Static molds – Miscellaneous mold adjuncts – In situ construction engineering or building type
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-20
2004-03-02
Friedman, Carl D. (Department: 3635)
Static molds
Miscellaneous mold adjuncts
In situ construction engineering or building type
C249S218000, C249S193000, C249S159000, C052S294000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06698710
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention generally relates to forming systems for constructing structures of a variety of shapes and sizes using concrete or other pourable, hardenable materials. The invention more specifically relates to a system for the use of rigid panels as forms for constructing such structures, including systems where the panels remain on the formed structure.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
An important technique for the construction of durable structures utilizes pourable, hardenable materials to provide structural elements, such as foundations, walls, pillars, beams, floors and similar structural elements. The most common materials used in such techniques are various forms of cementitious concrete. Cements and concretes generally are readily available, cost effective, provide advantageous structural characteristics, can be adapted for a variety of uses and applications, and are well known in the construction field.
The use of cements and concretes as structural building materials further provides many advantages over other building materials. For example, concrete foundations, walls, floors, pillars and beams, structural elements, etc. generally are considered resistant to adverse weather conditions, such as high winds and heavy rains, fire damage, insect damage, fungus damage, mildew damage, and. moisture induced rot damage. Furthermore, cement and concrete structural elements, under most conditions, are very durable and can be used to form structures that provide superior stress and weight bearing properties in a variety of building designs. Concrete materials further may be formed into a wide variety of shapes, forms, applications, and structural elements. This flexibility in use largely is due to the ability to install cement and concrete materials in a liquid, semi-liquid, or slurry state into a forming system where the materials harden and cure in place to form a permanent shape or element. Moreover, a wide variety of reinforcing elements may be incorporated in the concrete structure, including metal bars, mesh, metal and plastic fibers, pre- and post tensioning systems, etc.
In one important and frequent use of cement and concrete materials, a concrete slurry is used to provide pre-formed or formed in place elements in a variety of building structures such as foundations, building walls and building floors. In such applications, a set of opposing forms are provided and installed at the work site in a desired configuration. Sufficient spacing is allowed between the sets of forms to provide a cavity that is filled with concrete or with other cementitious materials. The forms are commonly made of wood, metal or a combination of such materials. It also is common to place reinforcing metal bars or mesh between the forms at various locations which are then embedded in the concrete or cementitious materials to strengthen the resulting structure.
In such systems, the forms maintain their proper position by a combination of metal tie plates between adjacent forms and metal tie rods between opposing forms. Such tie systems hold the forms in place during the assembly of the forming system and resist the movement of the forms from their proper alignment positions when concrete or other cementitious materials are poured and worked between the forms. After the concrete or other materials are hardened and at least partially cured, the conventional forms are typically removed from the structures and reused in other installations.
As an alternative to conventional forming systems, there is considerable interest in the use of forming systems utilizing pre-formed, expanded polymeric foam forms, which are often referred to as Insulating Concrete Form or “ICF” systems, to replace conventional wood and metal forms. Many ICF forming systems use forms made of blocks and panels molded or manufactured from low density polymeric foam materials and are retained as permanent or semi-permanent components of the completed structure.
The blocks and/or panels that are left in place after the concrete hardens provide substantially enhanced insulating characteristics for the structure, reduce moisture passage through the structure walls, provide a substrate into which utility lines and piping can be installed, provide a surface for the attachment of finishes and provide other related benefits. As a result, ICF systems offer the possible use of concrete or other hardenable materials in building foundations and in above-ground walls of buildings or other structures. Thus, ICF systems have applications in residential, commercial and governmental building projects and programs.
Prior ICF systems utilizing insulating foam forms, however, possessed disadvantages that reduced their effectiveness in many building construction applications. Forming systems utilizing a hollow block, horizontal panels or other non-standard forms, such as panels or blocks with a gridded surface, typically require special assembly and forming procedures, construction techniques and equipment that are significantly different than those used with conventional forming systems, employing the well known wood and metal forms. In many systems, it is difficult to obtain consistent dimensions in the manufacture of the blocks or other components, and the expense of using the system is increased due to the shape and difficulties in shipping and assembling the forming components.
For example, in some systems, the concrete structures have inconsistent cross-sections, which results in uncertainty concerning the thickness of the concrete and foam panels in substantial portions of the structure. This can be a problem where knowledge of the wall and panel thickness is necessary for attaching structural elements to the formed wall structure, such as wall systems, shelving, floor members etc. The same can be true with systems that employ horizontal panels or blocks of foam materials with cavities in the shape of columns or tubes for receiving concrete or other hardenable materials.
Moreover, corner, door and window openings and other aspects of such systems were necessarily made during assembly or construction of the system, and could not reliably be made in advance offsite or at one time on site.
In some systems, multiple blocks or panels must be stacked on top of each other or side by side and in multiple layers to make wall forms of the same dimensions as forming systems using significantly fewer and larger conventional forms. Such systems using block forms and some horizontal panel systems also frequently encounter difficulties with form floating and compression. In such systems, the lower density of the forms and the higher density of the concrete can result in instances where the forms begin to float on the concrete, separating and permitting leakage through the form seams. This can be a particular problem in the upper sections of wall forms, and can also affect the wall ties, i.e. the wall ties also are urged upward by the concrete creating openings in the wall seams. In other instances, the weight in of the concrete in the system imposes sufficient downward force on the system to compress the foam members changing the wall height and, at times, the spacing between the forms.
As a result, it frequently is necessary to make repeated cuts and adjustments to the forming panels, blocks or similar forms during construction of the forming structure. Such ICF systems, in addition, typically are not familiar to contractors and construction workers and require significant special training or retraining in the use of the system, and the time and labor required for the assembly of such systems can significantly exceed that required for conventional systems.
Many potential users, regulatory agencies and inspectors, in addition, are unfamiliar and reluctant to accept the non-standard forming materials and the additional or unique procedures and equipment required in prior ICF systems. Thus, additional construction, engineering and regulatory considerations typically apply to such systems that are undesirable or unacceptable in many applicat
Fitch Even Tabin & Flannery
Friedman Carl D.
Nguyen Chi Q.
Portland Cement Association
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