Modular construction system

Abstract
A modular construction system utilizes building components or panels formed of high strength plasticized concrete. Panels are formed with two or more linear peripheral edges fitted with mortises. FRP pultruded tenons are used to connect aligned mortises for adjacent panels. Walls, crown beams and roof panels can be so formed and assembled. Hollow corrugated panels are suitable for forming beams and interior partitions. Beams can be rested on regularly spaced piles and then floor panels on the beams, walls on the floor panels, crown beams on the walls and roof panels on the crown beams, buildings can be erected with a minimum of tools or specialized knowledge. The resulting structure is substantially impervious to environmental hazards, particularly relevant in more primitive locations.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




This invention relates to the modular construction of buildings and more particularly to the use of a modular system of load-bearing concrete panels and connectors to build housing.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




It is known to construct buildings using rigid frameworks such as wooden studs or steel girders, and providing external covering material such as wooden sheeting or concrete panels and internal coverings such as drywall.




The construction of such buildings is expensive and time consuming and requires special materials, tools and expertise. This is especially true for the construction of buildings that are fire-resistant and capable of withstanding tornadoes, earthquakes, moisture related damage and insect infestation.




It is also known to use modular systems, comprising prefabricated load-bearing panels. If created from concrete, such panels are often very heavy and have little insulating value. Insulation does not adhere well to concrete and the resulting panels are not composite in nature. Further surface finishing requires the use of craftsmen.




With an eventual shortage of natural building materials such as lumber and the lack of skilled craftsmen in many areas of the world, the current invention provides a modular, rapid, construction system that does not require conventional fasteners and is easily put together with minimal skill.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




A modular construction system is provided for erecting buildings with a minimum of tools or specialized knowledge. The resulting structure and its' material of manufacture ensure it is substantially impervious to environmental hazards, particularly relevant in more primitive locations.




High strength composite concrete panels utilize plasticized high strength concrete. The panels can be precision factory produced for hand assembly in the field and are provided in both corrugated and channel or ribbed forms. Panels can be pre-formed with openings such as window's and doors and have pre-finished surfaces. Light, hollow corrugated panels have a zigzag high strength concrete shape sandwiched and secured with adhesive between two flat high strength concrete panels. For panels applied to the building exterior, low-weight, ultra low tensile aerated concrete can be added between ribs as insulation and added rigidity.




The composite concrete panels integrate edge connection means which interlock to each other and to primary concrete building components such as complimentary pilings, wall footings, crown beams and roof purlin connectors. These connectors are particularly amenable for installation by hand.




As a result, structures, such as housing, can be erected on-site, with a minimum of equipment and without the requirement for craftsmen.




In one embodiment, the edge connection means comprise C-shaped FRP extrusion for forming a mortise about the periphery of the panels. For composite corrugated panels, the mortises are formed of extruded plastic, sandwiched between high strength concrete sheets. In channel panels and building components, the mortise preferably take the form of dovetail grooves formed directly in the panel's concrete. Each of the C-shaped or dovetail mortises accepts one lateral half of a pultruded epoxy, fiber-reinforced joiner or tenon insert having an X-shaped cross-section. When mortises of components and panels are facing or adjoining each other, they form a cavity into which these X-connectors can be inserted as a tenon, locking the components and panels, or panel to panel, together. Unlike concrete, the X-connector tenons are elastic and are forgiving of misalignment and movement.




Using the X-connector tenons, a floor channel panel having a downward facing groove can be locked to a piling having an upward facing and complementary groove. The bottom of a wall panel can be locked to the floor panel. A crown beam can be locked to the top of the wall panel and the bottom of a roof panel can be locked to the crown beam.




Preferably, the crown beam has a low profile by providing a greater lateral dimension than height. This unconventional orientation also aids in providing lateral strength to resist roof-spreading loads and transferring them vertically into the walls. Advantageously, the lateral extension also make it possible to secure exterior gutter and interior valences thereto, preferably using the same X-connector tenons.




Further, adjoining roof panels can be connected using purlin connectors having a deep depending rib portion for adding extra beam section and strength to the roof structure.




