FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a shoring device to make reinforced concrete floor slabs, in particular, by using a plurality of said shoring devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As is known, when making a floor slab, a certain number of formworks are positioned into which concrete or suchlike is cast until it hardens, after which the formworks can be removed. The formworks are supported by beams and by known shoring systems or devices.

The shoring devices can be provided, for example, with a prop, in the form of a rod, a pole or suchlike, provided on the top with a head which provides a vertically mobile support part, or the so-called“drop head”.

Once a given zone of the floor slab in production has been completed, the shoring devices allow to remove the formworks associated with said zone, leaving the props in position, with the possibility of recovering the formworks themselves. The formworks are recovered by lowering a certain height of the heads and possible beams, so as to obtain the space necessary to remove the formwork.

Therefore, using the shoring devices with a“drop head” it is possible to recover the formworks and beams associated with a completed part of the floor slab and to reuse them for the construction of other parts of the floor slab.

However, known shoring devices can be improved, above all in terms of structural stability and flexibility with which they can be used.

Moreover, when it is necessary, for example, to make a floor slab provided with a certain inclination, or a floor slab comprising flat segments connected to inclined segments, therefore with the presence of ridges, valleys or suchlike, the current support devices substantially cannot be used, as they are unsuitable to support the beams effectively and stably so that the latter give the floor slab the desired inclination.

One known system for the construction of a floor slab is described in document US-A-2006/00421179. However, the system has limitations in that it does not allow the construction of floor slabs with one or more inclinations and the necessary continuity.

Inclined floor slabs can be provided, for example, for the construction of vehicle parking lots or suchlike, and can be provided with a certain inclination, for example to ensure an effective outflow of water, snow deposits or other.

Other limitations and disadvantages of conventional solutions and technologies will be clear to a person of skill after reading the remaining part of the present description with reference to the drawings and the description of the embodiments that follow, although it is clear that the description of the state of the art connected to the present description must not be considered an admission that what is described here is already known from the state of the prior art.

There is therefore a need to perfect a shoring device for casting floor slabs, to be made, in particular, by using a series of such shoring devices that can overcome at least one of the disadvantages of the state of the art.

One purpose of the present invention is therefore to provide a shoring device that can be used effectively and flexibly substantially both for horizontal floor slabs and also for inclined floor slabs, or for floor slabs provided with horizontal segments alternating with inclined segments or again for floor slabs comprising ridges, valleys or suchlike.

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a shoring device which guarantees optimum structural stability in every situation and inclination of the floor slab to be made, therefore for a horizontal floor slab, for an inclined floor slab or for a combination of both.

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a shoring device which can be easily assembled, ensures fast positioning of the beams in the correct position and can easily be dismantled.

Another purpose of the present invention is to make a floor slab, in particular a floor slab comprising horizontal and/or inclined segments, which is made by means of the above shoring device and which is provided with effective compensation elements in the connection zones with both horizontal segments of floor slab and also with segments of floor slab with different inclination.

The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of the invention or variants to the main inventive idea.

In accordance with the above purposes, a shoring device according to the present invention comprises at least one prop provided at the upper part with a support provided with a mobile head configured to support, during use, at least one support with a circular segment, or“round piece”, positioned on an end part of a beam or suchlike; the mobile head can be positioned along the support in at least a first raised position to support the beam in the casting position and at least a second lowered position to remove or dismantle the beam.

According to one aspect of the invention, the mobile head comprises on at least one side at least one positioning plane inclined from the top toward the bottom toward the support and able to house, during use, the round piece of the beam; the shoring device also comprises adjustment means cooperating with the mobile head and provided with at least one contrast plane configured to keep the round piece of the beam in the desired position with respect to the positioning plane.

Advantageously, by means of the present shoring device, it is possible to position the beam in a simple and stable manner in any position whatsoever, thanks to the positioning of the corresponding round piece between a positioning plane and a contrast plane provided in the adjustment means, so that the round piece of the beam can be positioned at different heights and/or variously distanced translated with respect to the prop and therefore to the corresponding support, so as to allow the stable, precise and effective positioning of beams with any inclination.

The mobile head can be provided, between the positioning plane and the support, with at least one distancing plane.

The mobile head can comprise, on two opposite ends, positioning planes symmetrical with respect to an axis of symmetry of the mobile head.

The adjustment means can comprise at least one adjustment bracket, provided with at least one contrast plane having an inclination in the opposite direction with respect to the inclination of the positioning plane of the mobile head; the contrast plane of the adjustment bracket and the positioning plane of the mobile head thus form a housing seating for the round piece of the beam.

