Claims
- 1. A vent flow apparatus for venting and filling air pockets in a duct for passage of material through said duct, said vent flow apparatus comprising:(a) a hollow vent flow conduit having both an entry opening and a downstream exit opening with both of said openings being in communication with a duct for flow of a material through said duct; and (b) said entry opening of said vent flow conduit being in communication with said duct at a first location of greater cross-sectional area of said duct than a second location of communication of said exit opening of said vent flow conduit with said duct.
- 2. The vent flow apparatus of claim 1 wherein said vent flow conduit is positioned at least substantially within said duct.
- 3. The vent flow apparatus of claim 2 wherein said duct is formed by a tube.
- 4. The vent flow apparatus of claim 1 wherein said duct is a duct of a post-tensioning system for a concrete structure.
- 5. The vent flow conduit of claim 1 wherein said first location of said entry opening of said vent flow conduit with said duct is elevationally higher than said second location of communication of said exit opening of said vent flow conduit with said duct.
- 6. In a post-tensioning apparatus including a duct for passage of a hardenable material to fill said duct, and said duct having areas of higher and lower elevations, the improvement comprising a vent flow conduit comprising:(a) a hollow vent flow conduit having both an entry opening and an exit opening with both of said openings being in communication with said duct for flow of hardenable material; and (b) said entry opening of said vent flow conduit being in communication with said duct at a first location of greater cross-sectional area of said duct than a second location of communication of exit opening of said vent flow conduit with said duct.
- 7. The vent flow conduit of claim 6 wherein said first location of said duct is upstream from said second location for a direction of flow of the hardenable material through said duct.
- 8. The vent flow conduit of claim 6 wherein the vent flow conduit is positioned at least substantially within said duct.
- 9. The vent flow conduit of claim 8 wherein said duct is formed by a tube positioned entirely within said duct and said first location of said duct is elevationally higher than said second location of said duct.
- 10. A method of venting and filling air pockets in a duct for passage of a material through said duct, said method comprising the steps of:(a) providing a vent flow conduit having an entry opening and an exit opening; (b) positioning said vent flow conduit in communication with a duct for passage of material such that said entry opening of said vent flow conduit communicates with said duct at a first location prone to formation of air pockets upon passage of material through said duct, said duct at said first location being of greater cross-sectional area of said duct than a second location of said duct where said exit opening of said vent flow conduit communicates with said duct; (c) passing material through said duct in a direction where said material flows from said first location towards said second location; and (d) at least substantially filling said duct with said material substantially without air pockets within said by passage of said material through said vent flow conduit from said entry opening to said exit opening.
- 11. The method of claim 10 wherein said duct is filled with said material without externally venting said duct.
- 12. The method of claim 11 wherein said vent flow conduit is positioned entirely within said duct.
- 13. A method of venting and filling air pockets in a duct of a post-tensioning apparatus, wherein said duct has areas of higher and lower elevations for at least substantially filling said duct, said method comprising the steps of:(a) providing a vent flow conduit having an entry opening and an exit opening; (b) positioning said vent flow conduit within a duct of said post-tensioning apparatus such that said entry opening of said vent flow conduit communicates with said duct at a first location prone to formation of air pockets upon passage of a hardenable material through said duct, said first location being of greater cross-sectional area of said duct than a second location of said duct where said exit opening of said vent flow conduit communicates with said duct; (c) passing said hardenable material through said duct in a direction where said hardenable material flows from said first location to said second location; and (d) at least substantially filling said duct with said hardenable material substantially without air pockets by passage of said hardenable material through said vent flow conduit from said entry opening to said exit opening.
- 14. The method of claim 13 wherein said hardenable material is passed through said duct such that said hardenable material passes by said exit opening of said vent flow conduit at a greater velocity than that at which said hardenable material passes by said entry opening of said vent flow conduit through said duct.
