Abstract:
A spacer support having a body portion, a surface engaging portion and a securement to attach the body portion to a weldment plate in tilt-up construction is disclosed. In a first embodiment, the securement includes a resilient clip that can snap onto a Nelson stud. One or more shelves on the support spacer prevent longitudinal movement of the Nelson stud. The length of the spacer support may be adjusted manually by cutting the body to length or by rotating one threaded member relative to a second to accommodate different thicknesses of walls. The spacer support is preferably plastic but may be metal. In another embodiment, a clamp secures an elongate body portion to a weldment plate projection.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/777,400 filed Feb. 6, 2001. 
     
    
     
         [0002]    The present invention relates to the manufacture of concrete walls used in tilt-up construction. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a spacer support that holds a weldment plate in proper position until the wet concrete sets up.  
           [0003]    In commercial construction, as well as in residential construction where wood is at a premium, builders are increasingly using tilt-up construction, that is, they are pouring concrete walls in forms as they lay on the ground, floor or other surface, and then tilting them up into the desired position after the concrete has cured. One of the features such construction affords is the placement of a weldment plate on one surface of the wall so that structural support beams, and the like, may be welded/secured between adjacent walls. In current practice, the concrete wall is poured and then the weldment plate is “floated” on the top of the wet cement. Since these steel plates are denser than the wet concrete, they tend to sink below the surface. Accordingly, it sometimes becomes necessary to allow the concrete to take a partial set and then attempt to push the weldment plate into the desired position. Neither of these current practices provides effective quality control and the results often are not those desired.  
           [0004]    The device of the present invention comprises a spacer support that engages the support surface on which the concrete wall is poured and a weldment plate holding it in the desired position relative to that surface during the curing of the concrete. The spacer support comprises an elongate body portion having a length substantially equal to the thickness of the concrete wall minus a dimension of the weldment extending in the direction of the thickness of the concrete wall; a surface engaging portion for contacting the surface on which the concrete wall is poured and supporting the weldment in a position appropriately spaced from that surface; means for attaching said body portion to the weldment, wherein the weldment will be maintained in a desired position as wet concrete is poured and sets up.  
           [0005]    Weldment plates take different forms: some are simply rectangular metal plates with two smooth surfaces. Other weldment plates are equipped with protrusions on one surface that improve the adhesion of the plate to the wall enabling greater weight to be suspended therefrom. These protrusions typically take the form of a plurality of Nelson studs welded to the surface of the plate that is to be embedded in the concrete. These studs can have shaft diameters of ¼″, ⅜″, ½″, ⅝″ with head diameters graduated by ¼″ increments between ½″ and 1¼″. For weldment plates that have no protrusions, the support spacer will have additional length (as compared to those engaging the heads of Nelson studs) and be equipped with a flat head that can be adhered to the nether surface of the weldment plate by an adhesive such as LIQUID NAILS (a registered trademark of Macco). The spacer supports will be used on each weldment plate positioned to provide balance in the wet concrete. The embodiment of support spacer engaging the Nelson stud will have a plurality (three shown) of fingers that grip the head of the stud, the fingers having portions that snap beneath the head and retain the spacer support in position while the concrete sets up. This configuration will be made in a plurality of sizes to accommodate the various sizes of Nelson stud heads.  
           [0006]    In another embodiment, the shaft of the Nelson Stud is attached to the spacer support by a resilient clip. One or more shelves on the spacer support engage the head of the Nelson stud to prevent the stud from sinking into the cement. The shelf can be continuous across the spacer support below the head of the Nelson stud.  
           [0007]    To accommodate different sized heads using identical spacer supports, a flat walled doughnut shaped spacer having an interior circumference matching that of the outer diameter of the head of the Nelson stud and an exterior circumference matching that of the interior circumference of spacer support in the area supporting the Nelson stud is employed. The spacer support is preferably made of a material selected from the group consisting of plastic, metal, and powdered metal. The end contacting the support is preferably pointed to minimize the surface treatment needed for the wall and, typically, the wall may simply be painted, papered or given any other conventional treatment, without the tips of the spacer/supports affecting the treatment. The length of the body portion of the spacer support may be adjusted in either of two ways: the surface may be scored at any of a plurality of conventional lengths, and the spacer support cut to the length appropriate for the wall thickness with which it is used; the spacer support includes two parts that may be adjusted relative to each other to achieve the desired length. Preferably, these pieces are threadingly engaged and the length can be readily adjusted by rotating one of the pieces relative to the other. This feature may be added to either the flat-head or fingered configurations.  
           [0008]    Various other features, advantages and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after a reading of the following specification. 
