Claims
- 1. A reinforced ear structure for use in a clamp whose clamping band is intended to be contracted by relatively large tightening forces, which includes two outwardly extending leg portions and a bridging portion connecting said leg portions and provided with reinforcing means, characterized in that the reinforcing means includes downwardly bent tab-like members along the longitudinal edges of the bridging portion, the length of the tab-like reinforcing members and the angle between the bridging portion and the tab-like members being such that the projection of the length of the tab-like members is at most equal to the length of the leg portions as viewed in a direction parallel to the leg portions and the bridging portion.
- 2. A reinforced ear structure formed from band material according to claim 1, characterized in that the bridging portion has a width which is smaller than the width of the band material by an amount twice the length of a tab-like member.
- 3. A reinforced ear structure according to claim 2, characterized in that cutouts are formed in the band laterally within the area of each leg portion on both sides of the clamping band which substantially define the width of the bridging portion and the shape of the tab-like reinforcing members.
- 4. A reinforced ear structure according to claim 3, wherein the cutouts are of such shape that each tab-like member is delimited in the longitudinal direction of the clamping band by end surfaces converging toward one another.
- 5. A reinforced ear structure with a substantially planar bridging portion according to claim 4, characterized in that the tab-like reinforcing members are bent relative to the plane of the bridging portion in such a manner that transition portions having at most very small radii of curvature are formed.
- 6. A reinforced ear structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the bridging portion is devoid of any reinforcing means other than the tab-like means.
- 7. A reinforced ear structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the reinforcing means further includes a reinforcing groove extending in the longitudinal direction of the clamping band.
- 8. A reinforced ear structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the reinforcing means includes a shallow depression means in the bridging portion which has length in both the longitudinal and transverse directions of the clamp.
- 9. A reinforced ear structure according to claim 8, characterized in that the area of said depression means is surrounded by a remaining non-reinforced bridging portion and is at least about 35% of the area of the bridging portion in its non-reinforced condition which substantially corresponds to the sum of the area of the depression means and of the remaining non-reinforced bridging portion.
- 10. A reinforced ear structure according to claim 8, in which the depression means is surrounded by a remaining non-reinforced bridging portion, characterized in that the bottom part of said depression means and the remaining non-reinforced bridging portion are connected by way of generally longitudinally extending connecting portions.
- 11. A reinforced ear structure according to claim 10, characterized in that transition portions between the longitudinally extending connecting portions and the remaining non-depressed bridging portion involve corners having at most very small radii of curvature.
- 12. A reinforced ear structure according to claim 8, characterized in that the bottom part of said depression means is substantially flat in cross sections transverse to the clamp longitudinal direction which extend through the ear structure.
- 13. A reinforced ear structure according to claim 12, characterized in that the bottom part is also substantially flat as viewed in longitudinal cross section and in that transverse connecting portions connecting the bridging portion with the bottom part form transition portions of at most very small radii of curvature.
- 14. A reinforced ear structure according to claim 8, characterized in that the bottom part is slightly concavely curved as viewed in longitudinal cross section of the clamping band with the radius of curvature substantially greater than the length of the leg portions.
- 15. A reinforced ear structure according to claim 8, characterized by an external strengthening member adapted to be mounted externally over the ear structure which has a thickness that is a multiple of the thickness of the clamping band.
- 16. A reinforced ear structure according to claim 15, characterized in that the external strengthening member surrounds the ear structure over the bridging portion and the leg portions, and in that the external strengthening member has a thick main portion extending approximately parallel to the bridging portion with the main portion terminating in lateral portions, the free ends of which come to lie within the area of transition between the clamping band and the leg portions.
- 17. A reinforced ear structure according to claim 16, characterized in that the lateral portions of the external strengthening member taper in a direction toward the free ends thereof, in that the lateral portions are convexly curved, and in that the outer surface of the main portion is slightly convexly curved while the inner surface thereof is substantially rectilinear.
- 18. A reinforced ear structure according to claim 17, characterized in that the inner surface of the main portion is longer than the outer surface of the bridging portion and in that in the non-deformed condition the lateral portions of the external strengthening member are spaced from the leg portions up to the area of the free ends thereof, in that the inner surface of the main portion of the external strengthening member passes over into the inner surface of the lateral portions by way of small radii of curvature, and in that the free ends of the lateral portions are rounded-off with a radius of curvature smaller than the radius of curvature defining the transition areas.
- 19. A clamp structure with a reinforced ear structure according to claim 8, characterized in that the reinforced ear structure is formed integral with the clamping band.
- 20. A clamp structure according to claim 19, characterized in that the clamp structure is of the open clamp structure type, whose overlapping open end portions of the clamping band are mechanically interconnected, and in that further means are provided in the overlapping band end portions of the clamping band to avoid any step, gap or offset in the internal surface of the clamp structure including a tongue-like extension at the free end of the inner band portion adapted to engage in a tongue-receiving means provided within the area of a step in the outer band portion spaced from the ear-like structure a predetermined distance.
- 21. A clamp structure according to claim 20, characterized in that the tongue-receiving means is a centrally disposed, outwardly extending channel commencing within the area of the step.
- 22. A clamp structure with a reinforced ear structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the reinforced ear structure is formed integral with the clamping band.
- 23. A reinforced ear structure for use in a clamp whose clamping band is intended to be contracted by relatively large tightening forces, which includes two outwardly extending leg portions and a bridging portion connecting said leg portions and provided with reinforcing means surrounded by a remaining non-reinforced bridging portion, characterized in that the reinforcing means includes a shallow depression means in the bridging portion which is of generally rectangular shape, as viewed in plan view, whose mutually opposite sides are substantially rectilinear, extend generally in the longitudinal and transverse directions of the clamping band, respectively, and are substantially parallel to one another so that the area of the depression means substantially corresponds to the product of length and width of the depression means, and in that the sides of the depression means are of such length that the area of said depression means formed by said product is at least about 35% of the total area of the bridging portion in its non-reinforced condition, which substantially corresponds to the sum of the areas of the depression means and of the non-reinforced remaining bridging portion.
- 24. A reinforced ear structure according to claim 23, characterized in that the depression means has a bottom part that is substantially flat in axial cross sections transverse to the clamp longitudinal direction which extend through the depression means in the bridging portion.
- 25. A reinforced ear structure according to claim 24, characterized in that the bottom part is substantially flat in longitudinal cross section through the depression means.
RELATED CASES
This application is a continuation-in-part application of my application Ser. No. 06/922,408, filed on Oct. 23, 1986, and entitled "Deformable Ear for Clamps", abandoned, which itself is a continuation application of my application Ser. No. 06/622,764, filed on Jun. 20, 1984, and entitled "Deformable Ear For Clamps", abandoned, and also a continuation-in-part application of my application Ser. No. 07/567,085, filed on Aug. 14, 1990 and entitled "Externally Strengthened Clamp Structure", U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,580.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Related Publications (1)
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Date |
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922408 |
Oct 1986 |
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Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
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622764 |
Jun 1984 |
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Continuation in Parts (1)
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567085 |
Aug 1990 |
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