ANCHOR CHANNEL AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING AN ANCHOR CHANNEL

Abstract

For stable anchoring of an anchor channel in concrete, an anchor, the anchor shank of which has a larger diameter than an anchor hole of a C-profile channel of the anchor channel, is inserted through the anchor hole from the inside, so that the anchor shank widens the anchor hole and holds the C-profile channel clamped on the anchor shank. An anchor head configured as a countersink head bears internally against a protrusion of the C-profile channel, and on the outer side of the C-profile channel knurling holds the anchor in addition to the clamped fit.

Claims

1. An anchor channel having a C-profile channel, which has an anchor hole, and having an anchor, which has an anchor head and an anchor shank and which has been inserted through the anchor hole from the inside, so that the anchor head is located in the C-profile channel and the anchor shank projects outwards from the C-profile channel, wherein the anchor shank has knurling spaced apart from the anchor head; a cross-section of the anchor shank is the same on both sides of the knurling; and a hole rim of the anchor hole engages between the anchor head and the knurling.

2. The anchor channel according to claim 1, wherein the hole rim of the anchor hole is seated clamped on the anchor shank between the anchor head and the knurling.

3. The anchor channel according to claim 1, wherein the anchor has a countersink head as anchor head; the C-profile channel has an outwardly projecting protrusion that surrounds the anchor hole; and on an inner side of the C-profile channel the anchor head lies inside the outwardly projecting protrusion of the C-profile channel that surrounds the anchor hole.

4. The anchor channel according to claim 1, wherein the C-profile channel has a slot in an upper side located opposite the anchor hole; and the anchor head is narrower and longer than the slot is wide.

5. A method for producing an anchor channel having a C-profile channel, which has an anchor hole, and having an anchor, which has an anchor head and an anchor shank and which is inserted through the anchor hole from the inside, so that the anchor head is located in the C-profile channel and the anchor shank projects outwards from the C-profile channel (2), wherein during insertion of the anchor shank the anchor hole is widened by means of the anchor shank.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the anchor has on the anchor shank, spaced apart from the anchor head, a counter-bearing that protrudes beyond a circumference of the anchor shank, which counter-bearing overlaps a hole rim of the anchor hole on an outer side of the C-profile channel.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the counter-bearing is in the form of knurling; and the hole rim of the anchor hole engages between the anchor head and the knurling.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein prior to the insertion of the anchor shank the diameter of the anchor hole is smaller than the diameter of the anchor shank between the anchor head and the counter-bearing, so that the inserted anchor shank widens the anchor hole and is held clamped in the anchor hole.

9. The method according to claim 5, wherein the anchor hole is circular and the anchor shank has a circular cross-section; and prior to the insertion of the anchor shank through the anchor hole the anchor hole has a smaller diameter than the anchor shank.

10. The method for producing an anchor channel according to claim 5, wherein the C-profile channel has an outwardly projecting protrusion that surrounds the anchor hole, which protrusion is produced prior to the insertion of the anchor shank through the anchor hole, and the anchor shank is then inserted through the anchor hole of the C-profile channel from the inside.

11. The method for producing an anchor channel according to claim 5, wherein the anchor shank is inserted through the anchor hole of the C-profile channel from the inside, so that the anchor head is located in the C-profile channel; and, at the end of the insertion of the anchor shank through the anchor hole in the C-profile channel, an underside of the anchor head is pressed against the C-profile channel from the inside with sufficient force that the underside of the anchor head forms an outwardly projecting protrusion of the C-profile channel that surrounds the anchor hole.

Description

[0018] The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment shown in the drawing, wherein:

[0019] FIG. 1 shows a cross-section through an anchor channel according to the invention;

[0020] FIG. 2 is an end view of an anchor head of an anchor of the anchor channel from FIG. 1;

[0021] FIG. 3 shows a cross-section through a C-profile channel of the anchor channel from FIG. 1;

[0022] FIG. 4 shows punching an anchor hole in an underside of the C-profile channel from FIG. 3;

[0023] FIG. 5 shows forming a protrusion that surrounds the anchor hole on the underside of the C-profile channel from FIG. 2;

[0024] FIG. 6 shows a longitudinal section through the anchor channel from FIG. 1;

[0025] FIG. 7 shows an anchor foot of the anchor of the anchor channel from FIG. 1;

[0026] FIG. 8 shows an alternative anchor foot of the anchor of the anchor channel from FIG. 1; and

[0027] FIG. 9 shows a cross-section through a second embodiment of an anchor channel according to the invention.

[0028] The anchor channel 1 according to the invention shown in FIG. 1 has a C-profile channel 2 and an anchor 3. The C-profile channel 2 is, for example, extruded or formed from sheet metal. It has a square or rectangular cross-section and a continuous longitudinal slot 4 in a transverse centre of a side of the C-profile channel 2 referred to herein as the upper side 5 and a series of circular anchor holes 6, spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the C-profile channel 2, in a transverse centre of a side of the C-profile channel 2 located opposite the upper side 5 having the longitudinal slot 4 and referred to herein as the underside 7.

[0029] The anchor 3 has an anchor shank 8, which is cylindrical in the exemplary embodiment, having an anchor head 9 at one end. In end view (FIG. 2), the anchor head 9 has an elongate shape with two mutually parallel longitudinal sides 10 and arcuately curved transverse sides 11. The anchor head 9 is longer and narrower than the longitudinal slot 4 in the upper side 5 of the C-profile channel 2 is wide, so that the anchor head 9 when aligned in the longitudinal direction of the C-profile channel 2 can be introduced into the C-profile channel 2 through the longitudinal slot 4. An underside 12 of the anchor head 9 facing towards the anchor shank 8 is frustoconical in the exemplary embodiment, for which reason the anchor head 9 can also be thought of as a countersink head.

[0030] Spaced apart from the anchor head 9 by a distance corresponding to a thickness of the underside 7 of the C-profile channel 2 at a hole rim of the anchor hole 6, the anchor 3 has knurling 13 on its anchor shank 8, which knurling can generally also be thought of as a counter-bearing 14 protruding on a circumference of the anchor shank 9. The knurling 13 can be parallel knurling, left-hand or right-hand knurling, cross-knurling and basically as desired. A counter-bearing 14 other than knurling that protrudes on the circumference of the anchor shank 9 is also possible (not shown). The knurling 13 is the location of the maximum diameter of the anchor shank 9. Since the cross-section in this region is not circular, the “diameter” here means the diameter of a circle circumscribing the knurling 13. That diameter is larger than the diameter of the remainder of the anchor shank 8.

[0031] The anchor 3 has been or is inserted through the anchor hole 6 in the underside 7 of the C-profile channel 2 from the inside, so that the anchor shank 8 projects outwards from the underside 7 of the C-profile channel 2 having the anchor hole 6 and the anchor head 9 is located in the C-profile channel 2. Preferably the anchor head 9 bears internally against the underside 7 of the C-profile channel 2. “From the inside” means that the anchor 3 is passed, anchor shank 8 first, through the longitudinal slot 4 in the upper side 5 of the C-profile channel 2 and through the anchor hole 6 in the underside 7 of the C-profile channel 2 until the anchor head 9 is located in the C-profile channel 2 and, as described, preferably bears internally against the underside 7 thereof and the anchor shank 8 projects outwards from the underside 7 of the C-profile channel 2.

[0032] Prior to the insertion of the anchor shank 8, a diameter of the anchor hole 6 is smaller than a diameter of the anchor shank 8 between the anchor head 9 and the knurling 13, the anchor shank 8 in the exemplary embodiment having the same diameter on both sides of the knurling 13. During insertion, the anchor shank 8 widens the anchor hole 6, the hole rim of the anchor hole 6 slightly narrowing again resiliently once the knurling 13 has passed, so that the hole rim of the anchor hole 6 of the C-profile channel 2 has a clamped fit on the anchor shank 8. In addition, the anchor head 9 holds the anchor shank 8 in an axial direction thereof and the knurling 13 forming the counter-bearing 14 holds the anchor shank 8 in an opposite axial direction in the underside 7 of the C-profile channel 2 by interlocking engagement. The hole rim of the anchor hole 6 of the C-profile channel 2 engages between the anchor head 9 and the knurling 13 of the anchor 3.

[0033] As FIG. 3 shows, the underside 7 of the C-profile channel 2 of the anchor channel 1 according to the invention is originally, that is to say prior to the insertion of the anchor shank 8, flat. The anchor hole(s) 6 are, for example, drilled or, as shown in FIG. 4, punched with a punch 15 which can be, for example, cylindrical or, in the exemplary embodiment, conical. Prior to the insertion of the anchor shank 8, the anchor hole 6 has approximately 0.7 times the diameter of the anchor shank 8 outside the knurling 13.

[0034] At a larger-diameter end, the punch 15 has a frustoconical annular shoulder as deforming shoulder 16 which is pushed through the longitudinal slot 4 of the C-profile channel 2 against the inner side of the underside 7 of the C-profile channel 2, so that an outwardly projecting, hollow-frustoconical protrusion 17 that surrounds the anchor hole 6 is formed on the underside 7 of the C-profile channel 2 (FIG. 5). For punching the anchor hole 6 and forming the protrusion 17, the underside 7 of the C-profile channel 2 is supported on a die 18 having a hole 19 for passage of the punch 15 and a frustoconical depression 20 for the protrusion 17 of the C-profile channel 2. Although forming the protrusion 17 widens the anchor hole 6, the anchor hole 6 is originally sufficiently narrow that, even after the protrusion 17 has been formed, its diameter is still smaller than the diameter of the anchor shank 8 outside the knurling 13, so that the anchor shank 8 widens the anchor hole 6 during insertion and holds the C-profile channel 2 clamped on the anchor shank 8.

