US3548554A - Locking sleeves and rings for use in concrete construction - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 22, 1970 I SPANEL 3,548,554

LOCKING SLEEVES AND RINGS FOR USE IN CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION Filed April 21, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Hbram N.5| anel Dec. 22, 1970 SPANEL I 3,548,554 v LOCKING SLEEVES AND RINGS FOR USE IN CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION Filed April 21, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet a INVENTOR A bram Nfipanei United States Patent 3,548,554 LOCKING SLEEVES AND RINGS FOR USE IN CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION Abram N. Spanel, 344 Stockton St, Princeton, NJ. 08816 Filed Apr. 21, 1969, Ser. No. 817,815 Int. Cl. E04c 5/20 US. Cl. 52303 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A locking sleeve comprises a hollow, screw-like member having a thread of predetermined dimensioned crests and roots disposed about the major surface thereof. A plurality of hollow spherical like structures are positioned at regular intervals along the series of threads. The member has top and bottom surfaces each including a hole disposed about the axis of symmetry of said member for accommodating a steel rod therethrough.

The sleeve, including the rod, is placed in a concrete accommodating hole in the earth or other suitable structure, the sleeve serving to accurately position the rod coupled thereto in the hole and further providing additional strength after the introduction of concrete into the accommodating hole.

Further embodiments show looking ring structures cooperating With the locking sleeve and rod, adapting the combination for utility with a wide number of various dimensioned rods.

This invention relates, in general to reinforced concrete structural members and more particularly to a locking sleeve adaptable for use with a metallic or other 7 member used for reinforcing a concrete or other construction.

In the construction of buildings, piers, bulkheads, retaining walls and other structures, concrete columns, piles and various members are widely utilized.

Of the mechanical properties of concrete the compressive strength is of prime consideration. Concrete is strongest when loaded in compression. The flexural strength of concrete varies between 400 and 800 pounds per square inch, which is about five times less than its compressive strength. The tensile strength of concrete is about one tenth the compressive strength with variations from 200-600 pounds per square inch being common.

In order to utilize concrete extensively in such construction tasks and therefore obtain the advantages of the physical properties of concrete, i.e., watertightness, durability, fireproofing, and so on, reinforcing bars of steel or other material are placed in the concrete to carry the flexural and tensile loads imposed upon the pile or column due to the external or internal forces acting upon the construction.

In the formation of such structures, as for example, concrete piles or columns which may, in turn, support the footings of a building structure, holes are bored, drilled or pile driven into the soil or earth. A rod, bar, or suitable member fabricated from steel or other suitable material is then inserted into the hole and supported in place by a plate, cement or a shim device; and the concrete is then poured into the hole surrounding the member. Alternatively, the concrete may be poured directly into the hole, and then before hardening sets in, the steel rod is inserted or forced into the concrete.

Many alternative methods and apparatus, other than the above, also exist and are known in the prior art for forming such columnar concrete structures.

In general, certain of such techniques are inadequate, as they are time consuming, costly and diificult to im- 3,548,554 Patented Dec. 22, 1970 plement. Specifically, the above mentioned techniques place too much discretion upon the capability of the workman, who generally is not a qualified engineer or a particularly skilled laborer. Therefore such steel members are incorrectly positioned or inserted, and do not serve optimumly to compensate the concrete structure for fiexural, or tensile stresses. Still other prior art devices are too time consuming to be conveniently utilized and hence are completely avoided. Other techniques are inherently expensive, due to materials cost and time required to implement the same.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a simple and economical reinforced concrete pile structure employing a locking sleeve for obtaining reliable positioning capability of the reinforcing member.

A further object is to provide a locking sleeve member adaptable to coact with a reinforcing steel bar or other member used in reinforced concrete constructions.

