ANCHOR SYSTEM

Description

Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an anchor system for anchoring in the ground. The anchor system, in particular a tiltable anchor system, comprises an anchor body that can be driven into the ground to a specific depth and an elongated tension element that can be connected thereto, wherein the anchor body can be tilted into an anchoring position in the ground. In a second aspect, the invention relates to a method for anchoring such an anchor system in the ground. State of the art

[0002] A variety of tiltable ground anchors, also known as toggle anchors or hinged anchors, are known. A corresponding anchor system comprises a specially shaped anchor body which can be articulated to an elongated tension element. The elongated tension element, for example an anchor rod, is driven into the ground together with the anchor body to a certain depth. This can be done by ramming or pressing, with the anchor body extending largely parallel to the elongated tension element. When the anchor body reaches a predetermined depth, the tension element is subjected to a tensile force. The anchor body, which can be articulated to it, is brought into a locked position or a holding force position, i.e. tilted by approximately 90°, which creates increased resistance to opposite movement.

[0003] Various anchor body shapes are known. For example, there are anchor body shapes with angled wings to increase the surface area, increase resistance to accidental pullout, and improve placement. Furthermore, the anchor body can have a specially designed front end with a propelling edge to facilitate driving the anchor into the ground. Other anchor features are designed to facilitate rotation or tilting of the placed anchor in the ground.

[0004] GB 2283510 A discloses an improved ground anchor which comprises a base in a central region of the anchor body into which a T-shaped connecting element can be inserted. The crossbar of the T-shape can be inserted into the base in one orientation and, rotated by 90°, can be locked in corresponding openings on the side walls of the base. For further security, a wedge can be inserted which prevents the connecting element from rotating into a position from which it can be pulled out of the base. An elongated tension element, for example a rope, cable or rod, can be connected to the connecting element, whereby the rod itself can also be equipped with the T-shaped connecting element. The anchoring and locking of the connecting element and its mobility are both susceptible to failure due to contamination and accidental loosening and are also difficult to handle.

[0005] An anchor is known from NL 2020713, wherein a central passage is provided on the anchor body through which a tension member can be passed. The tension member, which can be inserted from below, comprises an arcuate hinge body at a distal end. The hinge body rests against and slides along a likewise arcuately shaped contact surface of the anchor body. Furthermore, NL 2020713 alternatively discloses an anchor with a base welded to the upper side of the anchor body, having parallel side walls, between which a pivot plate is pivotally received and held therein by means of an insertable pivot pin. A nut is received on the pivot plate, to which the elongated tension member can be connected. A disadvantage is that the tension member cannot be easily removed from the hinge bodies.

[0006] US 1 659 527 A describes a ground anchor with a receptacle formed on the underside into which a pivotable bearing element can be accommodated. A tension rod can be connected to the bearing element by means of a nut. Summary of the invention

[0007] Based on this, the object of the invention is to create an anchor system with an anchor body and an elongated tension element, which can be driven deep into the ground and wherein the tension element can be pivoted and detachably connected to the anchor body. The connection between the anchor body and the tension element should be designed in such a way that unintentional separation is prevented. In particular, the tiltable anchor system should be demountable, with parts of the anchor system being easily removed from the ground and potentially reusable. Furthermore, a method should be provided for positioning the anchor system in the ground, wherein in particular the elongated tension element can be detached from the anchor body.

[0008] These objects are achieved by an anchor system having the features of claim 1 and by a method according to claim 10. Advantageous embodiments and further developments are the subject of the respective independent claims.

[0009] According to the invention, an anchor system for anchoring in the ground is provided, comprising an elongate tension element with a first threaded portion at a distal end, an anchor body with a hinge body provided in a central region, comprising a through-bore, a connecting element passable through the through-bore, one end of which is T-shaped with a crossbar that can be pivotally received in the hinge body and the other end of which has a second threaded portion. Furthermore, the anchor system comprises a connection adapter that forms a detachable screw connection between the connecting element received on the anchor body and the elongate tension element.

[0010] The anchor body extends in a longitudinal direction and may have a pair of laterally projecting wings that extend at an angle to a horizontal plane and may have edges set at a further angle to the horizontal plane. A driving edge may be formed on the front side of the anchor body. The anchor body further comprises a bore extending longitudinally from the rear edge, into which a driving agent for driving the anchor system into the ground can be received.

