Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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RUNNER HOLDER
DESCRIPTION
The present invention relates to supports for fomnworks. More particularly,
the present invention relates
to horizontal formwork beams supported on vertical struts, which are
habitually known as runner-holder
beams, main beams, primary beams or simply runner holder(s).
At present, different types of beams are known for the formation of formworks.
However, a problem with
the standard beams for formwork supports consists in the fact that they have a
fixed and determined
length. On many occasions, the length of the aforementioned beams does not
coincide exactly with the
required length between formworks. In view of this possibility, the operators
usually cut other beams to
join them to said standard beams, and ensure that support beams from wall to
wall exist, without the
existence of breaks or spaces between the formwork beams and the formwork
itself. Another possibility
consists of positioning the beams not consecutively, but adjacent to one
another, such that their course
overlaps. However, this increases the number of struts necessary to support
the runner holders, and
consequently decreases the space between struts, thus making the passage of
the operators difficult or
even preventing it.
An object of the present invention is to disclose a novel runner holder which
provides a solution to the
aforementioned problems.
For this purpose, the present invention discloses a runner holder according to
claim 1. Preferred
embodiments of the invention are contained in the dependent claims.
The present invention discloses a runner holder which is divided into a first
portion and a second portion,
the first portion having a first end of the runner holder and the second
portion having a second end of the
runner holder, opposite the first end, the first portion having a projection
which is inserted in a recess of
the second portion, the projection being able to slide inside the recess. This
sliding allows the length of
the runner holder to be adjustable. In addition, the invention comprises a
pressure means which is
situated at the first and/or the second end.
The beam with a variable length according to the present invention has the
advantage that the operator
does not have to cut other beams to join them to the standard beam in order
thus to obtain the particular
length required. According to another aspect of the present invention, the
telescopic beam or adjustable
runner holder has pressure means at one end at least, and preferably at both
ends. By this means, the
runner holder can be adjusted in a fixed manner between two vertical
structures, such as walls. A
pressure means can be a resilient and deformable element which can store and
discharge energy
without undergoing permanent deformations when the (compression) forces or
tension (pressure) to
which said pressure means is subjected cease. The pressure means is designed
to have its length
reduced substantially when said pressure means is subjected to an axial
(compression) force when the
adjustable runner holder is put into the operating position, i.e. when said
pressure means is situated
between one wall and another or between one roof and another. A pressure means
can be constituted by
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a bevelled cut at the ends of the runner holder which cut co-operates with a
wedge in establishing the
pressure on the horizontal structure or wall.
The adjustable runner holder according to the invention which has pressure
means is particularly
advantageous in monolithic structures. A monolithic structure is a type of
structure in which a building or
structure is built in a single block. The monolithic system permits a high
speed of execution and
construction assembly, with reduction of the workforce since the major
construction costs are minimised
as a result of the short execution times. Monolithic structures are habitually
characterised by having small
spans, generally up to 3 m. In architecture, engineering and building, the
word span is generally used to
designate the distance in horizontal projection which exists between the
supports of a beam.
The present invention also has the advantage compared with standard beams that
it can be reused in
different monolithic designs, i.e. it can be used in different projects which
have a different design with
variations of the dimensions. The fact of having a range of values of length
and not a single fixed and
determined length means that it can be used in numerous projects and designs
of monolithic structure.
A strut can be defined as a structural element with a transverse cross section
which is very small
compared with its adjustable height, which supports a horizontal formwork
structure provisionally,
habitually by means of the runner-holder beams.
In addition, the adjustable runner holder according to the present invention
is particularly advantageous
in monolithic structures since it makes it possible to use two struts in
length per beam instead of the three
struts used by the standard system, with the third corresponding to the
portion of overlapping between
runner holders with a fixed length. Thus, the present invention has the
capacity to reduce the number of
struts used in monolithic structures. The fact of using only two struts is
especially advantageous since
monolithic structures are habitually small, although it is true that the range
of sizes can vary considerably.
Typically, the length between walls (the span) is less than 3 m. This means
that the space in the interior
thereof is small, and consequently the space which the operators have to
construct and assemble the
building or structure is very limited. In addition, the operators have to
carry out their work avoiding
obstacles such as the different construction elements used, such as, for
example, struts, boards, runner
holders, tripods, etc., which make their work difficult. The fact of using the
adjustable runner holder
according to the present invention allows the. operators to carry out their
working activity inside a
monolithic structure in better conditions.
According to a preferred embodiment, the pressure means comprises an oblique
cut provided in the first
and/or in the second end of the runner holder, in order to interpose a wedge
between said oblique cut in
the end of the runner holder and a vertical structure or wall. The wedge makes
it possible to secure the
adjustable runner holder easily, and in the same way remove said wedge when
the formwork phase is
finished and the runner holder is not required.
Preferably, the oblique cut of the second end of the adjustable runner holder
has the same cutting angle
as the pressure means, such that it is suitable for interposing a pressure
means in the form of a wedge
situated between the telescopic beam and a wall or a roof.
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More preferably, said oblique cut forms an angle of between 85 and 45 with
the longitudinal axis of the
runner holder. More preferably, the oblique cut forms an angle of 80 with the
longitudinal axis of the
runner holder.
The pressure means could also comprise a resilient part in the form of a
resilient stopper which is placed
in the first end, in the second end, or in both, in a fixed manner or with a
thread system. A threaded foot
could also be used. The thread makes it possible to screw the foot so that
said foot presses against the
vertical structure or wall.
According to another aspect, the projection of the first portion has alignment
of orifices, and the second
portion has at least one conjugated orifice, such that it is possible to
insert a stud through an orifice of the
alignment of orifices of the first portion and through the conjugated orifice,
for the purpose of fixing the
position of the projection in the recess.
