WO2006108440A1

WO2006108440A1 - An anchoring clamp for a cable assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2006108440A1
Application number: PCT/EP2005/004490
Authority: WO
Inventors: Xavier Allaire
Original assignee: Fci Electrique France
Priority date: 2005-04-15
Filing date: 2005-04-15
Publication date: 2006-10-19

Abstract

The clamp comprises a plastics guide piece (1) provided with a mooring element (5) and defining a tapered recess (11) for accommodating a wedge (2) clamping a cable. The guide piece supports the longitudinal load. A generally U-shaped metal reinforcing shell (4) helps the guide piece (1) to support radial load exerted on it due to the wedge effect. Application to insulated conductors equipped with an insulated carrying cable.

Description

An anchoring clamp for a cable assembly

The present invention relates to an anchoring clamp for a cable such as a communication cable. More particularly, the present invention relates to an anchoring clamp according to the preamble of claim 1.

An object of the invention is to provide an anchoring clamp of this type which is cheap to manufacture and nevertheless capable of withstanding high longitudinal forces exerted on the cable assembly.

This goal is at least partially achieved by an anchoring clamp of the aforementioned type, further comprising the features of the characterising part of claim 1. Indeed, thanks to the invention the reinforcing shell and the guide piece can be made of the more appropriate material for their respective functions, allowing the best cost effective material for these functions . Further, the clamp of the invention may comprise one or several of the features corresponding to claims 2-7.

The invention will be understood from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings representing, by way of non-limiting example, an embodiment of an anchoring clamp according to the invention.

Figure 1 is an exploded view in perspective of a clamp according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the assembled clamp; Figure 3 is a plan view, at a larger scale, of the assembled clamp,- and

Figure 4 is an end view along arrow IV of Figure 3. The cable anchoring clamp shown in the drawings is made of a plastic split guide piece 1, a metal wedge 2 made of a pair of jaws 3, an outer metal reinforcing metal shell 4, and a mooring element 5. The clamp has a general longitudinal axis X-X. The guide piece is open longitudinally along the longitudinal axis X-X for inserting a cable 28 in the clamp.

The guide piece 1 is a moulded part having a general fork shape, with a transverse web 6 at one end (the left- hand end on Figures 1-3) and two branches 7 extending therefrom parallel to axis X-X. Each branch 7 has an outer face 8 substantially- parallel to axis X-X and having an outer shoulder 9 at its right-hand, free end.

Each branch 7 also has an inner face 10 tapering from the web 6 towards axis X-X. The faces 10 define a tapered recess 11. The half angle of taper α (Figure 3) is small, e.g. 10°. Each face 10 has an inner shoulder 1OA protruding along its upper edge.

Two sleeves 12 protrude laterally outwardly from the web 6. Each sleeve has a longitudinal hole 13 therethrough, the hole being open outwardly through a lateral slit 14 of the sleeve.

A triangular flat guide tongue 15 also extends from the web 6. As best seen on Figure 4, tongue 15 extends in a horizontal plane P slightly offset upwardly with respect to the base plane Q of the branches. The tapering angle of each side of tongue 15 is α,

Each jaw 3, preferably made of zinc alloy or aluminium alloy, is a metal block having an outer tapered guiding face 16 having the taper angle α (with regard to the axis X-X) , and an inner face 17 generally parallel to axis

X-X and having a series of teeth 18 thereon. The axis X-X is located substantially mid-height of the faces 17 (Figure 4) . Each face 17 has a longitudinal groove 19 adjacent its bottom edge. One transverse flat tongue 20 protrudes from the bottom edge of one face 17, and two such tongues 21 protrude from the bottom edge of the other face 17, the tongue 20 being slidingly accommodated between the tongues 21. Accordingly, each jaw is slidingly accommodated in a respective half of the recess 11, with its outer face 16 in sliding engagement with the respective tapered face 10 and the respective side of tongue 15 slidingly accommodated in its groove 19. Each jaw is held against upward movement by the respective shoulder 1OA.

