GB2057550A - Flooring clamp - Google Patents

Abstract

A flooring clamp comprises a hook member 15 for fitting over a load bearing bar, and a gripping member 17 pivotally mounted thereon. The gripping member has an abutment surface 18, spaced from the pivot point, for gripping the underside of a structure member. A slot 19 in one of the members, and a bolt 21 passing through the two members enables the hook member and gripping member to be secured against relative pivotal movement once the clamp is in the required position. A semi-plastic strip can be located between the hook member and the gripping member into which strip the bolt may be screwed one or two turns to locate it while the clip is being positioned on the structure. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Flooring clip The present invention relates to a flooring clip for securing panels of flooring to structural steelwork.

Open steel flooring consists of a multiplicity of steel bars standing on edge and spaced apart with transverse members welded into the upper surface of the bars to form a grating in which the upright bars are load bearing and can span supporting beams on a building or steel structure.

Open steel flooring is made in varying depths ranging in small increments between approximately T inch and 2 inches. The structural steelwork to which the flooring is to be attached can also vary considerably. It may be a rolled steel angle of about 5/1 6 inch thickness, or a broad flanged beam having a thickness of up to an inch, or indeed any other similar structural section.

In the past, designs for flooring clips have catered for this wide variety of usage by providing a hook-over clip for the top of the flooring, and a flat plate having a joggle for the underside of the flooring; the two components being bolted together with a bolt of suitable length depending on the depth of flooring and the thickness of the structural member. This has led to a wide number of different components having to be kept, even where differences in dimension of the flooring and structure parts to be used are small.

According to the present invention there is provided a flooring clip comprising a hook member for fitting over a load bearing bar, and a gripping member pivotally mounted thereon and having an abutment surface, spaced from the pivot point, for gripping the underside of a structure member, means being provided for securing the hook member and the gripping member against relative pivotal movement once the clip is in the required position.

Advantageously the said means for securing the hook and the gripping member takes the form of a bolt which passes through the members, one of the said members having a slot therein to allow relative movement between the members when the bolt is released.

It is preferred that the bolt passes through both arms of the hook member to enable the clip to be firmly clasped in position on the load bearing bar.

Advantageously the clip includes means for holding the bolt in position in the clip during fitting of the clip, the arrangement being such that the bolt can be tightened to secure the clip without further location. The said means may take the form of a semi-rigid plastics strip.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view illustrating a clip according to the invention in use, Figure 2 is a side view of a further clip according to the invention, and Figure 3 is an end view of the clip of Figure 2.

The diagram of Figure 1 illustrates a steel flooring comprising a plurality of load bearing bars 11 spaced apart with transverse bars 12, which is to be clipped to an angle 13 of a steel structure. A flooring clip 14, according to the invention, comprises a U-shaped hook member 15 pivotally mounted by a rivet 16 to a flat gripping member 17. The two components 15, 17 can be rivetted together using "Avdel" (RTM) or a similar fixing.

The gripping member 1 7 extends, in the plane of the flooring bars, from the hook member 15 and includes on the upper side of the extension an abutment surface 18 for engaging and gripping the underside of the angle 13.

The gripping member 17 is provided with a slot 19, and both arms of the hook member 1 5 have holes, one of which is fitted with a screwed bush (see description of later figures) through which a bolt 21 is passed. When the bolt is loose the hook member and the gripping member can be moved relative to one another and along the load bearing bar 11 to the correct gripping position. Tightening the bolt will achieve simultaneous clasping of the load bearing bar and gripping of the angle 13.

In the embodiment of Figures 2 and 3, the corners have been rounded off and a fiange 22, of about the same width as the body of the gripping member, has been provided on the upper surface of the extension, including on the abutment surface 18. The two holes not seen from the diagram of Figure 1 can be seen at 23 and 24 in Figure 3. The shorter side of the hook member 1 5, remote from the gripping member 17, is provided with a boss 25 tapped with a screw thread, 6 mm diameter being typical.

