WO1990010128A1

WO1990010128A1 - Construction element

Info

Publication number: WO1990010128A1
Application number: PCT/NO1990/000042
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mindor Sunde
Original assignee: Mindor Sunde
Priority date: 1989-03-01
Filing date: 1990-03-01
Publication date: 1990-09-07
Also published as: AU5193590A; NO890861D0

Abstract

A substantially block shaped construction element (1) of an insulating material, having longitudinal grooves (2) in at least one of the flat sides. The grooves (2) having an inwardly increasing cross section, being designed to have a load-bearing element (6) inserted. The load-bearing element (6) can be cast in the groove, e.g. from concrete or another castable material. A layer of concrete (5) can also be laid on one or both flat sides, connected with, and cast at the same time as the concrete supports (6). A wall can be constructed by placing the elements (1) horizontally on their flat sides, joining them together and reinforcing them. Casting material is applied whilst plastic, and runs down the grooves (2) and covers the entire flat side of the element with a layer of cast material. As load-bearing elements in the grooves (2) can also be used pillars of aluminium, steel, wood or other materials.

Description

Construction element

The present invention concerns a construction element as indicated in the introduction to Claim 1.

The use of concrete as a building material is known from construction engineering. Concrete has such good thermal conducting properties that extra insulation is necessary in most cases. Usually when a concrete foundation is to be built a formwork of wood or the like is put up to contain the mortar. The formwork is normally smooth on the inside. The necessary reinforcement is placed inside the formwork. When the mortar has set, the formwork is removed and insulation is added, if required. Concrete walls must be relatively thick to take the loads they are calculated for. The use of concrete elements is also known. These can be designed in different ways. One example is concrete combined with insulation boards, such as a layer of concrete on both sides of insulation boards and binders between. Another example is an outer layer of massive concrete that is preferably insulated afterwards. There is also a system based on porous plastic blocks. These are shaped about the same as normal bricks with an internal cavity. The cavity is filled with cement once the wall has been built. A rendering can then be put on both sides or a studding can be cemented onto the wall for normal facing. This is a formwork system that is a complete insulation material. It is nevertheless not a straightforward procedure as the whole wall must first be cemented using different formwork/insulation materials. Furthermore, the strength of such a wall will be less than a conventional concrete wall and the wall will not be able to offer protection in case of fire. DE 3 611 835 describes a wall element of lightweight concrete with a barrier layer 3 placed against an added layer of concrete. Layer 3 is waterproof, as the objective is to use lightweight concrete that is not waterproof, in connection with outside walls. The patent specification does not however have the combination of mounting mouldings/- support system.

Objectives of the invention: The main objective of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for producing walls, ceilings and floors without the disadvantages found with existing techniques.

A further objective with the invention is to present a means of using concrete and an insulation material, and the characteristics of these materials are used to obtain a straightforward and quick means of building.

A further objective with the invention is to present a means where formwork can be used so that it can later become part of the material in the building.

A further objective with the invention is to give a strong structure when it is finished.

A further objective with the invention is to give a structure that does not require extensive finishing work. A further objective with the invention is to give a structure that can use other load-bearing materials than concrete, that can be put up and taken down many times.

Principles of the invention: The main objective of the invention can be realized by an application of the procedure indicated in the characterizing part of Claim 1, and by an apparatus in accordance ..with Claim 2.

Other advantageous aspects of the invention become evident from the subsidiary claims.

Examples of designs in accordance with the invention:

The following provides a description of the invention referring to drawings, where, Fig. 1 shows the first example of a design in accordance with the present invention with two construction elements joined together, seen in cross section,

Fig. 2 shows the construction elements in Fig. 1 after the addition of concrete and studding, Fig. 3 shows the construction elements in Fig. 1 in an outside corner, as well as an outside corner element, Fig. 4 shows the construction elements in Fig. 1 in an outside corner with reinforcement, concrete and studding, Fig. 5 shows the construction element in Fig. 1 in an inside corner as well as an inside corner element,

Fig. 6 shows a second example of a design in accordance with the present invention with two construction elements joined together, after the addition of concrete and studding, Fig. 7 shows cross section of a finished structure with a third example of a design of construction elements in accordance with the present invention, and Fig. 8 shows a perspective sketch of a finished structure with the design from Fig. 7 where aluminium is used as the load-bearing element.

