The present invention relates to a clamp for formwork for vertical castings.

As is known, vertical casting systems used in the building sector are normally provided by formwork panels, anchoring tension members, closure plates and connecting clamps.

During the casting step, the concrete applies a thrust to the walls of the formwork that is balanced by the steel tension members.

The plates act as a stop element for the movement of the formwork along said tension members.

The clamps instead have the function of keeping the panels integral to each other, so that they constitute a single formwork surface.

Furthermore, the clamps have the important task of maintaining the alignment between the panels, so that the formwork surface is perfectly flat and does not give rise to unwanted differences in level between the panels, which would also be reflected in the final concrete surface.

Many types of clamp suitable to achieve the nearing and clamping in a side-by-side position of formwork panels are known.

These clamps generally use the nearing and clamping movement of one or two movable jaws.

Clamps of the known type, however, have drawbacks.

In particular, current clamps are enabled to always ensure a perfect adhesion between adjacent panels; this depends on the fact that their opening/closing mechanism is not conceived correctly or does not operate perfectly.

As regards this last aspect, it should be noted that the mechanisms currently used do not allow to adjust correctly their effect on both jaws, and in some cases the clamping of one jaw entails the loosening of the other.

Furthermore, it should be noted that known clamps are often very expensive and difficult to mass-manufacture.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a clamp for formwork for vertical castings that overcomes the drawbacks of the cited background art.

Within this aim, a particular object of the invention is to provide a clamp that ensures effective locking and perfect positioning of the formwork panels both in terms of mutual alignment and in terms of adherence.

Another object of the invention is to provide a clamp that can be coupled to formwork panels in a simple and rapid manner without having to screw bolts and the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a clamp that can be assembled easily and is strong and stable.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clamp the jaws of which apply the same clamping effect.

Another object of the invention is to provide a clamp that is highly reliable, relatively simple to provide and obtainable at competitive costs.

This aim and these objects, as well as others which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a clamp for formwork for vertical castings, characterized in that it comprises a first body and a second body adapted to be slidingly coupled to each other, said first body comprising an elongated element which is extended substantially along a first axis and has a first jaw at a first end, said second body comprising a substantially hollow base portion which can be associated slidingly with said elongated element and has a second jaw, locking means being provided in order to mutually lock said first and second bodies so as to mutually clamp two or more components between said first and second jaws.

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

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a clamp according to the invention in the assembled condition;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the clamp of Figure 1 in the disassembled condition;

Figure 3 is an exploded view of a first component of the clamp of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a second component of the clamp of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a third component of the clamp of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the clamp of the preceding figures, applied to a pair of profiles of formwork panels;

Figure 7 is a plan view of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of formwork with the use of a pair of clamps according to the invention.

With reference to the figures, the clamp according to the invention, designated generally by the reference numeral 1, comprises a first body 10 provided with a first jaw 12, which is designed to be coupled slidingly to a second body 20 which forms a second jaw 22.

The clamp 1 according to the invention furthermore comprises locking means 30 which allow to mutually lock the first and second bodies 10, 20, so as to mutually clamp, between the first and second jaws 12, 22, two or more components 51 , 61.

In the specific case, the components 51, 61 consist of two stiffening profiles for mutually adjacent formwork panels 50, 60.

The first body 10 comprises an elongated element 11 which substantially extends along a first axis 100.

Preferably, the elongated element 11 has a substantially tubular structure and is constituted by a portion 14, which has a substantially U- shaped or C-shaped transverse cross-section which is closed on the open side by a plate-like element 15. Advantageously, the portion 14 and the plate-like element 15 are made so that they can be mutually coupled during production, for example by means of appropriate protrusions and corresponding contoured regions.

The plate-like element 15 protrudes laterally with respect to the portion 14, forming a pair of parallel guides 13a, 13b which extend substantially along two entire sides of the elongated element 11 , parallel to the first axis 100.

Substantially mutually parallel first contoured wings 16a, 16b protrude at right angles from a first end of the elongated element 11 and form the first jaw 12.

Conveniently, the first contoured wings 16a, 16b are provided with first grip portions 17a, 17b respectively, which are arranged transversely to the first axis 100 and are adapted to engage the components 51 , 61.

Preferably, the first grip portions 17a, 17b are provided with first teeth 18a, 18b adapted to engage slots 52, 62 defined on the components 51 , 61.

A series of contoured protrusions 19 is formed on the outer face of the plate-like element 15 and said protrusions can interact with the locking means 30, as better specified hereinafter.

Preferably, the contoured protrusions 19 are substantially tooth-shaped and extend transversely to the first axis 100.

