US3012643A

US3012643A - Earth anchor

Info

Publication number: US3012643A
Application number: US815905A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ridgers Frederick George
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-03-10
Filing date: 1959-05-26
Publication date: 1961-12-12
Anticipated expiration: 1978-12-12

Description

Dec. 12, 1961 G, RIDGERS EARTH ANCHOR Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 26, 1959 F. G. RIDGERS EARTH ANCHOR Dec 12, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 26, 1959 FIG. 2

V W1 9 Mm-$ Dec. 12, 1961 F. RIDGERS EARTH ANCHOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 26, 1959 FIG. 3

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United States Patent 3,012,643 EARTH ANCHOR Frederick George Ridgers, 91 Arkell St., Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Filed May 26, 1959, Ser. No. 815,905 Claims priority, application Canada Mar. 10, 1959 5 Claims. (Cl. 18990) This invention relates generally to an earth anchor.

More particularly, the invention is directed to an earth anchor for the ground connection of an earth anchor rod, to which is attached one end of a guy wire. known that guy wires are used for bracing poles of electric power or communication lines.

The invention is an improvement over the applicants own patented earth anchor which is disclosed in Canadian Patent No. 501,915, dated April 27, 1954, to N. Slater Company Limited. This patent represents the closest known prior art.

The following features are present in the earth anchor of Canadian Patent No. 501,915. First the anchor rod is pivotally connected to the anchor plate. Second, the anchor plate is of dished form having stepped or relatively offset fiat concentric faces disposed in planes parallel with the plane of the edges and is of substantially pyramidal form. Third, the anchor plate is formed of relatively thin sheet. metal which, by corrugating and dishing, has inherent stiffness and resistance to distortion that would otherwise only be obtained by using a thicker and heavier member. Fourth, the earth anchor plate is made of relatively thin material in which the factor resistance to distortion under service load is increased by afiixing a reinforcing member at the central area where the ground rod is affixed, and the greatest leverage affecting distortion might occur. Fifth, the feature of expeditious assembly of the components and the removability of the anchor rod without the necessity of disturbing the buried anchor plate. Sixth the convex face of the anchor plate faces forward and takes the load of the guy wire after installation. These are the main features of the earth anchor of Patent No. 501,915

The pivotal feature mentioned above accomplished the specific purpose to which it was directed but on actual installation it sometimes provided a weakness. Under tension the anchor plate would tend to creep into the surrounding soft earth, sometimes until the plate was in an almost vertical position, and then tend to cut right through to the surface.

A more desirable action of the plate under tension is augmented by the provision of extensions thereto, the one on the lower part of the plate when in anchored position implementing a cutting-in action while the one on the upper edge is an additional deterrent to any tendency of the plate to move upward through the filled-in earth of the hole dug for installation of the anchor.

Other advantages of the present invention will become apparent hereinafter.

According to the present invention an earth anchor plate comprises an anchor plate assembly, connecting means adapted to be secured at one end to said assembly and at the other end to an object to be anchored, said plate assembly comprising a dished anchor plate having stabilizing extensions extending outwardly from the upper periphery thereof, guide means for said connecting means rigidly secured within and upwardly extending from the concave surface of said plate, means for securing said connecting means to said plate assembly so that the concave surface of said plate faces the load vector applied to said connecting means.

One convenient embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

It is well 3,012,643 Patented Dec. 12, 1961 FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary, part-elevation, part-section of the anchoring member proper,

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 3 is an elevation showing the earth anchor in position in the ground with the anchoring member proper in section. r

In the drawings FIGURE 1 shows part of the guy rod 11 secured within a dished anchor plate, designated generally at 12. The rod 11 extends through an aperture 13 in an entering guide 14 and through corresponding apertures 15 and 16 in the dished anchor plate 12 and reinforcing plate 17 respectively. Threads 18 are provided on the end of the guide rod 11 which is firmly secured to the anchor plate 12 by means of a nut 19. A nut retainer 20 is also provided in order to prevent accidental turning of the nut 19. Corrugations 21 are formed on the anchor plate 12. The entering guide 14 is welded or otherwise firmly secured to the anchor plate 12, and the aperture 13 formed therein to receive the rod 11 should achieve a bearing far enough away from the point of attachment of the guy rodll to the anchor plate 12 that sufiicient leverage is provided to keep the anchor plate 12 at right angles to the axis of the rod 11 under soil conditions encountered in use.

