Apparatus for forming a concrete structure

An apparatus for forming concrete structures which is comprised of size variable form units that can be erected in various forms by incorporating telescopic struts, telescopic batters with fastening means including spring catch members and spring latch members that can be interengaged and disengaged easily. Two members one of which is inclined relative to the other can be connected with a connecting means including a toothed member and a spring engaging member having a toothed face. Tiles can be adhered to the molded concrete structure simultaneously with the molding.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to an improved apparatus for forming a concrete 
structure which includes size variable form units and spring fastening 
means for easily fastening the form units to struts, batters etc. This is 
an improvement made on the conventional apparatus which includes dimension 
invariable mold panels, struts, batters and brace members. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus for forming 
a concrete structure which includes size variable form units so that it 
can be set up into different forms. 
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for forming a 
concrete structure which includes fastening means which can be 
interengaged and disengaged easily so that forms can be erected or 
dismantled easily. 
A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for forming a 
concrete structure by which tiles can be arranged adjacent to the surface 
of the form set-up so that tiles are adhered to the molded structure 
simultaneously with the molding. 
These and other objects can be achieved in accordance with the invention 
through the provision of an apparatus which comprises a plurality of 
telescopic members to be assembled into a size variable form unit, each of 
which includes a first member, a second member slideably inserted into 
said first member, and means for levelling the surface of the telescopic 
member. Said means includes a spool on which is wound a flexible sheet 
member attached to the first member, one end of the sheet member being 
affixed to one end of the second member. The sheet member is unwound and 
laid flat on one surface of the first member when the second member is 
drawn outward so that the surface of said first member is flush with the 
surface of said second member. 
The apparatus further includes telescopic batters for supporting the 
telescopic members. Each batter has two channel bars one inserted in the 
other and means for fixing one bar to another when the batter is adjusted 
to a predetermined length. 
The apparatus further includes telescopic strut members for supporting the 
telescopic members. Each strut member includes an upper and a lower 
elongated tubular members, one inserted in the other, a top member 
connected to the top side of the upper tubular member and having a support 
top plate, and a height adjusting means for the strut member. 
The apparatus still further includes means for fastening the telescopic 
member to the batter. Said means includes a spring catch member and a 
spring latch member which can be engaged or disengaged from one another by 
pushing or pulling. 
The apparatus still further includes a framework for arranging tiles over 
the surface of the form. The framework is constituted of a horizontal base 
strip having a first U-shaped groove extending lengthwise and fixed on the 
floor adjacent the form, a plurality of vertical strips set upright on the 
base strip, the vertical strip having a U-shaped cross-section and along 
the opposing edges of the vertical strip being provided two elongated 
flanges respectively, each flange projecting both inward and outward, 
space regulating pieces engaged in the groove at predetermined intervals 
and engaged with the bottoms ends of the vertical strips respectively, 
horizontal clamping bars spaced apart one above the other and having 
spaced apart threaded holes, cross struts each of which has one threaded 
end threaded into the holes and other threaded end attached to the 
opposite form face, each of said cross struts further having a rotary 
clamp handle sleeved onto and threadedly engaged with the threaded end to 
be turned manually to push the clamping bar toward the vertical strips and 
clamp them against the surface of the form, regulating horizontal plates 
spaced apart one above the other, each of which is placed across two 
vertical strips and fastened thereto after they are spaced properly. 
The present exemplary preferred embodiment will be described in detail with 
reference to the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
In the drawings, the elements which are similar in construction are 
represented by similar reference numerals. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, 
there are shown a plurality of telescopic members 10 which are juxtaposed 
and connected to each other to constitute a size variable form unit 1 used 
for forming a concrete structure. Each telescopic member 10 is comprised 
of a metal bar 11 of I-shaped cross-section inserted in a metal bar 12. 
