US3176053A

US3176053A - Method for obtaining test cores

Info

Publication number: US3176053A
Application number: US320102A
Authority: US
Inventors: Stasio Joseph R Di
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-10-30
Filing date: 1963-10-30
Publication date: 1965-03-30
Anticipated expiration: 1982-03-30
Also published as: BR6463737D0; GB1029170A

Description

March 30, 1965 J. R. D! STASIO 3,176,053

METHOD FOR OBTAINING TEST CORES Filed Oct. 50, 1963 INVENTOR. JOSEPH e. 1

members be up to specification.

United States Patent ()fifice 3,176,053 METHOD FOR OBTAENING TEST CERES Joseph R. Di Stasio, 71h Shore Road, Spring Lake Heights, NJ. Filed Oct. 30, 1963, Ser. No. 320,102 6 Claims. Cl. 26431) The present invention relates to method for the obtaining of test cores from bodies of set plastic material and the like, e.g., concrete floors in buildings or concrete or macadam roadways.

Many structural elements are formed of plastic materials which are permitted to set in place. Typical are roadways and floors and walls of buildings, and particularly multiple dwellings, office buildings and public buildings such as schools. The strength of the thusformed structural elements depends upon many factors, including the particular climatic conditions to which the structural members are subjected while the concrete or other plastic structural material is setting and after setting has taken place. Accordingly the only positive way of determining the nature, and particularly the strength, of the set material is to take a sample from the floor or Wall after the material in question has completely set and subject that sample to appropriate laboratory tests. The desirability of doing this is obvious, particularly because of the overriding importance, from a public safety point of view, that the strength of such structural Iowever, because of the difiiculty involved in removing a sample from a hard concrete mass or the like, the conventional procedure is to pour a test cylinder separate from the floor, and to take actual samples from the floor only in cases where the test cylinders indicate the possible existence of trouble.

The removal of a test core from the hardened floor is accomplished by drilling into the floor with a diamond tool after the poured concrete has been permitted to set for a length of time such as to permit it to assume its final physical characteristics. These operations are a source of considerable trouble and expense, not only because of the cost of the equipment needed to cut a core from a concrete floor or the like and the cost of replacement of the cutting elements themselves as they become worn out in use, but also because of the length of time required to cut the cores from the floor, the latter representing a major factor of expense because of the high cost of labor. Moreover, since the concrete covers and hides the supporting surface and embedded reinforcing members from view, the use of a diamond cutting tool frequently results in the cutting of the supporting surface or the reinforcements, an extremely undesirable situation because of the reduction in the overall structural strength which results.

It is the prime object of the present invention to devise a method for obtaining test cores which eliminate the above disadvantages, and in particular permit the obtaining of uniformly shaped and dimensioned cores in a simple and expeditious manner, and without in any way adversely affecting the status of the cores as accurate and reliable representations of the condition and properties of the remainder of the concrete.

To these ends I provide a two-piece core-forming structure comprising an outer member and an inner member freely telescopically received within and removable from the outer member. The outer member is mounted on the area where the concrete wall or floor is to be formed, and the inner member is telescoped thereinto, the outer member having an open top to permit this action. Thereafter the concrete or other plastic settable structural material is poured, that plastic material forming the wall or amass Patented Mar. 36, 1965 floor and also entering said inner member, which has an open top to facilitate the entry of concrete thereinto. 1 cans are preferably provided to prevent the concrete from entering the space between the inner and outer members. This means may conveniently comprise an outwardly extending flan e on the inner member which rests on the upper surface of the outer member, and which may also serve as a support for the inner member when such support is needed. When, as is here specifically disclosed, the inner member is provided with an aperture through which a punch may be passed to force the core from the inner member, means such as a plug may be utilized to close that aperture when the concrete is being poured into the inner member. The concrete is then allowed to set, and the concrete which defines the wall or floor and the concrete inside the inner member are both subjected to the same pouring and setting conditions of workmanship, time, temperature, humidity and the like.

When the condition of the concrete is to be tested, the inner member is removed from the outer member. This may very readily be accomplished merely by lifting the inner member out from the outer member, the aforementioned flange on the inner member conveniently serving as means to accomplish this relative movement between the members. The set concrete in the inner member defines the test core and may be subjected to desired laboratory or held compression tests. It is usually desired that it be removed from the inner member before being tested. To this end the inner member can be made of a disposable material and may be broken away from the core, or the core may be driven out from the inner member, a portion of the bottom wall of the inner member being modified to permit this operation to be carried out. The space left inside the outer member when the inner member is removed can either be filled with concrete, or that space can be used to house pipes or other elements designed to penetrate the floor or Wall in question.

