AU766524B2

AU766524B2 - Assemblies for connection of concrete structures

Info

Publication number: AU766524B2
Application number: AU56481/00A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Peter Ivarf Erdmanis; Daniel Charles Underwood
Original assignee: PITSTAR Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc
Priority date: 1999-09-02
Filing date: 2000-09-01
Publication date: 2003-10-16
Anticipated expiration: 2020-09-01
Also published as: AU5648100A

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: Details of Associated Provisional Application No: The following statement is a full of performing it known to me: PITSTAR PTY LTD Daniel Charles Underwood and Peter Ivarf Erdmanis

INTELLPRO

Patent Trade Mark Attorneys Level 7, Reserve Bank Building 102 Adelaide Street BRISBANE, QLD, 4000 (GPO Box 1339, BRISBANE, 4001) Assemblies for Connection of Concrete Structures Australian Patent Application No PQ2630 filed 02.09.99.

description of this invention, including the best method ASSEMBLIES FOR CONNECTION OF CONCRETE STRUCTURES TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION THIS INVENTION relates to assemblies for connection of concrete structures using pre-assembled reinforcing bars held on a substrate and in particular but not limited to a lap bar assembly used to connect flooring to a wall.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION Present concrete floors are laid while wet and are allowed to harden on a plywood based formwork with the edge of the flooring poured into a rebate running around a wall. The rebate is provided with projecting reinforcing bars commonly 10 known as lap bars and these are provided at spaced intervals. The lap bars are fixed in the wall and bridge across into the poured floor.

Rather than place each lap bar individually it is usual to provide a preassembled assembly of bars held in a U-shaped perforated metal substrate. The substrate is usually formed as a channel which is set on its side and has the bars already in position so that the wall is simply poured with the channel forming the rebate for later pouring of the floor. The bars are U-shaped and usually loop into the wall with the arms of the U-shaped bars projecting out into the floor. The bars project the required distance for structural integrity of the join. For the purpose of transportation and safety the bars are usually bent down into the channel and once the wall is poured and in preparation for pouring the floor workers straighten the bars so they project at right angles to the channel. The floor is then poured. Thus there is provided a continuous connection over the entire length of each bar between the wall and floor.

A 11 1 3 While this arrangement has worked very well for many years, the present invention has been devised to simplify installation of the lap bars in an assembly of the type described by elimination of the bending step in the process.

OUTLINE OF THE INVENTION The inventor has surprisingly found that the use of two separate bars performs as well and as to specification when compared with the single continuous bar of the prior art.

According to the present invention therefore there is provided an assembly for connecting of concrete structures, the assembly comprising a substrate holding a first array of reinforcing steel in predetermined configuration, the first array providing on one side of the substrate first projecting bar sections adapted to engage and be retained in a first slab and on the opposite side of the substrate second projecting bar sections adapted to engage a second slab, the second projecting bar sections also being adapted to engage and hold bars of a second array of bars adapted to extend into the second slab poured about the second array of projecting bar sections and the second array of bars.

The substrate can be any body adapted to hold the first array in fixed relation relative to the substrate. Typically the substrate is a channel of perforated metal.

The first array can be any array including arrangements of loops, hooks formed as separate bars or a single bar formed as a helical or other single bar passing through the substrate and projecting on opposite sides of the substrate along a major portion of its length.

1. .1 4 The first projecting bar sections can be formed as loops, hooks or other suitable arrangements to adequately engage the first slab.

The second projecting bar sections can include hooks, loops or other means for simple coupling to the bars of the second array.

The second array of bars typically comprises individual bars having a free end and a hook or loop or other arrangement so that the individual bars can be simply coupled to the second projecting bar sections.

In use the bars of the second array can be tied using suitable tie wire in the usual way and chaired in appropriate position prior to the second slab being 10 poured.

In one preferred embodiment the first array comprises individual U-shaped bars having opposed arms, a connecting web between the arms joining the arms at juncture between the arms and the web, each U-shaped bar having at or adjacent their free ends a hook, the free ends projecting into the first slab, the connecting web being sufficiently wide so as to accommodate two bars of the second array, the two bars of the second array having a bent marginal end section used to locate each of the two bars in position adjacent the respective junctures between the web and the arms of the bars of the first array.

In another preferred embodiment each bar of the first array comprises a relatively narrow U-shaped bar having opposed arms and an interconnecting web extending between the arms, each arm having a bent marginal free end portion, the web being sufficiently wide to hold a single bar of the second array, the single bar 06 1, of the second array having a bent marginal end portion adapted to simply couple the bar to the web of the bar of the first array.

