Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02353305 2001-07-19
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LEDGER MOULD FOR BUILDING A LEDGER
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates, in general, to the field of construction. More
particularly, it
concerns a form adapted to receive a flowable material such as concrete in
order to
build a ledger for either supporting a brick wall or the ends of floor or
ceiling joists. The
ledger form disclosed herein is particularly useful when used in combination
with a wall
form assembly of the type comprising connectable foam panels for building
insulated
concrete walls, the foam panels being settable in parallel relationship .
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A number of different systems and methods currently exists for making
insulating forms
for casting a concrete wall. Often, these systems comprise pairs of opposed
foam
panels generally made of rigid foam like polystyrene, which define concrete-
receiving
cavities therebetween. Those pairs of foam panels are placed one above the
other so to
form the wall form. Once the concrete is solidified, the wall forms remain in
place to
insulate the wall. Those wall forms are typically maintained in spaced and
parallel
relationship, before the pouring of concrete, by means of connectors
comprising a pair
of parallel lateral attachment flange plates each inserted in one of the two
opposed
foam panels, and a connecting web interconnecting the flanges.
The piling up of such panels is performed on the construction site. One object
in this
field is to obtain foam panels that allow, on one hand, an easy and very rapid
piling up
without losing time and, on the other hand, the construction of a stable and
solid
stacking that is unlikely to disassemble prior to the pouring of concrete. As
can be easily
understood, as soon as the concrete is poured, the chances that the stack
collapses or
disassembles are greatly reduced. Examples of such prior art wall form
assemblies for
concrete walls are given in US patents 3,895,469; 4,229,920; 4,706,429;
4,884,382;
4,885,888; 4,894,969; 5,428,933; 5,459,971; 5,625,989; 5,657,600; 5,735,093
and
5,809,728.
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Also known in the prior art, is a concrete form for building a brick ledger on
which a
facing made of brick can be erected. This element is disclosed in the Canadian
patent
application CA 2,193,630. This type of concrete form for a brick ledger is
adapted to be
used in combination with a wall form assembly as described above, which
comprises a
pair of spaced-apart foam panels including an outside foam panel and an inside
foam
panel. The brick ledger form consists of an elongated foam panel having the
bottom
mountable on top of the outside foam panel of the form wall system. The foam
member
has a substantially straight lower portion, a flared upper portion and spaced-
apart
reinforcement bridges along the length of the foam member. In use, the brick
ledger
form is set on top of the outside foam panel and a planar foam panel is set in
front of the
brick ledger form on the inside foam panel, thereby forming a flared recess
therebetween. The foam panel and the brick ledger form are tied to each other
by
means of connecting web members each having one flange inserted in the
reinforcement bridge of the brick ledger and another flange inserted in the
facing foam
panel. The concrete devised to form the brick ledger is poured in the flared
recess so to
form a brick ledger on which a brick facing can be erected. One drawback with
such
brick ledger form, among others, is that it only allows the construction of a
ledger at a
specific height on the main wall since the form is designed to be installed on
top of a
foam panel. Thus, the level at which the brick ledger can be built is directly
dependent
on the level at which the top edge of the foam panel extends.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved form for building
a ledger
which is believed to be more flexible or adaptable than the known ledger form.
In accordance with the present invention, that object is achieved with a
ledger mould
assembly for use with a wall form assembly, the wail form assembly comprising
a pair of
spaced-apart parallel foam panels defining therebetween a cavity for the
setting of a
flowable material for building an insulated wall. The ledger mould is used to
receive a
hardening flowable material and to integrally form a ledger to the wall. The
mould
assembly comprises an elongated mould made of foam. The mould has a front, a
back,
a top, a bottom, a planar front face spanning from top to bottom, a tapered
bottom edge
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and at least one flared recess in the front face, opening outwardly and
upwardly from
bottom to the top. The mould assembly further comprises mounting means for
horizontally mounting the mould against a planar outside face of one of the
foam panels
with the bottom down and the planar front face of the ledger mould in contact
with the
planar outside face of the foam panel. This set-up allows flowable material to
be poured
from the top of the mould into the at least one flared recess to form a
ledger.
