Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02260364 2000-10-02
67P4CA
CONCRETE FORM SUSPENSION SYSTEM AND METHOD
'The present invention relates to a concrete form suspension system and to a
method of
suspending and raising concrete forms during the erection of a concrete
structure.
According to the present invention, a concrete form suspension system
comprises a concrete
form suspension system, comprising a vertically displaceable support
structure; a form
support projecting laterally from an upper portion of said support structure;
a lifting device
operable to raise said support structure along a vertically extending concrete
structure; a
support device for supporting the lifting device; said support device being
provided with
means for securing said support device to a vertical face of said concrete
structure; and
support members for supporting said support structure from said concrete
structure; said
support members being provided with means for securing said support members to
vertical
faces of said concrete structure.
When a system according to the present invention is in use, the support
structure is firstly
raised along the concrete structure by operation of the lifting device, which
is supported on
the concrete structure. The support members are then employed to support the
support
structure in a raised position, so that a concrete form suspended from the
support structure
can be correctly positioned for forming a further portion of the concrete
structure. When this
further portion of the concrete structure has been completed, the support
device, or another
support device, is positioned higher on the concrete structure and the support
structure is
again raised. The further support members can then be repositioned at higher
locations than
their original locations and, in these higher locations, serve to support the
support structure
in a second raised position higher than its first raised position. This
sequence of operations
can be repeated until the top of the concrete structure has been cast.
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In a preferred embodiment of the invention, alignment members which are
extensible and
retractable between the support structure and the concrete structure, are
employed for
adjustably horizontally positioning the support structure relative to the
concrete structure.
'The alignment members are mounted on opposite sides of the support structure
and project
laterally from the support structure for engagement with the concrete
structure.
In this preferred embodiment, a first pivotal connection is provided between
the lifting
device and the support structure and a second pivotal connection is provided
between the
lifting device and the support device. The first and second pivotal
connections allow
pivotation between the lifting device, on one hand, and the support structure
and the concrete
structure, on the other hand, thus facilitating horizontal adj ustment of the
support structure,
for ensuring correct vertical alignment of the support structure in the raised
position, without
damage to the lifting device.
In this preferred embodiment of the invention, the lifting device comprises a
substantially
vertically extending jack, the first pivotal connection with being provided
between an upper
end of the jack and the support structure and the second pivotal connection
with being
provided between the lower end of the jack and the support device secured to
the concrete
structure.
The invention will be more readily understood from the following description
of a preferred
embodiment thereof given, by way of example, with reference to the
accompanying
drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 shows a view of a concrete form suspension system taken in section
along the line
1 - 1 of Figure 2;
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Figure 1A shows a view similar to Figure 1 but with some parts omitted to
facilitate the
illustration of other parts of the system:
Figure 2 shows a plan view of the concrete form suspension system of Figures 1
and 1 A;
Figure 3 shows a view taken in section along the line 3 - 3 of Figure 2;
Figures 4 and 5 are views in side and front elevation, respectively, of a
support device
forming part of the concrete form suspension system of Figures 1 and 2;
Figures 6 and 7 show views in side and end elevation, respectively, of an
alignment member
in the system of Figures 1 through 3;
Figures 8 and 9 show side and front views, respectively, of a support bracket
forming part
of the system of Figures 1 to 3;
Figure 10 shows a plan view of a lateral projection forming part of the system
of Figures 1
through 3;
Figure 11 shows a broken-away view of parts of the concrete form suspension
system of
Figures 1 through 3 and, more particularly, shows a concrete form suspension
trolley; and
Figuresl2 shows a view in side elevation of a leveling bracket.
In Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, reference numeral 10 indicates
generally a
concrete form suspension system which comprises a rigid support structure
indicated
generally by reference numeral 12.
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As shown in Figures 1 through 3, the rigid support structure 12 comprises two
pairs of
vertical beams 14 which are each formed of two channel members and which are
spaced
apart horizontally from one another and connected together by upper and lower
horizontal
deck beams 16 extending longitudinally of the support structure 12. The deck
beams 16 carry
a deck formed by joists 11 and plywood 13. The deck beams 16, in turn, are
connected by
horizontal spreader beams 15 extending transversely of the support structure
12. At the top
of the support structure 12, there is provided a horizontal carrier beam 17
supporting a
bottom chord 19 of a truss indicated generally by reference numeral 21. The
truss 21, which
for convenience of illustration is shown partly broken away in Figure 3,
carries transverse
secondary beams 23 which, as shown in Figure 1, project laterally from the
support structure
12 and which serve to carry concrete forms 25, as described in greater detail
below.
