Foam panels for wall construction

A panel for use in the construction of walls. The panel is preferably about 2' high and 10' long with a thickness of approximately 4". An upper pair of grooves is formed longitudinally near the top and another pair formed longitudinally near the bottom. A metal C-shaped reinforcing member is held by these grooves over the top and bottom of the rectangular panel to reinforce the same. Preferably the top and bottom are slightly beveled so that when one panel is placed with its top adjacent the bottom of a superior panel, a slight depression is formed which may be readily filled with a grout to provide a smooth upper surface. The panel is particularly useful in conjunction with spaced fence posts which have grooves to permit the panel to be slid in between two adjacent posts. After grouting, the entire fence or wall may be stuccoed to give it a smooth and attractive appearance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The field of the invention is building materials and the invention relates 
more particularly to the building of walls or fences. Perhaps the most 
common wall is built from cement block which requires a substantial 
foundation to be dug below the wall and filled with concrete to support 
the weight of the cement blocks. The cement blocks must be placed by a 
professional mason or a skilled amateur to provide a wall that has an 
attractive appearance. In spite of the use of foundations, such walls 
frequently settle in parts and form a "stairstep" crack along the joints 
between adjacent blocks. Such block walls are commonly covered with a 
layer of stucco and this crack is visible on the exterior of the stucco. 
This is an especially common problem with clay soils which tend to expand 
when wet and contract when dried. 
Other common types of fences include grape stake fences or fences made with 
vertical slats which are nailed to rails. Unfortunately, wood has become a 
scarcer and more expensive commodity. Whereas original growth redwood had 
excellent weathering characteristics, newer redwood does not have this 
same ability. Thus, when such fences are built utilizing wooden posts, 
such posts rather quickly rot or are eaten by termites and need to be 
replaced in less than 10 years. Chain link fences are very widely used but 
have an industrial look which is unacceptable for most residential or 
office developments. 
Various approaches have been taken to provide walls which overcome some of 
the problems mentioned above. The present invention also contemplates an 
efficient process for coating the exterior surfaces of a foam panel and 
various approaches have been taken for such coating processes. For 
instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,303,722 shows a process for adhering glass fibre 
tissue to a panel. This is accomplished by passing a tissue through a pair 
of rollers which impregnate the tissue with adhesive. A moving belt of 
release material is used to press the adhesive coated tissue onto the 
surfaces of the foam. 
A process for making plasterboard is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,790 where 
a roll of reinforcing material such as paper, cardboard, metallic film, 
aluminum sheet, glass, cloth, etc. is placed within a layer of plaster by 
various methods to form a reinforced plasterboard. In U.S. Pat. No. 
4,488,917, cement board is made by spreading mortar over fiber scrim in a 
continuous manner. 
Various wall constructions are disclosed in the prior art. A noise barrier 
is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,558. Posts made of channel material hold 
panels 12. The panels include a foam portion into which various channels 
are embedded. The foam is covered with plastic facing and chambers are 
provided to hold a sound absorption material. 
A wall utilizing a polystyrene bead board core having a thin concrete 
facing reinforced with a fiberglass open weave mesh is shown in U.S. Pat. 
No. 4,578,915. Vertical steel studs hold gypsum wallboard 14 on an inner 
surface. On the outer surface, foam panels have been coated with a 
fiberglass mesh which contains a thin fiberglass mesh. After the panels 
have been screwed to the steel studs, the joints are taped and the entire 
assembly is coated with a Portland Cement exterior coating. 
A sound barrier fence is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,593. This sound 
barrier uses concrete posts which are formed with grooves. Cement panels 
are placed in the grooves and the space between the cement panels is 
filled with a foam. U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,498 is another highway sound 
barrier. The wall panels are made from a foamed material which is covered 
with a fiberglass reinforced cement composition. The panels are anchored 
to the ground by a helical screw anchor rod embedded in a concrete pad. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,298 shows a prefabricated exterior panel system which 
also uses a plastic foam board reinforced along one surface by 
spaced-apart reinforcing members, such as aluminum channels. Grooves are 
cut into the panel and the reinforcing members are held in the grooves by 
an adhesive. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,628 shows a fence wall construction which has 
reinforcing flanges concealed within the plastic foam body. Lastly, U.S. 
Pat. No. 5,404,685 shows a foam plastic wall covered with an exterior mesh 
stucco coating. The panels are held in grooves in adjacent posts. The 
styrofoam panels are coated after they have been placed between adjacent 
posts. 
