U.S. patent number 3,879,144 [Application Number 05/378,093] was granted by the patent office on 1975-04-22 for connector mechanism.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Arcan Eastern Limited. Invention is credited to James Louis Eckerbrecht.
United States Patent |
3,879,144 |
Eckerbrecht |
April 22, 1975 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Connector mechanism
Abstract
A connector mechanism for use in an interconnecting,
disengageable rack structure. The combination of a novel post
configuration and connector plate attached to a load-supporting
beam, said post having a front web and opposed side flanges with a
central recess formed longitudinally in the web defining a pair of
spaced front faces and opposed post corners having apertures formed
therein, said connector plate having a pair of spaced flanges
joined by a web defining a recess having a width substantially
equal to the width of the post faces and at least one projection
struck inwardly from a corner of the connector plate defined by the
juncture of a flange and the web, whereby the projection enters an
aperture and the plate flanges embrace the post walls adjacent a
post face upon abutment of the connector plate against a post
face.
Inventors: |
Eckerbrecht; James Louis
(Burlington, Ontario, CA) |
Assignee: |
Arcan Eastern Limited
(Hamilton, Ontario, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
23491684 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/378,093 |
Filed: |
July 11, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
403/232.1;
211/191; 211/206 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16B
7/22 (20130101); A47B 57/402 (20130101); F16B
2200/20 (20180801) |
Current International
Class: |
A47B
57/40 (20060101); A47B 57/00 (20060101); A47b
057/16 () |
Field of
Search: |
;403/187,201,230,231,232,233,234,237 ;211/148,177 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Schroeder; Werner H.
Claims
What we claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the
United States is:
1. A connector for detachably securing a load-supporting member to
a post having a front web and opposed side flanges, a continuous
recess formed longitudinally centrally in said web defining a pair
of spaced front faces and opposed side walls adjacent said front
faces, said spaced front faces and opposed side walls forming a
pair of opposed corners, and vertical apertures formed along at
least one of said opposed corners, comprising: a connector plate
having a pair of spaced, substantially parallel flanges joined by a
web defining a recess between said flanges having a width
substantially equal to the width of a web front face, one of said
flanges secured to said load-supporting member, a downwardly
extending projection struck inwardly from the material of the plate
at the bight defined at the juncture of the other plate flange and
the plate web, said projection being of a shape to enter an
aperture formed in a said corner of the post member and to engage
the interior walls of the post member by abutment therewith.
2. A connector as claimed in claim 1, in which said load-supporting
member is a horizontal beam.
3. A connector as claimed in claim 2, in which said projection has
a pair of walls substantially perpendicular to each other and
parallel to the opposed walls of the post member with which the
projection is in abutment.
4. A connector as claimed in claims 3, in which said projection
walls are continuously joined to the plate walls by a bevelled
corner portion.
5. A connector as claimed in claims 3, in which said projection
walls are continuously joined to the plate walls by a bevelled
corner portion and the projection wall perpendicular to the axis of
the load-supporting member is of increased width for shear
resistance.
6. An interconnecting disengageable structure comprising a post
having a front web and opposed side flanges, a continuous recess
formed longitudinally centrally in said web defining a pair of
spaced web front faces and opposed side walls adjacent said front
faces, said spaced front faces and opposed side walls forming a
pair of opposed corners, and vertical apertures formed along at
least one of said opposed corners, a connector plate having a pair
of spaced, substantially parallel flanges joined by a web defining
a recess between said flanges having a width substantially equal to
the width of a web front face, one of said flanges secured to said
load-supporting member, a downwardly extending projection struck
inwardly from the material of the plate at the bight defined at the
juncture of the other plate flange and the plate web, said
projection being of a shape to enter an aperture formed in a said
corner of the post member and to engage the interior walls of the
post member by abutment therewith.
7. An interconnecting disengageable structure as claimed in claim
6, in which said load-supporting member is a horizontal beam.
8. An interconnecting disengageable structure as claimed in claim
7, in which said projection has a pair of walls substantially
perpendicular to each other and parallel to the opposed walls of
the post member with which the projection is in abutment.