The anchor plate 12 is formed of relatively thin sheet metal which, by corrugation and dishing, acquires inherent rigidity and is of substantially the same design as that disclosed in Patent No. 501,915. But to that form of anchor plate there has been added the important stabilizing extensions 22.

It will be observed from FIGURE 3 that as the rod 11 is buried in a position from the line of the surface of the soil the extensions 22 end up in use after installation with their surfaces parallel to the surface of the soil and so resist any possible movement of the anchor plate; if the guy rod load moves the anchor at all after installation, the lower extension cuts into the earth and directs the movement in a straight line parallel to the surface while the upper extension 22 resists any upward movement of the anchor plate 12.

The reinforcement of the relatively thin material of the plate 12 in the critical center portion is provided for by the reinforcement plate 17. It has thus been fortified 1 at the point of maximum stress and the area where the greatest leverage affecting distortion might occur.

As previously noted the earth anchor of Patent No. 501,9l5'has a pivotal feature, the purpose of which is to minimize hole digging and 'to that extent it has been found satisfactory. However, that feature detracted from the basic inherent characteristics of a good stable earth anchor. The present design of earth anchor assures, the stability of position of the anchor when installed which is not satisfactorily achieved by the prior art. Additionally, pivotal distortion has been countered by provid The provision of the reversed dished shaped plate 12,"

the long fulcrum and the positive acting stabilizing extensions 22 all accomplish with a maximum economy of material and fabrication cost, clearly provide advan tages in use which are not present in the prior art.

The conventional method of installing earth anchors of this type may be used in the present invention. This comprises boring a vertical hole into the ground, and subsequently cutting a narrow trench or slot from the hole to the surface of the ground to permit the anchor rod to be buried in its operative slanted position as illustrated in FIGURE 3. The trench presents a triangular form as seen in elevation. The wall defining the hole is gouged, under the lower end of the trench, to present a surface lying at an angle to the axis of the hole adapted to receive and form a. seat for the anchoring member. Finally the hole and trench are filled.

In the present invention it will be noted that the concave face of the plate 12 faces towards and takes the load of the guy wire after installation.

The present invention facilitates installation in as much as it enables the use of the same type of hole made by power driven equipment used to dig pole holes. This sort of equipment is usually on hand when the earth anchor is installed as an incident to the erection of the transmission line.

The advantages of this development are therefore clearly apparent.

I claim:

I. 'In an earth anchor for securing to the ground connecting means extending between said anchor and an object to be anchored, an anchor plate assembly, said plate assembly comprising: a dished anchor plate having a. first stabilizing extension extending outwardly and upwardly from the upper periphery thereof and a second stabilizing extension generally opposite said first extension and extending outwardly and downwardly from the upper periphery of said plate; elongated, rigid guide means for said connecting means rigidly secured within and upwardly extending from the concave surface of said plate; and means for securing said connecting means to said plate assembly so that the concave surface of said plate faces the load vector applied to said connecting means.

2. An earth anchor as claimed in claim 1 in which said plate is corrugated and a reinforcing member is secured to the central outer portion thereof.

3. An earth anchor as claimed in claim 2 in which said anchor plate, said guide means and said reinforcing plate are provided with aligned apertures for reception of said connecting means which are threaded to receive a nut and nut retaining member to hold said connecting means securely to said assembly.

4. An earth anchor as claimed in claim 2 in which said connecting means is a guide rod.

5. An earth anchor as claimed in claim 3 in which said connecting means is a guide rod.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,070,663 Bierce Aug. 19, 1913 1,601,682 Curd Sept. 28, 1926 1,967,391 Blackburn July 24, I934 FOREIGN PATENTS 501,915 Canada Apr. 27, 1954 839,026 Germany May 15, 1952