Concrete slab load transfer apparatus and method of manufacturing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11434612-B2
Application number	US-202017092902-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2020
Priority date	Mar 9, 2018
Publication date	Sep 6, 2022
Grant date	Sep 6, 2022

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a cast-in-place concrete slab load transfer apparatus and method of manufacturing same. In various embodiments, the concrete slab load transfer apparatus includes a plurality of load transfer dowels each having a top surface and a bottom surface, a basket supporting the load transfer dowels, and a plurality of welds including a plurality of breakable welds connecting the bottom surfaces of the load transfer dowels to the basket.

First claim

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. A concrete slab load transfer apparatus comprising:
a plurality of load transfer dowels each having a top surface and a bottom surface;
a basket supporting the load transfer dowels, the basket including a first leg and a second leg; and
a plurality of welds connecting the load transfer dowels to the first leg and to the second leg of the basket, wherein for each of the load transfer dowels, the welds include a breakable weld attaching that load transfer dowel to one of the first and second legs, and a stronger weld attaching that load transfer dowel to the other of the first and second legs.

2. The concrete slab load transfer apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the load transfer dowels are only attached to the first and second legs by the welds.

3. The concrete slab load transfer apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first leg includes an elongated first lower member, an elongated first upper member, and a first plurality of spaced apart member connectors connecting the elongated first lower member and the elongated first upper member.

4. The concrete slab load transfer apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the second leg includes an elongated second lower member, an elongated second upper member, and a second plurality of spaced apart member connectors connecting the elongated second lower member and the elongated second upper member.

5. The concrete slab load transfer apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of welds including the breakable welds connect the bottom surfaces of the load transfer dowels to the elongated first upper member of the first leg and the elongated second upper member of the second leg.

6. The concrete slab load transfer apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the breakable welds attaching the load transfer dowels to the first leg of the basket enables separation of that load transfer dowel from the first leg of the basket after installation of the concrete slab load transfer apparatus.

7. The concrete slab load transfer apparatus of claim 6 , wherein each of the breakable welds attaching the load transfer dowels to the second leg of the basket enables separation of that load transfer dowel from the second leg of the basket after installation of the concrete slab load transfer apparatus.

8. The concrete slab load transfer apparatus of claim 7 , wherein for a first one of the load transfer dowels, the breakable weld attaching said first load transfer dowel to the first leg is a breakable spot weld and the weld attaching said first load transfer dowel to the second leg is a different weld.

9. The concrete slab load transfer apparatus of claim 8 , wherein for a second one of the load transfer dowels, the breakable weld attaching said second load transfer dowel to the second leg is a breakable spot weld and the weld attaching said second load transfer dowel to the first leg is a different weld.

10. A concrete slab load transfer apparatus comprising:
a basket including a first leg and a second leg; and
a plurality of load transfer dowels each having a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein each of the plurality of load transfer dowels is attached to: (a) one of the first leg and the second leg by a breakable first spot weld; and (b) the other one of the first leg and the second leg by a stronger second weld.

11. The concrete slab load transfer apparatus of claim 10 , wherein each of the plurality of load transfer dowels is only attached to the first leg and the second leg by the respective breakable first spot weld and the respective second weld.

12. The concrete slab load transfer apparatus of claim 10 , wherein each of the breakable first spot welds attaching one of the load transfer dowels to one of the first and second leg of the basket enable separation of that load transfer dowel from that leg of the basket after installation.

13. The concrete slab load transfer apparatus of claim 10 , wherein for a first one of the load transfer dowels, the breakable first spot weld attaches the first load transfer dowel to the first leg.

14. The concrete slab load transfer apparatus of claim 13 , wherein for a second one of the load transfer dowels, the breakable first spot weld attaches the second load transfer dowel to the second leg.

15. The concrete slab load transfer apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the second welds are line welds.

16. A method of manufacturing a concrete slab load transfer apparatus, said method comprising:
positioning a plurality of load transfer dowels on a support, the plurality of load transfer dowels each having a first end and a second end;
positioning first and second legs of a basket above and adjacent to the plurality of load transfer dowels; and
attaching the first and second legs to each of the plurality of load transfer dowels using, for each of the plurality of load transfer dowels, a breakable spot weld and a second weld, and which includes, for a first one of the load transfer dowels, forming the breakable spot weld to attach the first load transfer dowel to the first leg and forming the second weld as a line weld to attach the first load transfer dowel to the second leg.

17. The method of claim 16 , which includes positioning the first and second legs adjacent to bottom surfaces of the load transfer dowels before forming the welds.

18. The method of claim 16 , which includes, for each of the load transfer dowels, forming the breakable spot weld to attach that load transfer dowel to one of the first and second legs of the basket to enable separation of that load transfer dowel from that leg of the basket after installation.

19. The method of claim 16 , which includes, for a second one of the load transfer dowels, forming the second weld as a line weld to attach the second load transfer dowel to the first leg and forming the breakable spot weld to attach the second load transfer dowel to the second leg.

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Rodden Robert Alan
• Ali Zafar Imtiaz
• St Louis Matthew Douglas
• Riffle Randall Derek
• Kao Eddie
• Hall Jimmy Lee

Classifications

• E01C11/14 Primary

  Dowel assembly {; Design or construction of reinforcements in the area of joints (coupling devices for prefabricated units E01C5/005; combined with characteristic packings E01C11/08 - E01C11/12; removable holders E01C23/045)} · CPC title

• E04B5/32

  Floor structures wholly cast in situ with or without form units or reinforcements · CPC title

• E04C5/163

  the reinforcements running in one single direction · CPC title

• E04C5/0604

  Prismatic or cylindrical reinforcement cages composed of longitudinal bars and open or closed stirrup rods (E04C5/0631 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E04B2103/02

  of ceramics, concrete or other stone-like material · CPC title