JP7376406B2 - Seal cap, sealing method for fastening structure, and fastening structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a seal cap for sealing between the head of a fastener and the surface of a member to be fastened, a method for sealing a fastening structure using this seal cap, and a fastening structure equipped with this seal cap. Concerning structures.

As a fastening structure using this type of cap, a technique is known in which a corrosion-resistant/waterproof cap made of a plastic material is attached to the head of a steel screw (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the technique described in Patent Document 1, a locking shoulder portion in the shape of an upwardly expanding truncated cone is provided on the periphery of the tightening seat surface of the screw head, and the cap has a cap body that loosely fits around the entire head. an annular holding part that engages with a locking shoulder of the head that protrudes from the inner periphery of the lower end opening of the cap body toward the center; has an umbrella-shaped skirt portion extending in the axial direction from the annular holding portion. When the corrosion-resistant/waterproof cap is attached to the head of the screw used for fastening, the annular holding part engages with the locking shoulder part of the head, and the cap body is held on the head and the skirt part It is said that the lower peripheral edge presses against the surface of the object to be fastened and exerts a sealing function.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 64-3308

However, the cap of Patent Document 1 has an inverse shape because the annular holding portion protrudes toward the center from the inner peripheral edge of the lower end opening of the cap body. This poses a problem in that the releasability of the cap deteriorates and the production efficiency of the cap deteriorates.
Furthermore, it is necessary to form a locking shoulder on the head of the screw, which complicates the structure of the fastener, increasing the manufacturing cost of the fastener and, by extension, the manufacturing cost of a structure using the fastener.
Furthermore, if a locking shoulder is not formed on the head of the fastener and the annular holding part is engaged with the head using only the inverse shape, there will be no sense of moderation when attaching the cap, and the operator will have to be sure to It is impossible to feel whether the cap is attached to the head of the fastener. In addition to this, there is a risk that the cap may come off or float due to the reaction force that the skirt portion receives from the object to be fastened. For example, when this technology is applied to car bodies, the caps often come off or float due to vibrations from conveying the car bodies on the production line.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to make it easier for operators to attach the cap without making the cap into an inverse shape or performing special processing on the head of the fastener. A seal cap that can provide a sense of moderation and prevent large reaction forces from acting on the cap from members to be fastened, a sealing method for a fastening structure using this seal cap, and a fastening structure equipped with this seal cap. It's about offering your body.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a fastening structure in which a body of a fastener passes through holes of a plurality of members to be fastened, and a head of the fastener is exposed on the surface of the members to be fastened. , the seal cap seals between the head of the fastener and the surface of the member to be fastened, the head being made of thermoplastic resin and covering at least the outer periphery of the head of the fastener. a covering portion, a surface covering portion that is formed at a distance outside the head covering portion in a plan view and covers the periphery of the head on the surface of the fastened member; the head covering portion and the surface a thin wall portion connecting the covering portion, being thinner than the head covering portion and the surface covering portion, and having flexibility, in a state where the seal cap is not attached to the fastening structure; The thin portion extends from the head covering portion toward the surface covering portion of the member to be fastened, and the surface covering portion extends closer to the surface of the member to be fastened than the head covering portion. When the head covering part is pushed toward the surface side of the fastened member to a predetermined amount while the surface covering part is in contact with the surface of the fastened member when the seal cap is attached, , the direction of inclination of the thin part is reversed from the head covering part toward the surface covering part to a direction opposite to the surface of the fastened member, and the direction of inclination of the thin part is reversed from the head covering part toward the surface covering part, and A seal cap is provided that allows the member to be fastened to move toward the front surface.

In the seal cap described above, the head covering portion may have an opening.

In the seal cap, the head covering portion is in a state where the inclination direction of the thin portion is reversed from the head covering portion toward the surface covering portion to a direction opposite to the surface of the fastened member. And an end portion of the surface covering portion on the surface side of the member to be fastened may be substantially flush with the surface.

