U.S. patent application number 15/397243 was filed with the patent office on 2017-09-07 for weldless rebar chairs.
The applicant listed for this patent is JAMES LARKIN. Invention is credited to JAMES LARKIN.
Application Number | 20170254085 15/397243 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 59722786 |
Filed Date | 2017-09-07 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170254085 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LARKIN; JAMES |
September 7, 2017 |
WELDLESS REBAR CHAIRS
Abstract
A form for creating a weldless rebar chair has an elongate rod
arranged along a predetermined direction, said rod being formed
into at least a plurality of partial elongate loops spaced from
each other along the predetermined direction and arranged in a
common plane defined by the elongate rod and the elongate loops. A
method of producing a weldless rebar chair comprising the steps of
arranging an elongate rod along the predetermined direction and
bending it to create the elongate loops spaced and bending the
loops at transition points to form intermediate portions arranged
in a common plane and free ends that extend in directions normal to
the plane, alternate free ends being bent in opposite directions
and having lengths that are substantially equal to provide legs
that can be placed on a surface to stabilize the rebar chairs.
Inventors: |
LARKIN; JAMES; (SCARSDALE,
NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
LARKIN; JAMES |
SCARSDALE |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
59722786 |
Appl. No.: |
15/397243 |
Filed: |
January 3, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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62302288 |
Mar 2, 2016 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04C 5/18 20130101 |
International
Class: |
E04C 5/18 20060101
E04C005/18 |
Claims
1. A form for creating a weld-less rebar chair comprising a
continuous elongate rod arranged along a predetermined direction,
said rod being formed into at least a plurality of loops extending
substantially equal distances in a common direction normal to said
predetermined direction spaced from each other along said
predetermined direction and arranged in a common plane defined by
said elongate rod and said elongate loops.
2. A form as defined in claim 1, wherein said loops are elongate
loops.
3. A form as defined in claim 1, wherein said loops are open
loops.
4. A form as defined in claim 1, wherein said loops are closed
loops.
5. A form as defined in claim 1, wherein said elongate rod is made
of ASTM A1035 CS Grade 100 steel.
6. A form as defined in claim 1, wherein said elongate rod is made
of ASTM A1035 CS Grade 120 steel.
7. A form as defined in claim 1, wherein said elongate rod is made
of steel that achieves yield strength between 100 and 120 Ksi of
the ASTM A1035 specification while maintaining ductility and
tensile-to-yield ratio above 1.25.
8. A weld-less rebar chair comprising an elongate rod arranged
along a predetermined direction, said rod being formed into at
least a plurality of loops extending substantially equal distances
in a common direction normal to said predetermined direction spaced
from each other along said predetermined direction, said loops
having free ends and intermediate portions between said free ends
and said elongate rod, said intermediate portions being arranged in
a common plane defined by said elongate rod and said intermediate
portions and said free ends being bent out of said common plane in
directions generally normal to said intermediate portions,
alternate free ends being bent in opposite orthogonal directions in
relation to said common plane, said intermediate portions having
lengths within said common plane that are substantially equal to
provide legs that can be placed on a surface to stabilize the rebar
chair.
9. A weld-less rebar chair as defined in claim 8, wherein said
loops are elongate loops.
10. A weld-less rebar chair as defined in claim 8, wherein said
loops are open loops.
11. A weld-less rebar chair as defined in claim 8, wherein said
loops are closed loops.
12. A weld-less rebar chair as defined in claim 8, wherein said
elongate rod is made of ASTM A1035 CS Grade 100 steel.
13. A weld-less rebar chair as defined in claim 8, wherein said
elongate rod is made of ASTM A1035 CS Grade 120 steel.
14. A weld-less rebar chair as defined in claim 8, wherein said
elongate rod is made of steel that achieves yield strength between
100 and 120 Ksi of the ASTM A1035 specification while maintaining
ductility and tensile-to-yield ratio above 1.25.
