IES85062Y1

IES85062Y1 - A restraint device

Info

Publication number: IES85062Y1
Application number: IE2007/0564A
Authority: IE
Inventors: K. Morrison A.
Original assignee: Haz International Limited
Filing date: 2007-08-09
Publication date: 2008-12-10

Abstract

ABSTRACT A restraint device is described for restraining a course of cladding to a building of veneer construction. The configuration of the restraint device allows for improved ease of installation, as the device can be installed using widely available standard tools. The length of the device means it can also be employed on walls with relatively deep insulation layers, without damaging the insulation layer itself. There is also described a method of installing such a device.

Description

A Restraint Device Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a restraint device, more particularly to a restraint device for a masonry wall, used to laterally restrain stone cladding to a building of veneer construction.

Background to the Invention Veneer construction is the practice whereby the structural walls of a building are initially constructed using functional (but generally non—decorative) brickwork, e. g. concrete blocks or cinderblock, or a steel-and-concrete structure. An appropriate layer of stone cladding or decorative brickwork is then afﬁxed to the outer surface of the structural walls as an outer veneer wall, in order to give a ﬁnished appearance. Typically, an air gap is maintained between the structural wall and the outer veneer wall. A layer of insulation is generally also provided in the space between the structural wall and the outer veneer wall, typically adhered to or mechanically afﬁxed to the structural wall.

In large buildings, it is often necessary to laterally restrain the outer veneer wall to the structural walls of the building, in order to resist the effects of wind and live loads. This is often done by providing restraints between the outer veneer wall and the structural wall.

An example of a known restraint device for providing lateral restraint between an outer veneer wall and a structural wall in a veneer construction building is shown in Fig. l. The system comprises a wall anchor indicated generally at 10, an L-shaped bracket 12 and a location pin 14.

The wall anchor 10 comprises a generally elongate bar 16 having a first end 18 and a second end 20. Bar 16 comprises a first threaded portion 18a extending along a portion of the bar 16 from the first end 18 of the bar 16, a second threaded portion 20a extending along a portion of the bar 16 from the second end 20 of the bar 16, and a centre ﬂat bar portion 16a located between said ﬁrst and second threaded portions l8a,20a.

P85935IEO0/July 12, 2030 A concrete insert 22 (for example, a RawlBolt®) is located at the ﬁrst end 18 of the bar 16.

The concrete insert 22 comprises a frusto-conical tapered nut 24 located on the ﬁrst threaded portion 18a, provided towards the free end of the ﬁrst threaded portion 18a. An acting nut 26 is located at the end of the ﬁrst threaded portion 18a directly adjacent the bar portion 16a. The concrete insert 22 further comprises a split cylindrical sleeve 28 located over the first threaded portion 18a having a ﬁrst end 28a abutting the acting nut 26. A plurality of sleeve arms 30 extend from the ﬁrst end 28a of the split cylindrical sleeve 28 along the length of the ﬁrst threaded portion 18a towards the tapered nut 24, the free ends of the sleeve arms 30 engaging the relatively narrow end of the tapered surface of the nut 24.

The concrete insert 22 functions as follows: the insert 22 is placed within a drill hole created in a suitable piece of masonry. When it is desired to secure the insert 22 in place, the bar 16 is rotated in place. The rotation of the ﬁrst threaded portion 18a of the bar 16 causes the tapered nut 24 to advance along the ﬁrst threaded portion 18a. As the split cylindrical sleeve 28 is prevented from advancing along the body of the bar 16 by the acting nut 26, the sleeve arms 30 are gradually forced to expand outwards away from the ﬁrst threaded portion 18a of the bar 16 by the advancement of the tapered nut 24. The sleeve anns 30 then are forced outwards until they engage with the side ofthe drill hole, securing the insert 22 in place within the drill hole.

As can be seen in Fig. 1, a ﬁrst slot 32 is defined on the relatively longer portion 12a of the L-shaped bracket 12, towards the free end of the relatively longer portion 12a. A second slot 34 is defined alongthe relatively shorter portion 12b of the L-shaped bracket 12.

