US1598131A

US1598131A - Method of and apparatus for constructing concrete walls

Info

Publication number: US1598131A
Application number: US739189A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ham William Deane
Original assignee: HAM S METHOD ENGINEERING COMPA
Current assignee: HAM S METHOD ENGINEERING COMPA; HAM'S METHOD ENGINEERING Co
Priority date: 1924-09-22
Filing date: 1924-09-22
Publication date: 1926-08-31
Anticipated expiration: 1943-08-31

Description

Aug. 31, 1926. 1,598,131

w. D. HAM

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING CONCRETE WALLS l. A W

Aug. 31, 1926. 1,598,131

w. D. HAM

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING CONCRETE WALLS Filed Sept. 22A 1924 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Il' |[l 2 v /z 7 z5 2 25 l. Z ig: Z5

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w. D. HAM

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING CONCRETE WALLS Filed Sept. 22. 1924 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 *rimialm 5T Lr TJ "n (f-@ nnanuununnu Aug. 31, 1926. 1,598,131

W. D. HAM

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING CONCRETE WALLS Filed Sept. 22. 1924 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 la; Il,

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Aug. 31, 1926.

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METHOD OF' AND APPARATUS FOR CONSTRUCTING CONCRETE WALLS Filed sept. 22. 1924 e sheeiS-sheet e Patented ug.-3l, 1926.

UNITED STATES Y 1,598,131 PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM DEANE HAM, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA., ASSIGNOB TO THE HAMS METHOD ENGINEERING COMPANY, OF THE DISTRICT Ol' vCORPORATION OF MARYLAND.

COLUMBIA, L

METHOD OF A ND APPARATUS IOR CONSTRUCTING CONCRETE WALLS.

Application led September 22, 1924. Serial No. 739,189.

The purpose of my invention is to4 provide a method of constructing concrete'fwalls requiring a small number of interchangeable structural form elementsy which may be used repeatedly as the work progresses and which require a minimum of skill in their manipulation.

The finished walls must be symmetrical, with straight sides and of uniform thickness. In order to secure this result the mold walls must be held rigidlv in position and the inner and outer moli Walls must be tied together in a manner that will resist any tendency to separate under reat strains to which they are subjected immediately following the pouring of the concrete.

It has been the common practice to construct tlie mold of lumber, nailed together, to form the opposite Walls whichare spaced apart by means of hollow core separators and drawn together into alinement and-rigidly held in place by means of threaded bolts passing through the separators.

The removal of the nailed lumber mold walls andthe withdrawal of the bolts and separators resulted in the defacement of the concrete walls which necessitated patching or else left them unsightly in appearance.

The methods heretofore employed in constructing mold walls required skilled labor and -first class materials and'necessitated a large wastage of materials as well as the. eX- pcnditure of time and labor in the removal of the nails and the recutting of the lumber to tit it for subsequent use.' Furthermore the-bolts and nuts which had been in contact with the cement were either rendered useless or required a large. amount of time and labor to condition them for subsequent use.

1.1i contrast with these prior methods, my present invention eliminates all Waste of lumber and enables the builder to produce a true, smooth Wall unniarred by bolt holes, oil'sets, or patches.

For the purpose of attaining these desired results I provide strong wire ties each electrically welded into an integral loop, capable of withstanding great strains and pressures. After the concrete has set and the mold Walls have been removed, these ties must be removed, or partially removed and hence it is necessary to use the smallest and smoothest wire possessing the requisite strength to hold the mold walls in true position and alinement during the period of heaviest strains, i. e. while the concrete is soft. While these tie wires possess the requisite tensile strength they have no rigidity and hence 1t is necessary to provide other means f or holding the mold walls in spaced relation and to prevent inward collapse. For this purpose I provide spacer bars to which the spacer elements are pivotally secured in a manner permitting them to be arranged 1n a horizontal lposition with theirends pressing outwardly a ainst the mold Walls whichvare drawn rm y against the spacers as the Wedge pins are driven into the loop ends of the Wire ties. i

The horizontal'reinforcing rods are supported upon the spacers and maintained in .position while the concrete materials are poured into4 t-he mold. Immediately after the concrete is poured, the spacer bars are lifted, drawing the inner pivoted ends of the spacers upwardly and causin them to gradually swing inwardly and fok? down over the bar, .thus permitting the withdrawal of the spacing elements without disturbing the reinforcing rods. As this is done While the concrete is soft and before it has set the concrete will immediately flow into and ill gp the interstices left by the spacers and ars.

