The present invention relates to a connector for reinforcing bars for concrete, and more particularly to a connector for use in assembling a support for an upper layer of reinforcing mesh for use in casting thick concrete slabs and the like.

When casting thick concrete slabs for use in building construction it may be necessary to incorporate two or more spaced layers of mesh reinforcement in order to attain the required strength. When this is necessary, current practice is to support an upper reinforcing mesh layer from a lower mesh layer by supports in the form of reinforcing rod bent into three- dimensional shape to provide foot portions which are supported by, and are tied into, the lower mesh layer and an upstanding support portion shaped to form a horizontal support on which the upper layer rests. Although the bending of lengths of reinforcing bar into the required shape takes place in a factory situation prior to delivery on-site, the actions required to bend the bar are relatively expensive to undertake as bending of different parts of the bar takes place in different directions and in different planes; this may also give rise to safety issues in the work area in which bending occurs as a result of different parts of the bar projecting in different directions. The present invention in its preferred embodiment relates to a connector for use in assembling lengths of reinforcing bar on-site to form a support for an upper mesh layer.

According to the present invention, there is provided a connector for reinforcement comprising a base part configured for engagement with a reinforcing bar of reinforcement laid substantially horizontally, means for receiving a length of reinforcing bar to extend substantially horizontally and transversely to the first bar, and means for receiving reinforcing bar extending substantially vertically.

Further according to the present invention, there is provided a connector for reinforcement comprising a base part having a downwardly opening channel for engagement over a reinforcing bar of reinforcement, a socket extending transversely to the axis of the base part for receiving a length of reinforcing bar to extend substantially horizontally for tying into the reinforcement, and an upright socket extending with its axis substantially vertical for receiving reinforcing bar. The reinforcing bar with which the base part of the connector is engaged may be a bar of mesh reinforcement or a single reinforcing bar which forms part of the reinforcement.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, two such connectors are used to assemble a support for supporting an upper reinforcing mesh from a lower reinforcing mesh or other reinforcement on which the base parts of the connectors rest, a support component of the support being formed by reinforcing bar bent to form an upper horizontal support portion with vertically depending legs at each end thereof, with each of the legs being engaged within the upright socket of a respective one of the connectors. The connector can, however, have other uses such as for connecting a vertical starter bar for a column to the reinforcing mesh. In this case the starter bar is engaged within the upright socket.

Advantageously the connector is formed as a one-piece moulding in a suitable plastics.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a segment of mesh reinforcement associated with a support for an upper mesh layer, the support being assembled from lengths of reinforcing bar interconnected by means of connectors;

Figures 2 and 3 are views from different sides of a connector used in the support shown in Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 is a view of the connector from above; and

Figure 5 is a view of the connector from below.

Figure 1 shows a support 2 for an upper reinforcing mesh layer, the support 2 being assembled on-site from individual reinforcing bars 4, 6, 8 using two connectors 10 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention. The bar 8, which forms the basic support component is bent to form a horizontal support portion 8a with depending . vertical legs 8b at each end. In Figure 1, the support 2 is shown engaged with a lower reinforcing mesh layer 11, with the connectors 10 seated on a bar 12 of that mesh; the upper layer of reinforcing mesh to be supported by support 2 is not shown in Figure 1. As will be clearly understood, a series of such supports 2 will be distributed on the lower mesh to adequately support the upper mesh across its entire area, With reference to Figures 2 to 5, each connector 10 comprises a base part 20 shaped to define a downwardly-opening channel of semicircular cross-section of a size to fit over reinforcing bar 12 of the lower reinforcing mesh so that the base part 20 sits securely on the bar. A tubular socket 22 extends upwardly from the base part 20. The socket 22 is open at its upper end to receive and locate a vertical leg 8b of reinforcing bar 8. In its interior, the tubular socket 22 includes inwardly projecting ribs 22a in order to centre and firmly retain the vertical leg 8b. Extending at right angles to the axis of the base part 20 is a socket 24 for receiving and locating a length of reinforcing bar (the bar 4 or 6) to extend at right angles to the mesh bar 12 on which the base part 20 rests. The socket 24 is open at its underside and at each end and is so configured in relation to the base part 20 that reinforcing bar extending through the socket 24 will be positioned above the mesh bar on which the base part rests. It is to be noted that in the zone at which the socket 24 intersects the base part 20, the upper surface of the base part is interrupted (see Figure 5) whereby the length of reinforcing bar extending through the socket 24 can contact, and be directly supported by, the mesh bar 12 extending through the base part.

The connector is moulded in one piece from suitable plastics material, with integral reinforcing webs 30 being incorporated between the upright socket 22, the base part 20 and the transverse socket 24 to provide substantial structural rigidity for the overall component. Reverting again to Figure 1, it will be now readily understood how two of the connectors 10 just described are used to assemble the support 2 shown. As already described, the basic support component is formed from the length of reinforcing bar 8 bent to define the upper horizontal support portion 8a and the legs 8b extending vertically downwardly from each end thereof. The bending actions needed to form this component are quite straightforward and take place by bending in a single plane. This can be undertaken on- site although the component can easily be formed in a factory situation and then transported to site. The lower end portions of each of the legs 8b are fitted into the upright sockets 22 of the two connectors 10. The lengths of reinforcing bar 4, 6, are inserted through the transverse sockets 24 of the connectors with the substantive exposed length of each bar extending in opposite directions from the socket as is readily apparent from Figure 1. The support 2 formed by the two straight lengths of bar 4, 6 and the bent bar 8 interconnected by the connectors 10 replicates the shape of the supports formed by bending a single length of bar as previously described but avoids the difficulties and expense inherent in the bending processes needed to achieve that shape. The support 2 assembled in this way is located on the bar 12 of the lower reinforcing mesh by positioning the base parts 20 of the two connectors over that bar and the two straight lengths of bar 4, 6 are tied into the mesh to secure the support 2 in place. The connectors 10 by which the support is assembled provide a robust rigid structure and are able to carry the loads which may be generated by workers walking on the upper mesh layer.

Although the connector has been described above with reference to its relationship with a reinforcing mesh, it may alternatively be used in a similar manner with individual reinforcing bars rather than a pre-formed mesh. Although the connector described is primarily intended for use in constructing a support of the form shown, it does have other uses as a reinforcement connector. For example the upright socket 22 of the connector may alternatively receive a starter bar for a column, the connector being tied into the reinforcing mesh in a manner described above. The embodiment has been described by way of example only and modifications are possible within the scope of the invention. For example the detailed design of the connector may differ from that shown particularly as regards the base part and its engagement with the mesh, and the manner in which the horizontal bars are engaged with the base part.