Abstract: A full-round head nail having an offset head is configured with a gusset formed integrally between an undersurface of the offset head and a superior portion of a shank. The head of the nail is relatively thin, and the shank is positioned radially off center of the round head such that no heel is formed at a point tangential to both the head and the shank. The gusset has a lofted surface tapering radially from a roundness at the zero heel to a taper at the toe. The gusset reinforces the junction of the shank with the head, supports the toe of the head, and distributes the force of a load on the head through a longitudinal axis of the shank, preventing the toe from bending or yielding and prevents the shank from yielding to the stresses of the load applied.

Abstract: A full-round head nail having an offset head is configured with a gusset formed integrally between an undersurface of the offset head and a superior portion of a shank. The head of the nail is relatively thin, and the shank is positioned radially off center of the round head such that no heel is formed at a point tangential to both the head and the shank. The gusset has a lofted surface tapering radially from a roundness at the zero heel to a taper at the toe. The gusset reinforces the junction of the shank with the head, supports the toe of the head, and distributes the force of a load on the head through a longitudinal axis of the shank, preventing the toe from bending or yielding and prevents the shank from yielding to the stresses of the load applied.

Abstract: A full-round head nail having an offset head is configured with a gusset formed integrally between an undersurface of the offset head and a superior portion of a shank. The head of the nail is relatively thin, and the shank is positioned radially off center of the round head such that no heel is formed at a point tangential to both the head and the shank. The gusset has a lofted surface tapering radially from a roundness at the zero heel to a taper at the toe. The gusset reinforces the junction of the shank with the head, supports the toe of the head, and distributes the force of a load on the head through a longitudinal axis of the shank, preventing the toe from bending or yielding and prevents the shank from yielding to the stresses of the load applied.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for collating nails wherein round head nails are fed by gravity along an inclined rail to a periphery of a rotating indexing and feed wheel. The nails are deposited into circumferentially spaced grooves formed in the periphery of the feed wheel in a vertical orientation. The feed wheel is inclined at an angle of approximately 45° and upon 180° rotation of the feed wheel the nails assume a horizontal orientation. A conveyor has a plurality of spaced segments attached to a pair of moving belts. Each segment is formed with spaced notches for receiving the nails in a horizontal spaced relationship from the feed wheel and then transporting the horizontally spaced nails to a collator for forming into a continuous strip. Rotation of the feed wheel is synchronized with movement of the conveyor by a motor, a gear train and drive shafts extending between the feed wheel and conveyor.

Abstract: A nail having a plurality of grooves configured to reduce the amount of material needed to create the nail and increase the holding power of the nail, while only minimally affecting the bending yield strength of the nail and other important properties. The nail includes a relatively high number of grooves having a relatively shallow depth to retain a cross-sectional geometry of the shank that permits the formation of a full round head of sufficiently large diameter such that pull through resistance of the nail is not significantly affected. Various embodiments of such a nail are disclosed. In a first embodiment, the grooves are semi-circular and are disposed evenly and symmetrically about the circumference of the shank. In a second embodiment, a protrusion is formed at one tangent point (corner) of each of the plurality of grooves. In a third embodiment, a protrusion is formed at each tangent point of each of the plurality of grooves.

Abstract: A pneumatic or manual impact operated nailer requires fasteners in a clip, typically of about 100 fasteners. The invention provides uniform well-bonded fasteners in a clip for use in a pneumatic or manual nailer, the clips being adhesive-free. In addition, this invention provides a method and apparatus for manufacturing such adhesive-free clips by press-forming the fasteners, placing them in proper orientation in a fixture on a rotatable turret rotating the turret to a welding location, spot welding or seam welding the fasteners, and rotating the turret to a clip unloading station. The clip product is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a nail efficiently at low cost without a loss of material. The nail includes two legs bound together by a washer. One of the legs has a protrusion such that when the other leg is driven, it will spread by riding on the protrusion. In this method, a round rod stock is pressed except a portion thereof to form a head at one thereof, a trunk portion having a semicircular section with a flat surface between the head and the portion, and a tip portion at the other end of the rod stock. The portion forms the protrusion. The one of the legs is thus formed. The protrusion may be formed by pressing the rod from both sides.