The concrete when. first poured into the mold is a heavy plastic material and tends to spread the mold walls unless they are rigidly held in position.' To secure the necessary rigidity I arrange channel bars in pairs upon opposite sides of the mold walls and tie them together by means of wall ties consisting of integral wire loops, the ends of which pass through slots in the channel bars and are made fast by steel Wedge pins. The brace bars are made in unit lengths and are built up to the various heights as the walls progress by couplingthem end to end by means of short channel shaped coupling bars of slightly smaller dimensions so that they will fit snugly within the channels of the brace bars. Steel Wedge pins driven through registering apertures in the flanges of the bars and coupling members produce very rigid joints, so that the coupled channel bars constitute in effect a continuous brace member which holds the sides of the mold Wall rigidly in vertical position.

To maintain the mold in true alinement Thus I have eliminated the two principal causes ot depreciation heretofore encountered in mold wall work.

I employ selected boards which are cut accurately to predetermined thickness and lengths, and correspond in width to the distance between centers of the wire loop wall ties which are embedded in the mold boards by a hammer blow, and this produces a mold having a smooth inner surface. Inasniuch as the form boards, are forced firmly against the ends of the spacing elements when the wedge pins are driven into the ends of the wire loop ties, the walls molded in accordance with my method disclosed herein are very smooth and require no plas'- tering or other finish other than a light rubbing with carborundum brick.

I toughen the libre of the lumber and prevent the moisture in the plastic concrete material from penetrating the pores by soaking the finished boards in hot oil and then coating them with a composition of talc powder and soap suspended in water.

lt is necessary oi course, to provide scaffolding' upon either side of the walls as they are under process of construction. For this purpose, on one side of the wall I utilize some ot' the same channel brace bars, coupling them together as the work progresses to form the outside uprights and connect them to the mold wall brace bars by means of other channel bars arranged horizontally and secured at their opposite ends to the brace bars and uprights by wedge pins. This outer series of vertical bars constitute secondary brace members as well as supports for the scaffolding. iUpon these horizontal bars I place some of the boards to form the platform.

Upon the opposite side of the wall I provide a'strong portable and quickly adjustable hanging scaffolding by fastening triangular brackets to the brace bars to form supports for the ioor boards of the platform.

After the concrete walls have been completed. it is only necessary' to drive out the wedge pins in order to remove the mold boards and the supporting frame members. After the outer mold walls are removed. the outer end of each wire tie is used for anchors for the brick veneer or other finish or is cut off near the outer surface of the wall inside of the wall will then loosen the wire tie so that by using a brace bar as a lever, the tie may be pulled inwardly until its outer cut ends have been brought to about the middle of the wall. The inner loop end of the tie may be cut olf flush with the surface of the wall which may there be painted, leaving no visible sign of the tie or defacement of the wall u on either side.

In the furt 1er description of my method of constructing concrete walls I shall refer to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a` perspective view of apparatus embodying my invention showing the mold part-s in position for receiving the concrete material. Figure 2 is a side elevation of a mold wall showing the brace bars and liner bars in position; Figure 8 is a transverse sectional view on the zigzag line 3 3 of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a central longitudinal sectional view of a corner coupling for the liner bars; Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through the mold walls, illustrating the spacer elements in bracing position with the reinforcing rods resting there-on and showing in dotted lines, the manner in which the spacers swing downwardly and fold over the spacer bar as it is being removed after the concrete has been poured; Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail view showing the spacers arranged in opposed pairs as in Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the wire loop ties with the wedge pins at each end; Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view through the walls of a mold .for a thin wall, showing the spacer bar in engagement with one of the walls and showing also one of the brace bars broken away to expose one of the wedge pins in the end of a wire loop tie; Fig. 10 is a transverse sectional view on" the line 10-10 of Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is a detail sectional view on the line 11-11 of Fig. 10; Fig. 12 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a wire tie passing across and imbedded in one of the walls of the mold and projecting through a slot in a brace bar;

.Fig 13 1s a front elevation of a portion of a brace bar showing the loop end of a wire tie passing through a slot in the bar and a wedge pin driven through the projecting loop end; Fig. 14 is an enlarged detail section on the line 14-14 of Fig. 3 show ing the manner of securing the liner bars to the brace bars by means of rings and wedge pins; Fig. 15 is a sectional view on the line 15-15 of Fig. 14; Fig. 16 is a front elevation of the abutting ends of two brace bars, showing the cou ling member which overlaps the joint anc is secured to both bars by wedge pins; Fig. 17 is a transverse section on the line 17-17 of Fig. 16; Fig.

