Concrete mounted safety stanchion and apparatus and methods for mounting to concrete

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to products and methods for providing fall protection systems for construction workers, maintenance workers, and others who work or walk upon elevated structures. More particularly, it relates to fall protection systems which employ safety stanchions mounted to the elevated structure so as to anchor and support safety cables.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

During the construction of a bridge, building or other structure, it is common for workers to work and walk upon structural or architectural steel beams forming a part of the construction. Obviously, it is important but difficult to protect such workers and others from harm when they inadvertently slip and fall from elevated beams.

It is also important, for the purpose of controlling construction costs and facilitating rapid construction, that any fall protection system which is put in place to protect the workers be relatively inexpensive, relatively quick and easy to install, and later dismount, and cause little interference with the construction process itself.

Most conventional fall protection systems to which the present invention relates involve systems for supporting the worker with a safety cable that may be anchored and supported in various ways. Once a safety cable is anchored and supported, workers may obtain support by attaching themselves to the safety cable, as, for example, by way of a safety lanyard attached both to the cable and to a harness worn by the worker.

Unfortunately, in most superstructures where persons are called upon to walk and work upon elevated beams, there are few or no suitable anchoring points for attaching safety cables. Attaching the cables directly to the beams beneath the workers' feet could increase the likelihood of tripping, and could also increase the potential fall distance.

Even if there are elevated anchoring points in the superstructure, the location of those points could cause the safety cable to extend directly above the very beam upon which the worker wishes to walk and work, thereby hindering the worker's actions. In comparison to such anchoring points, it would be preferable, instead, to anchor a safety cable in such a way that, as the safety cable extends along the beam, it is suspended not just above the beam but also off-set slightly to one side of the beam, so that it will not unnecessarily hinder the worker as he or she works upon or walks along the beam's upper surface.

A means of providing fall protection with such an elevated but off-set cable positioning is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,897, wherein a safety stanchion employs both a first and a second lock means, with the first lock means depending upon properly torqued bolts (which could be subject to failure from loss of friction if worn or insufficiently tightened), and with the second lock means being mounted to a post and being somewhat complex, comprising, for example, a ratchet lock mechanism comprising a strap made of nylon or another synthetic material (which sunlight, chemicals or a nearby heat source, such as nearby welding, could render subject to failure). That previously disclosed safety stanchion is preferably used with a safety cable having an in-line shock absorber.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,809 (the '809 patent) which discloses an invention of which I am a co-inventor also provides a safety stanchion with an elevated and preferably off-set cable positioning. However, it does so with various other means, none of which, for example, require a ratchet lock mechanism or a nylon or synthetic strap as shown in the aforementioned art. The invention of the '809 patent also provides a safety stanchion having a post that preferably can, by flexing and by permanently deforming without failing, reduce and absorb at least some of the shock and sudden loading caused by a worker's fall from a beam, without the need for a safety cable having an in-line shock absorber.

As previously noted, there are advantages to be gained by providing a fall protection system that is relatively inexpensive, that may be quickly and easily mounted to and dismounted from an elevated beam, and that will support and anchor a safety cable above and slightly to the side of the elevated beam. The invention of the '809 patent teaches such a safety stanchion.

One embodiment of the invention of the '809 patent provides a safety stanchion for mounting upon a surface such as structural I or H shaped beam which are typically found in the superstructure of a bridge, a building or some other structure being built.

This safety stanchion includes a tapered tubular post having a lower end for attachment to a support base at preferably an oblique angle and an upper end for supporting a safety cable and the like. Due to its tapered shape, the post's upper end has an outside diameter which is less than that of its lower end. The post also preferably has a wall thickness of less than 0.125 inches and is frustoconically shaped. In addition, the post is preferably made out of an energy absorbing, elastic-like, high strength steel such as A595 grade steel which in cooperation with the post's wall thickness and tapered, preferably frustoconical, shape is believed to render the post capable of inelastically deforming before it fails, thereby better able to break a worker's fall without actually breaking in half. Fail or failure of the post as used herein refers to a post which has actually broken or buckled to a point where it is no longer capable of providing any significant resistant to lateral forces or other forces tending to cause bowing of the post.

As will be appreciated, the attachment of the post's lower end to its base at an oblique angle enables the suspension of safety cables above, but slightly to the side, of the particular beam or surface upon which the safety stanchion is mounted.

The stanchion also preferably includes a cap, having two bores, which is firmly secured to the upper terminus of the post, and by means of which safety cables can be easily attached to the tapered tubular post, and therefore to the safety stanchion itself, such as with simple, conventional devises.

In the preferred safety stanchion of this type, the tapered post is capable of flexing and permanently (or inelastically) deforming without failing, in response to sudden loads (within its design limits) that might occur when a person who is attached to the stanchion via a conventional safety cable falls from an elevated beam or similar surface upon which the stanchion is mounted.

The invention of the '809 patent also provides a unique base or base assembly for mounting a stanchion upon a structural member such as an I beam, H beam or other structural member having flange portions, regardless of the, structural member's orientation to the horizon, i.e. vertical, horizontal or other disposition. In its broadest sense, the base has a mounting assembly or means which includes first jaw means for engaging a first portion of a structural beam and opposing second jaw means for engaging a second portion of the beam. The mounting assembly also includes right and left rod assemblies which respectively cooperate with the first and second jaw means for drawing the jaw means together to clamp a beam, typically the flange portions of a structural beam which extend outwardly from the center section of a typical structural I or H beam. The rod assemblies are preferably oriented with respect to each other so that their longitudinal axes converge towards each other. A preferred angle of convergence may extend up to 90 degrees as measured by the included angle defined by the longitudinal axes of the rod assemblies.

As used herein, converge means to draw closer to or approach each other and such converging, non-parallel positioning of the rods enables better clamping of the beam. Specifically, the converging rods are believed to be better able to resist both twisting and longitudinal motion along the beam (sometimes called “walking”), in response to vibration, twisting or other forces during the arrest of a worker's fall.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention of the '809 patent, the rod of each rod assembly is provided with aggressive threads on the order of 3 to 7.5 threads per inch for cooperating with complementary threaded first and second internally threaded members which in turn respectively cooperate with the first and second jaw means of the mounting assembly to clamp a structural beam when one of the internally threaded members, preferably a wing nut, is tightened by threading it in a direction which causes the jaw means to draw together and clamp a beam disposed between the jaw means. The aggressive threads enable a workman to install the stanchion on a beam very quickly since they cause the jaw means to close and thereby clamp a beam disposed between the jaw means with only a few turns of one of the internally threaded members.

Another safety stanchion of the invention of the '809 patent for mounting on a structural beam and the like has a sleeve on the stanchion's base for slidably receiving an end of the stanchion's post. Fastening means such as set screw type bolts are also provided for securing the post's end in the sleeve when it is slidably received therein. The sleeve may be integral with the base or rigidly affixed to the base for example by welding it to the base. The sleeve may also be positioned or oriented on the base so that the base may be mounted upon either vertically disposed I beams, i.e. columns, or horizontally disposed I beams. A typical post used in conjunction with this base is L-shaped and as shown in the drawings the lower end of the L-shaped post is slidably received in the sleeve.

In addition and as will be appreciated, all safety stanchions of the invention of the '809 patent provide an effective fall protection system, which is lightweight, simple, relatively unaffected by sunlight, chemicals and indirect heating, relatively quick and easy to mount upon a beam by hand or with a simple tool, capable of supporting and anchoring safety cables above but to the side of the mounted beam, where they will not unnecessarily hinder a worker on the beam, inherently able to reduce and absorb, through flexion and through permanent deformation, some of the shock and sudden load caused by a worker's fall from the beam, and better able to resist twisting and longitudinal motion upon the beam.

