GB2267918A

GB2267918A - A wall connector

Info

Publication number: GB2267918A
Application number: GB9212861A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kalwinder Singh Sehmi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1992-06-17
Filing date: 1992-06-17
Publication date: 1993-12-22
Anticipated expiration: 2012-06-17
Also published as: GB2267918B; GB9212861D0

Abstract

A wall connector for use in tying in a new wall to an existing wall comprises an elongate component formed with apertures 6 by way of which the component can be screw-mounted onto the existing wall. The component presents a front surface having first means 7 for mounting a wall tie on the component so that the tie projects to the front of the component substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis thereof and presents a rear surface having second means 5 for mounting a wall tie on the component so that the tie projects to the rear of the component substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis thereof. The connector may be mounted on the existing wall either with its front surface or its rear surface projecting outwardly in order to obtain optimum results depending upon the nature of the brick work of the wall; a tie 14 can either fit into apertures 7, at various heights between teeth 11, or into channels 5 to give continuous adjustability. <IMAGE>

Description

DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION A Wall Connector.

THE PRESENT INVENTION relates to a wall connector of the type which may be used for tying in a new wall which is to be built onto an existing wall.

It is well know that when a new wall is to be built onto an existing wall it is necessary to ensure that the new wall is "tied in" to the existing wall, that is to say it must be ensured that there is a positive connection between the new wall and the existing wall in order to prevent or minimise any relative moment between the walls.

Traditionally the tying in of a new wall was effected by cutting recesses or indents in the existing wall and introducing alternate brick courses of the new wall into the recesses or indents which normally accommodate half the length of a brick. However this is a time consuming and therefore relatively costly way of tying in the new wall.

More recently it has been proposed to use what is known as a wall connector in order to tie in a new wall to an existing wall. These wall connectors comprise an elongate steel component designed to be bolted onto the existing wall so as to stand vertically. The vertical component is designed to carry horizontally extending ties which are bedded into the mortar between brick courses in order to effectively tie the new wall to the existing wall.

Some of the previously proposed wall connectors are formed with integral ties which normally stand in the plane of the connector (i.e. they stand vertically when the connector is initially bolted to the wall) but which can be bent or folded so as to extend at right angles to the connector when they are to be bedded in mortar between brick courses.

Alternatively it has been proposed to provide separate ties which may be attached to the connector at predetermined mounting points.

Where the ties are formed integrally with the connector no vertical adjustment of the ties relative to the connector is possible and it is therefore very important that the connector is bolted onto the existing wall in the correct position so that when the ties are folded or bent so as to extend horizontally they are at exactly the right level to be received between two brick courses. Similarly with connectors having separate ties which are attachable to the connector at predetermined positions it is important that the connector is bolted to the wall in the correct position since otherwise the ties will not be at the correct height to be received between two brick courses.Whilst some previously proposed connectors provide for a limited degree of vertical adjustment of the ties relative to the connector these do not usually provide for a sufficient degree of adjustment to overcome the necessity to mount the connector on the existing wall at the correct vertical position relative to the brick courses.

With some of the previously proposed wall connectors having separate ties an additional component is required in order to clamp the ties onto the connector.

Clearly this increases in the number of components makes the overall product more expensive and there is also the risk that the additional components required to clamp the ties onto the connector will become lost or that the number of ties and the number of additional clamping components which are available will not be the same. It is well known that in a building site environment small components such as these are often lost or misplaced.

Whilst all of the previously proposed wall connectors are suitable for use in tying in a new wall which is to be built at right angles to an existing wall, they are not suitable for use in connecting a new wall to the end of an existing wall where the new wall extends in the same plane as the existing wall.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved wall connector which does not suffer from the problems addressed above.

According to the present invention there is provided a wall connector for use in tying in a new wall to an existing wall, the connector comprising an elongate component having means for fixing the component on an existing wall, the component having two different and independent means for mounting a wall tie thereon so that the wall tie extends substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the component.