However, it is evident to the person skilled in the art that the contoured protrusions might be shaped differently in alternative embodiments of the present invention which are not shown.

The second body 20 comprises a substantially hollow base portion 21 , which preferably has a U-shaped or C-shaped transverse cross-section.

Conveniently, the base portion 21 can be coupled to the first body 10 so that the internal surface of said base portion 21 is in contact with the external surface of the elongated element 11.

In this regard, the second body 20 comprises blocks, in the specific case four blocks 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d, which protrude inside the base portion 21, constituting a sort of channels in which the parallel guides 13a, 13b are inserted slidingly.

Second substantially mutually parallel contoured wings 24a, 24b protrude at right angles from the base portion 21 and form the second jaw 22.

Conveniently, the second contoured wings 24a, 24b are provided with second grip portions 25a, 25b respectively, adapted to engage the components 51 , 61.

During use, the second grip portions 25a, 25b are arranged transversely to the first axis 100.

Preferably, the second grip portions 25a, 25b are provided with second teeth 26a, 26b adapted to engage the slots 52, 62 defined on the components 51, 61.

Seats 27a, 27b are furthermore formed on the base portion 21.

The seats 27a, 27b, one on each second contoured wing 24a, 24b, are meant to interact with the locking means 30, as better specified hereinafter.

The locking means 30 comprise a third body 31 which substantially extends along a second axis 200.

The third body 31 is substantially complementary, in terms of shape and dimensions, with respect to the two seats 27a, 27b.

During use, the third body 31 is in fact designed to enter the two seats 27a, 27b, so that the second axis 200 is substantially perpendicular to the first axis 100.

Advantageously, the third body 31 has, along almost its entire length, slots 32 adapted to engage slidingly the contoured protrusions 19.

It is appropriate to point out that the slots 32 are designed to cause mutual approach/spacing between the first and second jaws 12, 22 during the sliding of the third body 31 in the seats 27a, 27b.

For this purpose, the slots 32 are inclined with respect to the second axis 200 and this allows to convert the sliding motion of the third body 31 with respect to the second body 20, parallel to the second axis 200, into the translation of the second body 20 with respect to the elongated element 11 , parallel to the first axis 100.

A head 33 is furthermore formed at one end of the third body 31 and facilitates its hammering by forcing into the seats 27a, 27b.

The use of the clamp according to the invention is simple and intuitive.

Initially, the clamp 1 is assembled by coupling slidingly the second body 20 to the first body 10.

More precisely, coupling occurs by inserting and sliding the parallel guides 13a, 13b of the first body 10 in the channels formed on the second body 20 by the four blocks 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d.

At this point, the clamp 1 is already ready to be fixed to the components 51, 61 or to the stiffening profiles of two adjacent formwork panels 50, 60.

The operator brings the first and second jaws 12, 22 into contact with the components 51, 61, taking care that the first grip portions 17 a, 17b and the second grip portions 25 a, 25b abut correctly against them and that the first teeth 18a, 18b and the second teeth 26a, 26b are inserted in the slots 52, 62.

Then the operator inserts the third body 31 in the seats 27a, 27b and hammers it by forcing into said seats.

The insertion of the third body 31 in the seats 27a, 27b causes the clamping of the first and second jaws 12, 22, as already explained previously, as well as the locking of the clamp 1.

ft is appropriate to point out that the elongated element 11 forms a resting abutment for the components 51, 61 and this causes the formwork surface to be perfectly flat and to not give rise to unwanted differences in level between the formwork panels 50, 60, which would obviously be reflected in the final concrete surface.

In practice it has been found that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects, having provided a clamp for formwork for vertical castings that ensures effective locking and perfect positioning of the formwork panels. The elongated element of the first body of the clamp according to the invention in fact allows to obtain the correct mutual alignment of the formwork panels, while the two jaws and the locking means ensure their mutual adherence.

As regards this last aspect, it should be noted that in the clamp according to the invention the two jaws apply the same clamping effect.

Furthermore, the clamp according to the invention can be coupled simply and rapidly to the formwork panels without having to screw bolts and like.

Another important advantage of the clamp according to the invention is that it has such a structure as to reduce the operations required for its provision, so as to reduce its costs while at the same time maintaining excellent efficiency and high reliability.

The clamp for formwork for vertical castings according to the invention is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the accompanying claims; all the details may furthermore be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

The materials used, as well as the dimensions and shapes, may of course be any according to the requirements and the state of the art.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application no. 102019000005146, from which this application claims priority, are incorporated herein by reference.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included 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.