Clamp and saddle for positioning and fixing elongated bodies such as cables, pipes or the like to a support element

Abstract

A saddle clamp (1) for positioning and fixing elongated bodies such as cables, pipes or the like (5) to a support element (6) comprises a U-shaped bracket (2) with two arms (201 a, 201 b) of the U connected at one end thereof by a wall (201c), with the free opposite end of said arms (201 a, 201 b) intended to be engaged with a support element (6), one or more saddles (501) being inserted between said arms (201 a, 201 b), each saddle (501) being formed by the coupling together of two half-saddles (501 a, 501 b) with facing faces shaped with one or more longitudinal grooves (502) extending parallel to side walls (509) of the half-saddle (501a, 501 b) so as to form at least one housing for clamping said elongated bodies passing between the arms (201 a, 201 b) and the two half-saddles (501 a, 501 b) of the saddle (501), a locking screw being screwed into a hole provided in said wall (201c) of the U-bracket (2) and arranged with its axis parallel to the arms (201 a, 201 b) so as to push the saddle or saddles (501) present between the arms (201 a, 201 b) towards the free end of said arms (201 a, 201 b). Each half-saddle (501 a, 501 b) comprises a pair of guide slots (503) on the inside of the body of the half-saddle (501 a, 501 b), which extend parallel to said side walls (501) of the half-saddle (501 a, 501 b) and pass through the thickness of the body of the half¬ saddle (501 a, 501 b) and which are each crossed by an arm (201 a, 201 b) of the U-bracket (2) so as to form a guide for sliding of the half-saddles (501 a, 501 b) in the direction parallel to the arms (201 a, 201 b).

Description

[0001] Title

[0002] “Clamp and saddle for positioning and fixing elongated bodies such as cables, pipes or the like to a support element”

[0003] ******

[0004] DESCRIPTION

[0005] The present invention relates to a saddle clamp and to a saddle for clamps for positioning and fixing cables, pipes or other elongated bodies, for example to a support element, such as the upright of a pylon. Below, for simpler description, reference will be made to cables, it being understood that this term also includes pipes or other elongated bodies which can be fixed with the clamp.

[0006] For example, in the technical sector of data and signal transmission, clamps referred to as “saddle clamps” are known, these being arranged spaced along the cables so as to support and fix the cables between the transmitting / receiving apparatus located on the ground and the antennas or other apparatus arranged high up on pylons, towers and the like.

[0007] Saddle clamps usually comprise parts commonly called “saddles” which form seats for the passage of cables and which are stacked between the arms of special U-brackets so as to form a clamp for clamping the saddles around the cables and which can be fastened to fixing brackets or other support parts, such as the parts of a pylon. Usually several clamps are distributed along the cables and, by stacking the cables, it is possible to keep a plurality of cables parallel and at a predetermined and constant mutual distance between one clamp and another and inside the clamps.

[0008] Said saddles must effectively support the cables or pipes, preventing them for sliding or moving from their housing seat, for example because of their weight, the action of atmospheric agents or pulling forces acting on the cables themselves.

[0009] There also exists the need to ensure that cables which have cross-sections not only with different forms, but also with different diameters, may be fixed using a system which is as universal as possible.

[0010] The saddles commonly consist of two half-saddles which are made of suitable material (for example rigid plastic material), complement each other and are coupled together so as to form between them respective seats for housing the cables to be supported. For simplicity, often the two half-saddles have an identical form and face each other in a mirror arrangement so as to form between them the complete saddle and define the axial passage for the cable.

[0011] The joining together of the two half-saddles thus formed and their packing together are generally performed by means of a clamp structure inside which the saddles are stacked as described for example in the document EP 965781 , so as to form the complete clamp.

[0012] Said known clamps comprise a U-shaped bracket, a thrust piece or plate, a locking screw and one or more saddles for housing the cables which are placed stacked between the arms of the U so as to be able to be tightened by the locking screw.

[0013] Said U-shaped brackets comprise two parallel flat arms which are connected by a transverse connecting body or wall.

[0014] Said connecting body or wall comprises a threaded through-hole for inserting the locking screw which, when tightened in the direction parallel to the arms, pushes with its end against the thrust plate which in turn presses against the first one of the half-saddles which are stacked between the arms.

