CEILING SUPPORT FOR SUSPENSION

Abstract: A ceiling support (1) for vertically mounting of a suspension pendulum (2), which is adapted for carrying brackets for electric cable corriers comprises a fastening portion (11) for fastening to a ceiling and a connection portion (12) for co-operation with the suspension pendulum (2), wherein the suspension pendulum is comprised of a plate metal profile having essentially right angle edge portions. The connection portion (12) is provided with at least one protrusion (10, 13) which comprises, in use, sideways directed load receiving abutment surface (14, 15). The invention also concerns a pendulum assembly including such a support.

Description: CEILING SUPPORT FOR SUSPENSION This invention concerns a ceiling support for vertical mounting of a suspension pendulum according to the preamble of claim 1. It also concerns a pendulum assembly including such a support. In order to place electric power cables and electric signal cables in various buildings, the cables are typically at- tached to cable ladders, in cable trays or in trellis trays, which are disposed along walls or suspended from ceilings. In the latter case a bracket is in engagement with a cable ladder and is carried by a so-called suspension pendulum. According to the prior art the suspension pendulum, which is made from a plate metal profile, is welded to a fastening plate, which comprises the ceiling support of the assembly. This fastener plate is in turn arranged to be attached to the ceiling, for example through a conventional expanding fastener. The prior art, however, brings about drawbacks with respect to manufacture as well as assembly and use. The arrangement with a welded fastener plate result in the need of heat zinc coating after the welding operation in order to ensure a proper corrosion protection. Further, the welding result in disadvantageous load distribution since the end of the pendulum is welded to a plate comprising the support fastener. In case of uneven load and great load, the strength is thereby jeopardized. Further, this construction demands a great number of units, since variations in ceiling height and desired suspension length demands a corresponding variation of the length of the pendulum assembly. It is an object of the invention to avoid the disadvantages of the prior art and to provide a ceiling support which is simple and economic to manufacture and to use. This object is obtained in a ceiling support according to the above kind with the features of the characterizing portion of claim 1. Hereby a sideways directed support for the suspension pen- dulum is easily obtained, which brings along enhanced load reception of sideways directed loads which by the way occur in general when the suspension pendulum comprises one single sideways directed bracket for carrying a cable ladder or a cable tray. The abutment surface will hereby engage the profiled suspension pendulum at a location where it is most optimally adapted to resist sideways directed forces. Through the invention it is thus possible to obtain very good connection between the support and the profiled sus- pension pendulum which is advantageous when the elements are dimensioned. Further, the suspension pendulums may be comprised of standard profiles which simply may be cut to desired suspension lengths at assembly whereafter the cut suspension pendulum is easily attached to the ceiling sup- port. Further advantages of different aspects of the invention will be clear from the following description of an embodiment, which refers to the annexed drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 diagrammatically shows a pendulum assembly including a support according to the invention in a first perspective view, Fig. 2 shows the pendulum assembly in Fig. 1 in a second perspective view, Fig. 3 shows a ceiling support according to the invention in a perspective view, and Fig. 4 shows a pendulum assembly including a bracket. In Fig. 1 reference numeral 1 denotes a ceiling support of plate metal which is essentially L-shaped in section with a small, in use horizontal, shank 11 comprising a fastening portion for attachment to a ceiling or the like. A connection portion 12 is arranged essentially perpendicular to this fastening portion and is arranged for connection to a suspension pendulum 2 over fastening elements 8 and 9 which are comprised of screw thread connections. The suspension pendulum 2 comprises two adjoining chute-shaped portions which are open in opposite directions and which each are comprised of profile portions adjoining to each other over right angles into U-shaped sections. The profile portions 3, 4 and 5 (are seen more clearly in Fig. 2) thus form a portion having a U-shaped section and two right angled edges 6 and 7. When mounting the assembly, the intermediate profile portion 4 is arranged to co-operate with said fastening elements 8 and 9 over through holes 16 in the suspension pendulum and holes 19 and 20 in the ceiling support (see Fig. 3) . With respect to this kind of pendulum assembly there is frequently an asymmetric load on the suspension pendulum, since at its lower region an outwardly extending bracket (not shown) protrudes to carry a cable ladder or a cable tray. In order to obtain advantageous load reception the ceiling support is provided with two protrusion 10 and 13 in the plate metal material, having abutment surfaces 14 and 15 (see also Fig. 2 and 3), that in use are arranged to be applied against each one of the respective edges 6, 7 of the suspension pendulum. In order to ensure good load reception, the lower of the protrusions 10 is placed in the lower region of the connection portion 12 and is adapted for reception of forces in the direction to the left in the figure. This arrangement presupposes that the bracket which is fastened to the suspension pendulum 2 is extending to the right as seen in the figure. In order to achieve fur- ther appropriate load reception, the connection portion is at its upper region provided with a second protrusion 13 having an abutment surface 14 acting in the opposite direction against the edge 6 of the suspension pendulum, whereby the abutment surfaces 14 and 15 together ensure safe load reception in a turning direction between the suspension pendulum and the support, thus effectively avoiding risks of deformation in the regions of the fastening elements 8 and 9 on the ceiling support and the suspension pendulum. The turning forces in questions in the area of the ceiling support are created when the suspension pendulum tends to pivot around the fastening elements 8 and 9. It is by the way not excluded that only one fastening element 8 connects the pendulum profile and the ceiling support according to the invention. The fact that the abutment surfaces are placed at a distance from the center of rotation through the fastening element (elements) they will effectively receive the turning forces that are created and avoid deformation. When the support is made in a metal plate material, the protrusions are preferably produced by punching for creation of the abutment surface and a vaulted outward pressing of the protrusion as a part of the material of the connection portion. The making of the protrusion is suitably carried out in two steps, firstly a slot-like punching in the region of the abutment surface to be, whereafter the pro- trusion itself is obtained by pressing with a corresponding die. The figures show that the ceiling support 1 comprises one portion which is placed "in front of" the suspension pendu- lum 2 , which portion is used such that the holes 17 and 18, which are adapted to receive fasteners for engagement into a ceiling or the like, will be placed unsymmetrically with respect to the suspension pendulum. This fastening arrangement is motivated for the case, which by the way is the normal case, where the suspension pendulum 2 is subjected to an unsymmetrical load, with a bracket extending to the right as seen in the figure and being subjected to a load of a cable ladder or a cable tray and cables disposed thereon. This design of the ceiling support results in en- hanced distribution of the loads relative to the ceiling. In Fig. 4 the pendulum arrangement including the ceiling support 1, the suspension pendulum 2 and a sideways directed bracket 21, is shown. The invention may be modified within the scope of the annexed claims and a ceiling support with only one protrusion may be considered, preferably the bottom one in Fig. 1. Further, different pendulum constructions may be used as long as each abutment surface co-operates with a corresponding, often right-angled, edge. It is however preferred that the connection portion is arranged in accordance with the figure with respect to the use of two protrusions, which are spread in the vertical direction so that the most possible load reception will be obtained. The invention has been described with the support made from a metal plate material, such as steel plate, and this embodiment is preferred. It is however not excluded that the support is manufactured in for example a composite material with reinforcing fibers in a synthetic material. Also supports made of metal and formed from a melt are included by the invention. A further advantage of a ceiling support according to the invention is that its rear edge may be dimensioned to directly adjoin to the rear edge of the pendulum, which gives the possibility of tight application of the assembly against a wall. This embodiment is also preferred when the assembly is mounted in narrow spaces such as in corridors, where in certain cases mounting close to the wall is prescribed.