Numerous approaches have been tried to make walls out of foam panels 
covered with reinforced cement. Such approaches have the advantage of a 
lightweight panel which nonetheless has an exterior coating which is not 
only strong but is fire and insect proof. The foam panels themselves are 
relatively weak and can be easily bent. They, thus, must be supported by 
some sort of substrate before being coated with a reinforced cementitious 
material. The coating process requires skill and, thus, the form on the 
jobsite must be done by skilled labor. 
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a panel which may be 
made at a manufacturing location so that it is straight and coated with a 
reinforced cementitious type of coating when it is purchased by the end 
user. It is another object of the present invention to provide a set of 
panels which may be combined and attached together in such a way that the 
finished wall or fence is easily made smooth. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a process for 
fabricating a panel with structural strength which may be easily used by 
inexperienced persons to build a wall with a highly professional 
appearance. 
The present invention is for a panel for use in the construction of walls. 
The panel has a generally rectangular core which is made from a polymeric 
foam. The foam panel is elongated. A typical panel having a height of 2' 
and a length of 10' so that it may be easily carried by the end user. The 
panel has a pair of grooves formed in the faces adjacent the top and at 
bottom edges and a metal C-shaped reinforcing channel is held in these 
grooves along the top and bottom edges of the foam panel to hold the panel 
in a straight configuration. Preferably, the top and bottom edges of the 
panel are beveled so that when one panel is placed on top of another 
panel, a shallow trough is formed which may be later easily filled to form 
a smooth surface. 
The process for forming the panel of the present invention includes passing 
a woven mesh of reinforcing fiberglass through a cementitious tub. This 
fills the pores in the mesh with the cementitious material which is then 
pulled out of the bottom of the tub through a measured slit, thereby 
causing the mesh to carry the cementitious material in its interstices. 
The cement laden mesh is then placed along the upper surface of a panel. 
The panel is then vibrated to remove any air and smooth out the upper 
surface of the cementitious material capturing the reinforcing mesh which 
is then allowed to cure on the upper surface of the panel. 
The process for building a smooth surface panel fence includes the steps of 
placing vertical fence posts in the ground spaced apart a distance no 
longer than that of the length of the panels used to build the fence. The 
posts are provided with channels into which the panels may be slid. After 
the panels have been slid into the posts, a shallow trough is formed at 
the intersection of adjacent panels which is then filled with a reinforced 
cementitious material to provide a smooth surface. Lastly, the entire 
fence is covered with a stucco-like coating to provide a smooth fence 
which does not require any continuous footing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
A styrofoam panel is shown in perspective view in FIG. 1 and indicated 
generally by reference character 10. Panel 10 has a top 11, a bottom 12, a 
first end 13, a second end 14, a first face 15, and a second face 16. The 
panel is preferably about 2' high, 10' long and 35/8" thick. Needless to 
say, the panel is very light and can be easily lifted by one person. The 
top corner of panel 10 is shown in FIG. 2 prior to any shaping steps. 
Panel 10 is shown in a shaped configuration in FIG. 3. As shown best in 
FIG. 4, panel 10 has a pair of grooves 17 and 18 formed near top 11. A 
similar pair of grooves 19 and 20 are formed near bottom 12. A shallow 
beveled portion is formed on both sides adjacent top 11 and bottom 12 and 
indicated by reference character 21. This bevel can be of a relatively 
small angle, such as 5.degree., and the angle is indicated by the 
reference character "a" in FIG. 4. This angle forms an important part of 
the present invention and permits adjacent panels to be joined in a smooth 
and attractive manner as described below. 
Another important feature of the present invention is the pair of 
reinforcing channels 22 and 23. Each channel has a flat face 24, two 
generally flat sides 25 and 26, and a pair of inwardly depending portions 
27 and 28. Channels 22 and 23 should be formed from a material of 
sufficient strength to hold the somewhat flexible foam panel 10 in a 
straight configuration. One material that has been found sufficient for 
this purpose is 25 gauge galvanized iron sheet bent into the shape shown 
in FIGS. 3 and 4. Other strong materials, such as glass reinforced nylon 
or other composite materials can, of course, be used. The important 
feature is a separate piece which may be snapped over or slid onto the top 
and bottom of the foam panel and held in a straight configuration. 
The assembled uncoated panel is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and indicated by 
reference character 30. 
The next step in forming a panel capable of constructing a strong and 
durable wall or fence is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The assembled uncoated 
panel 30 is shown in FIG. 7 with its upper surface 31 in a generally 
horizontal configuration. In FIG. 8 a roll of reinforcing mesh is shown 
supported above a container 33 which contains a cementitious material of 
the type typically referred to as "dry bond." This material is reinforced 
with an acrylic polymer so that it is exceptionally strong and able to 
withstand cracking. The reinforced mesh 32 is pulled through the moistened 
dry bond 34 (shown best in FIG. 10). As the open mesh 32 passes through 
the cementitious material 34, it is soaked with the cementitious material. 
