Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02550359 2006-06-14
CONCRETE BLOCK SYSTEM
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to concrete blocks, in particular those with a
natural stone
appearance, that may be used in walls, columns, steps and other types of
structures.
BACKGROUND
Concrete blocks intended to serve as wall blocks (e.g., retaining wall
blocks), column blocks,
step blocks or other types of structural blocks are sometimes provided with a
natural stone
appearance over an exposed portion thereof. Such concrete blocks can then be
assembled into
walls, columns, steps or other structures that have a natural and aesthetic
look.
While various configurations, sizes and looks exist, these concrete blocks are
conventionally
monolithic elements made of various types of concrete. This monolithic
character often
detrimentally affects versatility of existing concrete blocks and their
capability to
accommodate design constraints of structures to be constructed.
Also, depending on their constituent concrete, concrete blocks can be broadly
divided into
dry-cast concrete blocks and wet-cast concrete blocks. Different processes are
used to
manufacture these two types of concrete blocks and, in particular, to provide
them with a
natural stone appearance.
Wet-cast concrete blocks may have a natural stone appearance realized directly
during
casting, but relatively long production times and requirements for numerous
molds typically
render impractical their efficient mass-production. For their part, dry-cast
concrete blocks
normally have relatively short production times and require only one or a few
molds, which
facilitates their mass-production. However, these relatively short production
times impose
constraints on a degree of surface irregularity that may be imparted to dry-
cast concrete
blocks during casting, thereby preventing realization of a natural stone
appearance during
casting. Dry-cast concrete blocks are thus typically subjected after casting
to a mechanical
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CA 02550359 2009-03-11
artificial aging/weathering process (e.g., tumbling, splitting/breaking,
object impacting, etc.)
to realize desired natural stone characteristics, which decreases production
efficiency.
There is therefore a need for improvements in concrete blocks, in particular
those with a
natural stone appearance, which may be used in walls, columns, steps and other
types of
structures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
As embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a concrete
block system
for use in a structure, the concrete block system comprising: a support block
comprising a
first coupling part; and a dry-cast face block made by a dry-casting process
and comprising a
second coupling part, the first coupling part and the second coupling part
enabling the dry-
cast face block to be coupled to the support block, the dry-cast face block
comprising a
surface adapted to be exposed when the dry-cast face block is coupled to the
support block
and the concrete block system is positioned in the structure, the surface
including a portion
having a cast texture with a natural stone appearance that comprises a pattern
of cast relief
elements formed during the dry-casting process.
The invention also provides a plurality of concrete blocks for use in a
retaining wall, the
plurality of concrete blocks comprising: first and second support blocks
adapted to be
embedded in material to be retained by the retaining wall, the first support
block comprising
one of a first protrusion and a first groove, the second support block
comprising one of a
second protrusion and a second groove; and a dry-cast face block made by a dry-
casting
process and having a surface that is exposed when the dry-cast face block is
positioned in the
retaining wall, the surface including a portion having a cast texture with a
natural stone
appearance that comprises a pattern of cast relief elements formed during the
dry-casting
process, the dry-cast face block comprising the other one of the first
protrusion and the first
groove and the other one of the second protrusion and the second groove, the
dry-cast face
block being configured such that, when the dry-cast face block and the first
and second
support blocks are positioned in the retaining wall, the dry-cast face block
is coupled to the
first support block via the first protrusion fitting into and being surrounded
by the first groove
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and to the second support block via the second protrusion fitting into and
being surrounded
by the second groove.
The invention further a concrete block system for use in a structure, the
concrete block
system comprising: a support block comprising a first coupling part; and a dry-
cast face block
made by a dry-casting process and comprising a second coupling part, the first
coupling part
and the second coupling part enabling the dry-cast face block to be coupled to
the support
block, the dry-cast face block comprising a surface that is exposed when the
dry-cast face
block is coupled to the support block and the concrete block system is
positioned in the
structure, the surface comprising a plurality of portions that are separated
from one another
and that represent a plurality of natural stone blocks, each of the portions
of the surface
having a cast texture with a natural stone appearance that comprises a pattern
of cast relief
elements formed during the dry-casting process.
