Reinforcing bar coupling

Abstract

A reinforcing bar coupling includes a sleeve segment having a deformable interior section weaker than the balance of the segment. The deformable interior section, for example including deformable ribs, is configured to be pressed onto ends of reinforcing bars to be spliced together. The ribs deform onto and around deformations on exterior surfaces on the ends of the reinforcing bars. Thus locked to the ends of the reinforcing bars under pressure, the sleeve segment secures the ends of the reinforcing bars together. The sleeve segment may take any of a variety of forms, such as an insert placed inside a sleeve, or a portion of a sleeve, between the sleeve or portion, and the reinforcing bar. The clamp used to press the sleeve segment onto the reinforcing bar ends may also have a variety of forms, such as including bolts, tapered collars, or fingered collars.

1 . A reinforcing bar splice for joining reinforcing bars, the splice comprising: 
 a sleeve segment having longitudinal integral ribs deforming to conform to deformations on the reinforcing bars when the sleeve segment and the bars are relatively pressed together; and    a clamp operatively configured to relatively press the sleeve segment and the bars together.    
   
   
       2 . The splice of  claim 1 , wherein the clamp is also configured to press relatively smooth portions of the bars into the ribs.  
   
   
       3 . The splice of  claim 1 , wherein the ribs have rounded distal corners.  
   
   
       4 . The splice of  claim 1 , wherein troughs between the ribs have proximal rounded corners.  
   
   
       5 . The splice of  claim 1 , wherein the ribs are of substantially uniform width.  
   
   
       6 . The splice of  claim 1 , wherein the ribs are enlarged at their distal ends.  
   
   
       7 . The splice of  claim 1 , wherein the ribs are softer than the reinforcing bars.  
   
   
       8 - 11 . (canceled)  
   
   
       12 . The splice of  claim 1 , 
 wherein the clamp includes a sleeve surrounding the bars; and    wherein the sleeve segment is placed between the sleeve and the bar ends.    
   
   
       13 . The splice of  claim 12 , 
 wherein the sleeve segment has a tapered outer surface; and    wherein the sleeve is a tapered collar having a tapered inner surface for engaging the tapered outer surface of the sleeve segment.    
   
   
       14 . The splice of  claim 13 , wherein the sleeve segment includes multiple sleeve segment sections hingedly coupled together.  
   
   
       15 . (canceled)  
   
   
       16 . The splice of  claim 13 , wherein the clamp includes an additional tapered collar.  
   
   
       17 . (canceled)  
   
   
       18 . The splice of  claim 12 , wherein the clamp also includes plural bolts that pass through threaded bolt holes in the sleeve to press the ribs into the deformations.  
   
   
       19  and  20 . (canceled)  
   
   
       21 . The splice of  claim 18 , wherein the bolts are driven into the bars.  
   
   
       22 . The splice of  claim 21 , wherein the bolt holes are substantially diametrically opposed to the insert, on opposite sides of the bars.  
   
   
       23 . The splice of  claim 18 , 
 wherein the bolts are driven into an insert between the fasteners and the bars; and    wherein the insert is a toothed insert having circumferential teeth for biting into the bars.    
   
   
       24 . (canceled)  
   
   
       25 . The splice of  claim 18 , wherein the bolts pull together generally parallel flanges of the sleeve, tightening the sleeve segment around the joined bars.  
   
   
       26 . The splice of  claim 18 , 
 wherein the sleeve includes a pair of sleeve halves; and    wherein the bolts pass through one of the sleeve halves and into the other of the sleeve halves, thereby pulling the sleeve halves together and tightening the sleeve segment around the joined bars.    
   
   
       27 . The splice of  claim 12 , 
 wherein the sleeve includes a pair of sleeve portions that each have axially protruding fingers; and    wherein, when the sleeve portions are forced axially toward one another, at least some of the fingers press inward when the fingers of one of the sleeve portions are interdigitated with the fingers of the other of the sleeve portions.    
   
   
       28 . The splice of  claim 1 , wherein the sleeve segment is a part of a single-piece sleeve for surrounding the bar ends.  
   
   
       29 . The splice of  claim 28 , wherein the clamp includes bolts that pass through threaded bolt holes in the sleeve.  
   
   
       30 - 42 . (canceled)  
   
   
       43 . A method of splicing reinforcing bars having deformations thereupon, the method comprising: 
 placing longitudinal ribs of a sleeve section against ends of the bars; and    pressing the longitudinal ribs onto the bars, causing them to conform to the bar deformations.    
   
   
       44 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the ribs are softer than the reinforcing bars.  
   
   
       45  and  46 . (canceled)  
   
   
       47 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the pressing includes placing notches the ribs conforming to the deformations on the bar ends.  
   
   
       48 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the pressing includes flattening top portions of the ribs.  
   
   
       49 . The method of  claim 48 , wherein the flattening includes causing the top portions of adjacent of the ribs to contact one another.  
   
   
       50 . (canceled)