WO2014135751A2

WO2014135751A2 - A casting mould

Info

Publication number: WO2014135751A2
Application number: PCT/FI2014/050163
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sakari PURA
Original assignee: Pura Sakari
Priority date: 2013-03-05
Filing date: 2014-03-05
Publication date: 2014-09-12
Also published as: WO2014135751A3

Abstract

The present invention relates to a casting mould made of parts comprising a metallic frame (1) having a first main surface and a second main surface, said first and second main surfaces being parallel, insulation material (3) in sheet form, having a first main surface and a second main surface, said first and second main surfaces being parallel, said first main surface being opposite to the second surface of the frame and coating material (6) arranged at least on said second main surface of the insulation material (3) and on said first main surface of the metallic frame (1).

Description

A CASTING MOULD

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a part of a casting mould and a casting mould for casting concrete. The invention also relates to the use of a part of a casting mould or a casting mould.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Casting moulds are used in construction of buildings for casting concrete. Moulds can be taylor-made for the construction (typically from wood) which typically makes them usable only once. Also ready-made moulds that are re-usable are known. Often such moulds are however rather heavy and thus difficult to use, especially inside buildings.

Another problem in cold climates is that when concrete is cast in winter, the mould needs to be warmed in order to properly set. Warming is an extra cost for the construction process, which would be preferable to avoid.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a casting mould that is light-weight, yet sturdy and easy to handle. Another object is to provide a casting mould that can also be used in cold weather without external heating. These objects are at least partially achieved with the present invention. A typical part of a casting mould comprises a metallic frame having a first main surface and a second main surface, said first and second main surfaces being parallel, and insulation material in sheet form having a first main surface and a second main surface, said first and second main surfaces being parallel and said first main surface being opposite to the second surface of the metallic frame. The part further comprises coating material arranged at least on said second main surface of the insulation material and on said first main surface of the metallic frame. A typical casting mould according to this invention comprises at least two parts of casting mould according to this invention.

The invention still relates to the use of a part of a casting mould and/or a casting mould according to this invention for casting concrete. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Figure 1 schematically shows a side-view of a casting mould.

Figure 2 schematically shows a cross-section of the casting mould according to an embodiment.

Figure 3 schematically shows a cross-section of a casting mould according to another embodiment.

Figure 4 schematically shows the attachment of two mould parts according to an embodiment.

Figure 5 schematically shows the attachment of two mould parts according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A part of a typical casting mould comprises a metallic frame and insulation material in sheet form positioned parallel to the frame, and at least the outer surface of the insulation material and the outer surface of the metallic frame is coated with a coating. A typical casting mould according to this invention comprises at least two parts of casting mould according to this invention. For example typically, a casting mould for a rectangular shape comprises two or four parts.

The casting mould according to the present invention and its parts are thus lightweight (since the insulation material is typically lighter in weight than the frame) yet sturdy (since the metallic frame gives structure and strength to the mould). The metallic frame may be for example in sheet form or as bars or a grid into which the insulation material is attached. The metallic frame is thus mainly for giving structural support to the mould and by using a grid instead of a sheet, typically the weight of the parts and of the whole mould can be reduced.

In this description, the terms "a mould" and "a part of a mould" can be used interchangeably and when an embodiment is disclosed in connection with one of the terms, it is to be understood to apply also to the other term.

The mould also preferably comprises connection parts that allow several mould parts to be connected to each other in order to form the desired form of mould. The mould may be used for casting any desired shape, such as foundations, pillars, walls or floors/ceilings. Since the mould has insulation material incorporated therein, it protects the freshly cast concrete and functions as insulation for the concrete also, thus removing the need for external heating in cold temperatures (such as below +5 °C). Should no insulation or external heating be used, the heat of the freshly cast concrete would dissipate too quickly for the concrete to set properly. The connection parts can be for example mould locks and metallic bars known in the field. The bars can for example be made of steel or aluminium and have a diameter of 6-10 mm, for example 8 mm.