In one embodiment, the structure is a wall and the concrete block system is a
wall block
system. For example, the wall may be a retaining wall and the wall block
system may be a
retaining wall block system.
In one embodiment, the structure is a column and the concrete block system is
a column
block system. In another embodiment, the structure is steps and the concrete
block system is a
steps block system.
These and other aspects and features of the invention will now become apparent
to those of
ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following description of
embodiments of the
invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A detailed description of embodiments of the invention is provided below, by
way of
example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 shows a wall portion comprising a plurality of concrete block systems
in accordance
with an embodiment of the invention;
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Figure 2 shows a side view of part of the wall portion shown in Figure 1;
Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of part of the wall portion shown in
Figure 2;
Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a given concrete block system of the wall
portion
shown in Figure 1, including a face block and a support block;
Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the face block of Figure 4,
illustrating a cast texture
of a surface portion of the face block that has a natural stone appearance;
Figure 6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment where a surface
portion of a face
block that has a natural stone appearance is contiguous to a chamfered,
rounded or otherwise
non-natural looking edge portion of the face block;
Figure 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment in which a
minimum level of a
surface portion of a face block that has a natural stone appearance is not
located at a boundary
of that surface portion; and
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Figures 8A and 8B show embodiments in which a face block comprises a plurality
of surface
portions with a cast texture that has a natural stone appearance; and
Figures 9A and 9B respectively show a side view and a top view of the support
block of
Figure 4;
Figure 10 shows an embodiment in which a wall portion comprises support blocks
that are
connected in series;
Figures 11A to 11C respectively show a perspective view, a side view and a top
view of a
support block in accordance with another embodiment;
Figure 12 shows an embodiment in which a wall portion has a nonzero setback
angle,
illustrating use of alignment keys;
Figures 13A to 13C respectively show a side view, a front view and a top view
of an
embodiment of one of the alignment keys of Figure 12;
Figure 14 shows an embodiment in which a wall portion is curved;
Figure 15 to 18 show wall portions comprising a plurality of concrete block
systems in
accordance with various embodiments of the invention;
Figure 19 shows a column portion comprising a plurality of concrete block
systems in
accordance with another embodiment of the invention;
Figure 20 shows steps comprising a plurality of concrete block systems in
accordance with
yet another embodiment of the invention; and
Figure 21 is a flowchart illustrating an example of implementation of a
process for
manufacturing face blocks in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
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It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only
for the purpose of
illustrating certain embodiments of the invention and are an aid for
understanding. They are
not intended to be a definition of the limits of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
Figures 1 to 3 show a wall portion 10 comprising a plurality of concrete block
systems
121. ..12N in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In this
embodiment, the wall
portion 10 is part of a retaining wall that holds back material 11 such as
soil, drainage
aggregate, etc. The concrete block systems 12,...12N can thus be referred to
as retaining wall
block systems.
With additional reference to Figure 4, there is shown a given concrete block
system 12j of the
concrete block systems 12 i...12N (1 <_ j<_ N). In this embodiment, the
concrete block system
12j comprises a face block 13 adapted to be coupled to a support block 15.
The face block 13 is intended to be at least partly exposed when the concrete
block system
12j is positioned in the wall portion 10, i.e., the face block 13 has a
surface adapted to be
exposed when the face block 13 is coupled to the support block 15. In this
embodiment, the
face block 13 is a dry-cast concrete block, i.e., it is made of no-slump
concrete. No-slump
concrete (also known as zero-slump concrete) can be viewed as concrete with a
slump of 6
mm or less. It will be appreciated that various types of no-slump concrete are
possible and
may be used. It will also be appreciated that, in other embodiments, the face
block 13 may
be made of other types of concrete (e.g., measurable-slump concrete).
In this embodiment, the face block 13 can be said to have a generally
rectangular prism
configuration with six surfaces 1 41. ..146. In other embodiments, the face
block 13 may have
any desired configuration with any desired number of surfaces.
