MODULAR PANEL FOR TRANSPIRING, VARIABLE-GEOMETRY FORMWORK
A modular panel intended for variable-geometry formwork, made up of at least one connecting plate featuring, on its surface, a plurality of engaging teeth and/or recesses and at least one panel body featuring one upper surface and one lower surface both of them delimiting such body, at least one of such connecting plates being suited to be connected on one such upper surface or one such lower surface.
This invention pertains to a modular panel intended for variable-geometry formwork.
Notedly, a formwork is a structure used in the building and construction trade to build the reinforced concrete works. It provides a casing into which the additional concrete in the liquid state is cast, after the reinforcement irons have been properly positioned, where the concrete stays until the completion of the setting process and after the cast has, once the hardening phase has started, achieved such mechanical strength as to guarantee the absorption of the stress which the structure has to withstand soon after the formwork itself has been taken apart.
Formworks can be made of several materials; in particular, formworks are currently available, which are made up of polystyrene foam panels made by means of the technique generally referred to as Insulated Concrete Form (ICF), as well as of their respective spacing connectors, which are disposable items needed for the assembling and internal blocking of the various aforesaid panels making up the shuttering mould of a reinforced concrete wall.
In particular, the existing polystyrene panels feature, along their upper and lower edges, a plurality of engaging teeth and/or corresponding recesses suited to allow several such panels to be connected by stacking. In all of the existing panels, both the engaging teeth and the recesses have been made of one single material as the panel itself, which gives rise, depending on the varying complexity of the geometry of teeth and recess arrangement, to relatively high manufacturing costs.
Furthermore, considering that, as regards the known formwork systems, the panels have been made of one single material as the engaging teeth and the recesses, materials shall be used to manufacture such panels, which shall feature the necessary machinability characteristics that will make it possible to obtain the required shapes, even though such materials are often not the ones most suitable for use in the building and construction trade, or a different type of material ought to be used.
Moreover, the currently known panels are manufactured by employing quite troublesome production lines which implement firstly a raw material expansion phase (such raw material usually being polystyrene matchboard) followed by the panel stamping phase and the subsequent curing, which requires a minimum time of thirty days. It is also obvious that stamping the panels to a number of different thicknesses and heights involves making use of several moulds, the latter being quite expensive too.
In addition, all of the “disposable” formwork systems bearing the ICF acronym of American and Canadian origin, made up of polystyrene foam panels, pose serious transpiration problems that may lead to building reinforced concrete structures that will, especially in case of civil buildings, give rise to the well-known causes of SBS (Sick Building Syndrome).
Thus, the aim of this invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems relative to the older method, by providing a modular panel for modular, transpiring “disposable” variable-geometry formwork, which will make it possible to separately carry and assemble on the spot the panel body of the panel itself as well as plates fitted with the engaging teeth and/or recesses.
One further aim of this invention is to provide a modular insulating panel for modular, transpiring “disposable” variable-geometry formwork, which will make it possible to separately make the panel bodies and the plates fitted with engaging teeth and/or recesses, thus making it possible to reduce the manufacturing costs.
One further aim of this invention is to provide a modular heat-insulation panel for modular, transpiring “disposable” variable-geometry formwork, which will make it possible to separately make the heat-insulation panel bodies and the plates fitted with engaging teeth and/or recesses, even made of materials differing from one another, where needed so.
Moreover, one further aim of this invention is to provide a modular heat-insulation panel for modular, transpiring “disposable” variable-geometry formwork, which features lock-in profiles that will make it possible to fit elements of the IPE type—“T” “H”.
One more aim of this invention is to provide a modular heat-insulation panel for modular, transpiring “disposable” variable-geometry formwork, which will facilitate the transpiration process inside the modular, transpiring “disposable” formwork itself, made up of at least two panels mutually facing one another and connected integrally by means of spacing connectors.
