AU688443B2 - Improvements in brick ties - Google Patents

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant: ABEY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD 004 589 879) 37-47 HALSEY ROAD AIRPORT WEST VIC 3042 Actual Inventor(s): Geoffrey Anderson; Roland Maeder Address for Service: CALLINAN LAWRIE, 278 High Street, Kew, 3101, Victoria, Australia Invention Title: "IMPROVEMENTS IN BRICK TIES" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:eo o o ed

*SSS

Name of Applicant: ABEY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD 004 589 879) 37-47 HALSEY ROAD AIRPORT WEST VIC 3042 Actual Inventor(s): Geoffrey Anderson; Roland Maeder Address for Service: CALLINAN LAWRIE, 278 High Street, Kew, 3101, Victoria, Australia Invention Title: "IMPROVEMENTS IN BRICK TIES" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- The present invention relates, in general terms, to an improved tie or connecting means for use in the field of building or construction. More particularly, but not exclusively, the invention relates to an improved form of tie to be employed for purposes of connecting or joining a wall, of brick or the like cementitious material, to or with a frame member of any given type, such joining to be achieved in a manner which gives rise to an overall structure which is substantially proof against unwanted relative movement between the course or courses of bricks or the like making up the wall, for example, and the frame member or members. Ties of this general type are required to be used, in accordance with recognised Building Standards, to afford the overall structure improved resistance against toppling, as could be expected to be the result of earthquakes, tremors, shifts in terrain, weather influences, etc.

For ease of explanation, throughout the ensuing description reference will •gee o..o be made to an especially preferred embodimr-it of a tie or connecting means in accordance with the present invention, narr, .y when used for joining a wall (as for example a brick wall) with or to a door jamb or the like frame member. It should be realised, however, that the present invention is not to be in any way considered to be restricted to such a preferred usage. Indeed, the tie or connecting means in accordance with the present invention lends itself readily to affording an acceptable connection or join between any given wall and any structural frame member, be that frame member in the form of a door jamb, a i window sash or the like. It should furthermore be realised that the tie or connecting means in accordance with the present invention lends itself to usage with a frame member of any given material, be it timber, concrete or whatever.

In the past, and in accordance with established practices, an elongate tie or connecting member has been employed by builders for achieving a form of connection between a course of bricks (or a brick wall) and a doorjamb or the like frame member. In accordance with past practices, once the frame member was erected and in place one or more elongate ties were disposed thereon and affixed thereto in any suitable manner, as for example by riveting, nailing, bolting or the like. Such ties then protruded from the door jamb and were intended to be subsequently located within the mortar of a brick wall, as existing between adjacent courses of bricks thereof, whereby to achieve the desired connection -2- 6/3/95MSAP'7615.SPE,2

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between the wall and the frame member. The very fact that these elongate ties protruded from the frame member prior to connection thereof with (location within) the brick-work meant that their very existence on the building structure was a cause for concern. Labourers of all types present on the site often succeeded in impaling themselves or cutting themselves on the thus protruding ties. Furthermore, the fact that the point of affixture of the or each tie to the frame member was spatially removed from the place where the or each tie itself was to be embedded in the mortar, gave rise in use to the possibility of unwanted relative movement between the frame member and the brick-work. In addition the prior art arrangements have been, traditionally, overly large in their length dimension, thereby utilising inordinately large amounts of material unnecessarily in the construction thereof.

In the result the prior art arrangements, apart from being unwieldy in their construction, inordinately expensive in their manufacture and in most ways 15 inefficient, also gave rise to the risk of the builder, labourer or the like impaling himself on the protruding part thereof prior to building or erection of the brick wall.

The present invention seeks to overcome the problems and disadvantages associated with the prior art by providing an improved form of tie or connecting means which is extremely simple and effective in its principle of operation, cost effective in its manufacture and in fact removes altogether the possibility of the worker inadvertently impaling himself on any protruding member.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present inventi, thro is provided an improved connecting member or tie, said connecting mem being adapted, in use, to be affixed to a frame member of a buil i g or the like structure, said connecting member being in the form ofa bstantially elongate member having at least a portion thereof adaptedi use, to be disposed within a wall of a suitable cementitious material to connected to said frame member.

