U.S. patent application number 15/944868 was filed with the patent office on 2018-10-11 for tension tie assembly.
The applicant listed for this patent is OMG, Inc.. Invention is credited to Richard L. Belinda, Mark A. Dicaire, Timothy F. Gillis, Mark J. Guthrie.
Application Number | 20180291616 15/944868 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 63710865 |
Filed Date | 2018-10-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180291616 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dicaire; Mark A. ; et
al. |
October 11, 2018 |
Tension Tie Assembly
Abstract
A tension tie assembly for attachment of a first building member
to a second building member under tension. The assembly includes
one or more ties that attaches at a first end to a first member and
attaches at a second end to a second member. The force of tension
on the tie can be adjusted after attachment to the first and second
building members. The adjustability of tension can be provided by a
threaded connection between sub-elements of the tie such as one or
more of a turnbuckle or threaded stud in a nut.
Inventors: |
Dicaire; Mark A.;
(Northborough, MA) ; Belinda; Richard L.;
(Westfield, MA) ; Guthrie; Mark J.; (West
Springfield, MA) ; Gillis; Timothy F.; (Florence,
MA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
OMG, Inc. |
Agawam |
MA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
63710865 |
Appl. No.: |
15/944868 |
Filed: |
April 4, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62481914 |
Apr 5, 2017 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04B 2001/2616 20130101;
E04B 2001/2644 20130101; E04B 1/2612 20130101; E04B 1/40
20130101 |
International
Class: |
E04B 1/41 20060101
E04B001/41 |
Claims
1. An assembly for tying a first building member to a second
building member under tension comprising: a first anchor member
connected to the first building member; a second anchor member
connected to the second building member; and a tie connectable
under tension with said first anchor member and second anchor
member, wherein the tension force on the tie can be increased or
decreased after connection of the tie to the first and second
anchor members.
2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said tie comprises a cable.
3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the cable is attached to the
first anchor member at a proximal end and includes a threaded rod
at a distal end.
4. The assembly of claim 3, comprising a rigid rod extending from
the second anchor member and including nut with a threaded opening
at a distal end, wherein the threaded rod is threadedly mated with
the threaded opening.
5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein tension in the tie is adjusted
via threading of the nut and rod.
6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said tie comprises a cable with
a fixed ball at one end and a threaded stud and a nut at said other
end.
7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the tie comprises a first
threaded connection, whereby tension in the tie is adjusted via
threading at the threaded connection.
8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the threaded connection is part
of a turnbuckle element.
9. The assembly of claim 8, wherein the turnbuckle element is
attached at one end to a cable.
10. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said second anchor member
comprises a bracket which pivotally mounts said tie.
11. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said assembly comprises a
turnbuckle which is threadably adjustable.
12. The assembly of claim 2, wherein said first anchor member
comprises a fastener secured by a cotter pin.
13. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said first anchor member
comprises a sleeve and a threaded nut.
14. The assembly of claim 1, wherein said first anchor member
comprises an eccentric bushing.
15. An assembly for tying a first building member to a second
building member under tension comprising: a first anchor member
attached to the first building member; a second anchor member
attached to the second building member; and a tie element
positioned between the first anchor member and second anchor
member, the tie element comprising a threaded connection, wherein
the tie element is under tension from the first building member and
second building member, and the force of tension on the tie can be
increased by threading the threaded connection in a first direction
or decreased by threading the threaded connection in a second
direction opposite from the first direction.
16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the threaded connection is
provided by a turnbuckle element.
17. The assembly of claim 16, wherein said turnbuckle element is
connected to a cable at a distal end.
18. An assembly for tying a first building member to a second
building member under tension comprising: a first anchor member
attached to the first building member; a second anchor member
attached to the second building member; and a tie element
positioned between the first anchor member and second anchor
member, the tie element comprising a threaded connection, wherein
the tie element is under tension from the first building member and
second building member, and the tie element further comprises one
or more of the group consisting of a cable and a turnbuckle.
19. The assembly of claim 18, comprising both of a cable and a
turnbuckle.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No. 62/481,914 filed Apr. 5, 2017, the entire content
of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] This disclosure relates generally to building structure
hardware and methods employed for tying a member to a support
structure under tension. More particularly, preferred versions of
the disclosed embodiments relate to hardware and methods for tying
deck joists or elongated wood components to a principal support
structure such as, for example, a sill, a top plate or a structural
component.
[0003] In applications to which the present disclosure relates, a
proper installation of building materials requires that a secondary
structure (for example, an elongate deck joist) be connected under
tension to a principal support structure. There are numerous
construction configurations to which the tension tying system may
relate such as, for example, tying a deck joist to a principal
support structure, tying one floor to a second floor, tying a post
to a support structure and numerous other applications wherein
installing an assembly, which is capable of connecting one member
to another member under a high tension and which may be easily
installed, is highly desirable. In addition, it is important that
the connections provide a high degree of connection integrity over
a long period of time.
