Abstract:
The present disclosure relates to a method of installing a spacer fitting repair device on a utility support structure. The method includes removing an insulator strand from an insulator aperture of a spacer fitting, abrading a first outer surface and a second outer surface of the spacer fitting connected to the utility support structure to create roughen the first and second outer surfaces, positioning a front plate against a portion of the first outer surface, positioning a back plate against a portion of the second outer surface, and clamping the front plate and the back plate to the spacer fitting. The method may be used to repair spacer fittings for supporting utility transmission wires or cables.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/102,723 filed 6 May 2011, entitled “Spacer Fitting Repair Plate,” now U.S. Pat. No. 8,905,364 B2 which claims the benefit of priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. provisional application No. 61/332,434 filed 7 May 2010 entitled “Spacer Fitting Repair Plate,” which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     The present invention relates generally to transmission line support structures and more particularly to brackets for transmission line support structures. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     I. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates generally to transmission line support structures and more particularly to brackets for transmission line support structures. 
     II. Background Discussion 
     A number of different types of wires extend across large areas through the use of transmission lines, for example power and telephone lines. In some instances these lines are held above ground by a series of support structures, such as H-frame poles, steel poles, single wood or steel lattice, etc. The wires may be connected directly to the support structure or connected indirectly, for example through insulators or other devices. In the case of electrical wires, the electrical wires are connected to insulators, which are then connected to the support structures. The insulators may be configured to swing or rotate, allowing the insulators and the wires to move with the wind and other factors. However, as the insulators may move, the connection location on the support structure that connects to the insulators may wear-out over time. For example, in some instances the insulators are connected to the support structures at a spacer fitting assembly. The spacer fitting assembly may include an aperture that receives a fastener, such as a hook, clevis or the like that connects the insulators to the support structure. As the insulators swing or otherwise move, the aperture in the spacer fitting may deform or “mushroom,” pushing the material outwards, additionally the aperture may become elongated. Over time the aperture may eventually fail, causing the insulators and wires to fall to the ground, which could also potentially create a domino effect and cause other spacer fittings to fail also. 
     Replacing the connection location, i.e. the spacer fitting assembly, can be an expensive and complicated process. For instance, H-frame support structures may include two cross beams that are connected together by the spacer fitting assembly, and replacing the spacer fitting assembly requires the removal of bolts, which may be old and/or weathered. These bolts may be difficult to remove and replace, in fact some bolts may become stripped while they are removed. Also, the spacer fitting assembly often sets a distance between the two cross beams and this distance may vary between location points on each beam (i.e. the beam spacing changes width along their length) and may also vary between support structures. Typically, replacing the spacer fitting assembly also requires the distance between the cross beams to be kept essentially the same. This type of replacement may require significant time and labor expenses. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a quick and simple connection replacement and/or reinforcement for a spacer fitting assembly. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the disclosure include a reinforcement assembly for a spacer fitting assembly comprising a front plate and a back plate. The front plate includes a front connection aperture located at a top portion of the front plate, wherein the front connection aperture is configured to be substantially the same diameter as an insulator aperture on the spacer fitting assembly. The front plate also includes a front receiving aperture located at a bottom portion of the front plate. The reinforcement assembly also includes a back plate comprising a back connection aperture located at a top portion of the back plate, wherein the back connection aperture is configured to be substantially the same diameter as the insulator aperture on the spacer fitting assembly. The back plate also comprises a back receiving aperture located at a bottom portion of the back plate. The front plate and the back plate may be configured to be installed on opposite sides of the spacer fitting assembly. Furthermore, the apertures on each the front and back plates may be aligned, such that if the front and back plate are placed against each other there is a passageway between the front receiving apertures on the front and back plates as well as a passageway between the back connection apertures on the front and back plates. 
     Other embodiments of the disclosure include a method of reinforcing a spacer fitting assembly for a utility support structure, comprising grinding flat the insulator connection aperture on a worn spacer fitting. Positioning a front plate comprising a front fastening aperture located on a top portion of the front plate and a front receiving aperture located on a bottom portion of the front plate on the spacer fitting, such that the front fastening aperture is substantially aligned with the insulator connection aperture. Positioning a back plate comprising a back fastening aperture located on a top portion of the back plate and a back receiving aperture located on a bottom portion of the front plate on the spacer fitting, such that the back fastening aperture is substantially lined up with the insulator connection aperture. Fastening the back plate, front plate, and spacer fitting assembly together via a fastener. Aligning the front receiving aperture, the back receiving aperture and the insulator connection aperture, creating a passageway between the front plate and the back plate. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front elevation view of a H-frame transmission support structure supporting three transmission lines. 
