EP1865128B1 - Device for fixing a closing panel in the bottom of a rabbet of a column - Google Patents

Abstract

The clip (3) has a support face (4) that is supported on a bottom (20) of a U shaped groove of a post. A passage (5) receives a unit that traverses the clip and the bottom of the groove. Slots permit the clip to enclose a vertical end wire and place the face in contact with the bottom. Metallic fins are spaced progressively from the support face towards an opposite face, and define a V shape whose opening is elastically deformable such that free ends of the fins cooperate with stops (10) of lateral fins (11) of grooves (1A, 1B) for temporarily anchoring the clip in the stops. An independent claim is also included for a fence constituted of panels whose ends are engaged in a groove of a post and comprising a fence panel`s vertical end wire maintenance clip.

Description

The invention relates to a device for fixing a fence panel in a rabbet of a pole.

It also relates to the fence provided with said attachment.

The realization of a fence is done in different ways and more particularly with the help of poles and rigid panels. These rigid panels are formed of vertical and horizontal son welded at their intersections.

Often one or more horizontal or vertical ribs provide greater rigidity to the panel.

These posts have a section in H thus delimiting two opposite rabbets. For the installation, we first put a pole and then the end of a panel is engaged in a rabbet and temporarily fixed the panel on the bottom of the rebate with a single flange through which a bolt bearing at least indirectly on the opposite side at the bottom of the rabbet. We continue and so on. Either at the end of the day or when all the columns and panels are put in place or in masked time, we complete the fixing of the panels using other flanges according to the number of flanges recommended for the resistance of the fenced. This principle of laying at the stage of advancement is illustrated in figure 1 .

It is, for example, recommended four flanges for a panel two meters high.

Such a fence is described in the document FR-A-2697565 .

The installation of the flange during the provisional fixing and the installation of these additional flanges requires a non-negligible installation time and a certain skill. Indeed, the installer must place his flange in front of the hole, insert the bolt screw through the flange and a hole previously made in the bottom of the rabbet, put the second flange for the opposite rabbet and always keeping them in place. two flanges and the two panels, he must place the nut on this screw and tighten the assembly.

As generally, it poses the order of four flanges on each side of the panel, the establishment of these flanges penalizes the exposure time. As previously stated, the placement of the fence is also slowed down due to the installation of the provisional fixation.

In addition, the attendant must move with his accessory packages (flanges, screws and nuts).

It is known to replace the flange with an elastic clip US 2526394 or us 4132390 or FR 2,698,417 which is a spring steel blade folded so that wings are engaged behind the stops that includes the lateral wings of the rabbet. The device is maintained essentially by elastic effect of the clip.

When the panels are subjected to shocks, for example, due to balloon strikes, the panel vibrates.

This results in an unpleasant noise and localized wear at the contact between the fixing device and the vertical wire of the panel which is overlapped by said fixing device. The paint coating is then attacked.

The document FR 2698417 discloses a fastener having the features of the preamble of claim 1.

The invention proposes to remedy these problems in particular.

For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a device for fastening the vertical end wire of a lattice panel to the bottom of a U-shaped rebate of a post, said device comprising a body having a face support intended to come opposite the bottom of a rabbet of a post, this bearing face having a groove for capping the vertical wire, said body being made of plastic material in which is embedded the metal blade, a part of which is external to said body to form two resilient mounting flanges for engaging behind the stops that has the aforementioned rabbet.

• FIG 1 : Principe de pose à l'avancement
• FIG 2 : Une bride selon l'invention
• FIG 3 : Coupe transversale de la bride de la figure 2
• FIG 4 : Une variante de la bride de la figure 2.
• FIG 5 : Coupe transversale d'un poteau avec une bride posée provisoirement
• FIG 6 : Coupe transversale d'un poteau avec une bride posée définitivement
• FIG 7 : Coupe transversale d'un poteau avec une variante de bride posée provisoirement
• FIG 8 : Le montage de la figure 7 avec le dispositif fixé par un élément traversant.
• FIG 9 : Le dispositif de fixation utilisé sur les figures 7 et 8 vue de dessous
• FIG 10 une autre variante d'un dispositif de fixation
• FIG 11 une variante de réalisation
• FIG 12 : une variante d'un dispositif sans élément traversant.

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

• FIG 1 : Principle of installation
• FIG 2 : A flange according to the invention
• FIG 3 : Cross section of the flange of the figure 2
• FIG 4 : A variant of the flange of the figure 2 .
• FIG 5 : Cross section of a post with a flange temporarily laid
• FIG 6 : Cross section of a post with a definitively posed bridle
• FIG 7 : Cross section of a post with a flange variant temporarily fitted
• FIG 8 : The assembly of the figure 7 with the device fixed by a through element.
• FIG 9 : The fastening device used on the Figures 7 and 8 bottom view
• FIG 10 another variant of a fixing device
• FIG 11 a variant embodiment
• FIG 12 : a variant of a device without traversing element.

