US2835464A - Pipe hanger - Google Patents

Description

May 20, 1958 s. s. KOLODlN PIPE HANGER Filed Dec. 15, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I.

FIG. 6. I l4 INVENTOR 26 SAMUEL 5.. KOLODIN. mfiuw FIG. 3.

I FIG. 4.

ATTORNEY May 20, 1958.

Filed Dec. 15, .1954

s. s. KOLODIN PIPE HANGER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR SAMUEL S. KOLODIN.

ATTORNEY Unit tates This invention relates to pipe hangers.

Conventional pipe hangers consist of an inverted U- shaped upper bar or bridge, a U-shaped strap and a bolt interconnecting the legs, of the upper bar or bridge with the arms of the strap. This construction is relatively expensive since i'he cost of the bolt is out of proportion to the total cost of the other two components. Pipe hangers are used in very large quantities, especially in large apartment houses, factories and ofiice buildings, and a saving of the few pennies that each bolt costs mounts up to a very substantial sum. Furthermore, bolttype pipe hangers are somewhat awkward to handle and time consuming to install. Moreover, they lack sulficient strength to withstand the unusual stresses which are occasionally encountered.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a pipe hanger which consists of only two interlocking parts capable of locking together without the use of bolts or any equivalent fastening means.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention, there is a cross bridge which is attached in conventional manner to the vertical bolt which hangs from the ceiling or other structural support. In addition to the cross bridge, there is a U-shaped strap which is adapted to interlock with the bridge and to depend or hang therefrom. The interlocking parts are based upon the principle of the common hook in an uncommon construction and application. The bridge is provided with a pair of notches formed in its upper edge adjacent its two ends. These notches, in effect, convert the bridge into a double ended hook or, stated differently, a double ended member with a hook formation at each end. The strap is provided with a pair of slots formed in registration with each other adjacent the upper ends of its two arms. These slots are adapted to receive the hook-shaped ends of the bridge and to enable the strap to hang from the notched portions of the bridge. Stated differently, the slotted arms of the strap are adapted to hook onto the notched ends of the bridge to support the strap from said bridge.

An important feature of this embodiment of the invention is the vertical position which the bridge occupies. In conventional pipe hangers, the bridge lies in the fiat, that is, its wide dimension in the area of its engagement with the vertical ceiling bolt occupies a horizontal plane. In the present invention, the wide dimension of the bridge occupies a vertical plane throughout the entire length of the bridge. Consequently, the pipe hanger which is made in accordance with the present invention possesses great structural strength, exceeding by far the structural strength of conventional pipe hangers of like or corresponding proportions. This is true not only of the bridge element but it is equally true of the strap element. In conventional pipe hangers, the connecting bolt which in tei'connects the bridge and strap is disposed horizontally and a shearing force is applied thereto between the legs of the bridge and the arms of the strap. In normal use, the bolt is sufficiently strong to withstand such shearing force. There are occasions, however, when the shearing force becomes abnormal and the bolt fails.

In the present invention, the strap hangs directly from the bridge and no shearing force is to be encountered which corresponds to the shearing force in the bolt-type pipe hangers. The strength of the pipe hanger will be determined solely by the strength of the materials used and in the case of the strap it would be tensile strength which would control.

An important feature of the present invention is the ease with which pipe hangers made in accordance therewith may be installed. The bridge is secured to the vertical bolt which projects downwardly from the ceiling, in conventional manner, and the. pipe is now ready to be hung. It is elevated to a position slightly below the bridge, also in conventional manner. The strap is then caused to straddle the pipe and its slotted ends are caused to engage the hook-shaped ends of the bridge and the pipe is then permitted to drop down upon the strap. Once the bridge is secured to the vertical bolt, there is only a single element to handle and attach, namely, the strap. In conventional pipe hangers, there are three elements to handle after the bridge is attached to the vertical bolt, namely, the strap, the horizontal connecting bolt, and the nut therefor. Consequently, it is necessary to elevate the strap until its bolt holes register with the bolt holes of the bridge and it is then necessary to insert the bolt therethrough and to thread the nut thereon.