[0015] At the opposite end of the connecting body or wall, the arms terminate in a shaped end which allows the clamp to be engaged with a suitable support.

[0016] As is known, in the operating condition, the U-bracket is engaged with the support with the cables to be supported passing between the arms and with one or more saddles for housing one or more cables which are stacked by inserting them between the arms of the U-bracket. The saddles, sliding in the thrusting direction of the screw together with the thrust plate, are moved parallel to the direction of extension of the arms and compressed between the thrust plate and the support by means of the force exerted by the locking screw which, screwed inside the aforementioned threaded through-hole, is brought with its end into contact against the facing surface of the thrust plate which is positioned opposite the surface of said thrust plate in contact with the half-saddle of a saddle.

[0017] The main idea of these known saddle clamps is that of leaving the half-saddles as free as possible during clamping so as to allow them to be adapted to the cable which passes between them. For this reason, they are only retained laterally by the side arms of the U- bracket.

[0018] In order to facilitate assembly of the half-saddles in the clamp and prevent them from falling before the clamp is tightened, in the prior art it has been proposed to provide a small, thin, elastic and flexible clip on one side of each half-saddle, with the clip resting on outer face of one of the arms of the U-bracket and preventing, by means of friction, the complete extraction of the half-saddles from the clamp before tightening and thus preventing accidental falling thereof, without thereby hindering the directional movements or displacement of the half-saddles between the arms.

[0019] The document US2023 / 0411944 describes half-saddles with side walls provided with clips or elastic lugs.

[0020] The document DE1236620B describes a saddle provided with fixing elements located at the front or rear ends of the side walls of said saddle.

[0021] The inventor of the solution according to the present invention has, however, surprisingly found that precisely the main idea underlying saddle clamps, i.e. that of allowing the free movement of the saddles, may result in problems during clamping of the cables, instead of facilitating correct clamping thereof as normally thought. In fact, the free retention of the half-saddles between the arms of the clamp may result in defective clamping owing to the uncontrolled movements of the half-saddles and even jamming of their sliding movement in the clamping direction during the clamp tightening operations.

[0022] For example, a slight misalignment (for example an inclination of one half-saddle with respect to another one) may produce transverse forces on the saddles which, owing to the action of the thrust exerted by the screw and plate on the saddles stacked between the arms of the U-bracket, tend to cause the saddles to become increasingly misaligned as tightening is performed. Moreover, the thrust exerted by the screw and the plate is no longer centred on all the saddles stacked inside the U-bracket, the half-saddles no longer move correctly in the clamping direction and some of the cables may not be gripped tightly enough, while other cables may be gripped too tightly. In particular, when there is a relatively large number of half-saddles and cables between the half-saddles, a clamping problem with one or more cables may be overlooked and, basically, reliable clamping of the cables is not ensured.

[0023] The defective clamping of one or more cables also occurs when the half-saddles which form a saddle tend to move with respect to each other.

[0024] The elastic side clip provided in each half-saddle in order to prevent the accidental loss of the half-saddle before clamping worsens even further the situation since the friction which is produced between the half-saddle, U-bracket arm and clip on one side of the half-saddle owing to the elastic thrust of the said clip produces a rotational movement on the half-saddle, thus accentuating its tendency to incline and make uncontrolled movements in directions different from the clamping direction and preventing the free and correct clamping sliding action of the half-saddles and therefore of the saddles.

[0025] It has also been found that the uncontrolled - even slight - movements of the half-saddles generate transverse forces on the arms of the U-bracket such that the arms tend to splay during tightening of the clamp under the action of the thrust exerted by the screw, thus worsening further the lateral retaining function action exerted by the arms on the halfsaddles. Owing to the splaying of the arms, the retaining action also deteriorates varyingly from one end to the other of the U-bracket, thus further worsening the misalignment between the half-saddles. The force itself applied by means of the screw and the plate on the saddles stacked between said plate and the support for clamping the cables also tends to cause the sliding, in opposite directions, of the hook-shaped ends of the U- bracket which are engaged with the support, with the consequent further splaying of the U-bracket arms, even less retaining of the half-saddles and a possible defect in the engagement of the clamp with the support.

[0026] The aforementioned defects become even more evident in the case of clamping of cables which have non-circular cross-sections (for example oval or elliptical cross-sections) and which, when gripped between the housings for the cables in the half-saddles (housings usually formed with a V-shaped transverse profile so as to adapt to several cable diameters), tend to be positioned with their larger diameter inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the U-bracket (namely with respect to the direction of extension of the U-bracket arms) and, under the action of the thrust exerted by screwing of the screw against the thrust plate, push the two half-saddles of the saddle in opposite directions. The misalignment is accentuated even further when the two half-saddles of a saddle are fastened to the opposite arms of the U-bracket by means of a clip, as proposed in the prior art.

[0027] Not only is there the possibility that the deformed U-bracket may not be stably engaged with the support, but the side surface of each half-saddle opposite the clip may no longer bear against the inner side wall of the U-bracket and therefore not be stably guided inside the U- bracket, with the consequent risk of the half-saddles becoming accidentally disengaged from each other and also from the U-bracket. Furthermore, the correct sliding of the half-saddles in the clamping direction is further hindered.

[0028] The splaying of the arms of the U-bracket also prevents, in particular in the proximity of the engaging ends, the saddles from being kept in the stacked position and, in the case of halfsaddles provided with clips or a tongue, it further prevents correct sliding of the half-saddles in the clamping direction so that they are correctly joined together to form the required seat for housing the cables.

[0029] In an attempt to overcome the drawbacks of he known saddle clamps, it has been proposed in the prior art to use threaded bars which cross the half-saddles along a respective central hole thereof, as described for example in the document WO2017 / 060199. This, however, complicates the assembly of the clamp and the positioning of the cables, since it is required to mount the half-saddles on the threaded bar and keep them correctly oriented while the cables are arranged between them and then keep the cables in the position while the halfsaddles are clamped by means of a threaded nut screwed onto the bar. This procedure may be even more complicated and difficult to carry out with an increase in the number of cables and therefore saddles to be mounted on a same threaded bar.

[0030] This known solution has therefore not always been found to be satisfactory.

[0031] The general object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art and to provide a clamp provided with at least one saddle for positioning and fixing elongated bodies such as cables, pipes or the like on a support element which may ensure, in a simple, quick and efficient manner correct and reliable clamping of the cables between a pair of halfsaddles arranged opposite each other and stacked inside said clamp.

[0032] A further object of the present invention is to provide a clamp provided with at least one saddle which prevents the generation of traverse thrusts which act on the arms of the U- bracket and which, in the operating condition, may deviate them from the parallel condition. This facilitates the insertion of said at least one saddle between the arms of the U-bracket and facilitates the sliding thereof along the arms in the clamping direction.

[0033] In view of these aims the idea which has occurred, according to the invention, is that of providing a clamp as claimed in claim 1. Moreover, the idea which has occurred, according to the invention, is that of providing a saddle as claimed in claim 17.

[0034] In order to illustrate more clearly the innovative principles of the present invention and its advantages compared to the prior art, possible examples of embodiment applying these principles will be described below with the aid of the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

[0035] - Figure 1 shows a perspective schematic view of a saddle clamp realized according to the present invention;

[0036] - Figures 2 and 3 show a plan and perspective schematic views, respectively, of a halfsaddle realized according to the present invention;

[0037] - Figure 4 shows a perspective schematic view of two half-saddles as shown in Figure 3, coupled together to form a saddle and realized according to the present invention.

[0038] With reference to the figures, Figure 1 shows a clamp 1 realized in accordance with the present invention for securing cables 5 to a support 6. The clamp 1 comprises one or more saddles 501 , each formed by two half-saddles 501a and 501 b facing each other and stacked between the parallel arms 201a and 201 b of a U-bracket 2. The arms 201 a, 201 b are made with a flat form so as to have surfaces in a plane parallel to the axis of the cables 5 which pass through the clamp 1 and therefore of the seats which receive the cables 5 inside the clamp 1 , as will be explained below.

