MOULD FOR CONCRETE MODULAR PRECASTINGS

Abstract: The mould is comprised of a bottom (4) wherein are provided grooves (8) extended transversely between containment sidewalls (6); said sidewalls (6) have windows (14) which are aligned with the grooves (8) which preferably are delimited by the faces (10) of fillets (12) arranged in parallel, facing each other and fixed to the bottom (4) of the mould.

Description: This invention relates to a mould for prefabricated concrete modules comprising: a bottom; containment side walls; a plurality of grooves formed with said bottom and extending crosswise between both side walls; windows formed in said side walls as extensions of the grooves and having an upper profile; and strips adapted to engage in said grooves. Moulds for such modules are known f.i. from FR-A-725156 or US-A-1693693 in which there are fixed strips adapted to form in the concrete module slots or other types of void space. Nevertheless, in the regularly known moulds, stripping of the concrete module from the mould causes serious problems, since the adherence thereof to the mould itself and to the said strips causes stresses to be formed in the modules capable of causing a serious deterioration thereof. Independently of the above, mould stripping in the usually known systems requires a relatively long time. It is an objective of the invention to provide a mould in which the drawbacks mentioned in the foregoing paragraph are overcome, namely, one which does not cause the said stresses and involves a shorter time. This objective is attained by a mould of the type described at the beginning which is characterized in that said strips are adapted partly to occupy said windows and have a lower height than the dimension of the window in a direction perpendicular to the mould bottom, being adapted to move in said perpendicular direction, between a lowered position in which they rest against said bottom and a raised position in which they engages said upper profile of the window. Preferably according to the invention, each groove is delimited by facing faces of respective fillets fixedly attached to the mould bottom and which are arranged spaced apart and parallel to one another. According to another preferred feature of the invention, the dimensions of the window, perpendicular to the mould bottom, is greater than the depth or dimension in like direction of the groove. Further advantages and features of the invention will be appreciated from the following description in which one preferred embodiment of the invention is described as a non-limitative example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a part perspective view of the mould of the invention, with one side wall folded down. Figure 2 is a part perspective view of the mould, showing a strip in the raised position. Figure 3 is a perspective view of a section of the mould on a longitudinal plane. Figure 4 is a partial elevation view of the mould having a through slot and a rule inserted therethrough. Figure 5 is a partial schematic showing a strip and a spacer. The mould 2 of the present invention is for concrete modular precastings. The term modular is intended to describe fabricated pieces containing repeats of a module of certain dimensions and a module may consist of a piece independent from another module or two consecutive modules may be separated by a slot or the like. The mould 2 is generally made of metal and comprises a bottom 4 and containment side walls 6, which may be folded down as shown in Figure 1, although this is not the most frequent situation. The mould 2 may be of substantial size in the longitudinal direction, whereby a very large piece or a piece comprising a high number of modules may be formed. The side walls 6 do not of necessity define a straight line, but may have an appropriate form to allow the production of pieces of various shapes, such as hexagonal and the like. According to the invention, the bottom 4 is formed with grooves which may be through slots (Figure 4); they may consist of a recess formed in the bottom; or, preferably, the grooves 8 may delimited by the facing faces 10 of spaced apart, parallel fillets 12 fixedly attached to the bottom 4. The fillets 12 are preferably prismatic in shape, more particularly they have the shape of a prism the right section of which is a right-angled triangle. The side walls 6 are provided with windows 14, the passage of which is an extension of a groove 8, i.e. the windows 14 are aligned with a groove 8. It is a preferred condition of the invention that the dimension of the windows 14 in a direction normal to the bottom 4 of the mould 2 (i.e. the height of the window) is greater than the depth (i.e. the dimension in the same perpendicular direction) of the groove 8. Strips 16 may engage in said grooves such that they are adapted to be moved longitudinally (in the longitudinal direction of the groove 8) and also vertically. Preferably, the height of the strips 16 is greater than the depth of the grooves 8, whereby each strip projects from the corresponding groove, although such height is smaller than that of the side walls 6. Under the above conditions, when the mould is filled with concrete, the resulting moulded piece is provided with a slot, the shape of which is that of the fillets 12 and of the strip 16. According to a preferred embodiment, the height of the strips 16 is smaller than the height of the windows 14 and the strips are longer than the grooves 8. Therefore, the strips are adapted to project through both windows 14 of one same groove. Furthermore, they may be moved vertically from a lowered position in which the strip rests on the bottom 4 and a raised position in which the strip 16 contacts the upper profile of the window; this is the position shown in Figures 2 and 3. There is contemplated an external horizontal tab 18 (Figure 2) extending from the bottom 4 and which may be continuous or not. A spacer 20 capable of being supported on said tab 18 is a raising means for holding the strip in the above mentioned raised position, although the invention also comprises other conventional raising or holding means, such as pins or the like. The arrangement described in the foregoing paragraphs allows the moulding work to be simplified, by operating as follows. A strip 16 is inserted through a window 14 until it fills the groove 8. Thereafter the strip is placed in the raised position by way of the spacers 20. After the concrete has set, the spacers 20 are removed and the strip 16 drops, either alone or by being pressed down, whereby it becomes released from the concrete precasting without the latter having suffered from appreciable stress. The invention also contemplates another embodiment (Figure 4) in which the groove 8 is a through slot and is provided with cross-bars 30 adapted to penetrate in the mould through said through slots. Preferably these cross-bars are adapted to be attached to a lever 32 or other mechanical means capable of facilitating the insertion and, more particularly, the removal of the cross-bar 30 from inside the mould. The operation of these cross-bar 30 is obvious from the above explanation and it is pointed out that the prior removal thereof also avoids the appearance of stress in the stripping of the concrete precasting from the mould. In a further embodiment (Figure 5), it is contemplated that the strip has a rib 22 (or a not shown channel) extending substantially all along the strip, although it may also be intermittent, or simply be one or several bosses or spigots. Furthermore, the invention also comprises separators 24, possibly provided with gripping means 26. These separators 24 have the same or a greater height than the side walls 6 and the purpose thereof is to provide separate pieces between each pair of grooves 8. The separators 24 may be fitted in the groove itself (embodiment not shown) or may be attached to a strip 16 by way of a channel 28 (or rib not shown) mating with the rib 22 (or corresponding channel). The way of operation with the members just described is as follows. The strip 16 is arranged in the groove 8 and is placed in the raised position, as shown in Figure 5. Thereafter, the separator 24 is attached, in such a way that the corresponding ribs and grooves mate; the mould is filled with concrete and after setting it is stripped preferably in the following order: the strip 16 is lowered; the piece located in the Figure at the right of the separator is separated; the separator is removed and finally the piece located to the left in the Figure is removed from the mould. As required, the same order is followed for successive pieces placed further to the left of the last one considered. The only purpose of the reference symbols inserted after the technical features mentioned in the claims is to facilitate the intelligibility of the latter and not to restrict the scope thereof in any way.

