Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~ BACKGROUND OF 'rHE I~JENTION
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This invention relates to the field of concrete construction and
more particularly to the field oE concrete construction forlnwor!i and
apparatus for assembling such formwork into functional units. Speci,icall~-,
this invention relates to apparatus for tying form~ or~; panels together b~,-
means of elongated ties and fastening devices attachable to the panels
to secure the ties and panels against relative movement.
'rO construct concrete forms from pznels rr aintained in spaced
opposed relationship, nurnerous prior art devices have been proposed
and utilized with var~ing degrees of success. 'rhese devices ha-~e
generally comprised a rod extending bet~ een and through both auch
panels with varying forms of wedging or loc~;ing devices pro~-ided to ~L ip
the ends of the tie and thus prevent outward move~nent oF the orm panela.
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With dev~ces of this nature the forms are generally pro-~ided ~ h
- I sp~cers to p~event inward moven~ent there~f, and the rod end fastening -
il devices are attacned to ~l.alers on the forrn panels. The rod end fasteni~g
i¦ devices have generally tal;ell the form of loops through ~TJhiCh hoo~;s are
inserted, nuts threaded onto the end of a threaded tie, or a hot-upset
"b~ltton" end similar to the head of a nail or bolt. A major disadvantage
that all such apparatus has su~fered has been thè difficulty of removal of
the fastening device after the concrete structure has been poured and set.
~his problern is caused by the expansion ~f the concrete during setting
greatly increasing the outward pressure against the forn panels and
thus against the tie rod end fastening devices. Accordingly, it has
required great force to release these prior art devices in order to
remove the form panels. ~his difficulty in removing the fastening li
devices has resided principally in the inability o such devices to release ~,the longitudinal stresses on the rods quickly upon the initiation of the
releasing action. ~nother disadvantage suffered by the structures usin~
. threaded ties and nuts or ties with enlærged headed ends has been their
inability to compensate for misalignment between the tie and the clampin~ j
structure on the form panel. Misalignment of these prior art devices,
O generally maniîested by angular displacement of the tie fro~n a line
n~rmal to the fo~rn panel, has generally resulted in the imposition of
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the entire longitudinal stress upon one corner or a very small portion
¦ ~ tl~is tie end anchoring structure. ~his condition not only increases ',
I thc clif~iculty o~ releasing t~le clamp but also imposes severe bendin~
¦ stresses on the tie, possible leading to its failure.
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In view of the foregoing disadvantages of the prior
art aevices it is an aspect of this invention to provide concrete
form panel tying apparatus which may quickly and easily be in-
stalled to clamp form panels into place and may quickly and
easily be removed to release such panels, even when such panels
are under great pressure from the concrete structure formed with-
in. It is another aspect of ~his invention to provide concrete
; form panel tying apparatus which compensates for some amount of
misalignment between the tie and the form panel and avoids the
imposition of excessive point loadings and bending stresses
upon the tie.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, this invention provides means for
anchoring a tie to a concrete form panel comprising a
first and second bearing member, having respectively first
and second apertures therethrough for receiving such a tie,
the first bearing member having a convexly curved surface
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` adjacent to the first aperture and the second bearing member
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having a concavely curved surface adjacent to the second
" 20 aperture, the convexly curved surface and the concavely curved
` surface being in engagement with one another with the first
and second apertures generally aligned with one another,
means whereby one of the bearing members may be engageable
with the form panel, and the other of the bearing members
including a clamping means, the clamping means including a
clamping recess engageable within a groove on an end of the
~ tie, and a sloped clamping surface complementary to a
- sloped tie surface defining said groove, the slop~d clamp-
ing surface facilitating anchoring of the tie to the form
panel and the cooperating curved surfaces on the bearing
`- members permitting slight angular misalignment between the
form panel and the tie anchored thereto without resulting
` in imposition of substantial bending pressures on the tie.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTIOi!T OF ~HE DPl~WINGS
~ he f~regoing aspects,as well as others, will become app~rent
through consideration of the following detailed description and the accom-
panying illustrations in which: j
FIG. 1 represents a typical installation of the concrete form panel
... tying apparatus o~ this invention; . ¦ .
FIG. 2 represents a vertical section through the installation
taken along line 2-2 o~ Fig. l; . . I
FIG. 3 represents a horizontal sectlon taken through the concrete I :
fo~n panel tying apparatus of Fig. 1, taken along line 3-3 of Pig. 1;
FIG. 4 illustrates one of the devices used for attaching the form^
work tying apparatus of Fig. 3 to a waler;
FIG. 5 is an elevational view, partially in section, of the form
panel tying apparatus of Figs. 1-3;
- FIG. 6 is a vertical section of the tying apparatus tal;en along :
line 6-6 of Fig. 5; . .
