Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to an improved collar form
for retaining, during hardening, a cement-like material within
the annular region between a pipe and a cement floor through
which the pipe vertically extends.
Multi-storey buildings are constructed on a floor-
by-floor basis whereby structural steel for a storey is
erected and concrete is poured around that structural steel
prior to placing the structural steel for the next storey.
Placement of plumbing, heating, electrical, and communication
networks as well as wall, ceiling, and floor ~inishing also
proceeds storey-by-storey. As the concrete or each successive
floor of the building is poured, a number of strategically-
placed openings are created in each floor, each opening providing
a passage for one or more of the networks to pass through the
floor. Electrical and communication wiring which passes from
floor-to-floor is usually retained within pipe conduits, each
of which extends through a series of ~ertically-aligned floor
openings. The plumbing system pipes extend through a similar
~0 system of floor openings. This invention is directed toward
the passage of such pipes through floor openings with cross-
sectional area slightly larger than that of such pipes. Heating
conduits, which are generally of larger cross-sectional area
and utilize floor openings of larger cross-sectional area, are
beyond the scope of this invention.
The vertical openings created in poured concrete
floors for the passage o pipes are usually of circular cross
section and sized to adequately allow passage of the anticipated
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size of pipe that is to extend therethrough. As might be
expected, the cross-sectional area of openings in the lower
storeys of a multi-storey building is generally larger ~han ~hat
required in the upper storeys since pipe capacity increases
towards the base of the building.
After pipe has been placed through the vertical opening
in a floor, the pipe is often secured to the building at points
above and below the floor and a cement-like material placed
into the annular region between the floor and the pipe. Although
the poured cement floor is usually not visible after finishing
of the floors and ceilings of a building, it is necessary that
the annular regions be filled since they would otherwise
provide access between store~s for water spillage, insects and
fumes. Additionally, the federal Building Code requires that
floors in new buildings be constructed to withstand passage of
fire for at least 1 hour, which is not possible unless the
annular region is adequately filled with a non-combustible material.
The obvious difficulty with placement of grout, concrete
or other non-combustible hardenable material into the annular region
between the floor and the pipe extending therethrough is the
retention of the material until ~uch time as it has hardened
sufficiently to be non-viscous. The present means for retaining
such material in such annular region involves the stuffing of a
rag, insulation or similar scrap material into the annular region
sufficiently firmly that it will not be dislodged by the pouring
of hardenable material into the annular region above and below it.
Obvious difficulties exist with this means for retaining the
hardenable material. It is time-consuming to place the scrap
material into the annular region. It is a messy procedure.
~he hardenable material must be placed into the annular
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region below the scrap material by a person and equipment
located under the floor slab and this results in a mess
to the person and equipment and also to the floor below.
Because the scrap material is permanently retained between
the layers of hardenable material, the seal formed between
the ~loor slab and the pipe extending therethrough is not
as solid or as fire-resistant as would be the case if hardenable
material completely occupied the annular region.
An improved means of retaining the hardenable
material in the annular region during its hardening is disclosed
in U.S. Patent No. 2,671,261 wherein a multi-sectioned fan-like
collar is described. A strip of rubber or similar flexible
material has a series of angle plates fastened to project from
one of its sides such that when the flexible material is drawn
tightly around the pipe at the lower end of the annular region
the angle plates fan out in the plane of the underside of the
floor to seal the lower end of the annular region. Fasteners
are provided to hold the outer edge of the angle plates in
abutment with the underside of the floor so as to provide
additional support for hardena~le material retained in the
annular region. This type of collar has a number of drawbacks.
The means for fastening the angle plates to the flexible
material may become loose or a tear develop in the flexible
material. Fasteners are secured to the underside of the floor
and that procedure, as well as subsequent removal of such
fasteners, is time-consuming.
The instant invention is a collar form of simple yet
strong construction which does not have the disadvantages
attendant either with stuffing a rag into the annular region
or fasteniny a cumbersome device such as that disclosed in
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U.S. Patent No. 2,671,261 to 'che lower end of the annular region.
The subject invention is a collar form comprising two elements
each of which has one of its edges proximate of the other
element, the proximate edges including mating surfaces adapted
to come into abutting contact with one another and also including
contoured portions which together define an aperture between
the members when they are fastened together. The aperture is
sized such that the members come into close sealing proximity
with the pipe along the contoured portions of the proximate
edge and with each other along the mating surfaces when the
members are fastened together. The collar form may further
comprise a non-porous sheet having a centred aperture therein
adapted to snugly receive apipe; which sheet is adapted to be
fitted between the surface of the element and the surface of
the alab to form a seal therebetween when the collar form is in
use. The elements may be releasably fastened together by means
of threaded rods each of which extend through aligned bores
in the elements and have a retaining means on each end.
To save on weight yet maintain strenyth, the collar
form elements may be generally planar and have a pair of
integral ribs protruding from them on that side opposite
to the side adapted to face the surface of the slab. Each rib
of one element is aligned longitudinally with a rib in the
other element, the ribs extending generally perpendicular to
the proximate edges of the elements. The elements are
releasably fastened together by means of a pair o~ threaded
rods each o which rods is adapted to extend through a
longitudinal bore in an aligned pair of ribs and to have a
retaining means on each of its ends.
