FR2723114A1 - LIFTING HOIST FOR BATARDEAU - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a lifting beam for a cofferdam comprising a beam (9), the ends (10, 11) of which are able to move along profiles inside which slide the cofferdam or cofferdams constituting a door. mobile of a dam of a watercourse, this lifting beam (1) comprising hooks (18) mounted to tilt on the beam (9) around horizontal axes of rotation (16, 17) capable of cooperating with Complementary hooking means integral with the cofferdams. This lifting beam for cofferdam is characterized in that each hook (18) is provided with a balance (31) with counterweight (32) capable of being moved in order to modify the position of the center of gravity of the hook (18) relative to the vertical plane passing through its axis of rotation (16, 17) in order, depending on the case, to obtain the automatic engagement of said hook (18) on said complementary hooking means when encounter these or, on the contrary, allow its erasure at tomatic in front of said complementary hooking means, once they are released from the curved part (20) of this hook (18).

Description

The invention relates to a lifting beam for a cofferdam, comprising

  a beam, in particular adjustable in length, the ends of which are able to move along the profiles constituting the uprights of the sleeping frame implanted in a radiate of a watercourse and inside which 6 slide the cofferdams of a movable door, this lifter comprising hooks mounted tilting on the beam around horizontal axes of rotation and capable of cooperating with hooking means

  complementary to the cofferdams.

  The present invention will find its application in the field of

  watercourse dams using movable cofferdam type doors.

  In fact, many difficulties arise, at present, for the installation and more particularly the removal of the cofferdams used for the dam of a watercourse. In this regard, some rivers are particularly deep so that it is necessary to superimpose several cofferdams to obtain the complete dam. However, under these conditions, only the upper cofferdam is easily accessible, the others being necessarily submerged. It is difficult to hang them using simple lifting means. Furthermore, it cannot be imagined that this attachment is carried out by

  an operator by directly accessing the submerged cofferdam.

  In order to remedy this problem, attempts have been made to hang the cofferdams one inside the other by means of suitable hooking means. This solution if, indeed, it solves the problem of access to submerged cofferdams, it makes, on the other hand, essential, the use of specific handling devices since the movable door that makes up all the cofferdams must be handled in one piece. Alnsi, for example, in the case of a movable door of five meters or more in height, it is necessary to have handling means extending, at least to an equivalent height above a course of water to engage or, at

  on the contrary, disengage the movable door from the dormant frame installed in the radiant.

  In addition, such a movable door, composed of a succession of cofferdams, necessarily represents a significant weight, not to mention that when removing it, the dirt that has accumulated at the rear during the entire period of roadblocks tend to block this door and to

object to its withdrawal.

  Similarly, the presence of water on only one side of the movable door generates pressure on the latter forcing the machines to exert a force of

  lifting much greater than the simple weight of the door.

  We also imagined the design of a lifting beam for

  cofferdam, as it is, in particular, described in document DE-A-3,403. 959.

  Alnsi, this lifter comprises a structure in the form of a horizontal beam whose length is adjustable and whose ends are provided 6 with guide means, in the form of rolling means, capable of cooperating with the profiles in "UW 'constituting the uprights of the sleeping frame implanted in the radiate of a watercourse. Inside these profiles slide the lateral edges of the cofferdams. In addition, laterally and on either side of this beam are pivotally mounted around a transverse axis of rotation, hooks able to cooperate with means

  of additional hanging fitted to the cofferdams.

  In this regard, it should be observed that said cofferdams comprise at the upper edge and laterally through handles with which are able to cooperate the aforementioned hooks. These are subjected to elastic return means making it possible to return them, systematically, to a position corresponding to that taken in the event of cooperation with the additional attachment means. These hooks are, in addition, extended, beyond their axis of tilt, by a lever arm on which the operator can act using appropriate traction means. Finally, the lifter is equipped with locking means capable of immobilizing the hooks in the unlocked position which

  is communicated by the traction unit.

  It should be observed that this lifter is necessarily suspended from the end, for example, of a chain which, it is connected to the lifting machine 26 or to any gantry. Furthermore, under the impulse of this chain, the lifter moves along the sleeping frame of the movable door, but, also, once removed from a watercourse, it can be brought to a place more or less away from it to drop off or search for a cofferdam. However, the rope which serves as a traction device for controlling the hooks must, under these conditions, follow this lifter throughout all of its movements, which, of course, hinders handling, not to mention that a pull exerted unexpectedly on this rope can, for example, command the stall of a cofferdam with all

  the consequences that one can imagine.

  36 It appears, of course, that under such working conditions, one cannot be bothered by a traction device as bulky as

  a rope, chain or other to ensure the operation of the hooks.

