GB2179697A

GB2179697A - Formwork support system and clamp device for use therein

Info

Publication number: GB2179697A
Application number: GB08620041A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Bruce Robinson Moore
Original assignee: Rapid Metal Developments Ltd
Current assignee: Rapid Metal Developments Ltd
Priority date: 1985-08-16
Filing date: 1986-08-18
Publication date: 1987-03-11
Also published as: GB2179697B; GB8620041D0

Abstract

A clamp device useful in a formwork support system has a two-armed member (13) with a pair of arms (14, 15) and a clamp member (16). The arm (14) and member (13) are disposed at either side of a flange (11, 12) and are clamped to the flange by clamping screws (17). The arm (15) has an opening (15A) for connecting it to a support by means of a tie or bolt passing through the opening. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Formwork support system and clamp device for use therein This invention relates to a formwork support system useful in the casting of concrete strut tures, such as decks and walls, and to a clamp device for use in connecting together parts of such a system.

Formwork support systems increasingly incorporate light-weight beams, usually of aluminium, to serve as support members and it can be difficult to form reliable connections between such beams and other elements of the system such as tie rods, and timber joists for example.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple and effective clamp device for use in a formwork support system which facilitates the formation of the connections between support members and other system elements.

According to the invention, a clamp device comprises a support member having a pair of arms and a clamp member adapted to cooperate with clamping means such as to form a clamping assembly with one of said arms, whereby the device may be clamped, in use, on a flange of a support beam, the other arm being adapted for connection to a support or the like.

In one convenient arrangement, the arms of the support member are mutually angled and may be disposed in mutually perpendicular relationship. The clamp member is conveniently a plate arranged to engage a surface of said flange with said one arm of the support member engaging an oppositely facing surface of the flange such that operation of the clamping means clamps said flange between said member and one arm. Preferably, a surface of the plate and/or said arm, is roughened, as by the provision of serrations or any desired pattern of pointed formations. The clamping means may conveniently be one or more screws each passing through said one arm and cooperating with screw threaded means which may conveniently be a corresponding threaded aperture in the clamp member.

From another aspect of the invention, a formwork support system comprises a flanged beam, a clamp device arranged with said one arm and the clamp member disposed respectively at either side of the flange and clamped to the flange by said clamping means, and a support or the like secured to said other arm.

Conveniently, the beam has a pair of spaced parallel oppositely directed flanged and the clamp member is arranged to bridge between the flanges with the clamp means, preferably in the form of a screw or the like, passing between the flanges to form a clamping assembly between said clamp member and said one arm and thereby clamp the clamp device to the beam.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an end view of part of a formwork support system of the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-section along the line A-A of Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating one manner of use of part of the support system of the invention, and Figure 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 illustrating an alternative manner of use of part of the support system of the invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings the part of a formwork support system illustrated therein includes a support beam 1 having an upper channel formation 2 containing a timber infill element 3 and having a pair of oppositely outwardly extending lateral flanges 4, 5 running respectively aong the free edges of the channel. The upper channel 2 is connected by a pair of webs 6, 7 to a lower channel formation 8, inverted with respect to the upper one and having a pair of oppositely outwardly extending lateral flanges 9, 10 running along the free edges of the formation.

The webs 6, 7 converge in a direction from the lower formation 9 to the upper formation 2. The lower formation has a pair of inwardly extending flanges 11, 12 parallel to and coplanar with the flanges 9, 10 respectively the free edges to these flanges being spaced so that the formation 8 effectively forms a T-slot.

The formwork system additionally includes a clamp device which includes a support member 13 having a pair of mutually perpendicular arms 14, 15, the arm 14 lying against the undersides of the beam flanges 9, 10. The clamp device further comprises a clamp plate 16 which lies within the lower beam formation 8 and bridges between the flanges 11, 12 thereof. Clamping means in the form of bolts 17 pass through holes in the arm 14 of the member 13 and engages in threaded holes in the plate 16, or with nuts or similar means, whereby tightening of the bolts produces a clamping action between the clamp plate and arm 14 to lock the clamp device securely in a desired position along the formation 8. Alternatively, screws or nuts may be secured to the clamping plate for co-operation with complementary components to provide a clamping action.The clamping plate 16 may be provided with serrations 1 6A on its surface which engages the flanges in order to increase the resistance to slipping between the plate and flanges. The serrations may be in the form of parallel transverse elongate ribs with sharp outer edges as illustrated, or similar ridges arranged in any desired pattern. The clamping plate surface may be roughened in any other convenient manner by the formation thereon of any desired pattern of pointed formations.

