Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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PARASEISMIC MONOLITHIC CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to concrete construction and form
systems for concrete construction. More particularly, it concerns a
monolithic paraseismic concrete construction.
BACKGROUND
The use of concrete forms for the moulding of a concrete wall is well known
in the art and widely practised. Conventional concrete forms are made by
securing either panelling such as plywood or individual boards to
reinforcing studs. The individual forms are placed in the desired position
and after the concrete is set, the forms are removed. The use of these
forms is expensive, since reuse of the lumber is limited and a substantial
amount of labour is required to build the forms.
One of the considerations involved in the pouring of concrete walls is the
strength of the wall which is required for the building. Thus, the tensile
strength and compressive strength are properties which must be taken into
consideration in designing the concrete wall. Factors which are involved in
determining the final properties include the type of concrete mix and the
thickness of the wall. Naturally, one can increase some of the strength
properties by pouring thicker walls; this will however increase the cost.
Naturally, it is desirable to use as little concrete as possible to achieve
the
required properties.
Prior patent application no W097/43507 in the name of the applicant
discloses a concrete wall with an overall corrugated configuration. This
wall, which requires a lot less concrete mixture to make than a
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conventional planar concrete wall, shows much better final properties than
the latter.
Other examples of concrete walls of different shapes known in the prior art
are given in the following patent documents: US 1,373,523; US 2,272,659;
US 2,523,713; US 3,664,630; US 5,491,947; FR 2,161,407; SW 75,941;
IT 420, 596.
Although, some of these above-mentioned prior art documents may
disclose concrete walls having relatively good properties, none of those
documents discloses or suggests a whole construction that would have
excellent paraseismic properties, neither a simple and inexpensive way to
build such paraseismic construction.
Also, many difficulties are encountered in the making of high-performance,
paraseismic ecological structures. Among those, there are the following:
the unevenness and geological quality of the soil, the flooding, and thawing
and freezing cycles are factors which increase the construction costs and
accelerate the degradation of the buildings; the poor quality of the cement;
the high cost of steel framework; the lack of qualified workers in certain
countries; the necessity of reducing sophisticated tools such as mechanical
crane; the lack of substructure and of means of transport; the lack of
electrical energy in certain regions; problems related to transportation of
prefabricated elements or houses; and the necessity of using materials
other than wood which could be very costly and which generally has a poor
resistance to termites, mushrooms, humidity, fire and earthquakes.
There is thus presently for a wind proof paraseismic technology, and a
necessity of developing a global technology using the same material other
than wood for the floor, the walls and the ceiling of a construction.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a concrete construction
that will satisfy this need and will overcome many of these above-
mentioned difficulties.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a concrete form
system which is easy to assemble and use.
1 o It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method for
forming
a concrete construction wherein the use of concrete is minimized.
In accordance with the present invention, some of these objects are
achieved with a concrete construction comprising:
- a bottom wall with a top face generally parallel to an under face, the
under face having a generally corrugated relief with alternating recesses
and ridges extending in a substantially horizontal direction;
- a plurality of sidewalls extending upright from the bottom wall, each
2 o sidewall having a generally overall corrugated cross section with
alternating recesses and ridges extending in a substantially vertical
direction; and
- a top wall intersecting the sidewalls at upper edges thereof, the top wall
having a top face generally parallel to an under face, the under face
having a generally corrugated relief with alternating recesses and ridges
extending in a substantially horizontal direction
wherein the construction is a monolithic construction made of concrete
3 o reinforced with dispersed metallic fibres, the under face of each of the
top wall and the bottom wall is covered with an insulating foam panel
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and each of the sidewalls is sandwiched between insulating foam
panels, said insulating foam panels making up the concrete formwork
used to erect the concrete structure.
Preferably, the bottom wall is made of concrete with a top face generally
parallel to an under face, the under face having a generally corrugated
relief with alternating recesses and ridges extending in a substantially
horizontal direction.
