WALL TIE CLAMP

Abstract

A wall tie clamp for use with a threaded and nutted wall tie system, where the wall tie clamp is constructed to straddle and grip in a releasable locking manner the threaded end portion of the wall tie adjacent a positioning nut carried thereby. The wall tie clamp includes a locking plate assembly which is adapted to engage and hold the positioning nut of the wall tie at a fixed location on the wall tie, such that it may be effectively disassembled and removed from any particular wall form assembly without altering the set predetermined location of the positioning nut on the wall tie.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a nonprovisional patent application which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/775,178, filed on Dec. 4, 2018, entitled “Wall Tie Clamp,” the contents of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of wall ties for concrete wall forms, and more particularly to a wall tie clamp which is used to maintain a threaded and nutted taper wall tie at a predetermined set dimension as it is moved and reused throughout a construction project, thus ensuring that all wall forms assembled therewith have uniform spacing there between.

BACKGROUND

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

In construction projects, concrete walls are often erected as a part of the foundational structure for buildings and the like. When constructing concrete walls, it is often desirable to maintain the various walls throughout the project at a uniform predetermined thickness. To accomplish this, concrete wall ties are used to hold two sides of a wall forming system together, at a specified spacing, during concrete placement. Many different types of wall ties are used for differing wall forming systems. However, in most cases, for purposes of cost efficiency, such wall ties are designed to be disassembled and reused at different locations throughout a construction site to build multiple concrete wall forming systems.

The present invention relates specifically to taper wall ties that are usually threaded and carry a nut on each end. Multiples of this type of wall tie are usually cycled numerous times throughout a construction project to assemble different concrete wall forms. The spacing of the wall forms and thickness of the resulting concrete walls are controlled by the position of the nuts on each end of the wall ties. Loosening, handling and retightening of the wall tie nuts can change the dimension of the tie length, thereby varying the thickness of the concrete wall. It is then very beneficial to have at least one nut on one end of the wall tie to remain in a constant position.

In current practice, methods used to assure proper wall thickness by maintaining consistent wall tie length include permanently welding a positioning nut on one end of the wall tie, tack welding a positioning nut in place, or using paint or duct tape as a marker to visually check that the positioning nut is, and remains, in proper position. All of the forgoing conventional methods have drawbacks. Welding or tack welding one of the nuts in place does effectively maintain proper tie length, but such methods require substantial time and labor, and are more of a permanent solution that cannot be easily modified or adjusted for use at alternate tie lengths. On the other hand, marking the wall tie with duct tape and/or paint to indicate the proper nut position for tie length consistency is subject to constant wear and tear, resulting in imprecision and undesirable variances in concrete wall thickness.

For all of the foregoing reasons, it is evident that there is a significant need in the construction industry for an improved system of maintaining consistency in a wall tie dimension as it is moved and reused throughout a construction project, to better ensure that all wall forms assembled therewith are uniform in spacing.

SUMMARY

For reasons expressed above, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a wall tie clamp, to be used with threaded and nutted taper wall ties, which is constructed to fixedly secure and hold a positioning nut at one threaded end of the wall tie at a fixed, but readily adjustable, positon on the wall tie.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wall tie clamp, to be used with taper wall ties, which establishes a releasable mechanical hold on a positioning nut at one threaded end of the wall tie such that, as it is assembled, disassembled and reused throughout a construction project, the wall tie will be maintained at a consistent length to ensure that all wall forms assembled therewith have a uniform spacing.

Still further, it is another object of the present invention to provide a wall tie clamp, to be used with taper wall ties, which can be mechanically adjusted as needed for different wall thickness requirements, yet provides a reliable immovable clamp upon a positioning nut at one threaded end of the wall tie to prevent movement of the nut and maintain dimensional consistency where needed.

