Helically wound mandrel assembly

Claim 2

A mandrel assembly for use in expanding holes of an initial nominally constant diameter through work pieces comprising: a helically wound coil member having a leading end and including a plurality of interconnected resilient helical flights; and, a support member engaging and supporting said coil member about a central axis so that at least the leading helical flight has a first effective outside diameter smaller than the initial hole diameter, at least one of the intermediate helical flights trailing the leading helical flight has a second effective outside diameter larger than the initial hole diameter, and at least the trailing helical flight having a third effective outside diameter larger than said second effective outside diameter so that when said coil member is axially forced through the holes, leading end first, while supported on said support member, said intermediate and trailing flights on said coil member will expand the holes from the initial nominally constant diameter along the length of the holes through the second effective diameter by said intermediate flight and finally to the third effective diameter by said trailing flight to radially expand the holes along their length.

Claim 3

The mandrel assembly of claim 1 wherein said support member includes a fastener having a central axis and a leading end comprising: a bearing section concentric with the fastener central axis adapted to be received through the holes; a head on the trailing end of said bearing section; and, an externally threaded engagement section on the leading end of said bearing section mounting said coil member thereon, said engagement section defining interconnected helical threads therearound, each of said helical flights of said coil member carried by adjacent threads on said engagement section, the leading thread having a crest diameter smaller than the maximum crest diameter of the other threads and each of said helical flights of said coil member having a cross-sectional leading-to-trailing width at least as small as the pitch of said threads.

Claim 4

The mandrel assembly of claim 2 wherein each of said helical flights of said coil member have a circular cross-sectional shape of a diameter at least as small as the pitch of said thread.

Claim 5

The mandrel assembly of claim 2 wherein each of said threads has a circular outside cross-sectional shape and a V-shaped inside cross-sectional shape complementary to the shape of said threads.

Claim 6

The mandrel assembly of claim 2 wherein each of said flights of said coil member have outside and inside circular cross-sectional shape of a diameter larger than the pitch of said thread, and flat leading and trailing lands adapted to bear against the land of said adjacent helical flight when said coil member is mounted on said thread, the distance between said lands substantially equal to the pitch of said thread.

Claim 7

The mandrel assembly of claim 1 wherein said support member includes a support section defining a support surface concentric about said central axis and tapering outwardly from the leading to the trailing end of said support section from a fourth outside diameter less than said first effective outside diameter by the thickness of said leading helical flight to a trailing fourth outside diameter smaller than said second effective outside diameter by the thickness of the trailing helical flight; said support member further including a driving shoulder at the trailing end of said support section engaging the trailing end of said coil member to force said coil member through the holes with said support member.

Claim 8

The mandrel assembly of claim 6 wherein said coil member defines a rearwardly facing trailing driven face arranged generally normal to the centerline of said coil member so that said driving shoulder engages said driven face to move said coil member with said support member.

Claim 9

The mandrel assembly of claim 6 wherein said support member further includes a fastener having a leading end and connection means for releasably connecting the trailing end of said support section to the leading end of said fastener, said fastener defining said driving shoulder on the leading end thereof to engage the trailing end of said coil member to force said coil member with said support member through the holes in the work pieces.

Claim 10

A mandrel assembly for use in expanding holes of an initial diameter through work pieces comprising: a helically wound coil member having a leading end and including interconnected resilient helical flights; and, a support member engaging and supporting said coil member about a central axis so that at least the leading helical flight has a first effective outside diameter smaller than the initial hole diameter and at least one of the helical flights trailing the leading helical flight has a second effective outside diameter larger than said first outside diameter; said support member including a support section defining a support surface concentric about said central axis and tapering outwardly from the leading to the trailing end of said support section from a fourth outside diameter less than said first first effective outside diameter by the thickness of said leading helical flight to a trailing fourth outside diameter smaller than said second effective outside diameter by the thickness of the trailing helical flight; said support member further including a fastener coaxial with and trailing said support section, said fastener having a leading end defining a driving shoulder thereon; and further including a back-up washer removably carried by said support section trailing said coil member, engaged by said driving shoulder on said fastener, and engaging the trailing end of said coil member to force said coil member through the holes in the work pieces with said support member.

Claim 11

A mandrel assembly for use in expanding holes of an initial diameter through work pieces comprising: a helically wound coil member having a leading end and including interconnected resilient helical flights; and, a support member engaging and supporting said coil member about a central axis so that at least the leading helical flight has a first effective outside diameter smaller than the initial hole diameter and at least one of the helical flights trailing the leading helical flight has a second effective outside diameter larger than said first outside diameter; said support member including a support section defining a support surface concentric about said central axis and tapering outwardly from the leading to the trailing end of said support section from a fourth outside diameter less than said first first effective outside diameter by the thickness of said leading helical flight to a trailing fourth outside diameter smaller than said second effective outside diameter by the thickness of the trailing helical flight; said support member further including a fastener coaxial with and trailing said support section, said fastener having a leading end defining a driving shoulder thereon; and further including a back-up washer removably carried by said support section trailing said coil member, engaged by said driving shoulder on said fastener, and engaging the trailing end of said coil member to force said coil member through the holes in the work pieces with said support member.

Claim 14

The method of claim 10 wherein step a) is performed by supporting the flights on the threads of a threaded fastener.