Form means for fabricating pre-cast structural panels

• US 4,087,072 A
• Filed: 02/22/1977
• Issued: 05/02/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Audun P. Olsen
• Original Assignee: Audun P. Olsen
• Inventors: Olsen, Audun P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flint, Jr., J. Howard
• Application Number:
  US05/770,940
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• Field of Search: 249/2, 249/8, 249/9, 249/119, 249/129, 249/131, 249/160, 249/155, 249/163, 249/164, 249/165, 249/189, 249/219 R, 249/99, 425/4 R
• US Class Current: 249/129
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 23/02 wherein the elements are reinforcing members B28B23/0006 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 7/243 for making plates, panels or similar sheet- or disc-shaped objects

Abstract

A method and associated form assembly for forming pre-cast structural panels includes the steps of and associated apparatus for constructing an open-top disassemblable form box, reinforcing the form box with a collar assembly affixed around the form box for rigidly maintaining the shape thereof, with divider assemblies in the form box to provide a plurality of form compartments adapted to form structural panels disposed on-edge on the form box bottom panels and with insulation panels supported in the form compartments, pouring a hard-setting material into the form compartments, allowing the material to harden into structural panels, and at least partially disassembling the form box to expose a panel for removal. As preferably embodied, end wall separator panels support both the insulation panels in desired positions within the form compartments as well as the divider assemblies, and are releasably attached to and supported by an end wall assembly frame, with bottom separator panels at the bottom of the form box in correspondence with the end separator panels. A method of wall construction further includes the steps of placing a steel cable around the edges of all the concrete layers of the hardened panel, standing the panel up-right, lifting the panel to the desired position on the structure under construction, positioning the panel between reinforcing rods embedded in the structure, removing the cable, and filling the inter-panel spacings, with reinforcing rod encased therein, with mortar.

Claims

1. Form means for forming pre-cast structural panels, which, when assembled, comprises:

a form box having a pair of generally opposed side wall assemblies and a pair of generally opposed end wall assemblies defining a generally hollow space interior thereof, each said end wall assembly comprising;

an end wall frame adapted to provide structural rigidity for said end wall assembly, and

a plurality of end separator panels, each end separator panel adapted to be releasably attached to said end wall frame for forming said end wall assembly, adjacent end separator panels on said end wall frame being adapted to retainingly support structures positioned therebetween;

a bottom assembly generally abutting bottom portions of said end and side wall assemblies;

divider means positioned within said form box to define a desired number of form compartments in said form box, said divider means being supported in desired position between adjacent end separator panels; and

releasably coupled collar means surrounding said form box generally against the exterior surfaces of said end and side wall assemblies for supporting said wall assemblies, such that said form box is retained in assembled configuration by said collar means, with said collar means urging said end separator panels towards each other to retain said divider means in desired configuration.

2. Form means according to claim 1 wherein said end separator panels are further adapted to retain intermediate panels made of a desired material in desired locations within said form box for forming multi-layer pre-cast structural panels having a predetermined configuration of said intermediate panels embedded therein.

3. Form means according to claim 2 wherein portions of said collar means are formed as part of said end wall frames.

4. Form means according to claim 2 wherein said intermediate panels are panels of thermal insulation.

5. Form means according to claim 4, wherein said end separator panels are formed with spacer means on edges adapted to support said intermediate panels, said spacer means adapted to separate adjacent end separator panels a distance equal to about the thickness of said intermediate panels to prevent adjacent end separator panels from damaging the portions of said intermediate panels retained therebetween.

6. Form means according to claim 1, wherein said collar means is adjustable to enable the width of said form box to be adjusted for forming different thickness pre-cast panels.

7. Form means according to claim 2 wherein said bottom assembly comprises:

a bottom support panel retained by said opposed end wall frames; and

a plurality of bottom separator panels corresponding generally to said end separator panels; and

wherein each of said end wall frames includes an adjustable top buoyancy hold for preventing the divider assemblies and insulation layers from rising due to the buoyancy of the mixture.

8. Form means according to claim 7 wherein each said side wall assembly includes a generally rigid exterior side wall member and a side wall insert panel positioned adjacent the interior surface of said side wall member, said side wall insert panel adapted to resist adherence of hardened mixture constituents thereto, said side wall assemblies positioned to bear against the outermost end and bottom separator panels for urging adjacent end and bottom separator panels against one another.

9. Form means according to claim 2 wherein said end wall assemblies are adapted to provide hardened structural panels having generally more than three layers.

