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The present invention relates to a method for building on site cultured stone block buildings.
Buildings have been made of stone blocks since before recorded time. These blocks were made of stone cut into block shapes, typically cubes or six sided rectangular blocks, and the blocks stacked. In many cases the blocks were connected with an adhesive or cement mortar that allowed the blocks to be securely and essentially permanently attached. In some cases, if the blocks were sufficiently uniform, there was no need for any type of mortar. There have also been a variety of man-made blocks, such as bricks or cement blocks, which have been used to build buildings and other structures over the years. Standard bricks are typically made of clay, and are approximately two inches thick, four inches deep and eight inches long, although these dimensions vary greatly based on design and construction needs. Clay bricks are now frequently used for a wide variety of commercial and residential construction.
Concrete is also commonly used for a type of brick known as a concrete masonry unit or “cinder blocks.” These are typically eight inches high by eight inches deep by sixteen inches wide. Cinder blocks generally have rough external facing and they are most commonly used structurally, or to provide structural support for a building, and not frequently used for facing material. It is not uncommon, however, to see some types of commercial buildings, such as warehouses or factories that are constructed from standard cement cinder blocks. Some modern architects use the rough look as a design feature, but in many cases a facing material, such as stucco is applied over the cinder block to create a smoother and more pleasing appearance.
Concrete is widely used in the construction trades, and the onsite pouring of foundations, floors, and walls, in pre-framed moulds is well known. Concrete is generally made from a mixture of one part cement (typically Portland cement), two parts fine or medium aggregate (typically sand), and three parts course aggregate (typically crushed stone), and sufficient water to wet and mix the other materials and make the resulting slurry pourable.
It is not uncommon to use large poured concrete blocks in some types of construction. These blocks are sized based on the requirements of the builder or architect. Most commonly, these specialized blocks are poured off site. After the concrete has cured—as the process of hardened, solidifying and strengthening of the wet poured concrete is know—the blocks must be transported to the construction site. Because of the large size or the blocks, they are typically transported on the flat-bed trailer of a large truck. This adds the cost of transporting large, heavy and unwieldy blocks to the overall cost of construction. Additionally, there are times when it is not possible for a large tractor-trailer to directly access a construction site. This is particularly true in hilly or mountainous terrain where roads are steep, narrow, or excessively curved. In these situations the blocks must be shuttled from a staging area where the transport trucks are parked to the construction site by a separate smaller vehicle. This adds significantly to the cost of transportation and ultimately to the cost of construction. The present invention overcomes these drawbacks by pouring and curing the blocks on-site.
Most prefabricated construction blocks come with uniform facing. Cinder blocks, for example, generally have a rough concrete facing. Often, for use in commercial or agricultural buildings, the cinder block is left bare. In residential construction, or in most commercial construction, a separate decorative facing is added over the cinder blocks. There are also a variety of specialty blocks that have different facings. Landscape blocks are increasingly common, and these blocks have a rough stone-like surface that is knobby and uneven, which gives the facing the approximate appearance of a rough cut stone block. These blocks are poured in uniform molds, however, giving each block the same face. This makes it obvious to the naked eye that the blocks are artificial poured concrete blocks and are not natural stone. There is a need, therefore, for poured on site blocks with unique, non-uniform facing.
The present invention is drawn to a method for constructing buildings from poured on site “cultured” stone structural blocks. The blocks are poured in forms with the facing side place on plastic on the ground. This gives the facing of the blocks a non-uniform, natural, and site-specific look. Poured concrete that looks like natural stone is commonly referred to as “cultured stone.” In one embodiment of the present invention, the blocks have tongue and groove features, which allows them to be easily aligned and adjoined for constructing many types of residential, commercial, and agricultural structures. The cost of material and labor for pouring the blocks on site and assembling the structure are comparable to, if not somewhat cheaper than, wood, steel or cinder block construction for similar sized structures.
In one embodiment the concrete for the blocks are batched—mixed—on site. The blocks are generally made from a conventional concrete mix, which typically comprises one part Portland Cement, two parts fine aggregate, three parts course aggregate, and water as needed to make the mix pourable. Typically the fine aggregate is sand or screened sand, and the course aggregate is crushed stone. A considerable cost savings can be realized by bringing bags of Cement and loads of sand and crushed stone on site as opposed to brining mixed cement in a cement truck. In most uses and for most sites it is approximately thirty percent (30%) cheaper to bring the concrete mix materials on site and mix on site than to bring the concrete in conventional concrete mixer trucks. There is an additional savings when the construction site is in a hard to reach location since standard concrete mixer trucks might have difficulty accessing the site.
Fly ash is increasingly used as a replacement for Portland Cement in standard construction concrete, and it is within the conception of the invention to use fly ash in place of Portland Cement. Fly ash is a waste product of industrial combustion which is frequently disposed of. Many combustion facilities such as coal fired power plants pay to have the fly ash removed from their site, so it is significantly cheaper to use the fly ash in concrete than cements such as Portland cement.
Course aggregate is commonly made from crushed stone. In one embodiment of the invention the forms and material used for making the blocks are brought onto the site of a building that will be demolished. In addition to the standard demolition material for disassembling the building, a stone crusher is also used, and the stone, brick, and other stone-like materials of the demolished building are crushed and used as the coarse aggregate in the concrete mixture. This essentially allows a building to be recycled on site, by recycling most of the construction materials.
Cultured stone blocks can be used in a variety of types of construction. Its aesthetic features make it desirable for residential construction, and its strength makes it ideal for commercial construction. Cultured stone blocks are ideal for agricultural use because they will not deteriorate through contact with animal waste or organic materials. Animal barns made of wood or steel can be damaged by animal urine and feces. Wood rots and metal rusts or oxidizes. Wood barns are traditional and aesthetically pleasing, but they inevitably deteriorate. This may take many years, but the deterioration of wood will inevitably require that the building be replaced. Steel lasts significantly longer, although it too can be damaged by animal waste and contact with other organic materials, but while steel lasts longer than wood, it is not aesthetically pleasing. The present invention discloses an aesthetically pleasing building material that is also highly durable.
Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. It is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention and that the invention may be embodied in various and alternative forms. Therefore, specified structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limitations, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
Each of the four sides, 20, 30, 40 & 50, of the form 10 has an indention. The placement of the indention creates either a protrusion—known as a tongue—in the block 60, or an indent—known as a groove—in the block 60. The bottom 30 has a bottom indent 31 which is placed so that it protrudes into the inside of the form 10. The right side 40 has a right indent 41 that is placed to protrude out from the form 10, and which will create a protrusion from the right side 63 of the block 60. The left side 50 has a left indent 51 that is place to protrude into the form 10 to create an indent into the block 10. The top has two protrusions, a top-right protrusion 22 and a top-left protrusion 23. Both top protrusions, 22 and 23 are configured so that they extend from the inside of the form 10 and create two external protrusions from the block 60. The top 20 also has a gap 21 placed in approximately the center of the top 20. In end blocks, or in blocks used around structural features such as doors and windows, the form may not include an indent. This will produce an essentially flat portion of the block, and be appropriate for end pieces or for doors and windows.
In producing the block 60, a flat and level piece of ground 70 is found, or prepared by scrapping, sweeping, rolling or any other means to produce a relatively flat and level surface. A tarp 75 or other type of plastic sheeting or material is placed on the ground 70, as shown in
As shown in
After the form 10 is placed, concrete 100 is poured carefully into the form 10. The pouring of concrete 100 is well known in the construction trades and the proper techniques are well understood. In the preferred embodiment the concrete 100 is made of the conventional mix of one part Portland cement, two parts fine aggregate, three parts crushed stone and water as needed. In the preferred embodiment the fine aggregate is sand, and the course aggregate is crushed stone. In one embodiment of this mix the concrete is produced in the conventional manner and then brought on site by standard concrete mixer trucks. In the most preferred embodiment the concrete is mixed on site from dry cement (typically brought on site in bags), sand, crushed rock, and water. In one alternate embodiment the Portland cement is replaced by fly ash. In another alternate embodiment the coarse aggregate is prepared on site with a conventional stone crusher. In one variation of this embodiment materials from an existing building are used and crushed to create the coarse aggregate.