In order to cater for the wide variation of steel flooring, it is recommended to provide a number of different clips. Each of these has an identical gripping member, but the height and width of the hook member is designed for the relevant load bearing bar.

The clip described herein will increase the flexibility of use over the known clips by incorporating within itself a measure of adjustability which has not before been possible.

A further advantage of the clip described, as opposed to existing types, is the reduction in the number of loose components to be fitted together when the clip is being placed in situ.

The flooring clip illustrated is designed for a 5 mm wide load bearing bar 11, 25 mm deep and has a 20 mm movement of the abutment surface to enable it to grip and angle or bar from 6 mm to 26 mm thick.

Where the flooring clip is to be fitted in a situation having limited access, for example from the top side of the flooring panel, it may be difficult to fit the bolt quickly as it would involve passing the fixing bolt between the load bearing bars of the grating before it can be inserted into the clip.

To cater for such a situation, either of the above described flooring clips may be modified to include a semi-rigid plastics strip located between the hook member 1 5 and the gripping member 1 7. This plastics insert has two holes. The fixing rivet 1 6 is passed through one hole during the course of assembly so that the plastics insert is trapped. The other hole is of such a size, and so positioned, that the fixing bolt 21 may be screwed into it to the extent of one or two threads and thus be retained whilst the clip is placed in position.

The bolt will then be screwed further through the plastics insert until it engages with the bush 25, all of which can be done from the top side of the flooring panel. A suitable insert for the above described flooring clips would be 10 thou thick, and have two holes of 6 mm diameter.

Claims (8)

CLAIMS 1. A flooring clip comprising a hook member for fitting over a load bearing bar, and a gripping member pivotally mounted thereon and having an abutment surface, spaced from the pivot point, for gripping the underside of a structure member, means being provided for securing the hook member and the gripping member against relative pivotal movement once the clip is in the required position. 2. A flooring clip according to claim 1 wherein the said means for securing the hook member and the gripping member takes the form of a bolt which passes through the members, one of the members having a slot therein to allow relative movement between the members when the bolt is released. 3. A flooring clip according to claim 2 including means for holding the bolt in position in the clip during fitting of the clip, the arrangement being such that the bolt can be tightened to secure the clip without further location. 4. A flooring clip according to claim 3 wherein the said means is a semi-rigid plastics strip into which the bolt may be screwed enough turns to hold it in position during location. 5. A flooring clip substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings. 6. A flooring clip substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings. New claims filed on 1 December 1980. New or amended claims: New set of claims 1-S.

1. A flooring clip comprising a hook member for fitting over a load bearing bar, the hook member having a first limb, and a second limb substantially parallel to the first limb, and a gripping member pivotally mounted on the first limb about an axis substantially perpendicular to the plane containing the first limb, the gripping member having an abutment surface, spaced from the pivot point, for gripping the underside of a structure member, means being provided for securing the hook member and the gripping member against relative pivotal movement once the clip is in the required position.

2. Aflooring clip according to claim 1 wherein the said means securing the hook member and the gripping member additionally acts to secure the hook member to the load bearing bar when the clip is in use.

3. A flooring clip according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the said means for securing the hook member and the gripping member takes the form of a bolt which passes through the members, one of the members having a slot therein to allow relative movement between the members when the bolt is released.

4. A flooring clip according to claim 3 wherein the said bolt passes through both the limbs of the hook member, in use, to anchor the hook member to the load bearing bar.

5. A flooring clip according to claim 3 or 4 including means for holding the bolt in position in the clip during fitting of the clip, the arrangement being such that the bolt can be tightened to secure the clip without further location.

6. A flooring clip according to claim 5 wherein the said means is a semi-rigid plastics strip into which the bolt may be screwed enough turns to hold it in position during location.

7. A flooring clip substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

8. A flooring clip substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.