The surface 141 is intended to be exposed when the concrete block system 12j,
including the
face block 13, is positioned in the wall portion 10. In this embodiment, at
least a portion 16
of the surface 141 has a cast texture having a natural stone appearance, i.e.,
an aged, worn,
or weathered appearance that resembles natural stone. As described later on,
the cast texture
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of the portion 16 of the surface 141 is realized during casting of the face
block 13 and may
be based on a natural stone's surface which has been used to produce a mold
for casting the
face block 13. For ease of reference, the portion 16 of the surface 14, and
its cast texture with
a natural stone appearance will hereinafter be referred to as the "natural
stone-like surface
portion" 16.
Referring to Figures 4 and 5, the natural stone-like surface portion 16 has a
visually
discernible boundary 22. In this embodiment, the natural stone-like surface
portion 16
substantially corresponds to the entire surface 14 i with its boundary 22
substantially
corresponding to edges of the surface 141. In other embodiments, the natural
stone-like
surface portion 16 may be only a limited portion of the surface 14i (i.e., not
all of that
surface). In yet other embodiments, the natural stone-like surface portion 16
may be one of
a plurality of natural stone-like surface portions of the surface 141. For
example, Figures 8A
and 8B show embodiments in which are provided a plurality of natural stone-
like surface
portions 16i...16Q separated by a surface portion 80 that does not have a
natural stone
appearance and can serve as a false joint (where Q = 2 in Figure 8A and Q= 4
in Figures 8B).
Generally, any number of natural stone-like surface portions may be provided.
Such a
plurality of natural stone-like surface portions 16, ...16Q results in a wall
portion seeming to
include several blocks of various sizes and configurations. Also, as shown in
Figure 6, in
embodiments where the natural stone-like surface portion 16 is contiguous to a
chamfered,
rounded, or otherwise non-natural stone looking edge portion 28 of the face
block 13 (e.g.,
an edge portion serving as a joint), the boundary 22 of the natural stone-like
surface portion
16 is considered to be configured such that the chamfered, rounded or
otherwise non-natural
stone looking edge portion 28 is not part of the natural stone-like surface
portion 16.
Continuing with Figures 4 and 5, in this embodiment, the natural stone-like
surface portion
16 comprises a pattern of cast relief elements 18, ...18M formed during
casting of the face
block 13. This pattern of cast relief elements 18, ...18M may include a
plurality of bumps or
peaks and a plurality of valleys or depressions, which are sized so as to be
visually
distinguishable when the concrete block system 12j, including the face block
13, is positioned
in the wall portion 10. It is to be understood that various other patterns of
cast relief elements
are possible. For example, the natural stone-like surface portions 161. ..16Q
in Figures 8A and
8B illustrate various other examples of possible patterns of cast relief
elements.
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The cast texture of the natural stone-like surface portion 16 defines a
"surface level
difference" AL, which refers to the normal distance between a maximum level
Lmax of that
surface portion and a minimum level Lm;n of that surface portion. As shown in
Figure 5, the
face block 13 can be viewed as defining orthogonal X, Y and Z axes, where the
X-Y plane
is parallel to a plane that would be formed by the natural stone-like surface
portion 16 if that
surface portion was flat, i.e., the plane in which lies the boundary 22 of the
natural stone-like
surface portion 16. A level L at a given point of the natural stone-like
surface portion 16 can
be viewed as a plane parallel to the X-Y plane, and the surface level
difference AL can be
viewed as being measured along the Z axis.
In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the minimum level L,,,iõ of the natural
stone-like
surface portion 16 is located at its boundary 22. Generally, the minimum level
L,,,;n of the
natural stone-like surface portion 16 may be located anywhere on that surface
portion. For
example, Figure 7 illustrates an embodiment in which the minimum level L,,,;n
of the natural
stone-like surface portion 16 is not located at its boundary 22. Similarly,
the maximum level
Lm,,, of the natural stone-like surface portion 16 may also be located
anywhere on that surface
portion, including at its boundary 22.
