CA1165983A

CA1165983A - Releasable clamp assembly

Info

Publication number: CA1165983A
Application number: CA000354554A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Robert A. Hollingsead
Original assignee: Hollingsead International Inc
Current assignee: Hollingsead International Inc
Priority date: 1979-06-25
Filing date: 1980-06-23
Publication date: 1984-04-24
Also published as: US4303216A; GB2055141B; JPS5646614A; IL60231A; GB2055141A; DE3023379A1; FR2459896B1; FR2459896A1

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
An avionic wire clamp assembly having a flexible strap member connected to a housing member is provided. The flexible strap member is adapted to coil about an object such as a wire bundle and to be relatively tightened by the rotation of a fastening member mounted within the housing member. The housing member is mounted within a flexible bracket that has been designed to permit a releasable relative movement with the housing member at a predetermined force to prevent an over tightening of the strap. One of the fastening member and housing member has a locking detent while the other has a complimentary tine for interengagement therewith to provide a lock position to prevent any unintentional release of the strap member.

Description

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1296 ~ 3 65983 1~ RELEASABI.~ CLAMP ASSErlBLY
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2 1 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION .
31 1~ Field of the Invention 41 The present invention relates broadly to retainer 5 ¦assemblies for sec~ring objects, particularly elongated objects 6 ¦and more particularly to a plastic avionic wire clamp assembly 7 ¦for providing a removable lightweight securement of aircraft ~ ¦electrical wires, cables and the like.
9¦ 2. Description of the Prior Art I _ ............. _ .. _ . _ ................... . .
~0 ¦ As can ~e readily appreciated by anyone familiar ~1 ¦with the construction of commercial and military aircraf~, 12 ¦the advent of highly sophisticated electronic equipment has 13¦ greatly increased the wiring requirements of aircraft.

141 Aircraft wiring is presently supported by stainless 15 ¦s~eel or aluminum loop type clamps that are provided with an 16 ¦elastomeric cushion. The~main purposes o the elastomeric 17¦ cushion are to prevent the wir2s from contacting the metal clamp 181 band, tQ provide a high frictional surface betwe~n the wires -and the band and to prevent wire bundle axial mo~ement. ~-I ¦ ~xperience has proven that the elastomeric cushions are subject -21 ¦to damage from mechanical abuse near access areas, from~hydro-` ~ ¦carbon fluid attack, and from weather cracking such as a result -~-- ; ¦of ozone oxidation. Frequently, tha wires will contact the metal 24 ¦band which wil~ result in~failure~o~the wirel~installation~

; 251 ~n ex~osed clamp~band subject to~vibràtion can cut through~
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26 Ithe installation of the wire during a flight causing damage 27 ¦with no chance of inspection~ The result can range from a

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1 nuisance loss of a minor electrical circuit to a moxe serious 2 loss of an important navigational system circuit or a control 3 circuit on a fly by wire system. Fires can even be occasioned

4 by short circults which have damaged aircraSt.
An additional drawback of the conventional avionic 6 clamp assemblies is that they require installation in the 7 airplane and cannot be preassembled outside of the plane.

8 Usually, the individual wire clamps are mounted on a tree and 9 if repair is required on a iower cable then the entire tree 10 must be disassem~led. Generally, these clamp assemblies are 11 mounted on lg inch spaces and their combined weight can be 12 of relative iignificance with regards to the ul~imate pay 13 load of the plane. Additional problems associated with the 14 conventional avionic wire clamps are that they can be subjectively tightened by a repairman to a distructive mode 16 force and they are further capablle of loosening under normal 17 in-flight vibration.
18 Various forms of plastio cable ties are known in the patent literature such as U~S. Patent No. 2,936,980, U. S.
Patent No. 2,955,328, U.S. Patent Mo. 3,537,146, U. S. Patent 21 No. 3,570,497, ~. S. Patent No. 3,660,869, and U. S. Patent 22 No. 3,900,922. These patents are represent~tive of a relatively 23 crowded state of art. ~These referencès, however, do not offer a solution to the specific;problems that are enaountered in 2$ the hostlle environment of aircraft nor~to~the ever present 26 problem of the s~bjecti~e capability of the operator to exert 27 an excessive amount of force on the retained objects. Accordin~ly, 32 ~ 2~

