RELEASABLE CONNECTORS

Abstract: Releasable connectors, for connecting two units together, include a female connector (14, 15) having a body (23) with a socket (24), in which is slidably engaged a spigot (21) on the body (19) of a male connector (12, 13). A bolt (25) passes through aligned apertures (21a, 23a) in the spigot (21) and socket (24) to releasably secure the interengaged male and female connectors (12, 13, 14, 15).

Description: TIT E: "RELEASABLE CONNECTORS" ' BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the Invention This invention relates to releasable connectors. (2) Brief Description of the Prior Art It is frequently required for two or more units to be securely and rigidly connected together in desired alignment, and capable of being quickly and easily disconnected. For example, a dredge of well-known type has a hull consisting of a number of bouyant sections, each of such dimensions that it may be conveniently transported by road or rail so that the dredge may be taken, in its dismantled parts, to the required destination where it is assembled for use. SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The present invention provides particularly effective connecting means applicable to such barge sections, but usable in other applications also. The invention resides broadly in releasable connecting means characterised by: a female connector having a body with a socket at nne end; a male connector having a body with a spigot, slidably engageable in the socket, at one end; mounting means on both connectors for mounting them on units to be connected; an axial aperture through the spigot of the male connector and an aperture through the body of the female connector and leading coaxially into the socket thereof, the apertures of the two connectors being aligned, when the spigot of the one is engaged in the socket of the other, to receive a bolt releasably securing together the interengaged male and female connectors. Other features of the invention will become apparent from the following description. OMPI BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One form of the invention is shown, by way of illustrative example only, in the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a side view of two parts of connectors according to the invention, applied to two units required to be releasably connected, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a side view of the parts shown in FIG. 1 and 2, the connectors being interengaged and releasably secured together, FIG. 4 shows an end view of the female part of one of the connectors, and FIG. 5 shows an end view of the male part of the connectors. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Parts of two units, such as dredge pontoon sections required to be releasably interconnected, are indicated at 10 and 11. At each, side of one unit 10, two male connectors 12 and 13 are mounted, one at the top, the other at the bottom of the unit, and in corresponding positions at each side of the other unit 11, two female connectors 14 and 15 are fixed. Each of the male connectors includes an angle mounting bracket 16, and each female connector includes an angle mounting bracket 17, all the mounting brackets having one flange fixed against a side of a dredge pontoon section, the other flange secured against either the top or the bottom decking of the section. Extending perpendicularly from the upright flange of each male connector mounting bracket 16 are two parallel flanges 18 between which there is welded a tubular body 19, reinforced by fillets 20 and terminating in a coaxial spigo 21 extending beyond the flanges 18 in the direction of the SUBSTITUTE SHEET pontoon section 11. The upright flange of each of the female connector mounting brackets 17 also has two parallel flanges 22 extending perpendicularly from it and welded between them is a tubular body 23 with external and , internal diameters similar to those of the spigot 21. A cylindrical socket 24 is welded coaxially onto the end of the body 23 nearer to the pontoon section 10. The parts of the two pairs of male and female connectors are so made and arranged that the spigots 21 of the two male connectors will engage closely in the sockets 24 of the female connectors when the two pontoon sections 10 and 11 are brought close together end to end, and in correct alignment. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the spigot 21 of the bottom male connector 13 is somewhat longer than that of the top male connector 12, and the socket 24 of the lower female connector 1 . 4 is of correspondingly greater axial length than that of the upper female connector 14. The lower male and female connectors 13 and 15 will therefore interengage before the upper male and female connectors 12 and 14 when the two pontoon sections 10 and 11 are being brought together. The ends of the spigots 21 are coned, and the mouths of the sockets 24 are flared to further facilitate the interengagement of .the connectors. When the connectors are fully engaged, they are secured firmly together by bolts 25 passed through the aligned axial apertured 21a, 23a of each pair of inter- engaged female and male connectors, and engaged with nuts 26. Alternatively a threaded bar may be used for each connector, and engaged by nuts at both ends. It is found that when two dredge pontoons, for example, are secured together end to end in this manner, with two pairs of connectors at each end, the assembly will resist any stresses likely to be encountered in even very adverse conditions. The two sections, however, may be very quickly and easily disconnected when required. SUBSTITUTE SHEET ^-T UR£ X ' Connectors according to the invention are usable for releasably interconnecting many other kinds of units such as, for example, prefabricated and readily transportable structural units for the construction of bridges, factories and other buildings, large agricultural inplements and so on. SUBSTITUTE

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Releasable connecting means characterized by: a female connector (14, 15) having a body (23) with a socket (24) at one end, a male connector (12, 13) having a body (19) with a spigot (21) , slidably engageable in the socket (24) , at one end, mounting means (16, 17) on both connectors (12, 13, 14, 15) for mounting them on units (10, 11) to be connected, an aperture (21a) through the spigot (21) of the male connector (12, 13) and an aperture (23a) through the body (23) of the female connector (14, 15) and leading coaxially into the socket (24) thereof, the apertures (21a, 23a) of the two connectors (12, 13, 14, 15) being aligned, when the spigot (21) is engaged in the socket (24) , to receive a bolt (25) releasably securing together the inter- engaged male and female connectors (12, 13, 14, 15). 2. Releasable connecting means substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. SUBSTITUTE SH

Inventors: NEUMANN JOHN ALFRED
Applicants: NEUMANN EQUIP MARKETING PTY, NEUMANN JOHN ALFRED, NEUMANN EQUIP MARKETING CO PTY LTD
Application year: 1982
Main classification: F16B21
IPC codes: B63B3, B63B35