Concrete forming panel having built-in retaining structure for storing loose coupling parts

Abstract

A concrete forming panel has built-in retaining structure for holding loose coupling parts in a safe, secure position when the parts are stored during times of nonuse of the panel. Members on the backside of the face plate of the panel, including but not necessarily limited to bracing or stiffening members of the frame, are provided with webs or wall portions having a series of clearance openings therein. Brush rings are positioned immediately adjacent each opening and have radially inwardly directed resilient bristles that terminate in innermost ends defining a hole aligned with the adjacent opening. Consequently, when a oversized coupling part relative to the brush hole is inserted into such hole, it flexes the bristles and passes through the hole and the adjacent opening in the supporting member to be retained in place in a yieldable, releasable manner by the flexed bristles. In a preferred embodiment, the brush rings are retained in place frictionally on each member by a wedging action between the brush rings and a receiving track on the side of the wall of the member.

Description

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of prior co-pending application Ser. No. 09 / 791,399 filed Feb. 23, 2001 titled Method and Apparatus for Retaining Separable Coupling Parts for Concrete Forming Panel.[0002] This invention relates to concrete forming panels and, more particularly, to a concrete forming panel that is provided with built-in structure for safely and securely retaining and storing separate, loose coupling parts which may be used in connecting the forming panel with other panels to make a form.BACKGROUND OF INVENTION[0003] Forming panels used in erecting concrete walls for structures are often provided in standard sizes and shapes, and thus must be connected in order to establish a pair of opposed forming walls into which concrete may be poured for hardening into the final structural shape. Thus, adjacent forming panels are coupled together by pins, wedges and other fasteners, and opposing walls are connected by tie bars and the like. The purpose of such f...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] These problems have largely been solved by the panel of the present invention. By having parts-holding structure built into the form itself, the parts are always conveniently available for use. Moreover, by having the parts retaining structure spaced from the coupling sites and disposed safely within the overall profile of the panel, the parts may be securely held by the retaining structure even during rough handling, storage, and alignment of adjacent forms, so that the parts do not interfere with such alignment but may be quickly transferred to the coupling sites when desired.

[0008] Broadly speaking, the forming panel of the present invention includes a face sheet having a front side for receiving concrete there against, a frame for supporting the face sheet and projecting rearwardly from the back side, and parts retaining structure on the back side of the face sheet for temporarily holding one or a plurality of separate and discrete parts. By "separate", it is meant that the parts are not held by a wire or other permanent attachment to the forming panel, but rather are completely separable therefrom so that parts may be readily transferred between different forming panels as desired for specific applications. In a preferred form of the invention, the parts retaining structure includes one or more annular brush rings having generally radially inwardly projecting bristles that terminate in innermost free ends to define a receiving and retaining hole for the coupling part. The bristles of the retaining ring are resilient so that as a part is forced into the hole, the bristles deflect and yield as necessary to accommodate the part yet maintain a firm surrounding grip thereon. In a preferred form of the invention, the retaining rings are supported by stiffening members of the frame that reinforces the face sheet.

Problems solved by technology

However, keeping track of the large number of pins, wedges, nuts and other connectors has been a problem.

One other problem associated with such small parts is that they are often not readily available to the workman who must assemble the forms.

Thus, parts may be lost or displaced, located in a remote area on the jobsite, or otherwise separated from the forming panel.

Certain parts are relatively specialized and thus somewhat expensive to replace, and are repeatedly used with the same forming panel.

Moreover, several workman must often wait while the parts are obtained by another workman, resulting in the loss of productive time of not merely one but several workers.

Thus, the expensive of replacement parts and the time lost in locating and retrieving such small parts is an economic loss as well as an aggravation to the construction crew.

While the forming panels include a plurality of coupling sites which are normally adapted to receive some or all of the parts for use in, for example, attaching the forming panel to a complementally configured forming member, it is unsatisfactory to carry the separate parts in these locations during transit and storage.

Typically, these "in use" positions are exposed, and placing the parts in these coupling sites subjects the parts, and more importantly the forms themselves which are often of a softer material, to substantial use and wear as the parts are impacted.

Moreover, holding the parts in such "in use" positions interferes with handling and positioning the forms for coupling as well as storage.

In addition, such "in use" positions in the coupling sites subjects the parts themselves to impact and loosening at the site, whereby parts may be readily separated and lost.

However, the wire connecting the parts to the form may become entangled with other equipment resulting in a potential safety hazard.

In addition, when two or more such small parts are used at a single location, the positioning of the wires may be cumbersome.

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