Abstract:
A sheathing-retention device, for securing sheathing against a wall having at least one protruding wall-tie with a substantially rectangular cross-sectional profile, includes a sheathing-retention device having a sheathing-engagement surface for abutting an exterior surface of the sheathing, and a press-fit type tie holder portion with a channel orthogonally formed with respect to the sheathing-engagement surface, the channel having a substantially rectangular cross-sectional profile approximating that of the wall tie and being dimensionally adapted for snugly fitting around the wall-tie when the sheathing-retention device is urged onto the wall-tie by having at least a portion of the channel with cross-sectional dimensions less than rectangular dimensions of the wall-tie cross-section, the channel extending through both the sheathing-supporting portion and the press-fit type tie holder portion.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention is related generally to insulation sheathing and, more particularly, to devices and methods for retaining insulating sheathing to the foundation of a building. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Installing insulation against the walls and foundations of building structures is well known in the art. Insulation is used to hold heat within a building thereby making heating systems more efficient while at the same time preventing moisture from damaging the walls of a structure. In many communities, below-grade insulation is required by local building code. 
   At present, prior to pouring concrete walls, vertical forms, most typically comprised of plywood sheets, are positioned in parallel, opposing pairs to form an interior cavity into which the fluid concrete is poured. The forms are held in the fixed vertical orientation during the pouring process by form ties, which are most typically of metal. These ties extend between the forms within the interior cavity and then through each of the forms to the exterior of the forms where a cross-member is placed into the tie to prevent the forms from moving outwardly. Once a poured-concrete wall has cured sufficiently, the forms are removed, leaving embedded within the wall, metal wall ties. In present usage, the portion of the wall ties extending out from the surface of the wall presents a surface discontinuity which makes the flush installation of a sheet of insulation to the wall surface impossible. The portion of the tie extending out from the wall must be removed. The removal is accomplished by a general laborer using a tool specially designed for removal of the tie. The tool is slid over the tie to a point where the tool envelopes the entire portion of the tie to be removed, then the tool is rotated snapping the metal tie nearly flush with the surface of the wall. This procedure is carried out one tie at a time, one side at a time. The removal process thus results in the incurrence of capital expenses for the tool and labor costs for its use. 
   After removal of the exposed portions of the ties, sheathing in the form of sheets of insulation is positioned against the relatively smooth walls. Most of the insulation and the portion of the wall to which the insulation is attached is then buried in a backfill operation. To hold the sheathing in place during the backfill operation, prior to backfilling, metal tacks or bolts are shot through the sheathing into the concrete by means of an explosive-charge delivered by a specially designed gun. The tacking operation involves additional costs for materials and labor. Moreover, the existing method involves safety risks through malfunction or improper use of the explosive-charge gun, and through the creation of shards as the metal contacts the hardened concrete. 
   A device and method for applying and retaining insulating sheathing to a poured concrete wall without the need to remove the ties originally imbedded in the wall and without the need to drive metal pieces into hardened concrete, would be an important improvement in the art. 
   OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
   It is an object of the invention to provide a device and method for retaining insulating sheathing to foundation walls that overcomes some of the shortcomings of the prior art. 
   It is another object of the invention to provide a device and method for using the wall ties for sheath retention. 
   Still another object of the invention is to provide a device and method for obviating the need to remove wall ties from a cured poured wall. 
   Another object of the invention is to provide a device and method for reducing construction labor costs by obviating the need to remove the wall ties. 
   It is still another object of the invention to reduce the construction labor and material costs by obviating the need to install another retention means into the hardened, poured-concrete wall. 
   Yet another object of the invention is to provide a device and method for covering the ends of wall ties extending from a poured-concrete wall in order to help protect construction workers from injury therefrom prior to a backfilling operation. 
   How these and other objects are accomplished will become apparent from the following descriptions and from the drawings. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention involves a sheathing-retention device for supporting sheathing against a surface. The sheathing-retention device has a rigid sheathing-engagement portion having an outer surface and an inner surface; and has a tie-engagement portion located with respect to the inner surface. In this way, an end of a wall-tie extending out from the surface (e.g., of a wall) may be received and engaged by the tie-engagement portion while at the same time, the sheathing-engagement portion is in contact with the sheathing, holding the sheathing against the surface (e.g., of the wall). It is preferred that the sheathing-engagement portion is substantially plate-like. 
   In another embodiment, the tie-engagement portion is at least two prongs extending from the inner surface, configured and arranged to engage the wall-tie between the at least two prongs. In a different embodiment, the tie-engagement portion is a sleeve extending from the inner surface. In this latter embodiment, the sleeve has a concave interior space, into which the wall-tie is engaged. 
