US3737134A - Telescoping support column - Google Patents

Abstract

A support column having an upper inner sleeve and a lower outer sleeve arranged in telescopic fashion for vertically supporting a floor support beam from a footing spaced therebelow. A plurality of arcuate wedges are circumferentially arranged between an upwardly flared-out portion of the outer sleeve and the outer surface of the inner sleeve. The initially collapsed column is extended between the footing and the beam so that a beam support member on the upper end of the inner sleeve engages the beam, and a floor support member on the lower end of the outer sleeve engages the footing. With the column so arranged, a vertical adjustment screw is actuated to produce a telescopic retraction force on the two sleeves which causes the wedges to become wedged between the two sleeves with serrated edges on the inner surfaces of the wedges biting into the inner sleeve to transfer the axial load from the inner sleeve to the outer sleeve and thereby support the beam. The screw may then be further adjusted to level the beam as required.

Description

Foon

[451 June 5, 1973 [54] TELESCOPING SUPPORT COLUMN [75] Inventor: Alvin N. Foon, Southfield, Mich.

' [73] Assignee: AFCO Manufacturing Corp., Holly,

Mich.

221 Filed: June 18,1971 211 App]. No.:- 154,282

I FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 322,6l9 l2/l929 GreatBritain ..248/355 Primary Examiner-William H. Schultz Attorney-Barnes, Kisselle, Raisch & Choate ABSTRACT A support column having an upper inner sleeve and a lower outer sleeve arranged in telescopic fashion for vertically supporting a floor support beam from a footing spaced therebelow. A plurality of arcuate wedges are circumferentially arranged between an upwardly flared-out portion of the outer sleeve and the outer surface of the inner sleeve. The initially collapsed column is extended between the footing and the beam so that a beam support member on the upper end of the inner sleeve engages the beam, and a floor support member on the lower end of the outer sleeve engages the footing. With the column 'so arranged, a vertical adjustment screw is actuated to produce a telescopic retraction force on the two sleeves which causes the wedges to become wedged between the two sleeves with serrated edges on the inner surfaces of the wedges biting into the inner sleeve to transfer the axial load from the inner sleeve to the outer sleeve and thereby support the beam. The screw may then be further adjusted to level the beam as required.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUH 5 I975 3.737.134

INVENTOR Alf/N V. FOO/V ATTORNEYS TELESCOPING SUPPORT COLUMN This invention relates to a telescoping support column for supporting a floor support beam on a footing.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an adjustable support column which, while being of relatively simple construction, can accommodate a range of height requirements and can be expeditiously installed and vertically adjusted to support the load of a floor support beam on a footing.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparentin the following description and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the support column of the present invention having portions broken away and portions in section.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2--2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along line 33 in FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows the support column of the present invention supporting a floor support beam 12 on a footing 14. Column 10 comprises a lower tubular sleeve 16 and a coaxial upper tubular sleeve 18, whose lower end is slidably arranged within the upper end of sleeve 16. A base plate 20 in the form of a circular ring supports sleeve 16 in a vertical upright position on footing 14. An upturned circular flange 22 at the inner periphery of base 20 engages the lower open end of sleeve 16, and a horizontal circular flange 24 at the outer periphery of base 20 is attached to footing 14 by fasteners 26. Once column '10 is installed, a cement floor 27 may be poured over footing 14 covering base 20 and the lower end of sleeve 16. A circular collar 28 encloses the open upper end of sleeve 18. A circular groove 30 extends around the side of collar 28 and a circular shoulder 32 is provided at the upper end of collar 28. A plurality of inwardly projecting detents 34 in sleeve 18 engage groove 30 to retain collar 28 on sleeve 18. A threaded hole 36 extends centrally through collar 28. The lower end of a screw stud 38 is threaded into hole 36. A circular button 40 forms a shoulder 42 at the upper end of stud 38. Shoulder 42 supports a cap 44 with button 40 projecting through a hole 46 centrally formed therein. Cap 44 is attached to beam 12 by fasteners 48. A circular hole 50 extends horizontally through stud 38. A rod (not shown) may be passed through hole 50 for rotating stud 38 to thereby adjust the position of cap 44 relative to collar 28 and sleeve 18.

The open upper end of sleeve 16 is flared outwardly and formed into a frusto-conical surface 52 which is concentric with the axis of sleeve 16. Surface 52 is inclined at an acute angle with respect to the sleeve axis and flares radially outwardly therefrom in the upward direction. The frusto-conical surface 52 terminates at an upper end segment 54 of sleeve 16 which is parallel to the sleeve axis.

Three arcuately-shaped wedges 56 are arranged circumferentially between surface 52 and the outer surface of sleeve 18. Each wedge 56 has a radially outer surface 58 in juxtaposition to surface 52 and similarly inclined relative to the sleeve axis. The radially inner surface of each wedge 56 is formed with a plurality of ing beam 12. The upwardly-pointed apexes 62 of serrations 60 bite into sleeve 18 as is shown in somewhat exaggerated proportion in FIG. 3.

68 may be loosened to permit column 10 to be ex- I tended. Once column 10 is installed, ring 66 and screw 68 serve no further purposes.

