Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1037234
1 Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to wall forming structures
which are intended for use during the construction of poured
concrete walls, and in particular the invention relates to an
assembly of sheathing, studs and a strongback which provides a
novel panel for concrete wall forming which may be moved in very
large sizes. The invention provides strongbacks where a pair of
- channel-shaped members each having outwardly facing T-shaped slots
- formed in their side walls may be used; and use of the special
strongbacks permits assembly of the panels without the necessity
of drilling connection holes, either before assembly or in the
field.
Background of the Invention:
; It has been known for many years to pour concrete walls
by placing panels in an upright fashion and spaced apart, and to
.
place liquid concrete between them. Such concrete walls have,
for example, been used as basement walls for homes. However,
very often, interior load bearing walls have been formed of the
.; ,.
- more usual concrete block placed on footings in the usual manner.
. .~.
More recently, however, there has been considerable emphasis on
the use of poured concrete in the construction of large --
~. .
usually high-rise -- buildings such as apartment buildings. Such
construction has very often employed the placement of poured
concrete floors and formed columns or block or brick walls. More
recently, however, it has been felt desirable to pour the concrete
walls as well as the floors, and this has necessitated the
.~ , .
. development of concrete forming structures which are particularly
intended for use during the formation of concrete walls as they
- are being poured and are setting.
Because of the different problems which are encountered
,'~, `~;~
-- 1 -- .
.
.. . . : .
la37z3~
1 -- particularly the problems of developing and maintaining
concrete forming structures having entirely different load bearing
;~ requirements and characteristics -- there has very often been
a separate contracting arrangement for the construction of high-
rise buildings in respect of the horizontal forming (the floors)
and the vertical forming (the walls).
There has, however, developed a system or approach to
the construction of large buildings using poured concrete
techniques whereby the concrete forming structures -- the forms
-- are "flown" or placed in position using overhead cranes which
may either be of the self climbing or mobile variety. This has
been made particularly possible due to the development of concrete
forming structures of the sort taught in Peter J. Avery Canadian
- patent 941,138 issued February 5, 1974, wherein horizontal panels
are carried and secured to top-hat beams of extruded aluminum,
which in turn are secured through bolts placed in bolt slots within
the beams so that the beams are secured to trusses, also formed
~; of extruded aluminum. It has also been desirable to fly wall
forms in large panels, or indeed as completed wall forms where the
two spaced and opposed panels are moved as a unit. Previously,
such as referred to in Peter J. Avery United States patent
3,899,152 issued August 12, 1975, wall panels were devised using
. . .
beams of the sort referred to in that patent and using steel
channel members as the supporting and strengthening structure.
For a number of reasons, particularly strength per unit weight ~-
and the number of ties re~uired, it was felt desirable to eliminate -
the use of steel channel members and to replace them with
extruded aluminum members if possible. More especially, however,
. ~
it was also felt desirable to develop strongbac~ members for use
in wall forming structures such that the studs -- to which the
.' .
: -, , , : - '
... . , -
:`- 1037Z34
1 sheathing, which comprises the face against which the concrete
is formed, is secured -- may be secured or attached to the
strongbacks at any position without the necessity for drilling
, holes or special placements, and merely by using clamping members
secured to the studs. This is particularly possible when the
studs are top-hat beams of the sort referred to in Peter J. Avery
co-pending Canadian patent application serial number 191,277 filed
. . .
January 30, 1974 assigned to a common assignee herewith. In
~' particular, it was felt to be most desirable to eliminate the necessity
at any time to place holes, either in the shop or in the field,
through the strongback members for purposes of attachment of the
.
