EP1346754B1 - Attaching structure in particular for safety purposes - Google Patents

Abstract

The safety rail (1), fixed to the roof or upper wall of a building, consists of rigid tubular sections (1A) joined end-to-end by fingers projecting from the upper ends of posts (3), giving a continuous rail with no variations in thickness so that a shuttle fastening for a harness line can pass along it. The post fingers are made long enough, e.g. at least 150 mm, to accommodate any flexibility in the tubular sections without separating from them, and the posts are anchored to a supporting structure of the building. The posts' upper ends are made slim enough for a shuttle fastening to pass.

Description

The invention relates to a known securing structure still under the name line of life.

Protection of individuals working at height, such as roofers or others has for many years imposed the installation of protective equipment allowing when moving an individual to guard against the consequences serious of a fall by stopping the individual including loss of balance.

There are collective protections and for this purpose we know the use of nets protection or barriers placed momentarily but these elements of protection are installed only temporarily.

They are not suitable for permanent installations.

We also know the individual protections allowing stakeholders to hang on with a cable and a safety harness but use is limited in time.

These anchor points are made up of pieces anchored in the building and wearing a ring or by life lines installed on the terraces of buildings for cleaning or other services.

For the personal protection of individuals, companies have been inspired by mountain techniques and it was therefore proposed to equip each individual with a safety harness and attach it to either an anchor point or a lifeline permanently attached to the supporting structure.

The work area of the anchor points being limited by the length of the cable connecting the harness to the said anchor, we use more frequently a lifeline.

Classically, a lifeline consists of two anchor points between which is stretched a cable.

A tensioner makes it possible to adjust the tension of the cable.

Rings carried by intermediate supports sometimes avoid that the cable has an arrow but generally one avoids their use because they do not allow more to move freely along the cable.

The worker hangs his carabiner on the lifeline and can therefore move throughout this lifeline.

During the accidental fall of an individual, the forces generated during the shutdown brutal of the individual are then transmitted to the two anchor points and are exercised essentially parallel to the cable.

These forces are in addition to the forces required to tension the cable, which leads to localized efforts that are particularly important at the level of the points anchorage and on the structure of the building.

It is understandable that when the cable is stretched between the two gears of a building, the presence of a reinforcement of the frame is necessary to prevent the gables do not spill.

The same is true if the tie-down points are on the frame.

When stopping the fall, the energy produced must dissipate in a time extremely short.

To mitigate this problem, the cable then comprises a dissipating device of the stress exerted on the cable when stopping the fall, so that the energy transmitted to the cable and acting on the anchor points is no longer instantaneous.

However, we note that the efforts remain important.

This line of life allows each individual to move on long distances without having to unhook and still be in protection but in theory there is forbidden to work at a fixed post and he must hang on a fixed stowage point.

When rings are needed to prevent flexing of the cable, these rings or carabiners anchoring the harness on the cable are sometimes studied to allow a passage without having to go off but requires a maneuver particular by the hooked individual who must be close to the ring for his maneuver and therefore must leave his working position.

These lifelines are widely used nowadays.

Apart from this problem of the amplitude of the forces induced on the points anchoring, it is constantly necessary to monitor this line of life.

This monitoring requires tests, periodic checks of the cables and accessories or even before use.

In fact, the safety rules require that a resistance test be carried out periodically, especially before use, but when it undergoes a test of resistance, the cable then sees its resistance capacity decreased.

We also note that it is impossible to suspend a firefighter ladder because the support is not stable and also any collective protection.

Also known is a lifeline (DE-A-2343233) of using rigid tubes whose end is screwed into a post.

This structure is placed on a terrace.

Such a solution is not simple to implement because the tubes must be cut to the right length and then threaded as well as the posts.

A stakeholder can hang on a stretch but can not move from one section to another.

The invention therefore proposes to provide a solution to the problems especially mentioned above.

For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a stowage structure still called a lifeline this structure being characterized in that it consists of a part by assembling sections of rigid tubular section fitted together at each end on a finger that has the head of a support intended to be anchored on a supporting structure so as to form a continuous rail without extra thickness and other the head of this support is, in its connection zone with the support, thick lower than the section of the tubular section so as to allow a free flow of shuttle clutching the rail.

