Patent Application
20180347191
The present invention generally relates to building construction, particularly floors. More specifically, the present invention relates to a prefabricated concrete slab floor being a composite of concrete and wood and a method of fabricating the same.
Nowadays, different methods are used to prefabricate wood and concrete composite floors aiming at limiting the formation and propagation of cracks. However, these methods present different limitations particularly during the manipulation and the transport of the composite floors due to the use of several anchoring points that weaken the structure.
Conventionally, wood and concrete composite floors, such as the floor disclosed in the PCT patent application published under no. WO 9411589, have been proposed to solve the problem of shearing load transfer between the wood and the concrete. However, such floors require the use of a set of connecting and framing elements such as beams and metal spikes in order to improve the adhesion between the wood and the concrete. Such a method of fabricating composite floors is essentially limited to the fabrication of light composite floors.
Furthermore, some methods for fabricating wood and concrete composite floors require pouring concrete directly on the top of the wood structure. However, these methods become useless once the wood structure comprises openings through which the concrete can easily flow resulting in a non-uniform concrete surface.
Despite the previous suggested methods, there is still a need to improve the process of fabricating wood and concrete composite floors as concrete-wood interactions are not well documented.
The shortcomings of the prior art are generally mitigated by providing a prefabricated concrete slab floor and a method of fabricating the same.
In one aspect of the invention, a prefabricated composite floor is provided. The prefabricated composite floor comprises a concrete layer and a support structure adapted to receive the concrete layer, the support structure comprising a top portion comprising at least one attachment mechanism, the attachment mechanism being adapted to rigidly adhere the concrete layer to the support structure.
In one aspect of the invention, the at least one attachment mean is being a reinforcing element, the reinforcing element further attaching the top portion to the support portion. The reinforcing element is being outwardly angled from an outer surface of the top portion.
In another aspect of the invention, the at least one attachment mean is being one or more openings within the top portion of the support structure, each of the one or more openings being adapted to let concrete flows between an outer surface of the top portion and an inner surface of the top portion.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the top portion comprises support panels being adapted to be rigidly attached to the concrete layer; the support panels are being supported by a frame. The support panels are being distributed over the top portion in a way to define slots allowing concrete to flow between into an inner side of the top portion and an outer side of the top portion. The frame is being shaped as a lattice.
In another aspect of the invention, the prefabricated composite floor is being a concrete/wood composite floor.
The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing a prefabricated composite floor. The method comprises pouring a concrete in a mold then dipping a top portion of a support structure into the mold. The support structure comprises at least one attachment mechanism adapted to reinforce adherence of the concrete to the top portion of the support structure. The method further comprises letting the concrete dries for a predetermined duration and unmolding the support structure from the mould.
In another aspect of the invention, the mold comprises an arcuate surface and is adapted to be manufacture different sizes and shape of the composite floor.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the method further comprises attaching support panels to a base frame of the support structure. The support panels comprise at least one opening. The method further comprises anchoring the top portion to the concrete by letting the concrete flows between an inner portion of the top portion and an outer portion of the top portion through the at least one opening.
In a further aspect of the invention, the support panels further comprises at least one reinforcing element. The method further comprises dipping the support structure into the mould to fully submerge the at least one reinforcing element into concrete.
In another aspect of the invention, the method further comprises positioning the support structure over the mould and generating vibration in the concrete within the mould. The method further comprises using a positioning mechanism to unmold the support structure.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the method further comprises reinforcing the support structure prior to turning the support structure then turning upside down the unmolded support structure rigidly attached to the concrete layer.
Other and further aspects and advantages of the present invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiments about to be described or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.
The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:
A novel prefabricated concrete slab floor and method of fabricating the same will be described hereinafter. Although the invention is described in terms of specific illustrative embodiments, it is to be understood that the embodiments described herein are by way of example only and that the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited thereby.