[0039] As can be seen again in Figure 1 , the two arms 201 a, 201 b are connected, at one of their ends, by a wall 201c (or core). The opposite free end 201 d, 201 e of said arms 201 a, 201 b is formed so that it can be engaged with a suitable support 6 (for example a support shelf, a part of a pylon, etc., as may be easily imagined by the person skilled in the art) to which the cables 5 are to be secured by means of one or more clamps 1 suitably distributed along the cables 5. Advantageously, said free end 201 d, 201 e of the arms 201 a, 201 b may be for example hook-shaped. The hook of each arm 201 a, 201 b may be formed by means of shearing of the end part of the arms 201 a, 201 b which are made of metal.

[0040] Obviously, the engaging ends 201 d, 201 e may be shaped in various ways so as to be able to engage with supports 6 of varying forms, such as the parts of a pylon with angular, flat, round, C-profile and other forms.

[0041] The wall 201c (or bottom of the U) is crossed by a locking screw 4 which has an axis parallel to the extension of the arms 201 a, 201 b of the U-bracket 2 (and therefore parallel to the longitudinal axis of the clamp, indicated by X in Figure 1) so as to press against the saddles 501 present between the arms 201 a, 201 b and push them towards the opposite end of the U- bracket 2 when the screw 4 is tightened.

[0042] Advantageously, a thrust plate 3 is provided between the arms 201 a, 201 b of the U-bracket 2, close to the wall 201c, and is arranged between the end of screw 4 and the first halfsaddle 501 a, 501 b so as to distribute better the thrust of the screw 4 on the saddles 501 .

[0043] The half-saddles 501 a, 501 b and any plate 3 are pushed in the direction of the engaging ends 201d, 201e and therefore of the support 6, by the locking screw 4, and slide along the arms 201a, 20b of the U-bracket 2.

[0044] The locking screw 4 may be screwed into a hole directly threaded in said wall 201c, or nuts or other threaded elements fixed to the wall 201c may be provided.

[0045] Said U-bracket 2, said locking screw 4 and said plate 3 may be made of metal or may be made entirely or partly of plastic material, in particular glass-fibre reinforced plastic material.

[0046] The U-bracket 2 may, for example, be obtained from a metal plate or strip which is sheared and bent.

[0047] Each half-saddle 501 a, 501 b has one or more longitudinal grooves 502 extending parallel to side walls 509 of the half-saddle 501 a, 501 b.

[0048] As can be clearly seen in Figure 2, each half-saddle 501 a, 501 b has a generally parallelepiped-shaped body provided with one or more longitudinal grooves 502 which extend along a longitudinal direction X-X of said body and which, in the coupled and oppositely arranged position of two half-saddles 501 a, 501 b, form at least one through- housing for clamping said elongated bodies.

[0049] The figure shows, for example for simpler illustration, only one longitudinal groove 502, but with the explanation provided here it will be clear to the person skilled in the art that the clamp 1 may have dimensions such that there may be half-saddles 502 with several parallel grooves 502 able to receive several cables arranged alongside each other.

[0050] Said half-saddles 501 a, 501 b may be made of plastic material, for example glass-fibre reinforced plastic material, or any other material considered to be suitable for a specific application of the clamp 1.

[0051] According to one embodiment, said groove or grooves 502 have a generally V-shaped transverse profile so that they are able to retain cables 5 of different sizes. The V-shaped grooves may also be particularly suitable for retaining cables 5 which have a non-circular (for example oval or elliptical) cross-section, such as bipolar power supply cables of different sizes.

[0052] According to the present invention, each half-saddle 501 a, 501 b has a body with a transverse width between the side walls 509 which is greater than the distance between the arms 201 a, 201 b of the U-bracket 2 and is provided with a pair of guide slots 503 on the inside of the body of the half-saddle 501 a, 501 b extending parallel to the side walls 509 of the halfsaddle 501 a, 501 b and passing through the thickness of the half-saddle 501 a, 501 and situated at the same distance as the arms 201 a, 201 b so as to be crossed, preferably with a small amount of play, by the two arms 201 a, 201 b of the U-bracket 2, shown in broken lines in Figure 2. In this way, the half-saddles 501 a, 501 b may be slide guided along the arms

[0053] 201 a, 201 b of the U-bracket 2 in the thrust direction of the screw 4.

[0054] Advantageously, with the structure of the half-saddles 501 a, 501 b which comprises the two slots 503 sliding on the arms 201 a, 201 b, there are no transverse forces which may move the arms 201 a, 201 b away from each other transversely, and the half-saddles 501 a, 501 b always slide freely along the arms 201 a, 201 b of said U-bracket 2, with the arms 201 a, 201 b which remain parallel to each other also in the operating condition of the clamp 1 , namely when a thrust is exerted, by means of the rotation of the locking screw 4, on the plate 3 and on the saddles 501 .

[0055] According to the present invention, the two guide slots 503 are in the form of an elongated through-hole.

[0056] Said elongated through-hole crosses the thickness of the body of the half-saddle 501 a, 501 b. In particular, said through-hole is elongated 503 in a direction parallel to the longitudinal extension of said one or more grooves 502, which one or more grooves 502 extend along a longitudinal direction X-X of said body of the half-saddle 501 a, 501 b.

[0057] The transverse width of the guide slots 503 is constant along the entire longitudinal extension and said transverse width is equal to or greater than the thickness of each of the two arms 201 a, 201 b of the U-shaped bracket 2 so as to allow the sliding, with a small amount of play, of the half-saddles 501 a, 501 b in the direction parallel to said arms 201a, 201 b.

[0058] The guide slots 503 are each delimited by an inner side wall 506 and by an outer side wall 508 which has the same height h.

[0059] The outer wall 508 forms a broad and rigid lateral abutment and sliding surface for the arms 201 a, 201 b of the U-bracket 2. Differently from the clips or the elastic and flexible tongues illustrated in the prior art, they have the sole function of keeping the saddles constrained to the U-bracket.

[0060] The inner side wall 506, the outer side wall 508 of each guide slot 503 and the side walls 509 of the body of each half-saddle 501 a, 501 b have top edges, respectively indicated in the figures by the reference number 506’, 508’, 509’ and bottom edges respectively indicated in the figures by the reference numbers 506”, 508”, 509”.

[0061] Considering that each saddle 501 is formed by a pair of half-saddles 501 a, 501 b, the term “top edge” is understood as meaning the edges provided on the face or end surface of the half-saddle 501 a, 501 b provided with one or more longitudinal grooves 502 (top face) intended to face the respective half-saddle 501 a, 501 b in order to form the housing for one or more cables 5. Consequently, the term “bottom edge” is understood as meaning the edges provided on the face of the half-saddle 501 a, 501 b arranged opposite the face provided with one or more longitudinal grooves 502 (bottom face).

[0062] The top edge 506’, 508’ of the inner side wall 506 and outer side wall 508 of each guide slot 503 are coplanar with each other so as to form between them a flat surface for abutment against the other half-saddle 501 a, 501b of the saddle 501 .

[0063] The bottom edge 506”, 508” of the inner side wall 506 and outer side wall 508 of each guide slot 503 are coplanar with each other so as to form between them a flat surface for abutment against a half-saddle 501 a, 501 b of an adjacent saddle 501 inserted between the arms of the U-bracket 2.

[0064] As can be clearly seen from the figures, the top edge 509’ and bottom edge 509’ of the side walls 509 of the body of each half-saddle 501 a, 501b are also coplanar with the top edges 506', 508’ and the bottom edges 506", 508", respectively.

[0065] Preferably, the distance between the side wall 509 of the half-saddle 501 a, 501 b and the outer side wall 508 of the slot 503 close to said side wall 509 of the half-saddle 501 a, 501 b is equal to or greater than the distance between the inner side wall 506 of the guide slot 503 and the longitudinal groove 502 closer to said guide slot 503.

[0066] The side walls 509 of the half-saddles 501 a, 501 b are therefore such as to prevent the splaying of the arms 201 a, 201 b of the U-bracket 2, also in the presence of a high thrust exerted by the plate 3 on the saddle or saddles 501 present between the arms 201 a, 201 b when the screw 4 is tightened.

