Mechanical Assembly - Chapter 33
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MECHANICAL ASSEMBLY
1. Threaded Fasteners
2. Rivets and Eyelets
3. Assembly Methods Based on Interference Fits
4. Other Mechanical Fastening Methods
5. Molding Inserts and Integral Fasteners
6. Design for Assembly
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Mechanical Assembly Defined
Use of various fastening methods to mechanically attach
two or more parts together
In most cases, discrete hardware components, called
fasteners, are added to the parts during assembly
In other cases, fastening involves shaping or reshaping
of a component, and no separate fasteners are required
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Products of Mechanical
Assembly
Many consumer products are assembled largely by
mechanical fastening methods
Examples: automobiles, large and small appliances,
telephones
Many capital goods products are assembled using
mechanical fastening methods
Examples: commercial airplanes, trucks, railway
locomotives and cars, machine tools
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Two Major Types of Mechanical
Assembly
1. Methods that allow for disassembly
Example: threaded fasteners
2. Methods that create a permanent joint
Example: rivets
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Why Use Mechanical Assembly?
Ease of assembly – can be accomplished with
relative ease by unskilled workers
Minimum of special tooling required
In a relatively short time
Ease of disassembly – at least for the methods
that permit disassembly
Some disassembly is required for most
products to perform maintenance and repair
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Threaded Fasteners
Discrete hardware components that have external or
internal threads for assembly of parts
Most important category of mechanical assembly
In nearly all cases, threaded fasteners permit
disassembly
Common threaded fastener types are screws, bolts,
and nuts
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Screws, Bolts, and Nuts
Screw - externally threaded fastener generally assembled
into a blind threaded hole
Bolt - externally threaded fastener inserted into through
holes and "screwed" into a nut on the opposite side
Nut - internally threaded fastener having standard
threads that match those on bolts of the same
diameter, pitch, and thread form
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Screws, Bolts, and Nuts
Figure 33.1 Typical assemblies when screws and bolts are used.
Some Facts About Screws and
Bolts
Screws and bolts come in a variety of sizes, threads,
and shapes
Much standardization in threaded fasteners, which
promotes interchangeability
U.S. is converting to metric, further reducing
variations
Differences between threaded fasteners affect tooling
Example: different screw head styles and sizes require
different screwdriver designs
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Head Styles on Screws and Bolts
Figure 33.2 Various head styles available on screws and bolts.
Types of Screws
Greater variety than bolts, since functions vary more
Examples:
Machine screws - generic type, generally designed for
assembly into tapped holes
Capscrews - same geometry as machine screws but
made of higher strength metals and to closer tolerances
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Setscrews
Hardened and designed for assembly
functions such as fastening collars, gears,
and pulleys to shafts
Figure 33.3 (a) Assembly of collar to shaft using a setscrew;
(b) various setscrew geometries (head types and points).
Self-Tapping Screws
Designed to form or cut threads in a
pre-existing hole into which it is being
turned
Also called a tapping screw
Figure 33.4 Self-tapping
screws: thread-forming,
and thread-cutting.
Screw Thread Inserts
Internally threaded plugs or wire coils designed to be
inserted into an unthreaded hole and accept an
externally threaded fastener
Assembled into weaker materials to provide strong
threads
Upon assembly of screw into insert, insert barrel
expands into hole to secure the assembly
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Screw Thread Inserts
Figure 33.6 Screw thread inserts: (a) before insertion, and (b) after
insertion into hole and screw is turned into insert.
Washer
Hardware component often used with threaded
fasteners to ensure tightness of the mechanical joint
Simplest form = flat thin ring of sheet metal
Functions:
Distribute stresses
Provide support for large clearance holes
Protect part surfaces and seal the joint
Increase spring tension
Resist inadvertent unfastening
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Washer Types
Figure 33.8 Types of washers: (a) plain (flat) washers; (b) spring
washers, used to dampen vibration or compensate for wear; and
(c) lockwasher designed to resist loosening of the bolt or screw.
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Bolt Strength
Two measures:
Tensile strength, which has the traditional definition
Proof strength - roughly equivalent to yield strength
Maximum tensile stress without permanent
deformation
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Stresses in a Bolted Joint
Figure 33.9 Typical stresses acting on a bolted joint.