FIG. 7 is a vertical section of the cla~nping member l:aken along
¦ line 7-7 of Fig. S;
¦ FIG. 8 is a vertical section of the tying apparatus tal;en along
2~ IllineS-80~ig.s; , I .
'il FIC~. 8~ is a fragmentary sectiollal view of a variation of the
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- mounting member a~d bearing rnernber of the apparatus of I;~ig. 8; . I
~^ FIG. 8B is a fra~T entary sectional vie~v of a second ~arialion of
the moun~ing member and bearing member of the apparatus of Fig. 8;
FIG. 9 is an elevational view o~ the inwardly facing portion of
the mountin~S member c,~ :Fig. 8, tal;en along line 9~ Fig. ~;
.. FIG. 10 is an elevational view of the out~ardly facing p~rtion of
the bearing member of Fig. 8, taken as indicated by the line 10-10 of
Fig. 8;
FIG. 1~ is a side elevation of a device for anchoring a threaded
: ~ tie to a form panel;
FIG. 11A is an end elevational view of the anchoring device tal;en
along line llA-llA of Fig. 11; .
- FIG. 12 is a side elevation of another embodirnent of a device for
anchoring a threadeà tie to a form panel;
~ FIG. 13 is an elevational view of the inwaràl~- facing portion of
... the anchoring device of Fig. 12; -
FTG. 14 is a vertical sectional view of an installation of the
threaded tie anchoring device of Fig. 12;
:FIG. 15 is a front elevational view, parti211y in section, of another
ernbodimeDt of the form panel tying apparatus of this invention, incorpora-
tin~ a slidin~ redge-lil;e plate;
~ ?IG. 16 is a vertical sectional view tal;en along line 16-16 of
Fi~.l~; !
FI(~. 17 is a fragrmelltary view in vertical section of the tie and
5 !¦ clamping men1ber o~ Fig. 8, ~ritll slleh members angularly misaligned to
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.illustrate anc~her feature of thiS invention;
I ~?IG. 18 is a p~rtial vertical section similar to Fig. 8; illustrating
I the manner of engagement bet~een the tie and clarnping member o~ this
; I invention, ~lith a pt~rtion of the cl~nping member sho~l~n in section;
FIG. 19 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 18, illustrating the
... manner of releasing engagement between the tie and clamping member ol ,
. . this invention at the initiation of the movement of the cl~nping member,
.. shown in section, toward its nonclamping position out of engagement with ' -
. the tie; .
-FIGS. 20, 21 and 22 are side elevations of three e~nbodiments of
; tapered form panel ties to be used with the apparatus of this invention; I -.
FIG. 23 is a front elevational view of the outwardly facing portions
of another embodiment of the tying apparatus of this invention, illustrated
in its clamping position with clamping members engaging the tie;
iS :~IG. 24 is a plan vie~Tr of the apparatus of Fig. 23 with the clampin~
.. members moved to their nonclampin~ positions away frorn engagement
. ~ith the tie; ,. .
; FIG. 25 is a horizontal sectional view of the apparatus of Fig. 24
.~. taken along line 25-25 of Fig. 24; I .
- 20 . FIG. 26 is a horizontal sectional view of the app~ratus of Fig. 24
.~ talcen along line 26-26 of Fig. 24.
I ~ ~J~Tf~ILED DESCI~IPTION OF ILLUS'~RA'l IVE E~IBODI~ TS
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... While several illustrative eml~odiments of this invention will be
clescribed hcrein, the primary description ~vill be based ~Ip~n the embodi-
~5 l~ ment generally illustra~ed in :?igs. 1, 2 and 3.
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Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate the application of this tyin~ apparatus toa pair of s~lhs~antially identical opposed concrete ~orm panels 2. 'rhese
form ~anels 2, of any desired height and width, may suitably comprise
! pl~/ood panels 4 braced ~itll h~rizonlal ~iooden walers 6 ~nd vertical
steel channel walers 8. Releasably attached to the vertical ~alers 8 are
a plurality of tie anchoring clamping units 10 for releasably clamping
the form panels 2 to ties 12 extending through the concrete structure 14,
~vhich here is illustrated as a vertical wall.
. The ties 12 may conveniently eomprise either a solid steel member
orJ, as illustrated here, a threa~edly connected multi-part steel structure.
In this embodiment the tie 12 comprisea an inner tie 16 permanently and
nonrotatably imbedded in the concrete and having threaded ends, each
of these ends threadedly received into an elongated tapering nut 18.