In furtherance of the foregoing objectives, the present invention includes a taper wall tie member in the form of an elongated steel rod, the end portions of which are each threaded, and the center portion of which is generally smooth and diametrically tapers from one threaded end portion toward the other. The threaded end portion adjacent the larger diametrical portion of the wall tie carries a positioning nut which is releasably locked at a predetermined location on the wall tie. The opposite threaded end portion adjacent the smaller diametrical portion of the wall tie carries an adjustment nut which is used to adjust the wall forms to a predetermined desired spacing, thus accurately maintaining consistent control of the thickness of the concrete walls formed therewith. The wall tie member is adapted to be reused at different locations throughout a construction site, and accordingly may be disassembled and removed from the wall forms in a manner well known in the art once a grouted wall has cured.

In order to maintain such dimensional consistency in wall tie length during disassembly, the present invention includes a wall tie clamp that is constructed as a two-piece saddle locking member. This wall tie clamp is constructed to straddle and grip in locking relation the threaded end portion of the wall tie immediately adjacent the positioning nut on the larger diametrical tapered portion thereof. The wall tie clamp includes a notched locking plate which is adapted to engage and hold the positioning nut of the wall tie at a fixed location on the wall tie, such that it may be effectively disassembled and removed from any particular wall form assembly without altering the set predetermined location of the positioning nut on the wall tie.

The wall tie clamp has opposing clamp sections that are bolted together so as to straddle the wall tie member and bear there against in locking relation upon tightening the bolts. The notched locking plate is carried by the saddle locking member and is held securely in place by the tightening bolts of the opposing clamp sections. A wing or flange portion of the positioning nut is adapted to seat within the notched portion of the locking plate such that, when the bolts are tightened, the locking plate will engage and effectively lock the positioning nut of the wall tie at a fixed location on the wall tie. Where a standard hexagonal positioning nut is used, a pair of locking plates carried by the clamping member engages opposing faces of the hex nut, thus locking the positioning nut from moving on the wall tie member.

With this clamping system, by simply removing the adjusting nut adjacent the smaller diametrical portion, each wall tie member may be disassembled, removed and reused throughout the construction site without concern of movement of the positioning nut, as it remains locked in position by the wall tie clamp. By simply setting the adjustment nut at the same predetermined position when reused, consistent spacing of all wall forms throughout a construction site may be achieved. Therefore, wall forms using the same wall ties may be erected throughout the construction site, knowing that the wall form spacing is being properly maintained at a uniform and consistent dimension. Should it be necessary for any reason to adjust the positioning nut adjacent the larger diametrical portion of the wall tie, the clamp section bolts may simply be loosened to allow the notched locking plate to disengage the positioning nut for adjustment thereof.

The foregoing and additional features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description. It should be understood, however, that the description and specific examples herein are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a concrete wall forming system, partially sectioned to show a wall tie clamp constructed in accordance with the present invention and used with a taper wall tie to maintain consistent spacing between a set of wall forms; and

FIG. 2 is a close-up perspective view of a wall tie clamp constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3A is a close-up exploded end view of the wall tie clamp shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3B is a top plan view of a notched locking plate of the wall tie clamp which is used to lock a flanged positioning wingnut in a predetermine location upon the tapered tie rod;

FIG. 4 is a partial sectioned elevation view of a wall concrete forming system, showing an alternative wall tie clamp constructed with dual opposing locking plates for preventing movement of a standard hexagonally shaped positioning nut which has no projecting wing or flange element on a tapered tie rod;

FIG. 5A is a close-up exploded end view of the alternative wall tie clamp shown in FIG. 4, constructed in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 5B is a top plan view of a locking plate which is incorporated as a part of the alternative wall tie clamp shown in FIGS. 4 and 5A, and used to lock a standard positioning nut which has no projecting wing or flange element on a tapered tie rod.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.