The concrete form suspension system 10, at opposite ends thereof, also
includes a pair of
lifting devices in the form of vertical hydraulic jacks 18, one of which is
shown in Figure 1A
in an extended condition.
A lower end 30 of each hydraulic jack 18 is supported by a respective support
device, one
of which is indicated generally by reference numeral 20 in Figure 1 A and
illustrated in
greater detail in Figures 4 and 5.
The support devices 20 each comprise a vertical rectangular plate 22 through
which bolts 25
are inserted for mounting the support device 20 on the vertical face of a wall
26 forming part
of a concrete structure. A short, horizontal I-beam 28 is welded at one end to
the plate 20,
with a support strut 29 extending between the plate 22 and the I-beam 28 and
welded at
opposite ends to the I-beam 28 and to the plate 22. A lower pivot connection,
indicated
generally by reference numeral 32, is secured by bolts 34 to the I-beam 28 and
pivotally
connects the lower end 30 of the jack 18 to the respective support device 20.
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The support devices 20 also each include a retainer in the form of a tie bar
33 pivotally
secured at opposite ends to lugs 36 and 37 provided on the lower end 30 of the
jack 18 and
on the top of the support device 20. The purpose of the tie bar 33 is to hold
the respective
support device 20 in the orientation in which it is shown in Figures 4 and 5
when the support
5 device 20 is unbolted from the wall 26 to enable the support device 20 to be
raised by its jack
18, as described in greater detail below.
An upper end 38 of the jack 18 is secured, by a pivot connection indicated
generally by
reference numeral 39 in Figure 1 A of the drawings, to the horizontal carrier
beam 17.
'The support structure 12 is provided, at opposite sides of the support
structure 12, with
alignment members, in the form of form aligner plumbing bolts, indicated
generally by
reference numerals 40. The alignment members 40 are extensible and retractable
relative to
the support structure 12, and extend between the opposite sides of the support
structure 12
and the faces of concrete walls 42 and 43 forming parts of the concrete
structure. By
adjusting the alignment members 40, the entire support structure 12 can be
horizontally
displaceably adjusted into an operational position, in which the support
structure 12 is
correctly vertically aligned, and this horizontal displacement of the support
structure 12 is
facilitated by the pivotal connections 32 and 39.
One of the bolts 40 is shown in greater detail in Figures 6 and 7, from which
it can be seen
that the bolts 40 extend horizontally through metal channels 41 secured to
opposite sides of
the vertical beams 14 and forming the spreader beams 15. The bolt 40 is in
threaded
engagement with a nut 43 welded to one of the metal channels 41. On rotation
of the bolt 40,
a free end of the bolt is moved outwardly or inwardly with respect to the
structure 12, thus
horizontally adjusting the latter.
The concrete form suspension systems 10 also includes support members in the
form of
lower support brackets indicated generally by reference numerals 44, and upper
support
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brackets, indicated generally by reference numerals 44a, which are similar to
one another and
which are bolted to the vertical faces of the concrete walls 42 and 43.
Figures 8 and 9 show
one of the support brackets 44 in greater detail and, as shown in Figures 8
and 9, the bracket
44 has a vertically adjustable leveling bolt 45. The support structure 12 is
provided, at the
lower ends of the vertical beams 14, with lateral proj ections, indicated
generally by reference
numerals 46, which are pivotable about pivot pins 48 extending through the
lower ends of
the vertical beams 14. A plan view of one of the projections 46 is shown in
Figure 10, from
which it can be seen that the lateral projection 46 comprises a pair of plates
50 connected by
a rectangular plate 52 which, on pivotation of the projection 46 into the
position in which it
is shown in Figure l, abuts one side of the vertical beam 14.
The beams 23 support concrete form suspension trolleys, which are indicated
generally by
reference numerals 54 in Figure 1 and, as shown in greater detail in Figure
11, are supported
on rollers 56 to so as to be displaceable horizontally to and fro along the
beams 23, which
project laterally from the support structure 12. A vertical beam 58 is
suspended from the
trolley 54 by means of an eye 60 and a turnbuckle 62 and carries a concrete
form 64.