The part of a casting mould does not need to have a flat surface, but can be for example a half cylinder. Then two half cylinders can be attached to each other in order to form a mould for a full cylinder. Other round shapes can also be used, provided that the insulation material is such that it can be bent to non-planar shape. For example, mineral or glass wool could be used in such applications, as well as insulation material that is sprayable. In this context, it is to be understood that the wording "first and second main surfaces being parallel" includes also this situation where the main surfaces are not planar but curved.

Both the metallic frame and the insulation material have first and second main surfaces. When the metallic frame and the insulation material are positioned one next to the other, possibly in contact with each other, the order of the surfaces is as follows. The outermost surface is the coating layer on the first surface of the metallic frame, whereby the next surface is the first surface of the frame, then the second surface of the frame is facing the first surface of the insulation material and the second surface of the insulation material, which is coated with the coating, is the innermost surface, i.e. the inner surface of the mould that will be in contact with the concrete. In this description, when two surfaces are described as being opposite to each other or facing each other, they can be in contact with each other or there may be another layer between said surfaces. Advantageously all the main surfaces are parallel to each other. The first main surfaces are the outermost surfaces when the mould or its parts are in use, and the second main surfaces are the innermost surfaces of each layer.

According to an embodiment, a part of the casting mould further comprises a first plate having a first main surface and a second main surface that are parallel to each other. This first plate is arranged between the metallic frame and the insulation material such that the first main surface of the first plate is opposite to the second main surface of the metallic frame.

According to yet another embodiment, a part of the casting mould comprises a second plate having a first main surface and a second main surface that are parallel to each other. The first main surface of the second plate is opposite the second main surface of the insulation material, i.e. the second plate is arranged to be the innermost layer of the part of the casting mould. This second plate may also be coated on its second surface (i.e. the surface that is not facing the insulation material.

According to an embodiment, the first and/or second plate is made of a material selected from the group consisting of metal, wood, plywood, chip wood and plastic. The metal can be for example steel or aluminium. The surface of the first and/or second plate may be textured (either naturally such as with wood or artificially by grooving or etching) to give a structured surface to the finished concrete product. By a plate is in this description meant a sheet-like material that has a thickness which is the smallest dimension of the plate. Typically, the thickness of the first and/or second plate is smaller than the thickness of the insulation material.

The second main surface of the insulation material is coated with a coating material as this enhances the protection of the insulation material against mechanical stresses as well as moisture. Indeed, the coating on the insulation material helps to prevent breaking of the insulation material, for example during handling of the mould or after the construction is complete (and the mould left in place and surrounded by gravel etc.). It is preferably also selected such that is prevents moisture being absorbed in the insulation material. When this kind of coating is used, it allows re-using the mould several times. When the mould is not intended for re-use but instead intended to be left in place either entirely or only the insulation material is intended to be left in place with the cast concrete, the coating does not necessarily need to be moisture-proof. Moreover, when the mould or the insulation material is left in place after casting the concrete, the coating layer may also form a barrier against moisture after the construction is complete. Thus the foundation or other construction does not need to be separately isolated against moisture.

The first surface of the metallic frame is also coated with a coating material, the first surface of the frame being the outer surface, i.e. the surface opposite to the surface facing the insulation material. Such further coating enhances the attachment of the frame to the insulation material. Most preferably, the combination of the frame and the insulation material is fully coated with the coating material, i.e. also on the edges of the combination. It is also possible to coat both main surfaces of the metallic frame.

According to another embodiment, the first main surface of the insulation material is also coated with a coating material, thereby attaching the insulation material to the frame. Any other of the surfaces of the different layers of the part of the casting mould can also be coated if need be. The coating can thus also be used as an attachment layer for attaching the various layers to each other. Furthermore, the whole part of the mould or the mould can be coated once all its layers are in place, i.e. all the external surfaces of the mould or the part of the mould can be covered with the coating.

According to an embodiment, the coating material is selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, polyurea and mixtures thereof. Preferably, a two- component spraying mixture comprising polyurethane and polyurea is used, but also mixtures of polyurea and polyurethane with other components are possible. The coating material is selected such as to obtain the above-mentioned effect of protection. The coating material is also preferably the same on all the surfaces that are coated. The thickness of the coating layer may be for example 0.1 -10 mm. The thickness can be for example from 0.1 , 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 1 , 2, 3, 3.5, 4, 5, 5.5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 9.5 mm up to 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 1 , 2, 3, 3.5, 4, 5, 5.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 9.5 or 10 mm. Some typical ranges are 1 -5 mm or 0.5 to 4 mm or 1 -3 mm.

