Structural tie shear connector for concrete and insulation composite panels

A structural tie shear connector for use with a concrete and insulation composite panel having a first concrete wythe, a second concrete wythe, and an insulation layer interposed between the first and second concrete wythes, the connector comprising:

• only six substantially straight first links forming sides of a substantially rectangular perimeter of the connector, each side of the substantially rectangular perimeter being formed by at least one of the straight first links;
• a first pair of angular links having ends connected to the first links;
• a second pair of angular links having ends connected to the first links;
• and
• a pair of legs connected to and extending outwardly from one side of the connector, the connector is adapted to be extendable through the insulation layer and into the first and second concrete wythes to hold the panel together.

A structural tie shear connector for use with a concrete and insulation composite panel having a first concrete wythe, a second concrete wythe, and an insulation layer interposed between the first and second concrete wythes, the connector comprising:

• a plurality of substantially straight first links forming sides of a substantially rectangular perimeter of the connector;
• a first pair of angular links having ends connected to the first links;
• a second pair of angular links having ends connected to the first links, the angular links and the first links forming at least six fully enclosed openings in the connector;
• and
• a pair of legs connected to and extending outwardly from one side of the connector, the connector is adapted to be extendable through the gap and into the first and second concrete wythes to hold the panel together.

A concrete and insulation composite panel, comprising:

• a first concrete wythe;
• a second concrete wythe;
• an insulation layer interposed between the first and second concrete wythes;
• a structural tie shear connector extending through the insulation layer and imbedded into the first and second concrete wythes to hold the panel together, the connector comprising
• two sides extending in a first direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal centerline of the connector;
• two sides extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to, and crossing, the longitudinal centerline of the connector;
• a first pair of angular links connected to the sides;
• a second pair of angular links connected to the sides;
• and
• a pair of legs connected to and extending outward from one side of the connector and into one of the concrete wythes.

A concrete and insulation composite panel, comprising:

• a first concrete wythe;
• a second concrete wythe;
• two insulation strips disposed side-by-side between the first and second concrete wythes to form a gap between the two insulation strips;
• flexible foam disposed in the gap between the two insulation strips;
• and
• a structural tie shear connector disposed in the gap against the flexible foam and extending into the first and second concrete wythes to hold the panel together.

A concrete and insulation composite panel, comprising:

• a first concrete wythe;
• a second concrete wythe;
• a plurality of insulation strips disposed side-by-side between the first and second concrete wythes to form a plurality of gaps, each gap being formed between adjacent ones of the insulation strips;
• a plurality of flexible foam strips, each of the plurality of flexible foam strips disposed in a different one of the gaps between the adjacent ones of the insulation strips;
• and
• a plurality of rows of structural tie shear connectors, each row of structural tie shear connectors being disposed in a different one of the gaps and against a different one of the flexible foam strips, and each structural tie shear connector in each of the plurality of rows of structural tie shear connectors extending into the first and second concrete wythes to hold the panel together.