Clamps for repairing posts and methods and/or arrangements for repairing such posts with said clamps

Abstract

A clamp arrangement includes a pair of brackets adapted to be clamped on opposing sides of the wooden post to encapsulate a fractured portion, each bracket is made from an integral sheet of metal cut and pressed to define a longitudinal hemispherical chamber and a pair of longitudinal flanges extended out from each, the longitudinal hemispherical chamber having an upper end wherein a lip is supported in the lateral extension by a multitude of pressed out ribs such that when the clamp arrangement is required to be driven into the ground about the wooden post, the lip provides a support location for an impact tool to drive the clamp arrangement into the ground.

Claims

1. A clamp arrangement for supporting a fractured portion of a wooden post wherein at least part of the clamp arrangement needs to be driven into the ground about the wooden post, said arrangement including: a pair of brackets adapted to be clamped on opposing sides of the wooden post to encapsulate said fractured portion; each bracket made from an integral sheet of metal cut and pressed to define a longitudinal hemispherical chamber of compatible diameter dimensions to the wooden post, the longitudinal hemispherical chamber having an external surface and including a configuration of pressed out interconnected diamond shaped protrusions that emboss out over the external surface; a pair of longitudinal flanges extended out from each side at a circumferential edge at an open end of the longitudinal hemispherical chamber, wherein each flange includes a plurality of holes so that when each bracket is brought together about the post the plurality of holes on the respective longitudinal flanges line up so that a fastening arrangement can pass through the holes to clamp each bracket together about the post; said longitudinal hemispherical chamber having an upper end, said upper end characterized in having a laterally extended lip, wherein the lip is supported by a multitude of pressed out ribs emanating from an internal side at said upper end of the longitudinal hemispherical chamber such that when the clamp arrangement is required to be driven into the ground about the wooden post, the lip provides a support location for an impact tool to drive the clamp arrangement into the ground.

2. The clamp arrangement of claim 1 wherein the pressed out ribs on the internal side at the upper end of the longitudinal hemispherical chamber provide a series of levelled out peaks and intermittent troughs where the levelled out peaks are configured to abut up against the external surface of the post.

3. The clamp arrangement of claim 2 wherein the intermittent troughs between the levelled out peaks of the pressed out ribs provide a passage for air flow down through the bracket when fastened to the post.

4. The clamp arrangement of claim 1 wherein the configuration of pressed out interconnected diamond shaped protrusions that emboss out over the external surface of the longitudinal hemispherical chamber have joined edges that are pressed out along the edge where the longitudinal flanges extend out from each side of the circumferential edge at the open end of the longitudinal hemispherical chamber.

5. The clamp arrangement of claim 1 wherein a multiplicity of pressed tabs are embossed out along a contact fold where the longitudinal flanges extend out from each side of the circumferential edge at the open end of the longitudinal hemispherical chamber.

6. The clamp arrangement of claim 1 wherein the holes along each of the longitudinal flanges include a raised rim or collar.

7. The clamp arrangement of claim 1 wherein the longitudinal hemispherical chamber includes additional holes on its surface wherein nails and so forth can be passed there through to provide additional fixation of the bracket to the wooden post.

8. The clamp arrangement of claim 1 wherein the impact tool is a hammer and/or a motor driveable ramming device including a jack hammer.

9. The clamp arrangement of claim 1 wherein the bracket further includes an aperture to which wire and/or trellis connected to adjacent posts can be wrapped around or supported there from.

10. The clamp arrangement of claim 1 wherein the longitudinal flange extending out from each side of the circumferential edge at the open edge of the longitudinal hemispherical chamber is tapered at a ground engaging end.

11. The clamp arrangement of claim 1 wherein the integral sheet of metal is a single sheet of thickness between 1 mm to 3.2 mm.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a general front on perspective view of a bracket used in the preferred embodiment of the clamp arrangement for this invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is a part front top perspective view of the bracket used in the clamp arrangement for a preferred embodiment of the invention.

(3) FIG. 3 is a side view of the bracket of the clamp arrangement shown in FIG. 1.

(4) FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the reverse side of the bracket shown in FIG. 2.

(5) FIG. 5 is a general perspective view of the clamp arrangement being driven into the ground with an impact tool in a preferred embodiment of the invention.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(6) Referring to the illustrations now in greater detail wherein a bracket shown generally as 1 is formed from a single integral sheet of metal that has been cut and pressed so as to provide for a central longitudinal hemispherical chamber 2 which provides a hollow opening 5 of which when two such brackets 1 are fastened together within the clamp arrangement as to be discussed more specifically in relation to FIG. 5 the dimensions would be such so as to encapsulate and comfortably fit about the post which is under repair.

(7) The longitudinal hemispherical chamber 2 has two respective flanges 3 and 4 that extend out from folds 23 and 25 the longitudinal flanges 3 and 4 terminate with inclined or tapered edges 6 and 7 such that these inclined edges 6 and 7 of flanges 3 and 4 in combination with the bottom edge 8 of the main longitudinal hemispherical chamber 2 provide a configuration which upon impact to the bracket 1 allows penetration into the ground substrate.

