US3598013A

US3598013A - Anchoring device

Info

Publication number: US3598013A
Application number: US19272A
Authority: US
Inventors: Georg Broberg
Original assignee: Svenska Flaktfabriken AB
Current assignee: Svenska Flaktfabriken AB
Priority date: 1970-03-13
Filing date: 1970-03-13
Publication date: 1971-08-10
Anticipated expiration: 1988-08-10

Abstract

An anchoring device is disclosed for mounting in a vertical hole in a horizontally disposed building member to secure a tension member from which a length of ventilation duct is suspended. The device comprises complementary wedge-shaped elements dimensioned to be received axially in the hole, one element being fixedly mounted with its base disposed adjacent the top of the hole and the other element being movably mounted with its base disposed near the bottom of the hole. The fixed element has a series of downwardly facing transverse teeth in its outer surface engaging the side of the hole and the movable element has a smooth outer surface engaging the side of the hole, each element having smooth parallel confronting surfaces inclined with respect to the axis of the hole for frictionally engaging a portion of the tension member when the movable element is driven upwardly with respect to the fixed element. In one embodiment, the elements are solid and the tension member is a thin, flat strip or wire. In another embodiment, the elements have U-shaped transverse cross sections with parallel legs, the confronting surfaces being formed on the legs and the tension member being a thin, flat strip frictionally engaged between the legs.

Description

United States Patent [72] Inventor Georg Broberg Solna, Sweden [21] Appl. No. 19,272 [22] Filed Mar. 13,1970 [45] Patented Aug. 10, 1971 [73] Assignee Aktiebolaget Svenska Flaktfabriken Stockholm, Sweden Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 856,600, Sept. 10, 1969.

[54] ANCHORING DEVICE 6 Claims, 10 Drawing Figs.

{52] US. Cl 85/79, 52/39, 521698, 248/60, 248/317 [51] Int. Cl E21! 17/02, Fl6b 2/00 [50] Field ofSeareh 52/704,62, 698, 39; 85/79; 248/317, 17, 343, 58; 61/45 B [56] References Cited UNflED STATES PATENTS 1,946,949 2/1934 Stagg .1 52/62 3,342,097 9/1967 Rocheleau... 85/79 3,451,304 6/1969 Taylor 85/79 Primary Examiner-Frank L. Abbott Assistant Examiner--Robert A. Schwartz Attorney-Howson and Howson ABSTRACT: An anchoring device is disclosed for mounting in a vertical hole in a horizontally disposed building member to secure a tension member from which a length of ventilation duct is suspended. The device comprises complementary wedge-shaped elements dimensioned to be received axially in the hole, one element being fixedly mounted with its base disposed adjacent the top of the hole and the other element being movably mounted with its base disposed near the bottom of the hole. The fixed element has a series of downwardly facing transverse teeth in its outer surface engaging the side of the hole and the movable element has a smooth outer surface engaging the side of the hole, each element having smooth parallel confronting surfaces inclined with respect to the axis of the hole for frictionally engaging a portion of the tension member when the movable element is driven upwardly with respect to the fixed element. In one embodiment, the elements are solid and the tension member is a thin, flat strip or wire. In another embodiment, the elements have U-shaped transverse cross sections with parallel legs, the confronting surfaces being formed on the legs and the tension member being a thin, flat strip frictionally engaged between the legs.

Patented Aug. 10, 1971 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIGI.

INVENTOR) GEORG BROBERG WW ATTY S.

Patented Aug. 10, 1971 3,598,013

2 Sheets-Shut z FIG.6. FIG'Z INVENTORZ GEORG BROBERG ATTYS.

ANCHORING DEVICE The present application is a continuation-impart of my copending application Ser. No. 856,600 filed Sept. 10, 1969 and entitled Anchoring Arrangement Preferably Intended for Suspending Ventilation Drums and the Like.