- 15. In a post-tensioning apparatus comprising at least a first and second body section interconnected at least partially in series by an intermediate anchor head with each body section having a duct defining a passage therein for a post-tensioning tendon and for passage of a hardenable material through said duct, said apparatus further comprising transfer means communicating with said duct of each body section and providing a passageway for passage of hardenable material from said duct of said first body section, around said intermediate anchor head, and into said duct of said second body section, the improvement comprising a vent flow apparatus forventing and substantially filling elevated areas within said duct of said first body section prone to formation of air pockets, said vent flow apparatus comprising:(a) a hollow vent flow conduit positioned within said post-tensioning apparatus and having both an entry opening and a downstream exit opening; and (b) said entry opening of said vent flow conduit being in communication with said duct of said first body section at a first location, and said exit opening of said vent flow conduit being in communication with and terminating in said transfer means at a second location of lesser cross-sectional area than that of said first location.
- 16. The vent flow conduit of claim 15 wherein said first location of communication of said entry opening of said vent flow conduit with said duct of said first body section is elevationally higher than said second location of communication of said exit opening of said vent flow conduit with said transfer means.
- 17. The vent flow conduit of claim 15 wherein said vent flow conduit is a tube.
- 18. In a post-tensioning apparatus, said apparatus comprising:(a) at least a first and second body section interconnected in series by an intermediate anchor head with each body section having an end anchor head, each body section comprising a tendon including at least a pair of strands adapted for post-tensioning between said intermediate anchor head and a corresponding end anchor head with one end of each pair of strands being connected to said intermediate anchor head and an opposite end of each pair of strands being connected to said corresponding end anchor head, each pair of strands being encapsulated between said intermediate anchor head and said corresponding end anchor head in a duct defined by one or more duct sections, each duct adapted to receive a bonding agent after post-tensioning of the pair of strands therein such that the pair of strands therein can be bonded in position within the duct; (b) passage means proximate the end anchor head of said first body section and providing a passage for insertion of bonding agent into the duct of said first body section; and (c) transfer means providing a passage for bonding agent in the duct of said first body section to pass past said intermediate anchor head into the duct of said second body section; the improvement comprising a vent flow apparatus for venting and substantially filling elevated areas within one or more duct of said first body section, said vent flow apparatus comprising:(d) a hollow vent flow conduit positioned within said post-tensioning apparatus and having both an entry opening and a downstream exit opening; and (e) said entry opening of said vent flow conduit being in communication with a duct of said first body section at a first location, and said exit opening of said vent flow conduit being in communication with and terminating in said transfer means at a second location of lesser cross-sectional area than that of said first location.
- 19. A method of venting and filling air pockets with a hardenable material in a post-tensioning apparatus, said method comprising the steps of:(a) providing a post-tensioning apparatus comprising at least a first and second body section interconnected in series by an intermediate anchor head with each body section having a duct defining a passage therein for a post-tensioning tendon and for passage of a hardenable material through said duct, said apparatus additionally comprising transfer means communicating with said duct of each body section and providing a passageway for passage of hardenable material from said duct of said first body section, around said intermediate anchor head, and into said duct of said second body section, and said apparatus further comprising a vent flow conduit positioned within said apparatus and having an entry opening and an exit opening, said entry opening positioned within and communicating with said duct of said first body section at a first location and said exit opening of said vent flow conduit positioned within and communicating with said transfer means at a second location of lesser cross-sectional area than that of said first location; (b) passing a hardenable material through said duct of said first body section toward said intermediate anchor head wherein said hardenable material then passes through said transfer means into said duct of said second body section; and (c) at least substantially filling said duct of said first body section with said hardenable material substantially without air pockets by passage of said hardenable material through said vent flow conduit from said entry opening to said exit opening.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation-in-part application from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/797,690, filed Jan. 31, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,939,003.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
4799307 |
Reigstad et al. |
Jan 1989 |
|
5540030 |
Morrow |
Jul 1996 |
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5939003 |
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Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2603928 |
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FR |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
08/797690 |
Jan 1997 |
US |
Child |
09/311439 |
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US |