15. A method of producing a form for creating a weld-less rebar
chair comprising the steps of selecting a length of an elongate
continuous rod and arranging it along a predetermined direction;
bending said rod to create a plurality of loops extending
substantially equal distances in a common direction normal to said
predetermined direction spaced from each other along said
predetermined direction in a common plane defined by said elongate
rod and said elongate loops.
16. A method as defined in claim 15, wherein said loops are open
loops.
17. A method as defined in claim 15, wherein said loops are closed
loops.
18. A method as defined in claim 15, wherein said elongate rod is
made of ASTM A1035 CS Grade 100 steel.
19. A method as defined in claim 15, wherein said elongate rod is
made of ASTM A1035 CS Grade 120 steel.
20. A method as defined in claim 15, wherein said elongate rod is
made of steel that achieves yield strength between 100 and 120 Ksi
of the ASTM A1035 specification while maintaining ductility and
tensile-to-yield ratio above 1.25.
21. A method of producing a weld-less rebar chair comprising the
steps of selecting a length of an elongate continuous rod and
arranging it along a predetermined direction; bending said rod to
create at least a plurality of loops extending substantially equal
distances in a common direction normal to said predetermined
direction spaced from each other along said predetermined
direction, bending said loops at transition points to form
intermediate portions arranged in a common plane defined by said
elongate rod and said intermediate portions and free ends that
extend out of said common plane in directions generally normal to
said intermediate portions, alternate free ends being bent in
opposite orthogonal directions in relation to said common plane,
said intermediate portions having lengths within said common plane
that are substantially equal to provide legs that can be placed on
a surface to stabilize the rebar chairs.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention generally relates to reinforcement bar
supports in the construction trades and, more specifically, to
weldless rebar chairs.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] Rebar spacers or chairs are devices that support and secure
reinforcement steel bars or "rebars" in reinforced concrete
structures as the rebars are assembled in place prior to the final
pouring of the concrete. The spacers are left in place for the pour
to keep them in place to become a permanent part of the
structure.
[0005] Rebar spacers or chairs can generally be divided into three
raw material categories: concrete spacers, plastic spacers and
metal spacers. While plastic spacers generally have the advantage
of being low cost and fast processing, plastic spacers or bar
supports or "chairs" cannot bond well with concrete. They are not
compatible materials. Also, plastic has a coefficient of thermal
expansion and contraction that is approximately 10-15 times that of
concrete. When subjected to temperature variations the plastic
continues to expand and contract at that higher coefficient. Also,
at high temperatures, plastic can even melt resulting in separation
between the spacers and the poured concrete, creating free passages
for corrosive elements to reach the steel reinforcements from the
exterior of the concrete product. This frequently causes the steel,
and eventually the concrete, to corrode. Concrete spacers are
clearly made of the same material as the poured concrete, so
thermal expansion and contraction are the same. Because they are
the same material, the concrete spacers will bond with no gaps.
Concrete spacers and bar supports help maintain the material
integrity and uniformity of the concrete and provide a cover over
the reinforcement that protects against corrosion. However,
concrete spacers or chairs are impractical in some respects. They
are heavy, tend to be brittle and crack prior to use and must be
preformed for each size or height of chair required. Since chairs
can be specified in increments of approximately one-half inch, this
may result in a massive inventory problem that requires much space
and expense. Many rebar spacers or chairs have been formed of
steel. Examples of the different types of chair configurations are
disclosed, for example, in a "Bar Support Handbook" published by
Dayton Superior that lists the various types of metal, plastic and
cementitious supports and their various properties. However, each
of these categories must be formed in all the different sizes or
heights that can be specified so all entail significant inventory
problems.
[0006] While steel rebar chairs have proven to be very popular bar
supports are frequently classified in terms of methods employed to
minimize rust spots or similar blemishes on the surface of the
concrete directly caused by the bar support. Thus, for example, one
type of rebar chair is coated with plastic or is plastic protected.