With reference now to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment is shown of a reusable threaded and nutted taper wall tie member 1 which is formed of an elongated steel rod 3, the opposite end portions 5 and 7 of which are threaded. Extending between and integrally formed with the threaded end portions 5 and 7 is an intermediate or central section 9. Intermediate section 9 has a smooth exterior surface and diametrically tapers from a larger diametrical portion 11 adjacent the threaded end portion 5 to a smaller diametrical portion 13 adjacent the threaded end portion 7. As noted previously, multiples of this type of wall tie member 1 may be cycled numerous times throughout a construction project to assemble different concrete wall forms. In a conventional manner shown, at various multiple locations, such a wall tie member 1 is typically inserted through a pair of aligned openings (14, 16) in a set of opposing wall forms (15, 17) to hold such wall forms together and control their spacing as grout is poured therebetween.

In furtherance of the above, as shown in FIG. 1, the threaded end portion 5 adjacent the larger diametrical portion 11 of wall tie member 1 carries a positioning nut 19 which seats against a wall form bearing plate or washer 21. Plate 21, in turn, bears against the outer surface of wall form 17 as grout is poured into the wall forming cavity 23 defined between the opposing wall forms 15 and 17. For each wall tie member 1, the positioning nut 19 is threaded upon end portion 5 to a set position which is an established predetermined distance “D” from the end 25 of the wall tie member 1, adjacent the threaded end portion 7 thereof. In this manner, the outer positioning limit of wall form 17, and consequently wall forming cavity 23, is set.

In order to maintain such dimensional consistency in wall tie length during disassembly and reassembly, the present invention includes a wall tie clamp 27 which is constructed to releasably lock the positioning nut 19 at its set position on the wall tie member 1. As seen best from FIGS. 2 and 3A, the wall tie clamp 27 is constructed as a two-piece saddle locking member, including opposing clamp sections 29 and 31. Each opposing clamp section 29 and 31 includes a central groove or cutaway portion 33 which is adapted to receive and contour around the threaded portion 5 of the wall tie member 1. As shown, clamp sections 29 and 31 are bolted together by a pair of bolts 35 and nuts 37 so as to straddle the threaded portion 5 of wall tie member 1, and bear there against in locking relation upon tightening the bolts 35. In this manner, wall tie clamp 27 is constructed to grip in releasable locking relation the threaded end portion 5 of the wall tie member 1 immediately adjacent the positioning nut 19.

In order to ensure that positioning nut 19 does not move from its set position on wall tie member 1, the wall tie clamp 27 includes a notched locking plate 39 which is adapted to engage and hold the positioning nut 19 at its set position when the wall tie clamp 27 is tightened upon the wall tie member 1. The notched locking plate 39 is depicted alone in FIG. 3B, and as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it is carried on one side of the wall tie clamp 27, and held securely in place by the tightening bolts 35.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3B, it can be seen that the positioning nut 19 includes an outwardly projecting wing or flange portion 45, similar to a wing nut. As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3B, locking plate 39 includes a pair of legs 41 that extend outwardly from the wall tie clamp 27 to form a notched portion 43. Upon locking wall tie clamp 27 to the wall tie member 1, the legs 41 of the locking plate 39 will extend out and around either side of the flange portion 45 of positioning nut 19. In this manner, the flange portion 45 seats within the notched portion 43 of the locking plate 39, and the legs 41 of locking plate 39 act as stops to engage and effectively prevent the positioning nut 19 from turning in either direction. This locks the positioning nut 19 at its set position on the wall tie member 1 until the wall tie clamp 27 is loosened and released.

In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 4, it is contemplated that the positioning nut 19 may be comprised of a conventional hexagonal shaped nut 51, which is devoid of any outwardly extending flange portion 45. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5A and 5B, the wall tie clamp 27 may incorporate a pair of unnothched rectangular locking plates 53 positioned on the opposing top and bottom surfaces of clamp sections 29 and 31, respectively. Each of the locking plates 53 extends outwardly from its respective clamp section 29 and 31 over one of the opposing flats of the hexagonal positioning nut 51. Upon tightening bolts 35 of the wall tie clamp 27, the locking plates 35 will bear against the opposing flats of the hexagonal positioning nut 51, thereby preventing the same form turning and moving in position along the threaded portion 5 of the wall tie member 1. Therefore, with all other components of the wall tie clamp being the same, in applications where a conventional hexagonal positioning nut 51 is used, rectangular locking plates 53 may be used instead to hold the positioning nut 51 in place.

