Hose clamp

A clamp structure capable of withstanding very high tightening forces, comprising clamping band means providing in its closed condition an inner band portion and an outer band portion each terminating in a free end, mechanical interconnecting means adapted to close the clamping band means into a closed clamp structure including outwardly extending hook means near the free end of the inner band portion adapted to engage in aperture means near the free end of the outer band portion, means operable for tightening the clamp structure circumferentially about an object to be fastened after engagement of at least one hook means in the corresponding aperture means including deformable ear means, each ear means including two generally outwardly extending leg portions interconnected by a bridging portion, said bridging portion being provided with reinforcing means, at least one of said hook means being a cold-deformed hook having force-engaging abutment surface means while another hook means is a pressed-out tab-like combined guide and support hook pressed-out of the inner band portion in a plane which extends in the longitudinal direction of the band means and intersects the inner band portion in said longitudinal direction so that the thickness of the clamping band means forms the rear edge of the longitudinally extending another hook means and said another hook means remains integral with the inner band portion over substantially its entire length, said reinforcing means being in the form of depression means extending in the longitudinal direction of the band means and of shallow configuration, said depression means being of generally rectangular configuration surrounded on all sides by remaining non-recessed bridging parts and having bottom means recessed with respect to said remaining non-recessed bridging parts, and said bottom means being connected with said non-recessed bridging parts by connecting ports, the connecting portions which extend substantially in said longitudinal direction, extending, at least, approximately parallel to one another.

An open clamp structure capable of withstanding very high tightening forces, comprising clamping band means provided in its closed condition an inner band portion and an outer band portion each terminating in a free end, mechanical interconnecting means including outwardly extending hook means near the free end of the inner band portion adapted to engage in aperture means near the free end of the outer band portion, means operable for tightening the clamp structure about an object to be fastened after engagement of at least one hook means in the corresponding aperture means including deformable ear means, each ear means including two generally outwardly extending leg portions interconnected by a bridging portion, said bridging portion being provided with reinforcing means, at least one of said hook means being a cold-deformed hook having force-engaging abutment surface means while another hook means is a tab-like member pressed-out of the inner band portion in a plane which extends and intersects with the inner band portion generally in the longitudinal direction of the band means, said reinforcing means being formed by generally pan-shaped depression means having bottom means recessed with respect to and surrounded on all sides thereof by remaining non-recessed areas of the bridging portion, and the area of said depression means being delimited by substantially longitudinally extending sides and substantially transversely extending sides the area of which encompasses, at least, about 35% of the area of the bridging portion as determined in its non-reinforced condition.