Patent Application
20220228373
The present disclosure relates to deck fasteners, and more particularly to hidden deck fasteners having improved/greater pull out resistance.
Composite materials have become a mainstay of today's decking systems. These decking systems use fasteners to attach the decking to underlying structural members or joists. Fasteners can include screws, nails, staples or clips. Screws, nails and staples are typically installed directly through the top face of the structural members to the joist below.
Securing the decking members to the joists by direct fastening through the top face of the decking has many drawbacks. For example, the fasteners are visible, unattractive and take away from the facade or look of the decking. Fasteners may corrode and discolor the decking members. Fasteners may also become loose. In addition, in installing screws, nails and staples hammer blows to the decking surface may cause damage and/or depressions in the decking.
Clips for securing the decking to the underlying joists are also known. In such a system, the decking members have longitudinal grooves or channels formed along sides of the members.
Once such clip, referred to as a fastener, disclosed in Orchard, U.S. Pat. No. 9,181,715, and commonly assigned with the present application, includes a pi (II) shaped body having a top horizontal portion and a pair of integrally formed spaced apart vertical legs that extend downwardly from the horizontal portion. A space is defined between the legs, and the legs are inwardly compressible (toward each other) in response to a side force. The top portion has raised ribs for frictionally engaging the decking members. The clip has a bore through the top portion about mid-way along the length and width that aligns with the space between the legs. The bore has a countersink in the top surface.
The clip is inserted into the grooves of adjacent decking members and is secured to the underlying joist by a countersink-headed fastener to secure the fastener and the decking to the underlying joist. Such clips are advantageous in that they are hidden—positioned between decking members—and as such, fasteners are not installed in the surface of the decking members.
While such clips function well, it has been found that a clip can pull out of the fastener. That is, the fastener remains in the underlying joist, but the clip pulls out, over the head of the fastener. As such, the clip no longer functions to secure the decking to the underlying joist.
Accordingly, there is a need for a clip to secure decking that is hidden on installation. Desirably, such a clip has a high pull-out strength. Ore desirably still, such a clip grips the adjacent decking members preventing transverse movement, but allowing longitudinal movement for expansion and contraction of the members.
In one aspect an embodiment of a hidden deck fastener has a II-shaped body having a top portion having a thickness, a top surface and a bottom surface, and an integrally formed leg extending transversely, downwardly from the bottom surface. The leg is spaced inwardly from sides of the top portion and defines channels formed in opposing sides or edges thereof. The channels can be formed having enlarged regions inwardly of ends thereof.
A stepped fastener receiving opening is formed in the top portion and the leg. The opening has a first region formed into a least a part of the thickness of the top portion and a second region aligned and contiguous with the first region extending through the leg. The first region is a counterbore having straight sides terminating at a flat bottom surface at the second region.
The channels in the legs extend toward and are spaced from the fastener receiving opening second region. The fastener has a pull-out force resistance at least 50 percent greater than a comparable fastener having a countersink fastener receiving opening.
In embodiments, the fastener further includes ridges formed on the top surface and/or the bottom surface of the top portion. In a current embodiment the ridges are formed on the bottom surface of the top portion.
In embodiments, the fastener receiving opening first region has a diameter about 2 times a diameter of the second region. The first region can be is formed in the top portion less than the thickness of the top portion.
In an aspect, the fastener includes a threaded fastener having a shank and a head. The head has a flat bottom surface to engage the flat bottom surface of the fastener receiving opening first region.
In another aspect, in combination is a hidden deck fastener and a threaded fastener. The hidden deck fastener has a H-shaped body having a top portion having a thickness, a top surface and a bottom surface, and an integrally formed leg extending transversely, downwardly from the bottom surface.
The leg is spaced inwardly from sides of the top portion and defines channels formed in opposing sides or edges thereof.
A stepped fastener receiving opening is formed in the top portion and the leg. The stepped fastener opening has a first region formed into a least a part of the thickness of the top portion and a second region aligned and contiguous with the first region extending through the leg. The first region is a counterbore having straight sides terminating at a flat bottom surface at the second region.
