GB2346394A

GB2346394A - Wall tie with moisture barrier

Info

Publication number: GB2346394A
Application number: GB9917795A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christopher Roland Cha Brehaut
Original assignee: TACKBURN Ltd
Current assignee: TACKBURN Ltd
Priority date: 1999-01-14
Filing date: 1999-07-30
Publication date: 2000-08-09
Anticipated expiration: 2019-07-30
Also published as: GB2346394B; GB9917795D0

Abstract

A member (10) for securing an inner wall (21,22) to an outer wall (20) of a cavity wall arrangement comprises inner wall attachment portion (12) having an aperture (15) to receive a fastening device (24) and a substantially planar outer wall attachment portion (13) having a plurality of apertures (14). A moisture barrier (16) in the form of a transverse groove is located between the attachment portions of the member. The inner wall attachment portion may substantially planar (Figure 2) or bent through 90{. In use the outer wall attachment portion is placed on the upper face of a block and a suitable bonding medium (28) is applied, ensuring the bonding medium is allowed to flow through the apertures. The member is manufactured from a metallic material, preferably stainless steel.

Description

PATENTS ACT 1977 A9849GB Title: Spacing Member Description of Invention This invention relates to a spacing member of the type which may be used to maintain inner and outer walls of a cavity wall assembly in spaced relationship with each other, as shown in our co-pending application, No. GB 9900667.8.

Cavity wall assemblies are formed from an inner wall, often constructed from a plurality of mutually abutting panels or boards, and an outer wall, commonly constructed using bricks, building blocks and the like, with a generally uniform space (the"cavity") being maintained between the walls, in which cavity insulation materials may be provided, if required.

In order to maintain the cavity uniform between the inner and outer walls, it is known in the construction industry to utilise a plurality of spacing members, part of each of which is secured to the outer wall, and part of each of which is secured to the inner wall.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved spacing member for use with such cavity wall assemblies.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a spacing member for maintaining an inner wall of a cavity wall assembly in spaced relationship with an outer wall thereof, comprising inner and outer wall attachment portions by which the member may be attached to the inner and outer walls of the assembly, and wherein the outer wall attachment portion is generally planar.

The outer wall attachment portion may be provided with at least one aperture therethrough, and conveniently is provided with a plurality (e. g. three or more) of such apertures.

The or at least one aperture is preferably generally elongate, preferably transverse to the longitudinal axis of the member.

Conveniently, said aperture comprises a pair of parallel sides, which may be joined by curved, conveniently part-circular, end formations.

The outer wall attachment may be less than lmm thick, and preferably is about 0. 5mm thick, or less.

The inner wall attachment portion may also be generally planar, and may also be provided with an aperture, through which a securing device may be introduced, to attach the spacing member to the inner wall.

The aperture in the inner wall attachment portion may be generally circular so as to receive a fastening device such as a loden anchor fixing or a screw.

The spacing member may be provided with a moisture barrier, to prevent or at least hinder the transfer of moisture along the spacing member from the outer to the inner wall.

The moisture barrier preferably comprises a recess formed within the spacing member.

Conveniently, the moisture barrier is provided by a groove extending between longitudinal side edges of the spacing member.

The groove may extend generally transversely to the longitudinal axis of the spacing member.

The present invention also relates to a spacing member of the type which may be used to maintain first and second walls of a cavity wall assembly in spaced relationship with each other, in situations where expansion and/or contraction of the cavity between the walls could occur.

As will be appreciated from those skilled in the art, variations in the cavity width may occur as a result of fluctuating ambient temperatures, or physically induced movement of one or both of the walls, and it is therefore a further object of the present invention to provide an improved spacing member for use with such cavity wall assemblies.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a spacing member for maintaining a first wall of a cavity wall assembly in spaced relationship with a second wall thereof, comprising first and second wall attachment portions and a connecting portion disposed therebetween which permits of movement of the first and second wall attachment portions towards and away from each other.

The connecting portion is preferably of a resilient nature, and conveniently is provided by a bend in the spacing member.

The spacing member is preferably produced from a generally planar blank conveniently of a metallic material such as stainless steel or the like, and the bend may therefore be imparted to the spacing member by a folding, bending, pressing or stamping operation.

The connecting portion may be generally U-shaped, which the applicants have found enables a substantial degree of movement to occur of the first and second wall attachment portions towards and away from each other.

It will be appreciated that the depth of the bend may be varied in accordance with the degree of movement of the first and second wall attachment portions which is anticipated. Thus, the depth of the bend may be at least one centimetre, preferably at least two centimetres, and conveniently at least three centimetres.

Either or both wall attachment portions may be provided with at least one aperture therethrough, for attachment to a respective wall, and conveniently may be provided with a plurality (e. g. three or more) of such apertures.

The or at least one aperture is preferably generally elongate, conveniently extending transversely to a longitudinal axis of the spacing member. The said aperture may comprise a pair of parallel sides, which may be joined by curved, conveniently part-circular, end formations.