While the invention of the '809 patent is easily attachable to I beams and other structural members, a need still exists for a safety stanchion which is directly and easily attachable to a concrete structure. In addition, a need exists for apparatus and methods for attaching existing I beam mounted safety stanchions to concrete.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention builds upon the invention of the '809 patent and the prior art by providing a unique safety stanchion for mounting directly to concrete. The unique stanchion includes a post having first and second ends, means for supporting a safety cable at said first end of said post and a base attached to the second end of the post for mounting the post on a flat surface of a concrete structure. The base includes a mounting plate having a generally flat bottom surface for placement against the flat surface of the concrete structure as well as a top surface and a plurality of holes extending through the plate from the bottom surface to the top surface.

In addition, the present invention provides several apparatus and methods for mounting any type of safety stanchion to concrete including the stanchions of the '809 patent, the prior art and the unique safety stanchion of the present invention for being mounted directly to concrete.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate and provide views of a preferred embodiment of the invention of the '809 patent which is incorporated herein by reference as well as the present invention. Other features, objects and advantages of the present invention as well as the invention of the '809 patent will appear in and be apparent from the following detailed description, when reference is made to the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1

is a side elevational view, partly in phantom, of a safety stanchion of the invention of the '809 patent, mounted to a structural I-beam illustrated in section. The phantom view shows the stanchion in a bowed position which is a position it will assume when subjected to forces causing it to bow as shown.

FIG. 2

is a cross-sectional view of the safety stanchion of

FIG. 1

taken along lines

2

—

2

thereof.

FIG. 3

is a partial, broken away, front elevational view, partly in phantom, of the safety stanchion of FIG.

1

. Again, the phantom view shows the stanchion in a bowed position which is a position it will assume when subjected to forces casing it to bow as shown.

FIG. 4

is a side elevational view of an alternative flange hook assembly which may be used in the safety stanchion of FIG.

1

.

FIG. 5

is a partial front elevational view of the safety stanchion of

FIG. 1

, shown complete except for the omission of the right wing nut and the right quick-thread rod (which were omitted to provide an unobstructed view of the first right rod receiver);

FIG. 5

further illustrates a portion (broken away) of a fall protection system provided by the invention of the '809 patent, and further illustrates an I-beam (broken away).

FIG. 6

is a cross-sectional view of the safety stanchion of

FIG. 5

taken along lines

6

—

6

of FIG.

5

.

FIG. 7

is a cross-sectional view of another safety stanchion of the invention of the '809 patent taken along lines

7

—

7

of FIG.

8

.

FIG. 8

is a front side elevational view of another safety stanchion of the invention of the '809 patent which is mounted to a structural I-beam column illustrated in section.

FIG. 9

is a rear side elevational view of the safety stanchion of FIG.

8

.

FIG. 10

is perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention for direct mounting of a safety stanchion to a concrete structure.

FIG. 11

is a partially broken away perspective view of an embed of the present invention for mounting a safety stanchion to a concrete structure.

FIG. 12

is a cross-sectional view taken along lines

12

—

12

of FIG.

11

.

FIG. 13

is a perspective view of a mounting adaptor of the present invention for mounting a safety stanchion to a concrete structure.

FIG. 14

is a cross-sectional view taken along lines

14

—

14

of FIG.

13

. The bolts

226

of this embodiment for anchoring a safety stanchion in a concrete structure are also shown in FIG.

10

.

FIG. 15

is a perspective view of another embed of the present invention for mounting a safety stanchion to a concrete structure.

FIG. 16

is a cross-sectional view taken along lines

16

—

16

of FIG.

15

.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1-3

,

5

&

6

illustrate a flexible and deformable safety stanchion

10

of the invention of the '809 patent, mounted upon an I-beam

12

.

As illustrated in

FIG. 5

, safety stanchion

10

serves as a support for suspending two conventional safety cables

14

a

and

14

b

, each of which is preferably supported at its other end by another safety stanchion

10

(not shown). The safety cables

14

a

,

14

b

are provided with looped ends

16

a

,

16

b

and are respectively anchored to the safety stanchion

10

by means of conventional devises

18

a

,

18

b

that are respectively fitted with clevis pins

20

a

,

20

b.

Clevises

18

a

and

18

b

are passed, respectively, through the looped ends

16

a

and

16

b

. The devises

18

a

and

18

b

are both then pinned to a cap

22

at the top of the safety stanchion

10

, by the passage of their respective clevis pins

20

a

and

20

b

through the two bores

24

a

and

24

b

(illustrated in

FIG. 3

) that are provided in the cap

22

, with clevis pin

20

a

passing through bore

24

a

and clevis pin

20

b

passing through bore

24

b.

Other forms of cap would be possible, as would other methods of attaching a safety cable to the cap. For example, when a safety stanchion

10

is used at an intermediate position in an extended line of safety stanchions

10

a different form of cap could (but need not) be used, such as a pass-through type cap like that taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,037,824.

As illustrated in

FIG. 5

, safety cable

14

b

supports a conventional lanyard

26

(shown broken away), which is clipped and thereby slidingly attached to the safety cable

14

b

. As known to those familiar with the art, the lanyard

26

connects with a belt or harness (not shown) that is worn by a worker present on the superstructure of a building, a bridge, or some other structure. A preferred lanyard for use in accordance with the present invention is of the shock absorbing type.

It should be noted that it is not necessary to attach two separate safety cables to the safety stanchion

10

, and for some of its applications (i.e. when supporting a single cable or when used as an end point) it would need to support only a single cable connected to only one adjacent stanchion. Therefore, either safety cable

14

a

or safety cable

14

b

could be omitted without preventing the safety stanchion

10

from providing useful support to a worker clipped to whichever safety cable remained.

Furthermore, for some applications of the safety stanchion

10

(e.g. when the safety stanchion is used at an intersection of intersecting beams for which safety cables are provided) a safety cable could extend and be supported horizontally but perpendicularly to the safety cables

14

a

,

14

b

shown in FIG.

5

. In such an application, the perpendicular safety cable could be attached to the cap

22

of the safety stanchion

10

, or could instead be joined (either fixedly or slidingly) at one end to a point on one of the safety cables

14

a

or

14

b

; at the other end, the perpendicular safety cable could be joined to the cap

22

of another safety stanchion, or could instead be joined (either fixedly or slidingly) to another safety cable, supported by other safety stanchions

10

, that is separate from but parallel to the joined safety cable

14

a

or

14

b.

So that it may provide useful support, the safety stanchion

10

is mounted upon an I-beam

12

, a typical example of which is illustrated in

FIGS. 1 and 5

. The typical I-beam

12

has an upper flange

28

, a lower flange

30

, and a medial support panel

32

(which may be solid, as shown, or instead include truss components). As best illustrated in

FIG. 1

, the safety stanchion

10

is preferably mounted upon the upper flange

28

of an I-beam

12

.

The safety stanchion

10

may alternatively be flange mounted, in an equivalent manner, upon an H-beam (not shown) or a steel joist or other flanged structural member; therefore, as used herein the term “I-beam” may refer generally to an I-beam

12

, an H-beam or a steel joist or other flanged structural member of sufficient strength. Furthermore, for some applications the safety stanchion

10

(or other derivations thereof) may be inverted and mounted to the lower flange

30

of the I-beam

12

or other overhead flanged structural member of sufficient strength, so as to suspend the safety stanchion below the I-beam

12

or other member.

FIGS. 1 and 5

illustrate that the safety stanchion

10

includes a base or base assembly,

34

, a straight but tapered tubular post

36

and previously mentioned cap

22

.

The base assembly

34

includes a channel member

35

, comprising an upper portion

38

, a vertical portion

40

, a lower portion

42

, a vertical lip

46

, and two equivalent threaded hexagonal nuts

44

a

and

44

b

that are rigidly attached, preferably welded, to lower portion

42

and that are aligned with two bores

45

(only one of which is shown) provided in lower portion

42

for receiving bolts

48

a

,

48

b.

