Pipe clamp

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to a pipe clamp for supporting pipe lines and the like, comprising a suspended upper part and a U-shaped lower part which can be connected at its ends by fastening elements to the upper part and in which a pipe is held The lower part has a cross-section with at least one wider planar lateral surface which is arranged on the inside and on which the pipe to be supported rests, and the upper part has a holding-down device for holding the pipeline which is held in the lower part.

Pipe clamps are usually used in pipeline construction to hold a pipeline in a suspended or supporting position. Their dimensions are essentially determined by the pipe width and load, as well as by the medium conveyed in the pipeline, but should not be designed too large to achieve the necessary load capacity, since otherwise they are too heavy and difficult to handle.

In the case of heated pipelines, ie pipelines for a transport medium with elevated temperature, the holders or pipe connections are particularly stressed because of the temperature loads that occur. Within this component group, the pipe clamps are the most stressed and thus most endangered components, which are subject to static as well as dynamic loads mainly caused by fluctuations in the thermal expansion of the pipelines. Warm pipes are generally wrapped with insulating material. As a result, the pipe clamps are difficult to access after commissioning and can not be visually or hardly controllable. Therefore, it is essential that the pipe clamps are constructed in such a way,

<patcit id="pcit0001" dnum="DE19612583A1"><text>DE 196 12 583 A1</text></patcit> Describes a pipe clamp according to the invention. In this case, it is regarded as a particular advantage that the upper part and the lower part can be plugged into one another loosely one after the other for assembly on the pipeline by insertable extensions and recesses and thus can also be released again. As an abutment of the arrangement, the hold down means, which is arranged to be slidably arranged in a screw connection, for the purpose of assembling the pipe clamp with the pipeline inserted and adapting it to the pipe diameter, whereby the screw is guided through a long hole and is tightened after the adaptation has taken place. The disadvantage of this is that the connection can loosen in use and thus allows a radial displacement of the holding-down device,

In <patcit id="pcit0002" dnum="DE1851413U"><text>DE 185 14 13 U</text></patcit> A similar connection is disclosed via an elongated hole with the same problem described above.

In the printings <patcit id="pcit0003" dnum="US4413799A"><text>U.S. 4, 413, 799</text></patcit> and <patcit id="pcit0004" dnum="EP0342400A"><text>EP 0 342 400 A</text></patcit> Pipe clamps whose upper part and lower part or upper part and holding down means are held together by means of screw connections so that, when the connection is loosened, a pipe which can be stored therein is no longer firmly seated in the pipe clamp.

The object of the invention is to provide a pipe clamp which allows a permanently fixed seat for a pipe which can be stored therein.

The object is achieved according to the invention in that the fastening elements with which the lower part can be fastened to the upper part have identical bores through the wider side faces of the limb ends of the U-shaped lower part and through the larger side faces of at least two transverse lugs and at least one bolt with the bores Diameter, the bolt being secured against unintentional loosening.

In this case, the leg ends are guided into the upper part in such a way that, with their wider lateral surface, they rest against one larger lateral surface of the two transverse lugs and with the bores in the same manner as the cover and are connected by the bolt which is guided through the bores with its free ends on both sides Of the connection and is secured against unintentional release. This design is distinguished by the fact that it is particularly simple in design and can be easily installed on site. Thanks to its smooth surface, the bolt can be easily guided through the holes. This connection is thus based on a bolt which extends parallel to the longitudinal webs along the length of the pipe clamp, So that no displacement can take place with respect to the pipe line in the radial direction, and thus the mounted pipe is firmly seated in the pipe clamp. In addition, the secured bolt connection is not undesirably detachable, except under destruction of the connecting components per se, so that a permanently tight fit of the pipe in the pipe clamp is ensured. In addition, the bolt connection is easy to accomplish and can also be easily removed from the bore even after prolonged operation by removing the fuse in the form of splints or the like and pulling out the bolt. In addition, a heat-resistant material which is difficult to machine mechanically can be used as a material for at least one of the lower parts, as described in more detail below.

The one-piece design of the lower part advantageously reduces the production and assembly effort. It is necessary to use hot-strength steels with hot working pipes with operating temperatures of more than 600 ° C for the sections of the pipe clamp which are attached to the pipe. These materials have required strength values ​​in the hardened state and are difficult to machine mechanically. However, by thermal processing, in particular by welding, the structure is changed as a result of the locally high heat application into the material in the welding region in such a way that it must again be subjected to expensive heat treatment, whereby original strengths, tenacities; And thus load capacities can hardly be reached again and thus at least the welding region can form a weak point.