To the accomplishment of the above, and to such other objects as may hereinafter appear, the present invention relates to the method for the forming and obtaining of test cores, as defined in the appended claims, and as described in this specification, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a three-quarter perspective exploded view of the inner and outer members of the device of the instant invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken through a portion of a concrete floor and showing the manner in which the device is adapted to be used;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional View taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a three-quarter perspective view showing one manner in which the test core may be removed from the inner structural member;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view similar to FIG. 2 and showing one procedure which may be followed after the inner structural member and the core which it contains have been removed from the floor; and

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view illustrating the use of a plug to close the bottom of the inner member when the thickness of the structural element is greater than the height of the inner member.

While in this specification mention is made specifically of the formation of a floor structure from concrete, this is by Way of exemplification only, and it will be understood that the invention is applicable to the obtaining of test cores from widely varying types of structunal elements formed of widely varying types of plastic settable materials, the invention being applicable to all situations in which the test core is to be accurately representative of the remainder of the structural element.

The core forming apparatus comprises an outer member generally designated A and an inner member generally designated B which is adapted to be telescopically received inside and removed from the outer member A. The outer member A comprises a generally tubular shell 2 having an open top 4 which is adapted to be mounted at any appropriate location in a formed structural element from which a test core is to be taken. It may be made of any suitable structural material capable of withstanding the physical forces to which it may be subjected in use. Galvanized sheet metal and cast or molded. plastic are typical of appropriate materials. The shell 2 which defines the side walls of the outer member A may be provided at its lower end with a plurality of apertured ears 6 to facilitate the fixing of the outer member A in position. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, nails 8 may be driven through the apertures in the ears 6 and into the supporting wooden structure 10 on which the concrete floor is to be poured. While the cross sectional shape of the outer member A is here shown as circular, this is for convenience only, and any appropriate cross sectional shape may be imparted, provided only that the inner member B is readily receivable therein via the open top 4 thereof.

The inner member B is defined by side walls 12, a bottom wall 14 and an open top 16. It preferably has a flange 18 extending radially outwardly therefrom at its upper end. The size and shape of the side wall 12 is such as to permit the inner member B to be received inside the outer member A and to be freely removable therefrom. It is preferred that a clearance 2t) be pro vided between the

side walls

12 and 2 of the inner member B and the outer member A respectively, in order to ensure ready insertability and removability of the inner member B. The flange 18 is adapted to overlie, and preferably rest upon the upper edges of the side wall 2 of the outer member A, thereby to substantially close the open top of the clearance space 20 and, if the height of the inner member B is less than that of the outer member A, to support the inner member B in position. The height of the outer member A is preferably substantially the same as the desired thickness of the floor to be formed. The height of the inner member B is preferably the same as or less than that floor thickness.

With the inner member B positioned inside the outer member A, as indicated in FIG. 2, the concrete or other plastic material is poured, the mass 22 of the concrete which surrounds the outer member A defining the floor whichis being formed. Concrete 24 also enters and fills the inner member B (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

After the

concrete masses

22 and 24 have been permitted to set to desired degree the concrete mass 24, together with the inner member B, is removed from the floor, the mass 24 constituting a test core. Means may be provided in the exposed flange 18 to facilitate removal of the inner member B and the test core 24. Said means is here disclosed in the form of apertures 26 in line with the clearance space 20, through which apertures 26 a simple hook may be passed, the thus engaged books being employed to bodily lift the inner member B out from the outer member A. It may be necessary to break away the flange 18 from the concrete 22 surrounding it, and under certain circumstances, when a thin layer of concrete covers the flange 18, it may be necessary to break through that thin layer, but this can readily and rapidly be done without having to use any special equipment.

