Abstract: A cage nut assembly is provided for retaining a nut within a cage's nut capture region defined by a base with a hole substantially in its center, two lateral truss integral with the base and perpendicular to each other, and two upwardly extending arms also integral with the base. The two upwardly extending arms form a C-shaped head at the distal end that extend over the nut capture region. Thus a nut disposed in said cage is substantially flush with the base of said cage. A multiple cage nut assembly is provided for retaining a nut within cage's plurality of nut capture regions. One such nut capture region being defined by a base with a hole substantially in its center, two lateral truss integral with the base and perpendicular to each other, and two upwardly extending arms also integral with the base. The two upwardly extending arms form a C-shaped head at the distal end that extend over the nut capture region. Thus a nut disposed in said cage is substantially flush with the base of said cage.

Abstract: Two-piece fastener assembly for securing thermoplastic roof membranes to an underlying roof deck having: a batten bar coated with a thermoplastic coating on its top surface; a plurality of openings in the batten bar; and fasteners positioned in the plurality of openings for securing the batten bar and one thermoplastic roof membrane to the underlying roof deck.

Abstract: A threaded fastener having a threaded shank with threads on a forward portion of the shank near the tip of greater size than threads on a rear portion of the shank. A collated screwstrip comprising a plastic holding strap holding a plurality of such fasteners in a row in spaced side-by-side relation with the holding strap in threaded engagement with the smaller rear thread portion of each fastener.

Abstract: An angled strips of brads with a plurality of cohered brads having a shank with a tip portion. A head portion of at least some of the plurality of brads having a bulge protruding forwardly from the leading side thereof and extending at least partially into the trailing side of the head portion of an adjacent brad. An upper leading side portion of the head portions of the plurality of brads offset rearwardly of the leading side of the shank, whereby interlocking of adjacent head portions of the angled strip of brads is reduced. The rearwardly biased head portion is formed preferably with a rearwardly sloped riser portion of a header punch.

Abstract: The present invention is a fastener assembly including a row of fasteners maintained in position by a carrier. The carrier includes a plurality of adjacent sleeves, each of which includes an upper breakable portion, a middle wall portion, and a lower breakable portion. When a fastener is driven into a work piece, the upper and middle portions of the fastener sleeve break away and the lower portion breaks into fragments, so that no residual sleeve parts remain with the fastener. This is accomplished by forming the carrier from a mixture of a stiff polyolefin material and a particulate filler to impart the necessary brittleness to the carrier sleeves. The plurality of carrier sleeves include two end sleeves. At least one end sleeve includes a lateral end extension in the lower breakable portion which helps to balance and stabilize the fastener assembly in the shear block and magazine holder of a fastener driving tool.

Abstract: Collated drywall screws are provided for securing drywall to framing members. A collated screw has screws connected to each other by a holding strip. Each screw is received in a fragible sleeve about its threaded shank such that a screw on being screwed into a workplace is separated from the strip by the head of the screw passing through the sleeve breaking the sleeve. The improvement arises in having the head of the screw spaced from the fragible strip by a distance greater than the thickness of the drywall such that a screw is screwed through the drywall in at least partially into the frame support prior to the head of the screw engaging the frangible strip. The increased engagement with the frame member prevents the screw from stripping in the drywall and drawing drywall powder which may clog the power driver after repeated use. The invention provides drywall screws and a method of driving them which reduces the forces a user must manually apply to a power driver.

Abstract: A nail having a shank formed with at least one shallow chipped recess, so as to provide nail recesses of a precise predetermined depth, and a strip of such recessed nails, in which wires are welded to the nails in respective chipped recesses. Two or more such recesses may be formed in each nail.The nails may either be arranged in a diagonally staggered fashion with their heads overlapping, or may be spaced further apart so that they are parallel, with their heads aligned, but in which the heads do not overlap.Also disclosed is apparatus for forming a strip of nails having recesses, and having at least two spaced apart rotary chipping tools, operable to form spaced apart recesses in the nails, at least two wire welding stations aligned with the recesses in the nails and strip wire supplies, and welders to weld the strip wires in the recesses forming the nails into a strip, and a method of forming a wire welded strip of recessed nails.