The lower part has a cross-section with at least one wider flat side surface, whereby the pipe line, which is held against it, advantageously has a correspondingly wide supporting surface which is gentle on the pipe. In addition, the tensile stresses prevailing in the cross-section are reduced by the cross-sectional area, which is larger in comparison to a round cross-section, and the material is thus less stressed, as a result of which higher load bearing capacities can be achieved.

Furthermore, the pipe clamp has a holding down device for holding the pipeline, which is held in the lower part. As a result, the hot-running pipeline is advantageously held at an adjustable distance from the upper part by means of a geometry of the holding-down device which is still to be described, as a result of which the upper part is thermally less stressed and can thus be produced from a material which is less heat-resistant and thus more cost-effective and better machinable. Furthermore, the material safety and the geometries of the holding-down device make it possible to set the bearing safety of the hold-down device on the pipe.

Preferably, the lower part is made of a heat-resistant chromium-molybdenum steel. Particularly preferably, the lower part is made of X 10 CrMoVNb 9-1, which is particularly heat-resistant and is resistant to scaling and is substantially equal to a conventional material for hot-running pipes.

In a preferred embodiment, the lower part is essentially made of the same material as the tube stored therein. As a result of the same expansion coefficients, a similar expansion behavior of the lower part as well as of the raw section stored therein is advantageously present. Furthermore, a possible corrosion, which results from the contact of two electrogalvanically dissimilar metals, is prefixed.

Preferably, the structure of the lower part has a deformation anisotropy, its structure being more deformed perpendicularly to the cross-sectional plane than in the cross-sectional plane. Usually, workpieces such as the lower part are taken from a rolled sheet with corresponding deformation anisotropies in the longitudinal direction, which are utilized here in that the longitudinal direction of the lower part or the flat steel belt coincides with the rolling direction. This unequal deformation advantageously has the effect that the tensile strength perpendicular to the cross-sectional area and the notch impact strength in the cross-sectional area are increased, as a result of which the time stability of the lower part can correspondingly be increased.

Preferably, the lower part is produced by cold forming. As a result, the compensation structure is advantageously largely retained, so that a subsequent tempering is not necessary with correspondingly low degrees of deformation. The corresponding maximum degree of deformation is, for example, in the case of the material X 10 CrMoVNb 9-1 according to conventional regulators at approximately 5%.

Particularly preferably, the lower part is designed in a U-shape, wherein the radius of the semicircle in the U-shape appropriately and advantageously corresponds to the radius of the cross-section of the pipe supported therein. The U-shape is also advantageously produced uniformly under particularly low degrees of deformation. As a result, the compensation structure can remain so undisturbed that only a stress-relieving anneal is required after the deformation.

In a preferred embodiment, the lower part has a substantially rectangular cross-section. On the one hand, this simplifies manufacture since this cross-sectional shape is usually already contained in flat steel straps or in the rolled sheet. In addition, the maximum cross-sectional area which can be loaded with higher forces is thereby achieved in comparison with a cross-section, for example, of a dome-shaped cross-section with a given width and thickness.

In one embodiment, the upper part has at least two spaced-apart longitudinal webs and at least two spaced-apart transverse flanges each having a larger lateral surface, the transverse flanges being arranged essentially at a right angle to the longitudinal webs and between the longitudinal webs. Advantageous is the simple and expedient design of the upper part.

Further preferably, the longitudinal webs and cross-plates are produced as individual plate parts, which can be assembled in a form-fitting manner in a loose manner, and which can be fixed via connecting elements. As a result, the production of the upper part is considerably simplified, for example, compared to a welded construction since the individual parts can be produced from a plate and, for example, can be preassembled on site.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the transverse tabs each have at least one extension which, in the assembled upper part, engages in a corresponding recess in one of the longitudinal webs. As a result, the individual plate parts are particularly easy to assemble or assemble. In this case, the extension is preferably integrally connected to the respective transverse tab.

