Stop for crane boom

• US 4,270,663 A
• Filed: 11/14/1979
• Issued: 06/02/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: FMC Corporation
• Original Assignee: FMC Corporation
• Inventors: Berger, Gerald P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kunin, Stephen G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Johnson, R. B.
• Application Number:
  US06/093,953
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• Field of Search: 212/222, 212/149, 212/153, 212/227, 212/231, 212/232, 212/255, 212/258, 212/265, 414/636, 414/673-674, 414/701, 414/719
• US Class Current: 212/293
• CPC Class Codes: B66C 23/92 Snubbers or dashpots for preventing backwards swinging of jibs, e.g. in the event of cable or tackle breakage

Abstract

A crane has a rotatable body with a vertically pivotal boom connected thereto. An energy absorbing stop unit is mounted in a fixed position on the body, and a guide sleeve is pivotally mounted on the body adjacent the stop unit. A stop rod is pivotally connected to the boom at a point between the ends of the boom for vertical swinging movement, and the rod is maintained in the guide sleeve in every position of the boom. The guide sleeve is pivoted by the stop rod into alignment with the stop unit at the extreme upper position of the boom, and, at that position of the boom, the stop rod extends through the guide sleeve into engagement with the stop unit.

Claims

1. In a crane having a body and having a boom pivotally mounted to the body at a first location for swinging movement in a vertical plane, and further having

boom stop mechanism connected between the body and boom to arrest further swinging movement of said boom when it reaches an upper extreme position, the improvement therein comprising:

a first rigid member defining an elongated sleeve open at both ends, said sleeve having a pivot connection fixed thereto adjacent one open end thereof and disposed in laterally spaced relation to said sleeve open end thereat whereby said open end is unobstructed by said pivot connection,

a second rigid member defining an elongated rod slidably received in said sleeve and extending outwardly from the other open end of said sleeve to terminate in a pivot connection, said rod having a length greater than said sleeve so as to be enabled to slide therein to entend outwardly from said one sleeve end,

a pivotal mounting on said body at a second location spaced from said first location and having a horizontal pivot axis fixed with respect to said body,

a pivotal mounting on said boom having a horizontal pivot axis fixed with respect to said boom,

a pivot pin interconnecting said body pivotal mounting and the pivot connection on one of said members for swinging movement of said member about said body fixed axis,

a pivot pin interconnecting said boom pivotal mounting and the pivot connection on the other of said members for swinging movement of said member about said body fixed axis, said rigid members constituting the sole interconnection between said pivotal mounting, and,

a stop unit rigidly affixed to said body in a predetermined position thereon,

said stop unit having an elongated receiving means, abutment means disposed in said receiving means and mounted for axial movement therein, and cushion means interconnecting said receiving means and said abutment means,

said stop means being mounted in spaced relation to said one end of said sleeve to permit said sleeve to pivot relative thereto as said boom swings, said abutment means being axially aligned with said sleeve when said boom reaches an upper extreme position thereby to receive said rod sliding outwardly from said one open sleeve end into abutting relation with said abutment means.

2. The boom mechanism of claim 1 wherein said abutment means has a dished end surface for engagement by said rod, said rod having a rounded end for complementary engagement with said dished suface.

3. The boom stop mechanism of claim 2 wherein said abutment means has further means at said end surface for signalling an alarm when engaged by said rod, and an alarm device connected thereto.

4. The boom stop mechanism of claims 1, 2, or 3 wherein said body pivotal mounting is connected to said first member and said boom pivotal mounting is connected to said second member.

5. The boom stop mechanism of claim 4 wherein said elongated sleeve member is of a length only slightly less than that of said rod member, whereby said sleeve member confines and guides linear portions of increasing length of said rod member in maintaining longitudinal alignment therebetween as said boom swings toward an upper position.