EP0128924B1

EP0128924B1 - Device for interconnecting vertical and horizontal scaffold elements

Info

Publication number: EP0128924B1
Application number: EP19840900136
Authority: EP
Inventors: Harry Karlsson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1982-12-08
Filing date: 1983-12-07
Publication date: 1986-09-10
Also published as: FI842434A0; FI83992C; SE444700B; FI842434A; FI83992B; WO1984002371A1; DE3366152D1; EP0128924A1; SE8207021D0; SE8207021L; SE444700C

Abstract

A device for connecting vertical and horizontal elements (1 respectively 2) comprises hook elements (5) welded to the ends of the horizontal elements, wedges (13) displaceable in said hook elements and yokes (3) welded to the vertical elements. The wedges (13) have upper and lower portions (14a respectively 14b) which bear against the vertical elements above respectively below the yokes (3) when the hook element is hooked in the respective yoke and the wedge is pressed down. The hook element has guides (10 respectively 12) for guiding the wedge and stop means (21) which prevent the unintentional removal of the hook part. The wedge is measured so as to remain by means of gravity in an in-active ready position resting upon an additional stop means (20) supported by the first-mentioned stop means (21).

Description

This invention refers to a device for interconnecting vertical and horizontal tubular elements for scaffolds.
Known in the art are devices according to which the vertical elements comprise yokes or sockets provided to receive hook elements secured to the horizontal elements, wedges being used to secure the connection. However these known devices are disadvantageous in that they offer a connection with a reduced stability and above all these known devices are not able to take up the torque acting upon a scaffold or the like. A device which is able to take up torque is described in Patent Specification WO 81/01164.
The object of the invention has been to provide a device which is not affected with these drawbacks and which additionally can be manufactured as a sturdy and easy to handle product at relatively low costs.
In order to realise these and other objects the invention has the characteristics set forth in the claims.
An exemplary embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a vertical and a horizontal scaffold element with the device according to the invention in a first aligning position.
Fig. 2 shows the device according to Fig. 1 but with the device in a hooking position.
Fig. 3 shows the device according to Fig. 1 in a hooked and locked position and
Fig. 4 finally is a perspective view of a part of the device.

In the drawing the numeral 1 generally designates one of the elements, for instance a vertically disposed upright which is to be connected to a substantially horizontally extending element, generally designated as 2. The elements 1 and 2 are tubes for scaffolds.
As appears from the drawing the vertical elements 1 have one or several yoke or socket shaped members 3 arranged in connection with the proposed joining points. These members, in the following referred to as yokes, are usually welded to the vertical elements and serve to cooperate with the new connecting device, generally designated as 4.
This connecting device includes a hook element 5, which according to Fig. 4 has an upper wall 6 from one end of which and at right angles thereto extends a downwardly directed hook portion 7 and from the opposite end of which extends a downwardly directed wall 8, which forms an acute angle with the upper wall and in turn continues in a lower wall 9 parallel to the upper wall 6.
In the upper wall there is provided a through, longitudinal opening 10 which at 11 is widened for a purpose to be explained.
In the lower wall 9 a slot 12 extends from the free end of the lower wall 9 and parallel to the opening 10.
As appears from Fig. 1-3 the hook element 5 is secured to one end of the horizontal element 1, preferably by welding.
The second part of the connecting device, generally designated as 13, consists of a specially shaped wedge which has an upper side surface 14a and a lower side surface 14b in line therewith. Intermediate said surfaces the wedge has in the left hand side thereof a recess 15, which is limited by a sloping surface 16 extending from the lower surface 14b, said sloping surface in turn continuing in an inner surface 17 parallel to the surfaces 14a, 14b, said inner surface being located at a distance from a plan through the surfaces 14a, 14b which substantially corresponds to the distance between the outer surface of the yoke 3.
The right hand side 18 of the wedge constitutes the active sloping surface of the wedge and in the upper end thereof the wedge is shaped as a hammer-like part 19. Extending from the wedge in two opposite directions are two pins 20, 21, which as appears from Fig. 1-3 are located one above the other and sideways spaced and at a distance from each other which exceeds the thickness of the upper wall 6 of the hook element 5 for a purpose to be explained.
The device here described works in the following manner:

In the initial position the wedge is in an upper disengaged position in which it by gravity takes the illustrated somewhat angled position. The wedge has the point of balance so located that the wedge in the illustrated upper position will bear with the upper pin 20 thereof against the upper side of the wall 6 and with the lower pin against the under side of the wall 6. This is true because the pin 21 is located at that side of the wedge which does not face the side recess 11 in the opening 10 and in the illustrated position the pin 20 is located aside of said side recess.