In one embodiment, the surface level difference AL may greater than 15 mm, for
example,
between 15 mm and 25 mm. For instance, in a particular case, the surface level
difference AL
may be about 20 mm. This enables the natural stone-like surface portion 16 to
exhibit desired
natural stone appearance characteristics. However, it is generally
contemplated that a surface
level difference AL of greater than 4 mm achieves satisfactory results in
terms of natural
stone appearance of a surface portion of a face block since it enables
presence of visually
distinguishable cast texture features mimicking surface texture of natural
stone. Also, in
embodiments such as those shown in Figures 8A and 8B, different ones of the
natural stone-
like surface portions 161...16Q may define a common or distinct surface level
difference AL
and may have common or distinct maximum levels Lm,,, and minimum levels Lmin=
With continued reference to Figures 4 and 5, each of the cast relief elements
181. ..18M of the
natural stone-like surface portion 16 reaches a respective level L that is the
maximum level
Lm~, the minimum level Lm,n, or a level therebetween. In this embodiment, a
plurality of the
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CA 02550359 2006-06-14
cast relief elements 18, ...18M are seen in Figure 5 as extending to the
maximum level L,npx
of the natural stone-like surface portion 16 and separated from each other by
other ones of
the cast relief elements 181...18M that only extend to lower levels. More
particularly, the
natural stone-like surface portion 16 is configured such that at least three
of the cast relief
elements 18, ...18M extend to the maximum level L,,,Q,x and are positioned
relative to each
other to provide an effective support on which at least one other face block
may be supported.
In other words, the maximum level L, of the natural stone-like surface portion
16 provides
at least three points that are located relative to each other such that at
least one other face
block may be supported thereon in a stable manner. This facilitates stacking
or palletizing of
face blocks for storage or transportation purposes. In embodiments such as
those shown in
Figures 8A and 8B, these at least three points may be distributed among the
plurality of
natural stone-like surface portions 16 ,...16Q.
Also, in this embodiment, each of the cast relief 18 i...18M of the natural
stone-like surface
portion 16 that is a valley (e.g., the cast relief element 182) can be viewed
as having a
respective "depth" D, which refers to the normal distance between the maximum
level L,nax
of the surface portion 16 and that valley's deepest point. Depending on the
surface level
difference AL, in some embodiments, the respective depth D of each of one or
more valleys
of the natural stone-like surface portion 16 may be greater than 4 mm, for
example, between
4 mm and 10 mm. This may further enhance natural stone appearance
characteristics
exhibited by the natural stone-like surface portion 16.
Continuing with Figures 4 and 5, in this embodiment, the natural stone-like
surface portion
16 interacts with ambient light to create shadows that further contribute to
its natural stone
appearance. More particularly, as shown in Figure 5, each point of the cast
texture of the
natural stone-like surface portion 16 defines a respective "texture angle" 0,
which refers to
the angle between a plane parallel to the X-Y plane and a plane tangent to the
natural stone-
like surface portion 16 at that point. In one embodiment, the respective
texture angle 0 of
each of a plurality of points of the natural stone-like surface portion 16 may
be between about
75 and about 90 . This may contribute to creation of shadows on the natural
stone-like
surface portion 16 that further enhance its natural stone appearance.
Configuring a dry-cast
concrete block with a surface level difference AL in the above-mentioned
ranges has been
found to facilitate, if not altogether render possible, formation of such
texture angles 0 during
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CA 02550359 2006-06-14
casting. It is noted, however, that the above-mentioned values of texture
angle 0 are presented
for example purposes only and are not to be considered limiting in any
respect.
In the embodiment of Figures 4 and 5, it is recalled that the face block 13 is
adapted to be
coupled to the support block 15. This is achieved by providing the face block
13 with a
plurality of coupling parts 29 each adapted to interact with a complementary
coupling part
of the support block 15 so as to coupled together the face block 13 and the
support block 15,
as described later on. Each coupling part 29 is integral with the face block
13 (i.e., not an
element distinct from the face block 13). For example, each coupling part 29
may be formed
during casting of the face block 13. In this embodiment, each coupling part 29
is a respective
female part, which, in this example, is implemented as a respective groove
provided on the
surface 142. In other embodiments, each coupling part 29 may be a respective
male part.
