ROD CLIP STAND
A rod clip stand is disclosed which is configured to releasably secure and retain a pair of rods in a perpendicular orientation. The rod clip stand has a cradle portion supporting a first rod and an arched portion supporting a second rod. The rod clip stand is particularly well suited for fabricating a rebar grid used to reinforce concrete flatwork.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/957,921, filed Jul. 15, 2013, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/959,623, filed Aug. 29, 2013. The disclosures of these provisional applications are expressly incorporated by reference herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention generally relates to a means for arranging cylindrical elements in a grid or lattice configuration, and more particularly relates to a rod clip stand configured to releasably secure and retain a pair of rods in a perpendicular orientation, and optionally to locate the rods a distance spaced from an adjacent support surface. The present invention is particularly well suited for fabricating a rebar grid used to reinforce concrete flatwork.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONIn certain construction or fabrication applications, it is necessary to assemble a grid or lattice structure from a set of cylindrical element on the job site. One such application is for concrete construction. In particular, reinforcement bar or rebar for short is used as a tension device in reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures, to strengthen and hold the concrete in compression. The surface of the rebar may be patterned to form a better bond with the concrete. In concrete flatwork, the rebar is often assembled into grid generally the dimension of the area to be formed with concrete. It is important that the rebar grid be elevated from the existing surface. In addition, it is beneficial to interconnect the individual rebar elements together so that they remain in the desired location as concrete is poured over the grid. Lastly, it is critical that the concrete be able to flow through and around the rebar grid to ensure the absence of any air pockets, voids or other defects that could weaken the final concrete structure.
It is common for the concrete contractor to assemble this rebar grid on the job site. To do so, the contractor must first join the rebar elements together at the nodes of the grid. In other words at the point where two rebar elements intersect. This may be done by welding or alternately with some sort of fastening element such as wire, cable ties or the like. Once assembled in a grid, the rebar must be supported in an elevated position, typically on stands placed in spaced relation beneath the rebar elements. Alternately, the rebar may be supported in an elevated position first then wire tied, welded, etc. This process of fabricating a rebar grid can be time consuming in that it involves multiple steps, and thus costly from a labor cost standpoint. In addition, this process of fabricating a rebar grid requires that the contractor have an inventory of several parts, namely rebar, fasteners and stands, and thus costly from a material and storage cost standpoint. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a simple, cost-effective means for fabricating a rebar grid with a minimum of components. In addition, it is desirable to provide a compact coupling element in the form of a rod clip stand which functions to interconnect a pair of rebar element and to elevate the rebar elements above the ground. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present disclosure provides a clipping system for connecting, elevating and protecting cylindrical elements. The clipping system includes a rod clip stand for assembling a pair of cylindrical elements. The rod clip stand includes a cradle portion having a first cradle with a first concave surface formed therein and a second cradle laterally spaced from the first cradle with a second concave surface formed therein. The cradle is configured to receive a first cylindrical element such as a rebar element. The rod clip stand also includes an arched portion interconnecting the first and second cradles in a spaced relationship. The arched portion has a third concaved surface formed at a crown of the arched portion and configured to receive a second cylindrical element such as another rebar element. The third concave surface is generally perpendicular to the first and second concave surface such that the rebar elements are arranged in a generally perpendicular manner. The clipping system may be used in various applications including but not limited to assembling and supporting rebar when fabricating concrete structures.
The present disclosure also provides an assembly forming a rebar grid with a plurality of rebar elements connected with a rod clip stand at the nodes of the grid. The rod clip stand includes a cradle portion having a first cradle with a first concaved surface formed therein and a second cradle laterally spaced from the first cradle with a second concaved surface formed therein. A first rebar element is supported in the first and second concave surfaces. An arched portion interconnects the first and second cradles in a spaced relationship. The arched portion has a third concaved surface formed at a crown of the arched portion. The third concave surface is generally perpendicular to the first and second concave surface axis and supports a second rebar element. A leg extends from the cradle portion opposite the arched portion. The leg preferably includes a first leg extending from the first cradle and a second leg extending from the second cradle. The rod clip stand couples the first rebar element to the second rebar element is generally perpendicular to on another.
The simple unitary design of the rod clip stand is lightweight and significantly reduces the amount of material compared to that used in conventional rebar support chairs. The rod clip stand can be a plastic molded part arranged in chains of 16 units. These chains can be nested and stacked such that over 7000 units fit into a standard 2 ft×2 ft×2 ft box, thereby reducing storage volume and shipping cost. One or more chains can be carried on a belt so that a reinforcing ironworker or rod buster can quickly and efficiently fabricate a lattice or grid structure using these rod clip stands.
The present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and:
The following detailed description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background of the invention or the following detailed description of the invention.
With reference now
Referring again to
Rod clip stand 10 further includes leg portions 30, 32 extending from the first and second cradles 18, 20. A centerline of the leg portions 30, 32 lie in a common plane with the centroid 26 of the first and second concave surface 18s, 20s and the centroid 28 of the third concave surface 24s as best seen in
The spaced relationship of the first concave surface 18s and second concave surface 20s ensures that the rod clip stand 10 has at least two points of contact with rod element 12. As presently preferred, the third concave surface 24s is also configured to have at least two points of contact with rod element 14. Various structural features may be included in the third concave surface 24s to provide for at least two points of contact. For example, as shown in
The dimensions of the rod clip stand 10 are configured to releasably secure rod elements 12, 14 together. In this regard, the height h as shown in
With reference now to
The simple unitary design is lightweight, using about significantly less material of conventional rebar support chairs. While the number of rod clip stands 10 in a chain 40 may vary, it is presently preferred to include sixteen (16) individual rod clip stands 10 in a chain 40. These chains 40 can be nested into a sheet 44. Multiple sheets 44 may be stacked on top of one another to form a cube for compact storage and reduced shipping cost. For example, over 450 chains or more than 7200 rod clip stands may be nested and stacked so as to fit into a standard 2 ft×2 ft×2 ft box. One or more chains 40 can be carried on a belt so that a reinforcing ironworker or rod buster can quickly and efficiently fabricate a lattice or grid structure using these rod clip stands.
In this configuration, the rod clip stand 10 can be used in a quick and efficient manner. For example, the reinforcing ironworker or rod buster may secure one to several chains 40 of rod clip stands 10 to a belt or other garment. Once a rebar grid is laid out, the rod buster simply breaks off a rod clip stand 10 and drops it down on top of rod element 14 so that it sits in the third concaved surface 24s of the arched portion 22. Next, rod element 12 is held up against rod element 14 and the rod clip stand 10 is slid into engagement with rod element 12 and rotated clockwise as shown in
While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description of the invention, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. In addition, one skilled in that art will appreciate that the shape and size of the embodiment may be varied to accommodate different types of rod elements. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the invention, it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
Claims
1. A rod clip stand for assembling a pair of cylindrical elements comprising:
- a cradle portion having a first cradle with a first concaved surface formed therein and a second cradle laterally spaced from the first cradle with a second concaved surface formed therein, wherein the cradle portion is configured to receive a first cylindrical element; and
- an arched portion interconnecting the first and second cradles in a spaced relationship, the arched portion having a third concaved surface formed at a crown of the arched portion and configured to receive a second cylindrical element, wherein the third concave surface is generally perpendicular to the first and second concave surface.
2. The rod clip stand of claim 1 wherein the centroids of the first, second and third concave portions lie in a common plane.
3. The rod clip stand according to claim 1 further comprising a leg portion extending from at least one of the arched portion and the cradle portion.
4. The rod clip stand of claim 3 wherein the leg portion comprises a first leg extending from the first cradle and a second leg extending from the second cradle.
5. The rod clip stand of claim 3 wherein a centerline of the leg portion and the centroids of the first, second and third concave surfaces lie in a common plane.
6. The rod clip stand according to claim 1 wherein the third concave surface comprises at least two points of contact configured to engage the second cylindrical element.
7. The rod clip stand of claim 6 wherein each of the at least two points of contact comprises a protrusion extending from the third concave surface.
8. The rod clip stand according to claim 1 further comprising a retaining element formed on at least one of the first and second cradles opposite the arched portion configured to capture the first cylindrical element within the cradle portion.
9. The rod clip stand according to claim 1 wherein the first and second concave surfaces are spaced apart from the third contact surface by a distance which is less than a sum of the heights of the first and second cylindrical elements to provide an interference fit.
10. A rebar assembly comprising:
- a rod clip stand comprising: a cradle portion having a first cradle with a first concaved surface formed therein and a second cradle laterally spaced from the first cradle with a second concaved surface formed therein; an arched portion interconnecting the first and second cradles in a spaced relationship, the arched portion having a third concaved surface formed at a crown of the arched portion, wherein the third concave surface is generally perpendicular to the first and second concave surface; and a leg portion extending from the cradle portion opposite the arched portion, the leg portion including a first leg extending from the first cradle and a second leg extending from the second cradle;
- a first rebar element received in the arched portion and supported by the third concave surface; and
- a second rebar element received in the cradle portion and supported by the first and second concave surfaces such that the first rebar element is general perpendicular to the second rebar element.
11. The rebar assembly of claim 10 wherein a centerline of the leg portion and the centroids of the first, second and third concave surfaces lie in a common plane.
12. The rebar assembly according to claim 10 wherein the third concave surface comprises at least two points of contact on the first rebar element.
13. The rebar assembly according to claim 10 wherein each of the at least two points of contact comprises a protrusion extending from the third concave surface.
14. The rebar assembly according to claim 10 further comprising a retaining element formed on at least one of the first and second cradles opposite the arched portion to capture the second rebar element within the cradle portion.
15. The rebar assembly according to claim 10 wherein the first and second concave surfaces are spaced apart from the third contact surface by a distance, which is less than a sum of the heights of the first and second rebar elements to provide interference fit.
16. A rebar assembly comprising:
- a plurality of rebar elements arranged in a grid and defining a node at each location where a pair of rebar elements intersect;
- a plurality of rod clip stands including a rod clip stand disposed at each node and operable for coupling first and second rebar elements, each rod clip standing including:
- a cradle portion supporting the first rebar element and having a first cradle with a first concaved surface formed therein and a second cradle laterally spaced from the first cradle with a second concaved surface formed therein;
- an arched portion interconnecting the first and second cradles in a spaced relationship, the arched portion having a third concaved surface formed at a crown of the arched portion, wherein the third concave surface is generally perpendicular to the first and second concave surface and supports the second rebar element; and
- a leg portion extending from the cradle portion opposite the arched portion, the leg portion including a first leg extending from the first cradle and a second leg extending from the second cradle.
17. The rebar assembly of claim 16 wherein a centerline of the leg portion and the centroids of the first, second and third concave surfaces lie in a common plane.
18. The rebar assembly according to claim 16 wherein the third concave surface comprises at least two points of contact on the first rebar element.
19. The rebar assembly according to claim 16 further comprising a retaining element formed on at least one of the first and second cradles opposite the arched portion to capture the second rebar element within the cradle portion.
20. The rebar assembly according to claim 16 wherein the first and second concave surfaces are spaced apart from the third contact surface by a distance, which is less than a sum of the heights of the first, and second rebar elements to provide interference fit.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 15, 2014
Publication Date: Jun 2, 2016
Inventors: Russell Richard SMITH (Bolivar, MO), David Marvin SMITH (Port Charlotte, FL)
Application Number: 14/904,854