US2342506A

US2342506A - Grapple

Info

Publication number: US2342506A
Application number: US452933A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wrobbel Rudolph
Original assignee: American Car and Foundry Co
Current assignee: ACF Industries Inc
Priority date: 1942-07-30
Filing date: 1942-07-30
Publication date: 1944-02-22
Anticipated expiration: 1961-02-22

Description

Feb. 22, 1944. WRQBBEL 2,342,506

GRAPPLE Filed July 30, 1942 fimQqIp/QWJZLZ ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 22, 1944 GRAPPLE Rudolph Wrohbel, Lancaster, N. Y., assignor to American Car and Foundry Company, New York. N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 30, 1942, Serial No. 452,933

Claims. (Cl. 294-106) This invention relates to grapples in general and in particular to the grapple for use in lifting heavy objects such as shells.

In the past shells in the rough and finished forms have been handled by the use of web or leather belts in order that the shells surface might not be injured. The use of such belts or slings consumed considerable time and slowed up production in the shell manufacturing plants. Furthermore, the use of these belts or slings did not permit ready rotation of the shell or other .by an arm which can hold the jaws in open or in closed position.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a grapple formed of a minimum.

number of parts with the jaws held open or closed; dependent upon the position of the hoist line or other lifting device to which the grapple is attached.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from a study of the following description and accompanying drawing, in which 1 Figure 1 is an elevational view of the improved grapple with the parts shown in closed position;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the parts in the position holding the jaws open, and

Fig. 3 is a side view of the grapple.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, it will be seen that the grapple is made of but three main parts, namely, a first jaw A, a second jaw B and an operating arm C. The jaw A is made in the present instance of a flat piece of metal 2 cut to the proper contour and having a thin sheet of plate metal 4 welded or otherwise attached thereto and providing a wide object gripping surface. The upper end of the arm has welded or otherwise attached thereto spaced apart

extensions

6 and 8. These, of course, may if desired be attached to the arm by riveting, casting or any other method.

The jaw 13 is, like jaw A, formed of a flat piece of metal In suitably curved and having attached thereto, as by welding or other means, a suitably curved or shaped plate 12 providing a wide object gripping surface. The upper end of the arm B is formed with extensions producing in effect a Y shaped jaw. One arm M of the Y shaped jaw is located between the spaced

extensions

6 and 8 of jaw A and is pivotally connected to jaw A by means of a pin, rivet or other device It. The other arm W of the Y, shaped jaw extends upwardly as clearly shown in Figs, 1 and 2 and is located in the same plane as extension l4, thus being capable of centering between

extensions

6 and 8 of jaw A if necessary,

In order to control the movementsof the jaws A and B the operating arm C is provided and pivoted between the extensions 6' and}; by any suitable means, such as rivet or pin 20., This operating arm is formed with a cam likeextension 22 having one surface 24 adapted to engage extension 18 of jaw B and another surface 26 adapted to engage a surface of extension I4 of jaw B. This cam like extension of the operating arm can swing freely between' the spaced

extensions

6 and 8 of the jaw A andis located in the space between arms M and 18 forming extensions of the jaw 13. The operating arm is also formed with spaced apart hoist line receiv--

ing portions

28 and 30 located adjacent the exe tremities of the operating armand connected to an elongated slot 32. A ring or other device 34 is fixed in the slot and forms part of the hoist line by means of which the grapple is moved about. The ring or other part of the hoist line may readily be slipped in the slot from the receiving portion 28 to the receiving portion 30, that is, from the position of Fig. 2 to the position of Fig. 1.

With the hoist line part in the receiving portion 28 the center of gravity of the grapple is substantially directly 'below the hoist line and the weight of the operating arm C will cause the cam surface 26 to engage the projection 14 of jaw E and hold the same in an open position. The weight of the jaw B will, of course, force pivot 16 to one side slightly until the center of gravity of the jaws is beneath the hoist line, thus holding jaw A in the open position. When the grapple held in the open position is lowered over the object, such as shown at O in Figs. 1 and 2, the operator need only shift the hoist line from the receiving portion 28 to the receiving portion 30 and cause the hoist line to be raised. Raising of the hoist line will lift the free end of the operating arm forcing the cam surface 24 to contact the projection [8 of the jaw B and force the same against the object to be lifted. The reaction be tween the cam surface 24 and projection I3 will, of course, be transmitted through pivots 2t and it to jaw A causing it to move into contact with the object. Continued lifting on the hoist line will then lift the object after which it may be transported to any desired place and released by lowering the hoist line and shifting the same from receiving portion 30 to receiving portion 28. In case the object being lifted is a shell or other round object, the wide gripping surfaces 4 and i2 prevent any injury to the surface of the object and provide a wide bearing support allowing turning of the object within the grapple jaws and will be supported at least in part thereby.

While the invention has been described more or less in detail it will be obvious to persons skilled in the art that the grapple may be constructed in other ways than that just described, for instance, the parts may be cast instead of cut out of plate and welded together, or the parts may be modified to receive diiierent shaped objects. All modifications and rearrangements of parts are contempalted which will fall within the scope of the following claims defining my invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a grapple of the character described, the combination of a pair of jaws pivotally connected together and each formed with a projection extending upwardly beyond the pivotal connection, and an operating arm pivoted to one of the projections and formed with a cam end engaging the other of the projections, said operating arm being also formed with spaced apart hoist line receiving portions adjacent each extremity ior controlling the movement of said arm and jaws.

2, In a grapple of the character described, the combination of a first jaw having an object gripping portion and spaced apart extensions secured thereto, a second jaw of Y form having one arm thereof located between said extensions and pivoted thereto, and the leg thereof provided with an object gripping portion opposed to the object gripping position of said first jaw, an operating arm located between said extensions and pivoted thereto above the pivot for said second jaw, and a cam extension formed on said operating arm, said cam extension being located between the uppermost branches of said Y form second jaw and cooperable with each to control the movements of said jaws toward each other during lifting of the operating arm.

3. In a grapple of the character described, the combination of a first jaw having spaced apart extensions secured thereto, a second jaw of Y form having one branch thereof located between said extensions and pivoted thereto, an operating arm located between said extensions and pivoted thereto above the pivot for said second jaw, a cam extension formed on said operating arm and located between the uppermost branches of said Y form second jaw and cooperable with each to control the movements of said jaws, spaced apart hoist line receiving portions formed in said operating arm adjacent the extremities thereof, and a slot connecting said hoist line receiving portions to permit shifting of the hoist line from one receiving portion to the other without detachment.

4. In a grapple of the character described, the combination of a pair of jaws pivotally connected together and each formed with a projection extending upwardly beyond the pivotal connection, and an operating arm pivoted to one of the projections and formed with a cam end engaging the other of the projections, said operating arm being also formed with spaced apart hoist line receiving portions, one of said portions being so located as to cause said cam to hold said jaws open and the other of said portions being so located as to cause said cam to move said jaws toward each other.

5. In a grapple of the character described, the combination of a pair of jaws pivotally connected together and each formed with a projection extending upwardly beyond the pivotal connection, and an operating arm pivoted to one of the projections and formed with a cam end engaging the other of the projections, said operating arm being also formed with spaced apart hoist line receiving portions, one of said portions being positioned adjacent the line passing through the pivotal connection of the jaws and of the operating arm and jaw projections thereby causing said cam to hold said jaws open, and the other of said portions being positioned at a distance from the line thereby causing said cam to force said jaws toward each other.

RUDOLPH WROBBE-L.