Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02244988 1998-08-13
Concrete Forming System for Stack Construction
The present invention relates to a concrete forming system and method
permitting a
series of stacked concrete slabs to be formed at a work site. The system
includes a
vertical support member configured to the work surface, concrete form members
for
defining a desired shape for a concrete slab and horizontal adjustment members
for
attachment of the form members to the vertical support member. Through the use
of
the system, a series of stacked concrete slabs can be successively poured one
on top of
the other thereby providing an efficient system of producing concrete slabs.
The
invention has particular use in the fabrication of concrete slabs for tilt-up
construction.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In many locations around the globe, there is a need for low cost and easily-
fabricated
housing to meet the housing requirements of many people in either their native
rural
regions or in growing urban areas. This is particularly true in third world
countries.
For example, in areas where lumber materials are scarce or unavailable, it is
often
difficult to provide adequate housing for people from locally available
construction
materials. Accordingly, it is often required that construction materials are
brought into
an area or pre-fabricated housing components are used to build housing in that
particular area. Further problems arise when the location of a building site
is distant
from a supplier of materials or a manufacturing facility where transportation
of
materials is either difFcult, expensive or impossible. In order to solve such
problems,
housing projects in particular locations, often use cement components to form
basic
housing structures. The advantages of concrete components are that they are
durable
and inexpensive when used in the manufacture of housing units and that often,
some
or all of the stone/sand/water/cement ingredients may be available locally.
Furthermore, the transportation of concrete ingredients is generally easier
and less
expensive than transporting pre-formed components. The disadvantage of using
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concrete components is the difficulty and expense of transporting pre-formed
components from a manufacturing facility to a particular work site.
Thus, there has been a need to develop a system to facilitate the manufacture
of
concrete components at a building site in order to overcome the difficulty and
expense
of transporting pre-formed components.
In such a manufacturing system, in order to fabricate components to a uniform
standard, it is necessary to build a casting bed which may be used to build
the required
components. Such a casting bed would typically be a large flat and level
concrete
surface built at a suitable location directly on the ground, the casting bed
being
sufficiently large to allow numerous concrete components to be made. With most
concrete components, the poured concrete will typically require a full seven
days to
cure in order to ensure that it is sufficiently strong to be moved.
Accordingly,
concrete components after pouring should be allowed to cure in-situ for at
least seven
days to allow for sufficient component strength to develop.
However, it is inefficient to leave a fabrication site dormant for seven days
after
pouring a single concrete slab as considerable time would be wasted at the
work site
waiting for the concrete to cure. Similarly, it is inefficient to fabricate
numerous
casting beds to enable many concrete components to be poured.
Accordingly, it is desirable that a single casting bed be fabricated of
sufficient size to
allow the fabrication of a number of components which can also allow identical
components to be cast one on top of the other.
For example, in the situation of a large housing project in which it is
desired to build a
number of housing units from concrete components, each housing unit may be
built
from separate concrete slabs, a slab for each wall, main interior partitions
and roof
components. Accordingly, a casting bed of a size sufficient to allow for the
casting
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of all the components required for a housing unit can be built. As indicated
above, it
would be inefficient to use the casting bed for a single housing unit at a
time as only a
single housing unit could be built every seven days. Accordingly, it is
desirable to
enable identical components to be poured each day, one on top of the other on
the
casting bed in order to allow a larger number of units to be fabricated within
a specific
period of time.
Accordingly, if seven identical components can be cast one on top of the other
on
successive days and, following the last casting, allowed to cure for seven,
components
for a total of seven housing units could be manufacture in a total of 14 days
(seven
days of casting, followed by seven days of curing for the entire stack of
components).
Thus, the average time to prepare components for each housing unit would only
be
two days.
In regions where this form of construction is utilized, this method can allow
for the
efficient utilization of equipment and labour as various construction crews
can be kept
working with less idle time.
Specifically, in order to ensure that the manufacture of a concrete components
progresses efficiently, there has been a need for a forming system which is
easily
assembled and adjustable to ensure that each concrete component is fabricated
within
strict tolerances, that is durable and corrosion resistant to enable repeated
use and
handling and where each component of the forming system is stackable for ease
of
shipping and handling to and from a work-site.
Thus, while stacked construction is desirable, hereto before, the components
utilized
in the concrete forming and pouring stages of the construction have been
limited with
respect to the above problems. A review of the prior art has revealed US
Patent
3,182,948, US Patent 3,495,800, US Patent 128,670, US Patent 1,1168,492, US
Patent
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4
1,326,902, US Patent 1,657,566, US Patent 2,531,990, US Patent 1,234,244, US
Patent 3,99,913 and US Patent 4,067,941 which do not address the above
problems.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention, a concrete forming system enabling stacked
pourings of concrete is provided, the concrete forming system comprising:
a concrete form member;
a vertical plate member adapted for attachment to a work surface;
a vertical stiffening member adapted for attachment to the vertical plate
member and for stiffening the vertical plate member;
horizontal adjustment member adapted for attachment to the vertical plate
member, the horizontal adjustment member including means for horizontal
positioning of the horizontal adjustment member and means for anchoring the
1 S concrete form member to the horizontal adjustment member.
In more specific embodiments, the concrete form member has a c-profile with an
upwardly projecting edge and a downwardly projecting edge for configuration to
corresponding recessed channels on the horizontal adjustment member and the
concrete form member includes a tongue for attachment of adjacent concrete
form
members to one another.
