Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CONCRETE FORM PANEL
REFERENCE TO PENDING APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application does not claim the benefit of any pending application.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention is generally directed toward a concrete form
panel, more
specifically toward a concrete form panel made from a polymer for use in the
construction
industry.
Description of the Related Art
[0003] Concrete (reinforced with rebar) is used to create supports, or slab,
for buildings. As
used herein, a concrete support or slab, may be a foundation, footing, wall or
other structural
element of a building.
[0004] Forms, or molding, are used to provide a container for the liquid
concrete and hold the
concreate in place until the concrete can support its own weight after it has
hardened and
dried.
[0005] As used herein, a form can be any type of form used in the construction
of a building,
including foundation and footing forms, along with wall forms, and may be a
panel or sheath
type of form.
[0006] Prior art forms usually are made from wood and are include an inner
wall and an outer
wall that define the shape of the support. A gap, or cavity, is created
between the inner and
out walls. Within the gap, a series of steel bars, often referred to as rebar,
are placed in order
to provide structural support to the concrete. Concrete, in a liquid state, is
poured into the
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gap. After the concreate has set, or hardened and dried, the wood forms are
pulled away from
the concrete.
[0007] The use of wood as a form material has disadvantages. To prevent the
concrete from
sticking to the wood forms, the wood forms are usually coated with a bond
breaker, such as
oil, prior to the pouring of the concrete. Care has to be maintained not to
have any oil be
placed on the rebar, as such oil will prevent the rebar from attaching to the
concrete. This can
use a structural failure and is against many building codes.
[0008] Further, wood can become deformed or damages resulting in a relatively
short
lifespan.
[0009] Clearly, there is a need for a construction form panel that addresses
these
disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] In one aspect of the present invention, a concrete form panel is
disclosed. The concrete,
or construction, form board or panel may include a first surface, a second
surface and a core
layer having a thickness therebetween. The first surface, the second surface
and the core layer
constructed from a polymer, such as polypropylene. Further, the core layer may
have a
plurality of continuous cavities in a longitudinal direction.
100111 In some aspects, the polymer may have various characteristics including
a bending
strength value of equal or greater to 30 MPa, a bending modulus value of equal
or greater to
3000 MPa, along with a lateral and/or longitudinal dimensional shrinkage value
of plus/minus
0.2 percent.
[0012] In some aspects, a construction form system having a plurality of
construction form
boards as disclosed herein is disclosed. The plurality of construction form
boards may be
used to create a construction form for use in the construction of a concrete
slab.
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[0013] The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are
particularly pointed
out in the specification. The present invention now will be described more
fully hereinafter
with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are intended to be read in
conjunction
with both this summary, the detailed description and any preferred and/or
particular
embodiments specifically discussed or otherwise disclosed. This invention may,
however, be
embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the
embodiments
set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of
illustration only and so
that this disclosure will be thorough, complete and will fully convey the full
scope of the
invention to those skilled in the art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] Various embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure will be
describe with
reference to the drawings, in which:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a form panel of the
present invention.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional front view of an embodiment of a form panel
of the present
invention.
[0017] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of a form panel
of the present
invention.
[0018] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] In the following description, various embodiments will be described.
For purposes of
explanation, specific configurations and details are set forth in order to
provide a thorough
understanding of the embodiments. However, it will also be apparent to one
skilled in the art
that the embodiments may be practiced without the specific details.
Furthermore, well-known
features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the embodiment
being described.
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10020] Embodiments herein are directed to a concrete form panel created from a
polymer, such
as polypropylene, for use in the construction industry during the creation of
concrete slabs.
[0021] Referring now to the drawings in which like-referenced numerals and/or
names may
refer to like elements, FIGS. 1-3 illustrates an embodiment of a concrete form
panel 10 of the
present invention. The panel 10 includes a first surface 20, a second surface
22 and a core layer
30 having a length 25, a width 27 and a thickness 26. The panel 10 may be
extruded from a
polymer material, such as polypropylene.
[0022] The first surface 20 and the second surface 22 disclosed as being
parallel and flat, and
in a rectangular configuration having edges 12, 14, 16, 18. This is
illustrative and not meant
ot be limiting.