Preferably the connector defines a pair of opposed first and second surfaces, the fixing means enabling the component to be fixed on an existing wall with either the first surface or the second surface directed outwardly, the two different and independent means for mounting a wall tie on the component comprising first means presented by the first surface of the component and second means presented by the second surface of the component.

Conveniently the first surface defines a plurality of opposed pair of inwardly directed edges at regularly spaced intervals over the length of the component, said inwardly directed edges extending generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the component and constituting said first mounting means.

Advantageously said inwardly directed edges which constitute said first mounting means define a series of teeth or serrations, there being recesses between adjacent teeth or serrations which constitute discrete mounting locations for the wall tie.

Preferably said inwardly directed edges are defined by the first surface as a result of the first surface being formed with a plurality of rearwardly deflected portions at regularly spaced intervals over the length of the component, each rearwardly deflected portion having a pair of outwardly directed edges which extend generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the component and which are disposed rearwardly of the first surface and correspond to the inwardly directed edges defined by the first surface.

Conveniently the first mounting means provide for adjustment of the position of a wall tie in the axial direction of the component over the axial extent of the pair of inwardly directed edges defined by the first surface.

Advantageously the means for fixing the component on an existing wall comprise apertures formed in the component, the apertures being regularly spaced at approximately 3 inch (approximately 76 mm) intervals over the length of the component.

Preferably the rearwardly deflected portions of the first surface extend between adjacent apertures constituting the fixing means.

Conveniently the connector is formed from a sheet material the longitudinal edges of which are folded rearwardly to form part of the second surface and to define channels between the first and second surfaces, said longitudinal edges and said channels forming said second mounting means.

Advantageously said second mounting means provide for infinite adjustment in the axial direction of the connector of a wall tie mounted on the connector by way of said second mounting means.

Preferably the connector is integrally formed from sheet steel.

The invention also provides a wall connector as described above in combination with one or more wall ties, the or each wall tie being formed with elements which cooperate with said first and second mounting means.

Preferably the or each wall tie comprises a generally U-shaped member having a pair of interconnected arms, the free ends of the arms each carrying a respective lug which cooperates with said first and second mounting means in order to mount the wall tie upon the connector.

In order that the present invention may be more readily understood and so that further features thereof may be appreciated, the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 is a front perspective view of a wall connector in accordance with this invention carrying a wall tie; FIGURE 2 is a rear perspective view of the wall connector of Figure 2; FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line IV-IV of Figure 3; FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line V-V of Figure 2; FIGURE 5 is a perspective view showing two wall connectors in accordance with this invention when being used to tie in a new wall to an existing wall; and FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of one example of a wall tie suitable for use with the wall connector of the present invention.

A wall connector in accordance with the present invention comprises an integrally formed elongate component 1 which is formed from sheet steel. The component has a central, longitudinal axis of symmetry 2 and defines a substantially planar front surface 3. The longitudinal edges of the connector are folded rearwardly so that edge portions 4 extend parallel to the front surface 3 and define part of the rear surface of the connector. In addition the folded edge portions 4 serve to define channels 5 between the front and rear surfaces of the connector, the channels 5 extending over the full length of the connector along the edges thereof.

The front surface 3 of the connector defines a plurality of regularly spaced elongate apertures 6 which are positioned on the central axis of symmetry 2 so as to extend in the direction of that longitudinal axis. The apertures 6 are spaced at 3 inch (approximately 75 mm) centres which corresponds to the standard depth of a conventional brick. The apertures 6 are intended to receive bolts by way of which the connector is bolted onto an existing wall.

Between each pair of adjacent apertures 6 the front surface 3 of the connector defines a generally rectangular rearwardly deflected portion 7. Each rectangular portion 7 is connected to the planar front surface of the connector at its upper and lower, shorter edges 8, whilst the longer edges of each rectangular portion are pushed rearwardly and separated from the front surface 3, these longer edges which are identified by the reference numeral 9 in the drawings extending in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the component and defining a series of serrations or teeth 10. The vertical edges of the generally rectangular opening which is left in the front surface 3 of the connector as a result of the rearwardly deflected region 7 have serrations or teeth 11 corresponding to the serrations or teeth 10 on the rearwardly deflected portion 7.