According to another embodiment, the metallic frame is made of a material selected from the group consisting of aluminium, steel and iron. Also any other suitable metallic material is usable. The frame could also be manufactured from wood, plywood or similar, for example if the composite material was to be used in building industry (such as for rooftops etc.). As mentioned above, the metallic frame can be in any desired from such as in sheet form, made of bars or a grid. The frame may also be made of a composite material, such as a material comprising glass fibres and a resin.

According to an embodiment, the insulation material is selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, glass wool, mineral wool, polystyrene and cellulose fibers. Most typically the insulation material is polyurethane, glass or mineral wool. The insulation material is in sheet-like form having a first main surface and a second main surface, said first and second main surfaces being parallel. This means that the first and second main surfaces are the largest surfaces of the insulation material, while the other outer surfaces are only of the size of the thickness of the material. The material may be in sheet-form before it is applied to the metallic frame and as explained above, can be bent thereafter if curves are needed in the mould. When the metallic frame is made of a sheet, the insulation material may also be in a sprayable form such that the frame is optionally firstly coated with the coating material and then the insulation material is sprayed on this coating (preferably while it is still wet and unset), to form a sheet-like insulation layer. The insulation material may also comprise fibres. The mould and the parts of the mould may also comprise more than one sheet or layer of the insulation material, and the layers may be made of the same or different materials. The thickness of the insulation material may be for example 10 to 150 mm, such as from 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 1 10, 120, 130 or 140 mm up to 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 1 10, 120, 130, 140 or 150 mm. The thickness of the first and/or second plate, if used, can be for example from 0.1 , 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1 .0, 1 .5 or 2.0 mm up to 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1 .0, 1 .5, 1 .7, 2.0 or 2.5 mm.

The moulds according to this invention may also be treated with mould oil that facilitates the re-use of the mould. Indeed, the mould oil makes the surface of the mould repellent to the concrete, thus avoiding attachment of the concrete to the surface of the mould. The entire mould or the part that comes into contact with concrete may also be coated with known water and oil repellant materials, such as Ultra-Ever Dry ®.

A typical method for manufacturing a part of a casting mould comprising a frame having a first main surface and a second main surface, said first and second main surfaces being parallel, and insulation material in sheet form having a first main surface and a second main surface, said first and second main surfaces being parallel, comprises the steps of positioning the frame and the insulation material into contact with each other such that the second main surface of the frame faces the first main surface of the insulation material and spraying the first main surface of the frame and the second main surface of the insulation material with a coating material. According to an embodiment, the manufacturing method further comprises the step of spraying the first main surface of the insulation material with the coating material prior to positioning the frame and the insulation material into contact with each other. The spraying steps can be done in any suitable order. When further parts are used in the part of a casting mould, they are arranged in the part in a suitable order that is easily determined by the skilled person.

The present invention also relates to the use of a casting mould or a part of a casting mould according to the present invention for casting concrete. The details and embodiments listed above in connection with the casting mould, the part of a casting mould and/or the method for manufacturing a casting mould apply mutatis mutandis to the manufacturing method and/or the use.

The present invention further relates to the use of a combination comprising a frame having a first main surface and a second main surface, said first and second main surfaces being parallel, insulation material in sheet form, having a first main surface and a second main surface, said first and second main surfaces being parallel, said first main surface being opposite to the second surface of the frame and coating material arranged at least on said second main surface of the insulation material as a mould or a part of a mould for casting concrete. In the present application, the term comprising is to be construed as an open term, i.e. the apparatuses may comprise other features and steps than those specifically listed. Also, the reference signs in the appended claims are for information purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting the claims. It must furthermore be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a frame" includes a plurality of frames.