100231 The core layer 30 may also contain one or more hollow chambers 24,
which may extend
parallel to each other in a straight line through the core layer 30. In some
embodiments, the
hollow chambers can be subdivided by partitions 32.
[0024] The shape of the panel 10 may be based on the requirements of the
intended use. For
example, the panel's dimensions may be 4x8 foot and having a % inch thickness.
For example,
the panel 10 may be bent or curved depending on the intended use thereof.
[0025] The panel may be constructed from a polymer, such as polypropylene. In
some
embodiments the polypropylene may include certain characteristics. These
characteristics may
include the bending strength, bending modulus, lateral and/or longitudinal
dimensional
shrinkage of the polypropylene. For example, the polypropylene may require a
bending
strength value of equal or greater to 30 Mpa, a bending modulus value of equal
or greater to
3000 Mpa, a lateral dimensional shrinkage value of plus/minus 0.2 percent
and/or a
longitudinal dimensional shrinkage value of plus/minus 0.2 percent.
[0026] In operation, as illustrated in FIG. 4, a method of construction 100
using panel 10 is
disclosed. In step 110, an outer wall of a construction form is constructed
using one or more
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panels 10. The outer wall may be constructed by securing one or more panels 10
to securing
posts, such as stakes or dimensional lumber. The panels 10 may be secured by
any suitable
fastener, such a nails or screws.
[0027] In step 120, an inner wall is constructed using one or more panels 10
using similar
construction techniques as with the outer wall. The outer and inner walls are
spaced apart
creating a gap, or cavity, and are provided lateral supports. As with the
creation of a concreate
slab, liquid concrete is then poured into the gap.
[0028] Once the liquid concrete has sufficiently hardened, the outer and inner
walls are
removed. Due to the smooth first and second surfaces 20, 22, the panels easily
are removed
from the concrete. The panels 10 are then available for use with another form.
[0029] The use of a polymer-based panel has various advantages over a wood-
based panel.
The polymer panel is fully recyclable unlike traditional plywood and not need
any releasing
agent, or bond breaker, such as oil, when removing from cured concrete
surface. The polymer
panel is fully water proof, acid/ corrosion resistant and more durable that a
wood-based panel.
Still further, the polymer-based panel is stronger and less likely to deform,
allowing the panel
to have a higher reusability rate then a wood-based panel.
[0030] The panel 10 has been disclosed as being used in the creation of
concrete forms for use
with the creation of concrete slabs. This is not meant to be limiting. Panel
10 may also be used
as an alternative to other wood-based construction support, such as but not
limited to wood
framing.
[0031] The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an
illustrative rather
than a restrictive sense. It will, however, be evident that various
modifications and changes
may be made thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of
the disclosure
as set forth in the claims.
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[0032] Other variations are within the spirit of the present disclosure. Thus,
while the disclosed
techniques are susceptible to various modifications and alternative
constructions, certain
illustrated embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and have been
described above in
detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit
the invention to the
specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to
cover all modifications,
alternative constructions and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope
of the invention, as
defined in the appended claims.
[0033] The use of the terms "a" and "an" and "the" and similar referents in
the context of
describing the disclosed embodiments (especially in the context of the
following claims) are to
be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise
indicated herein or
clearly contradicted by context. The terms "comprising," "having,"
"including," and
"containing" are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning
"including, but not limited
to,") unless otherwise noted. The term "connected" is to be construed as
partly or wholly
contained within, attached to, or joined together, even if there is something
intervening.
Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a
shorthand method of
referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless
otherwise indicated
herein and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it
were individually
recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable
order unless
otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The
use of any and all
examples, or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") provided herein, is intended
merely to better
illuminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitation on the
scope of the
invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be
construed as
indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the
invention.
[0034] Preferred embodiments of this disclosure are described herein,
including the best mode
known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those
preferred
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embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon
reading the
foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such
variations as
appropriate and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced
otherwise than as
specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all
modifications and
equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as
permitted by
applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in
all possible
variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated
herein or
otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
100351 All references, including publications, patent applications and
patents, cited herein are
hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were
individually and
specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in
its entirety herein.
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