In accordance with a furthr aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for intercjf necting a course of bricks of a brick wall with a frame member of a bt ing or the like structure, using a connecting member or tie of the afor aentioned type, said method including: locating the tie on the frame ber or the like; constructing brick work to substantially the level of the 63J95MSAP7615.SPE,3 .r In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, therefore, there is provided an improved connecting member or tie, said connecting member or tie being in the form of a substantially elongate member adapted, in use, to have one end portion thereof affixed to a frame member of a building or the like structure, and to have substantially the remainder thereof adapted, in use, to be disposed within a wall of a suitable material which is to be connected to said frame member, said connecting member or tie further including means allowing for ready flexing or bending thereof whereby to allow for location of said remainder of said elongate member within a wall of said building, or the mortar of a wall, whilst retaining said one end portion of said connecting member or tie fixed to said frame member.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention there is 0: provided a method for interconnecting a course of bricks of a brick wall with a frame member of a building or the like structure, using a connecting member or S tie of the aforementioned type, said method including: locating the tie on the frame member or the like; constructing brick work to substantially the level of S" the tie as located on the frame member or the like; bending a portion of the tie oooo°

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-3a- 19/12/97LP7615SPE,3 through substantially 900 so as to be disposed substantially parallel to the brickwork; and embedding said bent portion of said tie within mortar to be disposed along said brick work, In order that the invention may be more clearly understood and put into practical effect there shall now be described in detail a preferred embodiment of a tie or connecting means in accordance with the present invention. The ensuing description is given by way of non-limitative example only and is with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tie or connecting means in accordance with the present invention; FIG. 2 is a rear view of the tie or connecting means of Fig. 1; FIG. 3 is a side view of the tie or connecting means of Fig. 1; FIG. 4 is a perspective representation showing a tie or connecting means in accordance with the present invention about to be affixed to a .go• frame member; and "i FIG. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the tie or connecting means when located or about to be located within the mortar of a brick wall which is under construction.

As illustrated a tie or connecting means or member in accordance with the present invention, generally designated 1, is in the form of a substantially elongate member constructed of any given material, more preferably a metallic material.

In the especially preferred embodiment illustrated, the tie or connecting member 1, when viewed in plan, is of a truncated regular substantially trapezoidal shape.

However, the actual shape of the Pum-ef 1 is not of the essence of the invention. Such a shape means, however, that less material is involved in the creation of the overall member, this when compared with the prior art arrangements, thereby giving rise to a substantial decrease in the overall costs of manufacture. In addition, the very shape illustrated gives rise to efficiency in manufacturing techniques.

The connecting member 1 is adapted, in use, to be affixed (removably or otherwise) to a frame member 2 such as, for example, a jamb for a door, a window sash or the like. Such affixing can be by any suitable means, as for example riveting, bolting, etc. To assist therein the connecting member 1 S L UJ 6i3195MSAP7615.SPB,4 includes, at or in the vicinity of one end thereof, an aperture 11 adapted to have disposed therethrough a fixing means 12 of any given type. Preferably the aperture 11 will have a diameter less than that of the head portion of the fixing means 12.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated the connecting member 1 also includes, disposed at substantially regular intervals along the length dimension thereof, a plurality of other apertures, generally designated 13. More especially, those apertures 13 are of progressively reducing internal diameter commencing from that end where said connecting member 1 is affixed to said frame member 2 and extending towards the otherlfree)end thereof.

The connecting member 1 preferably has each longitudinal side thereof including a downwardly protruding flange 14 extending along substantially the entire length dimension thereof. These flanges 14, together with the substantially circular apertures 13, assist in affixing the connecting member 1 within the mortar 0'15 20 of a brick wall or the like structure, in that the mortar can flow through the apertures 13 and around the flanges 14.

The principle of operation of the connecting member 1 is as follows. As shown in Fig. 4 the member 1 is disposed in any suitable manner on or relative to a frame member 2. In practice a plurality of such ties will be affixed to said frame 0 member 2 at predetermined distances apart along the length dimension of said frame member 2. A brick wall will then be constructed to the level of the member 1, as shown in Fig. 5. The member 1 will then be bent downwardly, through substantially 901 as shown in Figure 5, to adopt the position shown in Fig. 5 on or in the mortar 20. Succeeding courses of brickwork can then be constructed as desired, with further connecting members being disposed therewithin as necessary, To assist in the bending of the connecting member 1 there is provided therein, preferably at or in the vicinity of that end which is to be affixed to said frame member 2, a line of weakening. In the especially preferred embodiment illustrated such line of weakening may take the form of a substantially semicircular slot 15 extending substantially laterally or transversely of said elongate member 1. In a practical sense, however, this line of weakening may take any known form.