Referring to the drawing, we see that to erect a fence is used poles 1 and panels 2 welded mesh.

Panel 2 consists of vertical and horizontal wires 2A 2B welded at each intersection.

One or more horizontal ribs obtained by folding the panel can contribute to the rigidity of said panel.

The posts have an H section so as to have two opposite rabbets 1A, 1B. Of course, the end post or corner post may have only one rabbet.

These fences are put in progress. That is to say: a post is placed, the vertical end of a panel is positioned in the rabbet, the panel is fixed temporarily with the aid of a fixing device 3 with a metal blade, the second pole and we continue so on.

In this configuration, the panel is simply wedged between two rabbets and held by a single device 3.

For its final fixation, a plurality of devices are thus used distributed along the longitudinal axis of the post.

These devices act as a retaining flange of the vertical end wire 2C of a lattice panel on the bottom of a U-shaped rabbet.

This fixing device comprises a bearing face 4 intended to come opposite and possibly bear against the bottom of a rabbet of a post. A passage 5 is often provided to receive a member 6 passing through the flange and the bottom 20 of the rabbet, this member being intended to permanently fix the flange in the bottom of the rabbet.

One or two grooves 7 arranged in the support surface 4 allow the fixing device to cap the extreme vertical wire and place the contact surface of the flange in contact or at a short distance from the bottom 20 of the rabbet.

Often, the sections of the grooves are different so that the fastener can be used with panels whose wires are of different diameters, the diameter of the wire being chosen according to the desired resistance of the panel.

When this flange is placed, the bearing face 4 is generally in contact with the bottom of the groove to the operating clearance.

We see very well that according to the variant drawn, the fixing device is placed temporarily and does not rest on the bottom of the rabbet ( figure 5 or 7 ) whereas figure 6 or 8 it is permanently placed and supported on the bottom 20 of the rabbet. In this version, the ends of the metal wings are no longer in contact with the abutments of the rabbet.

The fastening device comprises two metal flanges 8 which, progressively diverging from the bearing face 4 towards the opposite face 9 of the flange, define a V whose opening is elastically deformable so that the free ends of these flanges said wings can cooperate with stops 10 presented by the lateral wings 11 of a rabbet 1A, 1B of the post to anchor the flange ( figure 5 ).

The device is possibly fixed by a through member 6 (example of the figure 6 ).

These wings 8 rise from each of the lateral faces 12 of the flange facing the wings 11 of the rabbet.

When the flange is not installed, the distance between the end of the V is greater than the distance between the two wings of the U of the rabbet.

Due to the elasticity of the metal wings, it is possible to bring the wings of the V and introduce the flange in the rebate and position the free ends of these wings behind the stops 10 that have the wings of the rabbet.

Depending on the method of manufacture of the post, these stops can be obtained by a folded edge or by a spun rib or any other form to create a stop preventing removal of the flange.

Thus, after placing the posts and the panels by means of the first device, the fence installer can come to position these devices for eventually fix these permanently with safety bolts with self-breaking nuts, rivets or other type of through body.

In order to facilitate the introduction of the member passing through the section of the passage 5 for the screw 6 provided in the device is of larger size than necessary so that the device can be put in place without respecting a strict alignment of the passage 5 with the piercing 13 of the rabbet bottom.

More specifically, the passage 5 in the device is elongate with the largest axis in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the post, ie when the device is placed temporarily in the rabbet the major axis of the oblong light is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the pole. For example, the length of the light along the major axis is substantially equal to twice the diameter of the screw. This allows to pre-drill the posts.

The entrance of the passage made in the fixing device may include a cavity 14 adapted to house the screw head, this footprint having abutments rotating in rotation said head.

The two metal wings 8 of the fixing device are the ends of a metal blade embedded in the body 3A of plastic material for example by overmolding around the metal blade or by assembling two complementary parts.

To give elasticity to the two wings 8, it will be noted for the object appearing on the Figures 2 to 10 that these wings are connected to a central portion 8A parallel to the bearing face and away from said bearing face, the connection being made by curved areas of which part of these curved zones 8B is located outside the body 3A.

For the figure 11 , the blade is shaped differently and has an arch capping the vertical wire.

Cutouts 16 in the metal blade allow a good connection between this blade and the overmolded material which will preferably be a plastic material possibly reinforced with fibers.