These provide protection intended for use in situations of moderate
to severe exposure. Maximum protection is provided with
epoxy-coated reinforcement bars. Bars that are vinyl-coated or
plastic-coated are intended for use in situations of moderate to
maximum exposure. They are generally used when epoxy-coated
reinforcement bars are required. Steel and stainless steel chairs
are used for moderate protection intended in situations of moderate
exposure where the risk of rust needs to be taken into account.
However, in a third category of chairs or spacers, no protection is
provided against rusting. In selecting one of the chairs including
plastic feet, epoxy coated or plastic tipped feet or stainless
steel tips; the cost of production is always a factor.
[0007] Most of the steel chairs or spacers require some degree of
welding to secure the chairs or rebar supporting members to the
legs that are configured to provide the desired height(s) for
positioning the supported rebars above the ground or other support
surface. Despite the numerous finishes applied to steel spacers or
supports a problem that has persisted is that many of the steel
spacers or chairs typically rust within a matter of five to ten
years. Therefore, there has existed a demand for a rebar chair or
spacer that has a much longer lifetime without corroding. However,
rebar steel that has resisted corrosion has also resisted being
welded and, as indicated, steel spacers or chairs have
traditionally required welding. These two desired properties have
not been amenable to using corrosion-resistant steels such as the
ChromX 9000 Series of steels marketed by MMFX Technology Corp. of
Irvine, Calif.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide
rebar spacers or chairs that do not have the disadvantages inherent
prior art steel products of this type.
[0009] It is another object of the invention to provide rebars
spacers or chairs that are simple in construction and economical to
manufacture.
[0010] It is still another object of the invention to provide rebar
spacers or chairs as in the previous objects that use ultra high
strength corrosion-resistant steel that, at the same time, exhibits
very good ductility and, therefore, can be bent into desired
shapes.
[0011] It is yet another object of the invention to provide rebar
spacers or chairs of the type under discussion that uses high
strength corrosion resistant steel, despite being resistant to
welding, that can be easily and inexpensively shaped to provide the
desired spacer or chair configurations without welding.
[0012] It is a further object of the invention to provide rebar
spacers or chairs as in the previous objects that can be formed on
the fly as may be required in any given application to thereby
avoid the need to stock large inventories of spacers or chairs in
many incremental sizes or heights.
[0013] It is still a further object of the invention to provide
rebar chairs or spacers as aforementioned that can use
corrosion-resistant steel, such as the MMFX 9000 Series reinforcing
steels that exhibit high strength and rebar corrosion resistance
without the need for any welding to form spacers or chairs so that
they are weldless and can be easily or readily customized to any
given application.
[0014] It is yet a further object of the invention to provide rebar
chairs or spacers that are weldless and can be formed by bending
with inexpensive conventional steel rod bending machinery.
[0015] A weldless rebar chair can be produced by using an elongate
rod of high strength, ductile and corrosion-resistant steel formed
with elongate loops each provided with free ends and intermediate
portions between the free ends and the elongate rod. The
intermediate portions are arranged in a common plane defined by the
elongate rod and the intermediate portions and the free ends are
bent out of the common plane in directions generally normal to the
intermediate portions. Alternate free ends are bent in opposite
orthogonal directions in relation to the common plane. The
intermediate portions of the loops have lengths within the common
plane that are substantially equal to provide legs that can be
placed on a surface to stabilize the rebar chair. The method of
producing the aforementioned form and weldless rebar chair are also
disclosed and form part of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] Those skilled in the art will appreciate the improvements
and advantages that derive from the present invention upon reading
the following detailed description, claims, and drawings, in
which:
[0017] FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a form for creating a
weldless rebar spacer or chair that includes a plurality spaced
closed loops that project within a common plane in a direction away
from the rod;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a form for creating a
