WO2020117076A1

WO2020117076A1 - Adapter for connecting strutting structure elements

Info

Publication number: WO2020117076A1
Application number: PCT/PL2019/000106
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paweł KWARCIŃSKI
Original assignee: Isps Sp. Z O.O.
Priority date: 2018-12-03
Filing date: 2019-11-26
Publication date: 2020-06-11
Also published as: PL428028A1

Abstract

The adapter has been designed for connecting strutting structure elements intended for excavation shoring applications by means of standard stock pipes. It comprises a rigid plate (1) featuring a row of straight-through connecting holes (2) centrically arranged along its perimeter and a straight-through tightening hole (3) situated at the centre as well as a pair of sliding horizontal centring pieces (4) and a pair of preferably protruding sliding vertical centring pieces (5), the latter positioned perpendicularly to the plate. The horizontal centring pieces (4) and the vertical centring pieces (5) feature oblong slots (6) penetrated by pairs of mounting screws (7). In the upper section of the shape, the plate (1) features a central lifting eye (8) positioned in the middle of the plate (1) and, on both its sides, two smaller technical protrusions (9a) and (9b), while in the bottom section, the plate (1) has a rectangular supporting protrusion (10).

Description

Adapter for connecting strutting structure elements

The subject of the invention is an adapter for connecting strutting structure elements intended particularly for excavation shoring applications.

There is a strutting structure intended for excavation shoring known from Polish patent application no. P.391439, comprising a strut which features, on one side, a strutting element composed of a threaded shaft and a strutting plate, the latter seated on the threaded shaft’s end and terminated with a strutting plate catch pawl and a strutting nut, and on the other side, a supporting plate terminated with a supporting plate catch pawl and fixed by means of a supporting beam. The strut is enclosed in a strut frame, being a pipe, terminated with a strutting cover plate at one end and with a connecting cover plate at the other end. The other end of the threaded shaft penetrates the strut via the strutting cover plate, while on the shaft end, between the strutting plate and the strutting cover plate, rests the strutting nut. The supporting beam features a tubular beam frame closed at both its ends with the connecting cover plates. On both ends, the supporting beam’s pipe features mounting notches. At the centre of the connecting cover plates, facing inwards of the supporting beam, there are cylindrical recesses closed with covers featuring centrically arranged cover holes penetrated by a beam tightening rod interlinking both tie plates.

The purpose of the invention was to make it possible to use commonly available stock pipes in the strutting structure, especially for shoring of wide excavations, without having to develop any mounting sockets in the pipes, given that it reduces the commercial value of the pipes once the construction works are completed.

The adapter according to the invention is a rigid plate with a near-oval shape which features a row of straight-through connecting holes centrically arranged along its perimeter and a centrally-positioned straight-through tightening hole. On opposite ends of the plate, positioned in its horizontal axis cutting through the straight-through tightening hole, there is a pair of sliding and preferably flat horizontal centring pieces, while in the plate’s vertical axis of symmetry, also on its opposite ends, there is a pair of preferably protruding vertical centring pieces. The horizontal centring pieces and the vertical centring pieces feature oblong slots penetrated by pairs of mounting screws. In the upper section of the shape, the plate features a central lifting eye positioned in the middle and, on both its sides, two smaller technical protrusions, all three of them having a hole. In the plate’s bottom section, there is a rectangular supporting protrusion.

An example of the subject of the invention has been depicted in a set of figures, where Fig. 1 shows the invention in an axonometric projection, Fig. 2 is its front orthogonal projection, Fig. 3 is a side orthogonal projection, while Fig. 4 provides a cross-section of the area in which the strutting structure’s elements are connected by means of the adapter according to the invention, and Fig. 5 illustrates the strutting structure with the subject of the invention installed.