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For more accurately aligning the two elements, the
collar fonn may further comprise pin and hole means on the
proximate edges of the elements.
A preferred embodiment of the invention will next
be described utilizing the accompanying figures, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the collar form
of the subject invention.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of one of the elements
of the collar form of the subject invention.
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a pipe extending
through a vertical channel in a floor.
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view as in Figure 3
and additionally showing the collar fo~n of the subject invention
loosely fitted to the pipe.
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view as in Figure 4
but showing placement oE the collar form of the subject invention
against the underside of the floor.
Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view as in Figure 5
and additionally showing cement-like material occupying
the annular region between the pipe and the floor.
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view as in Figure 6
but with the collar form of the subject invention removed.
The illustrated preferred embodiment of the invention
comprises a collar form 11 fo~ned from two elements, 12 and 13,
as shown in Figure 1. The elements each have a planar portion
14 and ribs 15 which extend at opposite ends of the planar
portion from the same side of the planar portion. The pair o
ribs 15 of element 12 align longitudinally with a similar
pair of ribs in element 13. A threaded rod 16 extends through
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a longitudinal bore in each of the longitudinally-aligned ribs.
A winged nut 17 is retained on each end of each threaded rod 16.
As shown in Figure 2, the proximate edges of elements 12 and 13
have mating sur~aces 20 and a ~ontoured surface 21 therebetween.
Since the collar form illustrated is adapted to be fitted
to a pipe of circular cross section, contoured surface 21 has
a semi-circular shape. When elements 12 and 13 are fastened
together, the contoured surfaces of both elements ~ogether
form a circular cylinder with diameter the same as that of th~
pipe extending therethrough. A portion of the circular cylinder
is formed by a frusto conical-shaped lip 22 integral with the
planar portions of the ele~ents and extending from the same
side of the planar portions as that from which the ribs Pxtend.
Each o~ a pair of pins 23 extends from a respective one of the
mating surfaces 20 of element 13, as shown in Figure 2. Pins
23 are circular in cross section and adapted to fit into bores
of similar diameter (not shown) in the mating surfaces of element
12 so as to more accurately align the two elements and define
the shape of the aperture.
Figures 3 to 7 illustrate in sequential steps the
application of the preferred embodiment of the collar form of
the subject invention to a pipe 30 vertically extending through
an opening 31 in a floor slab 32. Floor slab 32 is formed
from poured concrete, as previously describ~d. The pipe is
held by a retaining means (not shown) at points above and below
the slab such that the annular region formed between the pipe
and the surrounding floor slab has a rigidly de~ined config-
uration. The pipe 30 has a standard size outside diameter and
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might be manufactured from steel or plastic, the latter being
used as a conduit for electrical and communication wiring and
also more commonly nowadays for plumbing. The initial step
in placing the preferred embodiment of the collar form of the
subject invention around pipe 30 involves choosing a collar form
having adiameter onits contour surface equal to the outer
diameter of the standard size pipe 30. Various size collar forms
would be available, each snugly fittable to one of the standard
sizes of pipe. After the correct size of collar form is
select~d, winged nuts 17 are removed from threaded rod 16 on
the collar form and the two elements of the form are separated.
After one of the elements has been placed around pipe 30, the
other element is refitted over threaded rods 16 and then winged
nuts 17 are loosely fastened onto threaded rods 16. The collar
form 11 is now slidable along pipe 30.
In Figure 4 a polyethylene sheet 33 rests on top of
collar form 11. Sheet 33 has a centred aperture from which a
radial cut extends to its periphery, that periphery being
slightly larger in size than the periphery of the collar form.
If the lower end of pipe 30 is not rigidly retained prior to
placement therearound of sheet 33 and collar form 11, it would
be possible to place sheet 33 and collar form 11 over that
lower end and slide them up pipe 30, and in such case neither
the radial cut in sheet 30 nor the senaration and subsequen~
reattachment of the two elements of collar form 11 would be
necessary.
With collar form 11 loosely fitting around pipe
30 and sheet 33 resting on top of the form, the ~orm is
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slid upwards along pipe 30 until the top surface of sheet 33
is adjacent to the undersurface of slab 32. Winged nuts 17
are manually tightened as a firm upward force is applied to
collar form 11 to ensure that the seal between sheet 33 and
slab 32 is as tight as is possible. With tightening of winged
nuts 17 collar form 11 tightly grips the pipe 30 since the
diameter of contour surface 21 is closely matched to the outer
diameter of pipe 30. Figure 5 illustrates the position of
collar form 11 after tightening of winged nuts 17.
Grout or concrete or other hardenable cement-like
material is then inserted from above into annular region
31 until the top surface of that material is even with the
upper surface of the slab; this configuration, with the cement-like
material 34 in situ, is illustrated in Figure 6. After the cement-
like material has sufficiently hardened that it is no longer
viscous, winged nuts 17 can be loosened and collar form 11 removed
from the pipe, Figure 7 illustrating the resultant configuration.
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It would also be possible to apply the collar
form to a pipe extending horizontally through a wall of
a building. Such utilization of the collar form would
however require two forms, one for each side of the wall.
~lso, one of the collar forms would have to have incorporated
therein a suitable means for allowing insertion of the hardenable
material into the annular region between the pipe and the wall.
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