As can best be seen from Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings the generally rectangular portion 7 is deflected rearwardly so that its free edges carrying the teeth 10 are aligned with, but spaced from, the folded over edge portions 4. The vertical edges 9 carrying the teeth 10 and the folded over edge portions 4 effectively constitute a rear surface for the connector 1. As can best be seen in Figure 3 of the drawings the rearwardly deflected rectangular portions 7 are slightly dished or concave in horizontal cross-section.

When the connector 1 is to be used to tie in a new wall to an existing wall the connector is mounted on the existing wall so as to stand vertically. Thus, holes are initially drilled in the existing wall at positions corresponding to the spacing of the apertures 6. The holes are then plugged. The connector is offered up to the existing wall and fixing screws 12 are passed through the apertures 6 and secured in the plugged holes in the existing wall with a washer 13 received beneath the head of each screw, as shown in Figure 1.

It is to be noted that the wall connector is mounted upon the existing wall so that the mounting apertures 6 are received approximately in the middle of the depth of the existing bricks, as is clearly shown in Figure 5 of the drawings. It is to be noted that the spacing of the apertures 6 corresponds to a standard brick course. However, as will become apparent the precise location of the connector on the existing wall is not of great importance due to the fact that the means for mounting the wall ties 14 on the connector provide for vertical adjustment. It is therefore sufficient simply to ensure that the connector is mounted vertically and that the apertures 6 are positioned adjacent the existing bricks, that is to say not adjacent the mortar between the bricks. If necessary several connectors 1 may of course be joined together to increase the overall length of the connector.

Wall ties 14 may now be mounted on the connector so as to extend horizontally in order to be received within mortar between brick courses of the new wall as the wall is built. Figure 5 illustrates two connectors mounted on an existing wall and serving to tie in the inner and outer walls which together make up a cavity wall.

One example of a wall tie 14 for use with the connector of this invention is shown in Figure 6 of the drawings. The tie is formed from an appropriately bent length of circular sectioned steel and is generally U-shaped, having a pair of arms 15, 16 which are interconnected by a base portion 17. The arms 15, 16 converge slightly towards their free ends. The free end of each arm is formed with a short mounting lug 18, 19 which projects laterally outwardly, substantially at right angles to the arm. The lugs 18, 19 serve to mount the tie 14 on the connector 1 as will be described below.

It is to be noted that the design of the connector 1 enables it to be mounted on the existing wall either with its front surface 3 directed outwardly or with its rear surface, constituted by the folded edges 4 and the vertical edges 9 of the deflected region 7, directed outwardly. It will therefore be appreciated that both the front and rear surfaces define means for mounting the wall ties 14 thereon.

Thus, the connector is designed so that when the front surface is directed outwardly, in the manner as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, the free ends of the wall tie 14 may be pushed towards each other, against the inherent resilience of the steel wall tie, in order to enable the free ends carrying the lugs 18, 19 to be passed between the opposed sets of teeth 11 so that the free ends engage the rearwardly deflected portion 7. If the free ends are then released they will naturally tend to spring outwardly due to the inherent resilience of the steel from which the tie is formed and the lugs 18, 19 will be received behind the vertical edges defining the teeth 11 with the junction between each lug 18, 19 and its associated arm 15, 16 being located between two adjacent teeth 11 so that the tie is held at this particular vertical position and cannot move vertically.If it is necessary to adjust the vertical position of the tie then the free ends of the tie 14 are again pushed together in order to release the ends of the tie from between the teeth 11, whereupon the tie may be moved vertically to any desired position between the ends 8 of the rearwardly deflected portion 7.

