Coated Concrete Form
A concrete form system includes an outer form composed of a structural foam material and a protective skin material. The protective skin material is in contact with the structural foam material and may be chemically bonded such as by crosslinking with the structural foam material. Each of the structural foam material and protective skin material may include a polymeric material. The protective skin material forms an exposed outer surface of the outer form, obviating any need for additional protection from the elements or to be applied during the construction process. The outer form thermally insulates around the periphery of a poured concrete slab, and can be coupled with an inner form, each of the outer form and inner form being assembled in a predetermined relationship and sized so as to control the vertical elevation and thickness of a concrete slab and a foundation stem wall cast between the inner and outer forms. The concrete form system can be pre-assembled in accordance with appropriate dimensions in a workshop in preparation for pouring a concrete slab on a remote job site.
This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/240,643 titled “Coated Concrete Form,” to Bryan White, filed Oct. 13, 2015, the entire disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
TECHNICAL FIELDThe present disclosure relates generally to concrete forms and related concrete construction technology, and relates more particularly to a concrete form system having an outer form with a structural foam material and an outer protective skin material.
BACKGROUNDConstruction technology related to the pouring, forming, and curing of concrete to build foundation slabs, footers, and basement walls has advanced significantly over the years. While some of the basic materials and procedures for creating a concrete structure have been little changed for literally more than a thousand years, more recently highly sophisticated materials, science, and construction engineering have been applied to certain apparatuses, notably forms, used in pouring concrete.
One known technique relates to the use of foam panels to contain concrete in its uncured, flowable state in a particular shape so that the concrete can retain that shape once cured. Foam panels have the advantage of being relatively lightweight and easy to handle, and can provide insulation about the periphery of the structure to be formed. Foam panels of known design have various shortcomings relative to certain applications. For instance, foam panels are typically removed once curing of the poured concrete is complete, leaving an unsightly and unfinished exterior surface that must be painted, obscured, or otherwise treated to produce a suitably aesthetically pleasing finish.
SUMMARYIn one aspect, a concrete form system includes inner and outer forms coupled together via a plurality of connecting webs. The outer form includes a structural foam material forming an inner surface, facing the inner form, and structured to contact concrete poured into a space between the inner form and the outer form. The outer form further includes a protective skin material in contact with the structural foam material and forming an exposed outer surface of the outer form.
In another aspect, a method of making a concrete form is disclosed. The method includes production of a substantially rectangular body having a plurality of peripheral edges extending about a first and a second body side of an outer concrete form from a structural foam material, applying a protective skin material in liquid form to the first body side such that the skin material adheres to the structural foam material on the first body side, and packaging the substantial rectangular body for shipping with the protective material adhered to the structural foam material located upon only the first body side.
In still another aspect, a method of constructing a foundation is disclosed, the method including assembling a concrete form system such that an inner form and an outer form are supported in parallel spaced apart relation, positioning the concrete form system upon a footing, pouring uncured concrete into a space extending between the inner and outer forms such that upon curing the concrete forms a solid wall extending upwardly from the footing, and orienting the outer form during assembly and positioning such that an inner surface formed from a structural foam material of the outer form faces the space and is contacted by the poured concrete, and an opposite surface formed from a protective skin material of the outer form is exposed and faces outwardly of the foundation.
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Outer form 30 may include a structural foam material 50 that forms an inner surface 44 of substantially rectangular body 32, faces inner form 22 and is thus structured to contact concrete 16 poured into space 48. Structural foam material 50 may be a one-piece body and is to be understood as structural in that it does not collapse under its own weight, at least when shaped and dimensioned according to generally analogous building products. For instance, outer form 30 might be from about 3 feet wide or tall to about 6 feet wide or tall, from about 2 feet long to about 16 feet long, and from about ½ inch thick to about 12 inches thick. It will be appreciated that the width and length and thickness of body 32 will typically be chosen based upon the intended service application, and accordingly relatively shorter or narrower forms constructed according to the present disclosure might be relatively thinner, whereas relatively taller or wider forms might be relatively thicker. Specific examples of suitable materials for constructing outer form 30 are further discussed herein.
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Protective skin material 56 forms the exposed outer surface 46 of outer form 30 located opposite inner surface 44. In a practical implementation strategy, rectangular body 32 may consist essentially of structural foam material 50 and protective skin material 56, although certain additives such as fire retardants, anti-fungals, colorants, pesticides, or still other materials might be part of rectangular body 32. The outer surface 46 formed by protective skin material 56 may be substantially smooth in many instances, and smoother than inner surface 44, but can also be roughened or textured in others. In
It is also contemplated that structural foam material 50 may include a foamed polymeric material, and protective skin material 56 may include a continuous polymeric material adhered to the foamed polymeric material. Further still, the continuous polymeric material may be chemically bonded to the foamed polymeric material. Examples of suitable continuous polymeric materials are certain materials commonly applied by plural component spray, and including a polyurethane, a polyurea, an epoxy, or a hybrid of any of these. Foamed polymeric material comprising material 50 may include a polyisocyanate, polyurethane, or polystyrene, for example. Inner form 22 may be any suitable material desirably but not necessarily having some resistance to degradation over time. The material of which inner form 22 is made will typically be different than the material of which outer form 30 is made, and could include any polymeric material suitable for permanent installation in ground contact conditions.
