Implements or apparatus for applying pushing or pulling force – Wedge
Patent
1992-12-14
1994-12-20
Watson, Robert C.
Implements or apparatus for applying pushing or pulling force
Wedge
B66F 300
Patent
active
053740335
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The object of the present invention is a spreading device--more specifically a lifting device--permitting the spreading or lifting of work-pieces, particularly when they present a very reduced space between the bearing surfaces.
Besides the traditional levers used for spreading parts or for lifting work pieces, spreaders comprising jaws articulated by a ram are well known; given the thickness that these jaws must have to withstand large forces, such spreaders are usable only if there is sufficient space between the two bearing surfaces. In light of their design, they permit the lifting of only small loads at the tip of the jaws.
The following description of the invention relates to the case of its application for lifting work-pieces; this is, however, only a particular case, inasmuch as the device may also be used to increase the distance between two adjacent items.
The present invention consists of a device capable of both lifting heavy pieces and being usable even when the space between the bearing surfaces (e.g., the floor and the piece to be lifted) is small.
The operating principle of the invention device resides in driving a wedge between the two bearing surfaces, which facilitates the penetration by the presence of two sliding surfaces.
The annexed drawings, given purely for illustration and not to scale, show the invention device to provide an easy understanding of the construction and the operation.
FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the device in its starting position, i.e., at the moment when it is going to be used to lift a work-piece;
FIG. 2 shows a cross-section of the device;
FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the device when the final height of the piece to be lifted is reached;
FIG. 4 is a plan view;
FIGS. 5A and B are elevational views of the device wherein FIG. 5A is at its starting position and FIG. 5B is at its lifting position.
On all of the figures the same components are noted by the same reference numbers.
In FIG. 1 the wedge 1, which constitutes the central component of the device, can be seen; on either side of the wedge, in contact with its plane sloped parts, there are two channels 2 and 3, the inside faces of which, also planes, serve as sliding surfaces at the wedge; a means 4 of driving the wedge (for example, a hydraulic ram) is located at the rear of the wedge to ensure the penetration of the latter into the space situated between the floor 5 and the piece to be lifted 6; the starting height e1 of the space is small. The ram 4 and the channels 2 and 3 are linked by means of connecting rods 7 and 8, which prevent any travel of the channels under the thrust of the ram, and which also permit the spreading or closing of said channels with respect to each other by rotation around the articulation pivots 9, 9' 10 and 10'.
Even when the device is not active, the two channels 2 and 3 are maintained in permanent contact with the wedge 1 by means of such components as the extension springs between the articulation pivots 10, 11, 10' and 11'.
In FIG. 2, which shows a cross-section of the device at the location of articulation pivots 10 and 11, the wedge 1 and the channels 2 and 3 can be clearly distinguished. The inside plane-faces of said channels are in contact with the sloped plane-faces of the wedge. The articulation pivots are fixed to the sides of the channels 10, 10' 11 and 11' to permit the rotation of connecting rods 7, 7' and 8 8'. The springs 13 and 14 keep the channels in contact with the wedge 4.
FIG. 3 shows an elevational view of the invention when the ram 4 has driven the wedge 1 into the space--maintaining the height e2--between the floor and the piece to be lifted; it can be seen that the tip 15 of the wedge has exited from its housing between the two channels, and that channel 2, which is not in contact with the floor, has separated from channel 3 without breaking the contact between the sliding surfaces of the wedge and the channels, by reason of the play of connecting rods 7 and 8 which permitted movement toward the top of channel 2.
In FIG. 4, which shows an overall
REFERENCES:
patent: 2657904 (1953-11-01), Evenson
patent: 3738603 (1973-06-01), Arnett
patent: 4299347 (1981-11-01), Rougier
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