Not Applicable.
The present invention generally relates to a protective cover and, in particular, relates to a protective cover for a reinforcing bar.
A reinforcing bar (rebar) is typically made of steel and utilized to increase the strength of concrete structures. Rebar is installed before concrete is poured and in certain circumstances, may be arranged in a hazardous configuration, with exposed ends susceptible to causing injury to individuals.
Conventional methods for protecting individuals against the exposed ends of rebar, rely on the placement of a protective cover over the end of the rebar. A conventional protective cover, however, utilizes an impact resistant cap that may render the conventional protective cover bulky, costly to produce, and ineffective at withstanding high impact forces due to an inefficient load path.
The following presents a simplified summary of one or more embodiments in order to provide a basic understanding of such embodiments. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated embodiments, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all embodiments nor delineate the scope of any or all embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
Various aspects of the subject technology provide a protective cover for covering an end of a reinforcing bar with a compact and resilient protective cover. The protective cover comprises a collar with an integral impact absorbing portion that provides a compact and low-cost protective cover over the conventional protective cover. In another aspect, the protective cover is capable of withstanding higher a impact force than the conventional protective cover. In some aspects, the collar and integral impact absorbing portion provide a more efficient and hence, effective, load path than the conventional protective cover. In another aspect, the impact absorbing portion is capable of absorbing a portion of the impact force.
Various aspects of the subject technology provide a protective cover comprising a collar having a first end, a second end, and an impact absorbing portion disposed therebetween. The first end of the collar is configured to receive the end of a reinforcing bar. The impact absorbing portion is configured to withstand an impact without penetration of the reinforcement bar through the protective cover and is further configured to absorb at least a portion of the impact. The impact absorbing portion resides solely within the collar. The protective cover also comprises a cap disposed at the second end of the collar. The cap has a surface area of about sixteen square inches.
According to various aspects of the subject technology, a method for absorbing an impact on an end of a reinforcing bar is provided. The method comprises disposing an impact absorbing portion between a first end and a second end of a collar of a protective cover, the protective cover configured to cover the end of the reinforcing bar, wherein the first end is adapted to receive the end of the reinforcing bar, and wherein a cap is disposed at the second end. The method further comprises withstanding the impact with the impact absorbing portion without penetration of the reinforcement bar through the protective cover; and absorbing at least a portion of the impact with the impact absorption portion.
Additional features and advantages of the subject technology will be set forth in the description below, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the subject technology. The advantages of the subject technology will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide further understanding of the subject technology and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate aspects of the subject technology and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the subject technology.
In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a full understanding of the subject technology. It will be apparent, however, to one ordinarily skilled in the art that the subject technology may be practiced without some of these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the subject technology. Like components are labeled with identical element numbers for ease of understanding.
Various aspects of the subject technology provide a protective cover for covering an end of a reinforcing bar. The protective cover comprises a collar having a first end, a second end, and an impact absorbing portion disposed therebetween. The first end of the collar is configured to receive the end of the reinforcing bar. The impact absorbing portion of the collar is configured to withstand an impact without penetration of the reinforcement bar through the protective cover. In some aspects, by incorporating the impact absorbing portion within the collar, the protective cover is compact and economical to manufacture. In other aspects, by incorporating the impact absorbing portion within the collar, the protective cover dissipates forces through an efficient load path through the protective cover by maintaining a close proximity between the impact absorbing portion and the end of the reinforcing bar. In one aspect, the impact absorbing portion is capable of absorbing at least a portion of an impact force. In another aspect, the protective cover is capable of withstanding a high impact force.
In one aspect, the collar 110 may be manufactured from a plastic, polymer, or other similar material and have a generally cylindrical shape. In some aspects, the collar 110 may have a generally constant diameter. In another aspect, the collar 110 may have an outer diameter of about 1.8 inches.
In one aspect of the subject technology, the impact absorbing portion 140 is configured to withstand the impact force without penetration of the reinforcement bar 150 through the protective cover 100, including the collar 110 and the cap 170. For example, the impact absorbing portion 140 may comprise the seat 410 that is configured to engage the end 160 of the reinforcing bar 150. In this example, the seat 410 may comprise a rigid material, such as steel, and may be about 4 mm thick. In one aspect, the seat 410 may be configured to provide the primary means for preventing the end 160 of the reinforcing bar 150 from penetrating the protective cap 100 upon impact.
