Concrete tie with reusable wedge

Abstract

An improved tie rod for use in concrete construction is provided. The tie rod has opposing ends, referred to as ears that may be used as wedges in a subsequent concrete construction operation. In a first wall form system, the ears of the tie rod are broken off when the forms are stripped from the cured concrete structure. The ears of the tie rod have tapered shapes enabling them to be used as wedges in a second or subsequent wall form system. The wedges are used with pins that secure abutting edges of adjacent wall form panels.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to wall form systems used in poured concrete structures and connecting hardware used in the systems, and more particularly, to a concrete form tie rod having ends thereof that are especially adapted for subsequent use as components in connecting hardware of a concrete wall form system. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Prefabricated wall forms are commonly used in forming concrete walls and other concrete structures. Such wall forms typically include prefabricated and reusable panel sections that are assembled to create the wall form arrangement for the concrete structure to be poured. Various pieces of hardware are used to interconnect abutting sections of the reusable panels. [0003] Typically, each panel includes a facing surface that makes contact with the poured concrete, and a rear surface including a connecting flange. The flanges of the adjacent wall panels abut one another. Each flange has at least one hole that al...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention provides an improved tie rod for use in concrete construction. The tie rod has wedge-shaped ends that can be used as wedges in a subsequent concrete construction operation. This eliminates the need for separate prefabricated wedges and reduces the overall hardware requirement for a concrete forming operation. The broken off ends also serve a specific purpose in a subsequent concrete forming operation, reducing scrap metal and providing an environmentally friendly solution to reducing non-recovered scrap at a construction site."

Problems solved by technology

Wall forms for concrete construction typically require a large amount of hardware to connect the numerous panels together.

One recurring cost that is incurred each time reusable concrete forms are used is the cost of the tie rods and wedges.

The tie rods are consumed in each project, and the wedges oftentimes cannot be reused because they are damaged during placement and removal through the slots in the pins

Another problem associated with standard concrete tie rods is that once the concrete has cured, the ends of the tie rods must be broken off so there are no tie rod protrusions extending from the surfaces of the poured concrete.

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