Method and apparatus for forming cast wall panels
First Claim
1. A wall panel system comprising:
- an insulation wythe including a plurality of planks, each made of a relatively light material and having a body, a flange and a spacer positioned between said planks; and
a structural wythe made of a cured, relatively dense material formed to adhere to said insulation wythe, whereby when oriented in a substantially vertically, said structural wythe supports said insulation wythe.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for constructing wall panels made of a foam insulation wythe and a concrete structural wythe. The insulation wythe is made up of a foam plank having a body having opposing flanges and receiving mounting angles that provide attachment for interior building finish. The method of the invention includes the steps of placing a plurality of insulation wythes adjacent to each other on a horizontal surface within a mold such that the plank bodies point upwardly, pouring concrete over the sections, allowing the concrete to cure to form the structural wythe, then tilting the finished wall panel to a substantially vertical orientation. Optionally, the method of the present invention includes the steps of placing spacers between adjacent planks, placing mounting angles in the undersides of the primary wall sections and placing reinforcing means over the sections within the mold.
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Citations
49 Claims
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1. A wall panel system comprising:
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an insulation wythe including a plurality of planks, each made of a relatively light material and having a body, a flange and a spacer positioned between said planks; and
a structural wythe made of a cured, relatively dense material formed to adhere to said insulation wythe, whereby when oriented in a substantially vertically, said structural wythe supports said insulation wythe. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A wall panel system comprising:
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an insulation wythe including a plurality of elongate planks, each made of a relatively light foam material and having a body, a pair of opposing, longitudinal flanges having a first locking element including one of a tongue and a groove, and a spacer engaging and detachable from said flanges and positioned between said planks, said spacer being approximately equal in thickness to a thickness of said flanges and including a second locking element including one of a tongue and a groove and shaped to engage said first locking element;
said insulation wythe includes a surface channel formed therein shaped to receive mechanical service components; and
a structural wythe made of cured concrete formed to adhere to said insulation wythe, whereby when oriented in a substantially vertically, said structural wythe supports said insulation wythe. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A wall panel system comprising:
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an insulation wythe including a plurality of planks, each made of a relatively light material and having a body, a flange and a spacer positioned between said planks;
a structural wythe made of a hardened, relatively dense material formed to adhere to said insulation wythe, whereby when oriented in a substantially vertically, said structural wythe supports said insulation wythe; and
a plank cap made of a relatively light, foam material and positioned between said body and said structural wythe, said plank caps being shaped to conform to an adjacent surface of said insulation wythe;
whereby said structural wythe is made thicker adjacent to said flanges and spacers. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
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30. A method for forming a wall panel comprising the steps of:
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forming an exterior perimeter approximating exterior dimensions of said wall panel;
placing an insulation wythe including a plank made of a relatively light material and having a body, a flange and a spacer positioned adjacent to said plank, within said perimeter;
pouring a hardenable material over said insulation wythe and curing said hardenable material to form a wall panel having a structural wythe attached to said insulation wythe; and
removing said perimeter from said insulation and structural wythes to form a finished wall panel. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A method for forming a wall panel comprising the steps of:
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forming an exterior perimeter approximating exterior dimensions of said wall panel;
placing an insulation wythe including a plank made of a relatively light material and having a body and a flange, within said perimeter;
placing a cap made of a relatively light material over said plank;
pouring a hardenable material over said insulation wythe and curing said hardenable material to form a wall panel having a structural wythe attached to said insulation wythe, whereby an effective thickness of said plank is increased at a location of said cap and a thickness of said hardenable material is increased adjacent to said location relative to thickness of said hardenable material without said cap at said location; and
removing said perimeter from said insulation and structural wythes. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. A method for forming a wall panel comprising the steps of:
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forming an exterior perimeter approximating exterior dimensions of said wall panel and forming a perimeter of an opening in said wall panel within said exterior perimeter;
attaching bolts to said perimeter opening such that said bolts extend outwardly from said perimeter opening;
placing an insulation wythe including a plurality of planks made of a relatively light material and having a body, a flange and a spacer positioned adjacent to and in between said planks, within said perimeter, and shaping said planks to extend about said opening perimeter;
installing reinforcing adjacent to said insulation wythe;
pouring a hardenable material over said insulation wythe and curing said hardenable material to form a wall panel having a structural wythe attached to said insulation wythe; and
removing said perimeter from said insulation and structural wythes to form a finished wall panel; and
subsequent to said removing step, tilting said wall panel to a substantially vertical orientation at an approximate final location of said wall panel in an associated structure.
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46. A wall panel system comprising:
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an insulation wythe including a plurality of planks, each made of a relatively light material and having a body and a flange;
a mounting angle attached to said insulation wythe for supporting interior building finish; and
a structural wythe made of a cured, relatively dense material formed to adhere to said insulation wythe, whereby when oriented in a substantially vertically, said structural wythe supports said insulation wythe. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49)
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Specification