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Over-tightening in Bolted Joints
Potential problem in assembly, causing stresses that
exceed strength of fastener or nut
Failure can occur in one of the following ways:
1. Stripping of external threads
2. Stripping of internal threads
3. Bolt fails due to excessive tensile stresses on
cross-sectional area
Tensile failure of cross section is most common
problem
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Basic Functions of Threaded
Fasteners
To provide relative rotation between external and
internal threads during fastening
To apply sufficient torque to secure the assembly
Product designer often specifies required preload to
secure assembly
Assembly operator must apply the right torque to
achieve the specified preload
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Methods to Apply Required Torque
1. Operator feel - not very accurate, but adequate for
most assemblies
2. Torque wrench – indicates amount of torque during
tightening
3. Stall-motor - motorized wrench is set to stall when
required torque is reached
4. Torque-turn tightening - fastener is initially
tightened to a low torque level and then rotated a
specified additional amount
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Rivets
Unthreaded, headed pin used to join two or
more parts by passing pin through holes in
parts and forming a second head in the pin
on the opposite side
Widely used fasteners for achieving a
permanent mechanically fastened joint
Clearance hole into which rivet is inserted
must be close to the diameter of the rivet
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Types of Rivets
Figure 33.10 Five basic rivet types, also shown in assembled
configuration: (a) solid, (b) tubular, (c) semitubular, (d) bifurcated, and
(e) compression.
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Applications and Advantages
of Rivets
Used primarily for lap joints
A primary fastening method in aircraft and aerospace
industries
Advantages:
High production rates
Simplicity
Dependability
Low cost
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Tooling and Methods for Rivets
1. Impact - pneumatic hammer delivers a succession of
blows to upset rivet
2. Steady compression - riveting tool applies a
continuous squeezing pressure to upset rivet
3. Combination of impact and compression
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Interference Fits
Assembly methods based on mechanical interference
between two mating parts being joined
The interference, either during assembly or after
joining, holds the parts together
Interference fit methods include:
Press fitting
Shrink and expansion fits
Snap fits
Retaining rings
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Press Fitting
Typical case is where a pin (e.g., a straight cylindrical
pin) of a certain diameter is pressed into a hole of a
slightly smaller diameter
Possible functions:
Locating and locking components - to augment
threaded fasteners by holding parts in fixed alignment
with each other
Pivot points - to permit rotation of one component
about the other
Shear pins
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Shrink and Expansion Fits
Assembly of two parts (e.g., shaft in collar) that
have an interference fit at room temperature
Shrink fitting - external part is enlarged by
heating, and internal part either stays at room
temperature or is contracted by cooling
Expansion fitting - internal part is contracted
by cooling and inserted into mating component
- when at room temperature, expansion creates
interference
Used to fit gears, pulleys, sleeves, and other
components onto solid and hollow shafts
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Snap Fits
Joining of two parts in which mating elements
possess a temporary interference during
assembly, but once assembled they interlock
During assembly, one or both parts elastically
deform to accommodate temporary
interference
Usually designed for slight interference after
assembly
Originally conceived as a method ideally
suited for industrial robots
Eureka! – it’s easier for humans too
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Snap Fit Assembly
Figure 33.13 Snap fit assembly, showing cross-sections of two
mating parts: (1) before assembly, and (2) parts snapped together.
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Retaining Ring
Fastener that snaps into a circumferential groove on a
shaft or tube to form a shoulder
Used to locate or restrict movement of parts on a shaft
Figure 33.14 Retaining ring assembled into a groove on a shaft.
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Stitching
U-shaped stitches are formed one-at-a-time
from steel wire and immediately driven
through parts to be joined
Applications: sheetmetal assembly, metal
hinges, magazine binding, corrugated boxes
Figure 33.15 Common types of wire stitches: (a) unclinched,
(b) standard loop, (c) bypass loop, and (d) flat clinch.