[0067] Preferably, said slots 503, which are positioned opposite each other and parallel to each other on the sides of said groove or grooves 502, may have an opening 504 at one of their ends for allowing the insertion of said half-saddles 501 a, 501 b between the arms 201 a, 201 b of said U-bracket 2 in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis X of said U-bracket 2 so as to allow the insertion of the desired number of half-saddles 501 a, 501 b even after the U- bracket 2 has been secured to the support 6 and / or after the cables 5 have been arranged between the arms 201 a, 201 b of the U-bracket 2.

[0068] Thanks to said openings 504, the half-saddles 501 a, 501 b may also be inserted into the U- bracket 2 laterally when the cables 5 are freely housed between the arms of the U-bracket 2, ready to be engaged with a support 6.

[0069] Preferably, in the direction of extension of said one or more longitudinal grooves 502, the side walls 509 of the half-saddle 501 a, 501 b terminate, in a position opposite to the opening 504, on a same rear wall 510 of the body of the half-saddle 501 a, 501 b.

[0070] As is visible in Figures 2-4, a part of the end wall of the corresponding slot 503 may be advantageously maintained at least on one of the two openings 504, so as to form a tooth 505 projecting transversely with respect to the half-saddle 501 a, 501 b from an innermost side wall 506 of the slot 503. Said tooth 505 is thus positioned at the front in the direction of insertion of the half-saddles 501 a, 501 b onto the arms 201 a, 201 b through the openings 504 and forms a constraint preventing accidental extraction of the half-saddle 501 a, 501 b from the arms 201 a, 201 b. Advantageously, said tooth 505 therefore extends over the entire height of inner wall 506.

[0071] Advantageously, said tooth 505 is provided only on one of the two slots 503 so as not to require an excessive elastic deformation of the U-bracket 2 during insertion of the halfsaddles 501 a, 501 b between said arms 201 a, 201 b.

[0072] In order to facilitate insertion of an arm 201 a, 201b inside one of the two guide slots 502 of a half-saddle 501 a, 501 b, said projecting tooth 505 is preferably wedge-shaped, namely has a bevelled outer surface 515.

[0073] As can be clearly seen in Figure 3, when the openings 505 are present, one end 507 of the half-saddle 501 a, 501 b (which may be regarded as the front end for insertion of the halfsaddle between the arms) has sides edges 516 which are bevelled at said front end 507.

[0074] A wedge-shaped front profile of the body of the half-saddle 501 a, 501 b is thus obtained, this facilitating the insertion of the half-saddle 501 a, 501 b inside the U-bracket 2, namely the insertion of said arms 201 a, 201 b inside the pair of guide slots 503.

[0075] The insertion openings 504 advantageously also have bevelled surfaces for facilitating the insertion of the arms 201 a, 201 b inside the pair of guide slots 503 of each half-saddle 501a, 501 b.

[0076] The half-saddles 501a, 501 b, intended to form in pairs a saddle 501 , may also be made identical and easily engaged in pairs onto the U-bracket 2, joined together opposite each other, with the groove or grooves 502 of the two half-saddles 501 a, 501 b facing each other so as to form the housing for one or more cables 5.

[0077] At this point it is clear how the objects of the invention have been achieved. The guide slots 503 are shaped so as to allow the sliding of said arms 201 a, 201 b inside said slots 503 and the half-saddles 501 a, 501 b remain perfectly aligned and free to slide and suitably grip the cables 5 when the screw 4 is tightened.

[0078] Moreover, it has been found that, with the clamp structure 1 according to the invention, the load due to clamping by means of the single screw 4 is suitably and uniformly distributed on all the cables 5 in the clamp 1 also when there is a large number of saddles 501 and cables 5 in the saddles 501 .

[0079] Each half-saddle 501 a, 501 b mounted on the arms 201 a, 201 b of the U-bracket 2 is positioned so that one edge of the arms 201 a, 201 b bears with a small amount of play against an end (or bottom) wall 513 of each slot 503. The two facing side walls 506 and 508 of each slot 503 slide on the two opposite side walls of each flat arm 201 a, 201 b.

[0080] The projecting tooth 505 is positioned on the inner side wall 506 at a distance from the said end wall 513 of the respective slot 503 so that the arms 201 a, 201 b are left free to slide with a small amount of play against said projecting tooth 505 and the inner surfaces of said guide slot 503. Also there is no risk of splaying of the arms 201 a, 201 b of the U-bracket 2.

