Patent Application
20210008758
The present disclosure is related to a mold device for molding a waffle slab and a method of manufacturing a waffle slab having chamfers.
High-tech products, such as chips, wafers or computer components, are becoming ever more sophisticated and require increasingly precise work. Therefore, clean rooms are used for keeping the production line free of contaminants that might otherwise interfere with the precision work undertaken. Waffle slabs are typically used as the floor of a clean room of a high-tech factory, such as a foundry plant. A clean room is designed to maintain positive pressure such that air with contaminants is exhausted via the holes provided in the waffle slabs. The contaminated air is then filtered and returned into the clean room.
Forming a waffle slab typically includes steps such as (a) providing steel molds; (b) cleaning the steel molds; (c) disposing a plurality of inner molds in the space formed by the steel molds; (d) disposing steel bar cages between the plurality of inner molds, and between the plurality of inner molds and the steel molds; (e) pouring concrete into the space; (f) waiting for initial condensation of the concrete; (g) polishing the concrete surface; and (h) releasing the steel molds from the concrete surfaces after the final condensation of the concrete. During the steps of pouring and condensation of concrete, the steel molds tend to be outwardly deformed due to the lateral pressures applied to the molds, which are generated by the weight and the collapse characteristic of the concrete in a liquid state or a quasi-liquid state. Thus, the waffle slab molded by the steel molds will have deformed concrete surfaces. In particular, the middle steel molds need to resist the largest lateral pressures generated from the concrete in a liquid state or a quasi-liquid state and thus deform the most. Accordingly, the formed waffle slab tends to have slightly curved and uneven sides, which will narrow the space between adjacent waffle slabs and affect the installation of the beams to be disposed therebetween. In addition, the edges of the thus-formed conventional waffle slab have sharp right-angled edges which may result in undesired cracks of the waffle slab caused by collisions during the subsequent transportation of the waffle slab. The undesired cracks may extend to the inside of the waffle slab and expose the internal structure of the waffle slab and reduce its strength.
In view of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional techniques, there is an urgent need for a mold device capable of forming a waffle slab having flat sides and a method of forming suitable chamfers on the edge of the waffle slab by using the mold device.
The following summarizes some aspects of the present disclosure to provide a basic understanding of the technology discussed. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated features of the disclosure, and is intended neither to identify key or critical elements of all aspects of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the disclosure in a summary form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
A first aspect of the present disclosure provides a mold device for molding a waffle slab, wherein a plurality of connecting structures protrude from four sides of the waffle slab. The mold device comprises: a plurality of steel molds provided on both sides of each of the plurality of connecting structures and surrounding the waffle slab, each of the plurality of steel molds having a top surface that has at least one hole therein; a plurality of auxiliary devices respectively disposed around four sides of the waffle slab and having through holes corresponding to holes of the plurality of steel molds; and a plurality of fasteners; wherein the plurality of fasteners respectively pass through the through holes of the plurality of auxiliary devices and are fixed into the holes of the plurality of steel molds so that each of the plurality of auxiliary devices transversely connects the top surfaces of the plurality of steel molds.
In a second aspect of the present disclosure according to the first aspect, each of the plurality of auxiliary devices comprises an inclined surface facing the waffle slab, the inclined surface extending inwardly from an edge of the top of an auxiliary device to an edge of the bottom of the auxiliary device for forming a chamfer on a corresponding corner of the waffle slab.
In a third aspect of the present disclosure according to the second aspect, each of the plurality of auxiliary devices comprises a first flat upper surface adjacent to the waffle slab, the first flat upper surface and the inclined surface forming an angle of about 45 degrees.
In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure according to the third aspect, the first flat upper surface of each of the plurality of auxiliary devices is substantially flush with the top of the waffle slab.
In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure according to the fourth aspect, each of the plurality of auxiliary devices includes a second flat upper surface that is more distant from the waffle slab than the first flat upper surface, the second flat upper surface being next to the first flat upper surface and lower than the first flat upper surface.
In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure according to the fifth aspect, the through holes of each of the plurality of auxiliary devices are disposed in the second flat upper surface, and the top of each of the fasteners located in the through holes is substantially flush with the first flat upper surface or is slightly lower than the first flat surface.
