Anchor Plug with Prefilled Adhesive

Abstract

A ready to use composite anchor plug kit, pre-assembled with adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21) and spill catchment film (11), which does not need separate adhesive/s or compounds to be inserted, injected or applied in or on the body of the anchor plug for the purposes of increasing the resultant anchoring strength. The anchor plug has a detachable, adhesive backed, spill containment and collection film (11) designed to protect the immediate surrounding surface work area from the extra adhesive (20, 21) seeping out. The adhesive (20, 21) overspill is collected on the film surface, which can be detached & discarded, thereby ensuring a neat & clean uncontaminated area around the anchored borehole.

The body of the anchor plug (16) is sealed with a pressure retaining diaphragm seal plug (15) with self-sealing, leak-proof properties, designed to retain the generated pressure within the cavity of the anchor plug (16), after it is pierced and threaded through with an anchor.

Claims

1. An anchor plug, according to patent claim 1, characterised in that it comprises, fused within the body of the anchor plug (16), pre-packaged adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21), encapsulated with protective sheath covers (22), sealed with a diaphragm seal plug (15) with an attached spill containment and collection film (11), as a completely pre-assembled unit, ready to use composite anchor plug, without the requirement for a separate or additional adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21) to be inserted, injected or applied from inside or outside the body of the anchor plug for the purposes of additional anchoring support between the anchor, the anchor plug and the drilled borehole in a substrate.

2. The anchor plug, according to patent claim 2, characterised in that, it comprises fused with the body of the anchor plug (16), a diaphragm seal plug (15) with self-sealing, leak-proof properties, designed to retain the generated pressure build up within the cavity of the anchor plug (16), after it is pierced and threaded through, with a threaded or a non-threaded anchor (eg. screw, nail, bolt, etc.) and as the inserted anchor moves forward axially, tearing open the individually encapsulating sheath covers (22) of the encapsulated adhesive or compounds packets (20, 21), releasing the adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21) and with its rotational motion, mixing the adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21) and displacing (due to the subsequent pressure build up within the cavity of the anchor body) this activated adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21) throughout the inside & also to the outside of the anchor body (16), through the discharge vents/exit orifices (18) and the expansion slots (19), onto the external surface of the anchor body, filling the gap/spaces between the anchor body, drilled borehole & the surrounding substrate.

3. The anchor plug, according to patent claim 3, characterised in that, it comprises fused to the to the peripheral top outside edge of the anchor plug body (16), a spill containment and collection film (11), adhesive coated on its under surface (13), insulated with a release liner (14), which when separated and removed from the adhesive backing, exposes the adhesive and when the anchor plug body (16) is pushed into the borehole in the substrate, the spill containment and collection film (11) with applied pressure, adheres securely to the surface surrounding the borehole in the substrate, preventing gaps between the spill containment and collection film (11) and the surface of the substrate and acts as a surface containment device to collect the spilled out excess adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21), in the event of any extra adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21) spilling out from through the pierced diaphragm seal plug (15), or from the space between the anchor plug body and the surrounding substrate, thereby protecting the surrounding surface area of the substrate around the drilled borehole, from contamination and adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21) damage, after which this spill containment and collection film (11) can be subsequently detached and torn off from its tethering to the anchor plug body and discarded.

4. The anchor plug as in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that by the independent use of its partially pre-assembled unit, but comprising of some or all of the other components, consisting of, adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21), it's individual encapsulating sheath covers (22), diaphragm seal plug (15), spill containment and collection film (11), can be used inside the body of another anchor plug for the purposes of the application of adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21) to the inside or outside the body of the anchor plug for additional anchoring support between the anchor, the anchor plug and the drilled borehole in a substrate.

5. The anchor plug as in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that by the independent use of its partially pre-assembled unit, but comprising of some or all of the other components, consisting of, adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21), which may be replaced with other surface protection chemical substances, it's individual encapsulating sheath covers (22), diaphragm seal plug (15), spill containment and collection film (11), can be used inside the body of another anchor plug as a mean/s, for the delivery and application of surface protection chemical substances to the anchor, anchor plug body and substrate.

6. The anchor plug as in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that, the internal adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21) can be replaced with a coating of a catalyst chemical compound over the inside and outside surface of the body of the anchor plug (16), which otherwise would remain inactive, but will catalyse a pre-planned reaction and activate the targeted chemical or adhesive, when released from the confines of its encapsulated protective sheath covers (22) from within the insides of the anchor plug body.

7. The anchor plug as in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that its individual components as independent or partially pre-assembled units, may be packaged together, separately or alongside each other for the purposes of packing, storage and transportation.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0080] In the following, the invention is presented in detail by referring to the attached drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

[0081] FIG. 1 illustrates the shaded, external isometric view of the anchor plug

[0082] FIG. 2 illustrates external isometric view of the anchor plug, showing the upper/top surface of the spill containment and collection film (11), the raised ridge (12) on the peripheral/circular edge/border of the film (11), the top piercing surface of the diaphragm seal plug (15), the body of the anchor plug (16), the raised interlock ridges (17), the discharge vents/exit orifices (18), the expansion slots (19) and the surface coating of a catalyst chemical compound (23).

[0083] FIG. 3 illustrates the top view of the anchor plug, showing the upper/top surface of the spill containment and collection film (11), the raised ridge (12) on the peripheral/circular edge/border of the film (11), the top piercing surface of the diaphragm seal plug (15).

[0084] FIG. 4 illustrates a bottom view of the anchor plug, showing the bottom side of the release liner insulating the adhesive coating (14), the body of the anchor plug (16), the raised interlock ridges (17), the bottom discharge vent/exit orifices (18) and the surface coating of a catalyst chemical compound (23).

[0085] FIG. 5 illustrates an exploded view of the anchor plug, showing the spill containment and collection film (11), the adhesive coating (13), the release liner insulating the adhesive coating (14), the diaphragm seal plug (15), the body of the anchor plug (16), the outside adhesive or compound (20), the inside adhesive or compound (21), the covering/encapsulating membrane (22) over adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21).

[0086] FIG. 6 illustrates the section cuts through planes A-A, B-B, C-C and section cut through plane D-D.

[0087] FIG. 7 illustrates the cut section through section plane A-A, illustrating the cross-sectional areas of the spill containment and collection film (11), the raised peripheral/circular ridge (12), the adhesive coating (13), the release liner insulating the adhesive coating (14), the diaphragm seal plug (15), the body of the anchor plug (16), the discharge vents/exit orifices (18), the adhesive (20), the adhesive (21), the encapsulating protective sheath covers (22) of the adhesive/s and compounds (20, 21) and the surface coating of a catalyst chemical compound (23).

[0088] FIG. 8 illustrates the cut section through section plane B-B, illustrating the cross-sectional areas of the spill containment and collection film (11), the raised peripheral/circular ridge (12), the adhesive coating (13), the release liner insulating the adhesive coating (14), the diaphragm seal plug (15), the body of the anchor plug (16), the raised interlock ridges (17), the adhesive or compound (20), the adhesive or compound (21), the encapsulating protective sheath covers (22) of the adhesive/s and compounds (20, 21) and the surface coating of a catalyst chemical compound (23).

[0089] FIG. 9 illustrates the cut section through section plane C-C, illustrating the cross-sectional areas of the body of the anchor plug (16), the discharge vents/exit orifices (18), the expansion slots (19), the adhesive or compound (20), the adhesive or compound (21), the encapsulating protective sheath covers (22) of the adhesive/s and compounds (20, 21) and the surface coating of a catalyst chemical compound (23).

[0090] FIG. 10 illustrates the cut section through section plane D-D, illustrating the cross-sectional areas of the body of the anchor plug (16), the raised interlock ridges (17), the expansion slots (19), the adhesive or compound (20), the adhesive or compound (21) and the encapsulating protective sheath covers (22) of the adhesive/s and compounds (20, 21)

[0091] FIG. 11 illustrates external isometric top view of the anchor plug without the body of the anchor, showing the upper/top surface of the spill containment and collection film (11), the raised ridge (12) on the peripheral/circular edge/border of the film (11), the top piercing surface of the diaphragm seal plug (15) and the adhesive (20).

[0092] FIG. 12 illustrates external isometric bottom view of the anchor plug without the body of the anchor, showing the bottom surface of the spill containment and collection film (11), the bottom side of the release liner insulating the adhesive coating (14), the diaphragm seal plug (15), the adhesive or compound (20) and the adhesive or compound (21).

[0093] FIG. 13 illustrates the section cuts through plane E-E.

[0094] FIG. 14 illustrates the cut section through section plane E-E, illustrating the cross-sectional areas of the spill containment and collection film (11), the raised peripheral/circular ridge (12), the adhesive coating (13), the release liner insulating the adhesive coating (14), the diaphragm seal plug (15), the adhesive or compound (20), the adhesive or compound (21) and the encapsulating protective sheath covers (22) of the adhesive/s and compounds (20, 21).

[0095] FIG. 15 illustrates the exploded view of the anchor plug's cut section through section plane E-E, illustrating the cross-sectional areas of the spill containment and collection film (11), the raised peripheral/circular ridge (12), the adhesive coating (13), the release liner insulating the adhesive coating (14), the diaphragm seal plug (15), the adhesive or compound (20), the adhesive or compound (21) and the encapsulating protective sheath covers (22) of the adhesive/s and compounds (20, 21).

[0096] FIG. 16 illustrates the external isometric view of the anchor plug along with its cut section view, for use as the diagram for inclusion on the front page of the patent publication and for the illustration of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0097] It is the object of the present invention to provide a fastening element which can be anchored in a borehole with quicker speeds, better results, with no clean up required after the application is completed.

[0098] Accordingly, the present invention proposes a anchor plug which completely removes the disadvantages of the prior art anchors described above.

[0099] The features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent with reference to the following description and attached drawings, describing and showing by way of example only one illustrative embodiment of the present invention.

[0100] In keeping with these objects and with other which will become apparent hereinafter, the key features of the anchor plug invention is that it is a pre-assembled and ready to use composite anchor plug kit, complete with the anchor plug body sealed with a pressure retaining diaphragm seal plug (15), adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21) and spill containment and collection film (11), which does not need separate adhesive/s or compounds to be inserted, injected or applied in or on the body of the anchor plug for the purposes of increasing the resultant anchoring strength, and has the pre-fused, but detachable & disposable spill containment and collection film (11), traps seeped out extra adhesive/s or compound (20, 21) and when detached, leaves no residue behind, maintaining the work space neat & clean, with no additional mess to clean up, as captured in the claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.

[0101] The pressure retaining diaphragm plug retains the pressure within the plug body & ensures optimal mixing of the adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21) and it prevents leakage of the adhesive/s or compound (20, 21) from the sides of the entry point of the anchor. The novel features of the present invention, which are considered as characteristic for the invention, are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its mode of operation, together with additional advantages and objects thereof, will be best understood from the following detailed description of preferred embodiment, when read with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0102] A ready to use composite pre-packed adhesive or compound, the anchor plug kit, as a completely pre-assembled unit, without the requirement for a separate or additional adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21) to be inserted, injected or applied from inside or outside the body of the anchor plug for the purposes of increasing the resultant anchoring strength of the anchor plug to the drilled borehole in any substrate when used as an anchoring device.

[0103] The anchor plug also has a detachable adhesive backed spill containment and collection film (11) surrounding the immediate surface vicinity of the work area around the borehole plugged with the anchor plug. This spill containment and collection film (11) adheres to the surrounding area around the plugged-in the anchor plug & performs the function of spill collection and containment of the extra seeped out adhesive or compound (20, 21), which collects on its surface, to be later detached & discarded, thereby ensuring a neat & clean uncontaminated area around the anchored borehole.

[0104] The body of the anchor plug (16) is sealed with a pressure retaining diaphragm seal plug (15) with self-sealing, leak-proof properties, designed to retain the generated pressure within the cavity of the anchor plug (16), after it is pierced and threaded through, with a threaded or a non-threaded anchor (eg. screw, nail, bolt, etc.).

[0105] The forward motion of the anchor breaks the individually encapsulating sheath covers (22) of the adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21) packets, thereby releasing the adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21) within the cavity of the anchor body, with its subsequent mixing and activation of the adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21). Due to the subsequent build-up of pressure within the cavity of the anchor body the activated adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21) gets displaced with turbulence and is pushed around throughout the inside of the anchor body & it is also discharged to the outside of the anchor body (16) through the discharge vents/exit orifices (18) and the expansion slots (19) onto the external surface of the anchor body, wherein it fills the gap/spaces between the anchor body & the surrounding substrate.

[0106] The pre-packaged adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21) are encapsulated with protective sheath covers (22) which is sturdy enough for long term storage under adverse climatic and environmental conditions, but can be easily ruptured to release its contents, due to friction with an inserted anchor in motion.

[0107] The adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21) pack with the diaphragm seal plug (15) and the spill containment and collection film (11) can be used independently with other hollow the anchor plugs of suitable dimensions & proportions for the purposes of increasing the resultant anchoring strength of the anchor plug to the drilled borehole in any substrate when used as an anchoring device.

[0108] The said adhesive/s (20, 21) as recited in claim 1, can be a single component adhesive or compound, having a protective sheath cover, to enable it to be stored inertly within the body of the anchor plug (16).

[0109] The said adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21) as recited in claim 1, can also be multiple component adhesives or compounds, with each component of the adhesive or compounds having a separate sheath cover as a form of protection to enable it to be stored inertly within the body of the anchor plug (16) and to prevent the different components of the adhesives or compounds, from coming in contact with each other and prematurely getting activated.

[0110] The adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21) as recited in claim 1, wherein the said components of the adhesive or compounds, whether an activator, hardener, catalyst, filler, expansion, foaming material, is manufactured as a co-extruded concentric laminar cylindrical tubes, with inert separation layers and ensuring that both its proximal & distal ends are sealed by fusing the ends of its own sheath covers or with a separate independent processes and materials.

[0111] The body of the anchor plug can also be coated with a catalyst chemical compound over the inside and outside surface of the body of the anchor plug (16), which otherwise would remain inactive, but will catalyse a pre-planned reaction and activate the targeted chemical or adhesive or compound, when released from the confines of its encapsulated protective sheath covers (22) from within the insides of the anchor plug body.

[0112] The spill containment and collection film (11) as recited in claim 1, tethered/fixed around/to the peripheral edge/border of the top of the anchor plug body (16), is an integral part & supplement to, the functioning of the central diaphragm seal plug (15) system, and together they enhance the retainment of the adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21), inside the body of the anchor plug (16) and prevents the backflow of the adhesive/s or compounds (20, 21) from the gaps around the point of entry of the threaded or non-threaded object (screw, nail, bolt, etc.), when passing through the diaphragm seal plug (15) into the internal spaces of the anchor plug body (16).

[0113] Referring to the thin encapsulating membrane embodiments of the adhesive/s and compounds, the preferred material for encapsulating them would be a thin polymer like material to provide the required structural integrity to the compartments as well as allow for the ease to be pierced through by a screw or bolt. This would allow for the even mixing of the adhesive/s or compound or the hardener materials and to help them seep out evenly through the various slots of the fastener anchor and allow for this mixture to flow over the surface of the threads of the screw or bolt, so as to facilitate a better bond between the screw and the fastener anchor itself.

[0114] By changing the chemical composition of the substance in the anchor plug, this the anchor plug can be used for the purposes of application coating of a protective substance into the anchor plug body to protect the main inserted body from exposure to harsh environments and chemicals.

[0115] The pre-assembled and pre-packed adhesives and compounds (20, 21) would give the anchored joint substantial benefits of an increase in the strength of the anchoring. The adhesive/s and compounds (20, 21) would penetrate the micro pores within the concrete (around the hole) & hold all the grit particles together, permanently fusing them to each other. This would prevent them from crumbling & dislodging, thereby extending the life & performance of the anchored wall-plug & ensuring an extreme long performance life to the bolt/screw within & the substrate it is attached to.

[0116] The anchor plug with chemical compounds with or without the adhesive/s, offers in addition to a stronger anchoring bond the following advantages of prolonging the ageing of the anchor and of the boreholed substrate by forming a protective anti-rust coating on the anchor.

[0117] The anchor plug offers additional advantages by rectifying dimensional mis-matches & prevents costly loss of material, time, effort & money, by increasing the surrounding core density & anchoring strength of the surrounding substrate, by postponing age-related disintegration of substrate and by protecting metal-based anchor fasteners from rust & oxidation.

[0118] The anchor plug can be used advantageously in the construction Industry. This construction industry primarily uses two types of anchor bolts, a mechanical type which comprises of multiple subtypes & the other an adhesive based anchor bolt, both having their own advantages & disadvantages. Mechanical anchor bolts are quick to install with a major disadvantage that when at the time of insertion, if the concrete is not fully cured & set, the bolt will not get firmly anchored or it will cause small internal cracks within the concrete, thereby decreasing the concrete's long-term structural integrity. Adhesive anchor bolts have the advantage of being chemically fastened to the substrate, thereby eliminating the structural & mechanical issues of the previous, but having disadvantages of increasing costs for the preparation, application & cleaning up after installation. The anchor plug aims to combine the ease of installation of a mechanical anchor bolt with the security and reliability of an adhesive anchor bolt into one.

[0119] The anchor plugs when used in DIY home improvement projects offer a simple solution, to an often-vexing problem by correcting the hole-size drilling errors for perfect mating with the anchor plug, by increasing the anchoring strength of the screw-joint & prolongs the life of the joint and importantly leaving no mess behind for any post task additional clean-up.

[0120] The anchor plug when used in outdoor recreational activities like mountaineering, especially for rappelling & belaying, would give the climber the advantage of extra weight bearing capacity & increased safety. These anchor plugs would contain low viscosity, fast flowing, instant setting cyanoacrylate-based adhesives and compounds adhesive, which when deployed, into rocky fissures would in addition to the physical anchoring, form strong chemical bonds to give the anchoring hooks, a super strong hold inside the rock fissure & increase the safety margin for the rappeler.

[0121] Advantages during installation of the anchor plug are as follows: There is no need to separately mix & inject the adhesives and compounds separately. It does not cause damage to the surrounding area as the spill containment and collection film (11) around the anchor plug, catches the extra seeped out adhesive. The adhesive stays inside, because the elastomeric diaphragm grips & forms a tight seal around the screw shaft, preventing gaps through which the adhesive could potentially leak out and it allows the fitment of a smaller screw & wall-plug into a mistakenly drilled hole of a larger size.

[0122] Long term advantages of the anchor plug is that it increases the anchoring strength of the joint, evenly distributes the stresses throughout the entire surface of the hole, extends the life of the joint & the structurally integrity of the substrate & the structure it is holding by preventing the crumbling of the surrounding substrate, the adhesives and compounds would coat the metal (iron/steel/aluminium/brass, etc.) screw & prevent it from degrading over time by preventing the oxidation on the surface of the screw/bolt.

[0123] Additionally, in mountaineering, when used for rappelling and belaying, specialized versions, with the same overall design, of the fastener anchor will give the climber the advantage of extra weight bearing capacity and increased safety. These fastener anchors would contain a fast flowing, highly viscous, quick/instant setting adhesives and compounds adhesive, which when deployed, into the surrounding rock fissure, would in a matter of seconds, give the anchor hooks, a super strong grip and increase in its load carrying capacity.

[0124] One of the main objectives of the present invention to combine the ease of installation of a mechanical anchor bolt with the security and reliability of an adhesive anchor bolt into one.

[0125] The present invention is directed toward providing such a solution, by increasing the anchoring strength of the fastener anchor, by evenly distributing the stresses throughout the entire surface of the hole and by extending the life of the joint and the structurally integrity of the substrate and the structure it supports. Using the anchor plug, reduces the labour time and cost and does not mess up the work area, thereby reducing the clean-up post installation. Using the anchor plug, also has the potential to reduce the cost of inventory holding, by eliminating the need to hold stocks of adhesives and compounds adhesives at the warehouse and construction sites.

[0126] To cover the vast variety of potential applications, the anchor plug will be designed & manufactured in a variety of combinations of different size specifications & with different materials for the anchor plug & the inner encapsulated adhesives and compounds. This would be done to factor in for use with different types & materials of screws/bolts, wall/anchoring substrates & environments. The anchor plug may be made of plastic, polymer, fibre, wood, natural materials from nature, metal, alloys, etc, in multiple formats for the design of its expansion joints, slots, hooks, etc. The anchor plug can be of different sizes, dimensions, colours & materials.

[0127] It will have different types of expansion slot designs on its external & internal body parts to facilitate a strong anchoring with the external substrate. The physical design of the anchor plug as detailed in the attached figures are only indicative to demonstrate the general form & function of the invention. The designed can be changed and modified to meet the requirements of the objectives of the invention, during the process of manufacturing, storage and transportation.

[0128] The spill containment and collection film (11) can be of any shape (round, square, polygonal or any other shape) and size.

[0129] The adhesives can be made of polyester resins, cyanoacrylates, epoxy resins, silicones, each as a single part or two/multiple part adhesives that may work independently, or it may react with the body of the anchor plug and get set and get crosslinked.

[0130] The raised locking ridges and exit orifices on and in the body of the anchor plug maybe of varied two dimensional or three-dimensional shapes like round, square or any hexagon or polygonal shapes.

[0131] It may be used with adhesives single- or two-part epoxies, silicone-based adhesives, cyanoacrylate-based adhesives, etc.

[0132] This invention has been described in an illustrative as well as a descriptive manner, and it must be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above described design and method of operation. For example, the method of attachment of the receptacles containing the adhesive and compound material can be changed depending on the size of shape of the anchor plug design.