GB2253005A - Security fittings - Google Patents

Abstract

A padbar for securing a door D in conjunction with a staple 5 and padlock 7 comprises an apertured flap 3 hinged to a mount 1. The flap comprises an outer dished lining 13 of hardened steel in which is cast a slab 18 of elastomer material. The outer steel lining 13 resists sawing and drilling attacks while the incorporation of the elastomer slab 18 confers resistance to attacks with hammers etc. aimed at the flap or by wedges driven between the flap and the facing door surface, by virtue of its superior ability to absorb the energy of impacts or bending without fracture. <IMAGE>

Description

Security Fittings The present invention relates to security fittings of the kind commonly referred to as padbars. These fittings are commonly used in conjunction with a staple and padlock to secure the external doors of garages, sheds, storerooms, warehouses and the like. The padbar is in two parts hinged together, a first (mounting) part serving for the attachment of the fitting to a surface adjacent to the door to be secured (or to the door itself). The second art, termed herein the flap, is swung relative to the first part to its operative position in which it overlies the door (or overlies a said adjacent surface if the first part is attached to the door) and receives through an aperture therein a staple which is attached to the door (or adjacent surface). The assembly is secured by means of a padlock of which the shackle is passed through the staple, over the padbar flap.

Known padbars are of substantially all-metal construction and in particular may be hardened to resist cutting and drilling attacks. This kind of fitting may also, however, be subject to attacks with hammers or other percussive instruments aimed at fracturing the flap, or a wedge might be driven between the flap and the facing door or other surface with similar intent. To resist these latter forms of attack, we recognise that it is desirable for the padbar flap to absorb the energy of impacts or bending without fracture. In particular, it should desirably exhibit a degree of toughness which is significantly greater than that which is associated with hardened steel or the like.Accordingly, in one aspect the present invention resides in a padbar comprising a mounting part and a flap articulated together in which at least part of the structure of the flap is formed from an elastomer material.

The toughness and resilience of the elastomer in a padbar according to the invention can confer upon the fitting an enhanced resistance to hammer and wedging attacks. On its own, however, this class of material has a natural vulnerability to edge-cutting tools and in a preferred embodiment therefore the flap comprises an external lining of hardened steel or the like onto which the elastomer material is cast. Additionally or alternatively, the flap may include discrete elements of hard material located to resist cutting and drilling at strategic positions within the elastomeric structure, e.g. around the staple aperture.In another embodiment, a balanced combination of hardness and toughness may be conferred on the flap by forming it from a composite material in which the elastomer comprises the binding matrix for homogeneously distributed nuggets of alumina, zirconia or other such hard materials. It is also preferred that the two parts of the padbar are configured and articulated together such that in the operative position thereof the flap conceals the mounting part.

The aforesaid elastomer material preferably has a hardness (to BS 2782 Part 3) in the range of 80-105 Shore A, a tensile strength (to BS 903 Part A2) in the range of 10-20 MN/m2, an elongation at break (to BS 903 Part A2) in the range of 200-300% and a nicked crescent tear strength (to ASTM D624-73) in the range of 70-110 KN/m.

The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a horizontal section through a padbar in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, in its operative position to secure a door together with a staple and padlock; Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing the padbar in the course of release from the staple; Figure 3 is an elevation from the rear of the padbar of Figures 1 and 2; and Figures 4, 5 and 6 are respective sections on the lines IV-IV, V-V and 5 I-VI of Figure 3.

With reference to Figure 1 of the drawings, the illustrated padbar has a mount 1 which is shown attached by a single stud 2 to a frame F adjacent to the opening edge of a door D. Hinged to this mount is a flap 3 which in the operative position of Figure 1 is swung to overlie the door edge and such that a hole 4 in the flap passes a staple 5 which is attached to the door D by a single stud 6. The assembly is completed, to secure the door D in in the closed position, by a padlock 7 of which the shackle 8 is passed through the eye 9 of the staple 5 in the usual fashion.Figure 2 shows the assembly with the padlock removed and with the padbar flap 3 in the course of being released in the direction of arrow A from the staple 5 (which is itself shown rotated through 90" from its Figure 1 position) to permit subsequent outward opening of the door D in the direction of arrow B.