[0081] Obviously, the above description of an embodiment applying the innovative principles of the present invention is provided by way of example of these innovative principles and must therefore not be regarded as limiting the scope of the rights claimed herein.

[0082] For example, it is possible to provide that the slots 503 may extend over most of the length of the body of the half-saddle 501 a, 501 b and that the projecting tooth 505 may not be provided on the inner side wall 506 of the body of the saddle 501 , spaced from the insertion opening 504 as shown in the figures, but may be located on the inner wall 506 of the slot

[0083] 503, facing the outer side wall 508 of the slot 503 of the body, in the vicinity of the opening

[0084] 504.

[0085] Moreover, depending on the specific clamping requirements, the number of saddles 501 in the clamp 1 , the length of the arms 201 a, 201 b of the U-bracket 2 and the proportion between the various parts of the clamp 1 may vary from that shown in the figures.

Claims

CLAIMS1 . Saddle clamp (1) for positioning and fixing elongated bodies such as cables, pipes or the like (5) to a support element (6), comprising a U-shaped bracket (2) with two arms (201 a, 201 b) of the U connected at one end thereof by a wall (201c), with the free opposite end of said arms (201 a, 201 b) intended to be engaged with a support element (6), one or more saddles (501) being inserted between said arms (201 a, 201 b), each saddle (501) being formed by the coupling together of two half-saddles (501 a, 501 b) with facing faces shaped with one or more longitudinal grooves (502) extending parallel to side walls (509) of the halfsaddle (501 a, 501 b) so as to form at least one housing for clamping said elongated bodies passing between the arms (201 a, 201 b) and the two half-saddles (501 a, 501 b) of the saddle (501), a locking screw (4) being screwed into a hole provided in said wall (201c) of the U- bracket (2) and arranged with its axis parallel to arms (201 a, 201 b) so as to push the saddle or saddles (501) present between the arms (201 a, 201 b) towards the free end of said arms (201 a, 201 b), characterized in that each half-saddle (501 a, 501 b) comprises a pair of guide slots (503) on the inside of the body of the half-saddle (501 a, 501 b), which extend parallel to said side walls (509) of the half-saddle (501 a, 501b) and pass through the thickness of the body of the half-saddle (501 a, 501 b) and which are each crossed by an arm (201 a, 201 b) of the U-bracket (2) so as to form a guide for sliding the half-saddles (501 a, 501 b) in the direction parallel to the arms (201 a, 201 b).

2. Clamp (1) according to Claim 1 , characterized in that each half-saddle (501 a, 501 b) has a body with a transverse width between the side walls (509) which is greater than the distance between the arms (201a, 201 b) of the U-shaped bracket (2).

3. Clamp (1) according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said one or more longitudinal grooves (502) extend along a longitudinal direction X-X of said body of the halfsaddle (501 a, 501 b) and the guide slots (503) are in the form of a through-hole elongated in adirection parallel to the longitudinal extension of said one or more grooves (502), which elongated through-hole crosses the thickness of the body of the half-saddle (501 a, 501 b).

4. Clamp (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transverse width of the guide slots (503) is constant along the whole of their longitudinal extension and said transverse width is equal to or greater than the thickness of each of the two arms (201 a, 201 b) of the U-shaped bracket (2) so as to allow sliding of the half-saddles (501 a, 501 b) in the direction parallel to said arms (201 a, 201 b).

5. Clamp (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide slots (503) are each delimited by an inner side wall (506) and by an outer side wall (508) having the same height (h).

6. Clamp (1) according to Claim 5, characterized in that the top edge (506’, 508’) of the inner side wall (506) and of the outer side wall (508) of each guide slot (503) are coplanar with each other so as to form between them a flat surface for abutment against the other half-saddle (501 a, 501 b) of the saddle (501).

7. Clamp (1) according to Claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the bottom edge (506”, 508”) of the inner side wall (506) and of the outer side wall (508) of each guide slot (503) are coplanar with each other so as to form between them a flat surface for abutment against a half-saddle (501 a, 501 b) of an adjacent saddle (501) inserted between the arms of the U-bracket (2).

