Patent Application
20060016956
This invention pertains generally to concrete construction, and more particularly to a brace for securing concrete forms to a casting surface.
Concrete wall panels are conventionally used in the construction of industrial buildings and other structures. In general, individual concrete wall panels are formed at the construction site by pouring concrete into forms which have been assembled on a casting surface, such as the floor of the building where the wall panels will be used. The concrete forms are typically secured to the casting surface by braces which hold the forms in place until the concrete wall panel has cured. The concrete forms are typically made of wood and the braces are often nailed to the forms and the casting surface. When the wall panel has cured, the nails and braces are removed from the forms and the casting surface, and the concrete panel is then raised to a desired position. Thereafter, the forms may be reused to cast another concrete wall panel.
In some applications, the forms defining a top edge of the wall panel may be tilted, or battered, to create a sloping surface in the formed wall when the wall is raised to a vertical orientation. Advantageously, the sloped surface facilitates directing rainwater toward a roof surface of the building of which the wall is a part, rather than permitting rainwater to otherwise run down the exterior sides of the wall.
Prior braces for securing concrete forms include wooden blocks and steel braces. The wooden blocks are typically saw cut into a triangular shape and are not always dimensionally uniform. These wooden blocks are usually damaged upon removal from the concrete forms and are therefore generally not reusable. Prior steel braces are generally reusable, but are also generally more expensive than wooden blocks, and considerably heavier, rendering them less convenient to transport and handle.
There is thus a need for a brace which can be used to secure concrete forms at a work site and which overcomes drawbacks of the prior art, such as those described above.
The present invention provides a concrete form brace which is convenient for use in securing concrete forms in an upstanding orientation relative to a concrete casting surface. In an exemplary embodiment, the form brace has a pair of confronting sidewalls, each having a generally triangular shape. Two side edges of the sidewalls are disposed at approximately 90 degrees to one another, and a back wall extends between the sidewalls, opposite the 90 degree angle. Ribs extending between the sidewalls help to reinforce the sidewalls and add rigidity to the brace. A flange extends outwardly from the side edges of the sidewalls and the ends of the back wall, around the periphery of the brace. Apertures formed through the peripheral flange are sized to receive fasteners, such as nails, to facilitate securing the brace to the form and the casting surface. In one embodiment, the brace is formed as a unitary, molded component.
In another embodiment, a battering wedge is selectively couplable to the side edges of the brace, whereby the battering wedge cooperates with the brace to facilitate tilting a concrete form with respect to the casting surface. Apertures are formed through the battering wedge which correspond with the apertures formed in the peripheral flange of the brace, to facilitate fastening the brace and battering wedge to the form and the casting surface. The battering wedge is selectively frangible to size the battering wedge for use with form braces of varying dimensions.
In another embodiment, an assembly for forming concrete structures includes a casting surface, a concrete form, and a form brace as described above.
The features and objectives of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following Detailed Description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with a general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the invention.
In
A third side edge 28a, 28b of the respective sidewalls 20, 22 is disposed opposite the angle between the first and second side edges 24a, 24b, 26a, 26b. The brace 10 further includes a backwall 30 extending between the third side edges 28a, 28b of the first and second sidewalls 20, 22. The backwall 20 has a first end 32 proximate the first side edges 24a, 24b of the first and second sidewalls 20, 22 and a second end 34 proximate the second side edges 26a, 26b.
The brace 10 further includes a flange portion 36 generally surrounding and extending outwardly from a periphery defined by the first and second side edges 24a, 24b, 26a, 26b of the sidewalls 20, 22 and the first and second ends 32, 34 of the backwall 30. Advantageously, enlarged areas of the flange portion 36 adjacent the intersection of the first and second side edges 24a, 24b, 26a, 26b of the first and second sidewalls 20, 22 and the ends 32, 34 of the backwall 30 facilitate securing the brace 10 to the casting surface 19 and the form member 14 which is supported by the brace 10. In the embodiment shown, these areas of the flange portion 36 are provided with holes 38 for receiving fasteners therethrough to secure the brace 10 as is known in the art. The flange portion 36 may further comprise laterally outwardly extending ears 42 disposed on opposite sides of the sidewalls 20, 22 for securing the battering wedge 12 to the brace 10, as will be described more fully below.
The brace 10 may be used to secure a concrete forming member 14 in an upstanding relationship with respect to a concrete casting surface 19. The brace 10 may either be used alone, to secure the forming member 14 in a substantially vertical orientation, or the brace 10 may be used in conjunction with a battering wedge 12 to tilt the forming member 14, as is known in the art. Referring to
The battering wedge 12 may have a substantially solid construction, or may have voids 57 formed in the second side 53, as best depicted in
Advantageously, the first and second side edges 24a, 24b and 26a, 26b of the brace 10 are formed with different lengths, each corresponding to a selected size form member 14, whereby the brace 10 may be utilized with different size form members 14 by simply orienting the brace 10 to engage either the first or second side edges 24a, 24b or 26a, 26b with the form member 14.
With continued reference to
While
While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of one or more embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been described in considerable detail, they are not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the scope or spirit of Applicant's general inventive concept.
