Novel, plastic interlocking wall panels, having a high strength to weight ratio, are disclosed which are employed in a reinforced wall construction especially adapted for use in swimming pools. The wall panels and reinforced wall construction are characterized by their ability to be assembled in a strong, rigid unit without the necessity of employing bolts, fasteners or welding. Particularly, the construction in the most preferred embodiments employs structural elements prepared by the extrusion of plastic materials, and more particularly, plastic materials which have a cellular core of reduced density as a characteristic feature.
Vertical boards or tank segments are compressed by outer horizontal bands that cause the vertical edges of these tank segments to press together. Each tank segment has a web and edge structures that are thicker than the web measured in a radial direction in the finished tank. The compression of the horizontal bands causes these edge sections to exert a bending movement on the web, bending the web outwardly until it contacts the outer horizontal bands. One size of tank segment, therefore, serves for a large number of different diameters of cylindrical tank. The webs are formed flat, and the thickened edges are preferably tongue-and-groove configuration.
For use with prefabricated pool wall panels that have a top flange extending outwardly from the pool cavity to attach a coping layer, an extender strip attachable to the top flange increases the effective width of coping support. The extender strips have a curvature conforming to the curvature of the wall panel. The extender strip includes a flat portion for supporting a coping layer and a flange portion adjacent the outside perimeter of the strip. The strip can be attached to the wall panel with the flange portion facing up or down, depending on the nature of the coping layer. The structure may also include horizontal support brackets and vertical support braces.
A framing assembly and associated method of orienting and supporting a plurality of framing studs for constructing a curved wall through the utilization of a base formed of a high strength, flexible and at least partially separable material comprising a plurality of base segments which are disposed in interconnecting relation to spaced apart outwardly extending the sidewalls disposed in substantially parallel relation to one another. The plurality of base segments are removably secured to one another but are separable when the base is disposed in an operative position defined by a curved orientation which substantially corresponds to the curved wall or like structure being formed. The operative position is further defined by the plurality of base segments disposed in overlapping engagement with one another and an innermost one of the sidewalls separated into portions are overlapped and fixed so as to shorten the longitudinal dimension thereof and stabilize the framing assembly once the correct operative position of the base has been established.
There is provided a panel structure for the side walls of an inground pool, the panel having vertical lines of weakening formed therein permitting it to assume various arcuate configurations, both concave and convex. This arrangement permits a single panel to be used for both straight and curved wall sections.
An above ground swimming pool is made up of a plurality of posts, wherein each post is a blow-molded unit having a base portion and a top portion with a coping seat. A plurality of coping members also blow-molded are each telescopically received one end to the other at the coping seat of the top of each post, and a one-piece fastener engages the overlapping telescopic ends of the coping members to the top of the post. A bracket is provided at the base of the post, the bracket having a rail for receiving track segments wherein an elongated flexible metal wall is inserted. The coping member retains the top of the flexible wall against the post.
