CA1043505A - Swimming pool brace member - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A swimming pool having sidewalls constructed from a series of prefabricated modular panels connected at the ends to enclose the interior of the pool. Each panel is adapted to mate and lock with the adjoining panel, and has upper and lower flanges and rib arrangements which serve to strengthen the panel. In a specific embodiment, a tongue is formed on the flange on one side and a mating groove on the flange on the other side of each panel for instant connecting and interlocking of adjacent panels when they are assembled in forming the pool wall. Support is provided for each panel by at least one brace, preferably molded from synthetic resinous com-position, which is positioned to extend normal to or radially from the panel.
The brace in a preferred embodiment is formed so that it functions also to interlock adjoining panels by means of clamping means formed at the extremities of the brace. The clamping elements secure and lock two adjacent panels at their juncture. The brace has a plurality of arms terminating in clevises.
An upper clamping element on one arm is secured to the upper part of a wall module. A lower clamping element is disposed vertically below the upper element on another arm and is secured to the lower part of the wall module. A lower footing member is provided on a third arm opposite the lower element to support the wall module in a vertical position.

Description

This invention relates to improved modular swimming pool con-struction.
The modules which comprise wall panels and braces and optionally additional elements such as deck panels, coping and the like are designed for use in various shapes and contours of pools such as rectangular, round, oval, and "Xidney" shaped, and various free-form contoured pools. This application is a division of Canadian patent application serial No. 215,773, filed December 11, 1974.
Ordinarily, in constructing pools in accordance with the prior art, - lO the cost increases significantly when a customer selects a pool which is other than rectangular in shape. In order to provide a pool having a special shape, it has been necessary generally to design specially the entire structure which was tailored to the desired shape - this results in higher costs and requires a greater cor.sumption of time which is an even more costly factor. Further-more, with pools of shapes other than rectangular, the difficulties of erect-ing it are compounded by the fact that labor of relatively greater skill is needed for the installation, and such labor is in short supply, particularly when called upon sporadically as frequently occurs in the swimming pool constructîon field.
Accordingly, the swimming pool brace member of the invention is ; formed of synthetic resinous composition and comprises a plurality of arms and including an upper clamping element on an upper arm for securing two continuous pool wall modules; an integrally formed clamping element on a lower arm disposed substantially vertically below said upper clamping element, also for securing two contiguous pool wall modules and a footing arm opposite said lower arm to support said brace in a substantially vertical position.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a vertically positionable swimming pool wall panel support brace formed of synthetic resinous composition, and containing integrally formed thereon a flange clamping element, said brace arranged to extend, when in supporting position, substantially normal to the outside of swimming pool wall panels ~043505 and interlocked with and holding together a pair of contiguous flanges of adjacent wall panels; a supporting arm which is an integral part of said brace for securing said brace member against movement relative to the ground; an arm integrally formed on said brace extending in the opposite direction to the flange clamping element for supporting a deck; said brace being secured at one side thereof so as to hold in fixed horizontal relationship a pair of adjoining wall panels and to support in horizontal fixed relationship a deck member.
Various additional features and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rectangular swimming pool with portions broken away to illustrate some of the structural features.

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Fig. 2 is a plan view illustrative of an oval shaped pool of the kind which may be constructed from the present modular elements.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of a "kidney" shaped pool illustrative of another shape which may be formed using these elements.
Fig. 4 is an elevational view of a portion of a pool wall taken outside the pool illustrating two full wall modules and additionally frag-mentary portions of two contiguous modules.
Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 4 illus-trating in position the pool wall, deck, coping and supporting brace of pre-ferred configuration.
Fig. 6 is an elevational view of a single wall panel module illus-trating in phantom a brace nested in the wall panel module as when packed ~! for shipping.
Fig. 7 is an end view of the panel of Fig. 6 taken along line 7-7 of Fig. 6.
Fig. 8 is an opposite end view of the panel taken along line 8-8 of Fig. 6.
Fig. 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 9-9 of Fig.
6 illustrating the mating and seal features of contiguous panels.
Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 10-10 of Fig. 9.
Fig. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view taXen along line 11-11 of Fig. 9.
Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a typical integrally formed clamping device used to secure adjoining modules.
Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken along line 13-13 of Fig. 5 il-lustrating the clamping mechanisms at the point of securing the modules.
Fig. 14 is a sectional view taken along line 14-14 of Fig. 5.
Fig. 15 is an enlarged view of the area A of Fig. 5.
Fig. 16 is a view taken along line 16-16 of Fig. 15.

