GB2387618A - Scaffolding coupler - Google Patents

Abstract

A scaffolding coupler (1) includes a body part (2) and a cover (3) that clamp a pipe (6) therebetween. The cover (3) is secured in place by a latch rod (4) and an eccentric rotational assembly (5) e.g. a crank axle (13), rotation of which allows the latch rod (4) to be drawn towards the body part (2) to clamp the cover (3) in place or allows the rod (4) to hang freely to enable it to be placed on or removed from the cover (3).

Description

Scaffolding Coupler 2387618 The present invention relates to couplers for

connecting scaffolding pipes to one another andlor to other elements.

5 Scaffolding systems are used as supporting frameworks in many different situations. These range from temporary structures for seating or display to platforms for people working at heights above the ground, e.g. when renovating or finishing the outside of a building.

Scaffolding generally consists of a large number of scaffolding 10 poles/pipesJtubes that are connected to one another and/or to other scaffolding elements by various couplers so as to provide a strong and stable structure.

These other scaffolding elements may for example include beams, planks for decking, railing elements and the like.

The couplers may take many different forms, which may depend on 15 whether the couplers are to connect a pipe to another pipe or to another type of scaffolding element, and on the orientation of the connection, e.g. whether the elements are to be connected together in a lapped, transverse or other orientation. Although there are various forms of coupler, they all generally use the 20 same arrangement for gripping the scaffolding pipes. This arrangement takes the form of a cover and co- operating threaded securing bolt, which are respectively hinged at opposite ends of the coupler body.

In order to grip a pipe, the coupler body and cover are placed around the pipe, and the bolt is pivoted to lie in a slot in the free end of the cover. A nut is 25 then threaded over and along the bolt to engage the cover at the slot, and is tightened with a wrench to clamp the cover against the coupler body.

Such fastening arrangements are well accepted within the scaffolding industry, but do have drawbacks. For example, the couplers generally need a relatively high level of maintenance in order to ensure that the bolt thread and 3Q nut are kept free from cement, dirt and the like Also, the time taken to install the couplers onto pipes and to remove them is not insignificant, and removal can be further problematic if cement or dirt has entered the screw thread or nut during use.

Such problems are magnified by the fact that there are generally a large number of couplers in any one scaffolding assembly.

The present invention provides an alternative form of scaffolding coupler.

Viewed from one aspect, the present invention provides a scaffolding 5 coupler having a body part, a cover and a securing device for securing the cover with the body part, wherein the securing device includes a latching element connected to a rotatable eccentric element, rotation of the eccentric element drawing on the latching element so as to urge the cover and body part together (this thereby enabling a pipe to be gripped between the cover and 10 body part! Thus, a user of a scaffolding coupler In accordance with the present invention can place the coupler body part and cover (which is preferably hinged to the body part at one end) about a pipe, engage the latching element with e.g. the cover, and can then clamp the pipe between the cover and body part simply 15 by rotating the eccentric element to tighten the latching element against the cover. Removal is simply the reversal of this.

The coupler is thus simple and quick to use, requiring e.g. only a half a turn of the eccentric device, and does not require the threading or unthreading of a securing nut along the length of a threaded bolt. It can therefore reduce the 20 labour costs Involved in the assembly and dismantling of a scaffold.

Also, maintenance will generally be less than for prior art couplers, as

there are no narrow bolt threads and nuts to keep clean.

It should be noted that Eccentric element" includes assemblies in which the latch element can engage with, e.g. pivot about, an assembly part that is off 25 axis from the axis of rotation of the assembly.

The eccentric element may take any suitable form that will convert its rotational motion to suitable movement of the latching element.

The latching and eccentric elements are preferably mounted on the coupler body, as the coupling unit's cover may then be kept to a simple form 30 requiring only a landing portion for the latching element to engage It would however be possible to mount both elements on the cover (in which case the latching element would engage with a portion of the coupler body part). As a further alternatively, the mounting of the latching and eccentric elements could be split between the body part and the cover. In this case, for example, a

latching element could be pivotally mounted to the cover and could be | configured to releasably engage with an eccentric element on the body part, e.g. by a hook.

The latching element may take any suitable form, and preferably 5 comprises a rod with a crospiece, e.g. a T-shaped rod, the cross-piece of the rod engaging with a pair of arms e.g. of the coupling cover. Alternative configurations are however also possible. For example, the latching element could have an eye, hook or inverted U-shaped configuration for engaging with e.g. an end or projection of the coupling element.

10 Preferably, the eccentric element is a crank element. Preferably, the crank element is of a bent axle configuration, e.g. it comprises an axle having a central portion of U-shaped form with which the latching element engages.

