Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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:bd:JCS I GUY WIRE DEAD END ASSEMBLY
Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed towards providing
~¦ a dead end particularly one for use with a guy wire.
I Background of the Invention
¦ In the electrical transmission field,~he high tension
lines that carry current are usually strung between support
¦ towers. These towers are constructed to maintain securely
~I the wires and are of a somewhat complicated design.
1l, It has become more desirablP at this time to utilize
single post support for the wires. This has obvious advan-
tages over the tower i.e., reduced costs and construction.
However, in order to secure the post in position it has been
I found desirable to anchor the posts by way of guy ~ires
1I which are secured to stationary supports usually embedded
i in the ground. Dead ending the guy wire should not be too
difficult a procedure since the size of the wire and the dead
end are fairly large and as such could be cumbersome to work
with.
Summary of the Invention
!
1 Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present
invention to provide a dead end for a guy wire whic~ is rela-
tively simple, yet effective in its implementation.
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It is yet another object to provide for a dead end
which inhibits corrosion in rnetallic quy anchors in which they
are coupled, due to stray electric currents in the guy wires.
It is another object to provide for a dead end which
securely fastens the guy wire to the anchor and is adjustable
to allow for proper tensioning of the wire.
The present invention provides for a dead end having
a threaded U-bolt and a compression sleeve for coupling to the
guy wire. A portion of the guy wire is inserted into the
sleeve with the sleeve crimped thereabout. The sleeve is
positioned adjacent a yoke which slides onto the bolt insu-
lated therefrom, and maintained by nuts screwed onto the ends
of the bolt.
I These nuts may be threaded down allowing the yoke
to be moved to orovide for a proper tensioning of the guv wire.
A brace is provided along the U-bolt to act as a spacer and
, for added reinforcement of the legs of the bolt.
i In addition, a somewhat tamper resistant element is
provided so as to inhibit unauthorized tampering with the nuts.
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I Brief Descri~tion of the ~rawings
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I Thus by the aforenoted invention, its objects and
i advantages will be realized, the description of which should
I be taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein:
;I Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment
Ij of a guy wire dead end asse~bly incorporating the teachings of
ll the present invention;
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, ~igure 2 is a top plan partially sectional view
I of the dead end assembly shown in Figure l;
Figure 3 is a top plan partially sectional view
l of a second embodiment of a dead end assembly incorporating
¦ the teachings of the present invention; and
i Figure 4 is a top plan partial view of a third
I embodiment of a dead end assembly incorporating the teachings
of the present invention.
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,~ Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment
0 ¦ With reference now more paxticularly to Figures
1 and 2, there is shown a guy wire dead end assembly 10 which
i5 particularly useful in anchoring guy wires used with
supporting pole structures for transmission lines étc. The
l dead end 10 includes a U-bolt 12 having legs designated 14
15 j and 16 and is preferably manufactured out of steel. Note that
`since these dead ends are required to perform heavy anchoring
services, they are relatively large with typical U-bolts being
approximately 1 1/3 feet in length with the diameter of each
~ leg being almost an inch acr;oss.
, Leg 14 is partially threaded having a brace 19 adjustably
positioned thereon between two hex jam nuts 20, 22. The brace
i 19 includes a rectangular member having two openings positioned
with respect to legs 14 and 16. Brace 19 may be made of aluminum
~ I and rather than two openings as shown, a single opening and open
5 ¦ slot may be utilized so as to allow the brace to pivot hingingly
about the opening.
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¦ Brace 13 acts as a spacer, increases the strenyth of
! the assemhly and defines an anchor eye for coupling the dead
end with a stationary anchor. The thread nut relation allows
l an adjustment of brace 19 by adjusting the position of the
,¦ nuts 22, 24 along leg l4.
Positioned at the lower end of the U-bolt 12 is
a rectangular ~oke 26 and a cylindrical hollow com-
pression sleeve 28, both of which may be made of aluminum.
The yoke 26 includes openings 30 and 32, which are
I sufficient size to slide over the ends of legs 14 and 16
respectively, with the legs passing therethrough. The ends
¦ of the legs 14 and 16 are threaded to allow the screwing of
hex nuts 34 and 36 alons with hex jam nuts 38 and 40 there-
l behind. Interposed between the nuts and the voke 26 are
lS I washers 42. ~'Adjacent the yoke 26 is the compression sleeve
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28 having a bore 44 therethrough coaxial with a bore 44A
`¦ (shown in phantom and somewhat larger than the diameter of
guy wire 46) in the yoke 26. This allows the insertion there-
I through of the guy wire 46 to be anchored.
¦ Note that bore 44 is also somewhat larger than the
diameter of the guy wire and is typically coated with a grit
coating i.e., aluminum oxide, which facilitates a strong
gripping action of the sleeve 28 during crimping. In this re-
, gard, once the guy is inserted into the bore 44A and 44, a por-
i tion of which may extend therethrough, the sleeve may be crimped
in a standard manner usually with a hydraulic press. If it is
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I! desired to make the sleeve 28 separate from the yoke 26,/the guy
wire 46 should first be inserted throu~h bore 44A Drior to
crimping the sleeve 28 about khe guy wire. Of course, the outer
l! diameter of the sleeve 28 should be of such a size that it abuts
I sufficient areas of the yoke 26 during a tightenina down of the
j, device. The yoke 26 may then be coupled with the U-bolt 12 after
¦ its coupling to the stationary anchor with the hex nuts tightened
down. The tightening of the nuts 34-40 may be used to draw the
I quy wire into proper tensioning thereof.
~~ Note that if it is desired to provide for additional ten-
i sioning or increased adjustability of the assembly, especially in
! the larger size of dead ends, the threads along leg 16 may be ex-
.I tended an increased length thereof as shown in Fiaure 3. This
~I would allow an increased distance that the yoke 26 can be drawn up.
I Furthermore, as is apparent, the dead end serves to secure
~l a metal guy wire to a metallic guy anchor positioned in the
il ~round, for example. Stray currents in the guy wire 46 trans-
j ferred to the dead end and in turn to the metallic anchor are
¦ usually blamed for causing galvanic corrosion of earth anchors.
, In this regard, as shown in Figure 3, the yoke 26'ma~
,¦ be fabricated out of high strength dielectric material suitable
'¦ for purpose to act as an insulator which prevents the passing of
stray current from the guy wire to the anchor.
!¦ Alternatively, as shown in Figure 4, a hollow cvlindrical
I dielectric insert 48 may be interposed between yoke 26" and guY
,¦ wire 46 in a bore 50. Lip 52 serves to insulate compression
sleeve 28 from the yoke 26" preVentiAg the passiny oi stray
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;I current thereto. Thus by either of the aforenoted means, the
anchor to which the dead end is coupled is protected from
corrosion by stray currents.
l In addition, the yoke may be insulated from the
U-bolt via dielectric inserts interposed in openings 30 and
32 and positioned between the hex nuts and yoke with similar
results.
As shown in Figure 3, the nuts 34-40 may be provided
with fastener guards 54 for the respective nuts so as to inhibit
the unauthorized loosening of the nuts. These fastener guards
j comprise cylindrical member open at one end with a bore through
the opposite end slightly larger than the diameter of the legs
14 and 16~ These guards slide over the legs in back to back
fashion thereby limiting access to only the rear nuts 38 and
15 ~ 40 through the open end of the fastener guards.
Thus, bv the aforenoted invention, its objects and
advantages are realized, and although preferred embodiments
have been disclosed and described in detail herein, its scope
should not be limited thereby, rather its scope should be
determined by that o~ the appended claims.
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