CA2063095A1 - Adjustable brace - Google Patents

Adjustable brace

Info

Publication number
CA2063095A1
CA2063095A1 CA 2063095 CA2063095A CA2063095A1 CA 2063095 A1 CA2063095 A1 CA 2063095A1 CA 2063095 CA2063095 CA 2063095 CA 2063095 A CA2063095 A CA 2063095A CA 2063095 A1 CA2063095 A1 CA 2063095A1
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
strut
frame
wall
anchor
brace
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA 2063095
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Henry Bickle
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to CA 2063095 priority Critical patent/CA2063095A1/en
Publication of CA2063095A1 publication Critical patent/CA2063095A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
The brace is made up of an elongated strut composed of two tubes of aluminum, magnesium, reinforced plastic or other material which is structurally rigid under compression and tension. The exterior walls of each tube adjacent to one end are threaded but in opposite directions and those ends mate with like threads formed on the interior wall of a coupling.
Rotation of the coupling in one direction causes the tubes to advance toward each other with resulting shortening of the effective length of the strut and rotation in the opposite direction causes a lengthening of the strut. An angle-shaped anchor is rigidly connected to the end of each tube opposite the coupling. Apertures are formed in the anchors for receipt of screws, lag bolts, nails or the like for removably attaching the anchors to a floor and to a frame of a wall. The brace serves to support the frame while it is being plumbed.

Description

20630~

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an adjustable brace for use in the construction of buildings and more particularly to a brace for plumbing the frames of walls and for maintaining them in plumb during the course of construction.
In the construction of a building, the components of the walls are usually assembled to form a frame while they are resting on the floor. Those components may be two by fours for partitions and larger pieces of lumber for exterior and bearing walls. When the frame has been assembled it is hoisted manually to the upright position. Usually three or four men are needed to do this. The frame is then held by the men while temporary braces are attached to the frame to hold it upright.
Usually short pieces of two by fours are used as temporary braces. Other frames are then hoisted and when they are all in place at one storey or level of the structure the temporary braces are removed and each frame in turn is plumbed by means of a carpenter's level. When a frame is in plumb, it is anchored by a second set of braces which usually are longer lengths of two by fours. When the frames are all in plumb, they are permanently attached in position and the second set of braces is removed.
This procedure is costly in both manpower and materials.
A carpenter is needed to attach each piece of two by four to form the temporary braces and another carpenter or helper is
2~630~

needed to hold the frame in posi.tion while the carpenter is nailing the braces to the floor and to the frame. If the frame must be adjusted after the braces are connected, at least one carpenter or helper is needed to hold the frame in plumb while another carpenter loosens and re-affixes the braces. After the frame is attached permanently the temporary braces of two by fours are removed and discarded. It is usually more economical to do that than to re-use them since the braces may be damaged beyond repair when they are removed. Moreover any nails must 10be cut off or removed from braces by hand before they can be safely reused.
Braces are known which overcome many of the problems mentioned above. U.S. patent no. 3,574,981 to Henschen for example describes a brace composed of tubular steel having an adjustable length and having anchors which connect it to the floor and to the frame of the wall~ In use the brace is connected to a frame and to the floor after the frame has been hoisted to a vertical position. The length of the brace is then adjusted to bring the frame into plumb. The brace remains 20connected until the frame is permanently attached in position.
Afterward the brace may be reused.
Known braces such as the one described in Henschen have a number of shortcomings. At least two persons are needed when the brace is being used to support a frame, one person to hold the brace in position and the other person to nail the anchors to the frame and to the floor. One person cannot carry out 2~309~

bo-th of these tasks. Another shortcoming is that the braces can be damaged if their lengths are adjusted after they are connected to a frame and a floor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a brace which can be selectively lengthened or shortened without damage after it is attached to the frame of a wall and to a floor.
Another object is to provide a brace which may be attached readily by one person to a frame and a floor.
These and other objec~s are accomplished by an adjustable brace for supporting a frame of a wall and for plumbing the frame including: an elongated strut structurally rigid under compression and tension; means for adjusting the length of the strut; and an anchor rigidly connected to each end of the strut, each anchor having means by which it may be removably connected selectively to a floor or to the frame.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The adjustable brace of the invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a schematic elevation of the brace shown in conjunction with a frame of a wall;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the brace in larger scale shown in conjunction with a floor and portions of frames 2~6309~

of two walls;
Figure 3 an elevation, partly in section, of a portion of the brace;
Figure 4 i5 exploded perspective view of the portion of the brace illustrated in Figure 3; and Figure 5 is perspective view of the brace showing the manner in which it is used.
Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the description of the drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference to Figures l to 4, the adjustable brace, indicated generally 10, comprises an elongated strut generally 12 made up of upper and lower tubes 14, 16 respectively inter-connected by a coupling or turn-buckle 18. The exterior walls 14a, 16a of the tubes adjacent to the coupling are both threaded but in opposite directions and mate with like threads 19 formed on the interior wall of the coupling.
By rotation of the coupling in one direction, the tubes will advance toward each other in the direction of arrows 20 in Figure 3 with resulting shortening of the length of the strut. Rotation in the opposite direction produces a lengthening of the strut in the direction of arrows 22 in the same Figure. The coupling is intended to be rotated manually and to facilitate that, its outer wall 24 is knurled as illustrated in Figure 4.

