CA1229469A

CA1229469A - Clamp

Info

Publication number: CA1229469A
Application number: CA000444659A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Lionel Calmettes
Original assignee: Etablissements Caillau SAS
Current assignee: Caillau SAS
Priority date: 1983-01-13
Filing date: 1984-01-04
Publication date: 1987-11-24
Also published as: ES285097U; DE3365026D1; FR2539466A1; PT77940A; EP0113624A1; BR8400078A; PT77940B; JPS59137611A; JPH0353485B2; FR2539466B1; US4543691A; MX155988A; EP0113624B1; DD214903A5

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention provides a clamp comprising a wound-over metal band, a first end of which is provided on its outer face with an oblong patch of transversely extending scores or teeth, and the second end of which is provided with a fastener joined to the band and extending transversely thereof, said fas-tener having opposite end portions wound over on the outside of the band to provide a passage for the first end, the two end por-tions of the fastener being superposed on the outside of the band and being retained by a bent strip of metal of which the side facing the band is provided with scores or the like, extending crosswise to the band, and adapted to cooperate with the scores or teeth of the first end of the band for tightening said clamp.

Description

I

The present invention relates to clamps of -the type comprising a wound-over metal band, the two ends of which are provided with complementary fastening means, such as suitably directed teeth.

Prior art clamps of this type are described, for example, irk French patent 2 428 163.

It has now been found with these systems that the mutual engagement of the fastening means requires, in addition to a fastener to prevent the two ends of the band from coming accidentally apart, a very accurate design of the fastening Means For example, some of the teeth must have a sunk-in shape, the construction of which may create lo certain difficulties, in particular when the band exerts a strong pressure on the article to be clamped.

It is an object of the invention to provide a clamp of the aforesaid type, but which will be easier to construct and therefore cheaper to produce, in particular as far as the means used to fasten the two ends of the band are concerned. It is, however, to be noted that the fastening means described hereinafter can be used on many other types of clamps regardless of how the clamp fits on the article to be clamped.

According to the present invention there is provided a clamp comprising a wound-over metal band, a first end of which is provided on its external face with an oblong patch of transversely extending scores or teeth, the width of said patch being preferably less than that of the band, and the second end of which is provided with a fastener joined to the band and wound over crosswise thereof on the outside of the band -to provide a passage for the first end, the two ends of the fastener covering one another on the outside of the band and being assembled by a bent strip of do . .

metal of which the side facing the band is provided with scores or the like, extending crosswise to the band, and designed to cooperate with tile scores or teeth of the first end of the band for tightening said clamp.

The two ends of the fastener cover one another on the outside of -the band and are assembled by a bent strip of metal of which the side facing the band is provided with scores or the US

- lo -Jo like, extending crosswise to the band, and designed to cooperate with the scores or teeth of the first end of the band.

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Figure 1 is a plan view of a metal band intended toconstltute a clamp according to the invention;

Figure 2 is part of a perspective view of a clamp according to the invention ready to be used;

Figure 3 is a view on a larger scale of a detail from Figure 2, in the area where the means for fastening the two ends of the band cooperate;

Figure 4 is a cross-section along line IV-IV of Figure 3, Figures 5 and 6 are similar views to Figures 3 and 4 of a variant embodiment.

In the drawings, the clamp comprises essentially a metal band 1 of uniform width. Its first end lo is provided with an oblong patch of transversal scores 2 obtained, for example, by stamping. Preferably, the length of said scores 2 is less than the width of the band 1 to prevent their deformation when a pulling force is exerted on the band. The scores 2 are teeth-like, projecting on one side only of the band, which will be the outside of said clamp. This is the side which is illustrated in Figure 1.

Preferably, the first end lo further comprises a pro-section 3 which constitutes one of the gripping means of said end for tightening the clamp. The object and advantages of said

- 2 -gripping means are described in the aforecited French patent. It will, however, be noted that any other gripping means can be used under the present invention.

On the second end lb of the band is fixed a pa -~.Z2~3~6~

fastener 4. Before hying bent over, said fastener 4 is disposec1, as illustrated in figure l, perpendicularly to the band Al Preferably, the fasten 4 passes through two slots S extending longitudinally in said band, but it could also be joined to said band by any suitable means, such as by welding. As illustrated in Figure l, and better atoll in Figure 4, the middle part of the band between the slots S is held Jo as to extend .
from the surface of the band, whereas only the side edges are slightly raised to allow the fastener through.
Thus, when the fastener it positioned, the inner face of the clamp remails uniform throughout its width.
It should also be indicated that a boss to is advantageously provided in the band, close to fasten-ox 4, said boss Heinz the second gripping Jeans used or the clamping operation, as already described in the aforecited French patent.
Band 1 is then wound over so that the beginning of the scored path 2 reaches substantially over fastener 4 (Figs. 2 and 3).
A small metal strip 6 is placed over the scored patch 2, its width being nearly that of the band l, and preferably less. As shown in Figure 3, the lower face of the strip 6 facing the patch 2 is provided with scores or teeth 7 which extend crosswise to the band l.
The length of these scorns 7 is close to that of the scores of patch 2, and in particular their shape it complementary to that of the scores or teeth of patch 2 Preferably, as illus~.ra~ed in Figure 3, the inclination ox the scores of patch 2 is less on the end side of the band and steeper on the other side, but equal if only small inclination are just as suitable The two ends pa and 4b of fastener axe thereafter wound around the two ends lo and lb of top band, thus imprisoning strip I These two ends pa and 4b then corer one another on thy outside of the damp (Figure 4). Finally, the fastener 4 is locked by bending the two ends pa and 6b of the strip 6, thus making a ring which holds the two ends pa and 4b, and is itself firmly joined to the fastener 4 figure 3).
s Figures 5 and 6 show a very advantageous variant of the ring holding the ends pa and 4b of the fastener There the ring forms part of the fastener 4 and more particularly of its end pa.
Its two ends pa and 6b (shown in dotted line in Figure 1) form lateral extensions and can be cut from the metal sheet with the fastener 4. The center of the fastener pa situated between said two extensions pa and 6b receives the scores 7, for example, by stamping.

