Flexible Roll Form Concrete Footing System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional concrete forming systems using heavy wooden forms are cumbersome to transport and require extensive labor, as they need to be cut to shape for each application, limiting their reusability and efficiency in forming foundation footings and pavements.
Innovation Solution
A compact, lightweight, and reusable concrete forming system utilizing a flexible, self-supporting roll form with hinged flanges and anchoring holes, allowing for easy deployment, secure anchoring, and reconfiguration to form various shapes, which can be rolled up for transport and reused.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If heavy dimensional lumber is used as a form, then the form has sufficient strength to hold concrete, but it becomes cumbersome to transport and requires extensive labor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a flexible form material that can be rolled out and shaped on-site, replacing rigid dimensional lumber. This flexible form maintains sufficient strength to hold concrete pressure while being lightweight and easy to transport in rolled form, eliminating the need for heavy trucks and reducing installation labor significantly.
Solution Approach 2:
The form transitions from a static, rigid wooden structure to a dynamic, flexible membrane that can be easily deployed and configured. The flexible form can be rolled out, anchored, and shaped adaptively on-site, transforming the installation process from labor-intensive cutting and assembly to simple deployment and securing.
2Adaptability or versatility
If dimensional lumber is cut to shape for each job, then the form fits specific project requirements, but it cannot be reused and increases waste
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible form is designed as a universal, reusable component that can be deployed across multiple projects. Instead of custom-cutting lumber for each job, the same flexible form material can be rolled out and configured for different footing sizes and shapes, serving multiple functions across various construction projects while reducing waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The form system separates the permanent concrete structure from the temporary forming material. The flexible form acts as a disposable-like temporary element that can be easily removed and reused, while the concrete footing remains as the permanent structure. This segmentation allows the form to be reset and reused without being consumed.
3Weight of moving object
If large trucks or trailers are employed to transport wooden forms, then heavy dimensional lumber can be moved to work sites, but transportation cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
By using a flexible form material instead of rigid lumber, the form can be compressed into a compact rolled state for transport. This eliminates the need for large trucks or trailers, allowing the form to be transported on smaller vehicles or even manually to remote sites, significantly reducing transportation equipment requirements and costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The form transitions from a three-dimensional rigid wooden structure to a two-dimensional flexible sheet that can be rolled into a compact cylinder. This dimensional transformation dramatically reduces the transport footprint, allowing the same form material to be transported in a small rolled package rather than requiring large flatbed trucks for bulky lumber.
4Ease of manufacture
If wooden forms are used, then concrete can be formed, but extensive labor is required for erection and removal
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible form is pre-manufactured as a complete, ready-to-deploy material that requires no on-site construction or assembly. Unlike lumber that must be cut, nailed, and assembled into forms, the flexible form arrives as a continuous rolled material that can be unrolled and anchored directly, eliminating extensive erection labor and significantly improving productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A form for producing a hardened element such as concrete, formed of a flowable material, the form comprising: an elongated, substantially self-supporting portion of flexible material comprising at least one forming surface for abutting the flowable material; first and second flanges hingedly affixed to respective first and second edges longitudinally of the forming surface; and a plurality of corresponding anchoring holes uniformly placed along the first and second flanges.