US2490465A - Earth anchor - Google Patents

Description

H. R. OGBURN EARTH ANCHOR Dec. 6, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 17, 1946 S u .R M m 0 r M M r M.

Dec. 6, 1949 H. R. OGBURN 2,490,465

EARTH ANCHOR Filed May 17, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ha 1-Ie y R. O burn IN V EN TOR.

- ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 6, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,490,465 EARTH ANCHOR Harley R. Ogburn, Marshall, Tex.

Application May 17, 1946, Serial No. 670,449

7 Claims. (Cl. 18992) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in earth anchors.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved expansible anchor adapted to be positively expanded in an earth hole.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved earth anchor having a screwthreaded anchor rod engaged in a base member and a follower head slideable on the rod; together with expansible wings pivoted to the base member in a new and novel manner, whereby the wings are more efliciently fulcrumed and held in place and links pivoted to the follower head and the wings in a new and novel manner, whereby a more substantial structure is had and the anchor is more easily operated.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein an example of the invention is shown, and wherein:

Fig. l is an elevation of an anchor constructed I in accordance with the invention and in its collapsed or closed position,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the anchor in the same position, partly in elevation and partly in section,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a horizontal, cross-sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a view of the anchor in its expanded or open position, partly in section and partly in elevation,

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the anchor as shown in Fig. 5, and Fig. '7 is a sectional view of one of the base member sockets.

In the drawings, the numeral l0 designates an anchor rod having an eye H at its upper end and screw-threaded therebelow. The rod screwed down through the base when said base is resting on the bottom of the hole. An elongate spacer sleeve |8 resting upon the base member I3, loosely surrounds the rod. This sleeve acts to limit the expansion or outward swing of the wings, when the head comes to rest thereon. The sleeve could be made integral with the base member.

I prefer to make the anchor with three wings M, as this number is most desirable; however, the number may be decreased or increased. Each wing has an arched medial portion l9 merged into a downwardly curved blade 20 at its outer end. The inner end of each wing is merged from the arched medial portion into a reverse curved shank 2|, which is considerably less in width than said medial portion.

The base member I3 is formed with three equidistant lugs 22 which extend radially from the center of said member. Each lug is provided with a socket 23 open at its outer end and formed with a bottom 24 inclined upwardly and inwardly to a concaved transverse sump 25. A transverse fulcrum rocker 26, formed on the lower end of the shank is adapted to fit and rock in the sump 25. Each rocker has a flat base 21 substantially flush with the bottom of the shank so that when the wing is held at an angle below the horizontal, the fulcrum may be inserted in the socket by sliding the flat base inwardly on the bottom 24 until the rocker engages in the sump. When the wing is swung upwardly, the rocker will be held against outward displacement in the sump, as will be obvious. The rocker is broad enough to give a substantial bearing and the parts are heavy enough to withstand all stresses and strains.

The medial portion [9 of each wing is formed with a slot 28 extending longitudinally thereof, and each slot is provided with complementary sinous flanges 29 on each side thereof. Each link l5 has a, transverse cylindrical rocker 36 at its lower end which engages in the slot 28 under the flanges 29 and cylindrical keeper lugs 3| spaced above the rocker and overhanging said flanges. The slots are of such length and the flanges are sufficiently spaced so that when the link is turned With the rocker parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slot, said rocker may be passed downwardly between the flanges and then by reversely turning the link it is brought to the position shown in the drawings whereby it is confined in the slot.

The follower head I6 is formed with T-shaped sockets 32 having reduced radial slots 33 in their bottoms. Each link I5 has a transverse rocker 34 on its upper end engaging in the sockets so that the link may swing in the slots. A circular keeper plate 34 is fastened on the head I6 by machine screws 36 so as to overhang the sockets for the purpose of confining the rockers therein. It is obvious that the follower head may be moved up and down on the rod l without disconnecting the links from either said head or the wings and said wings will be expanded and contracted upon such movement.

In using the anchor, it is inserted in a hole in the earth in the collapsed or closed position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A suitable tool (not shown) is engaged with the eye I I and the anchor rod [0 is then rotated so as toserew it down through the base member l3. The blades of the wings will rest upon the side wall of the hole and the links will keep the follower head [6 in engagement with the nut ll. As the rod moves downwardly, the nut I! will bear on the head [6 and transmit a downward. thrust to the links I5, due. to the fact that the base member 13 is resting on the bottom of the earth hole. The downward thrust of the links will be transmitted. by the lugs 3| to the flanges 29 whereby the wings will be expanded or forced outward and thecurved blades caused to penetrate the side wall of the hole and embed themselves in the earth. The wings have a general pear shape, as is best shown in Fig. 6, and the blades 20 are. reduced in thickness toward their outer contracted ends. Due to this construction and the. downward curve 01 saizLblades, it is obvious that they will readily penetrate the earth. The rotating of. the anchor rod I9 is continued until the head It comes to rest upon. the top of the sleeve 8, at which time the wings will be fully expanded andv the anchoring operation will be completed.