A tightening nut 36 is located at the end of the second threaded portion 20a directly adjacent the bar portion 16a.

With reference to Figs. 2 & 3, the installation of the restraint device comprising the wall anchor 10 is as follows: There is provided a structural wall 40, which may be formed from concrete blocks or poured concrete. A layer of insulation 42 is afﬁxed to a surface of the structural wall 40. A course of stone cladding 44 is spaced from the exterior surface of the insulation 42. The stone cladding 44 is provided with an aperture 46 extending into the body of the stone from the top surface 443 of the stone cladding 44.

P85935lEOO/July 12, 2030 A drill hole 48 is created using drill bit 50. The drill hole 48 extends through the insulation layer 42 into the body of the structural wall 40. The drill hole 48 is located at a height X above the top surface 44a of the adjacent stone cladding 44. The first end 18 of the wall anchor 10 is inserted into the drill hole 48. The lengths of the respective first threaded portion 18a and the bar portion 16a are set so that the ﬁrst threaded portion 18a (and the concrete insert 22) are located within the body of the structural wall 40, while the bar portion 16a is located within the body of the insulation layer 42. Once in position, the concrete insert 22 is secured within the concrete structural wall 40 by mining the tightening nut 36. The tightening nut 36 acts on the bar portion 16a, which acts on the acting nut 26. The turning of the acting nut 26 acts to secure the insert 22 within the structural wall 40, as described above.

The L-shaped bracket 12 is then positioned such that the second threaded portion 20a extends through the second slot 34 of the bracket 12. The axial position of the bracket 12 along the second threaded portion 20a can be adjusted such that a portion of the first slot 32 of the bracket 12 can be located directly above the aperture 46 deﬁned on the top surface 44a of the stone cladding 44. The bracket 12 can be vertically adjusted by the position of the second threaded portion 20a in the first slot 32. The L-shaped bracket 12 can be secured to the wall anchor 10 through the application of clamping nuts 52.

Once secure, the pin 14 is inserted into the aperture 46 through first slot 32, such that approximately half of the pin 14 projects above the bracket 12. The next course of stone cladding can then be applied directly above the previous course 44, the next course having a corresponding aperture deﬁned in its bottom surface to receive the projecting portion of the pin 14. The pin 14 acts to retain successive courses of stone cladding in place.

In recent times, updated building regulations tend towards increasing the insulation levels of buildings. This is accomplished through the application of insulation layers of greater thickness. However, as the thickness of the insulation layer of a structure as shown in the accompanying drawings is increased, access to the respective wall anchors 10 is impeded.

If the insulation layer 42 is increased by a relatively small amount (as indicated by the dashed line shown in Fig. 3), then the tightening nut 36 is located within the insulation layer 42. In this case, a labourer must cut into the insulation layer 42 to allow easy access P85935IEO0/July 12, 2030 to the tightening nut 36 in order to install the wall anchor l0. This damages the insulation layer 42 and consequently negatively affects the insulation properties of the building.

Also, even when the insulation layer 42 has not been increased, the location of the tightening nut 36 adjacent to the surface of the insulation layer 42 can sometimes result in impeded mobility when turning tightening nut 36, for example when the stone cladding 44 is located close to the surface of the insulation layer 42.

It is an object of the invention to provide a restraint device that overcomes the above problems.

Summary of the Invention Accordingly, there is provided a restraint device for laterally restraining a layer of cladding to a wall, the restraint device comprising an anchor portion and a bracket portion, the bracket portion comprising a support section for supporting and engaging with a course of cladding positioned adjacent said wall and a mounting section for mounting on said anchor portion, said anchor portion comprising: an elongate main body having a first end and a second end a securing mechanism located adjacent said ﬁrst end, the securing mechanism for inserting into an aperture. in a wall, and being actuatable to secure said‘ ﬁrst end within said aperture; and a receiving portion located adjacent said second end, the receiving portion operable to releasably receive said bracket portion thereon; an engagement portion located at said second end, the engagement portion operable to engage with a device for applying torsional force, wherein the application of torsional force to the engagement portion actuates said insert portion to secure the anchor within said aperture.