The plurality of coupling parts 29 (in this case, three) allows the face block
13 to be coupled
to the support block 15 at different positions relative to the support block
15 and/or to be
coupled to the support block 15 and a support block of an adjacent one of the
concrete block
systems 12, ...12N. In other embodiments, the face block 13 may include one or
any other
number of coupling parts.
Referring now to Figures 4, 9A and 9B, the support block 15 is adapted to be
positioned into
the material 11 and its structure and weight, along with that of support
blocks of other ones
of the concrete block systems 121. ..12N, contribute to effecting retention of
the material 11
by the wall portion 10. In this embodiment, the support block 15 is a dry-cast
concrete block.
In other embodiments, the support block 15 may be made of other types of
concrete (e.g.,
measurable-slump concrete).
The support block 15 comprises a first end portion 34, a second end portion
36, and a central
portion 38 therebetween. In this embodiment, the central portion 38 is
configured as a neck
portion that is relatively narrower than the first end portion 34 and the
second end portion 36
such that the support block 15 can be said to have a generally "I"-shaped
configuration. This
provides a space 40 on each side of the support block 15 that cooperates with
a similar space
provided by a support block of an adjacent one of the concrete block systems
121...12N to
receive part of the material 11, thereby enhancing stability of the support
block 15 while
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CA 02550359 2006-06-14
reducing its weight and cost. In other embodiments, the support block 15 may
have various
other configurations.
In this embodiment, the first end portion 34 has a coupling part 41 that is
complementary to
each coupling part 29 of the face block 13. This enables the face block 13 to
be coupled to
the support block 15 by positioning the face block 13 above or below the
support block 15
such that one of its coupling parts 29 is aligned with the coupling part 41 of
the support block
and then fitting the coupling part 41 of the support block 15 into the
coupling part 29 of
the face block 13. As mentioned previously, in some situations, the face block
13 may
10 simultaneously be coupled to a support block of an adjacent one of the
concrete block
systems 121...12N via fitting of another one of its coupling parts 29 with a
complementary
coupling part of that support block. This may further enhance stability of the
wall portion 10.
The coupling part 41 is integral with the support block 15 and may be formed
during casting
of the support block 15. In this embodiment, the coupling part 41 is a male
part, which, in
15 this example, is implemented as a protrusion provided on the first end
portion 34 and
configured to fit into the respective groove forming each coupling part 29 of
the face block
13. In other embodiments, the coupling part 41 may be a female part.
Continuing with Figures 4, 9A and 9B, the second end portion 36 has a coupling
part 43 that
enables the support block 15 to be coupled to another support block. For
example, as shown
in Figure 10, it may be useful or necessary in some situations (e.g.,
relatively high walls) to
connect two or more support blocks in series. In such situations, the coupling
part 43 of the
support block 15 may be coupled to a complementary coupling part of another
support block
in order to coupled together these two support blocks. In the embodiment of
Figures 4, 9A
and 9B, the coupling part 43 is integral with the support block 15 and may be
formed during
casting of the support block 15. Also, the coupling part 43 is a male part,
which, in this
example, is implemented as a protrusion provided on the second end portion 36
and
configured to fit into a complementary female part of another support block.
In other
embodiments, the coupling part 43 may be a female part. For example, Figures
11 A to 11 C
illustrate an embodiment in which the support block 15 has a male coupling
part 41 and a
female coupling part 43.
CA 02550359 2006-06-14
In the embodiment shown in Figures 4, 9A and 9B, each of the first end portion
34 and the
second end portion 36 is provided with a respective depression 50 on each of
its top and
bottom sides. The depression 50 can take the form of a groove or a recess. The
depression
50 can also be an open-ended groove extending from one side to the other side
of the support
block 15. As shown in Figure 2, each depression 50 is adapted to receive an
alignment key
52 that may be used to adjust an angle 0 of the support block 15 relative to
an overlapping
support block of the concrete block systems 121...12N. This enables the wall
portion 10 to
have a corresponding setback angle or slope.
