Foldable Cardboard Concrete Formwork for Rigid Perimeter Construction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The use of wooden planks for establishing a rigid perimeter for concrete curing is costly, heavy, prone to warping, and wasteful, as they must be discarded after use.
Innovation Solution
A concrete form apparatus composed of a flat, rectangular material with perforations that can be folded to form an internal cavity, combined with a core and adhesive layers, which can be coated for waterproofing, and extension apparatuses to bind multiple units together, reducing material waste and costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If wooden planks are used to establish a rigid perimeter for concrete curing, then the structure provides sufficient strength and rigidity, but the cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from wood to corrugated cardboard, which is significantly cheaper while maintaining structural integrity through design modifications. The cardboard formworks are engineered to achieve the necessary strength parameters despite using a lower-cost material.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite construction by combining corrugated cardboard with adhesive layers and reinforcing elements. The multi-layer composite structure achieves the required structural strength that would be difficult to obtain with cardboard alone, while remaining far cheaper than wooden planks.
2Strength
If wooden planks are used to establish a rigid perimeter, then the structure provides necessary rigidity, but the weight increases making transportation expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dramatically changes the material parameter from heavy wood to lightweight corrugated cardboard, reducing weight by a factor of 5-10 times while compensating for material strength differences through structural design and adhesive reinforcement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the formwork into modular, foldable units that can be transported in a compact flat state and assembled on-site. This segmentation allows lightweight materials to achieve the necessary rigidity when assembled, while minimizing transportation weight and volume.
3Stability of the object's composition
If wooden planks are used to establish a rigid perimeter, then the structure maintains shape stability, but warping occurs limiting reliable straight perimeter formation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the perimeter into multiple rigid modular units with precise factory-formed angles (90°, 45°, etc.). Each module maintains its shape through rigid construction with adhesive bonding, ensuring straight perimeter formation without the warping issues that affect natural wood.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite construction with adhesive layers bonding multiple cardboard layers together, creating rigid modules with exceptional shape stability. This composite structure prevents the warping that occurs in natural wood while maintaining the necessary rigidity for straight perimeter formation.
4Strength
If wooden planks are used to establish a rigid perimeter, then the structure provides necessary containment, but the material must be discarded after use creating waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables recovery and reuse of the formwork material. The corrugated cardboard formworks can be disassembled, flattened, and reused multiple times, transforming the disposable wood plank system into a sustainable reusable system that eliminates material waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic reconfigurability to the formwork system. The rigid modular units can be assembled and disassembled repeatedly, allowing the same material to serve multiple curing cycles. This dynamic reuse capability eliminates the waste inherent in disposable wooden planks.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a concrete form apparatus that can be utilized to establish a rigid perimeter within which concrete can be poured for curing. A first component of the concrete form apparatus can be composed of a flat rigid material that is rectangular in shape and includes perforations along the lengthwise dimension of the material such that, when the material is folded along the perforations, an internal cavity is formed. The second component of the concrete form apparatus can be composed of a material having dimensions sized in accordance with the internal cavity of the folded material such that the first component can be folded along the perforations in the manner described above to encapsulate the second component within the internal cavity. Adhesive layers can be applied to prevent the concrete form apparatus from separating, and layers of the concrete form apparatus can be coated with a waterproofing substance.