US 12,066,046 B2
Blind fasteners
Matthew Cross, Bristol (GB); Andrew John Fay, Bristol (GB); and Matthew Webster, Bristol (GB)
Assigned to AIRBUS OPERATIONS LIMITED, Bristol (GB)
Filed by AIRBUS OPERATIONS LIMITED, Bristol (GB)
Filed on Aug. 26, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/412,723.
Claims priority of application No. 2016998 (GB), filed on Oct. 27, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0128079 A1, Apr. 28, 2022
Int. Cl. F16B 5/02 (2006.01); B64D 37/32 (2006.01); B64D 45/02 (2006.01); F16B 5/04 (2006.01); F16B 29/00 (2006.01); F16B 33/00 (2006.01)
CPC F16B 29/00 (2013.01) [B64D 37/32 (2013.01); B64D 45/02 (2013.01); F16B 5/0258 (2013.01); F16B 5/04 (2013.01); F16B 33/004 (2013.01); F16B 2200/93 (2023.08)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A blind fastener comprising:
a bolt part having a shaft and a head;
a sleeve part having an outer cylindrical surface and an inner cylindrical surface, wherein the bolt part is at least partially received within the sleeve part;
a tubular insulating sheath, wherein a first end of the sheath is retained on the bolt part such that relative axial movement between the first end of the sheath and the bolt part is substantially prevented;
wherein the blind fastener is movable between:
a pre-installation configuration in which the sleeve part has a first axial position relative to the bolt part and a predetermined section of the sheath is adjacent the outer cylindrical surface of the sleeve part; and
a post-installation configuration in which the sleeve part has a second different axial position relative to the bolt part and the predetermined section of the sheath is adjacent the inner cylindrical surface of the sleeve part, and
wherein the sheath is folded back around an axial end surface of the sleeve part facing the head of the bolt part such that it forms a folded sheath portion wherein an outer tubular portion of the sheath engages the outer cylindrical surface of the sleeve part and an inner tubular portion of the sheath is disposed between the inner cylindrical surface of the sleeve part and the shaft of the bolt part,
wherein when the sleeve part is threaded onto the bolt part and axially displaced toward the head of the bolt part, the bolt part axially displaces the first fixed end of the sheath relative to the sleeve part toward an opposing axial end surface of the sleeve part such that the outer tubular portion of the sheath is longer in the pre-installation configuration than the post-installation configuration; and
wherein the folded sheath portion is configured to be sandwiched between the axial end surface of the sleeve part and a structure through which the bolt part extends and is clamped by the head of the bolt part.