Forming device for concrete casts

Abstract

 Forming device (10) for concrete casts for making a building artifact (11), comprising a plurality of lateral elements (12, 13, 15, 16), associated with each other so as to define the outer profile of the building artifact (11), and clamping members (17) to selectively clamp together the lateral elements (12, 13, 15, 16) so as to form a compact and substantially rigid structure. The clamping members (17) comprise a flexible element (19) of the non-extendable type, arranged externally around the lateral elements (12, 13, 15, 16) and a plurality of tensioning members (20, 21) associated with the lateral elements (12, 13, 15, 16) in order to act against the flexible element (19) and determine the tensioning thereof.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention concerns a forming device, such as for example a formwork, a mold or suchlike, used to form and contain concrete casts, for example during the steps to form or regenerate building artifacts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] A device for forming concrete casts is known, such as a formwork, a mold or suchlike, in order to make or regenerate building artifacts, comprising a plurality of lateral panels of a substantially standardized height, each one formed by one or more modules, so as to define the perimeter of the artifact to be made or regenerated on the outside. Once positioned, the lateral panels are normally clamped together by means of tie rods, grippers, vices or other, so as to define a compact and substantially rigid structure.

[0003] On the contrary, in the case of an external regeneration of artifacts with a large transverse section size, even in the range of some meters, the lateral panels are attached directly to the artifice itself by means of threaded bars or suchlike.

[0004] Moreover, if the artifacts to be worked on are shaped substantially like a truncated pyramid, conventional devices must be arranged slightly inclined, and therefore their arrangement causes problems of stability and alignment of the panels.

[0005] Another disadvantage is that it is necessary to attach the lateral panels directly to the artifact by means of threaded bars, since, once the concrete has been cast and the device removed, the holes in which the threaded bars were housed remain on the outer surface of the artifact, thus requiring possible finishing steps, or at least the aesthetic quality of the artifact made is lowered.

[0006] One purpose of the present invention is to achieve a device for forming concrete casts which can be clamped autonomously to the building artifact to be made, or to be regenerated, without needing to make holes in the masonry.

[0007] The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present invention is set forth and characterized in the main claim, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of the invention or variants to the main inventive idea.

[0009] In accordance with the above purpose, a forming device for concrete casts for making a building artifact according to the present invention comprises a plurality of lateral elements, able to be associated with each other in order to define the outer profile of the building artifact, and clamping means able to clamp together the lateral elements so as to form a compact and substantially rigid structure.

[0010] According to a characteristic feature of the present invention, the clamping means comprise at least a flexible element, of the non-extendable type, such as for example a cable, a line or suchlike, arranged externally around the lateral elements, and a plurality of tensioning members associated with the lateral elements, and able to act against the flexible element, so as to determine the tensioning thereof.

[0011] In this way, once the flexible element has been tensed, the action performed by the tensioning members acts in the opposite direction against the respective lateral elements, thrusting the latter towards the building artifact and clamping them thereto. The action of the tensioning members uniformly distributed along the whole perimeter of the flexible element guarantees the stable positioning of the entire device.

[0012] The device according to the present invention is therefore autonomous in its clamping action, even at a height, to the building artifact.

[0013] Moreover, clamping by means of the flexible element and the tensioning members does not make it necessary to make holes in the artifact in order to house tie rods, threaded bars or suchlike, and thus does not require any final finishing step.

[0014] In a preferential form of embodiment of the present invention, in correspondence with the connecting edge between two adjacent lateral elements, an edge-covering element is provided, which has at least a guide surface for the flexible element, so as to limit any possible rubbing, and hence wear, by the flexible element against the edges of the lateral elements.

[0015] In another preferred form of embodiment, wherein the flexible element is a cable, to a first end of the cable a gripping element is provided, able to grip the second end of the cable, or a segment thereof, according to the size of the perimeter of the building artifact.