         FIG. 2A  is a side elevation view of the H-frame illustrated in  FIG. 1 ;  FIG. 2B  is an enlarged view of the insulators connected to the H-frame structure illustrated in  FIG. 2A . 
         FIG. 3A  is an elevation view of a non-adjustable or unitary spacer fitting assembly installed between two cross beams of the H-frame illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3B  is an elevation view of an adjustable or non-unitary spacer fitting assembly installed between two cross beams of the H-frame illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4A  is a side perspective view of a repair plate installed on the spacer fitting assembly illustrated in  FIG. 3A  and  FIG. 4B , the same as  FIG. 4A  but illustrating an insulator strand hanging from the repair plate. 
         FIG. 5  is a bottom perspective view of the repair plate illustrated in  FIG. 4A . 
         FIG. 6  is an edge view of the repair plate as illustrated in  FIGS. 4A and 5 . 
         FIG. 7A  is an elevation view of the first plate of the repair plate illustrated in  FIG. 4A ;  FIG. 7B  is an edge view of the first plate illustrated in  FIG. 7A . 
         FIG. 8  is an edge view of the first and a second plate of the repair plate connected via a fastener. 
         FIG. 9  is a side perspective view of another embodiment of the repair plate installed on the adjustable spacer fitting assembly illustrated in  FIG. 3B . 
         FIG. 10A  is an elevation view of a first plate of the repair plate illustrated in  FIG. 9 ;  FIG. 10B  is an edge view of the first plate illustrated in  FIG. 10A . 
         FIG. 11  is an elevation view of a spacer fitting with a worn aperture. 
     
    
    
     The use of the same reference numerals in different drawings indicates similar or identical items. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In some embodiments, a spacer fitting repair and reinforcement plate is disclosed. The spacer fitting repair plate can be installed on a transmission line support structure to quickly and simply repair worn out connection points. For example, in some embodiments, the spacer fitting repair plate may be installed on a spacer fitting assembly for a H-frame support structure. The spacer fitting repair plate may be installed on the H-frame by attaching the repair plate to an aperture within the original spacer fitting. The aperture or connection point for the original spacer fitting may have been used to support insulators for transmission lines. The aperture where the insulators connected to the spacer fitting may be worn out and so the spacer fitting repair plate may use friction along the face of the original spacer fitting, as well as a bolt, to secure to the original spacer fitting assembly. For instance, the repair plate may act as a clamp and be configured to create a frictional contact between the surfaces of the spacer fitting and of the repair plate. The frictional contact between the spacer fitting and the repair plate may be substantial enough that the repair plate can be adequately supported off of the spacer fitting without substantial, if any, reliance on the original aperture of the spacer fitting assembly, which may be substantially worn and otherwise incapable of supporting the combined weight of the repair plate and insulators and transmission lines. In such embodiments, the frictional contact may provide a substantial portion, if not all, of the support needed to allow the repair plate to be supported from the spacer fitting and also support the insulators and transmission lines. When connected to the original spacer fitting assembly, the repair plates create a new connection area or aperture for the insulators and/or transmission lines to connect to the transmission support structure. The repair plate replaces the aperture used by the insulators, without requiring the original spacer fitting assembly to be removed from the support structure. 
     In other embodiments, a method for installing a reinforcement plate for a spacer fitting assembly is disclosed. In these embodiments, any insulators or transmission lines may be removed from the spacer fitting. The area surrounding an aperture where the insulators had been connected is ground or filed, substantially eliminating ridges that may have been formed around the aperture due to mushrooming. Once the spacer fitting assembly has been filed, the repair plate, including a front plate and a back plate, is fitted around a front side and back side of the spacer fitting assembly. The front plate and back plate may be positioned to align a connection aperture located on both the front and back plates with the aperture the spacer fitting used to support the insulators. Then the front plate, back plate and original spacer fitting may be fastened together, by inserting a fastener through a passageway created by aligning the connection apertures of the front and back plates with the aperture on the spacer fitting assembly that had been supporting the insulators. The fastener is tightened to cause the repair plate to frictionally interact with the ground spacer fitting assembly to form a combined or integral assembly capable of supporting an insulator and the wire supported by the insulator. Once the fastener is tightened such that the repair plate has frictionally engaged the spacer fitting in a snug fashion, the fastener may be further tightened approximately ¼ to approximately ¾turn. In one embodiment, the further tightening of the fastener may be approximately ⅓ of a turn. 