Abstract: As formed from a predetermined length of carbon steel wire, such as AISI C 1062 steel wire or high-manganese carbon steel wire, in sequential forming, rolling, and austempering steps, a pin for axial, non-rotational penetration into a steel, concrete, or masonry substrate has a head, a tapered shank, a point having a tip, and a transition zone between the tapered shank and the head. The head has an outer diameter at least about 2.6 times greater than the initial diameter of the predetermined length wire. The smaller end of the tapered shank has a diameter about 0.6 times the initial diameter thereof. The larger end of the tapered shank has a diameter about 0.7 times the initial diameter thereof. The point is joined unitarily to the smaller end of the tapered shank and conforms except at the tip, which is rounded, substantially to a tangent ogive, which is tangent to the tapered shank.

Abstract: A steel pin is disclosed of a type to be forcibly driven into a steel substrate by using a powder-actuated tool. The steel pin has a substantially cylindrical shank and a substantially sharp point which extends from one end of the substantially cylindrical shank, which conforms substantially to a tangent or secant ogive except for a substantially spherical tip having a radius in a range of approximately 0.02 inch (approximately 5 millimeters) to approximately 0.03 inch (approximately 7.5 millimeters), which has substantially true concentricity, which has surface-texture irregularities with a roughness-height index value in a range from approximately 10 microinches (approximately 0.25 micrometers) to approximately 15 microinches (approximately 0.38 micrometers), and which appears to be substantially free of other surface imperfections when viewed under 60.times. magnification.

Abstract: A corrosion-resistant, headed fastener, such as a nail for exterior applications, is made from a carbon steel wire pre-coated with a protective, metallic layer having corrosion-resistant properties, the protective, metallic layer being discontinuous at a region on a leading end of the pre-coated wire. After at least part of a protective, metallic cap having corrosion-resistant properties is disposed near the leading end of the pre-coated wire, at least part of the protective, metallic cap is welded to the leading end of the pre-coated wire so as to cover the region where the protective, metallic layer is discontinuous, by impact welding, as a fastener is formed from the pre-coated wire in such manner that the fastener is formed with a shank and with a head, which is formed by deformation of the leading end.

Abstract: A metal rod (20) having a conical or pyramidal cut extremity (20a) is used to make a mandrel for blind rivets. The rod is held in place between a pair of die segments (11) such that its end (26) of a preset length, including the tip protrudes from an upper surface (14) of the segments. Subsequently, a free intermediate portion of the swageable end (26) is axially compressed to form a mandrel head (27) by a punch (12) which has a lower face (17) parallel to the upper surface (14) of the segments with a conical or pyramidal recess (18) formed on the end. The free intermediate portion of the swageable end (26) swells radially outward to form the head (27) having a flat flange (31) from which the tip intrudes. The mandrel, which has the head formed uniformly without any eccentricity about the longitudinal axis of a mandrel body, can be produced inexpensively using a prior art nail manufacturing apparatus.

Abstract: In a method of making screws, rivets or similar objects from a metal wire (6) the wire (6) is moved through a stationary cropping bushing (14) forwardly to a movable cropping bushing (24) present in a receiving position, following which the movable cropping bushing (24) is moved away from the receiving position substantially transversely to the axial direction of the wire to release a blank from the wire (6). The movable cropping bushing (24, 25) is then moved together with the released blank (26) further on to a discharge position, in which a punch (27) is adapted to move the blank (26) partly into a die (16) and to compress the blank (26) sufficiently to pre-upset it by cold flowing in the region between the die (16) and the movable cropping bushing (25).

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a head, having a controlled predetermined shape, on an end of an elongate member, such as a wire, which is formed into a fastener, where an end portion of the wire is secured in a predetermined position and axially compressed so as to expand a predetermined amount of wire material radially outwardly and thereby form the head on the wire, and where material flow is directed during axial compression so as to provide the controlled predetermined shape of the head.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for affixing heads to headless fasteners to form webs thereof, wherein the headless fasteners are equally spaced apart a given spacing. The web of headless fasteners is conveyed to and disposed so that each of a first set of headless fasteners is disposed in an aligned relationship to corresponding ones of a plurality of "n" head affixing devices. The head affixing devices are spaced from each other a distance equal to the product of the given spacing and ("n".+-.1). The plurality of head affixing devices are actuated to fasten "n" heads to their aligned fasteners of the web. Thereafter, the web is moved with respect to the plurality of "n" head affixing devices a distance equal to the product of "n" and the given spacing to align each of a second, different set of fasteners of the web to corresponding ones of the plurality of "n" head affixing devices.

