GB2201715A - Folding staging support assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

A folding staging support assembly for connection to upright members of scaffold structure comprises a staging bracket 26 pivotally connected to the upper end of a vertical bracket 10 which is itself releasably connected to an upright member. A brace 38 is pivotally connected between the bracket 26 and a sleeve 48 slidably mounted on the bracket 10. The sleeve 48 is fixedly supportable on the bracket 10 whereby the brace 38 supports the staging bracket 26 in a horizontal operative position. The bracket 26 may be pivotted upwardly to a substantially vertical inoperative position whereby the sleeve 48 slides upwardly of the bracket 10, the brace 38 thus pivoting also to a substantially vertical position adjacent the upright member 16. A pin 50 passes through an aperture in the sleeve 48 and an aperture 52 in the bracket 10 to retain the assembly in its folded inoperative position. <IMAGE>

Description

FOLDING STAGING SUPPORT ASSEMBLY This invention relates to a staging support assembly for connection to scaffolding structure or the like.

Scaffold based staging support assemblies are utilised to enable personnel to position themselves closely adjacent to items on which they are working.

After such work has been completed, it is typical practice first to dismantle the staging support and then to dismantle the main scaffold structure. Such a procedure can sometimes give rise to problems, for example, a particular problem can arise in the use of such scaffold based staging support assemblies in shipyards when it is required to refloat or launch a ship after the relevant work has been completed. To enable such refloating or launching of the ship it is frequently necessary, for sufficient ship/scaffold clearance purposes, to dismantle at least the major part of the staging support assembly from the main scaffold structure and this can occupy a substantial period of time leading to an unacceptable delay in the refloat or launch.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a folding staging support assembly which is connectable to scaffold structure and which can be readily folded from its operative position whilst still remaining connected to the scaffolding.

In accordance with the invention there is provided a folding staging support assembly for connection to an upright member of scaffold structure comprising an elongate staging bracket; staging bracket connector means for releasably securing an inboard end of said bracket on a said upright member, said bracket being pivotally mounted relative to said connector means; and a bracing member pivotally connected at its one end relative to said staging bracket at a position spaced therealong from its said inboard end, said bracing member being supportable at its other end relative to said upright member at a fixed position below the said staging bracket connector means whereby, when said brace member is supported at its said other end relative to the upright member, the staging bracket is supported in a horizontal operative position by said brace member and whereby said staging bracket may be pivotted from its said horizontal operative position to a substantially vertical inoperative position parallel to said upright member, and the brace member may be pivotted relative to the staging bracket also to lie in a substantially vertical position parallel to said upright member.

The said staging bracket connector means is conveniently provided at the, in use, upper end of a vertically disposable upright bracket member with further connector means being provided at the, in use, lower end of said upright bracket member whereby said bracket member is releasably connectable to a said upright member, the brace member being pivotally connected at its said other end relative to said upright bracket member and being supported thereon.

Preferably a sleeve is slidably mounted on said upright bracket member and the brace member is pivotally connected to said sleeve, the sleeve being supportable on said further connector means to provide said fixed position of the brace member to support the staging bracket in its said horizontal operative position.

Releasable locking means are preferably provided between said sleeve and said upright bracket member whereby, when said staging bracket is pivotted upwardly from its said horizontal operative position, the sleeve is slideable upwardly of said bracket member and is securable thereto to maintain said staging bracket and said bracing member in their substantially vertical positions parallel to a said upright member.

Other features of the invention will become apparent from the following description given herein solely by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is an isometric view of a folding staging support assembly constructed in accordance with the invention showing it disconnected from an upright member of scaffold structure but with the staging bracket in its horizontal operative position; and Figures 2 to 7 are diagrammatic representations of a sequence of steps in folding the staging support assembly of Figure 1 from the horizontal operative position of the staging bracket to its substantially vertical inoperative position.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings there is shown a single staging support assembly in accordance with the invention but it will of course be appreciated that, in use, a substantial number of such assemblies will be provided for connection to a scaffold structure enabling provision of continuous staging extending outwardly from the main scaffold structure to enable personnel to position themselves on the staging adjacent to the particular job on which they are required to work.