In another preferred embodiment the bars of the second array have a shank, a hook comprising a bend and point, a gap between the shank and point, a bridging member extending across the gape to form the hook into a closed loop, the bridging member being secured to the hook preferably adjacent the point after the hook has been positioned about the respective projecting bar section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In order that the present invention can be more readily understood and be 10 put into practical effect reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings ~and wherein:- Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the prior art; ~Figure 3 is a drawing similar to Figures 1 and 2 but illustrating one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3A is an alternative arrangement providing a bridging member fitted to a hooked bar. The bridging member comprises a plate fitted to the hook after the hook is located in place, the plate is welded to the hook adjacent its point.

Figures 4A and 4B are side and top views illustrating a second embodiment of the present invention; and Figures 5A and 5B are side and top views illustrating a further embodiment of the present invention.

6 METHOD OF PERFORMANCE Referring to the drawings and initially to Figure 1 there is illustrated the prior art wherein a U-shaped perforated metal substrate 11 holds at spaced intervals Ushaped bars 12, each of the U-shaped bars passes through holes in the substrate and has end portions 13 bent for storage into the position illustrated in Figure 1. Once the substrate 11 has been positioned into a slab so that the sections 14 of the bars 12 are located in, for example, a wall slab, the end portions 13 are bent out to the straight position illustrated in Figure 2 prior to a floor being poured.

It will be appreciated in the prior art it is necessary to firstly bend the bars 10 into the position illustrated in Figure 1 and then reverse that process by bending the bars back to the position illustrated in Figure 2.

As an alternative to this, one embodiment of the present invention is oo* illustrated in Figure 3, in this case there is provided a substrate 11 of basically the same configuration as the substrate of the prior art. However, in this case the *e substrate carries loops 15 and there is provided separate bars 16 which simply hook about projecting portion 17. It will be appreciated that there is no requirement for on site bending of the bars 16, the bars 16 can be transported separately and the bent end portions 18 simply hooked over the projecting portions 17 to locate the bar 16 in place. The ends of the bar 16 can be simply chaired on a floor form in the usual way. The bars can be tied in position relative to the loops Figures 4A and 4B illustrate an alternative embodiment of the present invention where in this case each bar 19 includes a hook section 20 and has its own corresponding U-shaped bar 21 with upturned end sections 22 located in the substrate 11 of the type previously described.

A further alternative is illustrated in Figures 5A and 5B. In this case each bar 16 is similar to the bars illustrated in Figure 3 of the array and are accommodated in pairs in a single U-shaped section 23 projecting through the substrate 11, the bar 23 having downwardly turned end portions 24.

It will be appreciated that the bars of the second array whether it be 16 or 19 are simply looped and hooked in place by a simple arrangement.

Whilst the above has been given by way of illustrative example of the *o 10 present invention many variations and modifications thereto will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the broad ambit and scope of the invention as herein set forth in the appended claims.

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Claims

3. A connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein the substrate is a channel of perforated metal.
4. A connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein first array includes at 15 least one bar having a loop and the bar with the loop passing through the substrate and projecting on opposite sides of the substrate along a major portion of the length of the substrate. A connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein first array includes at least one bar having a hook and the bar with the hook passing through the substrate and projecting on opposite sides of the substrate along a major portion of the length of the substrate.
6. A connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein the first projecting bar sections are formed as loops. i t "0 9
7. A connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein the first projecting bar sections are formed as hooks.
8. A connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein the second projecting bar sections include hooks, loops for coupling the second projecting bar sections to the bars of the second array.
9. A connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein the second projecting bar sections include hooks for coupling the second projecting bar sections to the bars of the second array.
10. A connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein the second array of bars 10 comprises individual bars having a free end and a hook or loop so that the individual bars can be coupled to the second projecting bar sections with a non- rigid coupling using the hook or loop.
11. A connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein the first array comprises individual U-shaped bars having opposed arms, a connecting web between the arms joining the arms to the web at a juncture between the arms and the web, each U-shaped bar having at or adjacent their free ends a hook, the free ends projecting into the first slab, the connecting web being sufficiently wide so as to accommodate two bars of the second array, the two bars of the second array having a bent marginal end section used to locate each of the two bars in position adjacent the respective junctures between the web and the arms of the bars of the first array.
12. A connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein each bar of the first array comprises a relatively narrow U-shaped bar having opposed arms and an interconnecting web extending between the arms, each arm having a bent marginal free end portion, the web being sufficiently wide to hold a single bar of the second array, the single bar of the second array having a bent marginal end portion adapted to couple the bar to the web of the bar of the first array.
13. A connector assembly according to claim 1 wherein the bars of the second array have a shank, a hook comprising a bend and point, a gap between the shank and point, a bridging member extending across the gape to form the hook into a closed loop, the bridging member being secured to the hook preferably adjacent the point after the hook has been positioned about the respective projecting bar section. DATED this FIRST day of SEPTEMBER 2000 PITSTAR PTY LTD By its Patent Attorneys INTELLPRO C*