Foundation anchor bolt positioning and restraining device

Abstract

An anchor bolt positioning and restraining apparatus eliminates use of the conventional J-shaped anchor bolt and replaces it with a straight-line anchor rod. The apparatus includes a support plate having an anchor bolt attachment means attached thereto, a pair of opposed, identical, upstanding positioning and restraining arms attached to lateral ends of the support plate and a straight-line anchor bolt that is secured to the attachment means after the foundation wall is constructed. The positioning and restraining arms invariably position anchor bar at exactly the same location within an interior core of the cinder block such that the anchor bar will consistently project above the sill plate on its centerline, while projecting at a consistent height and at a consistent ninety degree angle with respect to the top surface of the sill plate so that an anchoring nut and washer combination can be properly attached to the projecting end of the anchor bar when tying the building framing to the foundation wall. The positioning and restraining arms do not allow the apparatus to move in any direction after it is placed within the core of the cinder block such that the sill plate can be predrilled.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates generally to building construction and more specifically to a device used in residential housing construction that supports and precisely positions an anchor bolt within a masonry construction block foundation wall to allow the frame of the building to be secured to the anchor bolt. The present invention also includes means for securely retraining the apparatus against movement and from being dislodged from the wall while it is under construction.[0003]2. Discussion of the Prior Art[0004]It is well known that the median price of residential housing has continuously risen at a pace which has far outpaced yearly annual increases in disposable family income, making affordable home ownership an unobtainable dream to a growing number of families. The price of a home is largely determined by three main factors: the cost of land; labor costs; and material costs. The cost of materials exhibits the ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0043]Another discovered advantage of the present invention is that the integrity of the mortar joint will not be comprised when concrete is poured into passageway 27 to permanently secure apparatus 30 within the foundation wall 20. When concrete is poured into passageway 27, it will rest upon the top surface 31 of support plate 32. The weight of the concrete creates a downward force upon support plate 32, which is distributed throughout the plate before it is then transferred into each of the upstanding posts 42,62, and the gusset plates 100. The gusset plates 100 securely tie the posts 42,62, to plate 32 so that no deflection of the support plate occurs. Thus, because there is no deflection, the mortar joint is not compromised. Prior art devices which rest on surface 26 on the other hand, do not provide means for distributing the forces away from the mortar joint, leading to the mortar cracking, especially when the cement and mortar are not fully cured. In FIG. 4, only two gusset plates 100 at the corners “a” and “b” of support plate 32 are shown for clarity purposes, although it should be understood that corners “c” and “d” would also be provided with respective plates too. Preferably, apparatus 30 is manufactured from steel, aluminum or certain plastics and depending upon the chosen gage of each material, the gussets 100a-d will not be needed when a thicker gage is utilized. It is envisioned that when using steel of a 14 gage steel or thicker, the gussets are not required.

[0044]Because the support plate 32 is located within core 23, the integrity of the mortar joint is further protected when the nut and washer combination 14 are tightened so as to fix the sill plate 29 to top surface of the foundation wall 20. During that tightening process, a tensile force is exerted on the anchor rod 80, which transfers that force into support plate 32 through the attachment means 90, whereby an equivalent upward pulling force is exerted on support plate 32. As explained previously, most prior art devices have some form of a support plate sitting directly within the mortar joint, with the anchor bolt attached directly thereto. In prior art devices, when the anchor bolt nut is tightened, tensile forces in the anchor bolt are transferred directly into the support plate, causing it to flexure directly within the mortar joint, which compromises the joint. With the present invention, the effects of the flexure forces are substantially eliminated at the mortar joint due to the flexure forces being effectively absorbed and redistributed between the support plate 32, gussets 100, and upstanding posts 42,62. It has been found that such forces do not cause movement at the lateral flanges 52 and 72 because the plate, posts and gusset plates are effectively acting as a single body with respect to force distribution.

[0045]In a second embodiment of the invention, best seen in FIGS. 7 and 7A, the anchor bolt attachment means, now identified at 120, is comprised of a removable, unitary member that is associated with top surface 31 of support plate 32. The removable attachment means is constructed of a planar lower plate 122 which includes a threaded hole 121, a planar upper plate 124 which includes an identical threaded hole 125, and an upstanding planar side plate 126 connecting said upper and lower plates together. With this embodiment, the attachment means nut 90 as described earlier herein, is not provided on support plate 32 so that lower plate 122 is in full resting contact upon top surface 31 of support plate 32. Depending upon how the insert was positioned, the upstanding side plate 126 may be in contact against either of the interior surfaces 41 or 61 of the positioning and retention posts 42,62 without affecting performance. Both holes 121 and 125 have threads that are complementary to the threads on end 82 of the anchor rod 80. The attachment means 120 has a generally C-shaped configuration with the upper and lower plates 122,124 extending parallel to each other and perpendicular to upstanding plate 126, with holes 121 and 125 in vertical, axial alignment with each other. The longitudinal extent “X” from the backside of side plate 126 and front edge of lower plate 122 is slightly less than the distance between the positioning posts 42 and 62 so that attachment means 120 can comfortably fit therebetween with only a minimal amount of play. Preferably attachment means 120 will only have a minimal of travel or play (no more than ⅛ of an inch) between posts 42 and 62 so that holes 121 and 125 will remain contiguous with the midpoint of support plate 32, thereby ensuring anchor rod 80 to be contiguous with the centerline of sill plate 29. After anchor rod 80 is threaded into holes 121 and 125, it is substantially perpendicular to top surface 31. The removable attachment means 120 can be assembled either before or after the foundation wall is fully constructed. It preferred that member 120 first be connected to anchor bar 80 and then inserted between the positioning posts after the wall is constructed so as to gain all of the advantages previously mentioned pertaining to attaching the anchor bar after the foundation wall is completed.

[0046]A variation on the second embodiment is shown in FIG. 8, where it is seen that the removable attachment means 120′ includes all of the same elements of the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 7A, plus an additional second side plate element 128, which downwardly extends in a parallel fashion to first side plate 126, so as to abut the top surface of bottom plate 122. The face 129 may be in abutting contact with either of the positioning and retention posts 42 or 62, depending upon how it is inserted. The anchor bolt 80 is threaded into the holes 121,125 prior to the removable attachment means 120′ being fed downwardly into passageway 27 until lower plate 122 is in resting contact upon top surface 31 of support plate 32. When anchor rod 80 is threaded into holes 121 and 125, it is substantially perpendicular to top surface 31. Of course, with this embodiment, the support plate 32 would not be provided with the attachment means nut 90 of the preferred embodiment so that plate 122′ is in full resting contact against surface 31. The anchor rod 80 extends upwardly in the exact fashion and location as the anchor bar of the preferred

Problems solved by technology

The positioning and restraining arms do not allow the apparatus to move in any direction after it is placed within the core of the cinder block such that the sill plate can be predrilled.

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