The formwork support system is illustrated in Fig. 3 forming a stop end for casting a concrete beam 20. Side and end panels of the formwork are illustrated respectively at 21, 22, these being supported by horizontal and vertical beams 1, 24 and 25 and a transverse end beam 23 composed of a pair of back to back channel members and supported against solid timbers 25 at the corners. The clamp device is used in this arrangement to provide the means for anchoring a tie 26 to the adjacent beam 1 through a hole 15A (Fig. 1) in the arm 15, the tie passing through the transverse beam 23, and being anchored at its free end by a threaded nut 27. For this manner of fixing, the hole 1 5A is a plain through hole. The hole may, however, be threaded to receive a suitable threaded type of fixing means.The tie is secured to the arm 15 of the support member 13 in any convenient manner and the support member 13, anchored to the adjacent beam 1 in the manner described in relation to Figs. 1 and 2, then serves to resist the bursting forces applied to the stop end by concrete poured between the panels 21, 22. The beams 1, 24, 25 may be any conventional type of steel, aluminium or timber beam, according to requirements.

In Fig. 4 support members 13 are used to connect horizontal beams 1 to vertical timbers 25 at a corner of formwork panels 21, 22, the devices 13 being anchored to the beams 1 in the manner described in relation to Figs.

1 and 2 and to the timbers 25 by any convenient means such as screws or nails.

It will be understood that the clamp device and formwork support system of the invention may be employed in a wide variety of further alternative ways depending upon the particular requirements of use. Moreover, the shape and other details of the clamp device may vary; it may for example, be provided if required with more than two arms, or may be a flat plate of which two adjacent co-planar portions constitute the arms. In the embodiment described, the arms 14, 15 may be other than at right angles and the arm 14 may be of any convenient length and provided with any convenient number of holes or screws to receive as many complementary clamping devices as necessary. The clamping devices may be arranged to co-operate with the lateral external flanges 9, 10 of the beam rather than with the flanges 11, 12.

The roughening provided on the clamp plate 46 and/or opposed arm of the support member 13 may take various other alternative forms. For example, frictional material such as rubber may be placed against these surfaces, preferably fixed in position as by bonding for example. Alternatively, a suitable grit or the like may be placed between mating surfaces of the components referred to, either loosely applied or adhered to said surfaces. In a further alternative, the clamp plate 16 and/or the support member 13 may incorpoate friction material.

Claims

1. A clamp device comprising a support member having a pair of arms and a clamp member adapted to co-operate with clamping means such as to form a clamping assembly with one of said arms, whereby the device may be clamped, in use, on a flange of a support beam, the other arm being adapted for connection to a support or the like.

2. A clamp device according to Claim 1 wherein the arms of the support members are mutually angled.

3. A clamp device according to Claim 2 wherein the arms are disposed in mutually perpendicular relationship.

4. A clamp device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the clamp member is a plate arranged to engage a surface of said flange with said one arm of the support member engaging an oppositely facing surface of the flange such that operation of the clamping means clamps said flange between the clamp member and one arm.

5. A clamp device according to Claim 4 wherein a surface of the plate and/or of said one arm engagable with said respective flange surfaces is roughened.

6. A clamp device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the clamping means is one or more screws each passing through said one arm and co-operating with screw-threaded means.

7. A clamp device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said other arm is apertured for the passage therethrough of an element to connect the arm to said support.

8. A clamp device according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the clamp member and/or support member incorporating friction material.

9. A clamp device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A formwork support system comprising a flanged beam, a clamp device according to any one of the preceding claims arranged with said one arm and the clamp member disposed respectively at either side of the flange and clamped to the flange by said clamping means, and a support or the like secured to said other arm.

11. A system according to Claim 10 wherein the beam has a pair of spaced parallel oppositely directed flanges and the clamp member is arranged to bridge between the flanges with the clamp means passing between the flanges and being operable to exert a clamping force between the clamp member and said one arm, thereby to clamp the clamp device to the beam.

12. A system according to Claim 10 or Claim 11 when dependent upon Claim 7 wherein a tie passing through the aperture in said other arm connects the beam to a support remote from the clamp device.

13. A system according to Claim 10 or Claim 11 when dependent upon Claim 7 wherein a bolt passing through the aperture in said other arm connects the beam to a support against which said other arm abuts.

14. A formwork support system substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 3 or Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings.