AU741667B2 - Modular building construction method and a mould therefor - Google Patents

Description

Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant: PRE-STRESSERS (SA) PTY LTD Actual Inventors: LEO TREVOR FLOREANI BRIAN ANTHONY FLOREANI Address for Service: MADDERNS, 1st Floor, 64 Hindmarsh Square, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Invention title: MODULAR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION METHOD AND A MOULD THEREFOR Details of Associated Provisional Application No: PO 3475 dated 8th November 1996 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us.

Actual Inventors: LEO TREVOR FLOREANI This application relates to a modular building construction method and in particular a mould used to construct a basic building module which can be used to create a modular building.

BACKGROUND

Building construction methods and structures tend to vary according to local conditions, availability of materials, tradition and in many locations the local regulations and fashions.

One building construction method which is gaining favour involves the use of modular building elements. In its simplest form half or quarter of a building (typically a domestic home) is constructed on a central building site where its framework including all first fixings, utilities, and second fixings are completed before the modules are transported and fitted together to form the finished building structure. The framework of these modules is typically timber or metal and the :e quality and quantity of second fixings used is in accord with local conditions, availability of materials, tradition and of course local regulations, cost and fashion.

Modular transportable building construction techniques and centralised assembly is an efficient use of labour and bulk purchase economies, thus the advancements in this art have been directed to further improving the economies and less towards more easily constructed buildings.

However, there does exist a trend to using different types of construction for the framework of on-site buildings and an example of this is the use of a mouldable building framework element such as concrete formed into walls, floors and ceilings.

Furthermore, where it is easy and economical to arrange second fixings on-site, such as in areas near major cities, buildings made from precast and sometimes prestressed concrete walls created off-site are used to increase the economy of creating these elements.

The use of precast concrete wall units or unitary concrete wall and floor modules requires the units or modules to have sufficient strength to act as a structural framework for the building. Invariably this requires the concrete to be reinforced and/or pre-stressed and can result in the width of the walls being thicker than single brick construction and this increases the difficulty of incorporating window and door apertures in the framework. Furthermore buildings made of a plurality of units require sealing at the joints and special steel structures or steel fixings to retain the structural building elements in their final configuration.

Furthermore, the casting processes used to create the units or modules requires specialised formwork some of which is used only once since it is necessary to destroy the formwork so as to release the set concrete element from the form.

Thus, these disadvantages may outweigh the benefit of using precast concrete units 15 and modules.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION SIn a broad form of the invention a mould for containment of a pourable setting material to form a building module comprises, an inner mould which has an upper support panel forming the ceiling of the building module and a plurality of inwardly movable side walls that depend from the support panel, which in a predetermined position form the internal wall surface of said building module and which are movable inwards and away from said internal wall surface to release said building module from said mould, and a plurality of outwardly movable outer walls spaced from said inner mould to form a volume into which pourable setting material is poured as well as over said upper support panel, wherein said movable outer walls in a predetermined position spaced from said inner mould form the external wall surface of said building module and which are movable outwards and away from the external wall surface of said building module after the pourable setting material has set to form said building module.

,\In a further aspect of the invention the inner mould further comprises a plurality of inwardly movable corner posts which in a predetermined position form respective internal corner surfaces of the building module and which are movable inwards and away from the internal wall surface of the building module.

In a yet further aspect of the invention a method of creating a building module from pourable setting material using a mould according to either of the immediately preceding paragraphs comprises the steps of: a) moving said plurality of movable inner side walls of said inner mould to a predetermined position, b) moving said plurality of movable outer walls to a predetermined position, S: c) pouring said pourable setting material into the space between said inner mould and said outer walls and over said upper support surface, d) allowing said pourable setting material to set; e) moving said plurality of movable inner side walls of said inner mould inwards of said inner wall of said set building module, f) moving said plurality of movable outer walls outwards of said outer wall of said set building module, and g) removing said set building module from said mould.