Throughout the description of the several embodiments of the present invention, reference will be made to various attachment means being adapted to ensure adhesion between a support structure and a concrete layer in order to manufacture a prefabricated composite floor. The support structure comprises at least one attachment mean or mechanism allowing the concrete layer to rigidly adhere to the support structure.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Understandably, the aperture or openings 13 prevent air particles from being trapped between the support panels 12 of the support structure 10 and the concrete 20. The openings 13 aims at allowing the air particles to flow outside of the assembly made of the support panels 12 and the concrete 20. Such outward flow generally aims at improving the adhesion between the support panels 12 and the concrete 20 and aims at ensuring an improved mechanical rigidity and resistance of the assembly made of the panels 12 and the concrete 20.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Also, the distribution of the support panels 12 over the top portion 11 and the presence of the openings 13 generally aims at controlling the shape and thickness of the concrete layer 20.
In other embodiments, the support panels 12 may be spaced from each other. In a preferred embodiment, the supports panels 12 are spaced of each other by a distance of approximately one (1) inch and are spaced apart of the edges 17 by a distance of approximately three (3) inches. Such spacing generally define slots 5 (See
In a preferred embodiment, the support structure 10 is made of wood and the frame 14 is a lattice adapted to be easily transported or moved.
In a another embodiment, the support structure 10 may further comprise a protruding side support 70 (see
Understandably, the support structure may be made of any other material allowing the desired adhesion to the concrete layer.
Now referring to
Now referring to
In a preferred embodiment, the prefabricated composite floor aims at providing soundproofing and fire resistance for multi-floor buildings.
In a yet other embodiments, the prefabricated composite floor is configured in a way that any external loading is mainly supported by the support structure 10.
Referring now to
Now referring to
Now referring to
Now referring to
Now referring to
Still referring to
The method further comprises the step of waiting, for a predetermined time for the concrete to dry 126. In such a step, the surface of the support panels 12 is maintained in the mould 30 until the concrete hardens to attach to the support panels 12.
The method may further comprise unmolding 127 the support structure 10 from the mould 30. The unmolding is preferably done using the positioning system used initially to dispose the support structure 10 over and in the mould 30.
Referring now to
In a preferred embodiment, the method may further comprise introducing the support structure 10 in the mould 30 for support panels 12 to be disposed faced to the top surface 21 of the concrete 20 within the mould 30. Once the top portion 11 of the support structure 10 is being disposed on the top 21 of the concrete layer 20, the weight of the support structure 10 exerts a downward force causing the upward flow of the concrete layer 20 through openings 13 of the support panels 12 towards the inner portion 9 of the support structure 10 (see
In a preferred embodiment, the method may further comprise using a mechanical vibrator allowing to adjust the shape of the concrete 20 located below the support panels 12 and to control the flow of the concrete 20 over the openings 13 of the support panels 12 in order to release the air particles generally trapped between the support panels 12 and the concrete 20. The vibrations may also aim at ensuring a good adhesion between the support panels 12 and the concrete 20.
In a preferred embodiment, the method may further comprise the step of waiting for a predetermined time for the concrete to dry. In such a step, the concrete flows through the openings 13 of the support panels 12 and the surface of the support panels 12 is maintained in the mould 30 until the concrete hardens to attach to the support panels 12.
In another embodiment, the method may comprise lowering or at least dipping the support structure 10 in the mould 30 in a way that the support panels 12 are facing the top surface 21 of the concrete 20 within the mould 30. The method may further comprise aligning the support structure 10 with the mould 30, thus ensuring that the reinforcing elements are being fully submerged inside the concrete layer 20.
In another embodiment, the method may further comprise the step of waiting for a predetermined time for the concrete to dry. In such a step, the surface of the support panels 12 is maintained in the mould 30 until the concrete hardens to attach to the support panels 12 by the mean of reinforcing elements outwardly angled from the inner surface of the support structure 10 and being fully submerged inside the concrete layer 20.
In yet a preferred embodiment, the method further comprises installing anchor slings to the prefabricated composite floor being made of the support structure rigidly attached to the concrete layer to prepare the composite floor for being transported to the desired destination.
While illustrative and presently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail hereinabove, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art.