The upper portion

38

, vertical portion

40

and lower portion

42

of the channel member

35

are preferably constructed in one piece from a single plate or other piece of steel, cut and bent or otherwise formed to include them and as such comprise a member referred to herein and in the claims appended hereto as the first jaw means. As illustrated in

FIG. 1

, this first jaw means or channel member

35

engages a first portion, specifically a first or right flange portion of the upper flange

28

of the illustrated I-beam

12

. As also illustrated, the upper portion

38

is bent at right angles to the vertical portion

40

, which in turn is bent at right angles to the lower portion

42

. By means of the upper portion

38

, vertical portion

40

and lower portion

42

of its channel member

35

, the base assembly

34

defines an open channel for receiving the right side (as viewed in

FIG. 1

) of upper flange

28

of I-beam

12

. As best illustrated in

FIG. 1

, when the safety stanchion

10

is mounted upon the upper flange

28

of a horizontal I-beam

12

, the underside of the upper portion

38

of the channel member

35

rests horizontally upon and above the upper flange

28

, and the lower portion

42

of the channel member

35

is suspended below the upper flange

28

(but above the lower flange

30

) by the vertical portion

40

of the channel member

35

. As so suspended, the lower portion

42

of the channel member

35

, except for its vertical lip

46

, is approximately perpendicular to the vertical portion

40

of the channel member

35

.

As shown in

FIG. 1

, it is preferable that the lower portion

42

of the channel member

35

be dimensioned so that it does not extend as far from the vertical portion

40

as does the upper portion

38

, so that even when the safety stanchion

10

is mounted upon smaller beams the lower portion

42

will not engage the medial support panel

32

of the I-beam

12

, and will therefore avoid interference with the mounting. Referring to

FIG. 5

, bolts

48

a

and

48

b

are threaded, respectively, into and completely through the two threaded hexagonal nuts

44

a

and

44

b

, starting from below the lower portion

42

of the channel member

35

, so that each of the bolts

48

a

and

48

b

is threaded into the channel member

35

.

When the safety stanchion

10

is securely mounted upon the upper flange

28

of a horizontal I-beam

12

, the two bolts

48

a

and

48

b

(also referred to herein in the claims appended hereto as the jaw opening adjustment means) are tightened until they contact the underside of the upper flange

28

of the I-beam

12

.

As illustrated in

FIG. 5

, the base assembly

34

also includes a left rod receiver

50

and a right rod receiver,

52

of equivalent size and shape, each of which is preferably constructed from a length of steel pipe. Also as illustrated in

FIG. 5

, the left rod receiver

50

and the right rod receiver

52

both rest upon and are both longitudinally supported by the upper portion

38

of the channel member

35

, to which both are welded and therefore secured firmly in position.

However, in that position the left rod receiver

50

and the right rod receiver

52

also partially extend slightly beyond (and, as viewed in

FIG. 1

, to the right of) the upper front edge

54

of the upper portion

38

of the channel member

35

, so that the portions of those rod receivers

50

and

52

that so extend do not rest upon the upper portion

38

. The purpose for this slight extension is to provide clearance between the vertical portion

40

of the channel member

35

and both the left wing nut

56

and the right wing nut (not shown) when those wing nuts are positioned, respectively, against the left rod receiver

50

and the right rod receiver

52

.

The longitudinal axis of the left rod receiver

50

and the longitudinal axis of the right rod receiver

52

are located in the same plane, hereinafter called the “axis plane,” but they are not parallel. Instead, as best illustrated in

FIG. 6

, those longitudinal axes tend to converge as the left rod receiver

50

and the right rod receiver

52

extend along and across the upper portion

38

of the channel member

35

by moving away from the upper front edge

54

of that upper portion

38

.

Angle A (as illustrated in

FIG. 6

) from the longitudinal axis of the right rod receiver

52

to a line that is parallel to and directly above the upper right edge

60

of the upper portion

38

of the channel member

35

(but that is drawn in the axis plane as previously defined) is preferably ten (10) degrees clockwise, but may range from three (3) to forty five (45) degrees clockwise.

Similarly, the angle (not separately identified in

FIG. 6

) from the longitudinal axis of the left rod receiver

50

to a line that is parallel to and directly above the upper left edge

61

of that upper portion

38

(but that is drawn in the axis plane) is preferably ten (10) degrees counterclockwise, preferably, but may also range from three (3) to forty five (45) degrees counterclockwise. Accordingly, the “included angle” defined by the longitudinal axes of the left and right rod receivers

50

,

52

(which are also the longitudinal axes of the left and right rod assemblies as the terms are used in the claims appended hereto) is twice angle A and therefore is preferably about twenty (20) degrees. However, as indicated above it may range anywhere from six (6) to ninety (90) degrees. Generally, however, it is believed that best results are obtainable if the included angle is between ten (10) and thirty (30) degrees.

This converging, non-parallel positioning for the left and right rod receivers

50

,

52

is advantageous because it is believed to provide a more effective grip and to resist, more effectively, both twisting and longitudinal motion (or so-called “walking”) by the safety stanchion

10

relative to or along the longitudinal axis of the beam, in response to vibration, twisting or other forces during the arrest of a worker's fall.

The hollow interior of the left rod receiver

50

is not provided with threads; and neither is the hollow interior of the right rod receiver

52

.

The base assembly

34

also includes a left quick-thread rod

62

, and a right quick-thread rod (not shown) of equivalent size and shape, each of which has external threads along its entire length, and each of which is preferably constructed from a straight length of steel rod with aggressive threads of three (3) to seven and one-half (7½) pitch, i.e. 3 to 7½ threads per inch.

The base assembly

34

also includes a left flange hook assembly

64

, and a right flange hook assembly (not shown), both of which are more generically referred to herein in the claims appended hereto as the second jaw means. The left flange hook assembly

64

includes a rod receiver

66

. Likewise, the right flange hook assembly includes an equivalent rod receiver. The left flange hook assembly

64

also includes a flange hook portion

68

. Likewise, the right flange hook assembly also includes an equivalent flange hook portion.

The rod receiver

66

of the left flange hook assembly

64

is preferably constructed from a length of steel pipe (and so is the equivalent rod receiver of the right flange hook assembly). The flange hook portion

68

of the left flange hook assembly

64

is preferably cut or otherwise formed, approximately in an L-shape, from a single plate or other piece of steel (and so is the equivalent flange hook portion of the right flange hook assembly). The hollow interior of the rod receiver

66

of the left flange hook assembly

64

is not provided with threads (and neither is the hollow interior of the rod receiver of the right flange hook assembly).

As best illustrated in

FIG. 1

, the flange hook portion

68

of the left flange hook assembly

64

is welded to and depends from the underside of the rod receiver

66

of that assembly. The right flange hook assembly is equivalently assembled by welding its flange hook portion to the underside of its rod receiver.

The base assembly

34

also includes a threaded hexagonal left nut

70

and an equivalent threaded hexagonal right nut (not shown) which are broadly referred to in the claims appended hereto as the second internally threaded members. In addition, the left wing nut

56

and an equivalent right wing nut (not shown) are provided as previously mentioned which are broadly referred to in the claims appended hereto as the first internally threaded members. The threaded hexagonal left nut

70

and the left wing nut

56

are both provided with internal threads suitable for allowing them to be threadably mounted coaxially upon the left quick-thread rod

62

, so as to permit the left quick-thread rod to pass completely through, and to protrude from both sides of, their respective hollow, threaded interiors. Equivalently, the threaded hexagonal right nut and the right wing nut are both provided with internal threads suitable for allowing them to be threadably mounted coaxially upon the right quick-thread rod, so as to permit it to pass completely through and protrude from both sides of their respective hollow, threaded interiors.

