US2559187A - Line fit connector - Google Patents

Description

y 3, 1951 J. B. CLAPP 2,559,187

LINE FIT CONNECTOR Filed Jan. 14, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N V EN TOR. .k/fgza/vf Z3. ("AA/ P u y 1951 J. B. CLAPP LINE FIT CONNECTOR Filed Janfl4, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

Jam/v5 3 QAPP I N V EN TOR.

ATTO/P/Vf Patented July 3, 1951 UNITED STATES OFFICE LINE FIT CONNECTOR Application January 14, 1946, Serial No. 641,068

2 Claims.

The invention relates to a line fit connector of the type which is employed to connect a tap to a main power line. In such situations it is usual that the diameters of the bundle of conductors which form the core of the main power line is of much greater diameter than the bundle of conductors which form the core of a tap leading therefrom, and the present disclosure is particularly designed to fit the requirements of electrically and mechanically connecting conductors of radically different cross sections of material. It has been known to clamp small diametered taps to large diametered main lines between V-face clamping jaws drawn into squeezing position by a tightening bolt, but in these devices no consideration has been given to the fact that the Vs were intended to receive different diameters of conductors, and as a result the contacts of the conductors both between themselves and the connector were quite apt to be casual, often with a limited area of inter-engaging surfaces. It is the intent of the present disclosure to have the connector snugly fit the diameters of both the main line and the tap conductors for which it is intended, even to provide a precision fit between conductors and the connector and for this reason the disclosure herein is designated as a line fit connector.

The present disclosure is not particularly designed to connect two main lines of substantially equal diameter but to connect two conductors of unequal diameter. In screw actuated clamping devices now known for electrically connecting a small diametered tap with a larger diametered main line, the entire reaction to the crushing strains on the two sets of conductors comes on the screw of the tightening bolt thus placing a high degree of friction on the bolt, which, of course, renders it difficult to turn especially during the last few turns and which last few turns are necessary to distort the conductors from their original cross sectional contours into Such distortion as is requisite to effect the required engagement. Any loose binding even when apparently tight results eventually in a tendency of the jaws to relax their squeezing effect on the conductors by reason of the vibration' of the main line and tap in actual service. It so happens that with these known devices the fastening bolt must be engaged on the underside of the connector to operate it. This means that the linesman must manipulate his wrench while in an inconvenient position and more seriously the wrench is quite apt to become entangled in the tap falling from the connector. It must be appreciated that such .connectors are usually installed by a linesman working high in the air while reaching out from a line pole and operating with gloved hands, often in cold and stormy weather, and having available only his muscular energy to screw down the tightening bolt.

The primary object of the invention is to pro vide a simple form of fit line connector of the hinged jaw clamp type which can be easily and quickly installed in position under such adverse working in the clear space above the connector and thus free of the depending tap.

As a general rule a linesman can exert a manual torque only of about one hundred and fifty pounds pressure on such clamps, but this is not sufiicient to insure the desired permanency of clamping effect on the conductors. The present disclosure features the use of a form of jaw clamp comprising lever organized to provide such a mechanical advantage that the linesman can manually exert the required powerful squeeze pressure on the conductors to insure a good mechanical and electrical connection and which connections will be permanently maintained under all usual service conditions.

The disclosure particularly features the providing of a rugged form of hinged jaw clamp preferably formed of bronze or non-magnetic stainless steel to avoid corrosion and metal relaxation, the strain transmitting jaws of which may be readily separated at their hinged connection to open the clamp and thus permit the connector to be hooked over the line, and in which the jaws form a compact system organized so that the linesman with his ordinary long wrench can manually exert such a powerful squeeze action on the conductors as will cause them to distort each other into the desired mutual fixed and bind-i ing relation necessary in connecting a tap to a main power line.