[0004] Numerous tension tie assemblies for securing building
members to one another exist, however, there are no known
assemblies that allow increasing or decreasing the amount of
tension force after initial attachment to the building structure.
This can be a drawback in some building structures, as wooden
building materials may shrink from a loss of moisture, warp or
undergo other structural alterations over time that can impact the
integrity of the connection provided by the tension tie assembly.
Thus, it would be useful to provide an adjustable tension tie
assembly that can be tightened to increase the tension force
experienced by the assembly or loosened to decrease the tension
force experienced by the assembly after it is attached and without
detaching from to the respective building members.
SUMMARY
[0005] In one embodiment, an assembly for tying a first building
member to a second building member under tension includes a first
anchor member and a second anchor member. A tie member is
connectable under tension with said first anchor member and second
anchor member, and the amount of tension on the tie can be
increased or decreased after connection of the tie to the first and
second anchor members.
[0006] In further preferred embodiments, the adjustability in the
tying assembly can be provided by one or more threaded connections
between respective structural sub-elements. In one preferred
embodiment, an adjustable threaded connection is provided by a
turnbuckle assembly. In another embodiment, an adjustable threaded
connection is provided by a threaded rod engaged with threads of a
nut. For example, a threaded rod may be attached to the distal end
of an aircraft cable (that is attached at the proximal end to a
first building member) and threaded into a bore in a nut or a ball
on the distal end of a second rod (that is attached to a second
building member).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The inventive embodiments will be described with reference
to the drawings wherein like numerals indicate like elements
throughout:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first tension tie assembly
installed for connecting between a pair of representative
structures;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a second tension tie
assembly installed for connecting between a pair of representative
structures;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a
tension tie assembly employed for connecting between a pair of
representative structures;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a fourth embodiment of a tension tie assembly
employed for connection between a pair of representative
structures;
[0012] FIGS. 5A and 5B are perspective views of a tension tie
assembly installed between a sill and a joist;
[0013] FIGS. 6A and 6B are perspective views of a tension tie yoke
assembly connecting between a sill and a joist;
[0014] FIGS. 7A and 7B are side views, partly in schematic,
illustrating an eccentric attachment under tension connecting a
pair of representative members;
[0015] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a connector sub-assembly
employed in the assembly of FIG. 3;
[0016] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a turnbuckle connector
employable in connection with a tension tie connector assembly;
[0017] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a connector employed in the
assembly of FIGS. 5A and 5B;
[0018] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an eccentric bushing
employed in the eccentric attachment assemblies of FIGS. 7A and 7B;
and
[0019] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a saddle bracket employable
in a tension tie assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] With reference to the drawings wherein like numerals
represent like parts throughout the several figures, several
embodiments of a tension tie assembly (100, 200, 300, 400) connect
various structures under tension. Preferred installations to which
the various assemblies have application, relate to joists which tie
in with a principal support structure such as tying a deck support
joist to a principal structure or tying various structural members
under tension for numerous other applications. For all of the
disclosed tension tie assemblies, a connector is connected under
tension with anchor structures disposed on each of the members to
which the tension tie assembly connects. The tension forces are
effectively distributed by the installed assemblies. Over an
extended period of time, the connections maintain a high degree of
connection integrity. Typically, multiple tension tie assemblies
are employed for a given installation.
[0021] As will be described below, numerous anchor configurations
may be employed. Some anchor configurations, such as disclosed in
FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, involve drilling a bore through a support truss
or joist and attaching the anchor members to the connecting
structure by various hardware elements. Other anchor configurations
involve fastening anchor brackets via fasteners to one or more of
the structures which are connected under tension.
[0022] With reference to FIGS. 1-4, tension tie assemblies 100,
200, 300 and 400 are shown connecting a pair of representative
structures under tension. One example of a representative structure
is a deck joist J (partially illustrated) and a principal building
structure P (partially illustrated for representational purposes).
In each instance, the respective tie assembly provides a high
tension tie-off between the structures which can be easily
installed on the construction site as required.
[0023] With reference to FIG. 1, tension tie assembly 100 comprises
a pair of elongated metal ties 110 which are substantially
identical and may have a series of spaced openings 120. A
throughbore is drilled into the joist J, and a bolt 130 is inserted
through the bore and into an end opening of each of the ties 110.
The bolt 130 has a head 132 and a shank which extends through the
bore. The bolt 130 may have a washer 140 which is retained by the
head 132 and engaged against each of the outside surfaces of the
tie. A nut is threadably torqued at the end of the bolt to secure
the ties 110 to the joist J. A sleeve (not illustrated) may be
inserted into the joist throughbore and the bolt 130 inserted into
the sleeve so that the sleeve circumscribes the bolt 130
intermediate the bolt and surface of the throughbore.