     One skilled in the art will understand that the following description has broad application. For example, while embodiments disclosed herein can focus on a spacer fitting repair support structure, it should be appreciated that the concepts disclosed herein equally apply to original spacer fitting assemblies, including adjustable and/or non-adjustable spacer fitting assemblies. Furthermore, while embodiments disclosed herein can focus on H-frame cross beam spacer fitting assemblies, other types of spacer fittings could be repaired with techniques and support structures disclosed herein. Also, for the sake of discussion, the embodiments disclosed herein can tend to focus on spacer fittings used in transmission line support structures; however, these concepts apply to areas outside of the transmission line context, i.e. to general construction techniques and/or bracket connectors. Accordingly, the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to be exemplary and is not intended to suggest that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to these embodiments. 
       FIG. 1  is a front elevation view of a H-frame transmission support structure  10  supporting transmission lines  16 . The H-frame support structure  10  may support three transmission lines  16 , for example each transmission line  16  may be a single phase conductor for electricity. The transmission lines  16  in other embodiments may be telephone wires, cable wire, fiber optic cable and the like. In some embodiments, for example if the transmission lines  16  are electrical conductors, the transmission lines  16  may be connected to the H-frame support structure via insulators  14 . The insulators  14  protect the electrical current from traveling from the transmission lines  16  to the H-frame support structure  10 . The insulators  14  may be attached to the H-frame support structure  10  by a hook, clevis, or the like extending from a spacer fitting assembly. The spacer fitting assembly, in these embodiments may be connected to the horizontal cross beams  20  of the H-frame support structure at a connection between the horizontal cross beams  20 . 
       FIG. 2A  illustrates a side view of the H-frame support structure illustrated in  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 2B  illustrates an enlarged view of the insulators connected to the H-frame;  FIG. 3A  is a elevation view of a non-adjustable spacer fitting assembly between two cross beams of the H-frame support structure, and  FIG. 3B  is an elevation view of an adjustable spacer fitting assembly between two cross beams of the H-frame support structure. Referring now to  FIGS. 1-3B , the H-frame support structure  10  supports the transmission lines  16  above the ground  11 . The H-frame support structure  10  is supported by vertical columns or poles  12  that can be directly imbedded or otherwise anchored into the ground  11 . The vertical poles  12  may be braced or supported by cross beams  22 . The cross beams  22  may connect to each vertical pole  12  to provide structural support and the two cross beams  22  may cross each other while spanning between the two vertical poles  12 . The H-frame support structure  10  may also include horizontal cross beams  20  located near the top end of the vertical poles  12 . The horizontal cross beams  20  may be spaced apart from each other via a spacer fitting assembly  28 . The horizontal cross beams  20  may additionally be attached to top knee braces  24 . The knee braces  24  may span from the vertical post  12  to the horizontal cross beams  20  and provide additional structural support to the H-frame support structure  10 . Additionally, the horizontal cross beams  20  may attach to strain braces  18 . The strain braces  18  may extend from an outside end of the horizontal cross beams  20  to the vertical poles  12 . The strain braces  18  may be connected to the vertical poles  12  and each vertical pole  12  is in turn connected to each other via a wire or other connector that extends between the vertical poles  12 . 
