GB2548800A

GB2548800A - An Adjustable Load-Bearing Bracket Arrangement

Info

Publication number: GB2548800A
Application number: GB1604690.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ruding Paul; Freeman Matthew
Original assignee: ACS Stainless Steel Fixings Ltd
Current assignee: ACS Stainless Steel Fixings Ltd
Priority date: 2016-03-21
Filing date: 2016-03-21
Publication date: 2017-10-04
Anticipated expiration: 2036-03-21
Also published as: GB2548800B; GB201604690D0

Abstract

The arrangement comprises a bracket 1 and a clamping plate 2. The bracket comprises a planar support plate 4 defining an elongate slot 6 with two opposed longitudinal edges that each define a series of teeth 7 that project outwards from the plane of the support plate, the clamping plate comprises two series of apertures 10 in which at least a portion of the teeth are respectively received such that, in use, the clamping plate lies adjacent an opposing planar surface of the support plate, the clamping plate also defines a hole 9 whereby in use a fastener is located through the elongate slot and the hole to fasten the bracket to a support structure at a chosen position relative thereto dependant on the apertures chosen to receive the teeth of the clamping plate.

Description

AN ADJUSTABLE LOAD-BEARING BRACKET ARRANGEMENT

The present invention relates to an adjustable load-bearing bracket arrangement for use within the construction industry, in particular for supporting brickwork from a structural support member.

Load-bearing bracket arrangements are commonly used within the construction industry to support and to tie brickwork to the supporting structure of a building, such as a concrete or steel framework. As it is very difficult to align a plurality of fixing elements precisely, such bracket arrangements are usually provided with a means of allowing some degree of adjustment to compensate for variations in alignment of the fixing elements. GB2234540 and GB2249816 both describe such bracket arrangements wherein an elongate slot in the base of a bracket has longitudinal edges which are provided with a plurality of serrated teeth. A similarly toothed washer can be engaged with the teeth to locate a bolt secured to a structural member of a floor or wall so that the bracket can be tied to the structural member, the interengaging serrated teeth of the washer and the bracket enabling the position of the bracket relative to the bolt to be finely adjusted.

The main disadvantage with these bracket arrangements is that they are difficult and therefore expensive to manufacture because the serrated teeth along the longitudinal edges of the bracket must be accurately cut. GB2412952 describes a bracket which defines an elongate slot and a plurality of additional apertures located adjacent opposed longitudinal edges of the slot. These apertures cooperate with a washer that has a pair of parallel legs arranged such that they can engage in at least one of the apertures on either side of the slot respectively. A fastener which can pass through the slot and through a hole formed in the washer is then used to mount the bracket to a support structure at a chosen position relative thereto dependent on the apertures chosen to receive the legs of the washer.

One disadvantage with this bracket arrangement is that head of the fastener cannot be fed through the hole in the bracket, which can make fitment of the bracket awkward.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable load-bearing bracket arrangement which overcomes all of the aforementioned disadvantages and which provides an increase in shear capacity over the conventional arrangements.

According to the present invention there is provided an adjustable load-bearing bracket arrangement comprising a bracket with a planar support plate defining an elongate slot with two opposed longitudinal edges which each define a series of teeth that project outwards from the plane of the support plate; and a clamping plate comprising two series of apertures in which at least a proportion of the teeth are respectively received such that in use the clamping plate lies adjacent an opposing planar surface of the support plate, the clamping plate also defining a hole therethrough whereby in use a fastener is located through the elongate slot and the hole to mount the bracket to a support structure at a chosen position relative thereto dependent on the apertures chosen to receive the teeth of the clamping plate.

Preferably, there is a gap between each two adjacent teeth so that the teeth define projecting castellations.

Preferably also, the teeth are formed by the opposed longitudinal edges of the slot that have been bent out of the plane of the support plate.

