Different methods and connections are known from the prior art for connecting together for example, two components comprised of reinforced plastic by means of a threadless fastening element. Such connections are used in the aircraft industry, and increasingly in the automobile industry. The components are comprised of glass fiber or carbon fiber reinforced plastic, for example. An example from the aircraft industry is described in the document U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,926.
In the aircraft industry, the two components that are comprised of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CRP), are initially pre-drilled. One method of pre-drilling that is gentle on the material, but costly, is jet drilling. For connecting the two components, the holes must then be aligned over one another, and the components must be pretensioned against each other in order to avoid slipping while producing the connection. Then, a blind rivet or a similar connection element is placed in the hole and subsequently fastened. When forming the closing head at the connecting blind rivet, mechanical stresses develop at the boundary surfaces between the component and the blind rivet. These mechanical stresses create cracks and support the growth thereof, as they cannot relax in the rigid plastic component. Furthermore, the cost for producing the connection is increased in that the blind rivet is wet, that is, the rivet is embedded in adhesive, or is shored with sleeves. In this manner, corrosion at the borders of the hole for the connection element is intended to be reduced.
The document DE 20 2005 015 713 describes a hollow self-punching fastener which is inserted in only one plastic component. After the punching procedure, the projecting edge of the fastener is flattened down, in order to fix the edge to the component. Because the flattening is associated with a radial expansion of the fastener about its longitudinal axis, crack-forming mechanical stresses are generated in the component. Depending on the degree of the expansion of the fastener, these crack-forming stresses also act on the interior of the component, that is, in the through-thickness direction thereof, so that cracks could be generated there too.
Therefore, starting from the prior art discussed above, the object of the present invention is to provide an economical and reliable connection between components comprised of reinforced plastic and a method for the production thereof.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds