Hinge for armour-clad doors or the like

Abstract

 The hinge, in particular for armour-clad doors or the like, substantially comprises a male element (2) and a female element (3) respectively formed by a cylindrical pivot (5) provided with a top plane (8), and a cylindrical bore (13) provided with a bottom plane (14). The top plane of the pivot and the bottom plane of the bore interact during the operativity of the hinge with the interposition of low-­friction-coefficient elements, such as, e.g., balls (10) or bushings (24). The bottom plane of the bore can be adjusted and blocked in the desired position along the revolution axis of the hinges by means of screw/counterscrew means.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a hinge, in particular for armour-clad doors.

[0002] The hinges particularyly intended for armour-clad doors, or the like, show a particularly strong structure, in order to be able to resist to the stresses they undergo whenever the heavy door they support is opened or closed.

[0003] The present hinges comprise a female element integral with the door, and a male element integral with the doorpost, provided with a pivot on which a rolling thrust bearing is slid, with said bearing resulting thus compressed between the female element and the male element

[0004] Owing to reasons of functionality of the hinge, the overall dimensions of the bearing must mandatorily be limited within narrow limits, in that said bearing must be housed inside the small toroidal room existing between the outer surface of the pivot on which it is slid, and the external surface of the hinge, which coincides with both the outer surface of the male element, and the outer surface of the female element which, when assembled with each other, compose the same hinge.

[0005] As a consequence, the diameter of the rolling bodies of the bearing, usually balls, is very small, so that said rolling bodies generate high specific pressures on the relevant races, with the result that such races wear out very early, requiring the whole bearing to be frequently replaced.

[0006] Such a situation becomes more serious when, due to reasons foreign to the hinge, displacements occur, which are due to phenomena of settling, or the like, of the doorpost/door assembly, with the result that the weight of the door comes to be nearly totally supported by one only of the hinges.

[0007] In order to prevent the hinge from early wearing out due to phenomena of settling or the like, an improved type of such a hinge is provided with means of adjustment of the position of the pivot along the axis of the same hinge. In such a hinge, denominated "adjustable hinge", the desired position of the pivot is obtained by revolving the same pivot inside the relevant screw­threaded seat destined to be fastened to the doorpost.

[0008] The rotation of the pivot when the hinge is mounted in its operative position is carried out by acting on the first, hexagonal end of an idle spindle, coaxial with the same pivot, and provided with a second end having a blade shape, which engages a slot provided in the pivot.

[0009] When the adjustment is ended, blocking means, constituted by a blocking grub screw, constrain the pivot, so as to prevent it from rotating around the axis of the hinge when the door is opened and closed.

[0010] The adjustable hinge, contrarily to the non-­adjustable hinge, while is capable of obviating the early wear of the bearing due to the overcharges applied to said bearing due to settlings of the doorposts, is not anyway capable of obviating the wear deriving from missed lubrication and to the penetration of foreign bodies inside the bearing.

[0011] Such forms of wear, indeed much more noxious, are due to the fact that the bearing is difficult to lubricate, and is particularly exposed to the impurities, because it is housed in a peripheral area of the same hinge.

[0012] In fact, such hinges cannot be profitably used outdoor, or in corrosive and/or dusty environments. In case of gripping, the bearing acts as a coupling interposed between the female element of the hinge and the ring-shaped surface associated with the pivot of the male element, applying to this latter such a high twisting tor-que, as to easily exceed the strength of the pivot blocking means, in particular the above mentioned grub screw, which gets broken during the rotation of the hinge.

[0013] When one continues to operate the door under such conditions, the position of the pivot, no longer constrained along the axis of the hinge, progressively changes, till to prevent the door from being correctly closed when the hinge results by that time damaged to an irreparable extent.

[0014] In the attempt to obviate the above said drawbacks, a type of adjustable hinge has been supplied, which houses the friction undergoing means inside the female element. Such a hinge is provided with a ball placed atop the pivot, which may or may not be adjustable along the axis of the same hinge, and resting against the bottom surface of the bore the female element is provided with.

