US2990799A - Anchor - Google Patents

Description

July 4,1961 H. D. MORGAN ETAL 2,990,799

ANCHOR Filed Oct. 8, 1958 In Hm Hara/d //arga/y /70/1/63/ Marga/7 JNVENToRs.

By f

A TOR/v y 2,990,799 ANCHOR Harold D. Morgan, 8425 37th St., Tampa, Fla., and Harvey D. Morgan, Rte. 1, Box 456, Dover, Fla. Filed Oct. 8, '1958, Ser. No.` 766,106 7 Claims. (Cl. 114-208) This invention relates to anchors and is particularly concerned with anchors, the flukes of which may be released With respect to the anchor shank in automatic response to tension so that such anchors may be disengaged from rocks, stones or other subsurface impediments.

While in its broadest aspects the present inventive concept may be variously carried out, the present specic form of the invention relates to the securement of anchor ukes by one or more shear pins which may yield under tension to release the flukes for such amplitude of relative movement as to free the anchor should the ilukes become caught beneath or behind an object. While anchors have heretofore been provided with tension responsive means for releasing the ilukes thereof upon engagement with subterraneous objects, such structures have been either complicated beyond the scope of economic manufacture or inefficient with respect to the strength required in holding the flukes in an effective position during use. In some instances the ukes have been fixed with respect to the anchor stock and/or shank precluding any normal pivotal movement which is highly desirable. In other cases the freedom of released motion is so limited as to preclude disengagement of the anchor under certain circumstances.

It is, therefore, among the objects of the present invention to provide a simple, effective, efficient and economical anchor the linkes of which are preferably free for partial pivotal movement at all times but which may be released in response to a predetermined tension on the anchor cable or chain to free the flukes for increased and preferably free 360 degree movement. In one form of the invention the ukes are fixed and move together with a rotary stock while in another form of the invention they are mounted for individual movement with respect to the stock. In those forms of the invention here shown by way of illustration,

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of one preferred form of the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a vertical fragmentary section through the central portion of the stock of the anchor of FIGURE l as indicated by the line L-Z of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section through the horizontal stock of the anchor of FIGURES 1 and 2 taken on the plane of the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3,

FIGURE 5 is an illustration of the anchor released in response to pressure to permit the flukes to move with complete 360 degree motion with respect to the anchor shank, and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view partly in section of a modified form of the invention.

In that form of the invention here shown by way of illustration, the anchor consists of a shank 10 to which the anchor cable or chain may be secured through the eyelet 11. The shank may be provided with such crossarms adjacent the eyelet as desired. At the lower end of the shank 10 there is provided a tubular crossarm or stock 12 into which is fitted the stock or nuke bar 13. The fluke ybar 13 is formed with the shoulder 14 against which the square fluke heads 15 are engaged by pressure from securing nuts 16 threaded as at 17 to rounded extremities of the outwardly extending square ends 18 ICC of the otherwise round stock bar 13. By so mounting the individual ukes each may be individually secured with the bar 13 and each may be exchanged if damaged. Such construction provides ease of manufacture and insures freedom of movement. s

'Ihe ukes 15A and the uke bar 13 to which they are rigidly secured by the nuts 16 are secured against full 360 degree pivotal movement by a shear pin 20 which is inserted -transversely of the bar 13. The head 21 and the furcated end 22 of the shear pin 20 are received within circumferentially extending slots Z3 of stock 12 preferably of degree extent. Thus, the arrangement is such that free pivotal movement of the bar 13 and thus of the flukes, is in this instance, of 45 degree angulanity with respect to either side of the shank. Movement beyond such clearance is precluded by engagementof the shear pin with the terminal points of the receiving slots 23. However, should the dukes be engaged with an irresistible obstacle, force supplied by the anchor chain will urge the flukes and bar for rotation beyond the limit imposed by the shear pin. 4The shear pin will thus be severed permitting the stock bar 13 with the flukes to turn freely within the hollow stock 12 to release the anchor. Such relative rotation of the flukes and bar with respect to the shank 10 is` illustrated by the dotted line position of the shank in FIGURE 5.

In that form of the invention presented in FIGURE 6 of the drawings, the dukes 30 are shown as individually attached to reduced rounded end portions 31 of the anchor stock 32. The central portion of the stock is rigidly secured to the shank 33 while the outer ends are formed with shoulders 34 against which the linke heads 35 may bear while nuts 36 threadedly engaging the terminal threaded extremities 37 of the stock 32 secure the anchor flukes from inadvertent displacement. However, such securement while permitting free motion provides for change or replacement if desired. Individual limited pivotal movement of each fluke 30 with respect to the4 stock end to which it is secured is provided by opposed slots preferably of approximately 90 degree ex-..

tent extending through each side of each iluke head to gether with shear pins 39 formed in the manner of the shear pins 20 and acting similarly so as to permit independent free angular movement of the ilukes with respect to the shank 33. Such movement is here shown as 90 degrees in accordance with the extent of the slots 38 and preferably being of equal extent on each side of the central axis of the shank.