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~ ~ ~5~3 the prior ar~ is still seeking a solu~ion to these ~eneral problems and more specifically a solution to the problems specifically encountered in the aircraft industry.
C! MMAR~ OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a retainer assernbly which is self-locking into position to guard against unintentional release when an optimal degree of tightening around an object is attained.
It is another object o~ the present invention to provide a retainer assembly for objects and particularly for bundles of wire which is incapable of being over tightened by an operator whereby potential damage to the object is eliminated.
These and other objects and advantages are attained by a retainer assembly ~hich has a holding member for extending around an object and a locking member for operatively en~aging and adjustable tightening the holding member about the object.
According to the present invention there is provided a retainer assembly for holding an object such as wire and the like comprising:
a strap member having thereon a plurality of locking elements and a bracket;
a housing member removably and separably connected to the strap member and adapted to be inserted into the bracket for such connection with the strap member; and fastening means operatively connected to the housing member for en~agement with the locking elements and operable to adjust the relative position of the strap member about the object;
said bracket including means adapted to flex and permit movement of the housing member away from the strap member and thereby ~ 3 .

t3 ~ 3 release the fastening means from engagement with the locking elements at a predetermined force load between the fastening means and locking elements.
The said bracket and the said means adapted to flex provides for movement of the locking member relative to the holding member whenever a tightening force on the locking member exceeds a predetermined value. As a result of this movement, the locking member momen-tarily slips from operative engagement with the holding member, and over tightening of the holding member about the object is prevented.
The said bracket may be itself flexible to constitute the said means adapted to flex and is mounted about the housing member.
The .said bracket may be provided about the housing member and the means for releasing the fastening means from engagement may include a leaf spring positioned between the bracket and the housing member and having sufficient spring ~orce to only flex at the predetermined force load.
The objects and features of the present invention are set forth in the appended claims. The present invention may - 3a ~ ~ ~59~3 ., I
1 be best unders~ood by reference to the following description, 2 taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals indic.ate like parts.

4 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DE~AWINGS
Figure 1 is a front view of a first preferred embodi-6 ment of the retainer assembly of the present invention;
7 Figure 2 is another front view of the first preferred embodiment of the retainer assembly of the.present invention, the 9 view showing a displacement of a locking member relative to 10 holding member; .
11 Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of- the first 12 preferred embodiment of the retainer assembly of the present 13 invent.ion; . . .
14 Figure 4 is a bottom view of a housing member of the .
15 first pre.erred embodiment of the retainer assembly of the .-16 present in~ention;
. Figure 5 is a cross sect~ional view o~ the housing member of the first preferred embodiment of the retainer assembly 19 of the present invention, the cross section. being taken . ' - - , . .
20 at lines S-S of Figure 4; : ~ : . .

21 Figure 6 is a side ~iew of the locking member o~ the .

22 first preferred ~bodiment~of the retainer assembly of the .

23 present invention; . - ~ . .

24 - ` Figure 7 is a cross sectional view of the locking member of~thP first preferred embodiment of.the~retainer assembly .

26 of ~he present invention, the rross secti`on:being taken at ~ :

27 lines 7-7 of ~igure 6, .