Some embodiments of the invention are now explained in more detail with reference to the enclosed drawing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Figure 1 schematically shows a side-view of a casting mould, that has a rectangular cross-section. The metallic frame 1 is made from metallic bars having a square cross-section, as a grid with vertical and horizontal parts connected to each other, with additional horizontal parts at the ends to provide a more rigid structure. The parts of the frame 1 are equipped with holes 2 through which the mould parts can be bolted to each other (typically to a mould part that is parallel to the first one), in order to help keep the mould in place and in shape during the moulding. The insulation material 3 can be seen through the openings of the grid with the coating on its surface facing the metallic frame 1 .

Figure 2 schematically shows a cross-section of the casting mould having two sides attached to each other at a right angle, according to an embodiment. The mould also comprises three layers of insulation material 3, 3' and 3". In one part of the casting mould, there is arranged one layer of insulation material 3, made of 70 mm thick polyurethane. On the other part of the casting mould, there are arranged two layers of insulation material 3' and 3", of which the layer 3' is of the same thickness than the layer 3. This can be for example because one side of the casting mould is used for making an external wall and the other side is used for making an internal wall or a wall that will be next to a garage or similar. The mould further comprises coating layers at surfaces 4 (second surface of the insulation material) and 5 (first surface of the frame).

Figure 3 schematically shows a cross-section of a casting mould according to another embodiment. In this embodiment, the casting mould has seven consecutive layers: an outermost layer of coating 6a, a metallic frame 1 , a first plate 14, insulation material 3, a coating layer 6b, a second plate 15 and an innermost coating layer 6c.

Figure 4 schematically shows how two mould parts are attached to each other to form a complete mould, according to an embodiment. The insulation material 3 and the frame 1 have been coated with a coating material 6 on the outer surfaces of the combination. The locking part 7 is arranged to clamp the two parts of the frame together and is operable by the handle 8.

Figure 5 schematically shows another manner for attaching two parts of the casting mould together, with a locking part 9, which comprises a handle part 9a and a hook part 9b. The handle part 9a is equipped with a loop 10 and a handle 1 1 . The loop 10 is designed to be arrangeable in the hook of the hook part 9b and thereby securing the locking part and the two parts of the mould 12 and 13 together.

Claims

1 . A part of a casting mould comprising

- a metallic frame (1 ) having a first main surface and a second main surface, said first and second main surfaces being parallel,

- insulation material (3) in sheet form, having a first main surface and a second main surface, said first and second main surfaces being parallel, said first main surface being opposite to the second main surface of the frame and

- coating material (6) arranged at least on said second main surface of the insulation material (3) and on said first main surface of the metallic frame (1 ).

2. A part of a casting mould according to claim 1 , characterised in that it comprises a first plate (14) having a first main surface and a second main surface that are parallel to each other, and the first plate is arranged between the metallic frame (1 ) and the insulation material (3) such that the first main surface of the first plate (14) is opposite to the second main surface of the metallic frame (1 ).

3. A part of a casting mould according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that it comprises a second plate (15) having a first main surface and a second main surface that are parallel to each other, and the first main surface of the second plate (15) is opposite the second main surface of the insulation material (3).

4. A part of a casting mould according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the first main surface of the insulation material (3) is coated with a coating material.

5. A part of a casting mould according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the second main surface of the second plate (15) is coated with a coating material.

6. A part of a casting mould according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the coating material is selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, polyurea and mixtures thereof.

7. A part of a casting mould according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the coating material of each coating is the same.

8. A part of a casting mould according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the metallic frame (1 ) is made of a material selected from the group consisting of aluminium, steel and iron.

9. A part of a casting mould according to any of the claims 2-8, characterised in that the first and/or second plate is made of a material selected from the group consisting of metal, wood, plywood, chipwood and plastic.

10. A part of a casting mould according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the insulation material (3) is selected from the group consisting of polyurethane, glass wool, mineral wool, polystyrene and cellulose fibers.

1 1 . A casting mould comprising at least two parts of casting mould according to any of the claims 1 -10.

12. A casting mould according to claim 1 1 , characterised in that it further comprises connection parts for attaching the parts to each other.

13. Use of a part of a casting mould according to any of the claims 1 -10 or a casting mould according to any of the claims 1 1 -12 for casting concrete.