US3613216A - Method for securing forms from a position of safety - Google Patents

Abstract

A MECHANISM FOR SECURING FORMS IN POSITION TO DEVELOP A CONCRETE STRUCTURE IN SUCCESSIVE POURS, INCLUDING AN ANCHOR EMBEDDED IN THE PREVIOUS POUR, AND A COUPLING UNIT ON THE FORM, THE COUPLING UNIT BEING EXTENDABLE TO A POSITION FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH MEANS FIXED WITH RESPECT TO THE ANCHOR WHEN THE FORM IS SET BACK FROM THE FORMED FACE OF THE CONCRETE, THE COUPLING UNIT BEING RETRACTABLE BY A DEVICE CONTROLLABLE FROM THE FACE SIDE OF SAID FORM TO DRAW THE FORM INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE FORMED FACE, AND THE METHOD OF SECURING A FORM FROM THE FACE SIDE.

Description

C. I. WILLIAMS Oct. 19, 1971 METHOD FOR SECURING FORMS FROM A POSITION OF SAFETY 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 mvzzmoa Chester I. Williams ATTORNEY Original Filed June 5, 1967 C. l. WILLIAMS Oct. 19, 1971 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed June 5, 1967 J 1 S O 0 Rm 00 T ..H V m ll 7 r 4 m M S 6 h C ATTORNEY C. I. WILLIAMS Oct. 19, 1971 METHOD FOR SECURING FORMS FROM A POSITION OF SAFETY 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed June 5, 1967 Fig. /4

Chester l. Williams ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofice Patented Oct. 19, 1971 3,613,216 METHOD FOR SECURING FORMS FROM A POSITION OF SAFETY Chester I. Williams, 347 Greenbriar S.E., Grand Rapids, Mich. 49506 Original application June 5, 1967, Ser. No. 643,453, now Patent No. 3,464,666, dated Sept. 2, 1969. Divided and this application Mar. 21, 1969, Ser. No. 833,221

Int. Cl. B23p 19/00 U.S. Cl. 29-428 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A mechanism for securing forms in position to develop a concrete structure in successive pours, including an anchor embedded in the previous pour, and a coupling unit on the form, the coupling unit being extendable to a position for engagement with means fixed with respect to the anchor when the form is set back from the formed face of the concrete, the coupling unit being retractable by a device controllable from the face side of said form to draw the form into engagement with the formed face; and the method of securing a form from the face side.

CROSS-REFERENCE This application is a division of application Ser. No. 643,453, filed on June 5, 1967, now Pat. No. 3,464,666.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Concrete structures of large size are normally developed in successive pours of five to ten feet in depth. Dams and abutments are common examples of this sort of construction, and the form panels that define the outer vertical surfaces are secured in place through the use of anchors embedded in the concrete as each pour is made. Once the concrete has hardened, those anchors become accessible as securing points to hold the form in place as the next pour above is made. The common manner of positioning the anchor devices for placement in the poured concrete results in the formation of an access socket in the formed face, in which a heavy bolt can be engaged with the threaded and of the anchor. This bolt is conventionally engaged as the form structure is suspended from a crane or equivalent device, and requires the presence of a workman on the outside of the form, which may be several hundred feet above ground. This is a definitely hazardous occupation, and the placement of these form panels and the heavy bolts require considerable skill. The preferred form of the present invention provides a series of components that permit the form panel to be rested upon a short member secured directly to the anchor device, and this member is engaged by an extendable coupling system mounted on the form. In the projected position, this coupling can be interengaged with this fixed member secured to the anchor while the form is withdrawn from the face of the concrete by sufficient amount to permit the coupling to be manipulated by a workman standing on the inside of the form on the concrete surface. Once the interengagement has been completed, controls are available to the workman standing in this same safe position which will cause the form to be drawn down onto the formed surface. An arrangement is also provided by this invention for locking the form securely in this position. The primary advantages of this arrangement are in the saving of time in the placement of the forms, and in the decrease in the hazard to the workman to the point that the higher pay scales associated with hazardous operations are eliminated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The several features of the invention will be analyzed in detail through a discussion of the particular embodi ments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 isa perspective view showing the placement of a form section under the direction of a workman standing on the top of the previous pour of the concrete.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale showing the special bolt attached to the anchor device embedded in the concrete.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the bolt from the opposite side from that shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional elevation showing the relationship of the anchor device and the special bolt preparatory to receiving the coupling and the locking pin.

