US3778953A

US3778953A - Building construction

Info

Publication number: US3778953A
Application number: US00274779A
Authority: US
Inventors: J Delorean
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-07-24
Filing date: 1972-07-24
Publication date: 1973-12-18
Anticipated expiration: 1990-12-18
Also published as: DE2335406A1

Abstract

Inner and outer mold members are moved into juxtaposition on a building site to provide a cavity for casting a monolithic shell, open at one end and consisting of two side walls, one end wall and the roof of a building. After filling said cavity with hardenable material and subsequent withdrawal of the mold members from the shell, a utility unit is moved into the shell through said open end, which is thereafter closed with a window and door containing wall.

Description

United States Patent 1 Delorean 1 Dec. 18, 1973 1 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION [76] Inventor: John Zachary Delorean, 640 Lone Pine Hill, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. 48013 22 Filed: July 24, 1972 211 Appl. No.: 274,779

[52] HS. Cl 52/745, 249/27, 264/31 [51] Int. Cl E04b l/35 [58] Field of Search 52/743, 741, 745; 264/31, 35, 32, 33; 249/27 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,219,272 3/1917 Edison 264/31 2,595,123 4/1952 Callan 52/741 2,966,718 l/1961 Dave i 264/33 3,182,374 5/1965 Cook 249/27 3,490,729 1/1970 Luce et a1 249/27 3,558,095 l/l971 McNiel 264/31 X 3,616,592 11/1971 Rothman .1 52/745 3,696,177 10/1972 Holland 264/33 X Primary Examiner-Price C. Faw, Jr. Attorney-Gerald E. McGlynn, Jr. et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT lnner and outer mold members are moved into juxtaposition on a building site to provide a cavity for casting a monolithic shell, open at one end and consisting of two side walls, one end wall and the roof of a building. After filling said cavity with hardenable material and subsequent withdrawal of the mold members from the shell, a utility unit is moved into the shell through said open end, which is thereafter closed with a window and door containing wall.

15 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTEB DEB I 8 0975 3.778.953 SBEEI 2H! 3 minnow: l a ma 3.778.953

SHEET 3 [If 3 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to building construction, and particularly to low cost housing units and the like having cast walls and roofs.

All methods heretofore employed in the construction of modular or low cost housing, of which I am aware, have suffered from failure to eliminate enough of the on-site labor required in producing units which are comparable in appearance and utility to those of conventional construction. Mobile home builders have virtually eliminated the on-site labor costs, but such units are apparently considered by many to be a form of second-class housing for aesthetic reasons.

I have found that such problems and deficiencies can be avoided by a novel method of on-site construction which makes use of inner and outer mold members to cast a monolithic shell constituting two side walls, one end wall and the roof of the building.

1 am aware that it is old, as shown in prior U. S. Pat. Nos. 1,219,272 Edison, 1,539,023 Roberts, 2,324,554 Billner and 3,490,729 Luce et al., to cast a complete building, including the walls and roof, by first constructing an upwardly open mold therefore on the building site and then filling it with poured concrete or clay. Such constructions, however, are too time consuming and costly in the amount of skilled labor required to construct and disassemble the molds, with the result that little or no economic advantage is obtained over more conventional building methods. It is also not broadly new to cast concrete building walls and/or ceilings using mold-forming apparatus which is mounted on wheels or skids for portability and maneuverability about the building site. Examples of the latter are shown in U. S. Pat. Nos. 1,156,830 Williams et al., 2,331,657 Crom, 2,530,102 Von Bampus, 2,966,718 Dave, 3,482,005 Quentin, 3,558,095 McNiel and 3,659,977 Haws. Such teachings, however, are not applicable to the casting, in one operation, of a monolithic building shell including two side walls, one end wall and a roof; nor do they suggest the advantages of forming such a shell as an intermediate step in the process of constructing low cost housing units and the like.

