US4630971A — Apparatus for anchoring rock and the like

Claim 1

Independent Claim 265 words

Anchoring apparatus for insertion into a borehole in a rock stratum for supporting an exposed rock surface or wall such as in a rock tunnel or a rock excavation, comprising a tension member in the form of an axially elongated steel anchor rod formed of at least one axially extending part with force transmission ribs on the outer surface of said rod and said rod having a pair of opposite ends spaced apart in the axial direction, said ribs located along a helically extending line around the axis of said rod and forming at least a partial thread, an anchoring element mounted on said rod, said anchoring element having an inside surface arranged to encircle and engage the surface of said rod, said inside surface having inwardly directed projections, said projections forming grooves therebetween so that said grooves can receive said ribs on said rod with said projections arranged to contact said ribs, said anchoring element in engagement with said rod being arranged to be axially movable relative to said rod while a predetermined axially directed tensile force on said rod is exceeded, wherein the improvement comprises that said anchoring element is formed of a material having a higher strength than the material forming said rod, said projections have flanks defining said grooves therebetween arranged to contact said force transmission ribs, and when the predetermined axially directed tensile force is exceeded, during relative axial movement between said anchoring element and said rod, said projections on said anchoring element cut and displace the portion of said force transmission ribs contacted by the flanks of said projections.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 265 words

Anchoring apparatus for insertion into a borehole in a rock stratum for supporting an exposed rock surface or wall such as in a rock tunnel or a rock excavation, comprising a tension member in the form of an axially elongated steel anchor rod formed of at least one axially extending part with force transmission ribs on the outer surface of said rod and said rod having a pair of opposite ends spaced apart in the axial direction, said ribs located along a helically extending line around the axis of said rod and forming at least a partial thread, an anchoring element mounted on said rod, said anchoring element having an inside surface arranged to encircle and engage the surface of said rod, said inside surface having inwardly directed projections, said projections forming grooves therebetween so that said grooves can receive said ribs on said rod with said projections arranged to contact said ribs, said anchoring element in engagement with said rod being arranged to be axially movable relative to said rod while a predetermined axially directed tensile force on said rod is exceeded, wherein the improvement comprises that said anchoring element is formed of a material having a higher strength than the material forming said rod, said projections have flanks defining said grooves therebetween arranged to contact said force transmission ribs, and when the predetermined axially directed tensile force is exceeded, during relative axial movement between said anchoring element and said rod, said projections on said anchoring element cut and displace the portion of said force transmission ribs contacted by the flanks of said projections.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 77 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said anchoring element is in the form of a nut with an inside surface defining an axially extending opening therethrough, said projections located on the inside surface of said nut and forming at least a partial thread and said recesses between said projections defining grooves arranged to receive said force transmission ribs on said anchor rod so that said nut and said anchor rod are in threaded engagement.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 124 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said projections form consecutive thread turns in said anchoring nut with said projections each forming a complete thread turn, said anchoring nut having a first end and a second end spaced apart in the axial direction thereof, said projections extending radially inwardly adjacent one end of said anchoring nut being closer to the axis of said nut than said projections adjacent the other end thereof, said force transmission ribs having oppositely directed flanks, and the flanks of said projections acting on the flanks of said force transmission ribs so that during relative movement when the predetermined axially directed tensile force is exceeded layers of said force transmission ribs can be stripped in a stepwise manner.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 114 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 3, wherein said force transmission ribs on said anchor rod are inclined relative to the outside surface of said rod, said flanks on said anchoring element directed toward said force transmission ribs on said anchor rod in the direction of relative movement of said anchoring nut with respect to said anchor rod have the same or a steeper inclination relative to the axis of said anchor rod than the corresponding flanks on said force transmission ribs of said anchor rod whereby said force transmission ribs can be sheared off by the edges defined by the juncture of said flanks and the radially inner surface of said projections.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 39 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 4, wherein said flanks on said projections contacting said flanks on said force transmission ribs on said anchor rod during relative movement extend perpendicularly relative to the axis of said anchor rod.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 97 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 3, wherein said force transmission ribs on said anchor rod have flanks inclined obliquely relative to the outside surface of said rod and said flanks on said projections contacting said flanks on said force transmission ribs during axial movement when the predetermined tensile force is exceeded are inclined at a smaller angle relative to the axis of said anchor rod than the flanks on said force transmission ribs whereby the shearing action effected on said force transmission ribs by said projections effects a cold forming of said force transmission ribs.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 29 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 3, wherein said projections on said anchor rod extend helically and are in spaced relation to one another in the helical direction.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 29 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 6, wherein said projections on said anchor rod extend helically and are in spaced relation to one another in the helical direction.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 27 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 7, wherein the spacings between said projections are flush with one another in the axial direction of said anchoring nut.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 27 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 8, wherein the spacings between said projections are flush with one another in the axial direction of said anchoring nut.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 114 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 2, wherein said projections on said anchoring nut are formed as individual cams mutually spaced apart along a helical line on the inside surface of said nut so that said cams form a partial thread and said cams having flanks directed toward said force transmission ribs so that said flanks contact said ribs in the relative axial movement of said anchoring nut relative to said anchor rod when the predetermined axially directed tensile force is exceeded and said force transmission ribs form complete thread turns whereby said cams shear off portions of said force transmission ribs in the spaced direction of said cams along the helical line.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 18 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 11, wherein said cams are uniformly spaced along said helical line.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 37 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 11, wherein said cams located on adjacent thread turns in the axial direction of said anchoring nut being offset relative to one another in the circumferential direction of said nut.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 37 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 12, wherein said cams located on adjacent thread turns in the axial direction of said anchoring nut being offset relative to one another in the circumferential direction of said nut.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 33 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 13, wherein said cams are offset relative to one another so that they appear adjacent to one another in the normal projection of said anchoring nut.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 33 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 14, wherein said cams are offset relative to one another so that they appear adjacent to one another in the normal projection of said anchoring nut.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 33 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 11, wherein said cams are offset relative to one another in the axial direction of said anchoring nut along the helical line formed by said cams.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 33 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 13, wherein said cams are offset relative to one another in the axial direction of said anchoring nut along the helical line formed by said cams.