Other preferred but non-essential features of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

The present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: -

Fig. l is a perspective exploded view of a bracket arrangement comprising a bracket and a clamping plate in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the bracket and clamping plate shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the clamping plate shown in Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the bracket arrangement shown in Fig. l when assembled.

An adjustable load-bearing bracket arrangement as shown in Fig. l comprises a bracket l to which a clamping plate 2 is engaged to enable the bracket l to be secured to a support structure, which is typically a structural support member of a building, by means of a fastener 3, such as a bolt. The bracket 1 may be attached, for example by welding, to another member or members (not shown) such as a load-bearing plate or projections, which are not relevant to the present invention but which enable the bracket 1 to be secured to brickwork and the like, for example by forming a shelf on which masonry can be built. The clamping plate 2 is designed to engage the bracket 1 in a plurality of positions thereby enabling the position of the bracket 1 relative to the support structure retaining the fastener to be finely adjusted. Typically in most embodiments, the bracket will be around 200 mm in height and around 50 mm wide but can be made to suit any particular application.

The bracket 1 is preferably of channel section and comprises a base wall 4 and integral, parallel side walls 5. It will usually be fashioned from stainless steel plate that may have a thickness T between 2 mm and 8 mm but typically will be either 3 + 0.25 mm or 4 + 0.25 mm thick. The base wall 4 of the bracket 1 forms a support plate that defines a centrally located, longitudinally elongate slot 6. The slot preferably has a width W that is between 18 mm and 20 mm wide, which is considerably wider that the elongate slots formed in most prior art bracket arrangements. The longitudinal edges of the slot 6 each define a series of teeth 7 that project outwards from the plane of the support plate. Preferably, the bracket 1 is formed by laser cutting a plate to cut out the slot 6 and the shapes of the teeth 7. The plate 1 is then formed into the bracket 1, the teeth 7 being formed by the opposed longitudinal edges of the slot 6 being bent out of the plane of the base wall 4 such that each edge defines a series of teeth 7 with a gap 8 between each two adjacent teeth. The teeth 7 therefore form projecting castellations and preferably define a draft angle whereby the cross-sectional area of each tooth 7 increases from the top to the bottom of the tooth 7. When the bracket is fashioned from 3 mm thick plate, the draft angle is preferably formed by making the teeth 4.5 mm wide longitudinally at their base and tapering them to a longitudinal width of 4 mm at their top. The lateral width of the teeth 7 is equal to the thickness of the plate forming the bracket 1. The provision of such a draft angle facilitates the location of the clamping plate 2 over the teeth 7.

Preferably but not essentially, the teeth 7 along one edge of the slot 6 are exactly aligned horizontally with the teeth 7 along the opposing edge of the slot 6, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the teeth 7 form opposing pairs. In addition, the gap 8 between adjacent teeth 7 is the same as the longitudinal width of the teeth 7 at their base. This enables regular adjustment of the position of the clamping plate 2 and thereby the bracket 1 in use, as is described below. Preferably there are at least nine teeth 7 along each side of the slot 6.

The clamping plate 2 comprises a substantially rectangular plate that is provided with a hole 9 for the fastener 3 and with two series of apertures 10. The series of apertures 10 are respectively located on either side of the hole 9 and have dimensions and are spaced such that the teeth 7 can be received in them. Advantageously, there are four apertures 10 in each series, each in the form of a rectangular hole. In the event that an aperture 10 is drilled slightly off-centre the rectangular holes are provided with at least a 1 mm and preferably a 1.5 mm lateral tolerance. In use the clamping plate 2 lies adjacent the opposing planar surface of the base wall 4 of the bracket 1. The clamping plate 2 contacts the base of the gaps 8 between the teeth and in some embodiments may also contact the opposing planar surface of the base wall 4 of the bracket 1.

In a modified arrangement, the apertures 10 may be formed by gaps between a series of castellated teeth cut laterally along opposing sides of the plate 2 rather than being in the form of rectangular holes.

