Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
iZ~35
. . This is a divisional of Canadian patent
application 252,402 filed April 30, 1976 and entitled
"Concrete Form Panel Tying Apparatus".
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field of concrete
construction and more particularly to the field of concrete con-
struction formwork and apparatus for assembling such formwork into
functional units. Specifically, this invention relates to
apparatus for tying formwork panels together by means of
elongated ties and fastening devices attachable to the panels
to secure the ties and panels against relative movement.
To construct concrete forms from panels maintained
in spaced opposed relationship, numerous prior art devices
have been proposed and utilized with varying degrees'of
- success. These devices have generally comprised a rod exteDd-
ing between and through both such panels with varying forms
of wedging or locking devices provided to grip the ends of the
tie and thus prevent outward movement of the form panels.
.
~ 'ith devices of this nature the forms are generally pro-~ided with
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spacers to prevent inward movement thereo, and the rod end fastening
¦i devices are attacihed to ~valers on the fo~n panels. ~he rod end fastening
¦! devices have generally taken the forrn of loops through jhich hoo~;s areinserted, nuts threaded onto the end of a threaded tie, or a hot-upset
¦¦ "button" end similar to the head of a nail or bolt. A major disadvantage
that all such apparatus has suffered has been the difficulty of removal of
the fastening device after the concrete structure has been poured and set.
~his problem is caused by the expansion of the concrete during setting
greatly increasing the outward pressure against the forrn panels and
thus against the tie rod end fastening devices. Accordingly, it has t
re~uired great force to release these prior art devices 1n order to
remove the form panels. ~his difficulty in removing the fastenillg
_ . .. _ ,. . . ._... ,........................................ I
devices has resided principally in the inability of such devices to relPase 1,
the longitudinal stresses on the rods quickly upon the initiation of the
releasing action. Another disadvantage suffered by the structures using
threaded ties and nuts or ties with enlarged headed ends has been their
inability to compensate for misalignrnent between the tie and the clamping
¦~ structure on the form panel. Misalignment of these prior art devices,
20 1I generally manifested by angular displacement of the tie from a line
¦ normal to tne form panel, has generally resulted in the imposition of
the entire longitudinal stress upon one corner or a very small portion
of this tie end anchoring structure. I'his condition not only increzses
! the difficul~y of releaslng the clamp but also imposes severe bending
stresses on the l;ie, possible leading to its failure.
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In view of the foregoing disadvantages of the prior
art devices 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 qui~kly and
easily be removed to release such panels, even when such panels
are under great pre~sure from the concrete structure formed with-
in. It is another aspect of this invention to provide concrete
form panel tying apparatus which compensates for some amount of
misalignment ~etween 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
concrete form pan~l tying apparatus for restraining outward
movement of a concrete form panel with respect to a tie passing therethrough,
said apparatus comprising:
a tie extendable outwardly through an opening in said concrete
form panél,
an outer end portion on said tie having a first transverse
0 dim ension,
an inner end portion on said tie located inwardly of said outer
end portion and having a second transverse dimension less than said first
transverse dimension,
an outwardly inclined ffe surface extending between said outer
end portion and said inner end portion, and curved about the longitudinal axis
of said ffe,
clamping means operatively associated with said tie for engaging
said tie, said clamping means being positionable between said inclined surface
and said concrete form panel and comprising a first clamping member having
3 0 a first recess of kansverse dimension greater that said second transverse
dimension and less than said first transverse dimension to accommodate said
tie therein, said clamping member being at an angle to the longitudinal axis
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of said tie, said first recess being defined at least in part by an outwardly
inclined clamping surface complementary to said inclined tie surface and
engageable therewith, said first clamping member being movable radially with
respect to said tie between an engaged position wherein said clamping surface
is in engagement with said tie surface to restrain said concrete form panel
against outward movement with respect to said ffe and a disengaged position
wherein said inclined surfaces are not engaged with one another, and
means operatively associated with said clamping means for
releasably holding said first clamping member in said engaged position.
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~I BRIEF DESCT~IP~IO~ir OF ~HE DP~AWINGS
_ .