Even more preferred is an embodiment of the invention in which the extension has a right-angled cross-section with a thickness equal to the thickness of the transverse flap, the extension forming with the transverse flap at least two common lateral surfaces, and the extension projecting straight over the outer lateral surface of the longitudinal web . As a result, the production of the transverse tab and thus of the pipe clamp is further simplified since the extension can be cut out directly from a plate forming the transverse tab.

Particularly preferably, the limb ends are in each case arranged between two transverse tabs and essentially adjoining the latter, wherein an easy play between the limb ends and transverse tabs can occur for facilitating the assembly. Due to the fact that the limb ends respectively adjoin each other on a transverse tab, the lower part is particularly stably supported and held against twisting.

In a particularly preferred development of the invention, the two limb ends are connected to the transverse lugs by a respective bolt. As a result, the leg ends can be fastened individually to the upper part by means of a bolt, as a result of which the center of the upper part advantageously remains free of construction and the mounting of the fastening is simplified.

Preferably, the securing of the bolts by means of securing splints preferably takes place at the free bolt ends, which are guided through corresponding openings. This has the advantage that, if necessary, the securing splines and thus the bolts can be removed again.

Previously, an attachment of the lower part to the upper part by at least one bolt has been described. However, other embodiments are also conceivable, such as, for example, bending of the limb ends into small projections, which then rest on the upper part, that is to say, for example, from above on the transverse flaps and are pressed against the upper part by way of the dead weight of the pipeline and by the holding-down abutment against the pipeline .

In the invention, the holding-down device is preferably produced from a strip steel or a sheet metal strip with a substantially rectangular cross-section. As a result, the production can be made cost-effective since, as in the case of the other parts of the pipe clamp, it is possible to use market-ready precursors.

Preferably, the holding-down device has a profile which extends in a plane and is mirror-symmetrically curved.

In a further preferred embodiment, the holding-down device has an open shape, the free ends of which extend essentially in the same direction and are connected to the upper part, while the holding-down device rests against the pipe held in the lower part in the region of its form. Thanks to the mirror symmetry, a uniform force transfer from the mold center is possible in the free ends of the holding-down device and thus further into the support of the holding-down device.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the holding-down device has a U-shaped, square, quadrangularly folded U-shape, open towards the upper part, with a central side which extends essentially parallel to the longitudinal webs and bears against the pipeline. In the region where the holding-down device rests against the pipeline, the holding-down device is thermally particularly loaded due to the thermal conduction taking place there. If, as in this embodiment, the holding-down device engages in a very narrow region on the pipeline, this thermally particularly endangered region is advantageously minimized. The middle side is preferably designed to be larger than is necessary for the formation of a contact surface with respect to the pipeline. As a result, inaccuracies are advantageously caused by assembly and / or production, Which would result in a displacement of the middle side out of the center. Furthermore, like a leaf spring, the holding-down device can elastically or elastically plastically adjust or counteract the small circumference of the pipe section that can be adjusted by dimensions and material. Advantageously, such an angled U-shape can be achieved with little effort by simply bending the strip steel. Within this invention, of course, other possible flattening shapes of the holding-down device, wherein an odd number of sides is always preferred. Elastically-plastically yield or counteract. Advantageously, such an angled U-shape can be achieved with little effort by simply bending the strip steel. Within this invention, of course, other possible flattening shapes of the holding-down device, wherein an odd number of sides is always preferred. Elastically-plastically yield or counteract. Advantageously, such an angled U-shape can be achieved with little effort by simply bending the strip steel. Within this invention, of course, other possible flattening shapes of the holding-down device, wherein an odd number of sides is always preferred.

In a further particular embodiment, the holding-down device has a central region which is adapted to the cross-section of the pipeline and curved towards the upper part. In this way, a particularly firm fit of the holding-down device on the pipeline is advantageously achieved.

In a further advantageous embodiment, the holding-down device has the form of a circle or oval which is open towards the upper part. By means of these molds, which essentially form a round arch construction, particularly large forces can advantageously be transmitted.

The holding-down device preferably has bores at its free limb ends, by means of which the holding-down device can be fastened to the upper part. Particularly preferably, these bores correspond to the bores of the lower part and that of the transverse lugs. These bores are expediently arranged in such a way that the leg ends of the holding-down device and of the lower part can be fastened together on the transverse lugs.