Further, according to the present invention, in the fastening structure, the body of the fastener passes through the holes of the plurality of fastened members, and the head of the fastener is exposed on the surface of the fastened members. A method for sealing a fastening structure for sealing between the head of the head and the surface of the member to be fastened, the method comprising: mounting the seal cap onto the fastening structure; and heating the seal cap. and a welding step of welding the seal cap to the head of the fastener and the surface of the member to be fastened.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, in the fastening structure in which the body of the fastener passes through the holes of the plurality of fastened members, and the head of the fastener is exposed on the surface of the fastened members, the seal cap Accordingly, a fastening structure is provided in which a seal is formed between the head of the fastener and the surface of the member to be fastened.

According to the present invention, it is possible to give the operator a sense of moderation when attaching the cap without making the cap an inverse shape or applying special processing to the head of the fastener, and it is possible to provide a sense of moderation when attaching the cap from the member to be fastened. No large reaction force is applied, and the seal cap does not come off or float.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fastening structure fitted with a seal cap according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an explanatory perspective view of the appearance of the seal cap in a state where it is not attached to the fastening structure. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the seal cap in a state where it is not attached to the fastening structure. FIG. 3 is an explanatory perspective view of the appearance of the seal cap in a state where the inclination direction of the thin portion is reversed. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fastening structure to which a seal cap is welded. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fastening structure fitted with a seal cap showing a modification.

1 to 5 show one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a fastening structure with a seal cap attached, and FIG. 2 is a seal cap in a state where it is not attached to the fastening structure. 3 is a schematic sectional view of the seal cap in a state where it is not attached to the fastening structure. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the seal cap with the inclination direction of the thin wall portion reversed. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fastening structure to which a seal cap is welded. Note that in the schematic cross-sectional views of FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, outline lines are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 1, this fastening structure 1 includes a plurality of plates 2 and 3 that are joined by fastening in an overlapping state, a fastener 4 that fastens each of the plates 2 and 3, and an outer plate 2. and a seal cap 5 for sealing between the fastener 4 and the fastener 4. The fastening structure 1 is used in the body of an automobile, and the plates 2 and 3 as fastened members are made of a metal material such as iron or aluminum, for example. In this embodiment, the outer plate 2 is made of aluminum, the inner plate 3 is made of iron, and the surface 22 of the outer plate 2 is painted. The fastener 4 has a body 41 that passes through the holes 21 and 31 formed in each of the plates 2 and 3, and a head 42 that is exposed on the surface 22 of the outer plate 2. In this embodiment, the fastener 4 is a rivet made of iron, and also has a head 43 exposed on the surface 32 of the inner plate 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the seal cap 5 includes a head covering portion 51 that covers the head 42 of the fastener 4, a surface covering portion 52 that covers the periphery of the head 42 on the surface 22 of the outer plate 2, and a head covering portion 51 that covers the head 42 of the fastener 4. It has a thin part 53 that connects the part covering part 51 and the surface covering part 52. The seal cap 5 is made of a thermoplastic resin such as EVA resin (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate Copolymer), and can be deformed by applying heat.

In this embodiment, the head 42 of the fastener 4 has a circular shape in plan view, and the head covering portion 51 is formed in a circular shape in plan view along the outer periphery of the head 42 . The radial dimension of the end portion of the head covering portion 51 on the side of the plate member 2 is formed to be the same as the outer peripheral edge of the head portion 42 . Further, the head covering portion 51 is formed larger than the head 42 in the height direction. A hole 54 is formed in the center of the head covering portion 51 in a plan view.

The surface covering part 52 is formed at intervals on the outside of the head covering part 51 in a plan view, and in this embodiment is formed in a ring shape in a plan view. In this embodiment, the head covering part 51 and the surface covering part 52 are formed to have the same thickness dimension.

As shown in FIG. 3, the thin portion 53 is formed thinner than the head covering portion 51 and the surface covering portion 52, and is provided with flexibility. The thin portion 53 extends obliquely from the head covering portion 51 toward the surface covering portion 52 toward the surface 22 of the plate member 2 when the seal cap 5 is not attached to the fastening structure 1 . That is, the surface covering portion 52 is in a state of protruding further toward the plate material 2 side than the head covering portion 51. Furthermore, the seal cap 5 is not formed with an inverse shape. As shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, a first flat surface 55 is formed at the end of the head covering portion 51 on the surface 22 side of the plate material 2, and the surface of the plate material 2 in the surface covering portion 52 A second flat surface 56 is formed at the end on the 22 side.