Claims: C l a i s 1. Ceiling support (1) for vertically mounting of a suspension pendulum (2), which is adapted for carrying brack- ets for electric cable carriers, wherein the ceiling support comprises a fastening portion (11) for fastening to a ceiling or the like and a connection portion (12) for connection to the suspension pendulum (2) with the aid of at least one fastener (8, 9), and wherein the suspension pen- dulum is comprised of a plate metal profile including at least two profile portions (3, 4, 5) extending essentially in a right angle to each other in order to form a portion having an L-shaped section with essentially right angle (6, 7), c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the connection por- tion (12) is provided with at least one protrusion (10, 13) which comprises an, in use, sideways directed load receiving abutment surface (14, 15) for placement against the area of the edge (6, 7) of the suspension pendulum for reception of sideways directed loads. 2. Support according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the connection portion (12) is provided with two protrusions (10, 13), comprising counter-directed abutment surfaces (14, 15) for application against one corre- sponding of the respective edges (6, 7). 3. Support according to claim l or 2, c h a r a c t e ri z e d i n that the support is of a metal plate material and that the abutment surface (14, 15) is adjacent to a perforated portion. 4. Support according to claim 2 or 2 and 3, c h a r a ct e r i z e d i n that the protrusions (10, 13) are spread in the vertical direction as seen in a using position of the support (1) . 5. Support according to any of the previous claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the connection portion (12) is provided with holes (19, 20) for co-operation with fastening elements (8, 9) for the suspension pendulum. 6. Support according to any of the previous claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that its rear edge, as seen from a bracket mounted on a mounted suspension pendulum, is essentially directly adjoining to the rear edge of the suspension pendulum, thereby allowing mounting of the suspension pendulum adjacent to a wall. 7. Pendulum assembly including at least one suspension pendulum (2) with a bracket and at least one ceiling support (1) according to any of the claims 1-6.

Inventors: HED OLLE, HED, OLLE
Applicants: WIBE AB, AB WIBE
Application year: 2000
Main classification: H02G3
IPC codes: H02G3