   In a still different embodiment, the sheathing-engaging portion has an aperture extending through it to the outer surface thereby creating the tie-engagement portion. It is more preferable in this embodiment for the tie-engagement portion to comprise a sleeve extending from the inner surface of the sheathing-attachment portion surrounding the aperture and extending from the aperture; in this way, the aperture stems through the sleeve to the outer surface. It is yet more preferable in this embodiment for the sleeve to have a distal port of a first aperture-cross-sectional area and a proximal port, proximate to the sheathing-engagement portion, of a second aperture-cross-sectional area smaller than the first aperture-cross-sectional area. There is a taper of the aperture from the distal port to the proximal port of the sleeve whereby the end of the wall-tie may be easily inserted into the distal port to a point within the aperture of the sleeve. Due to the taper, the wall-tie will snugly engage the sheathing-retention device. 
   It is preferable in this embodiment for the inner surface of the sheathing-engagement portion to substantially surround the sleeve and to be of a shape complementary to the a surface of the sheathing with which it will be in contact when the sheathing-retention device is in snug engagement with the wall-tie. It is more preferable for the sheathing-retention device to have the outer surface of the sheathing-engagement portion flat. It is yet more preferable if the outer surface of the sheathing-engagement portion is suited to be struck with a blunt object, such as a hammer, in order to urge the sheathing-retention device into snug engagement with the wall-tie. 
   In the embodiment in which the sleeve has a distal port of a first aperture-cross-sectional area and a proximal port, proximate to the sheathing-engagement portion, of a second aperture-cross-sectional area smaller than the first aperture-cross-sectional area, it is more preferable when the second aperture-cross-sectional area has a shape generally conforming to the cross-sectional shape of the end of the wall-tie and has dimensions generally no larger than the cross-sectional area of a portion of the wall-tie remote from the end, and the outer surface of the sheathing-engagement portion is suited to engage the sheathing. In this way, the end of the wall-tie may be urged into the proximal port of the sleeve into snug engagement with the sheathing-retention device. It is yet more preferable for the distal end of the sleeve to be suited to be struck with a blunt object in order to urge the sheathing-retention device into snug engagement with the wall-tie. 
   Another aspect of this invention is a method for affixing a panel to a masonry wall having an exterior surface and a wall-tie protruding from the exterior surface. The method includes the steps of: (a) pushing the panel toward the exterior surface, thereby causing the wall-tie to penetrate the panel; (b) providing a sheathing-retention device having a tie-engagement portion and a panel-retention portion; and (c) urging the tie-engagement portion into engagement with and along the wall-tie toward the exterior surface of the wall, thereby affixing the panel to the wall. 
   In one embodiment of the method, the tie-engagement portion includes an aperture having a shape generally conforming to the cross-sectional shape of the wall-tie, thereby causing frictional engagement of the tie-engagement portion with the wall-tie. It is preferable in this embodiment for the urging step to include urging the panel-retention portion into frictional engagement with the wall-tie. 
   In another embodiment of the method, the urging step includes urging the panel-retention portion against the panel. 
   A third aspect of the invention, involves a poured-concrete wall having (a) an exterior surface and (b) at least one wall-tie imbedded in and extending out from the exterior surface. The improvement comprises: an insulating panel against the exterior surface and impaled on the at least one wall-tie; and a panel-mounting member frictionally engaging the at least one wall-tie and abutting the panel. In this way, the panel is secured to the wall. 
   In one embodiment of this aspect, the panel-mounting member is dimensioned to fully obscure the at least one wall-tie. 
   In another embodiment of this aspect, the panel-mounting member is configured to present a profile substantially flush with an outer surface of the panel when the panel-mounting member is frictionally engaged with the at least one wall-tie. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The drawings illustrate preferred embodiments which include the above-noted characteristics and features of the invention. The invention will be readily understood from the descriptions and drawings. In the drawings: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the sheath-retaining device of this invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a face view of the sheath-retaining device of this invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a side view of the sheath-retaining device. 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the device of  FIG. 2  taken along the lines  4 - 4 . 
       FIG. 5  is a back view of the sheath-retaining device. 
       FIG. 6  is a front view of an alternate embodiment of the sheath-retaining device. 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a wall section with insulation held in place by the sheath-retaining device. 
       FIG. 8  is a side sectional view of a cured masonry wall with form ties extending out therefrom. 
       FIG. 9  is a partial cross-sectional side view of a masonry wall with wall ties and insulation. 
       FIG. 10  is a partial cross-sectional side view of a masonry wall with a wall tie, sheathed with insulation. 
       FIG. 11  is a partial cross-sectional side view of a masonry wall with a wall tie of a longer length than the wall tie of  FIG. 10 , sheathed with insulation. 
