AU705217B2

AU705217B2 - Method and apparatus for forming cages

Info

Publication number: AU705217B2
Application number: AU23214/95A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Eduard Eugen Lapienis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-06-24
Filing date: 1995-06-23
Publication date: 1999-05-20
Anticipated expiration: 2015-06-23
Also published as: AU2321495A

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT applicant: EDUARD EUGEN LAP IBMIS Invention Title: METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING CAGES p~*S

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I The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best miethod of performing it known to me: w ii I ~t4~ 1 i 2i2- METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING CAGES The present invention relates generally to the construction industry and, in particular, to structures involving the use of reinforced concrete for foundations or for supporting structures. More particularly, the present invention relates to forming steel ieinforcements for use in forming the reinforced concrete foundations of the structures. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for forming steel cages and/or skeletons of steel cages for use in forming reinforced columns, piers or piles in civil engineering constructions, such as the foundations for buildings, roads, bridges and other constructions. The present invention is particularly directed to a jig arrangement and method of using the jig arrangement in the manufacture of the steel cylindrical skeletons or cages for use in the reinforced concrete supporting piers.

S| Although the present invention will be described with particular reference to a method and apparatus involving 20 the use of a jig arrangement for forming a cylindrical cage or skeleton of a cage for use in making reinforced concrete i piers it is to be noted that the scope of the present invention is not so limited but rather it is more extensive to include other methods and apparatus of making the cages, 2S to devices other than cages, and to other arrangements of Sthe jig.

Steel reinforcing cages used in the construction industry S* are generally made up of a plurality of longitudinal reinforcing bars "xtending in substantially parallel relationship along the lengthwise extending direction of the cage for the entire length of the cage The I y g S- 3 reinforcing bars surround and are welded or otherwise attached to a plurality of circular inner rings which are located in substantially parallel relationship to each other between the longitudinal bars at spaced apart intervals along the length of the cage. The inner rings are usually located substantially transverse to the lengthwise extending direction of the longitudinal bars and in particular are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal bars. Ligatures or spirals are optionally attached to the outside of the longitudinal bars. The arrangement of longitudinal bars and inner rings are referred to herein as the skeleton of the cage whereas the combination of longitudinal bars, inner rings and outer ligatures or spirals are referred to as the cage. The cages may be of any suitable diameter and length and hence the number of bars and rings may alter depending on the circumstances of the particular job for which they are required.

Reinforcing cages used in the formation of inground 20 foundations for buildings and the like are usually manufactured on site due to their great length and enormous weight, and for quality control. The contractor wt4 i responsible for the particular construction job must be able to oversee the quality and quantity of the steel being delivered to the job site and the quality of the cages being made on site in order to satisfy himself that the cages are made to specification. In the pabt, manufacturing steel cages on the job site has necessitated the use of cranes or other similar lifting devices due to the enormous weight of the finished cages and to the difficulty in manoeuvring the cages due to their length and weight. Also in some circumstances the crane has had to be used during the manufacture of the cages to lift the cages to ,assist in welding the bars and rings to form the cages.

The requirement of having a dedicated crane on site for *9 94

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4lifting and manoeuvring the skeletons and cages results in increased expense in making the cages as well as being time consuming since the cages have to be repeatedly lifted at different locations along the length of the skeleton as it is being made. The increase in time and cost results at Sleast partially from the crane being used to repeatedly lift the cage at various spaced apart locations over its length to enable the longitudinal bars to be welded to the inner rings at strategic locations and also the cage must be rotated as it is being made to enable the bars to be welded at spaced apart locations around the outer circumference of the inner rings. All of this requires the crane to be repeatedly attached to and released from the cage as it is being formed. Additionally, any point that is being used as a lifting point within th cage must be welded in accordance with safety regulation governing the job site and the lifting. This often requires additional care to be taken at the lifting points and additional strengthening to be added. The increased strength of the 20 lifting points is often not necessary for the effective oo operation of the cage but is merely only required because the cage is being lifted. Legislation covers aspects of lifting the cages, such as specifying the strength of lifting points. Satisfying the legislation also adds to the cost without producing a better cage for the construction job.

Also, welders engaged in welding the bars to the rings are s required to move repeatedly from one end of the cage to the other as it is being made since one rod has to be welded to all of the inner rings before the second rod can be welded and the second rod must be welded to all of the inner rings before welding of the third rod can commence and so on until all of the rods have been welded to all of the rings.