~ he foregoing aspect~3,as well as others, will become apparent
through consideration of the following detailed description a~d the accom- ¦
panying illustrations in which: ¦
FIG. 1 represents a typical installation of the concrete form panel
tying apparatus of this invention;
FIG. 2 represents a vertical section through the installation
taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;
:FIG. 3 represents a horizontal section taken through the concrete
fo~n panel tying apparatus of Fig. 1, taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 1;
:FIG. 4 illustrates one of the devices used for attaching the fo~n-
work tying apparatus of Fig. 3 to a waler;
FIG. 5 is an elevational view, partially in section, of the fo~m
panel tying apparatus of Figs. 1-3;
FIG. 6 is a vertical section of the ty;ng apparatus tal;en along
line 6-6 of Fig. 5;
FIG. 7 is a vertical section of the clamping member taken along
¦i line ~-7 of Fig. 5;
il FIG 8 is a vertical section of the tying apparatus ta~;en along
20 11 line8-80fIiig.5;
i} FIC~. 8~ is a fragmentary sectiollal ~iew of a variation of the
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¦ mO-lnting member and bearing ~nember of the apparatus of ~ig. 8;
¦ -~ ~ FIG. 8B is a fragmentary sectional view- of a second- vari~tion of --¦I the mounting member and bearing member o the apparatus of Fig. 8; 1
FIG. 9 is an elevational view of the inwardly facing portion of ¦ ¦
the mounting member of Fig. 8, taken along line 9-9 of Fig. 8;
FIG. 10 is an elevational view of the out~ardly facing portion of
the bearing member of Fig. 8~ taken as indicated by the line 10-10 OI
Fig. 8;
FIG. 11 is a side elevation of a device for anchoring a threaded
tie to a forrn panel;
FIG. 11A is an end elevational view of the anchoring device taken
along line l lA-1 lA of Fig. 11;
. FIG. 12 is a side elevation of another embodiment of a device for
anchoring a threaded tie to a form panel;
FIG, 13 is an elevational view of the inwardly facing portion of
¦ the anchoring device of Fig. 12;
FIG. 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, partially in section, of another
~ embodiment of the form panel tying apparatus of this invention, incorpora-
ting a sliding, wedge-like plate;
¦¦ FIG. 16 is a vertical sectional view ta~en alon~ line 16-16 of
Fi~. 15;
li FIG. 17 is a frag~nentary view in vertical section of the tie and
; 25 ll clamping member of Fig. 8, with s-leh members angularly misaligned to
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......... ..... illustrate another feature of this invention;
¦ :~?IG. ~8 is a p~rtial vertical section ~imilar to Fig. 8, illustrating
¦ the manner of engagement between the tie and clamping member o~ this
- ! invention, witll a portion of the cla~-nping member sho-vn in section; .
. 5 FIG. 19 is a vertical section similar to F.ig. 18, illustrating the
manner of releasing engagement between the tie and clarnping member of
this invention at the initiation of the movement of the clamping member,
shown in section, toward its nonclamping position out of engagement with
the tie;
. :FIGS. 20, 21 and 22 are side ele~Tations of three embodiments of
tapered form panel ties to be used with the apparatus of this invention;
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 clarnping members~ engaging the tie;
FIG. 2~ is a plan vie~ of the apparatus of Fig. 23 with the clamping
members moved to their nonclamping positions away from engagement
. with the tie;
FIG. 25 is a horizontal sectional view of the apparatus of Fig. 24
taken along line 25-25 of Fig. 24;
. FIG. 26 is a hori~ontal sectional view of the app~ratus of Fig. 24
taken along line 26-26 of Fig. 24
ET~ILED DESCRIPTION OF' ILLUSTRATrVE E~IBODI~ TS
¦¦ While several illustrative embodiments of this invention will be
Il described hereinJ the primary description will be based upon the embodi-
j~ ment genel~ally illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.