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lil() 18 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 16; Fi 19 is a fragmentary side elevation, part y in section showing the manner of constructing a scaffold attached at one side to the brace bars of the mold Wall; Fig. 20 is a fragmentary transverse sectiona1 view on the zigzag line 20-20 of Fig. 19; Fig. 21 is a side elevation, partly broken away showing the triangular racket for a -portable scaffold secured by wedge pins to a brace bar of the mold wall; Fig. 22 is a front elevation of the same; and Fig. 23 1s a detail sectional view on the line 23-23 of Fig. 21. 1

The manner of using the apparatus will be apparent from the drawings. After the footings or foundation 1,' of concrete has been poured into the trenches and filled to within about one inch of the top, being the width of the wall plus the thickness of the two mold boards, I find the level at thel four corners, driving strong stakes outside of the wall line and marking the level point on each stake. A fine strong wire 2, such as steel piano wire, is stretched taut between the level .points on the corner stakes. At intervals of about three feet, pairs of stakes 3, are driven upon opposite sides of the foundation, each pair being tied together by a stout wire 5 having its ends twisted, the wire loop thus formed being twisted as shown at 6, until the wire is taut and rigidly stretched. The stakes are then driven down until the cross wires 5 touch the leveling wire 2. In this manner I provide a series of supports for the lower course of mold boards that are level throughout the length of the. wall.

After the first course of mold boards 10, are placed in position, I fill the one inch space below the bottom edge of the boards and the top of the footing, with mortar rich in cement and containing hydrated lime or other waterproofing compound thus providing an impervious layer 8, between the soil and the finished wall.

The vertical brace bars 12 of channel shape, are set up in pairs upon opposite sides of the mold. at regular intervals. each pair being tied together by wire loop ties 14 passing between the meeting side edges of theboards, the loop ends passing through central rectangular holes 15 in the brace bars. These apertures are cut at exact intervals in the brace bars and the mold boards are equal to exactly correspond in width and therefore the wire tie passing between the edges of the two mold boards must be imbedded as shown in Fig. 12 in the edge of one mold board. This is done by a hammer stroke after the mold board has been placed in rigid position. The mold boards are spaced apart by s acer elements 17 pivoted at their inner en s upon a spacer bar 20. In the construction shown in Fig. 1, the

spacers are arranged in pairs, a spacer 17 on each slde of the bar being carrled upon the same pivot 18 1n the manner shown 1n Fig.

.7, thus constituting in effect a toggle.' The spacers of each pair are made of different lengths, so that for thinner walls, either length of spacers may be used alone as shown in Fig. 9. In the latter figure the spacing elements are arranged singly along the spacer bar, onl one spacer and its washer being carriedy upon a rivet as shown in Fig. 11. I

The spacers are preferably so spaced apart on the bars and positioned within the mold that they engage the mold walls at the middle points of the boards and at the joints or abutting edges of the boards in the manner shown in Fig. l. Under some conditions I find it desirable to arrange the spacers to press against the opposite mold boards in staggered relation as illustrated in Fig. 5. Again for thin walls the bar may bear against one wall and the spacers against the other as in Fig. 9.

After the spacer bars are in position so that the spacers 17 may be swung outwardly and downwardly until they engage and brace the boards, steel wedges 23 are driven through the projecting loop ends of the wire ties to draw the brace bars toward each other, the inward movement being resisted by the spacers and this results in clamping the mold boards rigidly in vertical alinement between the outside brace bars 'and the inside spacers. As each course of mold boards is placed in position, the reinforcing rods 25 are inserted and laid in the notches or recessed portions 17L in the upper side of the spacers. Vertical reinforcing rods 26 are threaded through each of the wire loop wall ties and are tied by means of pieces of wire to the horizontal reinforcing rods 25, at their crossing points.