The connecting elements, with which the assembled and loosely remaining longitudinal webs and transverse tabs are held together in the upper part, preferably have at least one steel rod with one thread each at its free end, the steel rod being parallel to the transverse tabs and through corresponding openings in the larger side faces of the longitudinal webs And projects with its free ends beyond the longitudinal webs and can be screwed from the outside with screw nuts. The screw nuts can be secured against unintentional loosening by means of following lock nuts. As a result, a positive and non-positive connection can be achieved.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, at least one securing nut for securing the screw connection can in each case be guided against the inner side of the longitudinal webs on the steel rod in addition to both ends. In this way, if desired, a slight clearance between the inserted longitudinal webs and transverse tabs can be produced, which can be adjusted by the screws arranged internally. However, this can also be completely removed by correspondingly screwing the longitudinal webs together with the transverse tabs. By screwing the screw connections, the screw nuts can additionally be fixed in their assigned position.

Preferably, the steel rods extend perpendicularly to the bolt and below and / or above the bolt in the region in which the bolt is arranged. In order to generate uniform stress ratios, it is expedient to arrange the steel rods in an alternating sequence and with respect to the center of the upper part in symmetrical sequence below and above the bolt.

In a special embodiment, at least one steel rod is guided through the bolt for securing the bolt. As a result, the securing of the bolt as well as the connection of the longitudinal webs and the transverse plates can advantageously take place in one working step. In this case, at least one steel rod is required in this double function for securing a bolt.

Preferably, the upper part has at least one holster pocket, designed as a transverse tab, on which the pipe clamp can be suspended by a suspension device, the holster being expediently arranged in the middle of the upper part. In this case, the suspension can engage the halter pocket from above. Particularly preferably, the holder pocket has as a connection point to the suspension device at least one bore in the center through its larger side surface.

In a further embodiment, the upper part has two halter pockets, which are arranged on both transverse sides of the upper part. This arrangement advantageously allows at least one suspension device to engage the transverse lugs from above as well as from the side.

Also conceivable is an embodiment in which the upper part has at least one longitudinal web on which the pipe clamp can be suspended by a suspension device.

In a preferred embodiment, the lower part is interchangeably attached to the upper part. Particularly preferably, both parts, the lower part as well as the holding-down device, are interchangeably attached to the upper part in the above-described manner, in that the at least one bolt is detachable. In this case, it is expedient for easier replacement that the steel rods for connecting the individual plate parts are arranged such that they do not hinder a displacement of the bolt for releasing the lower part and / or the holding-down device. Advantageously, damaged subassemblies can thereby be replaced, for example. Furthermore, the pipe clamp can be pre-assembled except for the lower part and the holding-down device, and can be installed on site on the pipe to be supported.

A construction of the upper part is also conceivable in this case, which allows an attachment or an exchange of different designs of compartments and / or holding-down devices.

The object according to the invention is described in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment and an associated drawing. In the drawing: FIG.<dl id="dl0001"><dt>FIG</dt><dd>4 shows a perspective view of a pipe clamp and FIG</dd><dt>FIG</dt><dd>A perspective top view of the pipe clamp with a partially preassembled upper part, the remaining unassembled parts of the pipe clamp being arranged in the form of an exploded drawing around the preassembled upper part.</dd></dl>

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a pipe clamp 1 with a top part 2 and a bottom part 3. The upper part 2 consists essentially of a holding-down device 4 and of individual plate parts, which are loosely inserted into one another, ie, two longitudinal webs 5, four transverse lugs 6 and a holster pocket 20 designed as a transverse lug Rectangular cross-section and the same thickness as the transverse tabs 6, The extension 7 engages in the respective corresponding recess 8 in the longitudinal web 5.

The plate parts, which are inserted one inside the other and are loosely held together, are held together by spaced steel rods 9 with both screw threads, the screw ends being guided through corresponding openings 10 in the longitudinal webs 5,

In the exemplary embodiment, the lower part 3 is made of X 10 CrMoVNb 9-1. Of course, other materials are also conceivable which meet the respective strength requirements.

The lower part 3 has a rectangular cross-section, one of the two wider side surfaces 12 pointing inward and serving as a support surface for a pipeline (not shown). Of course, other cross-sectional shapes are also conceivable which, however, should provide a similarly wide supporting surface for the support of the pipeline. Coldly bent from a flat steel belt or sheet metal strip U-shaped, the lower part 3 has a simple geometry which can advantageously be produced with uniform, low degrees of deformation in such a way that no re-hardening of the material is necessary but only a stress relief annealing is necessary.