[0011] The anchor system according to the invention therefore comprises connectable parts which, in an assembled state, can be inserted into the ground to a specific depth and positioned. The positioned anchor body of the anchor system provides maximum resistance. At the same time, parts of the anchor system can also be detached from one another. During dismantling, the elongated tension element and / or the connection adapter can preferably be released from their operative connection with the anchor body or the connection element and removed from the ground. The proportion of parts remaining in the ground is significantly reduced. This serves, in particular, to protect the environment, the soil, and / or the groundwater.

[0012] In one embodiment, the connection adapter has a right-hand thread in a first section and a left-hand thread in an opposite second section. The connection adapter is designed like a well-known turnbuckle. Accordingly, the connection adapter represents a type of tension screw or a double nut with a right-hand thread and an opposing left-hand thread in order to form a detachable operative connection, i.e. a screw connection, between the connection element and the elongated tension element. By turning in one direction, one of the screw connections between the tension element and connection adapter or between the connection adapter and connection element is loosened, and by turning in the opposite direction it is tightened. In this way, the elongated tension element or the connection adapter can be separated from the anchor body and removed from the ground.

[0013] In one embodiment, the thread lengths of the first and second threads of the connecting adapter can differ from one another. Likewise, or alternatively, the respective thread diameters can vary from one another. In particular, the thread length and / or the thread diameter of the respective threaded sections can be selected depending on the load or in accordance with external influences and / or in accordance with the dimensions of the connecting adapter designed as a sleeve or threaded rod.

[0014] The connecting adapter is preferably designed as a sleeve with opposing internal threads. Accordingly, for example, a left-handed internal thread in the first section of the sleeve can be engaged with a corresponding left-handed external thread of the connecting element received on the anchor body. The right-handed thread provided in the second section of the sleeve can be engaged with the threaded section at the distal end of the elongated tension element. The right-handed and left-handed threads can be separated from each other by a stop in the connecting adapter designed as a sleeve.

[0015] Other variants are also conceivable. For example, the connecting adapter can be designed as a threaded rod with a left-handed external thread on the first section and a right-handed external thread spaced apart from it on the second section. In this case, the connecting element and the elongated tension element are designed to be compatible. Furthermore, it is also possible to design the first section as a sleeve with an internal thread and the second section as a rod with an oppositely rotating external thread.

[0016] As is already generally known for such turnbuckles with opposing threads, one of the screw connections can be loosened or released by turning in one direction and tightened by turning in the other direction.

[0017] The hinge body is provided in a central region of the anchor body. The hinge body can be formed integrally with the anchor body and extends over an upper side of the anchor body and at least partially along its longitudinal direction. The hinge body can have a wedge shape converging towards a front edge of the anchor body. The anchor body comprises a through-bore extending through the hinge body such that the connecting element can be passed through the through-bore from an underside of the anchor body and received in the hinge body. The connecting element can be inserted through the through-bore from the underside of the anchor body in an orientation in which the crossbar at the T-shaped end is oriented in the longitudinal direction of the anchor body. The connecting element is then rotated by 90°, whereby the crossbar can be anchored in the hinge body.For this purpose, lateral receptacles are provided on the hinge body into which the crossbar can be at least partially inserted.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the shapes of the lateral receptacles and / or the crossbar are coordinated to form a positively engaging connection. Accordingly, the crossbar can have a partially flattened cross-section or polygonal cross-section, at least in an area that can be accommodated in the hinge body. This shape allows for self-locking engagement and a positive connection between the crossbar and the hinge body. This prevents the connecting element from accidentally rotating and dislodging its receptacle in the hinge body.

[0019] However, the crossbar can not only have a cross-section that at least partially deviates from a cylindrical cross-section, but alternatively or additionally also have a longitudinal section that deviates from a constant longitudinal shape. For example, the longitudinal shape can have end sections that taper toward the center. This also serves to self-lock the connecting element in the hinge body, achieving both vertical and horizontal locking of the received and held crossbar.

[0020] In one embodiment of the anchor system, it is provided that several elongate tension elements can be connected to one another via correspondingly provided screw connections. Thus, the first threaded portion formed at the distal end of the elongate tension element can be a right-hand thread, which can be engaged with a further threaded portion formed on another elongate tension element at the proximal end. Preferably, the threads provided on the one or more elongate tension elements are designed as right-hand threads. Accordingly, by turning one of the elongate tension elements counterclockwise, the left-hand screw connection of the elongate tension element to the connecting adapter or from the connecting adapter to the connecting element can be selectively released.

