EP0777804B1

EP0777804B1 - A device for a scaffold

Info

Publication number: EP0777804B1
Application number: EP95930063A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Martin Huseboe; Johnny SKÖLD
Original assignee: Alustar AS
Current assignee: Alustar AS
Priority date: 1994-08-22
Filing date: 1995-08-21
Publication date: 1999-11-17
Anticipated expiration: 2015-08-21
Also published as: DK0777804T3; NO943095D0; AU686448B2; CA2198249A1; NO943095L; NO179877B; EP0777804A1; NO179877C; AU3356795A; WO1996006251A1; DE69513405D1; DE69513405T2

Description

The invention relates to a device for a scaffold of the kind comprising vertical struts or spires, horizontal struts which may be cantilever struts each supported by a diagonal strut which, at each end, is provided with fasteners for connection to rims on horizontal struts and spires in the junction points of the scaffold, and where the interconnection between diagonal strut fastener and rim is secured by means of a locking means, which may have the form of a wedge or another insertion means, e.g. a bolt passing through registering wedge/bolt accommodating hole portions of holes in diagonal strut fastener and rim.

In conventional scaffolds of the kind defined introductorily, the wedge sticks and may get locked within a diagonal strut fastener's hole not used hitherto.

In conventional scaffolds, the wedge acts as a force transferring means for pressure forces and accommodates the entire pressure load. Consequently, the wedge must be dimensioned correspondingly and, therefore, it becomes voluminous and heavy. Each wedge is connected temporarily (prior to the mounting) to the diagonal strut fastener, and during the mounting the wedge is often operated manually from the opposite end of the diagonal strut, and a heavy wedge will then be rather unwieldy.

EP-A-0 105 500 discloses a connector for post and runner type scaffolding, the connector is adapted to engage a bracket affixed to a scaffolding post. In use, the connector abuts forcefully against a convex surface of the post by means of a wedge acting through the bracket.

As previously indicated, during the installation of the scaffold, a diagonal strut may be handled in such a way that the operator holds one end of the diagonal strut while he tries to interconnect its upper fastener carrying the wedge and an overlying rim on a spire, the lower end of the latter occupying a position above the ground and being connected to the outer end of a jutting-out strut. With such a manoeuvring, the branches of the bifurcated strut fastener are to be placed one above and one below the rim, three wedge accommodating hole portions vertically aligned; moreover, the lower end of the wedge must simultaneously take a position immediately above said hole of the rim. This is very difficult to manage by traditional scaffold components.

A primary object of the present invention has, therefore, been to design and shape the diagonal fastener such in relation to adjacent elements and members of the scaffold that transfer of pressure forces between diagonal strut and horizontal strut/spire is secured, without loading a locking means such as a wedge, bolt or a similar connecting insertion means in the junction point of the scaffold.

Accordingly, there is provided a device for a scaffold comprising vertical struts and horizontal struts each supported by a diagonal strut, said device comprising a rim to be connected on a strut at the junction point of the scaffold, a fastener to be connected to the rim and to the end of said diagonal strut and locking means for securing the interconnection between fastener and rim, passing through holes in the fastener and in the rim for accommodating said locking means, characterised in that the fastener is formed with at least one first land area adapted to rest against an opposing, adjacent face portion of a scaffold strut or spire and at least one second land area adapted to rest against an opposing adjacent face portion on the rim.

The vertical struts may be spires. The horizontal struts may be jetting out struts.

The wedge, bolt or another locking means may be formed such that it has a first longitudinal portion forming an obtuse angle in relation to the another longitudinal portion. Such an angled/curved wedge/bolt may, prior to the mounting, be tilted rearwardly and take a temporarily stable position of readiness, so that the lower end carrying a tube rivet occupies the desired position just below the upper branch of the bifurcated diagonal strut fastener. When this lower wedge end is immediately above the hole in the rim belonging thereto, the diagonal strut fastener through the strut may be subjected to an appropriate displacement movement, during which the diagonal strut fastener for instance impinges slightly against the adjacent spire portion, putting the upwardly extending, rearwardly swung portion into an adequate motion, so that the wedge falls into position within the registering hole portions of the holes in the bifurcated diagonal strut and the hole in the rim.

If tensile forces are expected to occur in the junction points of the scaffold, real wedges should be used; otherwise undesired displacements between adjacent parts to be kept together may take place.

The invention is further explained in connection with the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a perspective partial view illustrating adjacent components, respectively portions thereof, which may be incorporated in a scaffold junction point;

Figure 2 shows the diagonal strut fastener coupled to the end portion of the diagonal strut, seen separately in side elevational view;

Figure 3 shows the same as figure 2, seen from above;

Figure 4 shows the same as figure 2, but here the wedge is not only passed through the wedge accommodating hole in the upper branch of the bifurcated diagonal strut fastener, but also secured against being pulled out through said hole; additionally, the wedge's upper angled portion is tilted rearwardly so that the wedge takes a position of readiness, from where it may be put into motion forwardly, in order to get it to fall down into the hole of the rim as well as into the corresponding hole portion of the bottom branch of the bifurcated fastener.

According to figure 1, the upper end of a diagonal strut 1 is connected to a bifurcated diagonal strut fastener 2 by means of a lateral bolt 13.

The diagonal strut fastener's 2 upper branch is indicated at 2' and the lower one at 2". The branches 2', 2" of the bifurcated fastener 2 are each formed with a wedge accommodating, vertically through-going hole 3' and 3", respectively, which in size and shape is adapted to accommodate a wedge, generally denoted by means of the reference numeral 4, said wedge 4, in the position of use, figure 1, takes a substantially vertical position.

