US3339966A

US3339966A - Lifting grapple with outside gripper for handling concrete drainage rings

Info

Publication number: US3339966A
Application number: US413369A
Authority: US
Inventors: Erna L Carlson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1964-11-23
Filing date: 1964-11-23
Publication date: 1967-09-05
Anticipated expiration: 1984-09-05

Description

A. c. CARLSON PLE Sept. 5, 1967 LIFTING GRAP WITH OUTSIDE GRIPPER FOR HANDLING CONCRETE DRAINAGE RINGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 23, 1964 f? T f 24 L i L .m L I,

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United States Patent LIF TING GRAPPLE WITH OUTSIDE GRIPPER FDR HANDLING CONCRETE DRAINAGE RINGS Andrew Clifford Carlson, deceased, late of Huntington, N.Y., by Erna L. Carlson, executrix, 9 Bluff Point Road, Northport, N.Y. 11768 Filed Nov. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 413,369 3 Claims. (Cl. 294-81) This application is related to copending application Ser. No. 413,370, now Patent No. 3,297,353, filed Nov. 23, 1964, entitled Lifting Grapple With Scissors Tongs for Handling Concrete Drainage Rings.

This invention pertains to lifting grapples with outside grippers for handling cylindrical objects, and more particularly to lifting grapples for lifting cured and uncured concrete drainage rings.

In the manufacture of precast concrete products, such as cylindrical drainage rings, after the concrete product has initially set, the mold is removed and the uncured or green concrete ring is then moved to a storage area or loaded onto a truck for shipment. Conventional lifting hooks or grapples used heretofore have been unsatisfactory because they engage and support the wall of the drainage ring only at a few locations. Since the concrete wall, usually about four inches thick, is still green, it does not have sufficient strength to support the weight of the suspended drainage ring, and consequently the drainage ring very frequentlycracks, crumbles or is otherwise damaged.

It is therefore an object of this invention to overcome the above-mentioned difliculties.

I It is another object of the invention to provide a lifting and handling mechanism which will engage, at a plurality of peripheral locations, the outer surfaces of the walls of an open-top cylindrical object, with a minimum of stress or pressure being applied at any one location of the walls.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a lifting and handling mechanism for cylindrical objects which is easy to attach and detach from the object being lifted, and which can be engaged and released therefrom by remote control.

A still further object of the invention is to provide attachments for a crane and for a forklift truck which attachments comprise a lifting and handling mechanism for lifting cylindrical objects, and which can be controlled by the operator of the crane or lift-truck to engage and disengage the load being lifted without additional personnel. To these ends, and according to one feature of the invention, a frame is provided with a plurality of radially extending support arms, and pivoted grab levers are mounted on each of the arms. The grab levers have loadengaging shoes provided with radially inward facing friction-padded faces which engage the outer surfaces of the ring Wall when in engaging position. The shoes of the grab levers are arranged in a circle whose diameter is withinthe range of the diameter of the drainage ring to be lifted.

According to another feature of one embodiment of the invention, a weight mounted at the inner end of each of the grab levers urges the levers to pivot downwardly so as to keep the shoes thereof in non-engaging position. A hook member at the center of the grapple mechanism is fixed to and slidable with a vertically slidable post portion, on the bottom of which is fixed attached a horizontal plate. The plate is engageable with the inner end portions of the grab levers so as to simultaneously lift the weights of all of the grab levers and pivot the levers so that the shoes thereof simultaneously engage the outer surface of the cylindrical object to be lifted. The above-mentioned vertically slidable hook member thus serves to simultaneously engage and disengage the grabs from the load to be lifted. Another hook member, also engageable by the crane or lift-truck lifting attachment, is fixedly attached to the frame of the grapple device onto which the grab levers are pivotally mounted. Lifting of the latter hook member by the crane, while the first hook is allowed to slide downwardly by its own weight and that of the plate attached thereto, serves to lift the frame and the entire lifting mechanism while the load-engaging grabs are released from the walls of the cylindrical load, so that the entire lifting mechanism may be raised and moved to a different location without the load.

According to a modification of the invention, instead of using weights and a horizontal plate for pivoting the grab lever arms, the radial grab arms are pivoted at their inner ends to the frame and the vertically slidable hook member has attached to the lower end of its vertical slide post, instead of a horizontal plate, a number of control arms which serve to lift and lower the respective pivoted grab arms in accordance with the lifting and lowering motion of the vertically slidable hook member.