Such continual movement repeatedly backwards and forwards is both enervating and time consuming which further adds to 'V9 .Ithe cost of producing the cages and fatigues the workers unnecessarily.

A further problem associated with presently used methods of forming the cages are that many of the lengthwise extending reinforcing bars need to be held in position by the welder as the welder welds the bar to the ring. This results in additional fatigue being experienced by the welder due to the weight of the bars and also introduces inaccuracies in welding of the cage due to misalignments of the longitudinal bars with respect to the inner rings as the bars are being held by hand. As well as introducing inaccuracies into the cage, misalignments can also result L in additional problems when ligatures or spirals are tied to the skeleton of the cage and can sometimes result in premature collapsing of the cage as it is being manoeuvred into position.

Therefore, in one aspect of the present invention there is oo. ;a need for a method and apparatus of forming a cage or skeleton of a cage which does not involve the welder 20 repeatedly working from one end of the cage to the other and back again, and in another aspect of the present S, invention does not require the services of a crane or similar lifting device to repeatedly lift the cage at different locations as it is being formed, or in a still i 25 further aspect of the present invention after it has been formed. If such a method and apparatus were available 'A.u cages could be made more cheaply and faster which in turn would speed up construction time and reduce costs of the overall construction.

30 Therefore, it is an aim of one aspect of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for forming at least the skeleton of a cage or a cage in which the welder may complete the velding at one location before moving on st~aIcap*~PM4~9 2 b r 6 to a second or subsequent location, and of another aspect I to provide a method and apparatus which dispenses with the i need for a crane or other similar lifting device for lifting the cage or skeleton during its manufacture, and in a further aspect to not require a lifting device to lift the finished cage or skeleton from the place where it is made to the ground for storage.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a jig for use in the manufacture of a cage or a skeleton of a cage for use in forming a civil engineering construction, including: i a support assembly for supporting a part of the cage or skeleton during manufacture, S* 15 a pair of spaced apart, substantially upright f posts, each post having or being provided with adjustably "positionable retaining means for selectively retaining I respective substantially transversely extending crossmembers in a pre-arranged vertically spaced apart relationship, S. said cross-members being arranged to maintain a i plurality of longitudinal members in a predetermined S. vertically spaced apart relationship intermediate the upright posts, said predetermined vertically spaced apart I S" 25 relationship of the longitudinal members corresponding to l the prearranged vertically spaced apart relationship of the cross-members, so that the plurality of longitudinal members may be connected to a substantially transverse member at the one location along the length of the longitudinal members, wherein at least one of the upright posts is movable between a first position for retaining the longitudinal members in the predetermined vertically spaced 1 apart position intermediate the posts and second position allowing removal of the skeleton or cage from the jig in association with the support assembly.

fws ii" 1 7t 22ROIJ S'-$S-ateI J 1 1 1 S- 7 According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of forming a cage or a skeleton of a cage for use in forming a civil engineering construction using a jig including the steps of: forming a support assembly for supporting a part of the cage or skeleton during manufacture, associating a pair of spaced apart, substantially upright posts with the support assembly, each post having or being provided with adjustably positionable retaining means, supporting a plurality of substantially L S*transversely extending cross-members on the retaining means in a prearranged vertically spaced apart relationship, locating a plurality of longitudinal members on the cross-members to retain and maintain the longitudinal *i °o members in a predetermined vertically spaced apart relationship intermediate the posts, said predetermined o: vertically spaced apart relationship of the longitudinal members corresponding to the prearranged vertically spaced apart relationship of the cross-members, connecting the plurality of longitudinal members to a plurality of substantially transversely extending Stransverse members at predetermined spaced apart locations Salong the lengthwise extending direction of the longitudinal members to form the cage or skeleton, moving at laast one of the upright posts froit a Smh. first position for retaining the longitudinal members in S* place to a second position allowing movement of the cage or skeleton with respect to the support assembly, and moving the cage or skeleton from a position intermediate the pair j- of upright posts.

SThe present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a top plan view of one form of the overall cage or skeleton making installation comprising the 'Ton

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Figure 2 is a top perspective view of one part of one form of the jig assembly of the present invention.

Figure 3 is an end view of one form of the jig assembly of the present invention.

Figure 4 is view similar to figure 3 showing one step in the manufacture of the skeleton of the present invention involving the use of cross bars.

Figure 5 is a view similar to figure 4 showing a further step in the manufacture with the cross bars removed.

Figure 6 is a view similar to figure 5 showing a still further step in the manufacture of the cage.

Figure 7 is a side elevational view of one form I 15 of the skeleton of a cage made in accordance with the I present invention.

S* Figure 8 is a partial side view of one form of the completed cage having ligatures.

Figure 9 is a partial side view of another form of the completed cage having spirals.

In Figures 1 and 2 there is shown one form of the jig assembly of the present invention, generally denoted as 2, comprising a plurality of horizontally spaced apart support K 25 assemblies 4 located horizontally spaced apart from each too t ip other to define a plurality of columns and rows of -4 4 7 1 4 8 -8supports. Subassemblies 4 are located collinearly in alignment with each other to form a number of rows and columns so as to define a common planar supporting surface upon which the cages may be made and transported. This common planar supporting surface is the working surface upon which the various components such as the longitudinal bars 11 and transverse rings 80 forming the cage are supported during manufacture of the cage or skeleton Any number of subassemblies 4 may be used depending on the length of the cages 5, the number of cages being made simultaneously and the number of cages which are to be arranged coaxially in end to end relationship on the jig assembly, and the speed at which the cages are to be made.

It is to be noted that although any number of cages 5 may be arranged coaxially in end to end relationship, the preferred arrangement is to have two such cages in end to end relationship which allows one operation to be performed on one of the cages simultaneously with a second operation being performed on the other cage.

20 Merely for ease of description and clarity of understanding 9 9 Sa single subassembly 4 or at most a second subassembly will now be described with particular reference to figures 2 to 6. Al of the subassemblies 4 are more or less identical, except that some subassemblies 4 are provided with movable 25 vertical posts or similar and with a suitable cradle for holding parts of the skeleton or cage both of which will be described in more detail later.

Subassembly 4 comprises a plurality of stands 6 located collinearly to define a row of stands 7. In figures 3 to 6 30 two such stands 6 are shown whereas in figure 2 four such stands are shown in row 7. Each stand 6 is provided with a horizontal generally H-shaped base 8 consisting of two outboard members 10,12 joined together by a crossconnecting member 14. The H-shaped base 8 of stand 6 is

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i pJ.d l 9 t, 9 located on the ground or other supporting substrate. The two outboard members 10,12 are represented by the uprights of the H-shape and are located horizontally on the ground to extend substantially perpendicularly to the lengthwise extending direction of the cage whereas the connecting cross member 14 is located on the ground perpendicularly between the two outboard members 10,12 so as to extend substantially parallel to the lengthwise extending direction of the cage. Upright 16 extends substantially vertically from the mid point of connecting cross member 14 and is provided with a bracket 18 at it supper end in use for receiving a transverse supporting rail 20 which extends along the row of stands 6. The transverse supporting rail is fastened to the top of upright 16 by bracket 18.

Bracket 18 may take any suitable form. Similar stands 6 are connected to transverse support rail 20 at horizontally spaced apart locations along the entire length of transverse rail 20 in a direction transverse to the lengthwise extending direction of the cage to form the row 7 of stands. Transverse rail 20 extends the entire width of the jig apparatus 2 either as a single piece or as sections joined together by suitable connectors (not shown). An angularly inclined support brace 22 extends from the junction of one of the outboard members 10 or 12 with the connecting cross member 14 of base 8 to the top of upright 16 where it is clamped or otherwise fastened to the top of upright 16 immediately below transverse support rail 20. It is to be noted that stand 6 may take any suitable form and be arranged in any orientation, including a single upright and a plate base arrangement or similar.

An upright post 24 extends upwardly from transverse rail in the vicinity of where upright 16 and cross brace 22 are connected to transverse rai 120. Two adjacent stands 6 are provided each with upright post 24 so that upright pots 24 define a space therebetween in which the cage is assembled.