Since it is usually desired that the test core 24 be subjected to tests without any supporting structure therearound, means are provided to permit the test core 24 to be separated from the inner member B. To this end the inner member B may be formed of disposable material, and may simply be broken and stripped from the test core 24. Alternatively, and as here specifically disclosed, the side walls 12 of the inner member B are either straight or provided with a slight upward and outward taper, and the test core 24 is adapted to be driven out of the inner member B through the open top 1.6 thereof. To facilitate this latter operation, the bottom wall 14 of the inner element B may be provided with a central opening 28 through which a punch 30 (see FIG. 4) may be driven. Alternatively the central portion of the bottom wall 14 corresponding to the opening 28 may be weakened, so that the action of the punch 30 will separate the weakened central bottom wall disk portion from the main body of that bottom wall 14 during the punching operation, the disk of bottom wall material thus driven up by the punch 30 being stripped from the test core 24 after the latter has been separated from the inner member B. When, as is specifi cally illustrated in FIG. 6, the height of the inner member B is less than the floor thickness and the member B is suspended on the outer member A by means of la flange 18, a plug 31 of wood or the like resting on the supporting structure 10 engages the bottom wall 14 of the inner member B and plugs or closes the opening 28, thereby preventing the passage of concrete through that opening. In order to reinforce the bottom wall 14 against the weight of the concrete poured into the inner member B, the plug 31, where it engages the bottom wall 14, is preferably substantially larger than the opening 28.

After the inner member B has been removed from the outer member A, the continuity of the floor may be recreated by filling the space inside the outer member A with concrete, as indicated at 32 in FIG. 5. Alternatively, the space inside the outer member A may be left empty, the outer member A thereafter functioning as a sleeve through which pipes, wires, conduits or the like may be passed.

The inner member B may be formed of any suitable structural material such as galvanized sheet material, aluminum, or suitable cast or molded plastic. Those plastic materials having smooth surfaces are particularly preferred, because the smoothness of such surfaces facilitates the separation of the test core 24 from the member E as shown in FIG. 4. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, a liner 33 may be provided within the inner member B, which liner may be formed of a suitable inexpensive material such as cardboard, the exposed surfaces of which are preferably Waxed or otherwise treated to render them smooth, thereby to facilitate the removal of the test core 24 from the inner member B along with the liner 33, the liner 33 thereafter being readily strippable from the test core 34.

The structural members involved are simple and inexpensive, and the inner members B, when not disposable, may be used a plurality of times. The saving in time and equipment, when compared with prior art methods Where the test cores are physically cut from the set floor, is far greater than the cost of the parts involved in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, so that truly significant manufacturing economies are realized. Through the use of the present invention truly representative test cores may be produced with substantially the same facility and minimal expense as characterizes the conventional formation of test cylinders separate from the floor. Moreover, since the test cores 24 set under precisely the same conditions as the concrete masses 22 which make up the body of the floor, the test cores 24 will be accurately representative of the condition and physical properties of the actual floor material, thus favorably differentiating over the prior art test cylinders.

While but a single embodiment of the present invention has been here specifically disclosed, it will be apparent that many variations may be made therein, all within the scope of the present invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. The method of forming a concrete test core from a concrete floor or the like which comprises securing in the area where said floor is to be formed an outer member which is open at its top, placing within said outer member an inner member having an open top and comprising r side walls, a bottom wall, and an outwardly extending flange at the upper portion thereof, said side walls being freely telescopically receivable inside said outer member, said flange extending radially outwardly beyond the radially inner surface of said outer member and resting on the upper edge of said outer member, pouring concrete over said area around said outer member and inside said inner member, permitting said concrete to set, removing said inner member, together with the concrete core formed therewithin, from said outer member, and removiug said core from said inner member.

2. The method of forming a concrete test core from a concrete door or the like which comprises securing in the area where said floor is to be formed an outer member which is open at its top, placing within said outer memher an inner member having an open top and comprising 'side walls, a bottom wall, and an outwardly extending flange at the upper portion thereof, said side walis being freely telescopically receivable inside said outer member,

said flange extending radially outwardly beyond the radially inner surface of said outer member and resting on the upper edge of said outer member, pouring concrete over said area around said outer member and inside said inner member, permitting said concrete to set, removing said inner member, together with the concrete core formed therewithin, from said outer member, and removing said core from said inner member and, after said inner member has been removed from said outer member, filling the space inside said outer member and permitting the filling material to set.

