US3507473A - Form work for casting concrete - Google Patents

Description

Apr-i121, 1970 G. BLONDE 3,507,473

FORM WORK FOR CASTING CONCRETE Filed Dec. 9, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 P 1970 c. BLONDE FORM WORK FOR CASTING CONCRETE Filed Dec. 9, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Office 3,507,473 Patented Apr. 21, 1970 Int Cl. E04 11/00 US. Cl. 249-27 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A form work for casting concrete therein to produce a structure, said form work comprising at least one shuttering member to define one surface of the structure to be produced, an end panel for defining an end face of said structure, the end panel being pivotally connected to one edge of said shuttering and having a width at least equal to the thickness of the structure to be produced, and fastening means pivotally attached to the shuttering on the same pivot axis as the end panel for fastening said end panel in an end face defining position against hydrostatic pressure exerted on said end panel by cast concrete.

The present invention relates to form Work for casting concrete to produce walls and floors, and is particularly concerned with form work the shuttering members of which are associated with end panels for closing the ends or sides of the space defined thereby. More particularly the invention relates to form work which has shuttering members including end panels and which provides the advantage that concrete walls and floors can be cast in one operation.

When a structure, such as a wall or floor, is to be cast by means of form work or shuttering relatively small shuttering panels may be required to define the ends of the structure. The respective dimensions of such small panels must not be less than the thickness of the wall or floor to be produced. The panels are fixed to the main shuttering members by means of rods, clamps, hooks or the like. The most convenient method of fixing the end panels of wall shuttering members has been by means of twelve bolts for a wall of normal height. For fixing an end panel of a floor shuttering a minimum of four bolts was necessary.

The main disadvantages of panels fixed by means of bolts are that the end panels are additional pieces of equipment to be handled; that the small end panels are frequently not placed square with respect to the main shuttering when the bolts are tightened, and that assembling and dismantling the end panels causes an appreciable loss of time. In fact as much time may be required under some circumstances for erecting the small end panels as for installing the large main shuttering members.

It is one object of the present invention, to provide a form work for casting concrete which avoids these dis advantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a form work for casting concrete which comprises a pivotal end panel adapted to fit across the thickness of a wall or floor member at the end thereof, the end panel being pivotally connected to a main shuttering and arranged to be moved into a required position relatively thereto by means of an appropriate fastening or adjusting device pivotally attached to the shuttering on the same pivot axis as the end panel and capable of withstanding the hydrostatic pressure exerted by the concrete.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide invention to provide a form work for casting concrete wherein the pivotal end panel attached to a vertical shuttering for a wall is preferably longer than the height of the shuttering in order that it extends over the whole height of the wall, and its upper portion is preferably removable or pivotal in such manner that it can be displaced downwardly, so that the whole vertical shuttering member located below a floor which has just been cast can be removed, this upper portion being held upright during the casting and setting periods of the concrete by a locking means.

Locking of the removable or pivotal upper portion of the end panel may be effected by a horizontal bar which holds the portion upright while it is itself in engagement with an adjacent end panel 1 of a horizontal shuttering.

Adjustment of the end panel may be effected by a lever which is rotatable about the pivot axis of the end panel and the position of which is controllable by a screw device which is supported on the shuttering and which is located at the one end of the lever, the other end of this lever being adapted to be connected to the pivotal end panel for effecting the adjustment and to be disconnected therefrom for moving the pivotal panel to the open position thereof.

With these and other objects in view which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present lnvention, which is shown by way of example only, will be clearly understood in connection with accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a pivotal end panel attached to shutterings of a form work which is intended for casting a wall and a floor in one operation;

FIG. 2 is a section through the end portion of a wall along the lines AA of FIG. 1, showing a fastening means for the end panel; and

FIG. 3 is a partial section along the lines B-B of FIG. 1 through the end portion of a floor, however, with the end panel in the open position.

Referring now to the drawings, a form work illustrated in FIG. 1 is constituted substantially by two co-operating vertical shutterings 1a, 1b and an adjacent horizontal shuttering 2, rigidity of the structure being obtained by a strut 3. In order to cast simultaneously a wall and a floor, at least the vertical shuttering members 1a, 1b are disposed in pairs in such manner, that they provide between them a space in accordance with the thickness of the wall to be produced. When the shutterings are in position the ends of the wall must be defined by end panels, and other end panels must be disposed at the sides of the floor before the concrete can be cast into the form work.

According to the invention a vertical shuttering, in the present case the shuttering 1a, and the horizontal shuttering 2 each comprise fixing means 4 on which a vertical end panel 5 and a horizontal end panel 6, respectively, can be pivoted.

