NZ506962A - Reinforcing rod connector - Google Patents

Abstract

A connector capable of connecting two or more elongated rods comprises a first 1 and second 2 part. First part 1 includes at least two legs 4. Each leg 4 has a center section 9, a first end 5 joined to a common base section 6 and a free second end 7 with a first threaded surface 8 extending over at least part of the exterior leg surface. At least a part of at least one of the legs is capable of flexible movement with respect to base section 6. Second part 2 includes a first circular aperture 13 with a second threaded surface 14, configured to be capable of engagement with threaded portion 8 of first part 1.

Description

Patents Form No. 5 Patents Act 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION IMPROVED CONNECTOR We, Broderick Family Trust, a Family Trust organised and existing under the laws of New Zealand of 3 Rosaline Frank Street, Stoke, Nelson, New Zealand hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement r .r, ~ *'L «-y ;UjV.CS Of fl c~"i ;(to be followed by 1 a) r - „ ;i-y , r ^ " v n ' j ^ bC1=,ii v" ;1 a ;Technical Field ;The present invention relates to a two piece connector adapted to secure together two or more elements, particularly elongated rods or similar such as reinforcing rods used by the 5 building industry in reinforced concrete. ;Background Art ;Reinforced concrete structures are normally formed by pouring concrete into a mould of some form, in which a latticework of steel reinforcing rods is arranged The latticework is typically configured to join rods together orthogonally or in parallel by means of 10 connectors located at the rod intersections/overlap points. The reinforced rod latticework may be subjected to high tensile and torsional forces, during its construction and movement on a building site, with a significant portion of the forces being exerted on the connectors ;As typical reinforced concrete structures may employ a substantial number of such 15 connectors it follows that manufacturing costs of the individual connector need to be kept to a minimum, whilst still exhibiting the said strength and performance characteristics. Presently used connectors vary from simple pieces of wire twisted around a rod junction/intersection to purpose made plastic clips/connectors Whilst being inexpensive, a piece of wire naturally has shortcomings as a connector in terms of usability Plastic 20 connectors are normally manufactured by moulding (e.g injection moulding) Due to the high production numbers, a significant factor in the ongoing production costs is the volume of material required to produce each connector. Thus, there is also a need to minimise the connector volume whilst still maintaining sufficient structure integrity. ;A further important consideration in the connector design is the usability. It is desirable 25 that the connector should be capable of use without needing any additional tools, complicated procedures or significant attachment force. ;Prior art devices for addressing the aforesaid needs have been produced in a variety of forms, the most notable patents of which are discussed as follows:- ;US Patent No 4110951 Padrun, discloses a one-piece connector comprised of four 30 equidistantly-spaced parallel legs each connected at one end to a base end portion, wherein the legs possess arcuate recesses to retain two reinforcing bars inserted laterally between the recesses of the pair of adjacent legs on opposing sides. The flange recesses are configured to secure the two bars in a mutually orthogonal intersecting ;2 ;orientation, though not in parallel. The connector is formed from a resilient material to enable the bars to force the said legs apart during the insertion of the rod until the rod is aligned within the said recesses. Possible drawbacks of the connector include the restriction of a solely perpendicular securement of the bars and a potential lack of 5 structural integrity of the connector due to the absence of any external means of securing the free ends of the legs together ;US Patent No. 4617775 Padrun, is a variation of the connector disclosed in US No. 4110951 (by the same inventor) which seeks to overcome one of the aforesaid disadvantages by providing a U-shaped connector with two parallel arcuate recesses 10 capable of securing two reinforcing bars together in parallel Surprisingly, there appears to be no attempt by Padrun to combine the individual features of both connectors, thus resulting in two distinct, non-interchangeable devices, where one combined device may have sufficed. ;DE 1484184 Ferrotest GmbH discloses a two-piece connector in which in one 15 embodiment consists of a U-shaped element which overlaps the intersection between reinforcing bars and clips into a base portion An alternative embodiment discloses a connector body with substantially the same salient features as the connector in US Patent No. 4110951 with the exception that a cap may be fitted as a snap-fit over the open ends of the connector legs, engaging in a circumferencial grove around the top of 20 the outward facing surface of the legs The intended role of the cap is not made clear in the specification This