IL33665A - A method and apparatus for producing modular boxlike units - Google Patents

Description

ί A and apparatus for producing modular boxlike units SHELLEY 31938 the wall and ceiling slabs were cast with additional forms which needed to be transported to the location of the floor Among the disadvantages of these prior systems that after each casting operation the forms were disassembled to remove them from the cast Thereafter they were either discarded or needed to be repositioned and reassembled to cast successive boxlike each the forms had to be leveled and aligned with each disadvantage of several of the casting employed heretofore was that the equipment and cedures used were readily adaptable to the production of the boxlike units on an assembly line thereby leadin to inefficient and expensive use of manpower and In accordance with the present there is provided a method of prefabricating modular boxlike units each having side a ceiling and a floor slab for assembly into building which comprises integrally casting a pair of the side walls with the ceiling to form a first portion of a monolithic and assembling the grally cast first portion with a floor slab to create the like monolithic In some cases the forms are constructed to provide for vertical support columns located at the corners of the boxlike units and integral and at other select locations within the The present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description of certain preferred when read with reference to the accompanying 1 is a horizontal sectional view of a lithic building structure produced in accordance with the method and apparatus of one illustrative embodiment the invention and 82 may contain other openings for and provisions for the wiring and plumbing for the unit be The walls 76a and and the interior partitions 80 and 82 are preferably cast concrete any conventional type In embodiments they may be made of wood and synthetic The ceiling slab the side walls and the interior partitions and 27 are cast at one time with the in closed position and with the walls and 76b the interior partitions and 82 in upright The side walls and the rior partitions 26 and 27 are integral with the ceiling slab The walls 76a and 76b are in rigid contact with the and the ceiling slab 22 The side wall is in rigid contact with the interior partition 26 The side wall 76a is in rigid with interior partition 27 The interior partitions 80 are in rigid contact the ceiling slab 22 and also are in rigid contact with the side walls The interior partition 82 is in rigid with the ceiling slab 22 the left viewed in side wall 2 and the interior partition 26 As thus cast the 76a 76b the interior partitions 26 80 and 82 and the celling slab 22 form the first 20 of the complete monolithic structure 7 i7 When the casting of the first portion 20 is the portion 20 is lifted the open forms and 64 b the lugs 78 and is transported to a concrete floor slab form 104 7 slab 104 may also be made of solid steel The floor is cast in rigid contact with the bottoms of the side walls 2 76a and the interior partitions 80 and pouring concrete the interior of the structure through the recesses 100 and 102 in the interior partitions 80 and 82 and through the door ways 103 and 105 in the wall and the interior partition 82 In one preferred embodiment the side walls 2 and and the interior partitions 26 80 and 82 are vided with steel reinforcing members 108 extending horizontally from the bottom edges of the side walls and the interior tions as to be incorporated in the floor slab 106 upon In the same preferred