STRUCTURAL SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR ROCKWORK WITH MECHANICAL FASTENING OF ADJACENT CHIP ASSEMBLIES

Number: 20240263451
Published: 2024-08-08
Filed: 2024-04-18
Assignee: DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
Inventors: Hormay; Zsolt et al.
CPC: E04C5/163; E04C5/16; E04C5/167; E04C5/168; E04C5/18; E04G21/122
Verdict: Low Hardware
Source: Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline

The keeper's note

Themed rockwork structural-support hardware for park set-building (continuation).

Abstract

Rebar-based support assemblies that can be fabricated without the need for on-site welding. The assemblies include a number of differing sized and shaped crimps used in place of welds to provide rebar assembly-to-rebar assembly connections. In some examples, a crimp for mechanically joining rebar for use in a support system for a physical structure includes a body with at least two recessed surfaces each configured for receiving a respective first and second piece of rebar; and a pair of spaced-apart arms at least partially enclosing an interior space of the body including the at least two recessed surfaces, a first tip and a second tip of the respective spaced-apart arms each defining a respective first and second opening to the interior space, in a first configuration.

Background

BACKGROUND Field of the Description

The present description relates, in general, to fabrication of physical structures formed with underlying or integral structural support systems or networks of rebar over which foam, concrete, plaster, shotcrete, or other material may be applied or installed. These architectural or physical structures may include outdoor and indoor scenery structures (or “rockwork”) that may be used in rides and attractions for use in amusement parks and theme parks or that may be used at malls, city parks, and other settings. More particularly, the present description relates to a structural support system or network for such physical structures that is designed to replace welded joints with mechanical fastening to join adjacent chip assemblies (i.e., sections or mesh panels formed of bent and joined lengths or pieces of rebar (or pieces of rods or bars typically formed of a metal such as a steel)). Relevant Background

Rebar (or reinforcing bar), which is typically formed of steel, is used widely as a tension device in architectural or physical structures to reinforce the main structural material such as to provide reinforced masonry, concrete, and other material structures. The rebar is used to strengthen the material in which it is embedded then this material is under tension. For example, concrete and many other structural materials are strong under compression but relatively weak under tension, and the rebar significantly increases the te

Claims

1. A crimp for mechanically joining rebar for use in a support system for a physical structure, comprising: a body with at least two recessed surfaces each configured for receiving a respective first and second piece of rebar; and a pair of spaced-apart arms at least partially enclosing an interior space of the body including the at least two recessed surfaces, a first tip and a second tip of the respective spaced-apart arms each defining a respective first and second opening to the interior space, in a first configuration. || 14. A method of fabricating an underlying support structure for use in a physical structure, comprising: positioning a first rebar panel and a second rebar panel; wherein: each of the first and second rebar panels comprises a first set of pieces of rebar extending about an exterior border and a second set of pieces of rebar arranged in a crisscross pattern to infill a space within the exterior border, and a pair of the first set of pieces of the rebar from the first and second rebar panels are adjacent and parallel; and physically coupling the pair of the first set of pieces of the rebar together by positioning a crimp over the pair of the first set of pieces of the rebar and applying a deforming force to the crimp to plastically deform the crimp from a first configuration to a second configuration, wherein: the crimp comprises: a body with a pair of recessed surfaces configured for receiving the pair of the first set of pieces of the rebar; and a pair of spaced-apart arms at least partially enclosing the two received pieces of rebar. || 20. A crimp for mechanically joining rebar for use in a support system for a physical structure, comprising: a body with at least three recessed surfaces each configured for receiving a respective first, second, and third piece of rebar each in a first deformation configuration; and a pair of spaced-apart arms at least partially enclosing an interior space of the body including at least two of the recessed surfaces, a first tip and a second tip of the respective spaced-apart arms each defining a respective first and second opening to the interior space, in a first configuration, wherein: upon the application of a deforming force, the body is plastically deformable from the first configuration to a second configuration, and in the second configuration, a dimension of each of the three recessed surfaces is smaller than a dimension of the first, second, and third pieces of rebar in the first deformation configuration.