MECHANICAL

ASSEMBLY

©2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. M. P. Groover,

“Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing 3/e”
Overview of
processes
MECHANICAL ASSEMBLY
 Threaded Fasteners
 Rivets and Eyelets
 Assembly Methods Based on
Interference Fits
 Other Mechanical Fastening Methods
 Design for Assembly
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
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
Two Major Classes of Mechanical
Assembly
1. Methods that allow for disassembly
 Example: threaded fasteners

2. Methods that create a permanent joint

 Example: rivets
Reasons Why Mechanical Assembly is
Often Preferred Over Other Methods

 Ease of assembly – can be accomplished

with relative ease by unskilled workers
using a minimum of special tooling and
in a relatively short time

 Ease of disassembly – at least for the

methods that permit disassembly
 Some disassembly is required for most
products so maintenance and repair can be
performed
Threaded Fasteners
Discrete hardware components that have
external or internal threads for assembly
of parts
 Most important category of mechanical

assembly
 Threaded fasteners permit disassembly

 Common threaded fastener types are

screws, bolts, and nuts

Screws, Bolts, and Nuts
Screw - externally threaded fastener
generally assembled into a blind
threaded hole

Bolt - externally threaded fastener inserted

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
Screws, Bolts, and Nuts

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
 There is 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
 Various head styles
available on screws and
bolts

Figure 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
 Setscrews
Hardened and designed for assembly functions such
as fastening collars, gears, and pulleys to shafts

(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
Self‑tapping screws:
(a) thread‑forming,
and
(b) 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
 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

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
 Bolt Strength
Two measures:
 Tensile strength, which has the traditional

definition
 Proof strength - roughly equivalent to yield

strength
 Maximum tensile stress without permanent

deformation
Sample Question
A 5-mm diameter bolt is to be
tightened to produce a preload =
250 N. If the torque coefficient =
0.23, determine the torque that
should be applied.
Solution:
T = CtDF = 0.23(5.0)(250) = 287.5 N-
mm = 0.2875 N-m.

Typical stresses acting on a bolted

 Overtightening in Bolted
Joints
Example
An alloy steel Metric 10 x 1.5 screw (10 mm
 Potential problem in
diameter, pitch p = 1.5 mm) is to be turned into a assembly, causing stresses
threaded hole and tightened to one/half of its proof
strength. According to Table 33.2, the proof strength
that exceed strength of
= 830 MPa. Determine the maximum torque that fastener or nut
should be used if the torque coefficient =0.18.
Solution:  Failure can occur in one of the
As = 0.25π(10 - 0.9382 x 1.5)2 = 57.99 mm2
σ = 0.5 of 830 MPa = 415 MPa = 415 N/mm2
following ways:
F = σAs = 415(57.99) = 24,066 N. 1. Stripping of external
T = CtDF = 0.18(10)(24,066) = 43,319 N-mm =
43.32 N-m threads
Example
2. Stripping of internal
A M16x2 bolt (16 mm diameter, 2 mm pitch) is threads
subjected to a torque of 15 N-m during tightening. If
the torque coefficient is 0.24, determine the tensile 3. Bolt fails due to excessive
stress on the bolt.
Solution:
tensile stresses on
cross‑sectional area
T = 15 N-m = 15,000 N-mm
F = T/CtD = 15,000/(0.24 x 16) = 3906 N.  Tensile failure is most
As = 0.25π(16 - 0.9382 x 2)2 = 156.7 mm2
common problem
σ = 3906/156.7 = 24.9 N/mm2 = 24.9 MPa.
Rivets
A rivet is an 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
Five basic rivet types, also shown in assembled configuration: (a)
solid, (b) tubular, (c) semitubular, (d) bifurcated, and (e) compression
Rivets – Applications and Advantages

 Used primarily for lap joints

 Example: a primary fastening method in
aircraft and aerospace industries
 Advantages:
 High production rates
 Simplicity
 Dependability
 Low cost
Tooling and Methods for
Rivets
1. Impact - pneumatic hammer delivers a
succession of blows to upset the rivet
2. Steady compression - riveting tool
applies a continuous squeezing pressure
to upset the rivet
3. Combination of impact and compression
 Interference Fits
Press Fitting
Assembly methods based
on mechanical  Typical case is where a pin

interference between the (e.g., a straight cylindrical

two mating parts being pin) of a certain diameter
joined is pressed into a hole of a
 The interference, either slightly smaller diameter
during assembly or after
joining, holds the parts
together
 Interference fit methods

include:
 Press fitting Note: The pressures and stresses
 Shrink and expansion in an interference fit can be
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
 Example
A dowel pin made of steel (elastic modulus = 209,000 MPa) is to be press fitted into a steel collar. The
pin has a nominal diameter of 16.0 mm, and the collar has an outside diameter of 27.0 mm. (a)
Compute the radial pressure and the maximum effective stress if the interference between the shaft
OD and the collar ID is 0.03 mm. (b) Determine the effect of increasing the outside diameter of the
collar to 39.0 mm on the radial pressure and the maximum effective stress.
Solution
(a) radial pressure between the pin and the collar can be determined by

where =radial or interference fit pressure, MPa; E = modulus of elasticity for the material; i =
interference between the pin (or shaft) and the collar; that is, the starting difference between the inside
diameter of the collar hole and the outside diameter of the pin, mm; D c=outside diameter of the collar,
mm; and Dp=pin or shaft diameter, mm.
The maximum effective stress occurs in the collar at its inside diameter and can be calculated as

(b) When Dc = 39 mm,

 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
Figure Snap fit assembly,
showing cross‑sections of two
mating parts: (1) before
assembly, and (2) parts snapped
together.
 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

Fig. Retaining ring assembled into a groove on a shaft

Stitching

Fastening operation in which U‑shaped

stitches are formed one‑at‑a‑time from
steel wire and immediately driven
through the two parts to be joined
 Applications: sheetmetal assembly,

metal hinges, magazine binding,

corrugated boxes

Common types of wire stitches: (a) unclinched,

(b) standard loop, (c) bypass loop, and (d) flat clinch
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
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
 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.
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
Integral Fasteners
Components are deformed so they
interlock as a mechanically fastened
joint
 Methods include:

 Lanced tabs
 Seaming
 Beading
 Lanced Tabs

To attach wires or shafts to sheet metal

parts

Figure (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 (c) single‑lock seaming

Design for Assembly (DFA)

 Keys to successful DFA:

1. Design the product with as few parts as
possible
2. Design the 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
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
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