Conductor support assembly
View Patent ↗A support assembly for supporting a high voltage electrical conductor suspended from a lattice-type tower during maintenance and repair includes a pair of elongate support arms, each of the support arms having an aperture extending therethrough intermediate its ends, the aperture opening in a direction transverse to the length of the support arms, and an elongate conductor support bar slidably received in the apertures of the support arms and extending between the support arms to define with the support arms a generally H-shaped support assembly, the support arms being slidable on the support bar for adjusting the distance between the arms and being movable on the support bar between a first position wherein the arms are parallel to each other and a second position wherein the arms are arranged at an angle to each other.
1. A support assembly for supporting a high voltage electrical conductor suspended from a lattice-type tower during maintenance and repair comprising:
a pair of elongate support arms, each of said support arms having an elongate aperture extending therethrough intermediate its ends, said aperture in a direction transverse to the length of said support arms; and
an elongate conductor support bar slidably received in the apertures of said support arms and extending between said support arms to define with said support arms a generally H-shaped support assembly, said support arms being slidable on said support bar for adjusting the distance between said arms and the length of said apertures being sufficient in relation to the cross-sectional length of said support bar to permit said support arms to be movable on said support bar between a first position wherein said arms are parallel to each other and a second position wherein said arms are arranged at an angle to each other.
2. A support assembly, as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said support bar is generally rectangular in cross section and said apertures are generally rectangular, the lengthwise extending sides of said apertures and said support bar extending along the length of said support arms and the heightwise extending sides of said apertures and said support bar extending substantially perpendicular to the length of said support arms and extending upwardly therefrom.
3. A support assembly, as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said length of said apertures is 50% to 150% longer than the corresponding cross-sectional length of said support bar.
4. A support assembly, as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said length of said apertures is about 100% longer than the corresponding cross-sectional length of said support bar.
5. A support assembly, as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said height of said apertures is 10% to 20% larger than the corresponding cross-sectional height of said support bar.
6. A support assembly, as claimed in claim 5 , wherein said height of said apertures is 10% to 15% larger than the corresponding cross-sectional height of said support bar.
7. A support assembly, as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said support bar is square in cross-section.
8. A support assembly, as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said support bar is tubular.
9. A support assembly, as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said lattice-type tower comprises a plurality of interconnected girders, said support assembly being supported on said tower with each of said support arms positioned on one of said girders, said elongate support arms having a width at least as wide as the width of one of said girders on which it is positioned, whereby the weight of a support conductor is distributed over the tower structure.
10. A support assembly, as claimed in claim 9 , further including girder engaging tabs attachable to and adjustably positionable at spaced locations along said support arms for engaging the girders on which said support arms are positioned for preventing said support assembly from sliding on said girders.
11. A support assembly, as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of said elongate support arms comprises an elongate base member, a rectangular frame member intermediate the ends of and supported by said base member, said rectangular frame member having top, bottom and opposing side walls defining a rectangular aperture having a length extending in a direction along said base member and a height extending in a direction upwardly from said base member, said aperture in a direction transverse to the length of said base member, and rib members interconnecting said rectangular frame member and said base member on both sides of said rectangular frame member.
12. A support assembly, as claimed in claim 11 , wherein said rib members comprise right triangular webs having a first side adjacent a side wall of said rectangular frame member and a second side adjacent said base member.
13. A support assembly, as claimed in claim 1 , further including removable means on said support bar for preventing the ends of said support bar from inadvertently sliding completely through either of said apertures.