Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
COLLAR FOR A WALL ANCHOR
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a facade support
system used in
building construction, and more specifically, a collar for a wall anchor that
connects to a veneer
tie.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A facade can be a durable and aesthetically desirable
construction for a
building exterior. Facades, such as brick or stone veneer walls, also provide
protection to the
interior of the building from the surrounding environment and are typically
used in cavity wall
structures. Anchoring systems are used to secure facades (e.g., an outer wythe
of the cavity wall)
to inner walls (e.g., an inner wythe of the cavity wall) of a building to
overcome forces which
might pull the facade away from the building. The anchoring systems generally
include a wall
anchor for insertion into an inner wythe of the cavity wall and a veneer tie
that is embedded in a
mortar joint of the outer wythe or brick veneer and connected to the wall
anchor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] In one aspect, a wall anchor for use in a cavity wall that
connects to a veneer
tie to join an inner wythe and an outer wythe of the cavity wall generally
comprises an elongate
body having a driven end and a driving end. The elongate body defines a
longitudinal axis
extending from the driven end to the driving end. The driven end is configured
to connect to the
inner wythe of the cavity wall. A collar is configured to connect to the
veneer tie. The collar
includes a body mounting portion mounted on the elongate body adjacent to the
driving end.
The body mounting portion defines an aperture through which the elongate body
extends. The
body mounting portion includes a first aperture forming portion and a second
aperture forming
portion. The first and second aperture forming portions define at least a
portion of the aperture
through which the elongate body extends. The first and second aperture forming
portions are
longitudinally offset with respect to one another along the longitudinal axis
of the elongate body.
[0004] In another aspect, a method of making a collar that connects a
veneer tie to an
elongate body of a wall anchor is described. A collar blank is cut from a
sheet of material. A
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remainder of the collar blank is deformed outwardly in a first direction to
form a first aperture
forming portion. The reminder of the collar blank is deformed outwardly in a
second direction
opposite the first direction to form a second aperture forming portion at a
location on the collar
blank so that, as deformed from the collar blank, the first and second
aperture forming portions
are aligned to define an aperture having a central axis. The first and second
aperture forming
portions are offset from each other along the central axis. The aperture is
sized and shaped to
receive the elongate body theretlarough along the central axis for mounting
the collar on the
elongate body. A structure is formed on the collar blank that is configured to
connect the veneer
tie to the collar.
[0005] Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part
pointed out
hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a perspective of an anchoring system connecting an
inner wythe of a
cavity wall and an outer wythe of the cavity wall;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view looking down from above
on the
anchoring system of FIG. 1 in use;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a perspective of a wall anchor of the anchoring
system including a
collar according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0009] FIG. 4 is a rear perspective of the collar;
[0010] FIG. 5 is a front view thereof
[0011] FIG. 6 is a rear view thereof;
[0012] FIG. 7 is a top view thereof;
[0013] FIG. 8 is a bottom view thereof;
[0014] FIG. 9 is a right side view thereof; and
[0015] FIG. 10 is a left side view thereof.
[0016] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts
throughout
the drawings.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0017] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, one embodiment of a collar
according to the
teachings of the present disclosure for use in an anchoring system 32 for a
cavity wall 12 is
generally indicated at 10. The cavity wall 12 is shown having an inner wythe
14 and an outer
wythe 20 with a cavity 22 formed there-between separating the inner and outer
wythes. In the
illustrated embodiment, the inner wythe 14 is of stud frame construction and
includes with
sheetrock or wallboard 16 mounted on metal studs or columns 18 with an
air/vapor barrier 24
and insulation 26 mounted on the wallboard. The inner wythe 14 may also be of
concrete or
masonry construction (not shown). The outer wythe or facade 20 is of brick
construction. The
inner and outer wythes may have other constructions than described herein that
are within the
scope of the present disclosure.
[0018] The outer wythe 20 has successive bed joints 30 filled with
mortar formed
between courses of bricks 28 and are substantially planar and horizontally
disposed. In
accordance with building standards, the bed joints 30 are approximately 0.375
inches (0.95 cm)
in height in a typical embodiment. Selective bed joints 30 receive a veneer
tie 34 which extends
from the bed joint across the cavity 22 to a wall anchor 36 mounted on the
inner wythe 14 to
connect the outer wythe 20 to the inner wythe. The wall anchor 36, as
described in greater detail
below, is threadably mounted on the inner wythe 14 and is supported by the
inner wythe.
