Title of Invention | CONNECTING ELEMENT |
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Abstract | Connecting element for joining two support members (2, 3) absorbing tensile forces, which connecting element (1) at least a first and a second casing body (5, 6) with a through-hole (7) for receiving the respective support members (2, 3), which casing bodies (5, 6) can be joined together by way of a joining section (9) at a first end (11) of each casing body (5, 6), the opposing second end (13) of each casing body (5, 6) being provided with locking members for holding the support members (2, 3) fast, characterized in that in a working position the locking member of at least one casing body (5, 6) produces an axial locking of the support member (2, 3) running through the casing body (5, 6) by way of a stop part (20) created on the support member (2, 3) within the area of the second end (13) of the casing body (5, 6). |
Full Text | FORM 2 THE PATENTS ACT 1970 [39 OF 1970] COMPLETE SPECIFICATION [See Section 10] "CONNECTING ELEMENT" VSL INTERNATIONAL AG, of Scheibenstrasse 70, 3014 Bern, Switzerland, The following specification particularly describes the nature of the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed :- The present invention relates to connecting element. The present invention relates to a connecting element for joining two support members absorbing tensile forces, which connecting element comprises at least a first and a second casing body with a through-hole for receiving the respective support members, which casing bodies can be joined together by way of a joining section at a first end of each casing body, the opposing second end of each casing body being provided with locking members for holding the support members fast. The invention has applications in the construction industry but is not confined to this. Connecting elements, or so-called wire locks, are used for joining support members, such as wire cores in bracing wires, together. Joining can be done during the actual process of assembling a cable consisting of a number of such bracing wires, where tightening of each bracing wire is done separately. When the wire is tensioned with the required force, the wire can be permanently locked by means of a wedge arrangement against a foundation on a structural part that is to be braced. The connecting element can then be removed from the tensioned wire and fixed to a new wire for drawing. Cables are used primarily for anchoring various structural parts to one another, such as structural parts in bridges, masts, buildings etc. These cables may be used on the one hand for staying once the structural parts are assembled, and on the other during actual building of the structure. Cables comprising such support members, such as wires, may be used in bridge structures such as suspension bridges, cable-stayed bridges etc. Known wire locks generally suffer- from the disadvantage that they are awkward to handle and take a long time to assemble and dismantle, which results in high costs. They also have a tendency to come unscrewed and/or to nip the wire core, which makes dismantling of the casing body more difficult. Nipping of the various parts in known wire locks furthermore means that they sit so tight fast after drawing of the wire that the devices must be scrapped, which results in high costs and unnecessarily high material consumption. Known systems suffer therefore from lack of flexibility, primarily when dismantling, since these design constructions often nip the wire. In some embodiments, the designs according to the prior art have wedges, which cause the problem described above. Wedges are commonly encountered in pre-stressed concrete fittings. The wedges in the design according to the prior art also have the capacity to go askew in the casing part through which the wire runs, which further complicates handling and makes this unnecessarily expensive. Nor can the wire be rotatably connected to the design construction according to the prior art. This means that unnecessary torque acts on the connecting element, with the risk of the latter coming unscrewed. The object of the invention is to produce a connecting element, which produces axial locking of the support member, whilst the latter is free to rotate in the connecting element. Another object of the invention is to produce a connecting element, which can be locked in its working position, that is to say in the position in which drawing of a bracing wire may take place, for example. The connecting element must also have as few projecting parts as possible so that, for example, a wire cannot catch in these during the actual construction work. The connecting element must furthermore offer good flexibility, permit controlled assembly and dismantling and provide safe use for construction personnel when, for example, fitting and detaching a draw wire from a bracing wire, such as are commonly used, for example, in the construction of a bridge, structure etc. The draw wire may be a wire of the same material and dimension as the wire core of the bracing wire that is to be drawn, but may also be of some other material and with another dimension. The draw wire may thus be used in a recurrent operation when drawing a number of bracing wires. This is achieved by a connecting element of the aforementioned type, in which in a working position the locking member of at least one casing body produces an axial locking of the support member running through the casing body by way of a stop part created on the support member within the area of the second end of the casing body. Further solutions to the object of the invention and characteristics of the invention are specified in the other claims. The invention means that the risk of fracture markings on the wire core is reduced, since the connecting element according to the invention permits rotation of the wire. The invention means that a connecting element has been produced that can be quickly and easily locked in the working position and prevents this coming unscrewed, which is undesirable. Such a connecting element also reduces the number of parts significantly compared to the prior art, which provides greater operating reliability. Because