FR2718482A3 - Ground-anchor for resilient top soil - Google Patents

Abstract

The anchor secures the equipment in the ground, particularly where the topsoil is resilient. It has an inserted tube(1) is open at the ends. Its minimum length is at least double its diameter, and its bottom end is chamfered. A holder is mounted at the top end for the equipment to be secured, and can be inside or outside the tube and can be movable on it, or alternatively the tube can be distorted to secure the equipment.

Description

Device for fixing a device in the ground
The present invention relates to a device for fixing an apparatus in the ground, in particular in the case of an elastically deformable surface layer of the ground.

 The need to fix devices in the ground arises in many cases. The problems that this poses become all the more difficult to solve as the bearing surface layer of the soil is softer and more elastically deformable.

 To file for example an umbrella in the sand its central bar must not be too thick because it is necessary of course to move the volume of its part penetrating into the ground.

The force necessary for this displacement becomes all the more important as the bar penetrates it more deeply and that the sand becomes more compact downwards. The relatively small penetration depth in combination with the small diameter of the bar offers only insignificant resistance to lateral pressures. Experience shows that it only takes a weak force of the wind for a parasol to be overturned, or even extracted from the ground and carried away by the wind.

 If it is a question of installing a bar in a somewhat firmer soil then it must, in order to form a hole, be repeatedly poked into the ground with force and again be extracted. This process involuntarily but inevitably widens the hole and, due to the displacement of material, the penetration depth remains small and the result, that is to say the stability of the bar installed, is most often unsatisfactory. This can only be remedied by driving the bar in with a hammer or by drilling the hole with removal of material, which however requires auxiliary means to be operated manually or mechanically.

 The present invention aims to create a simple and easy to manufacture device by means of which the secure fixing of an apparatus in the ground is reliably obtained even in the case of an elastically deformable surface layer of the ground.

 This object is achieved, for a device intended for fixing an apparatus in the ground, in particular in the case where the bearing surface layer of the latter is elastically deformable, according to the invention by a tube to be grounded which is open on both sides and has a length at least equal to twice its diameter, and the lower end of which is chamfered and at the upper end of which is provided a retaining mechanism, or member, for the device to be fixed.

 The term elastically deformable bearing surface layer used above should not be interpreted too narrowly. The device according to the invention is suitable for natural terrains of the most diverse types, ranging from marshy soil to solid topsoil, for meadows, sand, gravel and even for snow.

Undeformable soils, such as rock or ice for example, are obviously not to be taken into consideration.

 The insertion of the tube to be inserted into the ground most often requires exerting only a small force since it must only be displaced the volume of the wall of the tube which is quite negligible in comparison with the volume of the hole. In addition, there is no need to remove the detached core which can easily be cut with the help of the chamfer at the end of the tube. The diameter of the earth plug tube, which is then completely embedded therein, can therefore be large, which offers significant resistance to the action of lateral forces.

 Usually the earth tube is inserted vertically there, but it can also be obliquely inserted, in particular to be able to offer an even greater resistance to lateral traction or pressure. Whatever the position of the tube to be put into the ground, it can be extracted again by a pulling action accompanied by a slight rotational movement, which allows the device to be used many times.

 The possibilities of using the device are many and varied. In this regard, a distinction should be made with regard to whether it has a supporting role, preferably for bars or bar-shaped devices, or whether it is intended as a stop against lateral pulls or pressures. The first group includes, for example, the installation of plates and panels of all kinds, nets on sports fields, soundproof walls and palisades, cable fences, the delimitation of playgrounds, the subdivision of land areas, etc. In these cases it can obviously also occur lateral stresses due, for example, to wind or snow pressure.

 The second group includes in particular the most diverse anchors, mainly those made with cords or cables. In this regard, mention may be made, inter alia, of the fixing of masts, chimneys and external antennas, tents, houses, boats and planes, as well as the protection of large livestock and small livestock. But to this group also belong parasols which, due to their large attack surface, are exposed to strong wind pressure. By sliding the parasol, folded back on itself, into the earthen tube, the device can also be used as a simple means of facilitating transport.

 The retaining mechanism for the fixture can advantageously be mounted on the outside of the earth tube or on the inside of the tube.

It can also be mounted on the tube so that it can be moved.

 According to another characteristic of the invention, a deformation of the tube to be plugged into the ground forms the retaining mechanism, or member, for the device. In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the retaining mechanism, or member, for the apparatus is formed by a recess of the tube to be plugged into the ground.

 Advantageously, the earth plug tube has at its upper end means allowing it to be driven into the ground by exerting a force in the axial direction. The earth plug tube can also be advantageously arranged so that it can be inserted mechanically.

 According to another characteristic of the invention, the chamfer of the earth plug tube is formed by a planar or indented cut.

 Advantageously, the chamfers of two tubes to be put into the ground can each time be adapted to one another without gaps so as to obtain a continuous line of tubes.

 According to another advantageous characteristic of the invention, the tube to be put into the ground is formed by a development, in the form of a blank, cut from the material forming a tube, then rolled up, and the edges of which touching are connected to each other.

 An advantage of the device according to the invention also consists in that it can be manufactured at relatively low expense in terms of constituent material and labor and can be operated without any problem.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is described in more detail below and shown schematically in the accompanying drawing in which
FIG. 1 represents a device in side view, and
Figure 2 shows the same device in front view.

 The device according to FIGS. 1 and 2 consists essentially of the tube 1 to be plugged into the ground and the socket 2.

The tube open on both sides is chamfered at its lower end by a planar cut, but another cut, for example notched or curved, may occasionally also be advantageous. The ellipse obtained 3 forms a cutting edge which greatly facilitates the insertion of the tube into the earth 4. For this it is advantageous that the cutting edge is sharpened.

