GB2180582A - Wall ties - Google Patents

Abstract

A replacement wail tie (e.g for replacing a failed pre-existent wall tie) for a cavity wall comprises two elements 12, 14 adapted to be anchored in respective skins 50, 52 of the wall. At least one of the elements 12, 14 is a sleeve 20, 30 which is expanded by axial compression resulting in radial expansion. To eliminate deterioration of the fix of the sleeve or sleeves in the wall skins 50, 52, due to ageing, the or each sleeve 20, 30 is made of neoprene rubber. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Wall ties This invention concerns wall ties of the kind comprising an elongate rod on which are provided two spaced-apart anchoring elements for anchoring in respective skins of a cavity wall, so as to tie the skins relative to one another. Such ties are used, for instance, in the cases where originally-installed ties have become defective or have disintegrated, in order to ensure that the two skins of the wall are secured relative to one another, thereby assuring stability of the wall which could otherwise deteriorate.

The invention is more particularly concerned with wall ties as aforesaid wherein one or each of the anchoring elements comprises a deformable tubular sleeve surrounding the rod and adapted to be expanded by axial compression, the effect of which is to cause radial expansion of the sleeve.

As hitherto proposed, with wall ties of this type the or each sleeve has been made from plasticised polyvinyl chlorided, and comparable plastic materials. The disadvantage of such materials lies in the fact that plasticised polyvinyl chloride and the like materials tend to harden and age, presumably by reason of migration of the plasticiser, with the result that there is a progressive and continuous, albeit gradual, deterioration of the security of the anchorage in the respective skin of the wall.

The sleeve loses its grip within the hole, and eventually the tie effect between the two skins of the walls is lost so that the wall tie becomes ineffective, stress relaxation being an inherent characteristic of plasticised polyvinyl chloride and similar plasticised polymers.

We have discovered that the above-discussed disadvantage is avoided, and a considerably extended useful and effective life of the wall tie is obtained, by making the or each tubular sleeve of a selected and specific deformable material.

Pursuant hereto, the present invention provides a wall tie of the kind comprising an elongate rod on which are provided two spaced-apart anchoring elements for anchoring in respective skins of a cavity wall, so as to tie the skins relative to one another, and in which one or each of the anchoring elements comprises a deformable tubular sleeve surrounding the rod and adapted to be expanded by axial compression, the effect of which is to cause radial expansion of the sleeve, characterised in that the or each sleeve is of neoprene rubber.

In one practical form of the tie of the invention, each of the anchoring elements comprises a respective deformable sleeve adapted to be compressed by a respective nut which screws along the rod.

The arrangement may advantageously be such that the nut of the or one of the elements is screwable along the rod by rotation of the rod from the remote end thereof.

Where both elements comprise deformable sleeves, the nut of the other element may be engageable by means of a suitable tool to screw it along the rod.

In this embodiment, the arrangement is conveniently such that the first-mentioned nut is bonded to its sleeve, e.g. by a suitable adhesive therebetween, so that frictional engagement of the sleeve in a borehole in a respective wall skin inhibits rotation of said sleeve and, consequently, of the respective nut, upon rotation of the rod.

In alternate embodiments of the invention, the one or the other of the anchoring elements is, for instance, adapted for anchoring in its respective wall skin by means of adhesive, in which case only one of the anchoring elements will comprise a sleeve of neoprene rubber.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a part-sectional side elevation illustrating a first embodiment of the wall tie of the invention, in position in a bore in a cavity wall, and with one only of its anchoring elements having been expanded to anchor it in its respective wall skin; Figure 2 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1 but showing the wall tie with the other of its anchoring elements being expanded to anchor it in its respective wall skin; Figure 3 is a view comparable with Fig. 2, but showing a second embodiment of the wall tie of the invention;; Figure 4 is a part-sectional side elevation illustrating a third embodiment of the wall tie of the invention, in position in a bore in a respective cavity wall, with one only of its anchoring elements being expanded to anchor it in its respective wall skin; and Figure 5 is a view corr.esponding to Fig. 4 but showing the second anchoring element of the wall tie being expanded to anchor it in its respective wall skin.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, a first embodiment of the wall tie of the invention comprises an elongate threaded rod 10 adjacent one end of which is a first expansible anchoring elemerit indicated generally by the reference numeral 12 and adjacent the other end of which is a second expansible anchoring element indicated generally by the reference numeral 14.

