GB2263917A

GB2263917A - Concrete curtain wall panels.

Info

Publication number: GB2263917A
Application number: GB9122100A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Cherif Ouabdesselam
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-10-17
Filing date: 1991-10-17
Publication date: 1993-08-11
Anticipated expiration: 2011-10-17
Also published as: GB9122100D0; GB2263917B

Abstract

Concrete curtain wall panels, dimensioned according to a FIBONACCI-type series, are moulded on a moulding table with removable pans (4) or stop-ends (5), the table having side walls (8), (9) mounted on parallelogram linkages (10). The panels have embedded screw holders (12) for fixing them to steel channel-sectioned columns. The panels are lifted from the mould by a lifting frame (16) (Fig. 8, not shown) via stirrups (15). <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to an outer wall building process that can fit to various composite facade wall processes, featuring prefabricated architectonic concrete panels and corner members dimensioned according to a series of the FIBONACCI-type and said panels being prefabricated by means of a dismountable multi-mold table according to the invention.

Various processes using similar concrete facade panels have been proposed heretofore. Usually, they are prefabricated by means of single molds, ribbed and screwed to the columns of the structure by means of metal screw holders. Such a processes led, however, to unrational and rather monotonous buildings, due to their strictness, as they use only one size of panel and oGcasionally its half length. Thus, when unequally distributed salient and re-entrant angle corners are needed along the outer walls, said processes must provide special panels requiring special molds, which may increase substantially the costs. Besides, the joints of said panels are relatively narrow so that the facade must always be coated.

The present invention aims at varying the shapes and perfecting the outer look of said facade walls, eventhough the costs of this type of building should remain relatively low, by means of an adequat modulation scale based on the terms of the FIBONACCI-type, of perfected salient and re-entrant angle corner devices and of a dismountable steel multi-mold table for said panels including combinable molding pans duly sized according to said series and other perfected handling and removing devices, as we will describe it hereafter. Besides, the outer wall panels and corner members are preferably assembled to adequately sized metal U shape columns, as shown in figure 1, so that their outermost ribs fully stick to the latters although being separated by a relatively wide concave groove shaped joint similar to that of a traditional stone or brick wall..Moreover, said facade members can directly be assembled to the latter, that is without the help of any other metal plate connector. Besides, the concave groove joints according to the invention are relatively wide, e.g 1/2 inche or 1 cm, so that they can make up a wide variety of ornamental woofs when combined with some other concave grooves, same wide and duly positioned right on the axis of the ribs. A typical kind of ornementation of a facing wall reminding the "stijl", a form of abstract art, is illustrated in figure 3, in which the variation of the colour of concrete can be obtained through different ways such as a variation of the mixture of white and grey cement.

Thus, the outer wall building according to the invention can provide, under reasonable cost conditions, various building designs. A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures mentioned hereafter: The outer wall building process according to the invention includes, on the one hand, 15 rectangular panels and 6 salient angle corner members duly sized on basis of a series of the FIBONACCI-type, so that they can horizontally and vertically fit together according to a wide range of combinaisons and secondly, a dismountable molding table which integrated molds are made up of combinable molding pans and common members, so that the costs of production and transport of said panels may be maintained at low level.

Due to the dimensional relation between said panels and the salient angle corner members, the building shaping and volumetric designs may considerably vary, not only in lengths and heights, but also in the shape of the outer walls and in the size of its.

openings, as they can include several and unequally distributed salient and re-entrant angle corners, as shown in figure 1. Moreover, a relatively few number of panels can fit to a very wide range of combinaisons so that the costs of production and storage of said panels may be considerably reduced.

Among the infinite variety of the series of the FIBONACCI-type, the ones proposed according to the invention appearing as the most adequat to size said panels and corner members as they square, on the one hand, with the conventional sizes of the openings and other constructional features and secondly, with the usual proportions of either a 6 foot or a 1,78 metre high human body, depending on the measuring system to be applied, includes respectively the following terms:: (inches) 6 10 1/2 17 27 44 l/2 72 or (cm) 16 26 42 68 110 178 Thus, according to the optimal weights and dimensions that would facilitate the manual handling of the panels, we have selected the following range of 15 rectangular panels and 6 salient angle corner members, as illustrated in figure 1 and which dimensions in centimeters are as follows::

Panel N' 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Length 68 84 110 136 152 68 84 110 136 15;; 68 84 110 136 15 Height 68 68 68 68 68 42 42 42 42 42 26 26 26 26 26 Corn.memb.N 16 17 18 Length 16 16 16 Height 68 42 26

Corn.memb.Ne 19 20 21 Length 26 26 26 Height 68 42 26 All these dimensions are in accordance with the above proposed series, including 84 and 152 cm, as 84=42+42 and 152=42+110.Besides, several combinaisons of proposed panels and corner members become possible due to the following relations between their lengths: 16=68-42=152-136 and 26=110-84=136-110 Therefore, as any of outer wall can be accurately balanced with its opposite, one can erect exclusively by means of the proposed panels and corner members, outer walls including several and unequally distributed salient and re-entrant angle corners Besides, a 16 or a 26 cm corner member may be proposed depending on the size required for the structural columns.

