Reinforced Insulating Form Panels for Concrete Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing insulating forms for building structural walls, floors, and roofs face challenges in withstanding large forces during concrete pouring, leading to deformation and splitting, particularly with polystyrene materials, which lack physical properties to resist tension. Additionally, these forms often require extensive shoring for floors and roofs due to insufficient structural integrity under heavy loads.
Innovation Solution
Integration of a reinforcing member within the insulating form panels, such as rebar, skeleton, or mesh, to absorb and resist forces applied during concrete pouring, enhancing the panel's strength and reducing the need for additional bridging ties or shoring. The reinforcing member can be made of materials like polypropylene, high-impact polystyrene, wood, or metal, and is strategically placed to limit deformation and cracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If polystyrene insulating forms are used, then thermal insulation properties are improved, but resistance to deformation and splitting under concrete pressure deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates a reinforcing member (such as rebar, mesh, or skeleton) within the polystyrene insulating form panel. This creates a composite structure where the polystyrene provides thermal insulation and the reinforcing member provides tensile strength and resistance to deformation. The reinforcing member is embedded in the panel to work together with the insulating material, allowing the form to withstand concrete pressure without splitting while maintaining excellent insulation properties.
2Strength
If additional bridging ties are added to resist concrete pressure, then form strength is improved, but construction cost and labor time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the functions of the insulating panel and the reinforcing member into a single integrated unit. The reinforcing member is embedded within the panel during manufacturing, creating a unified structure that provides both insulation and structural strength. This eliminates the need for separate additional bridging ties, as the integrated panel itself resists concrete pressure effectively, thereby reducing construction complexity and labor time.
3Strength
If thicker polystyrene forms are used to resist splitting, then resistance to deformation is improved, but room volume decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure where a thin polystyrene panel is combined with an embedded reinforcing member. The reinforcing member (rebar, mesh, or skeleton) provides the tensile strength needed to resist splitting forces, allowing the use of thinner polystyrene panels. This maintains excellent thermal insulation while maximizing room volume, as the panel thickness does not need to be increased to achieve adequate strength.
4Strength
If shoring is added to support floor and roof forms, then structural integrity is improved, but construction complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the load-bearing function directly into the insulating form panel by embedding a reinforcing member within it. This creates a self-supporting structure where the panel itself can withstand the weight of wet concrete and construction workers without requiring external shoring. The combined structure of polystyrene and reinforcing member provides both insulation and sufficient structural integrity, eliminating the need for separate shoring systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A panel for a building form made of insulating material such as polystyrene is integrated with a reinforcing member for enabling the panel to resist deformation due to forces applied against its concrete-facing surface. Reinforcement of floor/roof panels is beneficial to reduce the amount of, or eliminate the need for, shoring for supporting the weight of wet concrete or workers. The reinforcement resists against deformation due to cracking, splitting etc. Reinforcement is likewise beneficial for wall forms where the weight of concrete asserts significant pressure against the concrete-facing surface of the form, in order to resist deformation of the wall forms under pressure. The reinforcing member may be made of a plastic material such as polypropylene or high-impact polystyrene. Methods of manufacturing reinforced form panels are disclosed.