According to an embodiment of the present invention a portion of a rod of steel, to be used for strengthening a concrete structure, is surrounded by a locking sleeve comprising a relatively thin hollow screw-like member symmetrically disposed about a given axis and having a given length. The surfaces of said member are contoured to provide a thread-like spiral structure including crest and root sections of predetermined dimensions, said member further including a plurality of smaller hollow structure symmetrically disposed on said surface along the length of said member at regular intervals in relation to said crests and roots, said member further having a top surface including a first hole disposed about said axis and a second opposed surface including a second hole of the same dimensions as said first hole and also disposed about said axis, said first and second holes dimensioned to accommodate said rod for positioning the same in a concrete accommodating hole formed, in a structure, or in the earth, and to be used in construction.

Locking rings for cooperating with said holes in said sleeve are also provided, for adapting the sleeve for use with a wide number of different sized rods.

These and other objects of the present invention will become clearer if reference is made to the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front plan view of a concrete column structure employing a locking sleeve according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional side view taken through the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front plan view of an alternative embodiment according to this invention;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional side view taken through line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of still another alternative embodiment according to the invention;

FIG. 8 is a front plan partial sectional view of a lock ing sleeve and locking ring assembly according to the invention;

FIGS. 9A and 9B top and side plan views, show adjustable rod accommodating coupling arrangement for a locking sleeve;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another locking ring and locking sleeve arrangement; and

FIGS. 11 and 11A are front plan partial sectional views showing still another rod locking sleeve arrangement.

FIG. 1 shows a cylindrical reinforcing member 10, The member 10 may be of a bar-like configuration, or any other suitable configuration, and fabricated from a strong structural material normally employed for reinforcing concrete structural members, such as steel and so on.

Surrounding the upper portion of the member is a locking sleeve 11 according to this invention. The locking sleeve 11 is fabricated from a suitable material preferably a rigid or semirigid plastic or of a plastic of the thermoplastic type, although other materials may sutfice as well, such as rubber, for example.

The locking sleeve 11 preferably, as shown, has a contiguous, continuous type surface contour and nature, and formed as such, as will be described, by blow molding.

Basically, the locking sleeve 11, as shown, is a rela tively thin plastic shell including a surface forming a spiral or helical thread arrangement, defined by an inner helical shell 12 and the outer spiral or helical thread-like shell 14. The outer spiral thread shell 14 has a curvelinear crest, similar to a conventional type knuckle screw thread form, although, other screw thread configurations, as the standard worm, acme, square, Whitworth standard, buttress type and so on may be utilized as well. The crest of the screw thread configuration, formed by the outer shell 14, has positioned thereon, at regular intervals along the series of thread, half-spherical shell surface structures 15. The convex hemispherical surface structures 15, protrude from the outer spiral shell 14, as can be more clearly seen from FIG. 2. To further analogize the appearance of structure 15, one may consider them, as hollow, halves of golf balls. Actually, as will be seen from the subsequent dimensions such as analogy is substantially accurate.

The thin plastic, shell-like locking sleeve 11, has an internal hollow. A hole 16 is included on the top surface thereof and a hole 18 on the bottom surface thereof. The holes 16 and 18 are centered about the geometrical axis of the locking sleeve 11 and are dimensioned of a diameter or opening approximately equal to the cross-sectional diameter or dimensions of the reinforcing bar member 10. The holes 16 and 18 are preferably congruent with the cross sectional shape of the reinforcing member 10 as shown in FIG. 2, to provide a tight fit of the shell-like locking sleeve 11 with the member 10. Although the holes are shown thusly, a locking ring mechanism may be utilized to cooperate with the holes for accommodating a greater number of different cross-sectional shaped and dimensioned rods. Such locking rings and the advantages of such techniques will be described subsequently.

Situated on the locking sleeve is a grout accommodating spout 17 which has an internal hollow passageway communicating with the internal hollow of the shell-like locking sleeve 11. The configuration of the spout 17 and the passageway can be more clearly seen by referring to FIG. 3, which shows the spout 17 communicating with the grout-filled hollow of the locking sleeve 11 at one end, and communicating with the external environment at the other end.