  On the other hand, it would be interesting to have simple and effective handling means, precisely, of the lifting beam type, which are able to pick up or, on the contrary, to deposit, one by one, the cofferdams making up a movable door, while avoiding any intervention or

  6 manipulation inside the canal defining the watercourse.

  The present invention has been able to advantageously respond to these two problems while proposing a simple solution. Therefore,

  particularly reliable, unhealthy, too, inexpensive.

  To this end, the invention relates to a lifting beam for cofferdam.

  comprising a beam, in particular adjustable in length, the ends of which are able to move along the profiles constituting the uprights of the sleeping frame implanted in a radiate of a watercourse and at the interior of which slide the cofferdams constituting a movable door, this lifter comprising hooks mounted tilting on the beam 16 around horizontal axes of rotation and capable of cooperating with complementary attachment means integral with the cofferdams, characterized in that each hook is provided with a counterbalanced balance adapted to be moved in order to modify the position of the center of gravity of the hook relative to the vertical plane passing through its axis of rotation in order, as the case may be, to obtain automatic engagement of said hook on said attachment means complementary when it encounters them or, on the contrary, allow its automatic erasure in front of said attachment means e complementary once these are released from the

curved part of the hook.

  26 The advantages obtained thanks to this invention consist in that by manipulating, simply, the pendulums equipping the hooks, one can either ensure the automatic engagement of these hooks on the cofferdams, in order to go , for example, search for the latter inside a watercourse, or obtain the erasure of these hooks from said complementary attachment means corresponding to a cofferdam as soon as the latter rests, in abutment, or at the bottom of the watercourse, either on a previously installed cofferdam and, therefore, that said hooks are relieved of the weight of this cofferdam. In addition, the manipulations can all be carried out while the lifter is easily accessible by an operator placed at the

36 around a watercourse.

  Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from

  course of the description which follows relating to an embodiment

  which is only given as an indicative and non-limiting example.

  The understanding of this description will be facilitated by referring to

  attached drawings and in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic view in elevation of the lifting beam 6 according to the invention; Figure 2 is a schematic top view of the lifter as shown in Figure 1; - Figure 3 illustrates, schematically, the position taken by the pendulums and the corresponding hooks when it comes to hanging a cofferdam arranged, for example, at the bottom of a river; - Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3. once the cofferdam hung; - Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, the rockers having, however, been tilted to obtain the erasure of the hooks once relieved of the weight of the cofferdam; - Figure 6 illustrates, specifically, the position taken by these hooks when, being relieved of the weight of a cofferdam, the counterweight associated with the balance causes their tilting and their release of

  additional attachment means of said cofferdam.

  As shown in the various figures of the cl-Jolnts drawings, the present invention relates to a lifting beam 1 used for the installation and removal of cofferdams 2 constituting a movable door 3

  corresponding to a dam of a watercourse 4, such as a canal or the like.

  More specifically, in the radiated 5 of this watercourse 4 is located the 26 sleeping frame 6 corresponding to this movable door 3. It is composed, mainly, of two vertical uprights 7, 8 formed by section profiles in OR " between the parallel wings from which the edges slide

  side of different cofferdams 2.

  The lifting beam 1, according to lnventlon, has a structure in the form of a horizontal beam 9 possibly of variable length thanks to

  at ends 10, 11 of a telescopic nature.

  Specifically, at the height of these ends 10, 11i, this horizontal beam 9 further comprises guide means 12 intended to cooperate with said U-shaped sections constituting the vertical uprights 7, 8, of the frame 6, to facilitate the movement of the lifting beam 1 along these latter.Note that it is advantageous also to ensure, by the intermedial of these guide means 12, the maintenance of the lifting beam 1 in a substantially horizontal plane for avoid jamming

  during the lifting and lowering operations of the cofferdams 2.

  Thus, these guide means 12 are constituted, here, by carriages 13 equipping the ends 10 and 11 of the horizontal beam 9 and 6 each comprising rolling means of the roller type 14, 15, offset vertically, in order to maintain the squareness between the lifting beam 1

  and the vertical uprights 7, 8, of the sleeping frame 6.

  The lifting beam 1 further comprises hooks 18 pivotally mounted on the beam 9 around horizontal axes of rotation 16, 17 which, according to the embodiment more particularly shown in the drawings, are transverse to the longitudinal median plane 28 of said beam 9. Of course, the present invention is in no way limited to such an arrangement of the axes.

  16., 17 of hooking of hooks 18.