The present invention relates to anchoring devices; and more particularly, the present invention relates to an anchoring device which is primarily adapted for mounting in a hole in a building member to securely mount a tension member from which ventilation ducts and the like are suspended.

At present, there is a tendency toward standardization of the design of ventilation ducts to provide prefabricated ducts which may be expeditiously assembled at the location of their intended use for reducing installation costs. An obstacle to an even greater reduction in installation costs, however, is the amount of labor which is presently required to mount the ducts. One of the reasons for this is because the ceilings and beams which carry the ducts in many structures are of poured concrete construction and must be drilled upwardly to accept expansion fasteners which mount specially designed suspension irons. Each hole is normally drilled larger than the size of the fastener required for a particular load in order to enable the hole to accommodate the expansion shield or plug which mounts the fastener. As a result, additional drilling time through hard material is required, and since the location of drilling is overhead, it is tedious and tiring for workmen. Moreover, when the expansion shield is wood or lead and the fastener has threads, even greater amounts of time are required for workmen to mount the ducts because of the time required to rotate the fastener and the frequent absence of sufficient space in which the workmen may operate. It is also to be noted that the outer surfaces of some types of expansion shields may not provide an adequate lateral gripping action in side the mounting hole to enable the shield to safely resist downwardly applied loads. In addition, even with the use of adjustable suspension irons, the aforementioned fastening devices have made it difficult, and in some cases impossible, for the ducts to be accurately mounted at a predetermined elevation.

With the foregoing in mind, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an anchoring device which may be used to effect economies in the installation of ductwork by reducing drilling labor.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an anchoring device which may be quickly installed in its mount ing hole without the use of threaded expansion fasteners.-

As a further object, the present invention provides an anchoring device which is inexpensive to fabricate by high speed production techniques.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an anchoring device which may be used with wires or thin strips cut from waste material resulting from the fabrication of ducts.

More specifically, the present invention provides an anchoring device comprising complementary wedge-shaped elements having a combined circular or polygonal transverse cross section dimensioned to enable the elements to be installed in a hole for clamping a narrow, elongated, metallic tension member such as a strip or wire between confronting surfaces of the elements when one element is displaced relative to the other. The elements are mounted in the hole to dispose the base of one element deep in the hole and the base of the other element adjacent the opening of the hole so that the confronting surfaces are inclined with respect to the axis of the hole. The one element has a series of downwardly facing transverse teeth in its outer surface engagingthe side of the hole and the other element has a smooth outer surface to enable it to be displaced upwardly into the hole for effecting a firm frictionclamping action on the tension member.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention should become apparent from the following- Ill description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. I is a partially sectioned perspective view of an anchoring device embodying the present invention, the device being mounted in a hole in a ceiling from which a length of ventilation duct is suspended by means; of a flat tension member;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the anchoring device of FIG. I looking leftward along the top of the duct;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a view of an anchoring device similar to FIG. 2 but illustrating a round tension member clamped by the device;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a modified embodiment of the anchoring device of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating the modified anchoring device of FIG. 6 mounted in a hole;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an alternate manner for mounting a duct from an anchoring device embodying the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 of another alternate manner for mounting duct frotn a pair of anchoring devices embodying the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIG. I, a ventilation duct D which is suspended from a horizontally disposed building member, in the present instance a concrete ceiling I. The duct D is adjustably mounted at a predetermined elevation with respect to the ceiling I by means of a tension member 3, in the present instance a thin, elongated metallic strip, looped at its lower end around an eye 7 which is welded to the top of the duct D and looped and clamped at its upper end by an anchoring device A embodying the present invention. A stamped-out buckle member 8 connects the free ends of the tension member 3 to permit adjustment at the mounting elevation of the duct D. If desired, the duct I) may be mounted with a tension member 33 surrounding the duct and the buckle 8 disposed on one side thereof as illustrated in FIG. 9; or, the duct D may be mounted in close proximity to the ceiling l by two tension members 43 fastened to opposite sides of the duct by metal screws as illustrated in FIG. 10.