The bar 12 has a cross-section substantially in a shape conforming to a 
letter E and a reversed E which are interconnected at their bottom sides 
and are spaced apart at their top sides so that the bar 12 has an aperture 
13 extending lengthwise at its top side. The top side of the bar 11 is 
wider than its bottom side and is exposed on the top side of the metal bar 
12 through the aperture 13, thereby causing a difference in the level of 
the surface of the telescopic member 10. The surface of the telescopic 
member 10 can be levelled by using a flexible sheet member 14 preferably 
made of a rubber material which is incorporated into the telescopic member 
10 in such a manner that it can be laid flat on the top side 16 of the bar 
12 to be flush with the surface 15 of the bar 11. 
As shown in FIG. 3, one end of the rubber sheet 14 is secured to a metal 
plate 17 by means of screws (not shown) and the metal plate 17 is screwed 
to an attachment piece 18 of a T-shaped cross-section. To the piece 18 is 
attached a member 19 which is then affixed to the end of the bar 11 which 
is inserted into the bar 12 by means of a screw (not shown) and screw 
holes 21 and 20. The rubber sheet 14 is then passed over a pair of plastic 
rollers 22 and wound on a spool mounted on the reversed side of the bar 12 
by means of brackets 23. 
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, the rollers 22 are attached to one end of each 
bar 12 by means of an insert body 24 which is inserted into the end of the 
bar 12 and fixed thereat through the engagement of slots 27 and spring 
loaded pins 26 provided in the insert body 24. The rollers 22 are mounted 
on the lobe 25 of the insert body 24. 
Referring to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, each rubber sheet member 14 is wound on a 
spool 33 which is also a housing for a spring 30. The spring 30 biasses 
the sheet member 14 to cause it to be wound on the spool 33 in its normal 
position. The spring 30 has its one end secured at 32 to a shaft 31 and 
wound thereon. The wound spring 30 is encased in spool 13 is constituted 
of two housing parts 33a and 33b which are fastened together with screws 
(not shown) passing through screw holes 34 and 35. The spool 33 has an 
opening 36 for exposing one end of the spring member 30 to be connected to 
the end of the rubber sheet 14 with a secrew 37. The spool 33 has a bore 
33c so that it can be sleeved onto the shaft 31. Two ends of the shaft 31 
are mounted on two brackets 23 attached to a strap bar 38 of a U-shaped 
cross-section, with screws 39, which is welded to the aligned bars 12 so 
as to tie them together, as better shown in FIG. 2. 
Referring again to FIG. 2 together with FIG. 8, the aligned bars 11 are 
interconnected by means of a strap 40 provided on the reversed sides of 
the bars 11. To the bars 11 are attached channel pieces 42 which is shown 
in FIG. 8 respectively on their reversed sides. The channel pieces 42 are 
aligned in the elongated slot 41 of the strap 40 and are positioned by 
tightening screws 44. It can be appreciated that the form unit 1 assembled 
as described above can be extended to a larger size by drawing the bars 11 
outward from the bars 12. When the bars 11 are drawn outward the rubber 
sheets are unwound from the spools 33 so that the form unit 1 can present 
an even mold surface. 
The apparatus according to the invention further includes telescopic 
batters, telescopic struts and telescopic diagonal brace members for 
supporting and reinforcing the form unit 1 when they are erected. As shown 
in FIG. 9, the telescopic batter 45 is constituted of a channel bar 46 and 
a channel bar 47 slideably inserted into the bar 46. The channel bar 47 
can be locked against movement by means of a U-shaped piece 48 and a 
locking screw 49 that thrusts the piece 48 to clamp the bar 47 against the 
bar 46 when the screw is tightened. 
To the telescopic batter 45 are attached fastening means 51 and 52 which 
are used when setting up a mold The fastening means 51 is a catch member, 
as shown in FIG. 10, which includes a tubular housing 53 and a tongue 55. 