Due to the co-operating tongues 20 and 21, the two jaws are caused to move simultaneously in the longitudinal direction from a rear position, shown in Figures 2 and 3, where the toothed faces 17 are at a maximum distance from each other, to a front position where the teeth 18 engage one another .

The reinforcing shell 4 is a length of an extruded profile preferably made of zinc alloy or aluminium alloy.

Since it corresponds to a length of profile, such a reinforcing shell is cheap to manufacture. It has two substantially vertical wings 22 and a lower substantially horizontal web portion 23. The web portion 23 has a longitudinal weight-reducing opening 24 extending therethrough. Each wing 22 has an inner shoulder 35 at its free end (see Fig.4) .

After assembling the jaws with the guide piece 1, the jaws are brought to their rearmost position, then the free ends of the branches 7 are elastically pressed towards each other and inserted in the shell 4, then the piece 1 is pushed forward. Shortly before the shell 4 abuts the web portion of the guide piece 1, the shoulders 9 reach the right end of the shell, which permits the branches 7 to spread apart. Guide piece 1 is thus snap-fitted in shell 4. The mooring element 5 comprises a loop of thin, flexible cable 25 having a flat headed attachment 26 at each end. Each end portion of cable 25 can be laterally inserted in a respective slot 14 of sleeves 12, and a traction on a middle portion 27 of cable 25 causes the flat heads of attachments 26 to firmly abut the right-hand side of the sleeves 12.

In use, a communication cable 28, equipped with an insulated carrying cable 29 connected thereto by a plastics web 30, as shown in dash-dot lines in Figure 4, is to be anchored to a fixed element such as a hook by means of the above-described clamp.

The jaws 3 are moved left and thus spread apart, the cable 29 is disposed between the jaws, the jaws are moved right until they engage the carrying cable 29, and traction is exerted on the mooring cable 25 to put the conductor 28 under traction and engage the mooring cable 25 with a hook.

The conductor 28 then exhibits a chain-like shape. The sag is governed by the weight of the conductor and the traction force. Owing to the combination of the wedge 2, the plastics guide piece 1 and the metal shell 4, comparatively heavy conductors can be anchored with a tension high enough to exhibit a small sag.

The longitudinal force is taken over by the guide piece 1 and the mooring element 5, while the shell 4 prevents the branches 7 from spreading away from each other due to the wedging effect. The clamp is nevertheless cheap to manufacture, since it utilises a plastic moulding 1 and a length of metal profile 22.

Claims

1. An anchoring clamp for a cable (28-30), the clamp comprising :

- a guide piece (1) defining a tapered recess (11) extending along a longitudinal axis (X-X) , said guide piece being open longitudinally;

- a wedge (2) mounted in said recess (11) , said wedge forming jaws for both accommodating and clamping the cable (28-30) , said wedge having an outside shape complementary to the shape of said tapered recess (11) , said wedge (2) being capable of being clamped on said cable (28- 30) when a longitudinal force parallel to said longitudinal axis (X-X) is exerted on said cable; characterized in that said guide piece (1) is accommodated between two wings (22) of a generally U-shaped reinforcing shell (4), the guide piece and the reinforcing shell being made of two different parts.

2. The anchoring clamp according to claim 1, wherein said guide piece (1) comprises two sleeves (12, 14), each one for hooking an end portion of a mooring element (5) .

3. The anchoring clamp according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said guide piece (1) is made of plastic material.

4. The anchoring clamp according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said reinforcing shell (4) has a constant cross-sectional shape transverse to said axis (X-X)

5. The anchoring clamp according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said guide piece (1) comprises two branches (7) , each branch having an outer shoulder (9) at a free longitudinal end thereof and being snap- fitted in said reinforcing shell (4) .

6. The anchoring clamp according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said reinforcing shell (4) is made of an zinc alloy or an aluminium alloy.

7. The anchoring clamp according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a connecting portion (23) of said reinforcing shell (4) extending between said wings (22) has an aperture (24) extending longitudinally therethrough.