With reference back to FIG. 1, it can be seen that the opposite threaded end portion 7 of the wall tie member 1, which is adjacent the smaller diametrical portion 13 thereof, carries an adjustment nut 47. The adjustment nut 47 also bears against a wall bearing plate or washer 49, and is used to adjust the wall forms 15 and 17 to a predetermined desired spacing (i.e., defined wall forming cavity 23). With the opposite positioning nut 19 being locked in place at a predetermined distance from end 25 of wall tie member 1, the adjustment nut 47 may then be adjusted as desired to a set distance “X” from the end 25 of wall tie member 1. This, in effect, ensures repeated consistent and accurate spacing between wall forms 15 and 17, thus accurately maintaining consistent control of the thickness of the concrete walls formed therewith.

Upon disassembly, only the adjustment nut 47 needs to be released to effect disengagement of the wall tie member 1 from the wall forms 15 and 17. Once a concrete wall has cured, the adjustment nut 47 may simply be unscrewed, and the remainder of the wall tie member 1 can be pulled through the wall forming assembly from the clamped end 5 in a manner well known in the art. The wall tie clamp 27 can remain locked, thus maintaining the positioning nut 19 at its set position on the wall tie member 1 during relocation for reuse at a different area of a construction site. Since the wall tie member 1 is adapted to be reused at different locations throughout a construction site, it may accordingly be disassembled and removed from the wall forms and reset at a different location by simply resetting the adjustment nut 47 at the same distance “X” from end 25 of the wall tie member 1.

With this clamping system, by simply removing the adjusting nut 47 adjacent the smaller diametrical portion 13, each wall tie member 1 may be disassembled, removed and reused throughout the construction site without concern of movement of the positioning nut 19 (51), as it remains locked in position by the wall tie clamp 27. By simply setting the adjustment nut 47 at the same predetermined position when reused, consistent spacing of all wall forms throughout a construction site may be achieved. Therefore, wall forms using the same wall tie members 1 may be erected throughout the construction site, knowing that the wall form spacing is being properly maintained at a uniform and consistent dimension. Should it be necessary for any reason to adjust the positioning nut 19 (51), the clamp section bolts 35 may simply be loosened to allow the notched locking plate 39 (or plates 53) to disengage the associated positioning nut for adjustment thereof.

The disclosure herein is intended to be merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the disclosure are intended to be within the scope of the disclosure. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, which comprises the matter shown and described herein, and set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wall tie clamping apparatus, comprising:

(a) a wall tie member for use in maintaining a spaced relation between a pair wall forms, said wall tie member having opposite ends, where a portion of said wall tie member adjacent one of said ends is externally threaded;

(b) a wall form positioning member being threaded onto said threaded portion of said wall tie member to a predetermined location; and

(c) a releasable clamping member secured to said wall tie member adjacent said positioning member, said releasable clamping member having stop portions which prevent movement of said positioning member away from said predetermined location on said wall tie member until said clamping member is released.

2. The wall tie clamping apparatus of claim 1, wherein said clamping member is comprised of a pair of clamp sections disposed on opposite sides of said wall tie member, said clamp sections being releasably tightenable against an outer surface of said wall tie member to secure said clamping member thereto.

3. The wall tie clamping apparatus of claim 2, wherein said clamp sections include notched portions which are adapted to receive and contour around said wall tie member.

4. The wall tie clamping apparatus of claim 2, wherein said clamp sections, upon being tightened, are constructed to assert pressure against said outer surface of said wall tie member.

5. The wall tie clamping apparatus of claim 1, wherein said stop portions of said clamping member is comprised of at least one plate having protruding leg sections which engage said positioning member when said clamping member is secured to said wall tie member.

6. The wall tie clamping apparatus of claim 1, wherein said positioning member includes a protruding wing, and said stop portions of said clamping member include a recessed portion within which said protruding wing is received.