     The horizontal cross beams  20  may support the transmission lines  16  via the insulators  14 , which are supported from the horizontal cross beams  20  via the spacer fitting assembly  28 . The transmission lines  16  may be spaced along the horizontal cross beams  20  intermittently. In some embodiments the transmission lines  16  are located at each end of the horizontal cross beams  20 , as well as in the middle of the horizontal cross beams  20 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 2A-3B , the insulators  14  may be attached to the horizontal cross beams  20  via the spacer fitting assembly  28 . The spacer fitting assembly  28  spans between the horizontal cross beams  20  and is secured to each horizontal cross beam  20 . In some embodiments, as shown in  FIG. 3B , the spacer fitting assembly  28  may be adjustable, such that the spacer fitting assembly  28  can adjust to fit multiple different distances between each horizontal cross beam  20 . For example, the horizontal cross beams  20  in some embodiments may be made of wood and have different cross sectional areas, widths, or the like, and the adjustable nature of the spacer fitting assembly  28  may be used to simply install between both ends and a middle portion of the horizontal cross beams  20 . The spacer fitting assembly  28  in other embodiments may be non-adjustable, as shown in  FIG. 3A , and attach to the horizontal cross beams  20  at the same distance on each end. 
     The spacer fitting assembly  28  may include a bracket  34  which attaches to each horizontal cross beam  20  via at least one fastener  38 ,  44 . In some instances, there may be a top fastener  44  which connects the bracket  34  to the top portion of the horizontal cross beam  20 . The top fastener  44  may connect to the bracket  34  by a top fitting plate arm  42  that bends to run along the border of the horizontal cross beam  20  to the top portion. The bracket  34  may also connect to a side surface of the horizontal cross beams  20  by a side fastener  38 . 
     The spacer fitting assembly  28  may include a spacer fitting  32 , which provides an insulator aperture  30  for receiving a connector (e.g., hook, clevis or other device) for connecting the insulators  14  (or transmission lines  16 ) to the H-frame support structure  10 . In implementations utilizing a non-adjustable spacer fitting (e.g.,  FIG. 3A ), the bracket  34  and the spacer fitting  32  may be a unitary assembly. In implementations utilizing an adjustable spacer bracket  28  (e.g.,  FIG. 3B ), the bracket  34  may be a separate structure from the spacer fitting  32 . In these embodiments, the bracket  34  extends through an opening within the spacer fitting  32 , such that the spacer fitting  32  essentially wraps around the bracket  34 . The bracket  34  may then be secured in place within the spacer fitting  32  by fitting fasteners  36 . The fitting fasteners  36  also secure the spacer fitting assembly  28  at a set distance between the horizontal cross beams  20 , preventing the horizontal cross beams  20  from substantially moving in the lateral or vertical directions away or towards each other. The spacer fitting  34  also may include a top aperture  40 , which may be used to secure the strain braces  18  to the cross beams  20 . 
     As discussed above, in some embodiments, the bracket  34  and the spacer fitting  32  may be multiple pieces bolted or otherwise joined together to form the spacer fitting assembly  28 , see e.g.,  FIG. 3B . In other embodiments, the bracket  34  and the spacer fitting  32  may be a single unitary structure cast, forged, or otherwise formed and forming the spacer fitting assembly  28 , see, e.g.,  FIG. 3A . It should be noted that in embodiments discussed herein, the repair plate may be operably connected to either type of spacer fitting assembly  28 . 
     The insulator aperture  30  via a hook, clevis, etc. extended there through, connects the insulators  14  to the H-frame  10  support structure. Over time, as shown in  FIG. 11 , the insulator aperture  30  may become worn and elongated, due to the movement and load of the insulators  14  and the transmission lines  16 . Also, the material, (e.g., steel or other metals), of the spacer fitting assembly  28  may migrate from the inner diameter of the insulator connection aperture  30  to the front of the spacer fitting  32 , causing the insulator aperture  30  to be additionally weakened. Once the insulator aperture  30  becomes elongated or otherwise weakened, it may fail and cause the insulators  14  and the transmission lines  16  to fall to the ground  11 . 
       FIGS. 4-8  illustrate different views of a spacer fitting repair and reinforcement plate  50  to be used with the spacer fitting assembly  28  illustrated in  FIGS. 3A and 3B . The spacer fitting repair plate  50  or reinforcement plate may be attached to the H-frame  10  support structure and may be connected to the insulators  14  and the transmission lines  16 . The repair plate  50  may be connected to the spacer fitting assembly  28  and be used to support the load of the insulators  14  and the transmission lines  16 . The repair plate  50  may be installed over the original spacer fitting assembly  28 , allowing the insulator aperture  30  to essentially be replaced without installing a new spacer fitting assembly  28 . In some embodiments, the repair plate  50  may be integrally formed of a single piece of material or welded (or otherwise assembled from multiple pieces) to form an integral piece. However, in other embodiments, the repair plate  50  may include a front plate  56  and back plate  58 , which may be two separate pieces that may then be fastened together around the spacer fitting assembly  28 . 
