Sheet material bending and deforming tool

Abstract

A sheet material bending and deforming tool particularly useful in conjunction with a steel building construction configuration is disclosed. The tool is composed of a pair of arms having material receiving slots which grip the material to deform it about a curved bar apex extending upright with respect to the plane of the material.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The tool disclosed herein is particularly useful in the assemblage of the steel building construction configuration disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,728,835 by the same inventor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention resides in the tool art and more especially in the field of those tools used to bend and deform sheet material.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The inventor knows of no apparatus of similar form or configuration which may be used to accomplish the assembly task associated with the referenced building construction device as will be described below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is especially useful in assembling the building construction configuration described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,728,835 issued to the same inventor. In that patent, a composite action open web steel joist and concrete slab interconnection is described. In one form of the invention, upper curved apex portions of the steel joist bar webbing protrude through the upper chord members of the joist, and through aperatures provided in a sheet metal formwork or deck placed over such joists prior to the pouring of the concrete slab, whereby the protruding apex portions will be encased within the slab to act as shear interconnection devices therein.

Tapered wedge members forced between the protruding web apex portions and the sheet metal formwork serve to secure mechanically the joist and formwork together, to prevent leakage of the poured concrete through the sheet metal formwork openings, and to enhance the locking of the concrete slab to the protruding web apex portions.

A primary purpose of the tool disclosed herein is to improve the locking of the tapered wedge which is hammered in place between the prepunched deck and the apex of the joist projecting web member prior to the pouring of the concrete slab. When the wedge is driven in place, it pinches slightly exerting an upward and downward froce against the opening between the web apex and the sheet metal formwork. This pinching force facilitates the loosening of the wedge often allowing it to work free of the space when the structure is subjected to the vibration and jarring which normally occurs during construction.

The present invention is used to deform the top of the three sided sheet metal wedge when the wedge is in place to produce a bump or dimple on either side of bar web apex making it impossible for the wedge to work its way out prior to the pouring of the concrete.

The tool is composed of a pair of arms or plates mounted on a shank which arms are specifically formed and slotted to straddle the bar web and to engage the uppermost portion of the wedge. A handle extends upwardly from the shank and traverses the longitudinal axis of the plates providing a leverage point to rotate the plates to effect the deformation of the wedge. Optionally, a sledge hammer-like structure may be attached to the opposite side of the shank to provide inertia to assist the bending and additionally to provide a weighted driving surface to force the wedge into place between the deck and the bar web.

These and other features and advantages of the invention will become more clear from the description of the preferred embodiment and drawings which follow.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of the invention shown engaging a work piece in the building construction configuration;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the work piece deformed in place with the tool removed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, there are shown side and perspective views of the bending and deforming tool engaging a sheet metal wedge in the building construction configuration described above. The deforming tool 10 is comprised of shank 12, arms 14, one not shown, handle 16, and optional driving head 18. Arms 14 have slots 20 which grip and engage the upper edge 22 of sheet metal wedge 24. The upper edge of each slot or the forward edge of each arm is curved as shown at 25 to facilitate engagement of the work piece and to allow for a rotating motion of the tool in the deformation process. The bottom edge 26 of the wedge 24 rests on sheet metal deck 28. The wedge 24 is driven into place by using, for example, the optional driving head 18 of the tool 10 forcing the deck to lie flat against a cross joist 30 below the deck. Rotating the tool 10 by the handle 16 forward or clockwise as illustrated in FIG. 2, deforms the upper edge 22 about bar 32 on either side locking it firmly in place as described above and as shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the tool showing more clearly the separation of arms 14 which straddle the bar apex to provide a deformation on each side of the bar 32.

The tool 10 is formed of any conventional high strength material, steel for example, and as would be obvious to those skilled in the art, may be modified in design and form without departing from the concept of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A tool for bending and deforming sheet material about a curved bar apex extending upright with respect to the plane of said sheet material comprising in combination:

a central shank;

a handle extending upright from said shank;

a pair of spaced apart sheet material bending arms extending outward from said shank and transverse said handle;

each of said arms having a sheet material receiving slot positioned in the forward portion of said arm along the horizontal longitudinal axis of said arm;

said arms spaced apart at least the width of said bar;

the upper surface of each of said slots curving upwardly at its extremity.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a weighted head attached to the rear of said shank opposite said arms to increase the inerta of said tool.