4 4 114fi *r 444 44 4CI 0 at ~jt rt .t I 4 4* .4 44 4 4 ~MPU~ 96 r JT~p~ f:_A i ii 10 The two adjacent stands 6 are horizontally spaced apart from each other along the transverse rail 20 to an extent which corresponds to substantially the diameter of the completed skeleton of the cage. Each of the pair of upright posts 24 are provided with a plurality of vertically spaced apart apertures 26. Pins 28 which in one form are galvanised bolts or similar are received through selected ones of the spaced apart apertures 26. Bolts 28 are retained in place at one end by a bolt head and at the other end by a nut or similar. Pins 28 are located in selected apertures 26 in accordance with the diameter of the cage being formed and the number of longitudinal bars required to make the cage. Either or both upright posts 24 of a pair are hinged to transverse rail 20 by a suitable hinge bracket 30 which allows upright posts 24 to be pivotally hinged from the vertical to the horizontal so as to allow the completed skeleton or cage to be rolled along transverse rail 20 when more or less complete. One form of hinge bracket 30 comprises a pair of spaced apart bracket 20 plates which are each securely attached to the lower end in .ll 'use of post 24 and pivotally connected to transverse rail 20 with a suitable hinge pin 32 or similar. A cradle 40 is provided along the upper ;in use surface of transverse rail S* 20 between the pair of upright posts 24. Cradle comprises a substantially L-shaped jig comprising two end portions 42, 44 located at either end of lowered well J portion 46. Two wooden blocks 48,50 are provided on either side of cradle 40 and are attached to end portions 42 and 44 respectively. Cradle 40 and wooden blocks 48, 50 are 30 used to retain the lower longitudinal bars in place during formation of the skeleton or cage as will be described in 4 A: more detail later. It is to be noted that cradle 40 and Siwooden blocks 48,50 are optional features and may not be present in all forms of the present invention, particularly it relatively large diameter cages are being made. Cradle and blocks 48,50 are particularly required if the cage JTap, 23A -6 0 i -r r ;r-

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14 4 6 1444 4* *4 4, 4 4 4 44l 4 44r 4 44 Pins 28 are provided to retain cross bars, selectively referred to as cross bars 49, at selected heights along the length of upright posts 24. It is to La noted that pins 28 may take any suitable form or shape. One such form is that the pins can be welded directly to upright posts 24 at desired spaced apart locations. In this form the pins may be short lengths of straight rod or may be bent into the shape of hooks. Another form of the pins may be integrally formed with upright posts 24. As pins 28 are designed to retain cross bars in position to support the longitudinal rods, any arrangement of pins 28 and posts 24 to achieve this result falls within the scope of the present invention, including posts 24 being fixedly attached to stands 6 or transverse rail 20. In another embodiment post 24 and upright 16 may be a more or less single continuous upright member to which a series of hooks or pins 28 are fastened, either at fixed locations or at selectively adjustable locations. Upright posts 24 may be 20 substantially perpendicular or may be at an angle by being angularly inclined to transverse rail 20. In this embodiment posts 24 diverge in the upward direction.

With particular reference to Figures 3 to 6 operation of the apparatus of the present invention will now be described. Longitudinal reinforcing bars 11 from which the skeleton of the cage is being formed are placed on the jig assembly 2 in the following manner. Although the longitudinal bars are collectively referred to by reference numeral 11, selected bars will have individual reference 30 numbers described below. Two of the longitudinal bars are placed at spaced apart locations in well 46 of cradle cradle 40 is present. A second pair of longitudinal bars 62 are placed on end portions 42,44 of cradle 40 respectively. A third pair of longitudinal bars >!jttisWle*p(..td.Pu6439.U(X 23.6.95

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f I- relaxlOnsnip or zne jLong.Luana.J. memuej:& LoLx-oLu.LuLy the prearranged vertically spaced apart relationship of the cross-members, so that the plurality of longitudinal Smembers may be connected to a substantially transverse member at the one location along the length of the ,onagitudinal members, ./2 12 64 are placed on the upper surface in use of wooden blocks 48,50 respectively (if present) as shown in figure 4.

These six longitudinal bars 60,60,62,62,64,64 form one arc of the completed cage.

Although pins 28 will be collectively referred to by reference numeral 28, selected ones of the pins will be referred to by other reference numerals as described below.

Similarly, although the cross bars are referred to collectively by reference numeral 49, selected ones of the i cros -o-rs will have individual reference numerals. A first cross bar 51 is placed transversely upon a first pair of pins 71 located in corresponding apertures on each of upright posts 24 to span the distance between the upright posts. A next pair of longitudinal bars 66 are placed on cross bar 51 towards either end adjacent to the respective inner side surfaces of upright posts 24. A second cross bar 52 is placed upon a second pair of pins 72 in selected apertures provided in posts 24 vertically above the position of cross bar 51. A further pair of longitudinal 20 bars 67 are placed on cross bar 52 towards either end adjacent to the respzctive inboard side surfaces of upright posts 24. A further cross bar 53 is then placed on pins 73 located at a preselected location vertically above cross V, bar 52 and a further pair of longitudinal bars 68 are 25 placed on cross bar 53 towards either end of cross bar 53 adjacent to the inboard side surface of posts 24 and so on Suntil all of the cross bars are placed at selective heights with respect to posts 24 in order to receive all of the longitudinal bars required in accordance with the size of 30 the cage and the number of longitudinal bars around the cage. It is to be noted that pins 28 may be in he shape of hooks or other retaining means for releasably supporting the cross -bars.