It will be appreciated that the pitch of the castellated teeth 7 determines the degree of adjustment between the clamping plate 2, and therefore the fastener 3 and the bracket 1. However, in order to provide a finer adjustment, the hole 9 is preferably located in a position which is offset from a central position by a distance equal to half the pitch of the castellated teeth 7. Hence, by turning the clamping plate 2 through 18 o° the degree of adjustment can be halved.

In use, the position of the bracket 1 relative to a fastener 3, such as a bolt, which is already secured to a structural support member such as a beam or column, is adjusted as required. The fastener 3 is located through the slot 6 and the clamping plate 2 is then located over the fastener 3, which passes through the hole 9 so that the clamping plate 2 lies adjacent the opposing planar surface of the base wall 4 of the bracket 1, the teeth 7 being received by the appropriate apertures 10 to maintain the relative positioning of the bracket 1 to the fastener 3. If necessary, the clamping plate 2 can be turned through 1800 to facilitate this engagement. The bracket 1 is then clamped into position, by securing a nut 11 over the projecting end of the fastener 3, thus clamping both the clamping plate 2 and the bracket 1 in position. In some cases, it may be advantageous to provide a washer 12 between the nut 11 and the clamping plate 2. This arrangement is shown in Fig. 4

However, the present invention also allows for greater flexibility in its securement to the structural support member than some prior art arrangements owing to the width of the slot 6, which is considerably wider than that in many conventional brackets. This also enables the bracket 1 to be offered up to a structural support member before the fastener 3 is secured to the latter. The head of the fastener 3 is then passed through the slot 6 and secured to the structural support member prior to fitment of the clamping plate 2.

In addition to the foregoing, the clamping plate 2 clamps the bracket 1 to the fastener 3 more securely than the conventional arrangements described above owing to the positive engagement of the teeth 7 in the apertures 10 of the clamping plate 2. This provides a considerable increase in shear capacity over these arrangements. For example for a similarly sized bracket, the present invention is capable of around a 30% increase in shear capacity over the arrangement described in GB2412952.

Claims

1. An adjustable load-bearing bracket arrangement comprising a bracket with a planar support plate defining an elongate slot with two opposed longitudinal edges which each define a series of teeth that project outwards from the plane of the support plate; and a clamping plate comprising two series of apertures in which at least a proportion of the teeth are respectively received such that in use the clamping plate lies adjacent an opposing planar surface of the support plate, the clamping plate also defining a hole therethrough whereby in use a fastener is located through the elongate slot and the hole to mount the bracket to a support structure at a chosen position relative thereto dependent on the apertures chosen to receive the teeth of the clamping plate.

2. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, wherein there is a gap between each two adjacent teeth so that the teeth define projecting castellations.

3. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the length of the gaps between adjacent the teeth is the same as the longitudinal width of the teeth at their base.

4. An arrangement as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the teeth are formed by the opposed longitudinal edges of the slot that have been bent out of the plane of the support plate.

5. An arrangement as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein each tooth has a draft angle such that its cross-sectional area increases from the top to the bottom of the tooth.

6. An arrangement as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 5, wherein there are nine teeth in each series. 7· An arrangement as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the clamping plate comprises two series each of four apertures.

8. An arrangement as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the pitch of the apertures in each series of apertures is the same.

9. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the hole in the clamping plate is located in a position which is offset from a central position by a distance equal to half the pitch of the apertures.

10. An arrangement as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 9, wherein the apertures are in the form of holes formed through the clamping plate.

11. An arrangement as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 10, wherein a washer is also provided for location between a nut secured to the fastener and the clamping plate.

12. An arrangement as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 11, wherein the bracket is of channel section and the support plate comprises a base wall of the channel.

13. An arrangement as claimed in Claim 12, wherein the elongate slot is located centrally of the base wall of the channel-section bracket.

14. An arrangement as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 13, wherein the elongate slot is between 18 mm and 20 mm wide.

15. An adjustable load-bearing bracket arrangement substantially as described herein with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.