The present invention also relates to a spacing member of the type which may be used to maintain first and second walls in spaced relationship with each other.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a spacing member for maintaining a first wall in spaced relationship with a second wall, comprising first and second wall attachment portions by which the spacing member may be attached to the first and second walls, and wherein the first and second wall attachment portions are generally planar.

The first wall attachment portion and/or the second wall attachment portion may be provided with at least one generally elongate aperture therethrough. Preferably a plurality (e. g. three or more) of such apertures is provided. Conveniently, the or at least one said aperture is disposed generally transversely to a longitudinal axis of the spacing member.

The said aperture may comprise a pair of parallel sides, which may be joined by curved, conveniently part-circular, end formations. Other features of the invention in its third aspect may be substantially as described in one or more of the preceding paragraphs.

The invention will now be described in greater detail, but by way of example only, by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a spacing member in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention; FIGURE 2 is a view along the line II-II of Figure 1; FIGURE 3 is an isometric view of the spacing member of Figures 1 and 2, shown in use with a part-constructed cavity wall assembly; FIGURE 4 is a schematic illustration of the spacing member in use with a fully constructed cavity wall assembly; FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of a spacing member in accordance with the second aspect; FIGURE 6 is a side view of the spacing member of FIGURE 5, shown in use; FIGURE 7 shows the spacing member of FIGURE 5 in a slightly different use; FIGURE 8 is a plan view of the spacing member in accordance with the third aspect; FIGURE 9 shows the spacing member of FIGURE 8 in use; and FIGURE 10 shows a spacing member in use with a support strut.

Referring first to Figure 1, a spacing member 10 comprises a generally elongate, and generally planar body 11 having inner and outer wall attachment portions 12 and 13 at opposite ends thereof.

As shown more clearly in Figure 2, both the attachment portions are generally planar, with the outer wall attachment portion 13 being provided with a plurality (in this case four) of generally elongate apertures 14 therein, lying generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the spacing member 10.

The inner wall attachment portion is also provided with an aperture (15), for reception of a securing device such as a threaded fastener, described further in relation to Figures 3 and 4.

As seen most clearly in Figure 2, the spacing member is provided, generally midway along its length, with a transversely orientated groove 16 extending between longitudinal side edges 17 and 18 of the spacing member 10. The spacing member 10 is preferably manufactured from stainless steel strip, and the groove 16 may therefore be provided by a stamping operation applied to the strip. Similarly, the apertures 14 and 15 may be produced by application of a punching operation to the strip.

Referring next to Figure 3, the spacing member 10 is shown with a partconstructed cavity wall assembly provided by an outer wall (of which only one brick or building block 20 is shown) and an inner wall, of which two panels 21 and 22 are shown.

In use, the spacing member 10 is attached to an outer face 23 of a panel of the inner wall by introduction of a securing device 24 (in this example, a threaded fastener), though the aperture 15 in the inner wall attachment portion 12. The spacing member is then bent through approximately 90 along the line generally indicated at 25, to enable the spacing member to span the cavity C extending between the inner and outer walls of the assembly.

The outer wall attachment portion 13 is then positioned on a top face 26 of a brick or building block 20 of the outer wall, ensuring that the apertures 14 are caused to lie above the face 26.

A suitable bonding medium 28 is then applied to the upper face 26, and to the outer wall attachment portion 13, ensuring that the bonding medium is allowed to flow through the apertures 14, to the surface 26 therebeneath.

It will be appreciated that the thickness of the outer wall attachment portion (conveniently about 0. 5mm or less) is such that it may be located easily between adjacent bricks or building blocks, without causing any undesired gaps between them.

In view of this, the spacing member of the present invention is suitable not only for use with conventional outer wall construction methods (i. e., those involving bricks/building blocks bonded by cement, mortar and the like), but may also be used with outer wall construction methods of the type which utilise adhesives and glues to bond adjacent building blocks together.

Specifically, the consistency of such adhesives/glues is such that outer walls constructed in this way have relatively narrow gaps between adjacent blocks, which prior, non-planar, spacing members are unsuitable for.

As seen from Figures 3 and 4, the spacing member is positioned such that the groove 16 is located generally midway between the inner and outer walls.

The purpose of the groove 16 is to prevent transfer to the inner wall 21 of any moisture arising through condensation forming on an inner face 27 of the outer wall, as inner wall constructions are often formed from materials susceptible to moisture damage, such gs wood or plasterboard panels.

The groove provides that in the event of the central portion of the spacing member not lying truly horizontal, any moisture transferred from the inner face 27 to the spacing member is"caught"by the groove, and is caused to drip down the middle of the cavity, where it is unable to cause any damage to the inner wall panels 21.

Thus, the invention provides an improved spacing member not only insofar as it may be used in conjunction with adhesive/glue bonded outer walls, which has hitherto not been possible, but also insofar as the transfer of moisture to the inner wall of the assembly is prevented or substantially reduced, thus increasing the lifetime of the cavity wall assembly concerned.