To maintain the wall in true horizontal -alinement, I connect the brace bars by means of liner bars 27, which may be heavy gas pipes. These liner b'arsfare clamped to the race bars by integral rings 28 of high grade steel possessing greattensile strength,such

,as made from .boiler tubes, the rings being shaped as shown in Figs. 1 4 and 15. to receive steel wedges 23'which vpass through holes 13 in the opposite Ranges of the brace bars and are driven until the liner bars are brought tight against the flanges. The rectangular holes 13'are cut throughout the length of the flanges of the brace bars an inch apart on centers. A sufiicient number of rings 28 are placed upon each liner bar and prevented from sliding off by means of half length couplings 30 threaded upon the opposite'fends of the'bar. The liner bars may be .coupled at their ends when necessary. In Fig. 4 I have shown fthe manner in which the bars may be coupled at a corner. A tube 27 bent at right angles is telescoped'into the ends of the tubular liner bars and is secured by driving wedge pins 23 throughalining rectangular holes in the bars and coupling member.

As the Wall progresses upwardly it is necessary to extend the length of the vertical brace bars. For this purpose I couple additional bars to those in place by a coupling which is strong and absolutely rigid and may be quickly assembled. The coupling member 32 is a short channel bar which tits snugly between the Hanges of the abutting brace bars and is provided with rectangular holes in its flanges to aline with those in the brace bars. When wedges are driven through the alining apertures, preferably from opposite sides in the manner shown in Figs. 16 and 17, the web of the coupling member is forced tightly against the inner side of the Webs of the bars forming a rigid and strong joint. A central aperture n 1s provided in the web of the coupling member to permit the inser tion of the loop end of a wire tie when necessary.

n one side of the wall I provide scaffolds constructed from the same channel -brace bars as are used to brace the mold boards. This is illustrated in Fig. 1. The brace bars forming the outside supports are connected te the brace bars of the mold wall structure by half length brace bars 12a which are secured at each end lby wedge pins 23, driven through alining` holes in thebars. 4To accommodate the wedge pins, which are rectangular in section, t-he end holes in the bottom of the short brace'bars 12 forming the ledge support, are cut withtheir longer axes extending lengthwise of the bar so that they will coincide with those in the vertical bars, as shown in Figs; 19 and 20. The boards 10a which are laid upon the ledge support to form the platform of the scaffold may' be old mold boards which have become Worn from repeated use.

Upon the opposite sides of the wall I prefer to provide a portable scaffold constructed in the manner shown in Figs. 21 and 23. Flat steel bands 34 bent into triangular shape and having their meeting ends 34 upturned and welded or riveted, serve as brackets to support the platform boards 10a. One side of cach bracket is positioned within the channel of a brace bar of the mold wall and keyed therein. rigidly by wedge pins at the upper and lower ends of the bracket. Although these brackets provide a support for the platform of/ the scaffold that is absolutely safe, yet /they may be readily moved from one position to another as the work progresses.

As soon as the concrete has been poured in any section of the mold the spacers are withdrawn therefrom by lifting the spacci' bars. As shown in Fig. 5, when the bars are pulled upwardly, the spacers 17 will rock on their pivots, swinging downwardly as the bar is moved upwardly, as indicated in" dotted lines. The spacers are thus readily removed and the soft concrete is settled into place by means of mallet blows against the outside of mold walls.

As the wall progresses the wedge pins which hold the bottom sections of the brace bars and the liner bars secured thereto; ma be driven out and these parts together wit the corresponding mold boards, may be removed and immediately used at the top of the mod since all parts are interchangeable. rlhis process of removing the mold parts from the bottom and using them again at the top may be repeated again and again. This reduces the number of mold parts required in the construction of a building and correspondiugly reduces the labor in handling the structural parts and the amount of material to be transported from place to place. lVhen the wall has been completed, the remaining portion of the mold wal's may be readily dismantled since the entire structure is held together by the steel Wedge pins. The ends of the tie wires are cut off and all trace of them is removed from the surface of the wall in the manner previously described.

What I claim is 1. The method of constructing concrete walls which comprises tying the mold Walls together against spacing elements, pouring the concrete, and removing said elements while the concrete is in' a plastic state.

2. The method of constructing concrete walls which comprises erecting mold walls upon opposite sides of a series of spacing elements, tying the walls together, pouring the concrete, and removing. the spacing elements While the concrete is in a plastic state.

3. The method of constructing concrete Walls which comprises molding the concrete around wall spacing elements and removing said elements while the concrete is in a plastic state.

