초록 ▼

A nut plate assembly includes a nut retainer and a bushing for expanding a tubular body of the retainer. The retainer assembly is used to cold work an opening of a workpiece in order to fix the nut retainer assembly relative to the workpiece. A nut member can be snapped into the retainer. A method o

A nut plate assembly includes a nut retainer and a bushing for expanding a tubular body of the retainer. The retainer assembly is used to cold work an opening of a workpiece in order to fix the nut retainer assembly relative to the workpiece. A nut member can be snapped into the retainer. A method of installation includes passing a mandrel through the bushing to radially expand the bushing into a tubular body of the retainer. The tubular body is compressed between the workpiece and bushing as the bushing is displaced radially causing corresponding radial displacement of the tubular body. The expanded bushing applies pressure to the tubular body for a desired fit between the nut retainer and workpiece.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An assembly for retaining a nut member, the assembly comprising: a nut retainer including a nut retaining section and an expandable tubular body connected to the nut retaining section, the nut retaining section including an abutment portion configured to contact a workpiece when the expandable tu

1. An assembly for retaining a nut member, the assembly comprising: a nut retainer including a nut retaining section and an expandable tubular body connected to the nut retaining section, the nut retaining section including an abutment portion configured to contact a workpiece when the expandable tubular body is positioned in an opening of the workpiece, the expandable tubular body including a tubular body inner surface surrounding a tubular body passageway and defining a tubular body inner perimeter; anda bushing including a bushing outer surface defining a first outer perimeter and a bushing inner surface at least partially surrounding a bushing passageway, the first outer perimeter substantially equal to or smaller than the tubular body inner perimeter, the bushing passageway adapted to receive a mandrel capable of radially expanding the bushing and the tubular body when the tubular body circumferentially surrounds the bushing so as to form a first interference fit between the tubular body and the workpiece and a second interference fit between the bushing outer surface and the tubular body inner surface. 2. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a nut member configured and dimensioned to couple to the nut retaining section, the nut member being adapted to receive and retain another component. 3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the nut member is axially and rotationally fixable to the nut retaining section. 4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the bushing has a longitudinal length that is substantially equal to a longitudinal length of the tubular body. 5. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the bushing comprises a first section and a second section that cooperate to define the bushing passageway, the first section includes the first outer perimeter, the second section includes a second outer perimeter that is larger than the first outer perimeter, the second outer perimeter and an outer perimeter of the tubular body form an outer surface for expanding substantially the entire opening when the first section is within the tubular body. 6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the bushing has a first section, a second section adapted to expand a portion of the opening of the workpiece, and a shoulder between the first section and the second section, the shoulder is configured to contact an end of the tubular body when the first section is positioned along the tubular body passageway. 7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein at least a portion of an outer surface of the second section has a transverse profile that is substantially geometrically congruent to a transverse profile of at least a portion of a body outer surface of the tubular body. 8. An installation comprising: a workpiece including a first side, a second side, and an opening extending between the first side and the second side, the opening having a longitudinal length; anda retainer assembly comprising a tubular section having been expanded to provide radial expansion along at least most of the longitudinal length of the opening of the workpiece, the retainer assembly further comprising a nut,a retainer including a nut retaining section and an expanded tubular body, the nut retaining section adapted to receive and retain the nut and to physically contact the first side of the workpeice, the expanded tubular body extending through at least a portion of the opening and having a passageway, andan expanded bushing extending through the passageway of the tubular body and having a bushing passageway,wherein the tubular section of the retainer assembly includes the tubular body of the retainer and the bushing. 9. The installation of claim 8, wherein the bushing has a longitudinal length that is substantially equal to or larger than the longitudinal length of the opening of the workpiece. 10. The installation of claim 8, wherein the bushing includes a first section and a second section that cooperate to define the bushing passageway, the first section extends through the passageway of the tubular body, the second section is adjacent to the tubular body and protrudes radially outward beyond an inner surface of the expanded tubular body, a first interference fit is between the first section and the inner surface of the tubular body, and a second interference fit is between the second section and the workpiece. 11. The installation of claim 8, wherein the bushing has a first section and second section, the first section is surrounded by the expanded tubular body, the second section protrudes from the tubular body and through a portion of the opening located between the tubular body and the second side of the workpiece. 12. The installation of claim 11, wherein both an outer surface of the tubular body and an outer surface of the second section have been radially expanded to provide substantially uniform radial expansion throughout at least most of the longitudinal length of the opening. 13. The installation of claim 11, wherein the second section of the bushing has an outer surface that is substantially geometrically congruent to an outer surface of the tubular body. 14. The installation of claim 8, further comprising: a first interference fit between an outer surface of the tubular body and an inner surface of the workpiece, the inner surface of the workpiece defining the opening; anda second interference fit between an inner surface of the tubular body and an outer surface of the expanded bushing. 15. The installation of claim 8, wherein the opening has been radially displaced along substantially all of the longitudinal length of the opening because of sufficient radial displacement along substantially all of a longitudinal length of the bushing. 16. A method of installation comprising: positioning a tubular body of a nut retainer in an opening of a workpiece such that a nut retaining section of the nut retainer is on a first side of the workpiece and the tubular body extends away from the nut retaining section towards a second side of the workpiece opposing the first side, the nut retaining section is being adapted to receive and hold a nut member;positioning a bushing in a passageway of the tubular body of the nut retainer; andexpanding the bushing using a mandrel to cause radial expansion of both the tubular body and a surface of the workpiece that defines the opening. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: coupling a nut member to the nut retaining section after expanding the bushing. 18. The method of claim 16, wherein expanding the bushing further comprises: expanding a first section of the bushing to cause expansion of both the tubular body surrounding the first section and a first portion of the opening; andexpanding a second section of the bushing to cause expansion of a second portion of the opening, the second portion of the opening separates the tubular body and the second side of the workpiece. 19. The method of claim 16, wherein expanding the bushing further comprises: forming a first interference fit between an outer surface of the tubular body and an inner surface of the workpiece, the inner surface of the workpiece defining the opening; andforming a second interference fit between an inner surface of the tubular body and a first outer surface of the bushing. 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: forming a third interference fit between a second outer surface of the bushing and the inner surface of the workpiece.