Abstract: The fastener strips are made from a band of wires which consists of a series of parallel spot-weldable metallic wires disposed side by side, contiguously and spot-welded to each other at longitudinally spaced points of the wires and arranged along lines transverse to the bands. The spot welds are produced by a laser beam swept across the band as the same is continuously moving. The band is thereafter cut and stamped to form fastener strips. The spot welds constitute frangible joints holding the fasteners together for manual handling of the strip but breaking when the fasteners are subjected to a separating force such as when used in a pneumatic nailer.

Abstract: Continuous length wire is segmented into predetermined lengths having desired die-coined configurations at severed longitudinal ends in a wire-working machine of the invention. In a single step operation, such wire is simultaneously die-coined and severed to form a longitudinally contiguous pair of wire ends in order to produce such predetermined lengths with desired tapered convex shapes at each longitudinal end ready for use as shaped and severed so as to eliminate subsequent metal-forming steps and certain problems associated with severing practices of the prior art. In a specific embodiment of the fabrication process, coiled wire is straightened and then simultaneously die-coined and severed to form rigid rods with tapered end configurations which facilitate use as a connecting rod during assembly operations, e.g. in the assembly of a metal wire belt.

Abstract: Nails having radially offset, circular heads are manufactured from a malleable wire. The wire is clamped so that a leading portion extends axially from a clamping mechanism. The extending portion is bent at an acute angle relative to a clamping axis. The extending portion is cut so as to form a pointed end thereon and so as to leave a bent stub extending at such an angle. Such a nail head is formed from the stub, which is pressed by a punch into a cavity defined by the clamping mechanism, and which is deformed when pressed thereinto. The cavity has a fully circular, offset margin. The punch has a face covering the cavity. Once released, the wire is fed axially until a leading portion extends as before. These operations are repeated to form a similar nail in each repetition. A novel apparatus for carrying out these operations is disclosed.

Abstract: A forming pin having a shank, a head, a point, and a pair of like grooves on opposite sides of the shank is made by gripping an elongate wire in a position wherein an end of the wire is exposed, forming a head at the exposed end of the wire while gripped, advancing the wire by a predetermined distance, and simultaneously forming the point and forming the grooves. The forming pin thus formed is severed from the remaining wire as the point and the grooves are formed. A pair of dies are used, which are movable so as to pinch the wire therebetween, along with mechanisms for closing the dies. The dies are configured similarly to define suitable forming edges.

Abstract: A wire nail with a head having a circumferential edge conforming to a complete circle and disposed in a radially offset relationship with respect to a shank. A flat surface on the shank provides a datum indicating where the shank is located. A flat surface on the shank provides a datum for orienting such nail and similar nails. In some embodiments, a tangent plane defined by means of a lower or underside portion of the head is oriented at an acute angle (75.degree. to 85.degree.) relative to the shank. In a strip of such (collated) nails, the flat surfaces defined upon the shanks define an open channel, which coacts with a rib integrally provided upon one wall of a nail-feeding mechanism. In a nail-making machine, two gripping members defining an annular recess and a punch are used to form such a nail from a wire of a malleable metal.

Abstract: An apparatus and a process for continuously producing an assembly of headed fasteners of uniform length. The fasteners, fixed in either an equally spaced apart parallel relationship or in a contiguous parallel relationship, are produced by providing at least one strand of wire in straight and untwisted form, cutting the wire into headless fasteners of uniform length, transferring the headless fasteners onto a guide track in parallel, adjacent alignment, collating the headless fasteners to form a continuous web thereof, conveying the continuous web of headless fasteners into a clamping block and then forming a head from one end of the fasteners to form the headed fastener.