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l Figure 8 is a top view of the holding member of the ¦first prèferred embodiment of the re~ainer assembly of the ¦present invention; .
4 ¦ Figure 9 is a side view of-the holding member o the ¦first preferred embodiment of the retainer assembly of the present 6 ¦invention; .
7 ¦ Figure lO is a partial cross sectional view of the 8 ¦housing member of the first preferred embodiment of the re-9 ¦ tainer assembly of the present invention, the housing member 10 ¦having the locking member mounted thexeinto, the cross section 11 ¦being analogous to a cross section taken at lines lO-10 of 1~ ¦Figure 5;
13 ¦ Figure ll is a perspective view showlng two retainer . ..
14¦ assemblies comprising the first preferred embodiments of the ~51 present invention, the retainer assemblies being mounted upon a 16¦ vertically disposed assembly rod; . .
17 ¦ Figure 12 is a cross sectional view of a holding : 18¦ ~member and a bracket member of a second preferred emboaiment . .~
1 19¦ o the retainer assembly of the present invention, the bracket .
201 member incorporating a metal spring; : : . . .
21¦ Figure 13 is a cros~ sectional view of a holding . 221 member and a brac~et member of a third preferred embodiment of - 23 ¦ the ret~iner assembly of the present invention, the bracket .
~4 ¦ member incorporating a metal~spring, and . ; ~ .
~5 ¦ Figure 14~is an exploded perspective view~of the:
. 26 ¦ hou-ing member and of the locking member of the-fir~t preferred 27 ¦ embodiment o~ the prese~t invention.
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¦DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIME~T
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~ The following sp~cification taken in conjunction with 3 ¦ the drawings sets forth the preferred embodiment of the present 4 linvention in such a manner that any person skilled in the avionic

5 ¦ and plastic m~nufacturing arts can use the inventlon. The

6 ¦embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are the best

7 ¦modes contemplated by the in~entor for carrying out his invention

8 ¦in a commercial embodiment, although it should be understood

9 ¦that various modifications can be accomplished within the '1 parameters of the present invention.
11 ¦ Referring now to the drawings and particularly to 12 ¦Figures l, 2 and 3 a first preferred embodiment of the 13 ¦retainer or harness clamp assembly 30 of the present lnvention 14¦ is disclosed.
~51 The retainer or harness clamp assembly 30 inclùdes a 1B ¦holding member 32 which substantially comprises a flexlble 1~ ¦plastic belt 34. A flexible bracket 36 is integrally con-18¦ structed with the flexible belt 34 of the holdlng member 32.
1~1 Moreover~ a plurality of parallel aligned, spaced protrusions 2~1 or ridges 38 are integrally constructed with the flexible -211 belt 34 on a first surface 40 thereof. The spaced protrusions 22¦ or ridges comprise a thread or track 42 for engagement with 231 a boIt or male scret~ ~4 of a~locking member 46.
241 ` For a moxe detailed description of the track 42 ;
251 reference~is made to Flgures~8 and 9. These figures show that 26¦ each protrusion or~ridge 38 comprises an elongated~member 27 ¦having a trapezoid shaped cross section. A general longitudinal 311 . ,' ~' ' . .
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1 ¦axis of each elongated member describes an acute angle, some-¦what les~ than 90%, with the general lon~itudinal axis of the flexible belt 34. The hereinbefore described configuration of 4 ¦the individual ridges 38 c~mprising-the track 42 is designed to 5 ¦facilitate operative engagement with the lockiny member 46.
61 It also facilitates momentary disengagement of the locking 71 member 46 from the holding me~ber 42 in order to prevent over 81 tightening of the holding member 32 about an object such as a 91 wire hundle 48, shown on Figures l, 2 and ll.

10 ¦ Referring again ~o Figures l, 2 and 3~the flexible ~¦ brac.k~t 36 of the first preferred embodiment of the retainer 12 ¦o:r ~arnes clamp assembly 30 is disclosed in detail. The 13 ~ flexible bracket 36 essentially compri.ses a U shaped member ~4 15o having two substantia~ly parallel disposed portions or 15 jstem~ 52. These are attach~d to a first end 54 of the flexible .
1~ Ibelt 34. The first end 54 of the flexible belt 34 acts as a 17 ¦support base.for the U shaped m mber 50. A protrusion or .
18¦ ~pacer 5~, shown on Figures l and ~, pro~ects downward from an 19¦ L~mediate portion ~8 of ~he U.shaped bracket 36. As is ~1 fu~lher described below, the flexible ~racket 36 together with 21¦ ~.he spacer 56 coacts with the locking 46 and holding members 22¦ 3~ ~o prevent over tightening of the holding member 32 about 231 the ~ire bundle 48. ~ - .
241 - A cradre configuration 60, shown on Figures.3, 9 and 251 ~ is integrally molded with the~flexible bracket 36 and with :
61 th~ ~olding member 32.~:The cràdle configurat.ion 60 is~ attached ~7 substantially to the first end 54 of the flexible belt 34 28 . . . ~ .
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g ~ 3 belo~ the fl~xible bracket 36. The purpose of the cradle 2 configuration 60 is to hold an object such as the wire bundle 48 in axial alignment relative to the retainer or harness clamp 4 assembly 30, as is shown in Figures 1, 2 and 11.
Referring now to Figures 1 - 3, 4 - 7, 10 and 14 a 6 housing member 62 and the locking member 46 operatively moun~ed 7 therein, are disclosed in detail. As is briefly men~ioned 8 above and best shown on ~igures 3 and 6, the locking member 46 comprises a bolt or male screw 44. The bolt or male screw 44 10 has a threaded portion 64 which is designed to operatively engage