Preferably, the left wing nut

56

and the equivalent right wing nut are each constructed to include (for the purpose of facilitating manual rotation, or other deliberate rotation, and subsequent stationary retention upon the particular quick-thread rod which passes through it) an upper wing

73

and a lower wing

74

that are relatively shaped and sized so that the lower wing

74

is significantly longer and heavier than the upper wing

73

, as illustrated in

FIG. 1

, or is otherwise configured so that after the completion of manual rotation (or other deliberate rotation) the lower wing

74

will tend, to a greater extent than the upper wing

73

, to maintain the lowermost position so as to help prevent the entire wing nut from further rotation. Such a preferred wing nut is advantageous for use with the preferred safety stanchion

10

, in part because it tends, more than an alternative form of wing nut with indistinguishable wings, to prevent excessive loosening despite inadvertently being struck and despite vibration sometimes transmitted to the safety stanchion

10

during normal use.

As best illustrated in

FIG. 1

, when the safety stanchion

10

is mounted upon the upper flange

28

of a horizontal I-beam

12

, the left quick-thread rod

62

is inserted longitudinally and completely through the hollow interior of the left rod receiver

50

, and it is also inserted longitudinally and completely through the hollow interior of the rod receiver

66

of the left flange hook assembly

64

. In an equivalent manner, although hidden from view in FIG.

1

and omitted from other views, when the safety stanchion

10

is so mounted the right quick-thread rod is inserted longitudinally and completely through the hollow interior of the right rod receiver

52

and the hollow interior of the rod receiver of the right flange hook assembly.

The left quick-thread rod

62

is of sufficient length so that, even after both such insertions have been completed, the left quick-thread rod substantially protrudes from the front face

75

of the left rod receiver

50

and substantially protrudes from the rear face

76

of the rod receiver

66

of the left flange hook assembly

64

. The right quick-thread rod is of equivalent length, and it is equivalently inserted longitudinally and completely through, so as to equivalently protrude from, the right rod receiver and the rod receiver of the right flange hook assembly.

As best illustrated in

FIG. 1

, when the safety stanchion

10

is mounted upon the upper flange

28

of a horizontal I-beam

12

, the left wing nut

56

and the threaded hexagonal left nut

70

are both threadably mounted to the left quick-thread rod

62

, and positioned so that the left rod receiver

50

and the left flange hook assembly

64

are between them, and so that the left wing nut

56

engages and presses firmly against the front face

75

of the left rod receiver

50

and the threaded hexagonal left nut

70

engages and presses firmly against the rear face

76

of the rod receiver

66

of the left flange hook assembly

64

. In an equivalent manner, although hidden from view in FIG.

1

and omitted from other views, when the safety stanchion

10

is so mounted, the right wing nut and the threaded hexagonal right nut are both threadably mounted to the right quick-thread rod, and positioned so that the right rod receiver

52

and the right flange hook assembly are between them, and so that the right wing nut engages and presses firmly against the front face

77

of the right rod receiver

52

and the threaded hexagonal right nut engages and presses firmly against the rear face of the rod receiver of the right flange hook assembly.

In an alternate embodiment of the invention of the '809 patent, the threaded hexagonal left nut

70

and the left flange hook assembly

64

are replaced with a functionally equivalent left threaded flange hook assembly

78

that is illustrated in FIG.

4

. Likewise, in that alternative embodiment the threaded hexagonal right nut and the right flange hook assembly are also replaced by a right threaded flange hook assembly (not shown), which is equivalent in size, shape and material to the left threaded flange hook assembly

78

illustrated in FIG.

4

.

As illustrated in

FIG. 4

, the left threaded flange hook assembly

78

includes a threaded hexagonal nut

79

, and a flange hook portion

81

that is welded to and depends from the underside of that threaded hexagonal nut

79

, and that is preferably cut or otherwise formed from a single plate or other piece of steel. Likewise, the right threaded flange hook assembly includes an equivalent threaded hexagonal nut, and an equivalent flange hook portion that is welded to and depends from the underside of that threaded hexagonal nut (and is likewise preferably cut or otherwise formed from a single plate or other piece of steel).

Referring now to

FIG. 5

, base assembly

34

also includes a left gusset

80

and a right gusset

82

of equivalent size and shape, each of which is preferably cut or otherwise formed in one-piece from a plate or other piece of steel.

When the safety stanchion

10

is properly mounted upon the upper flange

28

of a horizontal I-beam

12

, the left gusset

80

and the right gusset

82

stand vertically, as best illustrated in

FIG. 5

; however, they tend to converge toward one another, as best illustrated in

FIG. 6

, as they extend from their respective free edges

83

a

and

83

b

toward the tapered tubular post

36

. The preferred angle of their convergence is approximately as illustrated in

FIG. 6

, so that the left gusset

80

(as viewed in that figure) would preferably be angled approximately ten (10) degrees clockwise from a line drawn perpendicular to the upper front edge

54

of the upper portion

38

of the channel member

35

, but could be angled from five (5) to at least thirty (30) degrees clockwise. Similarly, the right gusset

82

(as viewed in that figure) would preferably be angled approximately ten (10) degrees counterclockwise from such a perpendicular line, but could be angled from five (5) to at least thirty (30) degrees counterclockwise.

The left gusset

80

is shaped and dimensioned to fit snugly against the exterior surfaces of the channel member

35

, as follows: as best illustrated in

FIG. 5

, the left gusset

80

fits snugly against the exterior of the vertical portion

40

of the channel member

35

; as best illustrated in

FIG. 6

, the left gusset

80

fits snugly against the top of the upper portion

38

of the channel member

35

; and as best illustrated in

FIG. 1

(although partially hidden from view), the left gusset

80

fits snugly against the horizontal underside of the lower portion

42

of the channel member

35

, and against the right surface (as viewed in that figure) of the vertical lip

46

.

In an equivalent manner, the right gusset

82

also fits snugly against the exterior of the vertical portion

40

of the channel member

35

, the top of the upper portion

38

of the channel member

35

, the horizontal underside of the lower portion

42

of the channel member

35

, and the right surface of the vertical lip

46

.

An important purpose of the left gusset

80

and right gusset

82

is to provide additional strength and stability to the base assembly

34

, and to the connection between the base assembly

34

and the tapered tubular post

36

. Accordingly, the left gusset

80

is welded to the channel member

35

wherever the channel member

35

and the left gusset

80

come into contact; and (as best viewed in FIG.

3

), the left gusset

80

is welded to the tapered tubular post

36

, with the weld

85

a

viewed in that figure. Likewise, the right gusset

82

is welded to the channel member

35

wherever the channel member

35

and the right gusset

82

come into contact; and (as best viewed in FIG.

3

), the right gusset

82

is welded to the tapered tubular post

36

, with the weld

85

b

viewed in that figure.

As previously noted, the safety stanchion

10

includes, in addition to its base assembly

34

, both the tapered tubular post

36

and the cap

22

. The cap

22

is preferably formed in one piece from a plate or other piece of steel that has been bent or otherwise formed to include an upper portion

86

and a lower portion

88

, which join at right angles as best viewed in FIG.

1

.

The lower portion

88

of the cap

22

, when viewed from above, is approximately square. Furthermore, the lower portion

88

is welded, and thereby firmly secured, to the upper terminus of the tapered tubular post

36

, and is thereby supported by the tapered tubular post

36

as shown in FIG.

1

.

As best illustrated in

FIG. 3

, the upper portion

86

of the cap

22

is approximately square (when viewed from the front or rear), and (as previously described) it is provided with two bores

24

a

and

24

b

that each pass completely through the upper portion

86

from front to back, for the purpose of receiving, respectively, clevis pins

20

a

and

20

b

. As previously described, the clevis pins

20

a

and

20

b

help to attach safety cables

14

a

and

14

b

to the cap, and therefore indirectly to the tapered tubular post

36

to which the cap

22

is welded.