2063n~

An anchor 26 is attached to the upper end of tube 14.
The anchor is made up of a short piece of angle-shaped aluminum having first and second walls 26a,b disposed at right angles to each other. The angle between the plane of the first wall 26a to which the tube is attached and the longitudinal axis of the strut (marked 28-28 in Figure 3) is preferably about 30 degrees. A like anchor 30 is attached to the lower end of tube 16 but the angle between the first wall 30a to which the strut is attached and the longitudinal axis of the strut is preferably about 60 degrees.
A number of apertures 32,34 ar~e formed in each anchor 26, 30 respectively for receipt of screws for removably attaching the anchors to an upright member 36 of frame 37 and to floor 38.
It is only necessary for one wall of each anchor to be attached to an upright or to a floor. For example while Figure 2 shows one wall of the lower anchor 30 connected to the floor while the other wall is connected to the lower member 40 of a wall frame it is not necessary for the anchor to be connected in ~his way. It is only necessary that the anchor be connected to the floor. In most cases the lower anchor will not be adjacent to a wall frame and can only be connected to a floor.
The strut will be properly connected in this way.
The strut is used to brace the frame of a wall after it has been assembled. Usually the pieces of lumber which make up 2063~9~

the frame are resting on the Eloor while they are being assembled. When the frame is fully assembled, it is raised manually to the upright position. The lower anchor of the strut is then placed on the floor and the upper anchor is placed against the upright member of the frame as illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 5. When the walls of the anchors which are connected to the struts are flush with the floor and the upright, the strut is fastened in position by means of screws in the manner illustrated in Figure 5.
The frame ls then plumbed by rotating the coupling to le,ngthen or shorten the strut until the angle of the upright is vertical as illustrated in Figure 1. A conventional carpenter's level may be conveniently used to check the angle of the upright.
The essential characteristics of the tubes which make up the strut are structural strength or rigidity in both compression and tension. The tubes must not sag when the brace is connected to a frame. The preferred characteristics of the tubes are lightness in weight to facilitate handling.
The tubes may be formed of tubular aluminum, magnesium or reinforced plastic and may have an outer diameter of from about 1 to 2.5 centimetres. The thickness of the walls of the tubes can be from about 1 to 4 millimetres. Aluminum pipe having an outer diameter of about 2 centimetres and an inner diameter of about 1.5 centimetres makes suitable tubes. The 2063n9~

anchors may be formed of conventional angle-shaped aluminum used in construction.
It is important that the anchors be rigidly fixed to the strut. In that way the plane of wall 26a of the upper anchor will always be normal to plane 30a of the lower anchor. If the anchors can swivel or rotate relative to the struts the brace will be damaged in use, possibly beyond repair. This is because the anchors, if allowed to swivel, can be attached in such a way that the planes of their walls 26a, 30a are not normal to each other. If the coupling is rotated to shorten the strut when the walls are thus, the two tubes will become misaligned. The tubes will then bind in the coupling as it is turned further with resulting damage to the threads of the tubes or the coupling or of both.
There is another reason why the anchors should be attached rigidly to the tubes. If they are, only one person is usually needed to attach the strut in position to brace a frame of a wall. The person grips the strut adjacent to the coupling and places it in position to brace the frame. He then adjusts it until the walls of the anchors are flush with the floor and the frame. He can do this without changing the position of his grip. Then, as illustrated in Figure 5, he turns screws into each aperture in the anchors and into the floor and frame using an electric drill in order to affix the strut in position.