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The present invention also proposes a kit of modular foam panels used to
make a construction as described hereinabove. The kit comprises:
a) a plurality of corrugated foam panels having a generally
rectangular shape outlined by a first pair of opposite corrugated side edges
and a second pair of opposite linear side edges and a generally corrugated
relief with alternating recesses and ridges extending in a longitudinal
direction between the two corrugated side edges, said recesses and ridges
having a semi hexagonal shape with two tapering segments and a third
segment interconnecting a thinner end of the two tapering segments;
b) at least two corner foam panels of a first type each including:
- a linear first edge opposite a corrugated second edge with alternating
recesses and ridges matching the corrugated side edges of the
corrugated foam panels, the linear first edge and the corrugated second
edge extending in substantially parallel planes, said recesses and
ridges having a semi hexagonal shape with two tapering segments and
a third segment interconnecting a thinner end of the two tapering
segments;
- substantially planar wall sections extending perpendicularly to the
parallel planes of the first and second edges between the ridges of the
second edge and segments of the first edge; and
- polyhedron wall sections extending between the recesses of the second
edge and segments of the first edge; and
c) at least two corner foam panels of a second type each including:
- a corrugated first edge matching with the corrugated side edges of the
corrugated foam panel and having alternating recesses and ridges
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extending in a first plane, the recesses having a semi hexagonal shape
with two tapering segments and a third segment interconnecting a
thinner end of said two tapering segments;
- a corrugated second edge having alternating recesses and ridges
5 matching with the corrugated side edges of the corrugated foam panel
and extending in a second plane substantially perpendicular to the first
plane, the recesses having a semi hexagonal shape defined by two
tapering segments and a third segment interconnecting a thinner end of
said two tapering segments;
- substantially planar wall sections extending in the first plane between
the ridges of the first and second edge; and
- polyhedron wall sections extending between the recesses of the first
and second edge.
In a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of
making a concrete construction as described hereinabove, comprising the
steps of:
a) providing a kit of foam panels as defined above;
b) preparing concrete beams that will be used later on to construct a top
wall of the construction, comprising setting one of the corrugated foam
panels on a planar surface with the longitudinal direction extending parallel
to the planar surface and pouring a concrete slurry only in the recesses of
said corrugated foam panel so to form a plurality of parallel concrete
beams;
c) erecting the sidewalls of the construction comprising the steps of:
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s
- setting, wall forms for forming the sidewalls of the construction, each
of the wall forms comprising a pair of the corrugated foam panels with their
longitudinal direction set to extend in a substantially vertical direction,
the
pair of panels defining a cavity therebetween with a corrugated
configuration, one of the corrugated foam panels being designated as an
outside foam panel and the other one being designated as an inside foam
panel, the wall forms being disposed to form a rectangular construction
including two pairs of opposite sidewalls;
- pouring a concrete shiny in the cavity of each wall form; and
d) while the concrete sluny poured in step c) is not completely solidified,
making a top wall of the construction, comprising:
- setting on top of two of the wall forms set in step c) and which are
opposite to each other, a comer form for forming a corner between a
sidewall and the top wall, the corner form including a corrugated foam
panel facing a comer foam panel of the first type to define a cavity
therebetween, the corrugated foam panel being set on top of the outside
corrugated foam panel set in step c) and the comer foam panel being set
on top of the inside corrugated foam panel set in step c) with its corrugated
second edge facing downwards,
- setting on each of the other two wall forms set in step c) a corner
form including a corrugated foam panel facing a corner foam panel of the
second type to define a cavity therebetween, the corrugated foam panel of
the corner form being set on top of the outside corrugated foam panel set
in step c) and the corner foam panel of the second type being set on top of
the inside corrugated foam panel with its corrugated second edge facing
downwards;
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- mounting, over the corner forms, the concrete beams with the
corrugated foam panel prepared in step b) such that each of the two
corrugated side edges of the corrugated foam panel bearing the beams is
laid down on the first edge of a corresponding corner foam panel of the
second type and that each of the two linear side edges of the corrugated
foam panel is laid down on the linear first edge of a corresponding corner
foam panel of the first type;
- pouring a concrete slurry in the cavity of each of the corner forms
and on the corrugated foam panel of step b) so to form a top wall with a
planar top face opposite a corrugated under face and monolithic concrete
corners between the sidewalls and the top wall.
Therefore, as can be appreciated, and based on the above-mentioned
observations, a monolithic concrete construction using modular permanent
insulating forms for pouring the concrete has been developed. This
construction is characterized in that it is an overall shell-like monolithic
construction with an overall generally corrugated configuration. By
monolithic construction, it is meant a single solid construction. The overall
corrugated configuration of the walls, the ceiling and the floor allows the
thickness of the walls to be greatly reduced without reducing the strength
of the construction. On the contrary this configuration allows an increase in
the strength of the building while at the same time allowing a great
reduction of the weight thereof and an increase in the moment of inertia.
