SE2051137A1 - Concrete base mould - Google Patents

Abstract

A reusable mould for forming a concrete base (100) is provided. The mould (200) comprises a lower part (220) and an upper part (240) being removably connectable to each other, and wherein at least one base element (117, 120) is releasably connected to the upper part (240) or lower part (220).

Description

CONCRETE BASE MOULD TECHNICAL FIELDThe present invention relates to a Concrete base mould. The present inventionfurther relates to a method for forrning a concrete base using said mould and a concrete base forrned using said method and mould.

BACKGROUND Products forrned from concrete are often cast using moulds to obtain a wantedshape. Base elements such as concrete foundations, base and support elements for streetlights and parasols are only a few products which may be formed by casting concreteusing moulds.

When moulding concrete, the mould requires an opening for the introduction ofconcrete into the mould, but also for allowing liquid to vaporise such that the concretecan set. A large opening results in a faster setting of the cement. However, the openingwill also cause an uneven surface area of the concrete where the opening has beenarranged, while the concrete in contact with the intemal surfaces of the mould willattain a smooth and even surface. Therefore, the moulds are often designed such that aninner bottom surface of the mould will correspond to an outer upper surface of thefinished product, and the opening for f1lling the mould with concrete is arranged at theupper side of the mould, corresponding to the outer bottom of the finished product.

A parasol base and a method for its manufacturing is disclosed in EP08 l 8594.A mould is filled with concrete through an opening arranged at what corresponds to abottom surface of the finished parasol base. However, the sharp edge formed at theinterface between the ground and the concrete parasol base is fragile and will bedamaged easily.

Other parasol bases are formed from a plastic cover, which in tum comprisesconcrete or cement, such as the parasol base disclosed in DE2020050l4564. However,the use of such a plastic cover is unattractive, and the mixture of plastic and concrete materials is hard to recycle.

Hence, there is a need for an improved Concrete base mould and a method forrning a concrete base.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention preferably seeks to mitigate, alleviate oreliminate one or more of the above-identified deficiencies in the art and disadvantagessingly or in any combination and solves at least the above mentioned problems byproposing a solution according to the appended independent claims. Advantageousembodiments are defined in the appended dependent claims.

In a first aspect, there is provided a reusable mould for forrning a concretebase. The mould comprises a lower part and an upper part being removably connectableto each other, and at least one base element is releasably connected to the upper part orlower part.

In one embodiment, the upper part and the lower part are releasably connectedto each other by one or more coupling means at the lower part conf1gured to engage arespective locking means at the upper part.

In a second embodiment, the base element is at least one base foot configuredto be moulded to the concrete base and the at least one base foot is releasably attachedto the upper part.

In yet another embodiment, each base foot is arranged at an intemal surface ofthe upper part through a snap-f1t engagement.

In one embodiment, each base foot is released from the upper part when theupper part is removed from the moulded concrete base.

In a further embodiment the upper part comprises a plurality of radialproj ections extending inwards from a circumference of the upper part.

The mould may have an octagonal shape and four radial proj ections and fourbase feet are distributed in an altemating pattem.

In one embodiment, the base element is an insert and the lower part comprisesa support member conf1gured to maintain the position of the insert during moulding of the concrete base.

In a second aspect, there is provided a method for manufacturing a concretebase using a reusable mould comprising a lower part and an upper part being removablyconnectable to each other. The method comprises the steps of releasably connecting atleast one base element to the upper part or lower part. The base element is a base foot oran insert. The method further comprises releasably connecting the lower part and theupper part to each other, adding concrete to the mould through an opening of the mould,curing the concrete during a pre-deterrnined time period, and removing the mould fromthe concrete base, whereby the concrete base is obtained and the mould may be reusedfor the method.

The step of connecting the at least one base element to the upper or lower partmay comprise pressing the at least one base element into engagement with the upper orlower part.

In a second embodiment, the step of releasably connecting the lower part andthe upper part to each other comprises aligning upper side walls of the upper part withlower side walls of the lower part.

In another embodiment, the step of releasably connecting the lower part andthe upper part comprises releasably locking the lower part and upper part to each otherusing coupling means at the lower part engaging a locking means on the upper part orvice versa.

The method may further comprise arranging the base element as an insert ontoa support member on the lower part of the mould before connecting the base element inthe form of at least one base foot to the upper part and/or before connecting the upperpart and the lower part to each other.