o ooo A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described in some further detail with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying figures. This embodiment is illustrative, and not meant to be restrictive of the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Fig 1 is a perspective view of an inner mould according to the invention; Fig 2 is a partial cross-sectional view 2-2 of Fig 1 of a flexible side wall panel and external formwork panel of the invention; Fig 3 is a partial cross-sectional view 3-3 of the corner portion of the flexible side wall panel of the inner mould of Fig 1; Fig 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the bottom portion of the inner and outer all panels of the invention; Fig 5 is a plan view of the internal construction of the table form of the inner mould of the invention; Fig 6 is a partial plan view of the corner post at 6 of Fig Fig 7 is a side view of a corner post and the mechanism which allows it to be movable inwards of the mould assembly; Fig 8 depicts a slightly moved corner post in phantom; Fig 9 depicts a moved corner post in phantom; Fig 10 depicts a top view of the hinge assembly for moving a corner post; and Fig 11 depicts a perspective view of a mould according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Once the desired basic shape of the unitary building module is determined a mould can be constructed so as to replicate the inner and outer dimensions of that basic shape. Since the requirements of the shape may change for use in different building *000 types no one mould shape, size or configuration will always suffice.

Nonetheless it will be advantageous to determine a basic size and shape which meets most of the requirements thereby reducing the number of different moulds to be constructed. Features such as the location of door, window and even access (roof) apertures can be used or varied easily since they are created by adding simple blockouts in the mould walls prior to the outer formwork for the module being moved into place.

Fig 1 depicts an external perspective view of an inner mould formwork suitable for forming the internal wall shape of a unitary substantially rectangular building module.

The inner mould 10 comprises a planar table form 12 having flexible top peripheral edge elements 14, 16, 18 and 20; movable side wall panels 22 and 24 (26 and 28 not shown); and movable corner posts 30, 32, 34 and 36. Like numerals are used to identify like elements in all the Figs 1-11.

An internal framework 38 shown in part in Figs 2 and 5 support the table form 12.

The internal framework may be constructed of timber but for longevity an all steel frame and panels are preferred. All the walls of the mould and formwork could be made of various materials or the basic steel panels could be covered with materials to provide different finishes to the internal surfaces of the module. The inner surface 29 (Fig 4) of external formwork can also be made of or covered with various materials so as to provide different finishes to the external surfaces of the formed module.

Each wall panel 22, 24, 26 and 28 is movable and is arranged in one preferable embodiment, to depend from a flexible peripheral edge element 14, 16, 18 and 20 and move inwards of the inner mould as shown in Figs 2,3 and 4. The movable corner posts 30, 32, 34 and 36 are preferably made of metal and in one embodiment are hinged as depicted in Fig 5, and in more detail in Fig 6, so as to be movable inwards of the mould. A further embodiment of a hinge arrangement for the corner posts is depicted in Figs 7, 8, 9 and 10 which will be described in greater detail later in the specification.

The flexible peripheral edge elements 14, 16, 18 and 20 are preferably made of curved steel plate which is positioned so that there is a smooth transition between the upper surface of the table form 12 and the plate. A smooth or a stepped transition to the face of each wall panel 22, 24, 26 and 28 respectively can be used. If a stepped transition is used it can advantageously create an acceptable internally visible transition from the vertical wall to the curved cornice-like corner between the walls and the ceiling. The external shape of the steel plate also provides a smooth curved surface in a cornice-like fashion to the junction of the inner wall and the ceiling of the formed module.

The flexible characteristics of the flexible edge elements allows the side wall panels to move inwards of the mould 10 away from the unitary concrete module once it has set after being poured. This particular embodiment allows wall panels to be movable to the extent that when moving the side walls to release the building module from the inner mould, the spacing between the moulded concrete module and a movable wall panel is made approximately 5 mm at the top of the wall panel and approximately 100 mm at the bottom of the wall panel as depicted in Figs 2, 3 and 4 by dotted lines representing an inwardly positioned movable wall panel.

Each corner post is movable and is arranged in one preferred embodiment, to depend from the corner of the table form 12 and pivot along a hinge means 38 as is shown in Figs 5 and 6.

