PORTABLE BEARING DEVICE OF ROD AND METHOD
Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the field of construction equipment. More specifically, the present invention relates to a portable system, operated hydraulically, for the efficient and structurally resistant bending of reinforcing steel that emerges from a surface, or has not yet been placed on the surface, with minimal effort and maximum security for the user. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In construction, reinforcing steel can be supplied in a variety of different ways. Typically, reinforcing steel is known as a rod, and is available in a variety of diameters and textures. The most common texture is that of a double spiral helical surface, which forms a pair of opposite spiral patterns, seen from one end of the rod to the other. The raised spiral surfaces allow the rod to mesh with the concrete commonly known as deformed rod or rod. In cases where the rod can either be constructed along with, or inserted into, the cement, the rod extends vertically from the cement surface of the freshly dried concrete.
The need not to bend the rod should not be overlooked. Even though the rod is pre-bent in order to give it convenient shapes to reinforce the concrete, it will be necessary to leave the ends straight until after casting, since the level of the concrete can vary depending on the accuracy of the casting. It is important the shape and extension of the rod that exists after the concrete form is made, for the structural integrity of the other concrete forms that will be combined with the rod to be bent for an appropriate separation. In addition, the structural integrity of the exposed rod itself can be critical to the other structures that are formed with, and integral to, the bending rod. Where it is intended that the rod be bent without additional help, a corner bend is made on the surface of the cement. This is especially dangerous, and can virtually eliminate the usefulness of the exposed rod. In the best case, the rod can simply break. At least one complete fault will form a clear indication that there is no rod to use. A complete failure can cause the structure to completely re-strain, but at least it will not lead to relying on the damaged structure and, therefore, will result in a subsequent failure and possible loss of life.
Other methods may involve manual bending of the rod around an object placed adjacent to the area of the rod that extends into the concrete. There are many problems with this method. In some cases the object will move causing the thickness of the bending moment to occur on the surface of the concrete, with only a slight bend of inclination applied to the rest of the rod. In this case, the construction inspector may be tricked into believing that the rod is properly bent, when in fact the structural damage done is equivalent to that for a right angle bend. In addition, the size of the rod may cause a different result for different objects. The radius of the bend needs to be related to the size of the rod. A one-inch diameter rod should not be bent to a half-inch radius, and conversely, a quarter-inch rod should not be bent to a radius of 10 inches. It is also assumed that the bend terminates the rod, so that the tension force parallel to the rod as it extends from the concrete will not translate completely to an axial force with respect to the rod extending from the concrete . A sharper bend is associated with the creation of force against the bend, while a shallow bend allows the rod to exert more than one axial tensile force on the concrete within which it is placed. It is for these reasons that a soft and well-placed fold is so important to allow the resulting structure to take full advantage of all the force available on the rod, as well as the clamping force of the rod extending parallel to, and along, the surface of the concrete from which it extends. One result of the need for good placement is the need for a fold with uniform radius to occur at variable heights above the surface of the concrete. Where an object is used to assist bending of the rod, it will usually not have the stability to allow the bend to occur at different heights. Where the person who bends the rod is using force around an object, the object must be of the correct radius, and have an adequate height. It would be prohibitive for this object to be placed between extension lengths of the rod, particularly where the spacing is narrow, such as between approximately 30 cm and approximately 15 cm. In addition, workers may not be expected to physically transport this device, and may require the assistance of a crane. Even where a structure is used to bend the rod, the worker in construction must still bend. Typically this is done with mechanical advantage by using a tube placed on the end of the rod, combined with a pull or pull of the tube. Even where a structure of appropriate diameter is present, this casual bending is problematic for many reasons. First of all, bending might still not be appropriate. Second, the time for physical manipulation is prohibitive. Third, the bend could "catch" the device or die to which the rod is bent. The time consumed by a single worker to bend each set of rods, which is prohibitive, would be even worse if the manual bending results in the structure being trapped. A trapped structure can cause the worker to bend the rod backward to release the structure. Bending the rod in both directions weakens it significantly. What is needed, therefore, in the field of construction, is a device and method for enabling fast, safe, easy and firm bending of the rod. The device that is needed must have many characteristics that give it useful advantages at work. The characteristics must include the inability of the device to be "trapped". Bending must be achieved at variable heights above the level of the concrete surface. The bend should always produce a uniform radius of curvature. The bending must be automatic to eliminate the energy expenditure by the worker in construction. The device used for bending must be portable and as light as possible to facilitate its use between closely placed rods, and also at elevations significantly above ground level. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The portable pneumatic rod bending device and method of the present invention includes a hinged device having a base portion, a pivoting portion, and a pneumatic connecting cylinder operable to pivot the pivot portion with respect to to the base portion. The pivot shaft includes a wheel with radius having a "V" shaped surface groove towards which the radius of curvature of the rod is formed. Where necessary, the wheel with radius can be removed from the pivoting members where the required bend is so extreme that otherwise the device would be trapped. A pair of handles facilitate manual positioning and transport. A weak spring acts to reset the pivoting member with respect to the base member, once the pneumatically operated cylinder is depressurized. The weak spring prevents damage to the closure, since the presence of a hand or finger is more than enough to prevent the force of the spring acting to close the two limbs. An adjustment is provided to allow the bending machine to accept different sizes of rod to achieve an accurate 90 ° bend. The judgment or control of an operator can be used for a bend of less than 90 °. The device of the present invention can simply be raised against any suitable support to cause a fold with perfect radius to occur along the length of a piece of rod. In this way, once a suitable support is selected to achieve a fold height, the same support can be carried along with the device of the present invention, and placed on top of the concrete at each rod location to achieve the same fold at the same height . The support can be as simple as a simple section of planking or a two-by-four, and therefore it is easily transported together with the device of the present invention. The device of the present invention is constructed in such a way that the cylinder will not touch or scratch any other surface on the device, nor any other part of the rod that is bending. In this way, the device is virtually impermissive, and will not require operator intervention for proper operation, once the bend angle is adjusted. The device of the present invention is made of steel plate and commonly uses available hardware, in order that construction and manufacturing costs are kept to a minimum.
A lower separating wheel is cam-mounted and can be adjusted to the different sizes of the rod to give an accurate 90 ° radius bend. The present invention can be constructed in a variety of sizes for different rod types and resistances. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the following detailed description, the invention, its configuration, construction, and operation, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, will be further described in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the pneumatic portable device of bent rod that is partially shown in phantom to highlight the extension of the two side plates that are pivotable with respect to each other. Figure 2 is a view separated in parts of the illustration of the component parts thereof, which contribute to the simplicity of construction and operation. Figure 3 is a sectional view of the portable pneumatic rod bending device shown in Figures 1 and 2 as it is placed for activation on a concrete surface and surrounding a section of the rod, and illustrates the position immediately before activation. Figure 4 is a sectional view of the portable pneumatic rod bending device as shown in Figure 3, as it is placed after having made a 90 ° bend in a section of the rod, and where it is shown that the radius of the bend probably starts many inches on a concrete surface. Figure 5 is a sectional view of the portable pneumatic rod bending device shown in Figures 1-4 as it is placed for activation on a concrete surface, and surrounding a length of the rod that is bent and that it will be straightened, as it is in position immediately before activation. Figure 6 is a sectional view of the portable pneumatic rod bending device as shown in Figure 5, as it is placed after having straightened a section of the rod. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The description and operation of the invention will be better described with reference to Figure 1. The perspective view of Figure 1 illustrates a configuration of a portable pneumatic rod bending device 11, which includes a base portion 13 and an upper pivoting portion 15, is a pneumatic / hydraulic cylinder assembly 17 that includes a housing 19 activation piston and piston (not yet shown). The pneumatic / hydraulic cylinder assembly 17 can operate with hydraulic power from a hydraulic source. The piston activation housing 19 has an attachment 21 which is connected to a hose 23. The base portion 13 has a first plate 25 attached to a second plate 27 extensively by a pair of rear bolts 29 and 31, secured by their respective ones. nuts The upper pivoting portion 15 has a pair of plates, namely, the first plate 33 and the second plate 35, both of which are located parallel to, and outside the plates 25 and 27, respectively. On the front of the device 11, the first and second base plates 25 and 27 are pivotally connected to the first and second pivot plates. At the pivot point, an axle 37 is secured by a split pin 39 that moves against a sheave 41. The axle 37 rotatably supports a bending radius wheel 43 having a radially smooth surface cross-section in the form of " V ". The bending radius wheel 43 can be replaced with wheels of larger or smaller size, to give different bends with radius, or to reverse the bending to straighten a rod currently bent. This straightening can occur especially by neglecting the separation requirements of the other wheels (to be discussed). The axis 37 can be taken to eliminate the wheel 43 in case of being trapped, or to change the size of the wheel 43. By doing so, the upper plates 33 and 35 still remain connected to the lower plates 25 and 27. The wheel 43 can be rotated, even though a very small rotation is expected during the bending process of the rod. An upper pivoting portion wheel 45 is shown, predominantly in phantom as being rotatably connected between the plates 33 and 35, and secured by a carrier bar 49 and its associated nuts. The upper pivoting portion wheel 45 also has a slightly V-shaped radial transverse sectional configuration for engaging the rod to be bent. In practice, the wheel 45 is expected to rotate during the bending operation. The upper pivoting portion wheel 45 acts as a bearing surface, or support wheel, both to produce the bend, and to have the ability to roll on the surface being bent. This gives advantages, including non-frictional contact with the material being bent. A bolt end or threaded member 51 is also shown as being attached to its nut, and secures a sleeve (to be shown) which is additionally secured to the piston activation housing 19. This allows the piston activation housing 19 to pivot with respect to the upper pivoting portion 15, especially when the upper pivoting portion 15 is pivoting with respect to the base portion 13. The end of the piston extending from the housing 19 of the piston activation is attached to the base portion 13 by the pin 31. Note how the pin 31 and its nut engage the lower edge of the plate 33, effectively providing a stop to further lower the pivoting of the portion of upper pivoting 15, with respect to the base portion 13. Since the closing force is very weak, the contact point will not be one full of tensions. Note also the presence of a pair of upper handles 53 and 55. The handle 53 is attached to the plate 33, while the handle 55 is attached to the plate 35, with the pair of handles facilitating manual transport from either side, and also facilitates the manual placement with two hands on the section of rod that is going to bend. An adjustment assembly is also shown near the bottom of the base portion 13 on the plate 25. A bolt 61, which is engaged by a nut 63, secures a link plate 65 to the side of the plate 25. The link plate 65 is also engaged by a smaller bolt 67. The extreme periphery of the smaller end of the link plate 65 is adjacent to a rule, and opposite what is shown as the number "9". The other numbers shown include "8", "7", and "6". These numbers are approximations for rod sizes.
Both bolts 67 and 71 engage a base wheel 69, which is shown in phantom. The pin 61 provides the pivot point for the base wheel 69 and does not engage the base wheel 69 through its center. In this way, the base wheel 69 is not rotatable towards its center, and in fact, the rotation of the base wheel 69 is limited to the pivoting of the link plate 65. Note that the pin 67 engages a slot 71 in the plate 25. It is understood that the base wheel 69 serves as an anchoring structure against which other portions of the steel rod or bar are to be bent. Structure 69 is the adjustment wheel for different rod sizes to maintain the exact 90 ° bend. Alternatively, the structure 69 can be formed of a member having a vertically planar portion to distribute the force applied to a vertical member along a vertically more elongated section. The anchor structure, in the form of base wheel 69 may be larger or smaller than that shown, and may provide a larger or smaller range of rod size than that shown in the Figures. When the bolt 67 is loosened, and assuming that the nut 63 of the bolt 61 is loose enough for proper play, the base wheel 69 is pivoted as the bolt 67 slides along the extension of the groove 71. The position of the base wheel 69 can be fixed by means of tightening the nut 63, and by tightening the bolt 67. The fixing of the base wheel 69 also fixes the bending extension that will occur for a rod size. dice. By initially folding the first rod, the adjustment group 73, composed of the combination of nut and bolt 61 and 63, link plate 65, bolt 67 and slot 71, can be adjusted to approach the best bending. Of course, an indicator can be extended from the end of the link plate 65 to more accurately indicate the rod sizes shown on the side of the device 11, for a really fine adjustment, but since a change in the The size of the rod would cause a resulting wide variation, the added radial accuracy of the position