Each of the panels 5 and 6 can be held in the closed position by a lever 7, which is pivotal at 8 on the same axis as the respective end panel and which is supported on a stiffening member 9 or 10 of the shuttering 2 or 1a respectively, by means of a screw 11 located at one end of the lever and provided with a handle 12. The other end of the lever 7 is adapted to be connected to a bar 13 attached to the respective panel 5 or 6, as shown in FIG. 2, by means of a screw 14 provided with a handle 15 at one end and screwed into the lever 7, the other free end of the screw being arranged to be engageable in a hole 16 provided in one end of the bar 13.

The upper portion 17 of the vertical end panel 5 may be removable or it may be rotatable downwardly on a pivot 18 provided for this purpose. The portion 17 connects the panels and 6 and is held in an upright position by a locking bar 19, which is attached to this portion 17 and at the same time to two adjacent floor end panels 6 at the floor shuttering 2.

The panels 5 and 6 are constructed generally similar to the member constituting the shutterings 1a, 1b and 2. They include a plate 20 and are stiffened by profiled members 21 of U-shaped cross-section, the two flanges thereof being disposed parallel to the plane of the plate 20, and one of the flanges being fixed to the outside of this plate 20. The upper end of the portion 17 is con-- structed in exactly the same manner.

In general the dimensions of the various end panels are selected so that the upper end of the portion 17 is exactly at the same level as the upper edge of the panels 6 in their closed position. In order to hold the portion 17 upright it is sufficient under these conditions to drop the locking bar 19 in the upper members 21 of adjacent panels 6 and of the portion 17 where it will be maintained between the flanges.

After the shutterings 1a, 1b and 2 have been installed, the end panels 5 and 6 as well as the portion 17 are moved into the closed position. The screw 14 is rotated in order to engage in the hole 16 and to connect thereby the lever 7 rigidly to the bar 13. Thereafter the screw 11 one end of which is supported on the stiffening member (FIG. 2) must be adjusted by means of the handle 12 until the respective end panel 5 or 6 is accurately positioned relatively to the respective form work panels 1a, lb or 2. This adjustment can be effected with all the precision which may be desirable and in particular to obtain sides of floors and ends of walls which are at right angles to the respective surfaces.

When the concrete has been cast and has set and hardened, and before the form work is dismantled by removing the shutterings 1a, 1b and 2, the screws 11 and 14 must be unscrewed in order that the vertical and panels 5 and the horizontal end panels 6 can be moved into the open position. Before the panel 5 is opened the locking bar 19 must be removed and the upper portion 17 rotated downwardly or otherwise displaced.

Owing to the invention fewer parts of equipment are to be handled than in the case of the conventional form work such as the lever and the bar 13. Although for opening the end panels 5 and 6 certain members such as the lever and the bar 13 must be disconnected from each other, it will be evident that they remain connected to the shuttering members and run no risk of being lost or mislaid. Moreover appreciable time is gained in the assembly and dismantling of the present form work because all the parts remain attached to :he form work members and readily available, and the and panels 5 and 6 are quickly closed and opened. Thus :he assembly time of the form work is shortened con- ;idcrably. With this device it is also easier to obtain :xact alignment of the sides of floor members and to nake these sides square.

Modifications may be made to the embodiment just lescribed without the form work obtained falling out- ;ide the scope of the invention. In particular any other closing device, locking device and adjustment means for the end panels may be considered.

I claim:

1. A shuttering for casting concrete walls or floors, comprising an end panel fitting one face of a wall or floor,

said end panel being connected by pivot means to an edge of said shuttering,

an adjustable fastening means pivotally attached to said shuttering by said pivot means and capable of withstanding the hydrostatic pressure exerted by the concrete as well as suitably locating said end panel relatively to the surface of said shuttering,

said end panel, connected to said shuttering disposed vertically, being longer than the height of said shuttering, in order to extend over the whole height of the wall to be produced,

said end panel having an upper portion,

said upper portion of said end panel being removable or pivotable, in order to move downwardly said upper portion such, that said shuttering disposed below a floor can be removed after the concrete has hardened, and which includes a locking means holding upright said upper portion during the casting and setting periods of said concrete.

2. The shuttering as set forth in claim 1, which includes a horizontal bar engaging said upper portion of said end panel and adjacent end panels of said shutterings disposed horizontally, in order to lock in their upright position said end panels.

3. A shuttering for casting concrete walls or floors, comprising an end panel fitting one face of a wall or floor,

said end panel being connected by pivot means to an edge of said shuttering,

an adjustable fastening means pivotally attached to said shuttering by said pivot means and capable of withstanding the hydrostatic pressure exerted by the concrete as well as suitably locating said end panel relatively to the surface of said shuttering,

a lever pivoted about the pivot axis of said end panel, in order to adjustably fasten said end panel in its closed position,

a screw device disposed at one end of said lever and supported by said shuttering, in order to adjust the position of said lever, and

the other end of said lever being connected to said end panel for effecting the adjustment, and to be disconnected from said end panel, in order to move said end panel into its open position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,014,630 1/1912 Morrill 24927X 1,202,949 10/1916 Womack 249l71 X J. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner M. O. SUTTON, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 2513l;249-17l

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