In the broadest form of the invention, a method of modular concrete construction comprises providing two or more lightweight composite concrete building components having one or more linear peripheral edges formed with linear dovetailed fitting mortises, providing one or more flaring tenons, aligning two adjacent building components with facing fitting mortises, and joining the aligned panels by inserting one or more of the flaring tenons along the peripheral edge and into the facing fitting mortises so that the panels cannot be separated.




Preferably this method is applied to the formation of walls panels for forming a walled structure, all of which are joined using the mortises and tenons. This method of construction can be extended to form a plurality of components for forming a wide crown beam which rests atop the walled structure and supports a plurality of roof panels resting thereon.




More preferably, additional building components such as floor panels can be similarly formed. Using the lightweight composite concrete, corrugated panels can be formed of a profiled or corrugated sheet glued sandwiched between two sheets. These corrugated panels, fitted with mortises, can be used a beams as part of a suspension system, resting on piles, or assembled as interior partitions.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is an exploded cross-sectional view of one half of a modular building manufactured in accordance with a preferred form of the present invention;





FIG. 2

is an exploded view of the construction components of a building manufactured in accordance with the invention;





FIG. 3

is a perspective view of a building constructed using one embodiment of the invention and illustrating the concrete culvert detail;





FIGS. 4



a


and


4




b


are side and exploded fastener views respectively of the rock pile;





FIG. 5

is a plan view of a nine-pile grid;





FIG. 6

is a partial cross-sectional detailed view of the crown beam and interlocking to the roof and wall panels;





FIG. 7

is a partial cross-sectional detailed view of the crown beam with interlocked exterior gutter and interior valance;





FIG. 8

is a partial cross-sectional plan view of a 90° corner crown beam;





FIG. 9

is a partial cross-sectional view of part of the wall panels, the crown beam and roof panels accordingly to

FIG. 1

;





FIGS. 10



a-




10




d


illustrate the nature of the interior corrugated partitions. Specifically,





FIG. 10



a


is a overall arrangement illustrating a side view of a partition butted up to and illustrating a cross-section of an exterior wall;





FIG. 10



b


is a plan cross-sectional view detail showing the strip connector between the partition and the a complementary slot at the joint between two exterior wall panels;





FIG. 10



c


is a plan cross-sectional view detail showing the interlocking of adjacent partitions;





FIG. 10



d


is a side cross-sectional view of the top and bottom partitions illustrating capping and hook and loop fastener between the partition bottom and the floor;





FIG. 11

is a partial cross-sectional view of a corrugated panel;





FIGS. 12



a


and


12




b


are an end cross-sectional view and a side view of the X-connector;





FIG. 13

is a plan cross-sectional view of a vertical tongue joint illustrating a typical serpentine external wall panel joint; and





FIGS. 14



a-




14




h


illustrate structural framing details:




a. is a plan view of the building of

FIG. 3

;




b. is a cross-sectional view according to lines A—A of

FIG. 14



a;






c. is a cross-sectional view according to lines B—B of

FIG. 14



a;






d. is a plan cross-sectional view of a wall corner of

FIG. 14



a;






e. is partial plan view of the hip and peaks of the building of

FIG. 14



a;






f. is a cross-sectional view of the hip and peak sections of

FIG. 14



e


along lines f—f;




g. is a cross-sectional view of the hip and peak sections of

FIG. 14



e


along lines g—g; and




h. is an elevation view of the hip and peak connector of

FIG. 14



e.













DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




Overall, and shown generally in FIGS.


1


,


2


, and


3


, there is disclosed a concrete building


10


and method of construction of same which comprises a connecting a plurality of exterior walls


11


, a support or suspension system


12


, a floor


13


and a roof


14


, all of which are manufactured of composite concrete components. Individual building components


15


interlock with each other and with other building components with a consistent arrangement of dovetail-like mortises


16


and tenon connectors


17


.




It is instructive to first identify the building's major components and then describe them in greater detail thereafter.




As shown in overall

FIGS. 1

,


4




a


and


4




b,


a pile


20


comprising an epoxy-resin fiber-reinforced (FRP) auger


21


and a square milled top


22


form a suspension system


12


for use in soil footings.