• figure 1 : une coupe verticale d'une structure d'arrimage,
• figure 2 : un exemple de structure
• figure 3 : un support vu de face
• figure 4 : un support vue de profil,
• figure 5 : un support vu de dessus,
• figures 6 à 12 : différents montage d'une tête de support avec un support différent.
• figure 13 : une navette vue en perspective,
• figure 14 : une navette vue de dessus,
• figure 15 : une autre variante d'un support.
• figures 16 et 17 : deux exemples d'habitations équipées de la structure d'arrimage.
• figures 18,19 : deux variantes de navette.

The invention will be better understood using the following description given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the attached drawing which schematically shows:

• FIG. 1: a vertical section of a lashing structure,
• figure 2: an example of structure
• figure 3: a support seen from the front
• figure 4: a support seen in profile,
• FIG. 5: a support viewed from above,
• Figures 6 to 12: different mounting of a support head with a different support.
• figure 13: a shuttle seen in perspective,
• figure 14: a shuttle seen from above,
• Figure 15: another variant of a support.
• Figures 16 and 17: two examples of dwellings equipped with the stowage structure.
• Figures 18,19: two shuttle variants.

Referring to the drawing, we see a line 1 of life or stowage structure on which one can hang a hooking device such as a carabiner.

This carabiner then surrounds the stowage structure still called lifeline.

This stowage structure is located, for example, on a wall or on a roof of preferably at a short distance from the surface of the wall or roof.

It could be hooked to an overhead ceiling.

A distance of thirty to forty centimeters is still considered a short distance.

According to the invention, it consists on the one hand by assembling sections 1A of rigid tubular profiles fitted at each end on a finger 5A that the head 20 of a support intended to be anchored on a supporting structure in kind of forming a continuous rail without extra thickness and secondly the head 20 of this support is, in its zone 21 of connection with the support thickness, less than the section of the tubular section in order to allow a shuttling shuttle to circulate freely the rail.

By using a rigid profile 1A between two supports 3, during a fall and therefore a traction that is exerted perpendicularly to the profile, the induced forces at the points of attachment of the ends of the profile are both induced along the axis of the profile and perpendicular to the axis of the profile, so the axis of the support that supports it.

Moreover, these sections assembled to each other with a range reduced A between the supports 3 act as the safety barriers on the highways, ie spread out the various anchor points said supports.

The fixing of the ends is done by interlocking the ends and possibly by locking in translation.

The tube can thus be cut on the spot to the desired length according to the implantation of the supports which must take into account the resistance of the structure carrier and therefore areas where potentially these supports can be fixed.

The locking in translation is done, for example, by a weld or by a bolt passing through but not increasing the thickness of the rail.

Nesting 5 will be longer than necessary and which can be determined according to the elastic bending capacity of the profile between the two points of support and load to bear. It will be of the order of at least 150 mm.

It will not be necessary to lock in translation the tubes on the fingers.

Tubular sections, for example made of stainless steel, are used. the end comes to cap a finger 5A carried by a support.

The tubular section has a continuous and unopened outer surface as would be a profile in Ce.

The length of each profile is generally established in dimensions at maximum of two to three meters.

With this system, you can always use a carabiner classic but will prefer a shuttle.

As indicated above, the attachment device 2 consists of a shuttle 2A which is in the form of a cylinder presenting along a generatrix an opening 10 wide enough to cross the heads of the supports carrying the fingers 5A, which fingers 5A are at the upper end of the head of support 3.

This shuttle crosses the supports without falling off the rail.

As can be seen, to facilitate the passage of this shuttle, whatever the anchoring of the individual on this shuttle and its position, below or at above, the opening of this shuttle is, from a central zone 11, increasing.

The envelope is not of constant section.

It can be seen that the entry 12 of the shuttle extends over approximately a semicircle while its central portion 11 extends over three quarters of the circle.

So when the shuttle makes contact with the support, she will orient herself automatically to cross the support due to the orientation of the free edges of the envelope of this shuttle.

In FIG. 18, there is shown a shuttle used when the structure lashing is attached to a ceiling.

The shuttle of FIG. 19 is intended for a lashing structure fixed on a vertical wall.

If the support 3 may be of circular section, it will preferably be of section ovoid so that by slimming the part connecting the fingers to the vertical part this will facilitate, with the shape of the opening of the shuttle, the orientation of the shuttle to cross the supports.

