NO337275B1 - Wall molding and wall molding - Google Patents

Description

The present invention mainly relates to stackable wall forms of the type having pairs of opposing panels to receive flowable materials such as concrete. In particular, it relates to improvements in such wall forms. Today there are a number of different systems and methods for creating insulation forms for casting a concrete wall. Often, these systems include pairs of opposing foam panels made primarily of rigid foam such as polystyrene, defining concrete-receiving voids between them. These pairs of foam panels are placed one on top of the other to form wall form arrangements. Once the concrete has set, the composite wall forms remain in place to insulate the wall. Before the concrete is poured in, the opposing foam panels are typically held at a distance from each other and in a parallel relationship by connection elements that each have a pair of parallel cross connection flanges enclosed in the foam panels respectively and a connection step that connects the flanges.

The stacking of such panels is carried out on the construction site. Within this area, it is desirable to provide wall forms which allow on the one hand a simple and very fast stacking without losing time and on the other hand allow the construction of a stable and solid stack which is unlikely to be accidentally dismantled before the concrete is poured in. As will be easily understood, as soon as the concrete is poured in, the chances of the stack collapsing or being dismantled are greatly reduced.

By way of example, the wall forms and structural foam panels of the type discussed above are shown in published Canadian Patent Publications Nos. 2,292,865 and 2,312,158 both in the name of the present applicant. Other examples of insulating construction panels are shown in US Patent Nos. 3,895,469, 4,229,920, 4,704,429, 4,884,382, 4,885,888, 4,894,969, and 5,428,933.

Furthermore, reference should also be made to the publications WO 9523899, EP 0275938 and EP 0995854 which describe background technology relevant to the invention.

One purpose of the present invention is to propose an improved stackable foam panel which allows simple construction of a stable and solid stack.

The present invention comprises a wall form for receiving a flowable material, comprising:

a pair of foam panels each having opposing top and bottom wall surfaces; and

a connector for connecting the foam panels at intervals and in a parallel relationship along a longitudinal direction, the connector comprising a pair of elongate anchoring elements each longitudinally enclosed within a corresponding one of the foam panels, each of the anchoring elements having two opposite extremities and a projecting head from each of these extremities longitudinally, the headpieces each having an end surface extending across and along a portion of corresponding top and bottom wall surfaces to corresponding foam panel,

wherein the coupling further comprises a connecting member for connecting the anchoring members of the pair together longitudinally, characterized in that: each head piece is shaped so that its end surface is adapted to extend along either top or bottom wall surfaces;

the head piece of each of the anchoring elements is mirrored symmetrically to each other; and

each of the head pieces having an L-shaped cross-section having a transverse arm defining the end face and a longitudinal arm connecting the transverse arm to the extremity of the anchoring member from which the head piece projects.

In connection with the present invention, there may be provided a coupling for connecting opposed foam panels spaced apart and in a parallel relationship along a longitudinal direction to form a mold for receiving a flowable material, the coupling comprising: a pair of elongate anchoring members, each arranged for to be enclosed longitudinally within a corresponding foam panel, each of the anchoring elements having two opposite extremities/protrusions and a head piece projecting from each of these extremities/protrusions along the longitudinal direction, the head pieces each having an end surface extending in the transverse direction;

a connecting member for connecting the anchoring members of the pair together longitudinally; where the head pieces of each of the anchoring elements are mirrored symmetrically in relation to each other; and

each head piece has an L-shaped cross-section having a transverse arm defining the end face and a longitudinal arm connecting the transverse arm to the extremity of the anchoring member from which the head piece projects.

A mounting device may also be provided for mounting an end panel to a wall form for receiving a flowable material, the wall form comprising a pair of opposed spaced foam panels which are in a parallel relationship along a longitudinal direction, the pair of foam panels having side end portions which align the mounting device comprising: first and second connection members for releasably engaging respective side end portions of the pair of foam panels; and

mounting means for longitudinally mounting the end panel between the first and second connecting members when the same are engaged with the end portions of the pair of foam panels;

wherein first and second connecting members each define a sleeve to enclose the side end portion of a corresponding foam panel.

