GB2063984A

GB2063984A - Cable Clamp

Info

Publication number: GB2063984A
Application number: GB8032561A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Franz & Rutenbeck
Current assignee: Franz & Rutenbeck
Priority date: 1979-10-17
Filing date: 1980-10-09
Publication date: 1981-06-10
Also published as: DE2941914A1; GB2063984B; AT375219B; FR2468236A1; FR2468236B1; CH653187A5; ATA460880A; DE2941914C2

Abstract

In order to define the limits of the opening and closing path of wedge shaped clamping jaws (4, 5) of an anchoring clamp having a wedge- shaped guide housing (1) provided with a suspension eyelet (11), the two clamping jaws (4, 5) being mounted in the housing (1) and two clamping members (12, 13) enclosing the guide housing, the side walls (2, 3) of the guide housing (1) have stop lugs (6, 7) which engage in slots (8, 9) of the clamping jaws (4, 5). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Anchoring Clamp for Installation Cables to be Laid Unsupported The present invention relates to an anchoring clamp for installation cables laid in an unsupported manner, comprised of a wedgeshaped guide housing provided with a suspension eyelet, two wedge-shaped clamping jaws being mounted in the housing and being forcibly displaceable in parallel into an open and a closed position and two clamping members enclosing the guide housing, such clamping members mutually engaging one another on their rear surfaces and on their front surfaces having teeth for engaging in receiving members provided in the clam ping jaws, the clamping members thereby retaining and guiding the clamping jaws in the housing. Such a clamp is known from DE-OS 2 342 542.

In this anchoring clamp both the opening and closing path of the clamping jaws are defined by the clamping members, namely the opening path by stops located on guide teeth or receiving members on the rear side of the clamping members and the closing path by the lower ends of the clamping members striking against a stop of the guide housing. The width of the cable insertion groove, which should provide an accurate gauge for the thickest cable to be clamped, is maintained sufficiently accurate only by adopting small manufacturing tolerances.

Moreover, it is a disadvantage that the clamping members have to be of very stable construction since in the closed position of the clamping jaws they have to absorb high tensional loads, i.e.

having to be transmitted from the clamping jaws to the guide housing.

The object of the invention is to avoid the disadvantages of the anchoring clamp of the above-mentioned Offenlegungsschrift, i.e. to provide a clamp the manufacture of which does not require maintaining specially low manufacturing tolerances and in which the clamping members which retain and guide the clamping jaws in the housing are not subjected to any tensional stresses.

According to the present invention there is provided an anchoring clamp for installation cables laid in an unsupported manner, comprised of a wedge-shaped guide housing provided with a suspension eyelet, two wedge-shaped clamping jaws being mounted in the housing and being forcibly displaceable in parallel into an open and a closed position and two clamping members enclosing the guide housing, such clamping members mutually engaging one another on their rear surfaces and on their front surfaces having teeth for engaging in receiving members provided in the clamping jaws, the clamping members thereby retaining and guiding the clamping jaws in the housing, in which the side walls of the guide housing have stop lugs which engage in slots of the clamping jaws and define the opening and closing path of the clamping jaws.

The arrangement in accordance with the invention has the advantage that the stop lugs located on the side walls of the guide housing of the anchoring clamp form both the upper and lower limit of the displacement path of the clamping jaws. The jaws, with the end of the slots formed therein, strike against the stop lugs, so that for accurately fixing the open and closed position of the jaws only a corresponding adjustment of stop lugs and jaw slot dimensions is required. The width of the cable insertion channel acting like a gauge in the open position of the jaws is hence obtained directly between the guide housing and no longer via the clamping members holding the clamping jaws, so that manufacturing tolerances of the clamps in this respect have no significance.In the closed position of the jaws tractive loads which act on the jaws may be absorbed directly by the stop lugs of the guide housing. The clamps need not transmit any tractive loads whatsoever or bear them, but only have holding and guiding functions and may therefore be made with economy of material.

One embodiment of the invention consists in that the stop lugs of the guide housing are enclosed on all sides by the clamping jaws or the clamping members. This measure excludes the risk of injuries to fingers of the operator during the manipulation of the anchoring clamp in accordance with the invention.

According to a further development of the invention, the clamping members are centrally arranged relative to the clamping jaws and each have a central parallel guide shoulder and a central stop securing shoulder. In comparison with the anchoring clamp according to the above Offenlegungsschrift, in which the clamps are located eccentrically to the clamping jaws and are provided with a plurality of guiding and securing shouiders, there is obtained an improvement of the displacement properties of jaws and clamps and a considerable simplification of these components and the plastics material injection moulding tools required for their manufacturn.

