Abstract:
An insulated concrete form system for constructing the exterior walls and gable ends of a structure is disclosed using expanded polystyrene forms that interconnect and are bonded to each other and to the structure&#39;s slab or foundation with concrete. Internal, substantially columnar voids are provided in each of the panel forms and both the interior and the exterior surfaces of the walls and gable ends may be finished with a variety of finish materials using furring strips that are incorporated into the interior and exterior surfaces of the forms.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to an insulated concrete form system for constructing the exterior walls and gable ends of a structure on an existing slab or foundation. The concrete form system includes wall panels, corner panels, and gable panels, all preferably formed from expanded polystyrene (EPS). Voids are provided in the panels for the introduction of concrete, thereby providing structural integrity for the resulting structure.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     Since at least as early as the 1950&#39;s, it has been known to use foamed plastic blocks for the construction ofvarious structures. Such blocks typically interlock one with another and include various forms of voids formed therein to receive a concrete slurry, providing structural integrity. Most such blocks are formed from EPS, and the prior art also teaches covering the outer skins of the blocks with oriented strand board to provide what is known in the trade as a structural insulated panel.  
         [0005]     The foam core itself is not load-bearing. Rather, the structure is supported by the columns and beams formed by the introduction of concrete. However, the presence of the EPS panels significantly enhances the insulating properties of the resulting structure as a result of the low thermal conductivity of EPS.  
         [0006]     It is also recognized that the labor costs associated with erecting a structure employing EPS panels may be significantly reduced because of the ease of erecting the light weight panels in preparation for the structural concrete pour. Window and door openings can be pre-cut, and even electrical and plumbing chases can be pre-formed in the panels before delivery to the construction site.  
         [0007]     Notwithstanding the generally positive evaluations of insulated concrete form building systems and materials, the use of EPS building forms still represents a relatively small segment of the construction industry. Perhaps due to the complexity of existing systems, most of the construction industry has been reluctant to adopt and utilize these methods and techniques. It is therefore clear that there remains a need for an insulated concrete form building system that retains the advantages associated with the use of EPS panels while preserving not only the structural integrity of the building and the superior insulating characteristics obtained by such a building, but also providing for even easier and faster erection of the structure.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The present invention relates to an insulated concrete form system for constructing exterior walls and gable ends of a structure on an existing slab or foundation. The system comprises a plurality of wall panels disposed about the perimeter of the existing slab or foundation and extending upwardly therefrom. Corner panels are disposed at each corner defined by the perimeter of the structure and extend upwardly therefrom in inter-connecting relation between adjacent wall panels. A plurality of gable panels are disposed on each one of an opposite pair of exterior walls and extend upwardly therefrom to define gable ends of the structure. Columnar voids are provided in each of the panels to receive concrete slurry, and the wall panels and gable panels include beam voids at their respective tops, also to receive concrete slurry.  
         [0009]     The slab or foundation is designed and constructed in accord with engineering specifications determined by the building site. Rebar segments are disposed in and extend upwardly from the slab, about its perimeter, and are utilized as set forth in greater detail hereinafter to obtain structural integrity in accord with design specifications.  
         [0010]     In a preferred embodiment for the insulated concrete form system of this invention, the EPS panels each have a thickness of about 10 inches, are about 48 inches wide, and have a height of 96 inches or 108 inches depending upon building specifications. Tongue and groove configurations are cut into opposed side edges of each panel to assist in erecting the walls of the structure by interlocking adjacent panels with opposed tongues and grooves. An expanding foam adhesive may be applied to the interlocking joints, and rebar is disposed within the columnar voids of the panels and the beam voids of the panels to ensure structural integrity in accord with design specifications. Of course, the rebar is placed in those voids prior to the concrete pour, and the rebar within the columnar voids is mechanically fixed to the rebar segments extending from the slab or foundation, all according to standard construction techniques.  
         [0011]     Windows and doors may be pre-cut in the wall panels before delivery to the site, and electrical and plumbing chases may also be pre-formed according to the building specifications.  
         [0012]     Finally, it should be noted that both the interior and exterior surfaces of the panels are provided with furring strip recesses for the placement of furring strips thereon as the exterior walls and gable ends of the structure are formed. Furring strips on the exterior surfaces permit the addition of virtually any desired exterior appearance, and the furring strips on the interior surfaces provide for the attachment of interior finish such as, for example, wall board.  
         [0013]     The preferred rebar is #5, and the post and beam voids are filled with 3000 psi concrete including three eighths pea gravel aggregate. Beam cavities at the exposed tops of the wall panels and gable panels are provided with hurricane straps that are inserted into the wet concrete in accord with the specified roof joist system.  
         [0014]     The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]     For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is an elevation, partially in section, of the wall panel.  
         [0017]      FIG. 2  is an elevation of the wall panel shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0018]      FIG. 3  is a left side elevation of the wall panel of  FIG. 2 .  
         [0019]      FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the wall panel of  FIG. 2 .  
         [0020]      FIG. 5  is a side elevation of a corner panel.  
         [0021]      FIG. 6  is a top plan view of the corner panel of  FIG. 5 .  
         [0022]      FIG. 7  is an interior side elevation of the corner panel.  
         [0023]      FIG. 8  is a top plan view of the corner panel of  FIG. 7 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 9  is an elevation of a plurality of wall panels having a plurality of gable panels attached thereto.  
         [0025]      FIG. 10  is a partial sectional elevation of a segment of the wall panels and gable panels shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     
    
       [0026]     Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0027]     Referring first to the views of  FIGS. 1-4 , a wall panel of the present invention is generally indicated as  20 . Each of the wall panels  20  have an exterior wall surface  22  and an interior wall surface  24 . Wall panels  20  are preferably formed from EPS, and are defined by a top edge  26 , a bottom edge  28 , and opposed side edges  30 . As best seen in the views of  FIGS. 1 &amp; 4 , columnar wall voids  32  are formed within the wall panels  20  and extend from bottom edge  28  upwardly through top edge  26 . As clearly shown in the view of  FIG. 1 , the columnar wall voids  32  are disposed so as to be in registry with slab rebar segments  34  that are disposed within slab or foundation  36  and extend upwardly therefrom. Slab rebar segments  34  are typically J-bar segments as shown in the view of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0028]     As perhaps best seen in the plan view of  FIG. 4 , side edges  30  further comprise a tongue  38  on one of the side edges  30  and a corresponding groove  40  formed in the other of the side edges  30 . Thus, adjacent ones of the wall panels  20  may be joined to each other by inserting tongue  38  of one panel  20  into groove  40  of an adjacent panel  20 . Adhesive (not shown) may be applied to tongue  38  and/or groove  40  to enhance the bond between adjacent panels  20 .  
         [0029]     Referring to the side view of  Fig.3 , it can be seen that each of the wall panels  20  further comprises a beam cavity  42  formed along top edge  26 . As shown in the view of  FIG. 1 , beam cavity  42  is in fluid communication with each of the columnar wall voids  32 .  
         [0030]     Wall panels  20  are placed on slab or foundation  36  as shown in the view of  FIG. 1 . An adhesive may be applied to slab or foundation  36  and bottom edge  28  of the wall panels  20 , if desired. However, structural integrity is provided by the use of wall panel reinforcers  44 . A preferred form for wall panel reinforcers  44  is number 5 rebar segments, as shown in the view of  FIG. 1 . A first end  46  of each wall panel reinforcer  44  is mechanically attached to its corresponding slab rebar segment  34  according to known construction techniques, preferably, using a PVC ring  48 . A second end  50  of each of the wall panel reinforcers extends upwardly through wall void  32  into beam cavity  42 . As shown in the views of  FIGS. 1 &amp; 10 , beam rebar  52  is placed within beam cavity  42  and mechanically fastened to second end  50  of each ofthe wall panel reinforcers  44  according to known construction techniques for purposes of structural integrity.  
         [0031]     External furring strip recesses  54  are formed on exterior wall surface  22 , and internal furring strip recesses  56  are formed on interior wall surface  24 . As seen in the view of  FIG. 4 , external furring strip recesses  54  and internal furring strip recesses  56  extend in substantially parallel relation to the longitudinal axis of a corresponding wall void  32  and, as clearly seen in the view of  FIG. 2 , extend from bottom edge  28  to the top edge  26 . Furring strips  58  of any suitable material, preferably wood or light gauge metal are mounted within each of the recesses  54  and  56  to provide for attachment of exterior surfacing and interior finishing. As illustrated in the view of  FIG. 4 , furring strips  58  are preferably attached using screws  60  that extend into wall void  32 . Furring strips  58  and screws  60  are preferably installed prior to the pour of concrete  62  so that opposing furring strips  58  actually function as forms to restrain concrete  62  from bulging as wall voids  32  are filled. It is also to be understood that an adhesive may be utilized for the purpose of retaining furring strips  58  within their respective furring strip recesses  54  and  56 .  