`~ studs to the strongbacks, because the placement and machining of ~-
;~ the holes is expensive, they reduce the strength of the strong-
backs, and they are limiting as to the spacing which may then be
permitted for the studs. At the samè time, it was also felt
;
;; desirable to provide strongback members such that additional or
accessory attachments such as catwalk brackets, wall plumbing or
`; wall bracing attachments, and the like might be secured to the
strongbacks; as well as to provide for placement through the
cavity into which the liquid concrete would be placed of as few
tie members as possible but with the adaptability to place those
tie members at any desired location and in such a manner that
the forces exerted by the tie members as they take up the liquid
pressure of freshly poured concrete would be transmitted to the
strongback members without localized failure or undue local stresses
!, ~ being caused in the material of the strongback members.
-; Thus, this invention provides a wall forming structure
which is intended for use during the construction of poured
concrete walls, where the wall forming structure comprises a
30 pair of opposed panels which are spaced apart so as to provide a -~
~037Z34
1 cavity into which fluid concrete is placed so as to form the wall,
and where each panel comprises substantially planar sheathing
secured to a plurality of studs which are placed substantially
parallel one to another. The studs are sécured to at least a
pair of strongbacks which are placed perpendicularly to the
. . .
studs, and by this arrangement the panels are thereby capable of
being moved as an integral unit. A plurality of ties extends
through or across the cavity and through the sheathing from a
strongback of one of the opposed panels to a strongback of the
;; 10 other opposed panel. In the wall forming structure of the present
invention, each strongback comprises a pair of channel-shaped
members which are placed in spaced back-to-back relationship;
and each channel-shaped member has a pair of side walls and a
; base, an outwardly facing T-shaped slot suitable for receiving
the head of a bolt in each side wall near the base, and an inwardly
.... .
facing flange at the end of each side wall remote from the base.
A plurality of plates each having an opening through its thickness
is secured to each pair of channel-shaped members -- i.e., to
each strongback -- by bolts placed in the T-shaped slots in
the side wall of each of the channel-shaped members on the side
thereof remote from the sheathing, with the openings in the plates
being positioned between the respective channel-shaped members
so that a tie may pass between the opposed bases of the pair of
channel-shaped members and extend through the respective opening
- in the respective plate.
For purposes of this specification, as will be noted
hereafter, it is assumed that either the studs or the strongback
- members may be placed in either a horizontal or vertical orientation.
The sheathing is secured to the studs, and the studs are secured
to the strongbacks which are outside the studs with respect to the
,' ~ .
~ - 4 -
, . .. .
: ~037Z34
1 cavity into which the liquid concrete is placed. Historically,
when concrete wall forming structures were comprised entirely of
wooden structural members, a plurality of vertical studs on very
: close centres were placed behind the sheathing, and horizontal
waler members were thereafter placed behind the vertical studs.
By so doing, the stud spacing could be constant. However, as will
'. appear hereafter, it is more general, particularly according to
this invention, to use vertical strongback members behind
horizontal studs which are not equally spaced from top to bottom.]
In general, it is the contemplation of this invention
that each of the studs would comprise a top-hat beam which is
generally of the sort referred to above. Each such top-hat
: beam has a top-hat channel with a pair of outwardly extending
flanges and an insert in said channel in which driveable
fasteners may be driven so as to secure the sheathing to the
studs. A web portion extends away from the top-hat channel,
~, ~,; ;; . .
and a base portion having a T-shaped slot suitable for receiving
the head of a bolt is formed in the base portion of the top-hat
beam, with a pair of base flan~es extending outwardly from the
T-shaped slot. The studs may thus be secured to the strongbacks
-- i.e., to the channel-shaped members which form the strong-
backs -~ by clamps which are secured to the studs by bolts
having their heads placed in the T-shaped bolt slots of the
top-hat beams, where the clamps have a hooX-like end which is
adapted to fit over the inwardly facing flanges of the side walls
of the channel-shaped members which comprise the strongbacks at
the sides thereof which are contiguous to the studs.
.. -
; It is also contemplated that, in general, the studs
and strongbacks would all be extruded aluminum members, which
provides the best combination of strength per unit weight, so that
', .
.,
- 5 -
.
. .
, : ' ' - ~ ' .
` 1037234
1 very large panels may be flown at one time.