An alternative arrangement for allowing the corner post to be movable is depicted in Figs 7 to 10. The retractable arm 42 of hydraulic ram 44 is pivotally connected to the base of movable corner post 32 while the other end of the ram is pivotally connected to a static framework 46 internal of the internal mould assembly. The top of the corner post 32 is shaped as shown in Fig 1 so as to provide an external surface which provides a smooth transition from the flat upper surface of the table form 12 as well as matching to the curved surface of the adjacent flexible peripheral edge elements 16 and 18.

In a further pivot arrangement depicted in Figs 7, 8, 9 and 10, the top of the corner ooooo post 32 is connected to the under-side of the static table form 12 by a pivotable bracket arrangement 48 comprising a bracket member 50 attached to the corner post, and two pairs of pivotable bracket arms 52 and 54 pivoting at one end from bracket member 50 and at their other end from bracket member 56 which is affixed to the under-side of static table form 12.

As the retractable ram arm 42 is retracted, the bracket arrangement first moves the top of the corner post more downward than inward and then as the arm 42 retracts further the corner post moves more inward than downward. This is caused by the length of the pair of bracket arms 52 being shorter than bracket arms 54 and the offset of the pivotable connections of those pairs of arms on bracket members 50 and 56. This movement inwards of the inner mould is only possible when the side panels 24 and 26 are vertical.

In use the wall panels are made vertical and the corner posts are moved to the vertical to maintain the wall panels in their vertical orientation.

As the corner posts are moved to the vertical the bottom of the post slides against a guide wedge 58 which ensures that the corner post is located at the correct height so as to match its top portion with the surrounding surfaces as previously described.

Once the inner mould 10 is firmly in place, external formwork in the form of panels can be constructed in known manner about the inner mould.

One embodiment of this arrangement is depicted in Fig 2 showing an external mould panel 40 spaced from the inner mould side panel 22 to create a cavity 41 into which is placed the concrete to be set. Not shown is a support framework to brace the external mould panel 40 which is required to ensure that it stays in place during the pouring of concrete and during the period it sets.

o In a further embodiment the external mould panel 40 is moved into and out of place by hydraulic rams so that instead of dismantling support frameworks about the mould, the external panels can be repeatedly shifted into and out of place before and after each moulding process occurs.

It can also be advantageous to use clamps or the like to retain the panels in a fixed space relationship rather than totally relying on the non-return valve of an hydraulic ram.

In a preferred embodiment a long screw threaded bolt is attached to a lower portion of the internal framework located below the wall panels or attached to the internal mould and a free end of the bolt protrudes through a passageway through to the external face of the external panel area and a nut can be screwed onto the free end of the bolt to force the external panel 40 against stops (not shown) and the inner panel 22 also against stops (not shown) so that their predefined spaced apart relationship is maintained.

A similar technique to retain the panels at their upper periphery may be advantageously used to ensure stability during the moulding process.

It is merely preferable that the module being formed in this embodiment is foursided and has a rectangular roof, whereas, it is possible to have a plurality of walls matching to a polygonal roof shape for example a hexagon.

The thickness X of the mould cavity, as depicted in Figs 3 and 4, which forms the structural walls of the mould is determined by considering the height and width dimensions of the wall; the load (dead and live) upon the structure and the mouldable material being used. In a preferred arrangement the walls at the corners are 90mm thick allowing modules to be stacked one on top of the other and intermediate the corners, the walls are 50mm thick. This variation can be created by changing the surface contours of the panels or achieved with the use of fill-ins.

The external shape of the module created by the mould is preferably box-like so that it will match with modules located adjacent, above or below it.

The ceiling portion of the module may be reinforced in the normal way, with steel reinforcement rods, when for example the roof of the finished module is to be loadoo° i Sbearing. Alternatively, the roof may be provided with apertures, to form stairwells, between modules or may not be reinforced since a conventional gable roof may be provided.

The walls likewise, particularly those to be located directly against another module may have large apertures to allow for longer open spaces within adjacent modules or doorway access when like apertures are spatially matched.

In a preferred embodiment fibre reinforced concrete, as previously described, is to be used as the pourable material which can result in a thinner wall than would be the case if concrete or reinforced concrete were used.

