US20150033644A1

US20150033644A1 - Modular system prefabricated in reinforced concrete for building construction

Info

Publication number: US20150033644A1
Application number: US14/379,339
Authority: US
Inventors: Bruno Miguel Mesquita E Silva Ferreira De Araujo
Original assignee: Kilonewton - Consultores de Engenharia Lda
Current assignee: Kilonewton - Consultores de Engenharia Lda
Priority date: 2012-02-16
Filing date: 2013-02-15
Publication date: 2015-02-05
Also published as: AP2014007928A0; ZA201406765B; WO2013122494A1; BR112014020957A2; ES1120255Y; ES1120255U

Abstract

The present invention relates to a modular prefabricated in reinforced concrete for the construction of buildings with parts in “U” and “Box” shape through the continuous connection of said parts in three directions, thus forming the foundation, walls and ceilings of a building with 1 or more floors.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a modular system prefabricated in reinforced concrete for the construction of buildings with parts in “U” and “Box” shape (FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4) through the continuous connection of said parts in 3 directions, x, y and z (FIG. 5), thus forming the foundation, walls and ceilings of a building with 1 or more floors.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the field of prefabricating reinforced concrete, “U” and “Box” shaped parts have been extensively used for the construction of hydraulic passages, agricultural passages and other technical passages for the crossing of vehicles.
These free-standing structures are buried, with a rectangular hollow section, and can be constructed by monolithic parts or by two overlapping parts. By being coupled to each other they create a tunnel for various functions. Due to its geometry (“Box” and “U”) and composition (reinforced concrete), the parts have strength and performance characteristics which ensure a prolonged service life. The geometric shape of these parts promotes resistance because there is a redistribution of effort, since they are single parts, whereas there are many points of weakness in conventional structures composed of pillars, girders and slabs.
The versatility of these structures increasingly makes them an option where strength, durability and economy is important.
In the construction sector the execution time of a construction is an increasingly critical factor in the final cost of the property, which led to the appearance on the market of many prefabricated modular systems to minimize this time, through series production.
In the present invention, only one single material (reinforced concrete) and one element (U or Box shaped) are used, while the other systems are composed of several materials/elements (structure+walls+compartimentation+filling layers+plasters+coatings+etc.).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a modular system prefabricated in reinforced concrete for building construction with “U” and “Box” shaped parts in which the connection between the parts is continuous in 3 directions (x, y, z):

x) are longitudinally associated with the parts, forming a tunnel-like space;
y) are associated with each other at 90°, with internal metal connections between parts;
z) are associated in height by means of metal pins (2).

In a preferred embodiment of the system of the present invention, the distance between the axes of the fitting parts in the longitudinal direction x is equal to the outer width y of the parts, and the joint between the parts is elastic or inelastic.
Another object of this invention is the use of the modular system described above for the construction of buildings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the present invention a modular system is proposed, where these parts are applied in the construction of buildings via a geometrically studied association (FIGS. 9 and 10) and with specific binding systems (1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10), namely:

x) May be associated with the longitudinal direction of the parts with the slots defined according to FIG. 6, forming a tunnel-like space;
y) May be associated at 90° with each other, with internal metal connections between the parts according to FIG. 8, in order to establish communications between compartments. In this case, negatives are incorporated into the part's manufacturing cast to create the communication ports between the spaces;
z) May be linked in height by means of metal pins (2) according to FIG. 5, for the creation of multi-floor structures.

The joint between the parts is achieved by tongue and groove fitting (1, 4, 5, 6 and 7), with an elastic or inelastic coupling according to the filling and sealing materials being employed.
Additionally, a mechanical connection may be performed by means of pins (2) and metal plates (8, 9 and 10) to ensure the effective grip between various parts and minimize uneven opening of joints. These additional connecting elements also serve to maintain the stability of the ensemble and to absorb horizontal forces in the case of multi-floor buildings, (see FIGS. 5, 7 and 8).
The combined (or not combined) application of these parts allows the creation of foundations, flooring, walls and ceilings of a building at once, without any local concreting and no additional need for interior or exterior walls.
However, although not required, the system allows for the incorporation of other building elements such as: panel walls and prefabricated slabs of concrete.
The articulation of these parts allows the creation of various types of interior spaces with various hypotheses of architecture (FIG. 9).
The pieces will generally be made of reinforced concrete with the following characteristics:

Concrete: C16/20, C20/25, C30/37, C35/45 or any other class according to the sizing.
Steel reinforcements and electro-welded nets: A400 NR, A400 SD, A500 NR, A500 SD, A500 Er or any other according to the sizing.
Minimum re-coating of 0.025 m.

However, components may be added to the composition of the concrete, such as fibers for increased strength and decreased rate of reinforcements, or materials having thermal characteristics for improved thermal behavior.
Other elements, composed of any material, may also be embedded in the walls, floors and ceilings, to lighten the parts or reinforce them thermally.
The proposed system has the following advantages:

Industrialization possibilities;
Reduction of numerous phases of work (foundations, walls, plaster and layers of filling);
Low production costs and reduced manpower in the application of the system;
High structural strength and durability;
Reduced time of execution of the work;
Flexibility of the system against architectural needs;
Possibility of constructive phasing throughout the lifetime of a building.

There are two types of processes for manufacturing the Box- Culvert, whether they are monolithic parts or the solution of two overlapped “U” type parts or a “U” shaped part.
The process of manufacturing these parts for the construction of buildings, according to the invention, involves incorporating a number of negatives within the molds for creating ports and passages of hydraulic, electrical and telecommunications installations. They will also have some additional metal bonds.