According to another aspect, the present invention provides a kit for building
an
insulated wall with a ledger, the kit comprising:
-a pair of foam panels tied together by means of connectors, each panel having
a top, a bottom, an inside face and a planar outside face; the foam panels
being
settable in a spaced-apart relationship for forming a cavity between the
inside face of
each panel for receiving a flowable material ;
-an elongated ledger mould made of foam for forming a ledger to the wall, the
ledger mould having:
- a front, a back, a top and a bottom;
- a planar front face spanning from top to bottom;
- a tapered bottom edge; and
- at least one flared recess in the front face, opening outwardly and
upwardly from bottom to the top; and
- mounting means for horizontally mounting the mould against the planar
outside
face of either one of the foam panels with the bottom down and the planar
front face
contacting the planar outside face of the panel and thereby allowing flowable
material to
be poured from the top of the ledger mould into the at least one flared recess
to form a
ledger.
According to a further aspect, the present invention provides a method for
making an
insulated wall with a ledger, comprising the steps of: a) providing a kit as
described
above, b) setting the foam panels in a spaced apart relationship, c) mounting
the ledger
mould horizontally on the planar outside face of either one of the foam
panels, d) cutting
and removing the foam material of the foam panel then facing the at least one
flared
recess to provide a full fluid communication between the at least one flared
recess and
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the cavity between the foam panels and e) pouring a flowable and hardening
material
into the at least one flared recess and the cavity between the foam panels.
According to a still further aspect, the present invention also provides a
ledger mould
assembly for use with a wall form assembly, the wall form assembly comprising
a pair of
spaced-apart parallel foam panels defining therebetween a cavity for the
setting of a
flowable material for building an insulated wall, the ledger mould being for
receiving a
hardening flowable material and integrally forming a ledger to the wall, the
mould
assembly comprising:
- an elongated mould made of foam and having:
- a front, a back, a top and a bottom;
- a planar front face spanning from top to bottom;
- a tapered bottom edge;
- a plurality of flared recesses in the front face, opening outwardly and
upwardly from bottom to the top; and
- a transversal partition wall separating each two adjacent flared recesses,
each partition wall having a top edge including an upwardly protruding portion
;
- mounting means for horizontally mounting the mould against a planar outside
face of one of the foam panels with the bottom down and the planar front face
of the
ledger mould contacting the planar outside face of the foam panel and thereby
allowing
flowable material to be poured from the top of the mould into the flared
recesses to form
a ledger, the mounting means comprising:
- a V-shaped bracket shaped to receive and support the tapered bottom
edge of the mould;
- a set of capping brackets each comprising:
- a cap-shaped portion adapted to fit on the upwardly protruding
portion of each partition wall; and
- a flange extending at right angle on a side of the cap-shaped
portion; and
- a set of fasteners to secure the V-shaped and capping brackets to the
planar outside face of the panel.
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As can be appreciated, the ledger form mould according to the invention is
very flexible,
as it can be mounted anywhere, at any level on a foam panel, depending on
where a
ledger is required.
5
Other features and objects of the present invention will become more apparent
from the
description of a preferred embodiment that follows, having reference to the
appended
drawings and given as examples only as to how the invention may be put into
practice.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a number of aligned ledger moulds according
to a
preferred embodiment of the invention mounted against a wall form assembly
thereby
forming a ledger to the wall.
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional side view of a ledger mould of figure 1 shown
mounted
against a foam panel of a form wall assembly;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the ledger mould of figure 2.
Figure 4 is a top view of the ledger mould of figure 2;
Figure 5 is a front view of the ledger mould of figure 2;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of the ledger moulds shown in figure 1
prior to
being placed on a foam panel where holes cut out of the planar outside face of
the foam
panel are clearly visible.
While the invention will be described in conjunction with a preferred
embodiment, it will
be understood that it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to
such
embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives,
modifications and
equivalents as may be included as defined by the appended claims.
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DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As shown in figure 1, the ledger mould assembly is suitable for building a
ledger to a
wall and is particularly useful when used in combination with a conventional
wall form
assembly used for the construction of insulated concrete walls. The ledger so
formed
with the ledger mould can be constructed either on the outside of the building
for
supporting a brick wall or on the inside for supporting the ends of floor or
ceiling joists.
Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 6, the wall form assembly comprises a pair of
spaced-
apart parallel foam panels (1 ) defining therebetween a cavity (2) for the
setting of a
flowable material for building an insulated wall. Each foam panel (1) of the
pair has a
top (4), a bottom (6), an inside face (8) and a planar outside face (10). A
plurality of
connectors (12) are used to interconnect the foam panels (1) in a spaced-apart
relationship to form the cavity (2) between the inside face (8) of each panel
(1 ). Each
connector (12) comprises two opposite and elongated flange plates (14) that
extend
longitudinally and deep inside the respective foam panels (1). A link element
(16), also
called web member, interconnects the flange plates (14). The link element (16)
is
preferably provided with rod-receiving cut outs (18) each adapted to receive a
steel rod
(not illustrated) used to reinforce the concrete. The flange plates (14) can
be removable
from the foam panels (1 ), as described for example in US patent no 5,625,989.
However in the preferred embodiment, the flange plates (14) are preferably
permanently
embedded within the foam panels (1 ).
Referring now more particularly to figures 2 to 5, the ledger mould assembly
(20)
comprises an elongated mould (22) made of foam and mounting means (24, 26) to
horizontally mount the mould (20) against the outside face (10) of a foam
panel (1).
The mould (22) comprises a front (30), a back (32), a top (34), a bottom (36)
with a
tapered bottom edge (38) and a planar front face (40) spanning from top (34)
to bottom
(36). The mould (22) further comprises at least one, but more preferably a
plurality of
flared recesses (42) in the front face (40), opening outwardly and upwardly
from bottom
(36) to the top (34). Each two adjacent flared recesses (42) are separated by
a
transversal partition wall (44).
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It is worth mentioning that in another embodiment of the invention, not shown
in the
accompanying figures, the mould (22) may lack the transversal partition walls
(44) and
therefore may be used to create a ledger mould (22) made up of only one flared
recess
(42).
Any mounting means apparent to a person skilled in the art can be used to
horizontally
mount the mould (22) against the planar outside face (10) of either one of the
foam
panels (1) of the wall form assembly with the bottom (36) of the mould (22)
down and
the planar front face (40) of the ledger mould (22) making contact with the
planar
outside face (10) of the foam panel (1). This allows the flowable material to
be poured
from the top (34) of the mould (22) into the flared recesses (42) to form a
ledger, as
shown in figure 1.
In the preferred embodiment illustrated in figures 1 and 6, the mounting means
preferably comprise a V-shaped bracket (24) to secure the bottom edge (38) of
the
mould (22) to the panel (1). The V-shaped bracket (24) preferably has the same
length
as the length of the mould (22) and a V-shaped cross section shaped to receive
and
support the tapered bottom edge (38) of the mould (22).
Without departing from the scope of the present invention, the mounting means
could
comprise, instead of a single elongated V-shaped bracket (24) as described
above, a
plurality of shorter V-shaped brackets which would serve the same purpose as a
single
longer one.
As best shown in figures 2 and 6, the mounting means further preferably
comprise a set
of capping brackets (26), one associated with each partition wall (44) of the
mould (22).
All the capping brackets (26) are similar and each one comprises a cap-shaped
portion
(27) adapted to fit on an upwardly protruding portion (46) of the partition
wall (44) and a
flange (28) extending at right angle on a side of the cap-shaped portion (27).
A set of specific fasteners (50, 52) is provided for securing the V-shaped
bracket (24)
and the capping brackets (26) to the planar outside face (10) of the panel (1
).
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The fasteners (52) for the capping brackets (26) are preferably screws which
screw into
the flange (28) of the capping bracket (26) and then through the foam panel (1
).
Advantageously, and as best shown in figure 2, the screws (52) can be driven
right into
the flange plates (14) embedded in the foam panel (1 ).
The fasteners (50) for the V-shaped bracket (24) are preferably screws which
screw into
one side section of the bracket (24) and then through the foam panel (1 ), as
shown in
figure 2. As for the fasteners (52) used for securing the capping brackets
(26), the
fasteners (50) for the V-shaped brackets (24) are preferably driven right into
the flange
plates (14) embedded in the foam panel(1 ).
The fasteners (50 and 52) can be chosen from the group comprising: screws,
bolts,
nails or any other equivalent known to someone skilled in the art.
The capping brackets (26) and the V-shaped bracket (24) are preferably made of
plastic. However, as apparent to someone skilled in the art, any other known
material,
such as wood or metal, exhibiting similar characteristics of strength and
rigidity can be
used.
