Passthrough concrete anchor

Abstract

The present invention is directed towards a concrete lift anchor. The concrete lift anchor of the present invention comprises a metal bar having a top, bottom and first and second sides, at least one attachment aperture, at least one reinforcement bar aperture, at least one passthrough aperture, and a shear plate aperture. The top side of the bar further comprises a first channel, a first upwardly projecting face, a platform face, a second upwardly projecting face, and a second channel. The anchor further comprises a crescent shaped indentation on the first side of the rectangular shaped bar.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates towards a concrete anchor assembly for embedment in a concrete member, such as a precast or tilt-up wall. The concrete anchor of the present invention allows for concrete members, such as walls, to be positioned by the use of standard lifting equipment (cranes with cable attachments, etc.) by connecting lifting attachments to the concrete anchor which is embedded in a concrete member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] At present, concrete anchors are stamped out of strip steel. Reinforcing bars for anchoring and bonding are placed through the holes or notches in the anchor and shear plates are strongly welded to the anchors when the anchors are made. Lifting hardware is connected to the top of the anchor.

[0003] Prior art anchors need a separate pin, cut out, or plate welded on the bottom to develop a shear-cone in the concrete to develop holding strength. The strength of currently manufactured anchors are commonly 2-ton, 4-ton and 8-ton with a 4:1 safety factor. Current anchors are high in weight partially because only the connecting apertures are stamped out of the metal anchor, with the rest of the anchor remaining as solid material.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0004] The present invention is directed towards a concrete lift anchor. The concrete anchor is made by drop forging or casting a unitary metal plate, suitably using a 90000 psi steel that brings the anchor to a 3-ton, 6-ton, or 10-ton capacity with a 4:1 safety factor. Anchors of increasing thickness allow for a greater weight capacity to be achieved.

[0005] The concrete lift anchor of the present invention comprises a metal bar having a top, bottom and first and second sides, at least one attachment aperture, at least one reinforcement bar aperture, at least one passthrough aperture, and a shear plate aperture. The top side of the bar further comprises a first channel, a first upwardly projecting face, a platform face, a second upwardly projecting face, and a second channel. The anchor further comprises a crescent shaped indentation on the first side of the rectangular shaped bar. The crescent shaped indentation allows for a reinforcement bar to be positioned within the indentation.

[0006] The reinforcement bar apertures, shear plate aperture, and passthrough apertures are formed in the anchor when forged or casted. The passthrough apertures of the anchor are suitably designed to save at least about 30% in the weight of the anchor, over a similarly or identically designed anchor without the passthrough apertures. This design makes the cost of transportation and surface treatment more economical because of the savings based on the reduced weight of the anchor. The passthrough apertures also provide additional strength by allowing the concrete to fill in the spaces during pouring. By forming the shear plate aperture in the anchor, it is not necessary to strongly weld the shear-plate to the anchor when the anchor is forged. The anchor of the present invention is designed so an individual can simply slide a shear plate or plates through the shear plate aperture and secure them in place. Suitable means of securing the shear plates would be either by a tack weld or by use of wedges that are pushed in from opposite sides and locked by a driving force, such as a hammer blow. The anchor of the present invention, therefore, allows for the opportunity to assemble the shear plate of the concrete anchor at the job site or precast manufacturer.

[0007] In one embodiment of the invention, the anchor comprises a rectangular shaped bar. In this embodiment, the rectangular shaped bar has a top, bottom and first and second sides, at least one attachment aperture, at least one reinforcement bar aperture, at least one passthrough aperture, and a shear plate aperture. The top side of the bar further comprises a first channel, a first upwardly projecting face, a platform face, a second upwardly projecting face, and a second channel. The second side of the rectangular shaped bar further comprises a downwardly projecting side face, an extending side face, and an upwardly projecting side face. The shear plate aperture is adjacent to the extending side face. A crescent shaped indentation is positioned on the first side of the rectangular shaped bar. Also, a wedged shaped foot is positioned on the bottom of the rectangular shaped bar. The wedged shaped foot is also formed in the drop forging or casting of the anchor. The wedged shaped foot of the present invention develops a larger shear-cone in the concrete than existing cutouts or pins.

