Self-locking bolt

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION, A FEMALE MEMBER HAVING A BORE EXTENDING THEREIN FROM ONE FACE THEREOF HAVING A FIRST CYLINDRICAL SECTION PROXIMATE SAID FACE AND A SECOND CYLINDRICAL SECTION REMOTE FROM SAID FACE, SAID SECOND SECTION HAVING A THREAD THEREIN THE MINOR DIAMETER OF WHICH IS SMALLER THAN THE MINIMUM DIAMETER OF SAID FIRST SECTION, AND A MALE MEMBER FOR THREADED COOPERATION WITH SAID FEMALE MEMBER AND HAVING A CYLINDRICAL THREADED STARTER PORTION AND A CYLINDRICAL THREADED FOLLOWER PORTION SPACED AXIALLY FROM AND HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME MAJOR DIAMETER AS SAID STARTER PORTION, THE THREAD OF SAID STARTER PORTION HAVING THE SAME PITCH AND THREAD ANGLE AS THE THREAD OF SAID SECOND SECTION AND HAVING A MINOR DIAMETER SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE MINIMUM DIAMETER OF SAID FIRST SECTION PRIOR TO INSERTION OF SAID MALE MEMBER IN SAID FEMALE MEMBER, SAID STARTER PORTION BEING MOVABLE THROUGH SAID FIRST SECTION INTO THREADED ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID THREADED SECOND SECTION, SAID THREAD OF SAID STARTER PORTION AND THE THREAD OF SAID SECOND SECTION BOTH HAVING A RELATIVELY SMALL THREAD ANGLE, THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE LEADING END OF THE THREAD OF SAID STARTER PORTION AND THE LEADING END OF THE THREAD OF SAID FOLLOWER PORTION BEING GREATER THAN THE DEPTH OF THE FIRST CYLINDRICAL SECTION, SAID THREADED STARTER PORTION ENGAGING SAID SECOND SECTION PRIOR TO ENGAGEMENT OF SAID FOLLOWER PORTION WITH SAID FIRST SECTION AND BEING EFFECTIVE ON ROTATION OF SAID MALE MEMBER AND ENGAGEMENT OF SAID THREAD OF SAID STARTER PORTION WITH SAID SECOND SECTION TO EXERT A FORCE ON SAID THREADED FOLLOWER PORTION AXIALLY OF SAID MALE MEMBER AND IN A DIRECTION TOWARDS SAID SECOND SECTION, SAID FIRST CYLINDRICAL SECTION BEING THREADED WITH A PARTIAL THREAD PRIOR TO THE ENGAGEMENT OF SAID FOLLOWER PORTION THEREWITH, SAID PARTIAL THREAD BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME PITCH AS THE THREAD OF SAID SECOND SECTION AND OF SAID MALE MEMBER, SAID THREADED FOLLOWER PORTION HAVING THE SAME THREAD PITCH AS SAID STARTER PORTION AND HAVING A LARGER THREAD ANGLE AND MINOR DIAMETER THAN SAID STARTER PORTION TO SELF-TAPPINGLY AND INTIMATELY ENGAGE SAID FIRST SECTION AND FORM A SUBSTANTIALLY CONFORMING THREAD THEREIN WHEN SAID MALE MEMBER IS ROTATED AND WHEN SAID AXIAL FORCE IS EXERTED ON SAID THREADED FOLLOWER PORTION BY SAID THREADED STARTER PORTION, SAID THREAD OF SAID FOLLOWER PORTION HAVING A RELATIVELY LARGE THREAD ANGLE TO FACILITATE SAID SELF-TAPPING ENGAGEMENT THEREBETWEEN, THE MINOR DIAMETER OF SAID THREADED FOLLOWER PORTION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE MINOR DIAMETER OF THE PARTIAL THREAD OF SAID FIRST SECTION PRIOR TO THE SELF-TAPPING ENGAGEMENT OF SAID FOLLOWER PORTION WITH SAID FIRST SECTION, SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE MATERIAL OF SAID FIRST SECTION DISPLACED BY SAID THREADED FOLLOWER PORTION DURING THE SELF-TAPPING ENGAGEMENT THEREOF BEING MOVED INTO THE AREA BETWEEN THE THREAD TURNS OF SAID FOLLOWER PORTION, THE INTIMATE ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN THE THREAD OF SAID FOLLOWER PORTION AND SAID CONFORMING THREAD OF SAID FIRST SECTION FORCING THE FOLLOWING FLANK OF SAID THREAD OF SAID STARTER PORTION INTO INTIMATE FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ABUTTING FACE OF SAID THREAD OF SAID SECOND SECTION, SAID FOLLOWER PORTION BEING SPACED FROM SAID SECOND SECTION WHEN SAID STARTER PORTION OF SAID MALE MEMBER IS THREADEDLY ENGAGED WITH SAID SECOND SECTION OF SAID FEMALE MEMBER.