In accordance with a further embociiiment of the invention, moreover, there is provided that on the front and/or rear ends of the clamping jaws hammer stop noses provided with projections are located. The object of the noses is to release the clamping jaws when firmly seated in the guide housing when dismantling the clamp by means of light taps with a hammer, whereby the pointed end of the hammer may be used for tapping and the projections of the noses prevent the hammer from slipping off.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the basic radii of the cable beds of the clamping jaws correspond to the radius of the thickest cable to be clamped and the radii of the adhesion ribs of the cable beds correspond to the radius of the thinnest cable to be clamped. This development of the cable beds ensures a perfect grip of the various cable diameters and a perfect initial adhesion of the cables. The latter is important for the automatic drawing in caused by the cable tension of the clamping jaws into the guide housing.

The invention further provides that the hooked opening of the suspension eyelet of the guide housing extends to the wedge-like part of the housing. This substantially facilitates the hooking of the anchoring clamp in accordance with the invention in any pylon or wall hooks, even socalled rocking hooks.

The present invention will be further illustrated, by way of example, withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a front view of an anchoring clamp in accordance with the invention having a fragmentary section taken on the line I-I of Fig.

3; Fig. 2 is a side view of the anchoring clamp of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view of the clamp in the pulling direction of the cable to be clamped in position; Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view extended in the central region, of the arrangement of Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the five individual members of the clamp shown in perspective.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, a guide housing 1, formed of steel plate, comprises a wedge-shaped portion having inwardly angled side walls 2 and 3, which respectively form guide rails for displaceable clamping jaws 4 and 5. The side walls 2 and 3 are provided with stop lugs 6 and 7, respectively, which engage in slots 8 and 9 provided in the clamping jaws 4 and 5. The guide housing 1 also includes a suspension eyelet 10 having a hook-shaped opening 11 extending to the wedge-shaped portion of the housing 1. The clamping jaws 4 and 5 are displaceably retained in the guide housing 1 by clamps 12 and 13.One of the clamps 12 or 13, on its underside, has a shoulder with a receiving member 14, whilst the other clamp 12 or 13, on its underside, has a shoulder with a guide tooth 1 5, the guide tooth 1 5, in use, engaging in the receiving member 14 for the parallel guidance of the clamps 12 and 13 and hence for guidance of the associated clamping jaws 4 and 5. On the upper surface of the clamps 12 and 13, shoulders are provided with hook-like teeth 1 6 and 1 7 which engage, in use, in correspondingly located receiving members 18 and 19 of the clamping jaws 4 and 5, by which means the clamps 12 and 13 are secured to the clamping jaws 4 or 5. The clamping jaws 4 and 5 support, for example on their front ends, hammer stop noses 20 and 21 having projections 22 and 23. Such projections are utilised for displacing the anchoring clamp from an open to a closed position and vice-versa.

The clamping jaws 4 and 5 are provided with cable beds 24 and 25 having adhesion ribs 28 and 29 which are so formed that their ground radii 26 and 27 correspond to the thickest cables to be braced and clamped and the radii of the adhesion ribs 28 and 29 correspond to the radius of the thinnest cables to be braced and clamped.

Claims

1. An anchoring clamp for installation cables laid in an unsupported manner, comprised of a wedge-shaped guide housing provided with a suspension eyelet, two wedge-shaped clamping jaws being mounted in the housing and being forcibly displaceable in parallel into an open and a closed position and two clamping members enclosing the guide housing, such clamping members mutually engaging one another on their rear surfaces and on their front surfaces having teeth for engaging in receiving members provided in the clamping jaws, the clamping members thereby retaining and guiding the clamping jaws in the housing, in which the side walls of the guide housing have stop lugs which engage in slots of the clamping jaws and define the opening and closing path of the clamping jaws.

2. An anchoring clamp as claimed in claim 1, in which the stop lugs on the side walls of the guide housing are enclosed on all sides by the clamping jaws or the clamping members.

3. An anchoring clamp as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the clamping members are centrally arranged relative to the clamping jaws and each have a central parallel guide shoulder and a central stop securing shoulder

4. An anchoring clamp as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the front and/or rear ends of the clamping jaws have hammer stop noses provided with projections.

5. An anchoring clamp as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, in which the clamping jaws have cable beds which are provided with adhesion ribs, and in which the basic radii of the cable beds of the clamping jaws correspond to the radius of the thickest cable to be clamped and the radii of the adhesion ribs of the cable beds correspond to the radius of the thinnest cable to be clamped.

6. An anchoring clamp as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the suspension eyelet is provided with a hook-shaped aperture, which aperture extends to the wedge-shaped part of the housing.

7. An anchoring clamp as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the wedge-shaped guide housing is formed of steel plate and the clamping jaws and clamping members are formed of plastics material.

8. An anchoring clamp, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.