 The softer and more elastically deformable the bearing surface layer of the soil, the greater the length and the thickness of the tube to be grounded, but the importance and the type of stress suffered naturally also play a determining role. In many cases it is enough that the length is twice the diameter for the device to properly fulfill its function. It is advantageous to adapt these two dimensions each time to the conditions that arise.

 The sleeve 2 serves as a retaining member for a bar or a bar-shaped device. Often it suffices to simply pass the bar through the bushing but for secure fixing it can also be provided the clamping screw 5 (indicated in the drawing simply by its center line) or another clamping mechanism. It is also possible to screw the bar into the socket. If it is a question of reducing the total dimensions of the device to a minimum and making it as compact as possible, then the screw 5 ′, which is also only shown for information, can be placed laterally.

 The sleeve 2 is suitably mounted on the tube 1 to be grounded, for example by welding, soldering or the like. It can however also be fixed so as to be able to tilt or be movable, when an oblique position is necessary, as is the case for example for a parasol.

 Depending on the application it can be provided as a retaining member, instead of sockets, also fasteners, clamps, eyelets, bolts with or without thread, nuts, rings, profiled material of any type and shape, etc. . They can also be fixed either externally or internally, and rigidly, so that they can tilt or move in another way, to the tube 1 to be grounded.

 In addition, the earth plugging tube may have suitable recesses intended to serve as a retaining means in particular for cable ends. The earth plugging tube can also be deformed to form, for example, a bead or a groove at which the device placed above finds support, the foot of the device then having to be adapted to it.

 In the case of a very soft consistency of the bearing surface layer, manual pressure is sufficient to push the tube in the axial direction to the socket in the ground. If the surface layer is firmer, an additional rotational movement, which may be continuous or oscillating, is necessary. This can also be done manually and requires only a small expenditure of energy. However, it is advantageous to use suitable auxiliary means for this.

 The simplest way is to arrange in the upper end of the tube 1 to be grounded two holes 6 arranged one opposite the other. Through these, a material in the form of a bar, any axis or any suitable mandrel is passed. An adaptation of the shape of the hole to the cross-section of the bar-shaped material can be carried out, but this adaptation is not absolutely necessary. It is only necessary that this auxiliary means is long enough so that its ends can be grasped with the hands.

It is then easy to carry out the necessary rotational movement, while exerting pressure, to drive the tube into the ground.

 If the bearing surface layer is even firmer or if the device is larger or if a large number of bars have to be driven into the ground, then mechanical auxiliary means may be useful. The two holes 6 can also be provided for these. A suitable machine grasps the material in the form of a bar slipped through the holes or engages with gripping members directly in the holes and performs the necessary rotational movement by exerting at the same time a pressure. Any other means may however also be used for this operation insofar as they are suitable for it. In addition, the insertion of the tube to be grounded can also be done by vibration, in which case one can dispense with the rotational movement.

 Commercial tubes can be used for the production of earth plug tubes, which need not always have a circular cross section. They can also be oval or angular but it will then be necessary to exert exclusively a pressure for the insertion of the tube in the ground and to give up a simultaneous rotational movement.

Performing an appropriate oblique cut allows the chamfer for two tubes to be obtained simultaneously and in this case there is no waste.

 Another manufacturing possibility is that a blank-shaped development of the earth plug tube is cut from sheet metal, so that the holes 6, and possibly also other retaining members, can be obtained at the same time. The blanks obtained by developing two or more tubes, as obtained by the aforementioned oblique cut, engage, without gaps or corresponding loss of material, in one another and form a continuous strip. Each cut development is then rolled up and the edges which touch each other are connected together in a suitable manner, an overlapping of the marginal parts also being possible.

 As tests have shown, the tubes to be put into the ground can also have a small draft, that is to say a slight taper, downwards. The additional resistance to sinking into the ground for such tubes, compared to uniformly extending tubes, is only minimal. On the other hand, this gives the great advantage that the tubes can be slipped into each other for storage and shipping purposes, which allows significant space savings and reduces transport costs.

 As a constituent material of the earth plugging tube can be used not only any suitable metal but also plastic. For the latter material, the aforementioned manufacturing methods can also be used, in which case the edges touching, after cutting and winding, can also be joined by gluing. It is also possible to use the injection molding process in which the production of the retaining member for the fixture can also be carried out in the same working cycle.

Claims (10)

 1. Device for fixing an apparatus in the ground, in particular in the case of an elastically deformable bearing surface layer of the ground, characterized by a tube (1) to be plugged into the ground which is open on both sides and has a length at least equal to twice its diameter, and the lower end of which is chamfered and at the upper end of which a retaining member (2) is provided for the device to be fixed.  2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the retaining member (2) for the device is arranged on the outside of the tube (1) to be grounded.  3. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the retaining member for the device is arranged on the inner side of the tube (1) to be grounded.  4. Device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the retaining member is mounted on the tube (1) to be grounded so as to be able to move.  5. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that a deformation of the tube (1) to be grounded forms the retaining member for the device.  6. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that a recess of the tube (1) to be grounded forms the retaining member for the device.  7. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the tube (1) to be grounded has, at its upper end, means for driving it into the ground by exerting a force in the axial direction.  8. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the tube (1) to be plugged into the ground is arranged to allow the mechanical insertion to be carried out.  9. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the chamfer of the tube (1) to be plugged into the earth is formed by a planar or indented cut.  10. Device according to claim 9, characterized in that the chamfers of two tubes (1) to be plugged into the ground adapt each time to each other without leaving a gap so that a line is obtained of continuous tubes.  it - Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tube (1) to be plugged into the ground is formed by a development, in the form of a blank, cut from the material of the tubes, then wound, and of which the edges which touch are connected to one another.