An end panel assembly may also be provided for a wall form to receive a flowable material, the wall form comprising a pair of opposed foam panels spaced and parallel along a longitudinal direction, the pair of foam panels having side end portions which escape. The end panel assembly comprises a mounting device as defined above and an end panel which can be mounted between the connecting elements of said mounting device.

There may further be provided a wall form for receiving a flowable material comprising: a pair of opposed foam panels spaced apart and in a parallel relationship along a longitudinal direction, the pair of foam panels having side end portions which float;

an end panel; and

a mounting device comprising first and second connecting members releasably connecting the side end portions of the pair of foam panels, respectively, and mounting means for longitudinally mounting the end panel between the first and second connecting members;

wherein each of the foam panels is provided with a longitudinal ridge extending therein along an inner surface thereof, the inner surface facing the opposite foam panel.

Finally, an improvement may be provided in a wall form for receiving a flowable material, the wall form having a corner formed by longitudinally adjacent foam panel sections. The enhancement allows the wall shapes to include a reinforced link to reinforce its corners. The connector has a pair of elongate anchoring elements, each enclosed longitudinally within a corresponding foam panel section; and

a connecting element that extends inside said corner and said wall shape, the connecting element connecting the anchoring elements in the pair together in the longitudinal direction;

wherein the coupling member is releasably connected to the pair of anchoring members.

Other features and purposes of the present invention will become more clear from the description that follows regarding a preferred embodiment, which has reference to the attached drawings and which only gives examples of how the invention can be carried out in practice. Fig. 1 is a partial perspective view of a mold wall assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a coupling according to a preferred embodiment of the invention shown without a right anchoring element and part of the lattice element: Fig. 3 is a partially transparent side view of a part of the coupling in fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an enlarged side view of a cross-section of the mold wall assembly of fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a top view of a 90° corner shaped wall assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 5A is an enlarged view of the side end portion of the wall mold of FIG. 5; Fig. 6 is an enlarged top view of a portion of the corner mold wall assembly shown in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a top view of a 45° corner shape wall assembly according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

The present invention is directed to improvements in a stackable construction system that utilizes wall forms made of parallel foam panels to receive a flowable material such as concrete. Below is a description of preferred designs of such a wall form. However, it should be understood that the description below is given in the form of an example and that the present invention can be used for wall shapes that have different characteristics.

With reference to fig. 1 there is shown a wall mold assembly 10 which is suitable for forming a mold to receive flowable material such as concrete or the like. The assembly 10 includes a plurality of stacked insulated horizontal rows of wall forms 11 each made of coplanar foamed plastic panels 14A, 14B which are substantially rectangular. The panels 14A, 14B of the neighboring wall forms 11 abut each other along their horizontal and vertical sides.

Each wall form 10 includes in particular a first foam panel 14A and an opposite second foam panel 14B, arranged at a distance from each other and in a parallel relationship and linked together by a plurality of links 16. The foam panels 14A, 14B can be moved between a retracted position as shown in fig . 1 where the foam panels 14A, 14B have gaps to form the wall shape and a folded position not shown where the foam panels 14A, 14B are brought closer together, primarily for transport purposes.

In use, when a wall form assembly for receiving flowable material is assembled using a plurality of stacked horizontal rows of wall forms, an empty cavity exists between the panels 14A, 14B which is filled with concrete or with cement. After the filler material has hardened, a composite wall is achieved with insulating panels that are tightly attached through the joints to the concrete interior wall.

The foam panels 14A, 14B each have a top wall surface 15 opposite a bottom wall surface 17, each of which is preferably provided with a middle row 13 of alternating protrusions 18 and recesses 19 which have a similar complementary shape. This middle row 13 is arranged between two edge surfaces 50 in the same plane as each other and which border the edges of the panels 14A, 14B. These edge surfaces 50 which are flush with each other preferably have a width that is sufficiently large so as to offer increased stability between the interlocking panels 14A, 14B.