[0015] In such hinge types, the ball can be:
- realized with a rather high diameter, because said diameter is no longer dictated by pressing problems relating to overall dimensions;
- sheltered, because it is housed on the bottom of the bore of the female element.

[0016] Also such hinges have resulted to be not free from drawbacks due to the excessive wear the top surfaces of the pivot, the bottom surface of the female element, and the same ball are subjected to.

[0017] Such an excessive wear is due to the fact that the axis of the ball coincides with the revolution axis of the hinge, and therefore during the actions of door opening and/or closure, the ball revolves on itself, with its own surface sliding against the surfaces it spaces apart from each other, generating sliding friction, which is particularly destructive for the surfaces.

[0018] The purpose of the present invention consists in providing a hinge capable of obviating all the drawbacks which are due to the above types of hinges, wherein the elements under relative motion stressed by the load are:
- of a relatively large diameter, so as to validly counteract the stresses due to the weight of the door, even if increased due to phenomena of settling of the doorposts;
- sheltered, and therefore well-lubricated over time, by a tight seal, so as to enable the hinge to be used also outdoor and/or in corrosive environments;
- submitted to rolling friction, and not to sliding friction.

[0019] Such a purpose is achieved by means of a hinge, in particular for armour-clad doors or the like, comprising a male element and a female element, respectively formed by a cylindrical pivot provided with a top plane, and a cylindrical bore provided with a bottom plane, with said pivot and said bore revolving the one inside the other according to a common revolution axis which constitutes the revolution axis of the hinge, characterized in that the top plane of the pivot and the bottom plane of the bore interact along ring-shaped areas equipped with low-­friction-coefficient elements.

[0020] These and still other characteristics and advantages of the present invention are set forth in detail in the following disclosure of some exemplifying forms of practical embodiment, depicted in the hereto attached drawings wherein:

Figure 1 shows a partially sectional front view of the hinge according to the present invention;

Figure 2 shows a sectional view along path II-II of figure 1;

Figure 3 shows a sectional view along path III-III of figure 1;

Figure 4 shows a view of the hinge of the invention, provided with races along which removable rolling means run;

Figure 5 shows a view of the hinge provided with an antifriction washer;

Figure 6 shows a view of the hinge of the invention, equipped with adjusting means.

[0021] The advantages achieved by means of the present invention essentially consist in that such a hinge is capable of supporting, as compared to hinges having the same overall dimensions, higher loads, with a lower wear over time, with no need for periodic overhauls.

[0022] Such advantages are still more evident when the hinge is requested to operate outdoor, and/or in a corrosive environment, towards which it results practically insensible.

[0023] Referring to the above figures, and, in particular to Figures 1 through 3, the hinge for armour-clad doors and the like, generally indicated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a male element 2 and a female element 3. The male element 2 is formed by a cylindrical base 4, and a pivot 5, also cylindrical, and constituting one single body with the same base, with which it joins defining a ring-shaped plane 6.

[0024] The cylindrical base 4 is provided with a flange 7 which constitutes a means for it to be fastened to a door (not shown in the figures).

[0025] The pivot 5 is provided with a top plane 8 provided with a first ring-shaped area 16, wherein a first race 9 is provided, which is engaged by rolling elements, e.g., balls 10, running along said race 9 with low values of friction coefficient.

[0026] The female element 3 is provided as well with a cylindrical base 11 provided with a flange 12, identical to the flange the cylindrical base 4 of the male element 2 is provided with, and destined to be fastened to the doorpost (not shown in the figures). Said female element 3 is associated with a cylindrical bore 13 ending with a bottom plane 14, also provided with a second ring-shaped area 17 wherein a second ring-shaped race 15 is provided, which is identical to race 9, and is destined as well to be occupied by the balls 10.