       
    
    
       [0009]    The preferred embodiment(s) of the present invention is/are described in conjunction with the associated drawings in which like features are indicated with like reference numerals and in which:  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of the weldment spacer support of the present invention shown assembled on a Nelson stud;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2A is an exploded side view of the spacer support shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2B is a top view of the first embodiment;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the spacer supports used to suspend a pair of weldment plates on a tilt-up wall;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a second embodiment of the weldment spacer support of the present invention for use with a weldment plate;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a side view, partially in section, showing the use of a flat walled doughnut shaped spacer to accommodate a reduced sized head on a Nelson stud;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6A is a side view showing the use of a shelf to support the head of a Nelson stud;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 6B is a front view showing the use of two shelves to support the head of a Nelson stud;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 7 is a front view of a continuous shelf for the spacer support in combination with a screw type length adjustment mechanism for the spacer support  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 8 is a third embodiment of the invention using a clamping ring with a stem portion wherein the clamping ring secures both the upper portion of a stem portion and the Nelson Stud head;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 9 is a top view of the clamping portion of the embodiment of FIG. 8;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 10 is a elevation view of the stem or leg portion of the embodiment of FIG. 8; and  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 11 depicts the various typical cross-sections of the depending stem leg of FIG. 10.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0023]    A first embodiment of the weldment plate spacer support is shown in FIGS.  1 - 3  generally at  20 . Weldment spacer support comprises an elongated body portion  22 , a surface engaging portion  24 , and means  26  for attaching the spacer support to weldment plate  11 . In this embodiment, weldment plate  11  includes projections  15  which may take the form of Nelson studs welded to the surface  13  of weldment plate  11  to be embedded in the concrete  17  (FIG. 3). Body portion  22  is of a length substantially equal to the thickness t of the concrete wall  18  minus a dimension of the weldment plate  11  extending in a direction of the thickness of the concrete wall  18 . In this case, the dimension of the weldment plate extending in the direction of the thickness of wall  18  includes the thickness of plate  12  as well as the length of Nelson stud  15 . Nelson studs come in a plurality of sizes and lengths. Common diameters include ¼″, ⅜″, ½″, ⅝″ with head diameters of ½″, ¾″, 1″ and 1¼″ respectively. The heads  16  also vary in depth having lengths of 0.187 inch, 0.281 inch, 0.312 inch, and 0.312 inch, respectively, for the diameters listed here. The length of body portion  22  will be designed to position the weldment plate  12  where desired, typically with upper surface  14  flush with the surface  19  of wall  18 .  
         [0024]    Surface engaging portion  24  preferably comes to a point  25  so as to minimize the amount of weldment spacer support that protrudes on surface  21 . Accordingly, minimal accommodation will be necessary to treat the points  25  on wall  18 . In fact, it is anticipated that the painting, papering or other treatment provided wall surface  21  will adequately cover the points  25 . It is preferred that the length of body portion  22  will be adjustable. One such means can be the cutting of body portion  22  to the desired length to place weldment plate  12  flush with the designed wall surface  19  once concrete  17  is poured. To facilitate this cutting (or breaking), body  22  may be provided with scoring lines  40  at one or more conventional wall thicknesses/stud lengths so the point  25  may be maintained.  
         [0025]    The material from which weldment plate spacer support is made is selected from the group consisting of plastic, metal, and powdered metal. It is envisioned that a durable, tough plastic material such as nylon or polypropylene, possibly with glass or carbon fiber reinforcement will be suitable for this application and provide the most cost effective means of solving this problem. It is, however, possible that for certain applications, the strength requirements will dictate that the weldment plate spacer support  20  be manufactured from metal including but not limited to powdered metal. The spacer support  20  of the present invention could be cast or machined from aluminum, from example.  
         [0026]    Means  26  for attaching body portion  22  to weldment plate  11  comprises a plurality of fingers  30  (shown exemplarily as three in number) with portions  29  that snap in behind stud heads  16 . As seen in FIGS. 2A and 2B, fingers  30  are equally spaced about the periphery of head securement  28 . However, it is envisioned that as few as one that substantially engulfs stud head  16  and as many as six or more fingers could be utilized to effect attachment to head  16 . If only one or two fingers  30  were utilized, they would have an extended peripheral span to stabilize their hold on head  16 . It is preferred for stability reasons, that there be three or more fingers  30 . The depth of head securement  28  will be sized to accommodate the length of stud head  16  and the diameter will similarly be properly sized to receive the particular diameter of stud head  16 . A second embodiment of weldment plate spacer support is shown in FIG. 4 generally at  20 ′. In this embodiment, body portion  22 ′ is formed by a first component  32 ′ and a second component  34 ′ that can be longitudinally moved with respect to each other to vary the length, as desired. This variation in length is effected by rotating one of the components  32 ′,  34 ′ with respect to the other. The complementarily engaged threads  33 ′ and  35 ′ will produce the desired variation in length. The head  31 ′ of first component  32 ′ is designed for attachment to a weldment plate  12  that has no projections. An adhesive  37 ′ such as LIQUID NAILS may be used to secure the spacer support  20 ′ to the surface  13  of weldment plate  12 . A minimum of three spacer supports  20 ′ dispersed in a triangular pattern is preferred to assure stable placement of the weldment plate  12 , although two would be sufficient.  