connector also is unable to secure reinforcing bars at a disposition other than mutually orthogonal and it further seems likely that the connector would not be re-usable/releasable without possible damage to at least one of the two components. ;DE 1559519 Ferrotest GmbH similarly discloses a connector means of securing 25 reinforcing bars, intersecting at right angles, though the patent is primarily directed towards a bar-stool/spacer attachment which may be attached to the connector and the specific details of the connector configuration are thus somewhat brief It would appear (in combination with the drawing) however, that only an orthogonal reinforcing bar arrangement securement is possible and that no secondary securement component such 30 as a cap or nut is envisaged or intended for use with the connector ;FR 2331653 Stakub Stahl-Kumstoff-Beton AG discloses a two-part connector device for securing intersecting wires of a reinforcing mesh or similar. Although the text does not specifically restrict the device to orthogonally intersecting rods/wires, there is no teaching of securing two parallel rods. The means of securement (stated as being the essence of 35 the invention) is provided by a number of toothed projections on one half of the connector ;3 ;which engage in complimentary toothed apertures on the other half of the connector in a type of ratchet closure There appears no means of easily separating the two halves once formed. Furthermore, the connector bodies are not configured to require the minimum volume of material necessary to comply with the structural requirements 5 imposed on the connector, nor does the design seek to minimise the possible creation of voids in the concrete poured around the connector in use. ;FR 2276439 Moreau discloses a combined connector and spacer device for securing orthogonally intersecting wires/rods. One of the said wires is secured in a notched clip in a corresponding manner to the above mentioned patents, whereas the other mutually 10 perpendicular rod is secured between two elongated 'spikes' or legs The said spikes converge towards each other and are secured together by a support device in the form of a slidable collar. As the collar only extends over two legs/spikes, the arrangement appears to be of doubtful structural integrity if subjected to a lateral force. Although the connector would appear to be re-usable, it does not provide a means of securing the 15 rods/wires at a non-orthogonal orientation ;NZ Patent No 213898 Ritch Engineering Pty. Ltd discloses a fence-dropper that in one embodiment consists of a substantially cylindrical connector body with two intersecting, mutually orthogonal slots extending from one end of the connector, with the outward-facing surface of the connector body adjacent to the slots being provided with a threaded 20 surface ;A nut, with a threaded aperture corresponding to the threaded connector surface is screwed on to the connector body to secure orthogonally intersecting strands of fence wire therebetween Due to the relatively small diameter of the fence wire, the slots may be formed large enough to accommodate the insertion of the wire strands without 25 requiring the connector to flex 'open' This enables a sufficient area of thread to be available to co-operate with the nut, without producing an unduly large device. These factors may not apply when securing significantly larger diameter rods such as concrete reinforcing rods ;Disclosure of Invention ;30 It is thus an object of the present invention to substantially ameliorate the aforesaid disadvantages ;The present invention provides a connector capable of connecting two or more elongated rods comprising a first and second part, ;said first part including ;4 ;• at least two legs, each having a centre section, a first end joined to a common base section and a free second end with a first threaded surface extending over at least part of the exterior leg surface and wherein at least a part of at least one of said legs is capable of flexible movement with respect to the said base section, ;5 said second part including. ;• a first circular aperture with a second threaded surface, configured to be capable of engagement with the threaded portion of said first part ;Preferably, the said legs include a laterally enlarged section towards said free ends ;Preferably, said first threaded surface on said enlarged sections forms an exterior radial 10 thread when said second part is attached to said first part over the said free ends by threading said second threaded section to engage with said first threaded sections ;Preferably, the lateral separation between the said centre section of adjacent legs when secured to said second part substantially corresponds to the diameter of a single said elongated rod ;15 Preferably, the longitudinal separation from said centre section to said enlarged section between at least two adjacent legs when secured to said second part substantially corresponds to the diameter of two or more said elongated rods ;Preferably, said first part includes four equidistantly spaced legs. ;Preferably, at least one of said flexible legs extends away from the other legs at the said 20 free