GB2573312A

GB2573312A - Scaffolding anchor assembly and associated method

Info

Publication number: GB2573312A
Application number: GB1807230.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Whyte Andrew; Beedie Kenneth
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2018-05-02
Filing date: 2018-05-02
Publication date: 2019-11-06
Anticipated expiration: 2038-05-02
Also published as: GB2573312B; GB201807230D0; GB2573312B8; GB2573312A8

Abstract

A scaffolding anchor 10 for removable attachment within a hole formed in a façade of a structure, the scaffolding anchor 10 comprises a substantially cylindrical sleeve member 12 having a central longitudinal axis, and defines an internal volume for receiving a scaffolding member. A base member 14 is attached to an end of the sleeve member 12, and a threaded bolt 20 is attached to the base member 14. A locking assembly 22 comprises a radially deployable lock member 26 which extends through a first aperture 21. The threaded bolt 20 is insertable into an expansion element with said façade hole, wherein the locking assembly is deployable to engage a scaffolding member received within the sleeve. The sleeve may be characterised by second and third diametrically opposed apertures 26 formed through the cylindrical sleeve member, the apertures 26 may be circumferentially offset from the locking assembly by 90 degrees. A method of temporarily securing a scaffolding member to a façade of a structure is also included.

Description

SCAFFOLDING ANCHOR ASSEMBLY AND ASSOCIATED METHOD

The present invention relates to a scaffolding anchor assembly and particularly, though not exclusively, to an anchor assembly and an associated method for removable attachment to a building faqade.

Scaffolding systems are commonly used during the construction, maintenance and repair of buildings or other structures. For safety reasons, it is often necessary to physically secure one or more tubular scaffold members to the faqade of a structure being constructed, maintained or repaired.

At present, the most common means of attaching a tubular scaffold member to a building’s facade firstly requires the insertion of an eye bolt which is securely retained in a hole in the faqade by a suitable expansion member. A tubular scaffold member is then hooked onto, otherwise physically connected to, the eye via a separate commercially available fixing member.

The inventors of the present invention have identified several potential problems associated with existing scaffold attachment apparatus and methods. Firstly, there is a tendency to mix eye bolts and fixing members which are incompatible with each other. For example, the size of the eye aperture vis-a-vis the size of the part of the fixing member which hooks into it may permit undesirable relative movement between the two, thus contributing to potential safety issues. Furthermore, there is a requirement to firstly attach the eye bolt to the building faqade and then separately attach the fixing member to the eye bolt.

The present invention provides an apparatus and associated method which seeks to overcome or at least ameliorate one or more of the aforementioned disadvantages.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a scaffolding anchor for removable attachment within a hole formed in a faqade of a structure, the scaffolding anchor comprising:

Q) a substantially cylindrical sleeve member having a central longitudinal axis, and defining an internal volume for receiving a scaffold member;

Qi) a base member attached to, or proximate to, an end of the sleeve member;

Qii) a threaded base bolt attached to, and extending axially away from, the base member; and

Qv) a locking assembly comprising a radially deployable lock member extendable through a first aperture formed in the sleeve member;

wherein the threaded base bolt is insertable into an expansion element within a said hole to thus expand same and secure the cylindrical sleeve member to said facade; and wherein the locking assembly is deployable to engage a scaffold member received within said cylindrical sleeve member to thereby releasably anchor the scaffold member.

In some embodiments, the structure is a building and the facade is an external wall of the building. However, it will be appreciated that the apparatus of the present invention can be used on internal or external facades of buildings and any other structures where scaffolding requires to be anchored.

Optionally, the locking assembly comprises an internally threaded opening which is cooperable with an external thread provided on the lock member.

Optionally, the internally threaded opening is defined by a hex nut.

Optionally, the hex nut is welded to the cylindrical sleeve member about said first aperture.

In some embodiments, the hex nut is welded to the external convex surface of the sleeve member. However, it will be appreciated that the hex nut could instead be welded to its internal concave surface; or indeed the hex nut could be welded in place within the first aperture formed in the sleeve member such that it protrudes partly externally and partly internally relative thereto.

Optionally, the lock member is a hex bolt.