[0024] An anchor module 150 includes a plate 160 which mounts a
protruding head 170 housing a throughbore. The plate 160 has a
series of openings which receive fasteners 180 that are torqued to
secure the plate to the principal structure P.
[0025] The throughbore receives a pin 194 which has a head and a
shank which extends through the end openings of each of the ties
and through the bore in the head so that the ties 110 are
essentially disposed in parallel spaced relationship at opposite
sides of the joist J. Washers 196 may be interposed between the
head and the ties 110. One end of the pin preferably has a
flange-like head, and the other has a diametral bore which receives
a cotter pin 198. It will be appreciated that the tension tie
assembly 100 can be relatively easily installed and provides a high
degree of connecting integrity. Moreover, the tension tie assembly
100 allows a high degree of variation for installing, given the
plurality of openings 120 spaced along the ties 110 and the
pivoting relationship between the ties 110 and the protruding head
170 before final installation.
[0026] As shown, the tension on the ties 110 of the assembly 100
can be adjusted by utilizing different openings 120 positioned
along the ties 110.
[0027] With reference to FIG. 2, another embodiment of the tension
tie assembly 200 employs a pair of sub-assemblies 210 which mount
at opposed sides of the joist J and each independently connect with
anchor modules 240. The anchor module 240 has a plate 242 with a
boss 244 that upwardly mounts an eyelet 246. A pair of openings are
positioned one on each side of the eyelet and are adapted to
receive fasteners 250. The fasteners are torqued through the
openings and have a head which engages the plate 242 to secure the
mounting bracket to the principal structure S.
[0028] Each sub-assembly 210 includes a turnbuckle 220 which, at
one end, engages with the eyelet 246 and, at an upper end, engages
a continuous cable loop 230. The loop 230 preferably has a pair of
metal retainer bands 232 and 234 which form sub-loops 236 and 238,
respectively.
[0029] A bolt 270 having an enlarged head at one side (not
illustrated) extends through a bore of the joist J and projects
outwardly at the opposing side. The bolt 270 has a diametral bore
which receives a cotter pin 272. The sub-loop 236 of cable loop 230
extends about and is retained by the bolt 270. One or more washers
276 may be received in the bolt assembly to facilitate the
securement of the cable loop to the support joist. The depicted tie
assemblies 200 are substantially identical. It should be
appreciated that the tension may be increased by rotating the
turnbuckle 220 to threadably tighten each of the cable loops 236
and 238 to provide a desired tension. In a typical installation,
the tie assembly 200 can be installed in a non-tension state with
the ultimate tensioning being accomplished after the components
have been installed.
[0030] This embodiment of the tension tie assembly 200 clearly
provides a high degree of variability in terms of dimensions,
angles and amount of tension on the building materials J and P.
Moreover, the tension force on the tension tie assembly 200 can be
adjusted at any time after installation to account for structural
changes in the building materials, such as for example, tightening
after wood shrinkage.
[0031] With reference to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the
tension tie assembly 300 is constructed from an aircraft cable 310
or similar cable which, at one end, has a ball 320 and at the other
end, has an integral threaded stud 330. The cable 310 with ball 320
seen in most clearly in isolation in FIG. 8. A swage plate 340
receives the ball and is mounted to the side of the joist by
fasteners 350. Attachment of the ball 320 in the swage plate 340 as
well as the moderately compliant properties of the cable 310
provide variability in the angular relationship of the cable 310 to
the joist J. The threaded stud 330 is threadably received in a nut
354 extending from a rod 352. The rod 352 is anchored by a central
head 362 of a mounting bracket 360. The bracket 360 includes a
plate 370 with openings which are secured to the principal
structure P by means of a pair of fasteners 380. Tightening of the
thread increases the tension of the connection to a desired
level.
[0032] Similar to the previous embodiment of the tension tie
assembly 200, the tension tie assembly 300 can be installed in a
non-tensioned state and then tightened to a desired tension by
threading the stud 330 into the nut 354. The assembly 300 can
similarly be tightened or loosened to increase or decrease tension
force at a later time after initial installation.
[0033] With reference to FIG. 4, the embodiment of the tension tie
assembly 400 includes a turnbuckle 410 having opposed ends 412 and
414 with respective openings 416 and 418, respectively (see FIG.
9). End 412 is secured by connecting the opening 416 with a
mounting bracket 430. The mounting bracket 430 has a plate 440 with
a pair of openings which receive fasteners for 450 securing the
bracket to the principal support structure P.
