Patent Application
20220364377
The invention of the Concrete Wall Form Removable Bolt Tie Sleeve was developed to offer a more efficient process than what is currently practiced today. Below is a step-by-step explanation currently of how Bolt Ties known as “She-Bolts”, “Taper-Ties”, and “Threaded Rods” are utilized within the concrete wall form process today.
Definition
“She-Bolt”—Heavy Duty reusable bolt for medium to heavy concrete construction of wall forms. These bolts come in various sizes and lengths, and are 100% reusable. These bolts are threaded at each end and generally smooth on the center that is exposed to the concrete in between the interior of each wall form.
“Threaded Rod”—Heavy Duty reusable bolt for light, medium to heavy concrete construction of wall forms. These bolts come in various sizes and lengths, and are 100% reusable. These bolts have a continuous thread that runs the entire span of the bolt.
“Taper-Tie”—Heavy Duty reusable bolt for medium to heavy concrete construction of wall forms. These bolts come in various sizes and lengths, and are 100% reusable. These bolts are threaded at each end and have a smooth tapered center that is larger at one end and smaller at the other end, making this bolt a one way inserting and one way out removing from the wall form.
1. Temporary walls are erected one on each side to create the form for the concrete to be poured into.
2. Bolt Ties known as “She-Bolts”, “Tapper Ties”, and “Threaded Rods” are coated with a thick layer of grease where the bolt will make contact with the concrete within the center of the wall form. This allows for the Bolt Tie to be removed after the concrete has dried and the wall has “set-up” since these bolts are 100% reusable.
3. The Bolt Ties are inserted through both of the walls then secured with a plate washer and a wing nut on both sides of each exterior wall form to give the walls adequate strength to hold the immense weight of the concrete prior to it drying and setting up.
4. After the concrete has been poured into the wall form, and it begins to set up hours later, a technician must return and give every inserted bolt through the wall a “Turn” breaking it lose to make certain the concrete is not setting to the Bolt Tie. If this step of the process is not performed, the Bolt Ties can become stuck inside the wall, causing the technician several labor hours to cut or remove with force with the aid of a torch heating the bolt.
5. Finally the wall forms and Bolt Ties are ready for removal since the concrete wall is now dry and “set-up”. Once the bolts have been removed they must be inspected and cleaned thoroughly prior to being reused in the next wall form.
There are currently other forms of Bolt Ties being utilized in concrete wall forms such as “Snap Ties” and “Expendable Plastic Tubes & Cones”. Both of these systems are single use products that will be abandoned in the concrete wall since they will adhere and become fully set to the concrete once it is dry. This adds more expense to the concrete wall, as they are single use expensive products, and is a wasteful use of materials. This is also compounded with the rise of Steel and Plastic prices.
The Concrete Wall Form Removable Bolt Tie Sleeve was developed to streamline the existing process that was described within the inventions background. The Removable Bolt Tie Sleeve consists of a plastic called Polyolefin. This specific type of plastic was found to have a special characteristic in the fact that it does not adhere to concrete as it dries. In the step-by-step process described in the inventions background instead of coating the bolt tie with a thick layer of grease, which is a messy process that requires time and labor, instead simply insert the bolt tie through the removable bolt tie sleeve prior to inserting to the wall form. This saves jobsite labor, time, and materials. As an addition time and labor savings the technician no longer needs to remain onsite to turn the bolts as the concrete begins to dry and set. The removable bolt tie sleeve makes this step in the process obsolete due to the polyolefin flexible plastic sleeve. The bolt tie can be removed from the wall with a light tap to the bolt tie, and then removed by hand. Once the bolt tie is removed you can also remove the flexible sleeve from the concrete wall by hand as well by simply pulling it out. Both the bolt tie and the sleeve is removed with ease saving the technician labor, time, and materials. The bolt tie is also removed clean and free of any debris or greasy coatings and ready for the next use.
Concrete Wall Form Removable Bolt Tie Sleeve
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This complete overview of all the assembled components in the concrete wall form process starts with 100 the erected walls. These walls are what make the concrete form, giving the wet liquid concrete a container to be poured into. In order for these walls 100 to not be pushed apart from the immense weight of the liquid concrete a bolt tie 102 usually referred to as a She Bolt, Treaded Rod, or Tapper Tie is inserted through both walls and then fastened with a wing nut on each side of the exterior wall giving the walls the strength to hold the form together. Prior to the bolt tie 102 to be inserted through the walls it is first inserted through the removable bolt tie sleeve 101. The sleeve is cut to length long enough to be visible through each exterior side of the wall 103 extending out to cover the bolt tie 102. Once the assembly is fully constructed as shown in Figure one the concrete can now be poured into the center or interior of the wall forms 100. As the liquid concrete is poured into the interior of the walls 100 the bolt tie 102 is fully protected by the removable bolt tie sleeve 101. The bolt tie sleeve 101 is made of a Flexible Polyolefin Plastic. It has been discovered that this type of plastic does not adhere to concrete. Allowing the bolt tie 102 to be easily removed once the concrete has “Set-up” or dried. Another benefit is that the installer does NOT need to remain onsite to give the bolt tie a “Turn” with a wrench to keep the bolt from adhering to the concrete. Once the entire assembly is installed and the concrete has been poured, the installer does not need to return until it is time to remove the form once the concrete has dried. Now that the concrete has dried the bolt ties 102 can be removed with ease due to the flexible polyolefin plastic removable bolt tie sleeve 101. The walls 100 can be removed, and since the removable bolt tie sleeve 101 was cut to length long enough to extend to the exterior of the walls 103 the entire removable bolt tie sleeve 101 can be removed easily by hand as well.
This complete figure shows how the bolt tie 105 also known as a She-Bolt, Threaded Rod, and Tapper Tie is inserted into the removable bolt tie sleeve 104 prior to being inserted into the wall forms. The Concrete Wall Form Removable Bolt Tie Sleeve 104 is made of a Flexible Polyolefin Plastic that has been discovered to not adhere to concrete as concrete “Sets-up” or dries.
This figure shows the bolt tie 106 inserted fully into the Concrete Wall Form Removable Bolt Tie Sleeve 107 ready to be installed into the wall form. The sleeve 107 fits snug around the bolt tie 106 but still has the ability to be slid by hand. The Concrete Wall Form Removable Bolt Tie Sleeve 107 comes in all different lengths and diameter sizes to fit all of the different sizes of bolt ties 106.
Figure four is a complete exploded view of the assembly process. The bolt tie 108 is first inserted into the Concrete Wall Form Removable Bolt Tie Sleeve 109, and then it is finally inserted into both sides of the wall form 110. Once the assembly process is complete, the liquid concrete is ready to be poured into the center of the wall forms 110. After the concrete has “Set-up” or dried, the assembly can be disassembled by removing the bolt tie 108, and removing the wall form 110, and finally removing the Concrete Wall Form Removable Bolt Tie Sleeve 109, due to the fact that the sleeve is made from a flexible polyolefin plastic that does not adhere to concrete.
