Scope of the Invention
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The present invention falls within the field of civil construction, particularly a device and a system for executing structural building elements, namely reinforced concrete structures, more specifically a spacer device for supporting steel reinforcement or equivalent and for supporting panels that serve as self-supporting permanent formwork and finishing for structural elements, which are integrated into the structural element.
Framework of the Invention
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In civil construction, when it is necessary to build structures (vertical, horizontal, or other), namely but not exclusively walls, pillars, lift shafts, swimming pools, liquid reservoirs, it is necessary to assemble a support structure, usually made of metal, wood, plastic, or other less common materials, in order to prevent collapse or to delimit and retain concrete as in a kind of reservoir, which ensures that, through a watertight structure, the structure maintains its shape until it is completely dry or solidified.
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These support structures are structures that delimit reinforced concrete structures, which are building elements that combine concrete and steel reinforcement. This combination gives the structure significant resistance to tensile and bending stresses, as well as to other stresses required to meet the intended requirements.
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Steel reinforcement provides resistance to tensile forces, which concrete alone cannot withstand efficiently. This makes reinforced concrete structures suitable for supporting loads and stresses. However, reinforced concrete structures are structures whose assembly is time-consuming, sometimes complicated, and meticulous to carry out.
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The structures that delimit reinforced concrete structures (such as formwork moulds) are also sometimes difficult and time-consuming to erect, depending on the type of construction to be erected, requiring rigour, detail, specialisation, and expertise in the appropriate technique.
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In addition, these structures, known as framework, have the disadvantage that, after the structure is dry or solidified, in most cases they have to be dismantled.
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Due to the slowness and complexity of the construction that these structures may involve, alternative construction methods have emerged. One of these, called Insulated Concrete Form (ICF), is a construction system consisting of insulating blocks made of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS).
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This construction system is based on the assembly of EPS blocks, assembled to form the exterior structures of buildings and, in some cases, some interior structures. After assembly, the gap between the panels formed by the blocks is filled with concrete, integrating the block into the concrete and giving it some of the strength needed to allow any type of cladding to be used on the exterior of the building. The result is a wall that combines the strength of reinforced concrete with the insulating properties of EPS.
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In addition to these advantages, this construction system, due to the use of EPS blocks, provides benefits related to thermal and acoustic insulation, fire resistance, and versatility of finish.
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Although this system is much faster and more practical than traditional brick wall construction, it also presents a few problems, particularly of logistical and technical nature, as the ICF blocks for the creation of the wall structures are assembled in a factory and then transported to the construction site. Since these are large pieces, sometimes several metres high and wide, the requirement of transporting them to the construction site involves loading and unloading them from a means of transport, which is a slow and complicated process. Transport itself is also not easy, much like the assembly of the structures at the construction site. It is common for their placement on and their removal from the means of transport, as well as their placement in the construction that is being erected, to involve the use of lifting and lowering equipment, namely cranes. It is not uncommon for site yards to be needed to store the blocks before they can be installed.
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Furthermore, as this is a method that uses prefabricated structures that are all assembled in the same way, its versatility is reduced, which does not allow for constructions that are complex in terms of geometric shapes and that meet the technical requirements of the work to be erected.
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It therefore became necessary to find a construction method that would take advantage of the benefits of ICF while solving the problems associated with this system. This led to the present invention, which provides a device and a system that solves the aforementioned issues.
Background of the Invention
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Several documents were found that refer to elements and methods related to ICF.
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Reference should be made in particular to document
CA2635776A1 , which discloses two panels spaced apart and held in position by a set of tie rods. The anchoring assembly includes a pair of vertically elongated anchors, each of which is attached to one of the two panels, and an anchor that engages with the anchors to maintain the panels in a spaced relationship. The tie rod engages the anchors via a sliding locking mechanism to selectively prevent sliding movement between the tie rod and the anchors.
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Reference should also be made to, among others, documents
US11248383B2 ,
US2020173170A1 , and
US10267037B2 , which disclose ICF systems.
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Or even page "https://www.termobox.pt/" or page "https://www.icfitalia.eu/en/", which disclose ICF systems.
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However, no document was found that mentions an ICF solution wherein it is possible to carry out construction work without factory-assembled ICF blocks, in which all the intersection points of the iron rods that make up the reinforced concrete structure can be tightened, and wherein it is possible for the wall structures not to be entirely flat.