[0021] Furthermore, in a further aspect, the invention relates to a method for positioning an anchor system according to the invention in the ground. In this case, the connecting element can be inserted through the through-bore on the anchor body and the hinge body arranged thereon from the underside of the anchor body in an orientation in which the crossbar at the T-shaped end is oriented in the longitudinal direction of the anchor body. By rotating the connecting element, the crossbar of the T-shaped end of the connecting element is at least partially inserted into lateral receptacles in the hinge body. The first section of the connecting adapter can be brought into operative connection with the further end of the connecting element. The thread on the second section of the connecting adapter, i.e. the second threaded section, can then be brought into operative connection with the first threaded section at the distal end of the elongated tension element.The prepared anchor system can now be driven into the ground to a predetermined depth. For this purpose, a suitable propellant can be placed in a borehole on the anchor body. By applying a tensile force to the elongated tension element, it is tilted into an anchoring position.

[0022] Preferably, after positioning the anchor system, the at least one elongated tension element and preferably the connecting adapter are removed from the ground. This can be done by turning in the direction that releases the screw connection between the tension element and the connecting adapter, or preferably between the connecting adapter and the connecting element.

[0023] Further details of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the anchor system according to the invention, which are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings. Further advantages of the present invention can be derived from the description, as well as suggestions and proposals for how the subject matter of the invention can be modified or further developed within the scope of the claimed. Brief description of the drawings

[0024] They show: Figure 1 a schematic perspective view of an anchor system according to a first embodiment; Figure 2 a schematic representation of a connecting element according to the first embodiment; Figure 3 a schematic representation of a connecting element according to a second embodiment; Figure 4 a schematic representation of a connecting element in a third embodiment; Figure 5a schematic representation of a connecting element in a fourth embodiment. Preferred embodiments of the invention

[0025] In Figure 1 An anchor system 1 according to the invention is shown in a schematic perspective view. The tiltable anchor system 1 comprises an elongate tension element 2, which has a first threaded portion 4 at least at a distal end 3. In particular, the first threaded portion 4 is designed as a right-handed external thread. In other embodiments, the first threaded portion 4 can also be designed as a left-handed external thread or as a left-handed or right-handed internal thread.

[0026] The anchor system 1 further comprises an anchor body 5, which extends along a longitudinal axis 6. The anchor body 5 can have wings extending transversely to the longitudinal axis 6 and extending in different orientations to the horizontal plane. The anchor body 5 comprises a front edge 5a, which is pointed and flattened towards an apex for improved driving into the ground, and a rear edge 5b. Extending from the rear edge 5b, parallel to the longitudinal axis 6, is a bore into which a driving agent can be introduced to drive the anchor system 1 into the ground. A hinge body 7 is provided in a central region 5c of the anchor body 5. A through-bore 8 is provided in the central region 5c and extends from the underside of the anchor body 5 through the hinge body 7.

[0027] Furthermore, the anchor system 1 comprises a connection adapter 10 which, in the illustrated embodiment, is designed as a sleeve. The connection adapter 10 has a first thread 12 in a first section 11 and a second thread 14 in a second section 13 which is opposite to the first thread 12.

[0028] In particular, the first thread 12 and second thread 14 provided on the connecting adapter 10 can differ not only in terms of the oriented thread pitch, but also in terms of the thread diameter and / or thread length. In the illustrated embodiment, the first thread 12 and the second thread 14 are separated from each other by a stop 15.

[0029] The anchor system 1 further comprises a connecting element 20. The connecting element 20 has a first T-shaped end 21 with a crossbar 22. Another end 23 of the connecting element 20 comprises a second threaded portion 24, which is designed to be compatible with one of the first and second threads 12, 14 of the connection adapter 10.

[0030] The connecting element 20 can be inserted from the underside of the anchor body 5 through its through-bore 8 with the crossbar 22 oriented along the longitudinal axis 6. In the region of the hinge body 7, the connecting element 20 is rotated into a position such that the crossbar 22 can be at least partially inserted into lateral receptacles 9, manufactured in the hinge body 7, and is pivotally held therein.

[0031] The crossbar 22 and / or the lateral receptacles 9 can be shaped such that the crossbar 22 can be received therein in a form-fitting and / or self-locking manner. This can be achieved, for example, by a suitable selection of the cross-section and / or the longitudinal section of the crossbar 22.