As best illustrated in

FIG. 5

, the bottom of the tapered tubular post

36

is welded, and thereby firmly secured, to the top of the upper portion

38

of the channel member

35

that is included in the base assembly

34

.

When the safety stanchion

10

is properly mounted upon the upper flange

28

of a horizontal I-beam

12

, as best illustrated in

FIG. 1

, the tapered tubular post

36

extends upwardly from the top of the upper portion

38

of the channel member

35

, at an oblique angle that is preferably from about fifteen (15) degrees to about twenty (20) degrees from vertical (and, accordingly, that is from about seventy (70) to about seventy-five (75) degrees from horizontal). Such an oblique angle occurs because the end of the tapered tubular post

36

that is welded to the upper portion

38

of the channel member

35

is, before it is so welded, first cut, preferably at an angle approximately fifteen (15) to twenty (20) degrees from the horizontal.

Preferably, the tapered tubular post

36

is approximately forty-two inches (42″) in length. As illustrated in

FIG. 2

, throughout its length the tapered tubular post

36

has a cross section that is circular around both its exterior and interior circumferences. However, along its longitudinal axis, the tapered tubular post

36

is continuously tapered, giving it a frustoconical shape. At its bottom, it has an interior diameter of approximately two and seven-eighths of an inch (2⅞″); at its top, where it is welded to cap

22

, it has an interior diameter of approximately two and one-eighths of an inch (2⅛″).

Tapered tubular post

36

is preferably constructed from 11-gauge tubing of special high-strength, elastic steel (A595 grade), as purchased in tapered form from Valmont Industries of Valley, Nebr. However, it would be possible to construct the tapered tubular post from other energy absorbing steels or structural materials that have a high tensile strength to allow flexion and a large capacity to withstand, without fracturing, both flexion and permanent deformation when subject to the extreme forces of a worker's fall. To provide such elasticity and deformability in the post lengths typically contemplated by the subject invention, i.e. from about 30 to 42 inches, the tapered tubing should preferably be made from such energy absorbing steels and additionally have a wall thickness of less than 0.125 inches, however, not less than that provided by 15 gauge steel.

The tapered tubular post

36

is preferably constructed so as to flex and (if the load is sufficiently high) to permanently deform, controllably and without fracturing, in response to a substantial load (within its design limits) that is suddenly exerted upon it, as for example by the fall of a worker who is being supported by a safety cable that is being supported by the safety stanchion

10

.

As preferably constructed, the tapered tubular post

36

tends to flex and (if the load is sufficiently high) to permanently deform, in response to such loads within its design limits, over its length in the characteristic manner best illustrated in FIG.

3

: that is, it tends to flex and to permanently deform (as shown, for example, by the phantom lines in FIGS.

1

and

3

), with portions of the surface of the tapered tubular post

36

becoming permanently rippled

87

near the bottom of the tapered tubular post, in response to the stresses produced by the load (as shown, for example, in FIG.

3

). This tendency to flex and to permanently deform without fracturing enables the tapered tubular post

36

, when dealing with loads within its design limits, to absorb shock and to handle those loads without breaking in two, and without buckling or kinking at a single point so as to fold over abruptly.

In order to mount the safety stanchion

10

securely upon the upper flange

28

of a horizontal I-beam

12

, a worker preliminarily inserts the left quick-thread rod

62

completely through the first left rod receiver

50

and the second left rod receiver

66

of the left flange hook assembly

64

. Similarly, the worker preliminarily inserts the right quick-thread rod completely through the first right rod receiver

52

and the second right rod receiver of the right flange hook assembly.

In order to mount the safety stanchion

10

securely upon the upper flange

28

of the horizontal I-beam

12

, a worker will also preliminarily thread the left wing nut

56

upon the front portion of the left quick-thread rod

62

, and, in an equivalent manner, the right wing nut (not shown) on the front portion of the right quick-thread rod (not shown). In addition, the worker will also preliminarily thread the threaded hexagonal left nut

70

upon the rear portion of the left quick-thread rod

62

, and, in an equivalent manner, the threaded hexagonal right nut (not shown) upon the rear portion of the right quick-thread rod (not shown). The two bolts

48

a

and

48

b

, are also threaded into and through the two threaded hexagonal nuts

44

a

and

44

b

, respectively, and into and through the left bore

45

and the equivalent right bore (not shown), respectively, starting from below the lower portion

42

of the channel member

35

.

However, during the preliminary steps of the mounting process as described above, no wing nut, threaded hexagonal nut, bolt or other part should be tightened or otherwise positioned in any way that would interfere with any subsequent mounting step.

As another preliminary step in mounting the safety stanchion

10

securely upon the upper flange

28

of the horizontal I-beam

12

, a worker also preferably places the underside of the upper portion

38

of the channel member

35

so that, at least in part, it rests horizontally upon and above the I-beam's upper flange

28

, with at least part of the lower portion

42

of the channel member

35

suspended below the upper flange

28

(but above the I-beam's lower flange

30

) by the vertical portion

40

of the channel member

35

. In addition, the worker preferably places the left flange hook assembly

64

so that the underside of at least part of its rod receiver

66

rests horizontally above the I-beam's upper flange

28

, and so that at least part of its flange hook portion

68

is suspended below the upper flange

28

(but above the I-beam's lower flange

30

). In an equivalent manner, the worker also preferably places the right flange hook assembly (unless the alternative right threaded flange hook assembly is to be used) so that the underside of at least part of its rod receiver rests horizontally above the I-beam's upper flange, and so that at least part of its flange hook portion is suspended below the upper flange

28

(but above the I-beam's lower flange

30

).

The worker, to the extent possible, next moves the channel member

35

and the left flange hook assembly

64

relatively toward each other, along the left quick-thread rod

62

(while the underside of the upper portion

38

of the channel member

35

and, if it is present, the underside of the rod receiver

66

of the left flange hook assembly

64

, continue to rest, at least in part, horizontally above the I-beam's upper flange

28

, as previously described).

In an equivalent manner, the worker, to the extent possible, also moves the channel member

35

and the right flange hook assembly relatively toward each other, along the right quick-thread rod (while both the underside of the upper portion

38

of the channel member

35

and, if it is present, the underside of the rod receiver of the right flange hook assembly continue to rest, at least in part, horizontally above the I-beam's upper flange

28

, as previously described).

The worker continues, to the extent possible, the relative movement of the channel member

35

and the other assemblies as described in the immediately preceding paragraphs, until no more relative movement can occur because: (in the manner illustrated in

FIG. 1

) the flange hook portion

68

of the left flange hook assembly

64

has engaged and is positioned against the left side (as viewed in

FIG. 1

) of that upper flange

28

, and the vertical portion

40

of the channel member

35

has engaged and is positioned against the right side of that upper flange

28

(also as viewed in FIG.

1

); and, in an equivalent manner, although hidden from view in

FIG. 1

, the flange hook portion of the right flange hook assembly has engaged and is positioned against that same left side of that upper flange

28

.

Further threading or moving of the left quick-thread rod

62

will cause the threaded hexagonal left nut

70

to engage the rear face

76

of the rod receiver

66

of the left flange hook assembly

64

, with the flange hook portion

68

of the left flange hook assembly

64

engaging and positioned against the left side (as viewed in

FIG. 1

) of the upper flange

28

as previously described. Similarly, further threading or moving of the right quick-thread rod will cause the threaded hexagonal right nut to engage the rear face of the rod receiver of the right flange hook assembly (not shown), with the flange hook portion of the right flange hook assembly (not shown) engaging and positioned against the left side (as viewed in

FIG. 1

) of the upper flange

28

as previously described.