The first expansible anchoring element 12 comprises an abutment in the form of a nut 16 which is prevented from winding along the rod 10, in a direction away from the adjacent rod end, by stops 18 formed by pinching the metal of the rod 10, a deformable tubular sleeve 20 which internally is a snug fit upon the rod 10 and externally is of a selected diameter, for instance of the order of 12 or 13 mm, and a compressing nut 22 which abuts and is bonded to the end of the sleeve 20 remote from the abutment nut 16. The bonding between the nut 22 and the sleeve 20 is achieved by provision therebetween of a suitable adhesive, not specifically shown.

Approximately midway between the two elements 12 and 14, drip grooves 24 are provided around the rod 10.

The second expansible anchoring element 14 is similar to the element 12, but is effectively reversed in its arrangement. It comprises an abutment nut 26 prevented from winding along the rod 10, in a direction towards the element 12, by pinched stops 28. Deformable tubular sleeve 30, which is similar to the sleeve 20, abuts the nut 26 by way of a washer 29 and in turn is abutted by a respective compressing nut 32, by way of a washer 34, the nut 32, being of circular external configuration and bearing castellations or lugs 36 by which it can be engaged by a tubular spanner 38 (see Fig. 2) for rotating it.

Between the second element 14 and the adjacent extremity 40 of the rod 10 there is a narrowed neck 42 which constitutes a predetermined breaking point and which defines, at the respective end of the rod 10, a tool-engagement section 44 whereby a tool 46 (Fig.

1) may be engaged onto the rod 10 to rotate it.

Each of the sleeves 20 and 30 is made of neoprene rubber, which has good resilienceretention, that is to say it does not progressively lose its resilience, e.g. as a result of plasticiser migration as may be the case of polyvinly chloride and like materials customarily used for such components.

The method of installation of the described wall tie in a cavity wall will readily be understood from the foregoing description. Firstly, an appropriate hole 48 is bored into the wall so that it extends through one skin 50 of the wall and extends a predetermined distance into, but not right through, the other skin 52.

This hole 48 is such that the sleeves 20, 30 are a clsoe sliding fit therein and thus can be inserted in place, as shown in Fig. 1, whilst in position on the rod 10. Upon the sleeve 20 being pushed fully home into the hole 48 in the skin 52, the tool 46 is applied to the section 44 of the rod 10 and the latter is turned. Friction between the sleeve 20 and the wall of the hole 48 inhibits the sleeve 20 from rotation, and because the sleeve 22 is bonded to the compressing nut 22, the nut 22 is correspondingly inhibited from rotating.

As a result, the nut 22 is wound along the rod 10 towards the abutment nut 16 so compressing the sleeve 20 axially and causing it to expand radially, thereby ensuring that the element 12 becomes anchored in the wall skin 52. When the sleeve 20 has been sufficiently expanded, the rod section 44 breaks off at the neck 42, and can be discarded. Fig. 1 shows the sleeve 20 partially expanded.

Thereupon, the tool 38 can be applied to the nut 32, to turn the latter to cause axial compression of the sleeve 30 with corresponding radial expansion of the latter to anchor it in the wall skin 50. The arrangement is preferably such that the lugs or ears 36 bend or snap off when the sleeve 30 has been sufficiently expanded.

In the embodiment of Fig. 3 of the drawings similar reference numerals have been allocated to those parts which are similar to those already described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2, so that these parts do not require further description. It will be observed that in this arrangement, the second expansible anchoring element 14 is present, but instead of having an expansible element, comparable to the element 12 at the other end of the rod 10, the latter is provided with formations in the form of a succession of spaced-apart lugs or ears 60, forming by pinching the metal of the rod 10, which enables the rod 10 to be anchored in the borehole 48 in the wall skin 52 by means of a setting adhesive 62, for instance a two-components resin adhesive.This can be introduced, for instance, by means of a capsule (not shown) inserted into the borehole 48 prior to the insertion of the rod 10 so that such insertion serves to break the capsule and release its contents.