Each recess 18 or recess 19 for the top wall surface 15 of a panel 14A is opposite in relation to a recess 19 or a recess 18 for the bottom wall surface 17 of the same panel 14A, and respectively faces a recess 19 and a recess 18 on the top side 15 of the second panel 14B, when the pair of panels 14A and 14B are in their retracted position as shown in fig. 1. It will be understood that in this way, the pair of panels 14A, 14B can advantageously be connected with a similar pair of panels which are either on its opposite wall surfaces 15, 17 which function as top or bottom wall surfaces.

Mainly due to the manufacturing process in a preferred embodiment, the protrusions 18 and recesses 19 are mainly rectangular. However, protrusions and recesses of other shapes such as circular, oblong, square etc. can also be used. In addition, to avoid deterioration of the protrusion 18, the present invention prefers to use protrusions 18 with rounded corners. In any case, the protrusions 18 with square corners or other shapes will still be effective. Each of the protrusions 18 and recesses/grooves 19 preferably has two opposite substantially convex side surfaces 52, 53, which facilitates the introduction of the protrusions 18 into the recesses 19.

With reference to fig. 2, 3 and 4 show details of parts of a coupling 16 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The connector 16 includes a pair of anchoring elements 20A, 20B, respectively enclosed in first and second foam panels 14A, 14B. Each anchoring element 20A, 20B has an extended flange plate 22 which extends longitudinally and deep inside the corresponding foam panel 14A or 14B and an extended hinge element 24 connected longitudinally to the flange plate 22. The hinge element has a projecting end 26 that emerges from the foam panel 14A, 14B . The projecting end 26 of each anchoring element 20A, 20B preferably comprises a stabilization plate 28 which is parallel to the flange plate 22 and which extends flush with the inner surface 30 of the corresponding foam panel 14A or 14B when enclosed therein, as shown in fig. 4.

The stabilization plate 28 of each of the anchoring elements 20A, 20B preferably has an upper end 54 and a lower end 56 which both comprise a fastening device 58 for connecting the anchoring element 20A or 20B to a corresponding anchoring element 20A or 20B belonging to an adjacent wall form 11. The fastening device 58 is more preferably a wall-like fastening device which is molded on the stabilization plate 28 with an extremity projecting from the corresponding end of the stabilization plate 28. The fastening device 58 to the upper end 54 of a given stabilization plate 28 is preferably mirrored in symmetry with the fastening device 58 to the lower end 56 to the stabilization plate 28, as is best shown in fig. 2 and 4 and has a side provided with pointed teeth adapted to engage with the pointed teeth of a mating anchoring element 20A, 20B. This design advantageously allows the connection 16 to be used with one of the ends either at the top or at the bottom, which makes it much easier to handle the shape of the wall on building sites. To make the foam panel assembly easier, the connection element 24 is preferably exercised by a plurality of holes along it. However, the connecting element 24 can also be solid iron.

It should be noted that when the anchoring elements 20A, 20B are said to be enclosed in foam panels 14A, 14B, a person skilled in the art will understand that in manufacturing the foam panels 14A, 14B in the factory, the plastic foam material forming the panels 14A, 14B is preferred injected to enclose the anchoring elements 20A, 20B, thereby strengthening the connection between the panels 14A, 14B and the anchoring elements 20A, 20B which thus functions as an anchor forming part of the foam panels 14A, 14B. More specifically, the plastic foam material, which is preferably polystyrene or any other material known to one skilled in the plastic foam field, is injected to enclose the anchoring elements 20A, 20B.