weldless rebar spacer or chair that includes a plurality spaced
open loops that project within a common plane in a direction away
from the rod;
[0019] FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a rebar spacer or chair
formed from the form shown in FIG. 1;
[0020] FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the rebar spacer or chair shown
in FIG. 3;
[0021] FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 3 but showing a rebar spacer or
chair made with the form shown in FIG. 2;
[0022] FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the rebar spacer or chair shown
in FIG. 5;
[0023] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of three different spacers or
chairs created from the open loop form shown in FIG. 2 wherein the
intermediate portions are varied to change the heights of the
rebar-supporting rods;
[0024] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing two different height
rebar spacers or chairs of the type shown in FIG. 7 for supporting
reinforcing bars or rebars at two different heights or levels prior
to pouring of concrete; and
[0025] FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the spacers or chairs and
attached rebars as shown in FIG. 8.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0026] Referring now specifically to the Figures, in which
identical or similar parts are designated by the same reference
numerals throughout, and first referring to FIG. 1, a form for
producing rebar spacers or chairs is designated by the reference
numeral 10 comprises an elongate rod 12 that defines a
predetermined direction, along axis A, the rod being formed with a
plurality of at least partial elongate loops 14, generally
uniformly spaced from each other as shown along the axis A. The rod
12 and the elongate loops 14 define a common plane (the plane of
FIG. 1). The loops 14 in the form 10 are generally closed loops as
shown. In the illustrated configuration the loops are spaced a
distance S along the axis A. The widths of the individual loops 14
are designated by the dimension s although neither the dimensions S
nor s is critical for the purposes of the present invention. These
may be selected to meet specific requirements on a particular
project, conform to required cost loads.
[0027] Further described in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4 the form
10 can be formed into rebar chairs or spacers by only using bending
equipment. This requires that the bar or rod 12 is not only
sufficiently strong to support the rebars but also must be ductile
to allow bending or deformation of the steel to create the loops
without undue effort or cost. This has been difficult if not
impossible to do with stainless steel or other steels that are
generally corrosion resistant. ChromX 9000 Series steels marketed
by MMFX Technology Corp., of Irvine Calif. is an ideal material for
use in connection with the rebar spacers or chairs in accordance
with the invention. The use of ChromX 9000 Series steels, including
9100 (ASTM A1035 CS Grade 100 Steel) and 9120 (ASTM A1035 CS Grade
120 Steel) steels, with the subject invention save construction
time and labor. The product's corrosion protection extends the
service life and reduces the life cycle cost for concrete
structures even in highly corrosive environments. Its uncoated
corrosion protection means no additional costs from special
handling, coating, inspection and repair. The aforementioned MMFX
steels are more fully disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,827 issued
on Jun. 9, 1987 to Thomas et al., for Method of Forming
High-Strength, Tough, Corrosion-Resistant Steel. Additional patents
that have been issued relating to MMFX Steel that describes such
corrosion resistance steel products include: U.S. Pat. Nos.
4,170,499; 4,619,714; 6,273,968; 6,709,534; 7,118,637; 6,746,548;
6,827,797; and 7,214,27.
[0028] The rod 12 can be bent by conventional machinery. The rods
can be formed as shown in FIG. 1 either in predetermined or fixed
lengths or be continuous. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the
advantages of the weldless method of creating rebar spacers or
chairs will become immediately appreciated. The closed loops 14
shown in FIG. 1 have free ends 14a and intermediate portions 14b
between the free ends 14a and the elongate steel rod 12. The
intermediate portions 14b are arranged in a common plane, in the
plane of the drawing, with the elongate rod 12 and the intermediate
portion and the free ends 14a being bent out of the common plane in
a direction generally normal to the intermediate portions. In order
to form the spacers or chairs alternate free ends 14a are bent in
opposite orthogonal directions in relation to the common plane. The
intermediate portions 14b have lengths within the common plane
which are substantially equal to provide legs 22 that can be placed
on a surface to stabilize the rebar spacers or chairs.
