To Not-So-Odd Couplers: With Changing Federal Standards, Rebar Couplers Gain Popularity

With the American Concrete Institute (ACI) Concrete and Masonry Code requiring longer lap lengths in masonry construction and with the updating of other federal standards, rebar couplers have been increasingly adopted by builders looking to eliminate the lap.

Federal Standards, Rebar Couplers

Longer lap lengths equate to increased congestion in masonry cells and can lead to huge construction headaches. To address this issue, builders can either use expensive open-cell blocks or much more cost-effective mechanical rebar couplers.

The use of mechanical couplers is nothing new. For years, builders have used mechanical couplers to splice reinforcing bar as a means of reducing the use of long bars. But in the changing climate of federal standards, rebar couplers have seen a renewed interest, as engineers and installers have discovered the practical advantages of using couplers to reduce construction times, improve productivity and simplify design.

Rebar can be subject to a number of mechanical splicing systems, the most popular of which is taper-threaded splicing, which connects two pieces of rebar in a way that is cost-efficient, fast, simple and reliable. In this method, opposing bar ends have a tapered thread and are joined using a sleeve that is threaded internally. Other methods of splicing include bolted sleeve, compression-only, welded, swaged, parallel thread and upset parallel-threaded, among others. To learn more, contact the rebar experts at White Cap.

 

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