Abstract: A U-shaped clip-on slide nut with two parallel sliding limbs provided with notch elements and capable of being clipped onto an undercut ridge. One sliding limb has a bore and the other limb is provided with a threaded bore aligned with the bore and accommodating a clamping screw. The invention facilitates fixing of a component on the ridge in that the bore is a blind bore, the clamping screw is a countersunk screw, and at least one sliding limb also has a screw receptacle for a securing screw.

Abstract: An obliquely collated strip of brads useable in an angled magazine of a fastener driving tool, each brad having a head on one end and a point on an opposite end, the point of each brad of the collated strip of brads having a tip defined by converging first, second and third facets so as to form an edge at an acute angle relative to an axis of the brad, the edge of each brad forming a substantially continuous edge of the collated strip of brads, the head of each brad of the collated strip of brads arranged step-wise relative to the head of an adjacent brad, the step-wise arrangement of heads forming a stepped edge substantially parallel to the substantially continuous edge of the collated strip of brads, the head of each brad of the collated strip of brads being disposed at an angle relative to the axis of the brad, the angle of the head sloping oppositely relative to the angle of the substantially continuous edge of the collated strip of brads.

Abstract: The present invention is a fastener assembly including a row of fasteners maintained in position by a carrier. The carrier includes a plurality of adjacent sleeves, each of which includes an upper breakable portion, a middle wall portion, and a lower breakable portion. When a fastener is driven into a work piece, the upper and middle portions of the fastener sleeve break away and the lower portion breaks into fragments, so that no residual sleeve parts remain with the fastener. This is accomplished by forming the carrier from a mixture of a stiff polyolefin material and a particulate filler to impart the necessary brittleness to the carrier sleeves. Also, the lower portion of the sleeve includes fragmentable tabs joined at wall junctions which are structurally weaker than the tabs, to facilitate fragmentation between the tabs.

Abstract: An anchor fitting assembly for securing objects on an elongated track. The track is of the type commonly used in aircraft and in various vehicles to secure seats, wheelchairs, cargo and other objects. The track has an elongated groove which has a bell-shaped profile. The top of the groove is open and has a series of opposed tabs and semicircular faces. There are many styles of fittings which are placed in such tracks and secured to the tracks. The anchor fitting assembly of the present invention has a securable fitting which has a flared based held beneath the opposed tabs of the groove. The fitting is prevented from sliding along the track by a pair of buttons which are inserted downwardly into two opposed semicircular openings adjacent the securable fitting. When an object is screwed onto the securable fitting it holds down the buttons preventing them from coming out of the semicircular openings.

Abstract: A strip includes a number of triangular holes each formed by a triangular peripheral wall for engaging with fasteners and for decreasing the contact area between the strip and the fasteners. The triangular peripheral walls each includes three surfaces each having a slit for increasing the resilience of the triangular peripheral walls and for allowing the triangular peripheral walls to resiliently supporting the fasteners in place and for allowing the fasteners to be easily disengaged from the strip when the fasteners are punched relative to the strip.

Abstract: A fastener assembly, such as a nail assembly, includes a row of fasteners held together and maintained in position by an extrudable thermoplastic adhesive composition containing a particulate filler, an extrudable thermoplastic resin reacted with a polar compound, and optional quantities of an additional thermoplastic resin. The adhesive composition provides the fastener assembly with increased rigidity, reduced bending and buckling, and reduced shearing requirements for separating an individual fastener from the row. The invention also includes an adhesive composition useful in the fastener assembly.

Abstract: A gang channel nut assembly permits nut plates held therein to be used even though the assembly channel is in contact with a stringer. The instant invention enlarges the fastener hole in the channel as well as slots on both sides of the channel and cuts a connecting slot between the hole and the slot sufficient to permit passage of a fastening screw or bolt. In this way the gang channel nut assembly still functions as originally intended that is, to positively retain the nut plates and align them in the channel, but permit the nut plates to be flexible or float transverse of the channel without falling out of the channel.

Abstract: A screw stay, injection-molded from plastics, including a longitudinal series of equally spaced screw mounting holes for mounting a respective screw, pairs of side notches made along two opposite long sides thereof between each two adjacent screw mounting holes, a plurality of annular flanges extending downwards from a bottom side thereof around each screw mounting hole, a plurality of splits extending from the top side through the border of each screw mounting hole into a part of each annular flange, sets of radial ribs respectively raised from the top side of the screw strap around each screw mounting hole and sloping outwardly upwards from each split for guiding the head of each screw into each screw mounting hole respectively, and sets of radial webs arranged under and aligned with respective ribs.

