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Description  |
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NOTICE OF COPYRIGHTS AND TRADE DRESS
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is
subject to copyright protection. This patent document may show and/or describe
matter which is or may become trade dress of the owner. The copyright and trade
dress owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by any one of the patent
disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records,
but otherwise reserves all copyright and trade dress rights whatsoever.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to moldings for architectural concrete forming.
2. Description of Related Art
Many buildings are formed from concrete panels or elements. The concrete tilt-up
is one example of such a structure. To make a concrete panel or element, a form
is prepared and concrete is poured into the form. After the concrete sets, the
form may be removed.
To enhance the aesthetic aspects of concrete panels and elements, the forms may
include architectural molding. These moldings are typically made from solid wood
(e.g., clear pine), and sometimes extruded plastic. Architectural molding may be
manufactured on-site or prefabricated. At the job site, the architectural molding
is typically cut to size when needed and added to the general form. The architectural
molding is typically nailed to other parts the form.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an elevated perspective view of an architectural molding in accordance
with the invention.
FIG. 2 is an apparatus for manufacturing an architectural molding for concrete
forming in accordance with the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Throughout this description, the embodiments and examples shown should
be considered as exemplars, rather than limitations on the apparatus and methods
of the present invention.
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown an elevated perspective view of
an architectural molding 100 in accordance with the invention. The architectural
molding 100 may be a reveal, rustication, detail, chamfer or other architectural
molding used in concrete forms. Architectural molding is characterized by structural
strength, which allows it to withstand the pressure of uncured concrete that has
been poured into a form.
Often, after the architectural molding is delivered to a job site, the architectural
molding is stored in the open until used. The architectural molding is therefore
exposed to the elements and may be degraded by such exposure. For example, some
materials such as fiber board, have been found to warp or otherwise change shape
when exposed to moisture. The moisture may be present from rain, dew, sprinklers
or other environmental conditions. As explained below, the architectural molding
of the invention may be manufactured to withstand such degradation.
Architectural molding may have other qualities. For example, to produce
a smooth concrete surface, the architectural molding have a smooth surface which
faces the concrete. If a textured concrete surface is desired, it may be obtained
from architectural molding having a corresponding textured surface which faces
the concrete.
As used herein, "concrete" means a pourable substance which sets into a hard,
strong building material. Concrete may be made by mixing a cementing material (such
as portland cement) and a mineral aggregate (such as sand and gravel) with sufficient
water to cause the cement to set and bind the entire mass.
The architectural molding 100 comprises a stock to which a coating has
been applied. The stock may have one or more surfaces 110, 120, 130
which will, when the architectural molding 100 is used, will face the poured
concrete. These surfaces 110, 120, 130 will be referred to
herein as "exposed" surfaces. In addition to the exposed surfaces 110, 120,
130, the stock 110 may define one or more unexposed surfaces 140,
160. There may also be partially exposed surfaces. Altogether, the exposed,
unexposed and partially exposed surfaces make up an entire outside surface of the
architectural molding.
The stock may comprise a material such as medium density fiber board (MDF). MDF
and many other materials are porous and water absorptive. These materials are sponge-like,
and will absorb water which impinges on their surface. Depending on their manufacture
and inherent properties, these materials have an entire exposed surface, a substantial
portion of the exposed surface, or a small portion of the exposed surface which
is porous.
The stock may also comprise solid wood, wood fibers, particle board, extruded
plastics, metals, composites and other materials which are hard and strong enough
for use in concrete forms. The stock may comprise a single material or a combination
of materials, and the combinations may be homogenous or not. The stock may include
a binder for binding constituents.
The stock may have a predefined shape or cross-section adapted and especially
suited for use in architectural molding. For example, chamfer generally has a triangular cross-section.
The architectural molding 100 may include a coating which substantially
evenly covers the exposed surface of the stock. The coating may overcome the water
absorptive and/or porous qualities of the stock. The coating may be water proof
or water resistant. The coating may include or be a coloring agent. As used herein,
"coloring agent" refers to a pigment, dye, paint or other substance which will
give the stock a color different from its appearance without the coloring agent.
The coloring agent may be visible upon application or may rendered visible by drying
or some other process. The coating may include wax, oil, plastics, and/or resins.
Color may be useful for making the architectural molding 100 easily identifiable
as to its source, quality, type or otherwise. Since architectural molding is generally
not visible when installed in a concrete form, and the concrete form is temporary,
color may have no aesthetic benefits.
The coating may comprise one or more layers. Extra layers may be desired or necessary
to achieve evenness, or so that separate materials may be applied, such as a water
proofer in one layer and a coloring agent in a second layer.
The coating may maintain or alter the surface quality of the stock. For example,
an otherwise smooth exposed surface may be coated to have a texture. The texture
may be even, grained or patterned, for example. Alternatively, the exposed surface
of a stock may be coated to be smooth—even smoother than the stock itself.
Other qualities may include slippery or waxy.
The coated architectural molding 100 may be used as part of a concrete form.
Referring now to FIG. 2 there is shown an apparatus 200 for manufacturing
an architectural molding for concrete forming in accordance with the invention.
The apparatus comprises an application chamber 210, a dry chamber 220
and a conveyor 230. The apparatus will be described in conjunction with
a method of manufacturing an architectural molding for concrete forming in accordance
with the invention.
The method begins with stock 240. As a preliminary step, the stock may
be shaped to be suitable as, for example, chamfer or reveal. This shaping may through
cutting, molding or other techniques.
In one step, stock 240 is moved on the conveyor 230 into the application
chamber 210. The conveyor 230 may be, for example, a belt, web or
mesh. The conveyor 230 may be a continuous loop. Alternatively, the conveyor
230 may comprise a series of rollers across which the stock 240 slides,
and the conveyor 230 may include an apparatus for pushing the stock 240
along the rollers.
In another step, in the application chamber 210, a coating is mechanically
applied to the stock 240. The application chamber 210 may include
one or more spray heads 211 for applying the coating housed within an enclosure
212. The spray heads 211 may be located above and below the conveyor
to provide single-pass coverage, and the spray heads may move to provide coverage.
The coating may be applied through other methods, such as dipping, or passing the
stock 240 through a stream. The coating may be applied as a liquid, a solid,
a slurry, a colloid, a vapor, a gas or other form. The coating may be prepared
on-site, such as by mixing a water sealant with a coloring agent.
Through mechanical application, a substantially even application of the coating
may be obtained. It has been found that manual application provides unsatisfactory
results because of missed spots or over-application. In addition, some coating
materials do not lend themselves to manual application due to their hazardous nature.
Because of the controls afforded through mechanical application, the coating may
be applied to just the exposed surface of the stock, or to the entire outside surface
of the stock.
After the application step, the now-coated stock 250 may be moved out
of the application chamber 210 and into a dry chamber 220. The dry
chamber 220 may include one or more curing or drying lamps 221 housed
within an enclosure 222. Within the dry chamber 220, the coating
may cure, set, dry or otherwise change. The form change may be made possible or
controlled by use of light, heat, radiation, catalysts, pressure, etc. For example,
a water sealant may set, or a coloring agent may be rendered visible. The coated
stock 250 may then be moved out of the drying changer as finished architectural molding.
The architectural molding of the invention may have a wide range of environmental
usability, or may be tailored to perform well in certain environmental conditions.
For example, the coating may be suitable for temperatures between 0 and 115° F.
The entire process of manufacturing an architectural molding for concrete forming
may be automated. Alternatively, selected steps may be automated. For example,
the steps of moving the stock into the application chamber 210, applying
the coating and moving the stock out of the application chamber 210 may
be fully automatic.
Although shown as separate chambers, the application chamber 210
and dry chamber 220 may be contiguous or continuous. Where several layers
are to be applied, for example, there may be several application chambers and several
dry chambers, and the type of chambers may alternate. In addition, the application
chamber 210 and the dry chamber 220 may include or omit the enclosures
212, 222.
Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown
and described, it will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that
a number of changes, modifications, or alterations to the invention as described
herein may be made, none of which depart from the spirit of the present invention.
All such changes, modifications and alterations should therefore be seen as within
the scope of the present invention.
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