초록 ▼

A self-locking fastener assembly includes a male screw fastener and a related female component (such as a plastic workpiece) for receiving the male screw fastener; a locking element is mounted on, or integrally formed with, the male screw fastener and provides at least one or more flexible fingers e

A self-locking fastener assembly includes a male screw fastener and a related female component (such as a plastic workpiece) for receiving the male screw fastener; a locking element is mounted on, or integrally formed with, the male screw fastener and provides at least one or more flexible fingers extending radially outwardly. The flexible fingers engage the walls of a cavity in the female component. The cavity walls are provided with a plurality of teeth which reliably engage the flexible fingers to prevent counter-rotation of the male screw fastener out of engagement with the female member. In a preferred embodiment, the male screw fastener is a double ended screw having a lower screw end for screwing into a plastic workpiece, and an upper stud end onto which can be mounted a second workpiece, which is secured by a nut. The lower screw end is preferably left hand threaded, while the upper end is preferably right hand threaded, whereby overtorquing force applied to the male screw fastener when the second workpiece is mounted (by cross-threading of the nut or otherwise) causes the male screw fastener to overcome the locking element and the lower screw end to unscrew from the first workpiece, thus preventing wasteful damage to the first workpiece. In another embodiment, the system can prevent counter-rotation of a nut in a cast or molded boss.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.]1. The combination of a self-locking threaded male fastener and a mating female component, comprising:a self-locking threaded male fastener having a threaded shaft at a lower end thereof, and a locking element provided on said male fastener having one or more flexible fing

[ What is claimed is:] [1.]1. The combination of a self-locking threaded male fastener and a mating female component, comprising:a self-locking threaded male fastener having a threaded shaft at a lower end thereof, and a locking element provided on said male fastener having one or more flexible fingers extending radially outwardly from said male fastener; anda female component having an axial bore for receiving said threaded shaft, a cavity being provided at an upper end of said bore, said cavity having walls formed as a plurality of teeth extending radially inwardly to define one or more notches between pairs of said teeth, said notches engaging said one or more fingers of said male fastener to limit counter-rotation of said male fastener in said female component axial bore;said flexible fingers of said locking element having a resilience permitting said fingers to deflect when a sufficient counter-rotational force is applied to the male fastener in a direction opposite to a fastening rotational direction, said flexible fingers having a sufficient resilience to retain their original configuration upon removal of said male fastener from said mating female component.