Sheeting device

A sheeting device having large-size sheeting panels (2,4) supported against vertical supports (1,3) which are arranged in pairs facing each other and are spaced-apart by at least one spreader frame (5). The side walls (15,15') of the supports (1,3) having a C-shaped cross-section are provided with legs (16,16') which are bent in parallel to the base wall (12), are opposing each other, and leave a wide gap between them. The spreader frame (5) is guided in the supports (1,3) in a vertically movable manner. The spreader frame is provided with rollers (11,11') transmitting pressure forces and running on the base wall (12) of the supports (1,3) and with rollers (17,17') running on the inner sides of the two legs (16,16') of a support (1,3) and transmitting the traction of the spreader frame. To reduce the expenditure of material and installation work, the pressure force-transmitting rollers (11,11') and the traction force-transmitting rollers (17,17') are located on common axles ( 10), the pressure force-transmitting rollers (11,11') being located in the gap between the legs (16,16') of a support (1,3) and having a diameter that is larger than the distance of said legs (16,16') from the base wall (12). The rollers (17,17') transmitting the tractive forces have a smaller diameter and are located at the respective outwardly directed sides of the pressure force-transmitting rollers (11,11').

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a sheeting device having large-size 
sheeting panels arranged in pairs mutally facing each other supported 
against vertical supports which are positioned in pairs mutually facing 
each other and which are held in spaced-apart relationship by at least one 
spreader frame, the side walls of the supports having legs bent in 
parallel to the base wall, lying opposite to each other and leaving a 
broad gap between them, and the spreader frame in the gaps of mutually 
opposing supports being guided in a vertically movable manner with 
positive fit in the horizontal direction by means of rollers transmitting 
pressure forces of the spreader frame and running on the base wall of the 
supports and by means of rollers transmitting traction forces of the 
spreader frame and running on the inner sides of the two legs of a 
support. 
Sheeting devices of this kind are known from the German Utility Model No. 
74 35 632. 
2. Discussion of the Prior Art 
In the known sheeting devices the rollers transmitting pressure forces are 
located on axles positioned between the upper and the lower cross strut of 
the supporting frame at the left and right vertical strut of the 
supporting frame. The rollers transmitting tractive forces of the brace 
framing are located on the level of the upper and lower cross strut of the 
supporting frame at the right and left vertical strut of the supporting 
frame. 
The vertically staggered arrangement of the rollers transmitting the 
pressure forces and those transmitting the traction forces results in high 
installation expenditure and greater requirements of material. In 
addition, arranging the pressure force-transmission rollers between the 
traction-transmission rollers is unfavourable since this results in the 
spreader frames being guided in the supports in an unsatisfactory manner. 
It is the object of the present invention to provide a sheeting device 
ensuring a reliable guidance of the spreader frame in the supports of the 
sheeting device at a lower expenditure of installation work and material. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
According to the present invention this object is achieved by the fact that 
the pressure forces-transmitting rollers and the traction 
forces-transmitting rollers are located on common axles, with the rollers 
transmitting the pressure forces being located within the gap between the 
legs of a support and having a diameter that is larger than the distance 
of said legs from the base wall of the support, and the rollers 
transmitting the traction forces having a smaller diameter and being 
located at the outwardly directed sides of the pressure 
forces-transmitting rollers. 
The sheeting device construction according to the present invention has the 
advantage that only two axles, with the rollers transmitting the pressure 
forces and those transmitting the tractive forces arranged thereon, have 
to the provided at each lateral vertical strut of the expanding frame. The 
distance between the upper and the lower rollers of the spreader framing 
may be as large as possible so as to ensure an optimum guidance of the 
spreader framings in the supports. 
Further features result from subclaims 2 to 8. 
With reference to the accompanying drawings an embodiment of the present 
invention will be described in more detail in the following; the drawings 
show in 
FIG. 1 a side view of the sheeting device according to the present 
invention and 
FIG. 2 a view along line II--II of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
According to FIG. 1 the sheeting device for supporting the substantially 
vertical walls of an excavated trench consists of large-size sheeting 
panels 2 and 4 which are arranged in pairs mutally facing each other, 
these are supported by vertical supports 1 and 3 arranged in pairs 
opposing each other. The supports 1 and 3 of the sheeting device are 
spaced apart by at least one spreader frame 5. Said spreader framing 5 is 
built up of an upper cross strut 6, a lower cross strut 7, a left vertical 
strut 8, and a right vertical strut 9. Rollers 11 are located at the two 
vertical struts 8 and 9; by means of these rollers 11 the brace 5 is 
guided in the supports 1 and 3 in a vertically movable manner. At the 
lower and upper ends of the supports 1 and 3 stops 13 and 14 can be 
inserted preventing the spreader framing 5 from coming out of one of the 
two supports 1 and 3 unintentionally. 