As in the preceding embodiment the sleeve 30 is, of course, of neoprene rubber, this ensuring that the wall tie has many decades of useful life as compared with the restricted effective life of prior known comparable wall ties.

The third embodiment of the wall tie of the invention as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings comprises an elongate relatively thick externally-smooth rod 110 adjacent to one end of which is a first expansible anchoring element indicated generally by the reference numeral 112 and adjacent the other end of which is a second expansible anchoring element indicated generally by the reference numeral 114.

The first expansible anchoring element 112 comprises an abutment in the form of a thick washer 116 which is located on an externallythreaded reduced-diameter end portion 118 of the rod 110, the washer 116 being located at a predetermined position spaced away from the adjacent rod end 120 by abutting against a shoulder 122 occurring at the root of the threaded end portion 118, where the latter joins with the adjacent externally-smooth thicker portion of the rod 110. The anchoring element 112 further includes a deformable tubular sleeve 124 which internally is a snug fit upon the rod portion 118 and externally is of a selected diameter, for instance of the order of 12 or 13 mm, and a compressing nut 126 which is bonded onto the end of the sleeve 124 remote from the abutment washer 116, e.g. by a suitable adhesive.

Approximately midway between the two anchoring elements 112 and 114, two adjacent drip grooves 128 are provided around the rod 110.

The second expansible anchoring element 114 is similar to the element 112, but is effectively reversed in its arrangement. It comprises a thick abutment washer 130 located on a respective reduced-diameter externallythreaded end portion 132 of the rod 110, against movement in a direction towards the expansion element 112, by abutting against a shoulder 134 which occurs at the root of the threaded end portion 132. A deformable tubular sleeve 136, which is similar to the sleeve 124, abuts the washer 130 and in turn is abutted by a respective compressing nut 138, by way of a washer 140, the nut 138 being of circular external configuration and bearing castellations or lugs 142 by which it can be engaged by a tubular spanner 144 (see Fig. 5) for rotating it.

Provided in the threaded end portion 132 of the rod 110, between the second expansion element 114 and the adjacent extremity 146 of the rod 110 there is a narrowed neck 148 which constitutes a predetermined breaking point and which defines, on the respective end portion 132 of the rod 110, a tool-engagement section 150 whereby a tool 152 (Fig. 4) may be engaged onto the rod 110 to rotate it.

Each of the sleeves 124 and 136 is made of neoprene rubber, which has good resilience-retention. As the material is an elastomer, it has a reduced tendency to flow under load, and on release of load it springs back to its original shape. This elasticity ensures a stable fix for many years. Polyvinyl chloride, which has been customarily used hitherto, is essentially a high viscosity fluid.

Under constant load it flows. In flowing, it loses its resilience-retention, resulting in an unstable fix. Neoprene rubber provides longterm stability because it does not have this characteristic.

The method of installation of this embodiment of the wall tie of the invention in a cavity wall is similar to that of Figs. 1 and 2 as described above. Firstly, an appropriate hole 154 is bored into the wall so that it extends through one skin 156 (which may be the outer skin) of the wall and extends a predetermined distance into, but not right through, the other skin 158 (which will then be the inner skin of the wall). This hole 154 is such that the sleeves 124, 136 are a close sliding fit therein and the tie is inserted with its components all assembled. Upon the sleeve 124 being pushed fully home into the hole 154 in the skin 158, the tool 152 is applied to the section 150 of the rod 110 and the latter is turned.Friction between the sleeve 124 and the wall of the hole 158 inhibits the sleeve 124 from rotation, and be -cause the bond nut 126 is bonded to the sleeve 124, it too is inhibited from rotating.

As a result, the compressing nut 126 is wound along the threaded end portion 118 of the rod 110 towards the abutment washer 116, so compressing the sleeve 124 axially and causing it to expand radially, thereby ensuring that the expansion element 112 becomes anchored in the wall skin 158. When the sleeve 124 has been sufficiently expanded, the rod section 150 breaks off at the neck 148, and can be discarded. Fig. 4 shows the sleeve 124 partially expanded.

Thereupon, the tool 144 can be applied to the nut 138, to turn the latter to cause axial compression of the sleeve 136 with corresponding radial expansion of the latter to anchor it in the wall skin 156. The arrangement is preferably such that the lugs or ears 142 bend or snap off when the sleeve 136 has been sufficiently expanded.