8. Clamp (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the distance between the side wall (509) of the half-saddle (501 a, 501 b) and the outer side wall (508) of the slot (503) close to said side wall (509) of the half-saddle (501 a, 501 b) is equal to or greater than the distance between the inner side wall (506) of the guide slot (503) and the longitudinal groove (502) closer to said guide slot (503).

9. Clamp (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in thatthe guide slots (503) have an opening (504) at one end for inserting said half-saddles(501 a, 501 b) between the arms (201 a, 201 b) of said U-bracket (2) in a direction transverse to the extension of the arms (201 a, 201 b).

10. Clamp (1) according to Claim 9, characterized in that in the direction of extension of said one or more longitudinal grooves (502) the side walls (509) of the half-saddle (501 a, 501 b) terminate, in a position opposite to the opening (504), on a same rear wall (510) of the body of the half-saddle (501 a, 501 b).

11. Clamp (1) according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that a tooth (505) is present on the half-saddle (501 a, 501 b), said tooth projecting transversely with respect to the half-saddle (501 a, 501 b) from an innermost side wall (506) of the guide slot (503) so as to be positioned at the front in relation to the direction of insertion of the half-saddles (501 a, 501 b) on the arms (201 a, 201 b) through the openings (504) and so as to form a constraint preventing the accidental extraction of the half-saddle (501 a, 501 b) from the arms (201 a, 201 b).

12. Clamp (1) according to Claim 11 , characterized in that said projecting tooth (505) has a bevelled outer surface (515) for facilitating the insertion of an arm (201 a, 201 b) of the U-bracket (2) inside the corresponding guide slot (503).

13. Clamp (1) according to one or more of the preceding Claims 9 to 12, characterized in that the inner side walls (506) of the body of the half-saddle (501 a, 501 b) are bevelled at the front end wall (507) of said body so as to facilitate insertion, through the opening (504) of the guide slots (503), of said arms (201 a, 201 b) inside the pair of guide slots (503) provided on each half-saddle (501 a, 501 b).

14. Clamp (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims 9 to 13, characterized in that said projecting tooth (505) is positioned on the side wall (506) at a distance from said insertion opening (504) such that the surfaces of said arms (201 a, 201 b)are kept sliding with a small amount of play against said projecting tooth (505) and the walls(506,508) of said guide slot (503).

15. Clamp (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said one or more grooves (502) provided on each half-saddle (501 a, 501 b) are made with a V-shaped transverse profile.

16. Clamp (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims 9 to 15, characterized in that the edge (504’) of the guide slots (503) at the insertion openings (504) is bevelled to facilitate the insertion of the arms (201 a, 201 b) inside the pair of guide slots (503) of each half-saddle (501 a, 501 b).

17. Saddle (1) for supporting elongated bodies such as cables, pipes or the like (5), suitable for insertion between the arms (201 a, 201 b) of a U-shaped bracket (2) of a clamp (1) for positioning and fixing said elongated bodies such as cables, pipes or the like (5) to a support element (6), which U-bracket (2) holds, guided therein, one or more of said saddles (501), the saddle (501) being formed by the coupling together of two half-saddles (501 a, 501 b) with facing faces shaped with one or more longitudinal grooves (502) extending parallel to side walls (509) of the half-saddle (501 a, 501 b) so as to form at least one housing intended for clamping said elongated bodies passing between the two half-saddles (501 a, 501 b) of the saddle (501), characterized in that each half-saddle (501 a, 501 b) comprises a pair of guide slots (503) on the inside of the body of the half-saddle (501 a, 501 b), which extend parallel to said side walls (509) of the half-saddle (501 a, 501 b) and pass through the thickness of the body of the half-saddle (501 a, 501 b) and which are each intended to be crossed by an arm (201 a, 201 b) of the U-bracket (2) so as to form a guide for the sliding of the half-saddles (501 a, 501 b) in a direction parallel to the arms (201 a, 201 b).

18. Saddle (1) according to Claim 17, characterized in that it is made according to one or more of the preceding Claims 2 to 16.

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