Claim 20

Dependent Claim 25 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 17, wherein each of said cams is offset relative to the adjacent said cams by the same dimension.

Claim 21

Dependent Claim 25 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 18, wherein each of said cams is offset relative to the adjacent said cams by the same dimension.

Claim 22

Dependent Claim 46 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 11, wherein said cams having lateral surfaces extending transversely of the flanks thereon which contact the flanks of said force transmission ribs with said surfaces extending at an oblique angle relative to the axial direction of said anchoring nut.

Claim 23

Dependent Claim 41 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 21, wherein said cams are wedge shaped as viewed in the direction said cams move relative to said force transmission ribs on said anchor rod when the predetermined axially directed tensile force is exceeded.

Claim 24

Dependent Claim 88 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 4, wherein said anchoring nut is formed of at least two axially extending annular parts spaced apart in the axial direction of said nut and each said part being capable of threaded engagement with said force transmission ribs on said anchor rod, said parts being arranged so that they are not rotatable relative to one another but are axially displaceable relative to one another by a predetermined distance in the axial direction while the predetermined axially directed tensile force is exceeded.

Claim 25

Dependent Claim 49 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 23, wherein said parts of said anchoring nut have an outside surface other than a circular surface and said parts being enclosed laterally by a sleeve having the cross-section of the inside surface thereof corresponding to the outside surface of said parts.

Claim 26

Dependent Claim 38 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 23, wherein an intermediate piece interconnects said parts of said anchoring nut and prevents relative rotation therebetween, and said intermediate piece being deformable in the axial direction of said anchoring nut.

Claim 27

Dependent Claim 73 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said anchor rod has a first end arranged to be positioned within the borehole in the rock stratum and a second end arranged to be located outside of the borehole, and said anchoring element is engageable on the end of said anchoring rod located outside the borehole and an anchor plate positioned between said anchoring element and the outside surface of said rock stratum.

Claim 28

Dependent Claim 75 words

Anchoring apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein said anchor rod is located within said borehole with one end of said rod located adjacent to the opening to the borehole and a second end spaced inwardly therefrom toward the base of the borehole, and said anchoring element is engageable with said anchor rod on the end thereof adjacent the base of said borehole, and a bonding member securing said anchoring element within said borehole.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1989-12-22	1990-06-23	1990-12-23	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1993-12-22	1994-06-23	1994-12-23	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1997-12-22	1998-06-23	1998-12-23	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Apparatus for anchoring rock and the like

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