Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02461143 2004-03-16
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIO1~T
Housing is a basic need in every society and a growing concern in every
country due to the lack of
affordable housing. Here in North America, both the US and Canada have
recognized a great
shortage of affordable housing, and a great segment of the population cannot
realize their dream of
owning a house because of the lack of affordability, much of the high cost not
only being the type
of materials that are used but the high labor cost to build our homes and
install our traditional
roofing and intermediate flooring. In addition, our traditional method of
building homes is
inefficient in the use of energy, and as a consequence, a good percentage of
the home owners
income goes to pay high energy bills from heating and cooling their houses.
There have been attempts to improve the affordability and energy efficiency of
our homes as well
as exploring different concepts of modularity over the years, a good example
of which would be
the invention of ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) wall systems which form a
solid and energy
efficient wall system. However, roof and floor systems continue to be made
with very little
change. Large amounts of timber used for joists and trusses, and sheathing
coupled with the use of
asphalt shingles, is energy deficient, environmentally unfriendly, and has a
high labor component,
all of which helps contribute to unaffordable housing.
The demand for a low cost, energy efficient, fast installing modular system
that is environmentally
friendly remains, and there is a continuing need for improvement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention hereby detailed is a construction system that is used with
different ICF (Insulated
Concrete Forms) wall systems. The invention consists of a composite roof
construction and a
composite floor construction. The advantageous invention shown in this
document is used in
conjunction with an ICF wall system because of the high energy efficiency of
these systems, and it
can be used with virtually any type of ICF wall. ICF blocks are foam blocks
made out of polystyrene
foam, which are assembled into walls and are then filled with concrete. The
blocks are then left in
place to become the insulating component of the wall.
The advantageous roofing system consists of insulated roof panels that are
designed to be truss-less,
self supporting, and highly insulative. They consist of an upper steel skin or
covering, a foam panel,
a lower skin or covering, channels that are embedded in the foam panel, and
where necessary plastic
or composite links that tie the top and bottom channel together. A special two
piece beam, made
from steel or composite, stretches from one end wall of the building to the
other, being bolted to
anchors that are embedded into the peak at each end wall, into which each half
of the roof is
I
CA 02461143 2004-03-16
supported at the upper end, and special brackets are embedded into the top of
the side walls which
support the lower end of the roof panels. The roof panels are fastened to the
upper beam and lower
wall bracket by self tapping fasteners. The two halves of the roof are covered
by a specially molded
piece of foam that insulates the top of the panel support beam, and then a
ridge cap is placed over the
foam and screwed to the top of each panel. Steel flashing is used to cover the
exposed sides of the
panels on the extreme sides of each roof half, and a special steel flashing is
used to cover the bottom
end of the roof panels. This is fastened to steel brackets that are embedded
in the foam panels at the
lower end of the panel, which also serve as brackets to which to attach the
gutter.
One of the important and advantageous features incorporated into this design
is the isolation of all
steel exposed to and in contact with the outside ambient air from all the
steel exposed and in contact
with the inside ambient air. Previous designs of roof panels such as US Patent
Application
20030172607 of Donald J. Brandes have attempted to address this heat transfer
issue but still have
paths of steel providing conduction from the inside ambient to the outside
ambient or visa versa,
which greatly reduces the energy efficiency. Another important feature of this
invention is the
elimination of wood or metal trusses, vapor barriers, blown insulation, wood
sheathing, and shingles
which results in faster installation and a lower cost, in addition to having
an air tight roof with a
superior R rating over conventional wood frame roofing.
When an intermediate floor is required as in the case of a two story building,
for example, another
variation of the invention is used to make light weight composite panels that
span between the
bearing walls forming a composite floor sytem. This invention consists of a
molded or fabricated
foam panel being made out of polystyrene expanded bead, lightweight steel
joists, re-bar, and a
concrete slab that when assembled, becomes an integrated, load bearing floor
structure. One
advantage of this invention is the elimination of forms and supporting
mechanisms for the forms, as
the foam panel becomes the form, and being left in place, it offers yet
another advantage by
becoming insulation both for sound as well as contributing to the energy
efficiency. Additional
advantage is the speed with which the panels can be assembled and the concrete
poured, thus
reducing labor costs. Still another advantage to this invention is that the re-
bar used for
reinforcement of the concrete is held securely in place, both in height and
spacing with no need for
tying or additional re-bar supports. Furthermore, the channels in the
underside of the floor panel
provide an easy means of both running and supporting the plumbing and wiring,
while the embedded
steel from the bottom of the joist provides a surface on which to attach the
lower cover, such as
drywall.
