Clamp with tongue having a non-flat transverse profile

A band clamp including a clamping band having two end portions of which overlap one another at an overlapped inner band portion in a closed condition of the band clamp, the clamping band comprising:

• a tongue arranged at the overlapped inner band portion, wherein a radially inner surface of the tongue is configured to be pressed against an outer surface of an object to be clamped, wherein the tongue has lateral edges and a root portion at shoulder portions of the clamping band where a width of the clamping band is reduced from a full width of a main portion of the clamping band to a width of the tongue and a tongue recess provided in an overlapping outer band portion and being complementary to a shape of the tongue for receiving the tongue,
• wherein the radially inner surface of the tongue has a transverse profile including at least one projecting portion protruding radially inward and a height of the at least one projecting portion over the lateral edges of the tongue is non-uniform in a longitudinal direction of the tongue, and
• wherein the tongue recess includes an entry port opened in a circumferential direction of the clamp to receive the tongue and a pair of steps are formed in the clamping band on both sides of the entry port of the tongue recess to bring the outer band portion to a level of the object to be clamped,
• wherein the pair of steps extend at angle to the longitudinal direction of the clamping band that is selected from the group consisting of a perpendicular angle and an oblique angle that provides a funnel-shaped tongue recess,
• wherein the tongue includes an end portion where the transverse profile of the tongue is flat, a wedge portion where the height of the at least one projecting portion of the profile increases gradually, a central portion where the height of the at least one projecting portion of the profile is constant, and the root portion where the height decreases to merge into the main portion of the clamping band, and
• wherein a ridge formed by the at least one projecting portion extends beyond the shoulder portions of the clamping band into the main portion having the full width of the clamping band.