US2429454A

US2429454A - Hoop lug

Info

Publication number: US2429454A
Application number: US574424A
Authority: US
Inventors: Mater Robert Griffin De La
Original assignee: Parkersburg Rig and Reel Co
Current assignee: Parkersburg Rig and Reel Co
Priority date: 1945-01-24
Filing date: 1945-01-24
Publication date: 1947-10-21
Anticipated expiration: 1964-10-21

Description

Oct. 21, 1947. R. G. DE LA MATEFIQ- H001 LUG I Filed Jan. 24, 1945 I N VENTOR FM zrGDEM/Vkfzs/z x Q (R MRNEYS Patented Oct. 21, 1947 HOOP LUG Robert Griffin De La Mater,

assignor to The Parkersburg pany, Parkersburg, West Virginia Parkersburg, W. Va., Rig & Reel Com Va., a corporation of Application January 24, 1945, Serial No. 574,424

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to hoop lugs for wooden tanks and the like.

It is the common practice to construct large wooden tanks, for example, water and oil storage tanks, of wood staves held in position by a, series of surrounding hoops. These hoops are usually formed of round bar material threaded at their ends for reception in nuts carried by suitable lugs whereby the nuts may be tightened to bind the hoops about the tank staves.

It is the common practice to form the lug bodies of such material as malleable iron having a base portion to seat against the staves and other portions through which the ends of the hoop extending for engagement in the nuts. The lugs commonly employed are only generally satisfactory and possess definite disadvantages, For example, these lugs usually have a zone of weak ness which results in lugs frequently breaking un- 'der the strain to which they are subjected. Moreover, in view of practical limitations in the production of economical castings, a zone of weakness not only is present but the lugs are such as to present limited base areas in contact with the tank staves, thus usually resulting in the lugs digging into the staves when the nuts are tightened.

An import-ant object of the present invention is to provide an extremely simple type of hoop lug which is capable of being more economically manufactured than conventional lugs and which eliminates the inherent disadvantages of the latter.

More specifically, a further object is to provide a hoop lug which provides the most economical distribution of weight with relation to the dis tribution of stresses, and which provides for greater bearing area on the staves, thus reducing the possibility of crushing the wood.

A further object is to provide such a device wherein the possibility of distortion and buckling is eliminated, thus greatly reducing the possibility of the ends of the lugs digging into the staves.

A further object is to provide a hoop lug of such construction that very small tool expense is involved in the making of lugs for any desired size of hoop, or for any desired radius of tank, or of any desired length.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawing I have shown one embodiment of the invention. In this showing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the hoop lug,

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through a portion of a wood stave tank showing the invention applied, parts being shown in elevation and parts being broken away,

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view on line 33 oi Figure 2, and

a fragmentary sectionalview of one end of a modified form of the device.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral l0 designates a tank as a whole formed of conventional assembled wood or similar staves I I. These staves are held in position by a plurality of clamping bands which in themselves may be wholly conventional, and one of which is shown in Figure 2 and indicated by the numeral I3. Such hoop is provided with threaded ends I4 and I5 which may bear the same relationship to each other as the hoops employed with conventional lugs.

The device forming the subject matter of the present invention comprises a body member indicated as a whole by the numeral I8. Such body comprises a base portion I9 preferably slightly bent intermediate its ends as at 29 so that the two end portions of the base member seat against and are tangent to the body of the tank approximately at the points 2I. As shown in Figure 1, the base member I9 is solid and unbroken from. end to end and side to side, as distinguished from the conventional cast lug which is open substantially from end to end through the center thereof. Accordingly the base of the present device provides Figure 4 is a substantial bottom area for contact with the tank, and. the base, with minor increases in cost, may be made as wide as desired, or as long as desired, depending upon the size of the tank with which the device is to be employed.

The body I8 has hoop-attaching

sections

24 and 25 at one end, the body being bent as at 26 to form the attaching section 24, The bend 26 is not sharp, but rather provides a relatively gradual curve to eliminate a sharp edge which might possibly dig into the adjacent wood stave of the tank. The metal of the body is bent as at 21 to form the attaching section 25, and the

sections

24 and 25 are arranged at such angle to each other as to be approximately perpendicular to the respective ends of the hoop to be connected to the device as shown. in Figure 2.

The hoop end I4 projects through an opening 30 in the attaching section 24 and is provided with a nut 3 I. This nut is prevented from turning, after being threaded in position as will be described, by contact with the metal of the body adjacent the bend 26. The hoop end l5 extends through a pipe or tube 32 which is welded to the base I9 as at 33 and is welded to the attaching end 25 as at 34. The hoop end I5 extends through an opening 35 in the attaching end 25 and is provided with a nut 36 threaded thereon as shown in Figure 2.