The adjustment bracket can be provided with corresponding movement means, so as to vary the distance between the positioning plane and the contrast plane.

The mobile head can comprise two edges between which support and sliding supports are provided for the adjustment bracket.

The adjustment bracket can comprise at least one step, able to rest on a plate provided with a housing seating for the mobile head along the support.

The adjustment means can comprise at least one shaped block positioned on the end part of the beam and provided with a plurality of contrast planes, configured to selectively rest on the surface of the support and thus provide different inclinations for the beam.

The end part of the housing beam of the shaped block can be removably attached by means of attachment elements to the rest of the beam.

Another object of the invention is a floor slab, made in particular by means of a plurality of formworks, a plurality of support beams and one or more shoring devices. Between two consecutive segments of floor slab a compensation device is positioned, provided with at least two fins hinged to one another so as to be able to assume different inclinations and to be able to use the compensation device indifferently for connection zones between horizontal consecutive segments of floor slab or for connection zones between consecutive segments of floor slab with different inclination.

These and other aspects, characteristics and advantages of the present disclosure will be better understood with reference to the following description, drawings and attached claims. The drawings, which are integrated and form part of the present description, show some embodiments of the present invention, and together with the description, are intended to describe the principles of the disclosure.

The various aspects and characteristics described in the present description can be applied individually where possible. The individual aspects, for example aspects and characteristics described in the attached dependent claims, can be the object of divisional applications.

It is understood that any aspect or characteristic that is discovered, during the patenting process, to be already known, shall not be claimed and shall be the object of a disclaimer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of some embodiments, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

- fig. 1 is a three-dimensional view of a shoring device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

- fig. 2 is a three-dimensional and exploded view of a mobile head of the shoring device in fig. 1 ;

- fig. 3 is a three-dimensional view of the mobile head in fig. 2, assembled;

- figs. 4 to 6 and 4a to 6a are lateral views that schematically show application examples of the first embodiment of the shoring device;

- figs. 7 and 8 and 7a and 8a are lateral views that schematically show two application examples of another embodiment of the shoring device.

To facilitate comprehension, the same reference numbers have been used, where possible, to identify identical common elements in the drawings. It is understood that elements and characteristics of one embodiment can conveniently be incorporated into other embodiments without further clarifications.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

We will now refer in detail to the various embodiments of the present invention, of which one or more examples are shown in the attached drawings. Each example is supplied by way of illustration of the invention and shall not be understood as a limitation thereof. For example, the characteristics shown or described insomuch as they are part of one embodiment can be adopted on, or in association with, other embodiments to produce another embodiment. It is understood that the present invention shall include all such modifications and variants.

Before describing the embodiments, we must also clarify that the present description is not limited in its application to details of the construction and disposition of the components as described in the following description using the attached drawings. The present description can provide other embodiments and can be obtained or executed in various other ways. We must also clarify that the phraseology and terminology used here is for the purposes of description only, and cannot be considered as limitative.

With reference to the attached drawings, a shoring device 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention comprises a support 11 provided with a mobile head 12, or a so-called“drop-head”, therefore mobile from at least a first raised position to support a beam 13, 14, 15 or 16, to at least a second lowered position in which it is possible to remove the beam 13, 14, 15 or 16 from the support device 10.

The support 11 is provided above a prop 60 of the shoring device 10, see for example fig. 4.

The mobile head 12 is supported along the support 11 , in a known manner, by means of a removable block 45 which is positioned at a certain height along the support 11. By removing the removable block 45, the mobile head 12 automatically descends due to gravity, until it rests on a plate 52 provided along the support 11.

The mobile head 12 is provided with at least one positioning plane 20, 20’ provided with a certain inclination from the top toward the bottom toward the support 11.

In this case the mobile head 12 is formed by two parallel edges 17 and 18 and therefore in reality it is provided with two parallel positioning planes 20 or 20’.

In particular, the mobile head 12 comprises, on two opposite ends 57 and 57’, positioning planes 20 and 20’ symmetrical with respect to an axis of symmetry V of the mobile head 12.

On the positioning planes 20-20’, see for example fig. 4a, a round piece 19 or support with a circular segment is positioned, provided at both end parts 55 of each beam 13-16.

The positioning of the round piece 19 along the positioning planes 20, 20’ substantially makes the inclination possible which is desired for the beams 13-16, as we shall see later.

The mobile head 12 is also centrally provided with a seating 46 by which the mobile head 12 can be inserted and positioned along the support 11.