When the head covering portion 51 is pushed toward the surface 22 of the plate material 2 while the surface covering portion 52 is in contact with the surface 22 of the plate material 2, the thin wall portion 53 is bent, so that the head covering portion 51 is covered with the surface. 52. If the amount of pushing of the head covering portion 51 toward the surface covering portion 52 is relatively small, a reaction force against the pressing input from the head covering portion 51 is generated as the thin wall portion 53 attempts to return to its original shape. When the pushing amount exceeds a predetermined amount, the direction of inclination of the thin portion 53 is reversed and the reaction force disappears. That is, when the head covering part 51 is pushed in to a predetermined amount, the thin part 53 slopes from the head covering part 51 toward the surface covering part 52 on the side opposite to the surface 22 of the plate material 2, as shown in FIG. As a result, the head covering portion 51 is allowed to move relative to the surface covering portion 52. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, when the inclination direction of the thin portion 53 is reversed, the first flat surface 55 of the head covering portion 51 and the second flat surface 56 of the surface covering portion 52 become substantially flush with each other. , the head covering portion 51 and the surface covering portion 52 are in surface contact with the surface 22 of the plate material 2. In this embodiment, by reversing the inclination direction of the thin wall portion 53, the head covering portion 51 and the surface covering portion 52 change to a position in which they are in surface contact with the surface 22 of the plate material 2, and a part of the cap is fastened. A large reaction force is not generated from the surface 22 of the plate material 2 to the seal cap 5, unlike in the conventional case where the seal cap 5 is pressed against a member.

When the head covering part 51 is pushed toward the surface 22 of the plate material 2, the inner periphery of the head covering part 51 comes into contact with the outer periphery of the head 42 of the fastener 4. A space S is defined. In this embodiment, since the head covering portion 51 has a hole 54 as an opening, the space S communicates with the outside, and the space S is not sealed. Therefore, when the volume of the space S becomes smaller due to the pushing of the head covering part 51, the air in the space S is discharged to the outside through the hole part 54.

The seal cap 5 configured as described above is placed on the head 42 of the fastener 4 by an operator or the like, and is attached to the fastening structure 1 by pressing the head cover 51 toward the plate material 2. (installation process). The seal cap 5 has a relatively large height because the surface covering portion 52 protrudes toward the plate material 2 side than the head covering portion 51 before it is installed. can grip the seal cap 5 accurately. Furthermore, since the direction of inclination of the thin wall portion 53 is reversed during installation, a sense of moderation is given to the operator who is pressing the head covering portion 51, and the operator etc. is able to correctly install the seal cap 5. can be recognized with certainty. Moreover, since the air in the space S is discharged from the hole 54, the space S is sealed and excessive force is required to press the head covering part 51, or the head covering part 51 is pushed against the plate material 2 side. Pushing is not obstructed.

The fastening structure 1 with the seal cap 5 attached thereto is heated to a temperature at which the seal cap 5 melts, and as shown in FIG. (welding process). At this time, the space S and the hole 54 disappear and the head covering part 51 is welded to the head part 42, and the thin part 53 is integrated with the head covering part 51 and the surface covering part 52 and welded to the surface 22. . In this embodiment, sealing with the seal caps 5 is performed by attaching the seal caps 5 to necessary locations on the vehicle body and heating the entire vehicle body in a predetermined furnace. Note that, since no large reaction force is generated from the surface 22 of the plate material 2 to the seal cap 5, the seal cap 5 does not come off or float due to vibrations caused by transporting the vehicle body on the line. Specifically, sealing with the seal cap 5 is performed after the electrodeposition coating process and before the main coating process. Also. The seal cap 5 may be heated and melted using the heat during baking in the main coating process.

As described above, according to the sealing method of the fastening structure 1 of the present embodiment, an operator can attach the cap without making the seal cap 5 into an inverse shape or performing special processing on the head 42 of the fastener 4. It is possible to give a sense of moderation in time, and the seal cap 5 does not come off or float.