In yet another embodiment, during the removal step, the at least one base footare released from the upper part of the mould.

In a third aspect, there is provided a concrete base manufactured from themethod disclosed herein using the mould disclosed herein.

Further advantages will be apparent from the detailed description as well as the appended dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other aspects, features and advantages of which the invention iscapable, will be apparent and elucidated from the following description of embodimentsof the present invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1A is an isometric view of a parasol concrete base and an end of a parasolpole; Fig. 1B is an isometric view of the parasol concrete base of Fig. 1, seen fromthe bottom; Fig. 2A is an exploded view of a two-part concrete base mould in a non-assembled state, and a moulded concrete base; Fig. 2B is an isometric view of the two-part concrete base mould in anassembled state; Fig. 3 is an isometric view of a lower part of a concrete base mould; Fig. 4A is an isometric view of an upper part of the concrete base mould; Fig. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the upper part of the mould shown in Fig.4A; and Fig. 5 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a concrete base.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail belowwith reference to the accompanying drawings in order for those skilled in the art to beable to carry out the invention. The invention may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

The embodiments do not limit the invention, but the invention is only limited by theappended patent claims. Furthermore, the terrninology used in the detailed descriptionof the particular embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings is not intendedto be limiting of the invention.

Referring to Fig. 1A, a concrete base 100 is shown, which has an octagonal shape and a main body 105 having a top surface 110. In addition to the main body 105, the Concrete base 100 comprises base elements 117, 120, in the form of an insert 117and base feet 120 (shown in Fig. 1B).

The main body 105 comprises an aperture 115, provided with the insert 117having internal threads 116. The main body 105 of the concrete base 100 is forrnedfrom concrete. Preferably, the insert 117 is forrned from a plastic material.

The concrete base 100 in Fig. 1A is a support base for a parasol. A parasol end101 of a parasol pole 102 may be inserted into the aperture 115, and extemal threads103 at the lower part of the pole 102 engages the mating threads 116 of the concretebase 100. However, the concrete base 100 disclosed herein may be used for otherpurposes, as will be explained in the following.

Further, the concrete base 100 is provided with eight inclined side surfaces 112around the octagonal shape, providing the main body 105 with an aesthetic appearance.In addition, four of the eight side surfaces 112 comprise bottom recesses 113 (only tworecesses 113 are visible in Fig. 1A). The recesses 113 are arranged on every other sidesurface 112 and may serve as handle portions or grips used to lift the concrete base 100.Since there are four recesses 113 evenly distributed around the concrete base 100, twopeople can easily help each other to lift the concrete base 100 if needed using four handsin total.

Fig. 1B shows the concrete base 100 as seen from below. The main body 105has a main body bottom surface 118 arranged to face the ground surface and whichcomprises base elements in the form of base feet 120. The base feet 120 extend slightlydownwards from the bottom surface 118 such that the bottom surface 118 does notcome into direct contact with the ground, thereby preventing damages to the bottomsurface 118 caused by the ground surface. Specifically, the bottom surface 118 hasbottom edges 119, which may be damaged if the bottom edges 119 are knocked againstthe ground surface. However, such impact is prevented with the aid from the base feet120. Moreover, since the main body 105 is elevated from the ground, it will not absorbwater or other liquids from the ground.

Further, the bottom edges 119 of the recesses 113 and the side surfaces 112 are preferably provided with a rounded profile, which also prevents damages on the rounded bottom edges 119. A sharp edge, for instance an edge having a 90 degreeprofile, is more prone to edge damages than the less sharp and rounded prof1les 119.The base feet 120 are distributed around the bottom edges 119, extending along the circumference of the bottom surface 118 of the main body 105 at a distanceradially inwards from the side surfaces 112. Further, the base feet 120 are incorporatedin the cast concrete main body 105 and are attached to the concrete during the castingand moulding process, as will be explained more in the following. Preferably, the basefeet 120 are made from a plastic material.

With reference to Figs. 2A-4B, a mould 200 for forrning the concrete base 100is shown. In Fig. 2A, the mould 200 is shown in an exploded View, and comprises alower part 220 and an upper part 240.

The lower part 220 has a bottom surface 222 and lower side walls 225extending upwards from said bottom surface 222. The outline and shape of bottomsurface 222 of the lower part 220 of the mould 200 will correspond to that of the topsurface 110 of the main body 105 of the base element 100. Hence, the concrete base 100is preferably moulded in an upside-down configuration.