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Figs. 1 and 2 illustr~te the application of this tying apparatus to
a pair of substan~ially i~lentical opposed concrete form panels 2~ These
form panels 2, of any desired height and width, may suitably comprise
¦¦ plywood panels 4 braced with horizontal ~iooden ~ alers 6 and vertical
steel channel walers 8. ~eleasably attached to the vertical walers 8 are
a plurality of tie anchoring clamping units 10 for releasably clarnping
the forrn panels 2 to ties 12 extending through the concrete structure 14,
wllich here is illustrated as a vertical wall.
~he ties 12 may conveniently comprise either a solid steel member
or, as illustrated here, a threadedly connected multi-part steel structure.
In this embodiment the tie 12 comprises 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.
~he nut 18 in turn is threaded onto outer tie 20 and affixed thereto by
pin 22 extending through both the nut 18 and the outer tie 20. 'rhe outer-
most extremity 24 of the outer tie 20 conveniently may be provided with
a square head foxmed by opposed flats 25 to facilitate rotation thereo~
by a wrench for later remo~ral of the outer tie 20 and tapered nut 18
from the concrete structure. 'rhis inner tie, if desired, could be made
20 i removable by encasement v~ithin a plastic sleeve ea~tending between the
form panels 2. rrhe illustrated clamping engagement of the tie 12 by
I¦ the clarnping unit 10 secures the fo~n 2 against any subs-antial displace-
¦I ment longil;udinally of the ties 12. Conveniently, a "~:ick strip" 26 may
!l be secured to the sul~jacenl supporting structure 28 to provide a stop to
25 jl pre~ent any oul~ ard movelllcnt of tlle base pf the form pancls 2.
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¦1 I`he detailed structure of tlle tying apparatus of Fi~s. 1 and 2 is
¦ more clearly illustrated in the horizontal section o- Fig. 3. This figure
~j illustrates the manner in which the elongated, tapered connecting nut 18
joins the inner tie 16 to the outer tie 20, to which the nut 18 is pinned.
S ~he nut 18 extends through a closely fitting aperture 19 in panel 4, with
¦ the longitudinally tapering portion projecting in~vardly of the panel. Such
a longitudinal taper facilitates removal oE the nut 18 after the concrete
- structure has set. ~he longitudinally outer portion of outer tie 20
extends bet-veen vertical walers 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. ~y virtue o~ the
engagement of this anchor nut 30 with the clampirlg structure 10, the
position of the nut 30 longitudinally of the outer t~e 20 effectively deter-
mines the positioning of opposing form panels 2.
E'ig. 3 also illustrates the tie anchoring clamping apparatus 10,
which includes a clamping member 32 engaging the anchor nut 30, a
rnounting member 34 to which the clamping member 32 is pivotally
attached by means of shoulder bolt 36, and bearing member 38, which
abuts the flanges of walers 8 and bears the inward forces exerted by the
remainder of the clamping structure and is attached to mounting member 3~.
~ach of such members 32, 34 and 36 suitablSr may be fabricated of ductile
steel. As indicated, the anchor nut 30 is rcceived through apertures 35
¦!, and 39 of rnernbers 34 and 38, respectively, ~vith apertllre 35 onl$~ slightly
!l larger in cl-ameter than the tie portion projecting therethrougil and aper-
' turc 39 substantially largcr th;Ln such tic E~ortion, to facilitate cl~.mping
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and alignment of the t,e, as described belc)~. Conveniently, bearing
¦, member 38 may releasably be attached to the ~valer flanges by gripping
members 40, illustrated in Fig. a" which are received onto studs ~2
¦, projecting in~Yardly from bearing member 38. These gripping members 40
li desirably are provided with teeth 44 which e~;tend horizontally in the
¦! installed position, ~hus to restrain the tie anchoring clamping structure 10
i against slidin~ down the walcr when attached thereto.
; ! In the plan vie~v of Fig. 5 the apparatus of this invention is sho~m
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 piVotal1y moved to its nonclamping position away
from the tie (phantom line representation). When this clamping member 32
is 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
~5 portion of the tie 12. Since the tie 12 of this preferred embodiment is
round and the recess 46 is configured to correspond with the cross-sec- j
tional configuration of the tie, the inner end of the recess 46 is semi-
circular and of a diameter only sllghtly greater than that of the portion
of the tie 12 received therein.
When the clamping member 32 is in its clamping position engaging
the tie 12, it may be seen from Fig. 3 that there is engagemenL between
clamping member surface 50 and tie anchor nut shoulder 52 to restrain
~¦ any motion of the form 2 longitudinally outwardly o~ the tie 12, In the
I, plan vie~v of Fig. 5 it may be seen that the tie engaging surface 50 o
l the clamping member 32 comprises the portion of the member 32
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¦1 adjacent the semicircular end portion of the slot 46. ~s seen most
l! clearly in F'ig. 3, this clamping member surface 50 and the m2ti11g
!~ surface 52 of the tic slope longitudinally in-~ardly of the ti~ 12 toward
~I the form panel 2 and slope in~Jardly to~ard the recess 46. For reasons
I, to be described more fully below, the sloping surface 52 of the tie
preferably is convexly sloped, at least at the radially outer por'.ions
thereof. Similarly, the matlng sloping surface 50 of the cl2mping mem-
ber 32 preferably is concavely curved. These mating surface configurations
provide both for angular mis lignment and for easy removal of the tie and
clamping structure. To facilitate initial clamping engagement between
the tie 12 and the clamping member 32, the clamping member portion
adjacent the slot 46 and outward of the semicircular end portion thereof
is inclined longitudinally inwardly of the tie 12 to provide a rarnp for r
exerting longitudinally ou.ward force on the tie as the clamping member 32
is moved to its clamping position. Additionally, the slot 46 is arcuate
with the center of curYature corresponding to the pivot 36 of the clamping
member 32. Thus, when clamping member 32 is pulled from its open 1
position, with clamp member handle 68 iR a generally vertical orienta~ion 1,
as inc~icated in phantom in Fig. 5, to the cla~.ping position ~ith the
handle 68 generall5~ horizontal, the arcuate slot 46 may smoothly receiv2
the tie 12 as the ramp portion e~;erts longitudinally outward force upon ~ i
the tie.
To maintain the clamping member 32 in either its fully open non
~ clamping position or its full clamping position, a spring loaded ball 69 is, provicled ~iithin a bore 70 Ln ClaTnp member 32 to cngage, selecti~ely and
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¦l alternativels~, eithcr of two dete!lts 92 in mounting rnernber 34, as
¦l indicated in the section of Fig. 6. Thus, unintended movement oE the r
clamping r.lember from one position to the other is avoided. Additionzlly,
a pin 74 is provided in mounting member 3~ to engage a portion of clarnping
~ 5 ~j member 32 and thus prevent rotation of the clampingm~nberpast its
jl full open position.
¦! Several additional features of this in~ention are illustrated in the
vertical section of Fig. 8, taken through the apparatus of Fig. 5. As
I l noted aboYe, it is desirable to accommodate some degree of misalignment
~ between the tie 12 and the tie anchoring clamping structure 10. Such
¦ accommo~ation is rnade in this embodiment by the structural relationship
of the bearing member 38 to the mounting member 34. As may be seen
from the illustrations the aperture 39 in bearing member 38 is substantially
larger than the portion of the tie 12 and nut 30 extending therethrough.
~his oversize aperture 39 and its conically enlarged configuration
permit movement of the tie 12 and anchor nut 30 within the aperture. In
this embodirnent of the invention the outwardly facing portion of the bearing
member 38 also includes a convexly curved spherical suriace 76 surround-
I ing the aperture 39. This surface 76 mates with a corresponding concavely
¦I curved spherical surface 78 on the inwardly facing portion of the mounting
! member 3a~. Such mating spherical surfaces effectively form a portion
¦¦ of a ball ancl socket joint, ~vith the mounting member 34 permitted to
~! slide transversely and rotate slightly with lespect to bearing mernber 38.
