 |
Description  |
|
|
BACKGROUND
This invention relates generally to poured concrete wall systems and, more
particularly, concerns a method and apparatus for forming insulated
concrete walls.
Concrete walls can be formed in various ways. Some are constructed from
concrete blocks on footings, some can be made from prefabricated members,
and others can be formed by pouring or pumping in uncured concrete between
rigid forms. The wall forms are generally planar structures and typically
are made of wood, aluminum, steel, or combinations of these materials. For
poured walls, two series of coplanar wall forms are held in a
spaced-apart, generally parallel relationship to create the cavity which
will form the concrete wall. The wall forms are typically held in the
correct spaced-apart relationship by a series of retaining ties extending
between the form assemblies. The retaining ties commonly include holes
formed in each end whereby pins are used to join adjacent coplanar forms
together. Once the wall forms are in place, concrete is poured into the
cavity between the forms and, after the concrete has cured, the forms are
disassembled for reuse. The protruding ends of the ties are then broken
off.
Poured concrete walls have many benefits over other types of concrete
walls. They can be quickly constructed, are relatively easy to construct,
are versatile, and durable. One drawback of all concrete walls however, is
that they are poor insulators. A typical concrete wall has an insulating
"R" value of approximately 1.0.
To improve the insulating qualities of concrete walls, several methods have
been developed for incorporating polystyrene sheets within the concrete
wall, or on one or both exterior surfaces of the concrete wall. A concrete
wall with 2.5 inches of polystyrene insulation on one side has an
insulating "R" value of approximately 13.0. Similarly, a concrete wall
with 2.5 inches of polystyrene insulation on both exterior surfaces of the
wall has an insulating "R" value of approximately 26.0.
Present methods of insulating concrete walls, however, suffer from the
drawback of adding considerable time and labor to construct the concrete
wall. One known method in particular uses special parallel foam sheets
held together by metal members. This system is difficult and time
consuming to set up, and requires additional external supports to prevent
the foam walls from bulging due to the weight of the concrete. Another
drawback of some insulated concrete wall systems is that they require
unique and unconventional wall forms. This also can add additional time,
labor and, ultimately, cost to the finished concrete wall.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an
improved insulated concrete wall system and method. It is another object
of the present invention to provide an insulated concrete wall system
using conventional wall forms.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an insulated concrete
wall having an exterior surface which readily accepts fasteners in order
to attach additional materials to the wall.
According to the present invention, the foregoing and other objects and
advantages are attained by an insulated concrete wall structure having a
concrete wall with opposing wall surfaces. The concrete wall has several
vertically and horizontally spaced wall ties imbedded within it.
Positioned between the vertically spaced wall ties are a series of
elongated retaining strips such that the retaining strips are
substantially parallel to the wall surface. Insulating panels such as
polystyrene foam boards are located between the horizontally spaced wall
ties and retained in position by the retaining strips. In one aspect of
the invention, each insulating panel has a groove formed along its
vertical edge for receiving and engaging the elongated edge of the
retaining strips.
An advantage of the present invention is that an insulated concrete wall
can be readily formed using conventional wall forms in approximately the
same amount of time as conventional uninsulated poured concrete walls. The
present invention also provides and insulated poured concrete wall which
is less expensive than known insulated concrete wall systems.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon
reading the following detailed description and dependent claims, an upon
reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For more complete understanding of this invention, reference should now be
had to the embodiments illustrated in greater detail in the accompanying
drawings and described below by way of examples of the invention. In the
drawings:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an insulated concrete wall system according
to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a retaining strip for use in the wall
system of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are alternative embodiments of retaining strips which can
be used in the wall form system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is an alternative arrangement for the wall tie and retaining strips
for use in the wall system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a side view of the insulated wall system as shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is a plan view of a preferred wall tie for use with the present
invention; and
FIG. 9 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment for the insulating wall
panel for use in the wall system of FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a perspective view of a portion of a
wall forming system 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention. The system 10 includes a plurality of concrete wall forms 12.
Adjacent wall forms 12 are held in a coplanar relationship by connecting
pins 14. The two series of coplanar wall forms 12 are held in an opposing
spaced apart, parallel relationship by a plurality of wall ties 16.
Connecting pins 14 pass through each end of the wall ties 16 to maintain
the spaced apart parallel relationship of each series of coplanar wall
forms 12. Wall forms 12 are conventional and can be constructed of wood,
aluminum, iron, steel, or a combination of these materials. Typically, the
wall forms 12 are constructed of aluminum.
The metal forms 12 are typically 2-6 feet wide and 4-8 feet high, although
they can be provided of any increment of width and height. Connecting pins
14, which may be of the spring-actuated connecting rod type, are used to
hold adjacent form members together to form one side of the wall. Once in
position, the spaced-apart wall forms 12 form a cavity for receiving
uncured concrete.
Insulating panels 18 are positioned adjacent to interior surfaces along one
of the row of wall forms 12. Preferably, the insulated panel 18 includes
grooves 20 formed in opposing vertical edges of the insulating panel 18.
The groove 20 engages an elongated edge 28 of the retaining strips 22.
Preferably, the ends 24 of the retaining strips 22 are secured to the wall
ties 16 by notches 26 formed in the wall ties.
In operation, once the wall forms 12 are assembled with the connecting pins
14 and wall ties 16, a plurality of insulating panels 18 and retaining
strips 22 are positioned inside the wall forms 12 and along one wall
surface. The strips 22 are placed between the vertically spaced-apart wall
ties 16 and held in place by the notches 26 and the grooves 20 in the form
panels 18. The insulating panels 18 are secured in place by the retaining
strips 22. Since the retaining strips 22 engage the insulating panel 18,
the location of the retaining strips 22 dictate the location of the
insulating panels. Accordingly, the notches 26 are preferably located such
that the insulating panel 18 is maintained adjacent one of the interior
wall surfaces. In this way, a cavity 30 remains between the insulating
panel 18 and the opposing parallel spaced apart wall form 12 while the
adjacent wall form 12 provides additional support for the insulating panel
18.
The insulating panels 18 can be made of any insulating material which has
some structure, but preferably are made of a polystyrene foam material.
The panels 18 are preferably provided in similar sizes and shapes as the
sections of wall forms. Thus, the panels 18 can be 2-6 feet in width and
4-8 feet in height, but can be provided of any incremental width and
height. The panels 18 also can have any desired thickness, with the
thicker materials having a greater insulating "R" value. Typically, the
panels 18 are 2-3 inches in thickness.
The retainer strips 22 can be made of any material, such as wood, plastic
or metal. The strips are relatively thin--on the order of one-eighth inch
in thickness--and about 1-4 inches wide. The width of the strips is
correlated to the depth of the grooves 20 in the insulating panels 18,
since each strip 22 is positioned between two abutting panels 18. The
height or length of the retraining strips 22 is dependent upon the
distance between adjacent ties 16, but typically are about one foot in
length. The retaining strips also should be made of a material to which
conventional fasteners, such as screws and nails, can be secured.
To create the wall, uncured concrete is poured into the cavity 30. In this
regard, the term "poured" is to be taken to include any method or manner
in which concrete can be inserted into the cavity 30, whether by hand,
from a concrete truck chute, from a pumping system, etc. Once the concrete
is set (typically 12-24 hours), the forms 12 are removed by releasing the
connecting pins 14 from the holes 32 of the wall ties 16. The forms 12 are
then pulled away from the concrete wall. Once the pins and forms are
removed, the concrete wall remains with the wall ties 16 imbedded within,
and insulating panel 18 bonded to one side thereof. A portion of the wall
ties 16 will remain extending out of the wall surface as well as the face
of the insulating panel 18. These end portions are broken or snapped off
as described below with reference to FIG. 8.
Although the wall structure of FIG. 1 is shown with only one insulating
panel, a second insulating panel can similarly be installed adjacent the
opposing wall form 12. This is shown by phantom line 18' in FIGS. 1 and 7.
In such a configuration, the finished concrete wall would have both
exterior surfaces covered by insulating panels 18 and 18'. Also, if only
one insulating surface is provided, it typically is situated on the
concrete wall so it faces the interior of the building. In this manner,
the wall can be finished over the insulation in a conventional manner.
FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 show different embodiments for the retaining strip 22 of
the wall system of FIG. 1. The retaining strip 22 as shown in FIG. 2 is
configured to be positioned between the wall ties 16 with the ends 24
engaging the notches 26 of their respective vertically spaced wall tie 16.