FIG. 5 is a sectional elevation showing the first position of engagement of the coupling and the bolt, with the form in the withdrawn position.

FIG. 6 illustrates the same mechanism after the coupling has been retracted to pull the form down against the formed face.

FIG. 7 is a view of the upper portion of the form showing the manner of placement of the anchors and the bolts in the space to be occupied by newly poured concrete.

FIG. 8 is a section on the plane 88 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a section showing the coupling member.

FIG. 10 is a section on a horizontal plane showing the retracting mechanism for manipulating the coupling.

FIG. 11 is a section on an enlarged scale showing a locking device for securing the clamped condition of the form.

FIG. 12 is a section on an enlarged scale showing the locking device of FIG. 11 in position.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the locking device.

FIG. 14 shows a modified form of the invention, and illustrates the placement of the anchor device with a modified bolt segment.

FIG. 15 shows the fully assembled bolt utilizing the construction shown in FIG. 14.

FIG. 16 is a view on an horizontal plane showing the arrangement illustrated in FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing the use of a key for application of torque to remove the bolt segment from the anchor device.

Referring to FIG. 1 and the related views, the f r panels 20 and 21 are shown being placed in position preparatory to pouring a quantity of concrete on top of th previous pour 22. A workman is shown standing on the top surface 23 of this pour, and the presence of the fullysecured form 20 provides a considerable degree of safety for the workman as he guides the crane operator moving the panel 21 in position for the engagement of the securing mechanism. The sequence of this engagement is best shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. The form section 21 is of standard steel construction, and includes the face plate 24, a group of horizontal beams 25-30 of channel-shaped cross section, and usually several pairs of channels in fairly close back-to-back relationship as shown at 31 and 32 in FIGS. 10 and 12. These latter vertical beams extend across the horizontal beams to transfer the forces from the pressure of the concrete to the securing system.

The anchor devices 33 are conventional, and have crimped steel rod anchoring portions 33a. The threaded outer ends 3311 of these rods are fixed with respect to the anchor portion 33a, and are engaged by the special bolts shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. These bolts are indicated generally at 35, and include a tapered inner portion 36, and a head 37. This head is slotted as shown at 38, and has a transverse hole extending through the portions on both sides of the slot. A groove intersects the slot 38 to receive the offset head 41 of the locking pin 42. Prefer- 3 ably, the slot 38 is flared at its outer extremity, as shown at 43, and the outside surface on the head is provided with generally conical surfaces 44 and 45 to facilitate the interengagement of the coupling system.

The assembly of the bolt 35 and the anchors 33 are placed in position with the device shown in FIG. 7. Holes are provided in the face panel 24 of approximately a thirty-second of an inch greater diameter than the 11ameter of the cylinder defining the periphery of the head 37. A tubular socket 46 of approximately the same inside diameter as the hole in the panel 24 is welded in place as shown in FIG. 7, and receives the head 37 so that the inner extremity of the head is coplanar with the inside surface of the face plate 24. This'position is maintained through the interengagement of the pin 47, which may be identical to the pin 42 shown in FIG. 2. The pin traverses suitable openings in the socket 46 disposed to maintain the correct placement of the bolt. These bolt-anchor assemblies are usually placed in the form when the newlypoured concrete is within two or three feet of the anchor positions. This practice eliminates the danger of projecting anchors injuring a workman in the area back of the form.