In the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation showing a line fit connector constituting a preferred em bodiment of the invention clamped in operative position making connection between a main power line and a tap depending therefrom;

' Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the disclosure of Fig. 1 in rear elevation and showing a tightening wrench in ghost outline;

Fig. 3 is a plan view looking down on the disclosure of the preceding figures;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the broken line 44 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows and showing in side elevation the disclosure of the connector of the precedingv figures;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figs. 1, 2 and 6;

Fig. 6 is a view in section longitudinally of the line and taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Fig. '7 is a plan view looking down on the lower clamp element, removed from the assembly shown in the preceding figures;

Fig. 8 is a similar view of the underside of the upper clamp element when viewed upwardly, and; Fig. 9 is an explanatory View showingthe first step in the mounting of the connector, hooked en the linebefore the bolt is moved towards its fully tightened positio'nsh'own bes't Figs. 4 and '5; ere is disclosed an 'electri'c main power line Aihcluding its bundle of main conductors B and efncasing insulation C. The insulation has been cut away to expose the line connectors B and to show the connection thereto of the bent ends of thebundle of conductors D of an insulated tap E. The tap E is connected to the main line A by means of a line fit connector! 0, particularly constituting the novel feature of this disclosure, and comprises primarily three main parts; a top clu ch jaw l l, a lower clutch jaw 12, and a threaded fastening means [3 therebetween, form-'- e21 er a bolt 14 and a 16mg nut h'Ih jaws and 12 are hingedly eonneeteaat dn side, hereinafter referred to as the rear side, by bf a'reedny demountable hinge eehhection l6 arranged to'jeriiiit the jaws to articulate ab'eiit a horizontal axis offset rearwardly from the 1 ine A andh'erei'n referred to the hinge this #455. The upp r at is ajrugged as and. comprises an a'ilied "cap H l'm'igifig fdfwardlyifito a flat ufifiehaperturd belting na 'ge if; havihga recess d u per face l}; for reeeiving th ad or the bolt 1'4 or rather the lac washer fielfelfiafliei' described. The sense 1'8 provided ef rall'y thereof with'abelt hole tt rshght ly ell 'tieal faith the having its inaj 6i extend- Tr ignbm "front 'te tea for le'o'sefy r'eeeivih'g th'e shahk o'f the bolt the T eeap is grandee on the underside thereof with a "math line ehgag ing channel 2 I being inverted u-ehape ee' eh as shown in 4, 5. ande. Co'fisi 1311118 tress seetioii the channel is of sumlen't radius to receive therein the bundle of conductors B endceinpar'edto the dress 'seetionef the'buiidle of tap'cdnductersb 'i'srel'altivelylarge. I Theunder si'd e of the fcha n'neljl' l tethdejdoi" Ii;- wafdlyrrehi a top medial'liherz (seeFig. '5) and which ehannel'i's shghtiy'eefivexed when ethereereu along "this media ii'he 22 in order tosiiub the line as shown inFi'g/fi. A "pair or Sll l l lii ei pieces or dampening wings 23 eh-e124 project beyond the cap at o posite sides "thereof -to form upwardly rounded extensions "of the "top "su of the inverted channel zl. This'sjtrucfture to avoid the forming of 'sharp edgesf'at opposite ends of the channel and tends to uajinpeh the standing part of a Jehape'attheuet'rhtGk 2"! vibration of the main line A. The-si es r the recessed to provide a pair of de endin sides35" a hexagonal" head 46 "and is'prov s of less than width than the cap [1 as shown in Fig. 2 and forms the male element of the demountable hinge connection it. The tongue is provided on its upper side with a groove 28, a little less than half round and facing both upwardly and rearwardly and adapted to receive a hinged bar forming part of the lower jaw l2.

The front wall 25 is interrupted to form a clearance 29 best shown in Fig. l to permit the bolt to rock therein from front to rear without interference from any part of the top jaw.

