placed over the bracket, housing the securing fasteners. The rail may be hollow or solid. A hollow rail may be reinforced along its entire length by the insertion of one or more reinforcing members through a hollow portion of the rail.

Abstract: A blind rivet system including a number of parts to be joined that have aligned holes. A tubular rivet body is disposed in the aligned holes and includes a rivet head portion and a sleeve portion. The head portion and sleeve portion include a longitudinal bore. A mandrel having a head portion greater in diameter than the bore and a shaft portion is disposed within the longitudinal bore. An adhesive is disposed in an annular space defined by the interior surface of the bore and an exterior surface of the shaft portion. An installation tool having a seal intersects with the rivet head portion such that when the head portion is drawn within the bore during installation, the adhesive is maintained within the tubular rivet body and extruded from the annular space to a region between faying surfaces of the parts to be joined.

Abstract: A connection system for steel construction employs both fasteners and an adhesive for connecting panels to a metal frame or metal studs. The connection system also joins metal components such as web stiffeners, hold-down clamps and vertical clips to metal studs and cross-channel members. The fasteners may be a self-drilling screw, rivets, pins, clinches or other mechanical fasteners. The adhesive may be a two-part epoxy system, an acrylic, a urethane or other structural adhesive system designed to bond light gauge steel.

Abstract: A rivet and method for riveting metal members, and particularly, metal sheets is disclosed. The apparatus includes a rivet assembly for driving a piercing rivet into stacked metal sheets and a die for assisting in supporting the sheets during driving of the rivet and for assisting in securing the rivets to the sheets. The rivet of the invention includes an adhesive that is forced through passages in the rivet for assisting in fastening the rivet to the sheets and for assisting in fastening the sheets to each other with greater strength.

Abstract: A connection or weld attachment and method are disclosed for use in connecting a first structural member with a second structural member. An end plate is preferably attached to one end of the first structural member. The end plate and first structural member may then be attached by mechanical fasteners and at least one weld to the second structural member. A railway car having an underframe defined in part by a pair of side sills and a plurality of crossties may be formed with this mechanical connection. The end plate may be attached to a first leg which is in turn attached to the respective crosstie. The first leg preferably increases in width extending from the crosstie to the end plate. The mechanical fasteners are preferably disposed at opposite ends of the weld to minimize possible fatigue cracking and to increase the life of the associated connection.

Abstract: A drive shaft is produced from an aluminum alloy torque tube and aluminum alloy yokes that are pressed into each end section of the torque tube and welded to the end of the torque tube. Each end section is reduced in diameter and joined to a larger central section by a transition section. The end sections and transition sections are formed by swaging the ends of an aluminum alloy tube blank radially inwardly in two stages. The transition sections include an annular rib in the form of a concentric circular band located midway between inner and outer conical portions. The annular ribs stiffen the transition sections to reduce oil canning and noise.

Abstract: A connector and connection system useful in the building and construction industries for joining two substantially planar composite fiber panels together in which at least a part of the connecting device also acts as a guiding means allowing the two panels to be joined together in alignment with one another. The connector and connection system is especially useful for joining a plurality of compressed straw building panels to form a straight wall, partition or similar structure in substantially the same plane, said structure being constructed without having any external fittings or without having to mask or otherwise hide any fasteners, fittings or the like across the joint between the panels.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a cross car beam assembly for use with a vehicle includes joining first and second support brackets to opposite ends of a cross car beam using an adhesive, such that the adhesive is a primary attachment means for joining the support brackets to the cross car beam. Furthermore, the support brackets are attachable to the vehicle so as to support the cross car beam in the vehicle.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for temporarily bonding reinforcing sheet metal pieces or other metal pieces to a sheet metal blank for forming at an elevated temperature such as is employed in superplastic forming of suitable aluminum, magnesium, stainless steel or titanium alloys. The pieces are bonded to the blank in locations in which the piece will acquire a desired shape from co-formation with the blank. Suitable water suspendible sodium silicate compositions, such as water glass bond the piece to the blank during high temperature forming and permit removal after forming.

Abstract: A fastening arrangement (14) comprises a shank (16) with a head (18) retained in a first component (10). The other end (25) of the shank is tapered or of other non-constant cross section and terminates in a domed portion (26). A second part of the fastening arrangement includes a collar (34) of shape memory metal material, which may be swaged to engage and retain the domed portion (26) by a magnetized pressure ring (36), which is applied by applying a strong magnetic field. To release the fastening, the pressure ring is released by the application of a magnetic field and the collar (34) is then heated so that it reverts to an open position.

Abstract: In a method for manufacturing a crossmember for stiffening an instrument panel of a motor vehicle, the crossmember that is to be manufactured having at least two profiled segments, with cross sections differing from one another, arranged in axial prolongation, the smaller-cross-section profiled segment is arranged so as to overlap the larger-cross-section profiled segment over at least a partial length; and in the overlap region, the profiled segments are joined to one another in at least one direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction by way of at least one stabilizing joining element.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improved method of mounting an assist grip to a body panel and related mounting structure elements that provide a removable attachment between the assist grip and the body panel and that simplify the manufacture of the body panel as well as the assembly and disassembly of the assist grip to the body panel.

Abstract: A specialized mounting arrangement for an accessory such as an engine driven air conditioner compressor to an engine is utilized featuring a pair of press fitted bushings in a pair of arms of the mount and a single bolt extending therethrough. The arms of the mount assembly are constructed so that they straddle portions of an anchor member attached to the engine. A connector bolt is inserted through one bushing in one arm of the mount and then thorough a passage in the anchor member, and next into engagement with internal threads carried by the other bushing which his carried by the other arm of the mount. Rotation of the bolt moves the bushings toward one another and against the ends of the anchor member to clamp the anchor and thus the accessory therebetween.

Abstract: The method of this invention for assembling vehicle brake shoes includes the use of linear friction welding. Two generally planar web members having arcuate edges are precisely aligned. Each of the web members preferably includes a series of projections along an outer arcuate edge. A table member that has a curvature corresponding to the outward arcuate edge of the web members is placed in contact with the projections along the outer arcuate edge of the web members. The webs and the table are moved relative to each other, under load, to cause an increase in temperature within the metal material of the webs and the table. After the temperature is sufficiently increased, but before the material reaches its melting temperature, the relative motion is stopped and the web members are precisely aligned with the table member. Then the load is increased and the table is forced against the web members. The projections are then deformed, a flash results, and the web members are fixedly joined to the table member.

Abstract: A method of mounting a wheel flare or other body side molding on a motor vehicle body panel including the steps of forming the wheel flare or other body side molding with a face having a strip of pressure sensitive adhesive tape thereon covered by a protective film, mounting the wheel flare or other body side molding on the body panel for linear translation perpendicular to the body panel, removing the protective film from the pressure sensitive adhesive tape in a gap defined between the body panel and the face in a first position of the wheel flare or other body side molding relative to the body panel, linearly translating the wheel flare or other body side molding perpendicular to the body panel from the first position to a second position in which the face bears against the body panel with the pressure sensitive adhesive tape trapped therebetween and adhesively bonded to each, and rigidly clamping the wheel flare or other body side molding in the second position thereof to the body panel.