The new wall is built in conventional manner so that the brick courses of the new wall are aligned with the brick courses of the existing wall, as can be seen in Figure 5 of the drawings. As the new wall is built wall ties 14 are mounted on the connector 1 in the manner as described above. The ties are initially mounted on the connector so as to be located adjacent the upper ends of the rearwardly deflected portion 7, with the wall ties then being moved vertically downwardly to be received within a bed of mortar applied to the uppermost layer of bricks of the new wall before the next layer of bricks is applied, thereby sandwiching the tie 14 in place.

It will be appreciated that if desired all of the wall ties 14 which are to be used in tying in the new wall can be mounted upon the connector 1 before building of the new wall commences and the ties 14 will be held in position on the connector in the manner described above. A person building the new wall can therefore decide upon the locations where ties 14 are to be used and checked that sufficient ties are available before starting work.

If the connector is mounted upon the existing wall so that its rear surface is directed outwardly then each tie 14 is mounted upon the connector 1 by pushing the free ends of the tie together so that the lugs 18, 19 can be passed between the inwardly directed edges of the folded over portions 4 at a vertical position aligned with one of the apertures 6. If the free ends of the tie are then released the lugs 18, 19 will automatically spring outwardly and pass into the channels 5 behind the folded over edge regions 4 and the inherent resilience of the tie 14 will cause the junction between the arms 15, 16 and the lugs 18, 19 to be biassed against the inwardly directed edges of the folded over portions 4 so that the tie is held in place.The tie may be moved vertically to any desired position by lightly pressing the ends of the tie together and sliding the lugs 18, 19 along the channels 5. When a desired position is reached the free ends of the tie are released and the arms of the tie are again biassed into engagement with the edges of the folded over regions 4 and the tie is held in place. It will be appreciated that when the rear surface of the connector is directed outwardly in this manner the tie may be adjusted to any desired vertical position. The spacing between the vertical edges 9 carrying the teeth 10 and the inwardly directed free edges of the folded over regions 4 is sufficient to receive the ends of the tie 14 with a small clearance.

The method of building the new wall and tying it into the existing wall is exactly the same when the connector is mounted on the existing wall with the rear surface directed outwardly as it is when the connector is mounted on the existing wall with the front surface directed outwardly as was described above.

It will be appreciated that with the connector 1 mounted on the existing wall either way round the design of the connector provides for vertical adjustment of the ties 14 over almost the full depth of a standard size brick and it is this feature which makes it unnecessary for the connector to be mounted upon the existing wall with any great degree of accuracy. As long as the connector is mounted on the existing wall with the mounting screws received in the material of the existing bricks then the rearwardly deflected portions 7 will automatically extend vertically across the mortar layers between adjacent bricks.Even if the connector is mounted on the existing wall with the mounting screws relatively close to the top or bottom of the existing bricks the apertures 6 provide for some vertical adjustment of the connector and the connector design will still enable the ties 14 to be adjusted in the vertical direction so that they can be received within the mortar between adjacent brick courses of the new wall.

The rearwardly deflected portions 7 serve to provide a key for the mortar applied between brick courses of the new wall and helps to provide improved "bonding" between the new wall and the existing wall when the mortar penetrates behind the front surface of the connector via the openings created by the rearwardly deflected portion.

The ability to use the connector either way round, that is to say with either the front surface or the rear surface directed outwardly in use is particularly advantageous because it has been found that one way round the connector is particularly suitable for use when tying in a new wall formed of conventional bricks whilst the other way round the connector is particularly suitable for use when tying in a wall formed of breeze blocks or a different type of brick material. Thus, the connector can be used in the orientation which provides for best results depending upon the type of bricks which are used for the new wall.

The fact that the wall ties 14 stay in place at the vertical position where they are mounted on the connector enables a bricklayer to connect a line to one of the ties or to a specially formed "tie" which is mounted on the connector and to use the line as a horizontal guide in order to ensure that the brick courses remain horizontal during construction of the new wall. This is not something which can be done with a conventional connector where the ties are not automatically held in place on the connector at positions above the level of the new wall.