The lower jaw 12 is likewise a rugged casting and is provided centrally thereof with a saddle 30 for receiving the bundle of conductors D of the tap. The saddle is provided with an upwardly facing groove 3| 'or line receiving seat disposed in opposition to the channel 2| and of materially less diameter than the channel as the cross section of the bundle of conductors D of the tap is relatively small as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. I he groove 31 is more definitely V shap'e in 'ciess f:- tion than is the more rounded U-S epea ch 2 l This groove 3'! is slightly concaved when ment. Just in advance of the groove "3| th an upstanding front wall 32, the inner s'id which is rounded to form a half barrelw viewed in plan as shown in Fig. 8 and is ds to partially encircle the nut i5. The wall 3 2 ts in the clearance 29 as shewnin Fig. land thus guided between the dependingpo'rtions {if the front wall 25 as thefastening means 16 tightened into its jaw clait iping position.

A forward extension of the sado f lower bolting fiange eeunderlapping he ripper bo'lting flange E 8. Thefiange 33 rs previd'ed trally thereof with a bolt hole 34 0f 'rnateii l" greater diameter than that or the nut i5 to "13 m'it a free rocking movement of the lower endof the fastening means. 7

The underside of the portion of the flange in the part thereof 'containingfth e 'bolt holefSt and 36 between which fits the headedend'of the nut 15 and whichside's thus act to resist turn v ing of the nut relative to the lew'er jaw "12 From the opposite or rear side of'the sad the lower jaw extends upwardly 'a't fan a" about to form a rear ex'te'nsiongB'i. This tension is provided with "a Squared op best shown for receiving the J shap'ed tongue 27,. The openin -farms at its rear "end of the eiteii sion a hanging or hinge bar 39 which fits in'the groove 28. v V p w 1 [It is notedthatthe bolt 1 is solid tively short so that the 'full strength" f 'th is maintained and as practically the entire s f is threaded all of the threads are atfs or other 'engaged by the'longf'thr'e ded v tion of'th'e'nut'l5 "al'ld intha't wayall (if is utilized. 7 I i q 1 The bolt I4 is'provideu' tjrt fappe ehd th end with n upsetfl'ang e eifwhich av bili'ty of the bolt be the nut. The'nut in t2 terminating atits and 3E to prevent thehut frdm nutis rotated to "advance it up I unclanfpedand elevated positihh's'hbwni itsuppei The bore or the wetneauee sit- "at end te form threads 4'4 andi's "sin'ooth as shewn 3'? at and with a diameter to receive the upset flange 4|.

A look washer 2-5 is located in bearing engagement with the face I9 and between the bolt head 40 and the upper bolting flange IS.

A socket wrench or similar tool F is provided with a head G to fit over the bolt head 40 and. is provided with a long handle 1-1 to provide the necessary leverage to permit the linesman to effect a powerful effect on the jaw elements which react with a mechanical advantage sufiicient to squeeze the line and tap conductors B and D into position and secured mechanically and electrlcally as shown in Figs. 1, 4, 5 and 6.

In operation and assuming that it is desired to take current off the main line A through the tap E, the main line insulation C is stripped to expose a portion of its conductors B. One end of the tap is prepared by stripping back its insulation to expose its conductors D which are then bent at right angles to the balance of the tap to form a terminal. The line it connector it is prepared first by loosening the fastening means until the jaws II and are fully separated an extent to permit the stripped conductors of the.

line A to pass freely therebetween. The top clutch jaw I I is then hooked over the line A with the lower clutch jaw I22 hanging loose on the nut as indicated in Fig. 9. The parts are so balanced at this point that the connector is pended in position without necessity of being fastened to the line while the linesrnan is complet ing the fastening operation.