'rhe nut 18 in turn is threaded onto outer tie 20 and affixed tllereto by
lS pin 22 extending through both the nut 18 and the outer tie 20. 'rhe outer-
most extremity 24 of the outer tie 20 con~reniently may be pro~ided with
a square head formed by opposed flats 25 to facilitate rotation thereof
by a wrench for later remo~al of the outer tie 20 and tapered nut 18
from the concrete structure. rrhis inner tie, if desired, could be made
20 l rernovable bsr encasement within a pla~stic sleeve extending bet~7een the
¦ ~rm panels 2. 'rhe illustrated clamping en~agement of the tie 12 by
th~ clamping unit 10 secures the form 2 against anSr substantial displace-
mellt longil;udin~Llly oE the lies 12. Con~enientl~, a "l~ick strip~ 26 may
~ be securecl to the subjacenl; supportin~ structure 28 to pro~ide a stop to
r~,5 1¦ pre~rent any oul~ ard movement of tl~e base of the io~n p~IICIs 2.
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l`he de,aile(l structure of the tying appar~tus of Figs. 1 and 2 is
,., more clearly illustrzted in the h~ri~ontal section ol! Fig. 3. This figure
illustrates the manner in ~/hicll the elongatecl, tapered connecting nut 18
~".- joins the inner tie 16 to the outer tie 20, to ~,-hich the nut 18 is pinned.
'~ - j 'rhe nut 18 extends through a closely fitting aperture 19 in panel 4, ~T/ith
tlle longitudinally tapering portion projecting intvardly o~ the panel, Such
,~ a longitudinal taper facilitates removal of the nut 18 .~fter the concrete
... structure has set. 'rhe longitudinally outer portion of outer tie 20
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extends between vertical ~valers 8 and through apertures in the clamping ~.
apparatus 10 and threadedly receives the internally threa~ed anchoring
nut 30, illustrated more clearly in F'igs. 11 and lla. By ~irtue of the
engagement of this anchor nut 30 with the clarnping structure 10, the . .
position of the nut 30 longitudinalls~ of the outer île 20 eIfectively deter-
mines the posltioning of opposing form panels 2~
~ ig. 3 also illustrates the tie anchoring clamping appar.~tus 10,
which includes a clarnping member 32 engaging the anchor nut 30, a
mounting member 34 to ~,vhich the clamping member .32 is pivotally
attached by means of shoulder bolt 36, and bearing member 38, which
~buts the fianges o walers 8 and bears the in~.vard forces exerted by the
remainder of the clamping structure and is attached to mountin~ member 3~.
Each of 9uch members 32, 34 and 36 suitabl~ may be fabric~t~d of ductile
st~el~ ~s indicated, the anchor nut 30 is received throu~h apertures 35
and 39 of members 34 and 38, respectively, with apertllre 35 only slightly
lar~er in diarneter than the tie portion ~rojecting therethrough and aper-
tllrc 3~ sul)stantially lar~cr tharl such tie E~ol~tion~ to iacilitate clamping
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~~, and alignment of the tle, as described bc-lo~ onvenicntly, bear~ng
'~ j! member 38 may releasably be attached to the ~v~ler ilc~ges by ,~ripping '.
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. ¦, members 40, illustrated in Fig. 4, ~hich are received onto s~uds ~2
¦, projecting in~vardly from bearing member 38. These grlpp~lng members 40
~ desirably are provided ~.~ith teeth 4~ which e~;tend horizontally in the
:. ¦ installed position, thus to restrain the tie anclloring clamping structure. 10
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i against sliding do~vn the waler when at~ached thereto.
¦ In the plan vie~Y of Fig. 5 the apparatus o this invention is sho~vn
with the clamping member 32 both in its clamping position (solid line
representation) engaging the tie 12, shown in section, and with the
. clamping means 32 pivotally moved to its nonclamping position away
fro~n the tie (phantom line representation)O When t~is clamping member 32
i~ in its clamping position, it may be seen that recess 46, in the form
of an arcuate slot in clamping member 32, is matingly received a~out a
15 l ¦ portion the tle 12. Since the tie 12 o:~ thls preferred embodiment is
round and the recess.46 is configured to correspond ~ith the cross-sec-
tional configuration of the tie, the inner end o the recess 46 is semi-
. circular and of a diameter only slightly greater than that of the portion
.' of the tie 12 r~ceived therein.
~0 When the clamping member 32 is in its clamping position cngaging
¦ the tie 12, it may be seen irom Fig. 3 tllat there is engageInent bet~veenclampin~ m~Inber surface 50 and tie anchor nut shoulder 52 to restrain . .
