EP1672140A2

EP1672140A2 - Anchoring device for scaffolding elements

Info

Publication number: EP1672140A2
Application number: EP05027016A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Alberto Tintori
Original assignee: Perugino Engineering Srl
Current assignee: PERUGINO ENGINEERING S.R.L.
Priority date: 2004-12-14
Filing date: 2005-12-09
Publication date: 2006-06-21
Anticipated expiration: 2025-12-09
Also published as: ITFI20040079U1; EP1672140B1; EP1672140A3; ATE555264T1

Abstract

Anchoring device for scaffolding elements, of the type comprising a body (1) apt to be welded to an end of a tubular transverse scaffolding element and intended to be connected by means of a locking wedge (5) to a hooking plate (3) provided by a scaffolding standard (4), wherein said body (1) has a front surface (10) facing a respective standard (4). Said surface (10) being interrupted by a transverse opening or "mouth", (11) for its positioning on a hooking plate (3), said body (1) having a rear projecting portion (12) apt to be inserted within an end of a transverse scaffolding element (2) and a vertical slit (13) through which a locking wedge (5) can be inserted. The device is provided with a hollow part (14) below the said rear projecting portion (12).

Description

The present invention relates to an anchoring device for scaffolding elements.
In particular, the present anchoring device is of the type comprising a body apt to be welded to an end of a tubular transverse scaffolding element and destined to be connected by means of a locking wedge to a hooking plate provided by a scaffolding standard.
It is known that anchoring devices of the above-mentioned type are utilized for connecting a tubular transverse scaffolding element with an horizontal plate provided with radial slots, in the technical jargon said "multi-directional plate", provided by a standard and that the very connection is obtained forcing a locking wedge, in the technical jargon simply said "wedge", through a vertical opening of the anchoring device and a slot of the multi-directional plate. An end of a walkboard is then hooked to the transverse scaffolding element.
However, due to their configuration, it isn't possible to connect further elements, i.e. auxiliary or structural scaffolding elements, to these known anchoring devices and it is cause for a limited use thereof.
Furthermore, close to the standard providing the multi-directional plate, there results a clearance extending along all the length of the walkboards hooked to the transverse element, which is cause for a remarkable reduction of the working area constituted by the walkboards with respect to that virtually available. Said clearance is also dangerous for the workers who assemble, use and disassemble the scaffolding.
The main object of the present invention is to eliminate, or at least drastically reduce, the mentioned drawbacks.
This object is achieved, according to the present invention, providing an anchoring device having the characteristics described in claim 1. Further characteristics of the present invention are the object of the dependent claims.
The present invention makes it possible to connect, either in a fixed or removable manner, further structural or auxiliary elements to the anchoring device body. It is also possible to avoid the clearance along the walkboards and to approach the walkboards close to the standards supporting the multi-directional plates. Furthermore, an anchoring device according to the present invention is structurally simple, inexpensive and reliable even after a prolonged use.
These and further advantages and characteristics of the invention will be best understood by anyone skilled in the art from a reading of the following description in conjunction with the attached drawings, given only as a practical exemplification of the invention but not to be considered in a limitative sense, wherein:

Fig.1 is a simplified scheme showing the assembling of a scaffolding where use is made of an anchoring device according to the present invention;
Fig.2 is a simplified scheme like that of Fig.1, showing a subsequent assembling step;
Fig.3 is an enlarged view of the detail "S" of Fig.2;
Fig.4 is an enlarged view of the detail "D" of Fig.2;
Fig.5 is a plan view of a multi-directional plate;
Fig.6 relates to a further example of use of an anchoring device according to the present invention;
Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of the detail "A" of Fig.6;
Fig.8 is an enlarged view of the detail "B" of Fig.6;
Fig.9 is a schematic perspective view of the anchoring device body;
Fig.10 is a schematic perspective view of the locking wedge;
Fig.11 is a further schematic perspective view of the locking wedge;
Fig.12 is a schematic perspective view showing the body of the anchoring device to which a rod is welded, the rod being parallel to the transverse scaffolding element to which the anchoring device belongs;
Fig.13 is a schematic perspective view of a walkboard portion in a scaffolding making use of an anchoring device according to the present invention;
Fig.14 is a further schematic perspective view of the walkboard portion shown in Fig.13.