the wire core or the connecting element is free to rotate, undesirable stresses in the wire or torsional forces acting on the draw wire or the bracing wire are avoided. Nor do any torsional forces occur that might cause the connecting element to come unscrewed. The object is furthermore to produce a connecting element that can be rapidly fitted to and detached from a bracing wire "during the construction of a structure, in order to thereby save construction costs. This is achieved by a method of fitting support members to a building construction by means of the connecting element of aforementioned type, which method involves passing the draw wire through a cable duct together with the connecting element so that the connecting element ends up in an area of a first foundation, connecting a bracing wire to the connecting element coupled to the draw wire, passing the bracing wire through the cable duct in the opposite direction by means of the draw wire and the assembled connecting element so that the connecting element ends up in an area of a second foundation, fixing the bracing wire to the first or second foundation respectively, and detaching the connecting element from the bracing wire. Such a method provides a quick and simple way of applying a support member, such as a bracing wire, to a construction, such as a cable-stayed bridge. The invention will be described in more detail in the form of examples of embodiments with reference to figures attached, in which Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic perspective view of a connecting element according to a first embodiment of the invention, Figure 2 shows a diagrammatic side view of a connecting element according to the first embodiment of the invention in a dismantled state, Figure 3 shows a diagrammatic cross section of a part of the connecting element according to the first embodiment of the invention, Figure 4 shows a diagrammatic perspective view of a connecting element according to a second embodiment of the invention, Figure 5 shows a diagrammatic side view of a connecting element according to the second embodiment of the invention in a dismantled state, Figure 6 shows a diagrammatic side view of the connecting element according to the second embodiment in a fitted state, Figure 7 shows a diagrammatic side view of the invention shown in figure 6 in an unassembled state, Figure 8 shows a diagram of an example of a fixing unit in figures 6 and 7, and Figure 9 shows a diagram of the connecting element used in the construction of a cable-stayed bridge. The term "working position" is taken to mean the condition in which the joint casing is fitted and locked between two wire ends. Figure 1 shows a connecting element 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention in a dismantled condition. The connecting element 1 in figure 1 is intended to connect a draw wire 2 to a bracing wire 3. The connecting element 1 comprises a first and a second casing body 5 and 6, of which the first casing body 5 is intended to be coupled to the draw wire 2, which during construction is intended to draw a number of bracing wires 3 one at a time into a cable duct (not shown in figure 1, shown as 56 in figure 9). When the draw wire 2 has been passed through the first casing body 5 tlje end of the draw wire is upset to form a boss 20. The boss 20 can thus be made of the same material as the bracing wire 3. This has the advantage that there does not need to be any further material on the construction site in order to produce the boss 20. Upsetting is advantageously performed with a rounded shape. A stop part can thereby be produced by simple means. A joint sleeve 27 provided with thread 25 (only partially shown in figure 1) is then screwed on to a first end 11 of the casing body 6 so that the boss 20 bears against a shoulder 26 (see figure 3) situated inside the casing body and so that a locking pin 35 can be hammered down through a bore 35' and corresponding hole 35" in the joint sleeve 27. The casing body 5, which is intended for a more permanent fixing, that is to say the casing body 5 that holds the draw wire 2 etc., can thereby be provided, for example, with a more permanent fixing arrangement of the casing body 5 to the joint sleeve 27. In this way the draw wire 2 is locked to the connecting element 1 by simple means. This results in reliable handling and easy assembly and dismantling. The casing bodies 5 and 6 are provided with a through-hole 7 to receive the draw wire 2 and the bracing wire 3. The said hole 7 extends in the longitudinal direction of the connecting element 1. By incorporating a bore 8, which has a smaller diameter than the diameter of the boss 20, in a second end 13 of each casing body 5 and 6, the boss 20 can rest against a shoulder 26 situated inside the casing body (see figure 3). Thus in the working position the boss 20 of the bracing wire 3 bears, freely rotatable, against the shoulder 26 on the casing body 6, producing an axial locking of the bracing wire. The shoulder 26 is formed so that the inside diameter of the casing body 6 can accommodate the boss 20. WE CLAIM: 1. Connecting element for joining two support members (2, 3) absorbing tensile forces, which connecting element (1) at least a first and a second casing body (5, 6) with a through-hole (7) for receiving the respective support members (2, 3), which casing bodies (5, 6) can be joined together by way of a joining section (9) at a first end (11) of each casing body (5, 6), the opposing second end (13) of each casing body (5, 6) being provided with locking members for holding the support members (2, 3) fast, characterized in that in a working position the locking member of at least one casing body (5, 6) produces an axial locking of the support member (2, 3) running through the casing body (5, 6) by way of a stop part (20) created on the support member (2, 3) within the area of the second end (13) of the casing body (5, 6). 2. Connecting element as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stop part (20) is an upset part produced on the support member (2, 3) and having a diameter larger than the diameter of the support member (2, 3). 