The tongue 55 has a recess 57 and is provided at one end of a rod 56 which 
is extended through the tubular housing 53 and then attached with a handle 
ring 58. A spring 59 is sleeved onto the rod 56 and biasses a cross pin 60 
so that the tongue 55 is normally in a retracted position. A tongue 
housing 54 is further provided for housing the tongue 55. The catch member 
51 can be secured to the batter 45 by welding the housings 53 and 54 
thereto and restraining it with a member 61. Referring to FIG. 11, the 
fastening means 52 is a latch member which can be engaged with the catch 
member 51 to furnish a fastening effect. It includes a tubular housing 63 
in which is mounted a rod 64 with its cross pin 65 biassed by a spring 66. 
At the fore end of the rod 64 is provided a wedge-shaped piece 67 which is 
normally placed in its extended position and can be engaged in the recess 
57 of the catch member 51. At the rear end of the rod 64 is a handle ring 
68. Referring again to FIG. 9, the latch member 52 can be secured in the 
batter 45 by screwing the flanges 63a of the housing 63 to a seat 69 which 
has a slot adaptable to receive the tongue 55 of the catch member 51 and 
is secured to the batter 45. It can be also movably disposed in the batter 
45 being restrained by the flanges 45a which prevents its escape. 
Referring to FIG. 12, the telescopic strut 78 is comprised of an upper 
tubular member 78a slideably inserted in a lower tubular member 78b, a 
base 78c and a top member 78e. To the upper tubular member 78a is attached 
a rack member 79 axially. The attachment of the rack member 79 can be 
accomplished by providing a groove in the wall of the tubular member 78a 
and securing the rack in the groove with screws. The rack member 79 is 
extended downwardly beyond the end of the upper member 78a to a 
substantial length and is movably received in a groove provided in the 
wall of the lower tubular member 78b. There is further provided an 
adjusting unit 80 for adjusting the height of the strut 78. 
As shown in FIG. 13, the adjusting unit 80 includes a support 76 on which 
is mounted a gear 77 with a shaft 70. To one end of the shaft 70 is 
attached a hexagonal piece 71 which can be engaged with a socket of a 
handle 72 operable by hand for rotating the gear 77. When the gear 77 is 
rotated, it will move the rack 79 to adjust the height of the strut member 
78. In the support 76 is further provided a cylindrical seat 73 in which a 
cylindrical lock body 74 is movably disposed. The cylindrical lock body 74 
has a toothed face 74a and a cross pin 74b fitted therein. The pin 74b is 
engaged with notches 73a for preventing the lock body 74 from rotating. To 
the lock body 74 is fixed a handle 75 having screw threads 75a. By moving 
the handle 75 the lock body 74 can be engaged with or disengaged from the 
gear 77. When the strut member 78 is adjusted to a predetermined height, 
the gear 77 is locked against movement by the lock body 74. 
The top member 78e has a bottom tubular neck (not shown) inserted in the 
top of the tubular member 78a and is firmly fastened to the tubular member 
78a by the engagement of a pintle 81 and a socket 82. The top member of 
the post 78 may also be in other forms which are shown in FIGS. 24, 25 and 
35. At the top of the top member 78e is a support plate 82 to which are 
attached latch members 52 for engaging the catch members 51 which are 
provided in other units supported by the strut 78. 
Referring to FIG. 14, the telescopic diagonal brace member 83 is 
substantially similar in constructin to the strut 78 except that the top 
member 84 thereof is provided with a catch member 51 and a mounting 
channel 85. 