The connection 16 further includes a step-shaped/lattice-shaped (eng: web-shaped) connection element 32 which extends between the foam panels 14A, 14B. This connecting element 32, which is preferably made of a relatively flexible plastic material, has a middle part 44 which is shaped to receive and hold metal rods which are used to reinforce the concrete. The connecting element 32 further has a first longitudinal side end 34A which is hinged together with the projecting end 26 of a first anchoring element 20A, and a second longitudinal side end 34B opposite the first longitudinal side end 34A, the second longitudinal side end 34B is hingedly connected to the projecting end 26 of the second anchoring element 20B. The foam panels 14A, 14B are therefore movable between a retracted position, as shown in fig. 1 where the foam panels 14A, 14B are spaced apart to form the wall form 11 and a folded position not shown, where the foam panels 14A, 14B are brought close together, mainly for transport purposes.

The connecting element 32 is preferably symmetrical in shape to receive and hold metal rods which are used to reinforce the concrete in the reversible positions of the wall form 11. The wall forms 11 can thus be turned upside down and still be used to receive and hold metal rods in the upper recess 33 of the connecting element 32.

A plurality of connecting elements 64 are preferably arranged on the stabilization plate 28 to the projecting end 26 of each anchoring element 20A, 20B to connect the connecting element 32 to the anchoring elements 20A, 20B hinged. Each of these connecting elements 64 is shaped to form two chambers 66 edge to edge/which project outwardly from the stabilization plate 28 and the space between them defines a longitudinal sleeve 68. A connecting pin 70 can be mounted in the sleeve 68. Pin receiving holes 71 are preferably provided in the cams 66 for this purpose, with each hole 71 facing inwards in the sleeve 68. The connecting element 32 is preferably produced from plastic molding and the connecting pin 70 is thus permanently mounted in the combs 66.

To cooperate with the connecting members 64, each longitudinal side end 34A, 34B of the connecting member 32 defines a corresponding number of arms 72. E.g. three arms 72 can be used in a symmetrical connecting element 32. Each arm 72 has an extremity 74 connected to the corresponding connecting pin 70 so that it can be rotated about an axis defined by the connecting pin 70. It can be easily seen that this purpose can be achieved either by mounting the extremity 74 of the arm 72 rotatably around the connecting pin 70 or mounting the connecting pin 70 rotatably in pin receiving holes 71. The extremity 74 of each arm 72 is preferably provided with a bore 76 to receive one of the pins 70.

As will be understood by a person known in the field, the connection elements 64 can be formed directly by casting during the production of the anchoring elements 20A, 20B. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2 and 3, a protrusion 78 is generated by the casting process on each side of the ridges 66.

It will be understood that although the connecting elements 64 are shaped to form side-by-side chambers 66, the present invention continues to accommodate other types of connecting elements that will be obvious to a person skilled in the art, such as open tube-like joints with grooves. In this alternative embodiment, the connecting element 32 can advantageously be removed from the corresponding anchoring element 20A or 20B. Such an embodiment is e.g. shown in fig. 6, with regard to a corner connection which will be explained below. To connect the connecting element 32 hinged to an anchoring element 20A or 20B, the coupling 16 is provided with a plurality of open tube-like joints edge to edge, positioned on the stabilization plate 28, each tube-like joint 360 forming an inner tube having a pair of opposite edge portions in the longitudinal direction which defines a groove 365 aligned with the grooves of the other links 360. The connecting member 32 has a pair of longitudinal side ends each defining an enlarged end portion 360 sized to slide into the open tube-like links and a strip portion 375 connecting it enlarged end portion 370 to a middle portion of the connecting element 32.

Link improvements

Still with reference to fig. 2, 3 and 4, each anchoring element 20A, 20B has two opposite extremities 90, 92 from which a head piece 35 protrudes along the longitudinal direction. The head piece 35 is preferably connected to the upper and lower ends 90, 92 of the flange plate 22 by corresponding anchoring element 20A or 20B. The head pieces 35 each have an end surface 36 which extends in the transverse direction. Each head piece 35 preferably has an L-shaped portion forming a transverse arm defining the end surface 36 and a longitudinal arm 38 connecting the transverse arm 36 to the extremity 90 or 92 of the anchoring member 20A or 20B from which the head piece 35 projects.