[0019] For purposes of illustration, the exterior surface of the
air/vapor barrier 24 of
the inner wythe 14 contains a horizontal line or x-axis 38 and intersecting
vertical line or y-axis
40. A horizontal line or z-axis 42, normal to the xy-plane, passes through the
coordinate origin
formed by the intersecting x- and y-axes.
[0020] In the illustrated embodiment, the anchoring system 32 includes
the wall
anchor 36, the veneer tie 34, and a wire or outer wythe reinforcement 44. At
intervals along the
exterior surface of the inner wythe 14, wall anchors 36 are driven into place.
Holes in the inner
wythe 14 that receive the wall anchor 36 can be pre-drilled, or,
alternatively, the wall anchor 36
can be self-tapping. The wall anchors 36 are positioned on surface 24 so that
a longitudinal axis
LA of the wall anchor 36 is normal to the xy-plane and taps into stud 18. Each
veneer tie 34 is
emplaced on a course of bricks in preparation for embedment in the mortar of
bed joint 30. The
veneer tie 34 is formed of wire and includes pintles 50 that connect to the
wall anchor 36, as is
known in the art. The wire reinforcement 44 is also constructed of a wire, as
is known in the art.
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[0021] Referring to FIG. 3, the wall anchor 36 includes an elongate
body or bolt 40
and the collar 10 mounted on the elongate body. The wall anchor 36 may also
include a washer
42 mounted on the bolt 40 and configured to engage the exterior surface of the
inner wythe 14.
The washer 42 may be any suitable washer such as, but not limited to, a
neoprene washer. The
elongate body 40 has a driven end 44 and a driving end 46. The bolt 40 defines
the longitudinal
axis LA of the wall anchor 36, the longitudinal axis extending from the driven
end 44 to the
driving end 46. The bolt 40 includes a drive head 48 disposed at the driving
end 46 configured
to be driven to secure the elongate body to the inner wythe 14. As
illustrated, the drive head 48
is a bolt head, such as a hex head, capable of being driven using a tool, such
as a wrench or a
power driver. The bolt 40 includes a self-tapping tip 52 disposed at the
driven end 44 configured
to enable the bolt to be threaded into the inner wythe 14 without the pre-
drilling of a hole. The
bolt 40 includes a center portion 54 extending between the self-tapping tip 52
and drive head 48.
The center portion 54 has a circular cross-sectional shape with a diameter.
The center portion 54
of the bolt 40 includes external threads so that the elongate body can be
screwed into the stud 18
of the inner wythe 14. The threads extend from the self-tapping tip 52 toward
the drive head 58
along the center portion 54. Preferably, the threads extend along the entire
center portion 54
from the self-tapping tip 52 to the drive head 58. In use, the driven end 44
is driven into stud 18,
mounting the wall anchor 36 on the inner wythe 14. The bolt 40 can be of any
suitable length.
Other configurations of the elongate body are within the scope of the present
disclosure.
[0022] Referring to FIGS. 3-10, the collar 10 is configured to be
mounted on the bolt
40 and to connect to the veneer tie 34, thereby connecting the veneer tie to
the wall anchor 36.
The collar 10 includes a bolt mounting portion 60 (broadly, a body mounting
portion) configured
to be mounted onto the bolt 40. The bolt mounting portion 60 defines an
aperture 62 configured
to receive the bolt 40. The bolt 40 extends through the aperture 62 of the
collar 10 when the
collar is mounted to the elongate body. In addition, when mounted on the bolt
40, the bolt
mounting portion 60 is near (e.g., adjacent) the driving end 46. Preferably,
the collar 10 touches
the drive head 48 when mounted to the elongate body 40. The aperture 62
defines a central axis
CA that extends through the aperture. When attached to the elongate body 40,
the central axis
CA of the collar 10 and longitudinal axis LA of the elongate body are
generally coextensive.
Preferably, the aperture 62 has a diameter that is larger than the diameter of
the elongate body 40
so that both the collar 10 and elongate body are free to rotate with respect
to each other about the
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, .
. .
longitudinal axis LA (e.g., central axis CA) when the collar is mounted on the
elongate body. It
is understood the collar 10 can be use or mounted on any suitable elongate
body, including an
elongate body having a different construction than described herein.