Still further, the vertical support member may include a base member adapted
for
attachment to the work surface and a vertical member, the base member and
vertical
90 ° with respect to one another and the vertical stiffening member may
have a
triangular plate member, a vertical flange on one edge of the triangular plate
member
adapted for attachment to the vertical member and a horizontal flange adapted
for
attachment to the base member.
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In a further embodiment, the horizontal adjustment member includes at least
one
horizontal slot adapted for configuration of the horizontal adjustment member
to the
vertical support member.
In a specific embodiment, a concrete forming system enabling stacked pourings
of
concrete is provided, comprising:
a concrete form member having a c-profile with an upwardly projecting edge
and a downwardly projecting edge, the concrete form member having a tongue
for attachment of adjacent concrete form members to one another;
a vertical plate member having a base member adapted for attachment to the
work surface and a vertical member, the base member 90 ° with respect
to the
vertical member;
a vertical stiffening member adapted for attachment to the vertical plate
member and for stiffening the vertical plate member, the vertical stiffening
member having a triangular plate member, a vertical flange on one edge of the
triangular plate member adapted for attachment to the vertical member and a
horizontal flange adapted for attachment to the base member;
horizontal adjustment member adapted for attachment to the vertical plate
member and the upwardly projecting edge and downwardly projecting edge of
the concrete form member, the horizontal adjustment member including at
2~ least one horizontal slot adapted for configuration of the horizontal
adjustment
member to the vertical support member.
In accordance with a method of manufacturing stacked concrete slabs on a work
surface with the concrete forming system of the invention, a method is
provided
comprising the steps of:
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a) configuring concrete form members to the work surface wherein the
concrete form members define a desired shape;
b) attaching the horizontal adjustment members to the concrete form members;
c) attaching the horizontal adjustment members to vertical support members,
the vertical support members attached to the work surface adjacent the
concrete form members;
d) pouring a first layer of concrete within the desired shape to form a
concrete
slab;
e) allowing the first layer of concrete to cure wherein the concrete slab
defines
a new work surface;
f) repeating steps a) to e) on the new work surface.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the
following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings
wherein:
FIGURE 1 is an end view of a concrete slab forming system in accordance with
the
invention showing the stacking of successive concrete layers;
FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of a concrete slab forming system in
accordance with the invention;
FIGURE 3 is a plan view of building site utilizing the concrete slab forming
system
of the invention.
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DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference to Figures 1 and 2, a concrete slab forming system 10 in
accordance
with the invention is shown. The system includes a concrete form member 12, a
vertical plate member 14, a vertical stiffening member 16 and a horizontal
adjustment
member 18. As shown in Figure 2, the system 10 is assembled over a work
surface,
normally a flat concrete slab 20.
The system 10 allows for the successive pouring, curing and stacking of
concrete
slabs 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 and 32 one on top of the other on and above the work
surface
20. In order to form such slabs, a number of form members 12 are arranged and
interconnected to form an appropriately shaped areas as shown in Figure 3 for
specific
concrete slabs. For example, the specific slab forms shown in Figure 3 is
representative of a design which may be used in the manufacture of a housing
unit
using tilt-up construction. In this specific example, nine distinct concrete
slabs can be
formed on a work surface which can be assembled to form a single housing unit.
The
distinct slabs include roof panels 100 and 102, interior partition 104, front
wall 106,
rear wall 108, side walls 110 and 112 and interior partitions 114 and 116. As
can be
seen, appropriate window and door openings can be provided on each panel as
may be
required for a specific design.
The concrete form member 12 may be any suitable concrete form as is known in
the
art and, preferably a member having a "C" cross-section with horizontal edges
44 and
46 and a vertical edge 48. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the member has
upwardly
projecting lip 40 extending from the lower edge 44 of the member and a
corresponding downwardly projecting edge 42 extending from the upper edge 46
of
the member, the upwardly and downwardly projecting lips 40 and 42 adapted for
configuration to the horizontal adjustment member 18. Furthermore, the
vertical edge
48 of the concrete form member 12 is preferably offset in the inward direction
as
shown in Figures l and 2 to provide torsional stability to the form member 12.
Still
further, the concrete form member 12 may be provided with a tongue 50 to allow
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interconnection of the form members 12 to one another. In a typical
application,
where the system 10 is shipped to a work site, it would be preferable that the
concrete
form members 12 are in standard lengths up to a typical maximum of 12 feet.
The
concrete form members 12 may also include inside corner 52 or outside corner
54
5 shapes or other forms as would be understood by those skilled in the art to
permit a
full range of forming options.
The shape and structure of the concrete form member 12 imparts a bending and
torsional stiffness to the member 12 thereby providing durability for repeated
and
10 long-term use.
As indicated above, the concrete form member 12 is adapted for configuration
to one
or more horizontal form members 18 through the upwardly 40 and downwardly 42
projecting edges. The horizontal adjustment member 18 is provided with
recessed
channels 56 on the upper and lower edges of the horizontal member 18 which
define a
tongue 58. The recessed channels 56 are adapted for receiving the upwardly and
downwardly projecting edges 40 and 42 which thereby secure the tongue 58
within
the form member 12.
The horizontal member 18 is also provided with means for attaching the
horizontal
member to the vertical member 14. This form of attachment preferably allows
for
complete linear adjustment freedom of the horizontal member 18 with respect to
the
vertical member 18 thereby providing for maximum flexibility during assembly
of the
components at a work site. As shown Figures l and 2, the means for attachment
may
include horizontal slits and an appropriate washer, nut and bolt system 59 for
tightening the horizontal member 18 against the vertical member 14. The
horizontal
member 18 may be adapted for attachment to a single form 12 or forms on
opposite
sides of a vertical member as shown in the Figures. The horizontal member 18
may be
a single member 18 with two ends adapted for configuration to a form 12 or,
alternatively, have a single end adapted for configuration to a form 12 as
shown in
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Figures 1 and 2. Overlapping horizontal members 18 and 18a may be configured
to
the vertical member 14 utilizing the same nut and bolt system 59 for both
members.
The vertical support member 14 and vertical stiffening member 16 are attached
to one
another to provide vertical support and alignment to the concrete forms 12
through the
horizontal member 18. The vertical support member 14 is attached to the work
surface 20 by a suitable attachment means, such as anchor bolts 60 set within
the work
surface 20. As shown, the vertical support member has a base member 62 which
lays
flat on the work surface 20 and a vertical member 64. The vertical stiffening
member
16 is provided with a main member and horizontal 68 and vertical 70 flanges
which
are configured for attachment of the vertical stiffening member 16 to the
vertical
support member 14 with bolts 60a. The vertical stiffening member 16 is also
provided in a generally triangular design so as to minimize the quantity of
material
required for manufacturing and transport while providing a design which gives
rigid
support to the vertical support member 14.
While other designs of the vertical support member 14 and vertical stiffening
member
16 could be employed, the two component design enables convenient stacking of
each
component for transportation. As can be appreciated, the vertical support
member 14
with its 90 ° bend between the base member 62 and vertical member 64
enables a
number of vertical support members 14 to be stacked with respect to one
another into
a compact arrangement for packing and transportation. Similarly, the vertical
stiffening member 16 can be stacked in a similar manner.
Preferably, all components are fabricated from a corrosion resistant material
such as
galvanized steel to enhance the durability of each component for repeated use.
Assembly of the Concrete Slab Forming System
At a suitable work surface, the general layout of the various concrete slab
components
to be formed would be outlined on the work surface and appropriate concrete
form
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members 12 loosely interconnected so as to correspond to the desired outline
of the
required concrete slab. The horizontal adjustment members 18 would be loosely
configured to the forms 12 at this time by insertion of the tongues 58 within
the forms
12 as described above. Vertical support members 14 and vertical stiffening
members
are positioned at an appropriate distance from the forms 12 and attached to
the work
surface by an appropriate fastening system such as anchor bolts. The
horizontal
adjustment members 18 are then attached to the vertical support members 14 and
adjusted and tightened to ensure the correct size and shape of the concrete
slab to be
poured.
Upon assembly of the concrete forming system 10 with the desired forms on the
work
surface, a first concrete pour can be made with inclusion of rebar rods or
mesh as
appropriate. As would be understood by those skilled in the art, any surface
finishing
can be completed to ensure a smooth top surface for each slab as it is poured.
After an
appropriate setting-up period, typically 24 hours, a releasing agent can be
applied to
the top surface 80 of each slab of concrete in preparation for subsequent
concrete
pours. For all subsequent pours, a new form 12 and horizontal adjustment
member 18
can be attached to the vertical support member 14 on top of the underlying
form or
alternatively the form 12 and horizontal adjustment member 18 can be loosened,
lifted, adjusted and re-tightened to a new position on top of the first poured
slab 22. A
subsequent pour can then be completed as with the first pour. Still further
pours can
progress as described above (typically to a maximum of seven). After
completion of
the last pour, the entire stack of slabs is left to cure for an appropriate
period of time
(typically seven days) to permit sufficient curing for any subsequent handling
and/or
assembly.
Upon removal of the slabs from the work surface, new series of slabs can be
manufactured on the work surface 20.
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The terms and expressions which have been employed in this specification are
used as
terms of description and not of limitations, and there is no intention in the
use of such
terms and expressions to exclude any equivalents of the features shown and
described
or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are
possible within
the scope of the claims.
