AU2011201589C1

AU2011201589C1 - Locating and supporting devices for reinforcing elements

Info

Publication number: AU2011201589C1
Application number: AU2011201589A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Daryl Patrick Norton; Kim Louise Norton
Original assignee: Norton Daryl Patrick Mr
Current assignee: Norton Daryl Patrick Mr
Priority date: 2011-04-08
Filing date: 2011-04-08
Publication date: 2022-07-28
Anticipated expiration: 2031-04-08
Also published as: AU2011201589A1; AU2011201589B2; AU2011100532A4

Abstract

A locating and supporting device for locating reinforcing elements in a mould, typically a mould for moulding elongated concrete members such as concrete sleepers, the locating device comprising at least one cradle for supporting an end of a said reinforcing element and being adapted to be hung from or positioned adjacent to a wall of the mould to position the at least one cradle relative to said wall. The locating device in one embodiment may be used to support an end of a reinforcing element or when inverted support an intermediate portion of the reinforcing element. 1/4 M M Ln co C14 m C-4 co rn C%4 clq m U-) C14 V. %0 CN C14 r- C'4 co C14 m It U') C31, C) C14

Description

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LOCATING AND SUPPORTING DEVICES FOR REINFORCING ELEMENTS Technical Field This invention relates to locating and supporting devices for reinforcing elements and in particular to devices for supporting and locating reinforcement elements in a concrete mould prior to pouring concrete into the mould. The present invention is particularly applicable to the moulding of reinforced elongated concrete members for example concrete sleepers typically used for the construction of retaining concrete walls. The locating and supporting devices of the invention however may be used in the moulding of other concrete products. Background Art Concrete sleepers are commonly used for the construction of retaining walls. The use of concrete sleepers in this application overcomes the disadvantages of traditional timber walls as concrete sleepers are not subject to rotting or splitting and are free from attack by white ants. Concrete sleepers are generally manufactured by pouring concrete into an elongated mould into which steel elongated reinforcing rods have been placed. Concrete sleepers can now be provided with various finishes such as a timber finish so that they more readily appear to be timber sleepers and are therefore aesthetically pleasing. For this purpose, a pad provided on one face with a textured surface is located initially in the mould with the textured surface uppermost so that the concrete sleeper is formed with a complementary textured face. Pads may have textured surfaces of many different designs such as a slate or stone appearance depending upon the surface required in the concrete sleeper. To ensure maximum strength, it is important that the reinforcing rods are located in the correct position in the mould. It is further important to ensure that the reinforcing rods are not close to the outer surfaces of the mould such that the reinforcing is fully hidden within the concrete sleeper and not exposed to corrosion which can compromise the strength and durability of the sleepers. It is difficult to ensure that reinforcing rods are correctly positioned particularly where textured pads are provided to provide a desired surface finish in the sleeper. It would be advantageous therefore if an improved means were available which enabled reinforcing elements or rods to be located and supported accurately within a mould prior to pouring of concrete into the mould.

Summary of the Invention The present invention therefore provides in a preferred aspect, a locating and supporting device for locating reinforcing elements in a mould, said device comprising at least one cradle for supporting an end of a said reinforcing element, and means adapted to cooperate in use with first and second adjacent walls of said mould to position said at least one cradle relative to said walls. In one preferred form, the device is adapted to be at least partially supported by one of the walls. For this purpose, the device may include suspension means by which it may be suspended or hung from the wall. The suspension means may include at least one hanger member. The hanger member may include a hook which may hook over an upper edge of the wall. Preferably the at least one cradle is adapted to be supported in a cantilever manner in use. Preferably the cradle comprises at least one arm which extends outwardly from the hanger member and the reinforcing element may in use at least partially seat on the arm. The cradle suitably further comprises upstanding locating pins to locate the end of the element. Typically the locating pins comprise a pair of spaced apart upstanding pins between which the end of the reinforcing rod may locate. The cradle may further comprise a further pin which is arranged symmetrically relative to the spaced apart pins and at a spacing longitudinally of the pins (relative to the reinforcing element) to act as a stop to the element. Bracing means may be provided to brace the at least one arm. The bracing means may comprise a flange for transferring loads to the hanger member. The locating and supporting device may also include at least one leg extending downwardly relative to the at least one cradle to support the cradle from the underside. The leg may seat on a bottom wall of the mould to partially support the cradle on the bottom wall. Preferably the locating device also includes an elongated locating member adapted to cooperate with opposite walls of the mould to centralise the locating device relative to the opposite walls. Preferably the opposite ends of the elongated member are adapted to be located in use adjacent opposite side walls of the mould. Preferably the device includes a plurality of cradles and thus arms for supporting respective reinforcing elements and hanger members may be associated with each cradle.

Typically one of the cradles is located in use centrally relative to the longitudinal axis of the mould to position a reinforcing element centrally of the mould. Preferably downwardly depending legs are also associated with each cradle to support the cradles from the underside for example by seating on a bottom wall of the mould. The locating device may also include a further elongated member which extends substantially parallel to the elongated locating member and is spaced therefrom by the arms. Preferably the further elongated member carries the pairs of locating pins on its upper side and the legs associated with the cradles. The elongated member serves as part of the cradle to support an end of a reinforcing element in use. The hanger members may comprise the sole support for the locating devices or the hanger members may in conjunction with the legs support the locating devices. In a further preferred form, the end locating and supporting device is adapted to be positioned adjacent to one of the first and second adjacent walls of the mould to position the at least one cradle relative to said the walls. The locating device in this embodiment is provided with a plurality of downwardly extending legs which can seat in use on a bottom wall of the mould to position and support the at least one cradle at a spacing from the mould bottom wall. The legs in this case comprise the sole support of the locating devices. As above, the locating and supporting device includes the elongated locating member which is adapted to cooperate with opposite second or side walls of the mould to centralise the locating device relative to the opposite walls and the elongated member is adapted to be juxtaposed with the first wall of the mould. The at least one cradle of the locating device in this embodiment comprises at least one arm and an end of a reinforcing element may at least partially seat on the arm. The cradle suitably comprises upstanding locating pins to locate the end of the element. Typically the locating pins comprise a pair of spaced apart upstanding pins between which the end of the reinforcing rod may locate. The cradle may further comprise a further pin which is arranged symmetrically relative to the spaced apart pins and at a spacing longitudinally of the pins (relative to a reinforcing element) to act as a stop. Preferably the legs which support the locating device are provided in a first pair on the underside of each cradle. Further pairs of legs may be provided on the underside of the elongated member, the legs of the further pair being aligned with the legs of first pair. Preferably the legs of each pair are arranged symmetrically on opposite sides of the arm. A plurality of arms may extend from the elongated locating member. As with the end locating device, the further locating device may also include a further elongated member which extends substantially parallel to the elongated locating member and is spaced therefrom by the arms. Preferably the further elongated member carries the pairs of locating pins on its upper side and the legs associated with the cradles extend from the lower side of the further elongated member. The further elongated member serves as part of the cradle in addition to the arms to support an end of a reinforcing element. The locating device in this configuration may be inverted to enable the device to support an intermediate portion of the reinforcing element. When inverted, the locating pins of the locating device serve as supporting legs to support the device on a lower surface and the pairs of legs comprise upstanding locating pins to define the opposite boundaries of a channel through which a reinforcing element may pass to be seated on the arm elongated members so as to be supported by the device. As with the locating device of the first embodiment, the device may include a plurality of cradles for supporting a plurality of reinforcing elements with legs on the lower side thereof which in one attitude support the device on an underlying surface and which in the inverted attitude comprise upstanding pins to define the boundaries of channels through which reinforcing elements may pass. Preferably the locating devices are of a skeletal frame construction and are typically manufactured by being injection moulded of plastics. The present invention in a further aspect provides a mould for concrete products including one or more locating devices as described above. Typically the mould comprises an elongated open topped mould for the moulding of elongated beams or sleepers and the locating devices are adapted to be positioned to extend transversely of and substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the mould. The end locating devices are adapted to be positioned at the opposite ends of the mould and hung from the end walls of the mould or positioned adjacent the end walls. One or more locating devices of the second embodiment when inverted may be positioned intermediate the ends of the mould to define channels through which the reinforcing elements may pass and be supported. The present invention in a further aspect provides a method of manufacturing a moulded concrete member using a mould as described above, said method including the steps of positioning a plurality of locating devices in said mould, locating at least one reinforcing element in said mould and supporting said element on said locating devices, pouring or depositing concrete into said mould such that said at least one reinforcing element is embedded in said concrete, and allowing said concrete to cure or set within said mould. The moulded concrete member including the at least one reinforcing element may then be removed from the mould. Brief Description of the Drawings Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention described in relation to the manufacture of concrete sleepers or other elongated beams. It will be appreciated however that the method and apparatus of the invention may be applied to the manufacture of other concrete moulded members or products. In the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is an isometric view of an end locating and supporting device for reinforcing elements according to a first embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is an isometric view of a reinforcing element locating and supporting device according to a second embodiment of the invention; Fig. 3 is an isometric view of the device of Fig. 2 in an inverted attitude; Fig. 4 is a sectional side sectional view of a concrete mould provided with the locating devices of Fig. 1 and 2 prior to concrete pour; Fig. 5 is an isometric view showing one end of a mould provided with an end locating device supporting reinforcing elements; Fig. 6 is a plan view of the end of the mould of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is an isometric view showing the manner in which the locating device in the orientation of Fig. 3 is used. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring to the drawings and firstly to Fig. 1, there is illustrated an end locating and supporting device 10 for reinforcing elements according to an embodiment of the present invention, the device 10 being of a skeletal construction and typically being injected moulded of a plastics material. The device 10 comprises a first elongated member 11 which is substantially the same length as the internal width of a mould with which the device 10 is to be used. The device 10 also includes a further elongated member 12 which is of a length less than the length of the member 11 and which is spaced from the member 11 by three parallel arms 13 which are formed integrally with the members 11 and 12 and such that the members 11 and 12 extend substantially parallel to each other. The member 12 is positioned symmetrically relative to the member 11 such that opposite end portions 11' of the member 11 extend laterally outwardly and equally relative to opposite ends of the member 12 A first set of legs 14 extend downwardly from the elongated member 11 from a position in alignment with the respective arms 13 and triangular bracing webs 15 are provided on the underside of the arms 13 and extend therealong from the member 12 at which they have a minimum depth to the legs 14 where they have a maximum depth. A further set of three legs 16 extend downwardly from the member 12 from positions in alignment with the respective arms 13. Three hanger members 17 extend upwardly from the member 11, the hanger members 17 being aligned with the respective arms 13 and being integrally joined thereto. The members 17 effectively comprise upward extensions of the respective legs 14. The members 17 terminate at their upper ends in hooks 18 which extend to the side of the member 11 opposite the arms 13. The hooks 18 comprise outwardly extending top members 19 which extend substantially at right angles from the upper ends of the members 17 and downwardly extending tongues 20 which extend substantially parallel to the members 16. The device 10 further includes upstanding locating pins associated with each arm 13 and comprising a central stop pin 21 provided on and formed integrally with the arm 13 and a pair of spaced opposite side pins 22 provided on and formed integrally with the member 12 and located symmetrically relative to the central pin 21. The pin 21 is located longitudinally along the arm 13 from the pins 22. The region bounded by the pins 22 and 21 defines a receiving area or cradle 23 for the end of a reinforcing element which can be received between the pins 21 and 22 and seat on the arms 13 and/or member 23. Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate opposite views of an alternative reinforcing device 24 according to a further embodiment of the invention which may be used with the device 10 of Fig. 1. Alternatively, a plurality of devices 24 may be used to support reinforcing elements without using the device 10. The device 24 is also of a skeletal construction and as with the device 10, is moulded of plastics, such as by injection moulding, with all components integrally formed. The device 24 includes as with the device 10, substantially parallel spaced apart elongated members 25 and 26, the member 25 extending laterally outwardly and symmetrically relative to opposite ends of the member 26 with the members 25 and 26 being held apart by spaced arms 27. The member 25 is of a length which is substantially the same as the internal width of a mould with which the device 24 is to be used. The device 24 is provided with a plurality of legs which in the Fig. 2 position extend downwardly from the members 25 and 26 and arms 27 and terminate in the substantially the same plane such that the members 25 and 26 when supported by the legs lie in a substantially horizontal plane. The legs comprise pairs of legs 28 which extend downwardly from the members 26 and are provided symmetrically on opposite sides of the arms 27. Further downwardly extending legs 29 are provided on the lower side of the members 25. Legs 30 aligned with the arms 27 and legs 29 are provided on the member 25 and extend downwardly therefrom. The device 24 further includes upstanding reinforcing element locating pins which are provided on each member 25 and 26. The locating pins comprise pairs of pins 31 on the member 25 arranged symmetrically relative to the arms 27. Further pairs of pins 32 are provided on the members 26 and are arranged symmetrically relative to the arms 27 and are aligned with the pins 30. Stiffening webs or flanges 33 extend between and are joined to, by being integrally formed with, the outer pins 31 and 32 of the respective outer pairs 29 and 30. Further stiffening webs or flanges 34 extend between and are joined to, by being integrally formed with, the inner pins 32 of the respective outer pairs 29 and central pins 32. A further stiffening web or flange 33' extends between respective pins 31 and 32 of the central pairs of pins 31 and 32. The webs 33 and 33' extend substantially parallel to the arms 27. The upstanding pins 31 and 32 terminate in substantially the same plane which is substantially parallel to the plane containing the member 26 and arms 27 to define the boundaries of channels 35 through which reinforcing elements may pass. The devices 10 and 24 are typically used in the moulding of elongated concrete members typically concrete sleepers commonly used for the construction of retaining walls. The moulds 36 for the construction of sleepers of this type are of a generally elongated hollow rectangular configuration as shown in Fig. 4 and have an open upper side 37. The moulds 36 typically have a bottom wall 38, opposite end walls 39 and opposite side walls 40 and to facilitate the removal of the concrete sleepers from the mould 36, the walls 39 and 40 may diverge outwardly from the bottom wall 38 towards the upper open end 37. A series of side by side moulds 36 may be provided such that a plurality of sleepers may be moulded simultaneously. In the plurality of side by side moulds, adjacent moulds 36 have common side walls 40. Reinforcing location devices 10 are provided at each end of the mould 36 and the hooks 18 thereof are hooked over top of the opposite ends walls 39 of the mould 36 as shown in Figs. 4 to 6. The distance between the tongues 19 and hanger member 17 is such that when the hooks 18 are located over the end walls 39, the upstanding hanger members 17 (and members 11) are substantially juxtaposed with the inner surface of the walls 39 and the arms 13 extend outwardly from the wall 39 in a cantilever manner. The opposite ends of the elongated member 11 are positioned adjacent the inner surfaces of the opposite side walls 40 of the mould 36 to centralise the device 10 laterally within the mould 36. Further this positions that the central reinforcing element receiving area or cradle 23 substantially in alignment with the longitudinal centre line of the mould 36 and the opposite side receiving areas or cradles 23 inwardly of the respective opposite mould side walls 40. In addition, the lower ends of the legs 14 and 15 are located on or adjacent the bottom wall 38. One or more further devices 24 are positioned between the end walls 40 in the orientation of Fig. 2 such that the members 25 and 26 extend transversely of and substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the moulds 37 and are supported on the bottom wall 38 via the legs 28, 29 and 30. The member 25 which is of similar length to the member 11 has its opposite ends positioned adjacent the respective inner surfaces of opposite side walls 40. This locates the respective channels 35 defined by the pins 31 and 32 in longitudinal alignment with the respective cradles 23 of the end devices 10. After placing the devices 10 and 24 into the mould 36 as described above, steel reinforcing rods 41 which have been cut to length so that their opposite ends can be received in the cradles 23 of the opposite devices 10, are placed into the mould 36 so that the ends thereof are supported on the cradles 23 in the opposite end devices 10 with intermediate portions extending through the channels 35 in the devices 24 as shown in dotted outline in Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 to be supported on the arms 27. The ends of the reinforcing rods 41 are further spaced from the end walls 39 of the mould 36 by the pins 21 which act as stops. The reinforcing rods 41 are thus supported in a cantilever manner at each end by the devices 10 which are hooked over the end walls 39 of the mould 36 so as to be effectively suspended from the end walls 39 whilst intermediate portions of the rods are supported on the arms 27 and members 25 and 26 of the intermediate devices 10. The triangular bracing webs 15 in the end devices 10 transfer loads to the end wall 35 and to the upper ends of the ends walls 39 over which the hooks 18 are hooked. Additional support to the ends of the reinforcing rods 41 can be provided by the legs 14 (and 16) which can seat on the bottom wall 38 of the mould 36. The rods 41 are thus at least partially supported to the end walls 39 of the mould 37 but may be also partially supported on the bottom wall 38 of the mould 36. After placing of the reinforcing rods 41 in position, concrete is poured or deposited into the upper end 37 of the mould 36 such as to fill the mould 36. The reinforcing rods 41 are thus fully embedded in the concrete within the mould. After the concrete is cured or set, the sleeper or beam may be removed from the mould 36 and any projecting parts of the devices 10 or 24 such as the hooks 17 may be trimmed off flush with the surface of the concrete The devices 10 and 24 position the reinforcing rods 41 so that they are spaced inwardly from all outer surfaces of the cast concrete sleeper or beam and therefore are not exposed to weather conditions which may cause corrosion such as rusting. In addition, the rods 41 are positioned so as to provide the cast sleeper or beam with its required tensile load bearing properties. The devices 24 are also capable of fulfilling the function of the end devices 10 where it is not desirable or possible to hook a device 10 over an end of a mould. For this purpose, the devices 22 may be inverted to the position of Fig. 3. In this position, the region between the legs 26 and 27 which now define upstanding pins are in a similar configuration to the cradles 23 of the device 10. The devices 24 in this orientation may be positioned at the ends of a mould 36 as shown in Fig. 7 adjacent to or in contact with the end wall 39. The device 24 will thus be in a similar configuration in use to the devices 10 with the elongated member 25 juxtaposed with the wall 39 and extending transversely of mould 36 except that the devices 24 do not hook over the end walls 39. Rather, the pins 31 and 32 now serve as legs to support the device 24 on the bottom wall