In summation, the physical appearance of the locking sleeve 11 is as a hollow, thin, shelled, screw having a thread of relatively equal dimensioned crests and roots and further having a plurality of hollow half spheres 15 positioned on said crest along the series of thread and preferably spaced at regular intervals, the top surface of the locking sleeve 11 forms a collar having a hole 16 symmetrically disposed about the screw axis and dimensioned according to the cross-sectional dimensions of a typical reinforcing member as 10. A further collar and hole 18 at the bottom end of the sleeve 11, are substantially located about the same screw axis and dimensioned similarly as the top collar and hole 16.

The utility and advantages of my unique locking sleeve structure described in conjunction with FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 will now be explained.

Referring again to FIG. 1, numeral 20 references the earth level or ground plane. A hole having a diameter approximately equal to or slightly greater than the diameter of the outer spiral 14 plus the diameter of the spherical surface structures 15 is drilled, dug or otherwise formed approximately perpendicular, as shown, to the surface 20. Surface 20, shown generally as the earth, may also be a wall, bulkhead, etc., or any other surface of a structure which is to accommodate a reinforced concrete structure. Before the concrete is poured into the hole, thus formed, it must be reinforced in proper manner. The hole as dug may extend into the earth or structure, ten or more feet and at its base hardened by concrete or a steel plate and the like to safely support a steel or concrete bar and the load it in turn supports.

The rod or reinforcing bar 10 consequently is of a similar length (10 or more feet). The top end of the rod is then surrounded by the locking sleeve 11 by inserting the rod 10 through the holes 16 and 18 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. A locking ring arrangement to be described may also be used to accommodate smaller rods in the larger holes as 16 and 18. The sleeve 11 as positioned on the rod permits the spout 17 to protrude above the ground surface 20 as shown in FIG. 1.

The entire assembly may then be inserted into the hole. Alternatively, the rod 10, may first be inserted into the hole and then the sleeve member 11 forced or placed thereon via the accommodating holes 16 and 18. The sleeve 11 positions the rod 10 in the hole as the semispherical structures 15 engage the periphery of the hole as shown in FIG. 1.

Concrete 25 is now poured into the hole and fills the entire hole including the area between the threads of the spirals 12 and 14 of the sleeve 11 as shown in FIG. 1. The pouring of the concrete 25 is permitted through the spacings afforded by the structure as shown in FIG. 2. After, or even before, the concrete 25 has hardened, a grout 28 is poured into the grout accommodating spout 17 and fills the entire hollow confines of the thin-shelled, plastic sleeve 11, as shown in FIG. 3. The grout 28 substance may be concrete, epoxy, cement, plaster, or any other typical grouting.

After hardening of the concrete 25 and grout 28 the rod 10 is firmly secured in the hole. The locking sleeve 11 securely locks the rod 10 to the concrete 25 via the grout and further assures accurate positioning. Each spherical surface 15, both internally and externally in cooperating with the thread-like spiral structures offer increased surface area, to the entire rod assembly at the position of the locking sleeve. This action, affords restraint against forces tending to pull the entire assembly out from the ground or structure, or to move it. This includes all flexural and tensile components exerted along all pertinent directions.

Referring to FIG. 4 there is shown an alternative configuration of a locking sleeve.

FIG. 4 shows a reinforcing member or steel member 40 inserted through holes 41 and 42 of a relatively thin shelled plastic locking sleeve member 43.

The member 43, fabricated from suitable materials already mentioned and preferably formed by a blow molding or other suitable technique, has an outer screw thread or spiral configuration 44 having a crest of a worm or flat form and of a relatively smaller dimension than the root portion of the inner spiral 45. Spaced at regular intervals along the series of threads in the root portion 45 of the sleeve 43, are concave spherical structures 46. Such structures, are dimensioned similar to those (15) shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, but protrude into the hollow confines of the shell-like locking sleeve 43.

The locking sleeve 43 shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, is utilized in the same manner as the sleeve 11 in the FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 and the above described method of coupling the same to concrete reinforcing rods in combination with the concrete columns is similar. A slightly larger hole may be formed in the earth to permit the pouring of concrete into a suitable hole; or a smaller concrete pouring hole of a length equal to member 43 communicating with the concrete accommodating hole may be used.