The clamp is mounted in the same way as indicated here-in above. The end 4b necessarily covers the end pa and extensions pa and 6b of the latter are bent over the end 4b to constitute the ring holding the whole fastener assembly 4, said ring being, there again, firmly joined to the fastener 4 (Figure 5).

All the operations described hereinabove can be auto-mated for mass production of ready-for-use clamps.

Indeed, once the clamp is fitted around the object to be clamped, the end lo is pulled whilst a pressure is applied on the end lb. A tool such as described in French patent 2,485,425 can be used to this effect, said tool being designed to press on the two clamping means to and 3. But any other tool, whether a hand-tool or a machine-tool, can also be used as long as holding means are provided to cooperate therewith.

For example, a tool can advantageously be pressed on the ring 6 which is integral with the end lb, whilst the nieces-spry pulling force is applied on the end lay by means of the

3 9 projection 3 or any other similar member. This manner of operating presents a further advantage which will be explained in more detail hereinafter.

- pa -Z~9 In all cases when a pulling force it applied on the end lay said end moves inside the passage provided therefore by the fastener 4. The scores of patch 2 slide over the scores 7 on ring 6 until the operator decides that the clamp is closed tightly enough. This will be the case in the illustrated example when the projection 3 has been pulled off by the tool in the conditions set out in the aforesaid patents.
after the tightening operation, the scores in patch 2 which cooperate with the scores in King 6 integral with fastener 4, tend to pull the latter in the direction of arrow F (Fakers 3 and 5). A slight dolor-motion of fastener 4 then occurs which tends to engage the scores 7 moxie deeply into the patch of scores 2.
lo (This is intensified for illustration purposes in dotted lines in Figures 3 and 5). The greater the pulling force in the direction of arrow F, the stronger the locking together of the two ends of the clamp.
It should be noted at this stage that if the tool used for tightening the clamp has to bear against the ring 6, it can, just in doincJ so, cause the deformation of the fastener 4, which helps the engage-mint of the scores 7 with the scores of patch 2.
Whatever the case, owing to tile structure of the clamp according to the invention, and in part-cuter to the slight deformability of its fastener 4 after tightening, the teeth or scores are no longer a critical element and their construction no longer demands the care that was required until now. In effect, it has now proved adequate that the part 2 and the ring 6 to haze complementary Eye, capable of causing a stronger friction between the two ends lo and lb of the band immediately they are pressed one against the other by the deformation of fastener 4.
A number of other advantages should also be I noted. Amongst them, the fact that, as can be seen on lo 9 Figure 2, the inside surface of the clamp is perfectly smooth, especially since the scored patch 2 is situated on the outside of the clamp. Thus, there is no risk now when the clamp is tightly closed, that the projections come into engagement with the soft material which may constitute the article to be clamped. The pulling force of the tool is thus used to obtain an even grip over the entire periphery of the article to be clamped.
Another advantage is that the projections constituting the teeth or scores of patch 2 or of rink &
are not required to be very high , so that when the clamp is tightened, the efforts required from the tool used to pass the scores one over the other will ye small.
For example, it has been found that with a tool of given pulling capacity, it is possible to obtain an increase of about 40~ of the pressure of the clamp over the article to be clamped.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A clamp comprising a wound-over metal band, a first end of which is provided on its outer face with an oblong patch of transversely extending scores or teeth, and the second end of which is provided with a fastener joined to the band and extend-ing transversely thereof, said fastener having opposite end por-tions wound over on the outside of the band to provide a passage for the first end, the two end portions of the fastener being superposed on the outside of the band and being retained by a bent strip of metal of which the side facing the band is provided with scores or the like, extending crosswise to the band, and adapted to cooperate with the scores or teeth of the first end of the band for tightening said clamp.

2. A clamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein said strip is integral with one of the ends of the fastener and the ends of said strip comprise two lateral extensions between which are situated the scores of the strip.

3. A clamp as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the width of said patch is less than the width of said band.

4. A clamp comprising: a first element comprising a metal band having first and second ends, said first end having on an outer face thereof an oblong patch of transversely extending scores, the width of said patch being less than the width of said band; a second element comprising a fastener extending trans-versely on said second end of said band, said fastener having opposite end portions wound over on the outside of said band to provide a passage for said first end; and a third element com-prising a bent strip of metal extending over said fastener and having a side facing said band with transversely extending scores formed thereon for cooperating with said scores on said first end of said band for tightening said clamp.