     The repair plate  50  includes a receiving aperture  54  located towards a bottom portion of the repair plate  50 . The receiving aperture  54  may be configured similarly to the insulator aperture  30  in the spacer fitting assembly  28 , and may receive a hook or other connector to secure the insulators  14  or transmission lines  16  to the H-frame support structure  10 . 
     In some embodiments, the repair plate  50  is connected to the spacer fitting assembly  28  via the insulator aperture  30 . As illustrated in  FIG. 7A , the repair plate  50  includes a connector aperture  62  which may be configured to receive a connecting fastener  52 . The connector aperture  62  may be configured to be substantially the same diameter as the insulator connector aperture  30 . For example, in some embodiments the connector aperture  62  may be approximately 1.43 inches in diameter. These embodiments allow a fastener (e.g., connecting fastener  52 ) to securely extend through the connector aperture  62 , as well as the insulator connector aperture  30 . Referring now to  FIG. 4A , the connecting fastener  52  secures the repair plate  50  to the original spacer fitting assembly  28 . The spacer fitting assembly  28  may be single unitary structure  28  (as shown in  FIGS. 3A and 4 ) or a multi-piece structure  28  (as shown in  FIGS. 3B and 9 ). 
     The repair plate  50  may include a front plate  56  and a back plate  58 , the front plate  56  and back plate  58  may wrap or surround around a bottom portion the spacer fitting  32 . In some embodiments, the front plate  56  is located on the front or outwards facing side of the spacer fitting  32 , while the back plate  58  may be located on the back or inwards (towards the center of the H-frame support structure  10 ) facing side of the spacer fitting  32 . However, in other embodiments, the repair plate  50  may be configured in other arrangements around the spacer fitting assembly  28 . Additionally, the front plate and the back plate may be substantially similar to one another. The repair plate  50  may be configured to be located beneath any fastener apertures located on the spacer fitting assembly  28 . For example, the repair plate  50  may be installed underneath the top aperture  40  (see  FIG. 4A ), such that the strain braces  18  may not be affected by the installation of the repair plate  50 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 6-8 , the repair plate  50  in some embodiments may be shaped such that the front plate  56  and the back plate  58  include a slight curvature, as shown at arrows A, B and C in  FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 , respectively. In these embodiments, the front plate  56  and the back plate  58  may be spaced sufficiently far apart to receive the width of the spacer fitting  32 , but then curve back to touch or essentially touch each other. In some embodiments the front plate  56  and/or back plate  58  may be curved such that there is a difference of approximately ¼ inch between a top portion of the plate and a bottom portion. It should additionally be noted that in some embodiments, the front plate  56  and the back plate  58  may include the same dimensions and shape, whereas in other embodiments, the front plate  56  and the back plate  58  may include different shapes and/or dimensions. In some embodiments, the front plate  56  and back plate  58  may curve towards each other at a bend point  63 ,  64 . After the bend point  63 ,  64  the front plate  56  and back plate  58  may be adjacent to each other. The bend point  63 ,  64  may include an angled portion that is angled towards a back portion of the front and back plates  56 ,  58 . The angled portion may be angled to be offset a distance of about ¼ inch back from the front of the front and back plates  56 ,  58 . Thus, as can be understood from  FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 , when the plates  56 ,  58  are joined together, a gap  59  is defined between the plates  56 ,  58  that is configured for the spacer fitting  32  of the spacer fitting assembly  28  to be received therein. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 5 and 8 , when the repair plate  50  is installed around the spacer fitting assembly  28 , an inside portion  66 ,  68  of each the front and back plates  56 ,  58  may be in contact with the spacer fitting  32 . In these embodiments, the inside portion  66 ,  68  of each plate includes a frictional contact with the spacer fitting  32 . For example, in some embodiments, the front plate  56  and the back plate  58  may be constructed out of galvanized steel, COR-TEN, weathering steel or other similarly rough materials. In these embodiments, the material may be rough and create a frictional contact between the spacer fitting  32  and the front and back plates  56 ,  58 , providing additional support for the weight of