Concrete Casting Form Tie Hole Plugs

Abstract

The concrete casting form tie hole plug is formed from a cementitious mixture and includes a reinforcing strand extending internally throughout the length of the plug, to reinforce the plug to resist fracturing. The reinforcing strand is preferably fiberglass, and the cementitious mixture may be formed from Portland cement, sand, and water, and may include an adhesion promoter.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based on Provisional Patent Application No. 60/837,817, filed Aug. 15, 2006.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates generally to the field of concrete construction, and more particularly relates to a molded plug, formed of a cement mixture reinforced with a reinforcing strand extending coaxially along the length of the plug, for filling holes in cast concrete created by the use of tapered steel form ties to hold together concrete casting forms.

[0003] In the formation of concrete structures such as bridges and various types of concrete pours, tapered steel form ties are commonly used to hold the concrete forms together. When the tapered ties are pulled, and the forms dismantled, there are holes left where the tapered ties were. These holes have traditionally been filled with dry packed cement, which was typically a tedious and time-consuming process. More recently, while preformed, molded cement plugs have been used to repair the voids left by form ties when they are pulled, resulting in marked improvement in speed and efficiency of form tie hole repair, it was discovered that the preformed plugs were fragile and were often broken during the process of filling tapered tie holes with the preformed plugs. It would therefore be desirable to provide concrete casting form tie hole plugs that are reinforced to resist fracturing when inserted in holes left by the removal of tapered ties from formed concrete structures. The present invention meets these and other needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] Briefly, and in general terms, the present invention provides for a concrete casting form tie hole plug formed from a cementitious mixture and including a reinforcing strand extending internally throughout the length of the plug, to reinforce the plug to resist fracturing.

[0005] Accordingly, the present invention provides for a concrete casting form tie hole plug, including a tapered elongated shaft formed of a hardened cementitious mixture, the tapered elongated shaft having a wide end, a narrow end and a longitudinal axis, and a reinforcing strand extending substantially coaxially through the tapered elongated shaft from the wide end to the narrow end of the shaft. In a presently preferred aspect, the reinforcing strand is formed of fiberglass. In another presently preferred aspect, the cementitious mixture may be formed from Portland cement, sand, and water. The cementitious mixture may also include an adhesion promoter.

[0006] The present invention also provides for a method of forming the concrete casting form tie hole plug of the invention. In the method of the invention, a mold having an internal elongated tapered mold chamber with a wide end and a narrow end is filled with a cement compound slurry. A reinforcing strand is inserted substantially coaxially in the mold through the cement compound slurry and extending from the wide end of the mold to the narrow end of the mold, and the cement compound slurry is allowed to harden to form a hardened cementitious concrete casting form tie hole plug, after which the hardened cementitious taper tie hole plug is removed from the mold.

[0007] These and other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawing, which illustrates by way of example the features of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The FIGURE is a schematic diagram of a concrete casting form tie hole plug according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Referring to the FIGURE, which is provided by way of example, and not by way of limitation, the present invention provides for a concrete casting form tie hole plug 10, having a tapered, generally cylindrical elongated shaft 12 formed of a hardened cementitious mixture. In a presently preferred aspect, the cementitious mixture is formed of Portland cement, sand, and water, and may include an adhesion promoter. The tapered elongated shaft has a wide end 14, a narrow end 16, and a longitudinal axis 18. Typically the outer diameter of the wide end of the tapered elongated shaft is approximately 13/8 inch (approx. 3.49 cm), the outer diameter of the narrow end of the tapered elongated shaft is approximately 11/8 inch (approx. 2.86 cm), and the tapered elongated shaft is typically approximately 23 inches long (approx. 58.4 cm), although the size and dimensions of the concrete casting form tie hole plug will be dictated by size of the form ties used, and are not limited to the sizes given here by way of example.

[0010] In a presently preferred aspect, the concrete casting form tie hole plug advantageously includes a reinforcing strand 20 extending substantially coaxially through the tapered elongated shaft from the wide end to the narrow end of the shaft, to resist fracturing of the concrete casting form tie hole plug when it is inserted in a tapered tie hole. In another presently preferred aspect, the reinforcing strand is formed of fiberglass.

[0011] The method of the invention for forming the concrete casting form tie hole plug involves providing a mold having an internal elongated tapered, generally cylindrical, hollow mold chamber with a wide end, a narrow end, and a longitudinal axis, and filling the mold with a cement compound slurry, such as a mixture of Portland cement, sand, and water, for example. The cement compound slurry may also include an adhesion promoter. A reinforcing strand is then inserted substantially coaxially in the mold through the cement compound slurry with a special tool, with the reinforcing strand extending from the wide end of the mold to the narrow end of the mold. In a presently preferred aspect, the reinforcing strand is formed of fiberglass. The cement compound slurry is then allowed to harden to form the hardened cementitious concrete casting form tie hole plug, and the hardened plug can then be removed from the mold.

[0012] It will be apparent from the foregoing that while a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and described, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A concrete casting form tie hole plug, comprising: a tapered, generally cylindrical elongated shaft formed of a hardened cementitious mixture, said tapered elongated shaft having a wide end, a narrow end and a longitudinal axis; and a reinforcing strand extending substantially coaxially through the tapered elongated shaft from the wide end to the narrow end of the shaft.

2. The concrete casting form tie hole plug of claim 1, wherein the cementitious mixture comprises Portland cement, sand and water.

3. The concrete casting form tie hole plug of claim 2, wherein the cementitious mixture further comprises an adhesion promoter.

4. The concrete casting form tie hole plug of claim 1, wherein the reinforcing strand comprises fiberglass.

5. A method of forming a concrete casting form tie hole plug, comprising the steps of: providing a mold having an internal elongated tapered, generally cylindrical, hollow mold chamber having a wide end, a narrow end, and a longitudinal axis; filling the mold with a cement compound slurry; inserting a reinforcing strand substantially coaxially in the mold through the cement compound slurry and extending from the wide end of the mold to the narrow end of the mold; allowing the cement compound slurry to harden to form a hardened cementitious concrete casting form tie hole plug; and removing the hardened cementitious concrete casting form tie hole plug from the mold.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said cement compound slurry comprises a mixture of Portland cement, sand and water.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said cement compound slurry further comprises an adhesion promoter.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said reinforcing strand comprises fiberglass.