More particularly, the alignment key 52 may be placed in different positions
in a given
depression 50 to effect the desired angle 0. For example, in Figure 2, each
alignment key 52
is placed in a first position, wherein it is aligned longitudinally with and
entirely lies within
the respective depressions 50 in which it is placed. In this case, the angle 0
is substantially
zero degrees and it is then possible to erect a wall that is substantially
vertical. In Figure 12,
each alignment key 52 is placed in a second position different from the first
position, wherein
it partly overhangs support block portions contiguous to the respective
depressions 50 in
which it is placed. In this case, the angle 0 has a nonzero value such as 7 ,
10 or any other
permitted value, and it is then possible to erect an inclined wall.
Figures 13A to 13C illustrates an example of implementation of the alignment
key 52. The
alignment key 52 comprises a first portion 54 and a second portion 56 that
respectively define
overhang sections 58 and 60. Placing the alignment key 52 in a given
depression 50 of the
support block 15 such that both of the overhang sections 58 and 601ie within
the depression
50 achieves a zero degree value for the angle 9(e.g., Figure 2). When the
alignment key 52
is placed such that one of the overhang sections 58 and 60 overhangs a portion
of the support
block 15 contiguous to the depression 50, a nonzero degree value for the angle
0 is achieved
(e.g., Figure 12). In one embodiment, the alignment key 52 is made of a
polymeric material
such as polypropylene. In other embodiments, the alignment key 52 may be made
of various
other materials.
While in the embodiment of Figures 4, 9A and 9B each depression 50 is shown as
having a
certain configuration and as being located at a certain location on the first
end portion 34 or
the second end portion 36, in other embodiments, each depression 50 may have
various other
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CA 02550359 2006-06-14
configurations and may be located at various other locations on the support
block 15. Also,
although in the embodiment of Figures 4, 9A and 9B the alignment key 52 is an
element
distinct from the support block 15, in other embodiments, the support block 15
may be
provided with an alignment key that is integral with the support block 15
(e.g., a male or
female key part).
Continuing with Figures 4, 9A and 9B, the support block 15 has a plurality of
fractionation
areas 641. ..64p for facilitating controlled fractionating of the support
block 15 into separate
parts. In this embodiment, each of the fractionation areas 641...64P is
implemented as a
respective groove formed on the support block 15 and sized to facilitate
controlled
mechanical splitting (e.g., cutting, sawing, etc.) of the support block 15 at
that area. This
enables removal of selected portions of the support block 15 such as the first
end portion 34,
the second end portion 36, the central portion 38, or fractions thereof in
order to reconfigure
the support block 15 such that it may accommodate design requirements of the
wall portion
10. For example, Figure 14 illustrates an embodiment in which the wall portion
10 is curved
and selected portions of certain support blocks 15 have been removed in order
to
accommodate the wall portion's curved aspect. It will be appreciated that
removal of selected
support block portions may be effected for various other situations/design
requirements.
It will thus be appreciated that when the concrete block systems 12, ...12N
are positioned in
the wall portion 10, the natural stone-like surface portion 16 of the face
block 13 of each
concrete block system contributes to providing a natural and aesthetic look to
the wall portion
10. For its part, the support block 15 of each concrete block system
contributes to effecting
retention of the material 11 by the wall portion 10, may interact with the
alignment key 52
to provide a desired setback angle 0 to the wall portion 10, and may be
selectively
reconfigured so as to accommodate design requirements of the wall portion 10.
Furthermore,
the natural stone appearance of each face block 13 may be realized during
casting thereof,
without requiring any subsequent mechanical artificial aging/weathering
process (e.g.,
tumbling, splitting/breaking, object impacting, etc.). Moreover, since they
may be made of
no-slump concrete, production time for the concrete block systems 121...12N
may be
significantly less than that required for wet-cast concrete blocks. Concrete
block systems such
as the concrete block systems 121...12N may therefore be mass-produced with
high
efficiency.