In practice, this results in a reduction of the thickness of the foundation
walls to 6 cm which entails an economy of 60% of concrete.
The main goal of the project was to develop the optimal construction which
would guaranty a maximum stability with respect to the uneven movements
of the soil and perfect resistance to seismic charges and raging winds. It is
thus important to control the weight, the geometry and the global strength
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of the building and the quality of the material used. Finally, the corrugated
shape obtained by using a plurality of particular similar modular forms was
chosen. These forms, which have a generally U shape with two arms, are
disposed one after the other in a line to thereby create an overall
corrugated shape. The distance between these forms, the thickness of the
walls, the choice between straight and corrugated forms can be varied as
much as needed so to obtain many different constructions and that,
according to the specific needs. Thanks to this wide variety of solutions, it
is possible to chose the maximal moment of inertia while at the same time
reducing the overall weight of the construction.
Other features and objects of the present invention will become more
apparent from the description that follows of a preferred embodiment,
having reference to the appended drawings and given as an example only,
as to how the invention may be put into practice.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a paraseismic construction
according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of figure 1
showing
more particularly an angled corner obtained under a top wall;
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of figure 1 showing
another angled corner obtained under a top wall;
Figures 4 to 7 are schematic perspective views of the different steps on the
building site for making the construction shown in figure 1;
Figure 8 is an enlarged view of the encircled area B in figure 7 showing in
more details the making of the foundations;
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Figure 9 is a perspective view of a kit of foam panels used to make a
construction according to the invention;
Figure 10 is an enlarged perspective view of an assembly of foam panels
used to make the top wall of the construction shown in figure 1;
Figure 11 is a perspective view of a sidewall base element;
Figure 12 is a top plan view thereof;
Figure 13 is a side elevational view thereof as seen from the left hand side
of figure 12;
Figure 14 is a perspective view of a corner base element;
Figure 15 is a top plan view thereof;
Figure 16 is a side elevational view thereof;
Figure 17 is a perspective view of a corner panel form;
Figure 18 is a perspective view of a sidewall panel section used to
construct a main panel form;
Figure 19 is a top plan view illustrating the assembly of the panel forms
according to the present invention;
Figure 20 is a top plan view, partially in a section, of the concrete form
system of the present invention;
Figure 21 is a top plan view of a portion of a concrete wall resulting from
the use of the form system of the present invention.
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DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to figure 2, a paraseismic construction (10) according to the
invention can be a multi-storey building. The storeys can have a uniform
height throughout the building, or the height of each storey could vary. As
5 will be more apparent upon reading the following description, the
construction is a paraseismic monolithic construction meaning that once
erected it forms a massive, solid and uniform whole.
Referring to figure 1 and also to figure 7, the construction (10) comprises a
bottom wall (12) which could be either the foundations, if the construction is
10 a one storey building, or the floor of an overhead storey in a multi-storey
construction. The bottom wall (12) is made of concrete. It has a planar top
face (14) and an under face (16) with a generally corrugated relief with
alternating recesses (18) and ridges (20) extending in a substantially
horizontal direction.
The construction (10) also has a plurality of sidewalls (22) extending
upright from the bottom wall (12). Each sidewall (22) is made of concrete
and has a uniform thickness throughout. It also has a generally overall
corrugated cross section with alternating recesses (18) and ridges (20)
extending in a substantially vertical direction. Preferably, each of the
recesses (18) and ridges (20) in the sidewalls (22) has a semi hexagonal
shape defined by two tapering wall sections and a third wall section
interconnecting a thinner end of the two tapering wall sections.
A top wall (30) is intersecting the sidewalls (22) at upper edges thereof.
The top wall (30) is also made of concrete and it has a top face (32)
generally parallel to an under face (34), the under face having a generally
corrugated relief with alternating recesses (18) and ridges (20) extending in
a substantially horizontal direction.
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The corners (36) formed at each intersection of the bottom wall (12) with
the sidewalk (22) and at each intersection of the top wall (30) with the
sidewalls (22) are monolithic. That is to say that the concrete of the
sidewalls and the concrete of the top or bottom wall forms a solid uniform
link.
Also preferably, each of the recesses (18) and ridges (20) in the bottom
wall (12) and the top wall (30) has a semi hexagonal shape defined by two
tapering wall sections and a third wall section interconnecting a thinner end
of said two tapering wall sections.
