US3137938A - Tie rod and method of making the same - Google Patents

Description

June 23, 1964 ARRIGHINI 3,137,938

TIE ROD AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Original Filed May 25. 1955 l0 mmvmx AR IL RRIGHINI BY I M7 7 A TORNEYS United States Patent ice 3,137,938 Patented June 23, 1964 4 Claims. (Cl. 29-558) The present invention relates to an improved tie rod for use with forms, walers and tie rod pins in the placcmerit of concrete structures, and to an improved method of making such tie rod. The present application is a division of my copendin-g application, Serial No. 510,472, filed May 23, 1955, and entitled Tie Rod, now abandoned.

For the purpose of spacing prefabricated inner and outer concrete placement forms in proper parallel relation to one another, it is desirable to employ a tie rod of an elongated, uniformly tapered character. This tie rod is clamped to walers associated with the fo-rms'by means of tie rod pins. The removal of the rod from the hardened concrete is facilitated by tapering the rod uniformly from end-to-end; and this points to the desirability of fabricating the tie rod of the rod round stock, which can readily be formed to the desired taper on a centerless grinder. 7

However, difficul-ty has been experienced in the provision of axially extending slots in such a rod, adjacent opposite ends thereof, such as are necessary to receive tie rod pins which wedge against a waler through which the rod extends. Under normal procedures, costly drilling or punching and broaching or related forming operations are required to produce such a slot, and it is impossible to manufacture tapered tie rods of the above description by existing methods at an acceptable price.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved tie bar or rod of requisite elongated, uniformly tapered and slotted character, suitable for the uses described above, and which can be produced by a simple manufacturing procedure involving a combination of standard commonplace procedures.

It is another object to provide an improved tie bar of the above sort which is produced cheaply and expeditiously by successive drilling and punching operations adapted to be carried out on a mass production basis.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a method of forming end slots in an elongated, uniformly tapered tie rod of circular cross section, in which a series of two or more successive holes are drilled through the diameter of the rod, in immediate axial though non-meeting succession to one another, and in which material of the rod intervening between those holes is then easily removed, to provide an appropriate tie pin slot of desired elongated outline, without further machining of any sort.

The foregoing as well as other objects will be made more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially broken away, illustrating a typical installation of the improved tie rod in a concrete placement form assembly;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view in vertical section along Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the improved tie rod of the invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10. This rod is, in its use contemplated by the invention, positioned to extend through transversely aligned circular holes 11 of a pair of facing panels 12 of a concrete placement form structure which is generally designated 13. The structure 13 is, in general, in accordance with the disclosure of my co-pending application, Serial No. 510,472, identified above, consisting of an arrangement of parallel wood frame members 14 having one or more waler units 15 fixedly associated therewith as a unitary part thereof. Each waler unit includes a pair of parallel elongated pieces 16 of angled cross section which are secured in spaced relation to provide a horizontal slot 17 along the length thereof.

The slots 17 of the respective waler units 15 receive the opposite ends of a tie rod disposed in .the aligned holes 11 of facing panels 12, the slots being disposed at the elevation of the holes 11. The opposite ends of tie rod 11 are provided with elongated slots 18 in the direction of the length thereof, the slots extending diametrically through the rod in axial alignment with one another, and the outer ends of the slots terminating short of the respective ends of the rod.

In use, the forms 13 are clamped in spaced relation to one another by rods 10 extending through panel apertures 11 and the waler slots 17, by means of tie rod pins 19 which have wedging engagement with the waler 15 and extend through the tie rod slots 18. In order to facilitate removal of the the tie rod from the form, once a concrete wall 20 or the like has been poured between facing panels 12 and is set, it is desirable that the tie rod 10 be uniformly tapered from end-to-end thereof in a degree which will enable proper association of the rod with the panels 12, and ready displacement from holes 11 by an endwise blow or force. A .075" overall taper, independent of the length of the rod, is a satisfactory one.

In producing a tie rod 10 in accordance with the present method, round rod stock of appropriate metal, which may be steel or aluminum in the interest of lightness of weight, and of an appropriate diameter, is first cut to the required length and is given the appropriate taper over its length, as by a centerless grinder operation. As indicated in FIG. 3 of the drawings, a series of holes of substantially less bore size than the diameter of the rod are then drilled diametrically through the rod, in axial alignment and immediate or closely spaced succession to one another, these holes being designated 22. Intervening, relatively thin web portions 23 of the material of the rod are left between the holes 22 by this operation, however the amount of material aggregated in the portions 23 is relatively slight. It is removed as the next operation in the method by punching the rod 10 as indicated in dotted line in FIG. 3. This may be done by a single hardened punch (not shown) of the elongated rectangular outline 24 depicted in FIG. 3. The punch is proportioned so that the elongated parallel sides of the outline 24, hence side portions 25 (FIG. 4) of the completed slot produced thereby, lie within the outmost side are portions 26 of the holes 22, outline 24 thus subtending minor opposed arcs of holes 22. The opposed, relatively short ends of the slot outline 24 will lie approximately diametrically of the respective end holes 22.