Between the support 11 and the positioning planes 20, 20’ parallel distancing planes 21 are provided, which keep the positioning planes 20, 20’ suitably distanced from the support 11, thus allowing to incline the beams 13-16 toward the support 11 if necessary.

The distancing planes 21 can be directed substantially in direction O, that is, in a horizontal direction.

The mobile head 12 is configured to cooperate with adjustment means, which in the embodiment of the shoring device 10 shown in figs. 1 - 6a comprise an adjustment bracket 22 carrying at least one contrast plane 23, provided with an inclination in the opposite direction with respect to the inclination of the positioning plane or positioning planes 20.

The contrast plane 23 of the adjustment bracket 22 and the positioning planes 20, 20’ of the mobile head 12 substantially define a seating 24, generally V- shaped, in which the round piece 19 of the beam 13-16 will be housed.

The adjustment bracket 22 is positioned on a support 25 positioned between the two edges 17 and 18 which define the mobile head 12.

The support 25 preferably provides a support and sliding surface for a shank 26 of the adjustment brackets 22 and is preferably directed in direction O.

The shank 26 of the adjustment bracket 22 is provided with a threaded hole 27 in which an adjustment screw 28 provided with a corresponding threaded stem 29 can engage.

The adjustment screw 28 comprises a head 30, provided with a polygonal seating, a notch or suchlike, so that it can be screwed or unscrewed with respect to the threaded hole 27 by means of a suitable instrument and from the outside of the mobile head 12.

Between the head 30 and the threaded stem 29 the adjustment screw 28 comprises a positioning portion 31 delimited by an abutment element 32, for example an annular element protruding radially from the adjustment screw 28, or suchlike, similarly to the head 30.

The positioning portion 31 is housed in a seating 33 made between the edges 17 and 18 of the mobile head 12, in particular near the external end of the mobile head 12.

The seating 33 has a rounded shape and allows the adjustment screw 28 to be rotated, but not translated, since the head 30 and the abutment element 32 of the adjustment screw 28 abut against the walls of the seating 33. As can be understood, when the adjustment screw 28 is rotated in one direction or the other, for example with respect to direction O, the adjustment bracket 22 moves in one direction or the other always in direction O, since the adjustment screw 28 can rotate but not translate, thus obtaining a screw/female- screw mechanism 28-22 in order to move, in one direction or the other, the adjustment bracket 22 and therefore the contrast plane 23.

Naturally, the screw/female-screw mechanism 28-22 represents only one example of possible movement means that could be provided to vary the distance between the positioning planes 20, 20’ and the contrast plane 23, that is, to move the adjustment bracket 22 in one direction or the other.

The adjustment bracket 22 also comprises, between the contrast plane 23 and the shank 26, a step 34 resting on a plate 35 of the mobile head where the seating 46 is defined.

In the second embodiment of the present support device 10’ the adjustment means comprise a shaped block 58, provided with a plurality of contrast planes 36 and 37, so as to provide different inclinations for the beam 13-16.

The shaped block 58 is positioned on each end part 55 of the beam 13-16.

In figs 7a and 8a, for example, shaped blocks 58 are shown, each provided, on opposite sides, with a pair of contrast planes 36 and 37 with different inclinations, but naturally, a greater number of contrast planes 36 and 37 could be provided.

Depending on the inclination chosen for the beams 13-16, the contrast planes 36 or 37 of the shaped block 58 will rest wholly or partly against the surface 38 of the support 11.

For example, in fig. 7a, the contrast plane 36 associated with the beam 13 rests substantially completely against the surface 38 of the support 11, while the contrast plane 36 associated with the beam 14 rests only partly against the surface 38 of the support, since beam 14 is more inclined than beam 13.

In fig. 8a, instead, both the contrast planes 37 associated with the beams 13 and 14 rest substantially completely on the surface 38 of the support 11.

Fig. 4 shows schematically a floor slab 40 formed, temporarily, by a series of formworks 39 supported by the beams 13-16 and by the corresponding shoring devices 10. As can be seen, the floor slab 40 comprises a first segment of floor slab 41, substantially horizontal, and a second segment of floor slab 42 which instead has a certain inclination with respect to the horizontal segment of floor slab 41.

As can be appreciated in fig. 4a, the round piece 19 of the beam 13, which is horizontal in this example, is disposed in the seating 24 made between the positioning planes 20 of the mobile head 12 and the contrast plane 23 of the adjustment bracket 22.

In this case, the adjustment bracket 22 has the step 34 resting on the plate 35, therefore, substantially it is in a position close to the support 11.

