Patent GB-635051-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to the erection of workmen's staging for ship building and ship repairing
IPC: B63C5/02
Filed: 1945-04-12
Abstract: 635,051. Suspended stagings ; scaffold brackets. CHIPCHASE, R. S. April 12, 1945, Nos. 9131 and 33318. [Class 20 (ii)] [Also in Group XIV] Stagings for workmen engaged in the construction or repair of ships are supported on brackets, and the brackets are supported by being rigidly secured to elongated members, such as steel sections, located in a generally upright orientation and supported solely by the ship. These elongated members may either form part of the ship's structure or may be separately hung from it. In the former case the staging planks 1 are supported on brackets 2 which are clamped to members 3 of the ship's frame, Fig. 1, and which consist each of a horizontal member 4, an inclined member 5 and a vertical bracing member 6. A vertical socket is welded to the outer extremity of each bracket and receives upright stanchions 9 to which a rope 10 may be attached to form a guard rail, and between these sockets and the staging 1 a heel board 8, set on edge, may be held. The clamping is achieved by welding a U-shaped clamp 11, Fig. 5, to the end of each member 4 and 5, applying it so that the arms of the U embrace a ship's frame member 3, and forcing a wedge 12 between one of the arms and the frame member 3. Each 'wedge may carry a grub screw to bite into the material of the member 3 when the wedge has been .forced home. Instead of a wedge a clamping screw 16 may be used, Fig. 11, screwed through an arm of the clamp and against the frame member 3, and each clamping screw may have an edge 17 so that when the edges of the screws at the ends of the members 4 and 5 of a bracket are left horizontal a rod may be passed vertically through them both and so lock them against unscrewing. When the said elongated members are separate from the ship's structure they may be hung outside the hull, Fig. 12, or inside the hold, Fig. 19, from the bulwark rail 21 or hatch coaming 22. A hanging elongated member 20 has secured to its upper end a cross piece 36, Fig. 20, bent downwards at each end, as at 38 for fitting over a bulwark rail and as at 37 for fitting over a hatch coaming, and locking wedges 40 are inserted through slots in the turned-down ends to clamp against movement, as shown. Alternatively the hanging elongated member 20 may be bolted to one end of a member 76, Fig. 22, which rests on the bulwark rail 21, and an angle member 77 has the end of its horizontal arm resting against the inner side of the vessel and has its vertical arm secured to the member 76, each of the members being drilled with a number of holes 78 so that they may be bolted together when adjusted in position. To fix the brackets 2 to the hanging elongated members 20 the former have, near the extremities of their members 4 and 5, two vertical grooves, one on each side, and the latter have keyhole slots so that when the bracket ends have been passed through the circular parts of the keyhole slots the bracket can be moved downwards with the slot edges engaging the vertical grooves. A locking plug may then be inserted in the circular part to prevent the bracket end from moving upwards, and to ensure that the locking plug itself cannot come adrift it has a projection which passes through a short slot above the circular part of the keyhole slot when it is inserted, after which it is turned to bring the projection out of register. Elongated members 72 may also be clamped by the U-shaped clamps 11 to deck beams 70, Fig. 23, and may support thwarts 73 across which are laid the planks 1. By mounting a rope guide 75 on the clamp and using it to haul the member 72 into position, Fig. 25, the process of erection may be simplified. The first Provisional Specification mentions holding the wedges 12 in place in the clamps 11 by pins, andpinning the clamps 11 to the brackets 2 instead of welding them.