The channels in the legs extend toward and are spaced from the fastener receiving opening second region.
The threaded fastener has a shank and a head. The head has a flat bottom surface to engage the flat bottom surface of the fastener receiving opening first region.
The fastener has a pull-out force resistance at least 50 percent greater than a comparable fastener having a countersink fastener receiving opening.
In an embodiment, the fastener receiving opening first region has a diameter about 2 times a diameter of the second region. The first region is formed in the top portion less than the thickness of the top portion.
In yet another aspect a decking and fastener system includes a decking member having an upper surface, a lower surface, and a side wall extending between the upper and lower surfaces. The side wall has a groove formed therein.
A hidden deck fastener has a H-shaped body having a top portion having a thickness, a top surface and a bottom surface, and an integrally formed leg extending transversely, downwardly from the bottom surface. The leg is spaced inwardly from sides of the top portion defining wings in the top surface. The leg defines channels formed in opposing sides or edges thereof.
A stepped fastener receiving opening is formed in the top portion and the leg. The stepped fastener opening has a first region formed into a least a part of the thickness of the top portion and a second region aligned and contiguous with the first region extending through the leg. The first region is a counterbore having straight sides terminating at a flat bottom surface at the second region.
The channels in the legs extend toward and are spaced from the fastener receiving opening second region.
The hidden deck fastener is positioned adjacent the decking member with a wing positioned in the decking member groove and a threaded fastener having a shank and a head having a flat bottom surface is driven into the hidden deck fastener such that the flat bottom surface of the head engages the flat bottom surface of the fastener receiving opening first region.
The fastener has a pull-out force resistance at least 50 percent greater than a comparable fastener having a countersink fastener receiving opening.
In an embodiment, the fastener receiving opening first region has a diameter about 2 times a diameter of the second region. The first region is formed in the top portion and can extend less than the thickness of the top portion.
In embodiments, the hidden deck fastener further includes ridges formed on the upper and/or lower surface of the top portion. In an embodiment, the ridges are formed on the lower surface.
Further understanding of the present disclosure can be obtained by reference to the following detailed description in conjunction with the associated drawings, which are described briefly below.
An embodiment of a hidden deck fastener or clip is disclosed as an example and is not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements and in which:
While the present disclosure is susceptible of embodiments in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described a presently preferred embodiment with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification and is not intended to limit the disclosure to the specific embodiment illustrated.
Referring now to
The fastener receiving hole 18 is located in the top portion 14, and in an embodiment, the receiving hole 18 is located in a longitudinal and transverse center of the top portion 14.
A leg 30 extends downwardly and depends from a lower surface 32 of the top portion 14. In an embodiment, the leg 30 is located in a transverse center of the top portion 14, and the fastener receiving hole 18 extends into and through the leg 30. On either side of the hole 18, the leg 30 include channels 34. The channels 34 extend inwardly from ends 36 of the legs 30, toward by not into the fastener receiving hole 18, and form bifurcations 38 in each end 36 of the leg 30. A portion of each channel 34 is enlarged as indicated at 40. The channels 34 extend up to about the lower surface 32 of the top portion 14.
In embodiments, the lower surface 32 of the top portion 14 includes a series of ribs or ridges 42 that extend downwardly from the lower surface 32. The ridges 42 facilitate securing the clips 10 to the decking members 24 as will be described below.
In a current embodiment, the fastener receiving hole 18 is a stepped hole having first or upper region 18a and a second or lower region 18b. In an embodiment, the first region 18a is formed into a portion of the top portion 14. That is, the first region 18a is formed into a portion of the thickness of the top portion 14. The second region 18b is aligned and contiguous with the first region 18a and in an embodiment extends through a portion of the top portion 14 and through the leg 30.
As seen in
The present deck fastener or clip 10 can be formed from a wide variety of materials. Suitable materials include polymeric material such as polypropylene and the like. Other suitable materials will be recognized by those skilled in the art.