Further, the lower part 220 is provided with a support member 226, alsoreferred to as a circular elevated portion 226 herein, conf1gured to support and hold theinsert 117 in place during the casting process of the concrete base 100. The insert 117has a diameter slightly larger than the elevated portion 226 such that the insert 117 maybe f1tted onto the circular elevated portion 226 snugly. The support member 226 of thelower part 220 may also be arranged as a flange, rather than as a solid elevated portionas shown in Fig. 2A, and it may be conf1gured as having another size and shapedepending on what type of insert 117 that is to be cast into the concrete base 100.

Further, the lower part 220 comprises four coupling means 228, in the form ofpivoting hooks or brackets. The coupling means 228 may also be any other type ofsuitable coupling means known in the art. The coupling means 228 connect the lowerpart 220 to an upper part 240 in the assembled state of the mould 200.

Moving on to the upper part 240, upper side walls 245 form a frame 242 with acentral opening 241. Hence, the upper part 240 is designed as a frame 242, which fitswith and may be attached on top of the lower part 220.

In addition, the frame 242 of the upper part 240 comprises four radialproj ections 243, which will forrn the outline of the recesses 113 in the concrete base100. The proj ections 243 in Fig. 2A are hemispherical, but may have other geometricalshapes. The four radial proj ections 243 of the upper part 240 are evenly distributedaround a circumference of the upper part 240. Each radial proj ection 243 extends intothe mould cavity 250.

Hence, the outline and design of an internal surface 246 (shown in Fig. 4A) ofthe upper part 240 will shape the bottom edges 119, the recesses 113 and partly the sidesurfaces 112 of the concrete base 100.

The upper part 240 further comprises locking means 248, in the forrn of framenotches 248, configured to receive and engage the coupling means 228 of the lower part220. In another embodiment, the coupling means 228 may be arranged on the upper part240 and the locking means 248 may be arranged on the lower part 220. The lockingmeans 248 are arranged on every second side wall 245 of the frame 242, on the sameside walls 245 as the four radial proj ections 243.

As indicated by the dashed lines in Fig. 2A, the base feet 120 are f1tted to theframe 242 in areas between the radial projections 243. A releasable connection betweenthe base feet 120 and the upper part 240 is established. The releasable connectionmechanism between the upper part 240 and the base feet 120 will be explained morewith reference to Fig. 2B.

In Fig. 2B, the mould 200 is shown in its assembled state and the lower part220 and the upper part 240 are attached to each other, forrning the mould cavity 250,configured to receive the liquid concrete to be cast in the mould 250. The couplingmeans 228 are engaged with the locking means 248 thus sealing the lower part 220 andupper part 240. The base feet 120 are connected to the frame 242 of the upper part 240and concrete can be poured into the mould cavity 250 through the central opening 241.

Since the central opening 241 has a relatively large diameter, the setting of theconcrete will be accelerated compared to if the mould 200 would have a smaller upperopening 241. However, since the upper part 240 shapes the bottom edges 119 of theconcrete base 100, the design of the bottom edges 119 may be configured as having the rounded profiles. Hence, the mould 200 allows for a faster setting process, while a more durable Concrete base 100 without sharp bottom edges is formed. The concrete base 100also has an attractive appearance and can easily be maneuvered using the recesses 113as handles.

The releasable connection mechanism between the base feet 120 and the upperpart 240 will now be explained with reference to the enlarged view of Fig. 2B and Fig.4A. Each base foot 120 comprises two ends each having an attachment means 25 in theform of a protrusion 25, also referred to as a hatch 25 herein, as shown in Fig. 2B. Theprotrusion 25 has a hook like shape, which is conf1gured to engage the frame 242.

Between the radial proj ections 243 of the upper part 240, the intemal surface246 has inner side walls 249 (shown in Fig. 4A). Each inner side wall 249 has a centralsupport element 41, two end support elements 42 and two end connection means 45, inthe form of grooves 45. The hatch 25 matches and fits inside a groove 45 and attachesto the groove 45 with a snap-f1t mechanism when the base foot 120 is pressed into thespace at the inner side walls 249 between the radial proj ections 243. As shown in theenlarged views in Fig. 2B, the base feet 120 are designed to be fitted and housedbetween a radial proj ection rim 244 and an inner frame rim 247.

