FOAM-CONCRETE REBAR TIE
A fastener is disclosed having a an extension portion configured to be inserted into a first construction material such as foam, and having a stirrup portion configured to retain portion of a second construction material, such as rebar at a distance from the first construction material. A third construction material such as concrete can then be inserted (poured) in contact with the first construction material and surrounding the second construction material such that the second construction material is not directly in contact with the first construction material.
This application is a Continuation in Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/047,036, which was filed on Mar. 12, 2008 and is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSUREFoam concrete structures are utilized in various capacities ranging from concrete stairs, driveways, ramps, floating docks, precast walls, abutments, retaining walls with lightweight fill load distribution slabs, roadways and applications for concrete foam systems such as Geofoam™ and other applications for concrete foam structures. In general, a foam concrete structure has a central region comprised of foam material which may be expanded polystyrene (EPS) or extruded polystyrene (XEPS) with a perimeter portion of concrete therearound. Oftentimes, a tensile strength member such as rebar is positioned within the concrete. At present time, rebar, which is comprised of steel or other iron-based compositions, is a primary form of enhancing the strength of concrete to reinforce concrete structures. In general, concrete is very poor in tension, and having an insert therein, for example a metallic member such as a longitudinally extending piece of rebar, significantly enhances the strength of the concrete structure.
Now in the case of having a concrete block with a foam center portion, when a bending moment is placed upon the structure, there is a compressive force at its greatest magnitude in one portion of the block structure, whereas the opposing portion has a tensile stress imposed thereon. The concrete is used to encapsulate or provide a protective shell, for example: floatation, geofoam, floor systems, ICF's, poured-in-place and pre-cast concrete systems. The foam portion functions as floatation, lightweight fill, or insulation. Of course, the center portion has a shear force acting as well pursuant to basic beam theory. Therefore, having a properly spaced tensile member such as rebar positioned in the foam concrete structure is important for properly positioning the rebar in the concrete to absorb the tensile stress placed thereon.
The prior art has failed to present a system, apparatus and method for properly positioning and orienting rebar at a proper depth within the outer concrete perimeter region. In some forms the rebar is positioned during a construction state in vertically and inverted orientated positions as well as a regular horizontal position. Therefore, in one form, having an apparatus to orientate the rebar in various orientations with respect to the flux field of gravity is desirable for constructing and forming a concrete/foam structure.
Further, having a proper anchoring system to attach to the foam material allows for proper positioning of the rebar-holding unit. In one form, having a properly sized and dimensioned base portion allows for a sufficient amount of stability without requiring excessive force to penetrate the foam to be mounted during production. These steps may be carried out in a manufacturing facility, or on a job site.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSUREThe structure described in this disclosure is a holding member having an extension portion, a base portion, and a stirrup portion. The extension portion is configured to be inserted into a rigid construction material such as a block of foam.
The extension portion in one form as shown in
In one form, after inserting the extension portion of the structure into the rigid construction material, a portion of an elongate construction material, such as a length of rebar, is coupled to the stirrup portion of the structure to hold the rebar a specified distance from the rigid construction material. A flexible fastener, wire tie, or equivalent structure may be threaded through the holes in the extension portion and around the rebar to further hold the rebar in place. After the rebar is positioned within the stirrup, another construction material such as concrete can be disposed in contact with the first construction material and substantially surrounding the second construction material. This will substantially encapsulate the construction materials and form a protective shell with the rebar adding support to the concrete (second material).
In one form, the barb members previously discussed also have a plurality of barb-like extensions which are configured to keep the structure from pulling out of the rigid construction.
The extension portion in one form as shown in
This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/047,036 filed Mar. 12, 2008.
As shown in
Therefore, it can be appreciated that the tensile stress member 26, which is most commonly rebar at the time of this writing, is positioned at a substantially center region 32 within the concrete perimeter 24. This positioning allows the rebar 26 to engage the surrounding concrete so as to transfer force thereto, so when for example the particular concrete perimeter wall section 34 is in tension, these tensile stresses are transferred to the rebar 26 properly, whereas the concrete aggregate itself is in general very poor at handling tension, and of course very strong in compressing as is well-known pursuant to conventional material science theory.
In another form, the tensile stress member may be a wire mesh assembly of common use in the art and generally called “welded wire” or “welded wire mesh.” While these are the common terms for this portion, for this disclosure the term wire mesh will be used to describe welded wire assemblies, welded wire mesh assemblies, netting, woven assemblies and similar equivalents. Often these assemblies are formed of metallic wire, which is then galvanized for longevity. An installation of this arrangement may comprise the steps of: placing the foam panels in place, placing the wire mesh adjacent the foam panels, inserting the rebar holding members 28/128 into the foam panels at the desired locations, such as at the horizontal cross members or connections between longitudinal and transverse members, attaching the wire mesh to the rebar holding members such as with wire ties 114, and then layering the assembly with shotcrete, gunite, or an equivalent. It may not be necessary to place a portion of the wire mesh within the stirrups 75/175.
Therefore, as described in detail herein, the rebar-holding member 28 provides utility in properly positioning the rebar during the production and manufacture of the foam concrete structure 20. Various attributes of one form of a rebar-holding member will be described herein in detail with the understanding that other forms could be utilized without departing from the spirit and scope of the Applicant's broad concept.
In another embodiment, a section of tubing can be utilized instead of the tensile stress member 26. This would not only add rigidity to the material, but would also add a channel for applying fluids, gases, or serve as a conduit for electrical or communication service. For example, once the structure is completed, hot water could be provided through the tubing which would heat the structure adjacent the tubing.
Referring now to
Referring now to
In general, the extension portion 36 is configured to be positioned in the foam material 22 in a manner as shown in
Therefore, it can be appreciated that the extension portion 36 should provide a reasonably stable platform when inserted within the foam. As shown in
Now referring to
With the foregoing description in place with regard to the extension portion 36, there will now be a discussion of the support portion 38 with initial reference to
As further shown in
To further describe one form of the rebar-holding member 28, the plurality of barbs 50 and 52 as shown in
Analysis upon the overall dimensions of the rebar-holding member 28 will now be presented. As shown in
Therefore, as shown in
A wire tie 114, as shown in
As shown in
In general, the device can be utilized in various forms, such as concrete sandwich panels, which in one form are poured in place or alternatively can be pre-cast, or the foam/rebar surface may be sprayed with a liquid hardening compound such as shotcrete, gunite, and equivalents. Further, the device can be utilized in other forms, such as insulated heated floors, or further, precast concrete joists, decking, floors, or roofs and various compositions thereof. For example, the device could be utilized similar to decking for insulated reinforced concrete floor such as Decklite™ from Benchmark Foam, Inc. and other similar products from other manufactures.
Shotcrete and gunite are two commonly used terms for substances applied via pressure hoses. Shotcrete is concrete (or sometimes mortar) conveyed through a hose and pneumatically projected at high velocity onto a surface. Shotcrete undergoes placement and compaction at the same time due to the force with which it is projected from the nozzle. It can be impacted onto any type or shape of surface, including vertical or overhead areas
In the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment shown in
In each of the embodiments shown in
While the embodiments described above will most often be utilized upon a wall where the foam material 22 is in a vertical orientation, the embodiments are also useful in other installations. For Example, the embodiments described may be utilized in floors as well as tilt-up concrete panels where the walls are formed in a horizontal position, and then tilted into a vertical position once the concrete or equivalent has sufficiently cured.
While the present invention is illustrated by description of several embodiments and while the illustrative embodiments are described in detail, it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications within the scope of the appended claims will readily appear to those sufficed in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of Applicants' general concept.
Claims
1. A rebar-holding member configured to be positioned in a foam material having an outer surface, the rebar-holding member comprising:
- a) an extension portion having a longitudinal axis, the extension portion having at least one spiral protrusion extended radially outward from the longitudinal axis;
- b) a support portion fixed to the extension portion, the support portion having a base surface located in a forward longitudinal direction;
- c) a stirrup portion having a rebar-holding region, the rebar-holding region comprising first and second arms comprising an interior surface configured to hold a rebar member therein at a prescribed distance from the base surface;
- d) wherein the first and second arms comprise a gap therebetween smaller than the diameter of the rebar to be held therein so as to form a snap-in connection with the rebar;
- e) whereas the support portion comprises a base surface configured to be placed adjacent to the foam material.
2. The rebar-holding member as recited in claim 1 where the spiral protrusion is tapers along its entire length from a longitudinally rearward portion of the spiral protrusion which extends radially further outward than a longitudinally forward portion of the spiral protrusion to the longitudinally forward portion.
3. The rebar-holding member as recited in claim 1 where the interior surface of the rebar-holding region has a plurality of radially inward extensions having a width sufficiently narrow so the extensions undergo plastic deformation when the rebar is placed between the first and second arms of the rebar-holding region.
4. The rebar-holding member as recited in claim 3 where the width of the radially inward extensions are less than one half the width of the first and second arms.
5. The rebar-holding member as recited in claim 1 where the first and second arms each provide an inward slanting surface defining a central open region configured to have a portion of rebar pass therethrough.
6. The rebar-holding member as recited in claim 5 where the rebar is operatively configured to be held within the interior surface of the rebar-holding region when the rebar-holding region is positioned beneath the extension portion.
7. The rebar-holding member as recited in claim 1 further comprising at least one void in the support portion configured to receive a flexible fastener which is configured to further retain the rebar within the rebar-holding region.
8. The rebar-holding member as recited in claim 1 where the extension portion, base portion, and stirrup portion are formed as a unitary structure.
9. The rebar-holding member as recited in claim 8 where the unitary structure is substantially formed as a polymer.
10. The rebar-holding member as recited in claim 1 further comprising a non-circular sub-base portion operably configured to fit a rotatably driven insertion tool.
11. The rebar-holding member as recited in claim 10 wherein the insertion tool comprises a standard or metric drive socket.
12. A device comprising:
- a) an extension portion operatively configured to be inserted into a portion of resilient material wherein the extension portion further comprises;
- b) at least one spiral protrusion;
- c) a base portion having a first side and a second side, the first side fixedly coupled to the extension portion;
- d) a stirrup portion coupled to the second side of the base portion, the stirrup portion operatively configured to hold a portion of construction material;
- e) the stirrup portion comprised of a plurality of resilient arms;
- f) wherein the plurality of arms comprise a gap therebetween smaller than the diameter of the rebar to be held therein so as to form a snap-in connection with the rebar.
13. The device of claim 12 wherein the extension portion, base portion, and stirrup portion are formed as a unitary structure.
14. The device of claim 13 wherein the unitary structure is formed of a polymer.
15. The device of claim 12 wherein the resilient material is substantially a foam material.
16. The device of claim 12 wherein the portion of construction material is a length of rebar.
17. The device of claim 12 wherein the portion of construction material is a portion of wire mesh.
18. The device of claim 12 wherein the portion of construction material is a length of tubing.
19. A rebar holding member configured to be rotatably inserted in a foam material having an outer surface, the rebar holding member comprising:
- a) an extension portion having a longitudinal axis;
- b) at least one barb member extending from extension portion in a spiral configuration;
- c) wherein the barb member forms a spiral in a longitudinal, and a radially outward direction;
- d) a base portion extending radially outward beyond the extension portion and the radially outermost portion of the barb member portion;
- e) the base portion having a base surface located in a forward longitudinal direction;
- f) a stirrup portion having a base region and a rebar holding region, the rebar holding region comprising first and second arms comprising an interior surface configured to hold a rebar member therein;
- g) wherein the longitudinal axis of the extension portion passes through the interior surface of the rebar holding region;
- h) whereas the base region maintains a minimum prescribed distance from the base surface which is configured to be placed adjacent to the foam material;
- i) the rebar holding member configured to be placed at any desired position, and rotational orientation relative to the surface of the foam material.
20. The rebar-holding member as recited in claim 19 further comprising a non-circular sub-base portion operably configured to be engaged by a rotatably driven insertion tool.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 10, 2010
Publication Date: Dec 23, 2010
Inventor: Steven J. Nelson (Bellingham, WA)
Application Number: 12/853,580
International Classification: E04C 5/20 (20060101); E04B 1/38 (20060101);