[0023] The collar 10 includes two wings 64 (broadly, at least
one wing) connected to
the bolt mounting portion 60. Each wing 64 is configured to connect to the
veneer tie 34. Each
wing 64 defines a connecting aperture 66 for receiving the veneer tie 34,
specifically, for
receiving one of the pintles 50 of the veneer tie. The collar may have any
number of wings, but
generally one or two is most practical. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pintles
50 of the veneer
tie 34 are inserted into the connecting aperture 66 of each wing 64 to secure
the veneer tie to the
collar 10 and, thereby, the wall anchor 36. Each wing 64 extends outward from
the bolt
mounting portion 60 in a direction that is generally away or outward from
(e.g., perpendicular to)
the central axis CA (e.g., longitudinal axis LA).
[0024] Still referring to FIGS. 4-10, the bolt mounting portion 60 includes
two or more
aperture forming portions, each aperture forming portion forming or defining
at least a portion of
the aperture 62 the elongate body 40 extends through. In the illustrated
embodiment, the bolt
mounting portion 60 includes three aperture forming portions 68a, 68b and 68c,
respectively. In
other embodiments, the bolt mounting portion 60 may have less or more aperture
forming
portions such as, but not limited to, two, four, five, six or more aperture
forming portions. Each
aperture forming portion 68a, 68b, 68c is longitudinally offset with respect
to at least one other
aperture forming portion along (e.g., in the direction defined by) the
longitudinal axis LA (e.g.,
central axis CA). For reasons that will become apparent, preferably, each
aperture forming
portion 68a, 68b, 68c is longitudinally offset with respect to every other
aperture forming portion
along the longitudinal axis LA. In other words, in the preferred embodiment,
none of the
aperture forming portions 68a, 68b, 68c overlap with one another (e.g., an
imaginary line
transverse to and extending through the central axis CA at any position on the
central axis only
contacts one aperture forming portion). In the illustrated embodiment, each
aperture forming
portion 68a, 68b, 68c defines approximately one half or one side of the
aperture 62. In addition,
more than one aperture forming portion 68a, 68b, 68c can be used to define one
side of the
aperture 62. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, aperture forming
portions 68a and 68c
define one side of the aperture 62 and aperture forming portion 68b defines
the other side of the
aperture. In other embodiments, more than two aperture forming portions may be
used to define
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one side of the aperture 62 such as, but not limited to, three, four or more
aperture forming
portions. Each aperture forming portion 68a, 68b, 68c is an arcuate strip that
extends from the
interior (i.e., closest to the central axis CA) edge margin of one wing 64 to
the interior edge
margin of the other wing. Each strip of each aperture forming portion 68a,
68b, 68c extends
generally transversely to the central axis CA.
[0025] The bolt mounting portion 60 includes at least one aperture
forming portion
68a, 68b, 68c disposed on one side of the central axis CA and at least one
aperture forming
portion disposed on the other side of the central axis. In this manner, at
least two of the aperture
forming portions 68a, 68b, 68c disposed on opposite sides of the central axis
CA fully define and
circumferentially enclose the aperture 62. In the illustrated embodiment, the
aperture forming
portions 68a and 68c are disposed on one side of the central axis CA and
aperture forming
portion 68b is disposed on the other side of the central axis. For example, as
shown in FIG. 9,
aperture forming portions 68a, 68c are disposed on the left side the central
axis CA and aperture
forming portion 68b is disposed on the right side the central axis CA.
Aperture forming portion
68b is disposed between aperture forming portions 68a, 68c such that the side
of the central axis
CA on which each aperture forming portion is disposed alternates along the
central axis.
However, it will be understood that aperture forming portions need not
alternate so long as there
remains one or more aperture forming portions on opposite sides of the central
axis CA.