If the workmanshould fail to expand. the wings or only partially expand the same, a subsequent upward pull on the anchor rod would. cause the wings to bite into the side wall of. the hole and thus prevent the anchor from pulling out. oi the hole. This would be due to the shape of the blades 26 and the upward movement of the base member I3 coupled with the fulcrums offered by the links and the limited upward movement of the head IS on the rod.

The foregoing description of thev invention. is explanatory thereof and various changes in the size, shape and materials, aswell as in the details of the illustrated construction may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An earth anchor including, a screw-threaded anchor rod, a base member having screwthreaded connection with said rod and provided with fulcrum sockets, expansible wings having rockers at their lower ends fulcrumed in the sockets of the base member, a follower head slideable on the rod having sockets, the medial portions of the wings having slots therethrough provided with flanges, and links having rockers on their upper ends fulcrumed in the head sockets and having their lower ends extending through the slots with rockers on their lower ends confined in the slots of the wings and engaging above and below the flanges thereof.

2. An earth anchor including, a base member having radial sockets open at the outer face of the base and having transverse semi-cylindrical sumps at their inner ends, saidsockets each having a longitudinal slot in its top open through the top of said base member, upstanding curved wings having transverse elongate rockers at their lower ends insertable radially of the base from the outer ends of the sockets and having their shanks extending through the slots of the sockets of the base member when said wings are moved to an upstanding position, whereby the rockers are held against upward displacement in said sockets, a head, a rotatable anchor rod extending loosely through the head and having screwthreaded engagement in the base member, links having their upper ends fulcrumed in the head and extending downwardly, and rocker connections between the lower ends of the links and the medial portions of the wings.

3. An earth anchor including a base member having sockets directed inwardly from the outer surface thereof, each socket having an upwardly inclined bottom with a sump at the upper end of said bottom and a slot in the top of the socket overlying the bottom, a plurality of upstanding wings, each wing having a transverse semi-cylindrical rocker at its bottom having a flat side for sliding up the bottom of its correlated socket to the sump when the rocker is. inserted in said socket, said wing being movable to an upstanding position, whereby its shank extends through the slot and its rocker is held against upward displacement, a rotatable anchor rod having screw-threaded engagement in the base member, a head loosely mounted in the rod, and links pivotally connecting the head with the medial portions. of the wings.

4. An earth anchor including, a head having T-shaped horizontal sockets extending radially to the outer surface of the head, each socket having a reduced slot in its bottom, links each having its shank extending through one of the slots of a socket and a transverse rocker engaging in said socket, a base member, a rotatable anchor rod extending loosely through the head and having'screw-threaded engagement in the base memher, and upstanding wings having their lower ends fulcrumed in the base member, the links extending downwardly from the head to the medial portions of the wings, each wing having a slot through its medial portion and flanges in said slot, and spaced transverse rockers on the lower ends of the links disposed in the wing slots above and below the flanges thereof.

5. An earth anchor including, a head, a base member, an anchor rod having screw-threaded engagement in the base member and extending loosely through the head, wings having their lower ends fulcrumed in the base member, each wing having a slot therethrough at its medial portion having flanges on opposite sides, and links fulcrumed at their upper ends in the head, each link having a rocker at its lower end engaging in the slot of a correlated wing under the flanges and a transverse-keeper engaging in the slot over the flanges.

6. An earth anchor including, a base member having divergent outwardly directed slotted sockets, wings having transverse rockers on their lower ends-insertable inwardly in the base sockets and held against displacement from the base in all upright positions above the horizontal plane of the base, said wings each having a medial slot, and links having their upper ends fulcrumed in the head, each link having its lower end loosely confined in" the" slot of a correlated wing and held against displacement in all swinging positions of the wings.

7. An earth anchor including, a base member ing, and a sleeve member on the rod resting onthe base member, the wing rockers being insert'able and removable from the sockets radially ofj 'ithe member only when the wings are swung down to outlying positions not above the horizontal plane of said member. HARLEY R. OGBURN.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 912,018 McNutt Feb. 9, 1909 915,784 Miller Mar. 23, 1909 1,606,147 Cole et a1. Nov. 9, 1926 1,724,341 Cole Aug. 13, 1929 1,778,372 Pieper Oct. 14, 1930 1,964,610 Wagner June 26, 1934 1,984,268 Horner Dec. 11, 1934

Images