Patent Application
20080036106
In the accompanying drawings, I have shown a present preferred embodiment of my invention and have illustrated certain present preferred methods of practicing my invention in which:
A preferred concrete structure, a patio 1, is illustrated in
I provide a form that is comprised of at least one elongate body 8 positioned to define the shape of a patio 1. Elongate bodies 8 are typically made of wood, but can be made of other materials as well. In
As shown in
I prefer to use screws 10 to attach the L-shaped strip 4 to the form by connecting the lower edge 18 of the elongate body 8 to the upper portion 12 of the L-shaped strip 4, as can be seen in
After the L-shaped strip 4 is attached to the elongate body 8, concrete is poured into the form and against the inside corner radius 6 of the L-shaped strip 4. The end of the screw may pass through the L-shaped strip and extend into the concrete. Because the screws are in the upper portion of the L-shaped strip, any screw ends that extend into the concrete will not affect the curved drip edge. Prior to pouring the concrete, however, I prefer to coat the L-shaped strip 4 with a lubricant to reduce any bonding that may take place between the L-shaped strip 4 and the concrete. This lubricant coating makes removing the L-shaped strip from the partially cured concrete easier. When coating the L-shaped strip with a lubricant, I prefer using 3-in-1 oil, sweet oil, or form oil.
Once the concrete 3 has set, but before it has fully cured, the form and L-shaped strip 4 are removed from the concrete 3 to provide the concrete body with a curved edge corresponding to the L-shaped strip 4.
When removing the L-shaped strip 4, I prefer to slide the L-shaped strip 4 longitudinally as indicated by the arrow in
Thereafter, the curved edge is finished to provide a smooth, curved edge 9. Because the curved edge of the concrete body requires significantly less material to be removed during finishing than concrete bodies made following the standard practice, my method permits finishing to be completed with hand tools in approximately seventy-five percent (75%) less time than it takes when using the standard practice. Once the finishing is completed, the concrete 3 is allowed to fully cure.
The concrete poured into the form may be any type of concrete used for forming concrete structures. Typically, concrete is a composite building material made from the combination of aggregate and binder. For example, concrete can consist of sand, conglomerate gravel, pebbles, broken stone, or slag in a mortar or cement binder. Of course, concrete may also be mixed with other types of binders, aggregates and/or additives not previously mentioned which are used to affect the concrete's properties, such as strength, curing time, or color.
While
It is common practice for other objects to be placed inside the boundaries of a form to be surrounded by concrete and improve various properties or characteristics of the concrete structure, such as strength or toughness. For example, steel rebar or steel mesh are often positioned inside the form before concrete is poured into the form. Of course, other objects may also be placed inside a form to improve various properties or characteristics of the structure. When such objects are used inside a form, however, they are incorporated into the concrete structure and are not subsequently removed. All of these things can be done before the concrete is poured into the form shown in the drawings.
While I have shown and described certain presently preferred methods of practicing my invention, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but may be otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.