The base member I9 has its end adjacent the Weld 33 curved outwardly as at 31, or otherwise formed as referred to later, to eliminate any sharp edge which might dig into the wood staves. of the tank. If desired, this curved end may extend past the bottom limit of the adjacent portion of,

3 the hoop, I3, in which case it will be notched as at 35 so as to be wholly free from the hoop I3. Accordingly the hoop is prevented from binding sist compression, and the base member I9 obagainst the base portion 31, and the tube 32 has an internal diameter larger than the hoop for the purpose of preventing the latter from binding in the tube. It is preferred that the end of the device opposite the nuts 3| and 36 be curved upwardly'to eliminate or minimize the digging of theend of the base I9 into the staves of the tank, as indicated above. be bent upwardly as indicated by the numeral 31. If desired, the end of the base I9 may be ground or forged to provide the desired curvature as indicated by the numeral 39 in Figure 4. Such curvature may be formed to a radius equal to the thickness of the base member.

The operation of the device is as follows:

A hoop is placed in position around the tank and with the nut 3| held in position adjacent the inner face of the attaching section 24, the hoop end I4 is inserted through the opening 30, and the nut and the entire lug structure may be rotated to thread the nut 3| up to the approximate position on the hoop end I4 shown in Figure 2. Alternatively, the opening 30, which in any event freely receives the hoop end, may be sufliciently larger than the hoop to permit the lug to be tilted at an angle relative to the hoop end I4 sothat the latter projects from the side of the device, whereupon the nut may be threaded on the hoop and the latter pulled outwardly with respect to the lug to move the nut I3 into the position shown in Figure 2'.

The hoop end I5 is then inserted through the tube 32 and through the opening 35 whereupon the nut 36 is applied and tightened to the desired extent.

Some shifting of the parts usually occurs in the tightening of the nut 38 and the very greatly-in creased area of the base I9 compared with conventional constructions prevents any substantial embedding of the base I9 into the wood of the tank staves. This fact permits the base member to shift more easily if necessary, and the elimination of'relatively sharp corners on the ends of the base member prevents such ends from digging into the tank staves due to shifting of the base member or anydistortion of'the latter. For example, in the tightening of the nut 36 to draw the hoop tight about the tank, there may be more force tending to move one end of the base member I 9 radially inwardly relative to the tank than the other end of the base member. This usually causes one end of the base member to dig into the wood of the tank, and this condition is greatly aggravated if the lug tends to shift in the direction of the end of the lug which has dug into the tank. This condition causes substantial damage to the tank in conventional constructions, and such damage is eliminated or greatly minimized in the present construction because of the substantial base area of the device and the rounding of the corners at the ends of the base member. In this connection, it will be noted that the body of the present device may be conveniently made of ordinary flat stock steel, and aside from the forming of the

openings

30 and 35, the operations performed on the body I8 are largely simple bending operations. Thus the

bends

20, 26, 21 and 34 may be very economically formed. It will be noted that the device consists essentially of two parts, namely the base member I9 which is under tension, and the tube 32, which is It is not necessary thatthe base viously possesses great tensile strength. The weld 34 carries little, if any load, and only shearing stresses are transmitted to the weld 33. The elimination of any bending stresses at the points of welding eliminates any weaknesses at such points.

The tube 32 being larger in internal diameter than the diameter of the hoop, the hoop end I5 and the lug as a whole are free to shift with respect to each other in the application and tightening of the lug without any binding of the hoop in the tube 32.

As is well known, wood tanks are generally made of soft wood, such as, redwood, pine or cypress, etc., and the elimination or minimizing of the digging of the base of the device into the tank is highly important. Th crushing or digging of the wood occurs to such an extent with conventional lugs that many users of these devices demand that they be furnished with a protector with each lug. Such a device isa separate element forming a broad flat seat arranged beneath the lug. The present device eliminates any need for such a protector, as will be obvious since, without changing any of the manufacturing op erations and by merely using difierent stock in the forming of the body I8, a base I9 of any desired width may be obtained. It is occasionally necessary in the tightening of the lug after being in service to readjust the location of a hoop vertically with respect to the tank because of the substantial embedding of the'lug in the tank.

Vertical shifting of the lug is practically always unnecessary when the present device is employed.

Moreover, it is sometimes necessary to realign the vertical spacing of the hoops due to the condition of the tank, for example, where additional hoops are required for reinforcement, or to stop leaks, etc. In such cases, it is very convenientfor the hoop to be tappedup or down from its original position after being only slightly loosened. This is impossible if the lug should be deeply embedded in the staves, in which case the hoop must be loosened to such an extent, to move it out of the crushed recess, that the hoop is then quite loose on the tank. Of course; this is not only inconvenient, but the crushed recess presents a very unsightly appearance. Inasmuch as the present device will not be substantially embedded in the tank staves under any conditions, the hoop may be easily tapped to move it vertically merely by slightly loosening the nut 36.