As in the manner of that form of the invention shown in FIGURES 1 to 5, should one or both of the 4iukes be so engaged by an object to resist the normal raising of the anchor by conventional tension, an increased tension on such anchor chain will cause either one or both of the shear pins 39 to be broken to release whichever fluke is engaged or both of the ukes, should they both be engaged, to permit free full rotational movement of the ukes. Thus, the anchor may be raised despite engagement of one or both of 4the ilukes by some subsurface o ject.

It will thus be seen that the present invention provides a novel, simple and improved anchor which readily meets the demands for economic manu-facture and yet provides tension responsive release of the ukes to permit such relative motion with respect to the stock and/or shank of the anchor as to provide for the release of the anchor should it be so engaged as to preclude the normal raising of the anchor under anchor cable or chain tension. It will also be noted that the structure provides for the independent mounting of the flukes so that they may be readily released for exchange or repair and that such arrangement materially aids in thek economic assembly v 3 of the device. It will further be noted that while the ukes are securely retained by the construction of the present assembly, they are nevertheless free for limited or full rotation with respect to the anchor stock without damage or loss.

It will of course be understood that in the practice of the invention numerous changes, modiications and the full use of equivalents may be resorted to without departure from the spirit or scope of the invention as outlined in the appended claims.

What we claim is:

l; An anchor including a shank, a stock secured to said shank and extending transversely thereof, a-t least one nke pivotally mounted with respect to said stock and a shear pin restraining pivotal movement of said fluke with respect to said stock, said shear pin being engaged through a slot to permit limited motion of the fluke with respect to the slot.

2. An anchor including a shank, a stock secured to said shank and extending transversely thereof, at least one fluke pivotally mounted with respect to said stock and a shear pin restraining pivotal movement of said fluke with respect to said stock, said shear pin being Yengaged through a slot to permit limited motion of the fluke with respect to the slot and being fractionable under strain between said fluke and stock to release said nke for full rotation with respect to said stock.

3. An anchor including a shank, a stock secured to said shank and extending transversely thereof, at least one uke pivotally mounted with respect to said stock and a shear pin restraining pivotal movement of said fluke with respect to said stock, said shear pin being engaged -throngh a slot to permit limited motion of the uke with respect to the slot and being fractionable under strain between said fluke and stock to release said uke for full rotation with respect to said stock, said iluke being mounted with respect to said stock by an internal rod pinned to said iluke by said shear pin.

' 4. An anchor including a shank, a stock secured to said shank and extending transversely thereof, at least o ne fluke pivotally mounted with respect to said stock and a shear pin restraining pivotal movement of said uke with respect to said stock, said shear pin being engaged 'through a slot to permit limited motion of the fluke with respect to the slot and being fractionable under strain between said fluke and stock to release said fluke for full rotation with respect to said stock, said fluke being directly mounted on said stock with the shear pin extending therebetween.

5. A releasable anchor including a shank, a hollow stock rigidly secured to said shank, a stock bar rotatably mounted in said hollow stock, linkes mounted on said bar, and a shear pin engaged between said stock bar and hollow stock, said hollow stock dening oppositely disposed circumferential slots to receive the opposite ends of said shear pin.

6. A releasable anchor including a shank, a hollow stock rigidly secured to said shank, a stock bar rotatably mounted in said hollow stock, linkes mounted on said bar, and a shear pin engaged between said stock bar and hollow stock, said hollow stock defining oppositely disposed circumferential slots to receive the appropriate ends of said shear pin, said slots being in the plane of the axis of the shank, equally spaced and of 90 degree circumferential extent to form side openings while the shear pin extends horizontally and transversely through the bar to permit normal pivotal movement of the flnkes in angular paths 45 degrees on either side of the shank axis.

7. A releasable anchor including a shank, a stock rigidly secured transversely of said shank, and nkes rotatably mounted at the ends of said stock and shear pins restraining pivotal movement of said ukes with respect to said stock each fluke including a head dening opposed slots for receiving the ends of the shear pins to permit limited free rotation of said ukes on said stock, said slots being equally spaced circumferentially of said uke heads and of 90 degree circumferential extent on either side of said stock to provide free rotation of 45 degrees on either side of the plane of the shank axis.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Burleson Nov. 27,

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