`.......... ~ny motion o~ the form 2 longitudinally outwardly of the tie 12. In the
.; pl~n ~iew c) Fig. 5 it may be seen that the tie en~aging surface 50 of
2rl ~ th~ clam~ g member 32 comprises the por~io~ Or the member 3
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adJacent the semicircular ~nd p~rtion ~f tll~ slot 46. As seen most
clearly in ~i~,r. 3, this clamping member surface 50 and tne inc~ting
,' surface 52 of the tic slope lon~itudinally in~ ardly of the ti~ 12 to~ard
~h~ form panel ~ and slope in~ardly to~ard the recess 46. For reasons '
i to be described more full~ belo~, the sloping surface 52 of the tie
preferably is convexly sloped, at least at the radially outer portions
thereof. Similarly, the mating sloping surface 50 of the clamping mem-
ber 32 preferably is concavely curved. These mating surface configurations
provide both for àngùlar misalignment and for easy removal of the tie and
clamping structure. To facilitate initial clamping engagemen~ between
the tie 12 and the clamping member 32 the clamping member portion
adjacent the slot 46 and ouhYard Or the semicircular end portion thereof
i5 inclined longitudinally inwardly of the tie 12 to provide a ramp For
e~erting longitudinally o~u~ward force on the tie as the clamping member 32
is mo~ed to its clamping position. Additionally, the slot 46 is arcuate
with the center of cur~rature corresponding to the pivot 36 of the clamping
member 32. Thus, ~Yhen clamping member 32 is pulled from its open j -
positlon, with clamp n~ember handle 63 in a generally vertical orientation
as indicated in phantom in Fig. 5, to the cla:nping position with the
~I handle 68 generally horizontal, the arcuate slot 46 may smooihly receiv~ ¦
the tie 12 as the ramp portion e~;erts longitudinally out~iard force upon ~ ¦
thc tie.
~; To maintain the clamping member 32 in either its fully open non-
s I cl~mping position or its fllll clamping position, a springr Ioaded ball 69 is
~`l5 ~ provicled ~vithin a bore 70 in clamp member 32 to en~aC~e~ selectively ~nd
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alternaLivcly, either of t~ o (~ctel~ts 92 in mounting men~ber 34, as
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!! iIldiC~ted in the section of ~ig. 6. Thus, unintended rnovernent of the
clamping member from one position to t~le other is avoided ~dditionally,
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i a pin 74 is provided in mounting member 3-~ to engage a portion oi clamping
member 32 and tl~us prevent rotation of tile clampins m~nber p25t its
'I full open position.
¦I Several additional features of this in~ention are illustra~ed in the
¦¦ vertical section of l?ig. 8, taken t~rough the apparatus of Fig. 5. As
11 noted above, it is desirable to accommodate some degree of misalignment
between the tie 12 and the tie anchoring clamping structure 10. Such
accommodation is made in this embodiment by the structural relationship
of the bearing member 38 to the mounting member 34. As may be seen
from the iilustrations the aperture 39 in bearing member 38 is substarltially
larger than the portion of the tie 12 and nut 30 extending therethrough.
This oversize aperture 39 and its conic~lly enlarged configuration
permit movement of tlie tie 12 and anchor nut 30 ~vithin the aperture. In
I this embo~lirnent of the invention the outwardly facing portion of the bearing ,.
member 38 also includes a convexly curved spherical surface 76 surround-
ing the aperture 39. This surface 76 mates with a corresponding conca~el5r
curved spherical surface 78 o;l the in~vardly facing portion of the mounti~g
¦ rllember 34. Such mating spherical surfaces effectively form a portion
~;! j of a ball and soclcet joint, ~vith the mounting member 34 perrnitted to
51ide tr.~ns~ersely and rotate sli~ tly ~ith lespect to bearing meml~er 3g.