In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure according to the first aspect, each of the plurality of fasteners is a screw and the at least one hole of each of the plurality of steel molds is threaded so that the screw is threaded with the at least one hole of each of the plurality of steel molds.
In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure according to the first aspect, each of the plurality of auxiliary devices has a flat bottom engaged with the corresponding top surfaces of the plurality of steel molds.
In a ninth aspect of the present disclosure according to the first aspect, the width (W) of each of the plurality of auxiliary devices is around 20 cm and the thickness (T) of each of the plurality of auxiliary devices ranges from 2 cm to 3 cm.
In a tenth aspect of the present disclosure according to the first aspect, the mold device further comprises a plurality of elongated strengthening structures, each of the plurality of elongated strengthening structures being disposed outside of the plurality of steel molds that are disposed outside of the four sides of the waffle slab, each of the plurality of elongated strengthening structures bridging the plurality of steel molds, the plurality of elongated strengthening structures being interconnected at their ends to hold and support the plurality of steel molds against an outward pressure generated by the concrete in the waffle slab before it reaches a predetermined strength.
An eleventh aspect of the present disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a waffle slab having chamfers, comprising: providing a reinforcement cage used for the waffle slab, wherein the reinforcement cage is provided with a plurality of connecting structures spaced apart from each other at the sides of the reinforcement cage; providing a plurality of steel molds outside the outer edges of the reinforcement cage and between the plurality of connecting structures to form a space for pouring concrete therein; each of the plurality of steel molds having a top surface that has at least one hole; providing a plurality of auxiliary devices each having through holes corresponding to holes of the plurality of steel molds; providing a plurality of fasteners; passing the plurality of fasteners through the through holes of the plurality of auxiliary devices and fixing the plurality of fasteners into the holes of the top surfaces of the plurality of steel molds so that each of the plurality of auxiliary devices transversely connects the top surfaces of the plurality of steel molds; pouring concrete into the space; and removing the fasteners, the auxiliary devices and the steel molds after the concrete reaches a predetermined strength.
In a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure according to the eleventh aspect, each of the plurality of auxiliary devices comprises an inclined surface facing the waffle slab, the inclined surface extending inwardly from an edge of the top of an auxiliary device to an edge of the bottom of the auxiliary device for forming a chamfer on a corresponding corner of the waffle slab.
In a thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure according to the twelfth aspect, each of the plurality of auxiliary devices comprises a first flat upper surface adjacent to the waffle slab, the first flat upper surface and the inclined surface forming an angle of about 45 degrees.
In a fourteenth aspect of the present disclosure according to the thirteenth aspect, the first flat upper surface of each of the plurality of auxiliary devices is substantially flush with the top of the waffle slab.
In a fifteenth aspect of the present disclosure according to the fourteenth aspect, the through holes of each of the plurality of auxiliary devices are disposed in the second flat upper surface, and the top of each of the fasteners located in the through holes is substantially flush with the first flat upper surface or is slightly lower than the first flat surface.
In a sixteenth aspect of the present disclosure according to the eleventh aspect, each of the plurality of fasteners is a screw and the at least one hole of each of the plurality of steel molds is threaded so that the screw is threaded with the at least one hole of each of the plurality of steel molds.
In a seventeenth aspect of the present disclosure according to the eleventh aspect, the method further comprises: providing a plurality of elongated strengthening structures; disposing the plurality of elongated strengthening structures outside of the plurality of steel molds that are disposed outside of the four sides of the waffle slab, so that the plurality of elongated strengthening structures bridge the plurality of steel molds; and interconnecting the ends of the plurality of elongated strengthening structures to support and hold the plurality of steel molds against an outward pressure generated by the concrete in the waffle slab before it reaches the predetermined strength.
Based on the above aspects, the present disclosure provides a mold device capable of forming a waffle slab having flat sides and a method of forming suitable chamfers on the edge of the waffle slab by using the mold device.
The foregoing aspects and many of the accompanying advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The detailed description set forth below, in connection with the appended drawings, is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such concepts.