Thus although conventionally reinforced concrete could be used, the weight, strength and environment stability advantages of fibre reinforced concrete make it a preferred material because it is suitable for forming structures with thinner walls than conventional constructions.

Settable material is typically advantageously poured into the mould in one operation after the external formwork has been completed or located in place by the hydraulic rams and incorporates forms and lifting lugs (located in the walls and ceiling) which create windows, doors and service apertures in the final formed building structure.

Each module can be designed to sit adjacent, above or below one or more of the modules and if appropriate apertures do not exist it is relatively easy to cut those apertures into the required position. In one arrangement the roof of a module will be the floor of a module located above it.

The settable material, preferably fibre reinforced concrete is poured into the mould from the top and briefly vibrated by vibrator units located on the external surface of the external mould panel 40. Vibration ensures that the concrete flows into all of the volume of the mould, but should not be continued for too long otherwise the aggregate within the concrete may disadvantageously migrate to the bottom of the mould.

Although not an essential step in the process, it can be advantageous to heat the concrete as it sets and thereby accelerate its setting process. This can be achieved by remotely controlling the operation of a plurality of radiant or blow heaters located inside the mould. Further it can be advantageous to thermally insulate the external wall panels and roof so as to ensure that the heat applied internally is not lost to atmosphere.

Compounds can also be added to the concrete before pouring which will also assist in the flowability of the concrete without reducing the final concrete strength and also assist in accelerating the concrete setting process.

Once the building module has set it is found that the concrete module will have shrunk to tightly encase the inner mould. The exterior formwork is moved away from the formed module and the inner mould can then be moved as described above to release from the module. The manipulation of the movable elements of the inner mould can be achieved manually but is preferably achieved using hydraulic or pneumatic actuators, controlled from outside the mould. The corner posts are retracted into the inner volume of the inner mould in the manner previously described to release the mould and depicted in Figs 7, 8 and 9.

The lifting lugs are typically located on the roof of the module (two adjacent to each of the longest walls) and a crane with chains is attached to the lifting lugs to move the module to a location for fitment of utilities and second fixings either at a central location or transported on-site for placing and fitment. The module may be located on a precast concrete slab or a prepared footing slab. If a precast concrete slab is used Io: o it can have lifting lugs located in recessed regions on external surfaces so that the fitted out module can be lifted onto transportation and then lifted into its final destination.

Both the internal and external movable panels can be built upon a unitary framework with hydraulic rams in place. The power plant and hydraulic controls can also be incorporated into the unitary framework and should the need arise the whole mould can be transported to or closer to the final location of the building modules or the mould may be transported overseas to provide a mould facility at a central locality where the building modules can be manufactured into housing.

This transportable arrangement is depicted in Fig 11 which shows the movable external wall 40 and its respective hydraulic rams 40a and 40b, and external wall 41 and its respective hydraulic rams as 41a and 41b. Each wall of the mould is vertically reinforced with a plurality of columns and provided with a walkway 58 located about the top periphery of the external walls to allow workers to safely conduct the pouring of concrete.

A power plant 60 and hydraulic control panel 62 is located adjacent the mould and a cable remote 64 is available for remote control of the movement of each movable panel of the mould.

Also depicted is the pouring of the settable material into the mould using a crane to lift a concrete hopper above the mould. However, a concrete pump can be used to S move the concrete from a delivery truck into the mould. A worker controls the pouring of the concrete into the mould working either from the roof area of the mould or from the walkway 58 when the top of the mould is being screeded off.

Once the roof area is poured an insulation blanket is located over the setting concrete until it is set and then removed ready for the mould to be collapsed and moved out of the way so that the set module can be relocated.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention is not restricted in its use to the particular application described, nor is it restricted to the feature of the preferred embodiment described herein. It will be appreciated that various modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the invention, S therefore, the invention should be understood to include all such modifications within its scope.

Claims (20)

1. A mould for containment of a pourable setting material to form a building module comprising, an inner mould which has an upper support panel forming the ceiling of the building module and a plurality of inwardly movable side walls that depend from the support panel, which in a predetermined position form the internal wall surface of said building module and which are movable inwards and away from said internal wall surface to release said building module from said mould; and a plurality of outwardly movable outer walls spaced from said inner mould to form a volume into which pourable setting material is poured as well as over said upper support panel, wherein said movable outer walls in a predetermined position spaced from said inner mould form the external wall surface of said building module and which are movable outwards and away from the external wall surface of said 15 building module after the pourable setting material has set to form said building module.