ends in a splayed position when unattached to the said second part. ;Preferably, said first threaded section is tapered towards the said free ends of said legs when attached to said second part, said second threaded section being a frustro-conical configuration complementary to said tapered first threaded section ;Preferably, a portion of said second part overlaps the said centre section of the legs by a 25 predetermined amount when said second part is fully attached to said first part ;Preferably, the said first aperture extends completely through said second part. ;Preferably, the diameter of said first aperture of said second part is equal to or greater than the diameter of a said rod. ;Preferably, said first aperture of said second part is capable of receiving an auxiliary 30 component ;5 ;Preferably, said auxiliary component is selected from the group including, a spacer rod, or a bar stool. ;Preferably, the enlarged position of at least two adjacent legs includes an interlocking portion between adjacent sides, capable of resisting any longitudinal shearing movement 5 of the said legs when in use ;Preferably, said base section contains a central aperture ;Preferably, the base section is contoured to correspond to the shape of at least part of the said rods ;Preferably, the base section is configured to enhance the said flexibility at the intersection 10 of the said base and said legs. ;As used herein, a measurement described by the term 'substantially corresponds' is defined as generally indicating a measurement 'greater than or equal to' or, in the case of a friction fit in a deformable material, also including 'slightly smaller than'. ;DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS ;15 By way of example only, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: ;Fig 1. shows a side elevation of a preferred embodiment of a first part of the present invention, ;Fig 2. shows a second side elevation of the first part shown in Fig 1, ;20 Fig 3 shows a plan view of the first part shown in Fig. 1, ;Fig 4. shows a section along the line X-X of Fig 3, ;Fig 5 shows a perspective view of the first part shown in Fig. 1, ;Fig 6. shows a side elevation of a second part of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, ;25 Fig 7. shows a section along the line Y - Y of the second part shown in Fig. 6, ;Fig 8. shows a section along the line Z - Z of the second part shown in Fig. 6, ;Fig 9 shows a perspective view of the second part shown in Fig 7, ;Fig 10. shows a perspective view of the embodiment shown in figures 1-5 in use ;Fig 11. shows a perspective view of a a further preferred embodiment of the present 30 invention in use and ;6 ;Fig 12. shows a side elevation of the embodiment shown in Fig. ;Best Modes for carrying out the Invention ;Referring to the drawings, a first part (1) of a two-piece connector is shown (Figures 1-5 & 10) which in combination with a second part (2) (Figures 6-9 & 11) may be attached 5 together to secure two or more elongated rods (3) (Figures 10-11) such as steel reinforcing bars used in the construction of reinforced concrete structures. ;Figures. 1-5, show the said first part (1) which constitutes the main connector body composed of four elongated legs (4), each attached at a first end (5) to a common base centre section (6) and having a second free end (7) configured with a first threaded 10 surface (8) extending over a part of the outward facing surface. ;The said free ends (7) are laterally enlarged with respect to a centre section (9) of said legs (4) located between said base section (6) and said free ends (7) ;In one embodiment at least the junction of the base section (6) and centre sections (9), (though preferably the whole of the said first part (1)) is formed from a resilient flexible 15 material such as a plastics material (e.g. nylon), enabling lateral flexibility of the legs (4) with respect to the base (6). The flexibility of the legs (4) is enhanced by the configuration of the adjacent base section (6), which is contoured to correspond to the shape of the adjacent contact surface of an inserted rod (3) in contact with said base section (6). This enables any unnecessary material volume of the first part (1) at the 20 base/leg (6, 4) intersection to be minimised in addition to increasing the leg (4) flexibility Whilst it is practical to make all the legs (4) flexible, it will subsequently be appreciated from the following description that this need not be the case. ;The connector shown in Figures 1-10 is configured to accept two elongated rods (3) which may be attached perpendicularly or in parallel To achieve this, four legs (4) are 25 arranged equidistantly around the perimeter of the substantially disc-shaped base section (6), each extending substantially orthogonally away from the plane of base section (6), diverging slightly from each other at the free ends (7) to give the legs (4) a splayed appearance This splayed configuration increases the separation between adjacent free ends (7) and thus facilitates the ease of insertion of a reinforcing rod (3) The four legs 30 (4) provide two mutually perpendicular lateral passageways (10) extending completely through the said