According to another feature of the invention, the frame is constructed with a movable lower portion and a fixed upper portion, each of said portions being attached to one of the .afore-mentioned lifting hook members at the top and approximate center of the mechanism.

According to a further modification of the invention, instead of the above-mentioned hooks, the mechanism is remotely controlled into engaging and releasing position of the outside grabs by means of a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder.

According to still another feature of the invention, the shoes at the extremities of the grab levers, instead of having a friction surface, are provided with an inwardly projecting toe or foot portion, and the lever is pivotable so as to engage into a slot in the vertical side wall of the drainage ring to be lifted.

The foregoing and other objects, advantages and features of the invention, these features being set forth with particularity in the claims annexed hereto, will be apparent from the following description in conjunction with the embodiment of a lifting grapple with outside grabs according to the invention, illustrated by way of examples in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevation view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of another embodiment of the invention;

FIG.-6 is a view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a view of the inner surface of the friction shoe, partially cut away, and of the grab lever, taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is an elevation View of another embodiment of the invention wherein the actuating mechanism is a pneumatic cylinder;

FIG. 11 is an elevation view of a modification of the load-engaging shoe at the extremity of the grab arm of the various embodiments.

The same or functionally similar parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

The

cylindrical object

10 or 12 to be handled is shown in elevation view in the various figures. In the examples herein disclosed it consists of a cast concrete septic tank 12 (FIG. 10) or a drainage ring 10 having a plurality of elongated horizontal slots for drainage. The cylindrical loads to be lifted may be any diameter, for example 6, 8, or feet in diameter. The walls of the cylindrical object may be solid as shown at 12 in FIG. 10 or may have spaced slotted perforations 14 (FIG. 2).

The lifting mechanism designated generally in FIGS. 1 and 2 by the numeral comprise a star-shaped or polygonal frame having radial arms 22. Lever arms 24 are pivotally mounted at 26 to the respective radial arms 22 of the frame. The lever arms 24 are provided at their outer ends with a shoe 28 having an inner face 30 to which is fastened a friction-surface material 32, such as rubber.

The frame also includes horizontal members 34 rigidly fastened between and supporting the radial arms 22. A centrally disposed vertical bar member 36 to which is fixed a hook 38 is laterally braced by diagonal members 40 to the radial arms 22, also secured to the member 36. The vertical bar member 36 has a pair of pins 42 fastened thereto and which project through a slot 44 in the vertical bar portion 46 of a vertically slidable hook member 48. The hook member 48 is vertically slidable relative to hook member 38 from the solid line position 48 to the dotted line position 48' of FIG. 2.

At the lower end of the vertically slidable bar 46 is welded a horizontal plate 50, which in the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is circular and of a diameter large enough to extend beyond respective weights 52 fastened to the inner end portions of the respective pivoted levers 24 and each straddling a member 22 above it. The pivoted arms 24 each have several alternative holes 26a, 26b, 260 which may be used alternatively with respect to a pivot connection 26, so that a pin 26 may be pivotally connected adjustably at any one of the three locations 26a, 26b, 26c and fastened by a cotter key 27 (FIG. 3) for pivotal movement about one of the axes 26a, 26b, 260 of the radial arm 22 of the frame.

The device of FIGS. 1-4 operates as follows. The pin 26 is placed into a respective hole 26a, 26b or 26c and fastened with the cotter key 27, the particular pivot hole being selected so that the inner faces 32 of the shoes 28 in closed position rest on a circle having a diameter within the range of the outer diameter of the

cylindrical load

10 or 12 to be lifted. In rest position the weights 52 keep the inner ends of the levers 24 in lowered position, and consequently the outer shoe ends 28 of the levers 24 are pivoted upwardly into the position illustrated in solid lines in FIG. 2. The lifting hook (not shown) of a crane or lift-truck lifts the grapple 20 into position over the cylindrical load 10 by engaging hook member 38. A closing line or closing hook in position 54 of FIG. 2 then pulls upwardly on hook 48 until it reaches dotted line position 48'. If desired, the same hook or attachment of the crane may be shifted from its position engaging book 38 to the position 54 engaging hook 48. As hook 48 is thus lifted to the dotted line position 48', the bar 46 slides vertically upward relative to bar 36 and is guided by elongated slot 44 along pins 42. The upward movement of bar 46 pulls with it the horizontal plate 50 up to dotted-line position 50', thus lifting simultaneously all of the weights 52 and pivoting the grab lever arms 24 about their respective axes 26. The inner faces 32 of the grab shoe 28 engage the outer surfaces of the load 10, and as the crane attachment 54 is further lifted in the direction of arrow A, the entire grapple mechanism 20 together with its load 10 is raised and may be moved to a desired location, the shoes 28 remaining in dotted line load-engaging position 28. The entire mechanism 20 with its load is then set down by the crane. The weight of the plate 50 pulls the bar 46 downwardly and slides it relative to bar 36 and the fixed portion of the frame. The weights 52 pivot the grab arms 24 about their axes 26 until the shoes 28 disengage the outer walls of the ring 10 and move from engaging position 28 to the non-engaging position 28 of FIG. 2. The grapple mechanism 20 may then be lifted by means of hook 38 and carried to a new location.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 59