         [0027]    In use (FIG. 3), weldment plate spacer supports  20  are attached to weldment plate  11  as by snapping finger portions  29  over projection heads  16 . The length of spacer supports  20  will have been previously adjusted to position the surface  14  at the desired reference plane with respect to upper surface  19  of concrete wall  18 . The thusly equipped weldment plate  11  is situated inside concrete forms on surface which may, for example, be a plastic sheeting material, and concrete  17  poured into forms. Weldment plate spacer supports  20  hold plates  11  in the desired position while the concrete  17  sets up. When the concrete  17  has properly set, tilt-up wall  18  can be uprighted and secured in position. The smallness of points  25  will have minimal/no effect on the surface treatment required to finish wall surface  21 .  
         [0028]    In order that a large head securement  28  can be employed with various diameter heads  16  of Nelson studs  15 , flat walled doughnut shaped spacers  44  can be placed on the heads to secure a good fit (FIG. 5). The doughnut shaped spacers can be employed using the head securement  28  described above or the shelve and resilient clip securement described below.  
         [0029]    An alternative embodiment is shown in FIG. 6A, wherein a shelf  45  protrudes from leg  22 . Shelf  45  supports head  16  of Nelson stud  15 . Nelson stud  15  is held in place on leg  22  by resilient clip  47 . Leg  22  has spaced-apart weakened areas  40  (typically every one-fourth inch) so that leg  22  can be broken off for height adjustment. These break-off points  40  can actually be manufactured to any desired incremental dimension, e.g., ⅛ inch, ⅜ inch, etc.  
         [0030]    As is shown in FIG. 6B, two shelves  45  can be employed to support head  16  of Nelson stud  15 . The other elements of FIG. 6B are the same as those of FIG. 6A. The shelves  45  are spaced-apart and located below the resilient clip  47  so that the head portion  16  of the Nelson stud or projections  15  can be supported in relation to the elongate body  22  by resting thereon.  
         [0031]    Turning now to FIG. 7, there is shown a continuous shelve  49  in combination with a resilient clip  47  in combination with a spacer support  20 ′. The operation of spacer support  20 ′ is discussed above in the description of FIG. 4.  
         [0032]    FIGS.  8 - 11  depict another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the elongate body portion  62  is generally T-shaped with a generally circular horizontal upper portion  70  and a stem portion  72  depending therefrom. Means for joining the elongate body upper portion  70  with the weldment plate projections  16  includes clamping means  60 .  
         [0033]    As shown in FIG. 9, two opposite and generally C-shaped portions  68  are joined at corresponding opposite ends with hinge means  74  to selectively open and clamp the C-shaped portions  68 . The C-shaped portions  68  further have locking means, shown as  64   a , 64   b  in the drawing, to maintain the C-shaped portions in a clamped position. It is understood that other locking means are contemplated and that shown is simply one typical application. The use of teeth or gripping means  64   a  for the locking means allows for fine adjustment, making a snug fit for the different manufactures and variance of sizes with weldment plate projections and heads.  
         [0034]    The lower portion of the C-shaped portions  68  preferably includes a seating portion or inner shelf  66  upon which the upper portion  70  rests.  
         [0035]    The C-shaped portions  68  are sized to secure and clamp together the head portion  16  of the weldment plate projections and the elongate body upper portion  70  with the elongate body upper portion  70  underlying the head portion  16 . The stem portion  72  can have adjustable means, including break off segments, similar to the previously described embodiments. The stem portion can also have a number of cross-sectional shapes, including those shown as typical examples, in FIG. 11, where  72   a  is has a round cross-section,  72   b  has a triangular cross-section,  72   c  has a square cross-section and  72   d  has a “plus” or cross cross-section.  
         [0036]    As with the other previous embodiments, the material to make this embodiment can be plastic, metal, powdered metal and combinations thereof. The hinge means  70  can be made as a thin section of plastic or be incorporated with stamped metal.  
         [0037]    Various changes, alternatives and modifications will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art following a reading of the foregoing specification. For example, while the two component adjustable embodiment has been depicted only with the flat head design, it will be understood it can easily be adapted for use with the fingered securement head  28 . It is intended that any such changes, alternatives and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims be considered part of the present invention.