AU443003B2 - Socket retaining means - Google Patents

Description

20,100 70 This invention relates to retaining means for releas-

able axial securing of a socket element on the outer driving

end of a shaft by rotationally fixed but releasable engagement

with said socket element. More particularly the invention

deals with retaining means of the above type being affixed to

the tip of the driving end by a spring shank anchored in groove

means provided on the tip. In such retaining means the tip of

the driving end has previously been provided with cross bores

or straight grooves for anchoring cooperation with the spring shank. Such an arrangement has the disadvantage that under the

influence of wear and long periods of exposure to vibrations the spring shank may be expelled by the socket element from

the driving end, at which instant the retaining means is de-

stroyed or lost. It is an object of the invention to reduce

the risk for such expulsion by using for the securing of the

spring shank a ring groove in the driving end which prevents axial movement and into which groove the prlng shank fits

with radial clamping engagement. For the above and other purposes there is according

to the invention provided a retaining means for releasable

axial securing of a socket element on the outer driving end of a shaft by rotationally fixed but releasable engagement with

said socket element, said retaining means comprising in com-

bination therewith a ring groove at the outermost end of said

driving end circumferentially radially reduced with respect thereto, a ring shaped threshold axially outwardly of said

ring groove and circumferentially radially reduced with res- pect to said driving end to a lesser degree than said ring

groove for defining an entrance thereinto from the end face of

said driving end over said threshold, a resilient retaining

20,100170 mcmber having a ring-shaped spring shank for axial fixation

of said member behind said threshold by resilient clamping

action against the bottom of said ring groove, a retaining means on said member integral with said ring shank and ex-

tending from said ring groove and end face longitudinally to

the rear of said driving end, and means on said retaining means

for releasable engagement with said socket element.

The above and other purposes of the invention will be- come obvious from the following description and from the ac-

companying drawings in which three embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example. It should be understood that these embodiments are only illustrative of the invention

and that various modificationsthereof may be made within the scope of the claims following hereinafter.

In the drawings, Fig. I shows a longitudinal section through a driving end with a socket wrench placed thereonto

and with a retaining means according to the invention. Fig. 2 shows an end view of the driving end of the shaft in Fig. I.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. I. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the retaining spring in Figs. 1-3. Pig. shows detents for alternative use together with the retaining

spring in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 shows a longitudinal section through a driving end with a socket wrench placed thereonto and of

another embodiment of the retaining means according to the in- vention. Fig. 7 is a top view of the drive shaft end in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a front end view of the drive shaft end in Fig. 6. Fig. 9 shows a longitudinal section of the drive shaft end

with a socket wrench placed thereonto and of a third embodiment

of the retaining means according to the invention. Fig. 10 is a top view of the drive shaft end in Fig. 9. Fig. 11 is a

3 443003 front end viewi of the d ve t en in Pig. 9. In the figures there is shown a Shaft 15 and 45, res- pectively, which preferably is provided by the anvil in an impact wrench and thus are exposed to heavy impact loads, tor- sion and fatigue. In the embodiments or Figs. 1-8 the shaft is provided with a driving end 16 of polygonal or square end type. A socket wrench 17 is slipped on the driving end 16 by a square socket 18 for purposes of bound rotation together with the shaft 15. The socket wrench 17 fits axially releas- ably on the driving end 16 and is retained by a retaining means which in Figs. 1-5 comprises a detent 19 and a retaining spring 21 cooperating therewith. The detent 19 is received slidably in a transverse bottom hole 20 in the driving end 16 in one of its sides. Under the influence of the retaining spring 21 the detent 19 is moved radially outwarily to fall lockingly behind an abutment, i.e. into a raOdial bore 22 in the socket wrench 17. The retaining spring 21 comprises a spring shank 23 which is ring-shaped and preferably circular; one end or, in case of thin retaining springs 21 as shown in Fig.4, both ends of the spring shank 23 are prolonged to form retaining rportions 24, 25, which extend at nearly a right angle to the plane of the shank 23 rearwar.rly into an axial hole 26 in the driving end 16. The axial hole 26 intersects the bottom hole and the retaining portions 24, 25 with the tips thereof pro- ject into a cross hole 27 in the cdetent 15-. For facilitating the insertion of the retaining portions 24., 25 into the cross hole 27,'the latter is provided w~ith countersunk portions 28 at both ends thereof. In order that the spring shnnk 23 is capable of being securely retained on the driving end 16, during difficult

