SUSPENSION RING FOR MULTISTRAND LIFTING TACKLE

Abstract

A suspension ring for multistrand lifting tackle comprises two parallel rectilinear legs connected to one another at their ends by arcuate connecting legs. A lower connecting leg is along a longitudinal center line of the ring, extending as a circular segment in the central region of its extent and in the two regions in which it merges into each of the two legs. The radii of the rounded portions on the inside of the ring are less than half the internal width of the ring but greater than half the diameter of the legs, and the central region in the form of a circular segment is connected at its ends to the transitional region as a circular segment to the adjacent leg via a rectilinear intermediate segment of the connecting leg. An angle of the intermediate segment ranges from 50 to 75 to the longitudinal center line of the ring.

Claims

1. A suspension ring for multistrand lifting tackle, comprising: two parallel rectilinear legs, which are connected to one another at respective ends thereof by arcuate connecting legs, wherein a lower connecting leg is formed symmetrically with respect to a longitudinal center line of the suspension ring and extends in a rounded shape in a form of a circular segment in a central region of its extent and in two regions in which it merges into each of the two legs, wherein radii of the rounded portions on the inside of the suspension ring are less than half an internal width of the suspension ring but greater than half of a diameter of the legs, and the central region in the form of a circular segment is connected at each of its ends to a transitional region in a form of a circular segment to an adjacent leg via a rectilinear intermediate segment of the connecting leg, which intermediate segment is at an angle in a range of from 50 to 75 to the longitudinal center line of the suspension ring.

2. The suspension ring as claimed in claim 1, wherein a radius of the rounded portion in the central region of the connecting leg is 2.5 times greater than half the diameter of the legs.

3. The suspension ring as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radii of the rounded portions in the form of circular segments in the central region of the connecting leg and in the transitional regions to the legs of the suspension ring are equal.

4. The suspension ring as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rounded regions of the connecting leg each merge tangentially into an adjoining rectilinear segment.

5. The suspension ring as claimed in claim 1, wherein each rectilinear intermediate segment is at an angle of 60 to the longitudinal center line of the suspension ring.

6. The suspension ring as claimed in claim 1, wherein the arcuate connecting leg is additionally chamfered over its entire length.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The invention is explained in greater detail below in principle by way of example with reference to the figures, of which:

[0017] FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a suspension ring according to the prior art, having connecting legs rounded in the form of semicircles between the parallel rectilinear legs of the suspension ring, wherein a hooked-in B chain link of a chain lifting tackle is shown in three different slope angle positions on a connecting leg on each of the two sides of the longitudinal center line of the suspension ring;

[0018] FIG. 2 shows a plan view of a suspension ring according to the invention, and

[0019] FIG. 3 shows a plan view of a suspension ring according to the invention, on the lower connecting leg of which, once again on both sides of the longitudinal center line in each case, a hooked-in B chain link of a chain lifting tackle is shown positioned in two positions, wherein it is shown in two angular positions in each of said positions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates a suspension ring 1 according to the prior art, which has two lateral rectilinear and mutually parallel legs 2, which are connected to one another at each of the ends thereof by an arcuate connecting leg 3. In this known suspension ring 1, the connecting legs 3 are of semicircular design, wherein the radius of curvature A of each arcuate connecting leg 3, as viewed at the internal opening of the suspension ring 1, corresponds to half the internal width B between the two parallel rectilinear legs 2, with the result that: A=B/2.

[0021] As FIG. 1 shows, the configuration of the suspension ring 1 is symmetrical with the longitudinal center line M-M thereof.

[0022] If the connecting leg 3 is considered, on which, on each of the two sides of the longitudinal center line M-M, a respective B link of a connected chain strand (not shown in the figure) is illustrated in three different slope angle positions, namely respectively at 30, 45 and 60, then this connecting leg 3 of the suspension ring 1, to which a chain strand or a plurality of chain strands is/are connected, may be referred to here (and below) as the lower connecting leg, since it always points downward in the operating state, while the second connecting leg 3, on which a crane hook engages, is always oriented upward.