FIG. 15 shows a portion of a form for molding a concrete wall. The 
size-variable form unit 1 advantageously used for molding the lateral 
portions of a wall with dimensions which do not suit the conventional mold 
panels. The form unit 1 constituted of telescopic members 10 are connected 
to a lower and an upper batters 45 and two posts 88. The form unit 1 has 
its four sides juxtaposed to the sides of the batters 45 and posts 88 and 
is fastened to them with catch members 51 and latch members 52. Catch 
members 51 and latch members 52 are secured to the batters 45 and posts 88 
such as by welding or screwing. In attaching the latch member 52 to the 
post 88, it is secured to a seat 90 which in turn is fixedly attached to 
the post 88, as better shown in FIG. 16. The catch members 51 and latch 
members 52 are located at proper locations so that they can be engaged 
with one another. For example, a catch member 51 attached to the upper 
side of the strap 38 of the form unit 1 is engaged with the latch member 
52 provided in the upper batter 45 at a location that meet the catch 
member 51. The tongue 55 of the catch member 51 is pushed into the seat 90 
and engaged with the wedge-shaped piece 67. They can be disengaged from 
one another by pulling the handle ring of the latch member 52. 
The catch member 51 and the latch member 52 can also be attached to the 
mold slab 2 of a fixed dimension by positioning them in the recesses 91 
provided in the slab 2. The post 88 is set in an upright position with a 
brace 83. At the top and the bottom of the post 88 are welded T-shaped 
pieces 92 to which are screwed seats 90 with latch members 52. The latch 
member 52 is then engaged with a catch member 51 mounted in a channel 
member 93, the end of which is screwed to the bottom end of the brace 78 
and is fixed temporarily with a screw 93a to the floor. The top end of the 
brace 78 is also fastened to the top end of the post 88 by a catch member 
51 and a latch member 52. When the adjusting unit 80 is operated by hand, 
the height of the brace member 78 is adjusted to place the post 88 in an 
upright position. 
There are further provided cross struts 94 which have threaded ends 94a 
inserted in threaded slots provided in opposite batters 45 and opposite 
post 88. Adjacent to the mold surface of the form set-up is provided a 
framework 95 for arranging tiles 95a so that the tiles can be bonded to 
the concrete wall during forming. As shown in FIG. 17, the framework 95 is 
constituted of a horizontal base strip 96 having a groove 97 extending 
lengthwise and fixed on the floor adjacent to the form face. In the groove 
97 are provided space regulating pieces 98 at predetermined intervals 
similar to the width of a tile. Vertical strips 100 are set upright on the 
base strip 96, engaging the pieces 98 with their bottom ends. Each 
vertical strip 100 has a U-shaped cross-section and along the opposing top 
edges thereof are provided two flanges 112 respectively each of which is 
projected both inward and outward. These vertical strips 100 are held 
against the mold surface by using spaced apart horizontal clamping bars 
101 each of which is provided with spaced apart threaded holes 102. The 
threaded ends of the cross struts 94 are inserted into the holes 102 and 
the bars 101 are pushed toward the vertical strips 100 by manually turning 
rotary clamp handles 103 threadedly sleeved on the ends of the cross 
struts 94, thereby clamping the vertical strips 100 against the mold face. 
In order to regulate the space between two strips 100, there are further 
provided horizontal space regulating plates 104 each of which has oblong 
apertures 105. Each horizontal plate 104 is provided across two vertical 
strips 100 and the strips 100 are fastened to the plate 104 with keys 106 
after they are spaced properly so that a tile can be located therebetween. 
Referring to FIG. 18, the key 106 has a wedge-shaped engaging portion 107 
and a knob 108. To fasten the strip 100 to the plate 104, the wedge-shaped 
portion 107 is passed through the slot 105 and then inserted into the 
groove 109 of the vertical strip 100 by turning the key 106 to 90 degrees. 
After the portion 107 is inserted into the groove 109, the key is turned 
again so that the wedge-shaped portion 107 is engaged in the groove 109. A 
vertical strip 100 can be connected to another vertical strip 100 by means 
of a joint 110 which has a T-shaped cross-section. In arranging the tiles, 
tiles are put in between two strips 100 by slightly pulling the strips 100 
apart from the surface of the form and then they are clamped by the 
flanges 112 of the vertical strips 100 against the face of the form. 
Between the tiles are further provided spacers 113. 
