Disposable Formwork Panels for Seamless Concrete Slab Construction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing concrete compression slabs face issues such as safety risks, ergonomic challenges, and quality defects due to unpredictable formwork plate stripping, imperfect junctions, and the need for additional coatings, leading to extended construction times and material degradation.
Innovation Solution
The development of lost formwork panels with a rough adhesion surface, interlocking connections, and chamfered edges that remain integral with the concrete slab, allowing direct painting without additional coatings, and providing a smooth, durable finish with integrated connection means for seamless assembly and reduced thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If reusable formwork panels are used for casting concrete slabs, then the formwork can be stripped and reused, but the panels degrade and warp with each reuse leading to declining ceiling finish quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs disposable formwork panels made of fiber-reinforced plastic that are intentionally designed to be broken or destroyed after a single use. These panels provide a perfect ceiling finish during casting but are discarded afterward, eliminating the degradation and warping issues associated with reusable panels. The panels include breaking elements that facilitate controlled destruction after service.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention implements a system where formwork panels are discarded after single use and replaced with fresh panels for subsequent casting operations. This ensures consistently high ceiling finish quality across multiple construction phases while maintaining operational efficiency through systematic panel replacement rather than attempting to reuse deteriorating panels.
2Ease of operation
If traditional formwork panels with smooth surfaces are used, then panels can be stripped after concrete hardening, but stripping presents safety risks and requires cumbersome manual mechanical devices
Solution Approach 1:
The disposable formwork panels are designed to remain attached to the concrete ceiling after hardening or to break away controllably, eliminating the dangerous stripping operation entirely. Workers no longer need to manually remove heavy panels from elevated positions, thereby removing the associated safety hazards and the need for cumbersome stripping equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the formwork panels from the traditional stripping process by designing them to either remain integrated with the ceiling structure or to break away automatically. This removes the harmful stripping operation from the construction process, eliminating safety risks and the need for complex removal machinery.
3Productivity
If formwork panels are stripped manually after concrete hardening, then panels can be removed, but this generates significant manual handling and extends construction time
Solution Approach 1:
The disposable panels eliminate the time-consuming manual handling and removal operations by being designed for single-use and automatic detachment or controlled breaking. This significantly reduces construction time and increases productivity by removing an entire operational phase from the process.
Solution Approach 2:
The panels are pre-designed with breaking elements and controlled failure characteristics that enable automatic or facilitated detachment after concrete hardening. This preliminary design of the detachment mechanism eliminates the need for time-consuming manual removal operations, allowing rapid panel disposal and immediate progression to the next construction phase.
4Ease of manufacture
If imperfect joints between formwork panels are used, then assembly is simpler, but joints cause defects on ceilings requiring lengthy sanding and leveling operations
Solution Approach 1:
The disposable formwork panels are manufactured with precision-engineered jointing systems that create seamless connections during the single casting operation. Since the panels are discarded after one use, the investment in precise joint manufacturing is justified by the perfect ceiling finish achieved, eliminating the need for subsequent sanding and leveling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The panels incorporate specialized jointing features at the edges including interlocking mechanisms and sealing elements that ensure perfect alignment and seamless connections between adjacent panels. This localized precision at the joints maintains overall ceiling uniformity while keeping the rest of the panel design simple and efficient for rapid assembly.
5Device complexity
If precast slabs are used instead of cast-in-place concrete, then shoring system is simplified, but precast slabs are heavy and expensive to transport requiring significant storage space
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the formwork into lightweight, modular disposable panels that can be easily assembled on-site to create large floor areas. These panels are much lighter than precast slabs, eliminating heavy transport requirements while maintaining the simplified shoring system benefits. The panels are designed to be assembled in a grid pattern and discarded after single use.
6Reliability
If precast slabs with treated joints are used, then joints are sealed, but superficial cracks inevitably appear between slabs due to concrete shrinkage
Solution Approach 1:
The disposable formwork panels create seamless joints during the single casting operation, and since the panels are discarded afterward, any potential shrinkage cracks that might develop in permanent precast slabs do not affect the finished ceiling. The ceiling surface remains crack-free because the formwork panels themselves are removed rather than remaining as permanent elements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution eliminates the need for stripping operations, enhances safety and ergonomics, ensures a high-quality finish with no visible joints, and allows direct painting, reducing construction time and material costs while maintaining structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
an upper surface called the adhesion surface comprising a rough surface and/or means of attachment to the slab
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~6
Figure 7~9
AI summary
The invention relates to a permanent form panel (1) for creating, at elevation, a concrete compression floor slab. When the slab is cast, said panel makes up the bottom portion of said slab and is characterized in that said panel has: a top surface, referred to as "adhesion" surface, comprising a rough surface and/or a concave (7) or convex means for coupling with the slab, a ready-to-paint bottom facing surface, and, on one of the edges of said panel, means for linking to an adjacent panel in the form of a fitting and/or holding means having linking elements therein. The invention also relates to an assembly of panels having connectors placed between the edges of two adjacent panels and to a method for on-site creation or prefabrication of concrete floor slabs by means of said panels.