1()43505 Fig. 17 is a sectional view taken along line 17-17 of Fig. 5 il-lustrating the clamping of contiguous deck modules.
Fig. 18 is a sectional view taken along line 18-18 of Fig. 5 il-lustrating one form of brace footing arrangement.
Fig. 19 is a plan view, partly broken away of a typical corner wall panel or module.
Fig. 20 is an elevational view taken along line 20-20 of Fig. 19.
The present pool arrangement is preferably utilized in conjunction with the below-ground outdoor swimming pool constructions. However, the in-vention should not be construed as being limited to this type, as it will be apparent to the skilled craftsman that many variations and modifications are possible not only in below-ground construction but also in above-ground in-stallations and a combination of both and, in some cases, with appropriate modifications, in erecting permanent or temporary indoor installations.
A wide variety of swimming pool contours such as the rectangular pool 10, illustrated in Fig. 1, the oval pool 12 shown in Fig. 2 and a "kid-ney" shaped pool 14 delineated in Fig. 3 can be constructed with the brace member of the invention. These shapes are merely illustrative of the many possibilities and are not meant to be restrictive. In fact, the invention is advantageous in that it permits construction of a wide variety of free form pool shapes to suit individual preferences.
Each of the main components of the swimming pool is designed so as to be advantageously formed from molded synthetic resinous composition, pre-ferably of foamed molded plastic composition.
Referring to the drawing, rectangular pool 10 of Fig. 1 is con-structed with a sidewall composed of a plurality of rela~ively flat panel modules 16 which delineate the side and end walls and curved or corner wall modules 17. A moderate radius at the corners is preferable to square or sharp corners in that there is a lesser tendency to collect debris in this area. A coping is preferably formed as an integral portion of the deck 104;~S0S
modules providing a smooth transition from the wall to the deck surface, al-though it will be apparent that a separate coping may be used. The modular structure of Fig. 1, it is seen, comprises straight deck modules 20 along the sides and ends of the pool in combination with interconnecting curved deck modules 21.
The modular design of the side wall and deck components permits standardi7ation including interchangeable parts which will allow a variety of pool shapes with a minimum of different modular components. For example, the curved corner panel 17 may be adapted for use not only at the small end of the oval shaped pool 12 but also at a small end of the "kidney" shaped pool 14.
Also, the large concave curved panels 24 used in the oval pool 12 can be used in the large end of the "kidney" pool l4 and the straight panels 16 of the rec-tangular pool 10 can be used on the straight side of the "kidney" pool and, in case of a large oval POO1J for some of the center panels of the longer di-mention. The only special panel required in the construction of "kidney"
shaped pool 14, for example, might be a convex shaped panel such as that shown at 27 since other panels may be designed for use in at least two of the three shapes shown. Moreover, it will be apparent that any special shaped panels ` such as the convex kind may be designed so that they are adaptable in other free form pool contours, not shown.
The wall panel modules are designed to be advantageously molded or prefabricated from a plastic such as a polyolefin which is readily molded into the desired structural shapes preferably as a relatively dense foam composi-tion. However, the preferred embodiment comprising plastic material is not intended to preclude the utilization of modular panels from other materials such as metal, pressed board, or other compositions. Additionally, the several modules may be formed of the same or different plastic material, or one or more component of the combination of modules which comprise the pool may be formed of a material other than plastic, e.g. metal, wood, particle board, pre-cast concrete, and the like, for example.