I ! Thus mlsali~ ent b e.w een corrcspondirlg cla~ ping m emb e rs on opposing
>5 i! form panels 2 may be manifested b~ angular displace~.ncnt of the tie from
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a line normal to the fo~m panels. By virtue of the ball and soc~;et joint
~¦ formed by the clamping structure the full stress exerted longitudinally o~
the tie ma~r still be t~ken uniformly upon the spherical surfaces, thus
Il avoiding the imposition of excessive bending stresses on the tie 12. The
' s~me ef~ects and ~enefits obviously could be obtained frorn the corres-
ponding structure of Figure 8A in which the convex and concave portions i~
are reversed. Additionally, compensation for some degree of rnisalign-
ment could be obtained from the ~lat mating surfaces of the corresponding
structure of :F'igure 8B, wherein such compensation might take the form of
sliding translation of the mounting member 34B ~ith respect to the bearing
member 38B along the mating surfaces 76B and 78B. Further, it m~y~ be
noted that, while the disclosed spherically curved surfaces accommodate
misalignment in any direction, provision for such misaligr~nent in only
one axis could be obtained by the use of corresponding surfacés which are
cylindrically so curved. Ihe mo~ement bet~veen members 34 ænd 38
¦ neces~ary to allo~v for such misalignrnent is facilitated by the adjustable
attachment of mounting ~nember 34 to bearing member 38, as shown in
Fig. B. This adjustable attachrnent may be achieved through the use of
~ - ~
! shoulder bolts 80 threaded into member 34 and projecting through oversiæe
I holes 82 in bearing member 38. Between the head of each shoulder bolt 8û
i and the bearing member 38 is a compression spring ~ ' and retainer 86.
This mounting arrangement thus tends to center members 34 and 38 and
¦¦ align their respective central ~pertures 35 and 39, through w'nich the tie 12
passes, but, ~Yith tllc oversizc aperture 39, permits Ijoth the al~o-v-e-
described ~.n~ lar and trans~rerse tr~nslationalmovenent l)et~een the
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; ¦I members, thus to accommodate the arorementioned misalignment. 1,
;cessive rotat~onal or-translational movement of the member 34 ~vith
i respect to bearing member 38 is restrained by engagcment of the out~vardly
¦ projecting bosses 92 of the bearing member 38 with the edges of the
j slots 9~ formed in mounting mclnber 34, as most clearly iLlustrated in
i Figs. 6, 9 and 10.
~,Vhile a substantial degree of misalignment between the tie ~nd
the clamping structure is accommodated by the mating surfaces o~ the
mounting member 34 and the-bearlng member 31g~ other significant benefits
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 3 and the enlarged fragmentary sectional
views of Figs. 17, 13 and 19, the three latter figures corresponding
¦ generally to the sectional view of ~ig. 8. As is illustrated most clearly
in Fig. 18, the engagement bet-Yeen clamping ~rlembers 32 and tie 12 ~,
occurs ~y engagement of surface 50 of the clarnping member with surface 52
of the tie. In this case, the tie comprises an end portion 54 having a
;; first diameter or transverse dimension. Adjacent this end portion 54
is a longitudinalls~ inward portion 56 having a second and smaller diameter
¦ or transverse dimension. Extending between outer portion 54 and
l longitudinalls~ im,vard portion 56 is the surface S2 with at least the
~, radially outward portions thereof llaving a convex curvature and thus
., il
ji sloping lon~itudinally outwardly o~ the tie. Prcferably, as in the illustra-
~ tion, the cntire surracc 5'' is con~e~;ls~ cur~eà and sloping lon,,i,udinally
! j
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¦1 outwardly. ~ lly adJacent the second tie portion 56, and opposite
surface 52, is the tie third portion 58 having a diameter or transverse
dimension greater than that of portion 56 and desiral~ly equal to that of
i outer portion 54. Conveniently, a shoulder surface 60 extends radially i -
outwardly from second portion 56 to the radially outer extrcmity of third
portion 58 to engage clamping member 32 and prevent inward movement
of the form panel.