(8) The top of the longitudinal hemispherical chamber 2 includes lip 12 that extends laterally out. The lateral lip 12 is supported structurally by pressed out ribs 14 that follow the curve of the lip 12.

(9) As best seen in FIG. 3 the pressed ribs have a tapered or incline configuration leaning forward in support of the lateral lip 12.

(10) In the embodiment shown within the illustrations the flanges 3 and 4 also include pressed ribs 15 and 16 in order to support the corresponding lip extensions 27 and 29 to which again will be discussed in relation to FIG. 5 the impact tool responsible for driving the clamp arrangement into the ground can also engage the brackets at that location if required.

(11) As can be seen in FIG. 1 a series of pressed protruding slots 17 form a series of diamond shaped embossed configurations on the external side of the bracket 1 where the vertical meeting sides of the corners at 35 interconnect the diamond shapes and wherein the side corners of the joining together protruding diamond shape slots 17 meet at corners 18 in an overlap with the respective folds 23 and 25 where the flanges 3 and 4 extend out from the longitudinal hemispherical chamber 2.

(12) In addition there are also protruding pressed out tabs 19 that run along the length of the folds 23, 25 between the flanges 3 and 4 extending out from the longitudinal hemispherical chamber 2.

(13) A plurality of holes 9 are provided for along the respective flanges 3 and 4 so that when brackets 1 are aligned and brought together about the post to be repaired these holes 9 can line up so that fastening bolts, rivets and so forth can pass there through so that the respective brackets 1 can be bolted about the wooden posts as required.

(14) Each hole 9 in the preferred embodiment has a raised rim or collar 11 which as part of an integral sheet of metal results that when a head of a bolt rests around the rim 9 and tightening, say for example by way of a turning of a nut along the threaded length of the bolt, the head of a bolt is able to collapse to a certain degree the rim or collar 9 about bolt so as to more rigidly hold and secure respective brackets that have been brought together.

(15) Each longitudinal flange 3 and 4 also includes on its peripheral edge a raised shoulder 31 and 33. Once again these raised shouldered edges 31 and 33 increase the structural integrity of the bracket 1 when in the clamping position and also during the requirement when impact needs to be placed upon the bracket to drive into the ground.

(16) The longitudinal hemispherical chamber 2 also includes additional holes 21 to which nails and so forth can be hammered into if required in order to provide further fastening and fixing of the bracket when clamped about opposed to be repaired.

(17) As best seen in FIG. 4 looking at the bracket from the inside looking out the pressed ribs 14 provide for a series of flattened or rounded peaks 22 separated by a series of ridges or troughs 24.

(18) These levelled or flattened peaks 22 following the curvature line of the lateral lip 12 provide a comfortable fit of the bracket 1 when placed up against a wooden post for clamping.

(19) The ridges or troughs 24 provide an open channel to which air and so forth can pass there through.

(20) As discussed precedingly in the general description for the invention this feature allows a certain degree of interaction of the wood which is encompassed by the bracket 1 to be exposed to environmental conditions to which the part of the wooden post that is not clamped is presented with.

(21) Accordingly there will be consistency in the condition of the wood along the length of the post and therefore no internal stresses which may lead to cracking and fracturing are likely to take place.

(22) FIG. 5 illustrates the driving or ramming of the brackets 1 that have been clamped together into the ground 32 using an impact tool such as a motorised hammer or jack hammer 30.

(23) Under normal conditions a single integral sheet of metal would first of all not provide any location to which such an impact tool could locate in order to drive the clamp into the ground and more importantly even if it could the stress of the impact would most likely see a buckling or collapsing of the bracket where it would lose its tight fit encapsulation about the wooden post.

(24) In this invention the bracket by virtue of the lateral lip 12 supported by the multiplicity of pressed out ribs 14 provides a structural platform with the required leverage point for the impact tool 30 to engage, but also not only a location for engagement but also the necessary support to absorb the necessary impact without losing the structural integrity of the bracket 1.

(25) In the past these kinds of brackets would have been simply of a consistent length of the lip that has been provided for.

(26) These types of brackets because of their thickness means that it is for the most part not possible to press and cut out a single bracket that would need to be forged or cast and in certain instances have the various sections of the bracket welded or fastened together.

(27) The introduction of the pressed rib 14 to support the lateral lip 12 has created an inherent support means in that this bracket 1 no longer needs to be of significant thickness as the lateral lip 12 as introduced above provides that location for contact with the impact tool, and with the pressed ribs 14 as there is a support means that the lip 12 doesn't collapse over and/or resulting in a buckling or folding out of the bracket.

(28) For the most part the brackets 1 would come together about the wooden post 28 to be repaired. Bolts 26 would pass through holes 9 and then be clamped with a corresponding nut and once secured the impact tool 30 which in this shown embodiment in FIG. 5 is a ramming shank connected to a jack hammer arrangement 30 which is able to rest upon the respective lateral extending lips where the bracket is then driveable into the ground 32.