US3056477A - Hydraulic anchor expander - Google Patents

Description

1952 F. c. WOOLEY 3,056,477

HYDRAULIC ANCHOR EXPANDER Filed May 9, 1960 3,056,477 Patented Oct. 2, 1962 3,056,477 HYDRAULIC ANCHOR EXPANDER Francis C. Wooley, 10115 Herb Road, Windsor, Calif. Filed May 9, 1960, Ser. No. 27 ,945 6 Claims. (Cl. 189-92) This invention relates generally to ground anchors for guy wires for public utility poles and the like and more particularly to the type of ground anchor which in a collapsed state is secured on the end of an anchor rod and inserted to the bottom of a ground hole where the anchor is expanded to a diameter somewhat larger than the hole. The other end of the anchor rod extends above ground out of the hole and is formed with an eye for the attachment thereto of a pole guying wire.

Specifically this invention relates to the combination of such an expanding anchor and an improved means for expanding the anchor into the compact earth around the hole without shattering the earth structure and thereby reducing its holding strength.

It should be understood that a ground anchor set into the earth will have a holding ability approximately equal to the weight of earth which is disturbed in the direction of the pull on the guy wire when the anchor first begins to yield. It is evident then that the success of the anchor depends on locking the anchor into ground which has been well compacted and which is disturbed as little as possible by the operation of setting the anchor. In pulling a well set anchor out of the earth the shearing cone of earth expanding upwardly from the anchor may have a total spread of 90 degrees, but if the earth is greatly disturbed as the anchor is set or if the earth is loosely packed the anchor may have little holding power.

For this reason the common practice of pushing a pipe down over the anchor rod in the hole and driving the pipe against the anchor to expand the anchor blades over its conical base plate results in an insecure setting of the anchor.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide an expandable anchor for a guy wire for a public utility pole or the like, together with means for expanding such an anchor into a hole in ground provided therefor in such a way that no ground disturbing discrete blows are exerted on the anchor during the expanding process.

It is a second object to provide a convenient means by the use of which one man can expand an expandable anchor at a position in the ground remote from the ground surface without exerting any hammer blows or unbalanced external forces on the anchor.

An explanation of how these and other objects are attained is made in the following description referring to the attached drawing in which FIG. 1 shows a typical vertical section of an unexpanded anchor with its attached anchor rod set in a ground hole at a usual angle to the ground surface, together with the means of this invention removably united with the anchor and rod for expanding the anchor from a remote above ground position.

FIG. 2 is a top view in perspective of an expanded anchor together with a fragmentary anchor rod secured thereto.

FIG. 3 is side View in partial section of an expanded anchor together with a fragmentary showing of an anchor rod and the anchor end of the expanding means of this invention.

Like reference numerals refer to like parts in the several figures of the drawing.

Referring now to the drawing the particular expanding anchor 11 shown here as typically susceptible to benefit in the present combination of anchor and expanding means is per se no part of the present invention but is an improved product of the A. B. Chance Company of Centralia, Missouri, and known by them as their 8-way expanding anchor.

The anchor 10 comprises an 8 bladed top plate 16 and a separate somewhat conically downwardly expanding base plate 11 with an axial center hole 12 formed through the truncated top face thereof to pass the anchor rod 13 which is threadedly secured in anchor rod nut 14 angularly positioned in nut retainer 15 secured to the underside of base plate 11.

The 8 blade one piece top plate 16 of anchor 10 is understood to be slit at 8 radial positions between holes 17 and notches 18 to form from an originally square plate 8 separately foldable which are first folded as shown in FIG. 1 with the ends of the 4 corner blades 19 bent downwardly to contact the base plate 11 and then the four intermediate blades 2% bent downwardly each to overlap at its two side edges its two adjacent corner blades 19. Clearance hole 12a is formed centrally through top plate 16 to pass rod 13.

During shipment and storage the base plate 11 with nut retainer 15 and folded top plate 16 as shown in FIG. 1 form the complete two piece anchor and are held together by soft wire through holes, not shown, in base plate 11 and the ends of blades 19 of plate 16.

At the point of use the threaded end of rod 13 is inserted as shown in FIG. 1 through hole 12a in top plate 16 and hole 12 in base plate 1 1 and screwed through nut 14, non-rotatably held in nut retainer 15. A hole 21 with side walls 22 is sunk into the earth 23 at a desired angle 24 to the ground surface 25.

Before the anchor 11 assembled with its rod 13 and nut 14 is placed in hole 21, the pressure reaction tube 26 is slid onto rod 13 over its eye end 27. A pair of longitudinally and diametrically split headed bushings 28, 29 are used at the ends of tube 26 uniformly to space tube 26 about rod 13 as shown. Then the anchor 10 with its rod and nut 13, 14 is placed in hole 21 with bushing 29 in the lower end of tube 26 resting against the center fiat surface of top plate 16 of anchor 10 as shown. A removable key 30 placed loosely through a common hole formed on both halves of bushing 29 and mating holes in tube 26 holds bushing 29 in assembly with tube 26 until the anchor 10 is expanded and it is desired to recover the expander parts 26, 28, 29 and 30.

