EP2757212A1

EP2757212A1 - Device for mounting a safety railing on formwork for floor slabs

Info

Publication number: EP2757212A1
Application number: EP14151061.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Guido Faresin
Original assignee: Faresin Building Division SpA
Current assignee: Faresin Building Division SpA
Priority date: 2013-01-22
Filing date: 2014-01-14
Publication date: 2014-07-23
Also published as: ITPD20130007A1

Abstract

A device (10) for mounting a safety railing (11) on formwork (12) for floor slabs, which comprises at least two of the following:
- means (13) for the pivoting of a first end (14) of a predominantly longitudinally extending element (15) below a formwork panel (16) or below the edges of two laterally adjacent formwork panels (16, 16a),
- means (18) for locking the second end (19) of the predominantly longitudinally extending element (15) to an edge (20) of the formwork panel (16),

the second end (19) having means (21) for mounting a resting and fixing portion (22) of a safety railing (11).

Description

The present invention relates to a device for mounting a safety railing on formwork for floor slabs.
The task of a formwork for a floor is to provide a surface on which to lay the elements that make up the floor, i.e. floor joists/hollow blocks or Predalles slabs, or for casting liquid concrete.
As a consequence its principal function does not include safety systems such as railings or the like.
Nowadays in order to ensure the safety of personnel working on formwork, the use is known of railings that are fitted using upright clamps (commonly known as screw-on railings) which have to be mounted after assembling the formwork, directly by the staff members once they have climbed onto the working surface. This operation is already dangerous in itself, since it requires the operator to climb onto a surface that is not safe, since the edges of the formwork have no elements for protection and safety, with the obvious need to use a safety harness in order to mount the screw-on railings.
Under such regular conventional conditions, staff members are thus exposed to the risk of falling, especially when they have to mount the fall-prevention guard railing, while leaning out dangerously over the unprotected edge of the formwork.
The aim of the present invention is to provide a device for mounting a safety railing on formwork for floor slabs which is capable of overcoming the above-mentioned drawbacks associated with the mounting of conventional fall-prevention protection systems on formwork.
Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a device for mounting a safety railing, incorporated in the provision of a formwork for floor slabs, which makes it possible to mount a fall-prevention railing in total safety, in addition to making it possible for personnel to work in safety at a certain height.
Another object of the invention is to provide a mounting device that is easy to fit and manipulate without special tools.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device that is equally simple and quick to remove.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device for mounting a safety railing on formwork for floor slabs which can be made using conventional systems and technologies.
This aim and these and other objects which will become more evident hereinafter are achieved by a device for mounting a safety railing on formwork for floor slabs, characterized in that it comprises at least two of the following:

means for the pivoting of a first end of a predominantly longitudinally extending element below a formwork panel, or below the edges of two laterally adjacent panels,
means for locking the second end of said predominantly longitudinally extending element to an edge of said formwork panel,
said second end having means for mounting a resting and fixing portion of a safety railing.

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the mounting device according to the invention, which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a formwork with a device installed for mounting a safety railing according to the invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a first part of the device according to the invention;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a second part of a device according to the invention;
Figure 4 is a side view of the parts of Figures 2 and 3 mounted on a formwork;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the mounted part in Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the device according to the invention in an intermediate step of its fitting;
Figure 7 is a view of a detail of the device according to the invention in an additional step of its fitting;
Figure 8 shows the same detail as Figure 7 in a subsequent step of fitting the device according to the invention;
Figure 9 is a perspective view from below of the detail in Figure 8;
Figures 10 and 11 show two successive steps of mounting the part in Figure 3;
Figures 12 and 13 are two perspective views of a safety railing in the configuration for mounting and in the configuration for use, respectively.

With reference to the figures, a device for mounting a safety railing on formwork for floor slabs, according to the invention, is generally designated with the reference numeral 10.
A safety railing is designated with the reference numeral 11, while a formwork for floor slabs is designated with the reference numeral 12.
Such mounting device 10 comprises two of the following:

means 13, which are clearly visible in Figure 2, for the pivoting of a first end 14 of a predominantly longitudinally extending element 15, as in Figure 3, below a formwork panel 16, or below the edges of two laterally adjacent panels 16, 16a,
means 18 for locking the second end 19 of the predominantly longitudinally extending element 15 to an edge 20 of the formwork panel 16.

The second end 19 of the predominantly longitudinally extending element 15 has means 21 for mounting a resting and fixing portion 22 of a safety railing 11.
In the embodiment of the invention described herein and by way of non-limiting example of the invention, the means 13 for the pivoting of a first end 14 of a predominantly longitudinally extending element 15, which are clearly visible in Figure 2, comprise two symmetrical opposite brackets 23 and 24 each one of which is provided with one of two coaxial through holes 25 and 26 for the pivoting of a pivot 27, for example a screw, for a rotation sleeve 27a welded to the predominantly longitudinally extending element 15.
Again by way of non-limiting example of the invention, the brackets 23 and 24, which can for example be constituted by two metallic plates, are fixed, for example welded, to a load-bearing block 28, for example a portion of metallic tube, which in turn is provided with means for fixing between two laterally adjacent panels 16 and 16a of formwork 12, as in Figures 4 and 5.
Again for example, the means for fixing between two laterally adjacent panels 16 and 16a comprise a transverse pipe 29 that is arranged so as to transversely pass through the load-bearing block 28 above the brackets 23 and 24 and is adapted to be crossed by a screw 30 for locking the load-bearing block 28 between two edges 31 and 32 of the two laterally adjacent panels 16 and 16a, as in Figure 4.
The load-bearing block 28 also has two opposite spacers 33 and 34 for the correct positioning of the load-bearing block 28 between the two edges 31 and 32 of the panels 16 and 16a.
The pivoting means 13, and the associated means for fixing between two laterally adjacent panels, are naturally understood to be non-limiting examples of the invention, since it is possible to provide them in other ways that are understood to be equivalent.
Also understood to be within the scope of the invention are pivoting means that are adapted to be fixed, with corresponding fixing means, below a single panel instead of below the edges of two laterally adjacent panels 16 and 16a as described above.
An element 35, for example a cylindrical pin, for limiting the stroke of the downward rotation of the predominantly longitudinally extending element 15 is supported between said brackets 23 and 24, below said holes 25 and 26.
Such predominantly longitudinally extending element 15 is telescopic, comprising at least one first tubular profile 36, which is pivoted between the brackets 23 and 24 by way of the pivot 27, and a second profile 37, which can be extracted from the first profile 36 for a predefined length and can be locked thereto by reversible locking means.
Such reversible locking means comprise, for example, a pair of laterally adjacent pull- pins 38 and 39, a first pin 38 adapted to mate with a slot-like opening 40 in the first profile 36 and with a corresponding first hole 41 in the second profile 37, with an extraction-preventing function, and a second pin 39, with a locking stabilization function, which is adapted to pass through a second hole 42 in the first profile 36 and a corresponding second hole 43 in the second profile 37, as in Figures 10 and 11.
Mounting the first pin 38, which is coupled with the slot-like opening 40, makes it possible to extract the second profile 37 until the means 18 for locking the second end 19 of the longitudinal element 15 are in the active position at the height of the edge 20 of the panel 16, and subsequently retract it inside the first profile 36 and lock it there with the second pin 39.
The second profile 37 can be provided with a plurality of aligned holes so as to make the device 10 adaptable for application to formwork panels of different sizes.
The means 18 for locking the second end 19 of the predominantly longitudinally extending element 15 to an edge 20 of a panel 16 are constituted by an engagement portion that comprises an upright 44, clearly visible in Figures 3, 7 and 9, from which an upper flat part 45, for resting on the edge 20 of the panel 16, and an insert 46, designed for centered mating with a corresponding hole 47 formed in the same edge 20, extend.
The means 21 for mounting a resting and fixing portion 22 of a safety railing 11 comprise the upright 44, which is tubular and is designed to accommodate a corresponding shank 48 that protrudes from the railing 11.
The safety railing 11 comprises two lateral portions 49 and 50 that can be extracted telescopically laterally in order to increase the size of the railing 11 in the configuration for use.
The safety railing 11 shown here by way of non-limiting example of the invention comprises two uprights 51 and 52 and a plurality of crossmembers 53, from which the corresponding crossmembers 54 and 55 of the two lateral portions 49 and 50 can slide out.
The shanks 48 extend and protrude from the base portions of the uprights 51 and 52, such base portions being designed to rest on the plates 45 of the means 18 of locking the second end 19 of the predominantly longitudinally extending element 15.
Such base portions with the corresponding shanks 48 define the above-mentioned resting and fixing portions 22 of the safety railing 11, since each shank 48 is then lockable in its seat by way of fixing means of a conventional type.
The mounting device 10 described herein, according to the invention, enables the installation of a safety railing 11 from below, i.e. from underneath the formwork panels 16, i.e. without requiring the personnel mounting it to perform such mounting above the formwork, under unsafe conditions.
The use of the device 10 according to the invention is as follows.
The load-bearing block 28 is mounted between two panels 16 and 16a.
The first profile 36 is pivoted, with the pivot 27, to the brackets 23 and 24 which extend downward.
A second longitudinal element 15 is mounted at a preset distance between the same two panels 16 and 16a, so that the pins 27 are coaxial.
The railing 11 is mounted on the second ends 19 of the two spaced-apart longitudinal elements 15.
The two longitudinal elements 15 and the railing 11 are all rotated together until the means 18 of locking the second end 19 of the two longitudinal elements 15 are at the height of the edge 20 of the panel 16 at which they must be engaged.
The longitudinal elements 15 are pushed to become shorter so that the plates 45 of the locking means 18 are positioned above the edge 20 of the panel 16 and the inserts 46 are inserted in the respective holes 47 in the same edge 20, while simultaneously the first pin 38 performs a translational motion in the slot-like opening 40 until the second and third holes 42 and 43 are aligned for the insertion of the second, locking, pin 39.
At this point we extract the lateral portions 49 and 50 of the railing 11 which thus extends so as to affect the panel 16 over its whole width.
In practice it has been found that the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects.
In fact, with the invention a device is provided for mounting a safety railing, incorporated in the provision of a formwork for floor slabs, which makes it possible to mount a fall-prevention railing from below and therefore in total safety, in addition to making it possible for personnel to work in safety at an elevated height with the railing installed.
What is more, with the invention a mounting device is provided that is easy to fit and manipulate without particular tools.
Furthermore, with the invention a device is provided that is equally simple and quick to remove.
Last but not least, with the invention a device is provided for mounting a safety railing on formwork for floor slabs which can be made using conventional systems and technologies.
The invention, thus conceived, is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements.
In practice the materials employed, provided they are compatible with the specific use, and the contingent dimensions and shapes, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.
The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. PD2013A000007 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, such reference signs have been inserted for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