embodiment the bottom edges of the side walls 76a and 76b are each provided with shaped notches 110 at the points where the reinforcing members 108 exit from walls to facilitate the bending of the ing members 108 into the plane of the floor slab 106 In embodiments the shaped notches 110 extend the length of the walls and 76b The downward jections 100 and 102 of the interior 80 and 82 rigidly engaged in the cast floor Referring to 7 and 8 a modification of the mold structure of is shown comprising the structure of but with the substitution of the hand the rollers and the sloping guide plates 124 for he screw the horizontal drive arms 56 the pivot mountings 58 the rail 60 and the pivoted rods 62 The which allows little or no seepage of concrete between them durin the closed position for upper legs of the forms 140 and 142 are the horizontal form for pouring the ceiling slab and the forms l40 and constitute a interior the sidewalls 24 and the interior partitions A pneumatic or other fluid operated device has a first retractable arm 164 pivotally attached to the top the form 140 and a second retractable arm 166 pivotally attached the base near the side Likewise a pneumatic device 168 has a first retractable arm 170 pivotally attached to the of the form 142 and a second retractable arm 172 pivotally attached to the base 30 the interior partition The forms are stripped from the cast structure by first energizing the device 168 so as to retract its arms and and the form 142 in an inward arc away from the side wall 24 and ceiling slab in hidden line fashion in Next the device is energized so as to retract its arms 16 thereby pulling the form 140 in an arc the interior partition and the ceiling slab The forms are returned to the closed position by first causing the device 168 to extend its arms 170 and 172 then causing the device 162 to extend its 164 and Referring to 10 another embodiment of the structure discussed in reference to is as prising the inverted shaped side wall forms 140 pivotally mounted as in the of 9 with the tion of stop member 174 affixed to the interior surface of the shaped form 142 and a stop structure rigidly ed between the shaped forms 142 on the slab In place of the pneumatic devices and 168 is a single device which has first drive arm l80 pivotally mounted to the upper portion of the form 142 and a second drive arm 182 pivotally mounted to the side wall form l40 near the The forms l40 and 142 are stripped from the cast structure 20 by energizing the device 178 so as to retract its driving arms I80 and The shaped form 142 is swung awa from the side wall 24 and the ceiling slab 22 in an inward arc until the stop member 174 engages stop structure at which point the shaped form l40 be swung in an arc away from the interior partition 26 and the ceiling slab 22 A hook pivoted to the stop structure is moved to engage an upright pin 186 on the stop member 174 while the forms are in the open To close the forms l40 and the device is energized so as to extend its arms l80 The hook 184 holds the form 142 in the open position while the form l40 is swung back into a closed There after the hook 184 is disengaged from pin is swung into the Chains 188 connected be each of the forms 140 and 142 and the base may be used to insure that the forms l40 and are not pushed past positions when they perpendicular to the base 11 alternative mold embodiment is shown as comprising two shaped interior forms 1 both of which are pivotally mounted by shorter legs to a series of horizontal beams 192 frigidly supported on scaffold insufficientOCRQuality