;- By using the top-hat beam referred to above, a
common component of wall forming or slab forming structures is
used, especially on job-sites where concrete forming structures
of the sort taught in the Avery patents referred to above are ~-~
used. It is also anticipated that, by using a splice member
which is referred to hereafter, the strongback members may be
extended to any desired length. Where the splice members are to
; be used, holes are placed in the base of the channel-shaped
member and in the base of the splice member, according to ~ -
` construction industry standards, and the strength of the strong-
.. ... .
back member at that point is thereby still within acceptable
limits. In any event, those are the only holes contemplated to
be drilled in any of the studs or strongback members, and are
used only to extend the length of the strongback members and not
to secure other members such as studs to the strongback members.
; Plates were referred to above, and are secured to
the strongbacks in such a manner that a single plate is secured to
each of the pair of back-to-back channel-shaped members which
form the strongback so that the ties which ta~e up the outward
pressure of the newly placed liquid concrete are secured in
place by passing between the back-to-back channel members and
through a hole which is in the plate and through the thickness
thereof, for that purpose. Sometimes, however, it is desired to -
use ties having different diameters, depending upon the
,, ,~
thickness and/or height of the wall; and for that purpose, the
plates are normally provided having a large diameter hole so as
.
. .,
~` to accommodate the largest contemplated tie, and with an insert
: plate -- in this case, usually steel -- which may be placed
over the hole and which in turn has a smaller hole formed therein.
.
.
L :," .. .
' :
' ' ' ` ' ` . : . . .' . ` '. ' ' . ' ' :
` 1037Z34
.. ~.
1 It has also been a problem, in the field, of preventing
, ~ ~
~; slippage of one or another of a pair of back-to-back steel
` channels as they may be being assembled, or indeed flown. This
invention contemplates the use of a "shoe" which is generally
L-shaped and adapted to have one leg of the L extend across the
-` ends of the channel-shaped members. The shoe is also adapted to
be secured to the channel-shaped members of the strongbacks by
; bolts having their heads placed in the T-shaped slots which are
` formed in the strongback channel-shaped members.
Brief Summary of the Invention:
~'.'' , ~
It is a purpose of this invention to provide a concrete
~:~ forming structure for forming poured concrete walls, where the
panels of the concrete forming structure comprise sheathing
..'
secured to studs which are, in turn, secured to strongbacks and
which may be moved with large panels being handled as a unitary
structure.
A further obiect of this invention is to provide a .
-~ concrete forming structure for poured concrete walls having a
unique str~ngback assembly which is such that studs and other
accessories may be secured to it and any place without the
necessity for holes having to be drilled or formed in the strong-
back.
.!.
; A feature of this invention is that the studs --
to which the sheathing is secured -- may be placed either
` horizontally or vertically, and the strongbacks are secured to
, the studs generally perpendicularly related thereto. Thus, if
the studs are horizontal -- a usual circumstance according to
~; the present invention -- the strongbacks are vertical, and
.,
i.:
~ fewer strongbacks are needed.
,.';'` :'
Brief Description of the Drawings:
:.
,','~ .','~
- 7 -
'-,'
, ;,~.
.
:1037234
1 These and other features and objects of this invention
` are described in greater detail hereafter, in association with
the accompanying drawings, in which: ;~
Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an assembly of
the major components which comprise a panel for a wall forming
structure according to this invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view showing details of
the strongback members according to this invention;
Figures 3 and 4 are side and end ~iews, respectively,
19 of a typical wall forming structure according to this invention;
Figures 5 and 6 are end and side views, respectively,
of a splice member adapted to extend the length of the strongback
members according to this invention; and
Figure 7 is a perspective view of an L-shaped shoe.
Description of the Preferred Embodiments:
As noted above, this invention provides a wall forming
structure generally designated 10 which is used during the
construction of poured concrete walls, and the wall forming
structure generally comprises a pair of opposed panels '2 which are
spaced apart so as to provide a cavity 14 into which fluid
concrete is placed so as to form a wall. Each of the panels 12
comprises substantially planar sheathing 16 which is secured to
: a plurality of studs 18. The studs 18 are generally placed
. . .
parallel one to another; and the studs 18 are secured to at least
a pair of strongbacks, each of which is designated generally at
, 20. As discussed in greater detail hereafter, the studs and
strongback are arranged perpendicularly one to the other. A plurality
- of ties 22 extends across the cavity 14 -- or, alternatively,
as a yoke as shown at tie 23 in figure 4. ~-
~ 30 Each strongback 20 comprises a pair of channel-shaped
i
-- 8 --
''' .".
` 3L037234
1 members 26 which are placed in spaced back-to-back relationship.
Each of the channel-shaped members 26 has a pair of side walls
28 and a base 30. There is an outwardly facing T-shaped slot 32
formed in each side wall 28 near the base 30, and each T-shaped
slot 32 is suitable for receiving the head of a bolt as discussed
.~ in greater detail hereafter. An inwardly facing flange 34 --
inwardly with respect to the channel-shape of each of the members
26 -- is formed at the end of each of the side walls 28 which
is remote from the base 30. It will be noted hereafter that the
inwardly facing flanges 34 serve the purpose of securing studs
18 to the strongbacks 20 by securing the studs 18 to the channel-
shaped members 26.
A plurality of plates 36 are secured to the strongbacks
20 in the following manner. In the top and ~ottom edges of each
of the plates 36 there are pairs of slots 38 through which pass
- bolts 40 whose heads are placed in the respective T-shaped slot
32 of the respective channel-shaped member 26, and the plates 36
. . .
'~ are secured to the channel-shaped members 26 by nuts 42 which
-~ engage the bolts 40. The ties 22 are therefore secured to the
, ~ 20 panels 12 and adapted to transfer force taken up by the ties when
;,
fluid concrete is first placed in the cavity 14. The ties 22 have
nuts 44 placed over them so as to assure the force transmitting
relationship between each tie 22 and the respective strongbacks
20 at each end of the tie 22. It will be noted that each of the
, ..
ties 22 passes between the bases 30 of the respective back-to-back
channel-shaped members 26 of the strongbacks 20, so that forces
, -.:. .
transferred by the tie 22 are taken by each of the members 26.
Each of the studs 18 is secured to the channel-shaped
members 26 by clamps 46 which have a hook-like end 48 which is
adapted to fit over the flanges 34 of each of the channel-shaped
;
g _
1037234
1 members 26. The studs 18 are top-hat beams having a top-hat
channel 50 with an insert 52 placed in the channel 50 and being
such that driveable fasteners such as nails may be driven into
the insert 52 -- usually wood -- so as to secure the sheathing
16 to the studs 18. Of course, the inserts 52 are secured in
the top-hat chann~ls 50, usually by driveable fastening means -
54 which are driven through the side wall of the top-hat channel
50 into the insert 52. The studs 18 each have a web portion 56
which extends away from the top-hat channel 50, and a base portion
having a T-shaped slot 58 and a pair of base flanges 60 which
extend outwardly away from the T-shaped slot 58. The studs
18 are therefore secured to the strongbacks 20 by bolts ~2
` having their heads placed in the T-shaped slots 58 and having
. . .
nuts 64 threaded on them. Obviously the spacing between studs
18 may be adjusted to any desired spacing without the necessity
;~; for pre-drilling or otherwise pra-arranging the strongbacks 20
:': ''i ,
as will be noted hereafter, when the studs are horizontally -
::
, oriented, they are more closely spaced at the bottom of the wall
form than at the top of the ~all form. On the other hand, if
~ 20 the studs are vertically oriented, they may be evenly spaced;
but in that case, the spacing between them must be such as to
`: take up the force exerted against the form at the bottom thereof
' by the fluid concrete when it is first placed.
":. :
It will be noted, for example, from figure 3 that
ji, the spacing between the horizontally disposed studs 18 becomes
~;j less towards the bottom of the wall form, whereas the spacing
between the vertically disposed strongbacks 20 is essentially
equal. This is, of course, because of the increase in outwardly
exerted pressure by the fluid concrete as it is placed in the
cavity 14, before it sets. ThP decrease in spacing between each
,........................................................................ .
i
. -- 1 0 --
;:....................................................................... :
`~ 103723~
1 pair of studs 18, progressing downwards, may therefore be essentially
linear and is readily calculated from the knowledge of the
outward forces which will be exerted by the weight of the fluid
concrete when first placed. Indeed, concrete pouring rates can
also be considered, so as to utilize the most efficient and
economical combination of materials and man hours.
Likewise, as noted above, if the studs 18 were to be -
- placed vertically with the strongbacks horizontally, the spacing
between the studs would have to be sufficiently close that they
could withstand the forces exerted outwardly by the weight of
fluid concrete at the very bottom of the wall form, and thus the
wall form would be "over-designed" at the top for any particular
~ assembly.
- Very often, when the wall forming structure is
.
assembled and the ties put in place, the plates 36 are assembled
with an additional plate 66 secured to the front face of the plate
:. .
36. This is accomplished by forming the plate 36 so that it has
a shallow channel 68 across its width, with inwardly extending
- ., i
flanges 70 in the upper portions of the sides of the channel 68.
,~
The second plate 66, which usually has a smaller hole through
its thickness than the hole which is through the thickness of
,:
the plate 36, is secured in the channel with its respecti~e edges
-- in this case, the upper and lower edges -- being covered
by the inwardly extendiny flanges 70. In general, so as to assure
force distribution and so as to guard against localized stress
-~ exceeding permitted limits, the second insert plate 66 is steel.
, It has been noted that the strongbacks 20 may be
assembled with an L-shaped shoe 72 secured across the faces of
` the channel-shaped members 26 which are remote from the sheathing
16. The L-shaped shoe 72 has a leg 74 which is oriented
~ -:
' - 11 -
'~ ' ' . ~
~037;2;~4
1 perpendicularly to the outer faces of the channel-shaped members
26, and a leg 76 having slots 78 formed therein so that the front
shoe 72 is secured to the front faces of the channel-shaped members
26 by bolts 80 having their heads in the respective T-shaped slots
32 and having nuts 82 threaded on them. The shoes 72 protect the -
lower ends of vertically oriented strongbacks 20, and may guard
against slipping or relative movement of one of the channel-shaped
members 26 with respect to the other member in a strongback 20, ;;-
especially during assembly or lifting. The front shoe 72 may, of
course, be oriented and secured to the strongbacks 20 with the leg
~.~
74 extending outwardly in a direction away from the sheathing 16,
.:
in which case other accessory attachments may be secured to the
- shoe 72. Reference to figure 7 will show that, in a preferred
.. , :
embodiment, the L-shaped shoe 72 has a centrally located hole 75 in
leg 74, and a pair of holes 77 in line with the slots 78 -- and
also spaced so as to co-operate with slots 32 of a strongback.
The thickness of leg 74 is greater than that of leg 76 in the
preferred embodiment. Thus, as shown in figure 1, when the front
shoe 72 is placed with leg 74 beneath the lower ends of the
channel-shaped members 26 of a strongback and the back shoe 72 is
placed with leg 76 beneath the lower ends of the strongback members,
the underside of the rear shoe leg 76 is higher than the underside
of the front shoe leg 74. If the lowermost horizontally oriented
stud 18 is butted against the end of the leg 74 of the rear shoe 72
-- i.e., it is contiguous thereto -- and the rear shoe 72 is
,: .
-~ secured to the strongback 20 by bolts placed in the slots 32 and
passed through holes 77, the possibility of the lowermost stud 18
-- and therefore of all of the other studs which are also secured
. .
` ~ to the sheathing 16 -- slipping during lifting of the panel 12
is substantially precluded.
- 12 -
:: ,
.
1037234
Because of the T-shaped slots 32 formed in the faces of
the channel-shaped member 26, accessory attachments may be secured
by bolts having their heads placed in the slots 32 at any desired
location.
It may be that it is desirable either to extend the
height of a wall form, or if the strongbacks are placed
horizontally to extend the length of the wall form using splice
members on the channel-shaped members 26. In figures 5 and 6
there is shown such a combination, where the splice member 84 is
a generally V-shaped member having side walls 86 and outwardly
extending flanges 88 at the outer ends of the side walls 86. A
plurality of spaced holes 90 is formed in the base 92 of the
splice member 84, and a corresponding plurality of holes are
formed at the ends of the channel-shaped members 26. In figure 6,
two channel-shaped members 26a and 26b are shown in end-to-end
relationship, and they are secured or spliced using the splice
member 84 hy having bolts 94 with nuts 96 threaded on them passed
,;~j;
through the channel-shaped members 26a or 26b and the respective
- holes 90 in the splice member 84. For added strength, a further
flat plate 98 may be secured behind the base 30 of the respective
channel-shaped member 26, with correspondingly spaced holes formed
therein.
It will be noted that the outwardly extending flanges
:
88 fit between the side walls 28 of the respective channel-shaped
member 26 at a place other than the posed inwardly facing flanges
34. As viewed in figure 5, the outwardly extending flanges 88
of the splice member 84 are behind the inwardly extending flanges
34 of the channel-shaped member 26.
~sing an assembly of a concrete forming structure for
poured concrete walls according to this invention, such as
`' -'
- 13 -
1037234
1 illustrated in figures 3 and 4, it is not uncommon for entire
panels to be assembled having a hei~ht of 9 or 10 feet and a
- length of 25 or 30 feet, where the panel -- or indeed, in some
cases, the pair of panels as an entire wall forming structure --
may be moved or "flown" as a unitary structure at one time. The
man hour cost of placing the wall forming structure in its
; working position is, therefore, considerably reduced over the
former methods of placing the sheathing, studs and walers or
;~ strongbacks individually at each working position. Indeed, using
l 10 an assembly according to this invention, and considering the
i wall form layout illustrated in figures 3 and 4 where the strong-
backs are 8.5 feet high and are placed at 6 foot centres, the
weight of the assembled panel is less than 8.5 pounds per sq. ft. -
, of sheathing -- i.e., per sq. ft. of wall forming area. For
~'~'.! such an arrangement, only two ties 22 are required for each pair of
strongbacks 20, placed one on either side of the cavity with the
ties extending across or through the cavity. This greatly reduces
. ~ .
; the number of ties that are used; and having regard to both sides
of the formed wall, and the fact that the upper tie may be a
~........................................................................... :
20 yoke 23, up to 96 contact square feet of poured wall surface per -~
tie may be realized.
It is also possible, using the channel members 26
;` according to the present invention, to construct inside or outside
corners, utilizing the T-shaped bolt slots 32. Similarly, wall
forming structures according to the present invention may be
adapted for slip forming purposes; and, of course, for special
shapes such as radiused tank walls, etc., special studs can be
. j .
prepared and secured to the strongbacks 20 in the manner
discussed above.
In general, the T-shaped slots 32 which are next
. . .
- 14 -
.. .. .
-: - . . :.
1037Z34
1 adjacent the base flanges 60 of the studs 18 are not utilized,
the attachment being by way of the clamps 46. However, the
channel-shaped members 36 are made symmetrical so that they do
not need to be extruded in left-space and right-hand versions.
Other advantages of the use of wall forming structures
: for poured concrete walls according to the present invention
.: will, of course, become evident to persons skilled in that art,
.. i and other amendments and modifications to the concrete forming
.: structure for poured concrete walls according to this invention
.. 10 may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
appended claims.
.s
, ::
'
:
'' `
~ 20
.''
.,; .
: , :
', '.~,
:'
;, -:
-- 15 --
'''''
~, : : ' ; '
