Technical Field

The invention relates to a process and means for stably fixing anchoring organs to surfaces. Specifically, though not exclusively, the invention is usefully applied for fixing anchoring organs to surfaces of very various kinds of materials. The invention proposes to offer a valid alterative to fixing devices and systems using expanding rawl plugs, a very widely-used technology.

Background Art

The use of expanding plugs requires first making a hole in a surface, introducing the plug and then blocking it there, normally by causing the plug to expand.

The main aim of the present invention is to simplify the application operation of the anchoring organ, obviating the need to perform, in effect, two operations.

A further aim of the invention is to provide a fixing system which is equally usable on surfaces made of very different types of materials.

An advantage of the invention is its constructional and functional simplicity.

A further advantage of the invention is the ease and rapidity of application thereof.

A further advantage is the guarantee of safety it offers against possibly damp infiltrations.

These aims and advantages and more besides are all attained by the invention as it is characterised in the accompanying claims. Disclosure of Invention

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will better emerge

from the detailed description that follows of some preferred but non-exclusive embodiments of the invention, illustrated purely by way of non-limiting examples in the accompanying figures of the drawings, in which: figure 1 is a schematic section view of an axial plane of an anchoring organ according to the invention; figure 2 is a partly sectioned view of an initial stage, preceding application of the anchoring organ to a surface; figure 3 is also a partly sectioned view of figure 2, relating to a final stage in which the anchoring organ is fixed to a surface; figure 4 is a schematic view, sectioned according to an axial plane of a second embodiment of the invention; figure 5 is a schematic view, sectioned according to an axial plane of a further embodiment of the invention; figure 6 is a schematic view, sectioned according to an axial plane of a further embodiment of the invention.

With reference to the figures of the drawings, 1 denotes an anchoring organ predisposed to be stably fixed to a surface.

The anchoring organ 1 is provided with a base 10, which is provided on a side thereof with an active surface 11 destined to couple on the portion of surface 2 to which the anchoring organ 1 is to be fixed, and, on another side thereof, with means 14 for gripping the anchoring organ 1. The gripping can advantageously be realised using a chuck 40 of a tool which can rotate the anchoring organ on command about a median axis x-x thereof.

A predetermined quantity of glue 3 is spread on the active surface 11, which glue 3 is solid before activation thereof and which in the first illustrated embodiment is of the hot-melt type, i.e. the type of glue which is activated when melted, which in the illustrated embodiment occurs following a mechanical heating action

which produces a melting that causes the glue to adhere to the material once re¬ solidified.

In the first embodiment the necessary heat is produced following a dragging of the layer of glue 3 on the portion of surface 2 at moment of application of the anchoring organ, as will be explained in more detail herein below.

In a further embodiment, illustrated in figure 4, the glue 3 is bi-component and before activation is contained in two small containers or blisters, 3a and 3b. These two blisters open when subjected to a combined mechanical action such as the one described above, in which the anchoring organ 1 is dragged in rotation and pressed against the portion of surface 2. The blisters 3a and 3b when subjected to this mechanical action are broken and the liquids contained therein (resins and catalysers) rapidly mix and the glue is activated. In a further embodiment, not illustrated in the figures of the drawings, the glue can be predisposed directly on the portion of surface 2 to be coupled with the active surface 11 of the anchoring organ 1.

In the embodiment of figure 1, the active surface 11 is provided with at least a projecting organ which has a centring function, which is disposed coaxially to the median rotation axis x-x which enables centring of the anchoring organ 1 on a prefixed reference indicator on the surface. The projecting organ is constituted by a centring element 12 which exhibits a pointed shape and is coaxially arranged to the rotation axis x-x. In other embodiments of the invention, not illustrated in the figures of the drawings, the centring element 12 is not included. In the illustrated embodiments the active surface 11 is peripherally delimited by a projecting lateral seal 5, which is placed in contact with the portion of surface 2. In other embodiments the lateral seal is not included.

The projecting lateral seal 5 mainly has the task of laterally containing the glue once, during the application, the glue is in the pasty or liquid state. Before activation, the glue 3 is housed internally of the chamber defined by the internal cylindrical surface of the projecting lateral seal 5 and the portion of active surface 11 delimited internally thereof.

A breather hole 6 is afforded in the flat base 10 for placing the active surface 11 in communication with the external side 21 of the flat base 10, with the aim of allowing any air trapped in the closed space delimited by the internal cylindrical surface of the projecting lateral seal 5 to escape, as well as any air trapped by the portion of active surface 11 delimited internally thereof and by the portion of surface 2 on which the active surface 11 is applied, and for avoiding any trapping of air bubbles.