~ 0 ~3505 Deck modules may be similarly prefabricated to provide the inter-changeable feature such as the use of the curved deck module 21 in all three pool contours as shown in Figs. 1 through 3. The straight deck modules 20 are adapted for use in pools 10 and 14, although they may be used in some oval pools also in sections where the curvature is less severe. The large curved deck modules 28 can be used in both the oval pool 12 and the "kidney"
pool 14. Additional deck module shapes of suitable radii are the concave module~s 29, 30 and 30a shown in the oval pool 12 and the convex curved module 31 shown in the "kidney" pool 14.
It will be readily understood that with the employment of standard-ization with interchangeability, the costs of varied contours of swimming pools will be substantially reduced since the variety of specially fabricated individual components will be minimal.
The modules forming the pool walls are supported in assembled posi-tion by suitable braces 50 attached to the wall panel modules and extending in a vertical plane substantially perpendicular to or radially from the out-side face of the wall modules as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. These braces also are preferably molded from plastic material although the use of other suit-able compositions may be used. The brace 50 may be conveniently formed so as to have a substantially X-shaped configuration which conveniently lends it-self for use with the wall and deck components; however, it should be under-stood that the brace may comprise any adaptable shape. As shown, the brace 50 is constructed with arms 50a, 50b, 50c and 50d preferably having an I-beam cross section for strength and rigidity as shown in Fig. 14. A web 51 has flanges 52 which extend along the edges of the central area A, Fig. 15, and merge with comparable flanges of an adjacent arm. There is an interTuption in the flanges at points 53 in the central area A, on both sides of the web, as seen in Fig. 16, to permit some flexing or bending of the brace substan-tially along a line B-B for convenience in manipulating and positioning the brace.