The wedge 4 is curved repectively angled in the longitudinal direction and, in the position of use, has an upper portion 4' and a lower portion 4", said portions 4', 4" forming an obtuse angle with each other.

Figure 4 shows how the wedge's curvature/angular course can be utilized. Thereby, the wedge is tilted rearwardly (in relation to the junction point of the scaffold, figure 1), taking a position of readiness, from where it with relative ease should be tilted forwardly in order to fall down into vertically registering hole portions of holes 3', 3" in branches 2', 2" of the bifurcated fastener 2 and an intermediate hole 5 in a rim 6 on a scaffold spire 7, figure 1.

Likewise, it appears from figure 1 and 4 that the wedge portion being the uppermost in the position of use has a hook 4"' preventing the wedge 4 from getting stuck in the upper hole 3'.

Likewise, from figure 4 it appears that the lower end of the wedge 4 is provided with a lateral tube rivet 8 which is placed in a hole in the wedge subsequent to the passage of the lower portion 4" of the wedge 4" through the hole 3' of the upper branch 2', so that the wedge 4 thereafter can not be pulled out of its engagement with the diagonal strut fastener 2, whereafter wedge 4 and

diagonal strut

1,2 constitute an assembly facilitating the subsequent mounting operations.

When the wedge 4, as known per se, has been passed through the holes of the branches 2', 2" and one hole 5 of the rim 6, said three holes registering in the vertical direction, or rather those portions of said holes 3', 3" and 5 corresponding vertically and the opening area thereof complementarily corresponding to the wedge's 4 cross-section at the cross-section positioning level in question, a locking cotter 9 is inserted into the tube rivet 8. The tube rivet 8 has a larger axial length than the width of the upper hole in the bifurcated diagonal strut fastener, and the lower end of the wedge 4 can, consequently, not get lost by being pulled upwardly.

The lower hole, i.e. the hole in the lower branch of the bifurcated diagonal strut fastener 2, will, of course, have so large dimensions in the lateral direction of the wedge 4 that the wedge's lower end and its tube rivet 8 may pass therethrough.

In order to secure that pressure force transfer in the scaffold junction points takes place without loading the wedge or a similar insertion means, such as a bolt, so that a slender wedge can be used, light in weight and, thus, simple to handle during its movements between the position of readiness according to figure 4 and the locking position according to figure 1, the diagonal strut fastener 2 is formed with

land areas

10, 10', 11, 11' adapted to rest pressure force transferringly partly against a face 7' on the spire 7 and partly against a face 6' on the rim 6.

In the embodiment, first land areas 10, 10' on the diagonal strut fastener 2 are formed on the outer end edge of the two branches 2', 2" in the form of projecting mouldings engaging into vertical grooves or flutes formed in the opposing rim portion and the bottom portion thereof forming a land area.

Second land area 11 forms an angle different from a right angle with a vertical plane through the wedge accommodating holes 3', 3" of the branches 2', 2".

The design, shaping and mutually positioning of the pressure force transferring land areas/stop faces cooperating in pairs are, in other respects, such that these are pressed toward each other with a force substantially proportional with the pressure forces to be transferred.

From the top plan view of figure 3 it will appear that the bifurcated connection portion 2', 2" of the diagonal strut fastener 2 is angled in relation to an imaginary plane through the diagonal strut 1.

Claims

A device for a scaffold comprising vertical struts or spires (7) and horizontal struts each supported by a diagonal strut (1), said device comprising a rim (6) to be connected on a vertical strut (7) at a junction point of the scaffold, a fastener (2) to be connected to the rim (6) and to the end of said diagonal strut (1) and locking means (4) for securing the interconnection between fastener (2) and rim (6), passing through holes (3', 3", 5) in the fastener (2) and in the rim (6) for accommodating said locking means (4), characterised in that said fastener (2) is formed with at least one first land area (10; 10') adapted to rest against an opposing, adjacent face portion (7') of a scaffold strut or spire (7) and at least one second land area (11, 11') adapted to rest against an opposing, adjacent face portion (6') on the rim (6).
A device as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that said at least one first and said at least one second land areas (10, 10', 11, 11') on said fastener (2) each has a vertical course in the position of use.
A device as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said at least one first land area (10, 10') on said fastener (2) is formed by a tongue-like portion engaging into a groove-like portion (7') formed in the vertical strut (7), the tongue (10, 10') resting against the bottom of the groove (7').
A device as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said at least one first land area on the fastener (2) is formed by a groove-like portion into which engages a tongue-like portion formed on the vertical strut (7), the tongue resting against the bottom of the groove.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that said at least one second land area (11) forms an angle differing from a right angle with a central plane through the holes (3', 3") for accommodating said locking means (4) of the branches (2', 2").
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that said locking means (4) is curved respectively angled in the longitudinal direction.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said locking means (4) comprises a wedge.
A device as claimed in Claim 7, wherein said locking means (4) comprises a hook at the upper end thereof for preventing said wedge from sticking in said holes (3', 3", 5) in the fastener (2) and in the rim (6).
A device as claimed in Claim 7 or 8, characterised in that the wedge (4) is a gibhead key.
A device as claimed in any preceding claim, characterised in that the fastener (2) is angled respectively curved in the longitudinal direction and, at one end thereof, is formed with a bifurcated portion (2', 2") having holes (3', 3") for accommodating said locking means (4) while, at the opposite end thereof, it has a bifurcated connection portion for the end of a diagonal strut (1), said bifurcated connection portion being angularly displaced in relation to the first mentioned bifurcated portion (2', 2").