11 the track 42 provided on the flexible belt 34~ The locking

12 member 46 has a hexagonally shaped head 66 for tightening by a

13 wrench (not shown). A slot 68 is provided in the head 66 for

14 insertion of a screwdriver (not shown) or like tool.
A substantially cylindrically shaped body 70 of the 16 locking member 46 has a narrower cylindrical portion 72 which 17 is disposed abutting the threaded portion 64. An end of the 18 locking member 46 opposlte to the hexagonally shaped head 66 19 comprises a relatively short cylinder or disc 74. The disc 74 20 is axially aligned with the rest of the locking member 46 and -21 immediately-abuts the narrow cylindrical portion 72. A pair 22 of protrusions or tines 76 shown on Figure 6, 7 and 14 are 23 disposed on a planar surface 78 of the disc 74. The tines 76 24 which are spaced at a 180 angular dlstance relative to one another point in an axial direction~toward the hexagonal head , , ~ . - - . , 26 66 of~the locking~member 46.
27 In the preferred embodiments of ~he retainer or harness 28 ~
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1 1659~3 g c~amp asse~ly 30 of the present in~ention the entire locking member ~6 is integrally manufactured rom suitable plastic 3 material. The purpose of the above described configuration 4 of the locking member 46 wiil be readily understood as its 5 mounting to the housing member 62 and the operation of the clamp 6 harness assembly 30 is further described below.
7 The housing member 62, as is best shown on Figures 4, 8 5 and 14, has a hollow body 80 and a substantially ~lat mounting 9 flange 82 which is angularly'spaced relati~e to a general longi-tudinal axis of the body 80. The mounting flange incorporates 11 a circular aperture 83 which is utilized to mount the entire 12 retainer assembly 30 to an assembly rod, or like object. The 13 body 80 itself is best described as having à configuration , 14 resembling a half torus, as is shown on Figure 3. , ' 'The body 80 is configured to slideably fit`within the 16 flexible bracket 36 below the spacer 56,as is shown in'Figures 17 1 and 2. ,A shoulder or protruberance 84 is provided on each 18 laterai side 86 of the housing member 62. The shoulders or 19 protruberances,84 onl~ ~ne of which is show~ on ~igure 3, are 20 configured to align the housing member 62 in the flexible ~
21 bracke,t 36. ' ~ ' 22 'An inside hollow por~ion 88 of the body 80 is best ~
23 illustrated on Figures 4 and 14. A'first opening 90 is pro~ided ~ ~, 24 in the body ~0 ~o accomodate the l,ocking member 46 just below the hexagonal'head 66. The bo'd~r~80 of the housing member~62 26 includes an inner~wall 92, which,has a second opening 94.-~ The , 27 second opening 94 is configurea to snappingly receive and 28 ~
29 , ' ' ' ' ' '` ' ' ~ ' , 31 ~ ' ~ 1 659~3 .' accomodate the,narrow cylindrical portion 72 of the locking mem-~er 46. 'The inner wall 92 in effect divides the hollow portion 88 of the body 80 into a first 96 and a se'cond compartment 98.
4 It follows from the above descripti'on tha~ when the locking mem-ber 64 is within the housing member 62, its threaded portion 64 6 is disposed in'the first compartment 96 and the disc 74 is 7 disposed in the second compar~ment 98.
8 An indentation or recess 100 is provided in a surface 9 102 of the inner wall 92 which faces the second compartment 98.
iO ~he indentation or recess 100 is configured to-engage any.one 11 of the tines 76. It is readily apparent from the above des-1~ cription and ~rom an inspection.of Figures 5, 6 and 14 that 13 when the tine 76 is disposed in the indentation 100 a rotating .
14 mo~ement of the locking member 46 is rest~ained. 'When ~he :
,15 retainer or harness clamp assembly 30 tightly embraces an .16 object such as the wire bundle 48, a force exists which attempts .
,17 to move the locking member 46 in an axial direction as indicàted . , by an arrow 104 on Figures 6 and 14. As is el~bora~ed further -' 19 below, this ~orce locks the retainer or harness clamp assembly .
30.in a position tightly embracing the wire bundle 48, and , 21 prevents its unintentional disengage~ent due to vibration or .-22 like motion of the retainer assembly 30. :~ ~ ~ . :
: 23 The cross sectional views of Figurès 5 and 10 further 24 illustrate the above described component parts of the housing '~25 member 62 and ~f the locking member 46 removably mounted there-26 into.: ~ore particularly, the~cross sectional view of Figure ~ :
' 27 10 shows the'positioning of the'disc 74 of the locking member .
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4~ within the second compartment 98 of the housing member 62.
2 Having described the pxincipal structural components of the first preferred embodiment of the retainer or harness 4 clamp assem~ly 30 of the present invention, the ensuing 5 description is directed to its mode Gf operation and to 6 the principal advantages derived from the use thereof.
7 . As is shown in Figures l, 2 and ll, when it is desired 8 to secure an object such as the wire bundle 48 by the retainer 9 or harness clamp assembly 30, the flexible belt 34 of the 10 holding member 32 is looped around the object 48. A free end 11 106 of the flexible belt 34 is placed into the flexible bracket 12 36, The housing member 62 incorporating the locking member 46 13 is als~ posi~ioned within the flexible bracket 36 in such a 14 manner that the locking member 62 is disposed immediatel~ above the free end 106 of the flexible belt 34.