The invention is not confiend to the precise details of the illustrated embodiments and variations may be made thereto. For example, instead of being bonded to its sleeve 20, 124, the compressing nut 22, 126 may be accommodated in a complementary recess in the end of the sleeve 20, 124 or may be integrally moulded into such sleeve 20, 124.

Moreover, in all of the embodiments of the wall tie of the invention, either one of the anchoring elements may be of a form not involving a compressible sleeve and need not necessarily be mechanical. Thus, for instance, in the embodiment of Figs. 4 and 5 the second expansible anchoring element 114 or its equivalent may be present, but instead of having an expansible element comparable to the element 112 at the other end of the rod 110, the latter may be provided with formations, for instance in the form of a succession of spaced-apart lugs or ears similar to those indicated at 60 in Fig. 3 and formed by pinching the metal of the rod, which formations enable the rod to be anchored in the borehole in the inner wall skin by means of a setting adhesive, for instance a two-comparant resin adhesive. This adhesive can be introduced, for instance, by means of a capsule (not shown) inserted into the borehole prior to the insertion of the rod so that such insertion serves to break the capsule and release its contents.

The sleeve of the second anchoring element will of course, then be of neoprene rubber, this ensuring that the wall tie has many decades of useful life as compared with the restricted effective life of prior known comparable wall ties.

Conversely, of course, the wall tie of the invention may have its first anchoring element 12, 112, of a form involving an axially compressible sleeve, with the second anchoring element 14, 114 any other suitable mechani cally-expansible or adhesively-securable form.

Claims (5)

1. A wall tie of the kind comprising an elongate rod on which are provided two spaced-apart anchoring elements for anchoring in respective skins of a cavity wall, so as to tie the skins relative to one another, and in which one or each of the anchoring elements comprises a deformable tubular sleeve surrounding the rod and adapted to be expanded by axial compression, the effect of which is to cause radial expansion of the sleeve, characterised in that the or each sleeve is of neoprene rubber.

2. A wall tie as claimed in claim 1 in which each of the anchoring elements comprises a respective deformable sleeve adapted to be compressed by a respective nut which screws along the rod.

3. A wall tie as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the or one of the anchoring elements is screwable along the rod by rotation of the rod from the remote end thereof.

4. A wall tie as claimed in claim 3 wherein both elements comprise deformable sleeves, the nut of the other element being engageable by means of a tool to screw it along the rod.

5. A wall tie substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, in Fig. 3, or in Figs. 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.

5. A wall tie as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the anchoring element first inserted into the wall has its deformable sleeve disposed between a compressing nut at the leading end of the rod and an abutment on the rod, the expansion nut being adapted to rotate with said sleeve.

6. A wall tie as claimed in claim 5 wherein the compressing nut is bonded to the confronting end of its sleeve.

7. A wall tie substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, in Fig. 3, or in Figs. 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.

CLAIMS Amendments to the claims have been filed, and have the following effect: Claims 1-6 above have been deleted or textually amended.

New or textually amended claims have been filed as follows: Claim 7 above has been re-numbered as 5 and their appendancies corrected.

1. A wall tie of the kind comprising an elongate rod on which are provided two spaced-apart anchoring elements for anchoring in respective skins of a cavity wall, so as to tie the skins relative to one another, and in which one or each of the anchoring elements comprises a deformable tubular sleeve surrounding the rod and adapted to be expanded by axial compression, the effect of which is to cause radial expansion of the sleeve, characterised in that the or each sleeve is of neoprene rubber, and in that the anchoring element first inserted into the wall comprises a deformable sleeve disposed between a compressing nut, disposed at the leading end of the rod and adapted to screw along the rod, and an abutment on the rod, the compressing nut being adapted to rotate with said sleeve relative to the rod.

2. A wall tie as claimed in claim 1 wheren the nut is screwable along the rod by rotation of the rod from the remote end thereof.

3. A wall tie as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein both elements comprise deformable sleeves, a nut serving for axial compression of the other element being engageable by means of a tool to screw it along the rod.

4. A wall tie as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the compressing nut is bonded to the confronting end of its sleeve.