AU606503B2

AU606503B2 - Improvements in fasteners

Info

Publication number: AU606503B2
Application number: AU29770/89A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Nevelle Austin Cranfield
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-02-09
Filing date: 1989-02-09
Publication date: 1991-02-07
Anticipated expiration: 2009-02-09
Also published as: AU2977089A

Description

1" 111-4 1.6 ZA /M An iS Nd oNW 1 rIH 0 J3( 9V 'Id 011 IIII 1.6 III IfI T 7 r I I l iii 4,, OON606503EALTH OF AUSTRALIA COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1952 Name of Applicants Address of Applicants 8 Address of Applicants NEVELLE AUSTIN CRANFIELD and SAMUEL ARTHUR THOMAS WOODBRIDGE Unit 6, "Sevenoaks North", Corner Freybury and Campbell Streets, Sorrento, Queensland, 4217, Australia and 85 Bunya Street, Greenslopes, Queensland, 4120, Australia, respectively t Actual Inventor Address for Service NEVELLE AUSTIN CRANFIELD GRANT ADAMS COMPANY, Patent Trade Ma'k Attorneys, 333 Adelaide Street, BRISBANE. QUEENSLAND. 4000

AUSTRALIA.

ON FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED: COMPLETE SPECIFICATI "IMPROVEMENTS IN FASTENERS" The following statement is a full description of the invention including the best method of performing it known to us,

_I_

THIS INVENTION relates to improvements in fasteners. In particular, the invention relates to improvements in quick-application and quick-release fasteners including the type of fasteners known as "split nuts".

When erecting and disassembling shuttering for concrete work, a fitter or labourer commonly has to spend a considerable amount of time cleaning the threads of the "superbolts" to enable the fitting of the tensioning nuts, and then screwing the nuts along the bolts.

Split nuts, incorporating two nut halves, are Sknown e.g. see Australian Patent No. 474930 (83419/75) (Williams). These require nut halves with inclined too* 0 15 ramped faces engaging a complementary ramp face in a 4° washer or base. While they may be suitable in certain applications, they suffer the problem that the fitter must assemble the three pieces together.

s It is an object of the present invention to 20 provide a fastener where the nut halves can be separated to allow the fastener to be passed along the bolt and i then brought together for screw-threaded engagement with the bolt.

It is a preferred object to provide a fastener which has a sleeve which is operable to quickly release and engage the nut halves with thp bolt.

!V It is a further preferred object to provide a fastener where the sleeve, when in its engaging position, can be engaged with a tool to tighten or release the fastener along the bolt.

It is a still further preferred object to provide a fastener with an integral handle or operating bar.

Other preferred objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following ~r~l description.

In a broad aspect the present invention resides in a fastener assembly including: a split nut comprising two substantially equal halves shaped and adapted to be joined together to provide a nut with a substantially cylindrical body with a substantially concentric bore therethrough; a sleeve member rotatably mounted on the split nut having a non-circular bore therethrough with a major axis greater than the diameter of the cylindrical body of the split nut and a minor axis substantially equal to the diameter of the cylindrical body of the split nut; and means to retain the sleeve on the split nut; so arranged that, the sleeve assembly is rotatable between a first position allowing the halves of the split nut to be separated to be released, and moved along, a screw-threaded bolt or like fastener and a c, L: second position where the halves of the split nut are brought together for screw-threaded engagement with the bolt or like fastener.

The split nut halves may be provided with screw-threaded formations or with grooves or projections to releasably engage complementary formations on the i bolt or like fastener.

i Preferably the split nut halves have aligned t recesses forming passages along the bore.

Preferably a flange extends laterally from each nut half, preferably having an upturned "wing" to enable engagement by a tool, e.g. a pinch-bar, to enable the fastener to be tightened or released on the bolt.

Preferably the non-circular bore in the sleeve member is elliptical in plan view, or has parallel faces interconnecting semi-circular faces in plan view, or is of other suitable non-circular configuration.

Preferably the major axis is perpendicular to the plane of the split between the nut halves when the sleeve member is in its first position and is parallel to the plane of the split in its second position.

Preferably the major axis is perpendicular to the minor axis.

Preferably the sleeve member is square, rectangular, hexagonal or orthongal in plan view to enable engagement by a wrench or spanner. Preferably diametrically opposed flanges extend laterally from the sleeve member with upturned "wings" at their distal ends.

Preferably the flange and/or wings on the °split nut halves and the sleeve member are engageable oiO. 15 when the sleeve member is in its second position.

9 0 The sleeve may be provided with an integral handle or operating bar, which may include panel means engageable with locking ratchet teeth on the split nut halves.

Preferably a circlip or spring-loaded bolt 0e secures the sleeve member to the split nut halves for rotation thereabout.

To enable the invention to be fully understood, a preferred embodiment will now be described with reference to the acompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a first embodiment of the fastener in its released position; FIG. 2 is a top plan view corresponding to FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a sectional side view taken on line 3-3 on FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the fastener in its engaged position; FIG. 5 is a top plan view corresponding to FIG. 4; FIG, 6 is a sectional side view taken on line 6-6 on FIG. FIG. 7 is a top plan view, corresponding to FIG. 2, of a second embodiment of the fastener (when released) where the sleeve and only one nut half have wings; FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the second embodiment of the fastener when engaged; FIG. 9 is a sectional side view, taken on line 9-9 on FIG. 10, of a third embodiment of the fastener; FIG. 10 is a sectional top plan view of the fastener taken on line 10-10 on FIG. 9, where the panel is released; and FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the fastener, where the panel is engaged.

Referring to FIGS. 1-6, the fastener assembly has a pair of split nut halves 11, 12, a sleeve member 13 and a circlip 14 and is arranged to be screwi threadably engaged with a bolt or threaded shaft Each nut half 11ii, 12 has a substantially semicircular outer face 18. A pair of elongate recesses 19 are provided adjacent the diametrical split faces 20 of each nut half to receive any rubbish which may be on the screw threads 21 of the bolt A flange 22 extends from one end of each nut half and has an upturned "wing" 23 at its distal end to j form a recess 24 adapted to receive a tool, e.g. a pinch-bar, to enable the nut halves 11, 12 to be rotated about the bolt The sleeve member 13 has a non-circular bore where the major axis is greater than the external diameter of the tubular bodies 16 and the minor axis is equal to that diameter. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the major axis is perpendicular to the diametrical split faces 20 when the nut halves 11, 12 are released from the bolt (FIG. 2) and parallel thereto when the nut halves are engaged with the bolt 15. The sleeve member 13 is retained on the nut halves 11, 12 by a flat, spring steel circlip 14 with fingers 25a engaged in slots 26 in the tubular bodies 16.

The sleeve member 13 has a pair of laterally extending flanges 27 with wings 28 to form recesses 29 engagable by e.g. a pinch-bar. As shown in FIG. 4, the flanges 22, 27 and wings 23, 28 abut when the sleeve member 13 is in its second locking) position.

The operation of the fastener assembly 10 will be described.

The fitter cleans the threads 21 of the bolt adjacent the shuttering to be secured. Before S 15 applying the fastener assembly 10 to the bolt, he rotates the sleeve member 13 to the position shown in S" FIG. 2 and the nut halves 11, 12 are separated. The assembly 10 is passed along the bolt 15 until the nut halves 11, 12 abut the shuttering. The fitter rotates the sleeve member 13 through 90' to the position shown in FIG. 5. As the sleeve member is rotated, the noncircular bore 25 in the sleeve member 13 urges the nut halves 11, 12 towards each other so that they engage the threads 21 on the bolt 15. The fit.ter can then engage the hexagonal profile 30 of the sleeve member 13 with a spanner or wrench, or engage a pinch-bar or hammer claw in the recesses 24, 29 to tighten the fastener assembly cn the bolt.

To release and remove the fastener assembly, the above method is reversed. (If the sleeve is tight, the extended wings of the sleeve may be struck with a hammer for quick-release.) The present invention enables the fastener assembly to be fitted to the bolt even if the threads along the intermediate length of the bolt are damaged or r~ dirty.

While the fastener has been described in use with a screw-threaded bolt or the like a stud or shaft), it can be used with other shafts or rods with formations engagable by complementary formations in the bore of the split nut, as hereinafter described with respect to the second embodiment of the inventioin.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, the fastener is generally similar to the fastener 10 except that only one of the nut halves, i.e. Ila, has a flange 22a and wing 23a and the sleeve 13a only has one flange 27a and wing 28a which form a single recess 29a engageable by a pinch bar.

It will be noted that the wing 28a on the sleeve 13a is extended relative to the wing 23a on the nut half lla so that the former may be struck by a hammer or like tool to rotate the sleeve 13a to release the fastener 10a from the bolt.

,t Referring now to FIGS. 9 to 11, the fastener 40 has two split nut halves 41, 42, each with a semicircular outer face 43. Each nut half has an outer flange 44 intermediate its length, the flanges locating the nut halves 41, 42 in the sleeve 45 and integral handle 46. The sleeve 45 and handle 46 are formed by a pair of spaced plates 47, 48 separated by spacers 49 and interconnected by pins or rivets The nut halves 41, 42 are rotatably received in aligned non-circular bores 51 in the two plates, the bores 51 corresponding to the non-circular bore 25 in sleeve 13 of fastener The split nut has a generally cylindrical bore 52 provided with semi-circular recesses and grooves 53 to engage complementary circumferential flanges on the bolt or shaft to which the fastener 40 is releasably affixed.

MNPF-"I

I To lock the fastener 40 in its engaged position, a pawl 54 is urged by a spring 55 into engagement with locking teeth 56 on the flanges 44 of the nut halves 41, 42.

The operation of the fastener 40 will now be described.

The pawl 54 is released and the sleeve 45 is rotated by the handle 46 to allow the split nut halves 41, 42 to be separated. The fastener is passed along the bolt or shaft until one of the plates 47, 48 abuts the article to be fixed. (If preferred, end flanges may be provided on the nut halves 41, 42 to abut the article.) The handle 46 (and the sleeve) are rotated S 15 through 900 to cause the nut halves 41, 42 to engage the bolt or shaft and the fastener is locked by releasing I "the pawl 54 into engagement with a locking tooth 56 on one of the nut halves. To release the fastener, the method is reversed.

It will be readily apparent to the skilled addressee that the split nut halves may also have e.g.

hexagonal profiles for engagement by a spanner or wrench for tightening/release on the bolt.

Various other changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the scope of the the present invention defined in the appended claims.

'I

Claims

1. A fastener assembly including: a split nut comprising two substantially equal halves shaped and adapted to be joined together to provide a nut with a substantially cylindrical body with a substantially concentric bore therethrough; a sleeve mem-er rotatably mounted on the split nut having a non-circular bore therethrough with a major axis greater than the diameter of the cylindrical body of the split nut and a minor axis substantially equal to the diameter of the cylindrical body of the it' split nut; and S, means to retain the sleeve on the split nut; so arranged that, the sleeve assembly is rotatable ie 15 between a fiZst position allowing the halves of the split nut to be separated to be released, and moved 0 to along, a screw-threaded bolt or like fastener and a second position where the halves of the split nut are t: brought together for screw-threaded engagement with the bolt or like fastener. S" 2. A fastener assembly according to Claim 1 wherein: the non-circular bore in the sleeve is elliptical or has parallel faces interconnecting semi- circular faces in plan view and where the major axis is perpendicular to the plane of the split between the nut halves when the sleeve is in its first position and parallel to the plane of the split in its second position.

3. A fastener assembly according to Claim 2 wherein: the major axis is perpendicular to the minor axis.

4. A fastener assembly according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein: 9 the substantially concentric bore through the nut has a screw-threaded formation, or grooves or flanges, engageable with a complementary formation on the bolt or like fastener.

5. A fastener assembly according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein: the sleeve has an integral handle and has panel means engageable with teeth on the nut halves to releasably lock the sleeve in the second position.

6. A fastener assembly according to Claim wherein: the handle comprises a pair of spaced parallel plates and the nut halves are retained in the sleeve by flanges engageable between the spaced plate, 15 the locking teeth being provided on the flanges. .d 7. A fastener assembly according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein: each nut half has a flange provided with a S wing and the sleeve has a pair of diametrical opposed flanges provided with wings, so arranged that each flange or wing on the sleeve is abutted by one of the flanges and one of the wings on one of the nut halves when the sleeve is in its second position.

8. A fastener assembly according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein: i one nut half has a flange provided with a i wing and the sleeve has a complementary flange provided with a wing, so arranged that the flange and wing on the i sleeve abuts the flange and wing on the nut half when the sleeve is in its second position.

9. A fastener assembly according to Claim 7 or Claim 8 wherein: the means to retain the sleeve on the split nut includes a circlip engaged in a circumferential groove on the split nut. 4- A fastener assembly according to any one of Claims 7 to 9 wherein: the sleeve is square, rectangular or hexagonal in plan view for engagement by a wrench or spanner.

11. A fastener assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6; or FIGS. 7 and 8; or FIGS. 9 to 11, of the accompanying drawings. DATED this ninth day of February 1989. NEVELLE AUSTIN CRANFIELD and SAMUEL ARTHUR THOMAS WOODBRIDGE, by their Patent Attorneys, SGRANT ADAMS COMPANY.