FIG. 19 shows how posts 88 and batters 45 are set up for molding a concrete 
column using catch members 51 and latch members 52. A framework 95 for 
arranging tiles including vertical strips 100 and horizontal clamping bars 
101 is also incorporated into this form set-up. The angled pieces 120 are 
used for mounting the catch members 51 and latch members 52 on two 
adjacent posts 88 placed at the corners. The post 88s which is placed 
between two corner posts 88 is provided with brackets 121 for attachment 
of a catch member 51 or latch member 52 so that the post 88 can be 
connected to a diagonal brace member (not shown) that will support it in 
an upright position. 
Referring to FIGS. 20 and 21, there is shown a portion of form set-up for 
forming a wall with an opening. Telescopic members 10 are assembled 
together to form segments of the form that defines the opening 127. The 
telescopic members 10 in FIG. 20 form a part of form that is viewed along 
the arrow A. They are interconnected by steel channels 122 instead of 
using straps 38 and 40 which are shown in FIG. 2. The spools of the belt 
14 are not mounted on the strap 38, but are mounted on the respective 
telescopic members 10. The steel channel 122 is provided with oblong 
shaped apertures 123 and the bars 12 of the telescopic members 10 are 
fastened to the steel channel 122 by means of screws 124 which pass 
through the apertures 123. To the bars 11 of the telescopic members 10 are 
attached channel pieces 125 each of which has two screw holes, one for 
attaching a screw that fixes the piece 125 to the bars 11 and the other 
for securing the bars 11 to another steel channel 122 which will be 
disposed across the bars 11. 
After assembly, the telescopic members 10 are fastened to two opposite 
posts 88 with catch members 51 and latch members 52. The top of the bars 
11 are provided with caps 126 as shown in FIG. 22. 
Referring to FIG. 23, there is shown a portion of a form set-up for molding 
a ceiling and a joist. The strut 130 for supporting the form for molding 
the joist is substantially similar in construction to the strut 78 except 
that it is provided with a top member 131 which includes three steel 
channels 132 interconnected to form a triangular shape, as better shown in 
FIG. 24. Two latch members 52 are attached to the horizontal steel channel 
132 for engaging with catch members 5 which are provided in adjacent 
batters 45 (not shown). The portion of the form for forming the joist is 
constituted of telescopic members 10 for vertical sides and slabs 2 for 
the horizontal side which are supported by the strut 130. The strut 132 
has a construction similar to the strut 78 except that its top member 133 
is bent, as better shown in FIG. 25. 
Referring to FIG. 26, there is shown a portion of the form set-up for 
forming a curved concrete wall. In assembling a curved form wall, 
telescopic members 10 are interconnected by springs 136 and 141, as shown 
in FIG. 27 which are disposed on two sides of the bars 11 and 12 of the 
telescopic members 10. One end of each spring 136 is secured in the hole 
138 of a seat 137 with a screw 139. The seat 137 is secured to one side of 
the bar 11 with a screw (not shown) passing through the hole 140 and 
penetrating into another seat 137 on other side of the bar 11. The other 
end of the spring 136 is then secured in the seat 137 of the adjacent bar 
11, thus connecting the two adjacent bars 11. 
One end of each spring 141 is secured in the hole 143 of a T-shaped piece 
142 provided in the bar 12 of a telescopic member 10. As shown in FIG. 28, 
each T-shaped piece 142 has two screw holes 143 for attachment of two 
springs 141 on two sides of the bar 12 with screws 144. The bar 12 has two 
openings 145 for exposing the springs 141. 
The spools of the belts 14 mounted on the bars 12 are staggered with each 
other so that the brackets 23 of the adjacent bars 12 will not engage each 
other when the telescopic members 10 are arranged in a curved shape. The 
belts 14 which are adjacent each other are wound on the spools in 
different directions so that they will not touch or engage with each other 
when the telescopic members 10 are arranged in a curved shape. 