us, misali~ ent bet~-een corrcspondingr clar~ping members on opposing
1I form panels 2 may be manifested by an~lar displacement of the tie fr~m
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a line norrnal to the forrn panels. By ~irtue of the ball and soc~;et joint
Il formed by tlle clamping structure the full stress exerted longitudinally of
Il the tie maS~ still l~e taken uniformly upon the spherical surfaces, thus
I l avoiding the imposition of excessive bending stresses on the tie 12, The
same cf~ects and beneiits obviously could be obtained frorn .he corres-
ponding structure of Figure 8A in which the convex and concave portions
are re~ersed. Additionally, compensation for some degree of misalign-
ment could be obtained from the flat mating surfaces of t'ne corresponding
- structure of l?igure 8B, wherein such compensation might ta~;e the form ~f
sliding translation of the mounting member 34B ~Yith respect to the bearing
member 38B along the mating surfaces 76B and 78B. Further, it may be
noted that, while the disclosed spherically curved surfaces accommodate
misalignrnent in any dlrection, provision for such misaIignment in only
one axis could be obtained by the use of corresponding sur~aces which are
cylindrically so curved. The movement between members 34 and 38
neces~ary to allo~r for such n~isalignment is facilitated by the adjustahle
attachment of mounting,member 34 to bearing member 38, as sho~,vn In
:Fig. 8. This adjustable attachnent may be achieYed tllrough the use of
shouldcr bolts 80 tllreaded into rnember 34 and projecting through oversize
¦ holes: ~2 in bearing member 38. ~3etween the head of each sho-llder bolt 80
and tlle bearing member 38 is a compression spring 8 ' and retalner ~6,
Il This mounting arrangement thus tends to center mernbers 34 and 38 and
'~ ! align thcir respeclive central apertures 35 and 39, through ~,~hich the tie 12
pas~scs, but, ~Yith the o-rersize aperture 39, permits ~ioth the abov-e-
. 2~ ' d~scribed an~ lar ~nd transirerse tran~lational movement L>et~ een the
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members, t~.us to accommodate the aforementioned misalig~nment.
Excessive rotational or-translational movement of the member 34 ~rith
¦I respect to bearing ~ember 38 is r~strained by engag~m~nt of t~.e out~rdl~
I! projecting bosses 92 of the bearing memb~r 38 ~vith tl~e edges of the
- 5 i slots 9~ formed in mo~lnting mcmbe~ 34, as most clearly illustrated Figs. 6, 9 and 10.
¦ While a substantial degree of rnisalignment between the tie and
the clamping structure is accommodated by the mating surfaces o~ the
mounting member 34 and the bearing member 38, other significant bene~its
- 10 may be obtained by the manner of engagement between the clamping
member 32 and the tie 12. This manner of engagement and the structure
relating thereto are shown more clearly by reference to the vertical
sectional views of Figs. 7 and 8 and the enlarged fragmentary sectional
views of Figs. 17, 18 and 19, the three latter figures corresponding
generally to the sectional ~rie~Y of ~iig. 8. hs is illustrated most clearly
in Fig. 1~, the engagement between clamping members 32 and tie 12
I occurs by engagement of surface 50 of the clarnping member with surEace 52;
¦ OI the tie. In this case, the tie comprises an end portiorl 54 ha~ing a
~ first dismeter or trans~rerse dimension. ~cljacent this end por ion 54
2n j ls a ?ongitudinally in~rard portion 56 having a second and smaller diameter
I or trans~rerse dimension. Extending bei~veen outer portion 54 and
.~ ~ lo~lgitudlllally in~vard portion 5B is the surface 52 ~rith at least the
j radiall~r nutward portions tllereof having a convex curvature and thus
il sloping~ lon~;itu~linally out~vardl~ oE the tie. Prcferably, as in the illustra-
~ tion, the e2ltire surrace 52 is collve~ r cur~ed and sloping longi.udinally
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i out~ardly ~ lly adjacert the seconcl tie portion 5G, and opposite
surface 52, is the tie third portion 58 havi~g a diameter or transverse
dimension greater than that of portioll 56 and desirably equal to that of
¦1 outer portion S4. Conveniently, a shoulder surfacc- 60 extends radially
out\vardly from second portion 56 to the radiall~r o~lter e~trcmity of third
portion 58 to engage clamping mernber 32 and prevent inward movement
of the forrn panel.
The concave curvature of the surface 50, sloping inwardly toward
the form panel and configured to mate with tie surface 52 provides sub- i
stantial additional benefits to the use of this structure. As is most
readily apparent in Figs~ S and 7, this concave sloped surface 50 com-
prises the portion of the clamping member 32 immediately adjacent the
semicircular end portion of the slot 46. Thus, supportive engagement
between the clamping member 32 and the tie 12 occurs around th~t semi- i
lS circular surface 50. By virtue of the curved, and prcferably spherical, ! !