the insulators  14  and transmission lines  16 . The frictional contact between the spacer fitting  32  and the plates  56 ,  58  allows the repair plate  50  to function as a clamp around the spacer fitting  32 . This clamping function may allow the repair plate  50  to attach to the spacer fitting assembly  28  although the insulator aperture  30  may have actually failed. For example, the clamping nature of the repair plate  50  results in frictional contact sufficient to support the repair plate  50 , as well as any attached insulators  14  and/or transmission lines, without the additional support of any fasteners connecting the repair plate  50  to the spacer fitting  32 . In these embodiments, any fasteners (e.g., connecting fastener  52 ) connecting the repair plate  50  to the spacer fitting assembly  28  may provide little or no support for the weight of the repair plate  50  and/or insulators  14  and transmission lines. Instead, such fasteners  52  may simply provide the mechanism by which the plates  56 ,  58  of the repair plate  50  are brought into clamping engagement with the spacer fitting  32 , the fasteners  52  not contributing significantly to the support of the repair plate  50  from the spacer fitting  32  in any other way 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 7B , in some embodiments, a bottom portion of each the front plate  56  and the back plate  58  may be slightly tapered in the direction of the connection aperture  54 . In these embodiments, the insulators  14  (when connected to the repair plate  50 ) may swing in multiple directions without hitting the repair plate  50 . For example, in some embodiments the bottom portion may be triangular shaped which may allow the any insulators  14  that may be connected to freely rotate around the front plate  56  and back plate  58 . However, in other embodiments the bottom portion of the front and back plates  56 ,  58  may be shaped differently. For example, depending on the location of the H-frame support structure  10 , the transmission lines  16  or the insulators  14  may not swing or be moved substantially, and so the bottom portion may not need to be tapered. 
       FIG. 9  is a side perspective view of another embodiment of the repair plate  150  installed on a spacer fitting assembly  28 ,  FIG. 10A  is a front elevation view of a first plate of the repair plate  150 , and  FIG. 10B  is an edge view of the first plate of the repair plate  150 . Although the back plate  158  of the repair plate is not illustrated in  FIGS. 10A and 10B , the back plate  158  may be substantially similar to the first plate  156  illustrated in  FIGS. 10A and 10B . The repair plate  150  may be substantially similar to the repair plate  50  illustrated in  FIGS. 7A and 7B . However, in this embodiment, the repair plate  150  may include beveled or tapered upper edges  170 . The beveled edges  170  may allow the repair plate  150  to better fit beneath the fitting fasteners  36  on the spacer fitting assembly  28 . For example, in embodiments utilizing an adjustable spacer fitting assembly  28  (see e.g.,  FIG. 3A ), this embodiment of the repair plate  150  may more easily be inserted onto the spacer fitting assembly  28 . This is because the beveled edges  170  allow the repair plate  150  to be inserted onto the spacer fitting assembly  28  underneath the fitting fasteners  36 , and thus the repair plate  150  may fit more variations of spacer fitting assemblies. 
     Additionally, in this embodiment, the repair plate  150  may include a shorter distance between curve point B and a receiving aperture  154 . For example, in one embodiment of the repair plate  50  illustrated in  FIG. 7A , the distance H between the curve point B and the receiving aperture  54  may range from approximately 1.5 to 2 inches. On the other hand, in the embodiment of the repair plate  150  illustrated in  FIG. 10A , the distance H between the curve point B and the receiving aperture  154  may be approximately 1 inch. The shorter distance H may allow the repair plate  150  to fit more variations of spacer fitting assemblies  28 . This is because the shorter distance between the receiving aperture  154  and the curve point B, as well as the beveled edges  170  allow the repair plate  150  to wrap around a small surface area of the spacer fitting assembly  28 , and thus fitting multiple variations of spacer fitting assemblies  28 . Also, the shorter distance may allow for less variation between hanging length of transmission lines  16  on H-frames  10  having the repair plates  50 ,  150  installed and those that do not have repair plates  50 ,  150 . However, it should be noted that depending on the location of the insulation aperture  30 , the overall dimensions of the spacer fitting assembly  28 , and the like, the distance between the curve point B and the receiving apertures  54 ,  154  may vary. 