Having reference also to

FIG. 5

, a rectangular suspension grid


30


is formed for a total of nine piles


20


in a 3-by-3 arrangement. A grid shaped pattern (not shown) can be employed to ensure accurate positioning of the piles


20


. Each pile


20


connects to and supports the ends of floor beams


31


spanning between piles


20


. Typically, six strong, three-ply floor beams


31


run end to end, in co-axially extending pairs, running parallel each other pair spaced by three pairs of transverse, single-ply, weaker floor beams


32


. Floor panels


13


, having a channel profile, span the entire length of the 3 piles


20


aligned perpendicular to the strong beams


31


.




Exterior walls


11


stand vertically from and interlock with the periphery of the floor panels


13


.




As shown in detailed

FIGS. 6 and 7

, a header or crown beam


40


interlocks with and extends about the top of the walls


11


. Exterior rain gutters


41


and interior valence and utility tray


42


are interlocked to and are supported from the crown beam


40


.




At wall corners, a 90° curved section


43


of crown beam


40


, seen in

FIG. 8

, is used to connect linear sections


40


. Interlocking, vertically tapered fingers


44


provide a connection to resist lateral separating forces. Internal reinforcement is provided using epoxy/fiberglass (FRP) pultruded reinforcing rods


45


.




Sectional roof panels


14


interlock with and are supported atop the crown beam


40


as seen in

FIGS. 1 and 9

. A cottage-style roof


14


is shown which extends vertically upwardly and then deviates laterally to approach the peak and a peak connector


46


at an angle. Best shown in

FIG. 9

, compound curved panels


47


provide the section of the roof


14


adjacent the crown beam


40


. Flat panels


48


constitute the balance of the roof panels


14


. Dependent upon the span of the roof


14


, flat roof panels


48


are occasionally interlocked to one another using a purlin connector


49


, providing a locally increased and strong beam section.




Interior partitions


50


shown in

FIGS. 10



a-




10




d,


interlock at interfaces


51


between adjacent wall panels


11


and are attached to the floor panels


13


.




More specifically, three basic panel types are pre-formed using high strength concrete: a corrugated structural panel


60


for forming beams


31


,


32


and interior partitions


50


; a channel form


61


for floor panels


13


; and an insulated channel


62


for forming exterior wall


11


and roof panels


14


.




Corrugated Panels—Beams and Partitions




Having reference to

FIGS. 8 and 10



a-




10




d,


panels


60


for partitions


50


and beams


31


,


32


are planer composite corrugated panels entirely constructed of a matrix of high-density, high strength, plastic and fiber-reinforced concrete (hereinafter “HS concrete”).




Concrete having strength of 5,000 psi or greater is preferred. As shown, each panel


60


can be readily factory mass-produced by forming of first and second planer sheets


70


,


70


of HS concrete with a third corrugated sheet


71


sandwiched therebetween. The corrugated sheet


71


is molded in a zigzag pattern, having alternating angular sections


71




a


and short planer sections


71




b


for spacing the planer sheets


70


,


70


apart. The first and second planer sheets


70


,


70


are secured at the third corrugated sheet's short planer sections


71




b


with an adhesive mortar. The result is a lightweight concrete panel


60


which is strong, without the requirement for reinforcing tensile bar and which is substantially invulnerable to natural degradation. Optionally, the corrugations can be filled with insulation.




Opposing linear peripheral edges


72


of each substantially rectangular corrugated panel


60


is fitted with a structural plastic C-shaped extrusion


73


. The C-shaped extrusion


73


has an open side


74


which is oriented outwardly from the panel


60


. The C-shaped extrusion


73


has inward-facing flanges


75


at the open side


74


for constricting the opening and forming a mortise


16


. It is understood that the term mortise


16


, used herein, refers to any peripheral edge connector which has a larger internal dimension that outer dimension, such as a dovetail, thus being capable of retaining a tenon


17


.




Having reference to

FIG. 12



a


and


12




b,


linear tenons


17


are formed from epoxy resin over a matrix of fiberglass strands (FRP) pultruded through X-shaped dies. As a result, tenons in the form of X-connectors are formed having an X cross-section of 4 symmetrical radially extending wings


19


. As described below, the resultant X-connector tenons


17


are used to connect adjacent and facing mortises of corrugated panels


60


, both to each other and to other building components


15


.