Claims (9)

1. U.S. 790,305 eto. M 1. A method of. prefabricating modular boxlike units, eaoh having side walls, a oeiling slab and a floor slab for assembly into building struoture, whio oomprises integrally oasting at least one pair of the side walls with said oeiling slab in a first mould having an interior form and an exterior form for eaoh side wall, at least one of the forms being movable laterally between a olosed position in spaoed apart oasting alignment with the other form and an open, stripping position, moving the movable form into said open position, lifting the oast side walls and oeiling slab from the first mould, and assembling the integrally oast side walls and oeiling slab with a floor slab to oreate a boxlike struoture.

2. A method aooording to olaim 1, wherein the assembly step oomprises oasting the floor slab in oontaot with the previously oast side walls,

3. A method aooording to olaim 1, whioh oomprises oasting the floor slab in a oasting step separate from the integral oasting of the side walls and oeiling, and thereafter rigidly affixing the floor slab to the side walls. 1+. A method aooording to olaim 1, wherein the assembly step inoludes transporting the integrally oast first portion to a preoast floor slab or to a floor slab form. 5 c A method aooording to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one pair of side walls and the oeiling slab oomprise a first portion of the struoture 33665/2 and wherein the step of integrally oasting the first portion of the struoture inoludes oasting interior partitions integral with said first portion. 6. A method aooording to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one pair of side walls and the ceiling slab oomprise a first portion of the structure and wherein the step of integrally oasting the first portion of the struoture includes oasting support oolumns integral with the first portion „ 7. A method aocording to any one of the preoeding claims, wherein at least a first side wall is preformed, at least a second and a third side wall being integrally oast with the oeiling slab, the seoond and the third side walls and the oeiling slab also being simultaneously oast in rigid contaot with the first side wall, the cast-together first, seoond and third side walls and the oeiling slab then being transported for assembly to the floor slab. 8. A method aooording to olaim 1, wherein said a pair of said at least one pair of side walls comprises opposed side walls. 9. A method aooording to olaim 1, whioh oomprises preforming at least a first side wall and at least one interior partition, integrally oasting a pair of opposed seoond and third side walls with the ceiling slab,t the second and the third side walls and the oeiling slab being simultaneously cast together in rigid oontact with the first side wall and the interior partition suoh that the first side wall extends between the second and third side walls and the interior partition extends inwardly from one of the side walls, transporting the oast-together first, 33665/2 seoond, and third side walls, the interior partition, and the ceiling slab to a floor slab form, and thereafter casting the floor slab in contaot with the first, second and third side walls and the interior partition to oreate the boxlike structure,, 10. A method according to claim 1, wherein a first portion of the boxlike structure which oomprises the at least one pair of side walls and the ceiling slab is "E" shaped in section, 11. A method acoording to either of olaims 1 or 2, which comprises casting the oeiling slab upon a horizontal form and moving both the interior and the exterior forms away from the cast side walls into said open position while maintaining the parallel relationship between the interior and exterior forms, 12. A method aooording to claim 1, in which said first mould inoludes at least a pair of upside-down "L" shaped interior forms pivotally mounted on a first support suoh that said "L" shaped forms are movable between the open, stripping position and the closed casting position in which each "L" shaped form has one leg in a horizontal position and one leg in a vertioal position and in which the horizontal legs of the forms are in a mating relationship with each other, and at least one exterior form mounted on a second support which is spaced apart from the vertical leg of a selected "L" shaped interior form when the "L" shaped interior form is in its closed position, which further comprises moving the "L" shaped interior forms inwardly in an aro away from the cast oeiling slab to the open position prior to lifting the integrally cast side walls and celling slab from the first mould. 13. Apparatus for casting a monolithic structure in accordance with the method according to any of Claims 1-12, having a pair of side walls integrally cast with a ceiling slab and which, when assembled with a floor slab, creates a modular boxlike unit, the apparatus comprising an interior first form having a horizontal portion fo castin the ceiling slab and vertical portions for casting the side walls, the vertical forms being movable laterally and in an angular direction with respect to the horizontal plane between an open stripping position and a closed casting position stationary support means for supporting the horizontal form, and exterior vertical forms movable laterally between an open stripping position and a closed casting position in which said exterior forms are in respective spaced apart alignment with said vertical forms. 1

4. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 13 Including an additional horizontal form for casing the floor slab in contact with the walls, means for lifting the integrally cas walls and ceiling slab from the interior and exterio vertical forms when in their open positions, and means for transportin the integrally cast walls and ceiling slab to the additional form. 1

5. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 13 or 14, wherein each exterior form comprises a casting plate which is movable between a closed position in contact with the exterior surface of the selected wall and an open position, a lattice of beams affixed to the casting plate, the second support means affixed to the lattice for supporting the exterior form, the second support means including a carriage horizontall movable toward surface of the selected wall, to move the oasting plate between its olosed and open positions. 1

6. Apparatus as olaimed in any one of claims 13* II. and 1 , herein the means for moving each said vertical interior form between its open and olosed positions comprises a first support, a guide plate mounted on the first support such that the guide plate slopes downwardly, a roller mounted on the bottom of the vertical portion and; supported by the guide plate, and means for exerting both vertical and horizontal foroes at the bottom of the vertical portion to push the vertical portion in an upward diagonal direction into its closed position. 1

7. Apparatus as olaimed in any one of olaims 13 to 16, wherein eaoh interior vertioal form is adapted to move into sealing alignment with the edge of the interior horizontal form as the vertioal form reaches its olosed position. 1

8. Apparatus aocordlng to any one of claims 13 to 17 for casting an interior partition integrally with the ceiling slab and/or at least one wall wherein the inoluding means for supporting the interior partition is in a vertical position. 1