The reciprocating coupling member 48 has a shank 49 traversing the tubular piston rod 50 moving within the cylinder 51. The end structure 52 of the cylinder is secured to the vertical beams of the form by bolts, as shown at 53 and 54 in FIGS. 10 and 12. The construction of the cylinder 51 is conventional, and forms no part of the present invention. Normally, seals will be included in the end 52 and in the opposite end 55 of the cylinder so that the tubular piston rod 50 may move through these walls without leakage of air or fluid, whichever is used in the particular instance. The coupling device 48 is preferably blocked against rotation by being provided with a square configuration in cross section, which provides top and bottom surfaces 56 and S7 and also parallel side surfaces 58 and 59. The top surface is disposed to bear against the bottom surface of the horizontal beam 25, and the side surfaces 58 and 59 are received between the beams 31 and 32, thus preventing rotation of the coupling in both the retracted and extended positions. The tongue 60 is preferably receivable within the slot 38 with about a thirty-second of an inch clearance, and the extended p sition of the coupling shown in'FIG. is obtained by the application of pressure in the line 61, which drives the piston 62 to the left, as shown in FIG. 10, carrying the tubular piston rod 50 with it. The line 64 may be con sidered as a return, or exhaust line, under these conditions. Pressure differentials between the lines 61 and 64 are obtainable by manipulation of the handle 65 associated with the conventional pump 66 shown in FIG. 1, resting on the top surface 23 of the previous pour of concrete. The unit 66 will normally include a selector valve which will determine which of the lines 61 or 64 shall deliver pressure, the opposite functioning as a return line.

With the coupling 48 projected forward as shown in FIG. 5, the tongue 60 is received within the slot 38. As soon as the form structure has been aligned laterally to permit the hole 39 and the hole 67 to receive the pin 42, the placement of the pin can easily be made in the open space between the formed face 68 of the concrete 22 and the face plate 24 of the form structure. The pin can be dropped in place by the workman as a direct manual operation, or the pin can be held in a suitable extension which will permit him to do this from a standing position somewhat set back from the edge of the concrete. Once the pin is in position, as shown in FIG. 5, the application of pressure to the line 64 associated with the cylinder 51 will cause the form to be pulled down to the face 68 in the position shown in FIG. 6. The groove 40 in the top of the bolt 35 permits the offset end 41 of the pin to be received below the top tangent to the head 4 37, so that it does not interfere with the support of the beam 25.

When the form has been drawn down securely into place, as shown in FIG. 6, it may be desirable to lock the form in this position so that the placement of it is not dependent upon the maintenance of pressure. When the tubular piston rod 50 is withdrawn to the right, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 12, the shank 49 and the surrounding portion of the tubular piston rod 50 extend sufficiently from the end 55 of the cylinder 51 to receive the U-shaped clip 69. The shank 49 is threaded, as shown at 70, at its outer extremity. The washer 71 and the nut 72 are received over this portion of the shank, and the nut 72 may be tightened over the clip 69 to maintain the clamping action independently of the presence of pressure within the cylinder 51. Since the form is held securely in position by the presence of pressure in the cylinder at the time the clip 69 is installed and the nut 72 tightened, the manipulation of these components can be accomplished by a workman standing on a standard scaffold secured to the form panel without involving substantial hazard.

The method of securing a form panel in position by a clamping unit operable from the concrete side of the form can also be carried out through the utilization of more conventional bolt and clamping devices, as shown in FIGS. 14 through 17. Since it is desirable to be able to place the form on a support for alignment, and since it is equally desirable that extensive projection from the formed face of the concrete is avoided so that the supports are not bent or displaced, the securing bolt generally indicated at 72 in FIG. 15 may be separated into an inner stub section- 73 and an outer, or securing section 74. This outer section is threaded over a major portion of its length for receiving the wing nut 75, and the junction between the inner and outer sections 73 and 74 of the bolt may be interconnected through the use of male and female thread systems on the outer and inner sections, respectively, in-

terengaged as shown at 76. One-piece bolts may be used,

if desired. The bracket 77 spans across the gap between the beams 78a and 78b of conventional form structure similar to that shown in FIG. 1 and is preferably bolted to the beams as shown to retain the bracket and the outer bolt sections in engagement with the forms, thus saving much repeated handling of these members. This form structure is generally designated at 79, and rests against the formed surface 80 of the concrete. The face plate 81 is provided with convenient access openings (not shown) through which an operator standing on the. top surface of the concrete 82 can reach through and connect the outer =bolt section 74 with the inner bolt section 73 while the form structure 79 is res ting on the stub 73. Where one-piece bolts are used, it is even" possible to connect.