4 443003

20,100/70 operational conditions, there is provided in the driving end

16 an inner ring groove 30 which is adapted to the shape of

the spring shank 23 and in tYe example shown in Yig. 1-3 is of circular shape, the ring groove 30 having an entrance from

the end face 31 of the driving end and being disposed inward-

ly of a threshold 32 which is radially off-set or reduced cir-

cumferentially with respect to the driving end 16. Inwardly of the threshold 32 the ring groove 30 is enlarged conically

within the outermost end portion of driving end 16. The axial hole 26 in the driving end 16 intersects the rihg groove

On assembly of the retaining means the detent 19 is

inserted into the transverse hole 20 while the retaining spring

21, has the spring shank 23 thereof slightly compressed and the retaining portions 24, 25 brought together said retaining

portions 24, 25 are inserted into the axial hole and pushed

into the cross hole 27 of the detent 19. Simultaneously there- with the spring shank 23 is pushed over the threshold 32 into

the ring groove 30 and is allowed to expand radially thereinto

while applying a clamping force against the bottom of the ring

groove 30 so that the retaining means 21 is secured in an ax- ial direction. On depression of the detent 19 the reta'ining

portions 24, 25 act to exert an outward biasing force against

the detent 19 and urge the latter radially outward into the

radial bore 22 of the socket wrench 17.

The locking action of the detent 19 as shown in Figs.

is cancelled out by depression of the detent 19, at which instant the socket wrench 17 may be released for removal from the driving end 16. .hen an alternative detent 33 (Fig. 5) is used, having a ring shaped bevel 34, the latter acts as a cam surface so that the socket wrench 17 can be sli red on and

20,1007/ slir ped off the driving end 16 by automatic depression of the

detent 33 through cam action. As an alternative, the detent

(Fig. 5) .,hich has an oblique side cam 36, allows automatic

camming-down of the detent 35 when a socket wrench is slipped

on, while at removal thereof the detent 35 has to be depressed

manually via the radial bore 22.

In the embodiment of Figs. 6-8 the retaining means

consists of a single-ended spring 37 and the driving end 16

at the outermost end thereof is provided with a ring groove

which is directed radially outwardly. Similarly to the em-

bodiment shown in Figs. 1-5 the ring groove 38 has an entrance

in the axial direction of the driving end 16 from the end face

31 of the driving end over the threshold 39 which is reduced

or off-set radially circumferentially with respect to the

driving end 16. Against the bottom of the ring groove 38 be-

hind the threshold 39 a spring shank 40 forming part of the

spring 37 exerts a clamping action. The ring groove 38 has

such depth that the spring shank 40 when seated in the groove

38 does not reach out to or beyond the polygonal or square

plane configuration of the driving end 16. From one end or,

if necessary from both ends of the spring s.hank 0 there ex-

tends substantially at a right sngle to the plane of the spring

shank 40 a retaining portion 41 directed rearwardly axially

along the driving end 16. In order to allow the srring 37 to

have a large diameter and in consequence a large spring force,

there has been provided in the embodiment of Figs. 6-8 only a

single retaining rortion 41 renetrating in to an axial groove

42 arranged in the driving end 16. The rotaining sh'nak Iportion

411 is provided with a hump 43 anrl springs radially outwardly

so that the hump 43 falls into erictional locking engagement

-6 443003

S20.10 0 o with the radial bore 22 of the socket wrench 17 so that the

socket wrench 17 is retained on the driving end 16 by a fric- tional force sufficient for operation. In the embodiment according to Figs. 9-11 a spring 37

