US2563380A - Pivoted fluke anchor - Google Patents

Description

1951 J. A. STAEMPFLI 2,563,380

I PIVOTED FLUKE ANCHOR Filed Sept. 16, 1949 Joseph A. Sfaempf/i INVENTOR.

BY ni h"; Fm

Patented Aug. 7, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Pivo'rm) FLUKE ANCHOR Joseph Alcus Staempfli, New Orleans, La.

Application September 16, 1949, Serial No. 116,078

My invention relates to anchors. It relates more particularly to anchors having fiukes for IIlOOIiIlg ships and boats to the bottom of bodies of water in which these vessels float.

A particular object of this invention is to provide an anchor which is adapted to be expeditiously released from its anchoring engagement in the earth by means of the cable to which the anchor is attached. It sometimes happens that an anchor becomes so firmly embedded in the earth that it is diflicult to tear it loose in order to lift it. The use of this invention results in avoiding such diificulty by releasing the anchor from its anchoring engagement in the earth before an attempt is made to lift it for storing on the deck of the vessel which has been anchored.

The novel features which I believe to be characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. tion itself, however, both as to organization and operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of a specific embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the anchor.

Fig. 2 is a view looking the direction indicated by the arrow 2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view in section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view showing the anchor shaft.

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the anchor in its mooring position.

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the moored anchor in a position for releasing.

Figure 7 is a side elevational view of the released anchor, in readiness to be withdrawn.

Figure 8 is a sectional detail, similar to that shown in Figure 3, and illustrating by full and dotted lines the anchor shank in the diiferent positions shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7.

Like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts in the specification and throughout the several views.

Referrin now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the invention consists of an anchor which is designated generally by the reference character In and embodies in its construction a shank [2 which is provided at its upper end with an eye l4 for connection to an anchor cable or rope IS.

The lower end portion of the shank i2 is provided with a longitudinally extending slot IS. A transverse shaft 20, having a round or cylindrical intermediate portion 22, extends through the The inven- 1 Claim. (Cl. 114-208) 2 slot and is rotatable therein as well as shiftable from one end of the slot to the other.

The shaft 20 has polygonal end portions 24 on which are rigidly secured two fluke units 26, these fluke units being disposed at the opposite sides of the shank I2 and end portions of the shaft 20 being provided with suitable cotter-keys 28 to sustain the fluke units in position thereon. Needless to say, the fluke units 26 are provided at the center thereof with polygonal bores to receive the polygonal end portions 24 of the shaft 26, whereby the fluke units are rotatable with the shaft in an integral manner.

Each of the fluke units 26 includes a relatively long main fluke 30 and a plurality of relatively short auxiliary flukes 32, the respective flukes of the two units being disposed in corresponding planes.

Means are provided for restricting the extent of rotation of the shaft 20 and fluke units 26 with respect to the shank 12 when the shaft is in the lower end of the slot l8, these means involving the provision of a pair of substantially semicircular abutment elements 34 which are secured, as by welding, or the like, to the shaft portion 22 and to the respective fluke units 26 at the opposite sides of the shank [2. Each of the elements 34 provides a pair of abutment faces 36 which are disposed at the opposite sides of the shaft 20.

Moreover, a pair of segment shaped stop lugs 33 are secured to the opposite sides of the shank I2 centrally below the end of the slot l8 opposed to the point of attachment of the cable I6, these lugs having abutment surfaces 40 which are engageable with the respective abutment faces 36, so as to permit a limited amount of rotary movement of the shaft 20 when it is disposed in the lower end of the slot 3, as shown in Figure 8.

The length of the slot 18 is greater than the combined diameter of the shaft portion 22 and the height of the abutment elements 34, so that when the shaft is disposed in the reverse or upper end of the slot, the elements 34- may pass between the lugs 38 and the shaft, thereby permitting rotation of the shaft and fluke units thereon relative to the shank. Moreover, it will be noted that when the elements 34 are disposed between the shaft and the lugs 38, the elements will provide a cam action relative to the lugs, thus preventin the shaft from shifting to the lower end of the slot unless the shaft is rotated to return the abutment elements to their initial position.

When the anchor is dropped in water, such as for example, by being thrown over the side of a row boat, it may land on the bottom with any pair of the flukes 39, 32 engaging the earth. As

the boat drifts with the current, for example, in the direction of the arrow 42 in Figure 5, the shank l2 will be disposed substantially horizontally and, with a pull on the cable 16 incident to the drift, the shaft 20 will be disposed in the lower end of the slot l8 and the long flukes 30 will become firmly embedded in the earth while the surfaces 36, 49 at the bottom of the abutment members v34, 38 will be in contact, this being illustrated by the full lines in Figure 8.

The moored anchor, in the position shown in Figure 5, will effectively arrest any further drifting of the boat, but when the anchor is to be released, the boat is rowed against the current, in the direction of the arrow 44 in Figurefi, so that a temporary slack obviously occurs in the tension of the cable and continued motion of the boat in the same direction permits the shaft 20 to move to the reverse or upper end of the slot as shown at 46 in Figure 8, and the shank will swing with respect to the shaft and abutment elements 34 as at 48, so that the main flukes 30 and the shank are generally aligned.

Then a comparatively slight pull on the cable I6 will disengage the flukes 30 from the earth.

I claim:

In an anchor, the combination of a shank having an upper end adapted for connection to a cable and a lower end portion provided with a longitudinally extending slot, a rotatable shaft extending through the slot transversely of the shank and shiftable from one end of the slot to the other, two ,fluke units secured to the re- 4 spective end portions of the shaft and each unit including a relatively long main fluke and a plurality of relatively short auxiliary fiukes, abutment elements rigidly secured to said shaft at the opposite sides of said shank for rotation with the shaft, each abutment element formed to provide a pair of abutment faces disposed at the opposite sides of the shaft, and stop lugs provided at the opposite side of said shank centrally below the end of the slot opposed to the point of cable attachment, the length of the slot being greater than the combined diameter of the shaft and height of the abutment elements, whereby the elements may pass between said lugs and said shaft, thereby releasing the fiukes.

JOSEPH ALCUS STAEMPFLI.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 481,782 .Chrietzberg Aug. 30, 1892 532,184 Rettig Jan. 8, 1895 695,711 Eynon Mar. 18, 1902 1,498,609 Bowen June 24, 1924 1,559,006 Ritchie Oct. 2'7, 1925 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 3,902 Great Britain 1889 296,259 Germany Jan. 27, 1917

Images