The assembly of Figure 1 comprises an, in use, vertically disposed upright bracket member 10 which is conveniently formed as illustrated of square or rectangular cross sectional tubing. At each of the upper and lower ends of the bracket member 10 there is provided a respective connector 12 and 14 of known form for enabling the assembly to be releasably connected to an upright member 16 (shown in Figures 2 to 7) of the main scaffold structure. The said connectors 12 and 14 illustrated in Figure 1 enable the staging support assembly to be releasably connected to known types of main scaffold upright members 16 which have a plurality of channel section sockets, usually four, circumferentially spaced around the upright and at predetermined axial distances therealong.

The distance between the connectors 12 and 14 on the upright bracket member 10 of the assembly is selected in order that it may be releasably connected to such a known type of main scaffold upright member 16 and, as is clearly illustrated in Figure 1, each connector comprises a pair of vertically spaced apart upper and lower horizontally disposable limbs 18 and 20 respectively each of which has a slot 22 therein for receiving a wedge clamping member 24.In use, to connect the staging support assembly to a said upright member 16, the wedges 24 are retracted from the position shown in Figure 1; each pair of limbs 18 and 20 is positioned to straddle a socket onDan upright member and the wedges 24 are then reinserted through the slots 22 in the limbs passing through the space between a respective socket and upright to bring the outer ends of the connector limbs into pressure clamping engagement with the upright member.

The staging support assembly further includes an elongate staging bracket illustrated generally at 26 which is pivotally connected at one end, its inboard end, to the upper end of the upright bracket member 10. The staging bracket 26 conveniently comprises, as illustrated, a pair of angle section elements with one flange 28 of each element secured contiguously in back to back relation with the corresponding flange of the other element to define an inverted T-section bracket having co-planar flanges 30 on either side of the T-section. The back to back flanges 28 of the bracket are relieved at the bracket inboard end to receive a pair of horizontally spaced apart mounting plates 32 to enable the bracket 26 to be pivotally connected to the upright bracket member 10.The upper end of the upper bracket member 10 is also relieved to receive a mounting plate 34 and corresponding apertures are provided in all of the mounting plates 32 and 34 for reception of a pivot pin 36 whereby the staging bracket 26 is pivotally connected to the upper end of the upright bracket member 10.

A brace member 38 is pivotally connected at its upper end to the staging bracket 26 at a position spaced therealong from its inboard end; typically as shown in Figure 1 adjacent to the outboard end of the staging bracket. The brace member 38 is pivotally connected to the staging bracket by means of a pair of lugs 40 depending downwardly therefrom and receiving therethrough a pivot pin 42 upon which the brace member 38 is mounted.

The lower end of the brace member is pivotally connected, by means of a pivot pin 44 and a pair of lugs 46, to a sleeve 48 mounted for sliding movement on the upright bracket member 10.

Thus, in the position shown in Figure 1, the staging bracket 26 is disposed in its horizontal operative position supported by the brace member 38 with the sleeve 48 either resting on a part of the lower connector 14 to prevent downward movement of the sleeve or, as illustrated, supported by means of a retaining pin 50 passing through aligned apertures in the sleeve 48 and the upright bracket member 10. It will be appreciated that, upon release of the retaining pin 50, the staging bracket 26 may be pivotted upwardly relative to the upright bracket member 10 thereby causing the sleeve 48 at the lower end of the brace member to slide upwardly of the upright bracket member 10 to a position in which the staging bracket 26 is in a substantially vertical inoperative position parallel to said upright member 16.

In this position the brace member 38 will also be in a substantially vertical position parallel to the upright member 16 and the whole assembly may be retained in this inoperative position by insertion of the retaining pin 50 through the aforesaid aperture in the sleeve 48 and an aligned aperture 52 in the upright bracket member 10.