FIG. 7 shows a thin shelled locking sleeve 49 having a spiral or helical thread configuration of a worm type appearance. The crest section 51 thereof has disposed thereon hemispherical hollow structures 53 disposed on said crests at regular intervals in relation to said crest 51 and the worm section.

The fabrication of such units as 11, 43 and 49 can be accommodated by a plastic forming technique as casting, injection or blow molding and so on, although the shapes and configurations are particularly suitable for use with the so-called blow molding process.

Generally, in the blow molding process granules, sheets or extrusions of thermoplastic material are forced into hollow, closed molds by air pressure or otherwise. The technique is also employed in the glass industry for forming glass products. Automatic equipment removes a proper, predetermined size of plastic material and blows the desired shape in a split mold. The split mold, of course, has inner and outer cores corresponding to the locking sleeve configurations shown. After the blowing of the material into the mold, the mold is opened, and the locking sleeve or article of manufacture removed therefrom. The blow mold process produces the sleeve structures 11 and 43 shown in the figures, such that, the material thickness is relatively uniform throughout as is shown in the sectional views of FIGS. 3 and 6.

It would be obvious to one skilled in the art, on how the blow mold process is so appropriate to the structures shown herein, as well as other methods of producing the same using both thermoplastic and thermosetting materials.

It has been found that to secure rods in concrete of or more feet in length, lengths of such sleeves as 11, 43 and 49 of one to three feet or more are utilized. The diameter of such sleeves, as related to the diameter of the rod, are not more than 2 to 3 times greater. The diam eter of the convex and concave half golf-ball structures are typically /2 to 2", depending on the task to be performed.

Referring to FIG. 8 there is shown a locking ring 60 disposed about a reinforcing rod 61. A partial section of a locking sleeve is shown about the rod 61. The locking sleeve 62 which may have one of the previously shown configurations as a helical threaded shell, and so on, has an opening 63 which is larger than the diameter of the rod 61, or larger than the cross sectional area thereof. In order to maintain an easy inventory and avoid the stockpiling of a large number of different locking sleeves with all types of different hole sizes for accommodating different sized rods as 61 and so on a locking ring is used. To solve this problem, locking rings as 60 are fabricated from a thermoplastic, rubber or a foamed polyurethane substance, or some other suitable or elastomeric material. The locking rings 60, as fabricated, have a hole 64 disposed about the axis of symmetry, which opening or hole 64 can be made in various sizes to correspond to the diameters of typical rod structures as 60. In this manner the locking sleeve 62 can be made with a relatively large hole or opening 63 to accommodate the largest anticipated reinforcing rod 61. For smaller sized rods 61, a ring 60, having a smaller opening is secured on the rod and encircles the same. The ring 60 also has an outer diameter which may include a flange, as shown, dimensioned to coact with and be inserted into the hole 63 of the locking sleeve 62.

A similar technique may be employed for the bottom opening, as well.

FIG. 9A shows a top view of a locking sleeve 70, which may have the surface contour previously described. Instead of having an opening dimensioned as the cross sectional area of a typical rod, the sleeve 70 has a variable opening which may secure rods of different diameter.

The structure shown in FIG. 9A has a hole 83, approximately one half inch in diameter and radiating outwards from the hole 83 are radial perforations 71. Such perforations may be formed by cutting radii of the circle 72 on the rod surface (top or bottom) of the locking sleeve 70. If reference is made to FIG. 9B, it is clearly shown how the rod 73 is secured by the triangular sections of locking sleeve material, when the rod is forced into the perforated arrangement shown in FIG. 9A.

FIG. 10 shows a locking ring 75 having a rod accommodating opening 78, which may vary from ring to ring according to the dimensions of a locking rod. The outer diameter of the ring 75 is approximately the same size as the opening 76 in the locking sleeve 77. The ring 75 can therefore be forced into the opening 76 of the sleeve 77 and glued, screwed or otherwise fastened to the locking sleeve 77 to further permit a wide range of rod sizes to be accommodated in concrete construction.