The building shell cast in accordance with the invention may be provided with reinforcing means imbedded in the walls and roof, and after withdrawing the mold members from the shell the interior and exterior surfaces of the shell may be spray painted and the roof given a protective coating of tar and gravel. Also, since the shell thus formed is open at one end, any large structure which the building is to enclose, such as a prefabricated bath-kitchen-utility unit, may be inserted therein through said open end. A second end wall for closing such open end may be cast or poured adjacent thereto on the site and then tipped up and cemented or otherwise sealingly secured to the side walls and roof of the shell to complete the building. Door and window openings are easily provided in the walls of the shell by attaching suitable cores therefor to the wall-defining surfaces of one of the mold members prior to its association with the other mold member for the casting of the shell.

It is thus the object of my invention to provide an improved method of constructing low cost buildings suitable for housing units and the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The manner in which these and other objects and advantages of the invention are attained is illustrated in the attached drawings wherein:

FIG. I is an elevational view, largely diagrammatic, showing the inner and outer mold members prior to their being brought together to form the mold for casting a building shell.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, except showing the inner and outer mold members in longitudinal/vertical section, and in juxtaposition for casting the building shell.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view in perspective of the cast building shell per se in solid lines, and indicating in broken outline a door and window containing end wall for closing the open end of the shell.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a completed house constructed in accordance with the invention, with the side and end walls shown in section.

FIG. 5 is a further enlarged end view of the inner and outer mold members in their respective positions for casting the building shell over a previously poured concrete floor, certain portions being broken away and in section to show means of reinforcing, coring and anchoring of the shell.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a core for a window opening.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the attachment of a window opening core between the inner and outer mold members.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a prefabricated window unit and outer frame member installed in a cored opening in the building shell.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view showing how the cast walls may be anchored to the building floor by a retainer strip which also serves as a water barrier between the walls and the floor.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view showing how the cast walls may be anchored to the building floor by a wall reinforcement element in the form of a flanged metal strip having perforations in its web section.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, and first to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, inner and outer mold forming members 1 and 2 are used to form a closed mold cavity 3, into which concrete or other hardenable material such as foamable liquid urethane is poured or pumped to form a shell 4 of a building having a roof 5, two side walls 6 and 7, and one end wall 8 (FIG. 4). The inner mold member I is constructed with contiguous external side, end and roof forming surfaces 9, I0 and 11 conforming to the interior configuration of the building shell 4; and the outer mold member is constructed with contiguous internal surfaces l2, l3 and 14 conforming to the exterior configuration of the shell. The end 15 of the outer mold member is open to accommodate telescopic juxtapositioning of the members into their cavity forming relation shown in FIG. 2, and the corresponding end of the inner mold member is provided with a flange 16 which abuts such open end 15 of the outer member to effect the closing of the mold cavity. Each of the mold members may be provided with wheels, as indicated at 17 and 18, for portability and maneuverability about the building site, and with suitable wheel retraction means (not shown) for enabling the side and end surfaces of the mold members to extend to the floor of the building during casting of the shell. Su'cli a floor is shown at 19 in FIGS. 1 and 2 as a poured concrete slab, which has previously been laid on the building site as the first step in constructing the building.

Reinforcement of the side walls and roof of the building may be provided by installing a series of generally hoop-shaped metal elements at longitudinally spaced intervals over the inner mold member. These elements, one of which is shown at 20 in FIG. 5, may be either prefabricated or cut and bent to shape adjacent the building site. In any event, the elements 20 spacedly straddle the side and roof facing surfaces 9, 11 of the inner mold member, and preferably are secured by cementing their lower ends in recesses 21 in the floor 19. Also, a series of vertical stud-like metal elements 22 may be placed in spaced relation opposite the end surfaces of the inner mold member for reinforcing the end wall of the building shell, and similarly anchored by cementing their lower ends in recesses in the floor. It will be appreciated that a series of such recesses 21 may be provided adjacent the perimeter of the floor 19 during the pouring of the concrete slab therefor.

Additional reinforcement of the roof may be provided, as shown in FIG. 5, by placing an I-beam 23 to extend longitudinally above the inner mold member. The forward end of this I-beam can be temporarily supported in various ways during casting of the shell, as, for example, by tying it to one or more of the hoopshaped elements 20. At its rear end, the I-beam 23 rests on the upper end of a vertical I-beam 24 which takes the place of one of the stud-like elements 22.