~3~

By contrast, if the anchors can swivel relative to the tubes, two persons are usually needed to attach a strut in position. One person is needed to hold the strut while the other is needed to adjust the anchors until their walls are flush with the floor and frame. One person cannot do both since the anchors move independently of the brace and they cannot be adjusted by the person who is holding the strut.
It will be understood of course that modifications can be made in the preferred embodiment illustrated and described herein without departing from the scope and purview of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (5)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive pro-perty or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. An adjustable brace for supporting a frame of a wall and for plumbing the frame including: an elongated strut structurally rigid under compression and tension; means for adjusting the length of said strut; and an anchor rigidly connected to each end of said strut, each said anchor having means by which it may be removably connected selectively to a floor or to said frame.
2. An adjustable brace for supporting a frame of a wall and for plumbing the frame including: an elongated strut structurally rigid under compression and tension; means for adjusting the length of said strut; and an anchor rigidly connected to each end of said strut, each said anchor having a plurality of apertures formed therein for receipt of screws, nails or the like by means of which said anchor may be removably connected selectively to a floor or to said frame.
3. An adjustable brace for supporting a frame of a wall and for plumbing the frame including: an elongated strut structurally rigid under compression and tension, said strut having a coupling for adjusting the length of said strut; and an anchor rigidly connected to each end of said strut, each of said anchors having a plurality of apertures formed therein for receipt of screws, nails or the like by means of which said anchor may be removably connected selectively to a floor or to said frame.
4. The adjustable brace as claimed in claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein each said anchors has a wall to which said strut is connected, the plane of the wall of one said anchor being oriented at an angle of approximately 30 degrees from the longitudinal axis of said strut and the plane of the wall of the other said anchor being oriented at an angle of approximately 60 degrees from said longitudinal axis.
5. The adjustable brace as claimed in claims 1, 2 or 3 wherein each said anchor is angle-shaped having a first wall to which said strut is connected and a second wall oriented at an angle of approximately 90 degrees from said first wall.
CA 2063095 1992-03-16 1992-03-16 Adjustable brace Abandoned CA2063095A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2063095 CA2063095A1 (en) 1992-03-16 1992-03-16 Adjustable brace

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2063095 CA2063095A1 (en) 1992-03-16 1992-03-16 Adjustable brace

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2063095A1 true CA2063095A1 (en) 1993-09-17

Family

ID=4149433

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA 2063095 Abandoned CA2063095A1 (en) 1992-03-16 1992-03-16 Adjustable brace

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA2063095A1 (en)

Cited By (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5809719A (en) * 1995-08-21 1998-09-22 Ashton; Roger Wall Manually adjustable structural load transferring device
US5881514A (en) * 1997-05-30 1999-03-16 Pryor; John D. Rod tie system for enhancing the interconnection between the walls and roof framing systems of tilt-up buildings and the like
US6233901B1 (en) * 1999-11-08 2001-05-22 John R. Kurfees Door frame installation kit
AU2008100267B4 (en) * 2008-03-19 2009-01-08 Shore Assets Pty. Limited A brace
WO2009114902A1 (en) * 2008-03-19 2009-09-24 Precast Bracing Systems Pty Ltd A brace
DE202012010930U1 (en) 2012-11-14 2013-11-20 Doka Industrie Gmbh Pull and push rod strut
CN106639359A (en) * 2016-12-02 2017-05-10 国家电网公司 Adjustable supporting rod
GB2551994A (en) * 2016-07-04 2018-01-10 Eze Shoring (Halifax) Ltd Prop
US11091923B2 (en) 2018-06-05 2021-08-17 Meadow Burke, Llc Brace for a precast concrete panel
USD947651S1 (en) 2018-06-05 2022-04-05 Meadow Burke, Llc Pre-cast panel wall brace
US11492797B2 (en) 2020-03-05 2022-11-08 Meadow Burke, Llc Connector for precast concrete structures
US11686111B2 (en) 2019-05-06 2023-06-27 Ccs Contractor Equipment & Supply, Llc Modular pipe brace assembly

Cited By (15)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5809719A (en) * 1995-08-21 1998-09-22 Ashton; Roger Wall Manually adjustable structural load transferring device
US5992126A (en) * 1995-08-21 1999-11-30 Ashton; Roger W. Manually adjustable structural load transferring device
US6155019A (en) * 1995-08-21 2000-12-05 Zone Four, Llc Manually adjustable structural load transferring device
US6546678B1 (en) 1995-08-21 2003-04-15 Zone Four Llc Manually adjustable structural load transferring device
US5881514A (en) * 1997-05-30 1999-03-16 Pryor; John D. Rod tie system for enhancing the interconnection between the walls and roof framing systems of tilt-up buildings and the like
US6233901B1 (en) * 1999-11-08 2001-05-22 John R. Kurfees Door frame installation kit
AU2008100267B4 (en) * 2008-03-19 2009-01-08 Shore Assets Pty. Limited A brace
WO2009114902A1 (en) * 2008-03-19 2009-09-24 Precast Bracing Systems Pty Ltd A brace
DE202012010930U1 (en) 2012-11-14 2013-11-20 Doka Industrie Gmbh Pull and push rod strut
GB2551994A (en) * 2016-07-04 2018-01-10 Eze Shoring (Halifax) Ltd Prop
CN106639359A (en) * 2016-12-02 2017-05-10 国家电网公司 Adjustable supporting rod
US11091923B2 (en) 2018-06-05 2021-08-17 Meadow Burke, Llc Brace for a precast concrete panel
USD947651S1 (en) 2018-06-05 2022-04-05 Meadow Burke, Llc Pre-cast panel wall brace
US11686111B2 (en) 2019-05-06 2023-06-27 Ccs Contractor Equipment & Supply, Llc Modular pipe brace assembly
US11492797B2 (en) 2020-03-05 2022-11-08 Meadow Burke, Llc Connector for precast concrete structures

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