This ovoid shape of the binding zone is determined to distribute the efforts.

As can be seen, possibly, circling the cylindrical shape of the shuttle is provided an open reinforcement ring 13 on which there will be provided at least an anchor point for a carabiner and, preferably, two anchors.

This ring helps strengthen the shuttle and prevents it from opening.

The anchor points for the attachment of the rope connecting the harness and the shuttle can be directly carried by the cylindrical shape.

Given this tubular lifeline and the distribution of efforts in case of fall, it is quite possible to anchor to two people on this line of life.

The advantage of such a structure is that it also makes it possible to integrate during the construction of the buildings and in particular to be built at the same time as the building and therefore integrate with the aesthetics of the building.

The supports 3 will carry at their ends the fingers 5A oriented in opposite directions.

A chamfer 15 allows, for example, to weld the tubes on the fingers without leave extra thickness.

Also provided are brackets 3 bent to be fixed, for example, on vertical walls.

The advantage of this line of life is first and foremost that it can be controlled with a period, between each control, much more important because the profile is not subject to corrosion in the same proportions as a cable and this tube does not deform dimensionally.

• d'une part, ne sont plus essentiellement des efforts de traction dans le sens de l'axe du profilé et,
• d'autre part, ne sont pas induits par la tension de l'élément longiligne.

Second, we understand that the efforts:

• on the one hand, are no longer essentially tensile forces in the direction of the axis of the profile and,
• on the other hand, are not induced by the tension of the elongated element.

Another advantage, for example, is that these lifelines can be integrated in the building's architecture and, for example, constitute snowstops and, ladder stowage points during maintenance or help. These rigid structures make it possible to ensure different materials, such as scaffolding or other suspended product.

To meet the needs of architects the support will include a head 20 support having one or two fingers and a connection zone with a base.

This connection zone comprises at its base means of association with a support adapted to the chosen configuration.

FIGS. 6 to 12 show different supports adapted to regularly encountered non-limiting configurations of the possibilities.

Figure 6 shows a solution for the flat roof, Figure 7 a solution for the terrace.

Figure 8 is for the ridge, Figure 9 for the steel tray, Figure 10 for a acroterium and in figure 11 a pose in facade.

FIG. 12 is intended, for example, to be placed inside premises at level of ceilings, especially industrial halls.

The advantage is to have a part 20, the support head 20, whose resistance is known or calculated previously and which can, through a support 3 adapted, be integrated in a construction without interfering with aesthetics. All the components of this structure will have its resistance well known mechanics which will facilitate the work of architects.

Claims (10)

1. Securing structure designed to take a snap-hook going round the said line characterised in that it is made up on the one hand by assembling pieces (1A) of sections of piping fitted at each end onto a finger (5A) at the head (20) of a support designed to be anchored to a bearing structure so as to form a continuous rail without any oversize and, on the other hand, the head (20) of this support is, in its area (21) for conunecting with the support, thinner than the section of the tubular section with a view to letting a shuttle encircling the rail circulate freely.
2. Securing structure according to Claim 1, characterised in that the pieces are locked in linear movement by welding.
3. Securing structure according to Claim 1, characterised in that the pieces are locked in linear movement by a through bolt.
4. Securing structure according to Claim 1, characterised in that the fitting-in (5) is longer than that required and it is detamined as a function of the elastic sagging capacity of the section, and of the load to be borne.
5. Securing structure according to Claim 1, characterised in that it includes a hooking device (2) consisting of a shuttle (2A) which is cylinder-shaped with, along a generating line, an opening (10) wide enough to clear the supports carrying the dogs (5A), these dogs (5A) being located at the top end of the support (3).
6. Securing structure according to Claim 5, characterised in that the opening of the shuttle (2A) is increasing from a centre area (11).
7. Securing structure according to Claim 5, characterised in that, circling the cylindrical shape, there is an open strengthening ring (13) on which there is at least one anchoring point (14) for a snap-hook.
8. Securing structure according to Claim 5, characterised in that the shuale (2A) has two anchoring points.
9. Securing structure according to Claim 1, characterised in that the section of the support (3) is ovoid.
10. Sectuing structure according to Claim 1, characterised in that the support will include a supporting head (20) with one or two dogs and an area for connecting with a support, this connection area having at its base means of working in conjunction with a support suited to the configuration selected.

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