Multipart joining element for butt and corner joints

Claim 1

A dowel pin assembly for the separable joining of a plurality of members comprising a longitudinally extending pin member including two mutually coaxial sections, the first section having an outer peripheral surface including means for locking reception in a bore provided in a first one of the members, the second section being conical in shape and presenting a smooth surface extending away from the first section to project outwardly from said first member, a sleeve member having an outer peripheral surface including means adapted for resiliently gripping reception in a bore provided in a second member, a smooth, conically shaped longitudinally extending recess in the sleeve member substantially corresponding in conicity with the conical section of said pin member and having an angle of from about 1.2* and about 7* with respect to the longitudinal axis thereof, and adapted for tightly receiving therein the conically shaped pin section, the sleeve member being composed of a material which is softer, more yielding and more elastic than the material of the conical pin section, such that upon insertion of the conical pin section into the conical recess the sleeve member is forcibly expanded in size by the wedging action of the pin section so as to exert a retaining frictional force on the pin section and increase the gripping force of the sleeve member within the bore thereby maintaining the members in a securely joined position while permitting separation of the joint upon the application of sufficient force in a direction to separate the pin section from the recess in the sleeve member.