Concrete Anchor Ratcheting Insert Rod Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing concrete anchors require threading a rod into the anchor, which is time-consuming and difficult, especially when the anchor is encapsulated in concrete and inaccessible for further adjustments.
Innovation Solution
The concrete anchor employs ratcheting inserts with multiple internal diameters and a design featuring a bottom ledge and frusto-spherical surfaces to securely grasp threaded rods without needing to thread them, allowing for easy installation and accommodating various rod sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a threaded rod is inserted into a conventional concrete anchor, then the rod can be held securely, but the installation process becomes time-consuming and difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The anchor is divided into two functional parts: a stationary outer housing embedded in concrete and a movable internal insert that can be freely inserted and removed. This segmentation allows the rod to be received by the movable insert rather than being threaded into the fixed anchor, dramatically reducing installation time while maintaining secure holding through the ratcheting mechanism of the insert.
2Ease of operation
If the anchor is made accessible for threading adjustments, then proper rod installation can be achieved, but the anchor becomes vulnerable to cement contamination when encapsulated
Solution Approach 1:
The rod installation action is completed in a single preliminary insertion motion before the concrete sets and encapsulates the anchor. The movable insert design allows the entire threading function to be performed upfront during the insertion phase, eliminating the need for subsequent adjustments that would require accessing the anchor interior and risk cement contamination.
3Device complexity
If the anchor uses a single internal diameter, then the structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate rods of different sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The internal insert is designed with dynamic freedom of movement within the outer housing, allowing it to shift position and orient itself to accommodate rods of varying diameters. This dynamic capability enables a single anchor structure to adapt to different rod sizes without requiring multiple fixed-diameter configurations, maintaining structural simplicity while achieving versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
An anchor particularly adapted to be embedded into a concrete construction for suspension of a ceiling panel, duct or the like, includes a base which receives inserts that have an axial threaded bore. The base is open at its lower end and can receive a threaded rod by virtue of ratcheting inserts received within the base. The inserts and base are particularly shaped to prevent jam and ease of insertion of the rod in the anchor. The anchor also has a head flange that sits above a plurality of fasteners secured to the anchor which is used to simultaneously drive the fasteners into a form for the concrete member. The fasteners are connected to the anchor extending in generally parallel and spaced relation to the anchor. The fasteners can be held by a support or sleeve-like holder which surrounds at least a portion of the base of the anchor or they can be attached to the base of the anchor. The fasteners project downwardly through the bottom of the anchor for driving into the form board.