GB2137581A

GB2137581A - Clamp-support for a pulley

Info

Publication number: GB2137581A
Application number: GB08307678A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Keith Riley; Kenneth Alan Riley
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-03-19
Filing date: 1983-03-19
Publication date: 1984-10-10
Also published as: GB8307678D0

Abstract

A clamping device comprising a pair of jaws 12, 13 movable towards one another to clamp the device to a support, for example an overhead beam 15, and a rotary bearing member 25 attached to the jaws to receive a rope, wire, cable, chain or like flexible tension member for use in raising a load. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Clamping devices The invention relates to clamping devices.

The invention provides a clamping device comprising a pair of jaws movable towards one another to clamp the device to a support e.g. an overhead beam, and a rotary bearing member attached to the jaws to receive a rope, wire, cable, chain or like flexible tension member for use in raising a load.

Preferably the rotary bearing member comprises a pulley wheel and there may be more than one pulley wheel, for example mounted side by side.

Preferably the jaws are arranged to pivot towards and away from one another about a pivot point, and the rotary bearing member is mounted on a mounting which is attached to the jaws at the pivot point.

The mounting may comprise a pair of plates between which the rotary bearing member is sandwiched.

The said plates may have any desired shape and they support or comprise guide means for the flexible tension member.

The said plates may be separately constructed and fastened together by interconnecting means, e.g.

bolts, or they may be formed integrally, for example comprising the opposed sides of a U-shaped member.

Preferably the mounting is attached to the jaws by attachment means which permit the mounting to pivot about a horizontal axis and to swivel about a vertical axis.

The attachment means may include a first bearing.

The jaws may be shaped to engage the flanges of an I-section beam.

The jaws may be movable towards and away from one another by a screw-threaded device.

Each jaw may comprise a single plate or a pair of spaced-apart plates.

By way of example, specific embodiments of the invention wili now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an end view of an embodiment of clamping device according to the invention, clamped in position on an overhead I-beam; Figure 2 is a side view of the clamping device shown in Figure 1; and Figures 3A to 3G illustrate various forms of plate which may be used with the alternative embodiments of the clamping device shown in Figures 1 and 2.

The device shown in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a pair of jaws 12 and 13 arranged to pivot about a point 14 for movement towards and away from one another so that they can clamp between them an overhead I-section beam part of which is shown at 15. Jaw 12 comprises a pair of identical plates 1 2a and 1 2b interconnected by a channel member 16 welded therebetween. Jaw 13 comprises a pair of identical plates 13a and 13b interconnected by a channel member 17 welded therebetween. The plates 1 3a and 1 3b are spaced further apart than the plates 1 2a and 126 so that the jaw 12 can fit within the jaw 13 at the pivot point 14.

The pivot point 14 is provided by a bolt 18 which passes through the jaws and is secured buy a nut 19.

It will be seen that the channel members 16 and 17 are shaped to fit around the flanges of the I-section beam 15.

Mounted between the plates of each jaw is a rotatable spindle 20 and a screw-threaded control rod 21 extends through a threaded hole in each spindle 20. Half of the rod 21 has a right-hand thread and the other half has a left-hand thread so that as the control rod is rotated by means of a tommy-bar 22 attached to one end of the rod, the spindles 20 and hence the jaws 12 or 13 are moved towards and away from one another, depending upon the direction of rotation of the control rod 21. The jaws 12 and 13 can thus be firmly clamped around the beam 15 by appropriate use of the tommy-bar 22.

Suspended from the bolt 13 is a swivel device 23 and suspended from the lower end of the swivel device 23 is a mounting 24 for a pulley wheel 25. The mounting 24 comprises a pair of elongate plates 26 and 27 which are secured to the swivel device 23 by a bolt 28 and nut 29. A further bolt 30, secured by a nut 31, passes through the lower end of each plate 26,27 and serves as a pivot for the pulley wheel 25.

The mounting 24 can pivot about a horizontal axis through the bolt 28 and the swivel device 23 also permits the mounting 24 to swivel about a vertical axis.

In use the jaws are clamped to a beam, for example forming part of a roof of a garage, and a rope, wire, cable, chain or like flexible tension device (not shown) can be passed over the pulley wheel 25 for use in raising a load, for example the engine of a motor vehicle.

The described embodiment comprises a device which can be used more conveniently, and requires less headroom, than a conventional block and tackle arrangement attached to a conventional clamping device. Furthermore the fact that the mounting 24 can pivot about horizontal and vertical axes means that the pulley wheel 25 can be arranged with the most appropriate orientation to carry out any particular task.

Although the embodiment is shown as being clamped to an overhead beam, the load being supported by a flexible tension element passing over the pulley wheel, it is of course possible to fasten the flexible element to a support, and clamp the jaws 12 and 13 about the load to be lifted.

The plates 26 and 27 are shown as being wider in their middle region than at their ends. However a straight pair of plates may be used if desired, for example as shown in Figure 3D. Alternatively any other suitable shape of plate may be used, and examples are shown in Figures 3A, 3B, 3C, 3E, 3F and 3G. In the embodiment shown in each of these Figures the plates are provided with four holes. The holes 32 and 33 are used to connect the plates to the bolts 28 and 30 respectively. The other two holes are used to mount guides for the flexible tension member.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiments. For example instead of using a single wheel 25, two or more wheels may be provided, for example mounted side by side for rotation about the same axis. The device may be provided in combination with a flexible tension member and one or more additional pulley wheels arranged to operate as a block and tackle.

A roller or other rotary bearing member may be utilised instead of a pulley wheel.

Claims

1. A clamping device comprising a pair of jaws movable towards one another to clamp the device to a support e.g. an overhead beam, and a rotary bearing member attached to the jaws to receive a rope, wire, cable, chain or like flexible tension member for use in raising a load.

2. A clamping device as claimed in claim 1, in which the rotary bearing member comprises a pulley wheel and there may be more than one pulley wheel, for example mounted side by side.

3. A clamping device as claimed 1 or claim 2, in which the jaws are arranged to pivot towards and away from one another about a pivot point, and the rotary bearing member is mounted on a mounting which is attached to the jaws at the pivot point.

4. A clamping device as claimed in claim 3, in which the mounting comprises a pair of plates between which the rotary bearing member is sandwiched.

5. A clamping device as claimed in claim 4, in which the said plates support or comprise guide means for the flexible tension member.

6. A clamping device as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, in which the plates are separately constructed and fastened together by interconnecting means.

7. A clamping device as claimed in claim 6, in which the plates are formed integrally.

8. A clamping device as claimed in claim 7, in which the plates comprise the opposed sides of a U-shaped member.

9. A clamping device as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 8, in which the mounting is attached to the jaws by attachment means which permit the mounting to pivot about a horizontal axis and to swivel about a vertical axis.

10. A clamping device as claimed in claim 9, in which the attachment means includes a first bearing.

11. A clamping device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the jaws are shaped to engage the flanges of an I-section beam.

12. A clamping device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the jaws are movable towards and away from one another by a screwthreaded device.

13. A clamping device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which each jaws comprises a single plate.

14. A clamping device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which each jaw comprises a pair of spaced apart plates.

15. A clamping device constructed and arranged as described herein, with reference to Figures 1 and 2, or Figures 1 and 2 as modified by any one of Figures 3A to 3G, of the accompanying drawings.