Referring now to Figures 2 to 7, there is shown a diagrammatic sequence of steps in folding the staging support assembly of the invention from the horizontal operative position of the staging bracket 26 to its inoperative position. Figure 2 shows the assembly in its operative position with a guard rail post 54 secured within a socket 56 (see Figure 1) at the outboard end of the staging bracket 26 and, as a first step in the folding sequence, the guard rail is removed from the socket 56 whereby the assembly is then in the condition shown in Figure 3. If a pinned retaining connection is utilised between the sleeve 48 and the upright bracket member 10, such pin 50 is then removed and a lifting handle 58 is attached to the staging bracket 26; such lifting handle comprising a L-shaped member as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings.One end of one arm of the lifting handle is securable to the outboard end of the staging bracket 26 and the upper end of the other arm of the lifting handle may then be pulled inwardly of the main scaffold structure giving sufficient leverage on the staging bracket to pivot it upwardly to its folded substantially vertical inoperative position as shown in Figure 5.

As described above, a retaining pin 50 may then be inserted through the aperture in the sleeve and the aperture 52 in the upright bracket member 10 to retain the assembly in its inoperative position as shown in Figure 6. Finally, the lifting handle 58 is disengaged from the staging bracket 26 thereby leaving the assembly in its folded inoperative position as shown in Figure 7.

Returning now to Figure 1 of the drawings, it will be seen that the upper horizontal surfaces of the T-section staging bracket flanges 30 are each provided at spaced intervals with L-shaped upwardly projecting lugs 60. These lugs 60 are provided for the reception and retention of staging boards which can typically be formed.

as rolled section metal elements having inwardly turned lower edges for engagement with and retention by the lugs 60. Thus, in the staging bracket shown in Figure 1, four such boards may be positioned in side by side relationship to rest on each horizontal flange 30 of the T-section staging bracket 26 and to extend to a corresponding horizontal flange of a next adjacent staging bracket connected to a next adjacent upright member of the scaffold structure. It will be appreciated that it will not be necessary to remove such staging boards from the brackets 26 before each assembly is folded from its operative to its inoperative position as, with the provision of a lifting handle 58 and an operative therefor at each location of a staging bracket 26, the brackets supporting the ends of the staging boards may be pivotted upwardly in unison carrying the staging boards therewith to the folded inoperative position of the support assembly.

Claims (5)

1. A folding staging support assembly for connection to an upright member of scaffold structure comprising an elongate staging bracket; staging bracket connector means for releasably securing an inboard end of said bracket on a said upright member, said bracket being pivotally mounted relative to said connector means; and a bracing member pivotally connected at its one end relative to said staging bracket at a position spaced therealong from its said inboard end, said bracing member being supportable at its other end relative to said upright member at a fixed position below the said staging bracket connector means whereby, when said brace member is supported at its said other end relative to the upright member, the staging bracket is supported in a horizontal operative position by said brace member and whereby said staging bracket may be pivotted from its said horizontal operative position to a substantially vertical inoperative position parallel to said upright member, and the brace member may be pivotted relative to the staging bracket also to lie in a substantially vertical position parallel to said upright member.

2. An assembly as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said staging bracket connector means is provided at the, in use, upper end of a vertically disposable upright bracket member and further connector means are provided at the, in use, lower end of said upright bracket member whereby said bracket member is releasably connectable to a said upright member, the brace member being pivotally connected at its said other end relative to said upright bracket member and being supported thereon.

3. An assembly as claimed in Claim 2 wherein a sleeve is slideably mounted on said upright bracket member and the brace member is pivotally connected to said sleeve, the sleeve being supportable on said further connector means to provide said fixed position of the brace member to support the staging bracket in its said horizontal operative position.

4. An assembly as claimed in Claim 3 including releasable locking means between said sleeve and said upright bracket member whereby, when said staging bracket is pivotted upwardly from its said horizontal operative position, the sleeve is slidable upwardly of said bracket member and is securable thereto to maintain said staging bracket and said bracing member in their substantially vertical positions parallel to a said upright member.

5. A folding staging support assembly for connection to upright members of scaffold structure constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.