9. An interconnecting disengageable structure as claimed in claim 8
in which said projection walls are continuously joined to the plate
walls by a bevelled corner portion.
10. An interconnecting disengageable structure as claimed in claim
8, in which said projection walls are continuously joined to the
plate walls by a bevelled corner portion and the projection wall
perpendicular to the axis of the load-supporting member is of
increased width for shear resistance.
11. A connector as claimed in claim 3, in which said projection
walls are slightly inwardly deformed at their lower ends.
12. A connector as claimed in claim 8, in which said projection
walls are slightly inwardly deformed at their lower ends.
Description
This invention relates to a connector mechanism and, more
particularly, is directed to an improved connector mechanism for
use in detachably securing together the component parts of pallet
racks, shelf racks, scaffolding and the like structures to form,
when assembled, a rigid, interconnected, self-supporting structure
which can be quickly and easily disengaged for dismantling for
transportation and storage.
Structures such as racks, shelving, scaffolding and the like
normally comprise upright truss post assemblies, horizontal beam
support members and connecting means for joining the components
together. The truss post assemblies usually are fabricated from
channel and angle steel members and comprise a pair of vertical
columns rigidly secured a spaced distance apart from each other by
horizontal and diagonal structural members which are welded or
otherwise secured thereto. The truss post assemblies provide
rigidity in the vertical plane transverse to the long axis of the
structure. At the installation site, horizontal beams are secured
to and supported on the upright post assemblies by connecting means
such as connector plates with removable locking pins and/or a
plurality of bolts, screws, nuts and the like fastening elements.
Ancillary members such as cross-braces or locking devices are
commonly additionally installed to provide rigidity in the
longitudinal plane of the structure.
These conventional constructions heretofore have required the use
of bolts or the like separate fastening devices which involve tools
maintenance of a substantial inventory of parts and hand tools,
and, generally, the employment of at least semi-skilled workmen.
Also, the use of ancillary structures, such as locking devices and
cross-bracing arrangements, necessary to provide rigidity in the
longitudinal plane of the assembled structure, present installation
problems. The multiplicity of parts required and/or the
installation time required for the proper erection of a rigid and
self-supporting structure often increase capital investment and
erection costs to prohibitive levels and thereby render available
structures uneconomical. It is also apparent that many prior
structures are not flexible to the changing requirements of the
user.
Many of the foregoing deficiencies inherent in prior structures
were overcome by the improved locking mechanism described in U.S.
Pat. Nos. 3,048,245 and 3,217,894. The structures of these patents
obviated the need for ancillary components such as locking pins
while additionally providing the advantages of effectively
distributing vertical, torsional and lateral loads such that the
pressure loading on unit areas of structural materials were
substantially reduced. In addition, the load forces on each post
member and connecting plate member were so resolved as to impose
tensional stresses on the post and plate materials rather than
shear stresses. Therefore, the loading capacity of the structures
were substantially increased and safety factors enhanced.
I have now discovered an improved detachable connector structure
for use in interconnecting, disengageable structures which provides
further enhanced vertical load capacity, torsional and lateral
stability and improved load transfer from the load supporting
members to the post members. In essence, the detachable connector
mechanism of the present invention comprises the combination of a
novel post having a front web and opposed side flanges, a recess
formed longitudinally centrally in said web defining a pair of
spaced front faces and opposed corners at the junctures of the
recess side walls and web faces, and apertures formed along at
least one of said corners, a load-supporting member, and a
connector plate for joining the load-supporting member to the post,
said connector plate having a pair of spaced flanges joined by a
web defining a recess between said flanges having a width
substantially equal to the width of the post web front face, one of
said flanges secured to said load-supporting member, a downwardly
extending projection struck inwardly from the material of the plate
at the bight defined at the juncture of the other plate flange and
the plate web, said projection being of a shape to enter the
apertures formed in the corners of the post members and to engage
the interior walls of the post members by abutment therewith.
It is, therefore, an important object of the present invention to
provide a connector mechanism for the facile securing together of
structural parts while permiting ready disassembly thereof for
transportation and storage.