     In some embodiments, the repair plate  50 ,  150  may be installed on the original spacer fitting assembly  28  by first removing the insulators and/or any transmission lines  16  that may be attached. Once the insulators  14  and/or transmission lines  16  have been removed, the spacer fitting assembly  28  may be ground or otherwise filed down. This may be necessary because as the insulator aperture  30  over time may mushroom, pieces of material within the inner diameter of the insulator aperture  30  may migrate as it is pushed by the insulators  14  to the outer portion of the spacer fitting  32 , causing a ridge around the insulator aperture  30 . However, in other embodiments, the spacer fitting  32  may not need to be filed down, for example if no mushrooming has occurred within the insulator aperture  30 . Once the spacer fitting  32  has been filed down to remove any ridges or excess material, the front and back plates  56 ,  58 ,  156 ,  158  may be installed around the spacer fitting  32 . In these embodiments, the front plate  56 ,  156  may cover a portion of the spacer fitting  32  facing outwards and the back plate  58 ,  158  may cover another portion of the spacer fitting  32  facing inwards (towards the center of the H-frame support structure  10 ). In embodiments utilizing the repair plate  150  illustrated in  FIGS. 9A and 9B , the beveled edges  170  may be positioned so that they are substantially underneath the fitting fasteners  36 , and the connection aperture  62  is aligned with the insulator aperture  30 . In other embodiments, the repair plate  50 ,  150  may only need to be positioned so that the insulator aperture  30  and the connection aperture  62  may be aligned. 
     After the front and back plates  56 ,  156 ,  58 ,  158  are aligned with the connection aperture  62 , the connecting fastener  52  may be placed within the connection aperture  62  on each the front and back plates  56 ,  58 ,  156 ,  158 . The connecting fastener  52  may fit through the connection aperture  62  on the front plate  56 ,  156 , then fit through the insulator aperture  30  on the original spacer fitting assembly  28  and then extend outwards through the connection aperture  62  on the back plate  58 ,  158 . In some embodiments, a washer  60  may be placed between the connection fastener  52  and the front and back plates  56 ,  58 ,  156 ,  158 . 
     In these embodiments, the insulator aperture  30  may be used to secure the repair plate  50 ,  150  to the spacer fitting assembly  28 . In some instances, the insulator aperture  30  may be elongated, worn-out or otherwise misshapen. In these instances, the material for the front and back plates  56 ,  58 ,  156 ,  158  may contain a frictional contact. In these embodiments, the friction between the front and back plates  56 ,  58 ,  156 ,  158  and the spacer fitting  32  helps to secure the repair plate  50 ,  150  to the spacer fitting  28 , by providing additional structural support. This additional support allows the insulator aperture  30 , which may be worn and near the point of failure, to better be able to support the weight of the repair plate  50 ,  150  and any attached insulators  14  and/or transmission lines  16 . Thus, in some embodiments, the plates  56 ,  58 ,  156 ,  158  may be said to create a clamping frictional engagement with the spacer fitting  32  of the spacer fitting assembly  28 , attaching the plates  56 ,  58 ,  156 ,  158  to the spacer fitting  32  and, in some instances, reinforcing the spacer fitting  32 . 
     Once the connection fastener  52  is installed through the connection apertures  62  (and any washers  60  that may be used are also installed), the connection fastener  52  may be tightened. In some embodiments, the connection fastener  62  may be tightened very tight, to substantially prevent the repair plate  50 ,  150  from moving. After the connection fastener  52  is “snug tight” or substantially immovable within the connection apertures  62 , the connection fastener  52  in some embodiments may be tightened one third of a turn tighter. These embodiments may increase the frictional contact between the plates  56 ,  58 ,  156 ,  158  and the spacer fitting  32 . Next, the insulators  14  and/or transmission lines  16  may be hung from the receiving aperture  54 . In these embodiments, the insulators  14  and/or transmission lines  16  may hang at a slightly lower height than they had hung from the insulator aperture  30  in the original spacer fitting assembly  28 . 
     As discussed above, in some embodiments, the repair plate  50 ,  150  may not require any original fasteners or fasteners holding the spacer fitting  28  to the horizontal cross beams  20  to be removed. Additionally, the horizontal cross beams  20  may not have to be repositioned apart from each other, as the spacer fitting  28  may not have to be removed in order to add the repair plate  50 ,  150 . These embodiments may decrease the costs and time associated with replacing worn-out insulator apertures  30 .