Figure 12 shows a leveling bracket 70 which can be bolted to the concrete
structure for
adjusting the position of one of the vertical beams 58 and, thereby, the
position of the form
25 secured to the beam 58. For this purpose, the bracket 70 has vertical and
horizontal
adjustment bolts 72 and 74, which engage a channel section 76 secured to the
lower end of
the beam.
In operation of the above-described concrete form suspension system 10, the
support
members 44 are firstly installed by bolting onto the concrete walls 42 and 43.
Also, the
support devices 20 are bolted onto the concrete structure in first positions
in one of which
one of them is shown in Figure 1A. The lower ends of the jacks 18 are then
connected, by
the lower pivotal connections 32, to the support devices 20, with the carrier
beams 17
connected to the upper ends of the jacks 18 by the upper pivotal connections
39. The bolting
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of the support devices 20 onto the concrete structure and the connections of
the lower ends
of the jacks 18 to the support devices 20 are facilitated by the provision of
cages, indicated
generally by reference numerals 62 in Figures lAand 2, into which the
personnel operating
the system can enter.
With the forms 25 suspended from the beams 23, the jacks 18 are then extended
to raise the
support structure 12 along the concrete structure to a first position, in
which it is shown in
Figures 1 and 1 A. During the raising of the support structure 12, rollers 64
at opposite ends
of the horizontal beams 16 roll along the opposed faces of the concrete walls
42 and 43 and,
thus, serve as guide rollers for guiding the support structure I 2 during the
upward movement
of the latter.
When the lateral projections 46 reach the support members 44a, the lateral
projections 46 are
pivoted so as to be deflected out of the way of the support members 44a. When
the support
structure 12 as been raised sufficiently, the projections 46 pivot back, in
opposite directions,
until the plates 52 again abut the vertical beams 14. The plates 50 then rest
on, and are
supported by, the support members 44a. Also, the upper support members 44a are
installed
on the concrete structure and adjusted to support upper lateral projections
46a fixed to the
vertical beams 14.
The alignment members 40 are adjusted into pressing engagement with the walls
42 and 43
to thereby exert a force against the concrete structure so as to effect
horizontal adjustment
of the support structure 12 relative to the walls 42 and 43 and thereby to
correctly vertically
align the support structure 12. Also, the vertically adjustable bolts of the
support members
44 are adjusted for correctly leveling the support structure 12. The
horizontal adjustment
displacement of the support structure 12 is accommodated by pivotation of the
hydraulic jack
I 8, made possible by the provision of the upper and lower pivotal connections
32 and 39.
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When the support structure 12 has thus been raised into the first raised
position and then
adjusted horizontally and vertically into its correct operational position, as
described above,
the trolleys 50 can be moved horizontally along the beams 23 to locate the
concrete forms,
suspended from the trolleys 54, into position for subsequent adjustment by the
leveling
bracket bolts 72 and 74 prior to the pouring of concrete to form a further
portion of the
concrete structure.
The support devices 20 are then unbolted from the concrete and raised by the
jacks 18 to
enable them to be installed on the concrete wall 26 in higher positions, one
of which is
shown in broken lines in Figure 1 A and indicated generally by reference
numeral 20a. On
subsequent extension of the hydraulic jacks 18, the entire support structure
12 is again raised
from the position shown in Figures 1 and 1 A to a second raised position (not
shown), in
which the lateral projections 46 are supported on the upper support members
44a. The
above-described adjustment of the support structure 12 into a new operating
position is then
repeated.
By this means, the concrete form suspension system 10 can be caused to raise
itself along the
concrete structure as the latter is erected. The present concrete form
suspension system 10,
therefore, enables easy and time-saving raising of the concrete forms 25
through successive
positions of use. The lateral projections 46, which pivot back into the
positions in which they
are shown in Figure 1 after being raised past the wall-mounted support members
44, ensure
that the support structure 12 cannot drop downwardly past the support members
44 or 44a.
Various modifications may be made in the above-described concrete form
suspension system
within the scope of the present invention. For example, the hydraulic jack 18
may be
replaced by an electrical lifting device. Also, the positions of the
horizontally extending
beams, the support members 44 and 44a , the alignment members 40 and other
components
of the system may be varied, as required, to suit prevailing conditions.