With reference also to Figures 3-6, the mount 1 of the padbar is in the form of a forged steel block with a circular base portion 10 and a generally rectangular top portion 11 which is also laterally extended at llA and bored to bear a hinge pin 12. The stud 2 is threaded into this block and secured against further rotation relative to it by means of an appropriate cement. The flap 3 comprises an outer dished lining 13 of hardened steel to which are welded two bearing blocks 14 by which the flap is hinged upon the pin 12. Three hardened steel rods 15-17 are also welded to the lining 13 around the staple hole 4. The remainder of the structure of the flap, however, is comprised by a slab 18 of elastomer material which is cast directly into the dished lining 13 (in conjuction with a mould form to define the staple hole 4 and other illustrated contours of the elastomer slab).

Prior to casting the elastomer material, a corrugated pierced steel plate 19 (effectively a mesh) is welded to the lining 13 so as to be embedded in the cured slab 18 and assist in its anchoring to the steel lining.

As will be appreciated from Figure 1, in the operative position of the flap 3 it presents a continuous external steel surface constituted by the lining 13, concealing the whole of the mount 1 including the hinge llA/12/14. A portion of the elastomer slab 18 also overlies that part of the mount 1 which receives the stud 2. The external lining 13 protects the structure from sawing and drilling attacks and resistance to these forms of attack around the staple hole 4 is further enhanced by the rods 15-17. On the other hand, the incorporation of the elastomer slab 18 can confer exceptional resistance to hammer and wedging attacks upon the flap 3, as compared to conventional allmetal constructions. The material of the slab 18 is in a preferred embodiment an exterior grade flame resistant polyether based polydrethane, mixed from polyol and isocyanate components at the time of casting in accordance with conventional polymer processing techniques. Typical properties of the cured product may be a hardness (to BS 2782 Part 3) of 95" Shore A, a tensile strength (to BS 903 Part A2) of 15 MN/m2, an elongation at break (to BS 903 Part A2) of 250% and a nicked crescent tear strength (to ASTM D624-73) of 90 KN/m.

The illustrated staple 5 with which the padbar is used comprises a forged steel head 20 screwed and pinned to the stud 6. The staple is secured from the inside of the door by a sleeve nut 21 which is threaded onto the inside end of the stud 6 and then secured against relative rotation thereto by means of a pin 22 driven axially into a slot in the nut against the thread.of the stud. The nut 21 is, however, borne rotatably by a washer 23 at that side of the door so that the whole staple 5 can be rotated in the door. In this way, it is impossible to overcome the security of the padbar by attempting to apply excessive torque to the staple.

The padbar mount 1 is secured to the door frame at the inside by a similar assembly of sleeve nut 24, locking pin 25 and bearing washer 26 so that, when otherwise unconstrained, the whole padbar can itself be rotated in the frame. In this way, when the padbar is not in use it can conveniently be turned through 90" e from the Figure 1 position and "parked" vertically along the edge of the door frame.

Claims (1)

1. A padbar comprising a mounting part and a flap articulated together wherein at least part of the structure of the flap is formed from an elastomer material.

2. A padbar according to claim 1 wherein the flap comprises an outer metal lining onto which said elastomer material is cast.

3. A padbar according to claim 2 comprising anchor means extending from said lining into the body of the structure formed from said cast elastomer material.

4. A padbar according to any preceding claim comprising discrete elements of hard material embedded at selected locations within the structure formed from said elastomer material.

5. A padbar according to claim 4 wherein discrete elements of hard material are embedded within said elastomer structure around a staple aperture in the flap.

6. A padbar according to any preceding claim wherein said elastomer comprises the binding matrix in a composite material comprising homogeneously distributed elements of hard material.

7. A padbar accordng to any preceding claim wherein said elastomer material has a hardness (to BS 2782 Part 3) in the range of 80-105 Shore A and a tensile strength (to BS 903 Part A2) in the range of 10-20 MN/m2.

8. A padbar according to any preceding claim wherein said elastomer material has an elongation at break (to BS 903 Part A2) in the range of 200-300% and a nicked crescent tear strength (to ASTM D624-73) in the range of 70-110 KN/m.

9. A padbar according to any preceding claim wherein said elastomer material is a polyurethane.

10. A padbar according to any preceding claim wherein said mounting part and flap are configured and articulated together such that in the operative position thereof the flap conceals the mounting part.

11. A padbar according to any preceding claim wherein said mounting part and flap are configured and articulated together such that in the operative position thereof a portion of the structure formed from said elastomer material overlies the mounting part.

12. A padbar according to any preceding claim comprising mounting means for said mounting part whereby the padbar is rotatable as a whole when in an inoperative condition about an axis perpendicular to the axis of articulation between the mounting part and flap.

13. A padbar according to any preceding claim in combination with a staple to be received through an aperture in said flap.

1. A padbar substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.