Claims
- 1. An electrical grounding connector for interconnecting lengths of a pair of conductive members, comprising:
- a one-piece stamped and formed metal member including a base section and opposing outer walls extending upwardly and initially outwardly therefrom to outer extents to define generally a V shape, and a clamping section extending integrally from a hinge joint with said outer extent of one of said outer walls and including a first inner wall section, a central portion and a second inner wall section concluding in a latching means, said first and second inner wall sections being joined to said central portion at bendable joints and having outer extents remote from said bendable joints, said clamping section being rotatable against spring bias toward the other of said outer walls to latch with cooperating latching means of a said outer extent of the other of said outer walls in closed position,
- said base section defining a first conductor-clamping surface and said central portion of said clamping section being opposed therefrom and defining a second conductor-clamping surface, said first and second conductor-clamping surface, said first and second conductor-clamping surfaces defining a conductor-receiving region therebetween;
- said member further including an insert section disposed between said first and second conductor-clamping surfaces and defining first and second conductor-receiving passageways, said insert section including conductor-engaging means defined along said first and second conductor-receiving passageways and engageable with surfaces of lengths of first and second conductors to be disposed therewithin, and said member defining a conductive path between said first and second conductors upon termination thereto;
- said outer walls having upper sections, and said first and second inner wall sections being disposed proximate inside surfaces of said outer walls when said calming section is latched in its closed position, said upper sections of said outer walls diverging at a selected first angle from vertical, and said first and second inner wall sections diverging at a slightly greater selected angle from vertical when said clamping section is in its closed position;
- said upper sections including engagement means proximate outer extents thereof firmly engageable during crimping with cooperating engagement means of said first and second inner walls sections outer extents thereof,
- whereby when first and second conductors are positioned along said first and second conductor-receiving passageways respectively, and when said upper sections of said outer walls are deformed by being rotated toward each other about an upper one of said first and second conductors, said first and second inner wall sections therebetween are correspondingly rotated by said outer wall upper sections toward each other about said bendable joints and said cooperating engagement means are engaged by said engagement means and cause said first and second inner wall sections to urge said central portion of said clamping section toward said base section pressing said first and second conductor-clamping surfaces against respective ones of said conductors disposed in said conductor-receiving passageways and during said conductor-engaging means against said conductors to establish an electrical interconnection sufficient to define a grounding connection therebetween.
- 2. An electrical grounding connector as set forth in claim 1 wherein said engagement means comprises said outer extents of said outer wall upper sections being bent back along said inside surfaces thereof to define slots, and said cooperating engagement means comprises said outer extents of said first and second inner wall sections being bent back and shaped to be received into said slots upon said clamping section being rotated into said closed position and to fit snugly within said slots upon full crimping of said member to said first and second conductors.
- 3. An electrical grounding connector as set forth in claim 1 wherein said bendable joints are rounded to facilitate bending thereat.
- 4. An electrical grounding connector as set forth in claim 1 especially suitable for use in grounding a wire to a pipe with the wire and the pipe being the first and second conductors, wherein said base section is rounded having an inner radius about equal to the radius of a respective said wire to be grounded, and said central portion of said clamping section is arcuate upwardly to define a concave clamping surface having a radius about equal to the radius of a respective said pipe to which said wire is to be grounded.
- 5. An electrical grounding connector as set forth in claim 4 wherein said first and second inner wall sections each include a pair of vertical support wings extending inwardly therefrom defining support ledges proximate said bendable joints to engage and support upper surface portions of said central portion at two axial locations on each side therealong during final stages of crimping for support to assure uniform bending thereof.
- 6. An electrical grounding connector as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of at least said upper sections of said outer walls are oriented at a first selected angle of about from 20.degree. to about 40.degree. from vertical, and each of said first and second inner wall sections are oriented at a second selected angle greater than said first selected angle.
- 7. An electrical grounding connector as set forth in claim 6 wherein said second selected angle is about from 35.degree. to about 55.degree. from vertical.
- 8. An electrical grounding connector as set forth in claim 7 wherein said first selected angle is about 30.degree. and said second selected angle is about 45.degree..
- 9. An electrical grounding connector as set forth in claim 1 further including locking means for locking said first and second inner wall sections together upon full crimping and mechanically assuring and visually indicating that the assembly has attained a fully crimped configuration.
- 10. An electrical grounding connector as set forth in claim 9 wherein said locking means is defined by first and second locking lances extending from said first and second inner wall sections respectively and toward each other when said first and second inner wall sections have been rotated to a vertical orientation upon full crimping, and free ends of said locking lances are adapted to lockingly engage when said free ends coextend alongside each other.
- 11. An electrical grounding connector as set forth in claim 10 wherein free ends of said first and second locking lances overlap each other when said member is fully crimped, said first locking lance includes locking projections extending to locking surfaces facing away from said free end of said first locking lance and outwardly of upper and lower surfaces of said first locking lance, and said second locking lance includes a slot extending away from said free end thereof beginning at an inside edge facing away from said free end thereof at a location proximate thereto and defining a cooperating locking surface, said slot of said second locking lance thereby being capable of receiving either one of said locking projections thereinto permitting said first locking lance to resile against said second locking lance thereby locking said first and second inner wall sections in a fully crimped orientation irrespective of said free end of said first locking lance passing over or under said free end of said second locking lance.
- 12. An electrical grounding connector as set forth in claim 1, wherein said conductor-engaging means comprise opposed first and second engagement edges of plate sections of at least one insert tab joined integrally to a respective at least one said outer wall and defining said insert section.
- 13. An electrical grounding connector as set forth in claim 12 wherein a said insert tab is joined to each said outer wall and extends inwardly into said conductor-receiving region at staggered locations along said base section, said plate section of each said insert tab being oriented generally horizontally with a first end portion angled downwardly to said first engagement edge, and a second end portion angled upwardly to said second engagement edge, for engaging said first and second conductors at angles enabling wiping along engaged surfaces of said first and second conductors for breaking through corrosion thereon.
- 14. An electrical grounding connector as set forth in claim 13 wherein said insert tabs are joined to said outer walls by straps enabling deflection and limited rotation of said plate sections during crimping.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/624,858 filed Dec. 10, 1990, now abandoned, and is filed concurrently with U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/754,884.
US Referenced Citations (12)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
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731999 |
Feb 1943 |
DE2 |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
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624858 |
Dec 1990 |
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