Reinforcing Assemblies and Reinforced Concrete Structures

Abstract

Reinforcing assemblies for use in structural concrete members, as well as reinforced concrete structures, are provided that are uniquely suited to deal with punching shear failure in structural concrete members such as slabs, beams footings and flat foundations. The reinforcing assemblies include a support base, comprising two elongate rebar members disposed substantially parallel to each other, and several shear-resisting rebar elements having two opposing ends and cast, or bent, in hairpin shape on a common plane in generally parallel orientation to each other and secured to the base. The reinforced concrete structures include a concrete member, having a first face and a generally opposed second face, and at least four reinforcing assemblies that are embedded and retained at prescribed locations within the concrete member by their base and by the opposed faces of the concrete member, and which comprise a support base and multiple hairpin-shaped rebar elements secured to the support base.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates to reinforcing assemblies for use in structural concrete members. In particular, this invention is concerned with a reinforcing system that is uniquely suited to deal with shear failure and with punching shear failure in structural concrete members such as slabs, beams, footings and flat foundations. More particularly, the invention relates to a structural concrete reinforcing assembly that may be made entirely of rebar. Specifically, the invention relates to a novel technique for eliminating or minimizing shear failure and punching shear failure in structural concrete members such as slabs, beams, footings and flat foundations by means of a unique reinforcing assembly made up of hairpin-shaped rebars, which novel technique allows the user to fabricate reinforced concrete structures with enhanced punching-shear-resistant capabilities.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Commercial concrete is a mixture of cement, sand and stone aggregat...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0005]It is an object of the present invention to provide a practicable and economical solution to the problems associated with shear failure and punching shear failure in concrete structures. Another object of the present invention is to provide a safe and cost-effective reinforcing assembly for use in structural concrete members that is uniquely suited to deal with shear failure and punching shear failure in structural concrete members such as slabs, beams, footings and flat foundations. It is also an object of this invention to provide a structural concrete reinforcing assembly that may be made entirely of rebar members. An additional object of the invention is to provide a safe and low-cost reinforced concrete structure that is particularly resistant to punching shear forces and that is uniquely suited for commercial use with structural concrete members such as slabs, footings and flat foundations. A further object of the invention is to provide a structural concrete reinforcing assembly that is particularly effective at eliminating or minimizing shear failure in structural concrete members while affording better anchorage than the conventional devices used in preventing or minimizing shear failures. A particular object of the invention is to facilitate an efficient technique for eliminating or minimizing shear failure in structural concrete members such as slabs, footings and flat foundations by means of a unique reinforcing assembly that may be made up entirely of hairpin-shape

Problems solved by technology

While concrete made in this fashion, usually referred to as “unreinforced concrete”, has fairly good resistance to compressive stresses, any significant tension will tend to break the rigid structure and cause undesirable cracking and separation of the concrete.

Commercial and industrial structural concrete members such as slabs, beams, footings and flat foundations, even when made with reinforced concrete, are susceptible to shear forces that create tensile forces along them and often result in structural failure, that is, undesirable cracking and/or breaking of the structural concrete members.

The type of failure caused by these shear forces and the attendant incline cracks that tend to propagate throughout the concrete, usually from the area under tension towards the area under compression, are not always easy to detect and correct since they are often not visible when they occur.

Two-way shear failure, often referred to as “punching shear failure”, tends to occur in horizontal concrete members such as slabs, footings a

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