first part (1) (from the free ends (7) to the base section (6)), formed by the alignment of the separation between both pairs of adjacent legs (4) on opposing lateral sides of the first part (1) ;Pushing an elongated rod (3), orientated parallel to the axis of one of said passageways ;7 ;(10) from the free ends (7) towards the base section (6) forces the said laterally enlarged portion of adjacent legs (4) apart until the rod (3) reaches the said centre section (9). The lateral separation between adjacent centre sections (9) substantially corresponds to the diameter of said elongated rod (3). Thus, when the elongated rod (3) is situated in the 5 space (hereinafter referred to as the location recesses) between adjacent centre sections, the resilient nature of the connector material causes the said free ends (7) to spring back towards each other to their original position. In this embodiment, the location recess (11) along two of the opposing sides has a longitudinal length approximately corresponding to the diameter of two elongated rods (3) (as shown in Figures 1 and 4), 10 whereas on the remaining two opposing sides, the location recess (11a) is approximately circular, with a longitudinal length corresponding to the diameter of one elongated rod (3) (as shown in Figures 2). ;This configuration permits either two rods (3) to be inserted (as described above and as shown in Figure. 10) orthogonally (though naturally, the rod (3) adjacent to the base 15 section (6) has to be inserted through the location recess (11a) rather than (11)) or in parallel. In the case of the parallel configuration, both rods (3) extend through the same location recess (11). ;A central aperture (12) extending through the centre of base section (6) enhances the flexibility of the legs (4) whilst also permitting access to the connector interior for the 20 ingress of concrete slurry (when in use) to aid in bonding between the connector/rod assembly and the concrete. This also minimises the creation of any voids which may trap air and moisture leading to oxidisation of steel reinforcing rods. ;The adjacent sides of the legs (4) forming the single rod location recess (11a) can also include an inter-locking configuration (18) on the said enlarged portion of the free ends 25 (7). This is designed to resist any longitudinal shearing forces experienced by the connector in use, particularly during any movement/manhandling of the rod latticework on the building site However, the connector has been found to function satisfactorily without this feature. Moreover, the inter-locking configuration (18) can hinder the insertion of the elongated rods (3) and thus would not be incorporated unless specifically 30 required. ;In an alternative embodiment, the first part (1) may be configured with identical legs (4) so that each location recess (11) is capable of accepting at least two elongated rods (3). In the case of a connector with four legs (4), each location recess (11) would be identical to that shown in figure 1 This embodiment enables a further reduction in the material 35 volume of the first part (1) and permits the rods (3) to be attached in any order, ;8 ;irrespective of whether a parallel or a orthogonal connection is required. ;After both the elongated rods (3) have been inserted into the first part (1), the second part (2) (in the form of a nut with a tapering frustro conical external surface, as shown in Figures. 6-9 & 11) is attached The second part (2) (hereinafter referred to as nut (2)) 5 exhibits a tapering frustro conical central aperture (13) (matching the configuration of the said external surface) with a second threaded configuration in the form of thread (14) extending over at least part of the aperture surface (13) The external configuration of the said second part (2) need not be frustro-conical and may be formed with any convenient shape, though the configuration of this preferred embodiment is desirable as it minimises 10 the material volume of the nut. ;A portion (15) of the interior surface adjacent to the wider end (16) of the frustro conical aperture (13) is provided with a smooth finish extending annularly a short distance towards the thread (14). The exterior surface of the nut (2) includes a number of slight protuberances and depressions (17) configured to afford an enhanced grip for a users 15 fingers when gripping and turning the nut (2) in a tightening direction. ;The attachment of the nut (2) to the first part (1) is achieved by passing the wider end (16) of the central aperture (13) over the splayed ends (7) until the thread (14) engages with the said first threaded surface (8), whereupon the nut (2) is tightened in the conventional manner. The frustro-conical shape of the aperture (13) also has the effect 20 of forcing the legs (4) together as the nut (2) is attached, causing the said enlarged sections of the free ends (7) to abut, forming an uninterrupted frustro-conical threaded surface from the individual thread surfaces (8). ;The non-threaded section (15) of aperture (13) provides a guide to 'capture' the free leg ends (7) and also enables rods (3) of different diameters to be used This is because, 25 the said section (15) overhangs the double location recess (11) and is thus able to be tightened until the end (16) contacts an inserted rod (3), despite variations in rod (3) diameter within a predetermined tolerance ;The aperture (13) extends completely through nut (2) and is also dimensioned to accept the diameter of a rod (3), thus permitting a further rod (3) to be concurrently attached to 30 the connector in addition to one or two rods (3) inserted parallel or orthogonally through said location recesses (11 and/or 11a) by passing the rod through aperture (13) in nut (2) (before attachment to the said first part (1)) and between all four legs (4) along the longitudinal axis of the connector, until contacting a rod (3) already inserted in either recess location (11) or (11a) Tightening the nut (2) onto the first part (1) (as 35 hereinbefore described) also has the effect of gripping the rod inserted through aperture ;9 ;(13) by the action of the free ends (7) of the legs (4) being drawn together. In this embodiment, when the nut (2) is in the fully tightened position, the top of the free ends (7) gripping the rod (3) project through the aperture (13). ;The connector may also be adapted for use as a bar-stool by either the insertion of a 5 spacer element (of a length corresponding to the desired bar-stool spacing) into the aperture (13) of nut (2) and attached to the first part in an identical manner to the procedure described above, or alternatively, the nut (2) may be replaced with a single combined threaded nut/bar-stool element Further accessories may be attached either via the aperture (13) of nut (2) or as a replacement of nut (2) formed with an integral 10 threaded aperture corresponding to aperture (13) ;The inward facing surface of the legs (4) may optionally include small fins or ribs (19) (shown in Figures 3-5.) orientated along the longitudinal axis of each leg, extending orthogonally away from the leg (4) surface towards the longitudinal centre of the first part ;(1) The ribs (19) serve to provide additional grip to any rod (3) or other accessory 15 inserted along the longitudinal axis of the first part (1) (through aperture (13) of the nut ;(2)) as described above. ;The present invention may be adapted in numerous ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. Such adaptations may include (though are not limited to) ;• having two or more legs (4) per first part (1). A two legged embodiment would 20 naturally only be used to hold two (or more) rods together in parallel through two opposed location recess (11) (in a corresponding manner to the view shown in fig 1), without the inclusion of the second pair of recess locations (11) (orthogonally aligned to the first pair of recess locations (11)) present in the previously described four-legged embodiments. ;25 Embodiments containing more than four legs could be employed to hold three or more rods (3) (in the corresponding location recess) in any combination of parallel, orthogonal or any other angular relationship in the lateral planes of the connector Such connectors need not have all the legs (4) equidistantly spaced, though corresponding location recesses for each rod would still need to be aligned ;30 • The legs (4) need not all be configured in a pre-splayed position The legs (4) could be formed with all the free ends (7) approximately parallel in touching or close contact with the adjacent legs (4) This would require either a greater degree of flexibility from the connector material (with a possible reduction in strength) or a greater insertion force for the rods (3) in order to separate the free ends (7) further apart. A possible ;10 ;alternative (though possibly undesirable from a manufacturing perspective) would be to form only some of the legs (4) as flexible, (i e. one said of each pair of adjacent legs), though this would consequently require each flexing leg to flex twice the normal amount. ;5 • Any of the recess locations could be lengthened longitudinally (in multiples of the rod (3) diameters) to secure further rods (3) as shown in Figures 11 and 12. ;• A consequence of a recess location dimensioned to retain more than one rod (3), (such as recess location (11)) is that curved rods (3) (including 90° bends) may be secured, with the apex of the said corner being located centrally in the connector. ;10 • The connector may also be employed (with suitable alterations in dimensions/proportions and/or connector material) as connectors in a variety of alternative applications such as, scaffolding, plumbing pipes, tent frames, polyurethane plastic cold water piping, irrigation pipes/systems, children's playground equipment, fencing, children's play-pens, collapsible travel cots, electrical cabling, 15 securing pre-formed mesh sheets used in building construction and so forth. ;In the foregoing specification, the present invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof It will, however, be evident that various modifications and alterations may be made thereof without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims The specification 20 and drawings, are, accordingly, to be regarded in the illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. ;11 *