9. Apparatus as claimed in any of olaims 13 to 16 wherein the interior forms comprise a pair of upside down "L" shaped form members eaoh pivotally mounted so that it may be swung in an arc between a closed, casting position in contact with the interior surface of a respective side wall and respective portions of the underside of the ceiling slab and an open position in which it is stripped away from the interior surfaoe of the side walls and the underside of the oeiling slab, and means for swinging the form members between their open and olosed positions. 20. Apparatus as olaimed in olaim 19 including means for casting an interior partition integrally with the ceiling slab and a side wall, one of said "L'1 shaped form members in said olosed, oasting position being arranged to oontact the surface of the interior partition and the portion of the underside of the ceiling slab. 21. Apparatus as claimed in either of olaims 19 or 20, wherein each "L" shaped form member has first and second legs and is pivotally mounted by the base of the second leg to said stationary support means such that it may be swung in an aro between an upright, closed, oasting position in whioh the seoond leg is in oontact with the interior surfaoe of the respective side wall and the first leg is in oontact with the respective portion of the underside of the ceiling slab and the open position, the first leg of one of the form members having an edge at its tip inclined downwardly at an aoute angle to the underside of the ceiling slab, and the first leg of the other of the form members having an edge at its tip inclined downwardly at an obtuse angle to the underside of the ceiling slab suoh that when the first and seoond form members are in their closed positions, the inclined edges of the respective first legs are in a sealed mating relationship. 22. Apparatus as olaimed in olaim 21 comprising a horizontal member rigidly affixed to the bottom of the seoond leg, the horizontal member extending under the respective wall and being pivoted at the end thereof to said stationary support means. 23 β Apparatus as olaimed in olaim 21 or 22, wherein the means for moving the first and second form. member's includes a stop member affixed to the lower interior portion of one member, a stop struoture affixed to said stationary support means between the two form members and positioned suoh that the stop member abuts the stop structure when the first form member is. fully moved to its open position, means extending between the first and second form members for exerting a force between the first and the second form members, and latohing means for holding the stop member in abutting relationship with a stop structure while the second form member is moved from its open and its closed positions. 2l., Apparatus as claimed in claim 20 or 21, wherein said stationary support means rises upwardly to a point adjacent the underside of the ceiling slab, and said "L" shaped form members each has first and second legs and is pivotally mounted at the tip of the first leg to the uppermost point of the stationary support means so that it is movable in an arc between a closed, casting position in which the seoond leg is in contaot with the interior surfaoe of the respective side wall and the first leg is in contact with the respective portion of the underside of the oeiling slab, 5» Apparatus as olaimed in any one of claims 11+ to 1 j wherein for casting said pair of side walls as walls which intersect perpendicularly to each other the first form includes a first vertical portion of which the vertical edge nearest the intersection of the side walls is bent inwardly at an aoute angle from the interior surface of the respective side wall, a second vertical portion perpendicular to the first portion and of which the vertical edge nearest the intersection of the side walls is bent inwardly at an acute angle to the interior surfaoe of the respective side wall, and a triangularly shaped form member having a first leg and a second leg, the first and seoond legs being perpendicular to eaoh other, means for vertically mounting the triangularly shaped form member on the stationary support means such that the member is movable between a closed casting position with the first and seoond legs in contact with the interior surfaces of the respective walls and an open position with the first and seoond legs spaced away from the interior surfaces of the walls, the first leg having a vertical edge bent inwardly from the respective wall at an angle which is a compliment of the angular bend of the vertioal edge of the first vertioal portion, and the second leg having a vertical edge bent inwardly from the respective wall at an angle whioh is the compliment of the angular bend of the vertioal edge of the second vertical portion such that in the closed position the bent edges of the legs and the vertical portions respectively are in a sealed, mating relationship. 26. A method of prefabricating modular boxlike units, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings „ 27. Apparatus for casting successive modular boxlike units, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the Applicants