In accordance with the present invention, the anchoring device A securely suspends the duct D from the ceiling 1 without requiring shielded threaded fasteners and correspondingly oversized holes. To this end, the anchoring device A is mounted in a hole 2 in the ceiling I and comprises

complementary elements

4 and 5, each of which has a wedgeshaped profile forming inwardly confronting surfaces 4' and 5' between which is clamped the upper end of the tension member 3. The element 4 is mounted with its base or larger end disposed deep in the hole 2 and its apex or smaller end ad jacent the hole-opening; corresponding portions of the element 5 are oppositely mounted in the hole 2. As may be seen in FIG. 3, each of the elements has an arcuate outer surface so that the transverse cross section of the device A is slightly less than the diameter of the hole 2 when the elements are disposed with their inside surfaces 4 and 5' in face engaging relation. In order to increase the gripping action of the anchoring device A in the hole 2, a series of downwardly facing transverse teeth 4 a are provided on the outer surface of the element 4. Unlike the element 4, the outer surface of the element 5 is smooth to facilitate its upward displacement into the'holes.

In use, the tension member 3 is bent back on itself at its upper end, and the element 4 is inserted in the hole 2 with its surface 4' engaging the tension member 3. The outer element 5 is thereafter positioned as illustrated in broken lines in FIG. 2 and is driven upwardly by a hammer into the full line position. By virtue of their wedge shapes, the elements tightly engage the side of the hole 2 and clamp the tension member 3 therebetween.

In a modified embodiment of the present invention, an anchoring device B (FIG. 4) is provided for clamping a ten sion member such as a round, preferably steel, wire 13. For this purpose, the anchoring device B has wedge-

shaped elements

14 and 15, similar to the elements 4 and S. The element 14 has a longitudinally extending groove in its surface 14 and the element 15 has a like groove in its surface 15'. The radius of curvature of each-groove corresponds substantially to the curvature of the wire 13. However, as may be seen in FIG. 5, the depth of the groove is less than the radius of the wire in I order to prevent the confronting surfaces 14' and 15 from engaging one another and thereby reducing or possibly eliminating the friction clamping action on the wire 13.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4 and S is installed in a manner similar to the FIGS. 13 embodiment; however, it is preferable for the terminus of the wire 13 to be bent at a sub stantially right angle to itself for engaging the top of the element 14. In this manner, additional safety is provided in the event that the downward load on the wire 13 should exceed the upward friction forces thereon. it is apparent that the wire may be be bent back on itself like the element 3, in which event double grooves may be provided in confronting sur faces.

ln still another embodiment of the present invention, an anchoring device C which is adapted to be manufactured by low-cost mass-production techniques is provided. its may be seen in FlGS. 6-8, the device C is similar to the aforementioned anchoring devices A and B and comprises complementary wedge-shaped

elements

24 and 25 each of which has a U- shaped transverse cross section (FIG. 8) forming pairs of

con fronting surfaces

24 and 25 for engaging opposite sides of a doubled length of a thin, flat tension member 23 disposed therebetween (See FIG. 7). The tension member 23 extends laterally beyond the edges of the surfaces 24' and 25 and it has a widthwise dimension which is less than the diameter of the hole 22 in which the device C is mounted (FIG. 8). Like the

elements

4 and 14, the element 24 has a series of downwardly facing transverse teeth 24a in its outer surface which engage the side of the hole 2, and the element 25 has a smooth outer surface engaging the side of the hole 22. In this embodiment, the teeth 24a are formed by displacing the web of the element 24 outwardly at selected intervals, which operation may be performed concurrently with the shaping of the element 24 to thereby effect manufacturing economies.