The concave curvature of the surface 50, sloping inwardly toward
the form panel and configured to mate with tie surface 52 provides sub~
stantial additional benefits to the use of this struc~ure. As is most
readily apparent in Figs. 5 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~ supporti~e engagement
behveen the clamping member 32 and the tie 12 occurs around that semi- i
circular surface 50. By virtue of the cur-red, and prcferably spherical,
mating surfaces 50 and S2, the engagement of these members forms a
portion of a ball and socket joint. Accordingl~r, slight angular misalign-
¦ ment between the tie 12 and the 2XiS of the clamping structure may be
compensated by both this ball and socket arrangement, as shown in the
exaggerated representation of Fig. 1'1, and by the similar socket between
mounting member 34 and. bearing member 38. Thus~ even in a condition
of such misalignment as might be caused by a 1 1/4 inch displacement
¦~ of opposing form paneis spacecl only 12 inches apart, longitudinal
l! stresses e~;erted by the formworl; against the tie remain relati~-ely e-~enly
1 distril~utcd over the full scmic,.rcular engagemen' and are not significantly
t~Z~5 (
concentrated on a small portion of the tie. This structure substantially
avoids the imposition of bending moments such ~s mlght be created if the
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I mating surfaces o~ the tie and the clamping member were nat.
li ~ second benefit from this structure, stemming largely from the
sloping curved conliguration of the matin~ surfaces 50 and 52, is i]lus- i
¦ trated in Fig. 19 and by the broken line representation in ~ig. 17. These
I 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
I position to it~s nonclamping position. By virtue of the sloped curved surface
even slight movement of the member 32 away fromits clamping position, as !
indicated by the arrows in ~igs 17 and 19 permits the tie 12 to move
relatively axially inwardly of the clamping member 32, thus relieving
the axial or longitudinal stresses developed in the tie by the exp~nc:ion
of the concrete structure during curing. Accordingly, the longitudinal
stresses are relieved substantially immediately upcn the initiation of
sucb movement so that the effort required for complete removal of the
clamping member 32 to its nonclamping position is reduced substantially
from that which ~vould obtain through the mating of tie and clamping mem- I
ber surfaces substantially normal to the axis of the tie.
I While a con~inuous solid tie is equally suitable for use with this
invention, the prefèrrcd embodiment described above incorporates a
threaded 1:ie ~ith the above described clamplng member cngaging s~lrfaces
formcd on a nut thrcadedly inserted onto the end of such tie, as described
11, al~ove. Such a nut, suitable for use on any threadcd tie, is more clearly
!' illusk~ated in ~igs. 11 and 11~. In addition to the structllre illustrated
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n the enlarged representations of Figs. 17, 18 and 19, it may be seen -
¦ that the outermost sections of the outer end portion 54, adjacent the outer
, . . I
' surface 62 have t~o pairs of radially opposed flats machined therein '
¦¦ parallel to the nut axis. T~lese flats facilitate gripping by a wrench for
S I rol;ation of the nut. Additionally, adjacent the third portion 53 of the nut
¦ is a second conically tapering end portion 66 to facilitate insertion of
¦ the nut 30 into the relatively 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 anchoring nut structure is
10 - the readily available means for adjusting the effective length of ~he tie by
screwing the anchor nut 30 longitudinally inwardly or outwardly of the tie.
Thus, it m ty be seen that numerous substantial benefits are offered
by the use of the above described structure for tying together concrete
form~vork panels. Compensation for misalignment bet~een thb tie and
the panel is provided by the engagement of the respective curyed surfaces.
Standard tllreaded tie components may be used to permit the construction
of walls or other structures of widely varying thicknesses, and rapid
release of the longitudin21 stresses on the tie rod is pro~ided b~ the
¦ clamping structure. Additionally, it should be noted th~t such longitudinal
j stress may be relieved by this structure in any one of three ~Yays: a
j release of the clamping means by movement of the llandle 68 to the non-
: ~
¦ clamping position, rotation o~ the anchor nut 30 to threadedly relieve such
stresc: even while such nut remains clamped by the clamping member 32,
!1 or rotation of tlle outer tie 20 itself, also to threadeclly relieve such stress,
il Tllis ]ast mcalls Or releasing pressure is facilitatecl bytlle provision of
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1l lats 25 on the outcr end of outer tie 20, as indicated in ~ig. 8.
