Patent Application
20150184375
The present invention is related to flush mount brick veneer anchors for mounting on an exterior wall and tying a masonry veneer to the exterior wall. In particular, the present invention is related to flush mount brick veneer anchor having an anchoring portion with anchor holes for attaching to the exterior surface of an exterior wall and a tie wire holding portion extending perpendicularly from the anchoring portion to hold a tie wire for tying a masonry veneer to the exterior wall. The anchoring holes are in line with the tie wire holding portion.
Cavity walls of a masonry veneer tied to a stud backup wall are commonly utilized in construction to provide for an esthetically pleasing appearance while being less expensive than solid masonry walls. One common type of cavity wall used in both residential and commercial buildings is a brick veneer tied to a stud backup wall.
The brick veneer is tied to the stud backup wall by use of masonry or brick veneer anchors. There are two types of such anchors in common use. Flush mount anchors which mount to the exterior of the stud backup wall, and through the wall anchors which pass through the exterior wall covering and are mounted to the side of the stud in the interior of the wall cavity. Flush mount brick veneer anchors offer the advantage that it is not necessary to cut or pierce the covering material for the stud backup wall in order to install the anchors. This can maintain the integrity of the properties of the exterior covering of the stud backup wall as well as being simpler to install.
One disadvantage of flush mount anchors is that such anchors are generally L-shaped with the base of L providing an anchor plate for attachment to the stud backup wall and the leg of the L provide a tie wire holding portion with a slot at its end through which a brick tie wire is inserted. The brick tie wire is mortared between two rows of bricks to provide a secure connection between the brick veneer and backup wall. The disadvantage of this type of construction is that the mounting holes are placed in the anchor plate to the side of the brick tie portion and thus any compression or extension forces exerted through the brick tie wire to the brick veneer anchor are offset from the anchor points which can cause the anchor plate to pivot about the anchor points and weaken the connection between the anchor plate and the stud backup wall. This offset can also result in damage to the exterior covering as the anchor plate rotates about the anchor points.
There thus remains a need for a flush mount brick veneer anchor which transfers the load from the tie wire holding portion directly through the anchor points to the stud backup wall.
The present invention provides for a flush mount masonry veneer anchor for mounting on an exterior wall and tying a masonry veneer to the exterior wall. The masonry veneer anchor comprises an anchoring portion with anchor holes to receive a suitable fastener to attach the anchoring portion to an exterior surface of the exterior wall and a tie wire holding portion extending perpendicularly from the anchoring portion. The tie wire holding portion has one end connected to the anchoring portion and having a slot in an opposite end for holding a tie wire for tying the masonry veneer to the exterior wall. The anchor holes are provided in the anchoring portion above and below and in line with the tie wire holding portion to transfer extension and compression loads exerted on the tie wire holding portion directly through fasteners in the anchor holes to the exterior wall without an offset of a plane of the transfer of the forces.
In one aspect of the invention, the height of the anchoring portion is greater than the height of the tie wire holding portion and extends above and below the tie wire holding portion, the anchor holes being located in the portion of the anchoring plate above and below and in line with the tie wire holding portion.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the attached drawings in which:
A first embodiment of a flush mount brick veneer anchor of the present invention is illustrated in
The flush mount brick veneer anchor of the present invention has an anchoring portion 22 which holds the mounting holes 20 and a tie wire holding portion 24 extending perpendicularly from the anchoring portion 22 and having a slot 26 to hold the tie wire 28 for tying a brick facing 30 to the exterior wall.
In the first embodiment illustrated in
A second embodiment of a flush mount brick veneer anchor of the present invention is illustrated in
A third embodiment of a flush mount brick veneer anchor of the present invention is illustrated in
During the bending operation to form the flush mount brick veneer anchor 80 as the tie wire holding portion 86 is bent to extend perpendicularly from the anchoring portion 82, the central tab 90 is bent to be displaced 180° from its original position on the anchoring portion to project to the opposite side of the tie wire holding portion 86. This design of the flush mount brick veneer anchor of the present invention offers an additional advantage in that it requires less metal to be utilized in the construction of the flush mount brick veneer anchor while maintaining the desired support and other advantages of the present invention. This results in the decreased cost of production of the flush mount brick veneer anchor.
The flush mount brick veneer anchor of the present invention provides for mounting holes to attach the brick veneer anchor to a backup wall being aligned with the tie wire holding portion. In this way, any forces exerted through the brick tie wire to the brick veneer anchor and, in particular, the typical compression and extension forces, are transferred directly through the mounting points to the backup wall. This overcomes prior art disadvantages of the anchor plate pivoting about the mounting points under extreme loads and weakening the connection between the anchor plate and the backup wall thus minimizing potential damage to the exterior covering of the backup wall as the anchor plate rotates about the anchor points.
Although various preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described herein in detail, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.