In an embodiment, the clip 10 has a top portion length l14 of about 1.5 inches, a width W14 of about 0.75 inches and a depth or thickness t14 of about 0.135 inches. The depth or thickness corresponds to the height h22 of the longitudinal grooves or channels 22 formed in the sides of the decking members 24.
The ridges 42 on the top portion lower surface 32 extend from the lower surface 32 about 0.025 inches. The leg 30 has a length l130 of about 1.0 inches, a height h30 of about 0.39 inches and a width W30 of about 0.163 inches. The fastener receiving hole first region 18 a has a diameter d18a of about 0.25 inches and a depth t18a into the top portion 14 of about 0.095 inches. The second region 18b has a diameter d18b of about 0.125 inches.
The clip 10 is secured in place using a fastener 46 having a head 48 having a flat bottom 50, such as the illustrated filister head wood screw (see,
In use, referring to
After installation the decking members 24 may expand and contract across their widths as a result of changes in the weather (temperature, humidity and precipitation) and as such, exert transverse or sideway forces on the leg 30. The channels 34 allow for inward movement or compression of portions of the leg 30 to accommodate expansion of the members 24. As the decking members 24 contract, the leg 30 returns to its initial shape.
The decking members 24 may also expand and contract along their lengths. To prevent excessive longitudinal movement of the members 24, an embodiment of the clip 10 includes the ribs or ridges 42 that serve as frictional elements to allow but limit longitudinal (lengthwise) movement of the decking members 24. While the ridges 42 are shown on the lower surface 32 of the clip 10, they can be on the lower or upper, or both surfaces of the clip 10. These frictional elements can be ribs or ridges 42 as shown, fingers, raised protrusions or like elements.
Tests were conducted to compare the pullout force required to pull clips from their fasteners and the decking members. The tests compared the present clips to known clips such as those disclosed in the aforementioned patent to Orchard. Ten samples of each the present clip and the known clip were tested to determine the pull-out required to pull the clip from a fastener.
The known clips were secured in a test rig using #7-10 1-⅝ trim head wood screws. The present clips were secured in the test rig using #7-10 1-⅝ fillister head wood screws. The tests were conducted at a temperature of 24° C. (75.2 ° F.). The pull-out force was measured in kilo-newtons (KN) and pounds-force (lbf). The results of the test are shown in Table 1 below.
As can be seen from Table 1, the resistance to pull-out of the present clips (represented by the pull-out force required) is significantly greater than the known clips. In every instance, the present clips required a greater pull-out force (showed greater resistance to pull-out) than the known clips. That is, the lowest pull-out force for the present clips (1.411 KN) was greater than the greatest pull-out force for the known clips (1.104 KN).
The average pull-out force required for the present clips (1.6291 KN) was 60 percent greater than the average pull-out force required for the known clips (1.018 KN), calculated as ((1.629-1.018)/1.018), and the lowest pull-out force for the present clips (1.411 KN) was almost 34 percent greater than the greatest pull-out force for the known clips (1.104 KN), calculated as ((1.411-1.104)/1.104).
Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the present hidden deck fasteners 10 (again, referred to as clips) provide improved securement of decking members 24, are hidden on installation, and have substantially increased high pull-out strength compared to known decking fasteners. The present clips 10 are easy to install and grip adjacent decking member(s) 24 preventing transverse movement, but allow for limited transverse and longitudinal movement for expansion and contraction of the member(s) 24.
In the present disclosure, the words “a” or “an” are to be taken to include both the singular and the plural. Conversely, any reference to plural items shall, where appropriate, include the singular. All patents and published applications referred to herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety, whether or not specifically done so within the text of this disclosure.
It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any relative directional terms such as side(s), upper, lower, top, bottom, rearward, inboard, forward, outboard and the like may be for explanatory purposes only and may not be intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.
From the foregoing it will be observed that numerous modifications and variations can be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the present disclosure. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific embodiments illustrated is intended or should be inferred.
This application claims the benefit of and priority to Provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 63/139,355 filed Jan. 20, 2021, titled, IMPROVED HIDDEN DECK FASTENER, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63139355 | Jan 2021 | US |