Advantages of the Invention
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Currently, the most common system used for the construction of wall structures in buildings built using the system known as Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) is to construct and assemble them in a factory, i.e., the panels that define the walls are fully constructed and assembled in the factory and then transported to the site where they will be installed in the building under construction. As with any assembly line, the products to be manufactured on this assembly line are all the same, so this method of producing panels has the major disadvantage of not allowing any freedom in terms of construction and architecture and presenting additional difficulties in any corrections or in the execution of the work itself.
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The various systems that use ICF as a construction method for their buildings, wherein the separators are placed on site between prefabricated wall panels to serve as separators between said panels, so that a gap is formed in which a filling is placed, which in one embodiment is reinforced concrete. Conversely, the system of the present invention begins with the placement of spacers in the desired positions, this being the first element to be assembled, followed by the placement of the blocks that will form the panels, with the frames being placed simultaneously, and finally the concrete being placed in the gap formed between the panels.
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Another disadvantage of existing systems is the size that structures can sometimes have, which causes problems not only in transport, but also in loading and unloading, as well as in their placement in the building under construction. They also result in a significant amount of direct waste of material, execution time, and labour, as well as other indirect costs related to construction site time, additional framework, and more-specialised labour.
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In the solution presented in this document, the problems mentioned above are resolved, given that all the components necessary for the work are assembled locally. Further, due to the method used in placing the blocks and spacers, it is possible to construct exterior walls with geometric shapes that are not substantially flat. Since the wall panels are made on site, it is possible to use smaller blocks that are more suitable for the buildings being constructed, resulting in substantially less waste than that generated by the systems mentioned above. It also has the advantage of requiring virtually no construction yard, as the blocks can be transferred directly from transport to the building, and due to its simplicity of construction, it does not require labour with specific qualifications for placing the blocks, nor auxiliary means of loading or unloading.
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One of the other major advantages of the present invention is that it allows fasteners to be placed at all points where the iron bars that form part of the steel reinforcement intersect, so that the bars do not move out of position. In ICF systems where blocks/walls are placed vertically, this operation is extremely difficult due to the lack of manoeuvrability caused by the blocks/walls. This ensures greater freedom, not only in architectural and creative terms, but also in technical and planning terms, as this advantage makes it possible to construct reinforced concrete structures using the type of steel and mesh most suitable for their execution.
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Since the spacers are installed on site, the distance between them may vary according to the specific requirements of the building being constructed. This way, if necessary, the spacers themselves can serve as supports for the placement of elements external to the building itself, such as decorative elements, which in the current system require the opening of grooves in the existing wall panels and the placement of supports to bear the weight of these elements.
Brief description of the drawings
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These and other features can be easily understood from the attached drawings, which should be considered as mere examples and in no way restrictive of the scope of the invention. In the drawings and for illustrative purposes, the dimensions of some elements may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale. The absolute dimensions and relative dimensions do not correspond to the actual relationships for the embodiment of the invention.
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In a preferred embodiment:
- Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the spacer element.
- Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a wall with the blocks resting against the flanges of the spacer element.
- Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a wall with the grooved blocks inserted into the flanges of the spacer element.
- Figure 4 shows an exploded perspective view of the top of the finishing piece.
- Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the iron rods resting on the openings of the spacer elements.
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The figures show the elements and components of the equipment of the present invention, as well as elements necessary for the operation of the invention:
- B.
- blocks
- E.
- spacer device
E.1. plate
E.2. openings
E.3. flanges
E.4. holes - F.
- iron rods
- P.1.
- first panel
- P.2.
- second panel
- V.
- gap
Detailed description of the Invention
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By shapes: "substantially parallelepipedal", "substantially H-shaped", "substantially parallelogram-shaped" are understood as preferred shapes for the implementation of the invention, which may also function with other formats.
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By positions: "substantially parallel", "substantially horizontal", "substantially equidistant", "substantially planar" are understood as preferred positions for the implementation of the invention, which may also function in other positions.
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"Substantially" means that the description of the shape or position of an element of the present invention is not mathematically or geometrically exact, but that the shape or position of an element of the present invention is recognised by an expert in the field as generally or approximately having the shape or position described.