In the case of adjacent panels


60


,


60


, when the C-shaped mortises


16


of the peripheral edges


72


of the adjacent panels are placed facing each other, the X-connector tenons


17


can be slid along the facing mortises


16


wherein two wings


19


engage one mortise


16


while the remaining two wings


19


engage the other opposing mortise


16


. Thus, as shown in

FIG. 10



c,


the X-connector tenon joins two panels


60


,


60


together.




The constricted opening of the C-shaped mortise prevents lateral release of the two engaged wings


19


and prevents separation of the panels


60


. Accordingly, the only permitted displacement of the X-connector tenon


17


is linearly along the mortise


16


.




Walls, Floor and Roof Panels




The second type of composite panel


61


and


62


, as seen in

FIGS. 1 and 9

, is constructed of a HS concrete outer sheet


80


and has perpendicular stiffeners or flanges


81


for forming a channel section. An example of use of such a panel


61


is the floor panels


13


. Utilities and the like can be run between the flanges


81


. Mortises


16


are formed at the peripheral edges


72


, both top and bottom, for connection to walls


11


and piles


20


respectively.




An insulated panel


62


is used for prefabricated and insulating exterior panels, such as wall


11


and roof panels


14


. A low-density, ultra-low tensile strength, highly-aerated concrete filler


82


(hereinafter referred to as “aerated concrete”) is placed in between the flanges


81


of the channel section. The filler


82


acts as an insulation which also increases the panel's diagonal rigidity. Again, mortises


16


are formed at the peripheral edges


72


, on each of the two sides, top and bottom, for connection to adjacent walls


11


, crown beam


40


and floor panels


13


respectively.




Suspension—Beam and spacers




Support beams for the suspension system


12


, best seen in

FIG. 1

, can be formed using a plurality of corrugated panels


60


such as those used to form the triple-ply beam


31


.




Triple-ply strong beams


31


and single ply weaker spacer beams


32


, are supported at the piles


20


. The beams


31


,


32


can be positioned using tongue


24


and groove


25


connectors for positioning on the piles


20


using a mortise


16


and tenon


17


connection.




Suspension System—Pilings




Two types of supports are provided to accommodate local conditions; particularly to facilitate construction on either a shifting or on a more consolidated base.




Referring to

FIGS. 1

,


1




b,




4




a


and


4




b


a piling


20


is used construction on soft soil. The piling is an FPR pultruded rod with an auger tip


21


on the bottom for screwing into soil, and a square milled top


22


. The beams


31


,


32


of the suspension system


12


are supported on the milled top


22


of the piles


20


. In soft-soil conditions, this type of pile is easily relocatable should the ground shift.




In consolidated terrain, a mere pad


23


can be substituted for the piles.




Floors




Floor panels


13


are secured to the suspension system


12


, as shown in

FIGS. 1-1



c,


being anchored to the beams at the outside perimeter of the grid


30


. These panels


13


are formed first with a tongue


24


or groove


25


to mesh with a groove or tongue on the pile's milled top


22


to act as a locator and secondly with a continuous dovetail mortise


16


in the floor


13


to facilitate joining to a mortise


16


in the pile using the X-connector tenons


17


. The floor panels


13


are amenable to installation of heat transfer tubes and installation of other utilities between their flanges


81


. The panels


13


can be profiled at their ends to match the wall profile, such as if the wall was curved.




Exterior Walls




Exterior walls


11


, seen in

FIGS. 1

,


9


and


10




a,


are formed having an exterior concrete shell


80


, a foamed concrete fill


82


and a skreeded interior concrete surface (not detailed). Exterior walls


11


are joined to the floor channels by a series of continuous dovetail mortises in the top of the floor panel


13


which corresponds to dovetail mortises


16


formed on the bottom of the exterior walls


11


. Connections are secured using X-connector tenons


17


. Tongue or grooves on the tops and bottoms of the walls correspond to grooves or tongues respectively on the floor panels


13


and crown beam


40


to act as locators for positioning of walls


11


.




Exterior walls


11


are joined to one another side by side using a serpentine tongue joint


85


, as shown in

FIG. 13

, sealed with a sealant adhesive


86


which prevents air, frost and contaminants from entering the building


10


.