16 The locking mem~er 46 is then tightened around the 17 wire bundle 48 by turning the bolt or screw 44 in a clockwise 18 direction, This may be accomplished by using a screwdriver 19 (not shown) o~ a sui~ably sized wrench ~not shown~.
As the bolt 44 turns, its threaded portion 64 engages 21 ~he track 42 pro~ided on the flexible belt 34. ~his, in turn, 22 moves the free end lO6 of the flexible belt 34 in a direction 23 traverse to the general longitudinal axis of the wire~bundle 24 4~
It is~readily;understood that a force necessary to turn 26 the bolt 44 substantially increases when th~ flexible belt -~7 34 tightly embraces the wire b~ndle 48. As i~ was briefly 28 ~
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1 discussed above, it is often necessary to eliminate the possi-bility of damage to the object embraced by the flexible belt 3 34. Therefore, it is necessary to limit the force which may be applied through the flexible bel~ 34 to the object 48.
In the present invention the flexible, spring like 6 property o~ the flexible bracket 36 and the positioning of the 7 housing member 62 within the bracket 36 provide for a release 8 of a~ excessive tightening force. More specifically, as a 9 p~edetermined force is reached upon turning of the bolt 44, the 19 ~cket 36 flexes to increase the distance between the top 11 sur~ace 40 of the flexible belt 34 and the threaded portion 64 12 o:~ the locking membex 46. This increased distance is readily 13 ~iscernible on Figure 2, wherein it is designated as a ~ d.
14 ~5 the tightening force increases further, the threaded portion ~ simply snaps over the engaged ridges 38 of the track 42 16 ~U~OE eby the excessive force is released. This ~eature of the 17 retainer assembly 30 of thepresent invention ellminates potential 18 ~a~ge to the objact 48 which might otherwise occur due to 19 su~jective over tightening by-an operator. - ~ -~he "self-locking" feature of the retainer or harness ~1 ~p assembly 30 of the present invention~ which was briefly 22 ~s~ribed abov~, eliminates an adaitional source of potential ~3 ~ ge to clàmped objects such as~the wire bundle 4B Vibratlon, 24 w~ch is particularly common ln the hostile environment of an 25 aircraft,- often loosens retainer~or clamp harness assemblies ~ -26 ther~by~allowing the clamped wires to continuously ub against 27 ~ne anotXer and against~thP clamp harness. -2~ ~
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In th~ clamp harness assembly 30 of the present inven-2 tion, when the desired degree of tightening around the wire bundle 48 is attained, there is a substantial force pushing the 4 locking member 46 in the axial direction shown by the arrow on Figures 6 and 14. Either as a result of deliberate position-6 ing by an opexator or due to an inadvertent slight turning of 7 th~ bolt 44, one of the tines 76 engages the recess 100 and the bolt 44 locks into position. Thereafter, a much greater 9 force is necessary to turn the bolt 44 further. Consequen~ly, the retainer assembly 30 becomes essentially fail-proof from 11 loosening due to ~ibration or like inadvertent forces.
Referring now to Figure 11 a still further advantage 13 of the retainer or harness clamp assembly of the present 14 invention is disclosed. It was briefly pointed out ahove that according to standard practice in the aviation industry 16 individual wire harness clamps are moùnted on a tree. Because 17 the housing member 62 together with the locking member 46 lS ~
physically separable from the holding member 32, it is possible 19 to preassemble a plurality of housing members 62 on a mounting . . , .
tree or assembly rod 108. Individual holding members 32 may 21 su~sequently ~e mounted ~o each housing member 6~ as ~he need 22 arises. This feature also allows for disassembly of a single 23 wire bundle 48 from the assembly rod 108 without concomitant 24 need to dis~ssem~le the entire tree.
~lthough the heIein~described retainer or harness 26 clamp assemblies 30 are eminently suited for use in ~the aviation 27 industry, it is readily apparent that they may also be used ln 28 ~
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~a multitude of other situations, where the above described 2 ¦versatile and utilitarian features are desired.
The retainer or harness clamp assembly 30 of the 4 Ifirst pre~erred Pmbodiment is readi-ly manufactured from a highly ¦hydrocarbon fluid resistant, hydrophobic,flame retardant polyamide 6 ¦material which is available from the Dupont Company under the -7 ¦tradename 2ytel ST801. More specifically, the locking member 46 8 ¦and the housing memher 62 are manufactured from Zytel ST801 9 ¦which ls loaded with approximately 10% by wei~ht ~lass fibers.
10¦ Since ad~itio~ of ylass fibers somewhat detracts from the .
11¦ flexibility of Zytel ST801, the flexible belt 34 and the 12¦ ~lexi~le bracket 36 comprise substantially pure Zytel ST801.
13¦ The hydrocarbon fluid resistant, hydrophobic quality .
~41 of the material comprising the retainer assembly 30 is parti-