1) Automatic molding in a process very similar to that used in the manufacture of flanges resulting in monolithic parts with a rough finish due to the immediate de-molding of still fresh concrete, which is only possible due to powerful vibrations induced by the equipment employed that enable obtaining pieces of high strength and rigor.
2) In the present invention, manual casting is used in high strength molds, which allows to obtain parts of high quality and accuracy that have a very smooth surface, being the connection between different upper and lower parts controlled and secured by a system of tongue and groove fitting.

After production of the parts, they will be transported to the construction site and will start being assembled according to the design.
The application process of this concrete prefabricated system in a construction site consists essentially of the following steps:

Opening the ditch and adjusting levels;
Preparation of the base plate, normally of cleaning concrete, or simply a gravel trap;
Settlement of parts with the use of an Auto Crane;
Sealing of joints as defined in the project;
Application of direct painting in concrete;
Application of joinery, carpentry and plumbing, electrical, mechanical and telecommunications installations.

This system requires neither a foundation nor is it fixed to the ground. The part is self-supporting and its base replaces the foundation, floor, walls and ceilings. That is, it has the peculiarity of being able to be taken to another location.
With the durability that concrete has, this system is an investment that can be leveraged in the future.
There is no mortar in the construction, you do not need water in the construction. It will undoubtedly be a quick modular process to assemble on site, for example, a T3 with 22 parts only requires the 22 parts put together and screwed, so 2 work days will be enough.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For an easier understanding of the invention, the drawings which represent preferred embodiments of the invention were attached, however, they are not intended to limit the scope of this invention.
FIG. 1 is a view of the geometry of the “Box” type part fitting with the “tongue”, wherein: 1—Concrete fitting (tongue and groove); 2—Connection and elevation pin; 3—Negatives for electrical and telecommunications installations; 4—Negatives of hydraulic installations; 5—Negatives of ventilation.
FIG. 2 is a view of the geometry of the “Box” type part fitting with the “groove”, wherein: 1—Concrete fitting (tongue and groove); 2—Connection and elevation pin; 3—Negatives for electrical and telecommunications installations; 4—Negatives of hydraulic installations; 5—Negatives of ventilation.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the geometry of the “U” type part fitting with the “tongue”, wherein: 1—Concrete fitting (tongue and groove); 2—Connection and elevation pin; 5—Negatives of ventilation.
FIG. 4 is a view of the geometry of the “U” type part fitting with the “groove”, wherein: 1—Concrete fitting (tongue and groove); 2—Connection and elevation pin; 5—Negatives of ventilation.
FIG. 5 is a view of the possibilities of associating parts, in various directions, wherein: 1—Concrete fitting (tongue and groove); 2—Connection and elevation pin; 3—Negatives for electrical and telecommunications installations; 4—Negatives of hydraulic installations; 5—Negatives of ventilation.
FIG. 6 shows a cross-section of the fitting between the parts, wherein: 3—Negatives for electrical installations and telecommunications; 6—“Box” or “U” with connection on top tongue; 7—“Box” or “U” groove, 8—“Box” or “U” tongue, 9—“box” or“U” in connection with top groove.
FIG. 7 shows a view of the additional exterior mechanical connections, wherein 2—Connection and elevation pin; 3—negatives for electrical and telecommunications installations; 10—Metallic outer link plate.
FIG. 8 shows a view of the additional interior mechanical connections, in which: 11—Outer metal binding angle.
FIG. 9 shows in plain view an example of applying the system to a residential housing, wherein: 12—Kitchen; 13—Room; 14—Bedrooms; 15—Sanitary Facilities.
FIG. 10 shows a view of an example of applying the system to a residential housing.

Claims

1.-4. (canceled)

5. Modular system prefabricated in reinforced concrete for building construction with “U” and “Box” shaped parts, characterized by the fact that the connection between the parts is continuous in the 3 directions:

x) are longitudinally associated,

y) are associated with each other at 90°,

z) are associated in height,

and the connections between them are carried out by geometrical locking systems of concrete on the sides of the parts and by metallic joints.

6. System according to claim 5, characterized by the fact that the parts comprise doors, windows and passages for hydraulic, electrical and telecommunications installations.

7. System according to claim 5, characterized by the fact that the dimension x of the parts is an integer multiple of the y dimension of the parts.

8. System according to claim 6, characterized by the fact that the dimension x of the parts is an integer multiple of the y dimension of the parts.

9. System according to claim 5, characterized by the fact that the joint between the parts is elastic or inelastic.

10. System according to claim 6, characterized by the fact that the joint between the parts is elastic or inelastic.

11. System according to claim 7, characterized by the fact that the joint between the parts is elastic or inelastic.

12. System according to claim 8, characterized by the fact that the joint between the parts is elastic or inelastic.

13. Use of the system described in claim 5, characterized by the fact of being used for construction of buildings.

14. Use of the system described in claim 6, characterized by the fact of being used for construction of buildings.

15. Use of the system described in claim 7, characterized by the fact of being used for construction of buildings.

16. Use of the system described in claim 8, characterized by the fact of being used for construction of buildings.

17. Use of the system described in claim 9, characterized by the fact of being used for construction of buildings.

18. Use of the system described in claim 10, characterized by the fact of being used for construction of buildings.

19. Use of the system described in claim 11, characterized by the fact of being used for construction of buildings.

20. Use of the system described in claim 12, characterized by the fact of being used for construction of buildings.