It will be appreciated that the head of the hex bolt can be rotated by a tool to extend and retract its opposite end within the internal volume of the sleeve member to urge it towards and away from a scaffold member located therein. The length of the hex bolt may be selected to limit the radial extent to which it extendble into the sleeve member.

Optionally, a head of the threaded base bolt is welded to the base member within the internal volume defined by the cylindrical sleeve member.

Optionally, the threaded base bolt is a self-threading masonry bolt.

A particularly suitable bolt exhibiting the required technical characteristics - such as material, length and load capacity - for use as part of a scaffolding support system is the Lightning Bolt® sold by the UK company Forgefix Ltd.

Optionally, second and third diametrically opposed apertures are formed through the cylindrical sleeve member.

Optionally, the diametrically opposed apertures are circumferentially offset from the locking assembly by 90 degrees.

In some embodiments, the diametrically opposed apertures facilitate the insertion of a tool used to rotate the sleeve member so as to rotate its threaded base bolt into a hole formed in a facade.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for temporarily securing a scaffolding member to a faqade of a structure, the method comprising the steps of:

(i) providing a scaffolding anchor assembly according to the first aspect;

(if) providing an expansion element;

(in) forming a hole within the building faqade;

(iv) inserting the expansion element into the hole;

(v) expanding the expansion element and securing it to said faqade by rotationally inserting the threaded bolt of the cylindrical sleeve member therein;

(vi) inserting a scaffold member into the internal volume defined by the cylindrical sleeve member; and (vii) deploying the locking assembly to releasably anchor the scaffold member to the cylindrical sleeve member

Further features and advantages of the first and second aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the claims and the following description.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the following diagrams, in which:

Fig. 1 is an isometric view of the cylindrical sleeve member forming part of the apparatus of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the sleeve member through line A-A of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 3 is an end view of the sleeve member of Fig. 1 from its open end.

The scaffolding anchor 10 shown in Fig. 1 takes the form a cylindrical sleeve 12 which is closed at one end thereof by a base member 14 which is welded in place. The opposite end 16 is open to allow a tubular scaffold member (not shown) to be introduced into the internal volume 18 defined by the cylindrical sleeve 12.

A threaded base bolt 20 extends through the base member 14 such that the bolt head 2Oh abuts against the inner surface of the base member 14 and is prevented from rotating relative thereto. Rotation of the bolt head 2Oh is prevented by welding it to the inner surface of the base member 14.

The threaded portion 20t of the threaded base bolt 20 extends externally away from the base member 14 along an axis which coincides with the central longitudinal axis of the cylindrical sleeve 12. The threaded portion 20t is provided with a self-tapping screw thread suitable for engagement with masonry and/or an expansion member (not shown) fitted into a hole (not shown) formed in a building’s faqade.

A first aperture 21 is formed in the side wall of the cylindrical sleeve 12 proximate its end 16, i.e. the end remote from the base member 14. A locking assembly 22 is provided in the cylindrical sleeve 12. The locking assembly 22 comprises a hex nut 24 which abuts against the exterior cylindrical surface of the cylindrical sleeve 12. The hex nut 24 is positioned to surround the first aperture 21. The hex nut 24 is prevented from rotating relative to the cylindrical sleeve 12 by welding it to the exterior cylindrical surface of the cylindrical sleeve 12.

A lock member in the form of a hex head bolt 26 is threadedly engaged within the hex nut 24 to allow it to be extended and retracted through the first aperture 21 in a radial direction, i.e. perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical sleeve

12.

Second and third apertures 26 are formed in the side wall of the cylindrical sleeve 12. The apertures 26 are also located proximate the end 16 of the cylindrical sleeve 12, i.e. the end remote from the base member 14. The first, second and third apertures 21, 26 are circumferentially aligned. However, the second and third apertures 26 are diametrically opposed relative to one another and circumferentially offset from the first aperture 21 by 90 degrees.

In one embodiment, the components of the scaffolding anchor are formed from metallic materials such as galvanised steel. As shown in the figures, the scaffolding anchor may be assembled from various discrete components which are welded together.

