GB1598788A - Girder fittings - Google Patents

Description

PATENT SPECIFICATION ( 11) 1 598 788

X ( 21) Application No 38960/77 ( 22) Filed 19 Sep 1977 ( 19) > ( 23) Complete Specification Filed 22 May 1978 4, i ( 44) Complete Specification Published 23 Sep 1981 O ( 51) INT CL 3 F 16 B 2/10 tn ( 52) Index at Acceptance E 2 A 370 375 379 418 GB E 15 R ( 72) Inventors: ROGER MICHAEL KITCHEN FRANK LISTER ( 54) IMPROVEMENTS IN GIRDER FITTINGS ( 71) We, DEBORAH SERVICES LIMITED, a British Company, of 10 South Parade, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:-

This invention relates to the attachment of scaffolding platforms, workmen's platforms or 5 cradles and the like to flanged girders of steel or like material and is particularly concerned with fittings for securing scaffolding to such girders.

According to the invention, there is provided a fitting adapted to be secured to a length of scaffold tube for clamping said scaffold tube to the horizontal flange of a flanged girder, said fitting comprising a main body having a major length which, in use, extends in the 10 vertical direction; a clamping jaw pivotally mounted on the main body, said clamping jaw and main body being so shaped as to receive and clamp between them a length of scaffold tube; fastening means for releasably securing the clamping jaw to the main body, the fastening means being substantially horizontally disposed when the fitting is in use; and a screw arranged to engage the surface of said girder flange to clamp the main body to the 15 girder; a portion of said main body extending, at a position remote from the pivotal connection of the clamping jaw, in a direction substantially at right angles to the major length of the main body, whereby, in use, the main body and clamping jaw are secured to the scaffold tube at a position adjacent an edge portion of the girder flange such that the vertical load of the scaffold tube is borne substantially entirely by the main body and the 20 said portion of the main body overlies the upper surface of the horizontal flange of the flanged girder and the main body is clamped to the girder flange by the screw engaging the surface of said flange.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 25 Figure 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of a girder fitting according to the invention; Figure 2 is a front elevation of the fitting shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side elevation of a second embodiment of a girder fitting according to the invention; 30 Figure 4 is a front elevation of the fitting shown in Figure 3; Figure S shows one manner in which fittings according to the invention may be used in the construction of a working platform; and Figure 6 is a section taken on the line VI-VI in Figure 5.

In the drawings, like parts are denoted by like reference numerals 35 Reference will first be made to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings in which the fitting 10 comprises a main body 1 having, adjacent one end, an arcuate recess 2 and on which one end of a clamping jaw 4 is pivotally mounted by means of a rivet 3 A bolt 6 is also pivotally mounted on the main body 1 and is receivable in a slot 5 in the other end of the clamping jaw 4 The bolt 6 is screw-threaded along at least part of its length and a nut 7 and washer 8 40 are provided thereon.

The other end of the main body 1 is curved from the axis of the major portion of the length of said body and terminates in a part 11 extending substantially at right angles to said axis The part 11 is provided with a screw-threaded bore for receiving a screw 12.

In use, the fitting is secured to a length of scaffold tube 9 by engaging the arcuate recess 2 45 2 1 598 7882 on said scaffold tube 9 and pivoting the clamping jaw 4 into engagement with said scaffold tube The bolt 6 is then allowed to drop into the slot 5 in the clamping jaw 4 and the nut 7 turned until the body 1 and clamping jaw 4 are clamped to the scaffold tube in an immovable manner The fitting is then ready for the part 11 of the main body 1 to be hooked over the flange 13 of a flanged girder The screw 12 is then turned to draw the 5 scaffold tube 9 into engagement with the underside of the flange 13.

Owing to the main body 1 being in a vertical plane, the vertical load from the scaffold tube 9 is transferred, via the lug retaining the rivet 3, into the main body 1 By means of this arrangement, the bolt 6 is only subjected to loads from the fitting being clamped onto the scaffold tube 9 10 Referring now to Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings, the fitting 10 comprises a main body 14 having adjacent one end an arcuate recess 15 and on which one end of a clamping jaw 16 is pivotally mounted by means of a rivet 17 A bolt 18 pivotally mounted on the main body 14 is receivable in a slot 19 in the other end of the clamping jaw 16 Part of the length of the bolt 8 is screw-threaded for receiving a nut 20, a washer 21 being interposed between the 15 nut 21 and clamping jaw 16.

The other end of the main body 14 is curved from the axis of the major portion of the length of said body and terminates in a part 22 extending substantially at right angles to said axis The end of said part 22 is provided with a bar-like projection 22 a the longitudinal axis of the which is substantially perpendicular to said axis of the main body as well as to the 20 remainder of part 22 The projection 22 a is intended to rest on the flange 13 of a flanged girder.

Located intermediate the ends of the main body 14 and extending substantially at right angles to the said axis of the main body is a lug 23 which is aligned with the part 22 but spaced therefrom The lug 23 is provided with a screw-threaded bore for receiving a screw 25 24.

As with the embodiment described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the fitting shown in Figures 3 and 4 can be secured to a length of scaffold tube 9 by engaging the arcuate recess 15 on the scaffold tube and pivoting the clamping jaw 16 into engagement with the said scaffold tube The bolt 18 is then allowed to drop into the slot 19 in the 30 clamping jaw 16 and the nut 20 turned until the main body 14 and clamping jaw 16 are clamped to the scaffold tube in an immovable manner The part 22 can then be hooked over the flange 13 of a flanged girder so that the projection 22 a bears on said flange and the screw 24 turned to clamp the fitting to the flange 13.

Again, in this case, the vertical load from the scaffold tube 9 is transferred to the main 35 body 14 via the lug retaining the rivet 17 so that the bolt 18 is subjected only to the load of the fitting being clamped onto the scaffold tube Moreover, in this embodiment, the load of the scaffold tube and fitting is borne by the part 22 and its projection 22 a, the screw 24 serving merely to secure the fitting onto the girder and not being subjected to direct load.

The main body 1 or 14 and clamping jaw 4 and 16 are preferably made of drop forged 40 steel while the bolt 6 or 18 and screw 12 or 24 are preferably made of mild steel although other materials may be used if desired.

Either of the above described fittings according to the invention can be used in a variety of applications, examples of which are shown in Figures 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings 45 Figures 5 and 6 show the manner in which fittings according to the invention can be used to suspend a working platform from a series of flanged girders forming the steelwork of, for example, a bridge or roof in order to gain access for painting or maintenance work for example As shown in Figure 5, a single scaffold tube 9 is secured to the flanges 13 of two parallelly-extending girders 25 and 26 by two fittings 10 50 A series of vertical scaffold tubes 27 are secured at spaced intervals to the scaffold tube 9 and a horizontal scaffold tube 28 is secured to the scaffold tubes 27 to extend parallel to the scaffold tube 9 to form a framework This framework is secured to a like framework 29 (Figure 6) by further horizontal scaffold tubes 30, 31 and 32, the tubes 32 being interconnected between the two framework by a transversely extending scaffold tube 33 55 Timber boards 34 are laid on the scaffold tubes 28 and 33 to form a working platform.

Additional vertical boards 35 serve as toe boards and the scaffold tubes 31 serve as hand rails The platform may be extended further by other frameworks 29 as shown in Figure 6.

It will be seen that, by means of the fitting according to the invention, standard equipment used throughout the scaffolding industry in this country may be used to secure a 60 variety of working platforms to girder form steelwork thus representing a considerable saving in special equipment which would otherwise be necessary.

Other embodiments and modifications of the above described fittings are possible without departing from the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

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Claims (9)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:-

1 A fitting adapted to be secured to a length of scaffold tube for clamping said scaffold tube to the horizontal flange of a flanged girder, said fitting comprising a main body having a major length which, in use, extends in the vertical direction; a clamping jaw pivotally mounted on the main body, said clamping jaw and main body being so shaped as to receive 5 and clamp between them a length of scaffold tube; fastening means for releasably securing the clamping jaw to the main body, the fastening means being substantially horizontally disposed when the fitting is in use; and a screw arranged to engage the surface of said girder flange to clamp the main body to the girder; a portion of said main body extending, at a position remote from the pivotal connection of the clamping jaw, in a direction substantially 10 at right angles to the major length of the main body, whereby, in use, the main body and clamping jaw are secured to the scaffold tube at a position adjacent an edge portion of the girder flange such that the vertical load of the scaffold tube is borne substantially entirely by the main body and the said portion of the main body overlies the upper surface of the horizontal flange of the flanged girder and the main body is clamped to the girder flange by 15 the screw engaging the surface of said flange.

2 A fitting according to claim 1, wherein the main body is provided with an arcuate recess adapted to receive and engage a portion of the scaffold tube, the clamping jaw being pivotally mounted on the main body adjacent said arcuate recess.

3 A fitting according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the clamping jaw is pivotally 20 mounted at one end on the main body, wherein the other end of the clamping jaw is provided with a slot and wherein the releasable fastening means comprises a bolt pivotally mounted on the main body and engageable in the slot in said clamping jaw.

4 A fitting according to claim 3, wherein the head of the bolt is pivotally mounted in the main body and said bolt has a screw-threaded shank, a nut being engaged on said 25 screw-thread and being effective, on being turned, to draw the said other end of the clamping jaw towards the main body.

A fitting according to any preceding claim, wherein the said portion of the main body extending substantially at right angles to the major length of said main body is provided with a screw-threaded bore and wherein the screw is engageable with the screw-thread of 30 said bore.

6 A fitting according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the main body is provided, intermediate its ends, with a lug aligned with said portion of the main body extending substantially at right angles to the major length of said main body but spaced from said portion 35

7 A fitting according to claim 6, wherein the lug is provided with a screw-threaded-bore and wherein the screw is engageable with the screw-thread of said bore.

8 A fitting according to any preceding claim, wherein the main body and clamping jaws are made of drop forged steel.

9 A fitting substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the 40 accompanying drawings.

A fitting substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.

R R PRENTICE, 45 Chartered Patent Agent, 34 Tavistock Street, London WC 2.

Agent for the Applicants.

Printed for Her Majesty's Stationery Office by Croydon Printing Company Limited Croydon Surrey 1981.

Published by The Patent Office 25 Southampton Buildings, London WC 2 A IAY, from which copies may be obtained.