[0008] In another embodiment of the concrete anchor of the invention, the anchor comprises a square shaped bar. In this embodiment, the square shaped bar has a top, bottom and first and second sides, at least one attachment aperture, at least one reinforcement bar aperture, at least one passthrough aperture, and a shear plate aperture. The top side of the bar further comprises a first channel, a first upwardly projecting face, a platform face, a second upwardly projecting face, and a second channel. The anchor further comprises a crescent shaped indentation on the first side of the square shaped bar. The shear plate aperture is found on the bar adjacent to the second side.

[0009] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 shows a top view of one embodiment of the concrete lift anchor of the present invention.

[0011] FIG. 2 shows a front view of one embodiment of the concrete lift anchor of the present invention.

[0012] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the concrete lift anchor of the present invention.

[0013] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the concrete lift anchor of the present invention with shear plates positioned within the shear plate aperture.

[0014] FIG. 5 shows a cut-away perspective view of one embodiment of the concrete lift anchor of the present invention embedded in a concrete form.

[0015] FIG. 6 shows a top view of another embodiment of the concrete lift anchor of the present invention.

[0016] FIG. 7 shows a front view of another embodiment of the concrete lift anchor of the present invention.

[0017] FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the concrete lift anchor of the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the concrete lift anchor of the present invention with a shear plate positioned within the shear plate aperture.

[0019] FIG. 10 shows a cut away side view of another embodiment of the concrete lift anchor of the present invention embedded in a concrete form.

[0020] Before the embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and/or the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof, as well as additional items and equivalents thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] The present invention is directed towards a concrete lift anchor. The concrete anchor is made by drop forging or casting a unitary metal plate, suitably using a 90000 psi steel. Anchors of increasing thickness allow for a greater weight capacity to be achieved.

[0022] One embodiment of the concrete lift anchor of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1-4.

[0023] The anchor 10 comprises a rectangular shaped bar 12 suitably constructed out of a durable metal such as steel. The anchor 10 is constructed by drop forging or casting as a unitary piece. The rectangular shaped bar has a top 14, bottom 16 and first 18 and second 20 sides, an attachment aperture 22, a first reinforcement bar aperture 24, a second reinforcement bar aperture 25 and a first passthrough aperture 26.

[0024] Suitably, the first passthrough aperture 26 is designed so that the weight of the anchor 10 is reduced by at least 30%. The reinforcement bar apertures 24 and 25 are suitably designed to allow for reinforcement bars in a concrete form to be passed through the aperture 24 and 25 respectively.

[0025] The top side 14 of the bar 12 further comprises a first channel 28, a first upwardly projecting face 30, a platform face 32, a second upwardly projecting face 34, and a second channel 36. The platform face 32, along with the lifting attachment aperture 22, is suitably designed to allow for the secure attachment of a lifting mechanism for moving and positioning a concrete form in which the concrete anchor 10 is embedded. The lifting attachment (such as a hook or other suitable attachment) is suitably connected to the concrete anchor 10 via the attachment aperture 22.

[0026] The second side 20 of the rectangular shaped bar 12 further comprises a downwardly projecting side face 38, an extending side face 40, and an upwardly projecting side face 42. A shear plate aperture 44 is adjacent to the extending side face 40. The shear plate aperture 44 is designed to receive a shear plate or plates 102. The shear plates are suitably held in place be either by a tack weld or by use of wedges that are pushed in from opposite sides and locked by driving them in by force. A crescent shaped indentation 46 is positioned on the first side 18 of the rectangular shaped bar 12. The crescent shaped indentation 46 allows for a reinforcement bar to be positioned within the indentation. Also, a wedged shaped foot 48 is located on the bottom 14 of the rectangular shaped bar 12.

