Lomarblock Interlocking Concrete Blocks for Faster House Construction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing housing construction methods, particularly in the United States, are inefficient and costly, leading to destruction during natural disasters like hurricanes and fail to provide affordable, high-quality, anti-seismic housing for millions in poverty, with traditional wooden structures being weak and requiring costly, time-consuming assembly processes.
Innovation Solution
The LOMARBLOCK System integrates innovative concrete blocks with tenons, grooves, and holes for efficient assembly, combining foundation beams with floors to form monolithic units, using prefabricated steel beams and electro-welded structures, and reducing mortar usage, allowing non-specialized individuals to construct durable, hurricane-resistant houses at low cost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional wooden structures are used for house construction, then the construction process is simple and familiar, but the structural strength and resistance to hurricanes and earthquakes are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite construction by integrating concrete blocks with steel reinforcement bars (rebar) and mortar to create a monolithic structure. The concrete blocks provide compressive strength while the steel reinforcement provides tensile strength, creating a composite material system that resists both hurricanes and earthquakes. This composite approach transforms the weak wooden structure into a strong concrete-steel-mortar composite that achieves the required structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The house is divided into standardized concrete blocks with dimensions of 20cm x 40cm x 60cm, which can be easily handled and assembled. These segmented blocks are designed with grooves and protrusions that interlock with each other and with the steel reinforcement, allowing the structure to be built in modular units while maintaining overall structural integrity against natural disasters.
2Productivity
If traditional construction methods are used, then material availability is good, but construction time and costs are excessively high
Solution Approach 1:
The concrete blocks are pre-manufactured with standardized dimensions (20cm x 40cm x 60cm) and pre-integrated steel reinforcement bars embedded within them. This preliminary preparation of blocks with reinforcement already in place eliminates the need for on-site steel bending and fixing operations, significantly reducing construction time while maintaining material availability through standardized production.
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized concrete blocks serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide structural support, act as formwork for concrete pouring, contain pre-positioned steel reinforcement, and feature interlocking grooves for assembly. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate construction steps and materials needed, thereby increasing productivity and reducing overall construction time.
3Reliability
If conventional block systems are used, then assembly is straightforward, but structural resistance to seismic forces and hurricanes is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite joint system where concrete blocks are connected through steel reinforcement bars embedded in mortar joints. This composite connection method provides superior seismic and hurricane resistance compared to traditional mortar-only joints, while the standardized block design keeps manufacturing relatively simple through repetitive production processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The concrete blocks feature curved grooves and protrusions rather than straight edges, allowing for better stress distribution and interlocking under lateral loads from earthquakes and hurricanes. The curved geometry provides mechanical interlocking that enhances structural reliability while maintaining ease of manufacture through standardized molding processes.
4Strength
If traditional mortar-based block systems are used, then construction is simple, but the joints are weak and fail under extreme weather conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The joint system combines three materials with complementary properties: concrete blocks for compressive strength, steel reinforcement bars for tensile strength, and mortar for bonding and flexibility. This composite joint design achieves high strength under extreme weather conditions while the standardized block geometry keeps the overall system manufacturable.
Solution Approach 2:
The curved grooves and protrusions on the blocks create interlocking joints that distribute stresses more evenly under lateral loads. This curved geometry enhances joint strength and resistance to hurricane and earthquake forces while being easily formed through standardized molding processes, balancing strength requirements with manufacturing simplicity.
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
The system significantly reduces construction time and costs by 50% while enhancing structural integrity, enabling affordable, durable, and earthquake-resistant homes that can be built by non-specialized individuals, with reduced material usage and no need for cranes.
Implementation Method 1
The foundation beams are joined with the electro-welded steel structures of the pillars
Implementation Method 2
They are linked with mortar, which is placed inside the blocks and remains invisible, in this way a perfect union is achieved
Implementation Method 3
fusing the foundation beams with the floor to convert them into a monolithic structural unit, and homogeneously distributing the weight of the entire structure
Data Source
AI summary
This is a new construction system for a one-or two-story house, through the use of a new generation of highly productive concrete blocks, which work off each other to simplify the construction process; reducing construction time by more than 50% compared to the traditional system, saving more than 50% of mortar used in setting the blocks. The pillar blocks, foundation beams and rafters completely eliminate the use of a wooden formwork or metal formwork. These are multifunctional blocks, which complement each other, to generate high productivity, construction speed and resistance. They contain lateral protrusions that can be placed through simple hand pressure, helped by steel clips, on which the sheetrock panels are installed, thus avoiding the use of Steel Frames. The savings gained from not using the Steel frame is a very new invention and is a great reduction in the cost and time of constructing houses.