The concrete is carefully spread and leveled to ensure that no air bubbles form in the wet concrete. The presence of air bubbles can lead to thin spots and can weaken the concrete. When the form 10 is approximately one half full reinforcing bars 92 (commonly called “rebar”) are added as shown in
The pressure of the concrete 100 on the tarp 75 forces the tarp down on to the ground 70, which forces both ground 70 imperfections and tarp 75 imperfections into the concrete 100, and imprint those imperfections into the block 60. This forces the concrete 100 to solidify in the non-uniform configuration of the ground 70. If the ground is relatively smooth, the front facing portion of the block, known as the face 65, will be relatively smooth. If the ground is rocky, the front facing will have a more porous and rocky look. The use of the tarp to create the non-uniform front facing portion creates a site specific look.
In the preferred embodiment, as described above, the form 10 has indents and protrusions. These protrusions in the form 10 created the tongue and groove feature of the finished blocks 60. In the typical configuration the top 61 of the block 60 has a small linear protrusion, which is commonly referred to as a tongue, and the bottom 62 of the block 60 has a linear indent, which is commonly referred to as a groove. The tongue and the groove are sized to correspond, so that when the blocks 60 are stacked the tongue fits into the groove. This allows easy alignment of the blocks, secures the blocks, and prevents them from slipping. There are similar corresponding tongue and groove structure on the left and right side of the blocks. Typically, there will be a tongue on the right side of a block and a groove on the left side of the corresponding block, which allows easy alignment of the blocks during construction. While the tongues must be on the top 61 of the block 60, and the corresponding bottom groove 82 must be on the bottom 62 of the block 60, it is not important that the tongue or groove be on either the left of right side of the block 60. What is important is correspondence between the tongue and groove. In other words if there is a tongue on the left side 64 of the block 60, there must be a groove on the right side 63 of the block 60 so that they two blocks 60 will fit together. The drawings, in particular
A multiplicity of cultured stone blocks 60 will be produced to construct a building or structure. The actual number will be determined by the size and configuration of the desired structure. It is envisioned and within the conception of the invention, to use the cultured stone blocks 60 for construction of houses as well as commercial and agricultural structures. The blocks can also be used for a variety of decorative landscape features, such as retaining walls or sound barrier walls used along busy roadways. The blocks 60 are ideally suited for agricultural use since they will not deteriorate from contact with animal waste or the changing water content levels of agricultural products. The cultured stone blocks 60 are load bearing, and can easily support walls up to three stories high. This is of sufficient size for many residential, commercial and agricultural needs. In many situations more blocks 60 will be needed for constructing a structure than there will be forms 10 available on site. In those situations the forms 10 will simply be reused after the blocks 60 have been cured and hardened. In that situation a first series of forms 10 will create a first group of blocks 60, and then the forms 10 will be used for a second group of blocks 60, and so on until sufficient blocks 60 have been produced to complete the desired structure.
To construct a building using a multiplicity of the cultured stone blocks 60, a foundation must first be prepared. Foundations are well known in the construction trade. To create a foundation for the cultured stone block building, a footer is laid around the perimeter of the proposed building, at the desired placement of the walls. In the preferred embodiment the face 65 of the blocks 60 are the exterior of the building. It is possible, and within the conception of the invention, to use the cultured stone blocks 60 for internal walls inside the structure, but because the desired purpose of the invention is to construct a structure or building with blocks 60 having the appearance of cut natural stone, the construction of the exterior walls will be described herein. The footer will typically be made by compacting the soil and then pouring concrete in the standard manner of approximately two feet wide. Once the concrete of the footer has dried, and the blocks 60 have been cured, the blocks 60 can be set in place with the site specific face 65 on the exterior of the structure, as partially shown in
The most preferred method of building a structure with cultured stone blocks 60 involves the following procedures 60. First a building site is prepared. A foundation for the building is prepared in the common way, by creating a footer for the walls, and preparing the area under the foundation. The footer for the walls is prepared in the conventional manner, around the perimeter of the building and in the location where the external walls will be placed. In the preferred embodiment, the footer will be constructed of concrete.