.~ mating surfaces 50 and 52, the engagement of these members forms a
portion of 2 ball and socket joint. Accordin~l~r, slight angular misalign-
ment bet~veen the tie 12 and the ~xis of the clampin~ structure may be
~, compensated by both this ball and socket arrangementj as sho~,vn in the
exaggerated representation of Fig. 17, and by the similar socket between
mounting membel~ 3~ and bearing member 38. Thus~ even in a condition
of such misalignment as might be caused by a 1 1/4 inch displacement
i of opposing form panels spaced only 12 inches apart, longitudinal
stresses e~erted by the form~orl; against the tie remain relatively evenly
I, distril~lltcd over the full semicircular cnga~ement and are not significantly
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conc~ntrate~ on a small portioll of the tie. This structure subst lntially
I a~Toids the in~position of bending moments such ~s might be ~reated if the
i mating surfaces of the tie and the clamping member ~vere ~lat.
¦~ A second benefit from this structure stemming largely fro}rl the
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sloping cur~ed conliguratic)n of the mating surfaces 50 and 5~ is i]lus-
tra-ted m Fig. 19 and by the broken line representation in Fig. 17. These
figures illustrate the relative action of the tie 12 and the clamping mem-
ber 32 upon the initiation of movement of the member 32 from its clamping
position to its nonclamping position. By virtue of the sloped cur~ed surface
. lO even slight movement of the member 32 away ~romits clamping position as j
indicated by the arro~-rs in Figs- 17 and 19 permits the tie 12 to move
relatively axiaLLy in~rardly of the clamping member 32 thus relieving
the axial or longitudinal stresses developed in the tie by the exp~nsion
of tlle concrete structure during curing. Accordingly. the longitudinal
lS stresses are relieved substantially immediately ~pon the initiation of
- such movement so that the effort required for complete removal of the
clamping member 32 to its nonclamping position is reduced substantially
~; ir~m that ~rhich ~voulcl obtain through the matin~ of tie ~nd clamping mem- I
ber surfaces substantially norrnal to the a~ii of the tie.
~0 While a continuous solid tie is equall~- suitable for use with this
lnvcntion the preferred embodiment described above incorporates a
thread~d -~ie ~ith tlle above descrlbed clamping member engagin~ s~srfaces
¦ formcd on a nut thrcadedly inserted onto the end of such tie as described
I al~ove. Such a nut suitable for use on any threadcd ti2. is more clearly
il illustrated in Figs. 11 and lla. In ~ddition to the struct~lre illustrated
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in the ~nl-~ ~c~d r~pr~senta~ions of Fig.s. 17, 18 ancl 19, it rnay be seen
¦I that tlle outermost sections o~ the outer end portion 54, adjacent the outcr
, surrace 62 ha~,e t~o pairs of radi~lly opposed flats machined therein
~ j parallel to the nut axis. These flats facilitate gril~ping by a wrench for
:~ ¦ r~lation of the nut. Additionall~, adiacent the third portion 5~3 of th~ nut
is a second conically tapering end portion 66 to facilitate insertion of
the nut 30 into the relativel~T close-fitting aperture 35 of the mounting
member 34 during assembly of the tie and clamping structure. Another
- substantial advantage of this threaded tie and anc~loring nut structure is
the readily available means for adjusting the effective length of the tie by
scre~ving the anchor nut 30 longitudLnally inwardly or outwardly of the tie.
Thus, it may be seen that numerous substantial benefits are offered
by the use of the above described structure for tying together concrete
form~vork panels. Compens2tion or Tnisalignment bet~veen the tie and
the panel Is provided by ~he engagement oE the respective curvcd surfaces.
Standard tllreaded tie components may be used to permit the construction
of walls or other structures of widely varying thicknesses, and rapid
release o the longitudinal stresses on the tie rod is provlded by the
clamping structure. Additionally, it should be noted tli~t such longitudinal
` 2~ stress may be relie~red by tllis structure in an~r one of three ~vays: a
; ` release of the clamping means by movement of the handle 68 to the non;~ clamping position, rotation of the anchor nut 30 to threadedly relie~re such
stress even ~Yhile such nut remains clamped by the clampin" meml)er 32,
Il or rotation of the outer tie 20 itself, also to threadedl~r relieve such stress
il T~lis last mcalls Or rele~sillg pressure is facilitated by the provision o~
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¦ flats 25 on the outcr end of ollter tie 20, as indicated ;n ~'ig. 8.
