Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1~4036Z
This invention relates to clamps and in particular to
the type of clamp utilized in clamping structural members
together such as those described and il.lustrated in our Canadian
Patent No. 941,123 issued on February 5th, 1974, our Canadian
Patent No. 1,045,348 which issued on January 2nd, 1979 and in
our pending Canadian Patent Application Numbers 368,381 and
368,473 respectively filed on January 13th 1981 and January 14th
1981.
Such members are employed in concrete forming systems
where the concrete is poured to form walls and slabs of building
and engineering structures. The upper and lower chords of these
members include projecting load-bearing flanges which, to prevent
damage to their edges, are provided with stub flanges which are
of square or substantially conical cross-section. These structural
members are capable of placement normal to one another and to be
clamped in such position by clamps which detachably secure a
pair of opposed flanges -together. As will be appreciated, however,
a mixture of structural members can often be found on site and
it is uneconomical to supply quantities of clamps only capable of
clamping one type of member to one of the same type. Hence, it
is the object of the present invention to provide a clamp which
is capable of clamping pairs of the same type of structural
member together or a pair of different types of members together.
Accordingly, the invention relates to a clamp capable
of being detachably fastened to a profiled structural member, sa.id
clamp including a threaded portion, at least a first clamp member
fast on said threaded portion, and means cooperating with said
. ~d ?
~L4036Z
threaded portion to urge said first member into its clamping
relationship with a complementary portion of said profiled
member, said clamp member having at least a first slot of
substantially square cross-section, and a second slot of
substantially conical cross-section; sai.d slots being adapted to
accommodate a stub flange of said structural member and which
flange has substantially the same profile as that of its
accommodating slot.
The invention is illustrated by way of example, in the
accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a plan view of the operative surface of the
clamp member forming part of the first embodiment of the
invention;
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the entire first
embodiment;
Figure 3 is a plan view similar to Figure 1 but of the
clamp member forming part of the second embodiment of the
invention;
Figure 4 is a side elevation of a second form of clar~p;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the second form of
clamp;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a third form of
clamp; and
Figure 7 i.s a similar view of Figure 6 but showing the
relationship of the clamp to a pair of superposed profiled
structural members.
Referring to the drawings and to Figures 1 and 2, the
clamp forming the first embodiment of the invention is of two-
-- 2
1140362
piece construction the first which includes a clamp member having
inner and outer faces 1,2 with a threaded portion 14 extending
from the inner face. The inner face 1 of the member is
provided with a pair of slots the first indicated generally at
4 which (and as will be seen from Figure 2) is of substantially
square cross-section and constituted by a pair of opposed
surfaces 5,6 each ex-tending substantially normal to the
longitudinal axis of the threaded portion 14 and connected
together by a surface 7 which is normal thereto, surface 5 being
of lesser depth than surface 6.
The second slot, indlcated generally at 8, is
constituted by a pair of opposed surfaces 9,10 (extending
substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of shank 14) which
are connected together by a pair of converging surfaces 11,12
whereby said slot 8 is of substantially conical cross-section,
surface 11 being shorter (when viewed in cross-section) than
surface 12. The angle between said surfaces 11 and 12 is
preferably 90.
Cooperating means (taking the form of a bu-tterfly nut
16 on the threaded portion 14) is also provided.
In operation, and depending upon the particular cross-
section of the stub flange of the structural member, the clamp
is adjusted on said member whereby the stub flange will be
located in the appropriate and complementary, slot 4 or 8 and the
nut 16 then tightened on the threaded portion 14.
In the second form of invention, the threaded portion
takes the form of a headed, threaded steel bolt 14 (see
Figure 4) which passes through a bore 3 (see Figure 3) formed
V362
in the clamp member. The clamp member is provided with a third
slot, indicated generally at 13, which is :intermediate and
paxallel with slots 4 and 8 and and co--extensive with the central
transverse axis of bore 3.
Hence, the entire assembly includes said steel bolt 14
on which the clamp member is initially slidably mounted sa~d
bolt being provided with a relatively small transverse hole
(not shown). In assembling the clamp, once the member has been
mounted on bolt 14 so that the outer face 2 is in engagement with
the head of the bolt and the third slot 13 is in alignment with
the small transverse slot in the bolt, a pin 15 is inserted in
said slot and through said hole in bolt 14, said pin thereby
positively inhibiting the clamp member from movement and securing
it on the bolt. The butterfly nut 16 or any other suitable nut
is then screwed on the lower end of bolt 14 so as to entrap the
profiled structural member between it and the clamp so as to
acccmmodate a stub flange of said structural member, said flange
having the same profile as either slot 4 or slot 8.
Referring now to Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings, the
third form of clamp includes a pair of members A and B which
complement one another, including inner and ou-ter faces 1,2 with
an unthreaded bore (not shown but similar to bore 3) extending
therethrough. The inner face 1 of each member is provided with
the three slots 4, 8 and 13 described above in connection with
the second form of invention.
The entire third assembly includes a bolt 14 on which
the first and second clamp members A,B are initially slidably
114036'~
mounted, said bolt again being provided with a relatively small
transverse hole (not shown). In assembling the clamp, once
member A has been mounted on bolt 14 so that the outer face 2
is in engagement with the head of the bolt and the third slot 13
is in alignment with the small transverse slot in the bolt, pin
15 is inserted in said slot and through said hole in bolt 14,
said pin thereby positively inhibiting the first clamp member A
from movement and securing in on the bolt. The second clamp
member B is then mounted on bolt 14 whereby its inner face 1
will be opposed to the inner face 1 of clamp member A. A nut 16
is then screwed on to the free end of bolt 14 so as to retain
the integers in operative relationship to one another where
member B is slidably and swivelly mounted on the bolt 14.
In operation, and as shown in Figure 7, either one
of each pair of slots 4 or 8 (depending on the profile of the
stub flanges of the structural member M) accommodates a stub
flange of an adjacent structural member and which flange has
substantially the same profile as that of its accommodating slot.
A portion of the upper or lower chord (as the case may be) of the
structural member is accom~odated between the inner face 1 of the
pair of clamping members A and B and is retained ln such
position by the interacting relationship of the bolt and nut
urging the clamping members together.