The body 3A of the fixing device is preferably overmolded on the metal blade. It could be made in two parts assembled according to a joint plane by gluing, ultrasonic welding or another method of assembly.

The width of the metal blade will be less than the width of the body and it is spring steel.

In a variant, each metal wing is split into one or more parts by slots 30 in order to provide flexibility during installation.

As has been said previously this plastic material body will be rigid or slightly elastically deformable to dampen noise and / or shock depending on its hardness. It may be, for example polyamide loaded (rigid material), polystyrene-butadiene-styrene (flexible and rubbery material) or polyethylene.

Since it is made of a material different from the metal, the contact between the wire and the fixing device will no longer be metallic, hence a damping of the noise. The more the material constituting the body will be more flexible there will be a damping effect of the vibrations.

We will have increased the resistance without affecting the flexibility of the wings and having gained on the sound and / or vibrations.

With a very soft rubber body, the notches in the metal part may not be needed anymore but you will lose in strength and quality.

On the other hand, when a harder plastic is used, it is possible to provide in the bottom of the groove 7 thin fins 50 which will deform when the fixing device is put in place. These fins are distributed along the longitudinal axis of the groove.

The interest of these fins 50 appears especially in the eyes of the figure 7 which shows the device in temporary position, ie in a position such that the bearing surface 4 of the device is moved away from the bottom of the rabbet. The presence of these fins makes it possible to apply the selvedge wire on the bottom of the rabbet, which makes it possible to position the panel correctly with respect to the bottom of the rabbet. The height of these fins 50 is substantially equal to or even slightly greater than the distance between the bottom of the rabbet and the said support face of the fastener.

The flexibility of these fins results from their thickness and / or the material used.

We just apply the vertical wire in the bottom of the rabbet in temporary position of the fixing device.

When the fixation device is definitively fixed ( figure 8 ), then deformed flexible fins that will then serve as damping elements.

These fins are useful when the body 3A is relatively hard.

In figure 10 Another solution is shown using a softer material for coating almost all the wire. The throat that houses said wire has its inlet 51 partially closed. More precisely, the distance separating the two walls of the inlet is smaller than the diameter of the wire.

In addition, the bottom of the groove is distant from the bearing face of a value greater than the diameter of the wire.

The inlet 51 of this groove is preferably arranged angularly so as not to open perpendicularly into the support face 4 of the device, this bearing face then being intended to come into contact with the post.

In the figure 11 this groove is accessible by moving a tongue 52.

In figure 12 there is shown a fastening device which is locked only by the elastic wings.

The body 3A can be in two-material.

Shore hardness will be between sh20 and sh90.

Claims (14)

1. Device with a metal strip for fixing the vertical end wire (2C) of a mesh panel (2) to the base of a U-shaped recess (1A, 1B) of a post (1), which device comprises a body (3A) with a support face (4) designed to be positioned facing the base of the recess (1A, 1B) of said post (1), this support face having a groove (7) designed to sit round the vertical wire (2C), this device being characterised in that the body (3A) is made from a plastic in which the metal strip is embedded, a part of which is disposed outside of said body (3A) forming two elastic fixing wings (8) designed to locate behind stops (10) disposed on said recess (1A, 1B).
2. Fixing device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the body (3A) is rigid.
3. Fixing device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the body (3A) is elastically flexible.
4. Fixing device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the groove (7) has ribs (50).
5. Fixing device as claimed in claim 1 or 3, characterised in that the groove accommodating said vertical wire has an inlet (51) that is partially closed.
6. Fixing device as claimed in claim 6, characterised in that the inlet (51) of this groove is positioned at an angle so that it does not open onto the support face (4) of the device.
7. Fixing device as claimed in claim 6, characterised in that the groove can be accessed by displacing a tongue (52).
8. Fixing device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it has a passage for a traversing element and the section of the passage (5) for a screw (6) provided in the device is of a dimension bigger than that needed for the screw to pass through.
9. Fixing device as claimed in claim 8, characterised in that the passage (5) in the fixing device is oblong with the longer axis disposed in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the post.
10. Fixing device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the body (3A) of the clamp is moulded onto the metal strip.
11. Fixing device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the two wings (8) of the metal strip are joined at a central part (8A) parallel with the support face, spaced apart from said support face by curved zones (8B), a part of which is disposed outside the body (3A).
12. Fixing device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it has cut-outs (16) in the metal strip permitting a good connection between this strip and the on-moulded material.
13. Fixing device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that each metal wing is divided into one or more parts by slots (30) in order to impart flexibility during fitting.
14. Fence made up of panels, the ends of which are located in the recess of a post incorporating a recess, characterised in that it has at least one fixing device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

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