Fig. 1 shows a construction element in accordance with the present invention with a number of grooves 2,3,4. The element 1 is differently shaped at its ends, but with equivalent grooves 2a and 2b at each end, these grooves in combination form groove 2. Groove 2 is shaped like part of a triangle, with a cross section area that increases inward. Groove 4 is located on the opposite side from groove 2, but for practical reasons groove 4 is not part of a groove formed by the ends of two elements, thus groove 4 is not symmetrical in relation to groove 2. Groove 4 has an essentially rectangular cross section. Another groove, 3 is located on the same side of the element as groove 4, this has the same shape as groove 2. The element itself is preferably produced in porous plastic, but other insulation materials, such as polyu ethane, or similar can be used. It is also possible that materials are used that are not primarily insulating, in cases where this feature is unimportant.

The method in accordance with the invention is to lay the element 1 on a flat surface, and join it together as shown in Fig. 1. The reinforcement is located in groove 2 in element 1. Reinforcement mats are placed over the reinforcement in order to reinforce the outer layer of concrete. Mortar is then applied in much the same way as when one is cementing a floor. The concreting can be done in a factory, close to the building site or at the building site. Once the concrete is sufficiently hardened, the element can be mounted. A completed element can range from a few cast elements to a complete wall.

When a wall is to be cast it is the element that acts as the formwork. As this is also to be used as insulation afterwards there is no need to remove this formwork once the concrete is dry. This means that it is possible to fill groove 2 with concrete possibly using reinforcement in the formwork. This will produce supports that the finished element can be mounted on, which will strengthen the wall. A means of building like this is analogous to building in wood, where there is a frame with supports usually spaced about 60 cm apart. Both when building with wood and concrete such a construction will provide a much more efficient means of using the materials, since high strength is combined with low use of materials. Even better insulation can be provided by battens on the inner elements laid in zones between the concrete supports. The dimensions of the concrete layer 5 (see Fig. 2) the concrete supports 6, the studding 7 and their location can be varied according to what is necessary considering the tension and other loads the concrete can be subjected to. In the following example, the concrete layer is about 50 mm thick the concrete supports 6 are 80-90 mm and are flush with the surface of the insulation 1, 100-120 on the inside and about 80 mm in depth. Groove 4 is designed for a studding, thus must have standard wood dimensions, preferably 36 x 48 mm. The element itself is 600 mm long, so this becomes the distance between the concrete supports in the finished construction element/wall. Fig. 3 shows the design from Fig. 1 in an outside corner on a wall. A separate corner element is generally termed 10, and this is designed to fit together with the ends of two elements 1. The corner element 10 is best considered as being shaped as a foreshortened standard element 1, that is divided into two, where one part is turned 90 in relation to the other. This is illustrated in Fig. 3 where the notation 2a^', 2b' and 4' is used for the grooves that equate 2a, 2b and 4. In the corner, 2b and 2a^' form a groove for a concrete support and 2a and 2b' form a second groove for another concrete support. The grooves for the studding are indicated by 4 and 4' and are located right in the corner. How this appears in practice is indicated in Fig. 4, where the corner in Fig. 3 is equipped with reinforcement, studding and concrete. Reinforcement mats 12 are placed centrally between the formwork/eleraent 1 and the outer layer of the concrete 5 in a known manner. The supports 6 have lattice girders 14 inside, these are essentially vertical in cross section. In front of the supports 6 there are also mats 13 to further strengthen the element joint. Tie bars 15 are positioned diagonally in the corners and through both corner supports. The studdings 7 are attached to the walls by nails 16, preferably before the concrete has hardened.

An inside corner can be designed as shown in Fig. 5. Once again, unit 1 indicates a standard element with groove 2a. A separate inside corner element 20 has a groove 21, that together with groove 2a form a groove for a concrete support. The edge of the concrete 23 is indicated on the drawing as a broken line. Groove 22 for the studding is placed in this case on the outside of the corner.

Fig. 6 shows another design of the invention in accordance with the present invention. Here the grooves 2 for the concrete supports 6 are countersunk in the surface of the element 1, not placed at the ends as shown in the example in Figs. 1-5. The individual elements are joined together with a tongue and groove design 27, 28 at the ends. The advantage of using another means of joining groove is that it is easier to fit the individual elements together, and do this quickly and securely. As in the previous example, groove 3 for concrete on inner walls is located about in the centre of the outside grooves 2, and groove 4 for the studding is almost exactly on the other side from groove 2. The elements are shown in Fig. 6 with two outside grooves 2 for each element, and a groove 3. This means that the element in Fig. 6 is twice as broad as the one in Fig. 1. There is nevertheless no reason why an element 1 cannot be designed with an outside groove 2 and an inside groove 3, and joining as in Fig. 6. Other known means of joining can be used with designs within the general scope of the present invention. Further, in most cases it will not be usual to have groove 3 on the inside of the element/for work element 1.