of the same type as in the embodiment of Pigs. 6-8 has been applied in connection with a drive shaft end 45 provided with

splines and spline grooves, the splines of which are desig-

nated by the numeral 46 and are in engagement with inner splines

47 and grooves in a socket wrench 48. Here the axial groove

42 is disposed in alignment with an axially shortened spline

49 on the driving end 45 and the retaining portion 41 of the spring 37 is locked by frictional engagement with the bottom of one of the spline grooves in the socket wrench 48.

7 443003

Claims (1)

1. 2 0.100 p7o THE claims defining the invention are as follows:-

   1. A retaining means for releasable axial securing of a socket element on the outer driving end of shaft by rotation- ally fixed but releasable engagement with said socket element, said retaining means comprising in combination therewith a ring groove at the outermost end of' said driving end circum- ferentially radially reduced with respect thereto, a ring shaped threshold axially outwardly of said ring groove and circumferentially radially reduced with respect to said dri- ving end to a lesser degree than said ring groove for defining an entrance thereinto from the end face of said driving end over said threshold, a resilient retaining nmmber having a ring-shared spring shank for axial fixation of said member behind said threshold by resilient clamping action against the bottom of said ring groove, a retaining means on said mem- ber integral with said ring shank and extending from said ring groove and end face longitudinally to the rear of said driving end, and means on said retaining means for releasable engage- ment with said socket element.

   2. A retaining means according to claim I in which said ring groove is circular and directed radially inruardly ;iith said threshold circumscribinga said entrance.

   3. A retaining means according to claim I in w~hich said ring groove is circular and directed radi ally outiardly with said entrance disposed around said threshold.

   14. A retaining means according to claim 2 further com-

   8 443 003

   20,100/7o prising retaining means forming an extension of at least one

   of the ends of the spring shank, a transverse hole in said

   driving end, abutment means on said socket element, a detent slidable in said transverse hole for providing said releasable

   engaging means, a cross hole in said detent, an axial bore intersecting said ring groove and said transverse hole in said driving end, and said retaining means projecting into said

   axial bore and cross hole for resiliently biasing said detent into releasable engagement with said abutment means of said socket element.

   A retaining means according to claim 3 further com- prising retaining means forming an extension of at least one

   of the ends of said spring shank, an axial groove in said dri-

   ving end, and said extension or extensions extending along

   said axial groove for purposes of direct frictional engagement

   of a part thereof with said socket element by way of radial spring action, said part of said extension or extensions pro-

   viding said releasable engaging means.

   6. A retaining means according to claim 5 in which said driving end and said socket element have cooperating splines

   and spline grooves for providing said rotationally fixed en- gagement, with an axially shortened spline on said driving

   end.

   7. A retaining means according to claim 5 in which said driving end is a polygonal end, said ring groove being reduced

   with respect to the planes of said polygonal end sufficiently

   to avoid projection of said spring shank radially outwardly

   9 443 003

   20.100/70 of said planes when said spring shank is clamped in said ring groove.

   8. A retaining means substantially as hereinbefore des- cribed with reference to Figures 1-5 of the accompanying

   drawings.

   9. A retaining means substantially as hereinbefore des- cribed with reference to Figures 6-11 of the accompanying drawings.

   DATED THIS 11TH DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 1973

   ATLAS COPCO AKTIEBOLAG

   EDFD. WATERS SONS, Patent Attorneys, Russell Street, MLBOURNE. VIC. 3000 AUSTRALIA.

   10 443003

   20.10 0 in

   23

   Fig.2 Fig. 3

   34 3336 35 9

   Fig.

   20,100/7o

   3 Fig.II *3

   I

   443 003