As the final step in mounting the safety stanchion

10

securely upon the upper flange

28

of the horizontal I-beam

12

as shown in

FIGS. 1 and 5

, the worker first tightens jaw opening adjustment bolts

48

a

and

48

b

until they contact the underside of the I beam's flange. There is no need to torque these bolts. Hand tightening is sufficient since the primary purpose of the bolts is to adjust the jaw opening to correspond to the flange thickness. Then, the left and right wing nuts are tightened either by hand or by manually spinning them and then preferably striking them with a simple tool to turn each wing nut another half a turn or so. It should be noted that after the wing nuts have been firmly tightened (i.e. by inwardly threading it on its respective threaded rod), it is ordinarily unnecessary (although possible) to separately tighten, in addition, the threaded hexagonal left nut

70

and the threaded hexagonal right nut. This aforementioned design is advantageous since in most situations safety stanchion

10

can be firmly secured to an I-beam by hand tightening only.

Safety stanchion

10

is relatively light and may be installed simply, quickly and by hand, by a single worker. It may be installed (preferably along with another, neighboring safety stanchion

10

joined to it by a safety cable

14

a

or

14

b

) upon an I-beam

12

before the I-beam has been hoisted into its final position, and then be hoisted with the beam, or it may instead be installed upon an I-beam

12

after the I-beam has already been installed in its final position in a superstructure.

Through its use, the safety stanchion

10

provides a unique fall protection system. In its simplest form, this fall protection system includes two of the safety stanchions

10

mounted in line along one or more horizontal I-beams

12

forming part of a bridge, building, longspan, girder, roof peak or other structure. Of course, any number of safety stanchions

10

can be mounted in a row without interruption, so that the fall protection system can be extended indefinitely.

Also, a separate fall protection safety cable can be horizontally extended perpendicularly to a line of safety stanchions

10

that are already connected by other safety cables

14

a

,

14

b

, so as to intersect and be joined at right angles to that line by attachment either to one of the safety stanchions

10

directly, or instead by fixed or sliding perpendicular attachment to one of the other safety cables

14

a

,

14

b

. Such a perpendicular attachment is made possible because the safety stanchion

10

is able to resist loads (within design limits), as generated by falls, in any compass direction for three hundred and sixty degrees (360°) around the stanchion.

In their preferred embodiments, neighboring safety stanchions

10

can be spaced up to eighty (80) feet apart, or may have any closer spacing that would be more useful to the user, with the exact spacing planned to control possible total fall distances. In one alternative, one or more safety stanchions

10

can be placed in an intermediate position, between other safety stanchions

10

, in order to lessen total fall distances or increase the maximum number of workers allowed within a given length of safety cable; as previously noted, such intermediate safety stanchions

10

could, but need not, be fitted with an alternative pass-through type cap such as that taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,037,824, and could also, but need not, be fitted with a cap having more bores, so as to accommodate perpendicular cables as previously explained.

Once placed in a line, the safety stanchions

10

are used to vertically support and anchor one or more safety cables

14

a

or

14

b

sequentially above the particular I-beams

12

to which the safety stanchions

10

are attached, with any particular safety stanchion

10

ordinarily anchoring and supporting one or two safety cables (possibly together with one or more additional, perpendicular cables, as previously explained).

Ordinarily, each safety cable is supported and anchored at each end by a separate safety stanchion

10

, so that any two neighboring safety stanchions

10

form, together with the safety cable that links them, a so-called section.

When the preferred embodiment of the safety stanchion is properly used, up to two workers can be supported simultaneously by each section. Preferably, each worker obtains support by clipping to one of the supported and anchored safety cables

14

a

or

14

b

a conventional lanyard

26

that is attached, at its other end, to a harness worn by the worker. In one alternative, a worker could even hook his or her lanyard

26

directly to the safety stanchion

10

itself, if bore

24

a

or

24

b

was then unused and therefore available. Preferably, each lanyard

26

is five to six feet (5′ to 6′) in length, so as to limit possible fall distances. As previously noted, it is also preferred that conventional lanyards of the shock absorbing type be used. Alternatively, a retractable lanyard could be used to further limit free fall, total fall distance, and the forces on the system and the user.

In the preferred embodiment, each safety stanchion

10

supports and anchors its safety cables at a height of approximately forty-two inches (42″) above the upper flange

28

of the I-beam

12

to which the safety stanchion

10

is mounted.

At this height, a safety cable not only supports a worker's lanyard

26

but also provides the worker with a convenient hand grab to help the worker steady himself or herself. At this height, a safety cable also reduces free fall when compared to any shorter system or another lower tie-off point, thereby reducing the forces imposed, by a fall, upon the user and the fall protection system.

Once a worker has clipped his or her lanyard

26

to a supported and anchored safety cable

14

a

or

14

b

, the worker may walk along or work upon the I-beam

12

to which that safety cable is anchored and secured by way of the preferred safety stanchion

10

, with the worker's lanyard

26

sliding along the safety cable as the worker moves. The oblique angle at which the tapered tubular post

36

of the safety stanchion

10

extends above the base assembly

34

allows that tapered tubular post

36

, as well as the safety cables it supports, not only to provide a more conveniently placed hand grab, but also to facilitate the worker's passage along the beam with minimal interference from the safety stanchions

10

and the supported safety cables

14

a

or

14

b.

As a worker reaches a safety stanchion

10

, while moving along an I-beam

12

to which that safety stanchion

10

is mounted, the worker, before un-clipping his or her lanyard

26

from the particular safety cable

14

a

or

14

b

along which it has been sliding, first clips another, separate lanyard

26

, which is also attached to his or her harness, to the next safety cable

14

a

or

14

b

that extends in the desired direction of travel.

Only after the other, separate lanyard

26

has been so clipped does the worker un-clip his first lanyard

26

. In this fashion, the worker is clipped to a safety cable at all times, without interruption, so long as he or she is walking or working upon an I-beam

12

upon which safety stanchions

10

, with their accompanying safety cables, are mounted. Of course, this system anticipates that each worker will at all times have two separate lanyards

26

attached to his or her harness, for what is commonly called “100% fall protection.”

If a worker is properly clipped to a properly designed and installed safety system that incorporates safety stanchions

10

, the safety stanchions support the safety cable

14

a

or

14

b

to which the worker is clipped, and thereby limits the worker's fall. Furthermore, the preferred safety stanchion

10

may flex and may permanently deform, as previously described, to reduce and absorb the shock and sudden load created by the worker's fall. These abilities to flex and to permanently deform provide the preferred safety stanchion

10

with what is, in effect, a built-in shock absorber.

FIGS. 7-9

illustrate another safety stanchion

110

of the invention of the '809 patent which is ideally suited for mounting to a vertically disposed I-beam column

112

, as shown. A modified version, not shown, but quite similar may also be mounted to a horizontally disposed beam. The components of stanchion

110

(and its environment) which are identical or functionally equivalent to those of the previous embodiment will be identified with the same numbers used in the first embodiment. However, the numbers will be primed.

As shown, stanchion

110

has two primary components, a base assembly

134

and an L-shaped post

136

which is rigidly attached to base assembly

134

and which supports safety cables

14

a

′ and

14

b

′ at its upper end with a rigidly attached cap

22

′ in a manner similar to that described in the first embodiment.