The central support elements 41 and the end support elements 42 supports thebase feet120 when they are releasably attached to the upper part 240 during moulding,and supports the base feet 120 when they are pushed into connection with the frame242. As also shown in the enlarged views in Fig. 2B, the frame 242 is equipped withreinforcements 251.

The base feet 120 have a substantially basic U-shaped cross-section 123, asshown in the upper enlarged view in Fig. 2B, which contribute to the anchoring of thebase feet 120 in the concrete. To increase such anchoring even further, the base feet 120may be provided with anchoring means 124, having the shape of a truncated pyramidprotruding into the concrete. However, such anchoring means 124 may have othersuitable shapes. Further, the base feet 120 have contact elements 122, which will facethe ground surface when the concrete base element 100 is removed from the mould 200 and placed on the ground.

Fig. 3 shows the lower part 220 and its side walls 225 and coupling means 228.

The lower part 220 has a lower part upper surface 229 corresponding to the design of the upper surface 110 of the finished cast Concrete base 100. The coupling means 228are arranged in their open configuration and can be pivoted downwardly from its currentstate to engage with the locking means of the upper part 240. The lower part 220 has acircumferential rim 221 extending laterally from the side walls 225, which mayfacilitate lifting of the lower part 220 and provides a grip portion when removing themould 200 from the set concrete base 100. In addition, the rim 221 provides a robustsupport for the mould 200 in an assembled state during casting, as shown in Fig. 2B.

The upper part 240 is shown in perspective in Fig. 4A and a cross-section ofthe upper part 240 is shown in Fig. 4B. The internal surface 246 will face towards thelower part 220 when the mould 200 is assembled and the locking means 248, here in theforrn of notches, will hold and be engaged by the coupling means 248.

The mould 200 may have various shapes, for instance the mould 200 may berectangular, square, circular, elliptical, or hexagonal to mention only a few possibilities.The dimensions of the mould 200 may be adapted depending on requirements of thefinished concrete base 100. For instance, the height of the mould 200 as well as thewidth of the mould 200 may be adjusted according to need.

A method 300 for manufacturing a concrete base element 100 using the mould200 will now be explained with reference to Figs. 1-5. Firstly, the method 300comprises releasably connecting 310 one or more base elements 117, 120 to the upperpart 240 or lower part 220 of the mould 200. For instance, step 310 may compriseconnecting the base feet 120 to the upper part 240 of the mould 200. The base feet 120are pushed towards the upper part 240 as indicated in Fig. 2A, such that the protrusions25 engages the end grooves 45 on the inner side walls 249 on the inner surface 246 ofthe upper part 240 with a snap-f1t mechanism.

The snap-f1t mechanism achieved through the protrusions 25 and the endgrooves 45 is tight enough to ensure that the base feet 120 stay securely attached to theframe 242 during the moulding process, but weaker than the engaging forces betweenthe base feet 120 and the set concrete of the concrete main body 105.

Altematively or additionally, the step of connecting 310 a base element 117,120 to the upper part 240 or lower part 220 of the mould 200 comprises arranging theinsert 117 onto the support member 226 on the lower part 220 of the mould 200.

However, the arrangement of the insert 117 onto the support member 226 may beconducted before or after attaching 310 the base feet 120 to the upper part 240 and/orbefore or after the upper part 240 and the lower part 220 are connected 320 to eachother.

Secondly, the method 300 comprises releasably connecting 320 the lower part220 and the upper part 240 to each other by aligning the upper side walls 245 on top ofthe lower side walls 225. The locking means 248 are aligned with the coupling means228 such that the coupling means 228 may be pivoted upwards to enclose and engagethe locking means 248, such that the lower part 220 and upper part 240 are releasablyattached to each other. The seal between the lower and upper part 220, 240 is non-perrneable to liquids, such that the concrete is prevented from leaking from theassembled mould 200.

Subsequently, the method 300 comprises a step of filling 330 the mould 200with concrete through the central opening 241, and a step of curing 340 the concreteduring a pre-deterrnined period. The curing time required will depend on the size of theconcrete base 100, as well as the particular materials used for the concrete.

Finally, the method 300 comprises removing 350 the mould 200 from theformed and set concrete base 100. During this removal step 350, the base feet 120 willdetach from the upper part 240 of the mould 200 since they have become securelyattached to the main body 105 of the concrete once the concrete has set.