~0~3505 Referring to Figs. 7 through 9, a typical straight wall panel module 16 comprises a wall section 32 having outwardly extending end flanges 33 and 34, a top flange 35, a bottom flange 36 and intermediate ribs 37, all of which are formed integral with the wall section 32 for impartlng rigidity and strength to the panel. A male-female type interlock feature is provided at the ends of the wall modules in the form of a tongue 38 which is formed on one end in flange 33, and a groove 39 formed at the opposite end in flange 34. Upon assembly of the panels 16 in situ in an end to end abutting rela-tionship, the tongue of one panel is inserted into the groove 39 of the ad-jacent panel thus locking against relative horizontal movement between the panels. The resulting structure becomes a substantially integral wall having greatly improved strength and rigidity. A top flange 35 is preferably lo-cated a spaced distance from the top edge of the wall section 32 and allows mounting of the deck module 20 as best shown in Fig. 5.
Shown integrally formed at the bottom of the pool wall module 16 is ` a device for leveling the wall panels. The leveling means comprises a slotted opening 40 in the bottom flange 36 having a tapered surface 41 for wedging action in leveling the panel. Displacing of the wedge towards the lower por-tion of the inclined surface 41 elevates the panel 16. The wall modules are suitably designed so as to accommodate the brace in a nested position as by forming an opening 42 in the top flange 35 together with a special arrangement of the ribs 37, as best shown in Fig. 6. The nesting feature is an important ; advantage for shipping and convenience in assembling the structure in situ.
The wall section modules may also be provided with various access means or openings. For example, knock-out areas 43 having reduced wall thickness or bosses 44 which may be used for attaching various accessories such as a skimmer, lights, etc., through the pool wall.
As the adjacent wall panel modules 16 are assembled by mating the tongue and groove device described above, they are further secured against relative vertical movement between the panels. This is accomplished by 104;~505 attaching suitable clamping mechanism, e.g. clevis 55, to the assembled end flanges 33 and 34 of adjoining panels at an elevated point on the vertical panel adjacent the upper flange 35. A second clamping arrangement, e.g.
clevis 56, is attached so as to secure two adjoining panels adjacent the lower flange 36. The clamping means may be formed on the ends and be an integral part of the brace member as shown in Fig. 5. While any suitable clamping arrangement may be used, a preferred device is a clevis type structure of the kind shown in enlarged detail in the illustration of Fig. 12. The configura-tion of Fig. 12 is designed to grip two adjoining members. The arrangement ; 10 shown in Fig. 12 permits the jaws 61 to be opened against a spring-like or elastic force and securely hold the adjoining modular members together. The arrangement of the clevis device shown in Fig. 12 comprises bifurcated ends 58 which are adapted to straddle the flanges 33 and 34 of adjoining modules 16. Protuberances or extension portions 59 formed within ends 58, due to the inherent resilience of ~he material of construction, are adapted to snap into two horiæontally opposed slots 60 formed in the flanges as best shown in Fig.
13. The flanges 33 and 34 are undercut as at 63, Figs. 10 and 11, to accom-modate the throat of the clevis 55. The inherent strength of the material is sufficient to hold the flanges in locked position, however, holes 62 (Fig. 12) `~ 20 are provided in the clevis 55 to receive therein a pin or bolt, if desired, for further securing the panels in assembled position. Inclined surfaces 61 adjacent the hooked portion 59 serve to spread the bifurcated ends 58 upon being pressed over the flanges 33 and 34.
As the modules are assembled, an inner channel 65 within the groove 39 in flange 34 is adapted to receive a compressible "0" shaped sealing strip 66 of any suitable material such as rubber. The seal prevents leakage and ob-viates the need for a conventional liner. Also, when only a bo~tom liner is used, as will be described hereafter, the seal 66 is employed to provide water tight integrity of the wall.
Referring again to the brace member 50 ~Fig. 5), it is seen that an s additional arm 50c is provided. Arm 50c is advantageously formed so as to accommodate a support for the horizontal deck 20. However, this deck support feature is optional and when no deck is involved or when other means for sup-porting the deck is employed, the arm 50c may be c>mitted from the form of brace50. The arm 50c is formed so as to terminate similarly as 50a and 50b in a clevis 70 (which, however, faces upward and) which furnishes interlocking sup-port for the deck modules 20 that are arranged to mate similarly to the wall panel modules described above. With reference to Figs. 5 and 17, it is seen that the arrangement of the clevis 70 is similar to the clevis 55 and includes to horizontally facing hooked portions 71 adapted to snap into tw~ horizon-tally opposed slots 72 formed in the abutting flanges 73 or the deck module 20.
The end flanges 73 of the deck module depend from and are formed integral with the deck 20. A tongue and groove interlock 75 and 76 respectively serves to ; further secure the deck in proper position and, if desired, can be provided with a sealing member 77 inserted in an inner groove 78 in a manner similar to the wall panels 16.
Referring to Fig. 5, it is seen that the deck 20, which is supported at one side by the brace clevis 70, is supported at the other side on the wall panel 16. The deck module 20 is provided on the inner side with an overhang-ing tongue or edge arrangement 20a having a suitable radius to form a coping.
The coping 20a is formed so as to be spaced from the support for the deck pro-viding more cushion in the coping. A depending stiffening rib or reinforce-ment flange 20b extends longitudinally beneath the deck in spaced relation to the coping and a slot adjacent the rib 20b is adapted to receive the vertical extension OT top edge 32a of the wall 32 of the wall module 16 for supporting the deck. The wall extension 32a may be suitably adapted such as with under-cut to receive a liner attachment and support member 19 which partially extends into the slot formed in the deck module and secured in place by the wall of the slot.
It is apparent from the foregoing that the brace serves to integrate .