       FIG. 12  is a partial cross-sectional side view of a masonry wall with a wall tie of a narrower width than the wall tie of  FIG. 10 , sheathed with insulation. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIGS. 1-5  show a preferred embodiment of the sheath-retaining device  20 . The back of device  20  consists of a plate-like sheathing-engaging portion  22 . The sheathing-engaging portion  22  has a front face  24  and a back face  26 . Each face  24 ,  26  is flat to maximize the surface engagement interface between the particular face  24 ,  26  and the outer surface  28  of the sheet of insulation  30  (seen in  FIG. 7 ). 
   The functionality of the device is not dependent on the shape of the sheathing-engaging portion  22 . For purposes of illustration, the shape depicted is a substantially circular disk. It has been found that the one (1) inch radius circular sheathing-retention portion  22 , providing approximately three (3) square inches of interface surface area is a satisfactory balance between providing sufficient surface interface and minimizing material cost per unit. Yet, as seen in  FIG. 6 , the functioning of a device  21  is not encumbered by the removal of material to create a series of holes  23 , thereby reducing the amount of material used. 
   Returning to  FIGS. 1-5 , extending out from the front face  24  is a tie-engaging portion  32 . The tie-engaging portion  32  must be capable of holding the sheathing-engaging portion  22  to a wall tie  42 . As such is the case, the tie engaging portion  32  can be a simple two prongs of resilient material dimensioned to hold the wall tie  42  between them. Nonetheless, it is desirable to maintain a tight grip on wall tie  42  and hence the preferred embodiment depicted seeks to maximize the tie-engaging surface. 
   The tie-engaging portion  32  has a length dimension measured out from the front face  24  along the tie-engaging portion  32 . It is desirable to have the length of the tie-engaging portion  32  no greater than the width of a sheet of insulation  30 . Toward that end, a preferred embodiment of the device  20  to accommodate a majority of sheathing, has a tie-engaging-portion length of no greater than three-quarters (¾) of an inch. 
   This particular embodiment described is ambidextrous in that a wall tie  42  may engage the device  20  through either the front port  36  as seen in  FIG. 10  or by insertion into the back port  38  as shown in  FIG. 11 . Although the particular embodiment described is ambidextrous, it is expected that the most common use of the device  20  will be in applications where insertion of the wall tie  42  is through the front port  36 . 
   In addition to being ambidextrous the embodiment depicted in  FIGS. 1-5  is versatile. 
   The tie-engaging portion  32  defines a channel  34  through the device  20 . As seen in  FIG. 4 , channel  34  includes a front port  36  and a back port  38 . The longitudinal inner surface  40  of the channel  34  is tapered from the front port  36  to the back port  38 . The purpose of the taper is to facilitate engagement with a wall tie  42  (shown in  FIGS. 8-11 ). 
   Wall ties  42  are typically made of metal for strength. Wall ties  42  are slab-like with a length, width, and depth (the smallest dimension). The wall ties  42  in current use, regardless of length, typically fall into either of two dimensional styles: wall ties of the first style are of a width of three-quarters (¾) of an inch and of depth of approximately one-eighth (⅛) of an inch, while wall ties of the second style have a width of approximately one and one-half (1½) inches and a depth of approximately three thirty-seconds ( 3/32) of an inch. 
   The channel  34  is dimensioned to receive the wall tie  42 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the two-dimensional opening of the front port  36  has a width extending longitudinally and a smaller depth dimension extending laterally across the port. As seen in  FIGS. 1 ,  2 , and  5 , the front port  36  has a front-port shape with an enwidened central portion having a first depth d 1 , and with narrower exterior portions on the longitudinal extremes with a second depth d 2 . Having a front-port shape with two depth dimensions d 1 , d 2  the versatile device  20  may be installed as shown in  FIG. 12  with the narrower wall tie  42  of the first depth or as shown in  FIG. 10  with the wider wall tie  42  of the second depth. 
   Correspondingly, the back port  38  has a back-port shape similar to the front-port shape with an enwidened central portion having a first depth d 1 ′, and with narrower exterior portions on the longitudinal extremes with a second depth d 2 ′. 
   The dimensions d 1 , d 2  are greater than the dimensions d 1 ′, d 2 ′, respectively, to provide a taper along the interior walls  40  of the channel  34 . The taper is dimensioned such that d 1  is greater than the depth of the wall tie  42  of the first type, while d 1 ′ is slightly less than the depth of the same wall tie  42  such that when the protruding end of the wall tie  42  is inserted into the front port  36  of the device  20 , and the device  20  is urged onto the wall tie  42  by pressure applied to the back face  26  (for instance, with a strike from a hammer  46 ), until the front face  24  engages the outer surface  28  of the sheet of insulation  30 . The back port  38  with dimension d 1 ′, will snugly and frictionally engage the wall tie  42  resisting dislodgement. 
   In a similar manner, d 2  is greater than the depth of the wall tie  42  of the second type while d 2 ′ is slightly less than the depth of the same wall tie  42 . 
   Alternatively, the protruding end of the wall tie  42  may be inserted into the back port  38  of the device  20 . When used in this orientation, the device  20  is urged onto the wall tie  42  by pressure applied to the front port frame  50  (shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) until the back face  26  engages the outer surface  28  of the sheet of insulation  30 . The portion of the channel  34  adjacent to the back port  38  with dimension d 1 ′, will snugly and frictionally engage the wall tie  42  resisting dislodgement. 
     FIGS. 8 ,  9 , and  10  show one method of using the sheath-retaining device  20  to hold Styrofoam insulation sheets  30  to a pre-cured wall  44 . 
   A poured and cured concrete wall  44  is shown. Prior to use of the device  20 , wall forms (most typically sheets of plywood) were located and held in place at their location by the wall ties  42  extending through the cavity between the forms; some at the junction between adjacent forms, some within the body of a particular form. After placement of the forms, a concrete slurry was poured into the cavity. When holding the wall forms, the ties  42  are spaced in an even array, forming vertical rows and horizontal placement lines. Subsequent to setting, the wall forms are removed with the wall ties  42  imbedded within the cured concrete  44  in the form-holding array, leaving the ends of the wall ties  42 , which had held the forms in place, protruding from the surface of the cured wall  44 . As the wall ties  42  are standard, the ends of each protrude out from the concrete wall  44  a uniform distance. The array facilitates placement of the Styrofoam insulation sheets  30 . Insulation sheets  30  have surface dimensions which are approximately the same dimensions as the form, and a sheet depth at least equal to the distance the wall ties  42  extend out from the concrete wall  44 . Insulation sheets  30  are placed against the cured wall  44  such that one vertical edge  48  abuts a vertical row of the array of wall ties  42  protruding from the concrete wall  44  and the opposite corresponding vertical edge  48  will abut another vertical row of the array of wall ties  42  with an intervening vertical row of the array of wall ties  42  extending up the middle of the insulation sheet  30 . Hand pressure is placed on the exterior surface  28  of the insulation sheet  30  such that the central vertical row of wall ties  42  pierce the sheet  30  to a point where the outermost portion of the free end of the wall tie  42  is nearly flush with the exterior surface of the insulation sheet  30 . The sheath-retaining device  20  is positioned such that the front face  24  is nearest insulation sheet  30  and the protruding end of the wall tie  42  is entering the channel  34  at the front port  36 . A hammer or mallet  46  is used to strike the back face  26  of the sheath-engaging portion  22  thereby driving the protruding end of the wall tie  42  into the channel  34  toward the back port  38  to a point at which the front face  24  is in contact with the outer surface  28  of the insulation sheet  30  and the wall tie  42  is in snug engagement with the channel walls  40 . 
     FIGS. 8 and 11  show an alternate method of using the sheath-retaining device  20  to hold insulation sheets  30  to a pre-cured concrete wall  44 . 
   A poured and cured concrete wall  44  is shown. In a manner described in the above method embodiment, after the wall forms are removed, the wall ties  42  are imbedded within the cured concrete wall  44  in the form-holding array, leaving the ends of the wall ties  42 , which had held the forms in place, protruding from the surface of the cured concrete wall  44 . Insulation sheets  30  used in this method have surface dimensions which are approximately the same dimensions as the form, and a sheet depth of a dimension less than the distance the wall ties  42  extend out from the concrete wall  44 . Insulation sheets  30  are placed against the cured concrete wall  44  such that one vertical edge  48  abuts a vertical row of the array of wall ties  42  protruding from the concrete  44  and the opposite corresponding vertical edge  48  will abut another vertical row of the array of wall ties  42  with an intervening vertical row of the array of wall ties  42  extending up the middle of the insulation sheet  30 . Hand pressure is placed on the exterior surface  28  of the insulation sheet  30  such that the central vertical row wall ties  42  pierce the insulation sheet  30  to a point where the outermost portion of the free end of the wall tie  42  is nearly flush with the exterior surface of the insulation sheet  30 . The sheath-retaining device  20  is placed such that the back face  26  is nearest the sheet of insulation  30 . The back port  38  is positioned to engage the protruding end of the wall tie  42 . A hammer or mallet  46  is used to strike the front port frame  50  or front face  24  in a manner such that the protruding end of the wall tie  42  is driven into snug engagement with the channel  34  and the back face  26  is in contact with the insulation sheet  30 . 
   While the principles of the invention have been shown and described in connection with but a few embodiments, it is to be understood clearly that such embodiments are by way of example and are not limiting.