CA1076385A - Spacer, more particularly for securing to reinforcements for reinforced concrete - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A spacer for concrete reinforcements, comprising a moulded member having two ends of a wire stirrup projecting therefrom, the curved connecting part of the stirrup being anchored in the moulded member and the intersecting ends of the resilient wire stirrup being bent towards one another to clip on the reinforcements rod by turning the spacer.

Description

;385 The present invention relates to a spacer, more particularly for securing to reinforcements for reinforced concrete, comprising a moulded member and two ends of a wire stirrup projecting therefrom, the curved connecting part of the stirrup being anchored in the moulded member.
In the case of a known moulded member of the aforemen-tioned kind, made of concrete and having wire anchored therein, the spacer is secured to a reinforcement by winding the projecting wire ends around the reinforcement and twisting the wires together.
In this manner, a reinforcing mat is provided with a sufficient number of such spacers and, with the spacers facing downward, is placed on the formwork, so that the mat is held at a distance from the formwork and can be completely surrounded with concrete.
The present invention provides a spacer of the aforementioned kind which can easily and rapidly be secured to a bar, e.g. a reinforcement or the like, and remains fixed in the position in which it is secured.
According to the present invention there is provided a spacer particularly for securing to reinforcementsthe reinforced concrete, comprising a moulded member having two ends of a wire stirrup projecting therefrom, a curved connecting part of the stirrup being anchored in the moulded member, the ends of the wire stirrup which is made of resilient material, being bent towards and intei-secting one another.
Thus in accordance with the invention, the ends of the wire stirrup, which is made of resilient material, are bent towards one another and intexsect. According to an advantageous - embodiment of the invention, the inner angle between the wire ends and the surface of the moulded member is less than 60C.
According t~ another advantageous eature, in order to ensure that the spacer can be used for rods having a variety of different diameters or cross-sections, the distance of the wires from the surface of the moulded member is at least three times ~76385 as great as the smallest diameter ana a-t most twice as great as the largest diameter or cross-section of anat leas-t appr~ximately square or round bar, to be held in spaced relationship. If, ~or example, the wire spacing is 3 cm and the internal angle is approx. 40, the spacer can be rapidly and permanently secured to rods having a diameter between approx. 8 and 18 cm, by placing it on the rods and twisting it.
The present invention will be further illustrated by way of the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a side sectional view of a spacer according to one embodiment of the inVention, Fig. 2 shows the spacer of Fig. 1 from above, Fig. 3 shows the spacer of Fig.l from above after it has been secured to a rod, Fig. 4 is a sectional side view of a spacer according to another embodiment of the invention having specially shaped wire ends, Fig. 5 is a top view of the spacer in Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 is a top view o~ the last-mentioned spacer of Fig. 4 after it has been secured to a rod.
Fig. 1 shows a moulded member 1 of concrete or another suitable material, e.g. plastics, in which a wire stirrup 2 is embedded, the stirrup being made more particularly of spring steel, the curved portion and part of the projecting ends being embedded.
According to the invention, the projecting wire ends 4, 5 are bent in opposite directions, so that they intersect and include an angle less than 60, preferably less than 5-15, with the surface 6 of moulded member 1. They are given a length such that spacer 7 can easily by placed on a rod 8, more particularly a reinforcement, e.g. of a reinforcing mat, and the spacer can be secured to rod 8 by rotating the spacer about ~0763~35 180 around its longitudinal axis.
This process is shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In Fig. ~, a rod 8 lies in a fork formed by the intersecting wire ends 4 and 5.
When spacer 7 is rotated, ends 4 and 5 are resiliently bent apart and, as a result of their resilient action and inclined position with respect to surface 6, the spacer snaps on to rod 8. When it is further rotated, it becomes secured to rod 8 by the frictional contact between surface 6 and rod 8 on the one hand and between rod 8 and wire ends 4, 5 and their resilient action on the other hand. This final state is shown in Fig. 3.
An advantageous further embodiment of the invention is ~hown in Fi~s. 4 - 6. In this embodiment, ends 4 and 5, substan~ially at the point of intersection 9, are formed into a curve 10, 11 e.g. a ~uarter-circle, so that curves 10, 11 project in the interlacing direction from the plane clamped by the wire stirrup. Consequently, when spacer 7 is rotated on rod 8, curves 10, 11 interlace and produce a closing force which pulls member 1 against rod 8. Conse~uently, spacer 7 is very efficiently secured to rod 8, as a result of the special shaping of ends 4 and 5.
The spacer can be used for all kinds of rods, bars, bar portions or the like having a suitable cross-section, e.g.
also when parts are embedded in plastics, in which case use can be made of plastics rods or a plastics lattice of rods and spacers, using a plastics moulded member.
In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, moulded member 1 has a recess 12 extending outwardly in the direction of the outwardly bent portions of the ends 4, 5 and extending from surface 6, inwardly towards stirrup 3. The width of recess 12 is at least eaual to the wire diameter. This prevents parts of member 1 bréaking o~f when ends 4, 5 are bent outwards.

Preferably, recesses 12 are in the form of slots.

Claims (10)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A spacer for attachment to a reinforcing element for reinforced concrete comprising a moulded member, a stirrup of resilient wire having a base portion embedded in said moulded member, and two protruding wire ends extending from the upper surface of the moulded member in the direction of each other with an acute angle between said protruding ends and said sur-face, with said wire ends intersecting each other above said surface and spaced for clamping the reinforcing element between the protruding ends and the surface of the moulded member by placing the free ends of said protruding wire end beyond the intersection point astraddle of the reinforcing element and forcing the spacer down to it while turning the spacer substan-tially 180° about an axis through the point of intersection of said protruding wire ends.

2. A spacer according to claim l, wherein at least respective end portions of said wire ends are curved in opposite directions relative to a general vertical plane containing said stirrup, said ends bent for passing each other so as to partly entwine at the point of intersection.

3. A spacer according to claim 2, characterised in that the curves begin at the point of intersection of the wire ends.

4. A spacer according to claim 3, characterised in that each of the curves form a quarter-circle.

5. A spacer according to claim l characterised in that the wire ends form an angle of less than 60° with the sur-face of the moulded member.

6. A spacer according to claim 5, characterised in that the angle is less than 15°.

7. A spacer according to claim l characterised in that the moulded member is made of concrete.

8. A spacer according to claim 1 characterised in that the wire stirrup is made of spring steel.

9. A spacer according to claim 1 characterised in that in the region of the stirrup portions which extend form the moulded member, the moulded member has an inwardly extending recess.

10. A spacer according to claim 9, characterised in that the recess is slot-shaped.