US2359632A - Clamping device - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 3, 1944. c. E. EALES CLAMPING DEVICE Filed Dec. 12, 1942 n, I w z m i Patented Oct. 3, 1944 cmmmo DEVICE Charles Edward of one-half to Pa.

Bales, Swarthmore, Alfred P. Smalley,

Pa., assignor Swarthmore,

Application December 12, 1942, Serial No. 468,851 7 Claims. ('01. 287-49) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in a clamp or connecting device, and more particularly to certain improvements in a device for securely clamping crossed cables, wires, rods; tubes, and the like.

Such a clamping device has a wide variety of useful applications and according to one aspect of the invention, the clamp may b advantageously employed in securing the crossed cables or the like elements of marine nets which are commonly utilized to afford protection against torpedoes, submarines or the like. These nets often have explosive charges associated therewith and the electrical lines for setting the charges may e passed through the cables. Of'course, it is to be clearly understood that the clamping device of the present invention may be used in various installations where it is desirable to secure angulariy disposed members. I

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a clamping device which is constructed and arranged in such a manner as to transmit the clamping pressure directly to each of the cables or other elements to be clamped.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a clamping device of the above type wherein assembling and securing of the cables or the like is greatly facilitated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clamping device of the above type wherein the crossed cables or the like are each engaged and clamped the main body and clamping surfaces.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a clamping device of the above type which is inexpensive to manufacture and easily assembled so that it is well adapted for commercial uses.

The above and other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will be hereinafter more fully pointed out.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the device in an assembled clamping position.

Figure 2 is a side sectional view of the assembled clamping device of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of a slightly modified form of clamping device. a

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view showing the modified form of clamping element.

Referring morev in detail to the accompanying drawing and particularly to Figures 1, 2, and 3,

the clamping device is illustrated as including a cylindrical body portion It, a clamping element H in the form of an insert or shoe and a hex clampingnut l 2 which engages threads i4 around one end of the body portion I 0. The opposite end of the body portion I0 is provided with a hexagonal periphery I5 to. facilitate assemling and clamping of the cables is, I60, or other crossed elements.

The body portion it may be made of any desired metal or other material and the selection will depend on the properties required in any given use to which the device is to be put. Similarly, the size of the device may be varied to accommodate different size cables or other elements to be clamped. As shown in Figure 1, the

body portion is formed from a block which is provided with longitudinal slots l1, Ila, intersecting each other and extending-radially across the body portion.

The slots are open at the threaded end of th body portion but terminate short of the opposite end thereof. The slots are of different lengths depending on the size 01' the elements to be clamped. With a given size of cable, the slot i1 is longer than the slot Ila by a distance substantially equal to the diameter of the cable "5. Thus, at the crossing point, the cables may be in light contact but it is to be clearly understood that the difi'erential lengths of the slots may be such as to prevent any contact between the cables. By altering the length and width of the cablereceiving slots, cables of different sizes may be clamped. The open slots greatly facilitate the I assembling operation by permitting rapid placing of the crossed elements without the necessity of threading the cables through apertures. The hexagonal bas i5 can be placed in a similarly shaped recess in a base support or the like so that the assemble unit can be rapidly clamped.

The clamping insert or shoe ii is illustrated as being in the form of a unitary structure including radially extending pairs of arms l8, l8a which are adapted to fit into the slots ll, Ila, respectively. The arms l8 are extended to provide clamping portions which are downwardly offset with respect to the arms l8a in order to contact the lower cable l6 while the upper cable i6a is engaged by the arms I811. The bottoms of the slots ll, lid, and the opposed clamping surfaces of the arms are curved as at l9, or otherwise suitably tended surface contact with the cables or' other elements to be clamped. The curved clamping surfaces of the arms may be knurled to increase shaped to afford ex provided with a recess 25 and the upper surface of the bar2| is providing additional firmly gripped between the arms and the bottoms of the slots.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figure 4, the body portion may be made in the form of a cylinder 2| having diametrically opposed pairs of slots 22, 22a, through the body wall. These slots may be as previously described, and the same' form of clamping insert may be employed, or an insert of the type shown in Figure 5 may be employed. This insert consists of two separate bars 23, 2|, which are crossed. The bottom of the bar 23 is a centrally disposed cut-out or provided with a complementary recess 26. Thus, the bars may be fitted together and interlocked with thetop surface remaining in the same horizontal plane. The bar 24 has depending ends 21 which are adapted to engage lower cable in the longer slots 22 while the bottom surface of the bar 23 engages the upper cable in the shorter slots 22a. The clamping nut l2 may be applied in the same manner although this nut might conveniently be arranged to. engage internal threads on the body wall, thus serving as a plug or the like.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the present invention provides a clamping device wherein clamping pressure is directly applied to each of the elements to be clamped and not merely to one of the elements for transmission to the other element or elements. Thus, material deformation or damage to the elements is prevented. Of course, more than two crossed cables or other elements may be clamped by slots in the body and additional arms on the clamping insert. The of!- set arrangement of the arms of the clamping insert permits each cable to be directly engaged and clamped without the necessity of applying clamping pressure to one cable and then transmitting this pressure to and through other cables with resultant possibility of damage or excessive squeezing of the crossed cables or other elements.

While certain forms of the invention have been shown and described, such forms are merely for the purpose of illustration and it is to be clearly understood that numerous and varied changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

of different lengths,

I claim:

1. A clamping device for crossed cables or the like, comprising a body portion having slots of diil'erent lengths opening at an end of the body portion for receiving the cables, a clamping insert carried by the body portion with parts thereof extending into said slots to directly engage each cable, and means for forcing the insert into tight clampingengagement with the cables.

2. A clamping device for crossed cables or the like, comprising a body portion having a threaded cylindrical portion with open slots for receiving the cables, a clamping insert fitting within said slots and adapted to directly en.- gage each cable, and means engaging the threaded portion for forcingsaid insert into tight clamping engagement with the cables.

3. A clamping device forcrossed cables or the like, comprising a body portion having slots of different lengths opening at one end of the body portion for receiving the cables, a clamping insert having arms fitting within said slots and dimensioned to directly engage each of the cables, and means associated with the body portion for forcing the said arms into tight clamp ing engagement with the cables.

4. A clamping device for cables or the like, comprising a body portion having a cylindrical portion with slots opening at one end thereof for receiving the cables, clamping means including arms extending radially of said cylindrical portion and fitting within said slots for directly engaging each cable, and means directly engaging the cylindrical portion for forcing the clamping means into tight clamping engagement with the cable.

5. A clamping device for crossed cables or the like, comprising a body portion having slots of different lengths opening at one end of the body portion for facilitating the reception of the cables, clamping means having offset clamping surfaces adapted to directly engage each of the cables and' means associated with the body portion for forcing the clamping means against the individual cables.

6. A clamping device for crossed cables or the like, comprising a body portion having openings of different lengths for receiving the cables, separate and independent clamping arms-for each cable, and means associated with the body portion for forcing the said clamping arms'into engagement with the cables.

'7. A clamping device for cables or the like, comprising a body portion having slots opening at one end thereof for facilitating reception of the cables, a single pressure applying device carried by the body portion, and means extending into said slots in contact with the cables and directly engaged by said pressure applying device whereby each cable is independently clamped.

CHARLES EDWARD EALES.

Images