3. Connecting element as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the through-hole (7) is of stepped design with a first shoulder (26), against which the stop part (20) rests. 4. Connecting element as claimed in claim 3, wherein first shoulder (26) has a bevel (25) against which the stop part (20) rests. 5. Connecting element as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the locking member comprises at last two casing parts (17, 18) which in the working position form a stop casing (22), which forms a second shoulder (26), against which the stop part (20) rests. 6. Connecting element as claimed in claim 5, wherein the second shoulder (26) is formed inside the stop casing (22). 7. Connecting element as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the first joining section (9) of the casing body (5, 6) has means (25) for joining the casing body (5, 6) to an intermediate part (27). 8. Connecting element as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein in a working position a recess (29) in the casing (5, 6), viewed in the longitudinal direction of the casing body (5, 6) and the intermediate part (27), aligns with a fixing unit (31) and encloses the casing body (5, 6), the fixing unit (31) being arranged so that it can be fixed to the intermediate part (27), and a projecting member (33) of the fixing unit (31) being accommodated by the said recess (29), so that the casing body (5, 6) can be torsionally locked to the intermediate part (27). 9. Connecting element as claimed in claim 8, wherein the projecting member (33) of the fixing unit (31) can be released so that it is not accommodated by the said recess (29), thereby allowing the casing body (5, 6) to be released from the intermediate part (27). 10. Connecting element as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the joining section (10) of at least one casing body (5, 6) is torsionally locked by means of a locking pin (35), which can be inserted through a hole (36) through the casing body (5, 6) and the intermediate part (27). 11. Method for fitting a support member (2, 3) to a building construction by means of a connecting element (1) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, the following steps are : - the passing of a draw wire (2) through a cable duct (56) together with the connecting element (1) so that the connecting element (1) finishes up in an area of a first foundation (54); the connection of a bracing wire (3) to the connecting element (1) coupled to the draw wire (2); the passing of the bracing wire (3) through the cable duct (56) in the opposite direction by means of the draw wire (2) and the coupled connecting element (1), so that the connecting element (1) finishes up in an area of a second foundation (52); the fastening of the bracing wire (3) to the first or second foundation (54, 52); the detachment of the connecting element (1) from the bracing wire (3). 12. Method as claimed in claim 11, having the following stages: application of at least one casing body (5, 6) over a stop part (20) produced on each support member (2, 3); fitting of at least two casing parts (17, 18) around each support member (2, 3); drawing of each support member (2, 3) so that the stop part (20, 21) bears against the casing parts (17, 18), which casing parts (17, 18) in the working position rest against an internal shoulder (26) in the through-hole (7) whilst the stop part (20, 21) rests against the casing parts (17, 18) in order to produce an axial locking of the wire ends (2, 3); and joining of at least one casing body (5, 6) to an intermediate part (30). 13. Method as claimed in claim 12, having the further stages: torsional locking of at least one casing body (6) to the intermediate part (27) by means of a fixing unit (31) arranged on the intermediate part (27), which fixing unit (31) has a projecting member (33), which during coupling together is released until a recess (29) in the casing body (6), viewed in the longitudinal direction of the casing body (6) and the intermediate part (30), aligns with the fixing unit (31) and encloses the latter, at which time the fixing unit (31) with its projecting member (33) is brought into engagement with the said recess (29). 14. Method as claimed in claim 13, having the further stages: torsional locking of at least one casing body (5, 6) to the intermediate part (27) by means of a locking pin (35). Dated this,22nd March,2002 (RITUSHKA NEGI) OF REMFY & SAGAR ATTORNEY FOR THE APPLICANTS |
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in-pct-2002-00356-mum-cancelled pages(09-09-2005).pdf
in-pct-2002-00356-mum-claims(granted)-(09-09-2005).doc
in-pct-2002-00356-mum-claims(granted)-(09-09-2005).pdf
in-pct-2002-00356-mum-correspondence(23-03-2006).pdf
in-pct-2002-00356-mum-correspondence(ipo)-(27-10-2004).pdf
in-pct-2002-00356-mum-drawing(09-09-2005).pdf
in-pct-2002-00356-mum-form 1(22-03-2002).pdf
in-pct-2002-00356-mum-form 13(14-08-2007).pdf
in-pct-2002-00356-mum-form 19(24-09-2004).pdf
in-pct-2002-00356-mum-form 1a(09-09-2005).pdf
in-pct-2002-00356-mum-form 1a(14-08-2007).pdf
in-pct-2002-00356-mum-form 2(granted)-(09-09-2005).doc
in-pct-2002-00356-mum-form 2(granted)-(09-09-2005).pdf
in-pct-2002-00356-mum-form 3(16-10-2002).pdf
in-pct-2002-00356-mum-form 3(22-03-2002).pdf
in-pct-2002-00356-mum-form 5(22-03-2002).pdf
in-pct-2002-00356-mum-form-pct-ipea-409(09-09-2005).pdf
in-pct-2002-00356-mum-form-pct-isa-210(09-09-2005).pdf
in-pct-2002-00356-mum-power of authority(09-09-2005).pdf
in-pct-2002-00356-mum-power of authority(22-03-2002).pdf
Patent Number | 209838 | ||||||||
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Indian Patent Application Number | IN/PCT/2002/00356/MUM | ||||||||
PG Journal Number | 38/2007 | ||||||||
Publication Date | 21-Sep-2007 | ||||||||
Grant Date | 06-Sep-2007 | ||||||||
Date of Filing | 22-Mar-2002 | ||||||||
Name of Patentee | VSL INTERNATIONAL AG | ||||||||
Applicant Address | SCHEIBENSTRASSE 70, 3014 BERN, SWITZERLAND | ||||||||
Inventors:
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PCT International Classification Number | F16G 11/08 | ||||||||
PCT International Application Number | PCT/SE00/01927 | ||||||||
PCT International Filing date | 2000-10-05 | ||||||||
PCT Conventions:
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