In order to obtain this result the parts are so designed and proportioned that the center of gravity or mass of the connector is the vertical line cd (Fig. 4) and somewhere below the axis of the bundle of conductors B so that in Fig. 9 the connector is suspended as if it were a weighted pendulum with sufficient frictional resistance between the conductors l3 and the sides and 2% to avoid any tendency of the connector rocking on the line A. The linesman then swings the lower clutch jaw I2 to the right and upwardly from the position shown in Fig. 9 rocking the bolt counter-clockwise about the flange id acting as a fulcrum, and hooks the hinge bar 323 over the right end of the J-hook ill and then with a short inward movement locates thebar 39 in the groove 28. During this movement the bolt It is free to swing first counter-clockwise and then clockwise as viewed in Fig. 9, by reason of the clearances provided by the bolt holes and 3%. As the hinge connection It is thus formed, the forward end of the lower clutch jaw is free to ad-- just itself on the bolt and nut assembly at the front of the device.

At this time the lower jaw is supported at its rear end from the hook 2? and at its front end from the lowered nut I5 and inclined downwardly from right to left, as viewed in Figs. 4, 5 and 9, thus providing a clearance between the underside of the conductors B and the top or grooved side of the saddle 3%. A usual practice would be for the linesman to locate the wrench F in position and take a few turns on the bolt head 4% to practically close this clearance leaving just sufficient room to permit the insertion of the bent terminal end of the conductors D. lIhe bent terminal forming end of the bundle of conductors D is then inserted endwise into the clearance and lowered into the groove 3|.

The linesman then locates the head G of the tool F in turning engagement with the head 40 of the nut if not already there and by rotating d the tool in the proper direction causes the bolt I4 to work down into the nut I5 and by reaction lifting the left end of the lower clutch jaw I2, I

thus tightening the connector and incidentally causing the jaws II and I2 to exert a squeeze pressure on the conductors B and D with a resulting tendency of the conductors to crush into each other as suggested in Figs. 4, 5 and 6.

In this disclosure it is assumed that the connector has been selected from stock to provide a size particularly designed to fit the line A. However, taps of different sizes may be connected tothat particular size of main line by the illustrated size of connector. In the illustrated showing and particularly referring to Fig. 5, it.

may be assumed that the bundle of conductors are of usual size and thus will bring the nut I5 to above midlength of the threaded shank of the bolt I i. For another illustration let it be assumed that the tap E. is a single strand conductor and thus of relatively small diameter. The fastening means are tightened as before described with the lower clutch jaw I2 rocking a little further about the hinge axis ab than as before with perhaps a slight bodily shifting of the jaw I2 to the left and thus a shifting inwardly of this axis and with the upper conical end of the barrel 22 moving towards and perhaps intruding into the bolt hole 2E5 with an incidental swinging of the bolt I4 clockwise about its head til. On the other hand the conductors D might have a diameter almost equal to that of the conductors A and still fit the illustrated connection. In general the connector is designed to accommodate all the sizes of taps usually employed with the instant size of main line A.

Due to the fact that the opposing line engaging faces forming the channel ill and groove 3| are respectively convex and concave and with the concave face of less length than the convex face as shown in 6, both sets of conductors are bent in the same downward direction and thus out of their respective straight lines. This has the efiect of snubbing both sets of conductors relative to each other and in this way adds to the tendency of the device to defeat any possibility of either main line or tap slipping relative to the connector and thus relative to each other.

Referring to Fig. 4 for an explanation of the clamping action let it be assumed that the upper jaw is fixed in space and that the fastening means I3 is acting to rock the free forward end of the lower jaw I2 upwardly, that is clockwise, about the fulcrum at the hinge line ab.

The bolt and nut assembly forming the fastening means I3 defines a vertical line of thrust along the axis ef and the resistance of the conductors to being deformed from a vertical line of resistance along the axis c--0Z. In one physical embodiment of the invention the axis e) is spaced seven unit distances from the vertical containing the axis a-b and the axis cd is similarly spaced four unit distances from the axis a,b. Thus the conductors are nearer the fulcrum of the leverage system than the fastening means I3, thus forming a lever of the second class providing a mechanical advantage of 1%:1 or almost doubling the squeeze action which the linesman can exert on the conductors assuming the same pitch of threads on the bolt l4.