The mesh exits container 33 through a slit 35 shown best in FIG. 11. This 
slit 35 is formed in a metal bar or between a pair of bars which may be 
adjusted and squeezes out any additional cementitious material 34 to 
provide a cement laden mesh 37. This carries the coating and reinforcement 
materials onto the upper surface 31 of assembled uncoated panel 30. When 
the cement laden mesh 37 reaches the end 14 it is cut and a new panel may 
then be coated. 
A coated panel 40 is shown in FIG. 9 and this panel has a reinforced 
cementitious coating on both sides thereof. Needless to say, after one 
side of the panel is coated as shown in FIG. 8 it is permitted to cure. It 
is then turned over and the second side is coated. The finished coated 
panel is indicated by reference character 40. During the coating process, 
as shown best in FIG. 12, it is advantageous for the container 33 filled 
with cementitious material 34 and the roll of reinforced mesh to be rolled 
along a pair of tracks 41 on a frame 42. The panel 30 being coated rests 
on a table 43 which is supported on the ground. Table 43 is preferably 
equipped with a vibrator 44. Vibrator 44 is briefly energized after the 
cement laden mesh has completely covered the upper surface 31 of panel 30. 
This greatly smooths the cementitious material and removes any air or 
imperfections and drives this material into the open cells of the foam 
surface. The outer surface of the thus smoothed cementitious material may 
then be slightly roughened, if desired, to facilitate the later coating 
with stucco. This may be done with a broom or other object after the 
vibration step. In addition one or more additional layers of open mesh and 
cementitious material may further be added over the first layer for 
additional strength. Three layers on each side make an exceptionally 
strong panel. 
The method of building a fence or wall is shown best in FIGS. 13 through 
19. Preferably cement posts made according to applicant's co-pending 
application, Ser. No. 08/982,061 filed Dec. 1, 1997, are placed at 
intervals so that there is no more than a 10' space between adjacent 
posts. As shown best in FIG. 19, a pair of channels 50 and 51 are held 
against faces 52 and 53 of cement post 54. The channels 50 and 51 are held 
against the faces by a nut and bolt indicated generally by reference 
character 55. These channels are preferably made from galvanized iron of 
25 gauge, similar to channels 22 and 23. 
Returning to FIG. 15, three coated panels 40 have been inserted between 
adjacent posts, only one of which is shown in FIG. 14, and slid into 
channel 51. It is often preferable to space the posts slightly less than 
10' and to cut the panels to length before inserting. The panels may be 
easily cut with a carborundum blade. Next, a new coated panel is slid 
downwardly from the top of channels 50 and 51 until it touches ground 56. 
Once the panels are leveled, they are preferably screwed with screwed with 
sheet metal screws through the vertical channels attached to the post, 
such as channel 50, into the horizontal channels attached to the panels, 
such as channel 22. In the case of a 6' high fence, three 2' high panels 
are put in place as shown in FIG. 15. As the panels are initially placed 
in channels 50 and 51, they abut together as shown in FIG. 17. Because of 
the bevel 21 a shallow depression or trough is formed which is shown 
unfilled in FIG. 17 and filled in FIG. 18. The formerly cement laden mesh 
37 has cured into a reinforced cement coating 60 which covers not only the 
faces of the foam, but also covers the sides 25 and 26 of the reinforcing 
channels, such as channels 22 and 23. 
Two adjacent channels are shown in FIG. 16 in a typical proportion of 
height and width. Even when the panels are coated with the reinforced 
cementitious material they are easy to lift and slide into the channels 
attached to the post. 
Next, a grouting material 61 is placed in the shallow trough formed by 
bevels 21. Grouting material 61 is preferably reinforced either by a 
reinforcing tape or by reinforcing fibers in the grouting material. This 
is easily leveled with a putty knife to form a flat surface. Lastly, as 
shown in the righthand portion of FIG. 18, a layer of stucco 62 is placed 
over the faces of the panels. Stucco 62 is preferably also placed over the 
cement post 54 as shown in FIG. 19. The finished fence is shown in the 
lefthand portion of FIG. 15 and indicated generally by reference character 
63. The fence or wall is economically constructed because it can be done 
quickly by relatively unskilled laborers without the necessity of building 
a footing. Because the fence is constructed of very lightweight materials, 
it can withstand a substantial earthquake shock. If it happens to be 
struck with a car, the fence can be readily repaired. 
The present embodiments of this invention are thus to be considered in all 
respects as illustrative and not restrictive; the scope of the invention 
being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing 
description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of 
equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.