Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – With adjunctive means for assembly or disassembly – Removable prop or brace combined with structure component
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-17
2001-06-26
Friedman, Carl D. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
With adjunctive means for assembly or disassembly
Removable prop or brace combined with structure component
C052S426000, C052S432000, C052S699000, C052S745120, C249S211000, C249S219200, C264S035000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250024
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to insulated concrete form (“ICF”) wall bracing, and more particularly, to a system and method for bracing an insulated concrete wall form to a support/bracing structure to align and support the ICF wall during construction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional building construction utilizes concrete walls that are normally produced by constructing form walls, pouring concrete into the space between the walls and, upon setting of the concrete, removing the form walls. A conventional concrete form wall is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,289 to Strickland. The form wall includes a pair of spaced opposed panels made from plywood and defining therebetween a space into which soft concrete is poured in forming the wall. Horizontally spaced vertical stiffeners or strongbacks are provided outwardly of each plywood panel to provide major strengthening for the panel support structure. Elongate beams or walers are also provided to extend horizontally along the outer side of each panel. An outwardly opening pocket formed as part of the waler retains a wooden nailer to which the plywood form panel can be nailed, screwed or otherwise fastened to the waler.
Another system for temporarily attaching a reinforcing beam to a poured concrete structural member is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,838 to Truitt et al. An insert is adapted to be set in the poured concrete member. The insert has a body that creates a void in the concrete structural member and leg members that are partially set in the poured concrete with portions thereof extending through the body of the insert so as to be free of concrete. A special bolt engages with the leg members and provides a means for securing a reinforcement beam to the concrete structural member.
More recent building systems involve the use of insulated concrete forms (ICFs), which use a foam insulating material to construct permanent concrete form walls. The form walls are typically constructed by placing separate building components (also known as form blocks) upon each other. The concrete is then poured and the form walls are left in place after the concrete hardens to become a permanent part of the wall. Advantages provided by the use of ICFs include a reduction in the number of operations normally associated with building construction and generally the elimination of a need to provide further insulation. An example of particularly advantageous types of ICFs appears in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,390,459; 5,657,600; and 5,809,727 to Mensen (Mensen), the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. In general, the ICFs taught by Mensen are made from a building component or block that includes first and second foam side panels. The side panels are preferably made of expanded polystyrene and are arranged in spaced parallel relationship with their inner surfaces facing each other. Plastic bridging members hold the side panels together against the forces applied by the poured concrete. Each bridging member includes end plates, which line up when the components are stacked to form furring strips for attachment of finishing materials.
With the advent of the use of stay-in-place forms or permanent concrete form work, such as ICFs, there is a need in the building construction art for an efficient, cost-effective and reliable apparatus and method to support the building components that make up the ICFs against construction loads. The insulated side panels of an ICF do not provide a strong surface to which reinforcing beams can be easily attached, as with plywood side panels. Commercial, institutional and industrial buildings often require walls higher than 8 to 9 feet in order to incorporate machinery, warehousing and high wall assemblies. Wall forms used in pouring in place such high vertical walls must be supported against various construction loads including wind loads, alignment loads, scaffold loads, and loads created by the hydrostatic pressure of the liquid concrete poured into the wall forms. Falsework is the construction industry term for structural supports and the necessary bracing required for the support of temporary loads during construction. Existing means for attaching strongbacks or reinforcing beams to wall forms do not lend themselves to the attachment of insulated panels on ICFs to conventional falsework.
Existing bracing systems used in ICF wall construction also do not adequately address the problems of supporting and controlling ICFs during construction, particularly in high wall applications of ICF (such as when the ICF is used to construct a wall of greater than 12 feet in height). For example, although conventional stage scaffolding has been used with ICFs, it is not recommended because it is a structure that generally must be braced itself, and is not designed for wind and other horizontal loads.
Accordingly, a bracing system such as shown in
FIG. 3
has been used in ICF wall construction. This known system includes a vertical box channel
120
that is connected to the ICF blocks before they are filled with concrete using screws
122
that pass through the box channel
120
and into exposed end plates
124
of the plastic bridging members in the ICF blocks. As discussed above, the end plates
124
of each bridging member in the ICF blocks line up when the ICF blocks are stacked. The resulting “furring strip” provides the support for the vertical box channel
120
. With walls reaching 12′ to 14′ high a 2″×6″ wooden board (not shown) can be screwed into the furring strip with screws that pass through vertical slots in the board. The board forms a “strong-back” that can extend the full height of the wall, and the vertical box channel
120
can be screwed into the board toward the top of the wall. A two-piece diagonal bracing pole
130
is joined at the threaded ends of each piece of the pole by a turnbuckle
132
, which allows for adjustments in the length of pole
130
. The diagonal pole is attached to the ground or sub-floor at one end
130
′, and to the box channel
120
at the opposite end
130
″. A standard scaffold angle
140
is also attached to the vertical box channel
120
to support scaffolding upright
150
and planks
152
. Adjustments in the length of diagonal pole
130
by turning turnbuckle
132
result in end
130
″ of pole
130
either pushing or pulling on vertical box channel member
120
, thus affecting the angle of the wall formed from the stacked ICF blocks. A disadvantage of this type of alignment system is that it requires the step of screwing a structural member such as vertical box channel
120
into the furring strips
124
or into a wooden board of strong-back that is in turn screwed into the furring strip, in order to provide a member for transferring loads such as wind loads from the ICF wall to bracing members such as diagonal pole
130
. Furthermore, this system has height limitations, imposed by the standard length of 2″×6″ boards.
Hence, the foregoing discussion shows that there is a need for a temporary bracing system capable of supporting ICF walls during construction, particularly in high wall applications, that can be easily and reliably used with a variety of known falsework systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention solves the problems and avoids the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a system and method for efficiently and effectively bracing an ICF to conventional falsework. The system of the invention must provide adequate structure to transfer all of the construction loads on the ICF to the falsework. Wind loads increase with height above ground and vary depending upon factors such as geographic location, proximity to open areas and wind tunneling effect of adjacent structures. Conventional structural design generally requires that construction bracing of tall walls be kept in place until the top edges of the walls are supported laterally such as by a roof structure. The pouring of concrete into the wall
Cooper Bruce R.
Maguire John
Sculthorpe Robert Elias
Friedman Carl D.
Morgan & Lewis & Bockius, LLP
Wilkens Kevin D.
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