It is another important object of the present invention to provide
an interconnecting, disengageable structure having a connector
mechanism which provides quick and easy assembly, combined with
improved strength and rigidity of construction, and which can be
readily and inexpensively manufactured.
A still further object of the present invention is the provision of
a rigid and self-supporting structure with improved vertical,
lateral and torsional strength characteristics.
These and other objects of the invention and the manner in which
they can be attained will become apparent from the following
detailed descrition, reference being had to the accompanying
drawing, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rack construction using the
connector mechanism of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a connector mechanism of the
present invention showing a beam member laterally separated from a
post member preparatory to assembly thereof;
FIG. 3 is a horizontal section, partly in elevation, taken along
the line 3 -- 3 of FIG. 4 showing the relationship of connector
component parts assembled on a post; and
FIG. 4 is a vertical section, partly in elevation, taken along
lines 4 -- 4 of FIG. 3, further showing the assembly of component
parts of the connector mechanism mounted on a post.
Referring to the drawings, the numeral 10 designates a vertical
steel post of hollow construction having front web designated
generally by numeral 12 and opposed side flanges 14, 16. Flanges
14, 16 may be turned along their rear edges, as indicated by
numerals 18,20, to provide added rigidity to the flanges. The front
web 12 has a longitudinal recess 22 formed centrally therein to
define spaced-apart front faces 24, 26, opposed side walls 28, 30
and rear wall 32.
A plurality of equally spaced apertures 34 are formed along each of
opposed corners 36, 38 defined by the junctures of front face 24
and side wall 28 and front face 26 and side wall 30
respectively.
Support member 40, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as a horizontal beam or
stringer, has a connector designated by numeral 42 rigidly secured
to each end thereof. Connector 42 is formed from a section of
channel steel having spaced, parallel flanges 44,46 and an
interconnecting web 48. Connector 42 is secured to the ends of beam
40 by a fillet weld 49 or the like joining means on the outer
surface of flange 44 such that flanges 44, 46 are perpendicular to
the long axis of said beam 40. A recess 50 is defined between
flanges 44,46 having a width substantially equal to the width of
front post faces 24,26 whereby the included sides of flanges 44, 46
will abut post flange 14 and recess wall 28, or post flange 16 and
recess wall 30, in tight-fitting relationship therebetween. It will
be understood that although the description has proceeded with
reference to a left-hand connector affixed to the left end of a
support member, it is intended for brevity of description to also
refer by like numerals throughout the description to a right-hand
connector.
A pair of vertically spaced, downwardly extending projections 52
are struck inwardly into the bight defined on the included side of
plate web 48 and flange 46. Each of said projections 52 is formed
by removing a substantially U-shaped cutout 60 from the material of
the connector and then inwardly deforming the resulting projection
at its upper connecting portion 62 such that the planes of the
outer surfaces of the projection walls 64,66 are displaced inwardly
of the planes of the inner surfaces of the connector walls 46, 48 a
distance equivalent to the thickness of the post walls, while
remaining substantially parallel thereto. Connector 42 may have a
single projection 52, or a plurality of projections such as the
pair illustrated, or three or more projections spaced a distance
apart equal to the spacing of apertures 34, or multiples of the
spacing of apertures 34, such that lateral movement of connector 42
results in projections 52 being received in coextensive apertures
34.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of projections 52
are coextensive with a pair of adjacent apertures 34. The spacing
of projections 52 is determined by the rigidity and vertical load
and torsional load requirements of the horizontal support members
40. The spacing of apertures 34 is determined by the degree of
vertical adjustment of horizontal members 40 desired.
