Patent Publication Number: US-5632633-A

Title: Method of manufacturing a grounding connector and improved grounding connector

Description:
This application is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 08/363,097 filed Dec. 22, 1994, now abandoned. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present application relates to a method of manufacturing grounding connectors, and to an improved grounding connector manufactured according to the method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a process of manufacturing grounding connectors which produces a grounding connector that is lighter, is of a reduced size, and is of a low manufacturing cost, since the components of the grounding connector are manufactured by a stamping process. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     The sophistication and sensitivity of electronic systems and equipment used in telephone companies and in industry, in general, has created a demand for the development of consistent and reliable grounding systems to protect the circuits from electrical surges due to power variations and other causes. Grounding systems provide a path for the transfer of electrical energy, either for intentional or accidental reasons, to the earth thereby protecting electrical equipment. 
     Therefore, grounding connectors of the wedge-type were developed. The grounding connectors are reliable and require no special installation equipment other than a common socket, ratchet, or impact wrench. The simplicity of the installation eliminates the requirement of special skills, which in turn minimizes application time. Additionally, the grounding connectors of the prior art present the advantage of being applied in virtually all weather conditions and situations. 
     However, the above-described grounding connectors present the disadvantage of being heavy and non-compact since the grounding connectors are comprised of a strong, solid body of copper alloy which is manufactured by a die-casting process. 
     Consequently, it is desirable to develop a method of manufacturing grounding connectors, which reduces raw material usage and thus reduces the manufacturing cost of the grounding connectors, thereby permitting the manufacturing of improved grounding connectors, but which are more practical and of a lighter weight. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention discloses a stamping manufacturing process for wedge-type grounding connectors, and further discloses an improved grounding connector. 
     The manufacturing process proposed for the manufacturing of grounding connectors of the present invention is based on a stamping process utilizing progressive tooling, i.e., it is based on the entering of raw material, for example a metallic strip, in the tooling wherein all conformation steps of the grounding connectors are performed in a sequential way, inside the progressive tooling. At the end of the process, the grounding connectors come out from the tool entirely finished and ready to be used. 
     Thus, there is obtained a grounding connector employing less raw material and in a quicker way than the manufacturing process for manufacturing grounding connectors employed in the prior art which uses a die-casting process. 
     Further, the present invention provides an improved wedge-type grounding connector basically comprised of a body, a wedge, a commercial shear-head bolt, two conductor nests, and a bolt fixture block. The components are lighter, of a reduced size and of a low manufacturing cost since the components of the grounding connector are manufactured by the stamping process described above. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Additional features of the invention will become apparent and a fuller understanding will be obtained by reading the following detailed description made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing the components of a grounding connector of the present invention; 
     FIGS. 2A and 2B are sectional views showing the assembled grounding connector of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the assembled grounding connector of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The improved grounding connector 1 of the present invention, manufactured by a progressive tooling stamping process, is basically comprised of a hollow body 2, a wedge 3, a shear-head bolt 4, two nests 5, 6 for grounding cables 7 and rods 8 and a fixture block 9. 
     The hollow body 2 of the grounding connector 1 has a general double &#34;J&#34; shape, the two portions in the &#34;J&#34; shape being joined together by one of the ends of the body 2 where a window 10 is found, the window 10 being of a rectangular shape and is designed to receive the fixture block 9. 
     The wedge 3 has a general trapezoidal shape and is also hollow and has a through hole 11 to receive the shear-head bolt 4. The shear-head bolt 4 used on the present invention is of the same type used on the existent grounding connectors. Nests 5, 6 have general rectangular &#34;U shaped&#34; cutouts 12 in side walls 14, which are designed to accommodate specific wires or a rod size combination. 
     The fixture block 9 of the present invention is of such a size as to be fit into the rectangular window 10 of the hollow body 2, and, further, a through hole 13 is formed therein to receive the shear-head bolt 4. The function of fixture block 9 is to support the shear-head bolt 4 and to move wedge 3 towards the grounding rod 8 so that it can be pressed against the body 2, nests 5, 6 and the cable 7. The wedge 3 of the grounding connector 1 is pre-assembled on the body 2, by the bolt fixture block 9 and the shear-head bolt 4 before starting the conductor assembly. 
     For application of conductors in the grounding connector 1, it is necessary to manually back out the shear-head bolt 4 until placing wedge 3 against the rod 8; next, cable 7 is pulled into the J-portion of the body 2 of the grounding connector 1 as shown in FIG. 3. Then nests 5, 6 are placed between the two conductors, using the suitable nest sides which are designed to accommodate cable 7 of grounding rod 8. Each nest is designed to accommodate a specific wire or rod size combination. 
     Further, the wedge 3 is pushed into connector 1 and the shear-head bolt is manually pre-tightened. Then, the fixture block 9 of the shear-head bolt 4 will be fixed in the hollow body 2 by the action of opposite reaction forces on the side boarders of the fixture block 9 when the shear-head bolt 4 is tightened, thereby pushing the wedge into the hollow body 2 as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. 
     Finally, using a socket wrench or its equivalent, shear-head bolt 4 is tightened until a specific torque is reached, thus indicating the conclusion of the connection by means of shearing off the bolt head. The taper of wedge 3 forces the body to spring open thereby resulting in a spring action of the body 2 on the grounding rod 8 and cable 7. 
     Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to a best mode embodiment thereof, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes, omissions, and additions in the form and detail thereof may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed in the appended claims.