Removable Concrete Anchor Plug for Post-Cure Fastener Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for anchoring loads to concrete structures often require complex and cumbersome processes, and there is a need for efficient and accessible means to attach fasteners to concrete after curing, while maintaining structural integrity and ease of installation.
Innovation Solution
The development of an anchor system comprising a plug and anchor body, where the plug is embedded in concrete during pouring and removable post-curing, creating a void for fastener attachment, and the anchor body remains embedded, allowing for threaded connections and load support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a plug is embedded in concrete during pouring and removed post-curing to create a void for fastener attachment, then fastener accessibility is improved, but the concrete structure requires an additional component (plug) and removal process
Solution Approach 1:
The anchor system is divided into two separate components: a plug that is embedded during concrete pouring and removed post-curing to create a void, and an anchor body that remains embedded in the concrete. This segmentation allows the plug to be removed for fastener accessibility while the anchor body remains in place for load transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug is embedded in the concrete during the pouring process, performing the preliminary action of creating a space that will later accommodate the fastener. This preliminary placement allows for easier fastener installation after curing, as the void is already prepared.
2Ease of manufacture
If the plug is made removable from the concrete after curing, then fastener installation is simplified, but the concrete structure must accommodate the plug removal process
Solution Approach 1:
The plug is extracted from the concrete structure after curing but before fastener installation. This extraction creates a void that allows the fastener to be installed and engage with the anchor body, simplifying the fastening process while maintaining concrete integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The plug serves as an intermediary component that facilitates the installation process. It is temporarily embedded in the concrete to create the necessary void, then removed to allow fastener installation, after which it is discarded as it has fulfilled its mediating function.
3Strength
If the anchor body remains embedded in the concrete after plug removal, then load support is maintained, but the concrete requires a two-stage installation process
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the load-supporting function (anchor body remaining embedded) from the access-providing function (plug being removed). This allows the anchor body to maintain structural integrity and load support capability while the plug is removed to enable fastener installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The anchor body is preliminarily embedded in the concrete during the pouring process, ensuring proper positioning and load transfer capability before the plug removal and fastener installation stages. This preliminary placement ensures the anchor is ready to support loads once the fastener is installed.
Data Source
AI summary
An anchor for being embedded in concrete for attachment to a fastener to support a load comprises a plug having a main body portion extending upwardly from a base portion, the plug for being attached to a form board prior to pouring of concrete, the plug having an end portion disposed a distance from the form board; and an anchor body attached to the end portion. The plug is separable from the anchor body and removable from the concrete after the concrete is cured, leaving the anchor body embedded in the concrete, the plug providing a void in the concrete after removal to provide an access opening for a threaded portion of a fastener to attach to the anchor body.