Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FIELD OF THE INVEN~ION
The present invention relates to the construction of
concrete floors incorporating pre-poured concrete components and
more particularly to the construction of a unitary building
structure including a concrete floor incorporating such pre-
poured concrete components, and also to the pre-poured concrete
components used in the construction of such concrete floors.
BACRGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the building industry, two methods are
conventionally used for constructing concrete floors as part of
a building structure. Both methods are adapted for use in multi-
story buildings.
The first conventional method involves pouring a
reinforced concrete floor in place atop the supporting walls of
the building and uses no prefabricated parts, such as pre-cast
concrete slabs. In this method, it is necessary that wooden form
work be first constructed for the entire floor that is being
poured, in order to receive the poured concrete. Construction
of such form work is very labour intensive, and is, therefore
expensive. Moreover, relatively skilled workers, such as
carpenters, must be utilized to construct the form work. This
adds to the cost of construction. Also, wood used for the form
work is often discarded after use, which is wasteful. Typically,
this forming method of floor construction is run on a five day
cycle. On the first day the supporting walls are constructed.
On the second and third days the scaffolding is put in place and
the floor forms are constructed atop the scaffolding. On the
forth day the reinforcing steel is put in place atop the forms
and the electrical wiring, piping, and so on are put in place.
On the fifth day the concrete floor is poured.
s
The basic advantage of the form work method just
described is that it forms a strong, rigid structure in which the
floors are fully tied into the supporting walls, so as to form
a unitary building structure. Resultingly, a building having
floors constructed according to this method is resistant to
earthquake damage and is not, for this reason, significantly
limited as to its height. The main disadvantage of this method
is that it is relatively slow, very labour intensive and very
expensive. It is also effected by the weather, because of the
amount of concrete that must dry. In wet weather or cold
weather, the drying does not take place quickly, and heaters and
blankets must be employed to assist the drying, with
consequential additional delay and expense.
The second common method of concrete floor construction
involves the use of precast concrete flooring slabs to form the
floor structure. Such flooring slabs have hollow longitudinal
channels to reduce weight and provide service corridors through
the floor. A typical flooring slab of this type is sold under
the trademark CORESLAB. To construct a floor from such flooring
slabs, the slabs are lifted into place atop the supporting
structure one by one by a crane, with the crane holding the
CORESLABS in encircling relation via a wire sling. Removal of
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the sling precludes the flooring slabs from being placed in
initial abutting contact with one another atop the supporting
structure, such that they must be manually moved into final side-
abutting contact with one another after initial placement atop
the supporting structure. The flooring slabs are then bolted or
otherwise mechanically fastened at each end to the supporting
structures. Overpour concrete is not used in conjunction with
the flooring slabs, such that the design thickness of the floor
is constituted by the thickness of the flooring slab itself. The
main advantage of using such flooring slabs over the form work
method described above is the labour saving achieved by the
elimination of scaffolding and form work. It is, however,
typically necessary to use specially trained personnel to install
this type of prior art flooring slabs, so that some additional
labour expense is incurred in this regard.
The main disadvantage of utilizing flooring slabs of
the type described is the lack of rigidity of buildings having
a floor built from such slabs. This is so because floors
constructed according to this method do not have a concrete layer
poured over the flooring slabs, such that they are not united to
each other by such layer, nor are they rigidly tied in by
concrete to the walls or other supporting structures to form a
unitary building structure. Resultingly, buildings utilizing
concrete flooring slabs of the type described are not
particularly resistant to seismic disturbances, and must for this
reason, be limited to a maximum height of about 7 or 8 stories
for safety reasons.
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Floors made of concrete flooring slabs as described
above are usually constructed on a five day cycle. On the first
day the supporting structure, typically being steel girders on
cement block walls are erected. On the second day the floor
slabs are put in place atop the supporting structure. On the
third day the slabs are adjusted into proper place abutting one
another and steel anchors into the supporting walls or supporting
structures are set. On the fourth day grouting between adjacent
slabs is done. On the fifth day an optional finishing coating
is put on the slabs for cosmetic reasons so as to provide an even
surface, and holes are drilled to access the interior channels
of the floor slabs so that electrical wiring, piping and other
servicing may be run through the channels. Thus, this method is
not particularly quick in its implementation.