The blocks 60 can be prepared while the foundation and footers are being constructed. The blocks 60 are prepared by creating a flat and roughly sooth area, and laying a multiplicity of tarps 75 on the ground 70. A multiplicity of forms 10 are then placed on the tarps 75. In the preferred embodiment, concrete 100 is prepared on site by bringing the materials in dry form to the site and then mixing sand, aggregate, Portland Cement and water. Mixing on site significantly reduces the cost of preparing the concrete. In alternate embodiments, concrete 100 can be trucked onto site in conventional concrete mixer trucks. Concrete 100 is poured into the multiplicity of forms 10. For simplicity the procedure used in a single form 10 will be described herein. Once about the form 10 is about half full of concrete 100, a rebar clip 90 is placed in the concrete 100 and through the gap 21 in the top 20 of the form 10. If desired, additional strengthening rebar will also be added. When the form 10 is full of concrete 100, the exposed surface, which will be the back 66 of the block 60, is smoothed in the conventional manner. The concrete 100 filled form 10 is then left to cure. The curing process for this thickness of concrete generally takes two to three days, but that can vary depending on temperature and humidity.
Standard concrete is a grey tone when fully dried. The color is largely determined by the color of the sand and aggregate used, and these materials are typically tan or grey in tone. It is possible to alter the coloration of the dried concrete by adding coloring agents to the concrete mixture to give the blocks 60 color, or to stain the blocks 60 after they have dried or after they have been placed in the structure. Modern stains and concrete coloring agents come in every color and hue. One of the purposes of the disclosed invention is to create concrete blocks that have the appearance of natural stone, commonly known in the trade as “cultured stone.” This is done through use of the facing procedure described herein, to give the face 65 of the block 60 a natural, non-uniform look. The use of color can also enhance the natural look of the blocks. Natural stone blocks come in a variety of colors, but the most common have “earth tone” hues, or browns, tans, and grays. As a result, these will be the colors most commonly used. It is within the conception of the invention, however, to use any color in the concrete to create any color stone that the builder, architect, or owner desires.
When the concrete 100 is fully cured, the form 10 can be removed from the blocks 60. The form 10 is removed by dis-attaching the attachments, 24, 25, 34, 35, and removing the top 20, the bottom 30, the right side 40 and the left side 50. In some cases excess concrete may need to be trimmed off as is common in concrete construction work. The block 60 can now be moved by means of the rebar clip 90. A block 60 of this size weighs hundreds of pounds, and will typically be moved by means of a construction machinery such as a crane or fork lift. The crane or lift can move the block 60 by attaching to the rebar clip 90. As the block 60 is lifted into its upright position, the tarp 75 is peeled away from the face 65 of the block 60.
As can be seen in
Once the external walls have been completed, a roof can be added if called for in the construction plans. The blocks 60 are fully load bearing and can be used to construct a wide variety of structures and buildings. The remainder of the construction of the structure or building will proceed in accordance to well known principles. For example, doors and windows can also be added as needed or as desired. If desired, internal walls can also be added. For residential and commercial uses, internal facing walls can be added to the back 66 of the blocks 60. As is common and well known in the art, plumbing and electrical wiring can be placed against the back 66 of the block 60 and a separate facing wall can be constructed to cover the exposed utility fixtures. These features are beyond the scope of the present invention but are necessary to complete a structure.
The present invention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and attain both the ends and the advantages mentioned, as well as other benefits inherent therein. While the present invention has been depicted, described, and is defined by reference to particular embodiments of the invention, such reference does not imply a limitation to the invention, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The depicted and described embodiments of the invention are exemplary only, and are not exhaustive of the scope of the invention. Consequently, the present invention is intended to be limited only by the spirit and scope of the claims, giving full cognizance to equivalents in all respects.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/068,648 filed on Mar. 7, 2008.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61068648 | Mar 2008 | US |