15¦ cula~ly ~esirable in applications on aircraf~s where potential .

16¦ damage d~e to ~oisture or spillage of hydraulic fluids must l71 be av~î~e~. . . ., 18 Referring now to Figures 12-and 13. respectively,a 19 seco.~a ~nd a thir~ preferred embodiment of the flexible bracket 2~ 36 of t~e retainer assembly 30 of the present invention are ,.
21 disclo~e~. The positioning of the housing member 62 in the 2? ~racket 3~ of these embodiments is schematically indicated with 23 phanto~ l~nes. In each of these embodiments a metal leaf spring .
24 respecti~ely indicated as 110 and 112, is incorporated in the 25 brack~t 3~. The meta~ spring llO or li2 pro~ides for the 26 desire~ ~.lexibility o~ the bracket 36. The metal spring 110 ~ t 27 or 112 .a7s~ eliminates a potential loss of flexibility due to .
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1 ~ 6~83 1 ~to fatigue of the plastic material comprising the bracket 36.
2 Moreover, it allows for manufacture of the bracket 36 from plastic materials other than the above described polyamide 4 material. In the third preferred embodiment of the bracket 36, 5 the leaf spri~g 112 also acts as a spacer to provide for align-6 ment of the housing member 62 at a desired distance from the 7 bracket 36.
8 What has been described above is a retainer or harness 9 clamp assembly having a plurality of novel~ utili-tarian features 10 which is particularly suitable for use in the aviation industry.
11 Various modifications of the above described embodiments of 12 the present invention may be readily apparent to those skilled 13 in the arti~. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention ~41 should be interpre~ed solely from the following claims.
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Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A retainer assembly for holding an object such as wire and the like comprising:
a strap member having thereon a plurality of locking elements and a bracket;
a housing member removably and separably connected to the strap member and adapted to be inserted into the bracket for such connection with the strap member; and fastening means operatively connected to the housing member for engagement with the locking elements and operable to adjust the relative position of the strap member about the object;
said bracket including means adapted to flex and permit movement of the housing member away from the strap member and thereby release the fastening means from engagement with the locking elements at a predetermined force load between the fastening means and locking elements.