FIG. 11 shows a further embodiment for accommodating various sized rod members. The hollow, plastic, locking sleeve 80 is formed with a hollow conical shell 81 on a. rod accommodating surface. The hollow 81 has marked graduations thereon 82, 83 and 84 which are marked for example in inches as 3, 2 and 1 respectively at positions on the cone 81 corresponding to the diameter thereof. If one desired to use a 2" rod with the locking sleeve 80, one would cut or remove the portion of the hollow cone 81 above, for example, line 83. A rod as shown in FIG. 11A can then be inserted and easily accommodated within the locking sleeve.

Other configurations and embodiments will become clear to those skilled in the art when reading the specification, and as such are considered to be within the full scope and breadth of the invention, limited only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a rod-like member to be utilized in a concrete construction, apparatus for providing accurate positioning of the rod while further strengthening said construction, comprising:

(a) a hollow screw-like member, symmetrically disposed about a given axis and of a given length, said member, having a threaded surface comprising symmetrically disposed crests and roots on said surface and along the length of said member,

(b) a plurality of hollow spherical structures positioned along the series of threads at regularly spaced intervals with respect to said crests and roots,

(c) said hollow screw-like member further having on another surface thereof a first hole disposed about said axis and a second hole on said still another opposing surface thereof congruent with said first hole and disposed about said given axis, said first and second holes being of a configuration substantially congruent to a cross-sectional configuration on said rodlike member for securing said hollow screw-like member to said rod, said rod-like member traversing said hollow member and being disposed in said holes.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

(a) a grout accommodating means situated on the member, said means having an internal passageway communicating at one end with the internal hollow of said screw-like member, for applying a grout material through said passageway into said internal hollow of said screw-like member when the same is surrounded by concrete.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, said spherical structures, are hollow half spheres located on and projecting from said crests of said threaded surfaces, whereby with respect to said given axis said surfaces of said spheres are convex.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, said spherical structures are hollow half spheres located on and projecting into said root sections.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, said hollow, screw-like member is fabricated from a thermoplastic material.

6. An article of manufacture for use in reinforced concrete constructions, comprising:

(a) a relatively thin shelled hollow member, symmetrically disposed about a given axis, and having a surface contour defined by a thread like spiral including crest and root sections of predetermined dimensions, said member further including a plurality of protrusions symmetrically disposed on said surface along the length of said member at regular intervals in relation to said crests and roots and further having a top surface having a first opening thereon, disposed about said axis, and a bottom surface having a second opening of the same dimension as said first opening and disposed about said axis and therefore substantially in line with said first opening.

7. A locking sleeve apparatus used for coacting with a metallic rod to be used in strengthening a concrete construction comprising:

(a) a cylindrical member having an internal hollow symmetrically disposed about a given axis, and having a major surface contour defined by a thread like spiral including crest and root sections of predetermined dimensions, said member further including a plurality of hemispherical structures symmetrically disposed on said surface at regular intervals in relation to said crests and roots, said member having separate top and bottom surfaces each having an opening symmetrically disposed about said axis and dimensioned according to and in congruency with the cross-sectional area of said metallic rod, whereby said rod can be inserted through said openings to fix said member to said rod.

8. The locking sleeve apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said member is fabricated from a thermoplastic material having a substantially uniform cross-sectional thickness between all of said surfaces and said internal hollow.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7 further compris- (a) locking type means coupled to at least one of said locking sleeve openings for adapting said opening for coacting with a plurality of different cross-sectional rod configurations.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said locking type means comprises:

(a) an annular ring having an inside opening approximately congruent to the cross sectional area of said rod, and an outside diameter approximately equal to said opening of said locking sleeve,

(b) means, coupling said annular ring to said locking sleeve.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,108,859 8/1914 Bennett 52-705 1,651,269 11/1927 Gnagi 52-705 2,616,284 11/ 1952 Leontovich 52-303 2,970,406 2/ 1961 Finsterwalder 52-303 3,108,404 10/1963 Lamb 52-303 3,172,239 3/1965 Larkin 52-677 3,430,408 3/1969 Dean 52-699 FOREIGN PATENTS 462,777 3/1937 Great Britain 52-677 HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 52-687, 705

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