', ' la~sos the wall panels and decX modules into a sturdy unitary structure. The brace itself is appropriately secured such as by attachment of the arm 50d of the brace 50 to an anchor plate 80 which is suitably fastened to the ground. As shown spaced flanges 81 on the anchor plate are adapted to receive the lower end of the brace arm 50d which is fastened by a bolt 82 as best shown in Figs.
5 and 18. Stakes 84 or other appropriate means such as bolts embedded in con-crete footings (not shown) secure the anchor plate 80 against movement re-lative to the ground. It will be understood that various other alternate mfans of anchoring the brace may also be used.
The round corner panel module 17, illustrated in Figs. 19 and 20 is designed to have suitable interlocking features such as those described in connection with panel 16 for interconnecting therewith. In this respect, similar features will be identified by the same reference numerals. It is thus seen that end flanges 33 and 34 on the panel 17 have a tongue and groove 38 and 39 respectively for mating with adjacent panels. Slots 60 are molded into the flanges to accommodate the clamping means or clevis in a manner si-milar to that described in reference to the panels 16. As stiffening and strengthening means for the panel 17 a simple rib structure which may comprise vertical and horizontal ribs 86 shown in Fig. 20 may be used. The corner panels 17 are arcuate in form, ~xtending substantially 90 degrees and having a radius R-l to form the corners for the rectangular pool lO. It will be noted that one or more of the panels 17 can be used in constructing pools of different contours such as the oval pool 12 and "kidney" pool 14. Moreover, it will become apparent that various contours, degrees of curvatuve and shapes of panels may be fabricated to suit the desired line of pool configura-tions. Preferably, the structural composition is a foam plastic material de-scribed in greater detail below.
The deck modules are prefabricated to conform to the contours of the sidewall panels as will become apparent by reference to Figs. 1 through 3.
The curved deck modules are adapted to interlock with the straight deck _ g _ modules or with other curved deck modules to surround the pool. It is under-stood, however, that if desired the deck need not surround the pool but can ; attach at any segmental portion thereof.
The sealing strip 66 is employed as a convenient and effective mechanism to prevent leak?ge at the juncture of the panels and provide water tight integrity. Other sealing means of the kind known to those skilled in the art may also be used. To seal the juncture of the panels and floor of the pool any suitable means can be employed such as a caulking strip 91, Fig. 5.
This, of course, presupposes that the pool floor has been suitably prepared such as a poured concrete floor 90.
In operation, the braces 50, the sidewall panel modules and the deck modules may be all prefabricated at the factory in accordance with suit-able dimensions which have been predetermined.
The required number of panels for the pool selected, with nested braces and sealing strips 66 preassembled in the panels are shipped, option-ally including deck modules, to a construction site. The pool walls are as-sembled by positioning two adjoining panels 16 upon a prepared pool floor, con-necting the respective tongue and groove, and attaching the brace by snapping the clevis members 55 and 56 over the assembled flanges 33 and 34. The lower outer end of the brace is then suitably anchored. Further adjoining panels are similarly assembled until the wall encloses the pool. The deck modules, as described hereinabove, are mounted upon the upper end 32a of a panel and an adjoining deck module is similarly attached to its respective panel and interlocked by inserting the tongue 75 into the groove 76 of adjacent deck modules after which the bTace clamp 70 is snapped over the adjoining end flanges 73 to secure the deck. Additional deck modules are similarly attached to complete the deck surrounding the pool. It will be understood that the curved deck modules 21 are formed with a suitable radius R-l in order to pro-perly mount upon the curved wall panels 17 which are formed with the same R-l radius, ~Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 19).