Window and door openings may be located where desired by placing cores therefor in the mold cavity. Two such window opening cores 25 are shown extending between the side wall facing surfaces 9, 12 of the inner and outer mold members in FIG. 5. As best seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, such a core 25 may be a box-shaped frame of the proper external length and width to provide the desired size opening, and of the same thickness as the mold cavity. Each such core is first attached, as by screws 26 extending thereinto through one of the mold members, and then when both mold members are in their proper positions on the building floor, additional screws 26 may be used to effect a tight abutment of the core with the oppositely facing wall surface of the other mold member. Obviously, similar cores of desired length and width may be attached to the mold members in the same way for providing door openings in the shell wall.

In thus constructing the shell 4 for a building, the inner mold member 1 is first preferably moved into place on the floor 19 as shown in FIG. 1. Thence, the

window opening cores 25 are attached thereto by the screws 26, and the hoop-shaped elements 20, stud-like elements 22, horizontal I-beam 23 and vertical I-beams 24 are installed, and the lower ends of the beam 24 and elements 20, 22 are cemented in place in the floor recesses 21. Next, the outer mold member 2 is moved into place on the floor and secured to the window opening cores by the screws 26, and the cavity 3 thus formed is then filled with foamable urethane, concrete or other hardenable material to be used for the casting. An opening 27 in the roof forming wall of the outer mold member 2 is shown in FIG. 5, through which such material may be directed into the mold cavity. When such casting material has hardened, the core attaching screws 26 are first removed, the inner and outer mold members are next withdrawn, and finally the cores 25 are withdrawn from the cast shell.

The interior surfaces and exterior wall surfaces of the shell may then be spray painted, and the exterior surface of the roof given a protective coating of tar and gravel. Each window opening 28 may also be fitted with a prefabricated window unit 29 and an outer trim member 30 attached thereto, as shown in FIG. 8.

Next, any large items which the building is to enclose, such as the prefabricated bath-kitchen-utility unit 31, cupboard 32 and interior partition 33 shown in FIG. 4, may be moved into the shell through its open end and connected to service lines 41, 42 (FIG. 5) provided therefor in the floor 19, after which this open end may be closed by the addition of a second end wall 34, thus completing the building.

This second end wall 34, of urethane foam or concrete, may be cast on the building site in the manner conventionally used for pouring concrete floors. Such an on-site cast wall 34 may, as indicated in FIG. 3, be formed horizontally adjacent the open end of the shell 4, and then tipped up into closing relation with such open end, and thereafter sealed with cement to the walls and roof of the shell. During the casting thereof, stud-like reinforcement elements similar to those shown in FIG. 4, as well as an I-beam 35 (FIG. 4) for supporting the forward end of the horizontal I-beam 23, may be cast in place therein.

For buildings in which it is desired to provide a posi t ive water barrier at the juncture between the walls and the floor, a generally Z-section strip 37, of any fluid impervious material, may be employed as shown in FIG. 9. The lower flanged portion of such strip would be imbedded in the floor 19 during the pouring thereof, with the upper flange portion extending into the mold cavity so as to be imbedded in the building wall during the casting of the shell 4. By using such a strip 37 made of steel or other rigid and strong material, it will also serve to anchor the building wall to the floor. Thus, buildings not requiring the reinforcement provided by the previously described hoop-shaped elements 20 and the studlike elements 22 may be anchored to the floor by such metal strips 37.

As shown in FIG. 10, channel or l-beam section aluminum strips 38 having side flanges 39 and a web 40 with perforations 41 may be used as a means for reinforcing and anchoring the shell to the building floor. Such strips 38, because of the relative ease with which they can be cut and bent, are preferred for making the previously described hoop-shaped elements 20 and stud-like elements 22, where this fabrication work is to be performed on the building site.

The invention claimed is:

l. The method of on-site construction of a building having a floor, two side walls, two end walls and a roof, comprising the steps of: laying the floor for a building; telescopically moving into position over said floor inner and outer mold-forming members to form a closed mold cavity for casting a monolithic partial shell of said building consisting of said two side walls, one wall and a roof: filling said mold cavity with hardenable material to produce said shell; withdrawing said members from the shell after the material thereof is hardened, forming a second end wall and securing it to said side walls and roof to complete said shell.