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Stapling
Preformed U-shaped staples are punched through the
two parts to be attached
Supplied in convenient strips
Usually applied by portable pneumatic guns
Applications: furniture and upholstery, car seats,
various light-gage sheetmetal and plastic assembly
jobs
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Molding Inserts and Integral
Fasteners
Permanent joining methods that involve shaping or
reshaping one of the components by a manufacturing
process such as:
Casting
Molding
Sheet-metal forming
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Molding Inserts
Placement of a component into mold prior to
plastic molding or metal casting, so that it
becomes a permanent and integral part of the
molding or casting
Figure 33.17 Examples of molded-in inserts: (a) threaded
bushing, and (b) threaded stud.
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Why Use Molding Inserts?
Insert has better properties than molded or cast
material
Insert geometry is too complex or intricate to
incorporate into mold
Examples of applications:
Internally threaded bushings and nuts
Externally threaded studs
Bearings
Electrical contacts
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Integral Fasteners
Components are deformed so they interlock as a
mechanically fastened joint
Methods include:
Lanced tabs
Seaming
Beading
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Lanced Tabs
To attach wires or shafts to sheetmetal parts
Figure 33.18 (a) lanced
tabs to attach wires or
shafts to sheet metal.
Seaming
Edges of two separate sheetmetal parts or
the opposite edges of the same part are bent
over to form the fastening seam
Figure 33.18 (c) single-lock seaming.
Design for Assembly (DFA)
Keys to successful DFA:
1. Design product with as few parts as
possible
2. Design remaining parts so they are easy to
assemble
Assembly cost is determined largely in
product design, when the number of
components in the product and how they
are assembled is decided
Once these decisions are made, little can
be done in manufacturing to reduce
assembly costs
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DFA Guidelines
Use modularity in product design
Each subassembly should have a maximum of 12 or so
parts
Design the subassembly around a base part to which
other components are added
Reduce the need for multiple components to be
handled at once
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More DFA Guidelines
Limit the required directions of access
Adding all components vertically from above is the ideal
Use high quality components
Poor quality parts jams feeding and assembly
mechanisms
Minimize threaded fasteners
Use snap fit assembly
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The difference between screws and
bolts.
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Length of fasteners.
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Types of bolts.
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Hex recess cap screws.
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Nuts.
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Figure 8 - Nuts.
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A fastener.
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Imperial thread designation.
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Imperial fasteners.
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Metric designation for a screw,
bolt, or nut.
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Figure 14 - Metric fasteners.
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Figure 15 - Unified thread
designation.
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Figure 16 - ISO Metric thread
designation.
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Figure 17 - Machine screws.
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Figure 18 - Driving recesses.
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Figure 19 - Head styles.
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Coarse Standard Thread (NC) - Formerly US Standard Thread
Threads Outside Diameter Decimal Equivalent
Sizes Tap Drill Sizes
Per inch at Screw of Drill
1 64 0.073 53 0.0595
2 56 0.086 50 0.0700
3 48 0.099 47 0.0785
4 40 0.112 43 0.0890
5 40 0.125 38 0.1015
6 32 0.138 36 0.1065
8 32 0.164 29 0.1360
10 24 0.190 25 0.1495
12 24 0.216 16 0.1770
Fine Standard Thread (NF) - Formerly SAE Thread
Threads Outside Diameter Decimal Equivalent
Sizes Tap Drill Sizes
Per inch at Screw of Drill
3
0 80 0.060 /64 0.0469
1 72 0.073 53 0.0595
2 64 0.086 50 0.0700
3 56 0.099 45 0.0820
4 48 0.112 42 0.0935
5 44 0.125 37 0.1040
6 40 0.138 33 0.1130
8 36 0.164 29 0.1360
10 32 0.190 21 0.1590
12 28 0.216 14 0.1820
Table 1 - Machine screw size and drill chart.
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Figure 20 - Assorted set screws.
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Figure 21 - Set screw point styles.
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Figure 42 – Pitch.
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Figure 32 - Parts of an external
screw thread. 66
Clearances for Fasteners
Clearance for body of screw,
1/64” greater in diameter then fastener
Counterbore
1/32” greater diameter then screw head
Depth of counterbore equals that or head
Reference 16.14 page 188 of Die Design Fundamentals
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