In assembling the structure of the invention, a connector 42 is
moved laterally into bearing relationship with, for example, face
26 of post 10 such that connector flanges 44, 46 embrace post
flange 16 and wall 30 and projections 52 are inserted into aperture
34. The connector is then moved vertically downwardly such that the
exterior surfaces of projection walls 64, 66 abut and engage the
inner surfaces of post walls 26, 30 and the interior surfaces of
connector walls 44, 48 and 46 abut and engage the exterior surfaces
of post walls 16, 26 and 30 in tight fitting relationship. This
engagement of component parts is shown most clearly in FIGS. 3 and
4 in which a projection 52 is inserted into an aperture 34 in post
member 10 and the exterior surfaces of projection walls 64, 66
brought into abutting relationship against the interior surfaces of
walls 26, 30. Projection wall 66, which is shown wider than wall
64, resists in shear torsional loads imposed on beam 40 due to the
pushing on and dragging off of loads supported on the beams 40, and
due to the unbalanced support of heavy loads such as container 80
on lateral stringers 82, shown in FIG. 1, which have been bent by
the central vertical load due to impact from the placing and
removing of loads from the rack. A wedging action is apparent in
FIG. 4 whereby the bevelled portion 62 of the projection, at which
the projection is inwardly deformed, engages the lower edge 70 of
aperture 34 of the post member. Projection walls 64, 66 of each
projection 52 preferably are slightly inwardly deformed at their
lower ends, as shown in FIG. 4 for wall 66, to facilitate insertion
of projection 52 into aperture 34.
The torsional and lateral loads on the horizontal load supporting
members 40 are thus transmitted by way of connectors 42 to post
member 10 through the abutting bearing surfaces created by the
engagement of the walls of projection 52 with the corresponding
walls of the post members 10. Since the loads are transmitted over
substantially large bearing surfaces, the loading stresses on the
coupling members are minimized, thereby maintaining the structural
stresses at a safe working level. Also the torsional and lateral
loads are so resolved by the connector mechanism that the
structural materials are brought under tension and compression as
well as shear, thereby further enhancing the structural load
capacities.
In addition, the plurality of spaced locking projections 52
interact to provide an effective counter to vertical and torsional
deflections and to force couples exerted on horizontal member 40
due to turning moments resulting from improperly aligned or
unbalanced loads on the horizontal member. Also, the pair of spaced
locking projections provide added rigidity in the vertical
longitudinal plane of the structure.
The vertical load transmitted from member 40 to the post 10 through
connector 42 is in proximity to the neutral axes of post 10 and
thus minimizes bending moments normally imposed on the post.
Stresses created in the connector and post are so resolved by the
bevelled portions 62 of each projection 52 that projections 52 will
not readily fail by bending when overloaded but rather will cause a
metal build-up and work hardening of the roots of the projections
to enhance the load capacity of the connector.
FIG. 1 illustrates a pallet rack assembly consisting of upright
spaced truss post constructions 75 and interconnecting beams 40
joined thereto by connectors 42. A beam 40 is shown separated
laterally from the rack prior to assembly. Each truss post
construction comprises two vertical posts 10 and horizontal and
diagonal channels 76 and 77 which are rigidly secured to the posts
by welding or the like means. Thus, the truss post construction
provides rigidity in the transverse plane taken at right angles to
the long axis of the structure. The plurality of beams 40 secured
as indicated to the sides of the rack provides a longitudinal
rigidity to obviate the need for diagonal reinforcing members.
Tests conducted on the post of the present invention compared to
the structure of the assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,217,894,
using the same amount of cross-sectional steel material, and by
load-testing to destruction, provided the following results.
______________________________________ LOADING CONDITION PRESENT
POST PRIOR ART POST ______________________________________ Axial
Load 28,400 lb. 22,800 lb. Load on centre line bet- ween apertures
and outside edge of post 26,500 lb. 16,300 lb. Load on corner of
one of the apertures 20,800 lb. 10,000 lb. Flexure perpendicular to
the side of assembled rack 23,700 in.-lb. 18,750 in.-lb.
______________________________________
Post properties such as the net section modulus in the strong axis
have been increased in excess of 30 percent with no increase in
steel and it will be noted from the above data that the load
capacities of the posts of the present invention are substantially
increased, relative to the prior art post. The flexural capacity of
the present post is indicated to be more than 25 percent higher
than the prior art post, thereby providing greater resistance to
accidental damage caused by impact from loading vehicles such as
fork-lift trucks.
It will be understood, of course, that modifications can be made in
the preferred embodiment of the present invention as described
hereinabove without departing from the scope and purview of the
appended claims.
* * * * *