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(11) | EP 1 731 689 A3 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | A bar connector assembly |
| (57) A connector assembly for concrete reinforcing bars comprises a seat section 21 and
retainer 22 for use with the seat section 21 to connect bars having a semicircle loop
at the ends. The seat section 21 is generally U-shaped and the retainer 22 is generally
T-shaped. The seat section is symmetrical, the retainer is not, the bars are of uniform
cross-section. A wedging action arises from the asymmetry of the retainer.The seat
section has opposed lands in the form of posts 28 and 29, these posts have channels
30 and 31 which take the bar loop sections (not shown).The retainer has a central
wedge 37 which, is operative to eliminate play between the bars and the parts of the
connector to effectively form a rigid unit. This is accomplished by reason of the
complex wedge action arising from a first wedge region adjacent the front at 38 on
opposite sides of the wedge 37 and a second wedge region 39 which comprises a curved
continuation of the wedge region 38 and a third wedge region at 40. Thus the first
region tends to spread the bars while the second and third wedge regions tend to lift
the bars.
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