The anchoring device C is installed in a manner similar to the aforementioned devices A and B. in the illustrated mounting, however, it is to be noted that unlike the tension.

members

3 and 13, the tension member 23 terminates below the tops of the elements 24 and 25V An advantage is realized from disposing the tension member in this manner, since it permits some vertical adjustment of the mounting elevation of a duct by enabling the ends of the tension member to be displaced upwardly in the hole during installation. If desired, the

tension members

3 and 13 may be similarly disposed in their respective anchoring devices to realize this advantage without substantially impairing their effectiveness.

in view of the foregoing, it should be apparent that an anchoring device has been provided which. is inexpensive to manufacture and which may be installed in a labor-saving manner.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, various modifications, alterations or changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

I. An anchoring device mountable in a hole in a building member comprising an elongated tension member to suspend an object therefrom, and a pair of complementary elements engaging said tension member to sandwich the latter between said elements, said member and elements having a cross-sectional dimension less than he corresponding transverse dimension of the hole to enable the elements to be inserted axially into the hole, one end of each element having a transverse cross-sectional dimension greater than the other end thereof providing a wedge-shaped profile forming at least one planar confronting surface inclined with respect to the axis of the hole and engaging the tension member, said confronting surfaces of the two elements being in registry on opposite sides of said tension member, only one of said elements having a series of teeth in its outer surface for engaging one side of the hole, the other of said elements having a smooth surface for slidably engaging the other side of the hole, the greater end of said one toothed element being disposed inwardly of the hole to effect a friction clamping action on the tension member by said two registering planar confronting surfaces of said elements when said other smooth element is slidingly displaced relative to said one toothed element inwardly of the hole, each of said elements comprising a metal channel piece with a U-shaped transverse cross section, the legs thereof providing registering pairs of confronting surfaces, said teeth of said one element comprising outward displacements of the web of the as sociated channel piece, said tension member being engaged between said pairs of confronting surfaces.

2. An anchoring device according to claim I wherein said tension member comprises a thin, elongated metallic strip which spans across the legs of said channel pieces.

3. A device according to claim 1 wherein the longitudinal dimension of said elements is less than the depth of said hole to leave open space above said elements in which said tension member is bent with its bent portion above the ends of said elements in said hole.

4. A device according to claim 3 wherein said tension member is bent back upon itself and is clamped between the confronting surfaces below the ends of the elements.

5. A device according to claim 3 wherein said tension member is bent at a substantially right angle to itself and terminates above said elements to engage the end of said one element.

6. A device. according to claim 1 where said tension member terminates below the upper ends of said elements between the confronting surfaces thereof.

Claims

1. An anchoring device mountable in a hole in a building member comprising an elongated tension member to suspend an object therefrom, and a pair of complementary elements engaging said tension member to sandwich the latter between said elements, said member and elements having a cross-sectional dimension less than the corresponding transverse dimension of the hole to enable the elements to be inserted axially into the hole, one end of each element having a transverse cross-sectional dimension greater than the other end thereof providing a wedge-shaped profile forming at least one planar confronting surface inclined with respect to the axis of the hole and engaging the tension member, said confronting surfaces of the two elements being in registry on opposite sides of said tension member, only one of said elements having a series of teeth in its outer surface for engaging one side of the hole, the other of said elements having a smooth surface for slidably engaging the other side of the hole, the greater end of said one toothed element being disposed inwardly of the hole to effect a friction clamping action on the tension member by said two registering planar confronting surfaces of said elements when said other smooth element is slidingly displaced relative to said one toothed element inwardly of the hole, each of said elements comprising a metal channel piece with a U-shaped transverse cross section, the legs thereof providing registering pairs of confronting surfaces, said teeth of said one element comprising outward displacements of the web of the associated channel piece, said tension member being engaged between said pairs of confronting surfaces.

2. An anchoring device according to claim 1 wherein said tension member comprises a thin, elongated metallic strip which spans across the legs of said channel pieces.

6. A device according to claim 1 where said tension member terminates below the upper ends of said elements between the confronting surfaces thereof.