In use, a hole is formed in the faqade of a building or other structure to which scaffolding is to be attached. A suitable expansion element (not shown) is then inserted into the hole.

The threaded portion 20t of the threaded base bolt 20 is then rotated into the expansion member to expand the expansion member to progressively increase its frictional engagement with the hole. The threaded base bolt 20 may be rotated by manually grasping and rotating the cylindrical sleeve 12 and/or by passing an elongate tool through the second and third apertures 26 to provide a temporary lever to assist with the rotation of the threaded base bolt 20 into the hole.

Once the threaded base bolt 20 is fully engaged within the expansion element, the cylindrical sleeve 12 is securely anchored to the faqade in readiness to receive a tubular scaffold member. A scaffold member is then introduced into the internal volume 18 defined by the cylindrical sleeve 12. The hex head bolt 26 is of the locking assembly 22 is then rotated by means of a tool to move its opposite threaded radially into the internal volume 18 of the cylindrical sleeve 12. Rotation of the hex head bolt 26 is continued until the hex head bolt 26 engages the scaffolding member and stabilises it against unwanted movement within the internal volume 18 of the cylindrical sleeve 12.

It will be appreciated that the foregoing technical features provide a scaffold anchor which securely encapsulates the end of a tubular scaffold member around 360 degrees, thus providing a more secure, more reliable, and safer anchoring means which can be more quickly and more easily fitted with fewer tools as compared to existing solutions.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed herein in detail, this has been done by way of example and for the purposes of illustration only. The described embodiment is not intended to be limiting with respect to the scope of the appended claims. Indeed, it is contemplated by the inventors that various substitutions, alterations, and modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. For example, whilst the illustrated scaffold anchor is formed from several metallic components which have been welded together, it will be appreciated that it could instead be formed as a unitary item; or indeed some or all of it could be formed using plastics materials exhibiting suitable technical characteristics.

Claims

1. A scaffolding anchor for removable attachment within a hole formed in a faqade of a structure, the scaffolding anchor comprising:

(i) a substantially cylindrical sleeve member having a central longitudinal axis, and defining an internal volume for receiving a scaffold member;

(if) a base member attached to, or proximate to, an end of the sleeve member;

(iif) a threaded base bolt attached to, and extending axially away from, the base member; and (iv) a locking assembly comprising a radially deployable lock member extendable through a first aperture formed in the sleeve member;

wherein the threaded base bolt is insertable into an expansion element within a said hole to thus expand same and secure the cylindrical sleeve member to said faqade; and wherein the locking assembly is deployable to engage a scaffold member received within said cylindrical sleeve member to thereby releasably anchor the scaffold member.

2. A scaffolding assembly according to claim 1, wherein the locking assembly comprises an internally threaded opening which is co-operable with an external thread provided on the lock member.

3. A scaffolding assembly according to claim 2, wherein the internally threaded opening is defined by a hex nut.

4. A scaffolding assembly according to claim 3, wherein the hex nut is welded to the cylindrical sleeve member about said first aperture.

5. A scaffolding assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein the lock member is a hex bolt.

6. A scaffolding assembly according to any preceding claim, wherein a head of the threaded base bolt is welded to the base member within the internal volume defined by the cylindrical sleeve member.

7. A scaffolding assembly according to any preceding claim, the threaded base bolt is a self-threading masomy bolt.

8. A scaffolding assembly according to any preceding claim, second and third diametrically opposed apertures are formed through the cylindrical sleeve member.

9. A scaffolding assembly according to claim 8, wherein the diametrically opposed apertures are circumferentially offset from the locking assembly by 90 degrees.

10. A method for temporarily securing a scaffolding member to a fapade of a structure, the method comprising the steps of:

(i) providing a scaffolding anchor assembly according to the first aspect;

(if) providing an expansion element;

(in) forming a hole within the building fapade;

(iv) inserting the expansion element into the hole;

(v) expanding the expansion element and securing it to said fapade by rotationally inserting the threaded bolt of the cylindrical sleeve member therein;

(Vi) inserting a scaffold member into the internal volume defined by the cylindrical sleeve member; and (vii) deploying the locking assembly to releasably anchor the scaffold member to the cylindrical sleeve member.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows