Abstract:
A sheetmetal mud-sill anchor for anchoring a sill plate to a concrete foundation having an embedded leg and a pair of laterally spaced arms connected to the upper end of the leg extending away from the embedded leg. The arms are adapted for bending around a sill member and have fastener openings for connecting the anchor to the sill member.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     There are several different accepted ways to attach a wood sill plate to the top of a foundation wall or slab. One way is to set threaded anchor bolts into the concrete foundation and pour the uncured concrete around the bolts. Holes are then drilled in the sill plate and the plate is then set on the foundation with the anchor bolts protruding through the openings in the sill plate. 
     Several sheet metal connectors have been designed to replace or provide alternatives to using threaded anchor bolts to connect the sill plate or mud sill to the foundation. Examples of such sheet metal anchors are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,889,441, 3,750,360, 4,413,456 and 4,739,598. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,889,441 and 3,750,360 are designed with a pair of arms which protrude on either side of the sill plate. The arm on the inner side of the plate, like an anchor bolt placed in the foundation can interfere with the process of screeding and trowling the slab. The present invention is similar to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,413,456 and 4,739,598, and improves upon them. 
     The present invention has been designed so that multiple anchors can be spaced along the edge of a foundation with the same spacing that would be used with two of the more common anchor bolt sizes for anchoring a mud sill, specifically anchors bolts having a diameter of either ½″ or 5/8″. That is to say, the mud-sill anchor of the present invention is strong enough to replace a typical, commercially used anchor bolt of either ⅝″ or ½″ diameter set in the same concrete foundation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The anchor of the present invention provides a cost effective and convenient way to anchor a mudsill to a poured concrete foundation. 
     The anchor of the present invention provides reinforcing to the top-attachment arms to strengthen the anchor. 
     The parallel top-attachment arms provide spacing which meets the requirements of the international conference of building officials (uniform building code) for six (6) or eight (8) nail attachment to the mud sill. 
     The heavily bossed and footed embeddment element provides full withdrawal resistance in any direction. 
     The mud sill anchor can be placed either prior to or immediately after the pouring of the concrete. 
     The present invention provides an anchor which can be attached to the form by driving a flat-head nail through the anchor and into the form, and because of the shape of the anchor and the placement of the nail through the connector into the form, the form board can be stripped from the foundation when the concrete has cured without requiring the removal of the nail attaching the connector to the form. 
     The anchor permits full finishing operations of the concrete without interference from upright elements or double-nail heads. 
     A pair of tab members provides placement stability when the anchor is attached to the foundation form. 
     After installation, the anchor has no upstanding elements and therefore a frame wall does not have to be lifted over any upstanding anchor members. 
     The anchor is shaped and embedded in the concrete in such a manner that there is minimal exposure of the metal of the connector to the elements after the form boards are stripped from the concrete foundation, so as to prevent rusting of the hanger. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  is a top plan view of the sheet metal blank from which the mud sill anchor of the present invention is constructed. 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the anchor of the present invention as constructed from the blank of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view of a portion of the anchor taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a front elevation view of the anchor shown in  FIG. 2  taken in the direction of arrows  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a side elevation view of the anchor with portions in cross section. The anchor is shown embedded in a concrete foundation and attached to a form board. The sill member is illustrated to show its location after the form board has been removed. 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of the anchor connected to the sill member. The concrete foundation is shown in cross section. 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of the anchor member attached to a sill member as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The sheet metal mudsill anchor  1  of the present invention is used for anchoring a sill plate  2  to a concrete foundation  3 . The foundation has a top surface  13  and a perimeter face  104  that meets the top surface at a perimeter edge  105 . The anchor is temporarily attached to a form member  4  by means such as a nail  6 . The anchor is preferably formed from a single piece of sheet metal as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The anchor consists briefly of an embedded leg  7  having a distal end  8 . 
     The embedded leg  7  is positioned downwardly at an angle within the foundation  3  and away from the form member or form board  4 . The embedded leg  7  has an upper end portion  9  that is formed with a T-shaped member  10  for receiving a first mud-sill attachment arm  12  integrally connected to the upper end of the T-shaped member  10  and extends above and outwardly from the form board  4 , during pouring of the concrete, wherein the plane of the arm is generally parallel to the top surface  13  of the foundation. The first mud-sill attachment arm  12  connects to the T-shaped member  10  at bend line  51  which is positioned at the upper terminal edge  106  of leg  7 . 
     A second mud-sill attachment arm  14  integrally connected to the other side of the T-shaped member  10  extends above and outwardly from the form board  4  in generally the same plane as the first mud-sill attachment arm  12  and generally parallel thereto, during the pouring of the concrete. The second mud-sill attachment arm  14  connects to the T-shaped member  10  at bend line  51 . 
     A central, bridge member  100  disposed on the same side of bend line  51  and upper terminal edge  106  of leg  7  as the first and second mud-sill attachment arms  12  and  14  provides a direct connection between the first mud-sill attachment arm  12  and the second mud-sill attachment arm  14  on the side of bend line  51  to which the first and second mud-sill attachment arms  12  and  14  are disposed. Central, bridge member  100  has a preferably scalloped outer edge  101 . Central, bridge member is preferably substantially planar with first and second mud-sill attachment arms  12  and  14 . In the preferred embodiment, three (3), linearly arranged obround openings  102  are formed in the connector along the bend line  51  to provide controlled weakening of the connector so it can be bent in the field as needed. 
     Anchor leg  7  is formed with an embossment  16  which extends substantially the length of the leg  7 . 
     Preferably, the distal end  8  of the leg  7  is formed with an angularly upturned portion  17  which increases the mechanical engagement with the foundation  3 . 
     Arms  12  and  14  are formed with longitudinally aligned embossed portions  18 ,  19 ,  20  and  21  and are made pre-bent along bend line  51  to a 45 degree angle for the most preferred positioning of the anchor  1  in the foundation  3 . 
     The arms  12  and  14  each have a length selected for extending up the side edge  22  and over a substantial portion of the upper side  23  of the sill  2 . The embossed portions  18 - 21  are interrupted at each of two selected bend points  24 - 27  which occur at the edges  28  and  29  of the sill  2 . 
     Arms  12  and  14  are formed with fastener openings  31 - 36  for driving fasteners  37 - 42  therethrough and into the sill  2 . 
     A restricted opening  44  is formed in the upper end of leg  7  for receiving fastener  6  positioned for engaging the form member  4  and permitting the removal of the form member  4  without withdrawing the fastener  6  from the form  4 . 
     Positioning tabs  45  and  49  may be formed from leg  7  and bent along bend lines  46  and  54  so that it extends rearwardly and engages the face  11  of the foundation form member  4 . When the ends  47  and  55  of tabs  45  and  49  engage the face of the foundation, they cooperate with the arms  12  and  14  resting on top edge  56  of the form in positioning the anchor at a preselected angle  48  with respect to the form member  4 . 
     As an example, referring to  FIG. 1 , the anchor  1  may be formed from a 16 gauge galvanized steel blank 3″×10.25″. The leg member  7  to be embedded in concrete is approximately 6.0″ long, with a boss  16  having a 0.625″×0.3125″ draw depth, terminating in a 0.875″ bossed hook element  17  bent to 90 degrees along bend line  53 . Two 0.9375″ by 0.3125″ tapered positioning tabs  45  and  49  are provided at 90 degrees from the leg  7  for standoff positioning purposes when the unit is installed at the required 45 degree angle. Installed, the vertical embedded depth is approximately four (4) inches. The two (2) legs  12  and  14  are 4.25″ long, each having two bosses and four holes sized for N10 nails. 
     Installation assumes concrete having minimum compressive strength characteristics to meet typical code requirements, with spacing and other location control in accordance with typically used building codes in the United States. The legs  12  and  14  are so configured as to provide code-spaced nailing for eight (8) 10d or N10 (1.5″ long) nails when attached to mudsills of nominal 2″ by 4″, 3″ by 4″, 2″ by 6″, 3″ by 6″ or like dimensions. 
     Installation is permitted wherever not less than four (4) inches of concrete depth is provided. If such depth is over a horizontal cold joint such as to a concrete foundation wall, or foundation wall formed of concrete block, then separate means must be provided as required for connecting the elements adjacent to the horizontal cold joint. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5 ,  6  and  7 , the anchor  1  is preferably installed prior to pouring the concrete slab. The anchor is placed as shown in  FIG. 5 . Nail  6  is driven through opening  44  into form board  4 . 
     After the concrete is poured and sets, the form board  4  may be stripped from the foundation  3  without removing nail  6 . Preferably no other nails are driven through the arms  12  and  14  into the form boards  4 . 
     Because of the shape of the leg  7 , the position, shape and angle of tabs  45  and  49  to leg  7 , and the placement of the attachment nail  6 , when the form board  4  is removed only the ends  47  and  55  of tabs  45  and  49 , nail  6  and the upper terminal edge  106  of the upper end  9  of the leg  6  are exposed below the top surface  13  of the concrete foundation  3 , minimizing the exposure of the anchor  1  to the elements which could cause corrosion of the anchor  1  and the weakening of the connection. 
     To complete the connection, the bottom side  57  of mudsill  2  is placed on top of the concrete  13  and arms  12  and  14  are bent upwardly 90 degrees in areas  24  and  26 , along side edge  22  of the sill member. The arms  12  and  14  are then bent again in areas  25  and  27  so that the arms are in contact with the upper face  23  of the sill member. Nails  37 - 42  are then driven into the sill member  2 . 
     The mudsill anchor  1  is designed so that there is a minimum waste in cutting and so that cutting and forming may be accomplished by progressive die techniques. For example, the leg  7  has an unformed width of 1.25″ and this is the dimension between legs  12  and  14 . Preferably the T-shaped member  10  is embossed in portions  58  to strengthen the upper end  9  of the leg member  7 .