In the embodiment example according to FIG. 1 the upper and the lower cross 
strut 6 and 7 of the spreader frame 5 are formed by lengthwise adjustable 
braces so that the distance between the vertical struts 8 and 9 can be 
adjusted. When adjusting the width of the spreader frame 5, attention must 
be paid to the fact that the vertical struts 8 and 9 of the framework 5 
run exactly parallel, or that the downward convergency does not exceed 
1.degree.. This approximate parallelism is to be kept precisely, otherwise 
the spreader frame 5 will get jammed in the supports 1 and 3. A slight 
convergency of the supports 1 and 3 does not matter that much since the 
spreader frame 5 can be pressed down using higher forces than are possible 
when it is pulled up. If there is an upward divergency of the supports, 
the spreader frame 5 can still be easily pulled off its guidances. At the 
upper ends of the vertical struts 8 and 9 of the spreader frame 5 consoles 
23 and 24 are located on which a beam may be placed allowing the spreader 
5 in the supports 1 and 5 to be pressed down, e.g., by means of a shovel. 
As can be seen in FIG. 2 the supports 1 and 3 have a C-shaped section. The 
base wall 12 of the support 1 abuts on the inner wall of the sheeting 
panel 2. To both lateral edges of the sheeting panel 2 a respective 
support 1 or 3 is attached or welded. 
Side walls 15 and 15' are bent at right angles from the base wall 12 of the 
supporting elements 1 and 3; legs 16 and 16' are bent at right angles from 
said side walls 15 and 15'. The two legs 16 and 16' are opposing each 
other leaving a large gap through which the spreader frame 5 engages into 
the support 1 and 3, respectively. 
As can be seen in FIG. 1 axles 10 are attached at the vertical struts 8 and 
9 on a level with the upper and lower cross strut 6 and 7; rollers 11 and 
11' running on the base wall 12 of the supports 1 and 3 are located on 
these axles. 
As can be seen in FIG. 2 rollers 17 and 17' are also loacted on the axles 
10, these transmit the tractive forces acting in the spreader frame 5 to 
the flanges 16 and 16' of the supports 1 and 3. The pressure force 
transmission rollers 11 and 11' have a diameter that is larger than the 
distance of the base wall 12 from the legs 16 and 16'. For this reason 
said rollers 11 and 11' transmitting pressure forces are located within 
the gap between the opposite legs 16 and 16' of the supports 1 and 3. The 
traction transmission rollers 17 and 17' have a smaller diameter and are 
located at the respective outwardly directed sides of the rollers 11 and 
11' transmitting the pressure forces. The diameters of the rollers 11 and 
17 and 11' and 17', respectively, are chosen such that in case the 
pressure forces-transmitting rollers 11, 11' abut on the base wall 12, the 
traction forces-transmitting rollers 17 and 17' have a small distance from 
the inner sides of the legs 16 and 16' of the supports 1 and 3. 
Advantageously, each roller 11 or 11' transferring the pressure forces is 
connected to the respective roller 17 or 17' transferring the traction 
forces so as to form a single piece. 
At both sides of the brace frame 5 there are two spaced-apart vertical 
walls 19 and 19'; the axles 10 are placed therein and welded thereto and 
the rollers 11, 17 and 11', 17' are pivoted on the projecting ends. To 
both ends of the axle 10 stop rings 18 and 18' are welded holding the 
rollers 11, 17 and 11', 17' on the axle 10. The base wall 12 and the 
support 1 or 3, respectively, is about three times as wide as one side 
wall 15 or 15' of a support 1 or 3. These supports are to be located at 
the edges of the sheeting panel so that the sheeting unit forms a 
so-called "edge-supported" sheeting unit. However, it is also possible to 
use the construction of supports and spreader framing according to the 
present invention for the central support of the sheeting panels.