In a second embodiment of this invention, the bridge is supported in conventional manner from the vertical bolt, that is, the bridge is made to lie in the fiat with its wide dimension in a horizontal plane in the area of its engagement with the vertical bolt. The bridge is provided adjacent its two ends with upwardly projecting lugs or hook members. The strap is slotted adjacent the upper ends of its arms to engage said hook members or lugs. Consequently, the same relationship exists as in the case of the first embodiment of the invention, that is, the strap is made to hang directly from hook formations on the bridge. There is no bolt which interconnects these two members.

An important feature of this second form of the invention is the inward bend with which the slotted ends of the strap are provided. This inward bend enables the slotted ends of the strap to overhang the hook formations on the bridge although the arms of said strap, below the bend, are spaced apart from each other a greater distance than the length or horizontal dimension of the bridge. This renders it possible to mount the slotted ends of the strap upon the bridge by simply moving the strap laterally or horizontally relative to the bridge with its said slotted ends elevated above the bridge and then to drop said strap when the slotted ends register with the hook formations on the bridge until said slotted ends of said pipe hanger is made.

Fig. 4 is an edge view of said blank. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 5--S of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a side view of a pipe hanger made in accordance. with asceond formof thisinvention, showing, in section, a pipe supported thereby.

Fig. 8 is another side view thereof, being also a fragmentary'side view of said pipe.

Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the two components; of: said: pipe hanger.

Fig. ltl'isamodification of the upper portion of the U.-shaped member of Figs. 7, 8 and 9.

ll'is azmodificationtof the shoulder connection of the Figs. 7, 8 andt9.

Referring now to the first form of this invention and to the first six figures of the drawing, it will be seen that pipe hanger ltlconsistsof; two component'parts, namely, a

bridge: 12-.and a strap 14; This pipe hanger is supported from the ceilingzor'other structural member by a vertical threaded rod or bolt 16. The'lowenend ofsaid vertical rod or bolt is'provided' with screwxthreads 18 and'with'a pair of nuts Ztl'and 22:.threaded thereon;. It is these nutswhich secure the. pipe. hanger to: theverticalrodor bolt andxwhich areadapted to: adjust :the position of said pipe hanger' relative toisaid rod: or bolt.

Strap 14 is a. U-shapedmember'having a pairoffsubstantially parallel'arms 14a and-14b. and:an-arcuate bight or yoke 14c joiningzsaid armsat their'lower ends. It is this bight or'yoke on which-pipe Z4 rests. To provide measure of stiffness or'rigidity and to insure proper spacing of. thetwo arms of therstrap; a-longitudinally extendingbead 26 is formed alongsaid yoke Mcandapproximately one third ofthe distance up alongarms Ma'and 14b. Fig. 6is a sectional view through thestrap showing the formation of said head;

Formed'at the upper end of each arm 14a, 14b is a slot 28 which extends longitudinally thereof. This slot is longenough to receive-bridgelZand wide enough also. to receive said bridge and also to permit of some relative lateral movement and angular movement to maneuver the strap;

purely illustrative and they will vary in accordance with individual engineering requirements and the weight and dimensions of the. pipes to be supported by said' pipe hangers.

Further byway of illustration, strap 14 may be made ofione eighth inch thick steel, approximately one inch wide. Since. slots 23 are approximately three eighths of an inch wide, the webs on both sides of each slot will each be approximately five sixteenths of an inch wide. The distance between arms 14a and 1411 will depend upon the diameter of pipe 24 and upon whether it is desired to provide a snug fit or not. It may be found necessary to provide a free. space between the said arms and the said pipe so as to enable the person installing the pipe hanger to turn the strap about the vertical axis of rod 16 in order to bring the slots 28 into alignment with the bridge 12. It may be found necessary to turn the strap in this manner in order to mount one of its arms upon one'end of the bridge and then to mount its other arm upon'the other end of the bridge. Another possibility is to turn the bridge about the vertical axis of rod 16 in-order to bring it within the confines of the two arms Mei-and Mb.