[0035] As described hereinabove, the anchor shank 8 of the anchor 3 is passed through the anchor hole 6 of the C-profile channel 2 of the anchor channel 1 according to the invention from the inside, so that the anchor shank 8 projects outwards from the underside 7 of the C-profile channel 2 and on the inner side of the underside 7 of the C-profile channel 2 the frustoconical underside 12 of the anchor head 9 bears against or lies inside the protrusion 17 that surrounds the anchor hole 6, as shown in cross-section in FIG. 1 and in longitudinal section in FIG. 6.

[0036] After the insertion of the anchor shank 8 through the anchor hole 6 of the C-profile channel 2, an anchor foot 21, 22 is provided on an end of the anchor shank 8 remote from the anchor head 9 and the C-profile channel 2. The anchor head 9 can be formed integrally with the anchor shank 8, for example by upsetting of the anchor shank 8, or can be welded or screwed to the anchor shank 8. FIG. 7 shows a frustoconical anchor foot 21 formed on the anchor shank 8 by upsetting, and FIG. 8 shows a nut as anchor foot 22 which has been or is screwed onto a thread 23 of the anchor shank 8. The anchor foot 21, 22 can have a different shape from that shown and described and/or can be provided on the anchor shank 8 in a different way from that described. The cross-section of the anchor 3 is made wider by the anchor foot 21, 22 so that the anchor is able to find good purchase in the concrete.

[0037] In the case of the anchor channel 1 according to the invention shown in cross-section in FIG. 9, the protrusion 17 is not formed prior to the insertion of the anchor shank 8 but is formed by the underside 12 of the anchor head 9 at the end of the insertion of the anchor shank 8. The anchor hole 6 is made in the flat underside 7 of the C-profile channel 2 with a diameter of approximately 0.7 times the diameter of the anchor shank 8 outside the knurling 13 which, during insertion, widens the anchor hole 6 so that the C-profile channel 2 is seated clamped on the anchor shank 8. In FIG. 9, as in FIG. 1, the hole rim of the anchor hole 6 also engages between the knurling 13 forming the counter-bearing 14 and the anchor head 9, is held clamped on the anchor shank 8 and is additionally held by the anchor head 9 and the knurling 13 by interlocking engagement. At the end of the insertion of the anchor shank 8 through the anchor hole 6 of the C-profile channel 2, the anchor head 9 is pulled and/or pressed by its underside 12 against the inner side of the underside 7 of the C-profile channel 2 and in so doing forms the outwardly projecting protrusion 17 on the underside 7 of the C-profile channel 2.

[0038] For insertion through the anchor hole 6, the anchor shank 8 of the exemplary embodiment from FIG. 9 is frustoconical at its end remote from the anchor head 9, whereas the anchor shank 8 in FIG. 1 has a chamfer at the end remote from the anchor head 9 and the C-profile channel 2, on which end the anchor foot 21, 22 is then provided.

[0039] It is intended that the anchor channel 1 be concreted into, for example, a concrete ceiling (not shown) so that the upper side 5 of the C-profile channel 2 having the longitudinal slot 4 is flush with a surface of the concrete. The anchor(s) 3 arranged along the C-profile channel 2 at intervals in the longitudinal direction are likewise concreted into the ceiling and, by means of their anchor feet 21, 22, hold the C-profile channel 2, or the anchor channel 1 as a whole, in the base. Using, for example, hammerhead screws, articles, such as, for example, a façade substructure, can be attached to the anchor channel 1 and accordingly to the concrete ceiling (not shown). For that purpose, hammerheads of the hammerhead screws (not shown) are aligned in the longitudinal direction of the C-profile channel 2, introduced through the longitudinal slot 4 in the upper side 5 of the C-profile channel 2 and, by rotation through 90° or possibly even less, brought into engagement behind the upper side 5 of the C-profile channel laterally of the longitudinal slot 4.

LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS

Anchor Channel and Method for Producing an Anchor Channel

[0040] 1 anchor channel

[0041] 2 C-profile channel

[0042] 3 anchor

[0043] 4 longitudinal slot

[0044] 5 upper side

[0045] 6 anchor hole

[0046] 7 underside of the C-profile channel 2

[0047] 8 anchor shank

[0048] 9 anchor head

[0049] 10 longitudinal side

[0050] 11 transverse side

[0051] 12 underside of the anchor head 9

[0052] 13 knurling

[0053] 14 counter-bearing

[0054] 15 punch

[0055] 16 deforming shoulder

[0056] 17 protrusion

[0057] 18 die

[0058] 19 hole

[0059] 20 depression

[0060] 21 upset anchor foot

[0061] 22 nut of the anchor foot

[0062] 23 thread