10. Form means according to claim 1 wherein said releasably coupled collar means includes a plurality of collar assemblies, each comprising:

a pair of first generally elongate support struts, each extending at least essentially along the entire length of one of said side wall assemblies; and

a pair of second generally elongate support struts, each of said second support struts extending at least essentially along the entire length of one of said end wall assemblies, each end of each of said second support struts being releasably coupled to an end of one of said first support struts, such that when completely coupled together, said support struts surround said form box, being in contact with the exterior surfaces of said wall assemblies, to support said form box.

11. Form means according to claim 10 wherein each of said support struts comprises an essentially L-shaped angle beam oriented with corresponding first leg portions adapted to make generally surface contact with the exterior surfaces of said wall assemblies and a second leg extending essentially perpendicular to said exterior surface.

12. Form means according to claim 11 which further include four pin members for each collar assembly and wherein each of said struts is formed with an extension on both ends of its said second leg members, each of said extensions having an aperture formed therein, such that when said struts are positioned with corresponding extensions over-lapping with said apertures in alignment, one of said pin members may be inserted into said aligned apertures to couple said support struts together around said form box.

13. Form means according to claim 12 wherein said collar assemblies are adapted to be positioned around said form box such that they are closer together generally near the bottom of said form box than near the top thereof to provide additional support at the bottom for the greater fluid pressure generated at the bottom.

14. Form means according to claim 12 wherein said second strut member are formed integrally as part of said end wall frames.

15. Form means according to claim 12 wherein all the first strut members adjacent at least one side wall assembly are adapted for adjustable support on said at least one side wall assembly.

16. Form means according to claim 15 which further includes an additional first support strut for each of said first strut members adjacent said at least one side wall assembly, said additional strut members adapted to be positioned adjacent said at least one side wall assembly, and a plurality of extensible bearing members adapted to extend between corresponding first struts and additional first struts to transmit the reinforcing support provided by said corresponding first strut members to said side wall assembly which may be positioned and supported at various locations relative to said first struts, such that the distance between said opposed side wall assemblies may be varied yet the side wall assemblies are supported for withstanding the internal fluid pressure.

17. Form means according to claim 16 wherein said additional first struts and said extensible bearing members are included along both of said opposed side wall assemblies.

18. Form means according to claim 1 wherein said bottom assembly comprises a generally flat bottom support panel retained between said opposed end frames and at least one bottom separator panel for each form compartment, each said bottom separator panel adapted to correspond to one of said sets of end separator panels;

and wherein each of said end wall frames includes an adjustable top buoyancy hold for preventing said end separator panels from rising due to the buoyancy of the mixture.

19. Form means according to claim 18 wherein said end separator panels are formed in a generally curved configuration and wherein said divider means are adapted to conform to the shape of said curved end separator panels for providing structural panels with generally correspondingly curved surfaces.

20. Form means according to claim 19 wherein said bottom separator panels are generally wedge-shaped to provide a surface adjacent the mixture for forming an edge at any desired angle and which further includes a top separator panel for each form compartment, said top separator adapted to be retained under said top buoyancy hold for providing another edge at a desired angle at the top of said form means.

21. Form means according to claim 2 wherein said divider means comprise at least one divider assembly, each said divider assembly including:

a generally rigid intermediate panel adapted to rigidly define said form compartments despite uneven distribution of said hard-setting mixture; and

a pair of divider inserts surrounding said intermediate panel and adapted to resist adherence of hardened panel constituents on said divider assembly.

22. Form means according to claim 21 which includes at least three of said divider assemblies, defining at least four of said form compartments.

23. Form means according to claim 2 wherein each said side wall assembly includes a generally rigid exterior side wall member and a side wall insert panel positioned adjacent the interior surface of said sidewall member, said side wall insert panel adapted to resist adherence of hardened form constituents to said side wall, said side wall assemblies positioned to bear against the outermost end separator panels for urging said end separator panels against each other.

24. Form means according to claim 1 which further includes corner brace means at each corner of said form box for ensuring that said corners are sealed and preventing damage thereto.

25. Form means according to claim 24 wherein said corner brace means comprise generally L-shaped beams extending from a point near said bottom to a point near said top, said L-shaped corner beam being retained within said collar means for bracing said corners, yet being removable therefrom when said collar means are removed to facilitate disassembly of said form means.

26. Form means according to claim 4 wherein said end separator panels are adapted generally to provide more than three layers in the resultant structural panel.

27. Form means according to claim 26 wherein said end separator panels are adapted to provide structural panels having shear connections between adjacent concrete layers.

28. Form means according to claim 26 wherein said end separator panels are adapted to provide structural panels having essentially disconnected layers of concrete.

29. Form means according to claim 26 wherein said end separator panels are adapted to provide structural panels having curved surfaces.

30. Form means according to claim 26 wherein said end separator panels are adapted to provide a corrugated surface on at least one layer of concrete.