Positioning of the walls


11


typically begins at a designated wall corner and continues about the circumference of the floor panels, ending at a recessed setting point pre-molded into selected floor panels


13


. The last wall panel


11


, having a similar setting point moulded into the wall panel's sides, is levered into position to interlock with the first floor panel


13


, thus providing a completely interlocked exterior finish to the building


10


.




Interior Walls




Lightweight wall panels, shown in

FIGS. 1 and 9

, having similar corrugated construction to the panels used for the beams and spacers


31


,


32


, only thinner, are provided for use as interior partitions


50


. The panels


60


are joined together to form partitions


50


as shown in

FIG. 10



a


using C-shaped extrusion mortises


16


and X-connector tenons


17


, best seen in

FIG. 10



c.


The partitions


50


are removeably secured to the exterior walls


11


utilizing a female socket


90


between the joints of two exterior wall panels


11


, a male elongated strip connector


91


and the C-shaped mortise


16


at the panel


60


. The strip connector


91


has a barb


92


, which fits securely and into the complimentary socket


90


, and two wings


19


of a tenon for fitting with the adjacent panel's mortise


16


. The partitions


50


are readily connected to the floor panels


13


using conventional hook and loop fasteners


94


(Velcro™) as seen in

FIG. 10



d.






As shown in

FIG. 10



d,


where the partitions


50


are open to the roof


14


, they are capped using an extruded cap


95


. The partitions


50


are also able to support the optional addition of ceilings (not shown). In cases where enhanced circulation is necessary, ceilings are omitted. In cases where ceilings are useful, the same partitions


50


can be used as ceiling material and are constructed to join to the partitions' mortises using suitable right angle connect or tenons.




Crown beam and roof construction




A crown beam


40


, seen in

FIGS. 6 and 7

, is formed from HS concrete, having lightening holes


100


along its horizontal axis, to reduce the weight of the beam


40


. It is used similarly as it would be in a conventional construction for roofs built without trussing or rafters. In such cases, it is normally placed vertically with respect to the exterior walls. The addition of a crown beam


40


provides means, at the point of juncture between the wall panels


11


and the roof


14


, to accept the spreading load therefrom. This load would otherwise be dependent upon the walls


11


and could result in wall deviation.




Rather than being placed in the conventional vertical position which would result in extra wall height, the crown beam


40


is placed horizontally on top of the walls


11


. Due to its width, the crown beam


40


creates a protuberance on the outside and on the inside of the walls


11


, which further allows it to be used as a building component suitable for the addition of external and internal structural and architectural attachments.




As seen in

FIG. 7

, externally the crown beam


40


is used as an anchor for a concrete rain gutter


41


capable of controlling large volumes of water flow such as might be found in a monsoon. The exposed face of the gutter


41


provides one form of a substitute for the soft and fascia found in conventional construction and minimizes the wind loading, and associated destruction, caused by high winds.




As seen in

FIG. 7

, internally the crown beam


40


is used as a connection for a continuous lighting valance


42


. The lighting valance


42


provides a suitable location for the installation of electrical, plumbing and communication harnesses used to provide services to the building


10


.




Installation of the crown beam


40


, between the wall panels


11


below and the roof panels


14


above, provides continuous horizontal strength with overall wall rigidity and relies on special joining conditions to maintain the final wall positioning. The system employs a finger joining technique, as seen in

FIG. 8

, designed to improve tensile strength in a lateral direction, while maintaining the required horizontal positioning or “bedding” by the casting of the finger joints


44


using a draw-casting method. This method of forming the finger joints


44


results in a downward diminishing taper for locking against movement.




The finger joints


44


are further reinforced by the insertion of epoxy fiberglass reinforcing rods


45


which extend axially into the crown beam and vertically through holes formed in the fingers of the finger joints


44


.




Roof panels


14


are moulded with overlapping extensions


33


along a bottom and a first vertical side edge. Formed In this fashion, roof panels


14


can be installed by sliding the non-overlapping vertical edge of a panel under the overlapping edge of the previously installed adjacent panel, while at the same time ensuring the bottom edge overlaps panels installed below. Roof panels are connected to one another using X-connectors


17


fitted into the facing dovetail mortises


16


of the adjacent roof panels


14


. The final roof panels


14


must be levered into position as they cannot be slid into position.