The location of the engagement portion at the second end of the anchor allows for ease of installation of the anchor, and also that suitable tools (e.g. torque wrenches, appropriate drill adaptor units) may be easily used during installation. The location of the engagement portion at the second end of the anchor also means the anchor may be used on walls with deeper insulation layers, without damaging the insulation layer.

P85935lEOO/July I2, 2030 Preferably, the engagement portion is a hexagonal head.

Alternatively, the engagement portion may be formed ﬁ‘om any suitable shape capable of easy engagement with standard work tools, e. g. a Phillips type screw head.

Preferably, said securing mechanism comprises an expanding shield anchor.

The use of an expanding shield anchor (such as a RawlBolt®) allows for the anchor portion of the restraintdevice to be easily secured within the aperture, through the application of torque to the shield anchor through the anchor portion of the restraint device.

Preferably, said receiving portion is threaded.

Preferably, said restraint device comprises a retention member, the bracket portion further comprising an aperture deﬁned in said support section of said bracket portion to receive said retention member, the retention member operable to retain and locate a course of cladding relative to said bracket portion.

Preferably, said retention member comprises a masonry pin.

Preferably, said restraint device further comprises a pair of clamping nuts, the clamping nuts securing said bracket portion to said anchor portion.

There is also provided a method of installing a restraint device in an aperture deﬁned in a wall, the restraint device comprising an anchor portion and a bracket portion, the bracket portion comprising a support section for supporting and engaging with a course of cladding positioned adjacent said wall and a mounting section for mounting on said anchor portion, the anchor portion comprising an elongate main body having a first end and a second end; a securing mechanism located adjacent said first end, the securing mechanism being actuatable to secure said ﬁrst end within said aperture; a receiving portion located adjacent said second end, the receiving portion operable to releasably receive said bracket portion thereon; and an engagement portion located at said second end, the engagement portion P85935IE00/July 12, 20 operable to engage with a device for applying torsional force, the method comprising the steps of: inserting the securing mechanism of an anchor portion of a restraint device into an aperture deﬁned in a wall; engaging the engagement portion of the anchor portion with a device for applying torsional force; applying torsional force to the engagement portion through the device, said torsional force actuating the securing mechanism of the anchor portion to secure said securing mechanism within said aperture; and securing the mounting section of said bracket portion to the receiving portion of said anchor portion.

There is also provided a method of laterally restraining a cladding wall to a structural wall using a restraint device as described, the method comprising: (a) laying a first course of cladding having atop surface spaced a distance from a structural wall; (b) creating an aperture in said structural wall, the aperture adjacent the top surface of the course of cladding spaced a height ﬁom the top surface of the course of cladding; (c) installing a restraint device in said aperture, wherein the bracket portion of said restraint device is located on the receiving portion of the anchor portion of said restraint device such that the support section of said bracket portion abuts the top surface of the course of cladding; (d) securing said bracket portion in place on said receiving portion; (e) laying the next course of cladding on top of the previous course of cladding and the support section of the bracket portion, such that a portion of the lateral load of the next course of cladding is distributed through the restraint device to the structural wall; and (f) repeating steps (b)-(e) for successive courses of cladding until the cladding wall is complete.

Detailed Description of the Invention P85935IEO0/July 12, 207 An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a known restraint device comprising a wall anchor and a bracket; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the installation process of the prior art restraint device prior to insertion of the wall anchor and bracket; Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the installation process of Fig. 2 with the wall anchor and the bracket in position; Fi g. 4 is a perspective View of a restraint device according to the invention; Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the installation process of the restraint device of the invention; Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the installation process of Fig. 5 once the pin has been installed; and Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the installation process of Fig. 5 and 6 once the next course of stone cladding has been ﬁxed in place.

