Patent Grant
7100336
The present invention relates to building components, and more specifically composite lightweight building panels which can be selectively interconnected to fabricate structures such as modular buildings, load bearing with wall panels, or applied as cladding to building frames.
Due to the high cost of traditional concrete components and the extensive transportation and labor costs associated therein, there is a significant need in the construction industry to provide a lightweight, precast, composite building panel which may be transported to a building site and assembled to provide a structure with superior strength and insulative properties. Previous attempts to provide these types of materials have failed due to the extensive transportation costs, low insulative values and thermal conductivity associated with prefabricated concrete wire reinforced products. Further, due to the brittle nature of concrete, many of these types of building panels become cracked and damaged during transportation.
More specifically, the relatively large weight per square foot of previous building panels has resulted in high expenses arising not only from the amount of materials needed for fabrication, but also the cost of transporting and erecting the modules. Module weight also placed effective limits on the height of structures, such as stacked modules, e.g. due to limitations on the total weight carried by the foundations, footings and lowermost modules. Furthermore, there is substantial fabrication labor expense that can arise from efforts needed to design reinforcement, and the materials and labor costs involved in providing and placing reinforcement materials. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide a system for modular construction which is relatively light, can be readily stacked to heights greater than in previous configurations and, preferably, inexpensive to design and manufacture.
Further, in many situations panels or modules are situated in locations where it is desirable to have openings therethrough to accommodate doorways, windows, cables, pipes and the like. In some previous approaches, panels were required to be specially designed and cast so as to include any necessary openings, requiring careful planning and design and increasing costs due to the special, non-standard configuration of such panels. In other approaches, panels were cast without such openings and the openings were formed after casting, e.g. by sawing or similar procedures. Such post-casting procedures as cutting, particularly through the thick and/or steel-reinforced panels as described above, is a relatively labor-intensive and expensive process. In many processes for creating openings, there was a relatively high potential for cracking or splitting of a panel or module. Accordingly, it would be useful to provide panels and modules which can be post-fitted with openings such as doors and windows in desired locations and with a reduced potential for cracking or splitting.
One further problem associated with metallic wire materials used in conjunction with concrete is the varying rates of expansion and contraction. Thus with extreme heating and cooling the metallic wire tends to separate from the concrete, thus creating cracks, exposure to moisture and the eventual degradation of both the concrete and wire reinforcement due to corrosion.
One example of a composite building panel which attempts to resolve these problems with modular panel construction is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,375 to Kleinschmidt (the '375 patent). In this invention, a building system is provided which utilizes an insulative core with an interior and exterior sheet of concrete and which is held together with a metallic wire mesh positioned on both sides of an insulative core. The wire mesh is embedded in concrete, and held together by a plurality of metallic wires extending through said insulative core at a right angle to the longitudinal plane of the insulative core and concrete panels. Although providing an advantage over homogenous concrete panels, the composite panel disclosed in the '375 patent does not provide the necessary strength and flexure properties required during transportation and high wind applications. Further, the metallic wire mesh materials are susceptible to corrosion when exposed to water during fabrication, and have poor insulative qualities due to the high heat transfer qualities of metallic wire. Thus, the panels disclosed in the '375 patent may eventually fail when various stresses are applied to the building panel during transportation, assembly or subsequent use. Furthermore, these panels have poor insulative qualities in cold climates due to the high heat transfer associated with the metallic wires.
Other attempts have been made to use improved building materials that incorporate carbon fiber. One example is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,230,465 to Messenger, et al. which utilizes carbon fiber in combination with a steel reinforced precast frame with concrete. Unfortunately, the insulative properties are relatively poor due to the physical nature of the concrete and steel, as well as the excessive weight and inherent problems associated with transportation, stacking, etc. Further, previously known prefabricated building panels have not been found to have sufficient tensile and compressive strength when utilizing only concrete and insulative foam materials or wire mesh. Thus, there is a significant need for a lightweight concrete building panel which has increased tensile and compressive strength, and which utilizes one or more commonly known building materials to achieve this purpose.
Accordingly, there is a significant need in the construction and building industry to provide a composite building panel which may be used in modular construction and which is lightweight, provides superior strength and has high insulative values. Further, a method of making these types of building panels is needed which is inexpensive, utilizes commonly known manufacturing equipment, and which can be used to mass produce building panels for use in the modular construction of warehouses, low cost permanent housing, hotels, and other buildings.