         [0032]     In the views of  FIGS. 5-8 , illustrations of the corner panels, generally indicated at  64 , are provided. Like wall panels  20 , corner panels  64  are preferably formed from EPS, and each of the corner panel  64  comprises a columnar corner void  66  formed therethrough just as the above description for wall voids  32 . It can also be seen, particularly in the views of  FIGS. 5 &amp; 7 , that a corner beam cavity  68  is provided along corner top edge  70 . One side edge  72  of corner panel  64  includes a corner tongue  74  formed thereon, and the opposite side edge  76  of corner panel  64  includes a corner groove  78  formed therein. This construction permits the placement and attachment of wall panels  20  on each side of the corner panels  64 . Though not shown in the drawings, it is to be understood that the corner panels  64  are disposed on slab or foundation  36  at the corners thereof such that slab rebar segments  34  extend upwardly and into a corresponding corner void  66 . Comer panel reinforcers corresponding to wall panel reinforcers  44  are inserted into each of the corner voids  66  prior to the concrete pour, as described above with regard to wall panels  20 . Also as previously described with regard to wall panels  20 , structure corresponding to beam rebar  52  is similarly disposed in each corner beam cavity  68  in accord with the description provided above concerning beam rebar  52 .  
         [0033]     It is to be understood that while corner panels  64  are shown in the drawing figures as defining a 90 degree angle, this is not to be considered limiting to the scope of the invention. Depending upon the design configuration of the structure, corner panels  64  may describe angles of greater or lesser than 90 degrees and may even be arcuate.  
         [0034]     As perhaps best seen in the views of  FIGS. 6 &amp; 8 , corner panel  64  further comprises external furring strip recesses  54  and internal furring strip recesses  56  substantially as described above with respect to wall panels  20 .  
         [0035]     Turning now to the views of  FIGS. 9 &amp; 10 , the plurality of the gable panels, generally indicated as  80 , are shown as being operatively positioned above a plurality of wall panels  20  to define gable ends of the structure. Each of the gable panels  80  is preferably formed of EPS, but specific sizes and a pitch of each gable top edge  82  are determined by building specifications. Also dependent upon size and building specifications, each of the gable panels  80  does comprise at least one substantially columnar gable void formed vertically therethrough as previously described with regard to columnar wall voids  32  and columnar corner voids  66 . As best seen in the view of  FIG. 10 , gable bottom edge  86  rests on a corresponding top edge  26  of wall panel  20 , and a gable panel reinforcer  88  is disposed within each of the gable voids  84 . Referring to the views of  FIGS. 1 &amp; 10 , it can be seen that a first end  90  of each gable panel reinforcer  88  is attached to second end  50  of a corresponding wall panel reinforcer  44  and that second end  92  of gable panel reinforcers  88  extends upwardly though gable beam cavity  94 . Beam rebar  52  is disposed within gable beam cavity  94  for structural integrity as described above with respect to wall panels  20 . Furring strip recesses are provided in each of the gable panels  80 , though the views of  FIGS. 9 &amp; 10  only show internal furring strip recesses  56 . It is also to be understood that the outer most ones of the gable panels  80 , termed gable end panels, would include structure corresponding to either tongue  38  or groove  40  on the inner edge thereof for mating with corresponding structure provided on opposite sides of the intermediate gable panels disposed between the pair of gable end panels at each end of the gable wall. It is also to be understood that adhesive may be used between gable bottom edges  86  and wall top edges  26 , and that adhesive may similarly be used for placing furring strips within the furring strip recesses formed on the gable panels.  
         [0036]     Having thus set forth a preferred construction for the insulated concrete form system of this invention, it is submitted that utilization of this system not only permits extremely efficient erection of the walls and gable ends of a structure, but also provides a structure that exhibits enhanced characteristics of both structural stability and insulation. Utilizing the system of this invention, perimeter walls and gable ends are uniquely resistant to heat or cold transfer, with the only points of such transfer actually being windows and doors, which, of course, can be properly insulated. While not described and claimed as a part of this invention, it is to be understood that a roofing system, properly designed by a professional engineer or architect, would be added and that the roofing system would preferably include EPS panels extending across the roof truss rafters and then sheathed with standard roofing materials and vents.  
         [0037]     While the above detailed description of a preferred embodiment has been provided for setting forth the nature of this invention to those skilled in the art, it is to be understood that modification of the specific examples given may be made and that such modifications are intended to come within the scope of this invention. For example, and as discussed above, the corner panels of this invention are not limited to 90 degree corners, but may be constructed as desired, in accord with the building specifications. In similar fashion, while wall, corner and gable panels formed from EPS of about 10 inch thickness are preferred, neither the thickness of the material nor the specific use of EPS is intended to limit the scope of this invention. Other materials such as, for example, structural insulated panels, might be used, and the actual thickness of each panel might be greater or lesser than the preferred 10 inches, depending upon the location and use of the structure being built. Furthermore, while the above description has acknowledged that electrical and plumbing chases may be pre-formed in the panels, those chases may also be cut at the construction site using a hot wire tool or a router, both of which are well known in the construction industry.  
         [0038]     It will thus be seen that the objects sent forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.  
         [0039]     It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall there between.  
         [0040]     Now that the invention has been described,