;- ~! While numerous other variations of this invention readily present
themselves, a fcw of the more significant are illustrated in the rcmaining
figures. Figs. 12 and 13 illustrate a threaded anchor 100 having a large
I circular flange 102 witll an ou-wardly facing convexly spherically currved
¦ surface 104 to matingly engage and cooperate with surface 76 of bearing
¦ member 38J as illustrated in Fig. 14. This structure, while providing
only for release of longitudinal stress on the tie 12 by rotation of either
I of such tie outer portion 20 or the anchor 100, does provide compensation t
I0 ¦ for substantial misalignment between the tie and the bearing member
attach~d to the form panel. Similarly, a washer having one suitably curved 'i
surface and one flat surface could be used in conjunction with an ordinary
flat nut to accommodate such an~lar misalignment, engaging either the
¦ bearing member 38 as here, or the clampillg member 32 as descrlbed
j above. Such a nut and washer combination would serve as a fulls~ equiva- "
¦ lent substitute for the special nuts described.
¦ In Figs. 15 and 16 there is illustrated another embodiment of the
quickly releasable clamping structure. In this embodiment the same
` I type of anchor nut 30 and threaded outer tie 20 may be used. However,
the clamping, mounting and bearing members are replaced by sIidable,
~i ~vedge-shaped clampin~ member 132 cooperating with oppositely inclined
¦~ wedge-sh~ped bearing member 13~. This clamping member 132 includes
jl a slot 146 having a semicircular inner end portlon ~vith ~ conve~ly in~vardlyli sloped tic engraging portion 150 adj~cent this semicirctl~al inward slot
25 ', portion, for subst~ntially thc same purposes as discusscd ~vith regard
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to the previous embodiment. As ~vith the previous embodiment the portion
¦l of clamping member 132 generally adjacent the slot 146 and extendLng
out~rardl~ of the semicircular int~ard portion .hereof is inclined to pro-v-ide
! a ramp for the engagement of the tie 12. By the use of the corresponding
I inclined surface of the bearing member 138, the tie engaging surface 1~0
¦ may mate squarely ~vith the surface 52 of the tie. Also, as with the
previous embodiment, the longitudinally outward stresses imposed upon
the tie by this clamping structure woold be relieved immediately upon
initiation of the movement of the clamping member 132 away from engage-
lû ment with the tie toward its nonclamping position in the ~nner described
above.
Yet another 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 especLally desirable,where
extreme longitudinal stresses on the tie 212 are anticipated. The princl-
pal benefit of this e~bodiment is that the t~vo mating clamping members '~32
and 233 completely surround the head of the tie 212 ~vhen in the clampin~
position illustrated in Fig. 23 and thus provide a large load bearing
surface. These clamping members 232 and 233, possessing the above
2~ described concavely sloped tie engaging surfaces 250 and 251, respectively,
are jointly pivotally connected to mounting member 234 by me~ s of pivotal
¦ connection 236. These clamping members 232 and 233 also are pivotally
connected to an actuating handle 24~ by means of lin~;zge members 240
¦1 and 242, ~ cspectively. Such interconnection providcs for joint pi~-otal
25 i, movemcnt o~ tlle two c1amp mem~ers when the actuatillg llandle 244 is
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ivotcd about pivot member 246 between the clamping config~uration
illustrated in Fig. 23 and thc nonclamping configuration illustrated in
Fig. 24. It rnay be noted that this embodiment is illustrated as used
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!~ with a solid tie 212 in place of the threaded tie and anchoring nut of the
j, previous embodiment. This solid tie 212 is the full equivalent of pre~iously,
~ described multi-part tie 12 and has a convexly sl~ped surface 252 for
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j cooperation ~vith the clamping member surfaces 250 and 251 in the above ',
¦ described manner. Such a solid tie 212 may also be removable from a
I completed concrete structure if it is encased ~Yithin a plastic sleeve
extending between the form panels. 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 norl- j
: clamping position as desired, thus obviating the necessity for a detent
as in the previous embodiment.
i5 While most of the preceding embodiments have been illustrated i
I in conjunction with a rnulti-p~rt threaded tie vherein an inner threaded
¦ tie is left imbedded in the concrete structure at completion of the job,
! it must be noted that other forms of tie are equally suitable for praoticing
j this invention. More particularl~, solid ties preferably having a con- ¦
I tinuous taper, such as those illustrated in Figs. 20, 21 and 22, may also
be used to practice lhis invention. After the concrete structure has set,
¦~ the contLrtuous taper of these ties permits them to be driven out of engage-
; ¦! ment with the structure.
