Explosively actuated rivet gun

Abstract

Abstract A BARREL ASSEMBLY OF AN EXPLOSIVELY ACTUATED RIVET GUN INCLUDES A BARREL HOUSING AND AN INNER, LONGITUDINALLY DISPLACEABLE BARREL WITHIN THE HOUSING. A TRANSLATABLE IMPACTING HAMMER IS DISPOSED WITHIN THE INNER BARREL FOR STRIKING A RIVET FORMING PUNCH AT THE MUZZLE END OF THE GUN. PORTING IN THE INNER BARREL PROVIDES FOR ITS MOVEMENT IN RESPONSE TO GAS PRESSURE TOWARD THE BREECH END OF THE GUN AND THE VENTING OF EXPOSIVE GENERATED GASES. AN IMPACTING HAMMER RETURNPORT IN THE INNER BARREL ADMITS GASES AHEAD OF THE IMPACTING HAMMER TO FORCE IT BACK TO THE BREECH END OF THE GUN. THE PORTING ALSO PRODUCES GAS BIASING OF A NOSE ASSEMBLY AGAINST THE SHEETS BEING RIVETED TO ELIMINATED THE EFFECT OF GUN RECOIL. THE IMPACTING HAMMER, THROUGH INERTIA SEPARATION, PROLONGS THE TRANSFER OF ITS UPSETTING IMPACT TO A RIVET. THE FORMING PUNCH HAS A FRUSTO-CONICAL RECESS FOR UPSETTING AND CONSTRICTING EXPANSION OF A RIVET. THE NOSE ASSEMBLY HAS A UNIVERSALLY ROTATABLE HEAD WITH A PARABOLIC MIRROR THAT IS MAINTAINED OUT OF ALIGNMENT WITH A LIGHT SOURCE ON THE BREECH ASSEMBLY UNTIL THE NOSE ASSEMBLY IS PROPERLY ALIGNED, WHEREUPON LIGHT REFLECTED FROM THE PARABOLIC MIRROR ENERGIES A PHOTOSENSITIVE ELEMENT TO UNLOCK THE GUN''S TRIGGER. ADDITIONAL INTERLOCKS PREVENT GUN FIRING UNTIL A RIVET BUCKING BAR AND A FORMING DIE ARE IN PROPER POSITION. AN ADJUSTABLE VOLUME EXPANSION CHAMBER CONTROLS EXPLOSIVE PRESSURE ON THE IMPACTING HAMMER AND, THEREFORE, THE UPSETTING IMPACT TRANSFERRED THROUGH THE FORMING PUNCH TO A RIVET.

Inventors

• 👤 John C Steinmetz

Bibliographic Details