Abstract: A fastener has a head portion with a torque accepting surface and a cylindrical recess on an external surface thereof defining a pair of axially spaced annular shoulders for acceptance in a circular fastener accepting aperture in a connector component. The aperture has a counterbore for the acceptance and seating of the head portion of the fastener and a channel extending radially of a longitudinal axis of the aperture therein for the acceptance of the fastener in translation, the channel having parallel shoulders spaced slightly greater than the diameter of the cylindrical recess in the head portion of the fastener but less than the minimum diameter of at least one of the shoulders thereon.

Abstract: A screw band of an elongate tape shape having one or two longitudinal sides provided with transporting notches space apart equidistantly, screw holes spaced equidistantly through its thickness, four spaced notches provided around the wall defined by each screw hole, a circumferential wall extending down from the round screw hole wall and having a cone shape or an annular shape, an annular small diameter wall extending down from the circumferential wall, the cone-shaped wall conforming to a sloping wall of a head of a screw for said screw head to rest on an inner surface of the cone-shaped wall, the annular wall having an inner hole just sized only a little larger than a threaded rod portion of the screw to fit through.

Abstract: A strap supports a number of screws for supplying the screws into a screwing gun device. The strap include a number of holes for engaging with the screws and includes a number of resilient blades for retaining the screws in place. The strap includes a number of notches of different depth formed in the two side edges so as to allow bending of the strap from the one side edge toward the other side edge and so as to prevent the strap from affecting the operation of the screwing gun device.

Abstract: A locking system including a combination of a multi-strand locking wire and a ferrule having a thin walled crimpable section useful for preventing threaded fasteners from loosening due to vibration, each of the fasteners having an aperture for receiving the locking wire. The ferrule has a larger stop end for interfering with the fastener aperture and a smaller thin walled barrel end for crimping. In one configuration the ferrule is a thin walled cylinder with one end flared out to form the stop end for facilitating insertion of the locking wire. The thin wall of the barrel end allows reduced crimping force. Further reduction of crimping force is achieved by crimping the ferrule to deform only small localized areas on the barrel end. The ferrule may bear identification marks which may be either pre-marked or applied during the installation such as by crimping.

Abstract: A collated screw package is formed with a plurality of parallel screws secured to each other with two wires which are sufficiently friable to permit the screws to be singly detached from the package as the screw is driven by a rotary drilling device. The wires are preferably spot welded to unthreaded portions of each screw which prevents fragments of the wires and fragments of the spot welded joints from interfering with the screw threads. To form the unthreaded portions, the thread of each screw is interrupted for a portion to allow at least one of the wires to be secured to the screw shank at the interruption. The interruption is formed by a relief in a continuous surface of thread forming tooling.

Abstract: A locking system including a combination of a multistrand locking wire and a ferrule bearing an identification mark for preventing threaded fasteners on a device from loosening due to vibration, each of the fasteners having an aperture for receiving the locking wire. The ferrule with an identification mark serves as a seal for identification and for preventing tampering with the device. The identification mark can be either premarked on the ferrule before system installation, or be applied to the ferrule during system installation, such as by shaping the crimped deformation on the ferrule into an identification pattern.

Abstract: A fastener assembly for installing valve devices and the like on one side of a mounting plate by bolts where the bolt holes are without threads and the opposite side of the mounting face is inaccessible for holding a bolt head or nut from turning. The fastener assembly includes at least one fastener plate and a minimum of two threaded bolts affixed thereto, so that the threaded portion of the bolts projects through bolt holes in the mounting plate. A retaining washer is threaded onto the projecting bolt threads to retain the fastener plate in place while the valve device is being installed onto the projecting bolt threads on which lock nuts are subsequently screwed to secure the installation.

Abstract: A retainer member for inhibiting or preventing relative rotation between a plurality of fastener elements which are arranged in predetermined spaced relationship with each other, and more particularly, an apertured retainer plate for preventing the rotation of nuts which are screw-fitted onto the threaded shanks of bolts so as to facilitate the tightening and torquing or disassembling of the bolts on the nuts. Also disclosed is a plurality of the plate-shaped retainer members being arrangeable in a contiguous relationship with each other and thereby collectively defining a specified bolt circle having the apertures therein located at annular positions in conformance with bolt holes formed in structures, such as mating flanges.