38 of the mould 36. Further the legs 29 in this case serve as upstanding stop pins which locate the end of a reinforcing rod 41 at a spacing from the end walls 34 and legs 28 serve as upstanding pins between which the end of a rod 41 is located. Devices 24 in the orientation of Fig. 3 which are positioned adjacent the end walls 39 may then be use in combination with devices 24 in the orientation of Fig. 2 which are positioned between the end walls 39. Reinforcing rods 41 may thus be supported at their ends as shown in Fig. 7 and in dotted outline in Fig. 3 and intermediate their ends as shown in dotted outline in Fig. 2 and the concrete sleeper or beam formed as above with concrete deposited or poured into the moulds 36 and allowed to set or cure before the moulded sleeper or beam can be withdrawn from the mould 36. The moulds 36 of course may be of many different designs other than of the form disclosed in the above embodiment. Moulds 36 may be provided with inserts to provide a textured surface or moulds may be other than of the elongated form described. In some embodiments it may be necessary to only use a pair of end devices 10 without the use of an intermediate device. Further it will be appreciated that the devices 10 and 22 may be of designs other than of the form described and illustrated in the embodiments. In the described embodiments, the cradles 23 which support the rods 41 are located at about 40-50 % of the depth of the mould and 25-30% inwardly of the opposite side walls of the mould relative to its width. A similar spacing to the side spacing is provided between the cradles and the end of the mould. The relative locations of the cradles or channels for supporting the reinforcing rods 41 however may be varied depending upon the size and shape of the mould. The terms "comprising" or "comprises" as used throughout the specification and claims are taken to specify the presence of the stated features, integers and components referred to but not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other feature/s, integer/s, component/s or group thereof. Further, the reference to prior art herein is not to be taken as acknowledgement that such prior art constitutes common general knowledge in the art. Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative embodiment of the invention, all such variations and modifications thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A locating and supporting device for locating reinforcing elements in a mould, said device comprising: at least one cradle for supporting an end of a said reinforcing element, a plurality of downwardly extending legs adapted to seat in use on a bottom wall of the mould to position and support the at least one cradle at a spacing from the bottom wall, and means adapted to cooperate in use with an end wall and opposite side walls of said mould to position said at least one cradle relative to said walls and to maintain a space between said at least one cradle and the side walls, the end wall being located adjacent at least one of the side walls, wherein said at least one cradle includes a stop adapted to maintain a space between the end of said reinforcing element and the end wall of said mould.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 and suspension means by which said device may be suspended or hung from the end wall or one of said side walls.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said suspension means comprises at least one hanger member, said hanger member including a hook which may hook over an upper edge of said one wall.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3 wherein said cradle is adapted to be supported in a cantilever manner.