After the top most cross bar 54 has been placed on th stAUrMmm4pp .t*k .PM6S43M.Ipi 23.6.95 u ~ih" ~_ii r: a 4, 4 1 13 topmost set of pins 74 the remaining longitudinal rods 69 are placed on cross bar 54. It is to be noted that any number of longitudinal rods 69 may be placed on topmost cross member 54 depending on the size of t1le cage being formed.

At this stage all of the longitudinal rods apart from the rods 60,62 located on cradle 40 and rods 64 located on wooden blocks 48,50 respectively (if present) are located contiguous with or close to the inwardly facing surface of upright posts 24.

A number of inner rings 80 are then placed internally of both sets of vertically arranged rods on the cross bars on the collective upper surfaces of rods 60,62, and possibly rods 64 on wooden blocks 48,50 on cradle 40 at desired spaced apart locations over the length of the longitudinal rods. It is to be noted that any number of inner rings 80 may be used depending on the specification of the cage.

Also, it is to be noted that transverse elements other than inner rings may be used to make the cage. One alternative 20 to the inner rings is the ligatures or spirals which may be welded, tied or otherwise attached to the plurality of longitudinal rods.

However, the placement of a single inner ring 80 only will now be described. Once all of the inner rings 80 are in place on rods 60,62 the longitudinal rods 64, if required, may be rotated, rolled or otherwise moved to engage the outer surface of inner ring 80. Alternatively, inner ring 80 may be tied or otherwise fastened to a selected longitudinal rod to maintain inner ring 80 in a substantially perpendicular relationship to the longitudinal rods. In one embodiment inner rings 80 may be fastened to one or more longitudinal rods by a tie or similar, typically a slash tie. It is to be noted that the i: t

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1 -14use of the slash tie may be necessary only in some circumstances to ensure that the inner rings 80 stay substantially perpendicular before being welded securely in place. After all of the inner rings are in position along the length of the skeleton or cage, any longitudinal rods not in contact with the outer surface of the inner rings are rolled, rotated or otherwise moved to contact the outer surface of each of the inner rings 80 at the desired spaced apart locations around the circumference of the inner rings which locations have been predetermined by the required vertical positions of the rods when in the jig 2.

When all of the inner rings are in position and each of the longitudinal reinforcing bars have been rolled to adopt a position in contact with the outer circumference of each inner ring at the required height, welding can commence.

When all of the longitudinal bars are in position each of the bars in turn are all welded to the first inner ring.

When the first inner ring has been completely welded to all of the longitudinal rods the welder can then move to the 20 position of the second inner ring and completely weld each bar in turn to the second inner ring and so on until all of the bars are each welded to all of the inner rings. In this manner the welder welds all of the welds at one Slocation before moving on to the next location and is not required to move repeatedly back and forth along the length of each cage repeatedly to weld one rod to each ring and I then the next rod to each ring and so on.

*Thus, time and effort are saved since the welder does not have to repeatedly move backwards and forwards along the 30 entire length of the cage. i After the skeleton or the cage has bee formed all of the cross bar 51, 52, 53 can be removed by being withdrawn from the cage or skeleton and pins 28 so that the s1W woUpoap .sd.PM6439. 6pi 23 Cp?~ l i 3" PRO: 15 skeleton or cage is merely retained between posts 24 and resting on cradle 40 and optionally on blocks 48,50. Then one or both of the upright posts 24 are pivoted away from the substantially vertical position to a substantially horizontal position by means of bracket 30 thereby allowing the skeleton to be rolled along the upper surfaces of transverse rails 20 to a position on the jig away from the upright posts. Alternatively, one or both of upright posts 24 can be pivoted or swung away or otherwise removed by any suitable means or suitable arrangement so that the skeleton or cage can be rolled away from the position in which it was constructed. In this new position ligatures 84 or spirals 86 as disclosed in figures 8 and 9 may be added to the outside of the skeleton to form the cage. The ligatures 84 and spirals 86 may be added to the skeleton in the conventional manner and ties are used to locate the ligatures or spirals at the desired location on the outer surface of the skeleton depending upon the requirements of the cage.