hooks

38 and 48 provided are similar to those above-described relative to FIG. 2. However, instead of weights 52 and plate 50, a different mechanism is employed for swinging the lever arms. Radially arranged grab arms 124 of this embodiment are each pivoted at 126 at a location near their respective inner ends to one of the radial arms 122 of the frame. The grab lever arms 124 each have a telescopic construction with an inner portion capable of slidable adjustment within the outer sleeve of the arm 124, but which may be fixed relative thereto by means of pins 128 engageable in corresponding holes of the

telescopically mating portions

124 and 125 of the grab arm. As above-described in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the grab arms are provided at their outer extremities with shoes 28- having friction faces of rubber-like material 32. A member 150, which may be either circular as is member 50 of FIGS. 1 and 2, or may be a plurality of radial arms, is welded centrally to the bottom of bar 146 of FIG. 5, and is provided with lifting wedges 152 which engage the underside of lever 124 (or of its portion 125) in order to control the pivoted position of the levers 124 and of their respective grab shoes 28.

The device of FIGS. 59 operates as follows. As long as the vertically slidable hook 48 is in lowered position relative to hook 38, the control member 150 and its control wedges 152 thereof are lowered and do not press upwardly on the pivoted levers 124, and consequently the shoes 28 are in the solid line position of FIG. 5, with the friction surfaces 32 engaging the outer walls of the load 10 to be lifted. Lifting of the hook 48 to position 48' raises the pivoted levers 124 to position 124, the telescopic portions 125 pivot therewith to position 125 and shoes 28 move upwardly to position 28 of FIG. 5 where they are disengaged from the load or circle defining the outer diameter thereof. The entire grapple, designated in FIG. 5 by the numeral 120, may be lifted by attachment 54 engaging the hook 48. Limit stops prevent the lever arms 124 from swinging too far upwardly, and thus the entire grapple 120 is lifted when the hook 48 and its bar 146 and control member 150 are lifted, since the latter presses against the bottom surfaces of levers 124 which come to rest in their stopped position 124'. The entire mechanism 120 is then dropped over the load, the levers 124 drop into their load-engaging position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 5, and the load and grapple 120 are lifted by the crane by means of hook 38 and carried to its destination. The load is then released by the crane at ta-chment 54 lifting hook 48' to position 48, which raises the shoes 28 to position 28".

In the embodiment of FIG. 10, fluid-operated closing means are provided in place of the mutually

slidable hooks

48, 38 in order to pivotally operate the grab lever arms 224. The frame in this embodiment comprises diagonal support members 240 to which the grab lever arms 224 are pivoted at 226.

The cylinder 90, which may be fluid-operated by pneumatic or hydraulic means by a valve-controlled medium entering the cylinder through a pipe 92, is provided with a piston 94 reciprocable in cylinder 90 and connected to a piston rod 96. Rod 96 has welded thereto a control plate 98 which rests on the inner end portions 100, of the respective arms 224. As the piston 94 is pressed downwardly by the air or hydraulic fluid entering through pipe 92, the piston rod 96 presses down control plate 98 fastened thereto and pivots the rods 224 about their pivot axes 226 so that the shoes 28 are raised upwardly in the direction of arrow B. When the piston 94 is in its uppermost position with the piston rod 96 and plate withdrawn from lever ends 100, the weight of the outer ends of the levers 224 maintains the shoes 28 in the load-engaging position as shown in FIG. 10. The entire grapple and load 12 can then be lifted by means of a crane engaging hook-eye 248 of the central lifting member and raising it in the direction of arrow C. When the load and grapple has reached the desired destination, air or hydraulic fluid is introduced into pipe 92 by opening a valve (not shown) to pivot the levers 224 so as to raise the ends thereof with shoes 28 in the direction of arrows B. This releases the load 12, and the grapple may then be moved to any other desired location.