When using a crank axle, the position of the bent portion of the axle will determine the draw on the latching element, so that in one position the latching 15 element will be loose and able to be placed over the cover, whilst in rotating to a second position the axle will engage the latching element to drew it e.g. towards the body part and to clamp the cover against an enclosed pipe.

Alternatives to the crank axle are possible, such as a camming arrangement. For example, the latching element could be attached to the 20 periphery of a disc mounted on an axle.

The latching element may connect with the eccentric element in any suitable manner, e.g. pivotally, and may include a hook or eye portion through which e.g. a crank axle of the eccentric element may extend.

A stop may be provided to prevent the eccentric element fro rn over 25 rotating so that the latching element is loosened. This may comprise a stop flange on the eccentric element that engages with a stop on the base part of the coupler. The eccentric element may have a head element at one or both ends for engagement by a wrench or the like to facilitate rotation of the element. In one 30 preferred form,.the head elements are of triangular configuration, but other configurations are also possible, such as square or other polygon cross-

sections. The base part and cover may include suitably configured bearing surfaces to accept a tubular scaffolding pipe. They may also however be |

configured to accept pipes of any cross-sectional shape, including for example pipes of square or rectangular cross-sections.

The cover may be configured so as to accommodate a range of pipe sizes, e. g. for tolerance purposes. For example, the cover may be configured to 5 receive the Latching element at a number of locations along its length, larger pipes being accommodated by engaging the latch element closer towards the free end of the cover.

The cover nosy include one or more notches therein for receiving the free end of the latch element. The portion of the latch element engaging the notch 10 or notches may be of wedge-shaped configuration to facilitate location and retention in the notches. Other shapes are also however possible.

As well as the above-mentioned features, the coupler may include any further connection means or the like to connect a pipe gripped by the coupler with another pipe or other scaffolding element.

15 In one preferred form, the coupler includes two or more coupling units, each coupling unit including a securing device in accordance with the present invention These units may be side-by-side or arranged oppositely each other.

For example, a pipe cover and securing device could be provided on either side of a single coupler body part.

20 The two or more coupling units may face the same orientation or be arranged transverse to one another, e.g. at 90 or at some other angle. The coupling units may be fixed in orientation or mounted to rotate with respect to one another so as to allow for a variable angle of connection The body part, cover and securing device of a coupling unit may be 25 configured to clamp more than one pipe therebetween, e.g. one on top of another or in a side-by-side configuration.

The coupler may be made from any suitable materials and in any suitable manner. Preferably, the body and cover are made from steel, e.g. grade 43 steel or higher, as are preferably the crank axle and latching element.

30 They may be made by casting or the like.

The present invention is particularly well embodied by the use of a crank axle, and' viewed from a second aspect, the present invention provides a scaffolding coupler including a base member, a cover member and a securing

device, the securing device including a latching element mounted on a crank | axle. The invention extends to a scaffolding system using a coupler in accordance with any of the aforementioned features, and further extends to a 5 method of constructing scaffolding using a coupler in accordance with any of the aforementioned features.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the particularity of the drawings does not supersede the 10 generality of the preceding description of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a scaffold coupler in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a front-end elevation of the coupler of Fig. 1; 15 Figure 3 is a side elevation of the cover of the coupler of Fig. 1; Figure 4 is a top view of the cover of the coupler of Fig. 1; Figure 5 is a bottom view of the base part of the coupler of Fig. 1; Figure 6 is a cross-section through line A-A of Fig. 5; Figure 7 is a side elevation of the latching rod of the coupler of Fig. 1; 20 Figure 8 is a front elevation, partly in crosssection, of the latching rod of Fig.7; Figure 9 is a side elevation of the eccentric axle assembly of the coupler of Fig. 1; Figure 10 is a cross-section through the line B-B of Fig. 9; and 25 Figure 11 is a schematic perspective view of a scaffold coupler in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 12 is a side-elevation of the coupler of Fig. 11, partly in cross section and mounted about a scaffolding pipe; Figure 13 is a bottom view of a base part of the coupler of Fig. 11; 30 Figure 14 is a side-elevation of a coupler in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention, partly in cross-section and mounted about a scaffolding pipe; and Figure 15 is a bottom view of a base partofthe coupler of rig. 14. |

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a scaffolding coupler 1 includes a base part 27 a cover element 3, a latching rod 4 and an eccentric axle assembly 5. These parts are further shown separately in the remaining drawings.

The coupler 1 is shown in its fully closed position in the drawings.

5 clamped about a scaffolding pipe 6.