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The auxiliary devices 33 are respectively disposed around upper portions of the four sides 15 of the waffle slab 1. The auxiliary devices 33 abut against and align with the four sides 15 of the waffle slab 1. Each of the plurality of auxiliary devices 33 has a flat bottom 339 contacting the corresponding top surfaces 311 of the steel molds 31. Each of the auxiliary devices 33 has through holes 331 corresponding to the holes 313 of the steel molds 31. Specifically, the fasteners 35 respectively pass through the through holes 331 of the auxiliary devices 33 and are fixed into the holes 313 of the steel molds 31 so that each of the auxiliary devices 33 transversely connects the top surfaces 311 of its adjacent steel molds 31. Such auxiliary devices 33 that transversely bridge adjacent steel molds 31 increase the connection strength between the steel molds 31. With the auxiliary devices 33, during the steps of pouring and condensation of concrete, the steel molds 31 obtain sufficient strength to support the lateral pressure generated by the weight and the collapse characteristic of the concrete in the liquid state, and the steel molds 31 do not deform or expand outward. Thus, after the removals of the steel molds 13 and the auxiliary devices 33 from the concrete surfaces of the concrete structure 13, the waffle slab 1 will have desired flat sides 15.
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The above arrangement brings benefits to the subsequent polishing of the waffle slab 1. In order to flatten the top surface 132 of the concrete structure 13, a polishing tool (such as a troweling machine and/or a polishing machine) is commonly used to polish the top surface 132 of the concrete structure 13 so as to flatten the top surface 132. In addition, the feature that the top surface of the concrete structure 13 is flush with the auxiliary devices 33 described above allows the polishing tool to operate smoothly on the top portion surface 132 of the concrete 13 without being obstructed by any protrusion or interruption, so that the area on the concrete structure 13 near the auxiliary devices 33 can be fully polished. Moreover, the fasteners 35 lying flush with or slightly lower than the first flat upper surface 335 may prevent the fasteners 35 from colliding with the polishing tool during the polishing process.
In one embodiment, the fastener 35 is a threaded screw. The at least one hole 313 of each of the steel molds 31 is threaded so that the screw is threaded with the at least one hole 313 of each of the steel molds 31 for achieving the strong connection between the auxiliary devices 33 and the steel molds 31. In another embodiment, the fastener 35 is a rivet. The auxiliary device 33 is secured to the top of the steel mold 31 by deformation of the rivet.
In a further embodiment, the steel mold 3 further has a base (not shown in the drawings) provided beneath the steel mold 31 to form a space for placing reinforcement cages and inner molds therein, and for being filled with concrete. With regard to the details of the base, the technical content of Taiwan Patent No. 1277498 is entirely incorporated herein by reference and is not repeated.
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In sum, the auxiliary devices 33 of the present disclosure increase the connection strength between the adjacent steel molds 31 at both sides of the connecting structures 11. Accordingly, during the steps of pouring concrete into the steel molds 31, the steel molds 31 would not deform or expand outward due to the lateral pressure generated by the weight and the collapse characteristic of the concrete in a liquid state. As a result, the waffle slab 1 made by the mold device 3 of the present disclosure has flat sides. In addition, the auxiliary devices 33 of the present disclosure form chamfers 17 on corresponding upper corners of the waffle slab 1, which prevent cracks from occurring if the waffle slab 1 collides with some object during transportation. Furthermore, the chambers 17 prevent a worker from cutting his/her hands.
As those of some skill in this art will by now appreciate and depending on the particular application at hand, many modifications, substitutions and variations can be made in and to the materials, apparatus, configurations and methods of use of the devices of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. In light of this, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to that of the particular embodiments illustrated and described herein, as they are merely examples thereof, but rather, should be fully commensurate with that of the claims appended hereafter and their functional equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 106130471 | Sep 2017 | TW | national |
This application is a Continuation Application of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/813,349 filed Nov. 15, 2017. The present application claims priority from U.S. application Ser. No. 15/813,349 filed Nov. 15, 2017, which claims priority from Taiwan Patent Application No. 106130471 filed on Sep. 6, 2017, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this application.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15813349 | Nov 2017 | US |
| Child | 17038474 | US |