[0034] The opposed end 414 of the turnbuckle 410 connects with a
cable 460 connected through opening 418 and is passed through a
sleeve 470 mounted in a bore of the support joist J. The opposed
end of the cable has a threaded stud (not illustrated) which is
secured by a nut (not illustrated) at an opposed side of the joist
J. Tension in the tie assembly 400 may be accomplished by
threadably engaging and rotating the turnbuckle 410 and/or by
torqueing the nut. It will be appreciated that the tie-in tension
of the tie assembly is implemented after the installation. This
embodiment of the assembly 500 can be referred to as somewhat of a
hybrid between the embodiments of the assembly 200 and 300,
combining tension adjustability via the turnbuckle 410 in
combination with the angular adjustability provided by the cable
460. Like previous embodiments, the assembly 400 can be adjusted
after installation by threading the turnbuckle 410 to increase or
decrease tension force.
[0035] With reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B, a tension tie-in assembly
500 implements a connection between a sill S and a joist J. A pair
of substantially identical, rigid heavy-duty struts 510 are
disposed on opposite sides of the joist J. Opposed ends of the
struts have openings 512 and 514 (see FIG. 10).
[0036] A bolt 530 having a head 532 and a shank extends through the
strut openings 512 and a bore of the joist J and projects outwardly
through the opening 512 of one of the struts. A pin 536 is inserted
into a diametral bore at the end of the bolt 530 to secure the
struts 510 in place. Bolt head 532 engages the opposite strut.
[0037] An anchor module 540 comprises a plate 550 which mounts two
pairs of ears 552 having aligned openings. A bolt 560 having a
flange-like head 562 and a shank 564 extends through the openings
and through the openings in the struts and is secured by a pin 566.
The plate 550 is mounted to the edge of the sill S by a pair of
fasteners 570. The tie assembly 500 employs a pair of heavy-duty
metal struts which are disposed in parallel spaced fashion and are
initially essentially pivotally mounted to both the anchor plate
550 secured to the sill S and through an opening in the support
joist J.
[0038] With reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B, a tension tie assembly
600 connects between a joist J and a sill S. A tie bar 610 is
forked at one end to form a yoke 620 which is generally dimensioned
to saddle over opposed sides of the joist. A bore is formed through
the joist J. The forked ends include spaced aligned openings 622
and 624.
[0039] A pin 630 having a head 632 is inserted through one opening
622 of one side of the fork through the joist to the aligned
opening 624 on the other side of the fork and extends outwardly. A
cotter pin 634 is inserted into a diametral transverse bore of the
pin 630.
[0040] A bracket 640 has a mounting plate 650 with a pair of
protruding anchoring ears 652, 654 which have aligned openings and
define an intermediate slot 656. The mounting plate 650 is secured
to the sill S by fasteners 658. A second pin 670 having a head 672
extends through aligned openings of the ears 652, 654 and an
opening at the end of the support bar 610 received in slot 556 and
projects outwardly from the opposed side of the other ear. A cotter
pin 676 is inserted into a diametral bore at the end of the pin 670
for retaining the pin to the anchoring bracket 640. It will be
appreciated that the foregoing provides a means of providing a
tension tie-in of high integrity which connects between a
projecting joist J and the edge of the sill plate S. Naturally,
other connections may also be provided.
[0041] With reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B, an eccentric tie assembly
700 employs an eccentric bushing 710 (FIG. 11) to implement the
tension tie-in. A bracket 720 is mounted to the end of a member
M.sub.1. The bracket has an elongated slot 730. A rigid tie bar 740
has openings at opposed ends. Bar 740 may be similar to strut 510.
A fastener 750 extends through the opening and through the slot to
secure the bar 740 to the first member M.sub.1.
[0042] A second opposed opening in bar 740 receives a fastener
inserted through an opening 712 in the eccentric bushing 710 to
connect the bar 740 to the second member M.sub.2. The opening 712
is eccentrically located in the bushing. The bushing 710 includes a
projecting handle or crank 714 which includes a pair of openings
716 and 718. The tension is implemented by rotating the crank 714
of the eccentric bushing to provide tension to the connector bar
740 and then fastening the eccentric bushing to the second member
M.sub.2 at a given position by driving a fastener (not illustrated)
through one or more of the bushing openings 716, 718 to secure the
bushing at the preferred angular position.
[0043] With reference to FIG. 12, a tension tie connection may also
be implemented by a saddle bracket 800. The saddle bracket 800 has
a bent U-shaped structure configured to saddle over a joist or
other structure. The bracket 800 has openings 810 to receive
fasteners for anchoring the bracket in place. The bracket has an
enlarged pair of integral loops 820 for receiving a bolt, a pin or
other fastener.
[0044] While a preferred embodiment has been set forth for purposes
of illustration, the foregoing description should not be deemed a
limitation of the invention herein. Accordingly, various
modifications, adaptations and alternatives may occur to one
skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the
invention and scope of the claimed coverage.
* * * * *