Components for use in large-scale concrete slab constructions

Abstract

Structural reinforcing members are supplied for use in resisting shear forces within larger construction projects using reinforced concrete, along sites where strengthening ribs or beams between formers are to be created. The members also force the channels apart and maintain the reinforcing therein before curing at predetermined dimensions and spacings. A variant provides reinforcing cages that can be put together on the site for maintaining multiple reinforcing rods. The cages of different beams can intermesh at rib cross-over points. Example cages are eight-bar cages where each bar is made of 1.25 inch diameter reinforcing steel. During assembly the bars are held in place by the members with the assistance of gravity so that relatively little linking together of the reinforcing parts is required.

Description

FIELD [0001] This invention relates to building construction, to the provision of reinforcement for concrete structures, and in particular to structural components for incorporation in reinforced concrete masses to become built structures such as floors, buildings, bridges, or roads. BACKGROUND [0002] Concrete is a widely used cold-castable “liquid stone” used as a building material. After the reactions involved in setting and curing have taken place it has good compressive strength but relatively poor tensile and shear strength, so rods of reinforcing iron are cast into masses of concrete in order to restore tensile and shear strength. For use in mainly single-storey domestic housing floors poured as single slabs, the inventor has previously described a floor construction technique using buried void formers (made from a foam plastics such as polystyrene foam) to form a matrix of stiffening beams in the spaces left between the formers, using the inventor's stirrups to place reinforc...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014] In one option, the components are used along the strengthening beams or ribs of concrete as a series of single components and each single component includes (a) more than one attachment points each for a reinforcing bar of a reinforcing structure held at a predetermined position, and (b) includes at least one attachment point for location of the component with respect to an adjacent former so that each single component is capable of holding said reinforcing bars at predetermined positions with respect to the adjacent former and (c) includes sufficient internal tensile strength to serve as a structural element of the reinforcing structure.

[0015] In another option, the components are used as members of a group of components used along the strengthening beams or ribs of concrete as a series of groups of components for assembly into part of the structure during construction, and each group of components after assembly includes (a) more than one attachment points for more than one reinforcing bars each held at a predetermined position, and\(b) at least one attachment point for location with respect to an adjacent former so that each single component is capable of holding said reinforcing bars at predetermined positions with respect to the adjacent former, and (c) each group of components after assembly serves as a cage assembly capable of holding said reinforcing bars at predetermined positions.

[0016] In a related aspect the invention provides a set of components for use as a group in reinforced concrete structures; the set including an upper bar support, a lower bar support and channel spacer, a lower cage stirrup, and an upper cage member; all to be used as spaced-apart sets in conjunction with reinforcing rods placed horizontally within channels.

[0017] Preferably the group comprises an “n-bar cage” where n may be from two to sixteen bars of reinforcing rods.

[0018] In a second broad aspect this invention provides a method for assembly of a group of components as previously described in this section between formers and along an intended strengthening beam or rib, including the steps of: (a) placing non-structural “pod spacers and bar organisers” along the channel in order to to locate and hold the void formers in place during later component placement, and thereby to maintain the channel width, (b) placing a structural “top hat” deep bar-holding bent wire shape with sufficient depth to support a first, lower layer of bars at the deepest level, alongside each pod spacer and bar organiser, (c) placing a deep array of structural reinforcing rods in the grooves provided by a series of pod spacers and bar organisers, (d) placing a shallow non-structural pod spacer and bar organiser, (e) placing a second, shallow array of structural reinforcing rods, (f) placing an inverted “U” structural element to serve as part of the cage over the shallow array of reinforcing rods, and then (g) fixing the structural elements to each other such as by tying or welding, so that the assembly is ready for receiving wet concrete and providing reinforcement once the concrete has cured.

[0019] Preferably the respective arrays of reinforcing rods are installed so as to cross over each other at positions where beams of reinforced concrete are intended to intersect, thereby creating interlocking reinforcing cage assemblies at the site.

Problems solved by technology

After the reactions involved in setting and curing have taken place it has good compressive strength but relatively poor tensile and shear strength, so rods of reinforcing iron are cast into masses of concrete in order to restore tensile and shear strength.

Use of these stirrups sharply reduces the labour content of a floor.

Problems associated with this technique include the matter of creating cage structures of just the right size (let alone possible distortion during transport and placement) and of moving the heavy, large, and not particularly strong structures safely and conveniently to their final positions.

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