5. A device as claimed in claim 4 wherein said cradle comprises at least one arm which extends outwardly from the hanger member and upstanding locating pins to locate the end of the reinforcing element.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5 wherein said locating pins comprise a pair of spaced apart upstanding pins between which the end of the reinforcing rod may locate.

7. A device as claimed in claim 6 wherein the stop comprises a further pin which is arranged symmetrically relative to the spaced apart pins and at a spacing longitudinally of the pins to act as a stop.

8. A device as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 7 and including bracing means for bracing the at least one arm for transferring loads to the hanger member.

9. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and including an elongated locating member adapted to cooperate with the side walls of the mould to centralise the locating device relative to the side walls.

10. A device as claimed in claim 1 and including an elongated locating member which is adapted to cooperate with the side walls of the mould to centralise the locating device relative to the side walls, said elongated member being adapted to be juxtaposed with the end wall of the mould.

11. A device as claimed in claim 10 wherein said at least one cradle of the locating device comprises at least one arm extending from said locating member, said end of said reinforcing element being adapted to at least partially seat on the arm.

12. A device as claimed in claim 11 wherein said cradle comprises a pair of spaced apart upstanding pins between which the end of the reinforcing rod may locate.

13. A device as claimed in claim 12 wherein said cradle further comprises a further pin which is arranged symmetrically relative to the spaced apart pins and at a spacing longitudinally of the pins to act as a stop.

14. A device as claimed in claim 12 or claim 13 wherein said legs which support the locating device are provided in a first pair on the underside of said cradle.

15. A device as claimed in claim 14 wherein a further pair of legs are provided on the underside of the elongated member, the legs of the further pair being aligned with the legs of first pair, said the legs of each pair being arranged symmetrically on opposite sides of the arm.

16. A locating device as claimed in claim 15 wherein said locating pins of the locating device define supporting legs to support the device on a lower surface when said device is inverted and wherein said pairs of legs define the opposite boundaries of a channel through which a reinforcing element may pass to be supported the arm of said device.

17. A locating device as claimed in any one of claims I to 16 wherein said locating devices are of a skeletal frame construction and are manufactured by being injection moulded of plastics.

18. A mould for an elongated concrete beam or sleeper in combination with a locating device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, said mould comprising an elongated open topped mould and wherein said locating devices are adapted to be positioned within said mould to extend transversely of and substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the mould.

19. A mould as claimed in claim 18 wherein said end locating devices are adapted to be positioned at the opposite ends of the mould and hung from end walls of the mould or positioned adjacent the end walls.

20. A locating and supporting device for reinforcing elements substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 1 or Figs. 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.

21. A mould for a concrete member in combination with one or more locating devices substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

NOR505001PDRAWINGS8MAR2011