The mould 200 disclosed herein may be reused several times. Usually, theupper part 240 and lower part 220 of the mould 200 may be reused between 30 and 80times, more preferably between 40 and 70 times, most preferred approximately 50times.

Hence, once the mould 200 has been removed 350 from the formed concretebase 100, the method 300 may be repeated using the same method steps 310-350 asexplained above and shown in the flow chart in Fig. 5.

Further, the invention has mainly been described with reference to a fewembodiments. However, as is readily understood by a person skilled in the art, otherembodiments than the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims. ll In the claims, the terrn “comprises/comprising” does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps. Furthermore, although indiVidually listed, a plurality of means, elements or method steps may be implemented by eg. a single unit or processor.

Additionally, although individual features may be included in different claims, thesemay possibly adVantageously be combined, and the inclusion in different claims doesnot imply that a combination of features is not feasible and/or advantageous. Inaddition, singular references do not exclude a plurality. The terms “a”, “an”, “f1rst”,“second” etc do not preclude a plurality. Reference signs in the claims are providedmerely as a clarifying example and shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims in any Way.

Claims (15)

1. A reusable mould for forrning a Concrete base (100), said mould (200)comprising a lower part (220) and an upper part (240) being removably connectable toeach other, and wherein at least one base element (117, 120) is releasably connected to the upper part (240) or lower part (220).

2. The mould according to claim 1, wherein the upper part (240) and thelower part (220) are releasably connected to each other by one or more coupling means(228) at the lower part (220) configured to engage a respective locking means (248) atthe upper part (240).

3. The mould according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the base element (120) isat least one base foot (120) configured to be moulded to the concrete base (100),wherein the at least one base foot (120) is releasably attached to the upper part (240).

4. The mould according to claim 3, wherein each base foot (120) isarranged at an intemal surface (246) of the upper part (240) through a snap-f1t engagement.

5. The mould according to claim 3 or 4, wherein each base foot (120) isreleased from the upper part (240) when the upper part (240) is removed from the moulded concrete base (100).

6. The mould according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein theupper part (240) comprises a plurality of radial proj ections (243) extending inwards from a circumference of the upper part (240).

7. The mould according to claim 3 and 6, wherein the mould (200) has anoctagonal shape and wherein four radial proj ections (243) and four base feet (120) are distributed in an altemating pattem. 13

8. The mould according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein thebase element (117, 120) is an insert (117) and the lower part (220) comprises a supportmember (226) conf1gured to maintain the position of the insert (117) during moulding of the concrete base (100).

9. A method for manufacturing a concrete base (100) using a reusable mould(200) comprising a lower part (220) and an upper part (240) being removablyconnectable to each other, said method (300) comprising the steps of: - releasably connecting (310) at least one base element (117, 120) to the upperpart (240) or lower part (220), said base element (117, 120) being a base foot (120) oran insert (117); - releasably connecting (320) the lower part (220) and the upper part (240) toeach other; - adding (330) concrete to the mould (200) through an opening (242) of themould (200); - curing (340) the concrete during a pre-deterrnined time period; and - removing (350) the mould (200) from the concrete base (100), whereby theconcrete base (100) is obtained and the mould (200) may be reused for the method(300).

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of connecting (310)the at least one base element (117, 120) to the upper or lower part (220, 240) comprisespressing the at least one base element (117, 120) into engagement with the upper or lower part (220, 240).

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the step of releasablyconnecting (320) the lower part (220) and the upper part (240) to each other comprisesaligning upper side walls (245) of the upper part (240) with lower side walls (225) ofthe lower part (220). 14

12. The method according to any one of claim 9 to 11, wherein the step ofreleasably connecting (320) the lower part (220) and the upper part (240) comprisesreleasably locking the lower part (220) and upper part (240) to each other usingcoupling means (228) at the lower part (220) engaging a locking means (248) on the upper part (240) or vice Versa.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, further comprisingarranging the base element as an insert (117) onto a support member (226) on the lowerpart (220) of the mould (200) before connecting (310) the base element in the form of atleast one base foot (120) to the upper part (240) and/or before connecting (320) theupper part (240) and the lower part (220) to each other.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein during theremoval step (350), the at least one base foot (120) are released from the upper part(240) of the mould (200).

15. A concrete base (100) manufactured from the method according to any one of claims 9 to 14 using the mould (200) according to any one of claims 1 to 8.