~04350S
The assembly of the oval pools, the "kidney" pools, and various free form pools proceeds in a manner similar to that described. It should be noted also that curved deck modules are formed with radii or contours which match corresponding radii or contours of wall modules to provide proper assembly.
As noted hereinabove, the various structural modular components which form the pool are preferably formed of plastic. Any of the various com-mercially available synthetic resinous compositions, including thermosetting as well as thermoplastic resins may be employed and such compositions may in-clude any of the well known fillers, modifiers, reinforcing agents, pigments,accelerators, stabilizers, such as a glass fiber, silica, talc, wood flour, titanium dioxide and the like may be incorporated. From a more practical standpoint, the modular components of the invention are preferably formed of foamed thermoplastic composition. Any of various known expandable composi-tions may be employed.
A foam density within the range of from about 20 to about 45 lbs.
per cubic foot is preferably employed in preparing the foam modules of the invention. It is preferred that the foamed compositions have significant flexibility. This does not mean that it should not be substantially rigid, but rather that the cellular mass should have sufficient plasticity to avoid brittleness and, consequently, obviate cracXing of the structure on repeated impact.
A wide variety of foamed resinous compositions known in the art, in-cluding homopolymers, copolymers, interpolymers and blends for which the in-gredients are commercially available, may be used. Suitable examples of re-sinous compositions which are set forth hereinbelow for purposes of illustra-tion only and not by way of limitation, include:
Polyethylene or polypropylene. In preparing cellular materials from these compositions athermally sensitive blowing agent which liberates gas at a specific temperature is generally employed. A correct choice of blowing agent will effect a product most suitable or the characteristics desired in the panels. Various densities of polyolefins are available for producing a wide range of foam properties. Various copolymers and blends of these chem-ical compositions as well as copolymers thereof with other polymerizable con-stituents may be used, depending on the physical properties desired.
Polyvinyl chloride. In the formation of this material a vinyl plas-tisol, i.e. a paste of finely divided polyvinyl chloride containing a plas-ticizer and a chemical blowing agent, may be employed. Upon the application of heat, and under pressure the polyvinyl chloride dissolves to form a gel and the chemical blowing agent produces the foaming gas. Upon cooling to room temperature, a solid material capable of retaining its shape results.
Suitable foams may also be obtained from copolymers of vinyl chloride with vinylidene chloride and/or vinyl acetate and mixtures thereof with butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymers, for example.
Polystyrene, polymethylstyrene or copolymers thereof such as styrene-butadiene-acrylonitrile or styrene~acrylotrile copolymers may also be used as the foam compositions. These resins are readily expanded, for example, by impregnating with a small amount of low boiling hydrocarbon, e.g. petroleum ether, pentane, etc., and then heating above the softening point of the polymer, thereby gasifying the volatile impregnant to produce the foam. A
procedure of this type is described in U.S. Patent 2,681,321. Alternatively, nitrogen-producing foaming agents may also be used. Another method comprises dissolving under pressure normally gaseous compounds such as methyl chloride, methyl ether, methylethyl ether, propylene, etc., into the aromatic polymer, below the critical temperature of the gaseous agent to form a gel releasing pressure on the compositions. A description of a like method, for example, appears in U.S. Patent 2,576,911.
Similarly, various other plastics, e.g. polyamides such as nylon 6, nylon 6,6; the polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate; polycarbonates may also be employed with good results.