Bridge .12 is made from blank 30; This blank is substantially rectangular in shape and punched into'it are two holes 32 and 34 respectively and a slot 36. These holes may be hexagonal in shape and slot 36 may simply be a slit. In any case, blank 30 is bent centrally thereof to form an arcuately recessed portion 38. A folding line 40 is also provided in said blank, centrally thereof, and normal to the recessed portion 38. Holes 32 and 34 and slot or slit 36'are formed in alignment with each other along folding line 40.

Blank'30 is folded or doubled upon itself upon folding line- 40 to-formbridge- 12-as i shown in Figs. 7 1, 2 and -5. It will be noted that holes 32 and 34 form notches 32a and 34a in bridge 12. It will also be noted that recessed portion 38, actually two portions 33 on opposite sides of slot or slit 36, forms a pair of arcuate yokes 38a and 38b which comprise a collar encircling vertical rod or bolt 16. Folding line 40 becomes a=bight or shoulder 40a as shown in Fig. 2. The two halves of blank 30, on opposite sides of folding line 40 now become a pair of vertical sides 30a andlitlb respectively which are parallel to each other andwhich may be, if desired, in abutment with-eachother. Also, if desired, these two sides may be attached to each other by. welding, riveting or otherwise. Similarly, bridge 12 may be inverted on vertical rod or bolt 16 so that its bight 40a is disposed along its lower edge and the two free edges of sides 3% and 30b are disposed along its upper edge. In such case, of course, notches 32a and 34:; would be formed in the free edges of-said sides'30a and 3012 instead of in bight 40a.

By way of illustration, blank 30 may be made of one eighth inch thick sheet steel. It may be about two inches wide andsomewhat over two and a half inches long after recess 38'is formed therein. Consequently, when said blank is folded'over to'form bridge 12, said bridge will be approximately an inch wide or high and approximately two and'a half inches long. Vertical bolt or rod 16 is generally half an. inch in diameter and consequently bridge 12 will have a web of approximately one inch long on each side of arcuate portions 38a and 381;. Since blank 30.is made of one eighth inch thick material, the bridge itself will be'approximately a quarter of an inch thick and since the bridge is disposed in a vertical plane its strength will be'extremely great.

Referring now to the second form of this invention and to Figs. 7, 8 and 9 of the drawing, it will be seen that pipe hanger consists of two'parts, a bridge 112 and a strap 114. The bridge is a flat bar'bent to form a yoke 112a, a pair of downwardly sloping shoulders 11211 and a pair of legs 1120. The yoke is a horizontal member and the shoulders are inclined approximately 45 degrees relative thereto. Legs .112c project vertically downwardly from the lower ends of the shoulders.

A hole 116 is punched into yoke 112a to receive'vertical rod or bolt 16 from which the entire unit depends. Nuts 20 and 22on opposite sides of the yoke adjustably secure the yoke, and hence the entire bridge, to said vertical rod or bolt 16. It will also be observed that tapered lugs 124' aretstruck out from shoulders 112b and that they project vertically upwardly in parallel relation to each other.

Strap 114 is also a fiahbar, but not necessarily as thick or heavy as the v material of which the bridge is made; It is bent to form a pair of inclined shoulders 114a which are disposed at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the vertical. Below-the shoulders 114a is a pair of vertical portions 114!) and joining the lower ends of said vertical portions is a generally U-shaped portion 114c.