An anchoring device according to the present invention is of the type comprising a body (1) apt to be welded to an end of a tubular transverse scaffolding element and intended to be connected by means of a locking wedge (5) to a hooking plate (3) provided by a scaffolding standard (4).
According to the example shown in Figs. 1-4, said body (1) is welded on one end only (the right-side end in the drawing) of a transverse element (2) which, on the opposite end, is welded to a standard (20); the transverse (2) and the standard (20) form a partial asymmetric T-profiled frame which, in the technical jargon is called "crippled frame". The scaffolding is built as shown in Fig.2, by assembling crippled frames and standards (4, 40).
According to the example shown in Figs. 6-7, said body (1) is welded to both ends of a transverse element (2), so that the latter is provided with two anchoring devices for its connection to two plates (3), each plate being provided by a respective standard (4).
With reference to the example shown in Fig.5, the multi-directional plate (3) is of the type comprising a central hole (30) for the positioning thereof onto a standard (4), a plurality of peripheral through holes (31) each of which allowing the hooking of a hook-shaped member of a prefabricated frame, and a plurality of radial slots (32), resulting between the said peripheral holes (31), in each of which it is possible to insert a locking wedge (5). As an alternative, the plate (3) can be of the type shown in Fig.13 and Fig.14, i.e. of the type wherein the radial slots (32) are suitably shaped to allow the hooking of both hook-shaped members of prefabricated frames and the insertion of locking wedges.
The vertical elements (4, 20, 40) of the scaffolding frames are provided with vertical bushes (6) and horizontal bushes (60) to each of which a hook-shaped end of a diagonal or lateral scaffolding element can be hooked.
The anchoring device (1) has a front surface (10) facing a respective standard (4). Said surface (10) is interrupted by a transverse opening, or "mouth", (11) for its positioning on the desired plate (3). Furthermore, the device (1) has a rear projecting portion (12) apt to be inserted within an end of a transverse scaffolding element (2), i.e. the end in correspondence of which the device is welded to the transverse scaffolding element. The device (1) has also a longitudinal slit (13) through which the locking wedge (5) is inserted.
The locking wedge (5) has a body with a front surface (50) and a rear surface (51), and an upper portion or head (52).
Advantageously, the upper portion (52) of the locking wedge is a convex plate, the convexity thereof being oriented upwardly, which is centrally positioned on top of the wedge body, thus forming two identical wings projecting downwardly on both sides of the wedge body. The head (52) of the locking wedge (5) is, in practice, a portion of a curved surface whose radius is equal to the radius of the tubular transverse element (2). Advantageously, said portion of curved surface is a portion of a cylindrical surface whose external radius has a nominal value of 24.15 mm.
When seen from the above, the head (52) of the locking wedge exhibits a substantially trapezoidal shape, with the longer base resulting in correspondence of the rear surface (51) and the shorter base resulting in correspondence of the front surface (50).
Advantageously, in correspondence of the shorter base, the head (52) of the locking wedge has a 90°-bended appendix (53) which is downwardly oriented and covers the upper portion of the front surface (50).
As schematically shown in Figs. 7 and 8, once positioned the anchoring device (1) on the desired plate (3), the locking wedge is fully inserted through the vertical slit (13) of the anchoring device, making it to pass through a corresponding radial slot of the plate (3), thus realizing a stable connection between the transverse element (2) and the standard (4) provided with the plate (3). The head (52) of the locking wedge constitutes a prolongation of the transverse element (2), making it possible to prolong the latter up to the standard (4). Therefore, as shown in Figs. 13 and 14, the transverse element (2) is apt to support a walkboard (7) approaching it close to the standard (4), without any clearance between the walkboard and the standard, because the externally projecting hook (70) of the walkboard can be positioned astride the transverse element (2) and the head (52) of the locking wedge.
Advantageously, the body of the anchoring device (1) substantially develops below the portion (12) destined to be connected with the transverse element (2), so that the said mouth (11) is at a preset distance from the upper generating line of the transverse element (2).
Furthermore, advantageously, below the said portion (12), the anchoring device is provided with a hollow part (14) on the bottom of which there is a through hole (15).
With reference to the example shown in Figs. 9 and 12, both the said hollow part (14) and the said hole (15) have a circular shape, the hole (15) being centrally positioned with respect to the bottom of the hollow part.
As schematically shown in Fig.12, an end of a stiffening rod (21) can be welded, or in any other way fixed, within the rear hollow part (14) of the anchoring device (1).
Similarly, as schematically shown in Figs. 13 and 14, an end of a conventional hook-shaped member of a diagonal or auxiliary scaffolding element can be inserted within the hole (15), in these figures the hook-shaped member having the reference numeral (22) and a rod (23) being represented positioned diagonally below the walkboards.
Thus, the anchoring device (1) makes it possible the connection of the transverse element (2) with the standard (4) and at the same time it can be utilized for other purposes, so that its field of use results considerably widened.
Advantageously, the head or upper portion (130) of the anchoring device (1) is a portion of a cylindrical portion whose external radius has a nominal value of 24.15 mm.
All the above-mentioned components are metallic components.
Practically, all the construction details may vary in any equivalent way as far as the shape, dimensions, elements disposition, nature of the used materials are concerned, without nevertheless departing from the scope of the adopted solution idea and, thereby, remaining within the limits of the protection granted to the present patent.