The motive power for expanding blades 19, 20 of top plate 16 of anchor 10 is provided with a manually operated oil pump 31 connected by flexible pressure hose 32 to a hydraulic cylinder 33.

Pump 31 comprises an oil storage barrel 34 within which is a single action oil pump, not shown, having a piston rod 35 operable by handle 36 hingedly supported at 37 on barrel 34 having supporting legs 38. Contact with barrel 34 of handle stops 39 and 40 respectively limit the upward and downward travel of handle 36 and piston rod 35. A hand valve 41 is provided to bleed oil under pressure from cylinder 33 back to storage barrel 34 through hose 32.

Hydraulic cylinder 33 is formed with a closed end 42 into which extension rods of diiferent lengths like rod 43 may be threadedly secured. Closing the other end of cylinder 33 is cylinder head 44 removably secured thereover and through which piston rod 45 is slidingly sealed. A piston, not shown, of larger diameter than piston rod 45, is slidingly sealed to the interior cylindrical surface of cylinder 33 and secured to the inner end of rod 45 to move therewith. Around piston rod 45 between rod 45 and the interior wall of cylinder 33 is a piston rod retracting compression spring, not shown, longitudinally confined between the piston end of rod 45 and cylinder head .4. The entrance into cylinder 33 of oil conduit 46 from hose 32 is between the piston of rod 45 and the closed end of cylinder 33.

In operation, it is seen that oscillation of pump handle 36 will pump oil from barrel 34 of pump 31 through hose 32 into cylinder 33 to move piston rod outwardly against the bias of its retracting spring to position the outer end of piston rod 45 as desired after which hand valve 41 of pump 31 can be opened to allow the retracting spring of piston rod 45 to return the piston of rod 45 to its retracted position and move the oil in the system back to barrel 34. Closing valve 41 then conditions the hydraulic system for further use.

Having the hydraulic motive power system as above described and the anchor to be expanded positioned in the hole as above described, then the means for harnessing the motive power means to the anchor to be expanded is seen to include in addition to the parts 26, 28, 29 and 39 the bifurcated pressure feet 47 and 48 and a key 49 for adjustably positioning pressure foot 48 along rod 43 as required.

Pressure foot 47 is formed with an internally threaded end to be threadedly secured to the outer end of piston 45 and a bifurcated end for straddling a rod running parallel to rod 45 as shown.

Pressure foot 48 is formed with a bifurcated end radially similar to the bifurcated end of foot 47 and another end formed with a through hole for receiving extension rod 43 of cylinder 33 in axial alignment.

To assemble the motive power cylinder 33 into expanding relation to bushing 28 on tube 26 and to anchor rod 13, cylinder 33 is supported on anchor rod 13 by the bifurcated ends of pressure feet 47 and 48 and then moved towards the eye 27 of rod 13 and held there while foot 48 is moved against bushing 28. Then foot 48 is moved just far enough from bushing 28 so that key 49 can be pushed through its hole in foot 48 and the first matching hole in rod 43.

With the anchor expanding equipment thus assembled handle 36 of pump 31 is actuated to expand the distance between pressure feet 47 and 48 and thus reduce the axial distance between anchor base plate 11 and top plate 16 to zero at which time (see FIG. 3) lugs 50 formed downwardly from the underside of blades 19 and of top plate 16 will have latched over the outer edge of base plate 11.

With the anchor expanded into place as desired the driving cylinder pressure is released by opening return valve 41 and cylinder 33 with feet 47, 48 is lifted away from anchor rod 13. Then split bushing 28 is removed from tube 26 and tube 26 around rod 13 is drawn out of the hole 21 until its end with split bushing 29 is available at which time key 3% is Withdrawn to permit the withdrawal of bushing 2% from tube 26 and tube 26 is finally withdrawn over the outer end of rod 13.

One man can usually use the tools and set the anchor in not over ten minutes.

To be specific it should again be noted that expanding anchors and hydraulic pumps are old and no part of this 1nvention.

However it is believed that mine is the original conception of the need for power means for expanding such anchors and the means for harnessing such power means to expanding anchors in usable form.

Having recited some of the objects of my invention, illustrated and described a preferred form in which my invention may be practiced and explained its operation, I claim:

1. A hydraulic anchor expander for longitudinally collapsing and thereby laterally expanding an appropriate anchor longitudinally slidably supported on an appropriate anchor rod including at its respective ends abutments for limiting the off ends movement of said anchor, said expander including a hollow strut assembled coaxially on said rod to extend from said anchor towards 4 the remote end thereof, hydraulic power receiving means for smoothly and continuously longitudinally collapsing said anchor along said rod and hydraulic power supplying means for gradually activating said power receiving means.

2. The anchor expander of claim 1 in which said power receiving means includes a hydraulic cylinder including a piston and piston rod axially parallel with said anchor, a hollow strut coaxial with said anchor rod extending from said anchor upwardly around said rod, a first pressure foot secured to said cylinder to extend perpendicularly therefrom to straddle said anchor rod and longitudinally to abut said strut, a second pressure foot secured to said piston rod outside said cylinder to extend perpendicularly therefrom to straddle said anchor rod and longitudinally to abut said anchor rod at its Wire attachment end, said power supplying means including a source of hydraulic oil, a hydraulic oil pump, an inlet to said pump from said source, means connecting the outlet from said pump to one side of said piston in said cylinder and means for operating said pump to move oil under pressure from said source to the interior of said cylinder to move said piston rod to separate said pressure feet to expand said anchor.