In the modification of FIG. 11, instead of the shoe 28 with rubber facing 32, a shoe 228 is provided, pivoted to the arm 224 at 230. It should be understood that shoe 228 may be employed in lieu of any of the above described shoes or jaws 28 in any of the disclosed embodiments. The shoe 228 is provided with a foot portion 232 which engages into one of the lateral openings 14 of the drainage ring 10. The upper end 234 of the shoe 228 forms a handle for manually pivoting the shoe 228 about its pivot 230 so as to engage and disengage the foot portion 232 from its position in the slot 14 of the ring 10.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art, upon a study of this disclosure, that this invention permits of various modifications and alterations with respect to the individual components and arrangements disclosed, and hence can be embodied in lifting devices other than as particularly illustrated and described herein, without departing from the essential features of the invention and within the spirit and scope of the claims annexed hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A lifting device for handling cylindrical objects, comprising a gene-rally polygonal frame defining apexes and having a plurality of radial support arms joined to said frame at respective apexes thereof, a plurality of lever arms pivotally mounted on respective ones of said support arms, shoe means mounted at the radial outer ends of said lever arms for engaging an outer wall of the object to be lifted, said lever arms having counterweight means at their inner radial ends for normally urging said outer ends upwardly, and control means for simultaneously lifting said inner ends of said lever arms in opposition to the weight of said counter weights so as to lower the shoe means into engaging position relative to said outer wall, said counterweight means comprising separate weights attached respectively to said lever arms, said Weights each having a U-shaped cross section straddling respective ones of said support arms when the inner radial end of a corresponding lever arm is in lifted position.

2. Device according to claim 1, said control means comprising a hook vertically slidable relative to said frame, and horizontal plate means secured to said hook and engageable with the bottom surfaces of said weights of each of said lever arms for simultaneously lifting said weights, said plate means being of a diameter extending beyond each of said Weights.

3. A lifting device for handling cylindrical objects, comprising a generally polygonal frame defining apexes and having a plurality of radial support arms joined to said frame at respective apexes thereof, a plurality of lever arms pivotally mounted on respective ones of said support arms, shoe means mounted at the radial outer ends of said lever arms for engaging an outer wall of the object to be lifted, said lever arms having counterweight means at their inner radial ends for normally urging said outer ends upwardly, and control means for simultaneously lifting said inner ends of said lever arms in opposition to the weight of said counterweights so as to lower the shoe means into engaging position relative to said outer wall, said control means comprising hook means vertically slidable relative to said frame, and a member secured to said hook means and having wedge portions engageable with said lever arms for lifting and supporting the latter when said hook means is raised.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,733,084 10/1929 Schmidt 294106 X 1,957,719 5/1934 Naugle 294-106 X 2,368,978 2/1945 Fink 294-16 2,437,485 3/ 1948 Sonnenschein 294-106 2,576,193 11/1951 Reynolds 294-106 2,807,493 9/ 1957 Ryan 294 3,257,141 6/1966 Buus 294-65.5

FOREIGN PATENTS 117,634 6/1958 U.S.S.R.

GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

G, F. ABRAHAM, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A LIFTING DEVICE FOR HANDLING CYLINDRICAL OBJECTS, COMPRISING A GENERALLY POLYGONAL FRAME DEFINING APEXES AND HAVING A PLURALITY OF RADIAL SUPPORT ARMS JOINED TO SAID FRAME AT RESPECTIVE APEXES THEREOF, A PLURALITY OF LEVER ARMS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID SUPPORT ARMS, SHOE MEANS MOUNTED AT THE RADIAL OUTER ENDS OF SAID LEVER ARMS FOR ENGAGING AN OUTER WALL OF THE OBJECT TO BE LIFTED, SAID LEVER ARMS HAVING COUNTERWEIGHT MEANS AT THEIR INNER RADIAL ENDS FOR NORMALLY URGING SAID OUTER ENDS UPWARDLY, AND CONTROL MEANS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY LIFTING SAID INNER ENDS OF SAID LEVER ARMS IN OPPOSITION TO THE WEIGHT OF SAID COUNTER WEIGHTS SO AS TO LOWER THE SHOE MEANS INTO ENGAGING POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID OUT-