As shown in figure 7, each of the sidewalls (22) has an inside face opposite
an outside face both covered with an insulating foam panel (40). An
insulating foam panel (40) is also covering the under face of each of the
top wall (30) and the bottom wall (12). Those foam panels (40), which have
a shape conforming the outline of the surface they are covering, are
actually the forms that have been used to build the construction as will be
described hereafter.
In greater detail, the system of the present invention provides a concrete
construction having its sidewalls, top wall and bottom wall with a
corrugated relief. The overall structure is such that a minimum amount of
material (concrete) is used for a wall of a given strength. The recesses
formed in the wall may have different configurations. A preferred
configuration according to the present invention would be a semi
hexagonal configuration wherein each recess is defined by two inwardly
angled walls and a third wall interconnecting the inwardly angled walls, the
third wall being generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the wall.
Although this configuration is preferred for simplicity of construction, it
will
be understood that other recess configurations such as hemispherical,
rectangular, triangular, etc., may be used. It is important that the length of
the inwardly extending recesses be proportional to the straight sections to
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permit transfer of a compression movement on the straight section to a
tension movement.
Method of making a concrete construction according to a preferred
embodiment of the invention
The present invention also relates to a method of making a concrete
construction as described above. Figures 4 to 7 show the different steps of
that method performed on the site of construction and figure 9 shows the
different modular foam panels used to build that construction. Reference
will be made to figures 4 to 7 and 9. The method generally comprises the
steps of: a) providing a set of modular foam panels suitable to build the
construction; b) preparing concrete beams that will be used later on to
construct a top wall of the construction; c) erecting the sidewalls of the
construction; and d) making a top wall of the construction.
a) Providing a set of foam panels
Figure 9 illustrates a set of modular foam panels suitable to build the
construction. It will be understood that the use of the term "panels"
throughout can include either monolithic elements or a panel built up of
smaller members.
It is within the scope of the present invention to use any suitable material
for the panels including, for example, wood, metal, and plastic. A preferred
material would be any of the known structural form materials, most
preferably insulating foam panel. This set comprises a plurality of
corrugated foam panels (40); at least two corner foam panels of a first type
(42) and at least two corner foam panels of a second type (44). As can be
appreciated, all of these panels are modular panels having in common at
least one matching corrugated edge with alternating recesses (18) and
ridges (20) which make it easy to assemble the panels. The recesses (18)
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and the ridges (20) preferably have a semi hexagonal shape and the
recesses (18) are preferably half the length of the ridges (20) so it makes it
possible to obtain a concrete form for the sidewalls which defines a wave
shape with a constant wavelength and a distance between two peeks that
preferably equals the width of a conventional wall.
More particularly, each of the corrugated foam panels (40) has a generally
rectangular shape outlined by a first pair of opposite corrugated side edges
(46) and a second pair of opposite linear side edges (48). Each of the
corrugated foam panels (40) has a generally corrugated relief with
alternating recesses (18) and ridges (20) extending in a longitudinal
direction between the two corrugated side edges (46,48). The recesses
(18) and the ridges (20) have a semi hexagonal shape with two tapering
segments and a third segment interconnecting a thinner end of the two
tapering segments.
Each of the corner foam panels of the first type (42) includes a linear first
edge (52) opposite a corrugated second edge (54) with alternating
recesses (18) and ridges (20) matching the corrugated side edges of the
corrugated foam panels (40). The linear first edge (52) and the corrugated
second edge (54) extend in substantially parallel planes. The recesses (18)
have a semi hexagonal shape with two tapering segments and a third
segment interconnecting a thinner end of the two tapering segments. A
substantially planar wall section (56) extends perpendicularly to these
parallel planes of the first and second edges (52,54) between each ridge
(20) of the second edge (54) and a segment of the first edge (52) and
polyhedron wall section (60) extends between the recesses (18) of the
second edge (54) and segments of the first edge (54).
The corner foam panels of the second type (44) include a corrugated first
edge (62) matching with the corrugated side edges (46) of the corrugated
foam panel (40) and having alternating recesses (18) and ridges (20)
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extending in a first plane. The recesses (18) have a semi hexagonal shape
with two tapering segments and a third segment interconnecting a thinner
end of the two tapering segments. The corner foam panels of the second
type (44) further include a corrugated second edge (64) having alternating
recesses (18) and ridges (20) matching with the corrugated side edges
(46) of the corrugated foam panel (40) and extending in a second plane
substantially perpendicular to the first plane. As for the recesses (18) of
the
first edge (62), the recesses (18} of the second edge (64) have a semi
hexagonal shape defined by two tapering segments and a third segment
interconnecting a thinner end of the two tapering segments. Substantially
planar wall sections (66) extend in the first plane between the ridges (20) of
the first and second edge (62,64); and polyhedron wall sections (68)
extend between the recesses (18) of the first and second edge (62,64).
It also preferably comprises planar foam panels and another type of corner
panel forms (802).
b) Preparing the concrete beams
Referring to figure 4, the concrete beams (70) that will be used later on to
construct the top wall of the construction are then prepared. This step
comprises setting one of the corrugated foam panel (40) on a planar
surface (73) with its longitudinal direction extending parallel to the planar
surface and pouring a concrete slurry only in the recesses (18) of the
corrugated foam panel (40) so to form a plurality of parallel concrete
beams (70).
c) Preparing the foundations and erecting the sidewalls of the construction
Then, substantially in concomitance with the preparation of the concrete
beams (70), the sidewalls (22) of the construction are erected. The
sidewalls (22) can be erected on an existing concrete foundation, or the
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method according to a preferred version of the invention illustrated in
figures 4 to 7 includes, prior to erecting the sidewalls (22), a step of
making
the foundations (72) of the construction (10).
Referring to figure 5, the foundations (72) are made by setting on the
5 ground a corrugated foam panel (40) with its longitudinal direction
extending parallel to the ground and by bordering the side edges (46,48)
thereof with a planar foam panel (43). Then, a concrete slurry (76) is
poured on the corrugated foam panel (40) such that the recesses (18) and
the ridges (20) thereof be completely covered with the slurry. As can be
10 appreciated, the foundations (72) obtained thus have a planar top face (76)
and a corrugated under face (78).
Turning now to figure 8, the sidewalls (80) of the foundations (72) are
erected. In order to build those sidewalls (80), a form is set along each side
edge of the foundations (72). These forms are preferably disposed to form
15 a rectangular construction including two pairs of opposites sidewalls. Each
of the forms used comprises a planar foam panel (71 ) facing a corrugated
foam (40) as described above, and defining therebetween a cavity. A
concrete slurry is then poured in the cavity to form the sidewalls (80) of the
foundations (72).
The sidewalls (22) of the construction (10) can then be erected by setting
on top of each of the sidewalls (80) of the foundations (72) just formed, a
wall form (82) comprising a pair of corrugated foam panels (40) with their
longitudinal direction set to extend in a substantially vertical direction.
The
pair of panels (40) defines a cavity therebetween with a corrugated
configuration, one of the corrugated foam panels being designated as an
outside foam panel (40a) and the other one being designated as an inside
foam panel (40b). The inside foam panel (40b) is preferably set directly on
top of the corrugated foam panel (40) of the foundation sidewalls (80), as
shown in figure 8, and the outside foam panel (40a) is set along the side
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edge of the foundation sidewalls (80) in such a way that the ridges (20) of
the outside foam panel (40a) run along the side edge of the foundations
and the recesses (18) come inwards of the construction, thereby leaving a
space to build the finished outside wall (84) of the construction, such as a
brick wall.
Once the wall forms (82) are installed, a concrete slurry (76) is poured in
the cavities so to form the sidewalls (22). Then, in order to increase the
height of the sidewalk (22), a similar wall form (82) is set on top of each
wall form and a concrete slurry is poured therein.
d) Making a top wall of the construction
While the concrete slurry poured in the above wall forms (82) is not
completely solidified, the construction of the top wall (30) starts. To do so,
a corner form of a first type for forming a corner (36) between a sidewall
(22) and the top wall (30) is set on top of two of the wall forms (82) set in
step c) and which are opposite each other. The corner form of the first type
includes a corrugated foam panel (40) facing a corner foam panel of the
first type (42) to define a cavity therebetween. The corrugated foam panel
(40) is set on top of the outside corrugated foam panel (40a) set in step c)
and the corner foam panel (42) is set on top of the inside corrugated foam
panel (40b) set in step c) with its corrugated second edge (54) facing
downwards, as shown in figure 9.