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Although the above-described embodiments relate to a retaining wall
application, concrete
block systems in accordance with other embodiments of the invention may be
used in various
other types of walls. For example, Figure 15 shows an embodiment in which a
freestanding
wall portion 70 is constructed with concrete block systems such as the
concrete block systems
121...12N. This example illustrates that, in certain embodiments, the support
block 15 of a
concrete block system may be coupled to two face blocks 13 via the coupling
part 41 of its
first end portion 34 and the coupling part 43 of its second end portion 36.
This example also
illustrates that removal of selected support block portions may be effected to
accommodate
design requirements of the freestanding wall portion 70. As another example,
Figures 16 to
18 show embodiments in which concrete block systems such as the concrete block
systems
12, .. .12N are used to construct other types of walls (e.g., acoustic walls,
etc.).
In addition, concrete block systems in accordance with embodiments of the
invention are not
limited to wall applications but may also be used in various other types of
structures. For
example, Figure 19 shows an embodiment in which a colunm portion 76 is
constructed with
concrete block systems such as the concrete block systems 12i...12N. As
another example,
Figure 20 shows an embodiment in which steps 78 are constructed with concrete
block
systems such as the concrete block systems 121...12N.
Referring now to Figure 21, there is shown a flowchart illustrating an example
of
implementation of a process for manufacturing face blocks of concrete block
systems such
as the above-described concrete block systems 121...12N.
At step 200, no-slump concrete is placed into a mold. To facilitate mass-
production, in one
embodiment, the mold has a plurality of cavities. In other embodiments, a
plurality of molds
each with a single cavity or each with a respective plurality of cavities may
be used. To
further facilitate mass-production, the mold may be located such that face
blocks are placed
on a production board when removed therefrom.
Each cavity of the mold is configured to form a respective face block
comprising a surface
that includes a natural stone-like surface portion (e.g., the face block 13
with its natural stone-
like surface portion 16). To that end, each cavity is defined in part by a
surface of the mold
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CA 02550359 2006-06-14
that comprises a portion with a surface texture corresponding to the desired
natural stone
appearance (hereinafter referred to as "the natural stone-like surface portion
of the mold").
This surface portion thus defines a surface level difference AL' that
corresponds to the
desired surface level difference AL (Figure 5) of the face block to be formed.
Each point of
this surface portion also defines a respective texture angle 0' corresponding
to the desired
texture angle 9(Figure 5) of each point of the face block to be formed.
It will be appreciated that, in embodiments directed to producing face blocks
with a plurality
of natural stone-like surface portions (such as those shown in Figures 8A and
8B), each
cavity of the mold that is intended to form such face blocks defines a
corresponding plurality
of natural stone-like surface portions.
In order to closely simulate natural stone, in one embodiment, each given
natural stone-like
surface portion of the mold, and thus the corresponding natural stone-like
surface portion of
face blocks to be formed by the mold, is based on a natural stone's surface.
In one example
of implementation, data representative of at least a portion of the natural
stone's surface is
obtained, for instance, via three-dimensional scanning of the natural stone's
surface. The
obtained data may then be computer processed using software in order to
generate data
representative of the given natural stone-like surface portion of the mold. In
some cases, this
processing may include modifying the obtained data representative of at least
a portion of the
natural stone's surface to set the desired surface level difference AL' and
texture angles 0'
of the given natural stone-like surface portion. This processing may also
ensure that the data
representative of the given natural stone-like surface portion of the mold
will result in the
corresponding natural stone-like surface portion of face blocks to be formed
by the mold
having at least three points that are located relative to each other such that
at least one other
concrete block may be supported thereon in a stable manner.
As another possible consideration, in embodiments where individual ones of the
cavities of
the mold are intended to form concrete blocks of similar overall dimensions
(i.e., length,
width and height) but with natural stone-like surface portions that have
different
configurations (e.g., different patterns of cast relief elements), these
individual cavities may
be designed to each have a common volume in order to facilitate production. In
other words,
a first cavity intended to form concrete blocks with natural stone-like
surface portions having
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a first configuration may have a first volume, and a second cavity intended to
form concrete
blocks with natural stone-like surface portions having a second configuration
different from
the first configuration may have a second volume substantially corresponding
to the first
volume. This facilitates provision of substantially the same quantity of
concrete into each
cavity of the mold, which in turn facilitates efficient casting of concrete
blocks in the mold
and subsequent removal of the concrete blocks therefrom.