A peak connector


46


is installed at the apex of the roof


14


to connect the top edges of the opposing roof panels


14


where they meet. The peak connector


46


, shown in

FIG. 1

, acts to connect and to cap the top of the roof


14


.




The overlapping connection of the roof panels


14


provides a continuous, sealed structure relatively impervious to wind and rain.




Lighting Valance




The continuous lighting valance


42


, as seen in

FIGS. 1

,


9


and


7


, is connected to the interior edge of the crown beam


40


using an X-connector tenon


17


fit into dovetail mortise


16


on the crown beam


16


and the valance


42


. Reflectors


96


are placed on the adjacent curved roof panel


47


to reflect light from over the valance


42


and into the spaces below.




Trays


59


are fitted into the enclosure created by the lighting valance


42


and are joined to dovetail mortise


16


in the top of the crown beam


40


using X-connector tenons as seen in

FIG. 1

,


9


and


7


. These trays


59


are used to carry all service lines, in harness form, that can be installed or moulded into the walls


11


. This includes electrical, plumbing and communication services.




Heating and Cooling System




As shown in

FIG. 1

, a heating and cooling system is provided having a compressed-air, constant-pressure hot air heating system and a series of floor plenums and heat transfer tubes underneath the floor panels


13


.




Assembly




The panels


13


,


11


,


14


are all assembled and held rigidly together as a unit using corner wall panels


110


, and hip and peak connectors


111


. These connectors


110


and


111


are preferably held together using mortise and tenon connections.