2. A mould in accordance with claim 1 wherein said inwardly movable side walls are attached to said upper support panel by flexible edge elements which allow 20 said inwardly movable side walls to move relative to said upper support panel. 9

3. A mould in accordance with claim 2 wherein said mould further comprises a static framework, and each of said plurality of inwardly movable side walls are movable by the retraction of a respective hydraulic ram one end of which is pivotally attached to said static framework and the other end of which is pivotally attached to said movable side wall.

4. A mould in accordance with claim 1 wherein said inner mould further comprises a plurality of inwardly movable corner posts which in a predetermined position form respective internal corner surfaces of said building module and which are movable inwards and away from said internal wall surface of said building module.

A mould in accordance with claim 4 wherein said mould further comprises a static framework, and said corner posts are pivotally connected to said static framework and movable about said pivot to space said corner post from said internal wall surface of said building module.

6. A mould in accordance with claim 5 wherein each said corner post is movable by the retraction of an hydraulic ram, one end of which is pivotally attached to said S• static framework, the other end of which is pivotally attached to said corner post.

7. A mould in accordance with claim 5 wherein said pivotal connection is arranged to move said corner post first more downwardly than inwardly from said predetermined position.

A mould in accordance with claims 3 and 6 wherein said rams are remotely controllable to actuate the movement of said movable walls and corners.

9. A mould in accordance with claim 1 further comprising clamp means to clamp stationary each of said plurality of outwardly movable outer walls, when in a predetermined position, with respect to said inner mould.

10. A mould in accordance with claim 1 wherein said spacing between said inner mould and said movable outer walls varies as a result of the shape of the surface of said inner mould and said movable outer walls.

11. A mould in accordance with claim 1 wherein the external shape of said building module is arranged to match the dimensions of adjacently located modules in use.

12. A mould in accordance with claim 1 wherein an aperture is arranged in said building module by placement of formwork between said spaced apart inner mould and movable outer walls at a predetermined location.

13. A mould in accordance with claim 1 wherein said building module has reinforcement located between said spaced apart inner mould and movable outer walls or above said upper support panel at a predetermined location.

14. A mould in accordance with claim 1 wherein said pourable setting material is fibre reinforced concrete. e S:

15. A mould in accordance with claim 1 wherein said plurality of movable outer walls are insulated and heat is provided inside said inner mould to accelerate the setting of said pourable setting material.

16. A mould in accordance with claim 1 further comprising hydraulic ram means to change the said predetermined positions wherein said rams are oriented substantially horizontally. 20

17. A method of creating a building module from pourable setting material using a mould according to claim 1 comprising the steps of: a) moving said plurality of movable inner side walls of said inner mould to a predetermined position, b) moving said plurality of movable outer walls to a predetermined position, c) pouring said pourable setting material into the space between said inner mould and said outer walls and over said upper support surface, d) allowing said pourable setting material to set; e) moving said plurality of movable inner side walls of said inner mould inwards of said inner wall of said set building module, f) moving said plurality of movable outer walls outwards of said outer R all of said set building module, and g) removing said set building module from said mould.

18. A method in accordance with claim 17 of creating a building module wherein said inner mould further comprises a plurality of inwardly movable corner posts which in a predetermined position form respective internal corner surfaces of said building module and which are movable inwards and away from said internal wall surface of said building module further comprising the step of: h) moving said corner posts inwards of said inner surface of said set building module before moving said plurality of movable inner side walls of said inner mould inwards of said inner wall of said set building module. o

19. A method of creating a building module according to claims 17 or 18 further comprising the step of: i) adding compounds to said pourable setting material to improve the flowability and accelerate the setting process.

20. A mould substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. S Dated this 15 th day of October, 2001. PRE-STRESSERS (SA) PTY LTD By its Patent Attorneys MADDERNS