Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Background o~ t e Invention
The present invention is applicable to the formation
of a perimeter-type building foundation comprising a footing
and wall atop said footing, ~oth constructed from a hardenable
plastic material, and is especially applicable to the
formation of such foundations using wood forms and a concrete
mixture. The present invention is also useful in forming such
foundations using any hardenable plastic material having
strength characteristics suitable for a building foundation.
The art of forming perimetar-type building foundations
using a plastic concrete mixture is well known and is
generally accomplished in a multi-step process. A first orm
comprising elongate vertical walls is constructed using
elongate members such as sheets of plywood to define a space
therebetween that has the general shape of an elongate footing
of predetermined length. The first form is inserted and
supported in a trench prepared in the earth and thereafter a
pxedetermined amount of plastic concrete material is prepared
and poured into the first form so as to form a footing therein.
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Once the footing has hardened, a second form
also comprising vertical walls is constructed on the top
surface of the footing to define an elongate space between
the vertical walls thereof that has the general shape
of an elongate wall of predetermined length and heigh~O
A second predetermined amount of plastic concrete material
is prepared and poured into the second form so as to form
a wall therein. The process is completed by removi~g the
first and second forms from the hardened perimeter-type
foundatisn.
Current building codes generally mandate that
the wall formed by this process include a longitudinal
portion projecting from the bottom thereof and intruding
into the footing so as to anchor the wall therein~ Such
codes generally require that this integral projection or
"key" have both a width dimension and a depth dimension
of at least 1.5 inches in order to insure that a standard
6-inch wall is adequately anchored in its footing.
In the current state of the art~ the initial
step in forming the key is to move an elongate member
such as a piece of 2 x 4 lumber into the top surface of
an elonyate footing during the plastic state thereof so as
to form a central, longitudinal keyway having the prere-
quisite 1.5 inch x 1.5 inch conf~yuration. Once
the footing is hardened, the second form is mounted atop
the footing with its interior exposed to the keyway
and thereafter a second predetermined amount of the
plastic concrete material is poured into the space defined
- by the second form with a portion thereof flowing 1nto
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the elongate ]ceyway which will thereafter harden to form
a key to solidly anchor the wall in its footing.
A major drawback in the formation of con-
crete perimeter-type building foundations is the lack
of an efficient form apparatus and method for securlng
the second form akop the hardened footing until the wall
has been poured and allowed to hardenO Although several
-form mounting methods are being used, the more prevalent
procedure is to anchor the second form upon the hardened
footing using form-ties and top-ties.
Form-ties are elongate metal members extending
transversely across the top of the footing and having a
; pair of upturned flanges extending from each end. A
predetermined spacing is provided between each pair of
upturned flanges so as to permit the reception of the
lower edges of a pair of spaced, opposed plywood sheets
or the like comprising the sidewalls of the second Eorm.
Top-ties are transversely extending elongate
metal members having a pair of downturned flanges ex~
tending from each end. Each downturned flange is adapted
to be fastened to the top outer edge of one of the
sidewalls o e the second form, and is spaced from the
opposing downturned flange by a predetermined distance so
as to separate the form sidewalls according to a pre-
` 2~ determined wall~width.
In use, a sufficient quantity of form-ties
are placed transversely atop the solid footing so that
their respective upturned flanges form longitudinal
parallel lines relative to the elongate footing. The
3 sidewalls of the second form are inserted into and re-
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ceive lateral anchoring support from the spacedlupturned
flanges of the form-ties. Erection of the second form
is completed by attaching a plurality of top-ties
transversely to the top edges of each of the sidewalls
Several difficulties attend this method for
anchoring the second form atop the solid footingO First,
a large number of form-ties are required to anchor a
standard peripheral-type building foundation, requiring
a sizable initial investment to obtain a sufficient
iO quantity of form-ties~ ~ore importantly, the hardened
wall captures the mid-portion of each form-tie and,
hence, unlike the top-ties which are thereafter removed
for additional applications, the form-ties are integral
to the foundation and cannot be removed~ Accordingly,
~5 the investment in form-ties is a continuing one.
Moreover, the foregoing process involves
an inordinate amount of labor in accurately positioning
the form-ties so as to insure the trueness and desired
positioning of the walls. Since the form-ties are not
fastened to the top surface of the footing until captured
by the poured wall, the application of any lateral force
thereto causes the form ties to move and necessitates
extensive realignment of the form-ties during the in-
sertion of the sidewalls.
What is needed therefore, and what the present
invention provides, is a methodfor~btainin~ lateral
anchoring support for a wall form atop a solid concrete
footing which eliminates inordinate investments in
form-ties, simplifies the insertion process thereby
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loweriny labor costs, and insures that the elongate
key will be centered along the longitudinal centerline
of the elongate wall.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to
improvements in the formation of a perimeter-type
building foundation comprising a footing and wall atop
said footing, and is particularly directed to a moxe
efficient methodfor providing lateral anchoring support
for a wall form atop a hardened footing.
A tool is used to form three parallel elongate
grooves longitudinally along the top surface of an elon-
gate footing during a plastic sta-te thereoE. In the
preferred embodiment the tool has a pair of elongate
groove-forming members mounted on the bottom surface of a
support member so as to be oriented in mutual parallelism
and spaced transversely apart by a predetermined dis-
tance corresponding to the desired interior spacing
between the si,dewalls of the wall form. The tool further
has an elongate keyway groove-forming member mounted
on the bottom surface of the supporting member between
the pair of groove-forming members and oriented so as
to be parallel to and spaced equidistantly therefrom.
A process is disclosed Eor forming perimeter-
2~ type building foundations comprising a Eooting and wall
atop said footing. The process uses the combination
keyway and grooving tool of the present invention to
form parallel elongate wall form supporting grooves
in ~he foundation footing during a plastic state thereof.
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The supporting grooves formed by the tool have a pre-
determined configuration so as to permit the introduction
of the bottom edges of the sidewalls of a wall form into
the supporting grooves after hardening of the footing
to thereby provide lateral anchoring support for the
sidewalls without the need for form-ties. Also, the
keyway formed by the tool between the two supporting
grooves has a predetermined configuration so as to permit
the formation of the requisite kéyway therein~
It is therefore a primary ob~ective of the
present invention to simplify the installation of an
elongate wall form upon a hardened elongate perimeter-
type footing and thereby reduce the amount of labor and
cost thereof incurred in installing the wall form upon
1~ the footing.
A further objective is to solidly anchor the
wall form atop the hardened footlng so as to insure that
the form will be oriented in a predetermined immovable
position relative to the footing during the erection of
the form and thereby insure that the orientatiOn will not
be dislocated during the erection process.
A still further objective is to position the
wall form atop a hardened footing so as ~to insure that
the interior of the form is exposed to and automatically
2~ centered on a keyway formed in the footing.
A further objective is to solidly anchor
the wall form atop the hardened footing without need for
lateral support members such as form-ties at the bottom
edges of the form sidewalls and thereby eliminate re-
3 petitive investments in such lateral support members.
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Brief Description of the Drawings
FIG. ] is a perspective view of an inverted
e~emplary embodiment of the combination keyway and
grooving tool of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the combination keyway
and grooving tool of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the combination
keyway and grooving tool of FIGo 1~
FIG. 4 is a end view of the combination ke~way
and grooving tool of FIG. 1.
FIGS. 5 through 10 are cross-sectional views
showing the sequential steps involved in forming a
perimeter foundation according to the present invention.
Detai ed Descri~tion of the Invention
With particular reference to FIGS~ 1-4, a
preferred embodiment of the tool of the present method
is set forth wherein 20 is an elongate supporting member.
A handle 22 i~ mounted on a top surface 24 of the sup-
porting member 20 for manipulating the supporting member
along a top surface of an elongate foundation footing.
A pair of elongate groove-forming members 26 and 30,
and a central key-forming memher 28, are mounted on a
bottom surface 32 of the supporting member 20 and are
used for forming parallel, transversely spaced elongate
grooves in the top of a freshly poured foundation footing
as described hereafter.
The pair of groove-forming members 26 and 30
are oriented in mutual parallelism adjacent the longi-
tudinal edges of the supporting member 20, and extend
3 downwardly from the bottom surface 32 by a first
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predetermined distance and are spaced transversely apart by
a second predetermined distance. The keyway forming member
28 is oriented parallel to and spaced equidistantly between
the groove forming members 26 and 30 and extends downwardly
from the bottom surface 3~ by a third predetermined distance,
greater than the said first predetermined distance.
The ends of the groove-forming members 26 and 30
and of the supporting memher 20 are beveled at mutually
downwardly converging predetermined angles as best seen in
FIG. 2 so that the supporting member 20 protrudes forwardly
and rearwardly from the ends of the groove-forming members
26 and 30. The fact that the tool is formed with bevels
at both ends permits it to be manipulated with either end
thereof acting as its leading edge and creates, in conjuncti.on
with the flat bottom surface 32 of the supporting member 20
a "hydroplaning" effect which prevents either the groove-forming
members 26 and 30 or the supporting member 20 from submerging
into a plastic material as it is moved thereon.
The ends of the keyway forming memher 28 are beveled
and prow-shaped, forming downwardly converging angles as
shown in FIG. 2 and lonyitud.inally tapered surfaces as
.shown in FIG. 3. The fact that the keyway forming member
28 is prow-shaped at both ends compensates Eor its larger
cross-section relative to the groove-forming members 26 and
~5 30 and permits the manipulating handle 22 to move the
members 26, 28 and 30 readily through a plastic material
with either end acting as the leading edge of the tool.
Each of the groove-forming members 26 and 30 has
a cross-section preferably having width and depth dimensions
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of about l inch respectively~ The function of each support
groove formed by these members in the surface of a freshly
poured footing is to receive a bottom edge of a respective
sidewall panel of a wall form and to,provide bottom lateral
support thereto. Head pressures of the plastic material to
be used in a wall form for a standard 6~inch wall demand that
plywood sidewalls have a thickness of 3/4 inch in order
to provide containment thereof and thereby insure the perpen-
dicularity of the resultant wall. A one-inch groove width
permits easy insertion of a 3/4 inch thick sidewall panel.
However, shorter 6-inch walls permit ply~ood thickness to be
decreased to approximately 5/8 inch, and in such case a
groove having a width of at least 3/4 inch would be suf-
ficient. Larger wal]s, such as 8-inch walls, might require
correspondingly thicker sidewalls and wider grooves.
The keyway forming member 28 has a cross-section
having width and depth dimensions which must be sub-
stantially at least lu5 inches respectively so as to permit
the formation of a keyway that conforms to applicable
building codes.
Although the preferred embodiment of the tool is
cast using Magnesium, the tool can be fabricated using any
lightweight, durable, substantially rigid material.
The use of the combination grooving and keyway
tool of the present invention is best understood with ref-
erence to F`IGS. 5-lO. The formation of a perimeter-type
footing 46 is well known in the art and is illustrated in
FIGS. 5--6 as including the steps of digging an elongate
trench in the ground having a predetermined configuration so
as to receive and support therein a predetermined footing
form, installing the sidewalls 40 of the footing form in
the trench, preparing a first amount of concrete mixture
and pouring and leveling the mixture in the space
defined by the footing form so as to form therein a pre-
determined footing 46 of a size sufficient to support a wall
atop the footing plus any structure thereafter supported by
the wall.
Before the footing 46 reaches a haxdened state,
the combination keyway and grooving tool is grasped by
its handle 22 and placed on the footing 46 as shown in
FIG~ 7 so that the hottom surface 32 of the supporting
member 20 rests upon the top surface 45 of the footing 46
The tool is then moved longitudinally along the top surface
of the elongate footing so as to cause the groove-forming
members 26 and 30 and the keyway-forming member 28 to form
grooves 52, 54 and 56 respectively in the top surface of
the foundation footing, as is best seen in FI~. 8.
After the footing 46 hardens, the bottom edges
2~ of the sidewalls 42 of the wall form are mounted in the
support grooves 52 and 54 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9
and define therebetween a space generally in the shape of
.an elongate wall, such space being exposed to the keyway
groove 56. Erection of the wall form is completed by
attaching a plurality of top-ties 44 to the top edges
of the sidewalls 42 at spaced intervals in the conven-
tional manner.
The fact that the grooves 52 and 54 are.formed
in the footing so as to have a width dimension slightly
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: greater than the thickness of the sidewalls 42 of the
wall form~ and the fact that the wall form is not in-
: stalled until the footing has hardened, facilitates the
: installation process since the supporting structure for
the wall form is rigid and readily receives therein the
bottom edges of the wall form,
A second amount of concrete mixture is prepared
and poured into the space defined by the sidewalls 42 of
the wall form and that portion of the footing 46 which
defines the keyway 56, so as to form a wall 48 and an
integral key 66 as is best seen in FIG. 9.
Thereafter, the top-ties 44, the wall form
sidewalls 42 and the footing form sidewalls 40 can be
removed from the hardened foundation for subsequent
use in the formation of other foundations, thereby com-
pleting a finished building foundation, as is best seen
in FIG. lO.
The fact that the bottom edges of the wall
form sidewalls 42 are not mounted flush with the top
surface 45 of the footing 46 results in a finished foun-
` dation footing having grocves 60 and 62 proximate the
base of the wall 48. In the preferred embodiment, the
grooves have a width dimension and a depth dimension that
are slightly greater than 3/4" and therefore the
2~ external one of the grooves can readily receive a 3/4"
elongate pipe or gravel to provide supplemental drainage
for the foundationO Alternatively, an enlarged groove-
forming member and a mating wall form sidewall havi.ng
an outwardly protruding hori~ontal flange at its bottom
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edge can be used to produce an external groove havlng
a sufficiently larger cross-section to receive still
larger drainage pipes or amounts of gravelO
It is often necessary to pour a slab floor
within the area defined by the perimeter foundation
walls, such as preparatory to forming or completing a
cellar or garage. In such cases the interior one of the
grooves 60, 62 can be, used to form an integral keyway
between the slab floor and' the footing. Alternatively,
' in some locations, leakage occurs at the boundary bet-
ween a basement floor and the foundation walls~ I'his
leakage is eliminated by chipping a sealing groove along
the foun~ation wall which is thereafter filled with a hot
bitumious material. In these cases, the interior one
~5 of the grooves 60, 62 can be exploited to eliminate the
need for,chipping sealing grooves. Still other uses fox
the interior groove and the external groove formed by
the above method will be apparent to those skilled in
the art.
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