Patent ID: 7871055

Claim:
A lightweight concrete formwork panel system comprising: a plurality of lightweight concrete formwork panels, each panel having: a structural frame having perimeter members and inner ribs, the perimeter members and inner ribs defining openings in the frame, the frame being rectangular and having a longitudinal axis oriented along its length, and the inner ribs extending transversely to the longitudinal axis; the perimeter members include a top member, a bottom member, and opposing side members, wherein each side member has a bottom section wider than a remaining section of the side member; a lightweight core material substantially filling the openings within the frame; and first and second outer skins substantially covering the frame and core material, the first and second outer skins each comprising a layer of a fibrous material oriented substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, and a layer of fibrous material oriented substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis; wherein the first outer skin defines a first broad face of the lightweight concrete formwork panel and the second outer skin defines a second broad face of the lightweight concrete formwork panel; and connection hardware mounted to an outwardly facing surface of one of the first and second outer skins and to a respective said inner rib, the connection hardware connecting one of the plurality of lightweight concrete formwork panels to an adjacent one of the lightweight concrete formwork panels; wherein spacing of the ribs of the frame coincides with spacing of connection hardware.