It is envisaged that the connector may be formed either from stainless steel or from powder coated galvanized steel. The component may be formed from a blank sheet of steel which is initially punched in order to form the apertures 6 and the rearwardly deflected regions 7 with the edges 4 subsequently being folded in order to define the channels 5. It will be appreciated that production is relatively straightforward and therefore inexpensive and results in a product which does not have any sharp edges which can cause injury. The resulting connector is quick and simple to mount upon an existing wall since it is not necessary to mount it with the degree of accuracy previously needed.

The reversible nature of the connector with mounting means for the wall ties on both the front and the rear surfaces enables it to be used between two walls which extend in the same plane with wall ties being mounted on both the front and the rear surfaces of the connector.

It will be appreciated that various modifications may be made to the specific design disclosed above without departing from the scope of the present invention. Thus, for example, the rearwardly deflected portions 7 could be completely punched out to leave apertures in the connector.

However, this would reduce the overall strength of the connector.

Claims

1. A wall connector for use in tying in a new wall to an existing wall, the connector comprising an elongate component having means for fixing the component on an existing wall, the component having two different and independent means for mounting a wall tie thereon so that the wall tie extends substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the component.

2. A wall connector according to Claim 1 wherein the connector defines a pair of opposed first and second surfaces, the fixing means enabling the component to be fixed on an existing wall with either the first surface or the second surface directed outwardly, the two different and independent means for mounting a wall tie on the component comprising first means presented by the first surface of the component and second means presented by the second surface of the component.

3. A wall connector according to Claim 2 wherein the first surface defines a plurality of opposed pair of inwardly directed edges at regularly spaced intervals over the length of the component, said inwardly directed edges extending generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the component and constituting said first mounting means.

4. A wall connector according to Claim 3 wherein said inwardly directed edges which constitute said first mounting means define a series of teeth or serrations, there being recesses between adjacent teeth or serrations which constitute discrete mounting locations for the wall tie.

5. A wall connector according to Claim 3 or Claim 4 wherein said inwardly directed edges are defined by the first surface as a result of the first surface being formed with a plurality of rearwardly deflected portions at regularly spaced intervals over the length of the component, each rearwardly deflected portion having a pair of outwardly directed edges which extend generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the component and which are disposed rearwardly of the first surface and correspond to the inwardly directed edges defined by the first surface.

6. A wall connector according to Claim 3, 4 or 5 wherein the first mounting means provide for adjustment of the position of a wall tie in the axial direction of the component over the axial extent of the pair of inwardly directed edges defined by the first surface.

7. A wall connector according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the means for fixing the component on an existing wall comprise apertures formed in the component, the apertures being regularly spaced at approximately 3 inch (approximately 76 mm) intervals over the length of the component.

8. A wall connector according to Claim 7, as dependent upon Claim 5 wherein the rearwardly deflected portions of the first surface extend between adjacent apertures constituting the fixing means.

9. A wall connector according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the connector is formed from a sheet material the longitudinal edges of which are folded rearwardly to form part of the second surface and to define channels between the first and second surfaces, said longitudinal edges and said channels forming said second mounting means.

10. A wall connector according to Claim 9 wherein said second mounting means provide for infinite adjustment in the axial direction of the connector of a wall tie mounted on the connector by way of said second mounting means.

11. A wall connector according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the connector is integrally formed from sheet steel.

12. A wall connector according to any one of the preceding claims in combination with one or more wall ties, the or each wall tie being formed with elements which cooperate with said first and second mounting means.

13. A wall connector according to Claim 12 wherein the or each wall tie comprises a generally U-shaped member having a pair of interconnected arms, the free ends of the arms each carrying a respective lug which cooperates with said first and second mounting means in order to mount the wall tie upon the connector.

14. A wall connector substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawings.

15. A wall connector in combination with a wall tie substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure 6 of the accompanying drawings.

16. Any novel feature or combination of features disclosed herein.