[0029] The specific configurations of the loops that are formed
from the rod 12 are not critical. What is important is that the
loops extend from the rod along a direction A.sub.T so that the
loops can define a transition point 14c that separates the free
ends 14a and the intermediate portions 14b. In FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 the
loops are shown to be closed loops. In FIGS. 2, 5 and 6 the loops
are shown as open loops 16. Either one can be used with different
degrees of advantage. In both configurations, the loops extend
along a transverse direction A.sub.T to the axis A and have a total
length L. The free ends have a length m while the intermediate
portions have a length equal to 1 so that L=l+m. In forming a
spacer or chair from either one of the forms shown in FIGS. 1 and
2, the loops 14, 16 are bent at the transition points 14c, 16c
respectively to form intermediate portions 14b, 16b arranged in the
common plane defined by the elongate rods 12 and the intermediate
portions while the free ends 14a, 16a respectively extend out of
the common plane in directions generally normal to the intermediate
portions as shown. Alternate free ends are bent in opposite
orthogonal directions in relation to the common plane so that the
intermediate portions have substantially equal lengths l within the
common plane to provide similarly dimensioned legs 22 that can be
placed on a surface to stabilize the rebar space or chair.
[0030] Referring to FIG. 7, three different configurations 20, 20',
20'' of the open loop rebar spacer or chair of the type shown in
FIGS. 2, 5 and 6 are shown. Each of these was initially formed from
the same open loop form 10' each having loops with the same
longitudinal length L. The spacer or chair 20 was formed by bending
the open loop 16 to provide an intermediate portion 16b that
generally raises the height of the rod 12 above the support surface
at the same time generally decreasing the length of the free end
16a. The intermediate spacer or chair 20' shown in FIG. 7 is formed
to lower the height of the rod 12 by decreasing the height of the
intermediate portion 16b', thereby increasing the length of the
free end 16a'. As indicated, the total lengths the free ends and
the intermediate portions will be equal to the initial overall
length L of the loops. Similarly, the spacer or chair 20'' is
similar to the other chairs 20, 20' except that now the rod 12 has
been lowered still further by decreasing the dimension of 16b''
while, as before, the length of the free end 16a'' increases.
Clearly, the lengths of the free ends 16a, 16a' and 16a'' is not
critical and can be any dimension. The only critical dimension is
the heights of the intermediate portions which can be customized to
accommodate any given height requirement without considering the
otherwise needed dimensions or heights. Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9,
there is illustrated the means for supporting two levels of
reinforcement bars or rebars at two different heights, using the
lowest height spacer or chair 20 shown in FIG. 7 and the higher
height spacer or chair 20''. The lower rebars are designated by the
reference numeral 24 while the higher rebars are designated by the
reference numeral 26. Transverse rebars 28 can also be secured to
the rebars 24, 26 that rest directly on the spacers or chairs.
Conventional ties 30 can be used to secure the rebars to each other
or rebars to the chairs or spacers as shown.
[0031] It will be appreciated that the present invention provides
tremendous flexibility in the construction trades. Not only is the
product superior and can last over a hundred years without
corrosion the inventory problem is virtually eliminated or
significantly reduced. Whether the loops are closed, open or
otherwise a steel of the type under discussion that can be readily
bent to provide the desired heights of the spacers or chairs can be
made in whatever heights are needed from the same forms by making
the dimension L sufficiently large to allow the formation of rebar
spacers or chairs with legs determined by the desired or required
dimension l. These can provide the full gamut of heights that may
be needed at a construction site.
[0032] While the presently preferred embodiments utilize MMFX
steels as aforementioned, other steels that have similar properties
can also be used, namely high strength, good ductility and
corrosion resistant steels. Preferably, the steel should be
corrosion resistant for at least one hundred years. Thus, while the
initial cost of both the steel and production might be higher than
the use of conventional steels such higher initial cost is offset
by the extended corrosion resistance so that over the long term the
effective costs of installation, construction and repair will be
reduced.
[0033] The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the
principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications
and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is
not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and
operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable
modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within
the scope of the invention.
* * * * *