In the drawings, which form part of this specification,
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CA 02461143 2004-03-16
Fig. I is an exploded view of the roofing assembly;
Fig. 2 is an exploded view the composite floor system for intermediate floors;
Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the roof panel showing how the upper, lower
channels, and the
fastening brackets fit into a foam panel;
Fig. 4 is an exploded end view of the roof panel showing the upper and lower
channels and the way
in which they nest into a foam panel;
Fig. 5 shows a view of the angle cuts on each end of a roof panel;
Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of an assembled roofing panel with the upper
and lower channels
installed;
Fig. 7 is an exploded view showing an assembly of roof panels with the upper
and lower covers;
Fig. 8 shows the exploded view of the assembly of roof panels in perspective
with the upper and
lower covers;
Fig. 9 shows a perspective view of the lower panel anchor support bracket;
Fig. 10 shows a perspective view of the corner lower panel anchor support
bracket;
Fig. 11 shows a perspective view of the support beam anchor plate;
Fig. 12 shows a perspective view of the tie for use with the roofing panel;
Fig. I3 shows a perspective view of the roofing panel with the ties connecting
the upper and lower
channels;
Fig. I4 shows an exploded perspective view of the assembly of the upper part
of the roof showing
the roof panels, upper and lower covers, support beam and support beam anchor
plate, foam ridge
cap, insulating strips, and steel ridge cap;
Fig. 15 is an exploded end view of fig. I4;
Fig. I6 shows an exploded view of the Lower part of the roof showing the roof
panels, upper cover,
lower panel anchor bracket, the end flashing and the eve flashing;
Fig. 17 is a end view of Fig. 16;
Fig. 18 is an exploded perspective view of an intermediate floor assembly
showing the joists, foam
floor panels, re-bar, in-floor piping, concrete slab and side wall;
Fig. 19 is a side view of the Fig. I 8
Fig. 20 is an exploded perspective view showing the under side of the floor
panels that permit the
installation of in-floor piping and wiring;
Fig. 21 shows a perspective view of the joist assembly and how the ties are
connected to the upper
and lower channels;
Fig. 22 is an enlarged view of part of Fig 18 showing how the rebar is held in
place by the steel tie;
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CA 02461143 2004-03-16
Fig. 23 shows a perspective view of the steel tie and shows the re-bar
locating hole as well as the re-
bar support tab;
Fig. 24 is an exploded view of a steel joist and the foam floor panel, showing
the channels in the
underside of the panel that permit the easy installation of plumbing and
wiring.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the particularly advantageous embodiments of the invention illustrated in
Fig. 1, the foam block 2
which makes up the sandwiched part of the roof panel, comprises molded or
fabricated polystyrene
foam or polyurethane foam made to the required length of the span of a
particular roof. The width
can be of any width although a typical width is in the range of 12-24 inches,
and the thickness can
also vary according to particular roof requirements, but typical thickness can
range from 4-12 inches.
The foam block 2 is molded in one piece or is cut out of a larger block of
foam and incorporates
recesses and slots 3 along the entire length of the block on each side, as
shown in Fig. 4, into which
profile a channel will nest at the upper 5 and lower 6 corners of the foam and
run the length of the
foam panel as shown in Fig 3 and 6. The channels 5 and 6 shown in Fig. 3 are C
shaped channels of
different depth and thickness depending on the span of the roofing panel and
the load requirements,
and can be made of steel or composite material. In addition the ends of the
foam panel are cut at the
angle 23 required by the particular slope of the roof as shown in Fig. 5.
Where required channels 24 similar to those shown in Fig. 18 are molded or
fabricated into the lower
surface of the panel to provide a conduit into which the wiring is run. If a
conduit is required instead
of a channel because of certain building codes, the conduits are molded
directly into the foam panel.
In addition, other components such as the C channels and brackets, can be
embedded into the mold
by fixturing them directly into the mold at the time of manufacturing the foam
panel.
Where load requirements demand greater capacity, special links are used to
link the top channel 5 to
the lower channel 6 in a zig zag manner, forming a truss, as seen in Fig. 13.
These links as shown in
Fig. 12 are made of plastic or composite which will minimize the conduction of
energy (heat or cold)
from the one side of the panel to the other side of the panel. The links are
fastened to the upper and
lower channels by screwing them in place or by using some links that have
button like protrusions
on each end that snap into holes in the sides of the channels. The
longitudinal sides of the foam are
recessed to provide a cutout into which these links nest, this allowing the
panels to nest side to side
with the adjacent panels with no air gap between them as shown in Fig. 7 and
8.
At both ends of the panel a bracket runs perpendicularly from one side channel
to the other side
channel as seen in Fig. 3, and is embedded in the foam panel, but fastened to
the channels at each
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CA 02461143 2004-03-16
side. This mounting bracket allows fastening of the roof panel to the support
beam at the top of the
roof panel and to the side wall bracket at the lower end of the roof panel, as
seen in Fig. 15 and 16.
The top leg of the upper channel 5, once nested into the upper recess of the
foam panel as shown in
Fig. 7 and 8, protrudes along the upper surface of the panel and forms a strip
running longitudinally
onto which the steel roofing cover or upper skin 1 is fastened to. The lower
leg of the channel 5 is
anchored or embedded into the foam panel. Thus, if 12 inch wide steel roofing
sheets are being
used, the foam blocks are made to 12 inches wide and subsequently channels
will be spaced at 12
inches providing an strip running longitudinally onto which each steel roofing
panel is attached. An
assembly of roofing panels is shown in Fig 7 and 8 which clearly displays the
alignment of the steel
sheets or upper skins 1 in relation to the fastening strips. The lower leg of
the lower channel, once
nested into the lower recess of the foam panel, protrudes along the underneath
surface of the panel
and forms a trip running longitudinally onto which the lower cover or skin 22
is fastened to, which
can be sheetrock, steel, or composite sheets.