The band-shaped holding-down device 4 has the profile of a square, quadrangularly folded U-shape, open towards the upper part 2, with a central side 14 which extends in a plane and is mirror-symmetrical Engages in the plate composite and bears with its central side 14 against the pipeline (not shown).

The lower part 3 engages with its limbs 15 in the same way as the holding-down device 4 into the plate composite, wherein transverse flaps 6 with their larger side surfaces 19 rest on the wider lateral surfaces 12 of their limbs 15. The transverse tabs 6 and the ends of the limbs 15 of the lower part 3 and of the holding-down device 4 each have a centrally arranged bore 16 which is arranged one over the other in the same direction as a cover, and through which a bolt 17 is guided and secured with cotters 18, Outwardly inward, a composite sequence transverse flap 6 / leg end 15 of the lower part 3 / transverse flap 6 / leg end 13 of the holding-down device 4 is formed on both sides of the upper part 2.

Instead of the embodiment shown here with two bolts 18, for example, which is not shown here, it is possible to use only one bolt which extends over the length of the upper part and by means of which the lower part and / or the holding-down device is connected to the upper part. Also conceivable is the individual suspension of the leg ends of the holding-down device and of the lower part with a respective bolt.

Conceivable, but not shown here, are other suspension forms of the lower part. For example, the transverse tabs have a recess on both sides at approximately the same height, through which a respective bolt can be guided. These recesses can advantageously be inserted into the transverse flaps advantageously by means of plasma welding.

FIG. 2 shows the pipe clamp 1 in a preassembled state, in which the pipe clamp 1 can be advantageously brought to the final assembly site. 2, the outer steel rods 9, the holding-down device 4 and the fastening bolts 14 with associated securing cords 17 are shown in the form of an exploded drawing.

The holster pocket 20, which is arranged in the center of the upper part 2, serves as a fastening point for a suspension device, which is not shown here, which can engage the bore 16. For reasons of simplified manufacture of the pipe clamp 1, the bore 16 has the same diameter as the remaining bores 16 in the lower part 3, the holding-down device 4 and the other transverse lugs 5 by means of the larger lateral surface 19 of the transverse lug.

Of course, the mounting point, here in the form of the bore 16, can also be designed in another form adapted to the respective suspension.

Furthermore, instead of one two halves can be arranged as transverse flaps in the center of the upper part, between which a further flap, sheath, eyelet or the like is arranged between the suspension and the similar, similar to the abovementioned suspension of the lower part on the upper part by a common bolt Can be connected.

The thickness of the transverse tab formed as a halo pocket may also be designed to be larger than the other transverse tabs, differing from the illustration for greater loadability.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the two outer steel rods 9 are arranged at the level of the fastening bolt 17. As a result, after final assembly of the pipe clamp 1, a replacement of the lower part 3 and / or the holding-down device 4 is possible only after the outer steel rods have been released by displacing the fastening bolt outwards.

It is conceivable, however, not shown here, that the outer steel rods and / or the inner steel rods are arranged higher or lower than the fastening bolts, so that the fastening bolts can be pulled outwards and / or inwards after releasing their securing splints So that an easier exchange of the lower part and / or the holding-down device is possible.

Pipe clamp

<u>Reference list</u>

<dl id="dl0002" compact="compact"><dt>1</dt><dd>Pipe clamp</dd><dt>2</dt><dd>Top</dd><dt>3</dt><dd>Lower section</dd><dt>4</dt><dd>Downholder</dd><dt>5</dt><dd>Longitudinal beam</dd><dt>6</dt><dd>Cross tabs</dd><dt>7</dt><dd>Progress</dd><dt>8th</dt><dd>Recess</dd><dt>9</dt><dd>Steel rod</dd><dt>10</dt><dd>opening</dd><dt>11</dt><dd>Screw nut</dd><dt>12</dt><dd>Side surface</dd><dt>13</dt><dd>leg</dd><dt>14</dt><dd>Medium side</dd><dt>15</dt><dd>leg</dd><dt>16</dt><dd>drilling</dd><dt>17</dt><dd>bolt</dd><dt>18</dt><dd>Sapwood</dd><dt>19</dt><dd>Side surface</dd><dt>20</dt><dd>Halal bag</dd><dt>21</dt><dd>Locking nut</dd></dl>