When the connector 16 is enclosed in the foam panels 14A, 14B to form the wall form 11, each head piece 35 is preferably edge to edge/flush and enclosed in a protrusion 18 of the panel, as best shown in fig. 4 and covers half of the upper and lower ends 90, 92 of a flange plate 22 as best seen in fig. 2. The other half of the extremities of the flange plate 22 corresponds to a recess 19. The end surface 36 of the head piece 35 preferably extends flush with corresponding top or bottom wall surfaces 15, 17 of the projection 18.

The head piece 35 of the upper end 90 of a given element is preferably mirrored symmetrically with the head piece 35 of the lower end 92 of the flange plate 22, and with the head piece 35 provided on the upper end 90 of the flange plate 22 of the second anchoring element. A coupling 16 can therefore be turned/turned or turned around in any direction and can still be used correctly when it is positioned directly between a protrusion 18 and a recess 19.

The head piece 35 serves two main purposes. Firstly, the head piece 35 helps to support the weight of the entire wall form assembly 10 when the concrete is poured into the wall form assembly 10. Tests have at least shown that without the head piece 35, the wall form assembly 10 tends to sag in height after the concrete is completely in, with so much like two inches.

Second, the head piece 35 facilitates the stacking of wall forms 11 one on top of the other. Without the head piece 35, it is at least difficult for a worker to push a first wall form 11 on top of a second wall form 11 to connect them properly. With the provision of the head pieces 35, a worker can hammer or push on the end surface 36 of the head piece 35 to more easily assemble the wall forms 11 together.

End panel assembly

Referring now to fig. 5 it is shown that an end panel assembly 101 is provided for mounting an end panel 102 on the side extremity of a wall form assembly 10. The end panel can e.g. is only used to block the side extremities of the wall form assembly 10 and when filling holds the concrete in the structure defined by the wall form. The end panel 102 is advantageously also used as a wall post for the construction of e.g. a window, a door frame, etc.

The end panel assembly 101 includes end panel 102 and a mounting device 103 for mounting end panel 102 to a side-facing wall form 11. End panel 102 is preferably made of wood, e.g. a set of wooden pieces stacked one on top of the other, extending through the entire height of the wall form assembly 10. The foam panels 14A, 14B of the wall form 11 have edge-to-edge side end portions 108A, 108B to which the mounting device 103 is attached. The mounting device includes first and second connecting members 100A, 100B, which are releasably connected to respective side end portions 108A, 108B of the panels 14A, 14B.

First and second connecting members 100A, 100B each preferably define a sleeve to enclose/contain the end portions 108A, 108B of a corresponding foam panel 14A, 14B and are made of a resilient material such as plastic. The connecting members 100A, 100B are preferably shaped to match the shape of the side end portions 108A, 108B of the foam panels 14A, 14B, and are simply mounted thereon by elastically clamping the foam panels. In the embodiment shown, each foam panel 14A or 14B has longitudinal chamber 110 extending along its inner surface 112, i.e. the surface facing the opposing foam panels 14A or 14B and each connecting element is provided with corresponding channels 14 which are connectable/engageable with each comb 110.

The mounting device 103 also includes mounting means for mounting the end panels 102 longitudinally between the first and second connecting members 100A, 100B, when they are themselves connected to the end portions 108A, 108B of the pair of foam panels. E.g. the mounting means can be constituted by first and second support parts 104A, 104B, respectively projecting from first and second connecting elements, inwards from the pair of foam panels 14A, 14B. As seen in fig. 5, the two support portions 104A, 104B may define a groove for slidingly receiving the end panel 102. Screws 106 or other suitable types of fasteners preferably attach the end panel 102 to the support portions 104A, 104B. However, the mounting device is not limited to the above-mentioned design. E.g. instead of defining a groove, the first and second projecting portions may simply define walls to which end portions are solidly attached. In another embodiment, a single connecting element connecting the two connecting elements together can be provided instead of two supporting parts, the single connecting element either defining a wall or a track.