It is also noted that the forces acting on the connector are substantially balanced about the almost centered plane cd passing through the centers of the bundles of conductors B and D and this acts to avoid tendencies prevalent with other styleszof connectors. which tend to. twisttthe; main line conductors. during the final. bolt tight,- ening movement.

In designing the connector illustrated an effort. has been made to form it as compact as. DOS? sible, thus utilizing the smallest possible amount,

of material distributed and proportioned to; give strength, particularly, where. most needed, and it isaa feature of this disclosure to avoid asv far as possible, any distortion. of either the. jaws or the. fastening means when subjected to the pressure strainsv for which the connector is designed, and sharp, edges have. been avoided so as to avoid ins terference, with. the. final tape-over operation.

I claim:

LA. compact; clamp for squeezing together. under. screw load two parallel conductors of different sizes, comprising a. pair of; rugged archshaped. castings forming opposing and superposed clutch jaws, each jaw reduced in cross. section of material to form at one end an outstanding bolting flange and at its other end. provided with an angled extension, both of the bolting flanges having their outer faces recessed to provi'de outstanding parallel reinforcing side walls forming bearing faces therebetween and forming nut stops, said extensions provided at their free ends with means for hingedly connecting the jaws, said bolting flanges provided adjacent their free forward ends with aligned bolt holes, a bolt passing loosely through the bolt holes and having a head for imposing a load on the bearing face of theupper flange, and a long not threaded on the bolt, having a head contained between the associated stop walls for imposing a load on the bearing face of the lower flange, extending through its bolt hole towards the upper flange, the upper flange provided onits under side and in close relation to its bolt hole with an inverted U -shaped depression whose crotch forms: a downwardly facing channel of relatively large radius and Whose sides are widely diverging from each other, thelower flange provided on its upper;

side and;in close relation to its bolt hole, with a deep recess whose crotch forms an upwardly facing groove of relatively small radius and whose sides are widely diverging, said recesses providing;

a space between the channel and groovefor receiving the conductors, the lower, flange provided between its groove and bolt hole with an upstanding; reinforcing front wall of half-barrel form 8; open. atits outer side and. in, which barrel the. nut loosely fits and projects above the same, the, upper flange provided. with a mutilated front wall forming a pair of depending arms spaced apart on opposite sides of its bolt hole and the space outwardly between the dependingv arms and,v out.- wardly. of the upstanding half-barrel front wall, coacting toprovide a clearance. for the nut as it may be moved intothe same by, the rocking of;

tween the depending arms of. the mutilated front wall, said half-barrel front wall, nut and depending arms outlining the forward side of the recesses forming said conductor-receiving space,

and the two angled extensions outlining the rear side of the recesses form-ing said conductorreceiving space.

2. The device defined in claim 1 wherein the upper jaw is provided with integral dampering wings projecting beyond its side faces forming extensions of the part of the upper jaw defining the crotch of the channel.

JEROME B. CLAPP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,278,013 Reed Sept. 3, 1918 1,403,553 Horn Jan. 17, 1922 1,500,499 Johnson July 8, 1924 1,737,506 McCracken Nov. 26, 1929 1,808,698 Wallis, June 2, 1931 1,816,719 Buschman July 28, 1931 1,839,883 Lee 1 Jan. 5, 1932 1,925,403 Pounder Sept. 5, 1933 1,957,966 Kerr May 8, 1934 2,026,029 Frank Dec. 31, 1935 2,128,895 Buehring Sept. 6, 1938 2,163,677 Goeller June 27, 1939 2,198,262 Bergan Apr. 23, 1940 2,200,380 Bodendieck May 14, 1940 2,309,607 Rogoff Jan. 26,. 1943 7 2,382,095 Pieper Aug. 14, 1945 2,426,857 Birkenmaier- Sept. 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS- Number Country Date 386,493 England Jan. 19, 19,33

the bolt, said half-barrel front wall fitted. be

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