  In fact, these hooks 18 comprising, at their free end 19, a curved part 20, are intended to cooperate with complementary hooking means 21 which equip, at the upper edge 22 and, generally, laterally, a cofferdam 2. For example , these complementary fastening means 21 are in the form of tubular end pieces 23 protruding, at the upper edge 22 and on the lateral sides 24, 25 of a cofferdam 2, this, frequently, both on the face 26, oriented in upstream that

on the downstream face 27 of the latter.

  Alnsi, we understand, of course, that the hooks 18 are arranged on the beam 9 of the lifting beam 1, so as to agree with these tubular ends 23 of a cofferdam 2 when one and the other are engaged in the

26 frame 6.

  Since such tubular end pieces 23 are projecting both on the upstream face 26 and on the downstream face 27 of a cofferdam 2, hooks 18 are pivotally mounted on the horizontal beam 9 on either side of the latter with a spacing 29 at least equal to the thickness 30 of a cofferdam 2. In fact, by acting in this way, on either side of a cofferdam 2, it is avoided that the latter gets crosswise to the inside of the vertical uprights 7, 8 of the frame 6 and, therefore, any risk of blockage

  when handling up and down such a cofferdam 2.

  According to the Ilnventlon, each hook 18 is associated with a balance 31 to 36 counterweight 32 able to be moved in order to modify the position of the center of gravity of the hook 18 relative to the vertical plane 33 passing through its axis of rotation 16, 17 The aim sought consists, as the case may be, in obtaining the automatic engagement of the hooks 18 on the attachment means.

  complementary 21 when they meet the latter, in particular.

  when it comes to finding a cofferdam 2 inside a watercourse 4 or, on the contrary, to allow the automatic erasure of these hooks 18 6 in front of said additional hooking means 21 from the moment that

  these no longer cooperate with the curved part 20 of these hooks 18.

  According to a preferred embodiment, a balance 31 is mounted articulated on a lever arm 34 extending the hook 18 beyond its pivot axis 16, 17. In fact, the articulation axis 35 of this balance 31

  is parallel to the axis 16, 17 of rotation of the hook 18. In addition, means-

  stop 36 is fitted on this hook 18, in particular its lever arm 34, so as to limit the amplitude of the rotation of the pendulum 31 about the articulation axis 36. Thus, these stop means 36 have the objective of immobilize the pendulum 31 in at least two positions 37 and 38 which make it possible to obtain the desired result, namely a modification of the position of the center of gravity of this hook 18 relative to the vertical plane

  33 passing through its axis of rotation 16, 17.

  Referring now to Figures 1 and 3 for understanding the operation of the lifter 1 according to the invention, more particularly, when it is desired to hang a cofferdam 2, in order to raise it from the bottom of a course 4. Under these conditions, before letting the lifter 1 descend inside this watercourse, along the vertical uprights 7, 8, the operator rocks the pendulums 31 in position 37 so that the hooks 18 are pushed back, by rotation about their axes 16, 17, against a stop 39 that is to say in the direction 40 indicated by said part

curved 20.

  In fact, in this situation, this curved part 20 of the different hooks 18 is positioned in the same vertical extension as the tubular end pieces 23 constituting the complementary hooking means

21 fitted to a cofferdam 2.

  Thus, when these hooks 18 meet said tubular ends 23, they are pushed back by the latter, under the influence of their bevelled end 41 provided for this purpose, in the direction 42 opposite to that 40 which is imposed on them by the pendulums 31, 37. Consequently, once these tubular end pieces 36 are exceeded, the curved parts 29 engage under the latter automatically under the impulse of said pendulums 31. It is then possible to raise the lifter 1, which is connected by the Intermediate of lifting rings 43 and of a chain 44, to a lifting machine or, quite simply, to a gantry. This configuration of a cofferdam 2 attached to the

  spreader 1 is illustrated in figure 4.

  Then, once the lifter made accessible to an operator, above 6 of the watercourse, said operator rocks the pendulums 31 of the different hooks 18 in their second position marked 38. Under these conditions, the hooks 38, due to the displacement of their center of gravity, tend to tilt in the opposite direction 42. However, this is impossible for them as long as they support the weight of the cofferdam 2. This is more particularly

visible in figure 5.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, once these tubular end pieces 23 are released from the curved part 20 of the hooks 18, these can, effectively, freely tilt in the direction marked 42, under the influence of the balance 31 of so that this curved part 20 disappears 16 in front of said complementary hooking means 21 thus releasing the

cofferdam 2.

  Consequently, the lifting beam 1, according to the invention, allows, without difficulty and without constraining control member, to obtain its attachment to a cofferdam 2 which would, for example, be buried inside a watercourse or

  again, to deposit such a cofferdam at the bottom of this watercourse.

