US1888097A - Method for the cooling of the interior of a seamless block of setting concrete - Google Patents

Description

15, 1932' H. SORENSEN METHOD FOR THE COOLING OF THE INTERIOR OF A SEAMLESS BLOCK OF SETTING CONCRETE Filed June 27, 1952 INVENTOR Patented Nov. 15, 1932 AT SJPATN OFFICE HENRY sonnnsnn, or sen FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA V METHOD FOR THE COOLINLG OF THE INTERIOR OF A sEAMLE-ss BLOCK or SETTING CONCRETE Application filed June 27,

My invention consists in a newand simplemethod for treating the interior vof a concrete block, during its setting period, whereby I counteract the destructive heatin forces, which then develop, by means of. a novel application of cooling water, and while my invention may equally well be used for the erection-of other concrete structures, I have described it, in the following specification, and I0 the accompanying drawing, applied to a block of concrete used in the erection of a concrete dam.

In the drawing Fig. 1 illustrates the fragment of the face of a block of concrete, which is erected in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is the Vertical reduced section of the fragment of a finished block illustrating the manner in which my invention was used.

Fig. 4 is the enlargement of the plan view of the one section of a metal casing. Fig. 5 is the side view of Fig. 4. In the drawing, where similar numerals designate similar parts, numeral 1 designates the concrete block of a dam. Numeral 2 designates tunnels. Numeral 3 designates the concrete. 4 designates shafts. 5 designates casings. 6 are the sides of casings 5. 7 arethe ends of casings 5. 8 are plates attached to the ends 7. 9 are staples. 10 are wedges. 11 are hooks. 12 are chains. 13 are snaps. 14 are wooden braces. 15 are wooden wedges. 16 are guide lugs. 17 are regulators. 18 is water. 19 arewaterhoses.

Dealing with Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 I first cast,

in concrete 3 at the base of block 1, a series of suitably spaced horizontally placed tunnels 2. From the inside of tunnels 2, at suitably spaced intervals, I cast vertically extending shafts 4, so that each of the tunnels 2 has a series of vertically extending shafts 4 commencing at the roofs of tunnels 2. Shafts 4, preferably, open out through the top of block 1. Shafts 4 are cast in concrete 3 by means of casings 5, casings 5 serving as theforms for shafts 4. While casings 5 may be made of any suitable material, I prefer to make casings 5 5 of thin sheet metal for the reasons which I 1932. Serial No. 619,409

1 with curved ends 7. To the outside of ends 7,

on the one half of casings 5, I attach curved plates 8. These curved plates 8 extend past those ends 7 to which they are attached, and they overlap the ends 7 of theopposed halves of casings 5. I attach staples 9 to'the extending parts of plates 8. Staples 9. engage suitable slots in the ends 7 of the opposedhalves of casings 5. Wedges 10 are driven into staples 9 and hold the opposed ends 7 together. Inside of casings 5 are opposed hooks 11. When the two halves ofcasings 5 are put together, chains 12 are attached 'to hooks 11 and tightened by means of snaps 13. Braces 14, by means of wedges 15, are then driven between the two halves of casings 5. I prefer to make 14' and 15 of wood; Although casings 5 are made of thin sheet metal they are now firmly held together, while at the same time being braced against outside pressure by meansof braces 14. Casings 5 are composed of sections placed one'on thetop of the other. Guide lugs 16 serve the purpose of holding the sections of casings 5 in line with each other, when those sections are placed one on the top of the other. Guide lugs 16 are attached to the inside of casings 5. e

By means of regulators-17 I control the openings of the mouths of tunnels 2, to which I will make further reference below. I

I inject water 18 into shafts 4 by means of hoses 19. Water 18 will seek its .outlet through tunnels 2. When I reduce the openings of tunnels 2 by means of regulators 17, a less volume of water 18 is given an outlet through regulators 17 than that'which is injected into shafts 4 by meansof hoses 19. Water 18 will then rise, or back up, in shafts 4. By a further adjustment of regulators 17 I can hold water 18 at any desired height in shafts 4, while at the same time maintaining a continual flowof fresh water from hoses 19 to the outlets at regulators 17.

By placing hoses 19 and regulators 17 at 100 opposite ends of shafts 4, a continual flow of fresh cooling water is provided to flow through the water 18 which stands in shafts .4.

Due to the elongated shape, which I have given shafts 4, by means of casings 5, it will be understood, that spaced walls of cooling water 18, in the interior of concrete block 1, are continually playing upon their intervening walls of setting concrete 3.

Had I availed myself of the usual way of using lumber for the forms of shafts 4, instead of sheet metal casings very little of the coolness, which is derived from water 18,

. would have reached concrete 8, due to the insulation which the lumber would have created.

As the continuous concre'te3, of block 1, goes up and the lower layers of concrete 3 become hard, the tunnels 2 and shafts 4 may be filled with a suitable concrete mixture, or may be filled with other suitable material. Before that is done casings 5 are easily removed by first extracting wedges 10 and 15 and'braces 14, besides loosening snaps 13. Casing-s5 may be used over and over again for the erection of the u oer l-a ers of con crete block 1. In the upper part of Fig. 3 the dotted lines indicate the erection of the upper layers of block 1, after tunnels 2 and shafs 4, of the first layer, are filled with concrete or other suitable material.

I have previously described the arrangements whereby water 18 can be held standing at any desired height in shafts 4, and I have also stated that shafts 4 are suitably spaced, meaning thereby that the thickness of concrete 3, which is situated between the spaced shafts 4, must be limited to a thickness that will allow the heat, which is generated by the setting of concrete 3, to reach shafts 4 and there be absorbed, or dispelled, by water 18. That same condition holds truewith regard to tunnels 2. Further :'Regulators 17 may be set to allow for any partial discharge of water 18, they may be opened so as to completely discharge water 18, or they may be closed to prevent any discharge of water 18.

In the manner, which I have explained, I counteract the destructive heat ng forces, that originate inside of concrete block 1 during its setting process. I also obtain the advantage of increasing the hardness ofthe concrete by letting it set while standing in water. The well known contraction, or expansion, joints form no part of myinvent1on.- Shafts may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim 1. In the method of casting a seamless block of concrete of such size as would ordinarily crack or become weakened upon set ting in the absence of heat dispelling means therein, comprising providing shafts extending from the base of'the block to the top thereof, positioning said shafts throughout the block at such intervals as will enable the heat generated by setting 'of the concrete to be conducted thereto, and providing water the block at such intervals as will enable the heat generated by setting of the concrete to be conducted thereto, and providing regulatable water outlets in communication with said shafts holding standing water at any desired height in said shafts to absorb the generated heat. 7

8. In the method of casting a seamless block of concrete of such size as would ordi-- narily crack or become weakened upon setting in the absence of heat dispelling means theren, comprising providing shafts extend ing from the base of the block to the top thereof, providing regulatable water outlets in communication with the bottom of said shafts, positioning said shafts and outlets throughout the block at such intervals as will enable the heat generated by setting of the concrete to be conducted thereto, providing standing water held by said regulatable outlets at any desired height in said shafts to dispell the generated heat, and passing a current of water through said standing water.

HENRY SORENSEN.

4 are embedded in the interior of the continu ous concrete 3, of block 1.. Block 1 mayor may notbe flanked by expansionv joints. As previously stated I prefer to give casings 5 an elongated shape, but casings 5 may be given any other shape to suit whatever changes might be desired in the shape of shafts 4, and it will be, further, understood that various other modifications of structure

Images