Claims
  • 1. A system of modular concrete construction for forming a roofed and walled structure comprising:a plurality of first lightweight composite concrete building components having at least a top linear peripheral edge formed with a linear dovetailed fitting mortise for forming wall panels; a plurality of second lightweight composite concrete building components which have a greater lateral dimension than height, wherein at least top and bottom linear peripheral edges are formed with linear dovetailed mortises for forming crown beams; a plurality of third lightweight composite concrete building components having at least a bottom linear peripheral edge formed with linear dovetailed fitting mortises for forming roof panels; a plurality of flared tenons for fitting in the mortises, so that when the mortises of two or more building components are aligned, the components are joined by inserting the flared tenons along the peripheral edges and into the aligned fitting mortises; and a plurality of crown beams having top and bottom edges, joined end to end atop the wall and inserting tenons to join the bottom edges of the crown beams to the top edges of the wall panels and below the roof panels by inserting tenons to join the top edges of the crown beams to the bottom edges of the roof panels.
  • 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the wall panels or roof panels further comprise:a planer sheet; and flanges spaced periodically and extending perpendicularly from the sheet.
  • 3. The system of claim 2 wherein the wall panels or roof panels further comprise aerated concrete placed between the flanges as insulation.
  • 4. The system of claim 3 wherein the flared tenons are formed of pultruded FRP.
  • 5. The system of claim 4 wherein the flared tenons have an “X”-shape complementary with the mortises.
  • 6. The system of claim 1 wherein the crown beams have interlocking fingers at their ends, the fingers being vertically tapered, for joining adjacent crown beams end to end.
  • 7. The system of claim 1 wherein the bottom ends of the roof panels further comprise extensions which overlap an aligned and joined building component.
  • 8. The system of claim 1 further comprising:a plurality of lightweight composite concrete purlins having at least a bottom and a top linear peripheral edges formed with linear dovetailed fitting mortises, and wherein two or more roof panels are joined to the purlins by inserting tenons to join the purlins bottom edge to a roof panels' top edge and below the roof panel by inserting tenons to join the purlins' top edge to a roof panels' bottom edge.
  • 9. The system of claim 8 wherein the bottom ends of the purlins further comprise extensions which overlap an aligned and joined building component.
  • 10. A method of modular concrete construction for forming a roofed and walled structure comprising the steps of:providing a plurality of first lightweight composite concrete building components having at least a top linear peripheral edge formed with a linear dovetailed fitting mortise for forming wall panels; providing a plurality of second lightweight composite concrete building components which have a greater lateral dimension than height, wherein at least top and bottom linear peripheral edges are formed with linear dovetailed mortises for forming crown beams; providing a plurality of third lightweight composite concrete building components having at least a bottom linear peripheral edge formed with linear dovetailed fitting mortises for forming roof panels; assembling the plurality of wall panels by aligning two adjacent wall panels and inserting tenons into adjacent fitting mortises to join adjacent wall panels and form a wall; assembling the plurality of crown beams by joining them end to end atop the wall and inserting tenons to join the bottom edges of the crown beams to top edges of the wall panels; and assembling the plurality of roof panels atop the crown beam by aligning two adjacent roof panels and inserting tenons to join the bottom of the roof panels to the top edges of the crown beams.
  • 11. A method of modular concrete construction for forming a roofed structure comprising:providing a plurality of first lightweight composite concrete building components having at least a top linear peripheral edge formed with a linear dovetailed fitting mortise for forming wall panels; providing a plurality of second lightweight composite concrete building components which have a greater lateral dimension than height, wherein at least top and bottom linear peripheral edges are formed with linear dovetailed mortises for forming crown beams; providing a plurality of third lightweight composite concrete building components having at least a bottom linear peripheral edge formed with linear dovetailed fitting mortises for forming roof panels; assembling the plurality of wall panels by aligning two adjacent wall panels and inserting tenons into adjacent fitting mortises to join adjacent wall panels and form a wall; assembling the plurality of roof panels by aligning two adjacent roof panels and inserting tenons to join adjacent roof panels and form a roof; and installing the crown beams end to end intermediate the wall and roof for absorbing roof loading and transferring the loading vertically into the wall.
  • 12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of providing lightweight concrete gutters about the roof by aligning linear mortises formed along inside edge of the gutters with linear mortises formed along outside edges of the crown beams and inserting tenons to join the gutters and crown beams.
  • 13. The method of claim 11 further comprising the step of providing lightweight concrete valences within the roof by aligning linear mortises formed along inside edges of the valences with linear mortises formed along inside edges of the crown beams and inserting tenons to join the valences and crown beams.
  • 14. A method of modular concrete construction comprising the steps of:forming lightweight composite concrete building components having one or more linear peripheral edges formed with linear dovetailed fitting mortises, by forming first and second sheets of a lightweight composite concrete; forming a third corrugated sheet of a lightweight composite concrete; sandwiching the third sheet between the first and second sheets to form a corrugated panel having at least two opposing linear peripheral edges; inserting an FRP extrusion into at least two linear peripheral edges for forming a mortise; providing one or more flaring tenons; aligning two adjacent building components with aligned fitting mortises; and joining the aligned panels by inserting one or more of the flaring tenons along the peripheral edge and into the aligned fitting mortises.
  • 15. The method of claim 14 for forming a building which can be erected on site without skilled personnel comprising the steps of:(a) providing a plurality of first building components having at least a top linear peripheral edge formed with linear dovetailed fitting mortises for forming wall panels; (b) providing a plurality of second building components which having a greater lateral dimension than height, wherein at least two ends, top and bottom linear peripheral edges are formed with linear dovetailed mortises for forming crown beams; (c) providing a plurality of third building components having at least two sides and a bottom linear peripheral edge formed with linear dovetailed fitting mortises for forming roof panels; (d) providing a plurality of corrugated panels; (e) placing piles at the building location in predetermined locations; (f) erecting a suspension system of a plurality of corrugated panels acting as beams extending between piles; (g) assembling the plurality of wall panels by inserting tenons into adjacent fitting mortises to join adjacent wall panels and form a wall supported by the suspension system; (h) assembling the plurality of crown beam atop the wall by inserting tenons into adjacent fitting mortises to join adjacent crown beams and inserting tenons to join the crown beam's bottom edge to the wall panels' top edges; and (i) assembling the plurality of roof panels atop the crown beam by inserting tenons to join adjacent roof panels and inserting tenons to join the roof panels to the crown beams' top edges.
  • 16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the steps of assembling a plurality of corrugated panels to form partitions within the interior of the building.
  • 17. The method of claim 14 wherein the flaring tenons are pultruded FRP.
  • 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the flaring tenons have an “X”-shape complementary with the mortises.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
2273757 Jun 1999 CA
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