The end part 55 of the beam 13, moreover, can find an abutment element 59 made along the support 11.

The beam 14 is instead provided with a certain inclination starting from the support device 10 positioned between the segment of floor slab 41 and the segment of floor slab 42. In this case the adjustment screw 28 is driven so as to move the adjustment bracket 22 away from the support 11 and so that the seating 24 formed by the contrast plane 23 and the positioning planes 20’ of the mobile head 12 is suitable to position the round piece 19 of the beam 14 in a raised position with respect to the position of the round piece 19 of the beam 13 The distancing of the adjustment bracket 22 and raising of the round piece 19 of the beam 14, which in any case is stably housed in the seating 24, allows a certain rotation of the beam 14 toward the support 11, so that its end portion 55 does not interfere with the abutment element 59.

As can be seen, the movement of the adjustment bracket 22 toward or away from the support 11 is preferably carried out by sliding the shank 26 on the support 25 of the mobile head 12.

In the connection zone 53 between the segments of floor slab 41 and 42, that is, where there is an empty space, it is also possible, advantageously, to position a compensation device 47 provided with at least one pair of reciprocally hinged fins 48 and 49.

One of the fins, for example fin 48, can be connected to a cylindrical stem 50 suitable to be housed in an arched-shaped seating 51 of the other fin, for example fin 49.

The seating 51 , in particular, will be defined by a cylindrical arc greater than 180°, so that the cylindrical stem 50 can be inserted correctly into the seating 51, for example in snap-in manner, and can be rotated without running the risk of being accidentally removed from the seating 51.

The compensation device 47 can rest on a support element 54, for example a section bar, positioned on the top of the shoring device 10, in particular of the support 11.

Fig. 4a shows a first position of the compensation device 47. Another position of the compensation device 47 is shown for example in fig. 5 and fig. 5a, in which a ridge is shown, provided between the segment of floor slab 42 inclined upward and a subsequent segment of floor slab 43 inclined downward.

In this case, the beam 14 is counter-inclined with respect to the subsequent beam 15 and the corresponding round pieces 19 are disposed in the corresponding seatings 24. In this case, since the beams 14 and 15 inclined away from the support 11, so as to form the ridge, there are no problems of possible interference of their end parts 55 with the support 11 or with any possible abutment elements 59.

In fig. 6 and fig. 6a, the beams 15 and 16 are instead inclined toward the support 11 so as to form a valley between the segment of floor slab 43 and a subsequent segment of floor slab 44. In this case, the adjustment brackets 22 are suitably distanced from the support 11, therefore the seatings 24 of the round pieces of the beams 15 and 16 are distanced from the support 11 with respect to what was previously shown.

In figs. 6 and 6b another position of the compensation device 47 is also shown, in this case, precisely, for a valley.

In the variants of fig. 7 and 7a and fig. 8 and fig. 8a, the segments of floor slab 41 and 42 and the segments of floor slab 42 and 43 are substantially shown.

In this case, as we said, the inclination of the beams 13 and 14 or of the beams 14 and 15 is established on the basis of which contrast plane 36 or 37 rests against the surface 38 of the support 11 , and to what extent the contrast plane 36 or 37 rests against the surface 38, therefore whether it rests completely or only partly, as seen previously.

The shaped block 58, provided with the contrast planes 36 and 37, could be made on an end part 55’ of the beam 13-16 which is removable from the rest of the beam 13-16, by means of attachment elements 56 for example.

As has been seen, the round piece 19, thanks to the positioning planes 20, 20’ and to the adjustment means, that is, the adjustment bracket 22 or the shaped block 58, can be disposed stably and rapidly in a plurality of different positions, that is, it can assume different heights with respect to the support 11 and/or it can be variously distanced from the support 11 , compare for example the two round pieces 19 of the beams 13 and 14 in fig. 4a, or the two round pieces 19 of the beams 13 and 14 in fig. 7a.

The adjustment means 22, 28 are therefore disposed substantially in front of the inclined positioning planes 20, 20’, therefore substantially the round piece is positioned between the adjustment means 22, 58 and the inclined positioning planes 20, 20’.

In this way, advantageously, it is possible to position the beams 13-16 and therefore the formworks 39 supported according to any inclination whatsoever, in a rapid, stable and effective manner.

It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts can be made to the shoring device 10 as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.

It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of shoring device, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby.

In the following claims, the sole purpose of the references in brackets is to facilitate reading: they must not be considered as restrictive factors with regard to the field of protection claimed in the specific claims.