Lightweight Concrete Wall Panel With Metallic Studs

Abstract

A wall panel is provided that is comprised of a plurality of spaced foam insulative blocks. Between each block is a metal stud that spans the height of the wall panel and provides sufficient strength to counteract any compressive loads the wall panel may encounter. The presence of the insulation panels provides large surface areas for the receipt of a thin layer of cementious or gypsum based material that is adapted to receive nails and be easily cut. In addition, the decreased weight of the exterior wall allows for the omission of reinforcing internal structure within the exterior wall which is found in the prior art, thereby providing a lightweight and easy to fabricate wall.

Description

[0001]This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 806,598, filed Jul. 5, 2006, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.[0002]This application is also related to pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 122,792, filed May 4, 2005, which is a continuation-in-part of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 096,705, filed Apr. 1, 2005, which is a continuation-in-part of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 772,148, filed Feb. 3, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,100,336, which is a continuation-in-part of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 423,286, filed Apr. 24, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,898,908, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 150,465, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,729,090, filed May 17, 2002, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 093,292, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,701,683, filed Mar. 6, 2002. In addition, this application is related to U.S. patent applicat...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]It is one aspect of the present invention to provide a lightweight wall panel. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention are comprised of a plurality of lightweight foam insulative blocks separated by metal studs. The metal studs provide sufficient compressive strength to the wall panel. In addition, a layer of lightweight concrete is employed on one side of the insulative foam blocks to provide a surface that is resistant to heat, cold, wind, water and other natural conditions. The wall panel as provided herein is contemplated to become an exterior of a building. However, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the wall panel as disclosed herein is ideal for interior walls of a building. The insulative foam blocks provide thermal isolation between the metal components of the wall and the concrete components of the wall. In addition, the insulation provides an

Problems solved by technology

Previous attempts to provide these types of building panels have failed due to the expensive transportation costs and less than ideal insulative and thermal conductivity properties associated with prefabricated concrete wire- reinforced products.

Further, due to the brittle nature of concrete, many of the previously used building panels are prone to cracks and other damage during transportation.

The relatively large weight per square foot of building panels of the prior art has resulted in increased expenses arising not only from the amount of materials needed for fabrication, but also the cost of transporting and erecting the modules.

Building panel weight also places effective limits on the height of structures, such as stacked modules e.g., due to load limitations of the building foundations, footings and/or lowermost modules.

Furthermore, there is substantial fabrication labor expense that can arise from design, material, and labor costs associated with providing and integrating reinforcement materials.

In some previous approaches, wall panels were cast so as to include any necessary openings that require careful planning and design, thus increasing costs.

Such post-casting procedures, for example cutti

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