Abstract: A retention system is described for retaining a bolt in an opening in a screen rail to prevent the bolt from falling out after the fastener has been removed from the bolt, The retention system is a rubber disk which is positioned adjacent the screen rail, The rubber disk includes an aperture in registry with the opening in the screen rail.

Abstract: The present invention provides an annular integral bolt heat shield and axial retention apparatus to axially retain bolts used for holding together two rotor elements during assembly when the bolts are otherwise subject to sliding into a closed cavity of the assembled engine or one of its modules. The integral retainer and heat shield engage the bolts disposed through bolt holes in a gas turbine engine rotor shaft so that the bolts remain straight during assembly when a second rotor element such as a second shaft is being attached to the first shaft and bolt holes in the second shaft have to engage and fit over the bolts of the first shaft.

Abstract: A cleat assembly for an endless track vehicle, wherein the mounting nuts are retained and carried by an elongate member spaced apart to receive the mounting bolts, so that a single workman may install or remove the cleat assembly from the endless belt, and so that the cleat may utilize a closed box design of great strength and rigidity.

Abstract: The invention concerns safety cable used to prevent loosening of threaded fasteners. A multi-strand cable is strung through holes in the fasteners and is held in place by sleeves which are crimped over the cable ends. The cable dampens vibration better than solid wire, which is used presently, and, for a given weight of cable, provides greater strength than solid wire, thus saving weight, which is important in aircraft applications.

Abstract: A fastener unit for use on a composite nonmetallic surface which includes a channel of composite nonmetallic material, which may be bonded or riveted to the supporting surface, and has at least one opening through it, and a fastener assembly which includes a basket having an opening in its center and slotted deflectable end walls, a retainer member, including a flat portion with tabs projecting into openings in the side flanges of the channel and a tubular portion extending into the opening in the central web of the channel, and a nut having a base portion with tabs received in the openings in the end walls of the basket. Clearances are provided so that the nut has limited lateral floating movement. The nut is removable from the remainder of the unit by deflecting the end walls of the basket, which permits the nut to be replaced.

Abstract: An anti-rotation locking device for threaded fasteners which secure rotating parts subject to vibration, shock and the like. The device comprises a strap member and one or more retainer members. The strap member is positioned under the fasteners and the retainer members each have a toothed opening which is installed over the matching wrenching surface of the fastener. Each retainer member also has an arcuate slot which is positioned above an arcuate tang on the strap member. The tang is lifted, passed through the slot, bent about the bottom of the slot and folded back over the top surface of the retainer member to thereby restrain the loosening of the fastener.

Abstract: A plurality of nut inserts (40) and an elongated channel (10) form a gang nut assembly. The channel (10) is formed to include a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart nut receiving openings (28). These openings (28) are partially defined by opposed recesses (24, 26) in flanges (18, 20). The nut insert (40) has a base length (LB) which is smaller than the length (Y) of the opening (28). It also has end walls (44, 46) which diverge apart as they extend upwardly from a base (42). The base (42) is put into registry with the opening (28) and the nut insert (40), is pushed upon, to force it through the opening (28). The sloping outer surfaces of the end walls (44, 46) contact flange edges (30, 32, 34, 36). This causes the end walls (44, 46) to spring together, in response to the push on the nut insert (40), allowing the nut insert (40) to pass through the opening (28).

Abstract: An assembly is disclosed having a simple, standard fastener secured to sheet material such as sheet metal. A support strap is integrally formed in an offset relationship with the sheet material, and opposite sides of the fastener are deformed to interlockingly engage the remainder of the sheet material. A method and apparatus are also disclosed for securing the fastener to the sheet material in substantially one operation, including alternate manual and automatic means for feeding fasteners to such apparatus.

Abstract: The present invention relates to encaged nuts manufactured either singly or in the form of a strip or band of such nuts.Said encaged nuts include essentially a nut (1) floatingly retained by a circlip (10) between the legs (9) of a support (2) of U-shaped cross-section whose base (3) is sandwiched between a lower strip (5) and an upper strip (4) which may be adhesively attached to any part or member of composite material.The encaged nuts according to the invention, whether used singly or in the form of a strip, allow assembling elements of a composite material such as for example panels.