Moreover, the savings in production and transport of said panels may significantly reduce the cost of said buildings as far as they represent the greatest part of their facade walls. This aim is achieved according to the invention by replacing the individual molds generally used in the other similar processes with a molding table that integrate several molds and other common members, eliminate the various movings of the molds required in between the pouring, the vibration, the thermo-hardening and the removing stages, and that can be dismantled and transfered from site to site.

Among the common members of said table, the bottom generally representing the heaviest part of the mold, has been divided into several molding pans that can be combined according to said series to produce the whole 15 standard panels and by means of a common frame. Moreover, the sizes of said pans have been limited to 2 types, that is 26x68 and 42x68, so as to reduce substantially the number of pans to be produced and/or stored. Thus, for the production of whatever N"1 - 5 panel, a total length of 26+42+42+42 = 152 cm of molding pans in stock are sufficient, while with other single mold processes, it would be necessary to maintain in stock 68+84+110+136+152 =550 cm of molding pans. Besides, only the concrete and its reinforcing metal bars would move inside the plant while the molding table remains immobile as it integrates, on the one hand, concrete thermo-hardening and vibrating means and secondly, according to the invention, perfected devices for the handling the side forms and the removing of the panel from its mold.

As shown in figure 5, a removable subsidiary pan 4 bolted to the molding pan 1, itself bolted to the frame 2 of the table in accordance with the invention, makes that molding pan suitable for the prefabrication of the highest panels, say panels n"l - 5 in our above mentioned example of application. As for the prefabrication of the other panels N"6 - 15, it only needs to get said subsidiary pans 4 removed and replaced with the metal strip 5 shown in figure 6, which accurated position is insured by the lugs 6 of the lifting strip 7 duly fitted into. As shown in figure 9, the latter is T shaped so as to sustain correctly both the heavest panel and the sticking of concrete to the mold.

Figures 4 - 9 show how the panel upper and lower side edge forms 8 and 9, are permanently connected to the frame 2 by means of the twin-rods 10 and the locking supports 11.

Figure 9 shows how the transverse side edge form 17 and the connecting molding pans fit. together and lay on the transverse sill member 18, while the former remains bolted in due position to the frame 2.

At cast stage, the side forms 8 and 9 maintain in right position the lifting strip 7 which, in turn, insure, by means of its lugs 6, the positionning of the screw holders 12 and, in case of molding panels N"6 to 15, of the strip 5. Said side forms also maintain in due position the decorative concave shaped joint molding strip 13. At this stage, all above said components remain immobile after bolting the locking device 14, due to their close inter- connection. Besides, due to the corner iron 19 positioned beneath said side forms, the tatters fit into the side edge of the frame 2 according to a right angle fitting, and so remain accurately positioned, thus reducing significantly the dimensional tolerance of fabricarion of said panels.

As soon as the panel becomes suffisantly resistant to afford its removing from the mold and its transfering to a curing rack, the side forms 8 and 9 are successively unlocked and manually pulled up according to a translatory movement, as shown in figure 7, and the panels are lifted while suspended from the lifting frame 16 with the stirrups 15 which lugs have been duly introduced into the holes positioned at the ends of the lifting strips 7. This device maintain the panel in its horizontal position and prevent it from any deformation or other damage during above said operations.

Claims

1- In an outer wall building process including standard architectonic concrete facade panels and salient angle corner members, prefabricated, ribbed, screwed to the columns of the structure by means of metal screw holders duly embedded in concrete, characterized in that its modulation scale is based on the terms of a series of the FIBONACCI-type, and that it uses an integrated multi- mold table for said panels, including molding pans duly sized according to said series, movable side forms by means of twin-rod connectors, and allowing the removal of said panels from their molds by lifting, said panels and molds respectively remaining horizontal and immobile.

2- In an outer wall building process according to claim 1, characterized in that it uses exclusively said panels and corner members and so whatever the integrated salient and re-entrant angle corners are distributed along said walls.

3- In an outer wall building process according to claim 1, characterized in that said panels include ornemental outer concave grooves positioned on the axis of the transverse ribs and making up, in connexion with the joints of said panels and corner members, various woofs duly dimensioned according to said series.

4- In a prefabrication process according to any one of claims 1 - 3, characterized in that the incorporated molds of its molding table for the prefabrication of said panels are made up of combinable molding pans duly sized according to said series.

5- In a process according to claim 4, characterized in that the upper and lower side edge forms are connected to the frame of said table by means of twin-rods and fitted into the frame of said table according to a right angle fitting.

6- In a process according to claim 4, characterized in that the positioning of the various molding forms is due to their fitting together and is insured by means of a single type of locking device.

7- In a process according to any one of claims 4 - 6, characterized in that the panel removal from its mold is carried out by means of lifting strips positioned beneath its outermost transverse ribs.

8- In a process according to any one of claims 4 - 6, characterized in that said molding table can be dismantled for transfer from site to site.