Movable Jaw Formwork Clamping for Nail-Free Slab Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
The construction industry faces inefficiencies and labor challenges in forming concrete slabs due to the need for skilled formwork carpenters, damage to timber formwork during the concrete pouring process, and safety hazards from nails and saws, leading to increased costs and project disruptions.
Innovation Solution
A device and method for clamping formwork that allows non-carpenters, such as concrete pourers, to assemble and disassemble formwork quickly without nails, using a bar with movable jaws and a prop system for ground engagement, enabling rapid assembly and disassembly, reducing labor requirements, and eliminating the need for skilled carpenters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If timber formwork is used with nails and screws for assembly, then the formwork can be securely constructed, but the timber is damaged during assembly and removal, requiring replacement and increasing costs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the fastening function from the timber itself by introducing separate steel bars and clamps that perform the securing function externally. The timber formwork pieces are joined by inserting steel bars through pre-drilled holes and securing them with clamps, rather than driving nails into the timber. This extraction prevents nail-induced damage to the timber while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The formwork system is segmented into distinct functional components: timber formwork pieces for shaping, steel bars for connection, and clamps for fastening. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - the timber can be designed purely for form shaping without needing to accommodate fasteners, while the steel bars and clamps handle all mechanical fastening functions.
2Ease of manufacture
If skilled formwork carpenters are used to construct timber formwork, then the formwork can be properly assembled, but the process requires significant labor time and specialized skills are difficult to find
Solution Approach 1:
The steel bar and clamp system is designed to be self-explanatory and intuitive, allowing concrete pourers without carpentry training to assemble the formwork. The system eliminates complex carpentry techniques such as joining timber at angles, cutting notches, or securing plywood sheets. Workers simply insert steel bars through pre-drilled holes and tighten clamps, a process that requires no specialized carpentry skills.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the complex mechanical system of traditional timber joinery (chisels, saws, nails, screws, and carpentry techniques) with a simplified mechanical system based on pre-drilled holes, steel bars, and cam-operated clamps. This substitution transforms a skill-intensive process into a tool-intensive process that requires minimal training.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional timber formwork with nails is used, then the formwork can be constructed, but protruding nails present safety hazards to workers
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the fastening function from the timber surface by using external steel bars and clamps. All fastening occurs outside the timber formwork pieces, eliminating protruding nails or screws that could injure workers. The clamps secure the timber pieces together without requiring any fasteners to protrude from the formwork surface.
4Productivity
If two teams are used (formwork carpenters and concrete pourers), then the formwork can be constructed and concrete poured, but the process is inefficient and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The steel bar and clamp system serves as a universal interface that both formwork assembly and concrete pouring teams can use. The system is designed to be intuitive enough that concrete pourers can assemble the formwork themselves using the same steel bars and clamps, eliminating the need for a separate formwork carpentry team and reducing overall project time.
Data Source
AI summary
A device for clamping a piece of formwork includes a bar having an end for attachment to a body. The device includes a jaw mounted on the bar and for receiving the piece of formwork, the jaw being movable along the bar.