Then, a corner form (92) of a second type is set on top of each of the other
two wall forms (82) set in step c). Referring to figure 10, this corner form
(92) includes a corrugated foam panel (40) facing a corner foam panel of
the second type (44) to define a cavity therebetween. The corrugated foam
panel (40) of the corner form (92) is set on top of the outside corrugated
foam panel (40a) and the corner foam panel of the second type (44) is set
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on top of the inside corrugated foam panel (40b) with its corrugated second
edge (64) facing downwards, as shown in figure 9.
The concrete beams (70) prepared earlier are then mounted over the
corner form of the first type and of the second type (92) with the corrugated
foam panel (40) supporting the beams (70). The beams (70) are set such
that each of the two corrugated side edges (46) of the corrugated foam
panel (40) bearing the beams (70) is laid down on the first edge (62) of a
corresponding corner foam panel of the second type (44), as shown in
figure 10, and that each of the two linear side edges (48) of the corrugated
foam panel (40) is laid down on the linear first edge (52) of a corresponding
corner foam panel of the first type (42).
A concrete slurry is poured in the cavity of each of the comer forms (92)
and on the corrugated foam panel (40) supporting the beams (70) so to
form a top wall (30) with a planar top face (37) opposite a corrugated under
face (34) and monolithic concrete corners (36) between the sidewalk (22)
and the top wall (30), as shown in figure 7.
A multi-storey construction can be built by setting, on the top face (32) of
the top wall (30) just formed, wall forms (82) as defined in step c) for
forming the sidewalls (22) of another storey of the construction, and then
repeating the step of making a top wall (38).
Description of the retaining elements
There is also provided, with the set of foam panels described above,
retaining elements, also called base elements, used to retain the foam
panels in place. The retaining elements for the moulding of a concrete wall
according to the present invention include bottom and top elements
adapted to receive the form which would define the sidewall.
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Referring to figures 11 to 21 in greater detail and by reference characters
thereto, reference will initially be made to figures 11, 12, and 13, which
illustrate a sidewall base element generally designated by reference
numeral (100).
Sidewall base element (100) includes a generally longitudinally extending
portion having a base or bottom wall (102) with an exterior sidewall (104)
extending along one marginal edge thereof. At either end of exterior
sidewall {104), there are tips (106,108). Extending parallel to exterior
sidewall (104) and inwardly from tip (106) is a first interior wall portion
(200). As may be best seen in figures 11 and 12, interior wall portion {200)
terminates in an arcuate wall section (202). A second interior wall section
(204) extends inwardly from tip (108) and is also parallel to exterior
sidewall (104). It too terminates in an arcuate wall section (206).
Sidewall base element (100) also includes an inset section generally
designated by reference numeral (208). Inset section (208) is defined by a
first inwardly extending wall (300), a second inwardly extending wall (302),
and a horizontally extending wall (304) interconnecting inwardly extending
walls (300) and (302). A base or bottom wall (306) is provided at walls
(306), (302) and (304).
As seen in figure 12, a pair of arcuate wall sections (308) and (400)
extends upwardly from bottom portion (306) opposite horizontally
extending wall (304).
Preferably, walls (300,302) are from between one half to twice the length of
wall (304). Walls (200) and (204) are likewise one half to four times the
length of wall (304).
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A reinforcing wall section (402) extends between inwardly extending walls
(300,302) and which reinforcing wall (402) is parallel to exterior sidewall
(104).
As may be seen in figure 12, bottom portion or wall (102) has a plurality of
generally oblong apertures (404) formed therein.
There is also provided a plurality of relatively small apertures (408) at
various locations in element (100) for purposes which will become
apparent hereinbelow.
Figures 14, 15 and 16 illustrate a corner base element which is generally
designated by reference numeral (500) and reference will now be made
thereto. Corner base element (500) includes a pair of mutually
perpendicular exterior sidewalls (502,504) and a pair of tips (506,508).
Mutually perpendicular interior sidewalls (600,602) are parallel to exterior
walls (502,504), respectively. A bottom wall or base (604) has a plurality of
relatively large apertures (606) formed therein as well as a plurality of
relatively small apertures (608) located adjacent to the sidewalls.