It is thus one aspect of the present invention to provide a composite wall panel which has superior strength, high insulating properties, is lightweight for transportation and stacking purposes and is cost effective to manufacture. Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention, a substantially planar insulative core with interior and exterior surfaces is positioned between concrete panels which are reinforced with carbon fiber grids positioned substantially adjacent to the insulative core and which is interconnected to a plurality of diagonal carbon fiber strands. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the interior layer of concrete is comprised of a low-density concrete. Furthermore, as used herein, insulative core may comprise any type of material which is thermally efficient and has a low heat transfer coefficient. These materials may include, but are not limited to, Styrofoam®-type materials such as expanded polystyrenes, extruded polystyrenes, extruded polypropylene, polyisocyanurate, combinations therein and other materials, including wood materials, rubbers, and other materials well known in the construction industry.
It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide a superior strength composite wall panel which utilizes carbon fiber materials which are oriented in a novel geometric configuration which interconnects the insulative core and both the interior and exterior concrete panels. In one embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of carbon fibers are oriented in a substantially diagonal orientation through the insulative core and which may be operably interconnected to carbon fiber mesh grids positioned proximate to the interior and exterior surfaces of the insulative core and which operably interconnect both the interior and exterior concrete panels to the insulative core. Preferably, the carbon fiber mesh grid is comprised of a plurality of first carbon fiber strands extending in a first direction which are operably interconnected to a plurality of second carbon fiber strands oriented in a second direction. Preferably, the carbon fiber mesh grids are embedded within the interior and exterior concrete panels.
It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide a lightweight, composite concrete building panel which is adapted to be selectively interconnected to a structural steel frame. Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention attachment hardware is selectively positioned within the building panel during fabrication which is used to quickly and efficiently interconnect the panel to a structural frame.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a low density concrete building panel which has sufficient compressive strength to allow a s second building panel to be stacked in a vertical relationship, on which can support a vertical load in the form of a floor truss or other structural member. Alternately, it is another aspect of the present invention to provide a composite lightweight building panel which can be utilized in a corner adjacent to a second building panel, or aligned horizontally with a plurality of building panels in a side by side relationship.
It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide a composite wall panel with an insulative core which has superior compressive strength than typical composite materials comprised of Styrofoam® and other similar materials. Thus, in another aspect of the present invention, a plurality of anti-compression pins are placed throughout the insulative core and which extend substantially between the interior and exterior surfaces of the insulative core. Preferably, these pins are comprised of ceramic, fiberglass, carbon-fiber or other materials which are resistant to compression and do not readily transfer heat.
It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a composite wall panel which can be easily modified to accept any number of exterior textures, surfaces or cladding materials for use in a plurality of applications. Thus, the present invention is capable of being finished with a brick surface, stucco, siding and any other type of exterior surface. In one embodiment of the present invention, a paraffin protective covering is provided on the exterior surface for protection of the exterior surface during manufacturing. The paraffin additionally prevents an excessive bond between the individual bricks and exterior concrete wall to allow the removal of a cracked or damaged brick and additionally has been found to reduce cracking in the bricks due to the differential shrinkage of the exterior concrete layer and clay brick. Furthermore, other types of materials such as drywall and other interior finishes can be applied to the interior concrete panel as necessary for any given application.
It is yet a further aspect of the present invention to provide a novel exterior cladding configuration which allows broken or cracked bricks to be quickly and effectively replaced. Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention a beveled brick design is provided wherein a rear portion of the brick has a greater diameter than a front end, and is embedded into the exterior concrete layer during the forming process. This design provides superior strength, and allows a damaged brick to be chiseled free and quickly replaced with a new brick by applying a glue or epoxy material.
It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide a composite modular wall panel which can be used to quickly and efficiently construct modular buildings and temporary shelters and is designed to be completely functional with regard to electrical wiring and other utilities such as telephone lines, etc. Thus, the present invention in one embodiment includes at least one utility line which may be positioned at least partially within the composite wall panel and which accepts substantially any type of utility line which may be required in residential or commercial construction, and which can be quickly interconnected to exterior service lines. This utility line may be oriented in one or more directions and positioned either near the interior concrete panel, exterior concrete panel, or both.
It is yet another aspect of the present invention to provide a novel surface configuration of the insulative core which assures a preferred spacing between the surface of the insulative core and the carbon fiber grid. This surface configuration is applicable for a front surface, a rear surface, or both depending on the application. More specifically, the spacing is designed to provide a gap between the interior and/or the exterior surface of the insulative core and the carbon fiber grids to assure that concrete or other facing materials become positioned between the surface of the insulative core and the carbon fiber grid. This improved and consistent spacing enhances the strength and durability of the insulative panel when interconnected to the facing material, carbon fiber grids and transverse fibers and/or steel pre-stressing strands.
Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention the insulative core may have an interior and/or an exterior surface which is undulating, i.e., wavy alternative embodiments may have channels or protruding rails, spacer “buttons”, a “waffleboard” configuration, or other shapes which create a preferred spacing between the surface of the insulative material and the fiber grids. Preferably, the spacing apparatus, channels, rails or other spacers are integrally molded with the insulative core to reduce labor and expenses. Alternatively, these spacing apparatus may be interconnected to the insulative foam after manufacturing, and may be attached with adhesives, screws, nails, staples or other interconnection means well known by one skilled in the art.
Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention, a low density, substantially planar carbon reinforced concrete building panel is provided, and which comprises:
a foam core having an inner surface, an outer surface, an upper end, a lower end, and a plurality of perimeter edges, said foam core comprising at least one cut-out portion extending substantially between at least two of said plurality of perimeter edges;
a first concrete material positioned adjacent said outer surface of said foam core;
a first carbon fiber material positioned within said first concrete material;
a second carbon fiber material positioned within said at least one cut-out portion of said foam core and extending through said foam core beyond said outer surface and in operable contact with said first carbon fiber material;
at least one first reinforcing bar positioned proximate to said at least one carbon fiber material within said cut-out portion, and extending substantially between said upper end and said lower end of said foam core; and
a second concrete material positioned within said cut-out portion of said foam core, and extending substantially from said upper end to a lower end of said foam core.
It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide a lightweight, durable building panel which utilizes concrete and expanded polystyrene materials, along with a unique geometry of carbon fiber, steel reinforcing rods, and wire mesh to create a building panel with superior strength and durability. The building may utilize one or more reinforcing materials such as carbon fiber, wire mesh or steel reinforcing bars positioned along 1) a perimeter edge; 2) an interior portion within the perimeter edge; or 3) both along the perimeter edges and within a predetermined interior portion of the building panel. Thus, in another embodiment of the present invention a lightweight, durable concrete building panel is provided, comprising:
a substantially planar concrete panel comprising an inner surface, an outer surface, an upper end and a lower end, and a substantially longitudinal axis defined between said upper end and said lower end;
a first carbon fiber grid positioned within said substantially planar concrete panel between said upper end and said lower end and positioned proximate to said inner surface;
a foam core having an inner surface and an outer surface positioned within said substantially planar concrete panel and extending substantially between said upper end and said lower ends of said substantially planar concrete panel;
at least one carbon fiber shear strip extending through said foam and oriented in a substantially linear direction between said upper end and said lower ends of said substantially planar concrete panel;
at least one first reinforcing bar positioned proximate to said at least one carbon fiber shear strip, and extending substantially between said upper end and said lower end of said substantially planar concrete panel; and
a wire mesh material positioned above said upper surface of said foam core and proximate to said outer surface of said substantially planar concrete panel.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the insulative core is comprised of a plurality of individual insulative panels. The seam of the insulative panels preferably has a cut-out portion which is used to support reinforcing materials such as rebar, carbon fiber or other material.
It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide a method of fabricating an insulative concrete building panel in a controlled manufacturing facility which is cost effective, utilizes commonly known building materials and produces a superior product. It is a further aspect of the present invention to provide a manufacturing process which can be custom tailored to produce a building panel with custom sizes, allows modifications for windows and doors, and which utilizes a variety of commonly known materials without significantly altering the fabrication protocol.
Thus, in one aspect of the present invention, a method for fabricating a lightweight, durable concrete building panel is provided, comprising the steps of:
a) providing a form having an upper end, a lower end, and lateral edges extending therebetween;
b) positioning a first concrete material into a lower portion of said form;
c) positioning a first grid of carbon fiber material into said first layer of concrete material;
d) positioning a foam core onto said first layer of concrete material, said layer of foam core having a plurality of cut-out reinforced sections, said reinforced sections comprising a second grid of carbon fiber material extending into said first layer of concrete material and a reinforcing bar extending substantially along an entire length of said reinforced section and positioned proximate to said second grid of carbon fiber material.
e) positioning a second layer of concrete within said plurality of reinforced sections; and
f) removing said lightweight, concrete building panel from said form.
Referring now to the drawings,
Positioned within each of the insulative core cutout portions 34 is an interior carbon fiber grid 6 which extends through the insulative core cutout 34 and is positioned adjacent to and more preferably operably connected to the exterior carbon fiber grid 8. The exterior carbon fiber grid 8 is further embedded within an exterior concrete layer 16, and which represents in one embodiment an exterior face of the composite building panel 2. As appreciated by one skilled in the art, the exterior concrete layer 16 may additionally include various types of exterior cladding 20 such as bricks, stucco, and other similar materials depending on the application. As further depicted in
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More specifically, the insulative cut-out 34 in this embodiment includes a substantially square shaped cut-out portion 34 which includes a interior concrete layer 14, a interior is carbon fiber grid 6, and one or more reinforcing bars 24 or pre-stressed cable. Preferably, the width of the insulative core cut-out 34 is about 4 inches, but as appreciated by one skilled in the art may be between about 2 and 10 inches as necessary. Furthermore, a plurality of expansion joint 58 may be provided herein to help maintain the structural integrity of the interior concrete layer 14 and the exterior concrete layer 16. Furthermore, the residential wall panel shown in
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In many of the embodiment of the present invention, the insulative core 4 is manufactured in a unique process with a plurality of carbon fibers strands 10 positioned in a ribbon/tape pattern 30 which extends through the insulative core 4 and which protrudes beyond both the interior and exterior surfaces to accommodate interconnection to the interior and exterior carbon fiber grids. Alternatively, metallic materials such as wire and mesh comprised of steel or other similar materials may also be used as appreciated by one skilled in the art.
A depiction of one embodiment of the carbon fiber strands 10 and their orientation and interconnection may be seen in
The carbon fiber strands 10 are interconnected to the interior carbon fiber grid 6 positioned substantially adjacent to the interior surface of the insulative core and with the exterior carbon fiber grid 8 positioned substantially adjacent the exterior surface of the insulative core 4. One example of a carbon fiber grid ribbon 30 which may be used in the present invention is the “MeC-GRID™” carbon fiber material which is manufactured by Hexcel Clark-Schwebel. The interior and exterior carbon grid tape is comprised generally of looped or crossed weft and warped strands, that run substantially perpendicular to each other and are machine placed on several main tape “stabilizing strands” that run parallel to the running/rolling direction of the tape. The carbon fiber tape is then used in a totally separate process by casting it transversely through the insulating core 4, to produce an insulated structural core panel that links together compositively the interior concrete layer 14 and exterior concrete layer 16 of the composite wall panel 2.
With regard to the concrete utilized in various embodiments of the present application, the interior wall may be comprised of a low density concrete such as Cret-o-Lite™, which is manufactured by Advanced Materials Company of Hamburg, N.Y. This is an air dried cellular concrete which is nailable, drillable, screwable, sawable and very fire resistant. In a preferred embodiment, the exterior concrete layer 16 is comprised of a dense concrete material to resist moisture penetration and in one embodiment is created using VISCO CRETE™ or equal product which is a chemical that enables the high slumped short pot life liquification of concrete to enable the concrete to be placed in narrow wall cavities with minimum vibration and thus create a high density substantially impermeable concrete layer. VISCO-CRETE™ is manufactured by the Sika Corporation, located in Lyndhurst, N.J. The exterior concrete layer 16 is preferably about ¾ to 2 inches thick, and more preferably about 1.25 inches thick. This concrete layer has a compression strength of approximately 5000 psi after 28 days of curing, and is thus extremely weather resistant.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a vapor barrier material 12 may be positioned next to or on to the exterior surface of the insulative core 4, or alternatively on the interior surface of the insulative foam core 4. The vapor barrier 12 impedes the penetration of moisture and thus protects the foam core from harsh environmental conditions caused by temperature changes. Preferably, the vapor barrier 12 is comprised of a plastic sheet material, or other substantially impermeable materials that may be applied to the insulative core 4 during manufacturing of the foam core, or alternatively applied after manufacturing and prior to the pouring of the exterior concrete layer 16.
Positioned proximate to the carbon fiber sheer strip 30 is one or more reinforcing bar 36, which are generally “rebar” materials manufactured from carbon steel or other similar metallic materials. Preferably, the reinforcing bar 36 has a diameter of at least about 0.5 inches, and more preferably about 0.75–1.00 inches. As appreciated by one skilled in the art, the reinforcing bars 36 may be any variety of dimensions or lengths depending on the length and width of the building panel 2, and the strength requirements necessary for any given project. As additionally seen in
To assist in the understanding of the present invention, the following is a list of the components identified in the drawings and the numbering associated therewith:
The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, the description is not intended to limit the invention to the form disclosed herein. Consequently, variations and modifications commenced here with the above teachings and the skill or knowledge of the relevant art are within the scope in the present invention. The embodiments described herein above are further extended to explain best modes known for practicing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in such, or other, embodiments or various modifications required by the particular applications or uses of present invention. It is intended that the dependent claims be construed to include all possible embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/423,286, filed Apr. 24, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,898,908, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/150,465 filed May 17, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,729,090, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/093,292, filed Mar. 6, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,701,683, each of the applications or issued patents being incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10423286 | Apr 2003 | US |
| Child | 10772148 | US | |
| Parent | 10150465 | May 2002 | US |
| Child | 10423286 | US | |
| Parent | 10093292 | Mar 2002 | US |
| Child | 10150465 | US |