Furthermore, one aim of this invention is to provide a modular heat-insulation panel for modular, transpiring “disposable” variable-geometry formwork, in which the heat-insulation panel body is made by applying a hot wire cutting process associated with a specific needle punch reinforced for that purpose, thus making the production of such panels more cost-effective and faster compared to the panels made by applying the method internationally known as Insulated Concrete Form (or ICF) of American origin (California), which are made by applying only traditional stamping methods.
The above and the other aims and advantages of the invention, as detailed in the description hereafter, will be obtained by making use of a modular heat-insulation panel for modular, transpiring “disposable” variable-geometry formwork, like the one described under claim 1. Preferred embodiment designs and original variants of this invention will be the object of the relevant claims.
It is obvious that a number of variants and modifications can be made to the described items (e.g. variants and modifications concerning the dimensions, that is to say, height, length and thickness, and also the shape, as well as the shapes of the inner and outer faces of said panels, and also the respective arrangement and the parts performing similar functions) without departing from the scope of protection of the invention, as referred to in the enclosed claims.
This invention will be best described by a few preferred embodiments, which will be provided by way of example and with no limitation thereto, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:
By referring to the Figures, you can notice that the modular heat-insulation panel 1 intended for modular, transpiring “disposable” variable-geometry formwork, as referred to in the present invention, is made up of at least one connecting plate 2 featuring, on its surface, a plurality of engaging teeth and/or recesses 4 and at least one panel body 3 featuring an upper surface 5 and a lower surface 7 both of them delimiting such body 3, at least one of such connecting plates 2 being suited to be connected on such an upper surface 5 or such a lower surface 7.
Panel 1 referred to in the present invention and described above will therefore make it possible, after it has been assembled by joining connecting plates 2 to the respective upper surface 5 ad lower surface 7, to connect several panels 1 themselves by stacking, by fitting together the engaging teeth and/or recesses 4 of the respective plates 2. Please also note that, due to plate 2 being fully co-planar to the side edges of the heat-insulation panel body 3, such plate 2 guarantees the distribution of the structural, tangential and punctiform load of masonry, once the modular, transpiring “disposable” formwork has been assembled by means of the respective additional reinforced concrete cast.
Obviously, the ways of connecting the connecting plates 2 on the heat-insulation panel body 3 may be most varied, thus without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention: the upper surface 5 and the lower surface 7 may, for instance, both equipped with side walls 9 and the connecting plates 2 can be connected to such surfaces 5, 7 of the heat-insulation panel body 3 through mere elastic interference between the edges of plates 2 themselves and said walls 9. As an alternative or in addition thereto, as shown in the Figures by way of example, the surfaces of plates 2 suited to come into contact with the corresponding surface 5, 7 may feature a plurality of elastic pins 11 suited to fit into corresponding seats properly arranged on such surfaces 5, 7 and also grip (through interference) inside the same due to elastic expansion of pins 11 themselves.
Obviously, plates 2 can also be connected with the upper surface 5 and the lower surface 7 of panel body 3 by any one means suitable for the purpose, such as, for instance, by gluing, nailing, screwing down, and so on; moreover, the aforesaid means can be employed to assist the connection methods described above to increase the connection stability between the plates 2 and the panel body 3.
In a preferred variant of heat-insulation panel 1 referred to in the present invention, a plurality of transpiration through-channels 12 run from the upper surface 5 to the lower surface 7 of panel body 3, and the connecting plate 2 features a plurality of corresponding transpiration holes 14 at the outlets of such channels 12 as the plate 2 itself is connected with such surfaces 5, 7. Thus, when several heat-insulation panels 1 as referred to in the present invention are stacked onto one another, a transpiration grid will be obtained, which is suited to facilitate the perfect, homogeneous escape of vapour from inside the modular, transpiring “disposable” formwork made by means of such heat-insulation panels 1, and also guarantee thermal performance, since no convective air motion can occur.
As a further alternative (or addition thereto), it can be anticipated that through-bars (not shown), preferably in the form of metal rods or FRP bars, may be fitted inside at least some of the transpiration through-channels 12 of panel body 3 and of the corresponding transpiration holes 14 of plates 2, such through-bars strengthening the locking between the plates and the body of the heat-insulation panel and also making it possible, depending on their length, to structurally strengthen the individual heat-insulation panel 1 after the latter has been assembled or the connection among several heat-insulation panels 1 (as referred to in the present invention) stacked onto one another, as well as create a wide reinforcement in order to make the heat-insulation panel 1 itself tangentially structural, depending on the specific needs.
The heat-insulation panel body 3 may feature a plurality of first all-purpose lock-in profiles 15, preferably in the form of male or female dovetails, suited to make it possible to connect a plurality of heat-insulation panels 1 (as referred to in the present invention) with any one other structural element needed to assemble a modular, transpiring “disposable” formwork, such as, for instance, spacing connectors, other panels 1 or panels known in the relevant engineering field, ventilated panels, connecting bridles, and so on, usually employed in the building and construction trade. Please note that such first all-purpose lock-in profiles 15 are productively arranged, preferably in a vertical direction, on at least both of the side walls of body 3, in such a manner that the aforesaid structural elements can be connected both inside and outside the modular, transpiring “disposable” formwork made up of such heat-insulation panels 1.
Still more preferably, in order to guarantee full reversibility of the heat-insulation panel 1 referred to in the present invention, at least one first wall of body 3 is equipped with a plurality of first all-purpose lock-in profiles 15 featuring male dovetails, whereas the second wall of body 3 opposite the first one is equipped with a corresponding plurality of first all-purpose lock-in profiles 15 featuring female dovetails, so as to allow co-planar connection of several heat-insulation panels 1 as referred to in the present invention, without having to use other external connecting items.
In addition, the heat-insulation panel body 3 may be equipped with a plurality of second lock-in profiles 17, the latter being still preferably arranged in a vertical and/or horizontal (not shown) direction, suited to make it possible to fit elements of the IPE or “T” (not shown) type, for instance made of steel or any other material suitable for the purpose in accordance with the present invention, for instance, plastic and/or composite materials such as fibre-glass, FRPs (Fibre Reinforced Polymers), carbon fibre, and so on.
Obviously, in order to allow such elements to be fitted in, the plate 2 itself is equipped with a plurality of lock-in profiles 19 corresponding, both as regards the shape and the position, with the second lock-in profiles 17 when plate 2 itself is connected with the surfaces 5, 7 of panel body 3. The same elements of the IPE or “T” type fitted inside the lock-in profiles 17, 19 of plates 2 and panel body 3, respectively, connected with one another, will make it possible to increase the connection stability between the plates 2 and the heat-insulation panel body 3 themselves.
Furthermore, the same structural elements of the IPE or “T” type will, after they have been fitted into the lock-in profiles 17, 19, allow the co-planar connection of several panels 1 as referred to in the present invention, and/or the assembling, inside and/or outside the heat-insulation panel 1 itself, of ventilated walls or of any other heat-insulation panel made of other materials, such as, for instance, crushed shard, thermal coating bricks, stone, calcium silicate, concrete wood, and so on, thus guaranteeing the structural strength thereof even in seismic areas: please note that the same structural elements of the IPE or “T” type will productively make it possible, with the aid of spacing connectors (if any) suited to connect a raw brick and/or brick panel and for thermal coating, to do without the internal casting of structural concrete.
Obviously, as known in the relevant engineering field, both the heat-insulation panel body 3, obviously featuring different shapes, thicknesses and forms in order to adapt to the various building and construction acoustic and energy saving requirements known in the relevant trade, and the respective connecting plates 2 may be made of high-density EPS polystyrene foam for use in accordance with the Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) method: obviously, it can be anticipated that the heat-insulation panel body 3 and/or the connecting plates 2 can be made of any other material, which may also be a fibre-composite one, suitable for the purpose, without therefore departing from the scope of protection of this invention.
The heat-insulation panel body 3 can productively be made also from large-sized polystyrene blocks (i.e. parallelepipeds) by applying a hot wire cutting process associated with specific punch suitable for that purpose, that is to say, prior to squaring the panel 1 itself to the required dimensions. Obviously, the same heat-insulation panel body 3 can be made by milling, by stamping by means of specific moulds made of aluminum as well as by extrusion, by wire-drawing and also by pressing with various materials such as, preferably, polystyrene foam, structural thermoplastic composite materials, clay and naturally dried natural sand, clay and blast furnace-baked sand, clay and sand and perlite or polystyrene beads-perlite with addition of additives such as magnesium-based binders and other composite insulating materials, cellular concrete, pumice concrete, concrete and volcanic lapilli, concrete wood, concrete and cork grains, glass wool with special thermosetting resins and other insulating minerals of natural origin or synthetic materials.
The making of the heat-insulation panel body 3 by applying a hot wire cutting process associated with specific punches suitable to the purpose and by making use of large-sized blocks (parallelepipeds) will therefore offer the following advantages:
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- no preparation of specific aluminum moulds;
- no dimensional shrink or distortion following the conventional stamping operations;
- no curing phase, since the heat-insulation panel bodies 3 are made from parallelepiped blocks previously cured to eliminate the water accumulated during the sintering phase itself;
- production of heat-insulation panel bodies 3 featuring the desired dimensions, with no constraint at all;
- obtainment of heat-insulation panel bodies 3 featuring such a surface roughness that will guarantee better finish hold (trimming) in the event that they are used also as thermo-acoustic coating.
Obviously, the heat-insulation panel bodies 3 made as described above can be subsequently milled, if necessary, to obtain the lock-in profiles in a longitudinal or reticular fashion, indeed also in the multiple and modular fashion, to insert, for instance, further heat-insulation panels made of other materials still featuring proper insulating performance, such as polystyrene foam or extruded polystyrene, expanded polypropylene, raw bricks, honeycomb bricks, calcium silicate, concrete wood, perlite, additives from specific binders, and so on.
In addition, one of the advantages given by this invention is characterized in that the heat-insulation panel body 3 and/or the connecting plates 2 can be made of materials fully different from one another: for instance, it can be anticipated that panel body 3 will be made of raw bricks, brickwork, calcium silicate, concrete wood, and so on, and that the connecting plates 2 will be made of EPS polystyrene foam and/or thermoplastic composite materials featuring high structural and compression strength. Please note that the production of heat-insulation panels according to the known method entailing the use only of raw bricks and/or brickwork is nearly impossible, due to the very high costs to be incurred. Conversely, thanks to the heat-insulation panel 1 referred to in the present invention, in which the heat-insulation panel body 3 and the plates 2 can be made separately and subsequently assembled, the only heat-insulation panel body 3 can be made of raw brick, honeycomb bricks, that is to say, without the complex and delicate engaging teeth and/or recess distribution, merely by means of any one extrusion process by making use of conventional forming machines with resulting trim to the desired and calibrated measurement by means of surface grinding of the upper and lower bases of said panel body during the production phase itself.
As an alternative, due to the same reasons above, it can be anticipated that the heat-insulation panel body 3 will be made of a metal material, such as, for instance, aluminum and, in order to avoid problems resulting from the occurrence of thermal bridges, that the plates 2 will be made of a thermoplastic material and/or thermoplastic materials filled with talc, fibre-glass, and so on.
As one further alternative—and due to the same reasons above—it can be anticipated that the heat-insulation panel body 3 and the plates 2 will be made of a fire-proof materials or any other material featuring the desired technical characteristics.
In addition, the heat-insulation panel body 3 and the plates 2 may be equipped with a plurality of surface score lines arranged by multiple pitches in order to be able to be partitioned to measure my mere manual effort.
Claims
1. A modular panel for transpiring, variable-geometry heat-insulation formwork, wherein it consists of the following items:
- a. at least one connecting plate featuring, on its surface, a plurality of engaging teeth and/or recesses; and
- b. at least one heat-insulation panel body featuring one upper surface and one lower surface both of them delimiting said body, at least one of said connecting plates being separated by said panel body during transport, and being equipped with connecting means suited to engage corresponding connecting means of said heat-insulation panel body to allow the same to be connected on said upper surface or said lower surface of said panel body.
2. The heat-insulation panel in accordance with claim 1, wherein said upper surface and lower surface are joined to each other by means of side walls and said connecting plates are connected with said surfaces of said panel body through elastic interference between some edges of said plates and said walls.
3. The heat-insulation panel in accordance with claim 1, wherein some surfaces of said plates suited to come into contact with one corresponding said surface are equipped with a plurality of elastic pins suited to fit into corresponding seats arranged on said surfaces and grip, through interference, inside the same due to elastic expansion of said pins.
4. The heat-insulation panel in accordance with claim 1, wherein said plates are connected with said upper surface and lower surface by mere pressure or by gluing, nailing or screwing down.
5. The heat-insulation panel in accordance with claim 1, wherein a plurality of transpiration through-channels run through said panel body, from said upper surface to said lower surface, and said connecting plate is equipped with a plurality of transpiration holes the positions thereof correspond to outlets of said channels when said plate is connected with said surfaces.
6. The panel in accordance with claim 5, wherein structural through-bars are fitted inside at least some of said transpiration through-channels of said panel body and of said corresponding transpiration holes of said plates.
7. The heat-insulation panel in accordance with claim 1, wherein said panel body features a plurality of first all-purpose lock-in profiles suited to allow said panel to be connected with any other structural element needed for assembling said modular, transpiring “disposable” formwork.
8. The heat-insulation panel in accordance with claim 7, wherein said first all-purpose lock-in profile features a male or female dovetail shape.
9. The heat-insulation panel in accordance with claim 7, wherein said first all-purpose lock-in profiles are arranged, preferably in a vertical, horizontal direction and also in a reticular fashion, on at least both of the side walls of said body.
10. The heat-insulation panel in accordance with claim 8, wherein at least one first wall of said body is equipped with a plurality of said first all-purpose lock-in profiles shaped like a male dovetail, whereas one second wall of said body opposite said first wall is equipped with a corresponding plurality of said first all-purpose lock-in profiles shaped like a female dovetail.
11. The panel in accordance with claim 1, wherein said panel body features a plurality of second lock-in profiles, preferably arranged in a vertical direction, suited to allow elements of the IPE or “T” type to be fit in.
12. The heat-insulation panel in accordance with claim 1, wherein said panel body is made of raw brick and/or honeycomb bricks, calcium silicate or concrete wood.
13. The panel in accordance with claim 1, wherein said heat-insulation panel body is made of aluminum and said plate is made of a thermoplastic material and/or a thermoplastic material filled with talc or fibre-glass.
14. The heat-insulation panel in accordance with claim 1, wherein said plate is equipped with a plurality of surface score lines arranged by multiple pitches.
15. The heat-insulation panel in accordance with claim 1, wherein said panel body is suited to be made by applying a hot wire cutting process, the same being associated with specific punches suitable for the purpose, from large-sized parallelepiped blocks.
16. The heat-insulation panel in accordance with claim 1, wherein said panel body is made of polystyrene foam, structural thermoplastic composite materials, clay and naturally dried natural sand, clay and blast furnace-baked sand, clay and sand and perlite or polystyrene beads-perlite with addition of additives such as magnesium-based binders and other composite insulating materials, cellular concrete, calcium silicate, pumice concrete, concrete and volcanic lapilli, concrete wood, concrete and cork grains or glass wool with special thermosetting resins.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 10, 2012
Publication Date: Nov 7, 2013
Inventor: Michele Caboni (Oristano)
Application Number: 13/979,568
International Classification: E04G 11/08 (20060101);