It is to be noted that whilst one operator is placing the ligatures 84 or spirals 86 on the skeleton at one location on the jig 2 the welder or other operator is forming the next skeleton on the jig between the two upright posts 24 which have now been pivoted from the substantially 25 horizontal position back or otherwise replaced to the substantially vertical position ready for the manufacture of the next skeleton.

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.0.50i 50 5 Thus, by using the jig assembly 2 of th it is possible for a skeleton and a cag 30 without a crane or similar lifting devi lift the skeleton or the cage from the Smade onto the ground preparatory to pla final locf. ion to form the foundation o SAdditionally, since all of the welds of e present invention e to be formed ce being used to place where it is cing the cage in the r pile.

one inner ring are WKrApUcw.std.PM6439.Wu>ia 23.6.95 Sused during the manufacture of the cages to lift the cages S to assist in welding the bars and rings to form the cages.

The requirement of having a dedicated crane on site for 16.

made at the same time the welder does not have to continuously walk backwards and forwards from one end of the cage to the other to weld all the inner rings to the one longitudinal bar before commencing welding the second bar to all of the rings and so on. Therefore, there is a considerable saving in both time and money by using the jig assembly of the present invention.

One modification of the present invention relates to the form of the upright posts 24 and how the posts are i connected to transverse rail 20. Instead of one or more of upright posts 24 being pivotally connected to rail 20 by bracket 30 so as to adopt a position in parallel relationship to rail 20, post 24 may be removed entirely from subassembly 4 or stand 6 by being removable from the jig assembly 2. In this embodiment bracket 30 is modified so as to allow complete removal of post 24 from rail In another embodiment of the present invention shown in c ios Figure 2, rail 20 may be made in segments or sections and not be continuous but rather be provided with gaps or S• 20 similar discontinuities. In this embodiment which is shown in the upper left hand corner of figure 2, assembly 88 is shown in which rail 20 is provided with a gap 89 along its length next to where the skeleton or cage 5 is being made.

SThe stand 6 of this form of the assembly 88 is similar to 1 stand 6 of the previously described assembly 4. In this form of assembly 4, upright post 90 is connected to rail 91 by bracket 92 which allows post 90 to pivot from a substantially verticAel sition to a substantially horizontal position a aown by arrow A to fill in the gap S" 30 89 existing in rail 91 and to span the distance between two adjacent stands 6. Thus, when post 90 is in the horizontal position in line with rail 91 it forms a continuation of F' rail 91 and allows the completed cage or skeleton 89 to be rolled along the plurality of rails 91 in a manner similar .I A 1 fstWdeteppat6o hd.PMs6439. lfi 23 6.95S 14 2e Ija i S for of aseby4-pih ot9 scnetdt al9 until all of the rods have been welded to all or ~n Such continual movement repeatedly backwards and forwards is both enervating and time Cons um ing which further adds to taff boI^ dPIA63 9 P s 369 r: n ir

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17 to that described previously.

When a new cage or skeleton 5 is to be made, post 90 is uncoupled or disconnected from rail 91 and pivoted from the horizontal position to the vertical position ready to receive further longitudinal rods to make a further skeleton or cage Advantages of the present invention include the following.

No cranes or similar lifting devices are required to lift the cage or skeleton during or after manufacture or any components of the cage or skeleton since the completed cage may be rolled to where it can be temporarily stored awaiting lifting into position rather than having to be lifted.

The welder can finish welding at one location before moving 15 off to another location, which reduces the amount of unproductive time in having to transport welding equipment repeatedly backwards and forwards and reduces the effort and fatigue of the welder in having to continually walk backwards and forwards.

20 Since the entire operation of making the skeletons or cage can now be performed on the jig assembly which is located off the ground at between about knee and waist height lifting of the longitudinal bars, inner rings and the like is easier and safer since these components do not have to 25 be lifted off the ground. Working at a height of about 500 mm further adds to the ease of lifting the components of th caeo.seeo.snete.okenc.lfti.h *000 4000 400000 0 00 0- *0 00 00 0 00 0 0 00 0 0.0* I 0 40 #4 C

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000 *904 4 4 *0 0r i .,0 0 2I the cage or skeleton since the workmen can lift in the approved manner with a more or less straight back which is ri not possible when lifting longitudinal rods and other components off the ground.

j stWNJU cap.a.PM6439gIis 23.6.95 invention to provide a method and apparatus for forming at least the skeleton of a cage or a cage in which the welder Smay complete the welding at one location before moving on L4i ia 9 2 ii.^ 8"

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18 As the spacing of the pins or hooks for retaining the cross bars can be determined in advance of making the skeleton either by being fixedly fastened to the upright or by being placed in selected ones of the adjustable apertures in the uprights, the positioning of the longitudinal rods can be more accurate so that more uniform cages can be made, and thus cages closer to the specification for the cages can be made more uniformly. This is particularly so when form work, cladding or sleeves are to be fitted over the cages in some applications.