The adapter comprises rigid plate 1 with a near-oval shape which features a row of straight-through connecting holes 2 centrically arranged along its perimeter and straight-through tightening hole 3 situated at the centre. On opposite ends of plate 1, positioned in its horizontal axis cutting through straight-through tightening hole 3, there is a pair of flat and sliding horizontal centring pieces 4, while in the plate’s vertical axis of symmetry, also on its opposite ends, there is a pair of protruding and sliding vertical centring pieces 5. Horizontal centring pieces 4 and vertical centring pieces 5 feature oblong slots 6 penetrated by pairs of mounting screws 7. In the upper section of the shape, plate 1 features central lifting eye 8 positioned in the middle of plate 1 and, on both its sides, two smaller technical protrusions 9a and 9b, all three of them having a hole. In the bottom section of plate 1 , there is rectangular supporting protrusion 10.

Using the adapter according to the invention entails using the supporting beam in the strutting structure, where the beam is any chosen steel pipe 1 to which, by means of the adapter, mechanical unit 12 is attached at one of its ends and hydraulic unit 13 is attached at its other end, enabling highly accurate strut adjustment to the excavation within a range of several centimetres for the sake of preliminary stressing and subsequently releasing of axial forces from the strut before it is dismantled. For this purpose, one can use a standard stock pipe with the length matching the distance between the excavation walls to be shored, which is fixed in the given pre-defined location on supports previously prepared. In another step, in two adapters, in an equal distance from tightening hole 3, a pair of flat centring pieces 4 and a pair of protruding centring pieces 5 are slid apart on plate 1 to a distance which enables these elements to be adjusted to the inner diameter of pipe 11. Once the centring pieces have been tightly fixed to plate 1 with mounting screws 7, the adapters are slid into the inner clearance of pipe 11 with the side to which the centring pieces are fixed going first. Then, bilaterally threaded rod 14 whose length corresponds to that of pipe 11 is slid through opposing straight-through tightening holes 3, and then both plates 1 are tightly fixed to the ends of pipe 11 with nuts 15. When it is justified, rod 14 may be prestressed using a sufficiently high force by means of a hollow hydraulic cylinder not depicted in the figures. Next, mechanical unit 12 and hydraulic unit 13 are mounted on one side and on the other side, respectively, to adequate plates 1 using connecting holes 2 and screws 16. Before the strutting structure is fixed and immobilised for good in the excavation, it is lifted to a height corresponding to that of brace legs 17 which provide for the excavation shoring, and then hydraulic unit 13 is being slid apart to the point where the strutting structure successfully holds apart opposite brace legs 17 of the excavation.

The main advantage of the adapter according to the invention results from its functionality as an element which makes it possible to combine individual components of the strutting structure by means of standard stock pipes, and then, once the construction works have been completed, to return these pipes to the stock and reuse them for other purposes without any detriment to their commercial and utility value. Consequently, the total material costs of the strutting structure are reduced, since they only comprise mechanical unit 12 and hydraulic unit 13. This is particularly important when shoring excavations of considerable width, and whenever it is necessary to use a larger number of strutting structures for this purpose. The adapter makes it possible to use any chosen pipe currently on stock, representing a wide range of diameters and with nearly any length and wall thickness. This ensures the required rigidity of the structure, corresponding to a wide range of requirements defined in construction plans and specifications.

Claims

Claim

The adapter for connecting strutting structure elements, characterized in that, it comprises a rigid plate (1) with a near-oval shape which features a row of straight-through connecting holes

(2) centrically arranged along its perimeter and a straight-through tightening hole (3) situated at its centre, and furthermore, that on the opposite ends of plate (1) there is a pair of preferably flat sliding horizontal centring pieces (4) positioned in the plate’s horizontal axis cutting through its straight-through tightening hole

(3), while in the vertical axis of symmetry of plate (1), also on its opposite ends, there is a pair of preferably protruding sliding vertical centring pieces (5), where the horizontal centring pieces

(4) and the vertical centring pieces

(5) feature oblong slots

(6) penetrated by pairs of mounting screws

(7), and in the upper section of its shape, the plate (1) features a central lifting eye

(8) positioned in the middle of the plate (1) and, on both its sides, two smaller technical protrusions (9a) and (9b), all three of them having a hole, while in the bottom section, the plate (1) has a rectangular supporting protrusion (10).