6/3/95MSA7615.SP,5 -I I or The present applicant's arrangement, by being initially installed on a relative to a frame member 2 as shown, for example, in Figure 4, does not constitute a hazard to workers prior to being affixed within the wall structure. Indeed, the connecting member or tie lies flush with extends parallel to the frame member 2 until such time as it actually has to be disposed within, for example, the mortar of a brick wall. Only once the wall is constructed to the desired height a4 the connecting member 1 be bent using any suitable tool or perhaps even ifproyed manually into the position shown in Figure 5. The pr-ed safety achieved by the Use ofci connecting member in accordance with the present invention should therefore be self-evident.

Finally, it is to be understood that the aforegoing description refers merely to preferred embodiments of the invention, and that variations and modifications will be possible thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the o; invention, the ambit of which is to be determined from the following claims.

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Claims (15)

1. An improved connecting member or tie, said connecting member or tie being in the form of a substantially elongate member adapted, in use, to have one end portion thereof affixed to a frame member of a building or the like structure, and to have substantially the remainder thereof adapted, in use, to be disposed within a wall of a suitable material which is to be connected to said frame member, said connecting momber or tie further including means allowing for ready flexing or bending thereof whereby to allow for location of said remainder of said elongate member within a wall of said building, or the mortar of a wall, whilst retaining said one end portion of said connecting member or tie fixed to said frame member.

2. The connecting member or tie as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means allowing for flexing or bending includes a line of weakening at or in the vicinity of that end portion of said connecting member which is to be affixed 6:113 to said frame.

3. The connecting member as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means allowing for flexing or bending includes a slot, extending substantially 00*8 transversely of said elongate member.

4. The connecting member or tie as claimed in claim 3, wherein 008*• said slot is of a substantially semi-circular shape. 0:

5. The connecting member or tie as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said member, when viewed in plan, is of a truncated, regular, substantially trapezoidal shape.

6. The connecting member or tie as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, adapted to be removably affixed to said frame member.

7. The connecting means or tie as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, constructed from a metal or the like material.

8. The connecting member or tie as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, constructed from a plastics material.

9. The connecting member or tie as claimed in any one of the 19/12/97LP7615,SPE,7 LOj I I 8 preceding claims, including a plurality of voids or apertures disposed at spaced apart intervals along the length dimension thereof.

The connecting member or tie as claimed in claim 9, wherein said voids or apertures are spaced at regular intervals along said length dimension.

11. The connecting member or tie as claimed in claim 9 or claim wherein said apertures are of progressively reducing internal diameter POriov. by wkcr,-t commencing from that end whefe said connecting member is to be affixed to said frame member and extending towards the other, free end thereof which is i v Ls e adapted to be disposed within said wall structure.

12. The connecting member or tie as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said elongate member includes, protruding downwardly and substantially normally from each free edge or side thereof, and along substantially the entire length dimension thereof, a flange or the like member.

13. A method for interconnecting a course of bricks of a brick wall with a frame member of a building or the like structure, using a connecting member or tie as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, said method including: O* locating said connecting member or tie on said frame member of the like; constructing brick work to substantially the level of said connectin member or tie as located on said frame member of the like; bendinga-pieftof said o connecting member or tie through substantially 900 so as to be disposed substantially parallel to said brick-work; and embedding said bent portion of said connecting member or tie within mortar to be disposed along said brick work.

14. An improved connecting member or tie, as claimed in Claim 1, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying S drawings, 119/97VSAP7615.SPE,3a 9

1 5. A method for connecting a course of bricks of a brick or cavity wall with a frame member of a building or the like structure, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 29th day of August 1 997. ABEY AUSTRALIA PTY LTD By their Patent Attorneys CALLINAN LAWRIE .a £0 eq. C 0S 4e C I q CC C 'SC, *0 I C C C S S CCC S C S .5 04 C S C CO 4 1/9/9r7VSAP7615.SPE,3a 11 ABSTRACT A means of allowing for connection of a frame member of a building structure to a brick or the like cementitious wall, including an elongate member 1 having at least a portion thereof adapted, in use, to be disposed within said brick wall, more particularly within a mortar course of the wall, with the remainder of the connecting means then fixedly connectable to the frame member 2. In the use elongate member 1 is bendable about a line of weakening and has a lurality of apertures 13, of progressively decreasing internal diameter, in said portion to be disposed with the brick wall. o q *9 7/3/95MSAP7615.ABS,- 9 i