While numerous other variations of this invention rea~ily present
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ji themsclves, a fe~/ of the morc significant arc illustrated in tlle rcmaining
figures. Figs. 12 and 13 illustrate a threarled anehor 100 having a large
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i circular flange 102 ~vith an outwardly facing conve~ly sphericallJ- curved
surface 104 to matingl~r engage and cooperate ~Yith surface 76 of bearing'
~nember 38, as illus-trated in Fig. 14. This structure, while providing
only for release of longitudinal stress on the tie 12 by rotation of either
of such tie outer portion 20 or the anchc~r 100, does provide compensation
¦ for subst'antial'misalignmen~ between the tie and the beari~g member
attached to the form panel. Similarly, a ~rasher having one suitably curved
' surface and one flat surface could be used in conjur~ction vith an ordinary
flat nut to accommodate such angular misalignment, engaging either the
bearing member 38 as here, or the clampillg member 32 as described
.`' 15 ~bo~e. Such a nut ~nd ~vasher combination would serve as a fully equiva~ ¦
lent substitute for the special nuts describecl. '
In Figs- 15 and 16 there is illustrated anot'her embodiment of the
quiclcly releasable clamping structure. In this embodiment the same
I type of anchor nut 30 and threaded outer tie 20 may be used. However,
I the clamping, mounting ~nd bearing members are replaced b~ slidable,
i ~vedge-shaped clampin~ member 132 cooperating with opp~sltely inclirled
edge-sll~pcd bearillg member 138. Thls clarnping member 132 includes
a slot :l~6 having a semicircul2r inner end portion ~Trith a con~re~ly in~T/ardly
Ilsl~ped tic cn~ging portion 150 adijacent this semicirc~llal in~rard slot ~,'l~ortion, for substantially the same purposes as discusscd ~vitll regard
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- ~I to the previous em~oc~iment. ~s ~vith ~he prcvious ~mbo~liment tile por~ion
of clamping member 132 generally adJacent the slot 14G an~l ext~nding
1, out~vardl~r of the semicircular in~ard portion thereof is incline~l to pro-v-ide
- I! a ramp for the engagement of the tie 12. ~3y the use of the corresponding
. . 5 i inclirled surface of the bearing mcmber 138, tlle tie enga~ing surface 150
¦ may mat~ squarely ~ ith the surface 52 of the tie. Also. as ~vitll the
previous embodiment, the longitudinally out~vard stresses imposed upon
; the tie by this clampin~ structure would be relieved immediately upon~, initiation of the movement OI the clamping member 132 away from engage-
ment with the tie toward its nonclamping position in the ~anner described
above.
~et ano-ther embodiment of the clamping structure of this invention
is illustrated in Figs. 23, 24~ 25 and 26. This structure, while slightly
!-~ more complex than the preceding, may be especially desirable where
extreme longitudinal stresses on the tie 212 are anticipated. The princi- ¦
p21 benefit of this embodiment is that the t~vo mating clamping members 232
and 233 completely surround the head of the tie 212 when in the clamping
posi~ion illustrated 3n Fig. 23 and thus provide a large load bear;ng
surface. rrhèse clamping members 232 and 233, possessing the above
described concavely sloped tie engaging surfaces 250 and 251, respectively,
are jointly pivotally connected to mounting member 234 b~ me.~s OI pivoLal
t ' ¦ connection 236. Tl~ese clamping members 232 and 233 also are pi~rotally
- ! connected to c n actuating handle 244 by means of linkage members 240
~nd 242, rc5pec-tively. S-~ch intercolmection providcs for joint pi~-otal
~5 , movemcllt of tl~e t~vo clamp membcrs ~vhen tlle ~c~u~ting h~ndle 244 is
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pivoted about pivot member 246 bet~leen the clamping confi~lration
I! illustrated in Fig. 23 and the noncl2mping configuration illustrated in
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, Fig. 24. It rnay bc noted that this cmboc~imcnt is illustrated as used
ith a solid tie 212 in place of the threaded tie and anchoring nut of the
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1, previous embocliment, This solid tie 212 is the full equivalent of previouslys 1, described multi-part tie 12 and has a convexly sloped surface 252 for
j cooperation ~vith the clamping member surfaces 250 and 251 in the above 1,.' . ~ described manner. Such a solid tie 2l2 rnay also be removable from a .
I completed concrete structure if it is encased within a plastic sleeve
ii, 10 extending between the form panelsD It may also be noted that the over- :
.' . center toggle structure of the actuating linkage serves itself to releasably : .
hold the clamping members in either the clamping position or the non- . ¦
. clamping position as desiredJ thus obviating the necessity fo.r a detent ' ~ .:
., as in the previous embodiment.
l While most of the preceding embodiments have been illustrated j
¦ in conjunction with a multi-part threaded tie ~vherein an inner threaded
tie is left imbedded in t jh,e concrete structure at comple-tion of the jobJ 1.