With reference to Fig. 4, a restraint device according to the invention is shown, having a wall anchor indicated generally at 60. The wall anchor 60 comprisesa generally elongate bar 16 having a ﬁrst end 18 and a second end 20. Bar 16 comprises a first threaded portion l8a extending along a portion of the bar 16 from the ﬁrst end 18 of the bar 16, a second threaded portion 20a extending along a portion of the bar 16 from the second end 20 of the bar 16, and a centre ﬂat bar portion 16a located between said ﬁrst and second threaded portions l8a,20a.

A concrete insert 22 is located at the first end 18 of the bar 16. The concrete insert 22 comprises a tapered nut 24 located on the ﬁrst threaded portion 18a, provided towards the free end of the ﬁrst threaded portion 18a. An acting nut 26 is located at the end of the ﬁrst threaded portion 18a directly adjacent the bar portion 16a. The concrete insert 22 further comprises a split cylindrical sleeve 28 located over the ﬁrst threaded portion 1821 having a ﬁrst end 28a abutting the acting nut 26. A plurality of sleeve arms 30 extend from the ﬁrst end 28a of the split cylindrical sleeve 28 along the length of the ﬁrst threaded portion 18a towards the tapered nut 24, the free ends of the sleeve arms 30 engaging the relatively narrow end of the tapered surface of the nut 24.

P85935IE00/July 12, 2030 An anchor engagement portion 62 is provided at the free end of the second threaded portion 20a at the second end 20 of the wall anchor 60 (an enlarged view of which can be seen in Fig. 4). In the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, the engagement portion 62 is in the form of a hexagonal head. The engagement portion 62 is chosen to engage with a suitable torque wrench or electric drill adaptor unit.

As with the prior art, the wall anchor 60 is used with an L-shaped bracket 12 and pin 14. A ﬁrst slot 32 is deﬁned on the relatively longer portion 12a of the L-shaped bracket 12, towards the free end of the relatively longer portion 1221. A second slot 34 is deﬁned along the relatively shorter portion 12b of the L-shaped bracket 12.

Installation of the wall anchor 60 is shown in Figs. 5-7. As with the prior art, there is provided a structural wall 40, which may be formed from concrete blocks or poured concrete. A layer of insulation 42 is afﬁxed to a surface of the structural wall 40. A course of stone cladding 44 is spaced from the exterior surface of the insulation 42. The stone cladding 44 is provided with an aperture 46 extending into the body of the stone from the top surface 44a of the stone cladding 44.

A drill hole 48 is created in the insulation layer 42 and the structural wall 40 using a drill bit. The ﬁrst end 18 of the wall anchor 60 is inserted into the drill hole 48. The lengths of the respective ﬁrst tapered portion 18a and the bar portion 16a are set so that the ﬁrst tapered portion 18a (and the concrete insert 22) are located within the body of the structural wall 40, while the bar portion 16a is located within the body of the insulation layer 42.

To secure the concrete insert 22 within the concrete structural wall 40, a suitable torque wrench or drill adaptor unit 64 is applied to the engagement portion 62. Tightening of the engagement portion 62 using a torque wrench or drill adaptor unit 64 turns the body of the wall anchor 60, which forces the acting nut 26 to actuate the concrete insert 22, and secures the insert 22 within the drill hole 48 through the outward movement of the sleeve arms 30, as described above.

P85935lE00/July 12, 209 The use of the engagement portion 62 located at the second end 20 of the wall anchor 60 results in easier installation of the wall anchor 60, as the engagement portion 62 can be easily accessed, and may be actuated by a standard torque wrench or a drill adaptor unit capable of receiving a hexagonal head. Also, the positioning of the engagement portion 62 at the second end 20 of the wall anchor 60 means that the insulation layer 42 does not need to be tampered with in order to install the wall anchor 60 (as described in the prior art system — the corresponding additional insulation layer is shown as the dashed line in Fig.