As best seen in figures 3, 4 and 5, each partition wall (44) has opposite side
faces and a
top edge provided with a rod-receiving slot (48) spanning from one side face
to the
other. The slots (48) of each of the partition walls (44) are aligned with one
another so
as to receive a reinforcing rod that can be linked to the reinforcing rods
inserted into the
rod-receiving cut-outs (18) of the web members (16) interconnecting the foam
panels
(1 ). Those reinforcing rods are mainly used to reinforce the concrete.
The present invention also provides a kit for building an insulated wall with
a ledger.
The kit comprises a pair of foam panels (1 ) tied together by means of
connectors (12),
an elongated ledger mould (22) and mounting means (24 and 26) to horizontally
secure
the ledger mould (22) to either one of the foam panels (1 ). The foam panels
(1 ), the
connectors (12), the ledger mould (22) and the mounting means (24 and 26)
provided
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with the kit are as described hereinabove. The kit preferably comprises a
plurality of
ledger moulds (22) and a plurality of pairs of foam panels (1).
The present invention also provides a method for making an insulated wall with
a
ledger. The description of the different steps of the method of the invention
will now be
made in referring more particularly to figures 1, 2 and 6. The method
comprises the
steps of: a) providing a kit as defined previously, b) setting the foam panels
(1) in a
spaced apart relationship, c) mounting the ledger mould (22) horizontally on
the planar
outside face (10) of either one of the foam panels (1), d) cutting and
removing the foam
material of the foam panel (1) then facing the flared recesses (42) to provide
a hole (54)
permitting a full fluid communication between the flared recesses (42) and the
cavity (2)
located between the foam panels (1 ) and e) pouring a flowable and hardening
material
into the flared recesses (42) and the cavity (2) located between the foam
panels (1).
It is worth mentioning that the cut outs in the foam panel (1) can be made
either prior or
after the installation of the ledger mould (22) against the foam panel (1).
Advantageously, those cut outs could be made at the manufacture prior to the
shipping
f
of the foam wall assembly to the site of construction.
Preferably, step c) of mounting the ledger mould (22) comprises the step of
securing the
bottom edge (38) and an upper part of the ledger mould (22) to the planar
outside face
(10) of the foam panel (1). The step of securing the bottom edge (38) of the
mould (22)
preferably comprises the step of providing a V-shaped bracket (24) as defined
above.
The V-shaped bracket (24) is positioned and screwed horizontally on the planar
outside
face (10) of the panel (1). The screws (50) used to secure the V-shaped
bracket (24)
are preferably driven right into the flange plates (14) extending in the foam
panel (1 ).
The bottom edge (38) of the ledger mould (22) is then inserted in the V-shaped
bracket
(24) to be supported thereon. Obviously, to build a level ledger, the V-shaped
bracket
(24) should be properly levelled before it is fastened to the planar outside
face (10) of
the panels (1 ).
The step of securing the upper part of the ledger mould (22) preferably
comprises the
steps of providing a set of capping brackets (26) as described hereinabove and
CA 02353305 2001-07-19
positioning the ledger mould (22) horizontally so that each partition wall
(44) faces a
corresponding flange plate (14) in the foam panel (1). The upwardly protruding
portion
(46) of each partition wall (44) is then covered with one of the capping
brackets (26) and
the flange (28) thereof is screwed to its corresponding flange plate (14) in
the foam
5 panel (1 ). Preferably, each foam panel (1 ) will sport a design (55) on its
planar outside
face (10), as shown in figure 1, helping the user in determining where the
flange plates
(14) are embedded in the foam panel (1).
The method preferably further comprises the step of adding a reinforcing
framework to
10 the ledger mould (22) and the cavity (2) located between the foam panels
(1) to
reinforce the structure before the pouring of the flowable hardening material
and thus
obtaining a reinforced concrete. More preferably, when reinforcing the ledger
mould
(22) with reinforcing rods, a rod is inserted in the rod-receiving slot (48)
located on the
top edge of the mould (22).
The flowable material is preferably concrete, but as it is obvious to a person
skilled in
the art, any other flowable material with the same characteristics, such as
strength, can
be used without departing from the spirit or the scope of the invention.
Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in
detail
herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood
that the
invention is not limited to this precise embodiment and that various changes
and
modifications may be effected therein without departing from the scope or
spirit of the
present invention.
