Weldless pole mounting structure and method of providing same
OwnerJoseph M. Bowman, Ray Minorinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hollow pole having a flared lower end is matingly mounted in a base flange fitted over, and in facing contact with, the flared end portion of the pole and having a tubular wedge matingly fitted in the flared end of the pole so that the pole is bonded to the tubular wedge and the base flange solely by galling action. The assembly is effected by using relatively soft aluminum alloy from which the components are made but which is heat treated prior to assembly to increase hardness and tensile strength so that assembly of the pole, tubular wedge and base flange results in a galling action providing the sole bonding of the pole to the other parts.
Claims27
A pole assembly comprising:
- a hollow pole having a main axis, an inner surface, and an outer surface, and an outwardly flared hollow mounting portion concentric to the main axis, and having a lower end surface defining the lower extent of the pole member;
- a tubular wedge positioned in the outwardly flared mounting portion and having a lower end surface, and an outer flared surface concentric to the main axis and in mating facing contact with the inner surface of the pole;
- a base flange having an inner flared surface matingly fitted over and in facing contact with the outwardly flared mounting portion of the pole and having a lower end surface;
- and
- wherein the lower end surface of the pole member, the lower end surface of the tubular wedge and the lower end surface of the base flange are coplanar surfaces.
A method of making a pole assembly comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a tube, a tubular wedge and a base flange all of which are made of relatively soft aluminum machinable alloy having a relatively low tensile strength;
- b) providing a flared end on the tube by machining one end of the tube to provide an outwardly flared end portion on the tube;
- c) subjecting the flared tube, the tubular wedge and the base flange to heat to increase the tensile strength and hardness thereof;
- d) matingly positioning the flared end portion of the tube over the tubular wedge with sufficient force to bond the tube to the wedge by galling;
- and
- e) matingly positioning the base flange over the outer surface of the flared end portion of the tube with sufficient force to bond the tube to the base flange by galling.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.