In the illustrated embodiments, the base 10 is axial-symmetric in shape, as is the projecting lateral seal 5 which is circular and coaxially arranged to the element 12 and the rotation axis x-x.

The centring element 12 can exhibit a simple pointed shape and have the function, as it is coaxially arranged to the rotation axis x-x, as a simple centring element, or it can also exhibit a preferably cylindrical point 15 having cutters, also coaxially arranged to the rotation axis x-x, for piercing the surface delimited by the portion of surface 2. This further embodiment is in particular shown in figure 5. Once the application has been achieved, the presence of the point 15 increases the resistance of the anchoring organ 1 to any cutting forces. The projecting lateral seal 5 exhibits a cutting edge for cutting into the surface 2 and penetrating, at least partially, into the body delimited by the portion of surface 2 (see figure 3).

In the illustrated embodiment the means for gripping 14 are predisposed to realise a grip of the anchoring organ 1 in order to rotate the element 1 about the rotation

axis x-x which is median and perpendicular to the active surface 11. In a further embodiment, not illustrated in the figures of the drawings, the means for gripping 14 are predisposed to enable a gripping of the anchoring organ 1 by a chuck of a tool which only vibrates the anchoring organ 1. The vibration, similarly to the rotation motion of the previous embodiments, has the aim of producing a mechanical action which generates the heat necessary for producing melting of the hot-melt glue, or breaking the blisters 3a and 3b and producing the rapid mixing of the liquids contained therein (resin and catalyser), thus activating the glue. In particular, the means for gripping 14 comprise, very simply, a stalk 24 which is solidly mounted on or removably constrained to the base 10. The removable connection of the stalk 24 can be a thread by which the stalk 24 is removably connectable on a threaded seating 44 afforded coaxially in the base 10. By using the above-described means, a process for stably fixing an anchoring organ 1 to a surface 2 can be actuated, which comprises application of an anchoring organ 1 to the surface 2 by a mechanical action including a compressive component. The anchoring organ 1 is provided with a base 10, which base 10 has on a side thereof an active surface 11 for coupling to a portion of surface (2) to which the anchoring organ 1 is to be attached, while on another side thereof the base 10 exhibits means for gripping 14 the anchoring organ 1. According to the process of the invention, on the active surface 11 or the corresponding portion of surface 2 on which the active surface 11 is to be coupled, a predetermined quantity of glue 3 is arranged, which has the property of being activated only following subjection thereof to a mechanical action. The mechanical action is actuated by using the means for gripping 14 to cause a motion including a compression of the anchoring organ 1 against the surface 2.

In particular the anchoring organ 1 is rotated about a median rotation axis x-x thereof which is perpendicular to the active surface 11 and is pressed against the surface 2.

In a further embodiment the anchoring organ 1 is vibrated and pressed against the surface 2.

For application of the anchoring organ 1 to the surface 2, the anchoring organ is provided with a centring element 12 which is solidly constrained to and projects from the active surface 11. The centring element 12 exhibits a pointed shape and is arranged coaxially to the median rotation axis x-x in order to enable centring of the anchoring organ 1 on a prefixed reference point on the surface 2.

At least a projecting lateral seal 5 is provided for application of the anchoring organ 1 on the surface 2, which lateral seal 5 is destined to be placed in contact with the surface 2. Before application of the anchoring organ 1 to the surface 2, the glue 3 is housed stably, in a form suitable for enabling free manipulation of the anchoring organ 1, the glue being positioned at least internally of the chamber comprised between the internal cylindrical surface of the projecting lateral seal 5 and the portion of active surface 11 delimited peripherally thereby. The application of the anchoring organ 1, which is overall axial-symmetric, to the surface 2 is actuated in the following stages: the anchoring organ 1 is brought up to the surface 2 so that the most external part of the centring element 12 penetrates at least partly into the surface 2; the anchoring organ 1 is gripped by the chuck 40 of a tool able to commandably rotate the anchoring organ 1 about the median axis x-x thereof; the anchoring organ 1 is rotated in combination with a predetermined thrust against the surface 2 in order to bring the surface 2 into contact with the glue 3 which is activated following the mechanical action exerted thereon.

In a farther embodiment, the means for gripping vibrate the anchoring organ 1 while keeping the anchoring organ 1 pressed against the surface 2 in order to generate a mechanical action as described on the glue 3.