these with the anchor devices from a positionon the concrete, prior to, or in connection with, the location of the form, or mount them on the form for sliding axially to and from an extended position, and rotatably so they may be screwed into the anchor devices from the concrete side. The access openings in the face plate 81 are of any convenient construction to include a suitable removable cover to prevent the outflow of poured concrete, and the cover can either be applied from the inside or outside of the form panels. In either event, the cover should be flush with the inside face of the face plate 81 to preserve a continuity of the formed surface 80.

The placement of the anchors and the inside sections 73 of the bolts is accomplished through the arrangement shown in FIG. 14. The anchor device 83 is engaged with threading on the tapered inner portion 84 of the bolt section 73, and the cylindrical portion 85 of the bolt section is traversed by a diametrical hole 86 for receiving the pin 87. The socket 88 has an inside diameter approximately a thirty-second of an inch larger than that of the cylindrical portion 85 of the bolt section 73, and a hole of similar diameter is provided in the face plate 81, with the hole and the socket 88 forming a substantially continuous opening for positioning the anchor 83 and the bolt section 73. After the concrete has been poured about the anchor 83, and the concrete has set, the form can be removed after the pin 87 and the wing nut 75 have been removed. The form is backed off to the right, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 a sufficient amount to disengage the socket 88 from the portion 85 of the bolt section. To keep foreign material out of the internal threading in the bolt section 73, it is preferable to incorporate a plug 89 which can be removed by a pin traversing the diametrical hole 90.

A significant advantage of the arrangement shown in FIGS. 1 through 13 is in the ability of the cylinder 51 to assist not only in pulling the form in place, but in inducing the lateral separation sufficient to disengage the form from the set concrete and the bolts received in the sockets 46 and 88. The application of pressure in the line 61 will induce movement of the form from the FIG. 6 to the FIG. position, thus breaking the face plate 24 from the formed face 68. This maneuver is, of course, accomplished while the hook 91 of a crane is engaged with the form structure to maintain its support. The tap surface of the form is easily Worked loose by the crane operator by controlling the direction of lift. The formed face is usually slanted (battered); and in such case, a vertical lift will tend to pull the form away from the face of the concrete. These forces, in conjunction with those applied by the cylinder 51, can easily back the form structure away enough to disengage it from the securing mechanism. Once it has been pushed back to the FIG. 5 position, a workman can reach down through the gap between the formed face and the form structure with a tool, and withdraw the pins 42. The coupling members 48 can then be withdrawn by actuation of the pump 66, or by any convenient pressurized system that may control a series of these securing assemblies.

The particular embodiments of the present invention which have been illustrated and discussed herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be considered as a limitation upon the scope of the appended claims.

In these claims, it is my intent to claim the entire invention disclosed herein, except as I am limited by the prior art.

I claim:

1. A method of securing a form to an anchor device accessible at the formed face of a pour of concrete, said method comprising:

supporting said form at a position set back from said formed face, and extending a coupling device inward from said form and coupling said coupling device to said anchor device; and

retracting said coupling device to pull said form to said formed surface, said retracting being controlled from the face side of said form.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein said form is placed upon a member secured to said anchor and said coupling device engages said member.

3. A method of securing a form to an anchor device accessible at the formed face of a pour of concrete said method comprising:

supporting said form on a member fixed with respect to said anchor device at a position set back from said formed face;

connecting said form to said anchor device with said References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,669,000 2/1954 Seemann 249-10 2,962,789 12/ 1960 Williams 249-10 3,071,837 1/1963 Cerutti 24910 3,252,199 5/1966 Bossner 264-33 X CHARLIE T. MOON, Primary Examiner

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