With the wedge in this position the horizontal element 2 is positioned in the hook position illustrated in Fig. 1, where the side opening of the hook element is in alignment with the yoke 3 of the vertical element, whereupon the horizontal element is displaced to the left such that the wall 7 of the hook element and/or the end portion of the wall 9 will bear against the vertical element 1. In this position hooking takes place in that the horizontal element is lowered causing the hook part 7 to enter the space between the yoke 3 and the vertical element (see Fig. 2).
In order to secure the locking it is only necessary to displace or tilt the wedge somewhat in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2 to achieve that the upper pin 20 thereof will be able to pass through the side recess 11 in the hook element. The wedge now slides down to the position shown in Fig. 3 by gravity and by hammering against the surface 19 a powerful locking of the parts is achieved.
Since the wedge 13 is guided in the recess 10 respectively the slot 12, which of course both should have substantially the same width as the thickness of the wedge and also bears against the vertical element 1 above the yoke 3 (with the surface 14a) as well as below the same (with the surface 14b) and against the wall 8 of the hook element (with the surface 18) a very sturdy and rigid connection is obtained.
It is of course easy to release the connection by knocking the wedge upwardly and tilt it to the initial position shown in Fig. 1 and it is thus so easy to carry out connection as well as disconnection that this operation can be carried out also by unskilled persons.
The device now illustrated can of course be varied in details without departing from the idea of the invention. Of course the definition vertical element also includes parts which are fixedly secured to said elements. When for instance long sockets are used instead of yokes it is not necessary to have the wedge bearing directly against the vertical element since the wedge may bear against corresponding surfaces of the socket. In certain cases it is not necessary that the wedge bears against the vertical element above the yoke. It is also possible to have the pins 20, 21 projecting in the same direction in which case the lower one projects more or has a bigger diameter than the upper one.

Claims

1. Device for connecting substantially vertical and horizontal tubular elements (1, 2) of scaffolds, the vertical element having yokes or sockets (3) provided to receive hook elements (5) secured the horizontal elements (2) and where wedges (13) are provided for securing the connection, characterized in that each hook element (5) in addition to a hook portion (7) which from above can be inserted in the yoke or socket (3) has an obliquely extending wall (8) against which a first surface (18) of the wedge (13) can bear and that the wedge is shaped so as to bear, when in position, with a second surface (14a) thereof against the vertical element or a part secured thereto in or above said yoke or socket and with a third surface (14b) against the vertical element or a part secured thereto below said yoke or socket (3).

2. Device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the hook element has an upper wall (6) from which the hook portion (7) thereof extends substantially at right angles thereto, that said upper wall (6), via an intermediate wall (8) forming an acute angle with said upper wall, continues in a lower wall (9) parallel to the upper wall, the free end of said lower wall being located in substantially the same plane as the outer surface of the hook portion, that an elongate opening (10) is provided through said upper wall whilst from the free end of the lower wall extends a slot (12) and that a wedge (13) is insertable in the hook element (5) to be guided at the top by said opening (10) in the upper wall (6) and at the bottom by the slot (12) in the lower wall (9) of the element and that further the wedge is shaped and dimensioned such that when pressed down with the hook element in an engaged position it bears with a first surface (18) against the inner side of the oblique intermediate wall (8), with a second surface (14a) against the vertical element (1) above the yoke or socket (3) thereof and with a third surface (14b), being an extension of the second surface, against the vertical element (1) below the yoke or socket (3) thereof.

3. Device as claimed in claims 1-2, charac-, terized in that the wedge (13) intermediate said second (14a) and third (14b) surfaces has a recess (15) which is limited by an oblique surface (16) and by a portion (17) parallel to said second and third surfaces, said portion bearing in the engaged position of the wedge against an outer surface of the yoke or socket (3).

4. Device as claimed in claims 1-3, characterized in that the wedge (13) has two pins (20, 21 ) projecting from said wedge and being located one above the other, the upper one (20) being so dimensioned and positioned that it can pass through a side recess (11) in the elongate opening (10) in the upper wall (6) of the hook element while the lower one (21) is so dimensioned or located that it can not pass through said opening, and that the wedge (13) is so dimensioned with respect to the point of balance that it can take up a rest position having the upper pin (20) thereof bearing against the upper side of the upper wall (6) of the hook element (5) and with the lower pin (21) thereof bearing against the under side of said upper wall (6).

5. Device as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the upper portion of the wedge has an oblique impact surface (19).