SEALING CONNECTOR FOR POST TENSIONED ANCHOR SYSTEM

Abstract

A sealing connector cover for a tendon in an encapsulated post-tensioning reinforcement system includes a plurality of circumferential cover segments each comprising a circumferential part of a female connector housing at one longitudinal end, and a male connector housing at another longitudinal end. Each segment has a locking element to engage a corresponding locking element on a longitudinally corresponding segment. Each circumferential segment comprises a circumferential part of a locking element in the female connector housing configured to engage the male connector housing of a longitudinally adjacent sealing connector cover or a connector on an encapsulated anchor.

Claims

1. A method for post-tensioning a concrete structure, comprising: assembling a tendon to a first anchor; passing the tendon through an encapsulated second anchor; assembling a first circumferentially segmented sealing connector cover to the tendon and to the first anchor; assembling a second circumferentially segmented sealing connector to the tendon and to the encapsulated second anchor; pouring concrete into a form surrounding the tendon; allowing the concrete to cure; and stretching the tendon to a predetermined tension.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising connecting a third circumferentially segmented sealing connector cover to a free end of the first circumferentially segmented sealing connector cover.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the first and the second circumferentially segmented sealing connector cover comprises: a plurality of circumferential cover segments each comprising a circumferential part of a female connector housing at one longitudinal end, and a male connector housing at another longitudinal end, each circumferential cover segment having a locking element to engage a corresponding locking element on a longitudinally corresponding circumferential cover segment; and wherein each circumferential cover segment comprises a circumferential part of a locking element in the female connector housing configured to engage the male connector housing of a longitudinally adjacent sealing connector cover or a connector on an encapsulated anchor.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein each circumferentially segmented sealing cover further comprises in each circumferential segment a circumferential part of an internal seal to sealingly engage the tendon.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein each circumferentially segmented sealing cover further comprises in each circumferential segment a circumferential part of an internal seal to sealingly engage the male connector housing of the longitudinally adjacent sealing connector cover or the connector on an encapsulated anchor.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein each circumferentially segmented sealing cover further comprises in each circumferential segment a circumferential part of one or more gripping elements to engage the tendon.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein one circumferential edge of each circumferential segment comprises a hinge.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein each circumferential segment is made from a flexible material.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] FIG. 1 shows an oblique view of an example embodiment of an end seal according to the present disclosure.

[0028] FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C show, respectively a top, bottom, and side view of an example embodiment of an end seal connected to both sides of an intermediate anchor system.

[0029] FIG. 3 shows an oblique view of an example embodiment of an open end seal according to the present disclosure attached to a section drawing of an encapsulated anchor shown in section drawing.

[0030] FIGS. 4 through 8 show various tendon and anchor encapsulation devices known in the art to help explain various features of a sealing connector and system according to the present disclosure

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The present disclosure provides a post-tension anchor sealing connector and connector system. In the system, a tendon having a sheathed portion and unsheathed portion, a first anchor receiving the unsheathed portion of the tendon therein, a second anchor receiving another unsheathed portion of the tendon therein, a potential for a plurality of intermediate anchors requiring the removal of protective sheathing are arranged to stress the tendon. Each anchor is protected by a corrosion protection cover (encapsulation) capable of receiving attachments such as caps and sheathing sealing connections to form a complete liquid tight assembly.

[0032] In some embodiments, a respective unsheathed portion of the tendon is secured within the tendon-receiving cavity of each of the plurality of anchors by wedges or the like. The encapsulated anchors have an exterior connection point or feature to receive the sealing connector cover. The sealing connector cover is affixed in liquid-tight relationship to the encapsulation on the anchor and the sheathing. The sealing connector cover has sufficient length to cover all of the unsheathed portions of the tendon extending from the encapsulated anchor. The sealing connector cover may be a hinged, flexible or two-part assembly allowing connections to be made without threading the sealing connector cover over the length of the tendon from a free end thereof.

[0033] The sealing connector cover can be attached to the stressing (live) end of the tendon and associated anchor, the fixed (dead) end of the tendon and associated anchor, or at and to any intermediate anchor(s). Further, more than one sealing connector cover may be assembled on the tendon end to end by way of interlocking end connections, allowing either end-to-end connection of multiple sealing connector covers or connection of a sealing connector cover to any anchor. This stackable, interconnecting design allows any suitable length of exposed strand or tendon to be covered without threading. Additionally, the sealing connector cover may be used at any point along the strand or tendon where sheathing may be damaged and repair is necessary to prevent moisture intrusion into the tendon.

[0034] In some embodiments, the sealing connector cover may be formed as two symmetrical, longitudinal halves of a tubular member connected to each other by a hinge, and fasteners to hold the sealing connector cover closed onto an anchor and/or a tendon. The halves may have longitudinal and circumferential seals to prevent liquid intrusion into the cover once it is installed on the tendon. One end of the sealing connector cover may be formed to make a mechanical and liquid tight connection to the anchor, while the opposite end is configured to make a liquid tight seal and positive connection to the sheathing, and, if desired, to an additional sealing connector cover coupled end to end. The sealing connector cover may therefore be configured to receive an additional sealing connecting connector cover at the other end. The interior of the sealing connector cover may be filled with an appropriate volume of corrosion inhibitor such as grease, microcrystalline wax, silicone gel or the like in order to fill any voids where moisture could collect, thereby providing an additional protective barrier.

[0035] The present disclosure also provides a method of forming an encapsulated tendon, and anchorage for a post-tension concrete reinforcing system comprising: (1) encapsulating an anchor within an encapsulation thereon; (2) positioning a tendon within the anchor; (3) seating a wedge or the like around an unsheathed portion of the tendon and within the tendon-receiving cavity of the anchor; (4) affixing a sealing cap over the exposed wedge or the like within the tendon-receiving cavity of the anchor in the case of a live end anchor, or securing a sealing connector cover to the wedge end of the tendon and to the anchor for an intermediate anchor; and (5) securing a sealing connector cover to the anchor such that the tendon is sealed from end-to-end through the anchor.

[0036] An example embodiment of a sealing connector cover, that may be used with a known encapsulated anchor and post-tensioning system, is shown in oblique view in FIG. 1 at 20. An encapsulated anchor, tendon and locking wedges used in such anchoring system may be any types known in the art, for example and without limitation those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,631,596 issued to Sorkin (also shown in FIG. 3). The sealing connector cover 20 may be made from any suitable material known to be used for encapsulated anchor systems, for example and without limitation plastic such as thermoplastic or thermoset plastic. Some embodiments may be made from flexible plastic.

[0037] The present example embodiment of the sealing connector cover 20 may be formed from two circumferential half-sections 20A, 20B connected along their respective length by a hinge 20C. One or more male locks 4 may be disposed along the circumferential edge of one of the half-sections, e.g., 20A that mate with and lockingly engage one or more corresponding female lock(s) 5 disposed at corresponding longitudinal positions along the other half-section 20B. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the hinge 20C may be substituted by or supplemented with additional locks on the opposed circumferential edge of each of the half-sections 20A, 20B. Some embodiments may be made from flexible material such as flexible plastic so as to eliminate the need for the hinge 20C as will be explained further below. While the present example embodiment comprises two circumferential sections 20A, 20B, other embodiments may comprise more circumferential sections, e.g., three or four circumferential sections each having corresponding features.

[0038] Some embodiments of a sealing connector cover 20 may be made from a flexible material (e.g., flexible plastic) such that the hinge 20C may be omitted. In such embodiments, the circumferential half sections 20A, 20B may be separated by folding along a line disposed where the hinge 20C is shown in FIG. 1, or the circumferential half sections 20A, 20B may be separated only along a single parting line 20D. Such embodiments may be opened for affixing to the tendon and anchor by urging the circumferential half sections 20A, 20B apart along the parting line 20D until an opening between the ends of the circumferential half sections 20A, 20B is wide enough to fit over the tendon (not shown). It will be apparent that while the present description is made with reference to circumferential half sections, embodiments which omit the hinge 20C and may be opened by urging away from a parting line may be formed as a single, circumferential part having the parting line define the only plane of separation of the circumferential segments 20A, 20B.

[0039] Each circumferential section 20A, 20B may comprise at one longitudinal end a circumferential segment of a female coupling housing 7 shaped to receive therein, when the circumferential sections 20A, 20B are joined, a male coupling housing 8 disposed at the other longitudinal end of the sealing connector cover 20. The female coupling housing 7 may comprise a locking element 2 shaped to engage a corresponding locking element (not shown) formed in the male coupling housing 8. A locking element (not shown) corresponding to the locking element (not shown) in the male coupling housing 8 may be similarly formed in a male locking element (not shown) formed in an encapsulation about a post-tensioning anchor (30 in FIG. 3). The locking element 2 can thus be connected to either an adjacent sealing connector cover or to an encapsulated anchor (30 in FIG. 3). Correspondingly, any chosen number of sealing connector covers may be joined end to end to cover any selected length of tendon.

[0040] The female coupling housing 7 may comprise a first internal seal 3 having an inner diameter, when the sections are joined, chosen to sealingly engage a tendon (not shown in the figures) passing through the sealing connector cover 20. The female connector housing 7 may also comprise a second internal seal 1 having an internal diameter chosen to sealingly engage the male coupling housing 8 or the encapsulated anchor (not shown). The sealing connector cover 20 may further comprise one or more gripping elements 6 on the internal surface such that the gripping elements 6 engage an exterior surface of the tendon (not shown) when the sealing connector cover 20 is assembled to the tendon (not shown).

[0041] FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C show, respectively a top cut away view, a bottom view, and a side view of an example embodiment of sealing connector cover 20 connected to both sides of an intermediate anchor 30. While the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C are shown connected to an intermediate anchor, the sealing connector cover 20 may be used on dead end and live end terminal anchors. The intermediate anchor 30 may comprise encapsulation 32 of types known in the art. On the left hand side of the anchor 30 in FIG. 2A, it may be observed that the female coupling housing 7 engages an internal feature 32A in the wedge receiving bore side of the encapsulation 32. Such feature 32A may be similar to features known in the art for connecting pocket formers and encapsulating devices to such side of an encapsulated anchor. The sealing connector cover 20 on the right hand side in FIG. 2A may be observed coupled to the exterior 32B of the encapsulation 32 as may be the case for seals known in the art prior to the present disclosure. It should be understood that such prior art seals must be affixed to the anchor prior to insertion of the tendon through the anchor. As explained above, a sealing connector cover according to the present disclosure may be affixed to the anchor 30 while the tendon (not shown) is already in place through the anchor 30. The tendon is omitted from the views in FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C for clarity of the illustration, it being understood that in use, a tendon will be in place through the anchor at the time the sealing end connector(s) may be affixed to the anchor and the tendon.

[0042] FIG. 3 shows an oblique view of an example embodiment of sealing connector cover 20 according to the present disclosure attached to an encapsulated anchor 30 shown in section drawing. The sealing connector cover 20 is shown with the circumferential segments 20A, 20B open, so that connection to the encapsulation feature 32A using the locking element 2 may be better observed. An example of the encapsulation feature 32A may be more clearly observed in FIG. 6.

[0043] In a method of assembling a post-tensioning system according to one aspect of this disclosure, a tendon may be assembled to a dead end anchor at one end of a concrete structure form. Assembling the tendon may comprise removing part of the sheath from the tendon and attaching a sealing connector cover 20 to the part of the tendon extending through the dead end anchor as explained above. The tendon may be assembled to one or more intermediate anchors and/or to a live end anchor. Concrete may then be poured into the form and allowed to cure. The tendon may be stretched and seated in the intermediate anchor(s) and/or the live end anchor, and a sealing connector cover 20 assembled to the tendon as explained above. Where required, more than one sealing connector cover may be assembled to the free end of any one or more of the sealing connector covers to fully enclose any unsheathed part of the tendon that may extend out from any of the free ends. Thus, all exposed tendon will be fully enclosed inside sealed encapsulation. As will be appreciated, the sealing connector covers may be filled with grease or other corrosion inhibitor prior to assembly to the tendon and/or anchors.

[0044] In light of the principles and example embodiments described and illustrated herein, it will be recognized that the example embodiments can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles. The foregoing discussion has focused on specific embodiments, but other configurations are also contemplated. In particular, even though expressions such as in “an embodiment,” or the like are used herein, these phrases are meant to generally reference embodiment possibilities, and are not intended to limit the disclosure to particular embodiment configurations. As used herein, these terms may reference the same or different embodiments that are combinable into other embodiments. As a rule, any embodiment referenced herein is freely combinable with any one or more of the other embodiments referenced herein, and any number of features of different embodiments are combinable with one another, unless indicated otherwise. Although only a few examples have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible within the scope of the described examples. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure as defined in the following claims.