Holding Units for Stay in Place Molds
The instant invention provides stay in place molds for the construction of concrete structures comprising two boards or panels held together by a series of holding units that are fastened only to the interior surfaces of the cement panels by fastening means that are kept inside of the width of said panels. The holding units are selectively distributed at the internal cavity of the molds and are designed by a main cylindrical body having at least two internal ring units inside and two supporting plates at each one of the extremes of the main cylindrical body. The external, flat surface of the plates is permanently fastened only to the internal surface of the cement boards, thus forming strong stay in place construction molds having smooth external surfaces.
This application claims priority under 35 USC 120 to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/135,485 filed on Jul. 7, 2011.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to holding units useful in stay in place molds for the construction of concrete structures. More particularly, the invention is directed to holding units able to provide stay in place molds, which are useful in the construction of monolithic concrete structures of excellent strength.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONFiber cement panels, also known as fiber cement boards have been used in the elaboration of stay in place molds useful in the construction of concrete structures. In general terms, two fiber cement panels are vertically positioned and held together in order to create an internal cavity intended to be filled with liquid concrete mixture at the construction site.
The real challenge in the manufacture and use of said molds is to maintain both fiber cement panels held together firmly and to obtain a highly internal pressure resistance at the internal cavity of the form.
In most instances, said fiber cement panels hare held together by means of vertical and horizontal structural components which are attached internally or externally to the said panels, debilitating the whole structure. Said external components complicate the construction process, requiring external supports in order to counteract or balance the internal pressure created once the liquid cement mixture is poured inside the mold. Similarly, said external components difficult the alignment and proper connection of individual molds, as required in the formation of larger structures.
On the other hand, the use of complicated components assembled through the width of the fiber boards and passing along its internal cavity compromise the firmness and stability of the mold and the strength of the structure constructed with said mold. Internally, said structures occupy a large area of the internal cavity and thus, represents an obstruction that avoids the uniform contact and distribution of the liquid concrete mixture within the mold, which results in the formation of a non-monolithic, weak concrete structure. Externally, once the concrete structure is made, it is required to eliminate the external section of such components, which means additional work that can negatively affect the interior of the constructed structure.
Thus there is a need of stay in place fiber cement molds comprising a holding unit or spacer element, easy to manage, friendly to insert common mechanical and electrical construction features and particularly designed to increase the stability of the mold, capable of allow a uniform dispersion of internal pressure of the liquid mixture and to allow the uniform contact of the liquid cement mixture in order to provide concrete structures with excellent strength and resistance.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is an object of the invention to provide stay in place fiber cement molds capable of holding the fiber cement boards with strong firmness, wherein the holding units are distributed exclusively in small areas of the internal cavity and without having any of their components exposed at the exterior surfaces of the fiber cement boards. Another object of the invention is to provide molds comprising fiber cement boards having excellent resistance to the internal pressure created by the liquid cement mixture, thus capable to stand said internal pressure without the need of any external supports or components.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a mold wherein the liquid cement mixture is uniformly distributed inside its internal cavity, allowing said mixture to form strong monolithic structures. Still another object of the invention is to provide strong fiber cement molds that are able to be firmly interconnected to another mold in order to produce uniform and strong largest sizes concrete structures. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a mold capable of render concrete structures that resists high pressure and heavy weights. In an additional embodiment, another object of the instant invention is to provide a mold comprising fiber cement boards capable of incorporate insulating materials and without the need of disturb the interior of the constructed wall after the cement construction mixture is poured. In a still another object of the invention is to provide a stay in place mold having its exterior surface substantially flat, thus providing a concrete structure already having flat external surfaces. In yet another object of the invention is to provide a mold wherein distance and distribution of re bars may be easily predetermined and pre-established as demanded by or according to a given or particular construction code.
The foregoing and additional features and characteristics of the embodiments of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description considered with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are used herein in a manner of example only, and wherein:
The following detailed description illustrates the invention by way of example and is not limited to the particular limitations presented herein as principles of the invention. This description is directed to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention by describing embodiments, adaptations, variations and alternatives of the invention. Potential variations of the limitations herein described are within the scope of the invention. Particularly, the size and shapes of the invention's elements illustrated in the discussion may be varied and still provide molds having different sizes or geometric shapes, that are within the scope of the instant invention.
In general terms, the instant invention is directed to holding units useful in the manufacture of stay-in-place construction molds and to said stay in place molds manufactured with or using said holding units thereof.
Essentially, all embodiments of the holding unit 10 herein described comprises an elongated, cylindrical main body; two or more internal ring units inserted in said elongated body at a particular and predetermined position and two lateral supporting plates connected to each one of the ends of the elongated main unit. Each one of these parts and its functions are discussed in more details below. Said holding units 10 are useful in interconnecting two parallel boards 12 and 14, thus creating an internal space 11 of a mold. The stay in place molds herein described are intended to be filled out with liquid construction mixture during the construction process of concrete or cement structures, such as houses, buildings, walls and the like, thus providing an already finished external surface that does not require further treatment such as plastering.
More particularly and in reference to the drawings,
In
Similarly, embodiments shown in
Similarly,
Similarly, as in the embodiments already discussed in
In
Similarly, embodiments shown in
Embodiments shown in
Embodiments of holding unit 10 shown in
Elongated cylindrical main bodies 15, 23, 24 and 32; internal rings 21 and 30 as well as supporting plates 16 and 25 may be made of a solid, strong material, such as metal like steel or hard plastic or the like and they may be made by casting or molding as a complete piece of the holding unit 10 or as separated element, which are able to further be assembled. For instance, embodiments illustrated in
Similarly, embodiments illustrated in
The particular dimensions of the internal holding unit 10 as well as the particular position of the internal space 22 may varied depending on different factors such as the size of the desired mold, the width of the structure to be constructed with the mold, the size of horizontal 33 and vertical 34 re-bars to be introduced in the mold during the construction process, and other construction specifications dictated by particulars legal constructions codes.
As illustrated in
As explained in further details below, holding units 10 are used in the formation of molds particularly designed to be fill out with liquid concrete mixture during the construction process of concrete structures. Among other main functions of the holding unit 10 are providing excellent structural strength inside the molds capable to withstand extreme internal pressures created by the concrete mixture until it solidifies. Additionally, said holding unit 10 provides support to horizontal re-bars 33 as required by any given particular structural specification. Each external surface 17 or 27 of the lateral supporting plates in unit holding unit 10 are connected only to the internal surface 45 of the fiber cement panels 12 and 14, thus providing stay in place molds having a flat external surface 44 ready for painting once a concrete structure is constructed. The physical structure of holding unit 10 has been created exclusively to render concrete molds having extreme resistance to the internal pressure produce by liquid concrete mixture. Furthermore, holding units 10 are assembled at the internal cavity 22 in an arranged pattern that uses only near 2 percent of the internal cavity of a mold. Therefore, near 98 percent of the concrete mixture is allow to be in direct contact with itself, which produces an extremely strong concrete structures, capable to resist the weight of additional structures above them, thus allowing the construction of high concrete structures such as buildings. Furthermore, the particular distribution pattern of the holding units 10 at the interior cavity of the mold and the small thickness of the structure of the holding units 10 allows an accommodation or settlement of horizontal 33 and vertical 34 re-bars at a given and predetermined distance specified by the structural design of the construction; in such a manner that the installation of electrical or mechanical features inside the mold is free of any interferences with said holding units 10. Similarly, the strength of the resulting walls is much more resistance to earthquake motions and similar external forces, thus increasing the security of said constructions and its inhabitants. Besides, the use of holding units 10 having a thin main body allows the incorporation of internal reinforcements, if necessary or desired, thus increasing the versatility of the herein disclosed molds.
As illustrated in
In some embodiments of the mold, at least one of the internal surfaces 45 of the fiber cement panels 12, 14 is permanently glued to an insulated foam panel 35. Said foam panel 35 has the same dimensions of the fiber cement panels 12 or 14. In some mold embodiments, such as mold embodiment 40, its lateral sides are free and open. Mold embodiment 42 however, comprises two male joint or interconnecting units 37, which are located along the left edges of the internal section of fiber cements boards 12. As mentioned previously, fiber cement boards 12, 14, and foam panel 35 are commercially available. Said interconnection units 37 allow the joining of individual molds in order to constructs larger size walls, as further indicated above. Similarly, each mold embodiment 40, 41 and 42 also comprises multiple internal holding units 10, which are distributed in a particular arrangement over the internal surface of fiber cement boards 12, 14, as previously explained. The external surfaces of each lateral units of the internal holding unit 10 are physically connected only to the internal surfaces 45 of the fiber cement panels 12, 14, thus creating an internal cavity 11.
On the other hand, mold embodiment 42 as illustrated in
A process directed to manufacture of the mold embodiment 40 is illustrated in
It should be noticed that, mold embodiment 40, has its lateral sides free and open. On the other hand, mold embodiment 41 illustrated in
The third embodiment 42, as illustrated in
In operational terms, the mold embodiments 40, 41 and 42 are used in the construction of concrete or cement walls, houses, buildings and similar structures.
While the invention has been described in conjunction with some embodiments, it is to be understood that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the forgoing description. Accordingly, the invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A holding unit useful in holding two fiber cement boards or panel units together, said holding unit comprising: wherein the left end of the main elongated body and the right end of the main elongated body are fastened to the coupling unit on the internal surface of the lateral supporting plates.
- an elongated cylindrical main body having a right end and a left end;
- at least two rings inserted into said main elongated body;
- two lateral supporting plates, each one of said plates comprising: an main flat body having an external surface and an internal surface; a coupling unit permanently located at the center of the internal surface of said flat body and;
2. The holding unit as recited in 1, wherein said main elongated body has an external continuous threaded surface.
3. The holding unit as recited in 2, wherein said coupling unit is internally threaded.
4. The holding unit as recited in 3, wherein said main elongated body is internally solid.
5. The holding unit as recited in 3, wherein said main elongated body is internally hollow.
6. The holding unit as recited in 1, wherein said main elongated body has an external continuous smooth external surface.
7. The holding unit as recited in 6, wherein said coupling unit is internally non-threaded.
8. The holding unit as recited in 7, wherein said main elongated body is internally solid.
9. The holding unit as recited in 7, wherein said main elongated body is internally hollow.
11. The holding unit as recited in 1, wherein the two lateral supporting plates are detachable from the main body.
12. The holding unit as recited in 1, wherein the two main bodies of the lateral supporting plates are square.
13. A stay in place construction mold useful in the construction of concrete walls, said mold comprising: wherein the external surface of said squared plates are glued at the internal surfaces of the panels or boards creating a series of multiple columns, wherein each column is apart from the next one at a pre-determined distance and wherein each holding unit is separated from the next holding unit within a given column at a predetermined distance.
- two panels or boards positioned parallel one to the other: each panel having a substantially flat external surface and an internal surface; multiple holding units, said holding units comprising: an elongated cylindrical main body having a right end and a left end; at least two rings inserted into said main elongated body; two lateral supporting plates, each one of said plates comprising: an main flat body having an external surface and an internal surface; a coupling unit permanently located at the center of the internal surface of said flat body and; wherein the left end of the main elongated body and the right end of the main elongated body are fastened to the coupling unit on the internal surface of the lateral supporting plates and;
14. The mold as recited in claim 13, wherein the panels or boards are fiber cement panels or boards.
15. The mold as recited in claim 13, further comprising a foam panel having the same dimensions of the fiber cement panels and attached to the internal surface of one of the fiber cement panels.
16. The mold as recited in claim 13, further comprising interconnecting fiber cement units connected at one of the lateral sides of the mold.
17. The mold as recited in claim 13, further comprising closing units that enclosed the left and right ends of the mold.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 9, 2012
Publication Date: Jan 9, 2014
Inventor: Pedro Quiles Perez (San Juan, PR)
Application Number: 13/544,306
International Classification: E04G 17/065 (20060101); E04B 1/41 (20060101); E04B 2/86 (20060101);