The elongated edge 28 maintains the insulating panel 18 (FIG. 1) in place
by engaging the groove 20 of insulating panel 18. The retaining strips 22
are preferably constructed of wood or plastic, or any other building
material which would accommodate screws, nails or other fasteners.
In this way, the retaining strips 22 also serve the function as a fastening
device for siding or drywall, for example, to be attached to the finished
concrete wall.
FIG. 3 shows an alternative embodiment for the retaining strips. The
retaining strip 40 includes cutout portions 42 which are formed to fit
over the wall tie 16 rather than between the wall ties 16. The retaining
strip 40 can include several of the cutout portions 42 and can be equal to
or greater in length than the height of insulating panel 18 and wall form
12.
FIG. 4 shows another embodiment for the retaining strips. In this case, the
retaining strip 44 includes one or more cutout portions 46 to again fit
around the wall ties 16 rather than between the wall ties 16. The
retaining strip 44 differs from that of FIG. 3 in that it includes curved
elongated edges 48 which engage the groove 20 of the insulating panel 18
and aid in sliding the insulating panel 18 in place as shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 shows another alternative embodiment wherein the retaining strips 50
and wall ties 51 are provided as a one-piece member.
Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the elongated edges 28, 41 and
48 of retaining strips 22, 40 and 44, respectively, can be chamfered or
beveled to aid in engaging grooves 20 of insulating panels 18. Likewise,
as shown in FIG. 1, grooves 20 can be chamfered or beveled to aid in
engaging the elongated edges of retaining strips 22, 40 or 44.
FIG. 6 shows another embodiment for the wall tie and retaining strips for
use in the present wall form system. As shown in FIG. 6, the retaining
strip 54 can be "H"-shaped whereby an insulating panel 61 can be held
between the two upstanding members 55, 56. In this way, the groove 20
(FIG. 1) would not have to be formed in the insulating panel 61. The
retaining strip engages the wall tie 57 by raised portion 58 which could
be formed as part of the wall tie 57 or retaining strip 54, or a separate
piece placed in the notch 60 of the wall tie 57.
Referring to FIG. 8, the preferred form of wall tie 16 is shown. The tie
has breakaway V-notches 34 formed near each end to allow that portion of
the wall tie 16 which extends beyond the planar surface of the concrete
wall to be readily broken away or snapped off. Breakaway V-notches 34 are
preferably formed at a location in the wall tie 16 such that, after
breaking off the end portion 36, the remaining ends of the wall ties 16
lie below the exterior wall surface. In this way, the finished wall
surface will be void of any protrusions, and ready to receive, for
example, drywall or paneling. If desired, several sets of pairs of notches
26 could be provided in the wall ties 16 in order to accommodate
insulating panels of different thickness. These additional notches are
shown as phantom notches 27.
The wall ties 16 also have holes or openings 32 at each end for receiving
the connecting pins 14. The ties 16 further have a plurality of recesses
29 which are used to locate and position reinforcing rods in the concrete
wall, if they are utilized in the construction process. Also, as can be
seen in FIG. 8, the wall ties 16 are symmetrical at each edge and end so
that they will always be positioned properly in the construction process.
FIG. 9 shows an alternative embodiment for the insulating panels used in
the present wall system. The insulating panel 60 includes grooves 62 along
the elongated edges thereof for engaging the retaining strips and holding
the panel 60 in place against one surface of wall forms. The panel further
includes recesses 64 formed parallel to and adjacent one face of the panel
60. Recesses 64 engage additional retaining strips to allow building
materials such as drywall or paneling to be attached to the face of the
panel 60 once the wall forms are removed and the wall completed.
From the foregoing, it will be seen that there has been brought to the art
a new and improved insulated concrete wall structure which overcomes the
drawbacks of prior insulated concrete walls. In particular, the present
concrete wall structure provides an insulated concrete wall which can be
constructed in approximately the same amount of time as an uninsulated
concrete wall using conventional wall forms.
While the invention has been described in connection with one or more
embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to
those embodiments. On the contrary, the invention covers all alternatives,
modifications, and equivalents, as may be included within the spirit and
scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *
|
|
 |
|
 |
Description |
|