7. The wall tie clamping apparatus of claim 1, wherein said positioning member is in the form of a hexagonally shaped threaded nut, and said stop portions of said clamping member include a pair of opposing plates which engage opposite surfaces of said threaded nut when said clamping member is secured to said wall tie member.

8. The wall tie clamping apparatus of claim 1, wherein said clamping member is comprised of a pair of clamp sections which are releasably tightenable against an outer surface of said wall tie member, and said stop portions comprise a removable plate attached to said clamping member which engages and prevents movement of said positioning member when said clamping member is tightened against said wall tie member.

9. The wall tie clamping apparatus of claim 1, wherein said wall tie member is in the form of an elongated rod, with portions thereof adjacent both of said opposite ends being externally threaded, and an intermediate portion between said threaded portions being generally smooth and diametrically tapered from one said threaded portion to the other said threaded portion.

10. The wall tie clamping apparatus of claim 9, wherein the diameter of said intermediate portion of said wall tie member is greater near said threaded portion upon which said clamping member is secured.

11. A wall tie clamping apparatus, comprising:

(a) a wall tie member for use in maintaining a spaced relation between a pair of wall forms, said wall tie member being comprised of an elongated rod with opposite ends;

(b) a wall form positioning member movably connected to a portion of said rod adjacent one of said ends thereof, said wall form positioning member being positionally adjustable along at least a portion of the length of said rod;

(c) a clamping member mounted on said rod adjacent said positioning member, said clamping member being releasably tightenable against said rod in a non-permanent locking relation thereto; and

(d) said clamping member having a stop member which engages and prevents movement of said positioning member on said rod when said clamping member is tightened thereagainst.

12. The wall tie clamping apparatus of claim 11, including a wall form adjustment member movably mounted upon said rod adjacent said end which is opposite said portion upon which said positioning member is connected, said wall form adjustment member being adjustable to set the desired spacing between said pair of wall forms.

13. The wall tie clamping apparatus of claim 11, wherein said positioning member is locked at a pre-determined location upon said wall tie member until said clamping member is released from said wall tie member, said wall tie member being removable from said wall forms for reuse without disengagement of said clamping member.

14. The wall tie clamping apparatus of claim 11, wherein said positioning member is threadably connected to said elongated rod for axial adjustment relative thereto, and said stop member is constructed to prevent said positioning member from rotating about said rod.

15. The wall tie clamping apparatus of claim 14, wherein said stop member includes a notched portion within which a portion of said positioning member is received.

16. The wall tie clamping apparatus of claim 14, wherein said stop member is comprised of a pair of plates which engage opposing faces of said positioning member to prevent rotation thereof on said rod.

17. The wall tie clamping apparatus of claim 11, wherein said clamping member is comprised of a pair of clamp sections disposed on opposite sides of said rod, said clamp sections being tightenable relative to one another so to provide compression against an outer surface of said rod to secure said clamping member thereto.

18. A wall tie clamping apparatus, comprising:

(a) a reusable wall tie for maintaining a desired spacing between a pair of wall forms, said wall tie having opposite threaded end portions and a diametrically tapered intermediate section extending therebetween;

(b) a wall form positioning member threaded upon said threaded end portion of said wall tie which is adjacent a diametrically greater end of said tapered intermediate section;

(c) a clamping member mounted on said wall tie adjacent said positioning member, said clamping member being releasably tightenable against said wall tie in a non-permanent locking relation thereto; and

(d) said clamping member having a stop member which engages and prevents movement of said positioning member on said wall tie when said clamping member is tightened thereagainst.

19. The wall forming system of claim 18, wherein said clamping member is comprised of a pair of clamp sections disposed on opposite sides of said wall tie, said clamp sections being releasably tightenable toward one another to cause said clamping member to press against an outer surface of said wall tie and lock said clamping member thereto.

20. The wall forming system of claim 19, wherein said clamping member when tightened compressively locks said stop member in an immovable position relative to said positioning member and said wall tie.