The two conventional methods described above suffer
from high costs, longer implementation times, and, in the case
of CORESLAB type flooring construction, lack of rigidity in
structures over 7-8 floors. Additionally CORESLAB type flooring
panels are extremely bulky, heavy and therefore difficult to
transport and handle, requiring extremely robust, (and expensive)
handling and transportation equipment.
One attempt to overcome these shortcomings of the prior
2S art methods of concrete floor construction is disclosed in U.S.
Patent No. 3,662,506 (Dillon). In this method, pre-cast wall and
floor components are used along with overpour concrete poured
over the floor components once they are set in place. This
system suffers however, from several serious disadvantages which
limit its use in the construction industry. Firstly, pre-cast
wall slabs to support the next higher floor must be in place on
top of the pre-cast floor slabs before the overpour concrete is
poured. However, such placement of the pre-cast wall slabs tends
to leave overly small gaps for the flow of overpour concrete onto
or into the voids in the pre-cast supporting wall structure
below, with the result that an insufficient flow of concrete
into the pre-cast supporting wall structure occurs. Sufficient
and predictable flow of the overpour concrete into these voids
is essential to ensure a properly formed bond between the pre-
cast floor slabs and the wall supporting structures if a strong
unitary building structure is to be obtained.
Moreover, the flooring system disclosed in the Dillon
patent requires the use of specialized metal hardware to
mechanically tie in the floor slabs to the pre-cast supporting
walls. Not only does such specialized hardware add to the cost
of the finished building, but it is tedious and time consuming
to install. It will also be appreciated that the Dillon system
requires the use of specially formed wall panels or blocks of
specific cross-section and dimensions to properly interfit with
the pre-cast floor panels. Such specialty features again add to
the cost of construction and limit the flexibility of use of the
system disclosed.
In contrast, the present invention provides a flooring
system which is extremely flexible in its use, such that it can
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be used in conjunction with any common supporting structures,
such as, for example, concrete block walls, poured concrete walls
or steel beam construction.
Accordingly, it is not disclosed in the prior art to
form a unitary floor structure using pre-cast concrete slabs and
overpour concrete, wherein the overpour concrete fully interfaces
with the supporting walls below without the use of specialized
hardware so as to form a strong unitary structure comparable in
rigidity to that formed with poured concrete floors. Further,
it is not disclosed in the prior art to form a unitary floor
structure using pre-cast concrete slabs and overpour concrete,
wherein a given floor is completed before further supporting
walls are erected atop that floor.
It is an object of the present invention to provide
pre-cast concrete slabs for use in building floors in buildings
wherein slabs are easily transportable and easily placed in
proper location abuttinq other slabs without having to be
subsequently manually adjusted into final resting position.
It is another object of this invention to provide a
strong unitary building structure having a unitary floor
structure, using preformed concrete slabs.
It is yet a further object of this invention to provide
a unitary floor structure that is not labour intensive, does not
require specialized labour or the use of form work, and is
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therefore of low cost.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide
a unitary floor structure that can be constructed on a shorter
cycle than can either poured concrete floors or other preformed
slab type floors.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide
a flooring slab and method for using same for constructing a
unitary flooring structure that can be used with a variety of
supporting structures such as brick walls, preformed block walls,
or steel supporting joists, to form a strong unitary building
structure.
Other objects, features and characteristics of the
present invention, as well as methods of operation and functions
of the related elements of the structure, and the combination of
parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent
upon consideration of the following detailed description and the
appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all
of which form a part of this specification.
~UMMAR~ OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a concrete flooring slab
for use in forming a unitary floor structure in a building,
wherein a floor containing such concrete slabs forms a part of
a strong, unitary building structure.
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A flooring slab member for use with lifting means in
forming a floor structure of a building, is disclosed. The
flooring slab member comprises a main body portion constructed
substantially of concrete and having top and bottom surfaces,
S first and second side surfaces and first and second end surfaces.
The distance between the top surface and the bottom surface
defines the thickness of the main body portion. The distance
between the first side surface and the second side surface
defines the width of the main body portion. The distance between
the first end surface and the second end surface defines the
length of the main body portion. Also included are steel
reinforcing means positioned within the main body portion above
the bottom surface, so as to structurally reinforce the main body
portion.
A lift receiving means is integrally retained within
the main body portion for secured releasable engagement of the
flooring slab by a lifting means, whereby the flooring slab
member may be quickly and easily handled in a generally
controlled manner with the aid of a lifting means such as a
crane. The lift receiving means is preferably comprised of at
least one metal bar extending above the top surface of the main
body portion, with the metal bar looped in the shape of an
inverted "U", with the curved portion thereof extending above the
top surface of the main body portion and the arms thereof
anchored to the steel reinforcing means therein. The flooring
slab may be set in place by a lifting means, such as a small
crane without the need to be manually repositioned in proper
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placement atop the supporting structure.
Alternatively, the lift receiving means comprises an
opening within the main body portion, with the opening being
adapted to receive a lifting meansO The lift receiving means may
further comprise a metal collar means peripherally displaced
within the opening, with the metal collar means being threadably
adapted to receive a cooperatingly threaded attachment member.
Further, a method of constructing a concrete floor of
design thickness integrated into a unitary building structure,
using pre-poured concrete flooring slab members to form the base
of the floor, is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of:
pre-pouring the concrete flooring slab members, the
concrete flooring slab members having a first end and a second
end and having a thickness of about 1/4 to about 3/4 of the
design thickness of the floor, with each of the pre-poured
concrete flooring slab members having a steel reinforcing member
embedded within the thickness;
erecting first and second supporting structures for
receiving the ends of the pre-poured concrete flooring slab
members in intimate contact thereon, the first and second
supporting structures having a generally flat top surface, the
top surface of each of the first and second supporting structures
having a first receiving portion and a second receiving portion,
with the second receiving portion of the first structure and the
first receiving portion of the second structure being oriented
in opposed relation to each other;
placing a first group of the pre-poured concrete
flooring slab members atop the first and second supporting
structures adjacent to one another in laterally substantially
abutting relation to form a first row of flooring slab members,
such that each of the flooring slab members in the first row
generally spans between the first and second supporting
structures, with the first end of each of the flooring slab
members in the first row being supported by the second receiving
portion of the first supporting structure and the second end of
each of the flooring slab members in the first row being
supported by the first receiving portion of the second supporting
structure, with the first receiving portion of the first
supporting structure and the second receiving portion of the
second supporting structure each having a void overtop thereof;
positioning a steel reinforcing means in place above
the first row of flooring slab members, such that the steel
reinforcing means is located within the design thickness of the
floor;
erecting extension bulkhead means generally around the
perimeter of the floor so as to form a raised retaining border
at least as high as the design thickness of the floor for
retaining subsequently poured overpour concrete; and
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pouring a concrete top layer onto the first row of the
flooring slab members such that the upper surface of the concrete
top layer forms the floor surface of the floor and also such that
the concrete enters the voids overtop each of the first receiving
portion of the first supporting structure and the second
receiving portion of the second supporting structure, such that
when the concrete becomes set, the unitary building structure is
formed by the combination of the poured concrete, the steel
reinforcing means, the pre-poured concrete flooring slab members
in the first row and the first and second supporting structures.
The steel reinforcing means used in this method is
preferably in the form of at least one grid comprised of
conventional steel reinforcing bar stock.
Installation of the present system can be worked on a
three day cycle. On the first day the supporting walls are set
in place. On the second day the forms for the walls are removed
if necessary, the precast flooring slab members are put in place,
and electrical wires and piping are put in place and exterior
bulk head around the floor are put in place. On the third day
reinforcing steel is laid and the remainder of the floor is
poured.
The present invention provides a building structure
that is comparable in strength to buildings having reinforced
poured concrete floors, and thus, does not limit the height of
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building that can be built. Moreover, these floors can be
constructed more quickly and less expensively than poured
reinforced concrete floors.
Floors of the present invention are also structurally
stronger than concrete slab floors such as those sold under the
trade-mark CORESLAB. Also, because the flooring slab members of
the present invention are substantially thinner, they can be of
a wider width -- typically about 6 to 8 feet -- opposed to
typical widths for CORESLAB flooring slab members of about 3 to
4 feet, which helps make the present system quicker to install.
Floors constructed from the flooring slab members and
by the method of the present invention may be constructed in
buildings having walls made of bricks, preformed blocks, or
having steel frame supporting structures.
Further, the flooring slab members of the present
invention may be formed on-site with relatively simple equipment
and can be made of virtually any outline shape or size.
DETAILED DE~CRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIME~T
Introduction to the Drawinqs
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred
embodiment of flooring slab member constructed according to the
invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a forming mould used
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A ~3
to form the flooring slab member of Figure 1, showing a further
pair of flooring slab members similar to that of Figure 1 at
various stages of construction;
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the mould
of FigurG 2, with the steel reinforcing means of the flooring
slab member in place and the concrete being poured;
Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a formed
flooring slab member with the outline of the concrete top layer
that will subsequently be poured thereon shown in ghost outline;
Figure S is a perspective view of two flooring slab
members placed with one end of each supported by a concrete block
supporting wall, with one end of one slab facing one end of the
other flooring slab members;
Figure 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the wall
and flooring slab members as shown in Figure S;
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing two
supporting walls with a flooring slab member according to the
invention being placed therebetween and a portion of a second
flooring slab member also supported by one of the walls;
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Figure 8 is a perspective view showing a steel
reinforcing means in place over the gap between the two concrete
flooring slab members of Figure 7, and a wire carrying conduit
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in place over a first group of flooring slab members;
Figure 9 is a partial cross-sectional view along sight
line 9-9 of Figure 8, with a second steel reinforcing means in
place over the flooring slab members, and with a concrete top
layer being poured;
Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the structure
of Figure 8, showing an additional supporting structure, with
certain items placed atop the structure deleted for simplicity
of illustration; and,
Figure 11 is a partial perspective view similar to
Figure 5 of a further embodiment of the invention illustrated in
Figures 1-10.
Reference will now be made to Figures 1 through 4,
which show a flooring slab member 20 of the present invention
that is for use in forming a floor structure of a building. The
flooring slab members 20 are typically lifted into place by use
of a lifting means such as a crane or derrick. The flooring slab
member 20 comprises a main body portion 22 that is constructed
substantially of concrete. The main body portion 22 has a top
surface 24, a bottom surface 26, first 28 and second 30 side
surfaces, and first 32 and second 34 end surfaces.
The distance between the top surface 24 and the bottom
surface 26 defines the thickness of the main body portion. The
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top surface 24 and the bottom surface 26 are substantially
parallel to each other, and preferably the main body portion has
a thickness of about 6" to about 8". It has been found that
having a top surface 24 that is relatively rougher than the
S bottom surface 26 is useful in transmitting sheer forces to the
flooring slab member 20 from the overpour layer of concrete which
is described more fully below.
The distance between the first side surface 28 and the
second side surface 30 defines the width of the main body
portion~ The distance between the first end surface 32 and the
second end surface 34 defines the length of the main body
portion. Typically, the main body portion 22 is substantially
rectangular in plan outline; however, it is possible to form a
flooring slab member 20 having a main body portion 22 of
virtually any plan outline shape.
Positioned within the main body portion 22 is a steel
reinforcing means 40, which is provided to structurally reinforce
the main body portion 22. The steel reinforcing means 40 is made
of conventional steel reinforcing bar stock and is preferably
formed in a criss-cross grid pattern for maximum strength. The
steel reinforcing means 40 extends virtually from the first side
surface 28 to the second side surface 30 and from the first end
surface 32 to the second end surface 34 of the main body portion
22.
A plurality of spacer means 42 (known in the
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construction trade as "chairs") are used to support the steel
reinforcing means 40 above the bottom surface 26 of the main body
portion 22. Preferably, the steel reinforcing means 40 is spaced
substantially 1" above the bottom surface 26 of the main body
portion 22, but any other suitable distance may be used.
There is also provided a lift recsiving means 44 which
in the preferred embodiment illustrated is comprised of four
metal bars 44 extending from the main body portion 22. The metal
bars 44 are integrally retained within the main body portion 22,
the lift receiving means 44 being adapted for secured releasable
engagement to a lifting means such a crane or derrick. Use of
these lift receiving means 44 allows the flooring slab member 20
to be handled in a generally controlled manner so that they may
easily load and unload from the trucks and may be positioned on
top of supporting walls. Preferably, the four metal bars are
positioned one adjacent each corner of the main body portion 22.
It is possible to have more or fewer than four metal bars 44
comprising the lift receiving means, but four is the preferred
number.
The metal bars 44 extend above the top surface 24 of
the main body portion 22 and preferably extend outwardly from the
top surface 24. The metal bars 44 are looped in relation to the
main body portion 22 so as to make it easy to releasably hook a
cable or similar form of lifting means to the flooring slab
member 20. The preferred shape for having the metal bars 44 in
looped relation to the main body portion 22 is an inverted "U"
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shape with the curved portion 45 thereof extending above the top
surface 24 and the arms 46 thereof anchored to the steel
reinforcing means 40 adjacent the respective free ends 48
thereof, preferably by spot welding.
The flGoring slab member 20 further comprises a
plurality of overpour concrete engagement members 50 anchored in
the main body portion 22 and extending above the top surface 24
thereof. The overpour concrete engagement members 50 are metal
bars in the shape of an inverted "U", with the curved portion 52
thereof extending above the top surface 24 of the main body
portion 22 and the arms 54 thereof anchored to the steel
reinforcing means 40 adjacent the respective free ends 55
thereof, preferably by spot welding. The overpour concrete
engagement members 50 are generally evenly distributed throughout
the area of the flooring slab member 20, their purpose being to
assist in linking the flooring slab member 20 to a layer of top-
poured concrete that will be poured over the top surface 24 of
the main body portion 22 to thereby form the top layer of the
floor structure being formed.
The flooring slab members 20 are formed in a forming
mould 59, which is typically made of metal and has movable sides
so as to allow for easy removal of a finished and set flooring
slab member 20. Two flooring slab members 20 at various stages
of construction are shown in Figure 2.
In an alternative embodiment, the lift receiving means
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comprises an opening within the main body portion, with the
opening being adapted to receive a lifting means such as a cable
or hook from a crane or derrick. The opening may extend through
the entire body portion or may be a blind ended opening. The
lift receiving means may further comprise a metal collar means
peripherally displaced within the opening, with the metal collar
means threadably adapted to receive a cooperatingly threaded
attachment member. The cooperatingly threaded attachment member
may be a hook or loop that is threadably attached to the flooring
slab member as needed, and removed therefrom after the flooring
slab member has been set in place.
Specific reference will now be made to Figures 5
through 10 which show a method of constructing a concrete floor
structure 60 of design thickness, integrated into a unitary
building structure. The concrete floor structure 60 uses a
plurality of the pre-poured concrete flooring slab members 20
illustrated in Figures 1 through 11 to form the base of the floor
structure 60, and like reference numerals are used to designate
the same or analogous structures throughout Figures 1-11. The
method of constructing the concrete flooring structure 60
comprises steps as detailed subsequently.
The concrete flooring members 20 are pre-poured and
pre-set as previously described, each having a first end portion
62 and a second end portion 64, and a thickness of about 1/4 to
about 3/4 of the design thickness of the floor structure 60, with
a preferred thickness of about 1/3 to about 2/3 of the design
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thickness of the floor structure 60.
First 70 and second 72 supporting structures are
erected for respectively receiving the ends 62, 64 of the pre-
poured concrete flooring slab members 20 in intimate supportingcontact thereon. The first 70 and second 72 supporting
structures which are commonly concrete block walls as shown in
Figures 5-9, each have a generally flat top surface 74 for
receiving the ends 62, 64 of the concrete flooring slab members
20. The top surface 74 of each of the first 70 and second 72
supporting structures have a first receiving portion 76 and a
second receiving portion 78. The second receiving portion 78 of
the first supporting structure 70 and the first receiving portion
76 of the second supporting structure 72 are oriented in opposed
relation to each other.
Typically, the supporting structures 70, 72 each
comprise a plurality of concrete blocks 81, laid in rows, which
blocks and method of construction are well known in the industry.
The concrete bloc~.s 81 each have one or more concavities 79
therein, which concavities generally align with one another to
rec~ive steel reinforcing rods 83 in vertically displaced
relation therein. Typically, the reinforcing rods 83 would, as
illustrated, protrude from the top of the supporting structure
in order to ultimately join to the next supporting structure
constructed thereabove.
Once the first 70 and second 72 supporting structures
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have been erected, a first row 80 of pre-poured concrete flooring
slab members 20 are placed atop the first 70 and second 7z
supporting structures. The concrete flooring slab members 20 in
the first row 80 are typically placed adjacent one to another in
a laterally substantially abutting relation to form the first row
of flooring slab members. These flooring slab members 20 in the
first row 80 may be typically placed atop the supporting
structures 70 and 72 by a lifting means such as a crane or
derrick hooked to a steel cable sling 45 (see Figure 7), which
cable sling 45 thereby attaches to the flooring slab members 20
by means of swivel hooks 47 engaging each of the left receiving
means 44. In this manner, the flooring slab members 20 may be
placed adjacent to one another in laterally substantially
abutting relation without having to subsequently be moved, as is
common in the prior art.
Each of the flooring slab members 20 in the first row
80 generally spans between the first 70 and second 72 supporting
structures, with the first end portion 62 of each of the concrete
flooring slab members 20 in the first row 80 being supported by
the second receiving portion 78 of the first supporting structure
70 and the second end portion 64 of each of the flooring slab
members 20 in the first row 80 being supported by the first
receiving portion 76 of the second supporting structure 72. The
first receiving portion 76 of the first supporting structure 70
and the second receiving portion 78 of the second supporting
structure 72 each have a void 82 overtop thereof.
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It is generally desirable to now place conduit 91 on
top of the flooring slab members 20 before the concrete top layer
92 is poured. The conduit 91 may take any desired orientation
along the flooring slab members 20. The conduit 91 are typically
5used to house electrical wire 93, plumbing supply and drain
links, or similar mechanical service supply means.
A second steel reinforcing means 84, generally similar
to the first steel reinforcing means 40, is then positioned in
10place above the first row 80 of concrete flooring slab members
20, such that the second steel reinforcing means 84 is located
within the design thickness of the floor structure 60, as best
seen in Figure 9. The second steel reinforcing means 84, is
supported by spacer means 86 placed on each of the concrete slab
15members 20 at suitable intervals. These spacer means 86 come in
various vertical sizes, are typically made of plastic, and are
generally analogous to the spacer means 42 previously described.
In order to erect a unitary building structure having
20.~ore than one row of concrete flooring slab members 20, it is,
however, necessary to erect additional supporting structures,
such as a third supporting structure 100 for receiving the second
ends 64 of the pre-poured concrete flooring slab members 20 in
intimate contact thereon (see Figure 10). The third supporting
25structure 100 is generally similar in construction to first 70
and second 72 supporting structures and has a generally flat top
sur~ace 74, similar to the flat top surfaces 74 of the first 70
and second 72 supporting structures. The top surface 74 of the
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third supporting structure 100 has a first receiving portion 76
and a second receiving portion 78. The first receiving portion
76 of the third supporting structure 100 is oriented in opposed
relation to the second receiving portion 78 of the second
supporting structure 72.
A second row 110 of pre-poured concrete flooring slab
members 20 are placed atop the second 72 and third 100 supporting
structures adjacent to one another in laterally substantially
abutting relation to adjacent flooring slab members 20, as with
the first row 80. In this manner, the second row 110 of flooring
slab members is formed. Each of the flooring slab members 20 in
the second row 110 generally spans between the second 72 and
third 100 supporting structures, with the first end 62 of each
of the flooring slab members 20 in the second row 110 being
supported by the second receiving portions 78 of the second
supporting structure 72 and the second end 64 of each of the
flooring slab members 20 in the second row 110 being supported
by the first receiving portion 76 of the third supporting
structure 100. The second receiving portion 78 of the third
supporting structure 110 has a void 82 overtop thereof, similar
to the void 82 overtop the first receiving portion 76 of the
first supporting structure 70. The two voids 82, 82 over the
second supporting structure 72 together form a gap 114 between
the second ends 64 of the flooring slab members 20 in the first
row 80 and the first ends 62 of the flooring slab members 20 in
the second row 110.
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In order to structurally reinforce the concrete top
layer 92, the second steel reinforcing means 84 is also
positioned in place above the second row 110 of flooring slab
members 20, such that the second steel reinforcing means 84 is
located within the design thickness of the floor structure.
Before the second steel reinforcing means 84 is placed
atop the flooring slab members as aforesaid, in a building
structure having two or more rows of flooring slab members 20,
it is highly desirable to place steel connecting members 120
across the gap 114, substantially extending the entire width of
the first 80 and second 110 rows (see Figures 8 and 9). The
thickness and longitudinal dimensions of the connecting members
120 will depend upon the specific building application, but can
be determined by the application of routine engineering
calculations in accordance with local building codes. These
connecting members 120 may then be tied using conventional tie-in
wires (not shown) to the lift receiving means 44 and the overpour
concrete engagement members 50, as appropriate, that are
positioned on the flooring slab members 20 in the first 80 and
the second 110 rows of flooring slab members 20. A reinforcement
structure is thereby formed across the gap 114 along
substantially the entire width of the first 80 and second 110
rows of floorinq slab members 20 by the connecting members 120
2~ tied into the overpour concrete engagement members 50, and the
lift receiving means 44.
After the rows 80 and 110 of concrete flooring slab
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members 20 and the second steel reinforcing means 84 are in
place, an extension bulkhead means so (see Figure 7) is erected
around the perimeter of the floor structure 60 so as to form a
raised retaining border at least as high as the design thickness
S of the floor structure 60 for retaining subsequently poured
overpour concrete 97. This extension bulkhead means so is
constructed of lumber, or other similar material and is typically
removed after the overpour concrete 97 is set. Once the
extension bulk head means 90 is erected, a concrete top layer 92
is poured over the rows 80 and 110 of flooring slab members 20,
such that the upper surface 94 of the concrete top layer 92 forms
the floor surface of the floor structure 60. Further, the
overpour concrete 97 enters the gap 114, the voids 82 overtop the
first 70 and third 72 supporting structures, and also enters the
concavities 79 in the first 70, second 72 and third 100
supporting structures. When the overpour concrete 97 becomes
set, a unitary building structure is formed by the combination
of the poured concrete top layer 92, (including the concrete that
has flowed into the voids 82 and into the concavities 79 in the
supporting structure 70, 72), the steel reinforcing means 84, the
pre-poured concrete flooring slab members 20 in the fixst 80 and
second 110 rows and the first 70 and second 72 supporting
structures.
In the preferred embodiment, generally vertically
displaced reinforcing rods 83 are provided in the concavities 79
of the supporting structure 70, 72, 110. The reinforcing rods
83 are held securely and rigidly in place therein by the over-
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poured concrete. The reinforcing rods 83, or at least some of
them, extend above the respective top surfaces 74 of the
supporting structures 70, 72, through the voids 82. When the
concrete of the concrete top layer 92 is poured, it enters the
voids 8~ and then enters and substantially fills the concavities
79 around the reinforcing rods 83, so as to form a unitary
structure with the reinforcing rods 83 and the concrete blocks.
If a unitary building structure is to have two or more
rows of pre-poured concrete flooring slab members 20, then it is
preferable to erect the extension bulk head means 90 after all
of the rows of concrete flooring slab members 20 have been put
in place. When the concrete becomes set, a unitary structure is
thus formed by the combination of the poured concrete top layer
92, (including the concrete that has flowed into the voids 82 and
into the concavities 79 in the supporting structures 70, 72 and
100), the second steel reinforcing means 84, the connecting
members 120, the pre-poured concrete flooring slab members 20 in
the first 80 and second 110 rows and the first 70, second 72 and
third 100 supporting structures.
Once the concrete top layer 92 is set, vertical
~xtension of the supporting structures 70, 72, 100, or any newly
placed supporting structures (not shown) can be continued so as
to repeat the process for subsequently higher floors of the
building. In this regard, the vertically displaced reinforcing
rods 83 may protrude of the finished top layer 92 to provide
structural continuity for said vertical extension of the
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~$~
supporting walls 70, 72 and 100.
It will be understood that numerous variations as will
occur to those skilled in the art may be made to the above-
described apparatus and method embodiments of the inventionwithout departing from the claimed scope of the invention. For
example, it will be obvious that the supporting structures need
not be of concrete block as illustrated in Figures l-10, but may
be constructed of, for example, reinforced poured concrete, as
is supporting structure 130 illustrated in Figure 11 of the
drawings. In such instance, concavities are not present in the
supporting structure to be filled with overpour concrete, but,
nonetheless, the gap 114 between adjacent rows 80 and 110 of
concrete flooring slab members 20 is formed, to be subsequently
filled by overpour concrete in a manner generally analogous to
that shown in Figures l-10, so as to form a unitary structure by
the combination of the poured concrete top layer, the second
steel reinforcing means, the connecting members 120, the pre-
poured concrete flooring slab members 20 and the first, second
130 and third supporting walls. Apart from the reference numeral
120, which corresponds to reference numeral 72 in Figures 1-10,
the same reference numerals have been used in Figure 11 to denote
analogous structures in each of Figures 1-10.
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