The cover element 3 is pivotally mounted on a U-shaped upstanding flange 7 of the base part 2 by a rivet 8 that passes through holes 9 and 10 of the base part 2 and cover 3 respectively. The cover element 3 has a pair of arms 11 at its free end that include latching notches 12.

10 The base portion 2 and cover element 3 are configured so as to accommodate the scaffolding pipe 6 therebetween, and have suitably shaped bearing porticrs 13 and 14 respectively for engaging the outer surface of the pipe 6. By suitably shaping and sizing the various parts, the coupler 1 could of course be configured for clamping pipes of alternative crossection (e.g. of box 15 section), and/or for clamping two or more pipes together between the body part 2 and cover element 3.

The latch rod 4 has an eye portion 15 at its base end, through which the eccentric axle assembly 5 extends. It also has a T-shaped portion 16 at its free end whose cross-piece defines a pair of wedge-shaped catches 17 that are 2C, configured to engage with the notches 12 on the cover arms 11 so as to hold the cover element 3 in place.

The eccentric axle assembly 5 includes a crank axle 18 (best seen in Fig. 7) including a central U-shaped crank portion 19 that engages with the latch rod 4, and a pair of bearing portions 20 that mount the axle 18 within openings 21 in 25 a U-shaped flange portion 22 of the base part 2.

The assembly 5 also includes end portions 23, which (in this case) are triangular in shape to allow rotation of the axle 18 by a suitably configured socket wrench. The assembly 5 further includes a stop flange 24 for engaging with a stop 25 on the body part 2, in order to prevent over-rotation of the axle 18 30 past its latching position.

The central crank portion 19 has a curved inner surface 26 that complements the curvature of the inner surface 27 of the eye portion 15 of the latch rod 4, so as to allow the axle 18 to smoothly and positively engage with

the inner surface 27 when the axle 18 is rotated towards and into the latched position. In use, the eccentric axle assembly 5 is rotated between an unlatched position, in which the central crank portion 19 is at its upper position, when seen in Fig. 1, and in which the latch rod 4 is free to be moved over the cover element 3, and a latched position, in which the central crank portion 19 is at its lower position, when seen in Fig. 1, and in which the latch rod 4 is drawn towards the body portion 2 and holds the cover element 3 tight against the pipe 6. fig. 1 shows the latched position, with the central crank portion 19 of the 10 axle 18 in the position shown in Fig. 9.

In more detail, initially, the latch rod 4 will not be attached to the corer element 3, and will hang freely from the eccentric axle 18. In order to clamp the coupler 1 to a pipe 6, the body part 2 is placed adjacent the pipe 6, and the cover 3 is pivoted over the pipe 6. The axle 18 is then rotated so that the 15 central crank portion 19 is towards the top of the flange 22, so that the latch rod 4 is free to pivot over and between the cover arms 11, and so that the catch portions 17 can be placed into the cover notches 12.

The axle 18 is then turned e.g. with a wrench engaging one of the triangular end portions 23, so that the central crank portion 19 rotates towards 20 its lower position and engages the inner wall 27 of the rod eye portion 15 and draws the rod 4 towards the body part 2. As the certral portion 19 of the crank axle 18 moves downwardly, the rod 4 is drawn further down, and so pulls down the cover element 3 and clanaps the pipe 6 in place.

The axle 18 is rotated to a suitable extent such that it stays in place at or 25 about its lower position. The eye portion 15 and axle 18 are automatically held in position, as they are pressed tight against one another through the tension in the latching rod 4 resulting from the pipe clamping action, and so resist any loosening movement. The stop flange 24 and stop 25 ensure that the axle 18 is not over-rotated so that the central crank portion 19 does not begin to rise again 30 and so free the latch rod 4. Generally, the crank axle 18 needs to be turned sufficiently so that the force acting on the latching element 4 through the cover 3 cannot pull the crank portion 19 back around to its upper position.

It should be noted that the eye portion 15 of the latch rod 4 is suitably sized so that when the central crank portion 19 of the axle 18 is at its upper

position, the rod 4 is not prevented from engaging the cover notches 12 by the inner surface 27 of the eye portion 15 abutting the central crank portion 19. It is also sized so that the latch rod 4 is able to be drawn down by a suitable amount to clamp the pipe 6 when the central crank portion 19 is at or towards its lower S position. The cover arms 1 1 have a number of the notches 12 in order to provide tolerance to pipe sizes and to accommodate different sizes of pipe 6. Thus, although standard steel scaffolding pipes are about 48 mm in diameter, the pipes may vary about this value. Accordingly, for larger pipes 6, the latch rod 4 10 will engage notches 12furthertowardsthe end of the coyer arms 11.

To disconnect the coupler 1, the axle 18 need only be rotated in the reverse direction to free the latch rod 4 and allow for its removal from the cover arms 1 1.