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"Reinforced concrete" means any structural system wherein the filling material is concrete or any other suitable material and the material constituting the reinforcement is steel or any other suitable material.
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The application of the principles described herein is not limited to the presented embodiments.
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The principles described here can be applied individually or in conjunction with other techniques, elements, and materials that are not exclusive to the ICF system.
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Further, although some embodiments have multiple new features, all features can be independent and it is not essential that all of them be used in a single embodiment.
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ICF systems in accordance with the principles described here may comprise any number of the features presented.
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With reference to the figures, the present invention concerns a spacer device (E) for connecting blocks (B) that form a first panel (P.1) and blocks (B) that form a second panel (P.2), which constitute a structural wall of a building.
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The spacer device (E) consists of a plate (E.1) which, in a preferred embodiment, has a substantially parallelogram shape, comprising a plurality of openings (E.2), which in a preferred embodiment have a substantially parallelogram shape with rounded corners and which at the lower edges comprise at least one hole (E.4) for supporting the iron rods (F) that constitute the steel reinforcement that forms part of the reinforced concrete structures, further serving to support other elements, such as pipes for the passage of water or cables. Attached to the lateral ends of the plate (E.1), in a substantially centred position and perpendicular to the plate (E.1), are the flanges (E.3) that serve as supports for the blocks (B). The plate (E.1) has a height ranging from 0,75 m to 6 m and a width ranging from 0,1 m to 0,5 m. The flanges (E.3) have a height substantially equal to the height of the plates (E.1) and a width ranging from 0,04 m to 0,15 m.
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The wall structures consist of blocks (B) made of, in particular, but not exclusively, expanded polystyrene (EPS), extruded polystyrene (XPS), polyurethane (PU), cork aggregate composites, or recycled aggregate composites, have a substantially parallelepipedal shape, which form a first panel (P.1) and a second wall panel (P.2), which in one embodiment are arranged in substantially parallel, spaced, and opposite relationships, with each panel (P.1, P.2) having an inner surface, an outer surface, an upper edge surface, a lower edge surface, and end surfaces. A plurality of spacer devices (E) is placed in the gap (V) formed between the aforementioned first panel (P.1) and second panel (P.2), at distances that satisfy the construction requirements of the building being erected. Given that it is the gap (V) that will be filled with reinforced concrete, before the cement is poured, it is necessary to insert the iron rods (F) that form the steel reinforcement that is part of the reinforced concrete structures. The aforementioned iron rods (F), placed in a substantially horizontal position, are supported by the holes (E.4) in the spacer devices (E) and are then fixed at the points where they intersect. This fixing prevents the iron rods (F) from moving out of position when the concrete is poured or vibrated.
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After placing the spacer devices (E) in the previously determined locations, in one embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the blocks (B) are inserted on the inner side of the flanges (E.3).
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In another embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, grooves are made in the blocks (B) that are inserted into the edges of the flanges (E.3). The grooves made in the block (B) are made in at least one of the side walls, along a substantially vertical line. Since it is possible to make grooves at any position on the side wall of the block (B), it is thus possible to assemble panels (P.1, P.2) that are not coplanar with the adjacent panels (P.1, P.2), either laterally or above or below.
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The blocks (B) are placed on the flanges (E.3) by vertical movement. The placement of blocks (B) by vertical movement allows overcoming one of the problems of the classic method wherein the placement of blocks/walls is carried out horizontally, namely the expansion of concrete during cement curing, thus ensuring the accuracy of the previously assembled forms. During the curing or maturing process of concrete, when concrete reaches higher temperatures at its core, it expands in every direction, causing the EPS blocks to become misaligned at this stage of the process and making it difficult for them to recover their initial shape. As mentioned above, the fact that the blocks (B) are inserted vertically allows all the iron rods (F) that form part of the frame to be fixed in place, ensuring that they remain in position when the concrete is poured into the gap (V) or vibrated. Conversely, in cases where the blocks are placed horizontally, the reinforcing bars that make up the reinforced concrete structure, not being fixed, tend to shift when the concrete is poured and/or vibrated.
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In the case of the embodiment wherein the blocks (B) are inserted on the inner side of the flanges (E.3), the outer side of the flanges (E.3) is visible. In the case of the embodiment wherein blocks (B) are inserted into the flanges (E.3), the flanges (E.3) are covered by the blocks (B).