The form system of the present invention includes a panel assembly for the
bottom wall, the top wall, the horizontal corners, the sidewalls and the
vertical corners. Thus, as may be seen in figures 17 to 20, the corrugated
foam panels (40) described hereinbefore are preferably formed With a
modular sidewall panel (700) including a first wall section (702), a second
wall section (704), and a third wall section (705). First and third wall
sections (702,705) are parallel with respect to each other and second wall
section (704) extends between first wall section (702) and third wall section
(705) to form an angle of generally between 15° and 25°. As may
be seen,
first wall section (702) has a flange (706) extending outwardly therefrom
and third wall section (705) has a corresponding flange (708) extending
outwardly therefrom.
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A corner panel shown in figures 19 and 21 is generally designated by
reference numeral (802) and includes a first wall section (804) and a
second wall section (806) which are mutually perpendicular. Wall sections
(804,806) have flanges (900) and (808) associated therewith.
5 In use, and as may be best seen in figure 20, a plurality of sidewall base
elements (100) is placed in an opposing relationship to define a sidewall
which will have a semi hexagonal insert. Sidewall base elements (100) are
secured together by means of connecting wires (904) which extend
through apertures (408) in elements (100), and apertures (608) in corner
10 elements (500). The connecting wires (904) preferably consist of two
independent crossed wires free to move independently from each other. As
will be noted, the connecting together by connectors in (904) is such that
the sidewall base elements (100) and corner elements (500) are held in a
state of tension, while the concrete is poured in the cavity, thereby forcing
15 the panels to come together and preventing water in the unsolidified
concrete from leaking.
Subsequent to the placement of elements (100) and (500), sidewall panel
forms (700) and corner panel forms (802) are placed within the elements
and corresponding elements (100,102) are secured on the upper portion
20 thereof. There is thus provided a form system which is light weight and
easy to use.
In practice, one would construct the forms using a plurality of intermediate
elements between the top and bottom elements. These elements would
include the same feature, being adapted to receive a panel form in either
side thereof.
Subsequent to the pouring of the concrete, the wall will have a sectional
configuration, as shown in figure 21, wherein semi hexagonal recesses are
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provided in the wall. This permits the use of less concrete while the
corrugated configuration assures that there is no loss of strength.
It will be understood that the above-described embodiment is for purposes
of illustration only and that changes and modifications may be made
thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
For the sake of simplicity, reference has been made to a bottom element
and a top element with a panel extending therebetween. In practice, most
walls would use a plurality of such elements in a vertical relationship to
each other. In practice, the height of each panel extending between two of
the panel retaining elements could vary between 15 to 60 centimeters with
the prime determination being the strength of the material forming the
panels.
The construction according to the present invention is also interesting in
that it provides for an adjustable thin and rigid section, using high
performance materials. The tests performed on a preferred embodiment of
the invention showed that the replacement of the conventional steel
framework with a dispersed particles framework made of steel particles,
polymer or carbon fibres, improves greatly the strength of the concrete
structure.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention uses a high performance
concrete to which is added metallic fibres, more specifically fibres having a
particular shape designed by the inventor, and unique superplastifier
additives. Such high performance concrete can be poured in relatively
small spaces. These additives also make it possible to increase the
resistance of the concrete in compression, flexion and tension. Such high
performance concrete also has a capacity of absorption which is 10 to 15
times higher that traditional concrete, in the case where the structure is
subject to earthquakes.
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This light structure, which is entirely made of concrete reinforced with
dispersed fibres, and which has a high absorption capacity combined with
a high moment of inertia, allows the surcharges to be uniformly distributed
throughout the structure. Therefore, a concrete structure according to the
invention is able to sustain an omnidirectional charge and is thus able to
better resist to earthquake charges and raging winds.
Advantageously, a construction according to the invention may use the
principles related to the so-called "floating foundation", meaning that the
weight of the structure is maintained equal to the volume of soil displaced,
thereby eliminating the stresses related to compression, to subsidence and
further packing down of the soil. A construction according to the invention
thus shows a very good resistance to underquakes.
Certain embodiments of the present invention present, among others, the
following advantages:
- an optimal construction having forms and sections perfectly adapted to
the charges;
- reduction and even elimination of thermal bridges throughout the
construction and thermal build up inside the mass;
- an important reduction in the production cost of the construction as it uses
40% less material than conventional concrete structure;
- easiness and rapidity of erection of the construction, the present invention
makes it possible to build a house with a minimum equipment and staff;
- ecological and recyclable material;
- fireproof and non-combustible construction; and
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- soundproof.
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.