[0023] The illustration in FIG. 1 shows that, in the case of this suspension ring 1 according to the prior art having the semicircular connecting legs 3, each connected chain strand (illustrated in FIG. 1 with its last B link hooked into the suspension ring 1) positions itself automatically in accordance with the respective slope angle in the semicircular rounded portion of the lower connecting leg 3. In this case, it adopts a different position on the lower connecting leg 3 at each slope angle, for which reason it is fundamentally difficult for a user to determine the slope angle involved from a slope angle which a B link 4 has adopted on the lower connecting leg 3 with an accuracy sufficient to determine the respective slope angle range precisely or with some degree of precision and with a high degree of certainty and hence to correctly estimate the load bearing capacity of the lifting tackle.

[0024] The illustration in FIG. 2 then shows the plan view of a suspension ring according to the invention, which likewise has the two rectilinear and mutually parallel lateral legs 2, which are each connected to one another at their ends by a respective connecting leg 3. However, the lower connecting leg 3 is no longer of semicircular design, as in the suspension ring 1 from FIG. 1, but is in each case rounded in the form of a circular segment in the central region 5 of its extent and in both lateral regions 6 of its transitions into each of the two rectilinear legs 2, wherein the rounded central region 5 is in each case connected via a rectilinear intermediate region 7 of the lower connecting leg 3 to the transitional regions 6, likewise of rounded design, on the rectilinear legs 2. As regards the size of the radii r.sub.1 and r.sub.2, which determine the rounding, in each case in the form of a circular segment, of regions 5 and 6, respectively, it is the case here that they are in each case less than half the internal width B of the suspension ring 1 between the two rectilinear legs 2 but greater than half the diameter d of a leg 2 (or also of the connecting leg 3), i.e. r.sub.1, r.sub.2<B/2 and r.sub.1, r.sub.2>d/2. The aim is to make the radii so small so that the rectilinear intermediate regions are as long as possible or achieve readily visible separation between the two angular ranges. On the other hand, the radii must not be too small in order to avoid notching effects.

[0025] FIG. 3 shows the suspension ring 1 according to FIG. 2, wherein here a B link 4 of a chain lifting tackle is attached to the lower connecting leg 3. In this case, this B link 4 on the lower connecting leg 3 is depicted in two positions on each side of the longitudinal center line M-M, and in two orientations in each position, namely in a position with the slope angles 30 and 45 and in another, outer position with a slope angle of 46 and a slope angle of 60. These positions are depicted on both sides of the longitudinal center line M-M.

[0026] When the link 4 and the chain strand (not shown) hanging on said link enclose a slope angle of 30 with the vertical longitudinal center line M-M, the link 4 rests by means of a leg 8 in the central region 5 in the form of a circular segment of the lower connecting leg 3, on the inside of the lower connecting leg 3, namely in the 30 orientation, as can be seen from FIG. 3.

[0027] At a slope angle of 45, an orientation of the chain link 4 as illustrated in FIG. 3, with the 45 indication, is obtained, wherein the leg 8 of the link 4, said leg being supported on the connecting leg 3, remains in the same position as when it adopts the 30 slope angle.

[0028] However, if the slope angle of the chain link 4 becomes larger than 45, for instance 46 (or more), this has the effect that the supporting leg 8 of the link 4 no longer remains in the position in which it is depicted in the case of the angular range 30 to 45 in FIG. 3; instead, the supporting leg 8 of the link 4 then moves along the rectilinear intermediate segment 7 of the connecting leg 3 up to the transitional region 6, rounded in the form of a circular segment, of the lower connecting leg 3 to the rectilinear leg 2, located there, of the suspension ring, said leg 2 extending vertically upward. In the rounded portion of the transitional region 6 in the form of a circular segment formed there, the supporting leg 8 of the link 4 then once again adopts a stationary position, as is likewise graphically depicted in FIG. 3.

[0029] The angle of incidence of the rectilinear intermediate segment 7 of the lower connecting leg 3, which is at an angle in a range of from 50 to 75 to the longitudinal center line M-M of the suspension ring 1, ensures that, at a slope angle of more than 45, the supporting leg 8 of the link 4 no longer remains in the position it has hitherto adopted but slides along the rectilinear intermediate segment 7, overcoming the friction on the lower connecting leg 3, until it adopts the position indicated for the angular range 46 to 60 in FIG. 3. The adoption of an intermediate position on the rectilinear intermediate segment 7 in a position such as that of the central position of the orientations illustrated in FIG. 1 (at a 45 slope angle) is not possible here because the supporting leg 8 of the chain link 4 (which generally consists of the same material as the suspension ring 8) slides along the entire rectilinear intermediate segment 7 and does not stop.