[0027] In another form of practical embodiment (see in particular Figure 4), either, of both, of ring-shaped areas 16 and 17 are constituted by removable elements bearing the races 9 and 15, which, in this way, can be more easily submitted to the hardening thermal treatments, or replaced when their wear degree so requires. In case costs have to be reduced to an even greater extent (see Figure 5), the removable elements of the ring-shaped areas 16 and 17, and the balls 10 can be replaced by at least a washer 24 made from an anti-­friction material, and acting as a bushing.

[0028] In order to secure a sufficient and constant lubrication of the balls or of the bushing, the hinge must be installed in such a way that the female element directs upwards its concavity, so as to also act as a sump for the lubricant of the hinge.

[0029] The hinge is completed by a tight-sealing gasket 22 placed between the edge 23 of the bore 13, and the ring-­shaped plane 6 of the pivot 5, which simultaneously prevents the lubricant from escaping, and foreign bodies from entering the hinge. Such a hinge can operate in an optimum way and for long time also under dusty and/or corrosive atmospheres.

[0030] In a still more improved form of practical embodiment, (see fig.6), the hinge 1 is endowed with the possibility of stably adjusting the position along the revolution axis A-A of the same hinge, of the second ring-shaped area by means of screw/counterscrew means.

[0031] Such screw/counterscrew means comprise a nut screw 18, coaxial with axis A-A and provided inside the cylindrical base 11 of the female element 3, which is enganged by a first screw 19 totally contained inside the same nut screw, and provided, at a first endsthereof, with a drive element 20 of embedded-octagon configuration. On the second end of said screw, the second sliding race 15 is provided, on which the balls 10 run.

[0032] To integrate the screw means, inside the nut screw 18, in series to the first screw 19 a second screw 21 is housed, whose structure is at all similar to that of the first screw, and acts on said first screw so as to block it inside the same nut screw.

[0033] By screwing down or unscrewing the first screw 19, the position of the race 15 can be adjusted along the axis A-A, thus enabling the hinge to compensate for possible settlings of the doorpost or of the door on which it is installed, making is possible the loads to be equally subdivided on each hinge of the same door.

Claims

1. Hinge, in particular for armour-clad doors or the like, substantially comprising a male element and a female element, respectively formed by a cylindrical pivot provided with a top plane, and a cylindrical bore provided with a bottom plane, with said pivot and said bore revolving the one inside the other according to a common revolution axis which constitutes the revolution axis of the hinge, characterized in that the top plane (8) of the pivot (5) and the bottom plane (14) of the bore (13) interact along ring-shaped areas (16, 17) equipped with low-friction-coefficient elements (10).

2. Hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that said ring-shaped areas are two, a first ring-shaped area (16) and a second ring-shaped area (17), and form races (9, 15) opposite to each other, containing rolling means (10).

3. Hinge according to claim 2, characterized in that said rolling elements are constituted by balls (10).

4. Hinge according to claim 2, characterized in that the ring-shaped areas (16, 17) are constituted by removable elements.

5. Hinge according to claim 2, characterized in that the second ring-shaped area (17) relevant to the bore (13) can be adjusted along the revolution axis (A-A) of the hinge (1), and can be stably blocked by means of screw (18, 19) and counter-screw (18, 21) means.

6. Hinge according to claim 5, characterized in that said second ring-shaped area (17) is provided atop said screw means (19).

7. Hinge according to claim 5, characterized in that said screw/counterscrew means are constituted by a couple of screws (19), (21).

8. Hinge according to claim 2, characterized in that the races (9, 15) are hardened by means of case-­hardening.

9. Hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that in the operating position, the female element (3) is fastened to the doorpost of the door, and has its bore (13) directed upwards in such a way as to constitute a sump for collecting the lubricant of the same hinge (1).

10. Hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that the ring-shaped areas and the low-friction-­coefficient elements are constituted by at leasy one washer (24) of self-lubricating material.

11. Hinge according to claim 1, characterized in that the cylindrical pivot (5) is associated with a cylindrical base (4) in correspondence of a ring-shaped plane (6) which, when the hinge is assembled, is opposite to the edge (23) of the bore (13), with a ring-shaped tight-sealing gasket (22) being housed between said edge (23) and said plane (6).

Drawing