  As shown in the figures of the cl-jolnts drawings, the hooks 18 arranged on either side of the vertical median plane 45 of the lifter 1 adopt a symmetrical arrangement with respect to each other. This configuration has the advantage of considerably limiting the tilting of a cofferdam 2 in the plane of the lifting beam 1 under the influence of the stop 39 limiting the movement of the hooks 18 in a given direction. However, the

  The present invention is in no way limited to such an arrangement.

  In addition, the hooks 18 are preferably pivotally mounted on the telescopic ends 10, 11 of the horizontal beam 9. This allows by means of such a lifting beam 1, according to the inventlon, to lift cofferdams 2 of width any moment that there is standardization in the position of the tubular ends 23 relative to the lateral edges

of these cofferdams 2.

  One can, however, easily imagine a possibility of mounting the 36 hooks 18 on sleeves whose position is adjustable along the

  horizontal beam 9 constituting the lifting beam 1.

  It is, moreover, obvious that the complementary fastening means 21 can borrow another embodiment than that of tubular end pieces 23. In particular, they can be constituted by handles in "One of which one of the branches is suitable to cooperate with the curved part 20

hook 18.

  6 Although the invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment, it is understood that it is in no way limited thereto and that it is possible to make various modifications to it in terms of shapes, materials and combinations of these various elements, without departing from the framework and

the spirit of inventlon.

Claims (10)

  1. Lifting beam for cofferdam (2) comprising a beam (9).   in particular adjustable in length, the ends (10, 11) of which are able to move along the profiles constituting the uprights (7, 8) of the frame (6) located in a radiate (5) of a course d 'water (4) and inside which the cofferdam (s) (2) constitute a movable door (3), this lifter (1) comprising hooks (18) pivotally mounted on the beam (9) around axes horizontal rotation (16,17) and capable of cooperating with additional attachment means (21) integral with the cofferdams (2). characterized in that each hook (18) is provided with a balance (31) with counterweight (32) capable of being moved in order to modify the position of the center of gravity of the hook (18) relative to the vertical plane (33 ) passing through its axis of rotation (16, 17) for, as appropriate. obtain the automatic engagement of the hook hook (18) on said complementary hooking means (21) when it meets the latter or, on the contrary, allow its automatic erasure in front of these complementary hooking means (21) once these clear of the curved part (20) of this hook (18).   2. lifting pallet for cofferdam according to claim 1, characterized in that the pendulum (31) corresponding to a hook (18) is articulated on a lever arm (34) extending the latter beyond its axis of vote (16,17). the hinge pin (35) of this pendulum   (31) being parallel to this pivot axis (16, 17) of the hook (18).   26 3. Lifting pallet for cofferdam according to any one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that a hook (18) is equipped with abutment means (36), very particularly, at its lever arm ( 34). so as to limit the amplitude of the rotation of the balance (31) around the articulation axis (35) and allow the immoblllsatlon of this balance (31) in at least two positions (37, 38) to modify the position of the center of gravity of the hook (18) relative to the vertical plane (33) passing through its axis of rotation (16, 17).   4. Pallet lifter for cofferdam according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that the pivot axis   36 (16. 17) of a hook (18) is transverse to the beam (9).   5. Lifting beam for cofferdam according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that the hooks (18) are   mounted on either side on the beam (9) respecting a spacing between them (29) at least equal to the thickness (30) of a cofferdam (2) in order to cooperate with complementary fastening means ( 21) equipping the   upstream face (26) and the downstream face (27) of the latter.   6. Lifting beam for cofferdam according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that the hooks (18)   adopt a symmetrical arrangement with respect to the vertical median plane (35) spreader (1).   7. Lifting beam for cofferdam according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that the hooks (18)   have a beveled end (41) able to cooperate with the complementary hooking means (21) of a cofferdam (2) to control the tilting of these hooks (18) and allow the passage of said complementary hooking means (31 ) with a view to engaging the said hooks (18) on these.   8. Lifting beam for cofferdam according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that it comprises at least   a stop (39) associated with each hook (18) capable of limiting the rotation imparted to the latter under the influence of the balance (31) in the direction (40) intended to allow automatic engagement of these hooks (18) on the complementary hooking means (21) and, thus, to maintain said hooks (18) in the same vertical extension as these means   additional attachment (21) of a cofferdam (2).   9. Lifting beam for cofferdam according to any one of   26 previous claims, characterized by the fact that the hooks (18) are   mounted on sleeves whose position is adjustable along the beam (9). 10. Lifting beam for cofferdam according to any one of   previous claims, characterized in that the hooks (18) are   pivotally mounted on telescopic ends (10, 11) equipping the   beam (9) and allowing the length of the latter to be adjusted.