). The L-shaped bracket 12 can be positioned such that the second threaded portion 20a extends through the second slot 34 of the bracket 12. The axial position of the bracket 12 along the second threaded portion 20a can be adjusted such that a portion of the ﬁrst slot 32 of the bracket 12 can be located directly above the aperture 46 deﬁned on the top surface 44a of the stone cladding 44. The bracket 12 can be vertically adjusted by the position of the second threaded portion 20a in the first slot 32. The L-shaped bracket 12 can be secured to the wall anchor 60 through the application of clamping nuts 52.

Once secure, the pin 14 is inserted into the aperture 46 through the ﬁrst slot 32, such that approximately half of the pin 14 projects above the bracket 12. The next course of stone cladding 66 can then be applied directly above the previous course 44 (Fig. 7), the next course having a corresponding aperture 68 deﬁned in its bottom surface 66a to receive the projecting portion of the pin 14. The pin 14 acts to retain successive courses of stone cladding in place, as the lateral load of the courses of stone cladding is distributed throughout the structural walls 44 of the building.

The positioning of the engagement portion 62 at the second end 20 of the wall anchor 60 results in easy re-tooling of the machines used to manufacture the wall anchor 60, or the easy adaption of existing moulds used for the prior art wall anchors 10. The length of the second threaded portion 20 of the wall anchor 60 may be increased as the design stage, allowing for accommodation of insulation layers 42 of increasing length without having to damage the insulation layer 42 during installation of the wall anchor 60.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described herein but can be amended or modiﬁed without departing ﬁom the scope of the present invention.

P85935IEOO/July 12, 2007

Claims

1. A restraint device for laterally restraining a layer of cladding to a wall, the restraint device comprising an anchor portion and a bracket portion, the bracket portion comprising a support section for supporting and engaging with a course of cladding positioned adjacent said wall and a mounting section for mounting on said anchor portion, said anchor portion comprising: an elongate main body having a first end and a second end; a securing mechanism located adjacent said first end, the securing mechanism for inserting into an aperture in a wall, and being actuatable to secure said ﬁrst end within said aperture; a receiving portion located adjacent said second end, the receiving portion operable to releasably receive said bracket portion thereon; and an engagement portion located at said second end, the engagement portion operable to engage with a device for applying torsional force, wherein the application of torsional force to the engagement portion actuates said insert portion to secure the anchor within said aperture.

2. The restraint device of claim 1, wherein said restraint device comprises a retention member, the bracket portion further comprising an aperture deﬁned in said support section of said bracket portion to receive said retention member, the retention member operable to retain and locate a course of cladding relative to said bracket portion.

3. The restraint device of claim lor claim 2, wherein said restraint device further comprises a pair of clamping nuts, the clamping nuts securing said bracket portion to said anchor portion.

4. A method of installing a restraint device in an aperture deﬁned in a wall, the restraint device comprising an anchor portion and a bracket portion, the bracket portion comprising a support section for supporting and engaging with a course of cladding positioned adjacent said wall and a mounting section for mounting on said anchor portion, the anchor portion comprising an elongate main body having a first end and a second end; a securing mechanism located adjacent said first end, the securing mechanism being actuatable to secure said first end within said aperture; a receiving portion located adjacent said second end, the receiving portion operable to releasably receive said bracket portion thereon; and an engagement portion located at said second end, the engagement portion operable to engage with a device for applying torsional force, the method comprising the steps of: inserting the securing mechanism of an anchor portion of a restraint device into an aperture deﬁned in a wall; engaging the engagement portion of the anchor portion with a device for applying torsional force; applying torsional force to the engagement portion through the device, said torsional force actuating the securing mechanism of the anchor portion to secure said securing mechanism within said aperture; and securing the mounting section of said bracket portion to the receiving portion of said anchor portion.

5. A restraint device substantially as described herein, with reference to