US2966774A - Tools for applying armor rods to conductors - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 3, 1961 T. H. BOWEN TOOLS FOR APPLYING ARMOR RODS m CONDUCTORS Filed April 8, 1955 mmvirox.

mam s h. 5054 16! TOOLS FOR APPLYING ARMOR RODS TO CONDUCTORS Thomas H. Bowen, St. Louis, Mo., assignor, by mesne assignments, to James R. Kearney Corporation, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. s, 1955, Ser. No. 500,241

2 Claims. c1. 57-10) This invention relates generally to tools for applying armor rods to electrical conductors, and more specifically to tools that are adapted for arranging armor rods helically on electrical conductors at positions where the armor rods will prevent wear, wire burning, and chafing of the conductors, and will prevent vibration fatigue, and other defects which may be produced in the absence of the use of armor rods in association with the conductors, the predominant object of the invention being to produce tools of the type described which are characterized by being quite simple in construction and relatively inexpensive when compared with other tools for performing the same or a similar function which are now known, and to produce a tool which will perform its intended function in a highly efficient manner.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a pair of the improved tools of this invention showing same as they will appear when being used to aid in applying armor rods to an electrical conductor.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation on a larger scale than Fig. l of one of the tools shown in Fig. 1, with the clamping means shown in the closed position.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the fixed die member of the tool of this invention.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the movable die member of the tool of this invention.

In the drawing, A designates generally the improved tool of this invention, said tool comprising a body portion 1 having an arcuate portion 2 which is located adjacent to the longitudinal center of the tool. Extended outwardly from the arcuate portion 2 is an arm portion 3 which is provided with an eye '4 formed at its outer end, the arm portion 3 being preferably, though not necessarily, formed integral with said arcuate portion 2. Extending in the opposite direction from said arcuate portion 2 is a projected portion 5 which at an end thereof remote from the arcuate portion 2 is provided with an extended portion 6 that has formed therethrough a screw threaded opening 7. Also, extended from the portion 6 and from the projected portion 5 is an arm portion 8 which is alined with and opposed to the arm portion 3 and is provided at its outer end with an eye 9, this arm portion by preference, through not necessarily, being formed integral with the portions 2, 5 and 6 of the tool A and with the arm portion 3.

The arcuate portion 2 is channel-shaped in crosssection and said arcuate portion 2 serves as a fixed die holder. The tool A includes, also, a movable die holder 10 whose lower portion is bifurcated, said bifurcated lower portion of said movable die holder straddling a guide member 5 formed in the portion 5 and the movable die holder being guided thereby upon movement thereof. The movable die holder 10 is provided with an arcuate portion 11 which is channel-shaped in cross-secatent tion, and said movable die holder includes a boss portion 12 having an opening 13 formed therein into which is extended a reduced end portion 14 of a screwthreaded element 15 that is screwthreadedly received in the screwthreaded opening 7 formed through the portion 6. The screwthre-aded element 15 is provided with an eye portion 16 at the outer end thereof which facilitates rotation of the element 15, and the reduced end portion 14 of said element 15 has a peened over head portion 17 which is located within an enlarged opening 13' and which prevents said reduced end portion from being withdrawn from said opening 13 but permits of its being rotated within said opening 13. The element 15 has mounted thereon a washer 18 having a rib 18' which is engaged by a hot line stick (not shown) that is employed in manipulating the element 15.

The tool of this invention includes a two-piece die consisting of members 19 and 20, the die member 19 being seated in the arcuate portion 2, which serves as a fixed die holder, and the die member 20 being seated in the arcuate portion 11 of the movable die holder 10. The two die members 19 and 20 collectively define the periphery of a central opening 24 within which the conductor to be armored is received. Radially outward of the central opening 24, there is provided a circularly arranged series of spaced openings 23, each for the reception of an armor rod. The periphery of each of the openings 23 is flared outwardly as shown in Fig. 4, so as to provide a section of minimum diameter which makes substantially line contact with armor rods received therein. It will be observed that the parting line between die members i9 and '20 is so oriented that die member 19 embraces more of the periphery of central opening 24 than does die member 26; and that there are more of the openings 23 in die member 19 than there are in die member 29. By arranging the parting line between the two die members off-diameter, as shown, so that the upper die member 19 embraces substantially more than of the periphery of opening 4, and the lower die member 20 embraces the conjugate arc of such periphery, the initial disposition of the tool upon the conductor to be armored is facilitated by the converging relationship of the rad-ii which constitute the parting line, the likelihood of the tool being dislodged from the conductor during manipulation and before the movable die member 20 is moved into engagement with die member 19 is reduced, and the lower die member 20 is wedged by the centrally converging edges of the upper die member 19 into proper centered relationship with the latter during movement of the former from the open position shown in Fig. 3 to the closed position shown in Fig. 2. The die members 19 and 20 are provided with marginal flanges 19' and 20' which are seated in the channels of the arcuate portions 2 and 11, each arcuate die-holding portion having a fixed pin 21 extending therefrom and projecting into an aperture formed in the related die member, and, also, each arcuate die-holding portion is provided with a locking screw 22 which extends screwthreadedly through an opening formed through a portion of the arcuate dieholding portion and whose inner end is projected into an aperture formed in the related die member for locking said die member in place. The pins 21 for the respective die members 19 and 20 are, as shown in the drawings, spaced at least a quadrant from their related locking screws 22. Such a spaced relationship facilitates the insertion and removal of the die parts, and yet assures that a substantial component of the radial force applied by the locking screws 22 will be in a direction such as to assist in holding the pins 21 engaged with the apertures 19 and 20 which receive them.