4. The method of constructing concrete walls which comprises molding the concrete around wall spacing elements, collapsing said elements and removing them While the 'concrete is still in a plastic state.

5. A mold for constructing concrete Walls, comprising sectional mold wall elements. and collapsible spacing members removable in their entirety engaging the opposite inner faces of said wall elements.

G. A mold for constructing concrete Walls, comprising sectional mold wall elements, spacing members removable in their entirety engaging the opposite inner faces of said wall elements, and means for holding said wall elements in rigid aline'ment against said 130 spacing members.

7. In a mold as set forth in claim 6, said spacing members being adjustable to pro- Vide for walls of different thicknesses.

8. A mold for constructing concrete Walls, comprising sectional mold wall elements, spacing members removable in their entirety engaging the opposite inner faces of said wall elements, and means holding said spacing members in spaced vertical relation while the concrete is poured.

9. A mold for constructing concrete walls, comprising sectional mold wall elements, reinforcing rods extending horizontally in spaced vertical alinement through the mold, collapsible toggle supports for holding said rods while concrete is poured, and means for collapsing and removing said supports while the concrete is in a plastic state.

10. A collapsible spacer device, which is removable in its entirety after the concrete is poured, for holding mold walls in spaced relation to each other prior to and during the pouring of the concrete.

11. A removable spacer bar for holding mold walls in spaced relation to each other prior to the deposit of wall materials, said bar being provided with a plurality of pivotally mounted spacing elements.

12. In a spacer bar as set forth in claim 11, sa'id spacing elements being of varying lengths to 'provide for different thicknesses of walls.

13. A mold for concrete walls, comprising mold boards, spacing members for positionling the boards during the pouring of the concrete,- and means for removing said spacing elements from the mold while the concrete is in aplastic state.

14. A mold for concrete walls, comprising mold boards, spacing members for positioning the boards during the pouring of the concrete, and means for collapsing said spacing elements and removing them from the mold while the concrete is in a plastic condition.

15. A brace bar for mold forms, comprising channel bar sections provided with rectangular openings disposed along its web and side flanges, coupling means having perforated flanges coacting with said bar flanges and fastening means passing through registering openings in the flanges of thecoupling and channel bar sections to lock the sections end to end intoa continuous rigid' .brace member.

v16. A'iframe work for bracing the mold b'oards of a wall mold, comprising a series of upright channel bars spaced at intervals along the mold, a second series of channel bars spaced outwardly from the wall in alinement with said first-named series of bars, other channel bars extending horizontally between the bars of the first series and the bars of the second series and having their webs vertical and their opposite ends extending into `the channels of the bars of the respective series, all of said channel bars being provided with rectangular flanges, and wedge pins passing through the aligned perforations in the flanges of the vertical bars and the ends of the horizontal bars, the horizontal bars of the bracing serving to support scaffold boards.

17. A mold for constructing concrete walls comprising interchangeable mold -wall elements, collapsible spacing members bearing against the inner faces of said wall elements, upright brace bars provided with perforations and arranged in opposite pairs, integral welded wire loop ties having their opposite loop ends protruding through perforations in the pairs of brace bars and wedge pins driven through said loop ends.

18. A liner barfor vertical mold forms, comprising tubular bar sections, and means for securing the bar sections to the mold forms, comprising ring members surrounding each tubular section, and wedge pins adapted to pass through the rings and mold form braces.

19. Means for alining and rigidly holding the mold boards of a wall mold, comprising upright channel bars provided with perforated flanges and arranged in pairs upon opposite sides of the mold and tied together, liner bars extending horizontally between said channel bars upon each side of the mold, rings surrounding the liner bars and having lateral offset portions extending between the flanges of said channel bars, and wedge pins passing through said offset portions and alining perforations in said flanges. 20. Means for a'lining and detachably securing the parts of a wall mold together during the pouring operation, comprising interchangeable mold board sections, collapsible spacer members extending between the inner faces of said mold boards, vertical channel brace bars provided with perforations in the flanges and web and arranged in pairs upon opposite sides of the mold, integral loop tie wires having their opposite ends protruding through web perforations in the pairs of brace bars, wedge pins driven through said protruding loop ends, liner bars extending horizontally between said channel bars upon each side of the mold, rings surrounding the liner bars and having lateral offset portions extending between the flanges of said channel bars, and wedge pins passingv through said ofi'set portions and alining perforations in said flanges.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. WILLIAM DEANE HAM.

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