At installation, the collapsed column 10 is positioned between footing l4 and beam 12 and then screws 68 are loosened to permit the column to be extended by sliding sleeve 18 upwardly of sleeve 16. Base 20 and cap 44 may be attached to footing 14 and beam 12 respectively at this time or later. Wedges 56 and the flared arrangement of surface 52 permit sleeve 18 to move freely upwardly of sleeve 16. Once column 10 is extended vertically to engage beam 12, the force of gravity maintains wedges 56 at the lower region of space 64 approximately as illustrated so that outer wedge surfaces 58 rest on frusto-conical surface 52, and apexes 62 of the serrations engage the outer surface of sleeve 18. A rod is inserted into hole 50 and rotated to advance stud 38 upwardly of collar 28. This in turn forces sleeve 18 downwardly into sleeve 16. The

frictional contact between apexes 62 and the outer surface of sleeve 18 is sufficiently great that initial downward movement of sleeve 18 tends to move wedges 56 downwardly and tightly against surface 52. This action causes serrations 60 to bite into sleeve 18 so that wedges 56 are forced against surface 52 and become wedged between the two sleeves. Hence, as screw 38 is advanced upwardly, the load of beam 12 is increasingly transferred between sleeve 18 and sleeve 16 by the wedging action of wedges 56 until the two sleeves become locked together to transfer the full load of beam 12 onto footing 14. Thereafter, screw 38 may be further adjusted if necessary to level the floor supported by the column.

Although the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings is shown supporting a wood beam 12, it should be recognized that a conventional clip-type cap may be used with column 10 to support a metal beam such as an I-beam. Also, the threaded adjusting screw 38 may be used at the lower end of the lower sleeve 16 instead of the upper sleeve 18.

I claim:

1. A telescoping support column for vertically supporting a floor support beam from a footing spaced therebelow comprising an upper inner sleeve and a lower outer sleeve slidably arranged in telescoping fashion, a beam support member connected to the upper end of said inner sleeve, a floor support member connected to the lower end of said outer sleeve, means for transmitting an axial load from said inner sleeve to said outer sleeve when the column is arranged between a footing and a floor support beam comprising a frustoconical surface coaxially defined on the inner surface of the upper end portion of the outer sleeve and extending radially outwardly in the upward direction at an acute angle relative to the sleeve axis, a plurality of arcuately-shaped wedges arcuately arranged between the frusto-conical surface and the outer surface of said inner sleeve, each of said wedges having a radially outer surface in juxtaposition to the frustoconical surface and similarly inclined relative to the sleeve axis and a radially inner surface comprising a plurality of serrated edges projecting radially inwardly in juxtaposition to the outer surface of said inner sleeve, and a vertical adjustment screw connecting one of said sleeves and its support member, which screw when the column is arranged between a footing and floor support beam is adapted to be actuated to increase the axial separation of the last-mentioned support member from its sleeve and thereby produce a telescopic retraction force on the two sleeves which causes said serrated edges to be forcibly embedded in the outer surface of said inner sleeve to support the load of the beam, and which screw when said column is supporting the load of the beam is adapted to be actuated to raise and lower the portion of the beam engaged by the beam support member, and wedge retaining means disposed vertically above said wedges and extending radially between said outer sleeve and said inner sleeve, said wedge retaining means comprising an annular disc between said sleeves and at least one screw threaded through said outer sleeve vertically above said disc and extending radially inwardly to abut said inner sleeve, said screw serving to axially lock said sleeves together when said column is in said collapsed condition.

2. The column of claim 1 wherein said adjustment screw is located between the upper end of said inner sleeve and said beam support member.

Claims (2)

1. A telescoping support column for vertically supporting a floor support beam from a footing spaced therebelow comprising an upper inner sleeve and a lower outer sleeve slidably arranged in telescoping fashion, a beam support member connected to the upper end of said inner sleeve, a floor support member connected to the loweR end of said outer sleeve, means for transmitting an axial load from said inner sleeve to said outer sleeve when the column is arranged between a footing and a floor support beam comprising a frusto-conical surface coaxially defined on the inner surface of the upper end portion of the outer sleeve and extending radially outwardly in the upward direction at an acute angle relative to the sleeve axis, a plurality of arcuately-shaped wedges arcuately arranged between the frusto-conical surface and the outer surface of said inner sleeve, each of said wedges having a radially outer surface in juxtaposition to the frustoconical surface and similarly inclined relative to the sleeve axis and a radially inner surface comprising a plurality of serrated edges projecting radially inwardly in juxtaposition to the outer surface of said inner sleeve, and a vertical adjustment screw connecting one of said sleeves and its support member, which screw when the column is arranged between a footing and floor support beam is adapted to be actuated to increase the axial separation of the last-mentioned support member from its sleeve and thereby produce a telescopic retraction force on the two sleeves which causes said serrated edges to be forcibly embedded in the outer surface of said inner sleeve to support the load of the beam, and which screw when said column is supporting the load of the beam is adapted to be actuated to raise and lower the portion of the beam engaged by the beam support member, and wedge retaining means disposed vertically above said wedges and extending radially between said outer sleeve and said inner sleeve, said wedge retaining means comprising an annular disc between said sleeves and at least one screw threaded through said outer sleeve vertically above said disc and extending radially inwardly to abut said inner sleeve, said screw serving to axially lock said sleeves together when said column is in said collapsed condition.

2. The column of claim 1 wherein said adjustment screw is located between the upper end of said inner sleeve and said beam support member.

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