The above described procedure of drilling and punching the bar results in a slot 18 which is of the desired axial elongated character, and the forces encountered in the punching phase are greatly minimized by bringing the punching outline within the outer side extremities of the drilled outline. The cost of producing the article is negligible as compared with that of producing a corresponding slot by drilling, broaching and other relatively complex machining operations,

It is to be understood that the dimensional differential between the diameter of the holes 26 and the width of the punched slot outline 24 may vary somewhat, so long as the slot dimension is the lesser of the two. The number of holes 22 may be varied, as may their axial spac ing from one another. However, it is desirable that the intervening material 23 be kept to a minimum. It is preferable that three holes be provided for a slot 18 of the character shown in FIG. 4, however, depending upon specific dimensions, two may sutfice or more than three may be desired.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A method of aperturing rigid metal tie rods and like elongated parts each of solid cross section and substantially equal thickness in directions at 90 to one another transversely of the length of the part, comprising the steps of treating each of said parts individually by removing from said part portions of the material thereof within the side margins of the part and located in longitudinally aligned, generally cylindrical Zones extending transversely through the thickness thereof, the axes of which zones are parallel and in close propinquity to one another, leaving a portion of material intervening between successive zones which is of a resulting width along the line of said axes substantially less than the respective diameters of said zones, and substantially and sufliciently less than said thickness of the part to enable a ready re moval of said portion by a single operation incapable of such ready removal if said width of said portion were substantially greater than said resulting width, and without further intervening treatment and in a single operation, punching an elongated slot outline of substantial width in said part to remove said intervening material thereof along the line of the axes of said zones, the ends and sides of which slot outline lie within the arcuate side confines of said zones.

2. A method of aperturing rigid metal tie rods and like elongated parts each of solid cross section and substantially equal thickness in directions at 90 to one another transversely of the length of the part, comprising the steps of treating each of said parts individually by drilling through said part within the side margins of the part and in longitudinally aligned zones extending transversely therethrough, the axes of which zones are parallel and in close propinquity to one another, leaving a portion of material intervening between successive zones which is of a resulting width along the line of said axes substantially less than the respective diameters of said zones, and substantially and sufficiently less than said thickness of the part to enable a ready removal of said portion by a single operation incapable of such ready removal if said width of said portion were substantially greater than said resulting width, and without further intervening treatment and in a single operation, punching an elongated slot outline of substantial width in said part to remove said intervening material thereof along the line of the axes of said zones, the ends and sides of which slot outline lie within the arcuate end and side confines of said zones.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, in which there are at least three of said zones at which material is removed from the part in said treating step, the punching step removing material from the part simultaneously on opposite sides of an intermediate zone.

4. A method in accordance with claim 2, in which there are at least three of said zones at which the part is drilled to remove material therefrom in said treating step, the punching step removing material from the part simultaneously on opposite sides of an intermediate zone.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,239,390 Henry Sept. 4, 1917 1,582,052 Klages Apr. 27, 1926 2,376,724 Rice May 22, 1945 2,415,905 Overton Feb. 18, 1947 2,511,829 Arrighini et al. June 20, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 927,086 Germany Apr. 28, l955

Claims (1)

1. A METHOD OF APERTURING RIGID METAL TIE RODS AND LIKE ELONGATED PARTS EACH OF SOLID CROSS SECTION AND SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL THICKNESS IN DIRECTIONS AT 90* TO ONE ANOTHER TRANSVERSELY OF THE LENGTH OF THE PART, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF TREATING EACH OF SAID PARTS INDIVIDUALLY BY REMOVING FROM SAID PART PORTIONS OF THE MATERIAL THEREOF WITHIN THE SIDE MARGINS OF THE PART AND LOCATED IN LONGITUDINALLY ALIGNED, GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL ZONES EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THROUGH THE THICKNESS THEREOF, THE AXES OF WHICH ZONES ARE PARALLEL AND IN CLOSE PROPINQUITY TO ONE ANOTHER, LEAVING A PORTION OF MATERIAL INTERVENING BETWEEN SUCCESSIVE ZONES WHICH IS OF A RESULTING WIDTH ALONG THE LINE OF SAID AXES SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE RESPECTIVE DIAMETERS OF SAID ZONES, AND SUBSTANTIALLY AND SUFFICIENTLY LESS THAN SAID THICKNESS OF THE PART TO ENABLE A READY REMOVAL OF SAID PORTION BY A SINGLE OPERATION INCAPABLE OF SUCH READY REMOVAL IF SAID WIDTH OF SAID PORTION WERE SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN SAID RESULTING WIDTH, AND WITHOUT FURTHER INTERVENING TREATMENT AND IN A SINGLE OPERATION, PUNCHING AN ELONGATED SLOT OUTLINE OF SUBSTANTIAL WIDTH IN SAID PART TO REMOVE SAID INTERVENING MATERIAL THEREOF ALONG THE LINE OF THE AXES OF SAID ZONES, THE ENDS AND SIDES OF WHICH SLOT OUTLINE LIE WITHIN THE ARCUATE SIDE CONFINES OF SAID ZONES.

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