of the base wheel 69 of an expanded rule would probably not result in any real gain in being able to measure the resulting bend. The piston was designed to adjust the body in the entire extended position to obtain an accurate 90 ° bend in the specified sizes of the rod wheel 69. In Figure 1 also two optional projections are seen from the base plates 25 and 27. A first stop 81 projects from the surface of the plate 25 and will act to stop the extension of the pivotal travel of the plate 33, with respect to the base plate 25. A second stop 83 projects from the surface of the plate 27, and is only partially seen in Figure 1, and will act to stop the extension of the pivotal travel of the plate 35, with respect to the base plate 27. The symmetrical positions of stops 81 and 83 are identical, causing a uniform stopping force to be applied to the upper pivoting portion 15 of the stopping forces applied to each of the upper plates 33 and 35. Of course, the stops 81 and 83 are optional, and will not be shown in the subsequent Figures, especially since a variety of other mechanical structures can be made, in the device 11, to stop by virtue of having reached the extension co. n which the cylinder assembly 17 itself has been extended. Referring to Figure 2, many features that had not been previously seen in the view of Figure 1 are now visible. From the top of Figure 2, in the pneumatic / hydraulic cylinder assembly 17, the end of a piston cylinder 85 having an opening 87. Opening 87 will engage pin 31 when pin 31 is secured. In addition, stops 81 and 83 that were shown in theFigure 1 are absent from the separate view in parts of Figure 2. This emphasizes its optional nature and illustrates that other structures can be used to limit the degree of travel. One of the best ways is to select a cylinder assembly 17 that is unable to open the device 11 to the extent that the cylinder 85 touched another object. The base plate 27 has a main opening 91 and has a protrusion shown in phantom. The base plate 25 has an opening 93 surrounded by an outwardly projecting protrusion 95, which is symmetrical with the protrusion of the main opening 91. The outwardly directed opening 95 engages the internal area of the opening 97 of the upper plate 33. The base plate 27 has an opening 99 which likewise engages a protrusion shown in phantom extending outwardly from the base plate 27. The base plate 27 is also seen as having a deep spacer or protrusion 101 which prevents the pressure of the bolt 29 engages the wheel 69 positioned between the plates 27 and 25. As previously seen, the threaded member 51 is attached to a sleeve 103. The sleeve 103 also has a threaded member 51 for engagement with a nut on the other side of the upper pivoting plate 35. In this way, the sleeve 103 acts as a separator for the purpose of limiting the closeness of the upper pivot plates 33 and 35. The assembly of cylinder 17 has threads at its lower end, just above where the piston 85 is shown extending downwards. The sleeve 105 has an internally threaded portion that engages the threads at the lower end of the cylinder assembly 17, and further contains a small threaded opening 107 that extends laterally within the sleeve 103. The small threaded opening 107 is engaged by a bolt 109 to secure the assembly 17 in its threaded engagement with the sleeve 105. As can also be seen, an opening 111 passes under the slot 71 to accommodate the pin 61. Other openings, sheaves, and nuts are present to secure the bolts and they are not numbered or described further for clarity. However, notice the wheel 69 or its perforations. A larger smooth bore 113 extends completely through the wheel 69 and accommodates the bolt 61. A threaded bore 115 is provided for engagement with the bolt 67, and does not extend completely through the wheel 69. In this way, the bolt 67 can, when tightened within the wheel 69, secure the wheel 69 against the side of the plate 25, and fix the position of the wheel 69 around the axis of the bolt 61. Referring to Figure 3, a side sectional view of the device 11 on a flat surface 121 of concrete 123. A section of the rod 125 is extending upwards through the concrete 123 and on the flat surface 121. The rod 125 has a single surface between grooves 127 raised in spiral to help in the engagement of concrete 123, as well as any other concrete that is spilled around it after it is bent. In Figure 3, please note that the three wheels, namely the upper pivoting portion wheel 45, the base wheel 69, and the bending radius wheel 43, are tightly adjusted toward the length of the rod 125. This is the way for a 90 ° fold. For minor bends, there will be more play between the rod 125 and either of the wheel 43 or the wheels 45 and 69. As can be seen, a complete rotation of the device 11 would produce a smaller bend where it finds additional space between the rod 125 and the wheels 43 and 45 or 69. Referring to Figure 4, the device 11 is shown in its fully pivoted open position. The surface of the piston 129 is exposed, and seen for the first time. Note that the rod 85 of the piston has good spacing with respect to the rod 125, regardless of the size of the diameter of the rod 125. The rod 125 now has a fold with uniform radius, with the upper end of the rod 125 extending at an angle of 90 ° with respect to the extension length of the rod 125 extending out of the concrete 123. Many noteworthy observations can be made here. First, the device 11 does not rest on the