Referring next to Figure 5, this shows a spacing member 30 in accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, having first and second wall attachment portions 31 and 32, and a connecting portion 33 disposed therebetween. The first wall attachment portion is provided with four generally elongate, and transversely orientated apertures 34, as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

The connecting portion 33, a$ shown in Figure 6, is provided by a generally U-shaped bend disposed approximately mid-way between the ends 35 and 36 of the otherwise generally planar spacing member, with the bend having been imparted thereto by an appropriate bending, pressing or stamping operation.

As will be appreciated especially from Figure 6, the provision of a relatively deep bend in the spacing member between the ends 35 and 36 enables the first and second wall attachment portions 31 and 32 to move towards and away from each other upon contraction/expansion of the cavity 37 located between the walls 38 and 39.

For the avoidance of any doubt, whilst the preceding and following paragraphs and the associated drawings refer to the spacing of"walls"or "blocks"it will be appreciated that the spacing member may equally be used to maintain other building components (such as columns, posts and the like) in spaced relationship to each other.

Referring next to Figure 7, this shows the spacing member of figure 5 in use in a slightly different manner, between a block 40 and a column 41, and wherein the first and second wall attachment portions 31 and 32 are disposed generally perpendicular to each other.

It will be appreciated nonetheless that the connecting portion 33 serves to allow movement of the wall attachment portions 31 and 32 towards and away from each other, in much the same way as is shown in Figure 6.

Referring next to Figure 8, a spacing member in accordance with the third aspect of the present invention is shown, which is largely similar to that shown in Figures 1 and 5, but which differs insofar as no transversely orientated groove or connecting part is provided generally mid-way along its length.

Use of the spacing member of Figure 8 is exemplified in Figure 9, which shows walls 50 and 51 disposed generally at right angles to each other, and wherein the wall 50 is made up of a plurality of component blocks 50a, 50b, 50 and 50d. As described in relation to Figure 3, the blocks 50a to 50d are secured together by a suitable adhesive, with a first wall attachment portion 52 of the spacing member 53 being disposed between blocks SOa and 50d in a manner analogous to that shown in Figure 3. A second wall attachment portion 54 is attached, with a threaded fastener 55, to the second wall 51, again in a manner analogous to that shown in Figure 3.

It will be appreciated that the purpose of the spacing member 53 shown in Figures 8 and 9 is slightly different to that described previously, insofar as it enables the walls 50 and 51 to be positioned very close to one another, in near abutting relationship, which obviates the requirement for any flexibility, or a drip groove 16.

Whilst in the preceding paragraphs the invention has been described in relation to the spacing of walls, Figure 10 shows that the invention may equally find application in the spacing of a wall from a different kind of structure, such as, for example, a support strut 60 or a cross-brace, each of which are commonly used in the construction industry.

In such cases, additional means may be provided to facilitate attachment of the spacing member to the strut or cross-brace. Such additional means may comprise an attachment plate 61 which, as shown, is somewhat wider than the strut. In this way, the spacing member may be attached to a side of the plate in an"off-set"manner. The spacing member may be secured to the attachment plate 60 by welding, for example, and the attachment plate 60 may be secured to the strut by the use of a rivet 62, for example.

In the present specification"comprise"means"includes or consists of' and"comprising"means"including or consisting of'.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A spacing member for maintaining an inner wall of a cavity wall assembly in spaced relationship with an outer wall thereof, comprising inner and outer wall attachment portions by which the member may be attached to the inner and outer walls of the assembly, and wherein the outer wall attachment portion is generally planar.
2. A spacing member according to claim 1 wherein the outer wall attachment portion is provided with at least one aperture therethrough.
3. A spacing member according to claim 2 wherein the or at least one aperture is generally elongate.
4. A spacing member according to any one of the preceding claims having a moisture barrier to prevent or at least hinder the transfer of moisture along the spacing member from the outer to the inner wall.
5. A spacing member according to claim 4 wherein the moisture barrier comprises a recess formed within the spacing member.
6. A spacing member according to claim 4 or claim 5 wherein the moisture barrier is provided by a groove extending between longitudinal side edges of the spacing member.
7. A spacing member according to claim 6 wherein the groove extends generally transversely to the longitudinal axis of the spacing member.
8. A spacing member for maintaining a first wall of a cavity wall assembly in spaced relationship with a second wall thereof, comprising first and second wall attachment portions and a connecting portion disposed therebetween which permits of movement of the first and second wall attachment portions towards and away from each other.
9. A spacing member according to claim 8 wherein the connecting portion is resilient.
10. A spacing member according to claim 8 or claim 9 wherein the connecting portion is provided by a bend in the spacing member.
11. A spacing member according to any one of claims 8 to 10 wherein the connecting portion is generally U-shaped.
12. A spacing member according to any one of claims 8 to 11 wherein either or both wall attachment portions are provided with at least one aperture therethrough.
13. A spacing member according to claim 12 wherein the or at least one aperture is generally elongate.
14. A spacing member for maintaining a first wall in spaced relationship with a second wall, comprising first and second wall attachment portions by which the spacing member may be attached to the first and second walls, and wherein the first and second wall attachment portions are generally planar.
15. A spacing member substantially as hereinbefore described and/or as shown in one or more of the accompanying drawings.
16. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herein and/or in the accompanying drawings.