Method of interconnecting members with a grooved pin and reformable collar

Claim 1

IN THE METHOD OF FASTENING TOGETHER A PLURALITY MEMBERS HAVING ALIGNED OPENINGS, WHREIN A HEADED PIN IS INSERTED THROUGH THE OPENINGS, A COLLAR IS POSITIONED AGAINST THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLURALITY OF MEMBERS AND IS DEFORMED INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PIN BY A DRIVING TOOL WITH THE TOOL ENGAGING THE END OF THE PIN TO HOLD THE PIN IN TENSION, AND THEN THE SURPLUS END PORTION OF THE PIN IS BROKEN OFF, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH CONSISTS OF PROVIDING A HEADED PIN OF ADEQUATE LENGTH FOR A PLURALITY OF MEMBERS OF MAXIMUM TOTAL THICKNESS IN A GIVEN RANGE OF TOTAL THICKNESSES, WITH A SERIES OF PERIPHERAL RECESSES ON THE SHANK OF THE PIN AT LESS AXIAL SPACING THAN THE THICKNESS OF THE THINNEST MEMBER OF SAID PLURALITY OF MEMBERS, SAID SERIES OF RECESSES EXTENDING CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE PIN HEAD FOR ENGAGEMENT BY THE COLLAR AT THE MINIMUM TOTAL MEMBER THICKNESS IN SAID RANGE AND EXTENDING SUFFICIENTLY CLOSE TO THE OPPOSITE END OF THE PIN FOR ENGAGEMENT BY SAID TOOL AT THE MAXIMUM TOTAL MEMBER THICKNESS OF SAID RANGE, THE PIN BEING DIMENSIONED IN CROSS SECTION BETWEEN THE RECESSES FOR SNUG FIT INTO SAID OPENINGS TO HOLD THE OPENINGS IN ALIGNMENT WHEN THE TOOL MEMBER THICKNESS IS GREATER THAN THE MINIMUM IN SAID RANGE, INSERTING THE PIN INTO THE ALIGNED OPENINGS OF A PLURALITY OFF MEMBERS OF A TOTAL THICKNESS IN SAID RANGE, SWAGING SAID COLLAR INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE RECESSES IN THE SHANK OF THE PIN, PLACING THE PIN UNDER TENSION AND SIMULTANEOUSLY SUBJECTING THE TENSIONED PIN TO LATERAL STRESS LOCALIZED ADJACENT THE OUTER END OF SAID COLLAR, WITH THE TENSION AND LATERAL STRESS OF SUFFICIENT MAGNITUDE TO BREAK OFF THE PIN AT ONE OF SAID RECESSES ADJACENT THE OUTER END OF THE COLLAR.