[0032] Figure 2 shows an embodiment of the connecting element 20 with the second threaded portion 24 at the further end 23 and the crossbar 22 at the T-shaped end 21. The crossbar 22 has a round cross-section that is constant over its length, ie it is a cylindrical crossbar 22.

[0033] Figure 3shows a second embodiment of the connecting element 20, in which the cross section of the crossbar 22 comprises flattened regions, i.e., it does not have a round cross section. However, the further end 23 is provided with the second threaded portion 24, as in the first embodiment. The flattened regions of the crossbar 22 can be inserted and received in the lateral receptacles 9 of the hinge body 7. Due to their shape, no additional measures are necessary to prevent the connecting element 20 from rotating into a position in which it could be pulled out of the lateral receptacle(s) 9.

[0034] Figure 4 also shows a variant of the connecting element 20. Here, the crossbar 22 does not have a constant cross-section across its entire longitudinal section. Rather, the end regions of the crossbar 22 taper towards the center.

[0035] Figure 5shows a further variant of the connecting element 20 with the crossbar 22 at the T-shaped end 21 with a flattened cross-section and a longitudinal section that also tapers towards the center. This design also creates a self-locking and self-aligning receptacle of the crossbar 22 in the lateral receptacles 9 of the hinge body 7.

[0036] Further variants of the connecting element 20 are conceivable, for example with regard to the design of the further end 23 or the shape of the crossbar 22, for example with a polygonal circumference.

Claims

1. Anchor system (1) for anchoring in the ground, comprising: - an elongated tension member (2) with a first threaded portion (4) at a distal end (3), - an anchor body (5) with a hinge body (7) provided in a central region, comprising a through bore (8), - a connecting element (20) which is able to be led through the through-bore (8) and has a T-shaped end (21) with a transverse rod (22) which is able to be pivotably received in the hinge body (7) and whose further end (23) has a second threaded portion (24), characterized in that the anchor system (1) comprises a connection adapter (10) which forms a detachable screw connection between the connecting element (20) accommodated on the anchor body (5) and the elongated tension member (2).

2. Anchor system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the connection adapter (10) has a right-hand thread as the first thread (12) in a first section (11) and a left-hand thread as the second thread (14) in an opposite second section (13).

3. Anchor system (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the first thread (12) and the second thread (14) differ from each other in terms of the thread length and / or the thread diameter.

4. Anchor system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connection adapter (10) is designed as a sleeve with a first internal thread (12) and an opposing second internal thread (14), which are separated from each other by a stop (15).

5. Anchor system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hinge body (7) comprises lateral recesses (9) into which the transverse rod (22) led through the through-hole (8) is able to be at least partially received through rotation by approximately 90°.

6. Anchor system (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the lateral recesses (9) of the hinge body (7) and / or the transverse rod (22) are shaped in such a way that the aforementioned is able to be received therein in a self-locking manner.

7. Anchor system (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the transverse rod (22) has a round cross-section, a flattened cross-section at least in an area that is able to be accommodated in the hinge body (7) or a polygonal cross-section.

8. Anchor system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transverse rod (22) has a cylindrical longitudinal section or an at least partially conical longitudinal section9. Anchor system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of elongated tension members (2) are included, which are able to be extended with one another via clockwise screw connections and are able to be connected to the connection adapter (10).

10. Method for positioning an anchor system (1) according to one of the claims 1 to 9, with the steps - guiding the connecting element (20), comprising a T-shaped end (21) with a transverse rod (22) and a further end (23) with a second threaded portion (24), through a through bore (8) provided on a hinge body (7) of the anchor body (5) from an underside of the anchor body (5), rotating the connecting element (20) into a position such that the transverse rod (22) is able to be inserted into the lateral recesses (9) of the hinge body (7); - screwing the further end (23) of the connecting element (20) to the connection adapter (10); - screwing the connection adapter (10) to the distal end (3) of the elongated tension member (2); - driving the anchor system (1) into the ground to a predetermined depth; and - applying a tensile force to the elongated tension member (2), whereby the anchor body (1) tilts into an anchoring position in the ground.

11. Method for anchoring the anchor system (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that after the positioning of the anchor system (1) the screw connection of the connection adapter (10) with the connecting element (20) is loosened by turning the elongated tension member (2).