Claims

Anchoring device for scaffolding elements, of the type comprising a body (1) apt to be welded to an end of a tubular transverse scaffolding element and intended to be connected by means of a locking wedge (5) to a hooking plate (3) provided by a scaffolding standard (4), wherein said body (1) has a front surface (10) facing a respective standard (4), said surface (10) being interrupted by a transverse opening or "mouth", (11) for its positioning on a hooking plate (3), said body (1) having a rear projecting portion (12) apt to be inserted within an end of a transverse scaffolding element (2) and a vertical slit (13) through which a locking wedge (5) can be inserted, characterized in that the device is provided with a hollow part (14) below the said rear projecting portion (12).
Anchoring device according to claim 1 characterized in that a through hole (15) is provided in correspondence of the bottom of said hollow part (14).
Anchoring device according to claim 1 characterized in that the body of the anchoring device (1) substantially develops below the portion (12) destined to be connected with the transverse element (2), so that the said mouth (11) is at a preset distance from the upper generating line of the transverse element (2).
Anchoring device according to claim 1 characterized in that said hollow part (14) and said hole (15) are of circular shape and are coaxial to each other.
Anchoring device according to claim 1 characterized in that said locking wedge (5) comprises a body with a front surface (50) and a rear surface (51), and an upper portion or head (52), said upper portion (52) being convex surface, the convexity thereof being oriented upwardly, which defines two wings projecting downwardly on both sides of the wedge body.
Anchoring device according to claim 5 characterized in that said surface (52) is centrally positioned on top of the wedge body, said wings being identical to each other.
Anchoring device according to claim 5 characterized in that, when seen from the above, the head (52) of the locking wedge exhibits a substantially trapezoidal shape, with the longer base resulting in correspondence of the rear surface (51) and the shorter base resulting in correspondence of the front surface (50).
Anchoring device according to claim 7 characterized in that, in correspondence of the shorter base, the head (52) of the locking wedge has a 90°-bended appendix (53) which is downwardly oriented and covers the upper portion of the front surface (50).
Anchoring device according to claim 1 characterized in that the head portion (130) of said body (1) is a portion of cylindrical surface.
Anchoring device according to claim 9 characterized in that the nominal value of the external radius of said cylindrical surface is equal to 24.15 mm.
Anchoring device according to claim 5 characterized in that said convex surface is a portion of cylindrical surface.
Anchoring device according to claim 9 characterized in that the nominal value of the external radius of said cylindrical surface is equal to 24.15 mm.