Claims (17)

Claims

1 A connector capable of connecting two or more elongated rods comprising a first and second part, said first part including at least two legs, each having a centre section, a first end joined to a common base section and a free second end with a first threaded surface extending over at least part of the exterior leg surface and wherein at least a part of at least one of said legs is capable of flexible movement with respect to the said base section, said second part including: a first circular aperture with a second threaded surface, configured to be capable of engagement with the threaded portion of said first part.

2 A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said legs include a laterally enlarged section towards said free ends

3. A connector as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said first threaded surface on said enlarged sections forms an exterior radial thread when said second part is attached to said first part over the said free ends by threading said second threaded section to engage with said first threaded sections

4. A connector as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims, wherein the lateral separation between the said centre section of adjacent legs when secured to said second part substantially corresponds to the diameter of a single said elongated rod

5. A connector as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims, wherein the longitudinal separation from said centre section to said enlarged section between at least two adjacent legs when secured to said second part substantially corresponds to the diameter of two or more said elongated rods

6. A connector as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims, wherein at least one of said flexible legs extends away from the other legs at the said free ends in a splayed position when unattached to the said second part

7 A connector as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims, wherein said first part includes four equidistantly spaced legs.

8. A connector as claimed in any one of claims 3-7, wherein said first threaded section is tapered towards the said free ends of said legs when attached to said second 12 part, said second threaded section being a frustro-conical configuration complementary to said tapered first threaded section.

9. A connector as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims, wherein a portion of said second part overlaps the said centre section of the legs by a predetermined amount when said second part is fully attached to said first part.

10 A connector as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims, wherein the said first aperture extends completely through said second part.

11. A connector as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims, wherein the diameter of said first aperture of said second part is equal to or greater than the diameter of

12. A connector as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims, wherein said first aperture of said second part is capable of receiving an auxiliary component

13. A connector as claimed in claim 12, wherein said auxiliary component is selected from the group including a spacer rod and a bar stool

14. A connector as claimed in any one of claims 2-13, wherein the enlarged position of at least two adjacent legs includes an interlocking portion between adjacent sides, capable of resisting any longitudinal shearing movement of the said legs when in use.

15. A connector as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims, wherein said base section contains a central aperture

16 A connector as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims, wherein the base section is contoured to correspond to the shape of at least part of the said rods.

17. A connector as claimed in any one of the proceeding claims, wherein the base section is configured to enhance the said flexibility at the intersection of the said base and said legs a said rod Joteffac^al Prcpsirty CsTiea of