The arms of said U-shaped portion are not necessarily perfectly vertical and parallel to each other. Indeed, in the preferred construction, they converge in downward direction to form a relatively snug receptacle or support for pipe 24 as shown inFig. 7. It will be observed in Fig. 9 that rectangular openings 128 are formed in shoulders 114a and these openings are of a size to receive lugs 124 above mentioned. There may be a slight taper in the walls defining said openings 128 to complement the taper of the lugs in order to provide a snug, frictional fit. The obiect is to prevent accidental disengagement of said strap from saidvlugs when the weight of the pipe is removed from the strap.

In use, the bridge 112 is secured to bolt 118'by means of nuts 20 and 22 and'the pipe is hoisted (by conventional means not shown in the drawing) to a position below the bridge but above its final position illustrated in Fig. 7. The strap 114 is then brought into engagement with said bridge by booking the shoulders of saidstrap upon lugs 124 and bringing said shoulders into abutment with the shoulders of the bridge. Once this is done, the pipe is dropped into the U-shaped portion of the strap as appears in Fig. 7. It will be understood that all this is possible because the distance between the ends of shoulders 114a of the strap exceeds the diameter of the pipe and because said shoulders are adapted to overhang and overlap the shoulders of the bridge.

Reference to Figs. and 11 will disclose a modified construction based primarily upon the construction of Figs. 7, 8 and 9. Bridge 112 shown in Fig. 11 is precisely the same bridge which is shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9, and it will be noted that it is provided with upwardly projecting lugs 124. Strap 1140' shown in Figs. 10 and 11 is basically like the strap shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9, except that its inwardly bent shoulders 114a, which converge in upward direction from sides 11412, are provided with upwardly extending lugs 132 adjacent openings 128 in said shoulders. When the strap is mounted on the bridge, lugs 132 will abut lugs 124 to reinforce lugs 124, as Fig. 11 clearly shows.

The foregoing is illustrative of preferred forms of this invention and it will be understood that modifications may be incorporated therein Within the broad spirit of the invention and the broad scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A pipe hanger which is adapted to be supported by a vertical rod or the like projecting downwardly from a ceiling or other structural support, said pipe hanger comprising a bridge adapted to be supported by said vertical rod and a strap supported by said bridge, said bridge having a fiat horizontal yoke portion with a hole formed centrally thereof to receive said vertical rod and being provided with a pair of downwardly bent shoulders at the ends of said yoke diverging downwardly therefrom, said strap comprising a generally U-shaped member whose upper ends are bent inwardly converging in upward direction to conform to the bend of the shoulders of said bridge so as to be supported thereon, said 6 shoulders being provided with upwardly projecting lugs and said inwardly bent upper ends of the strap being provided with openings to receive said lugs in order to lock the strap to said bridge.

2. A pipe hanger in accordance with claim 1, wherein the lugs are struck out of said shoulders and project generally vertically upwardly therefrom, vertically extending lugs being also formed on the inwardly bent upper ends of the strap adjacent the openings therein, and adapted to abut the lugs on the shoulders.

3. A pipe hanger in accordance with claim 1, wherein the yoke occupies a generally horizontal plane and the shoulders are inclined approximately degrees relative thereto, the inwardly bent upper ends of the strap being also. inclined approximately 45 degrees relative to the horizontal so that :they may rest fiat against said shoulders.

4. A pipe hanger in accordance with claim 1, wherein the bridge is provided with a pair of downwardly extending legs at the ends of its said shoulders, the strap being provided with portions immediately below its inwardly bent upper ends which abut said downwardly extending legs of the bridge and are supported thereby against inward distortion.

5. A pipe hanger in accordance with claim 1, wherein the lugs on the bridge are spaced a greater distance apart than the diameter of a pipe adapted to be carried by the strap and the upper inwardly bent ends of said strap are spaced apart a greater distance than the diameter. of said pipe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 351,640 Knapp Oct. 26, 1886 411,518 Collis Sept. 24, 1889 1,450,640 Norman Apr. 3, 1923 1,579,419 Tomkinson Apr. 6, 1926 1,698,571 Van Cleve Jan. 8, 1929 2,721,050 Sams Oct. 18, 1955

Images