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~043505 Various known methods such as injection or compression molding may be employed in fabricating the modular components in accordance with the in-vention.
The invention will be illustrated by the following examples which should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. Parts given are parts by weight unless expressly stated otherwise.
Example 1 A mixture comprising, in parts by weight, 100 parts of polyethyleneJ
8 parts of a blowing agent azodicarbonomidej 1.3 parts calcium stearate, 1.2 par$s calcium silicate, 0.4 parts of heat and light stabilizer and 1.6 parts of TiO2 pigment are mixed and tumbled in a rotating drum for 20 minutes to assure thorough mixing and uniform coating of the blowing agents on the pellets.
The treated pellets are then employed in forming pool modules and braces of the configuration shown in Figs. 7 and 5, respectively, using an extrusion molding machine operating at approximately 218C. and a mold temperature of 20C. The injection time is about 45 seconds and a cooling time of 3 minutes and 45 seconds. The surface of each of the pieces was smooth and all bosses and flange features are well formed.
Examples 2 and 3 The procedure of Example 1 is repeated except that polypropylene (Example 2) and a 75/25 polyethylene-polypropylene copolymer (Example 3) are used instead of the polyethylene homopolymer. Comparably good results are obtained.
The invention, in addition to injection molding methods for fabricat-ing the modules, contemplates also the use of sheet foTming terhniques in which a preformed sheet is molded or stamped under appropriate heat and pres-sure to induce the desired flow to form the desired configuration. In methods of this kind, the preformed sheet may contain a desired blowing agent which is activated at a desired elevated temperature or forming condition ~although 104;~S05 other activation means such as radiation may be used, at the time of shaping of the module.
Illustrative ormable plastic sheet materials and forming methods for example may comprise the technique and composition of the kind known in the prior art i.e. the acrylonitrile-vinyl chloride reinforced resin lami-nate of U.S. Patent 3,063,883 or the method and/or products foamed or un-foamed of U.S. Patents 3,210,230, 3,317,645, 3,419,517 (nylon and other poly-amides~ 3,562,200 (polyethylene terephthalate and related compositions) 3,670,064, 3,684,645, for example.
Example 4 The following ingredients are blended to a uniform mixture, fed into a conventional extruder, heated to 490F to melt the resin and extruded in the form of a continuous sheet approximately 0.1 inch in thickness.
Ingredients Percent by wt.
Polyethylene resin pellets 62 Chopped glass fiber 1/4"-2" long 20 Finely divided talc 18 The mixture is formed into a continuous layer on a moving belt and consolidated by heat (449F) and pressure ~75 psi) from a coacting moving belt and drum to form a glass reinforced thermoplastic sheet composed of resin and filler. The sheet may optionally contain a minor amount of blow-ing agent to produce a less dense sheet.
The panel sheet is readily formable into the configuration illus-trated in Fig. 7 and brace of Fig. 5 such as by reheating below the glass ; transition temperature and formed by a stamping operation. Thicker cross sections may be obtained by laminating two or more sheets of the preformed composite sheets during the stamping or shaping operation.
Example 5 The procedure of Example 4 is essentially repeated except that polypropylene is utilized in lieu of polyethylene with comparably suitable - 1~ -results. ~ a 4 ~ 0 5 Example 6 The procedure of Example 4 is essentially repeated except that polyethylene terephthalate is utilized in lieu of polypropylene.
Example 7 ; The procedure of Example 4 is essentially repeated except that nylon-6 is utilized in lieu of polyethylene terephthalate.
Of particular significance is the ability to produce a molded plastic panel which provides the desired contours surface texture and color uhich because of uniform pigmentation throughout the plastic composition obviates the need for painting. Additionally, suitable inhibitors against attack of the plastic from pool chemicals, ultra violet radlation, etc., may be readily incorporated in the module forming plastic composition using compositions and procedures described in the literature and known to those skilled in the art.
.

Claims (6)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A swimming pool brace member formed of synthetic resinous com-position comprising a plurality of arms and including an integrally formed upper clamping element on an upper arm for securing two continuous pool wall modules; an integrally formed clamping element on a lower arm disposed substantially vertically below said upper clamping element, also for securing two contiguous pool wall modules and a footing arm opposite said lower arm to support said brace in a substantially vertical position

2. The swimming pool wall brace of claim 1 comprising a second upper member extending outwardly from the swimming pool wall module to support a deck module in a substantially horizontal position.

3. The brace of claim 1 wherein the clamping element comprises an integrally formed spring loaded clevis at the ends of said arms adapted to secure said wall module.

4. The brace of claim 2 wherein the second upper member comprises an arm terminating in a clevis and said arms and clevis comprise a single integral unit.

5. The brace of claim 3 wherein said clevis includes a locking element.

6. A vertically positionable swimming pool wall panel support brace formed of synthetic resinous composition, and containing integrally formed thereon a flange clamping element, said brace arranged to extend, when in supporting position, substantially normal to the outside of swimming pool wall panels and interlocked with and holding together a pair of contiguous flanges of adjacent wall panels; a supporting arm which is an integral part of said brace for securing said brace member against movement relative to the ground; an arm integrally formed on said brace extending in the opposite direction to the flange clamping element for supporting a deck; said brace being secured at one side thereof so as to hold in fixed horizintal relationship a pair of adjoining wall panels and to support in horizontal fixed relationship a deck member.