In embodiments where individual ones of the cavities of the mold are intended
to form
concrete blocks of significantly different overall dimensions (i.e., length,
width and height)
and with natural stone-like surface portions that have different
configurations (e.g., different
patterns of cast relief elements), similar production benefits may be achieved
by designing
these individual cavities to each have a common volume per unit area.
The mold may be manufactured via computer-aided manufacturing based on the
data
representative of each given natural stone-like surface portion of the mold.
With no-slump
concrete being used, the mold may be made of metal or other rigid material.
There is no
requirement for one or more portions of the mold to be made of elastomeric
material (e.g.,
rubber), which is typically used in molds for casting wet-cast concrete blocks
with a natural
stone appearance.
Thus, during step 200, each cavity of the mold is filled with no-slump
concrete in order to
form a face block with at least one natural stone-like surface portion.
At step 202, the no-slump concrete in the mold is consolidated. Consolidation
may include
inducing vibration of the no-slump concrete in the mold so as to cause it to
compact itself and
closely conform to each cavity of the mold. A pre-vibration phase may be
effected during
step 200 to facilitate filling of the no-slump concrete in the mold and its
eventual
consolidation. Consolidation may also include application of pressure on the
concrete in
combination with its vibration. It will be appreciated that consolidation may
be effected using
various other techniques.
Upon completion of step 202, the no-slump concrete in each cavity of the mold
has formed
into a face block with at least one natural stone-like surface portion.
CA 02550359 2006-06-14
At step 204, the face block in each cavity of the mold is removed therefrom
and continues
on the production board. The face blocks may be directly stored for curing
purposes. Since
provision of a natural stone appearance is effected during casting, the face
blocks do not
require a subsequent mechanical artificial aging/weathering process (e.g.,
tumbling,
splitting/breaking, object impacting, etc.) to impart them with such an
appearance. Also, the
face blocks may directly be stacked or palletized in a stable manner since the
at least one
natural stone-like surface portion of each face block has been configured to
provide at least
three points that are located relative to each other to ensure such stable
supporting. With the
face blocks being made of no-slump concrete, curing times are relatively short
such that they
are available for use within a short period of time (e.g., one day).
At step 206, each cavity of the mold is cleaned such that casting of new face
blocks may be
effected. In one embodiment, a cleaning unit uses a fluid to clean each cavity
of the mold.
The fluid may be a gas (e.g., compressed air) or a liquid whose flow relative
to each cavity
of the mold, and particularly each natural stone-like area of the mold,
removes therefrom
substantially any remaining no-slump concrete. Such a fluid-based cleaning
action
advantageously enables rapid cleaning of each cavity of the mold, thereby
increasing
production efficiency. In some cases, the cleaning unit may also use, in
addition to the fluid,
one or more brushes to clean each cavity of the mold, whereby the fluid-based
cleaning action
is combined with a brushing cleaning action. It will be appreciated that other
embodiments
may employ various other types of cleaning action.
As shown in Figure 21, in this example, the process returns to step 200 where
a new
production cycle begins. In some embodiments, utilization of no-slump concrete
in
combination with rapid cleaning of the mold and other elements of the process
may enable
a production cycle to take a relatively short period of time (e.g., 15 to 20
seconds in some
cases).
With respect to manufacturing of support blocks of concrete block systems such
as the above-
described concrete block systems 121.. .12N, it will be appreciated that
various conventional
casting processes may be used.
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CA 02550359 2006-06-14
Although various embodiments and examples have been presented, this was for
the purpose
of describing, but not limiting, the invention. Various modifications and
enhancements will
become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art and are within the scope
of the present
invention, which is defined by the attached claims.
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