In the above embodiment, the hole 54 is formed at the center of the head covering part 51 in plan view, but the location, size, number, etc. of the hole 54 may be changed as desired. I can do it. Further, the head covering portion 51 only needs to cover at least the outer peripheral edge of the head 42, and for example, the head covering portion 51 may be ring-shaped in plan view and a large opening may be formed inside.

Further, in the embodiment described above, the head covering part 51 and the surface covering part 52 are in surface contact with the surface 22 of the plate material 2 when the inclination direction of the thin wall part 53 is reversed. As long as the portion 51 is in contact with the surface 22, the surface covering portion 52 does not need to be in contact with the surface 22. That is, even if the radially outer side of the surface covering portion 52 is turned up in a direction away from the surface 22 when the inclination direction of the thin portion 53 is reversed, the sealing performance is not impaired. Incidentally, the curling up of the surface covering portion 52 is suppressed by making the outside of the surface covering portion 152 thinner than the inside, as shown in FIG. Make face-to-face contact. Furthermore, in the fastening structure 101 shown in FIG. 6, the outer side of the surface covering portion 152 melts before other portions when heated, so that the seal cap 105 is prevented from being largely displaced from its intended position when deformed by heating. Ru.

Further, in the embodiment described above, the head 42 of the fastener 4 has a circular shape in plan view, but it goes without saying that the present invention is applicable even if the head 42 has a polygonal shape. Further, in the embodiment, the fastener 4 is a rivet, but the present invention can also be applied to other fasteners having a body and a head, such as pierced metal, bolts, etc. .

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments described above do not limit the invention according to the claims. Furthermore, it should be noted that not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for solving the problems of the invention.

1 Fastening structure 2 Plate material 3 Plate material 4 Fastener 5 Seal cap 21 Hole 22 Surface 31 Hole 32 Surface 41 Body 42 Head 43 Head 51 Head covering portion 52 Surface covering portion 53 Thin wall portion 54 Hole portion 55 No. 1 flat surface 56 2nd flat surface S space

Claims (5)

The head of the fastener and the fastener in a fastening structure in which the body of the fastener passes through holes in a plurality of fasteners, and the head of the fastener is exposed on the surface of the fastener. A seal cap that seals between the surface of the member and the surface of the member,
Made of thermoplastic resin,
a head covering portion that covers at least an outer peripheral edge of the head of the fastener;
a surface covering part that is formed at an interval outside the head covering part in plan view and covers the periphery of the head on the surface of the fastened member;
a thin part connecting the head covering part and the surface covering part, being thinner than the head covering part and the surface covering part, and having flexibility;
When the seal cap is not attached to the fastening structure, the thin portion extends from the head covering portion toward the surface covering portion toward the surface side of the member to be fastened, and the thin portion extends from the head covering portion toward the surface covering portion of the fastened member, a portion protrudes toward the surface side of the member to be fastened than the head covering portion;
When the seal cap is attached, when the head covering part is pushed into the surface side of the fastened member to a predetermined amount with the surface covering part in contact with the surface of the fastened member, the thin wall part The direction of inclination of the member is reversed from the head covering portion toward the surface covering portion to a direction opposite to the surface of the member to be fastened, and the member to be fastened relative to the surface covering portion of the head covering portion is A seal cap that is allowed to move toward the surface side. The seal cap according to claim 1, wherein the head covering portion has an opening. The head covering part and the surface covering part in a state where the inclination direction of the thin part is reversed from the head covering part toward the surface covering part to the direction opposite to the surface of the fastened member. The seal cap according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an end portion of the front surface side of the member to be fastened is substantially flush with the surface. The head of the fastener and the fastener in a fastening structure in which the body of the fastener passes through holes in a plurality of fasteners, and the head of the fastener is exposed on the surface of the fastener. A method of sealing a fastening structure that seals between the surface of a member,
A mounting step of mounting the seal cap according to any one of claims 1 to 3 on the fastening structure;
A method for sealing a fastening structure, including a welding step of heating the seal cap to weld the seal cap to the head of the fastener and the surface of the member to be fastened. A fastening structure in which a body of a fastener passes through holes of a plurality of fastened members, and a head of the fastener is exposed on a surface of the fastened members,
A fastening structure in which a seal between the head of the fastener and the surface of the member to be fastened is sealed by the seal cap according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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