¦, A first embodiment of this taperecl tie structurc is generally
li indicatcd by the refercnce numcral ~00 in ~ig. 20. This elong,ated tie 300
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¦l con prises a central section tapcring lo~gitudinally ~rorn a first diameter
or transverse dimension to a second smaller transverse dimension or -!
diameter. Oltwardl~ of this center section are tlVO axially aligned outer
li, sections 304 and 306, both of the same diameter, not larger than the
smaller diameter of the tapered section, and both having threads of
¦ equal size. The threads Or the outer sections 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 pre~ious
embodiments. -
O The tapered tie 310 of Fig. 21 is a solid, unitary member having
the desired end portions ~tegral therewith. As in the above embodiment
this tie 310 comprises a longitudinally tapering central section 312 with
opposing outer sections 314 and 316 extending outwardly thcrefrom.
~ II1 this embodiment the respective outer end portions 31~ and 320 of end
L5 ¦ sections 314 and 316 are of substantially the same diarneter, equal to
¦ the outer transverse dimension of tlle anchor nut 30 of the earlier embodi-
¦ ments~ Similarly, corresponding adjacent longitudinally inward portions
¦ 322 ~nd 324 are of a smaller diameter, also as described above, and are
j joined to the respective outer end portions by convex sloped surfaces 326
,' and 328, respectively. With this eml)odiment identical clamping members
could be used ~vith tlle clampillg structure at both ends, and tlle diameter
of the portion 31G would pcrmit the use of all of the previously described
clamping structure for engaging tllat end of the tie. However, the
!l enlalged dia~nctcr of the opposite end section 31~ would neccssitate use
l ~ Or bearing meml)ers 38 and mountillg members 3 ~ ha~ ing suit lbl~ enlarged
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pei~urcs 39 and 35, respectively, in order to obtain the necessary
clamping and thc desired bene~its. It may be noted with each of the solid
tapered ties disclosed that it is highly desirable to configure the smaller
- ! diameter end portion no larger in diameter than the smallest diameter
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¦1 of the tapering central section in order to facilitate later removal of the
tie from the concrete structure.
A third embodim~nt 330 of the tapered tie, shown in ~ig. 22,
likewise incorporates a longitudinally tapering central section with 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 Flg. 21. Specifically, the outer end portion 334 is 1,
of a first diameter with 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
: 15 diameter generally equal that of the smallest diameter of the tapering ',
portion and is provided with threads suitable for threadedly receiving
thereupon an anchoring member such as the nut 30 described with previous
embodiments. With this embodiment the fiYed outer end portion 333
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¦ may desirably be the same diameter as the largest diameter of the anchor
', nut 30, so that identical clamping apparatus may be used to clamp each
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I end of the tie.
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- ~ In eacli of the tie embodiments described and illustrated tnere is
¦' provided not only an out~vard, convexly curved shoulder for eng.lging a
~ ' clamp mcmber to rcstrc in any out~ ard movement of the clamp and the
, form pallels, l~ut also there is provided an inner shoulder to rcstrain
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52~35
ppos;ng clamp members and form panels against any movement to~vard
one another. Obviously, the principal benefits of this invention could be
obtained with tie structure omitting such inner shoulder and using separate
j spacers to restrain opposing form panels against movement inwardly
toward onc another. These and numerous other variations and modifica-
¦l tions of the apparatus of this invention ~ill readily occur to those skilled
- li in the art. Accordingly, the scope of this invention is not to be limited
il to the disclosed embodiments but is to include all sùch embodiments
_c~n ass d ,ithi e scope of ~h~ c a ms app nded heret-.
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