2. The method of claim 1, including the step of inserting a prefabricated service unit into said partial shell prior to securing said second end wall to said side walls and roof.

3. The method of claim 1, including the step of attaching a wall opening core to the exterior of said inner mold forming member prior to moving said other mold forming member into position over said floor.

4. The method of claim 3, including the step of detaching said core from the inner mold forming member after withdrawing said outer mold forming member from the shell and prior to withdrawing said inner mold forming member from the shell.

5. The method of claim 1, including the step of placing shell reinforcement elements adjacent the exterior of said inner mold forming member prior to moving said outer mold forming member into position over said floor.

6. The method of on-site construction of buildings, comprising the steps of: laying a floor for a building; constructing an inner mold forming member having external surfaces defining the internal configuration of two side walls, one end wall and a roof for said building; constructing an outer mold forming member having internal surfaces defining the external configuration of said building walls and roof; moving each of said mold forming members onto said floor with said internal and external surfaces of the members correspondingly oriented to provide a closed mold cavity therebetween; thence filling said cavity with hardenable material to form a monolithic shell of said building having one open end and consisting of two side walls, said one end wall and said roof; and thence withdrawing said mold members from the shell when said material is substantially hardened.

7. The method of claim 6, including the further step of forming a second end wall for said building and securing it to the side walls ofsaid shell to close said open end thereof.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said further step includes forming said second end wall in a horizontal plane with its base portion adjacent said open end of the shell and then tipping said second end wall upwardly into closing relation with said open end of the shell.

9. The method of claim 6, including the step of inserting a prefabricated service unit into the shell through said open end thereof.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein one of said mold forming members is first moved onto said floor and shell reinforcement elements are placed adjacent said external surfaces of said inner mold forming member, prior to moving the other of said mold forming members onto said floor.

11. The method of claim 6, including the step of attaching an upstanding wall retaining strip to said floor adjacent the perimeter thereof so as to extend upwardly from the floor and into said mold cavity when said mold forming members are moved onto said floor.

12. The method of claim 6, including the step of attaching wall opening cores to one of said mold forming members prior to completing said step of moving each of said mold forming members onto said floor.

13. The method of constructing a building having a floor, two side walls, two end walls and a roof, comprising the steps of: constructing a concrete slab floor of sufficient width and length to underlie the side and end walls of said building and having upwardly open recesses therein in spaced apart relation along each side; placing on said floor an inner mold member having contiguous external surfaces defining the internal configuration of said two side walls, one of said end walls and the roof of said building; placing wall and roof reinforcement hoop-shaped elements over said inner mold member and imbedding the lower ends of said elements in concrete within said recesses along the sides of the building floor; placing on said floor an outer mold member having contiguous internal surfaces defining the external configuration of said building side walls, one end wall and roof with said outer mold member surfaces in spaced corresponding relation with said inner mold member surfaces; filling the spaces between said mold members and reinforcement elements with hardenable material to form a monolithic shell of said building, open at one end; thence withdrawing said inner mold member away from the open end of said shell and the outer mold member away from the end wall of said shell; and thereafter constructing a second end wall for closing said shell open end and securing said second end wall in closing relation with the open end of the shell.

14. The method of claim 13, including the step of moving a prefabricated utility unit onto said floor through the open end of said shell.

15. The method of claim 13, including the steps of attaching a window opening core to one of said mold member surfaces prior to placing the second of said mold members on the floor, and attaching the opposite surface of said mold member to said core after said second mold member is placed on the floor; detaching said mold members from said core after said shell has hardened, and prior to withdrawing said mold members from the shell; and withdrawing said core from the shell after said mold members have been withdrawn from the shell.

Claims

1. The method of on-site construction of a building having a floor, two side walls, two end walls and a roof, comprising the steps of: laying the floor for a building; telescopically moving into position over said floor inner and outer mold-forming members to form a closed mold cavity for casting a monolithic partial shell of said building consisting of said two side walls, one wall and a roof: filling said mold cavity with hardenable material to produce said shell; withdrawing said members from the shell after the material thereof is hardened, forming a second end wall and securing it to said side walls and roof to complete said shell.

7. The method of claim 6, including the further step of forming a second end wall for said building and securing it to the side walls of said shell to close said open end thereof.