[0026] Aperture forming portion 68a is proximally disposed on the
collar 10 with
aperture forming portion 68b disposed distal of aperture forming portion 68a
and aperture
forming portion 68c disposed distal of aperture forming portion 68b. In the
illustrated
embodiment, each aperture forming portion 68a, 68b, 68c is longitudinally
offset and spaced
apart from every other aperture forming portion along the central axis CA. As
shown in FIG. 5,
aperture forming portions 68a and 68b are longitudinally spaced apart from one
another such that
they define a longitudinal gap 70 there-between. Similarly, aperture forming
portions 68b and
68c are longitudinally spaced apart from one another such that they define a
longitudinal gap 70
there-between. In other embodiments, adjacent aperture forming portions may
not be spaced
apart. Moreover, because each aperture forming portion 68a, 68b, 68c is
longitudinally offset
and spaced apart from one another, aperture forming portions on the same side
of the central axis
CA define a gap 72 there-between as well (FIG. 8) which is opposite the
aperture forming
portion 68b on the other side of the central axis CA. In other words, each
aperture forming
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portion 68a, 68b, 68c has a corresponding gap 72 (e.g., open space) on the
opposite side of the
central axis CA in the bolt mounting portion 60. In one embodiment, the
interior surface (e.g.,
the surface facing the central axis CA) of each aperture forming portion 68a,
68b, 68c is
threaded. Accordingly, in this embodiment, the collar is screwed onto the bolt
40.
[0027] In the illustrated embodiment, the distal most aperture forming
portion 68c
and the wings 64 define a drive head receiving space 74 configured to receive
the drive head 58
of the elongate body 40 when the elongate body is inserted through the
aperture 62.
[0028] In one embodiment, the collar 10 is formed as one piece of
material. For
example, the collar 10 can made from a single piece of material by stamping.
In this
embodiment, a metal blank is cut from a piece of material such as a sheet
metal roll. In one
embodiment, the metal blank is stamped from 12 gauge steel, although other
thicknesses (e.g., 9-
20 gauge) and other suitable materials (e.g., aluminum) are within the scope
of the present
disclosure. After the metal blank is cut, the metal blank is deformed, by
stamping, to form the
bolt mounting portion 60. Specifically, a portion of the metal blank is pushed
in a first direction
to form one aperture forming portion 68a, 68b, 68c and a portion of the metal
blank is pushed in
a second direction to form another aperture forming portion. The first and
second directions are
generally opposite to one another. In addition, the first and second
directions are generally
transverse to the central axis CA. When there is more than one aperture
forming portion 68a,
68b, 68c defining one side of the aperture 62, such as aperture forming
portions 68a and 68c in
the illustrated embodiment, each portion of the metal blank corresponding to
the aperture
forming portions defining one side of the aperture are pushed (e.g., deformed)
in the same first or
second direction at the same time. Pushing the portion or portions of the
metal blank in the
second direction may occur after pushing the portion or portions of the metal
blank in the first
direction or pushing in the second direction may occur simultaneously with
pushing in the first
direction. Other ways of forming the collar 10, including different sequences
of stamping and
forming, are within the scope of the present disclosure. Moreover, in one
embodiment the bolt
mounting portion 60 and wings 64 are separate components that are welded
together.
[0029] The configuration of the collar 10, as described herein,
enables the collar to be
cut from a single piece of material and bent into shape (e.g., stamping),
without folding a portion
of the metal blank back on itself or joining two plates together, as
previously done in the art.
Specifically, because the aperture forming portions 68a, 68b, 68c are
longitudinally offset from
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, .
,
one another, different aperture forming portions can be pushed (e.g., bent,
deformed) in different
directions during the stamping process to form the aperture 62. This is not
possible with the
configuration of existing collars which require folding or the joining of two
plates together in
order to form the aperture through which an anchor would extend through.
Accordingly,
constructing a collar 10, as described herein, by stampings reduces the amount
of material and
time required to construct the collar 10, saving costs. For example, each wing
64 of the collar 10
is a single layer of material whereas previous stamped collars required wings
of two or more
layers of material.
[0030] Having described the invention in detail, it will be
apparent that modifications
and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention
defined in the
appended claims. For example, where specific dimensions are given, it will be
understood that
they are exemplary only and other dimensions are possible.
[0031] When introducing elements of the present invention or
the preferred
embodiments(s) thereof, the articles "a", "an", "the" and "said" are intended
to mean that there
are one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising", "including" and
"having" are intended
to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the
listed elements.
[0032] In view of the above, it will be seen that the several
objects of the invention
are achieved and other advantageous results attained.
[0033] As various changes could be made in the above products
without departing
from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in
the above description
and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative
and not in a limiting
sense.
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