2. The retainer assembly of claim 1 including means for connecting the housing member to a support member.

3. The retainer assembly of claim 1 wherein the said bracket is itself flexible to constitute the said means adapted to flex and is mounted about the housing member.

4. The retainer assembly of claim 3 wherein the strap member and flexible bracket are integrally molded from a thermoplastic polyamide that has hydrophobic characteristics.

5. The retainer assembly of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the housing member and fastening means are molded from a thermo-plastic polyamide that has hydrophobic character-istics and has reinforcing glass fibers incorporated therein.

6. The retainer assembly of claim 3 further including a spacer member positioned between the flexible bracket and the housing member to permit the flexible bracket to contract upon the application of a force load to release the fastening means.

7. The retainer assembly of claim 6 wherein the spacer member is a predetermined distance from the housing member sufficient to permit a relative releasing movement between the strap member and the fastening means at the predetermined force load.

8. The retainer assembly of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein one of the housing member and fastening means has a de-tent and the other has a locking tine of a complementary configuration to provide at least one lock position when the fastening means is mounted within the housing member.

9. The retainer assembly of claim 1 or 2, wherein the bracket is mounted about the housing member and wherein the means for releasing the fastening means from engagement includes a leaf spring positioned between the bracket and the housing member and having sufficient spring force to only flex at the predetermined force load.

10. The retainer assembly of claim 2 wherein the means for connecting the housing member to the strap member includes a mounting bracket configured to permit mounting on an avionic assembly rod.

11. The retainer assembly of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fastening means is a rotatable screw and one of the housing member and rotatable screw has a detent and the other has a locking tine of a complementary configuration to provide at least one lock position when the fastening means is mounted within the housing member.

12. The retainer assembly of claim 3 wherein the flexible bracket is U-shaped and includes a support base.

13. The retainer assembly of claim 12 wherein the support base further includes a pair of support cradles for engagement with an object to be held.

14. The retainer assembly of claim 1 wherein:
the strap member is flexible having a belt portion including the locking elements and the bracket at one side of the belt portion;
the housing member has a first lock configuration and provides a passageway between itself and the bracket for the belt portion so that one end of the belt portion is received in the passageway and the belt portion is coiled about an object to be held; and the fastening means is a rotatable element operatively mounted in the housing member for operative contact with the locking elements to adjust the relative position of the belt portion through the passageway;
said fastening means having a second complementary lock configuration which interfaces with the housing member first lock configuration to provide a lock position.

15. The retainer assembly of claim 14 further including an avionic assembly rod for attachment to appropriate aircraft structure, and a mounting bracket extending from the housing member and secured to the assembly rod whereby the housing member can be preassembled on the assembly rod and the strap member can be subsequently removably attached.

16. The retainer assembly of claim 14 wherein a snap locking mounting configuration is provided on the housing member to receive the fastening member.

17. The retainer assembly of claim 14 wherein the securement assembly further includes a pair of spaced relatively movable mounting members.

18. The retainer assembly of claim 17 wherein one of each of the mounting members and the housing member has a pair of detents and the other has protuberances that are complementary to the respective detents for fastening the mounting members to the housing member.