concrete, apart from its own weight, when making the bend. The contact points of the rod 125, which are neither too far from nor very close to half the fold, are used to apply the force to make the bend. Secondly, the surface 129 of the piston 85 does not come close to contact the rod 125 at the mid point of its fold. This feature is very important, since any contact with the surface 129 not only scratches the surface and degrades the operation of the pneumatic / hydraulic cylinder assembly 17, but can also bend the piston 85. Third, the piston run 85 outside the assembly 17 to its full length again and again will not produce excessive stresses, nor destructive forces in the device 11. A return spring device (not shown) may be present inside the pneumatic / hydraulic cylinder assembly 17 will gently recapture the piston 85 and pull it back into the piston activation housing 19 when pressure is no longer applied. The pneumatic / hydraulic cylinder assembly 17 is capable of being used with any fluid, but is preferably energized by a hydraulic pump. In the operation of the device 11, the operator simply adjusts the device 11 on the rod 125, as shown in Figure 3. This is adjusted in such a way that the rod extends between the wheel 43 on one side, and both wheels. and 69 on the other side. A switch or some other activation device is then triggered to introduce pressure through the hose 23 and into the housing 19 of the piston to force the piston 85 outward to cause the upper pivoting portion 15 to be opened by pivoting with with respect to the base portion 13 for, thereby, causing the wheel 45 to push the rod 125 on the wheel 43, while the wheel 69 holds the rod 125 firmly with respect to the wheel 43. Once the piston 85 is completely outside the housing 19 of the piston, for the adjustment applied to the adjustment group 73, the operator causes the pressure supplied to the hose 23 to be reduced to allow the piston 85 to re-enter the housing 19 of the piston. Where a device 11 is enabled to make bends that approach or be greater than 90 °, and where the end of the rod 125 is smaller than the bend, as can be seen in Figure 4, then the device 11 is " caught". To release the device 11, and referring again to Figure 1, the split pin 39 is removed and the axle 37 is easily removed, thereby releasing the wheel 43 falling to the floor. Then the device 11 can be lifted, the wheel 43 can be retaken from the floor, and the device can be reassembled as in Figure 1. When the shaft 37 is removed, the base portion is not separated from the portion upper pivoting 15. As can be seen in Figure 2, the outwardly directed protrusion 95 still engages the opening 97 of the plate, and since the plates 25 and 27 are still rigidly joined, and since the plates 35 and 33 they are still rigidly joined, this causes the base portion 13 not to be separated from the upper pivoting portion 15. In itself, the removal of the shaft 37, which causes the removal of the wheel 43, will have no effect other than simply the removal of the wheel 43. Then, when the device 11 is reassembled, approximately another section of the rod 125 can be lowered, and the bending process repeated. Alternatively, the device 11 can be placed around a section of the rod 125 without reinserting the wheel, and then reinserting the wheel only after the device 11 is in place with respect to the rod 125. This can be especially useful for bending objects that have an obstruction at the end of the tip, and may not be limited only to rods or bar steel, but may include tubes and other round objects. Referring to Figure 5, the device 11 is shown as being fitted with a smaller bending radius wheel 151, instead of the bending radius wheel 43. The smaller radius of the wheel 151 allows the device 11 to be positioned to straighten a bent rod piece 153, as shown in Figure 5. The view of Figure 6 illustrates how the rod 153 is made to straighten. By straightening the rod 153, the device 11 can be activated many times to achieve a straightened section of the rod 153, as shown in Figure 6. For example, the rod section 153 of Figure 5 is shown as having a fold sharp closer to the surface 121 of the concrete 123, and bent more smoothly as it extends upward, away from the surface 123. In addition, the rod 153 can be bent in many dimensions. As can be seen in Figure 6, the wheel 69 may or may not be in position against the rod 153 as the final bends are achieved in the rod 153. The thin bend of Figure 6 shows the device 11 sitting prostrate against the surface 121, such that the friction between the device 11 and the surface 121 is used as the third force reference point, together with the wheels 151 and 45, to finally straighten the rod 153. Although the present invention has been described In terms of a portable pneumatic rod bending device, one skilled in the art will realize that the structure and techniques of the present invention can be applied to many apparatuses. The present invention can be applied in any situation where a controlled form is to be printed and specifically on a section of material. Although the invention has been derived with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments thereof, many changes and modifications of the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, included within the patent secured herein are all these changes and modifications, since they can reasonably and appropriately be included within the scope of this contribution to the art.