Preferably, the cross sections of the first portion and the second portion are
equal. More preferably, the
first portion and the second portion have a profile with a transverse cross
section in the form of a "T".
Thus, the present invention makes it possible to control the length of the
beam within a range of values.
The securing of the studs through the plurality of orifices is controlled
discontinuously, whereas the
pressure means makes it possible to regulate the length according to the
present invention continuously.
The discontinuous advance is controlled according to the location of the stud
situated through an orifice
of the alignment of orifices of the first portion... an orifice of the second
portion. The continuous advance
is controlled by means of the pressure means, which is preferably in the form
of a wedge. More
specifically, the continuous advance is controlled by means of the material
and geometry thereof, i.e. the
modulus of elasticity and the inclination of the wedge (the oblique cutting
angle of the second end). The
first portion and the second portion are coupled to one another
telescopically. This coupling allows the
first portion to be displaced in the recess of the second portion. Said
displacement allows at least one
orifice of the second portion to be aligned with at least one orifice of the
plurality of orifices of the first
portion. As a result of said alignment, the stud can pass through the aligned
orifices, thus permitting
securing between the first portion and the second portion, also known as
telescopic coupling.
For better understanding, by way of non-limiting explanation, drawings of an
embodiment of the
adjustable runner holder which is the subject of the present invention are
appended.
Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a first embodiment of an adjustable runner
holder according to the
present invention placed between two walls.
Fig. 2 corresponds to another view in perspective different from the
embodiment in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 shows another view in perspective of the embodiment in Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a frontal view of the adjustable runner holder embodiment shown in
the previous figures.
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Fig. 5 is a longitudinal cross section of the embodiment in Fig. 3, in which
the interior elements can be
seen.
Fig. 6 is a transverse cross section of the embodiment in Fig. 3.
Fig. 1 to 5 show a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1
to 3 show schematically an
application of the present invention. In Fig. 1 to 3, for reasons of clarity,
the struts which would support
the runner holder 1 are not shown. Fig. 4 and 5 show in more detail the
adjustable runner holder 1 in
Fig. 1 to 3.
The adjustable runner holder 1 has an exterior profile which is divided, such
that a first portion 60 and a
second portion 20 are defined. Preferably, the length of both the first and
the second portion must be
sufficient to be able to receive a head of the strut which is designed to
support said portion.
The first portion 60 has a projection 10 which is inserted in a recess in the
second portion 20. The
projection 10 has a plurality of orifices 40 disposed in an aligned manner.
The second portion 20
comprises at least one orifice 50, the location and dimensions of which are
conjugated with the plurality
of orifices 40 of the projection 10, such that an orifice 50 of the second
portion 20 and an orifice of the
projection of the first portion 10 can be aligned when the projection 10 is
inserted in the second
portion 20.
The orifices 40 and 50 are designed such that they permit the passage of a
stud (not shown), for the
purpose of fixing the relative position of the first portion 10 and the second
portion 20. The stud is
.. inserted simultaneously in an orifice 50 of the second portion 20, and in
an orifice of the alignment of
orifices 40 of the projection 10, thus determining the total length of the
adjustable runner holder 1. In
order to vary the total length of the adjustable runner holder 1, the user or
operator firstly removes the
stud by sliding said stud through a set of orifices of the plurality of
orifices 40 and 50, and once the stud
has been withdrawn, the first portion 60 is not secured (fixed), with the
result that said first portion can
slide in the interior of the second portion 20 in order to form a positive or
negative extension of the
adjustable runner holder 1, i.e. increasing or decreasing the total length of
the adjustable runner holder 1.
Finally, the user or operator inserts the stud once more through a new set of
orifices of the plurality of
orifices 40 and 50, thus obtaining a new securing configuration between the
first portion 10 and the
second portion 20.
In addition, the second portion 20 has a second end 30 of the adjustable
runner holder 1 with a pressure
means 70, which in this case is in the form of an oblique cut which makes it
possible to interpose an
element in the form of a wedge.
.. In Fig. 1 to 3, the wedge 2 is interposed between the adjustable runner
holder 1 and a wall 4. Said wall 4
can be any other vertical structure, or structure with a vertical portion. In
particular, the wedge 2 is
interposed thanks to the oblique cut 30 of the second end of the adjustable
runner holder 1. The pressure
element provides a double advantage: firstly, it provides the adjustable
runner holder 1 with the capacity
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to have an increase or decrease of continuous length, i.e. the capacity to
have continuous, and not
discontinuous, advance, such as that which the securing of the stud with the
plurality of orifices 40 and
50 has. Secondly, the pressure means 2 facilitates the dismantling of the
adjustable runner holder 1
when its use is not required.
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Fig. 6 shows another embodiment of a runner holder wherein elements which are
the same as, or similar
to, those previously indicated are identified with identical reference
numerals, and will therefore not be
described in depth. A difference of the embodiment in Fig. 6 compared with
that in Fig. 1 to 5 is that, in
this case, the pressure means consists of a resilient part 70 situated at the
free end of the second
portion 70. The resilient part 70 is made for example of an elastomer material
such as, for example,
rubber, and can apply pressure to a wall by compression, sustaining resilient
deformation, and thus
regulating the length of the runner holder. Also, the combination of the
discontinuous control by means of
securing of the first portion 10 and the second portion 20, and the continuous
control by means of the
resilient part 70, makes it possible to regulate the length of the runner
holder.
Although the invention has been described with respect to preferred
embodiments, these should not be
considered to limit the invention, which will be defined by the broadest
interpretation of the following
claims.