[0027] FIG. 5 shows the anchor 10 of the present invention embedded in a concrete form 120. The top 14 of the metal bar 12 is positioned adjacent to the face of the concrete form 120. A void former, suitably made from rubber, is placed around the anchor 10 and covers a portion of the anchor including the first channel 28, platform face 32, second channel 36, and the attachment aperture 22. When the concrete is poured around the anchor, the area covered by the void former stays free of concrete, while the rest of the anchor 10, including the passthrough aperture 26, shear plates 102, and wedged shaped foot 48 are encompassed by the concrete. When the concrete form 120 is hardened, the void former is removed and a void recess 122 is formed around a portion of the anchor 10, allowing lifting hardware to be attached to the anchor 10, via the attachment aperture 22 and the first channel 28, platform face 32, and second channel 36. This allows for a lifting attachment to be suitably connected to the concrete anchor 10.

[0028] Another embodiment of the concrete anchor is shown in FIGS. 6-9.

[0029] The anchor 50 comprises a square shaped bar 52 suitably constructed out of a durable metal such as steel. The anchor 50 is constructed by drop forging or casting as a unitary piece. The bar 52 has a top 54, bottom 56 and first 58 and second 60 sides, an attachment aperture 62, a first 64 and second 66 reinforcement bar aperture, a first 68 and second 70 passthrough apertures, and a shear plate aperture 72.

[0030] Suitably, the first and second passthrough apertures 68 and 70 are designed so that the weight of the anchor 50 is reduced by at least 30%. The reinforcement bar apertures 64 and 66 are suitably designed to allow for reinforcement bars to be passed through the apertures 64 and 66 respectively. The shear plate aperture 72 is found on the bar 52 adjacent to the second side 60. The shear plate aperture 72 is designed to receive a shear plate or plates 104. The shear plate 104 is suitably held in place by either by a tack weld or by the use of wedges that are pushed in from opposite sides and locked by driving them in by force.

[0031] The top side 54 of the bar 52 further comprises a first channel 74, a first upwardly projecting face 76, a platform face 78, a second upwardly projecting face 80, and a second channel 82. The platform face 78, along with the lifting attachment aperture 62, is suitably designed to allow for the secure attachment of a lifting mechanism for moving and positioning a concrete form in which the concrete lift anchor 50 is embedded. The lifting attachment (such as a hook or other suitable attachment) is suitably connected to the concrete anchor 50 via the attachment aperture 62.

[0032] The anchor further comprises a crescent shaped indentation 84 on the first side 58 of the square shaped bar 52. The crescent shaped indentation 84 allows for a reinforcement bar to be positioned within the indentation.

[0033] FIG. 10 shows the anchor 50 embedded in a concrete form 108. The anchor is attached to a rubber void former 106 which is attached to a frame 114 which shapes the poured concrete into a desired shaped concrete form 108. The anchor 50 is positioned such that the top face 54 of the bar 52 is adjacent to the frame 114. Reinforcement bars 118 are passed through the reinforcement bar apertures 64 and 66 in the anchor 50 in order to provide more stability to the anchor 50 when the concrete hardens. The void former 106 is positioned onto the anchor 50 so that the void former 106 covers a portion of the anchor 50, including the first channel, platform face, second channel, and the attachment aperture. Insulation 112 can also be positioned within the frame 114. When concrete is poured into the frame 114, the area protected by the void former 106 stays free of concrete, while the remainder of the anchor 50, including the passthrough apertures 68 and 70, shear plate 104, reinforcement bars 118 and insulation 112 are encompassed by the concrete. When the concrete form 108 is hardened, the void former 106 is removed and a void recess is formed around a potion of the anchor 50, allowing lifting hardware to be attached to the anchor 50, via the attachment aperture and the first channel, platform face, and second channel. This allows for a lifting attachment to be suitably connected to the concrete anchor 50.

Claims

1. A concrete anchor comprising:

a bar having a top, bottom and first and second sides, at least one attachment aperture, at least one reinforcement bar aperture, at least one passthrough aperture, and a shear plate aperture;

wherein the top side of the bar further comprises a first channel, a first upwardly projecting face, a platform face, a second upwardly projecting face, and a second channel.

2. The concrete anchor of claim 1, wherein the second side of the bar further comprises a downwardly projecting side face, an extending side face, and an upwardly projecting side face.

3. The concrete anchor of claim 2, wherein the shear plate aperture is adjacent to the extending side face.

4. The concrete anchor of claim 1 wherein the shear plate aperture is adjacent to the second side.

5. The concrete anchor of claim 1 wherein the anchor further comprises a wedged shaped foot located at the bottom of the bar.

6. The concrete anchor of claim 1 wherein the anchor further comprises a crescent shaped indentation on the first side of the bar.

7. The concrete anchor of claim 1, wherein the at least one passthrough aperture is designed so that the weight of the anchor is reduced by at least 30%.

8. A concrete anchor comprising:

a rectangular shaped bar having a top, bottom and first and second sides, at least one attachment aperture, at least one reinforcement bar aperture, at least one passthrough aperture, and a shear plate aperture;

wherein the top side of the bar further comprises a first channel, a first upwardly projecting face, a platform face, a second upwardly projecting face, and a second channel.

9. The concrete anchor of claim 8, wherein the second side of the rectangular shaped bar further comprises a downwardly projecting side face, an extending side face, and an upwardly projecting side face.

10. The concrete anchor of claim 9, wherein the shear plate aperture is adjacent to the extending side face.

11. The concrete anchor of claim 8 wherein the anchor further comprises a wedged shaped foot located at the bottom of the rectangular shaped bar.

12. The concrete anchor of claim 8 wherein the anchor further comprises a crescent shaped indentation on the first side of the rectangular shaped bar.

13. The concrete anchor of claim 8, wherein the at least one passthrough aperture is designed so that the weight of the anchor is reduced by at least 30%.

14. A concrete anchor comprising:

a rectangular shaped bar having a top, bottom and first and second sides, an attachment aperture, a first reinforcement bar aperture, a second reinforcement bar aperture, a passthrough aperture, and a shear plate aperture;

wherein the top side of the bar further comprises a first channel, a first upwardly projecting face, a platform face, a second upwardly projecting face, and a second channel;

wherein the second side of the rectangular shaped bar further comprises a downwardly projecting side face, an extending side face, and an upwardly projecting side face;

wherein the shear plate aperture is adjacent to the extending side face;

wherein the anchor further comprises a wedged shaped foot located on the bottom of the rectangular shaped bar; and

wherein the anchor further comprises a crescent shaped indentation on the first side of the rectangular shaped bar.

15. The concrete anchor of claim 14, wherein the passthrough aperture is designed so that the weight of the anchor is reduced by at least 30%.

16. A concrete anchor comprising:

a square shaped bar having a top, bottom and first and second sides, at least one attachment aperture, at least one reinforcement bar aperture, at least one passthrough aperture, and a shear plate aperture;

wherein the top side of the bar further comprises a first channel, a first upwardly projecting face, a platform face, a second upwardly projecting face, and a second channel.

17. The concrete anchor of claim 16, wherein the shear plate aperture is adjacent to the second side.

18. The concrete anchor of claim 16 wherein the anchor further comprises a crescent shaped indentation on the first side of the square shaped bar.

19. The concrete anchor of claim 16, wherein the at least one passthrough aperture is designed so that the weight of the anchor is reduced by at least 30%.

20. A concrete anchor comprising:

a square shaped bar having a top, bottom and first and second sides, an attachment aperture, a first reinforcement bar aperture, a second reinforcement bar aperture, a first and second passthrough aperture, and a shear plate aperture wherein the shear plate aperture is adjacent to the second side;

wherein the top side of the bar further comprises a first channel, a first upwardly projecting face, a platform face, a second upwardly projecting face, and a second channel; and

wherein the anchor further comprises a crescent shaped indentation on the first side of the square shaped bar.

21. The concrete anchor of claim 20, wherein the first and second passthrough apertures are designed so that the weight of the anchor is reduced by 30%.