I; it must be noted that'other forms of tie are equally suitable for practicing
this invention. NIore particularly, solid ties preferab'ly having a con- ¦:
20 ¦ tinuous taperJ such as those illusirated in Figs~ 20, 21 and 22,, may also
~ he used to practice thls invention. After the concrete structure has set,,
.~ I tlle continuous taper of these l:ies permits them to be driven out of eng~age-
. ~ ~ ent ~vith the struct~lre.
I ~ first embodiment o-f this tapered tic structure is generally
`` ~5 Il` indicated by tlle reference numcral 300 in Ii`ig. 20. l~lis elongated tie 300
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~I comprises ~ centr~l ~;ectiol- t. pering lo!lgi~udinally fron~ a firs~ diamcter
- -or transverse~ dirnension to a seconcl smaller transverse dirnension or
-~i di~meter. O~t~vardl~ of tl~is crenter section are t~vo a~:ially aligned outer
sections 30~ and 306, both ~ the same diameter, not larger than the
, smaller dialneter of the t~pered section, and both having thrcads of
¦ equal size. Tlle threads Or the outer sec~ions 304 and 306 are suitable
for threadedly receiving threaded anchors thereupon, preferably of the
nature of either the anchor nuts 30 or the anchor nuts 100 of the previous
¦ embodiments.
~lOThe tapered tie 310 of Fig. 21 is a solid, unitary member having
the desired end portions integral therewith. As in the above embodLment
this tie 310 comprises a lon~itudinally tapering central section 312 ~rith
opposing outer sections 314 and 316 extending outwardly thcrefrorn.
In this embodiment the respective outer end portions 31~ and 320 OI end
¦ sections 314 and 316 are of substantially the same diameter, equal to
the outer transverse dimension of tlle anchor nut 30 of the earlier embodi-
ments. Similarly, corrésponding adjacent longitudinally mward portions
322 and 324 are of a smaller diameter, also as described above, and are
joined to the respective outer end portions by convex sloped surfaces 326
, and 328, respectively. With this eml)odiment identical claml~ing members
could be uscd with tlle clampi-lg structure at bolh ends, and tlle diameter
of tll~ portion 316 would pcrmit the use of all of the previously described
I clarnpin~ str~ct~lre for engaging th~t end of the tie. Ho~vever. the
¦1 enlnl~gcd diamctcr of tlle opposite en(l section 319~ ould necessitate use
2~ l~ oî be~rillg mcmbers 38 and mollntiIIg members 3~1 ha~ring s!lLt~bly enl~r~ed
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jl apertur~.s ~ a~d 35, respectively, in order to obtilin th~ necessary
!' ClaIllpillg and the desirecl benefits. I-t may be not~d ~ ith ~ h of th~ solid
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-; ;, tapercd tic-s disclosed that it is highly desirable to configure the smaller
¦! diameter end portion no larger in diameter than the smallest diameter
' j of the tapering central section in order to facilitate later removal of the
tie from the concre.e structure.
i A third embodiment 330 o~ the tapered tie3 shown in Fig, 22J
¦ liliewise incorporates a longitudinally tapering central section ~vith end ~ -
sections extending outwardly-therefrom. The larger end section 333 of
this tie is configured generally similarly to the smaller end portion of
the embodiment of Fig. 21. Specifically, the outer end portion 334 is ¦ -
of a first diameter ~vith a longitudinally adjacent in~vard portion 336 of
a second and smaller diameter and joined to said outer end portion by a
sloping convex surface. The opposite outer section of this tie is of a
diameter generally equal that of tl~e smallest dla~neter of the tapering
portion and is provided with threads suitable for threadedly recelving~
thereupon an anchoring member such as the nut 30 described ~vith previous
¦ embodiments. With this embodiment the fi~ed outer end portion 333
¦ may desir~bly be the same diameter as the largest diameter of tile anchor
' nut 30, so that identical clamping apparatus may be used to clamp each
I end of the tie.
- I In each of the tie eml~odiments described and illustrated there is
provided not only an out~vard, convexly curved shoulder for engzLging a
I clamp mcmber to restrain any out~ ard nlovement of the clannp and the
i~ 2 ~ , form pa~l~ls, l~ut also there is provided an inner shoulcler to restrain
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opposing clamp members and form panels against any movement to~ard
one another. Obviously, the principal benefits of this invention could be
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obtained ~vith ti~ structure omittin~ such inner shoulder and using separate
I spacers to restrain opposing forrn panels against movement inwardly
- 5 to~v~rd onc another. These and numerous other variations and modifica-
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i tions of t~le apparatus of this invention will readily occur to those skilled
in the art. Accordingly, the scope of this invention is not to be limited
to the disclosed embodiments but is to include all such embodirnents
encompassed within the scope Or the claims appended hereto,
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