Claims: A mould (2) for prefabricated concrete modules comprising: a bottom (4); containment side walls (6); a plurality of grooves (8) formed with said bottom (4) and extending cross-wise between both side walls (6); windows (14) formed in said side walls (6) as extensions of the grooves (8) and having an upper profile; and strips (16) adapted to engage in said grooves (8), wherein said strips (16) are adapted partly to occupy said windows and have a lower height than the dimension of the windows (14) in a direction perpendicular to the bottom (4), being adapted to move in said perpendicular direction, between a lowered position in which they rest against said bottom (4) and a raised position in which they engage said upper profile of the window (14). The mould of claim 1, wherein each groove (8) is delimited by facing faces (10) of respective fillets (12) fixedly attached to the mould (2) bottom (4) and which are arranged spaced apart and parallel to one another. The mould of claim 2, wherein each fillet (12) is of triangular prismatic shape, the right section thereof being a right-angled triangle. The mould of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the dimension of the window (14), perpendicular to the mould (2) bottom (4), is greater than the depth or dimension in like perpendicular direction of the slot (8). The mould of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the height of said strips (16) is greater than the depth of the grooves (8). The mould of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said strips (16) are longer than the grooves (8), projecting out through said windows (14). The mould of claim 1, having means to retain said strips (16) in said raised position. The mould of claim 7, being provided with external horizontal tabs (18) extending from the bottom (4) and said means to retain said strips (16) in said raised position are spacers (20) adapted to rest against said tabs. The mould of any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein said strips (16) are provided at the top thereof with a channel or a rib (22), possibly intermittent, extending substantially all along the strip (16). The mould of any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising separators (24) adapted to engage in said grooves (8). The mould of claim 9, comprising separators adapted to engage in said channel or rib (22) of the strips (16). The mould of claim 10 or 11, wherein the height of said separators (24) is equal to or greater than the height of said side walls (6). The mould of claim 1, wherein said grooves (8) are through slots and there are cross-bars (30) adapted to be inserted in the mould (2) through a slot (8). The mould of claim 13, wherein said cross-bars (30) are adapted to be associated with a lever (32) or the like adapted to facilitate the insertion and removal of the cross-bar (30) in and out of the mould (2).

Inventors: BALDIRA BATLLE JUAN, BALDIRA BATLLE, JUAN
Applicants: BALDIRA BATLLE JUAN, BALDIRA BATLLE, JUAN
Application year: 1992
Main classification: B28B7
IPC codes: B28B7