Aperture sealing fasteners

Claim 1

A FASTENER FOR SECURING A PART TO AN APERTURED PANEL THROUGH WHICH THE FASTENER PROTRUDES, THE FASTENER COMPRISING A SLEEVE OF RELATIVELY RIGID PLASTIC CAPABLE OF SEVERE PLASTIC DEFORMATION WITHOUT FRACTURING, A THREADED NUT AT ONE END OF SAID SLEEVE, A BOLT HAVING A THREADED SHANK EXTENDING THROUGH AND IN SLIDING ENGAGEMENT WITH A PORTION OF THE SLEEVE, AND MEANS INCLUDING A HEAD ON SAID BOLT AT THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID SLEEVE FROM THE NUT, SAID SLEEVE HAVING(A) A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL OUTER CONTOUR FOR A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF ITS LENGTH FROM ONE END THEREOF WHICH IS TO BE INSERTED THROUGH A PANEL APERTURE, (B) AN ENLARGED BOSS PORTION AT ITS OPPOSITE END, AND (C) A CONICAL INTERNAL BORE CONVERGING INWARDLY FROM SAID ONE END FOR A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE TO A CYLINDRICAL BORE EXTENDING TOWARD SAID OPPOSITE END, SAID CONICAL BORE BEING COAXIAL WITH SAID CYLINDRICAL BORE AND HAVING A SIDE WALL THAT FORMS AN ANGLE OF FROM 5 TO 10 DEGREES WITH THE AXIS OF SAID CYLINDRICAL BORE, THE CONICAL BORE DEFINING AN ANNULAR SKIRT EXTENDING FROM SAID CYLINDRICAL BORE TO SAID ONE END OF THE SLEEVE WITH A GRADUALLY DECREASING WALL THICKNESS AND GRADUALLY INCREASING CLEARANCE ABOUT THE BOLT SHANK; SAID MEANS ON SAID BOLT AND SAID NUT CONSTITUTING FORCE APPLYING MEMBERS DISPOSED TO EXERT AXIAL PRESSURE ON OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID SLEEVE AS THE NUT IS THREADED ALONG THE BOLT SHANK, ONE OF SAID FORCE APPLYING MEMBERS HAVING AN ESSENTIALLY PLANAR SURFACE PERPENDICULAR TO THE AXIS OF THE BOLT SHANK AND DISPOSED INITIALLY TO ENGAGE SAID ONE END OF SAID SLEEVE WITH AN ESSENTIALLY AXIALLY DIRECTED FORCE WHEN THE SLEEVE IS AXIALLY COMPRESSED BETWEEN SAID FORCE APPLYING MEMBERS, SAID PLANAR SURFACE EXTENDING FROM A LOCATION THAT IS SPACED RADIALLY OUTWARDLY BEYOND SAID ANNULAR SKIRT TO SAID BOLT SHANK, WHEREBY BY VIRTUE OF THE CONICAL BORE OF SAID SLEEVE, SAID ONE END OF SAID ANNULAR SKIRT WILL CURL RADIALLY OUTWARDLY AND AXIALLY TOWARD SAID OPPOSITE END WITH SUBSTANTIALLY A ROLLING ACTION TO FORM A FLANGE COMPRESSED INTO SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH A PANEL OF PART THROUGH WHICH THE SLEEVE PROTRUDES.