Base assembly

134

is similar to base assembly

34

of the previous embodiment in that it also has a channel member

35

′ defining an open channel for receiving a side (not numbered) of flange

28

′ of I-beam column

112

. Base assembly

134

further includes a base plate

137

which is welded as shown in

FIG. 7

to the upper portion

38

′ of the channel member. As shown in

FIG. 7

, base plate

137

also has a pair of left and right gussets

80

′,

82

′ welded to its underside (not numbered) and to portions

40

′,

42

′ of channel member

35

′ which serve to strengthen and rigidify the base assembly. Gussets

80

′,

82

′ are also as shown in

FIGS. 7 and 8

welded along welds

139

to a square tubular sleeve

141

which in turn is received in and welded to the sides (not numbered) of a square bore

143

provided in base plate

137

. Gussets

80

′,

82

′ serve to rigidly maintain square tubular sleeve

141

in its perpendicular position relative to base plate

137

so that it is capable of supporting L-shaped post

136

, the lower end or leg

145

of which is slidably and telescopingly received therein. As shown, lower end

145

is held in place in square tubular sleeve

141

and thereby prevented from sliding out of the sleeve by a bolt/nut means

147

which passes through both sleeve

141

and lower end

145

.

Turning now to

FIG. 9

, it will be appreciated that base plate

137

also has a pair of rod receivers

50

′,

52

′ welded to its upper surface (not numbered). As shown, the rod receivers converge towards each other at an oblique angle of about

10

degrees in the manner previously described with respect to the first embodiment. As with the first embodiment, this arrangement serves to prevent “walking” or sliding of the base assembly down the column which is more of a problem in this embodiment since with a vertical column gravity is always acting on the base assembly.

As also shown, each rod receiver receives one end of a quick-thread rod

62

′ while the other end thereof is received in the bore (not numbered) of a flange hook

64

′. A nut

70

′ and a wing nut

56

′ are also provided for each quick-thread rod which are respectively threaded onto the opposite ends thereof. As will be appreciated and as previously described in connection with the first embodiment, when nuts

70

′ and wing nuts

56

′ of each quick-thread rod are tightened, the flange

28

′ of the column is clamped by (or between) the pair of flange hooks

64

′ and the channel member

35

′ of the base assembly. Note, a close comparison of the first and second embodiments will reveal that the location of the wing nuts

56

′ and nuts

70

′ are reversed in the two embodiments. This reversing or switching of their respective positions has no effect on the functionality of the respective embodiment, i.e. both fundamentally function the same. In both embodiments it will be appreciated that the wing nut is threaded onto the end of the quick-thread rod which extends over open space which as those skilled in the art will appreciate permits threading of the wing nut onto the rod.

FIG. 8

illustrates that the base assembly is also provided with a pair of threaded bolts

48

′, each,of which is threadingly received in a nut

44

′ which is welded to the lower portion

42

′ of channel member

35

′. Each threaded bolt

48

′ passes through a bore (not shown) in the lower portion

42

′ of channel member

35

′ so that bolts

48

′ can be tightened against the underside surface of the column's flange

28

′ as such is shown in FIG.

7

.

When bolts

48

′ are tightened along with nuts

70

′ and wing nuts

56

′ on each quick-thread rod (note, the tightening of a wing nut will automatically tighten the associated nut

70

′ which has been threaded on the other end of the quick-thread rod), the base assembly will be securely affixed to the column. As previously mentioned in connection with the first embodiment, this unique design of the base assembly's means for securing or attaching the post to an I beam enables the base assembly to be securely attached to an I beam, even a vertical column as shown in the second embodiment, by simply hand tightening wing nuts

56

′ and bolts

48

′ or by simply banging on the wing nuts with a device. In most situations, there will be no need to torque these elements to a specific torque. This is advantageous in that it reduces the likelihood of a failure which could be caused by over tightening of the nuts or bolts which might strip the threads of the nuts or bolts.

Turning now to L-shaped post

136

, as shown in the drawings, L-shaped post

136

includes three basic parts; (1) the previously mentioned lower end or leg

145

of L-shaped post

136

which is slidably and telescopingly received in square sleeve

141

of the base assembly, (2) an upright square tube-like central base portion

149

which is rigidly affixed, i.e. welded, as shown by weld line

151

, at its lower end

153

to end

155

of lower leg

145

and (3) an upright square tube-like upper portion

157

, the lower end (not numbered) of which is received in and rigidly affixed to, i.e. welded, to the square tube-like central base portion

149

.

As can be visualized from the drawings, lower leg

145

is welded or joined to the central base portion at a right angle which is what provides post

136

with its L-shape. Cap

22

′ is rigidly attached, preferably welded, to the upper end (not numbered) of upper portion

157

. Thus, it will be appreciated that the entire L-shaped post

136

including cap

22

′ is fundamentally a one piece component with no moving parts. It however, as previously mentioned, is slidably and telescopingly received in square sleeve

141

of the base assembly. As such, its telescoping position within sleeve

141

can be adjusted by adjusting the depth to which the lower leg

145

is received in square sleeve

141

. In addition, the telescoping members

141

,

145

can be held or locked in any one of a number of desired positions by inserting bolt/nut means

147

through the appropriate bore

159

of a number of bores

159

provided in lower leg

145

as such is shown in FIG.

7

. As previously mentioned, bolt/nut means

147

locks or prevents slidable movement between leg

145

and sleeve

141

by passing through bores provided in both sleeve

141

and lower end

145

as such is shown in FIG.

8

.

The ability to adjust the position of the L-shaped post relative to the base assembly by adjusting the telescoping position of members

141

and

145

as indicated is advantageous because it enables one to position the safety cables

14

a

′ and

14

b

′ as desired. The ability to make such an adjustment in a column mounted application is particularly important because the horizontal I-beam (not shown) which is walked upon by the construction workers is not always in the same position relative to the column. That is, in some situations its outer edges may be closer to the vertical plane of the column and in other situations it may be farther away. Thus, the ability to adjust the position of the post enables one to adjust the position of the safety cables so that they are within the easy reach of a construction worker walking on the adjacent I-beam. This quite obviously is an important safety feature of this embodiment.

As will also be appreciated, the two piece nature of this embodiment makes it relatively easy to install since with two pieces each piece is significantly lighter than one combined unit. Also, all components of this embodiment i.e. safety stanchion

110

may be made from conventional steel. However, to reduce weight certain components may be made from aluminum or other alloys including thinner gauge steel with higher strength and flexion properties.

FIGS. 10 through 16

illustrate that several apparatus and methods of the present invention for mounting a safety stanchion to a concrete structure. As shown in

FIG. 10

, a safety stanchion

210

is provided for direct mounting to a flat surface

212

of a concrete floor or structure

214

. Stanchion

210

has a post

216

with means or cap

22

′ attached to its top end for supporting a safety cable. Post

216

may be of uniform width or frustoconical as shown in FIG.

1

. At its bottom end, post

216

is rigidly attached, preferably welded, to a base (not numbered) which includes a mounting plate

218

and several strengthening gussets

220

for mounting the stanchion to the concrete surface. Plate

218

has a generally flat bottom surface (not shown) for placement against the flat surface

212

of the concrete structure. The mounting plate also has a top surface

222

and a plurality of holes

224

extending through the plate from the bottom surface to the top surface.

As indicated in

FIG. 10

, stanchion

210

is secured to the concrete structure with four elongated bolts

226

which are anchored in the concrete structure as well as four wing nuts (not shown) such as wing nuts

56

of

FIG. 1

which thread onto the exposed threaded ends

228

of the bolts which preferably have aggressive threads as previously described. As shown in

FIG. 14

, bolts

226

are anchored a predetermined depth in the concrete structure with their first end

230

received in an hole or bore

232

provided in the concrete structure and their second threaded end

228

projecting out of the hole a distance which is sufficient to pass through and project outwardly from a hole

224

of the mounting plate

218

. As also shown, the bolts are secured in holes

232

with an epoxy or grout

234

such as those available from Dayton Superior of Dayton, Ohio which has been found to provide a good bond between the bolt and the concrete. To enhance the bond between the bolts and the concrete, the bolts are preferably threaded along their entire length. This provides the bolt with more surface area to which the epoxy can bond. The portion of the bolt embedded in the concrete should also preferably have a length to width ratio of at least 8 to 1 for a secure bond. In the alternative, a shorter headed bolt or a bolt with a nut on one end could be employed to increase adhesion or the force required to pull the member out of the concrete.