In some aspects, the impact absorbing portion 140 may comprise additional components, aside from the seat 410, to increase the impact resistant properties of the protective cap 100. Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
In one aspect, the impact absorbing portion 140 may be configured to satisfy the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (OSHA) safety standards requiring the use of protective covers for covering the exposed ends of reinforcing steel bars so as to prevent injury and impalement. The standard provides that workers working at grade, above grade, or at any surface and exposed to reinforcing steel or other projections shall be protected against the hazard of impalement by guarding the exposed protruding end of the reinforcing bar with a protective cover. The OSHA standard requires that the protective cover be made of wood, plastic, or any similar material, and should be capable of withstanding, at a minimum, the impact of a 250 pound weight dropped from a height of 10 feet without penetration failure of the cover, and that the surface area of the protective cover shall be a minimum of a 4″×4″ square surface area.
In one aspect, the impact absorbing portion 140 may be configured to withstand an impact of a 250 pound weight dropped from a height of 10 feet, without penetration of the reinforcement bar 150 through the protective cover 100, the collar 110, or the cap 170. For example, the impact absorbing portion 140, residing solely in the collar 110, may comprise the seat 410 and the split ring 420. In this example, the split ring 420 may be disposed between the seat 410 and the second end of the collar 130. Upon impact of the 250 pound weight onto the protective cover 100, the split ring 420 may absorb at least a portion of the impact force via deflection of the split ring 420, as discussed above. The seat 410 directly engages the end 160 of the reinforcing bar 150 and acts as the primary means for preventing the reinforcing bar 150 from penetrating the protective cover 100, collar 110, or cap 170. The split ring 420 provides a secondary means for preventing the reinforcing bar 150 from penetrating the protective cover 100, collar 110, or cap 170.
In one aspect, the impact absorbing portion 140 absorbs more of the impact force than the conventional protective cover. For example, Table 1 provides the test results from an impact resistance test, whereby a weight of 30.5 lbf was dropped from a height of 28.75 inches onto two samples of the conventional protection covers (identified in Table 1 as Conventional Protective Cover Nos. 1-2), three samples of the protective cover 100 having the impact absorbing portion 140 comprising the seat 410 (identified in Table 1 as Protective Cover with Seat Nos. 1-3), and three samples of the protective cover 100 having the impact absorbing portion 140 comprising the seat 410 and the absorption material 460 comprising rubber/silicon (identified in Table 1 as Protective Cover with Seat and Absorption Material Nos. 1-3). As shown in Table 1, the “Protective Cover with Seat” samples and the “Protective Cover with Seat and Absorption Material” samples both absorbed more of the impact force than the “Conventional Protective Cover” samples, as demonstrated by the reduced amount of the “Maximum Impact Load.”. In addition, the “Protective Cover with Seat and Absorption Material” samples absorbed more of the impact force than the “Protective Cover with Seat” samples, thereby illustrating the impact absorbing properties of the absorption material 460.
In another aspect, the impact absorbing portion 140 generally decelerated the impact force more than the conventional protective cover. As shown in Table 1, the “Protective Cover with Seat” samples and the “Protective Cover with Seat and Absorption Material” samples both generally decelerated the impact force more than the “Conventional Protective Cover” samples, as demonstrated by the increased amount of “Time to Maximum Load.”
In some aspects, because the impact absorbing portion 140 absorbs and dissipates a portion of the impact force, less energy is ultimately transmitted to the reinforcing bar 150, as demonstrated by the reduced amount of “Total Energy” in Table 1.
In another aspect, by integrating the impact absorbing portion 140 into the collar 110, the protective cover 100 is compact, and hence, economical to manufacture.
The foregoing description is provided to enable a person skilled in the art to practice the various configurations described herein. While the subject technology has been particularly described with reference to the various figures and configurations, it should be understood that these are for illustration purposes only and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the subject technology.
There may be many other ways to implement the subject technology. Various functions and elements described herein may be partitioned differently from those shown without departing from the scope of the subject technology. Various modifications to these configurations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and generic principles defined herein may be applied to other configurations. Thus, many changes and modifications may be made to the subject technology, by one having ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the scope of the subject technology.
Terms such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “rear” and the like as used in this disclosure should be understood as referring to an arbitrary frame of reference, rather than to the ordinary gravitational frame of reference. Thus, a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and a rear surface may extend upwardly, downwardly, diagonally, or horizontally in a gravitational frame of reference.
A phrase such as an “aspect” does not imply that such aspect is essential to the subject technology or that such aspect applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to an aspect may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. A phrase such as an aspect may refer to one or more aspects and vice versa. A phrase such as an “embodiment” does not imply that such embodiment is essential to the subject technology or that such embodiment applies to all configurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to an embodiment may apply to all embodiments, or one or more embodiments. A phrase such an embodiment may refer to one or more embodiments and vice versa.
Furthermore, to the extent that the term “include,” “have,” or the like is used in the description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprise” as “comprise” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.
A reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically stated, but rather “one or more.” The term “some” refers to one or more. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various configurations described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and intended to be encompassed by the subject technology. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the above description.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/397,120, entitled “PROTECTIVE COVER FOR REINFORCING BAR,” filed on Feb. 15, 2012, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/487,235, entitled “PROTECTIVE COVER FOR REINFORCING BAR,” filed on May 17, 2011, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties for all purposes.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
1083120 | May | Dec 1913 | A |
2131319 | Greenholtz et al. | Sep 1938 | A |
2215251 | Prince | Sep 1940 | A |
3007726 | Parkin | Nov 1961 | A |
3199819 | Widmark | Aug 1965 | A |
3204901 | Dunn | Sep 1965 | A |
3233502 | Fernberg | Feb 1966 | A |
3485271 | Halsey | Dec 1969 | A |
3630474 | Minor | Dec 1971 | A |
3693310 | Middleton | Sep 1972 | A |
D227218 | Rastocny | Jun 1973 | S |
3741226 | Urban | Jun 1973 | A |
3890990 | Schafer | Jun 1975 | A |
4000539 | Neyer | Jan 1977 | A |
4012806 | Howie, Jr. | Mar 1977 | A |
4080770 | Vigh | Mar 1978 | A |
4098283 | Tritle, Jr. | Jul 1978 | A |
4119290 | Gies | Oct 1978 | A |
4140451 | Herdzina, Jr. et al. | Feb 1979 | A |
4159096 | Chase | Jun 1979 | A |
4179771 | Rankins et al. | Dec 1979 | A |
4202378 | Bush et al. | May 1980 | A |
4269010 | Glass | May 1981 | A |
D262093 | Bush et al. | Dec 1981 | S |
4338270 | Uffindell | Jul 1982 | A |
4429497 | Dibernardi | Feb 1984 | A |
4575978 | Huhn et al. | Mar 1986 | A |
4644726 | Wheeler | Feb 1987 | A |
4655023 | Yung | Apr 1987 | A |
4694863 | Klopp | Sep 1987 | A |
4785858 | Valentini et al. | Nov 1988 | A |
4824136 | Baxter | Apr 1989 | A |
4833850 | Lunn | May 1989 | A |
4899771 | Wilkinson | Feb 1990 | A |
4939830 | Janian | Jul 1990 | A |
4965035 | Ishiwatari et al. | Oct 1990 | A |
4972642 | Strobl, Jr. | Nov 1990 | A |
5037595 | Kornelis | Aug 1991 | A |
RE33764 | Cochrane | Dec 1991 | E |
5088513 | Ostermeyer | Feb 1992 | A |
5313757 | Schnepf | May 1994 | A |
5353825 | Davis | Oct 1994 | A |
5363618 | Underwood | Nov 1994 | A |
5381636 | Kassardjian et al. | Jan 1995 | A |
5444957 | Roberts | Aug 1995 | A |
5447290 | Workman | Sep 1995 | A |
D363657 | Kassardjian et al. | Oct 1995 | S |
5469679 | Burkard et al. | Nov 1995 | A |
5523043 | Kassardjian et al. | Jun 1996 | A |
5568708 | Kassardjian et al. | Oct 1996 | A |
5573348 | Morgan | Nov 1996 | A |
5600927 | Kennon | Feb 1997 | A |
5613336 | Workman | Mar 1997 | A |
5687772 | Underwood | Nov 1997 | A |
5729941 | Kassardjian et al. | Mar 1998 | A |
5824253 | Kassardjian et al. | Oct 1998 | A |
5943836 | Kassardjian | Aug 1999 | A |
5946871 | Kassardjian et al. | Sep 1999 | A |
6085478 | Workman | Jul 2000 | A |
6662514 | Workman | Dec 2003 | B2 |
7353640 | Stutler | Apr 2008 | B2 |
7472522 | Yang | Jan 2009 | B2 |
20080168726 | Yang | Jul 2008 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
1975071 | Jun 2007 | CN |
1157436 | Nov 1963 | DE |
1810356 | Jun 1970 | DE |
2534928 | Feb 1976 | DE |
4036919 | May 1991 | DE |
937601 | Sep 1963 | GB |
963741 | Jul 1964 | GB |
1479080 | Jul 1977 | GB |
9114839 | Oct 1991 | WO |
Entry |
---|
Don De Cristo Concrete Accessories, Inc. Catalog, Plastic Rebar Guard, p. 43. |
Deslauriers, Inc. Brochure, “Deslauriers Impalement-Protection Safety Cap DISC System”. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20140283471 A1 | Sep 2014 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
61487235 | May 2011 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 13397120 | Feb 2012 | US |
Child | 14296436 | US |