A device (10) for mounting a safety railing (11) on formwork (12) for floor slabs, characterized in that it comprises at least two of the following:
- means (13) for the pivoting of a first end (14) of a predominantly longitudinally extending element (15) below a formwork panel (16) or below the edges of two laterally adjacent panels (16, 16a),

- means (18) for locking the second end (19) of said predominantly longitudinally extending element (15) to an edge (20) of said formwork panel (16),
said second end (19) having means (21) for mounting a resting and fixing portion (22) of a safety railing (11).
The device according to claim 1, characterized in that said means (13) for the pivoting of a first end (14) of a predominantly longitudinally extending element (15), which are clearly visible in Figure 2, comprise two symmetrical opposite brackets (23, 24), each provided with one of two coaxial through holes (25, 26) for the pivoting of a pivot (27) for said predominantly longitudinally extending element (15), said brackets (23, 24) being fixed to a load-bearing block (28), which in turn is provided with means for fixing between two laterally adjacent panels (16, 16a) of formwork (12), as in Figures 4 and 5.
The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said means for fixing between two laterally adjacent panels (16, 16a) comprise a transverse pipe (29) that is arranged so as to transversely pass through said load-bearing block (28) above the brackets (23, 24) and is adapted to be crossed by a screw (30) for locking the load-bearing block (28) between two edges (31, 32) of the two laterally adjacent panels (16, 16a), as in Figure 4.
The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said load-bearing block (28) has two opposite spacers (33, 34) for the correct positioning of said load-bearing block (28) between the two edges (31, 32) of the panels (16, 16a).
The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that an element (35) for limiting the stroke of the downward rotation of said predominantly longitudinally extending element (15) is supported between said brackets (23, 24) below said holes (25, 26).
The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said predominantly longitudinally extending element (15) is telescopic, comprising at least one first tubular profile (36), which is pivoted between the brackets (23, 24) by way of said pivot (27), and a second profile (37), which can be extracted from the first one for a predefined length and can be locked thereto by reversible locking means.
The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said reversible locking means comprise a pair of laterally adjacent pull-pins (38, 39), a first pin (38) adapted to mate with a slot-like opening (40) in said first profile (36) and with a corresponding first hole (41) in said second profile (37), with an extraction-preventing function, and a second pin (39), with a locking stabilization function, which is adapted to pass through a second hole (42) in said first profile (36) and a corresponding second hole (43) in said second profile (37), as in Figures 10 and 11.
The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said means (18) for locking said second end (19) of said predominantly longitudinally extending element (15) to an edge (20) of a panel (16) are constituted by an engagement portion that comprises an upright (44), clearly visible in Figures 3, 7 and 9, from which an upper flat part (45), for resting on the edge (20) of the panel (16), and an insert (46), designed for centered mating with a corresponding hole (47) formed in the same edge (20), extend.
The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said means (21) for mounting a resting and fixing portion (22) of a safety railing (11) comprise said upright (44), which is tubular and is designed to accommodate a corresponding shank (48) that protrudes from said railing (11).
The device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said safety railing (11) comprises at least one lateral portion (49) that can be extracted telescopically laterally for increasing the size of the railing in the configuration for use.