Reinforced corner

Now with reference to FIG. 5-7 are wall forms used for corners. The corner is defined by two longitudinally adjacent foam panel sections 14A, 14A'. In the embodiment in fig. 5 and 6, the panel sections 14A, 14A' form a right angle and in the embodiment in fig. 7 they form a 45° angle. Of course, other suitable angular openings between the two panel sections 14A, 14A' can be contemplated. To strengthen and reinforce the corner wall, a link 16 is positioned inside the corners as shown. The connector 16 includes a pair of anchoring elements 20A, 20B which are each enclosed/enclosed longitudinally within one of the foam panel sections 14A, 14A'. A connecting element 32 connects the two anchoring elements 20A, 20B together in the longitudinal direction. The anchoring elements 20A and 20B and connecting element 32 can be of the same construction as the coupling 16 described above or alternatively couplings of a different construction can be used.

In a preferred embodiment, the connecting element 32 is preferably hingedly connected on each side of the corresponding anchoring element 20A or 20B through the use of open tube-like joints 360 with grooves, as described above. This embodiment is advantageous in that it allows the connecting element 32 to be easily removed to bring the wall form into its assembled position and connected back on the building site. Other types of connections, hinged or otherwise, can also be used. The coupling element 32 can be removed from the anchoring elements 20A, 20B or is rigidly attached thereto.

It should be noted at this point that a corner wall shape may advantageously have connections with releasable connecting elements/connecting elements only on one side of the corner, as shown in fig. 5 and 7, as all the connections on the other side have e.g. hinged connection elements as shown in fig. 2 and 3. This particular embodiment still allows the corner wall form to be brought into a collapsed state for transport, while limiting the number of open tube-like joints with grooves, which are very expensive to manufacture.

Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail herein and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise embodiments and that several changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the following requirements.

Claims (5)

1. Wall form (1 l) to receive a flowable material comprehensively a pair of foam panels (14A, 14B) each having opposing top and bottom wall surfaces (15, 17), and a connector (16) for binding together the foam panels (14A, 14B) at intervals and in a parallel relationship along a longitudinal direction, the connector (16) comprising a pair of elongate anchoring elements (20A, 20B) each enclosed longitudinally within a corresponding foam panel (14A, 14B), each anchoring element (20A, 20B) having two opposite extremities (90, 92) and a head piece (35) projecting from each of the extremities (90, 92) along the longitudinal direction, the head pieces each having an end surface (36) which extends across and along a portion of a corresponding foam panel's (14A, 14B) corresponding top and bottom wall surfaces (15, 17), the coupling (16) further comprising a connecting element for connecting the anchoring elements (20A, 20B) in pairs together lengthwise, characterized by each head piece (35) is shaped so that its end surface (36) is adapted to extend along either one of the top or bottom wall surfaces (15, 17); the head pieces (35) of each anchoring element (20A, 20B) are mirrored symmetrically in relation to each other, and each head piece (35) has an L-shaped cross-section having a cross arm defining the end face (36) and a longitudinal arm (38) connecting the cross arm to the extremity of the anchoring member (20A, 20B) from which the head piece (35) projects. 2. Wall shape according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the top and bottom wall surfaces (15,17) of each of the foam panels (14A, 14B) is provided with alternating recesses (18) and recesses (19), the head pieces (35) each being enclosed in one of the recesses ( 18). 3. Wall shape according to claim 2, characterized in that for each foam panel, each recess (18) of the top wall surface (17) is opposite a recess (19) of the bottom wall surface (15) and each recess (19) of the top wall is opposite a bottom wall recess (18). 4. Wall form assembly comprising a plurality of wall forms (11) according to claim 1, characterized in that the wall forms (11) are stacked up in the vertical direction. 5. Wall form assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that for adjacent upper and lower wall forms, the end surfaces (36) extending along the bottom wall surface (15) of the foam panels of the upper wall form abut against the end surfaces (36) extending along the top wall surfaces (17) of the foam panels of the lower wall form.