3. An expander for an anchor having an anchor rod, an abutment at one end of said rod, a stationary part for said anchor secured on said rod at the other end thereof, and a longitudinally collapsible laterally expandable part for said anchor surrounding said anchor rod in contact with said stationary part and longitudinally spaced from said abutment, said expander including a strut coaxial with said anchor rod with one end in abutment relation with said collapsible part of said anchor, a first pressure foot positioned around said anchor rod in contact with said abutment at said one end of said anchor rod, a second pressure foot positioned around said anchor rod in contact abutment with the other end of said strut spaced from said first pressure foot together with pressure means for applying opposed spreading forces to said pressure feet parallel to said rod for collapsing along said anchor rod over said sta tionary part said longitudinally collapsible laterally expandable part of said anchor, said strut including a pair of longitudinally split headed bushings inserted respectively into the ends of said pipe to form pressure abutment ends of said strut.

4. The expander of claim 3 in which both halves of one bushing of said pair and its mating end of said pipe are formed with a common hole therethrough and said expander includes a key removably positioned in said hole whereby said one bushing will be engaged with said pipe to move therewith when said pipe is moved longitudinally of said anchor rod.

5. A hydraulically operable expander for a ground anchor having a stationary part, an expandable part and an anchor rod, said stationary part being secured to one end of said anchor rod, the other end of said rod including an abutment larger than the diameter of said rod, said expandable part of said anchor coaxially surrounding said anchor rod in contact with said stationary part and said expander being required to collapse said expandable part axially onto said stationary part to expand said expandable part perpendicularly to said rod, said expander including a hydraulic oil pump, a hydraulic oil cylinder having a piston rod extending axially therefrom, a first pressure foot secured to said cylinder to extend laterally therefrom to straddle said anchor rod, a second pressure foot secured to said piston rod to extend laterally therefrom to straddle said anchor rod, a strut extending along said anchor rod from said expandable part of said anchor to one of said pressure feet, the other of said pressure feet being stopped by said abutment at said other end of said anchor rod, a source of hydraulic oil, a first oil conduit means connecting said source with the oil inlet of said pump, a second oil conduit means connecting the outlet from said pump to the interior of said cylinder and means for operating said pump to pump oil from said source to the interior of said cylinder to force said piston rod with said second pressure foot axially away from said first pressure foot longitudinally to collapse said expandable part of said anchor to expand said expandable part of said anchor normally to the axis of said rod, said hydraulic oil cylinder including a cylindrical hollow body closed at one end and open at the other end to receive a piston slidingly sealed to the interior wall of said body, a cylinder head with a coaxial hole therethrough removably closing the open end of said body, said piston rod being axially secured to said piston at one end and slidingly sealed in said hole in said cylinder head to move therethrough as said piston is moved axially along the interior of said body, said second pressure foot being secured to said piston rod at its outer end, said hollow body including coaxial strut means to which said first pressure foot is longitudinally variably positionable to vary the maximum axial distance said pressure feet may be moved one from the other by moving said piston, said hollow body including an oil inlet hole through a wall thereof between its closed end and said piston and resilient means on the other side of said piston biasing said piston towards said closed end of said body.

6. An expander for use in collapsing an anchor axially along an anchor rod extending axially through said anchor, said anchor being of the so called expanding type which expands laterally into its anchored position when it is collapsed axially, said anchor rod including respective abutments positioned at each of its ends, one side of said anchor abutting one of said abutments at one end of said rod, the other end of said rod and the other of said abutments being remote from said anchor on its other side, said expander comprising a pair of telescoping means axially parallel to and laterally spaced from said anchor rod, a pair of pressure feet longitudinally spaced and secured one each to said pair of telescoping means to extend laterally therefrom to straddle said anchor rod, strut means surrounding said anchor rod coaxially therewith extending from said other side of said anchor to one of said pressure feet, the other one of said pressure feet being in contact with the other of said abutments at the other end of said anchor rod, together with power means operable to extend said telescoping means one along the other gradually to extend said pressure feet axially further one from the other to push said strut axially along said rod to collapse said anchor longitudinally of said rod and expand said anchor perpendicularly to said rod, said strut means including a pipe placed coaxially over said anchor rod, said pipe including a pair of longitudinally split headed bushings inserted respectively into the ends of said pipe to form pressure abutment ends for said pipe and hold said pipe concentric with said anchor rod, said pipe being large enough in internal diameter to slip over said abutment on said end of said rod remote from said anchor and one end of :said pipe with its mating bushing parts including releasable means for holding said split bushing in said pipe.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,948,856 Heinrich Feb. 27, 1934 2,209,627 Miller July 30, 1940 2,483,239 Sharpe Sept. 27, 1949 2,669,972 Cross Feb. 23, 1954 2,681,789 Nichols June 22, 1954

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