The base part 2 of the coupler 1 may include openings or the like for 15 allowing it to be fastened to one or more other elements, e.g. to be bolted to a wooden beam.

The coupler 1 may include further coupling means either of similar structure to the pipe coupling already described or of different structure, e.g. for clamping timber boards or the like.

20 The coupler 1 may comprise two or more coupling units, each made up of a base part, a cover and a securing device of the above-described form.

These units may be fixed with respect to one another or may swivel to allovv for different pipe coupling orientations.

Figs. 1 1-15 show two such couplers 1' and 1". In these drawings, parts 25 corresponding to those of the coupler of Figs. 1-10 are given the same reference numeral, except dashed for the coupler of Figs. 11-13 and double dashed for the coupler of Figs. 14 and 15. Also, the parts are labelled as either "a" or "b", depending on whether they belong to a first or a second coupling unit.

Referring to Figs. 11-13, the coupler 1' comprises two coupler units 50 30 and 60, each having parts similar to those of the first embodiment, but with their base portions 2a' and 2b' coupled together by a central rivet element 70 that allows the two coupler units 50 and 60 to rotate with respect to one another.

This arrangement allows the coupler 1' to mount a pair of scaffolding pipes 6 at any angle with respect to one another.

9 l The coupler 1" of Figs. 14 and 15 is similar to the coupler 1'of Figs. 11-

13, but the coupler units 50 and 60 are connected together by four separate rivet elements 80, that hold the units 50 and 60 in a set orientation at 90 degrees to one another. This arrangement allows the coupler 1" to fixedly 5 mount a pair of scaffolding pipes transverse with respect to one another.

These latter two embodiments show couplers 1',1" made from two separate coupling units 50,60 that are riveted together. The couplers could however also be of one-piece construction, in which the two coupling units 50 and 60 would be mounted on opposing sides of a common base portion 2 1Q (which could e.g. take on the shape of a cross for a transverse coupler). The two-piece construction can provide greater flexibility and can be less costly than the one-Diece construction.

The couplers 1,1',1 " may be made from e.g. grade 43 or higher steel, e.g. by a casting process.

15 A coupler in accordance with the present embodiment is quick and simple to attach and remove, requiring only a half turn of the crank axle 18, and so is able to save on labour costs. Furthermore, the present coupler will generally require less maintenance than the prior art couplers that use threaded

bolt fasteners.

20 The coupler may be for general-purpose use, e.g. for coupling steel or other metal scaffolding pipes together.

It is to be understood that various alterations, additions and/or modifications may be made to the parts previously described without departing from the ambit of the present invention.

25 For example, the crank axle 18 could be replaced by some other mechanism for converting a rotary action to the appropriate motion of the latch rod 4, e.g. a camming device could be used, such as a wheel eccentrically mounted on an axle. Also, the crank axle 14 and latching rod 4 could be mounted on the cover element 3 instead of on the body part 2, or could be 30 mounted separately between the base part and cover element. The latch rod 4 could take venous different forms, e g. a hook or inverted U-shape

Claims (1)

1. CIms 1. Q scaffolding coupler having a body part, a cover and a securing

   device for securing the cover with the body part,wherein the securing device 5 includes a latching element connected to a rotatable eccentric element, rotation of the eccentric element drawing on the latching element so as to urge the cover and the body part together.

   2. The coupler of claim 1, wherein the eccentric element is mounted 10 on said coupler body part.

   3. The coupler of claim 1 or 2, wherein the eccentric element includes a crank axle.

   15 4. The coupler of claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the latch element is mounted on said eccentric assembly.

   5. The coupler of claim 4, wherein the latch element includes an eye portion within which the eccentric element extends.

   2Cl 6. The coupler of any preceding claim, wherein the latch element is of T-shaped configuration, and the cover element has a pair of arms within which the latch element may pivot in use.

   25 7. The coupler of any preceding claim, wherein the cover element is configured to engage with the latch element at a plurality of positions along its length. 8. The coupler of any preceding claim, wherein the cover element 30 includes a plurality of notches therein with which the latch element engages.

   9. A coupler including two or more coupling units, each coupling unit comprising a coupler in accordance with any preceding claim.

   1 Q. A scaffolding coupler including a base member, a cover member and a securing device, the securing device comprising a latching element mounted on a crank axle.

   5 11. A scaffliding system comprising scaffolding poles and a plurality of couplers in accordance with any preceding claim.

   12. A method of assembling a scaffolding system including the step of coupling a scaffolding pole of the scaffolding system to another scaffolding pole 10 and/or to other scaffolding elements using a coupler according to any of claims 1 to10.