The described arrangement has been advanced by expl4s i.on and many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention which includes every novel feature and novel combination of features hereindisclosed.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. It is understood that the invention includes all such variations and modifications which fall within the spirit and scope.

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Claims

4. *s 4 4004 0 4 4 O 4 44 0 4450 00* 4. 4 *44 40 4 4 *d 04 0.444 1. A jig for use in the manufacture of a cage or a skeleton of a cage for use in forming a civil engineering construction, including: a support assembly for supporting a part of the cage or skeleton during manufacture, a pair of spaced apart, substantially upright posts, each post having or being provided with adjustably positionable retaining means for selectively retaining respective substantially transversely extending cross- members in a pre-arranged vertically spaced apart relationship, said cross-members being arranged to maintain a 15 plurality of longitudinal members in a predetermined vertically spaced apart relationship intermediate the upright posts, said predetermined vertically spaced apart relationship of the longitudinal members corresponding to the prearranged vertically spaced apart relationship of the 20 cross-members, so that the plurality of longitudinal members may be connected to a substantially transverse member at the one location along the length of the longitudinal members, wherein at least one of the upright posts is 25 movable between a first position for retaining the longitudinal members in the predetermined vertically spaced apart position intermediate the posts and second position allowing removal of the skeleton or cage from the jig in association with the support assembly. 2. A jig according to claim 1 in which the support assembly includes a plurality of horizontally spaced apart support subassemblies. 3. A jig according to claim 2 in which the horizontally spaced apart support subassemblies are arranged in a plurality of rows and columns. !E ji: t i.: r ii U; gS gridiXeep: i 22;0V99 0 S *nS S so.e SO S 0* S S *5 S 56 *1 S S S S 0* S 5556 S S 55 .555 S S S *5 9 S 45 5 St .5.555 se 20 4. A jig according to claim 3 in which the subassemiblies arranged in the rows and columns form a common planar support surface. A jig according to any preceding claim in which the longitudinal members are longitudinal reinforcing bars or rods which extend lengthwise to substantially the length of the cage or skeleton.
6. A jig according to any preceding claim in which the transverse member is a substantially transverse ring or substantially circular rod or bar arranged to extend substantially perpendicularly to the lengthwise extending 15 direction of the longitudinal members.
7. A jig according to claim 4 or 5 in which two cages or skeletons in end to end relationship can be accommodated or arranged on the common planar support surface.
8. A jig according to any preceding claim further including a cradle means located on one of the support assemblies for supporting the cage or skeleton during 25 manufacture of the cage or skeleton.
9. A jig according to claim 8 in which the cradle means supports one or more longitudinal members during manufacture of the cage or skeleton. A jig according to any one of claims 4 to 9 further including a connecting piece extending between two adjacent subassemblies, said connecting piece forming part of the common planar support surface. A St t ~5 S le t C C t Cs I S ~RA~ 11k. A jig according to any preceding claim in which one of the uprigit. posts is pivotally connected to the 21 support assembly and is hingedly movable between the first and second positions.
12. A jig according to any one of claims 9 to 11 in which one of the upright posts is the connecting piece which is pivotal from the first position of being substantially upright to the second position of substantially extending between two adjacent subassemblies.
13. A jig according to any one of claims 4 to 12 in which the connecting piece when in the second positioni forms part of the common planar support surface. esH-
14. An apparatus according to any preceding claim in i I 15 which the space defined between the two upright posts i, corresponds substantially to or is in accordance with the j 5 diameter or width of the cage or skeleton being manufactured.
15. A jig according to any preceding claim in which the adjustable retaining means includes a plurality of slots, apertures or holes arranged in vertically space apart relationship substantially along at least part of the length of the upright posts.
16. A jig according tn claim 15 in which pins, hooks, or other retaining means for the cross-members are IC selectively locatable in respective ones of the plurality t of slots, apertures or holes.
17. A jig according to any preceding claim in which the adjustably positiorable retaining means for the transverse elements are fixedly attached to the upright posts. 3