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The present description is for illustrative purposes only, and should not be construed to narrow the breadth of the present disclosure in any way. Thus, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications might be made to the presently disclosed embodiments without departing from the full and fair scope and spirit of the present disclosure. For instance, while certain practical implementation strategies are disclosed herein relative to specific material compositions, it will be appreciated that the present disclosure is not strictly limited as such and other possible combinations and mixtures of materials will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Other aspects, features and advantages will be apparent upon an examination of the attached drawings and appended claims.
Claims
1. A concrete form system comprising:
- an inner form including a first substantially rectangular body having a top peripheral edge and a bottom peripheral edge;
- an outer form including a second substantially rectangular body having a top peripheral edge and a bottom peripheral edge;
- a plurality of connecting webs coupling together the inner form and the outer form in spaced apart relation, and such that the first and second substantially rectangular bodies are oriented parallel to one another, for positioning the concrete form system upon a footer;
- the outer form including a structural foam material forming an inner surface of the second substantially rectangular body, and the inner surface facing the inner form and being structured to contact concrete poured into a space between the inner form and the outer form; and
- the outer form further including a protective skin material in contact with the structural foam material and forming an exposed outer surface of the outer form located opposite the inner surface.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the second substantially rectangular body consists essentially of the structural foam material and the protective skin material.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein the second substantially rectangular body includes a one-piece body where the top and bottom peripheral edges are formed of the structural foam material.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the structural foam material includes a foamed polymeric material, and the protective skin material includes a continuous polymeric material adhered to the foamed polymeric material.
5. The system of claim 4 wherein the continuous polymeric material is chemically bonded to the foamed polymeric material.
6. The system of claim 4 wherein the continuous polymeric material includes a polyurethane, a polyurea, an epoxy, or a hybrid of these.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein the foamed polymeric material includes a polyisocyanate, a polyurethane, or a polystyrene.
8. A method of making a concrete form system comprising: producing a substantially rectangular body of an outer concrete form from a structural foam material, the substantially rectangular body having a plurality of peripheral edges extending about a first body side and a second body side; applying a protective skin material in a liquid form to the first body side, and such that upon curing the protective skin material is adhered to the structural foam material on the first body side; and packaging the substantially rectangular body for shipping with the protective skin material adhered to the structural foam material and located upon only the first body side.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein producing includes producing the substantially rectangular body in the form of a foamed polymeric material, and wherein applying further includes applying the protective skin material to the foamed polymeric material such that upon curing the protective skin material has the form of a continuous polymeric material.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the applying includes applying the protective skin material prior to completion of curing of the foamed polymeric material forming the first body side.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein:
- the producing includes producing the substantially rectangular body from a polyurethane, a polyisocyanate, or a polystyrene; and
- the applying includes applying a plural component spray that includes a polyurethane, a polyurea, an epoxy or a hybrid of these.
12. The method of claim 8 further comprising coupling the substantially rectangular body with a second substantially rectangular body of an inner concrete form by way of a plurality of connecting webs such that the first and second substantially rectangular bodies are in a parallel arrangement defining a space therebetween.
13. A method of constructing a foundation comprising:
- assembling a concrete form system such that an inner form and an outer form are supported in parallel spaced apart relation;
- positioning the concrete form system upon a footing;
- pouring uncured concrete into a space extending between the inner form and the outer form, such that upon curing the concrete forms a solid wall extending upwardly from the footing that traps therein a plurality of connecting webs coupling together the inner form and the outer form; and
- orienting the outer form during the assembling and positioning such that an inner surface formed from a structural foam material of the outer form faces the space and is contacted by the poured concrete, and an opposite outer surface formed from a protective skin material of the outer form is exposed and faces outwardly of the foundation.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein pouring the uncured concrete includes pouring the concrete so as to form a horizontally extending slab that is continuous with the solid wall and the solid wall extends downwardly from the slab.
15. The method of claim 13 wherein the assembling includes coupling together the inner form and the outer form prior to the positioning of the form system upon the footing.
16. The method of claim 13 wherein the structural foam material includes a foamed polymeric material and the protective skin includes a continuous polymeric material.
17. The method of claim 13 wherein the continuous polymeric material is chemically bonded to the foamed polymeric material.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the continuous polymeric material includes a polyurethane, a polyurea, or an epoxy, and the foamed polymeric material includes a polyisocyanate, a polyurethane, or a polystyrene.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 12, 2016
Publication Date: Apr 13, 2017
Inventor: Bryan White (Camby, IN)
Application Number: 15/291,512