The support beam 10 shown in Fig. I is made up of two halves that are bolted
back to back to an
upper anchor plate 11 that is embedded into the top of the end wall 14 as can
be clearly seen in Fig.
14 and 15. The top and bottom legs are angled downward at the required angle
of slope of a
particular roof and form a pocket into which the top of the roof panel fits.
The roof panel is then
fastened by means of self tapping screws that fasten the lower angled leg of
the support beam to the
underside of the upper end of the roof panel and into the bracket which is
embedded inside the upper
end of the panel, thus providing a solid means of anchoring.
The lower end of the roof panel is fastened to the lower anchor plate 10 that
is embedded into the top
of the side wall 15. The protruding leg of the lower anchor plate bracket
extends upward and inward
at the required angle of slope of a particular roof on the inside of the wall,
as can be seen in Fig. 16
and 17. The lower end of the panel is then fastened by means of self tapping
screws that fastens the
leg of the lower anchor plate to the underside of the lower end of the roof
panel and into the bracket
that is embedded inside the lower end of the panel, thus providing a solid
means of anchoring. In
addition, another bracket is at the extreme lower end of the roof panel that
perpendicularly connects
the channel on one side to the channel on the other, onto which surface is
attached the panel end
flashing 19 and panel edge flashing 21 shown in Fig. 1 and Fig 16.
An eve flashing 20 is then attached under the lower edge of the panel end
flashing I9 and extend to
the top of the side wall and perpendicular to the wall, as seen in Fig. 17. It
should be noted that
special lower anchor brackets, shown in Fig. 10, are used in the corners of
the building, and provide
CA 02461143 2004-03-16
an angle support that protrudes outward beyond the side wall to which the
lower side of the panel is
attached. There is a left and a right bracket to provide panel support on the
both ends of the roof.
Once the panels are fastened into place on each side of the roof, foam
insulation strips 16 are placed
on either side of the support beam to insulate the support beam and then a
special foam ridge cap 17
is placed on the ridge that insulates the support beam 10 from the outside
ambient air, and a steel
ridge cap 18 is then placed over the foam cap and fastened to the upper steel
skin 1 as seen in Fig. 14
and 15.
When an intermediate floor is required, as in the case of a second story shown
in Fig. 2, a variation
of the advantageous invention is used that spans between the load bearing
walls 26, forming a
composite floor. This comprises a panel 28 of fabricated or molded
polystyrene, or polyurethane
foam made to the required length of a particular span. The width of the panel
can be of any width
although a typical width is 20 inches, and the thickness can also vary
according to particular floor
requirements, but typical thickness can range from 10-20 inches.
The foam block 28 in Fig. 24 is molded in one piece or is cut out of a larger
block of foam and
incorporates recesses and slots along the entire length of the block on each
side on the upper and
lower corners into which profile a joist 27 will nest. As shown in Fig. 24,
the foam floor panel 28
has channels 37 molded or fabricated into the underside along the full length
of the panel in the one
direction and across the width of the panel in the other direction in a
perpendicular manner at regular
intervals, which form a plurality of criss-crossing channels into which
plumbing or wiring 29 and 30
can be placed as shown in Fig. 18 and 20.
On the top of the foam floor panel shown in Fig. 18 and 19, at each corner is
a bevel cut at an angle
downwards into the C channel recess. This enables the concrete 2S to encase
the upper leg of the
steel C channel as shown in Fig. 19.
The joist 27 is made from steel C channels 31 and 32 running parallel to each
other at a set distance
of separation as shown in Fig. 21 and Fig. 2. Each of the channels is then
joined to the other by
means of steel ties 33 that are positioned in a zig-zag manner that form
triangular structures along
the length of the joist. The ties are fastened mechanically to the upper and
lower channels. In
addition, the top of the ties protrude beyond the upper surface of the C
channel as shown in Fig. 22
and have a hole 34 punched which provides a support for the rebar which runs
perpendicular to the
joists. There is shown in Fig. 22 a tab 35 protruding from beyond the hole
which is bent
perpendicular to the tie forming a guide for the re-bar 36 as seen in Fig. 22.
The re-bar running
through the holes, perpendicular to the C channels, in the upper part of the
steel ties as seen in Fig.
23 provide a seat onto which the re-bar running parallel to the joists are
supported up against the tab
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CA 02461143 2004-03-16
of the tie as shown in Fig. 22, which then can be bent slightly downward over
the re-bar to hold it in
place. This provides equal spacing as seen in Fig. 18, as well as every re-bar
36 is held into place at a
set height within the concrete as shown in Fig. 22.