The method for mounting safety stanchion

210

to concrete structure

214

using the aforementioned components includes the steps of providing the four elongated holes

232

in the concrete structure with the holes arranged so that they align with holes

224

provided in the stanchion's mounting plate

218

. In addition, holes

232

are sized so that they are capable of receiving the first ends

230

of the bolts

226

and allowing the second threaded ends

228

of the bolts to project out of the holes a distance which is sufficient to enable the bolts to pass through and project outwardly from holes

224

of the mounting plate

218

. The method further includes the step of placing epoxy

234

, preferably quick cure type, and an elongated bolt

226

in each elongated hole

232

to adhesively secure the bolts in the holes. The stanchion is then mounted to the concrete structure by placing the stanchion's base on the exposed threaded ends

228

of the bolts so that the ends pass through and project outwardly from the holes

224

of the base's mounting plate

218

. Nuts, preferably wing nuts such as wing nuts

56

of

FIG. 1

, are then threaded onto the exposed threaded ends

228

of the bolts until the stanchion's base, i.e. mounting plate

218

, is securely attached to the concrete structure.

FIGS. 11 and 12

illustrate a structure referred to as an embed

310

for aligning elongated bolts

326

similar to bolts

226

and for insuring that the bolts are securely anchored to the concrete structure

214

′. As shown, embed

310

includes four elongated bolts

326

each of which has a first end or bolt head

330

for being embedded in the concrete structure and a second threaded end

328

for projecting outwardly from the concrete structure. Embed

310

also includes a preferably metal or plastic plate

340

which is provided with four holes (not numbered) for receiving bolts

326

which are rigidly connected to the plate (or held thereto) for assuring alignment of bolts with the plate

218

and holes

224

. Four nuts (not shown) such as wing nuts

56

of

FIG. 1

are also provided for threading onto the exposed ends

328

of the bolts to secure a safety stanchion such as stanchion

210

of

FIG. 10

to the concrete structure.

To mount a safety stanchion such as stanchion

210

to concrete structure

214

′ using embed

310

, one first pours concrete for forming the concrete structure. One then embeds or positions embed

310

in the poured concrete so that the threaded ends

328

of the embed project outwardly from the poured concrete and the alignment plate

340

is roughly at the same plane as the surface of the concrete. The user will then be assured, with a high degree of engineering certainty that without any field installation audits, testing or oversight that the design engineered strength is achieved based on the depth of embedment. A safety stanchion such as stanchion

210

is then mounted on the embedded embed by placing the base of the stanchion on the threaded ends

328

of the embed

310

so that the threaded ends pass through and project outwardly from the holes

224

of the stanchion's mounting plate

218

. Nuts such as wing nuts

56

of

FIG. 1

are then threaded onto the threaded ends

328

of the embed to secure the base of the stanchion to the concrete structure. Sufficient time should then be allowed to pass before use of the stanchion so that the poured concrete cures to its minimum design strength.

FIGS. 15 and 16

illustrate an alternative embed

410

of the present invention which differs from embed

310

in that instead of using elongated bolts such as bolts

326

embed

410

includes four elongated female threaded inserts

456

for receiving threaded male members

458

. In addition, instead of using a plate

340

embed

410

uses a plurality of preferably metal or plastic rods

460

or welded wire at one or more elevations within the concrete (two as shown in

FIGS. 15

,

16

) which are welded or otherwise attached to the exterior surface of the threaded inserts (or are holding the inserts) to align and space the inserts. The threaded members

458

have opposing first and second threaded ends

462

,

464

respectively, the first end of which is threaded or threadably received in a threaded insert

456

a predetermined distance so that the second threaded end projects outwardly from the threaded insert a predetermined distance. Four nuts (not shown) such as wing nuts

56

of

FIG. 1

are also provided for threading onto the exposed ends

464

of the threaded members to secure the stanchion to the concrete structure. Ideally aggressively threaded nuts or wing nuts should be used to enable the installer to fixedly secure the stanchion to the concrete without having to use any tools. The aggressive threads also enable the embeds to be used with concrete without having to worry about concrete contamination which in all likelihood would disable a standard or finely threaded bolt.

The method for mounting a safety stanchion such as stanchion

210

using embed

410

is similar to that for embed

310

in that concrete for forming the concrete structure

214

″ is first poured and then the embed is embedded in the poured concrete so that the threaded inserts are embedded in the poured concrete with the first ends

462

of the threaded members threaded into the inserts and the second threaded ends

464

of the threaded members projecting outwardly from the poured concrete a predetermined distance. The safety stanchion may then mounted to the embed by placing the stanchion's base on the exposed threaded ends

464

of the threaded members threaded into the inserts so that the threaded ends pass through and project outwardly from the holes of the stanchion's mounting plate. Aggressively threaded nuts or wing nuts as described above are then threaded onto the exposed threaded ends

464

of the threaded members to secure the stanchion's base to the concrete structure. Sufficient time should then be allowed to pass before use of the stanchion so that the poured concrete cures to its minimum design strength.

FIG. 13

illustrates a safety stanchion mounting adaptor

510

for enabling safety stanchions which are normally mounted to a structural member such as an I beam to be mounted to a concrete floor, concrete beam or girder or other form of structural concrete. As shown, mounting adaptor

510

includes an I beam segment

512

of the type having parallel upper and lower flanges

514

,

516

respectively which are connected by a center section

518

commonly known as the web. The I beam segment

512

preferably has a length less than four times the width of its upper and lower flanges. In addition, the lower flange

516

is provided with a plurality (four as shown) of holes

520

extending through the flange's cross-section for receiving threaded ends

228

so that the segment can be secured to a generally flat concrete floor or other flat concrete surface when nuts such as wing nuts

56

are threaded onto ends

228

.

In addition, the mounting adaptor preferably includes at least one strengthening plate

522

which is rigidly connected, preferably welded, to an end

524

of the adaptor. As shown, adaptor

510

has a pair of strengthening plates

522

with one welded to each end

524

of the adaptor's segment

512

. As also shown, the strengthening plates connect and are welded to both the upper and lower flanges

514

,

516

of the segment, thereby providing an extremely strong mounting adaptor. In addition, the strengthening plates serve to capture the mounted base of the stanchion within the ends of the adaptor, thereby preventing the stanchion from moving horizontally or walking as referred to earlier off an end of the beam.

To mount adaptor

510

to a concrete floor or other flat surface, one places the adapter on the flat surface so that the lower flange of the adapter is against the flat surface with the threaded ends

228

of bolts

226

extending through the adaptor's holes

520

. The adaptor is then secured to the flat surface by threading nuts such as wing nuts

56

of

FIG. 1

on the threaded ends

228

of the bolts. A safety stanchion of the type normally mounted to an I beam may then be mounted on the adaptor. This simply involves placing the safety stanchion's base on the upper flange of the adaptor and securing it to the upper flange as previously described in connection with the embodiments of

FIGS. 1 through 9

. It will also be appreciated that adaptor

510

can be mounted to a concrete surface with either of the foregoing embeds.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that this was done only by way of example, and not as a limitation upon the scope of the invention.

Number	Name	Date	Kind
5481846	Macchietto	Jan 1996	A
6173809	Cole et al.	Jan 2001	B1

Concrete mounted safety stanchion and apparatus and methods for mounting to concrete

Information

Patent Number

Date Filed

Date Issued

Inventors

Original Assignees

Examiners

Agents

CPC

US Classifications

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Abstract

Description

Claims

Parent Case Info

US Referenced Citations (2)