Referring to FIGS. 26, 29 and 30, the telescopic members 10, after being 
arranged in a curved shape, are held in place by locking members 146. The 
locking member 146 includes a support 147 substantially in a U-shaped 
cross-section on which are mounted a gear 148 and a seat 149. To the seat 
149 is welded an engaging member 150 which includes a tubular housing 151 
receiving a rod 152 having a toothed face 152a and loaded with a spring 
153 and a threaded member 154. The support 147 is provided with an oblong 
shaped aperture 155 and thus it can be attached to a telescopic member 10 
by means of a screw 156 which passes through the aperture 155 and 
penetrates into the channel piece 42. 
The seats 149 are further provided with slots 156 for receiving the gears 
148. In connecting, the locking members 146, the seat 149 of one locking 
member 146 is sleeved onto the gears of the adjacent locking member 146. 
After the telescopic members 10 are placed in proper positions, the 
toothed faces 152a of the engaging members 150 are caused to engage with 
the gears 148 respectively by turning the threaded members 154. The gear 
members 148 are further provided with nuts (not shown) at their threaded 
top portion. 
The support 147 can be further attached to a steel channel 158 with a screw 
159 inserted into the hole 160 of the channel 158 and the hole 161 of the 
support 147. The steel channel 158 can be connected to a diagonal brace 
member (not shown). The telescopic member at the end of the form which is 
specifically represented by 10a can be connected to a post 162 which is 
shown in FIG. 31 with a member 163 and screws (not shown). A framework for 
arranging tiles can also be incorporated into this curved form. In setting 
up the framework the base strip 96 which is shown in FIG. 17 must be 
curved and positioned on the floor by using lock pieces 165, as shown in 
FIGS. 32 and 33, which clamp the strip 94 against the form face. 
Referring to FIG. 34 the strut 170 for supporting an inclined form unit is 
provided with a top member 171 which can be adjusted to a desired inclined 
position. As shown in FIG. 35, the top member 171 includes a support top 
plate 172 mounted on a cylindrical upper member 173 which is pivoted to a 
lower tubular member 174 which in turn is connected to the telescopic 
portion of the strut illustrated in FIG. 12. The upper member 173 is 
pivoted by means of a pin 175 passing through and screwed to the lobe 176. 
The pin 175 has a portion 175a and a toothed portion 175b on which are 
sleeved two sleeves 177 and 178 respectively. The sleeves 177 and 178 are 
then welded on a seat 179. To the sleeve 178 is attached an engaging 
member 150 which is illustrated in FIG. 30. After the upper member 173 is 
turned to a predetermined angle, the engaging member 150 is caused to be 
engaged with the toothed portion 175b. 
The inclined support bar 180 and the posts 181 are fastened by a fastening 
means 182 which permits the inclined support bar 180 to be set in any 
inclined position relative to the posts 181. As shown in FIG. 36, the 
channel pieces 183 having apertures 184 are movably provided inside the 
support channel bar 180 in a manner such that they are located adjacent to 
the posts 181 respectively. Each post 181 is provided with an engaging 
member 184 similar in construction to the engaging member 150 shown in 
FIG. 30 and attached to a sleeve 185. In connecting the bar 180 to the 
posts 181, the sleeve 185 is sleeved onto the toothed member 186 of a seat 
189 provided in a channel piece 183 which is provided in the bar 180 
before the supports bar 180 are inclined to a desired inclination relative 
to the posts 181. After the bars 180 are inclined to a desired 
inclination, the toothed members 186 of the channel pieces 183 are engaged 
with the toothed faces of the engaging members 184 respectively. The nut 
187 is then sleeved onto the screw 188 of each channel 183 to fix the 
channel piece 183 to the support bar 180. 
With the invention thus explained, it is apparent that various variations 
and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the 
invention. It is therefore intended that the invention be limited as 
indicated in the appended claims.