I claim:

1. A hoop lug comprising a base having one end upturned and bent intermediate its ends to form a pair of attaching sections one adjacent said base and the other remote therefrom and each having a hoop-receiving opening, and a tubular member connected at one end to said base remote from said upturned end, the other end of said tubular member being secured to the attaching section remote from said base in concentric relation to the opening therethrough for the reception of one end of the hoop through such tions one adjacent said base and the other remote therefrom and each provided with an opening for the extension therethrough of one end of the hoop, the bend in said body to form saidupturned end having a curved outer face, the opposite end of said base being curved away from the structure against which said base is adapted to be seated, and a tubular member connected at one end to the end of said base opposite said upturned end and at its opposite end to the attaching section remote from said base, said tubular member being in alignment with the opening through the attaching section to which it is connected for the extension of one end of a hoop through such opening and through said tubular member.

3. A hoop lug comprising a body having a relatively flat base and an upturned end bent intermediate its ends to form a pair of attaching sections one adjacent said base and the other remote therefrom and each provided with an opening for the extension therethrough of one end of the hoop, the bend in said body to form said upturned end having a curved outer face, the opposite end of said base being curved away from the structure against which said base is adapted to be seated, and a tubular member having one end seated against and welded to the attaching section remote from said base, the other end of said tubular member contacting said base and being welded thereto, said tubular member being arranged in alignment with the opening through the attaching section to which it is connected for the extension of one end of a hoop through such opening and through the tubular member.

4. A lug for anchoring the ends of a hoop having nuts threaded thereon, comprising an elongated body bent to form a base and an outstanding end, said base being relatively flat and unbroken throughout its area and having one side adapted to seat against the structure in connection with which the hoop is adapted to be used, said outstanding end extending away from such structure and being bent intermediate its ends to form attaching sections one adjacent said base and the other remote therefrom and each having inner and outer faces, each attaching section being provided with an opening for the extension of one end of the hoop therethrough, the nut on one end of the hoop being adapted to engage the inner face of the attaching section adjacent said base and the nut on the other end of the hoop being engageable with the outer face of the attaching section remote from said base whereby the tightening of the latter nut will contract the hoop about said structure, and a compression member extending between and secured respectively to the attachin section remote from said base and to the other end of said base, said base, said outstanding end and said compression member generally defining a' triangular structure open through the sides thereof for the placing in position of the nut to be threaded on the first mentioned end of said hoop.

5. A lug for anchoring the ends of a hoop having nuts threaded thereon, comprising an elongated body bent to form a base and an outstanding end, said base being relatively fiat and unbroken throughout its area and having one side adapted to seat against the structure in connection with which the hoop is adapted to be used, said outstanding end extending away from such structure and being bent intermediate its ends to form attaching sections one adjacent said base and the other remote therefrom and each having inner and outer faces, each attaching section being provided with an opening for the extension of one end of the hoop therethrough, the nut on one end of the hoop being adapted to engage the inner face of the attaching section adjacent said base and the nut on the other end of th hoop being engageable with the outer face of the attaching section remote from said base whereby the tightening of the latter nut will contract the hoop about said structure, a tubular member welded at one end to the inner face of the attaching section remote from said base and at its other end to the other end of said base, said tubular member being aligned with the opening through the attaching section to which it is connected for the extension through such opening and through said tubular member of the second mentioned end of said hoop, said base, said outstanding end and said tubular member generally defining a triangular structure open therethrough from side to side for the placing in position of the nut of the first mentioned end of said hoop.

6. A lug for anchoring the ends of a hoop having nuts threaded thereon, comprising an elongated body bent to form a base and an outstanding end, said base being relatively flat and unbroken throughout its area and having one side adapted to seat against the structure in connection with which the hoop is adapted to be used, said outstanding end extending away from such structure and being bent intermediate its ends to form attaching sections one adjacent said base and the other remote therefrom and each having inner and outer faces, each attaching section being provided with an opening for the extension of one end of the hoop therethrough, the nut on one end of the hoop being adapted to engage the inner face of the attaching section adjacent said base and the nut on the other end of the hoop being engageable with the outer face of the attaching section remote from said base whereby the tightening of the latter nut will contract the hoop about said structure, a tubular member welded at one end to the inner face of the attaching section remote from said base and at its other end to the other end of said base, said tubular memher being aligned with the opening through the attaching section to which it is connected for the extension through such opening and through said tubular member of the second mentioned end of said hoop, said base, said outstanding end and said tubular member generally defining a triangular structure open therethrough from side to side, the opening in the attaching section through which the first named end of the hoop extends being somewhat larger in diameter than said hoop whereby the latter may be inclined for projection through an open side of said triangular structure for the threading of the nut on the first mentioned end of the hoop.

ROBERT GRIFFIN DE LA MATER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 761,486 Hight May 31, 1904 911,071 Reichert Feb. 2, 1909 1,307,865 Kielland June 24, 1919