3. The method of forming a concrete test core from a concrete floor or the like which comprises securing in the area where said floor is to be formed an outer member which is open at its top, placing within said outer member an inner member having an open top and comprising side walls, a bottom wall, and an outwardly extending flange at the upper portion thereof, said, side walls being freely telescopically receivable inside said outer member with a clearance space therebetween, said flange extending radially outwardly beyond the radially inner surface of said outer member and resting on the upper edge of said outer member, pouring concrete over said area around said outer member and inside said inner member, permitting said concrete to set, removing said inner member, togeflaer with the concrete core formed therewithin, from said outer member, and removing said core from said inner member.

4. The method of forming a concrete test core from a concrete floor or the like which comprises securing in the area where said floor is to be formed an outer member which is open at its top, placing within said outer member an inner member having an open top and comprising side walls, a bottom wall, and an outwardly extending flange at the upper portion thereof, said side walls being freely telescopically receivable inside said outer member with a clearance space therebetween, said flange extending radially outwardly beyond the radially inner surface of said outer member and resting on the upper edge of said outer member, pouring concrete over said area around said outer member and inside said inner member, permitting said concrete to set, removing said inner member, together with the concrete core formed therewithin, from said outer member, and removing said core from said inner member and, after said inner member has been removed from said outer member, filling the space inside said outer member and permitting the filling material to set.

5. The method of forming a concrete test core from a concrete floor or the like which comprises securing in the area where said floor is to be formed an outer member which is open at its top, placing within saidouter member an inner member having an open top and comprising side wails, a bottom wall, and an outwardly extendirig flange at the upper portion thereof, said side walls being freely telescopically receivable inside said outer member with a clearance space therebetween, said flange extending substantially completely around said side wallsradially outwardly beyond the radially inner surface of said outer member and resting on the upper edge of said outer member and closing the top of the clearance space between said outer and inner members, pouring concrete over said area around said outer member and inside said inner member, permitting said concrete to set, remov= ing said inner member, together with the concrete core formed therewithin, from said outer member, and removing said core from said inner member.

6. The method of forming a concrete test core from a concrete floor or the like which comprises securing in the area where said floor is to be formed an outer member which is open at its top, placing within said outer member an inner member having an open top and comprising side walls, a bottom wall, and an outwardly extending flange at the upper portion thereof, said side walls being freely telescopically receivable inside said outer member with a clearance space therebetween, said flange extending substantially completely around said side walls radially outwardly beyond the radiallly inner surface of said outer member and resting on the upper edge of said outer memher and closing the top of the clearance space between said outer and inner members, pouring concrete over said area around said outer member and inside said inner member, permitting said concrete to set, removing said inner member, together with the concrete core formed therewithin, from said outer member, and removing: said core from said inner member and, after said inner member has been removed from said outer member, filling the space inside said outer member and permitting the filling material to set.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,603,245 10/26 Pederson 50-127 1,809,613 6/31 Walker 50-127 2,063,569 12/36 Walker 50127 XR 2,644,220 7/53 Thaulow 26471 2,986,797 6/61 Aisenberg 2 64313 XR 3,115,539 12/63 Stuessel et a1 50-127 XR 3,136,024 6/64 La Monica.

ROBERT F. WHITE, Primary Examiner. ALEXANDER BRODMERKEL, Examiner.

Claims

1. THE METHOD OF FORMING A CONCRETE TEST CORE FROM A CONCRETE FLOOR OR THE LIKE WHICH COMPRISES SECURING IN THE AREA WHERE SAID FLOOR IS TO BE FORMED AN OUTER MEMBER WHICH IS OPEN AT ITS TOP, PLACING WITHIN SAID OUTER MEMBER AN INNER MEMBER HAVING AN OPEN TOP AND COMPRISING SIDE WALLS, A BOTTOM WALL, AND AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE AT THE UPPER PORTION THEREOF, SAID SIDE WALLS BEING FREELY TELESCOPICALLY RECEIVABLE INSIDE SAID OUTER MEMBER, SAID FLANGE EXTENDING RADIALLY OUTWARDLY BEYOND THE RADIALLY INNER SURFACE OF SAID OUTER MEMBER AND RESTING ON THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID OUTER MEMBER, POURING CONCRETE OVER SAID AREA ROUND SAID OUTER MEMBER AND INSIDE SAID INNER MEMBER, PERMITTING SAID CONCRETE TO SET, REMOVING SAID INNER MEMBER, TOGETHER WITH THE CONCRETE CORE FORMED THEREWITHIN, FROM SAID OUTER MEMBER, AND REMOVING SAID CORE FROM SAID INNER MEMBER.