Molded Foam Form Liner with Slotted Wood Strips
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing form liners for creating non-linear bridge supports are excessively heavy, expensive to manufacture, and labor-intensive to install and remove due to the use of rigid walls and adhesives.
Innovation Solution
A form liner made of molded foam without surrounding rigid walls, featuring elongated slots for inserting and securing wood or metal strips using fasteners, eliminating the need for adhesives and reducing weight and manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If rigid walls are included in the form liner to provide structural support, then the form liner gains strength and stability, but the weight and manufacturing cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces rigid plywood walls with thin foam board panels (1/4 to 3/8 inch thick) that provide sufficient structural support through their foam core material properties. The foam board acts as a flexible shell that maintains form integrity while dramatically reducing weight compared to traditional rigid wall constructions.
Solution Approach 2:
The form liner uses composite construction combining foam board panels with wooden battens or furring strips. The foam provides insulation and basic structural support, while the wooden elements provide attachment points and additional rigidity where needed, creating a lightweight composite structure that meets strength requirements without the weight of solid rigid walls.
2Reliability
If adhesive is used to attach the form liner to the contractor form, then the attachment is secure, but the removal process becomes labor-intensive requiring extensive scraping
Solution Approach 1:
The form liner is divided into multiple separate panels rather than being constructed as a single continuous piece. This segmentation allows each panel to be independently removed from the contractor form, making the removal process more manageable and less labor-intensive while maintaining secure attachment during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces wooden battens or furring strips as intermediary elements between the foam board panels and the contractor form. These battens provide mechanical attachment points that secure the form liner during concrete pouring, but can be easily removed without requiring extensive scraping, thus mediating between secure attachment and easy removal requirements.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the form liner includes complete peripheral walls to match the contractor form, then the structural integrity is improved, but the manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of constructing complete peripheral walls around the entire form liner, the patent uses partial wall sections or only vertical end walls where structurally necessary. The foam board panels are secured at key locations with battens, providing sufficient structural integrity without the complexity and cost of continuous rigid wall construction throughout.
Solution Approach 2:
The foam board panels serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide the form's structural body, thermal insulation, and surface template for the concrete. The wooden battens serve dual purposes as both structural connectors and attachment mechanisms. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, simplifying the overall design while maintaining structural integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
A form is made out of a molded foam devoid of any surrounding rigid wall structure. About the periphery of the form a plurality of spaced elongated slots are formed from top to bottom. Elongated strips of material such as oriented strand board are inserted within the slots and fastened in place. The inventive form consists of a liner placed within an existing contractor form. Fasteners are fastened through the walls of the contractor form into the walls of the inventive form liner and through the elongated strips to thereby fasten the inventive form liner within the existing contractor form. No adhesive is required between the outer surfaces of the inventive form liner and the existing form nor is there any need for any intermediate plywood walls surrounding the inventive form liner.