Abstract:
The invention provides a composite building that will float if the building site is flooded. The materials of the composite are resistant to mold and mildew.

Description:
This application is a non-provisional patent application of provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/967,049, filed Aug. 31, 2007. 
    
    
     The following references are incorporated by reference: U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,490 issued Oct. 30, 2001 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,912,488 issued Jun. 28, 2005 to Nasser Saebi for Method of Constructing Curved Structures as Part of a Habitable Building, U.S. Pat. No. 6,721,684 issued Apr. 13, 2004 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,985,832 issued Jan. 10, 2006 to Nasser Saebi for Method of Manufacturing and Analyzing a Composite Building. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention provides a house that will float. This is of special interest in areas like New Orleans where flooding is a constant worry. Of course, a floating house could be used as a “house boat” also. Also, it would make a good option for a beach house. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention provides a composite building that will float if the building site is flooded. The materials of the composite are resistant to mold and mildew. 
     The floating house is formed from a composite material which has a core of plastic foam with Fiber Reinforced Coatings (FRCs) on the inner and outer surface of the core. One example for the coating is Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC). An example for the plastic foam is Expanded PolyStyrene (EPS). 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the united portion of the invention of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of more of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of more of the invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a floating base  10  made in two sections  10 A and  10 B. The base  10  is created from plastic foam pieces that are bonded together to form hollow areas  20 , stairs  21  and post holes  22 . The inner and outer surfaces of the foam are coated with a Fiber Reinforced Coating (FRC), such as Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC). 
     The base sections  10 A,  10 B have lower portions  30  and vertical outer sidewalls  31  and intermediate sidewalls  32 . Each base section  10 A, B is partitioned off by vertical inner walls  33 . Some walls have not been shown such as the near sidewalls  31  on section  10 A (nearest end) and  10 B (nearest side). Those walls can be added at the building site. The FRC can be left off of the surface areas next to the joint between the later added walls and the base section that has been coated before transport and handling. The FRC is then added at the site to join the walls. 
       FIG. 2  shows the two base sections  10 A and  10 B joined together to form the base  10 . The sections are joined by a suitable bonding agent. The surfaces of the base sections can be coated with FRC to add strength for transporting and handling the base sections. 
       FIG. 3  shows the truck  100  that transported the base sections  10 A,  10 B to the building site.  FIG. 3  also shows the base  10  with a coating of a FRC (GFRC)  40  covering all of the exterior surfaces. The outer surface areas  35  of the sections next to where the sections are joined are preferably left uncoated with FRC. These uncoated areas on each section are then joined by the FRC during the process of joining the base sections. Posts  50  are slideably positioned within the postholes  22 . 
       FIG. 4  shows the house  60  attached to the base  10 . The house  60  and base  10  will float/slide up and down on the posts  50  if flooding of the building site occurs. The posts  50  are secured in the ground at the site by suitable methods, such as a poured concrete ball around the bottom of the post, etc. The house can be sited on the ground or above the ground. If sited above ground, the base and house is supported by the posts by providing a support on the posts for the base. More posts and/or reinforcement of areas around the posts may be necessary. 
       FIG. 5  shows the connection between the house  60  and the base  10 . The wall  110  of the house  60  can be formed from plastic foam panels  120  with a FRC  140  on each side or surface of the foam panels 120 . The bottom edge of the foam panel  120  is removed to create a cavity  121  delineated by line  122 . Grout  240 , such as GFRC or other FRC, is placed on the FRC surface  40  of the base  10 . Then, wall  10  is placed on top enough of the grout  240  so that the grout  240  fills the cavity  121  and bonds to the foam panel  120  to the FRC of the base  10 . If the top surface of the base  10  has not been coated with FRC  40 , the grout  240  can connect the foam panel  120  to the foam of the base  10 . 
       FIG. 6  shows another embodiment in the connection between the house  60  and the base  10 . In this embodiment, the wall  110  is formed from plastic foam panels  120  with a Oriented Strand Board (OSB)  150  attached to each side or surface of the foam panels  120 . These panels are known as Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). In this embodiment, the OSB  150  does not cover a portion  123  of the bottom of the foam panel  120  since OSB can be damaged by grout that has water as a component. The bare portion  123  of the foam panel can be 0.25 inches or greater. Then, grout  240  is placed on the FRC  40  surface of the base  10  to bond the foam panel  120  to the base FRC. 
     Various changes and modifications to the embodiments herein chosen for purposes of illustration will readily occur to those skilled in the art. 
     The FRC can be a Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC) or a Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP). The fibers can be plastic, glass, carbon, single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs or Buckytubes), Aramid or other fibers. The Polymer can be Epoxies, Polyesters, Vinlyesters or other materials. 
     A GFRC formulation is: 
     1 bag of cement (Portland Cement Type III)—94 pounds, 
     No. 30 silica sand—100 pounds, 
     water and ice—25 pounds, 
     polymer (Forton™ VF-774)—9 pounds, 
     retarder (Daratard™ 17)—2-5 ounces, 
     plasticizer (Daracem™19)—2-6 ounces, 
     0.5 inch glass fibers (Cem-FIL™)—1.5 pounds and 
     1.5 inch glass fibers—1.5 pounds. 
     The coating also can be without fibers if the design loading is low enough. For the strongest structure, fibers should be added to the coating. The number of coats of the coating and the composition of those coats can be varied. 
     The bonding agent between the foam surfaces can be PolyUrethane (PU), GFRC or other material which will adhere to the surfaces to be bonded. GFRC can be used where the joint must have high strength. 
     The type of plastic foam can be different from Expanded PolyStyrene (EPS). The EPS can have a density of 1.5 pounds per cu. ft. (nominal) which is actually 1.35 pounds per cu. ft. (actual). EPS was used because a Finite Element Analysis was done using EPS and GFRC. Suitable plastic foams could be PU, EPS, etc. 
     The specific materials used to build the structure may be varied, such as the type of plastic foam, the bonding agents, the coatings, etc. 
     To the extent that such modifications and variations do not depart from the spirit of the invention, they are intended to be included within the scope thereof which is assessed only by a fair interpretation of the following claims.