The grooves in element 1 can be reinforced and cast after the elements are laid out for a complete wall. If required, horizontal grooves for beams can be countersunk in element 1. These beams could bind the elements for a whole wall together. This is useful for doors and windows. After these grooves are cast, the wall can be easily raised or mounted. The outer layer of concrete can be shotcrete or rendering. The same applies to the coating, as this will give better load-bearing in the element prior to casting. Element 1 can also contain zones of material with a hardness that is sufficient to mount interior facing onto. At present, technology is not advanced enough in this area since wooden battens must be used. An alternative would be casting/fitting the interior facing to the element 1 with adhesive glue. Internal cavities could also be made in element 1, either running in horizontal or vertical directions, these could for example be 20 x 20 mm, which is sufficient for pipe or cable installations.

Fig. 7 shows a third example of how the present invention could be designed, where as explained, the construction element 1 has grooves 2a and 2b which form cavity 2. Grooves 2a and 2b are to be located on the same or different ends of element 1, where the final groove is located in element 1^'. This design provides a very easy means of designing the corners, with a corner element 31. This forms a cavity for a corner support. In the example show, the individual elements are bound together with a tie 32. This design can also be cast in concrete. It is also possible to use finished girders as the load-bearing element, these can be made of a suitable material including aluminium, steel, wood or similar. This type of structure would be ideal for buildings that have to be dismantled, since they could be put up and taken down on the building site. This system enables the element and the load-bearing structure to be mounted together. In Fig. 8, there is a structure in accordance with the design in Fig. 7, where aluminium girders 33 are used as the load bearing element in grooves 2 on element 1. Similar girders can be used as joists, beams, trusses, braces etc. Girders 33 can be joined together in different ways, in the example, hooks 35 which fit into equivalent openings 34 are shown at the end of the girders 33. With wooden beams, bolts and screws could be used.

Even though the invention has been described above essentially for the walls of buildings, there are no limitations to the invention. A building specialist could apply the present invention to many other places in a building, perhaps throughout the building. Further, the invention can be used in connection with other structures where a solid, straightforward construction system is required. It is a4so possible with the cast alternative to replace the concrete with other materials that can be cast. It can for instance be applicable to use lightweight concrete to reduce the transport costs when the casting in done in a factory. It is also within the scope of the invention that other materials can be used in the construction element. If insulation is not required, cardboard or tin sheets could be used. It is also reasonable to consider other profiles for the groove 2. The limitation is the shape of the beam the groove is to contain. If the beam is circular, the groove can have a round cross section. It is also possible that this groove has a cross section that becomes wider the closer it gets to the surface of the construction element.

Claims

Claims :

1. A construction element (1) with a first flat side, a second flat side, two lateral sides, a top side and a bottom side, where the element (1) is designed to be put together with similar elements (1) so as to form walls, floors and ceilings in a building structure, characterized by the elements (1) having cross sections with longitudinal grooves (2) that become larger in area further away from their opening, since the grooves (2) are designed to have an extended load-bearing support (6) inserted.

2. Construction element as claimed in Claim 1, characterized in that the extended load-bearing support (6) is produced in a cast material, preferably concrete.

3. Construction element as claimed in Claims 1-2, characterized in that there is a layer of concrete (5) located on at least one flat side, in connection with and cast together with the concrete supports (6).

4. Construction element as claimed in Claims 1-3, characterized in that the grooves are designed so that the concrete (5, 6) and the construction element (1) can be held together, preferably by the outward-facing cross-section area of the groove (2) being smaller than the inner cross-section area of the same groove (2).

5. Construction element as claimed in Claims 1-4, characterized in that the grooves are located at a distance of about 6-0 cm.

6. Construction element as claimed in Claims 1-5, characterized in that there is a groove (4) for studding located on one side of the element (1).

7. Construction element as claimed in Claims 1-6, characterized in that there is also a groove (3) on the flat side of the element (1) which is opposite to the side where grooves (2) are located, where groove (3) is essentially the same as the grooves (2) on the opposite side.

8. Construction element as claimed in Claims 1-7, characterized in that the groove (2) is placed at the joint between two elements (1), so that half (2a) of groove (2) is on one end, and the other half (2b) is on the other end of an element (1) .

9. Construction element as claimed in Claims 1-8, characterized in that an element for an outside corner is shaped like a shortened element, where one end has been turned 90°.

10. Construction element as claimed in Claims 1-9, characterized in that an element for an inside corner is a distinctively-shaped element (20).

11. Construction element as claimed in Claims 1-10, characterized in that the elements (1) are produced with joining grooves (27, 28) in the ends.

12. Construction element as claimed in Claim 1, characterized in that the extended load-bearing support (6) is made in aluminium or wood, and that at least some of the other load bearing elements are constructed in similar materials as the extended load-bearing support (6).