The arcuate space of the movable die holder 11 which receives die member 20 will be observed to be of greater circumferential extent th n die member 20 itself, and conversely, the arcuate space in the fixed die holder 2 which receives die member 19 is of lesser circumferential extent than is die member 19. Consequently, die member 19 overhangs the circumferential space in which it is retained in die holder 2, whereas the converse is true of die member 20 and the circumferential space in which it is accommodated. The holder and associated die portion 20 is thus guided by the lower bifurcated portion of the holder into engagement with the fiX-ed die. Relative movement of the die parts transverse of the axis of opening 24 is then minimized by the portion of the die 19 fitting between the portion 11. of the holder 10 and the adjacent portion of the lower die 20.

lthough the tools of this invention are designed primarily for the hot installation of both straight and preformed armor rods, it has been found that they function very well in the installation of straight rods cold. For hot use, the tools are opened by unscrewing the elements so as to move the movable die members 20 away from the fixed die members 19 to provide a space therebetween. The rods are then loaded in the die members, that is to say, said armor rods are passed through the, openings 23 of the die members of a pair of tools, and the tools are elevated to the conductor to which the armor rods are to be applied with the aid of any standard eye' clamp sticks, the two tools then being hooked over the conductor so that said conductor passes through the central openings 24 of the separated die members. The tools are then both adjusted to the closed position where the die members of said tools are brought together, and the clamp stick of one tool is then removed therefrom and such tool is rotated with two switch sticks, prong, or service tie sticks to move the tool toward the end of the rods, When the ends of the armor rods have been reached this tool is held stationary with the aid of the installing stick, and the installing stick is removed from the other tool and said other tool is rotated with the aid offsuitable sticks to apply the other portions of the armor rods and move said other tool to the opposite ends of the rods.

Iclaim:

1 A tool for applying armor rods to conductors com:

prising a die holder having a fixed and a movable memher, and a two-piece split die with a circular outer periphery said two-piece die when closed having means defining a central opening to receive a conductor and a series of spacedarmor rod receiving openings about the central opening, one piece of said die being secured in said fixed member of the die holder, means in said movable member. forming a generally arcuate shaped recess, a portion of which recess in said movable member locates said also in said movable member is arranged to move into embracing relationship with the circular periphery of said one piece of said two-piece die when said movable member of said die holder is operated to clamp said twopiece die, means on said fixed and movable members directing said another portion into the embracing relationship on closing of said die whereby the two pieces of said die are aligned by action of said movable member, when clamped together by said fixed and movable members of said die holder.

2. A tool for applying armor rods to conductors comprising a body having a central substantially C-shaped die holder and arms projecting oppositely therefrom, a movable member mounted within the lower part of said die holder, means depending from the lower part of said die holder for moving the movable member toward and away from the upper part thereof, a two-piece die defining a central opening to receive a conductor and a series of spaced armor rod openings thereabout, one piece of said die being mounted in the upper part of said die holder and the other piece being mounted on said movbl memb r a h of ai i P ec s d fi ing'p r o the periphery of said central opening, the parting line be tween said die pieces being so oriented that the die piece mounted in the upper; part of said C-shaped member embraces more than of said central opening and References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 360,623 Siden Apr. 5, 1887 609,343 Harvey Aug. 16, 1898' 986,954 Sullivan Mar.,14, 1911 1,202,607 Sweeny Oct. 24, 1916 1,754,023 Jones Apr. 8, 1930 1,890,213 Cameron et al; Dec. 6, 1932 1,915,691 Olson et al. June 27, 1933 1,926,297 Montgomery Sept. 12, 1933 1,955,351 Tennant Apr. 17, 1934 1,963,144 ORussa June 19, 1934 2,202,125 Temple May 28, 1940 2,319,996 Kerby May 25, 1943 2,367,836 Brown. Jan. 23, 1945 2,455,490 Hubbard Dec. 7, 1948 2,464,860 Green n Mar. 22, 1949 2,858,106 Antonet al. Oct. 28, 1958

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