18. A jig according to any preceding claim in which the cross-member is a cross bar which is locatable between two pins, rods or hooks on respective upright posts for selectively supporting one or more of the longitudinal rods or bars in use during manufacture of the cage or skeleton.
19. A jig according to any preceding claim in which at least a first pair of retaining means retains a first cross member, a second pair of retaining means retains a second cross member, a third pair of retaining means retains a third cross member, and so on as desired, in accordance with the size and/or shape of the skeleton or cage being manufactured. i ,0.c 20. A jig according to any preceding claim in which the longitudinal members are located alternately with the 15 cross-members in the predetermined vertically spaced apart a "relationship. a
21. A jig according to any preceding claim in which the cross member or bar is removable from the retaining means after manufacture of the cage or skeleton to a: facilitate removal of the cage or skeleton from the jig or go a
22. A jig according to any preceding claim in which the common planar surface extends beyond the location where the cage or skeleton of the cage is formed to form a i' ,storage or holding area for finished or substantially *completed cages or skeletons.
23. A jig according to any preceding claim in which the cage or skeleton is removed from the jig by movement along the common planar support surface.
24. A jig according to any preceding claim further including a ramp means upon which the skeleton or cage can ,be rolled to assist in removing the cage or skelton from I the jig to a storage location located remote from the jig. 1 0 I Vt2.Ajgacrigt aypeeigcami hc I~x B 2t1-54a~~~ 2202 I 25 he ommo plnarsuraceexteds eyod te loatin were,^ A.. A **AAAA A *0 A A A A A 0 A* A I q A A. A 0 6 Al A A 60 A I *6 AAIA A A 49 A IA A t A t I 6; I L~ r A 'it Ri 4 1 23 A jig according to claim 23 or 24 in which the cage or skeleton is rolled by hand along the common support surface without benefit of a lifting means.
26. A method of forming a cage or a skeleton of a cage for use in forming a civil engineering construction using a jig including the steps of: forming a support assembly for supporting a part of the cage or skeleton during manufacture, associating a pair of spaced apart. substantially upright posts with the support assembly, each post having or being provided with adjustably positionable retaining means, 15 supporting a plurality of substantially transversely extending cross-members on the retaining means in a prearranged vertically spaced apart relationship, locating a plurality of longitudinal members on the cross-members to retain and maintain the longitudinal members in a predetermined vertically spaced apart relationship intermediate the posts, said predetermined vertically spaced apart relationship of the longitudinal members corresponding to the prearranged vertically spaced apart relationship of the cross-members, 25 connecting the plurality of longitudinal members to a plurality of substantially transversely extending~j transverse members at predetermined spaced apart locations along the lengthwise extending direction of the -~longitudinal members to form the cage or skeleton, moving at least one of the upright posts from a first position for retaining the longitudinal members in place to a second position allowing movement of the cage or skeleton with respect to the support assembly, and moving the cage or skeleton from a position intermediate the pair of upright posts. N A method according to claim 26 using a jig in
27. It; S237rld 2242,e~j221.2.2~zd 92 i; I~ I o 24 accordance with any one of claims 1 to
28. A jig for use in the manufacture of a cage or of a skeleton of a cage substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
29. A method of forming a cage or skeleton of a cage substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 9 4 I *9 9 9 S i9 9 9 9* S Dated this 22nd day of February, 1999 EDUARD EUGEN LAPIENIS By his Patent Attorneys 15 GRIFFITH HACK Fellows Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia I; i i j r a i i I i. i T ii: T 1.; 45,9 *9i 4* S a*a 9 4i *.r 1"J 'F' 4 2;P- r 02 9 ABSTRACT A method and apparatus is described in which a jig arrangement having a retaining means in the form of pins or hooks is used to maintain a plurality of lengthwise 5 extending reinforcing rods in fixed substantially vertical spaced apart relationship so that a transverse member in the form of an inner ring or outer ligature or spiral can be connected to the reinforcing rods to form a cage or skeleton of a cage for subsequent use in a civil engineering construction or similar. A transverse cross bar extends between a pair of the retaining mea.s to support the reinforcing rods. When the skeleton or cage is formed the cross bars may be removed thereby allowing the cage or skeleton to be rolled or otherwise removed from the jig thereby avoiding the necessity of having a lifting apparatus kuch as a crane for handling the completed cage or skeleton. t •s2 e o a l *i I sfppatd.PM439ani 2,6.95 o