[0016] In this way, whatever the perimeter sizes of the building artifact, the clamping of the lateral elements to the building artifact is guaranteed. This solution is particularly advantageous in the case of artifacts with a truncated pyramid shape, wherein, as the height gradually increases, the perimeter of the artifact diminishes. In this case it is more advantageous to provide that the lateral elements are of the modular type.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] These and other characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferential form of embodiment, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein:

• fig. 1 is a three dimensional view of a device for forming concrete casts according to the present invention, applied to regenerate the surface of a building artifact;
• fig. 2 is a view from above of the device in fig. 1;
• fig. 3 shows the detail III of the device in fig. 1, on an enlarged scale;
• fig. 4a shows a variant of the detail III in fig. 2 in a first operating position;
• fig. 4b shows the variant of fig. 4a in an intermediate operating step;
• fig. 4c shows the variant of fig. 4a in a second operating step.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERENTIAL FORM OF EMBODIMENT

[0018] With reference to fig. 1, a forming device 10, hereafter simply formwork, according to the present invention, is in this case able to be applied to regenerate the surface, by means of concrete casts, of the sides 11a of a pillar 11, only partly shown, of a road bridge.

[0019] The formwork 10 comprises four lateral panels, respectively two long ones 12 and 15, and two short ones 13 and 16, arranged angled with respect to each other and facing respective sides 11a of the pillar 11, so as to follow the profile thereof, and a clamping member 17 able to keep the lateral panels 12, 13, 15 and 16 solidly and stably associated with each other and with the pillar 11.

[0020] To be more exact, each lateral panel 12, 13, 15 and 16 is formed by a determinate number of rectangular shaped modules 22 with standardized sizes and connected laterally to each other, by means of screws, bolts or other conventional connection systems of the removable type, according to the sizes of the side 11a of the pillar 11 for which the formed lateral panel 12, 13, 15, 16 is intended. Advantageously, the surface of every module 22 which in use will be arranged facing the side 11a of the pillar 11 is substantially smooth, so as to obtain an optimum surface finish of the regeneration performed.

[0021] In this case, the two long lateral panels 12 and 15 are each formed by twenty-five modules 22, whereas the two short lateral panels 13 and 16 are each formed by five modules 22. It is clear that the number of modules 22 forming each lateral panel 12, 13, 15 and 16 can be different from that shown in the attached drawings, and is irrelevant for the purposes of the present invention.

[0022] Each module 22 also comprises a spacer 23 (fig. 3) facing towards the pillar 11 and able to be rested thereon, in order to distance the module 22 from the relative side 11a, and to define an interspace 25 between the relative lateral panel 12, 13, 15 and 16 formed, and the side 11a, inside which the concrete is able to be cast.

[0023] Each spacer 23 comprises an element of adjustable length, for example a screw, not shown in the drawings, which allows the operator to select individually the amplitude of the interspace 25, also depending on possible depressions or ridges present on the side 11a of the pillar 11.

[0024] The clamping member 17 in this case comprises four annular cables 19 of the non-extendable type, arranged around the lateral panels 12, 13, 15 and 16, and a plurality of first and second fluid-dynamic actuators 20 and 21 associated externally with each of the modules 22 forming the lateral panels 12, 13, 15 and 16.

[0025] To be more exact, three of the four cables 19 are arranged in correspondence with a lower part of the lateral panels 12, 13, 15 and 16, whereas the fourth of the cables 19 is arranged in correspondence with an upper part of the lateral panels 12, 13, 15 and 16, so as to guarantee a greater clamping tension in the segments where the pressure exerted by the concrete cast is greater.

[0026] Each cable 19 comprises, in correspondence with a first of its two ends, a gripping element, of a conventional type and not shown here, such as for example a gripper, a hook or suchlike, able to grip a segment of the cable 19 in proximity with the second of its two ends so that, depending on the size of the perimeter of the pillar 11, the length of each cable 19 can be selectively modified, so as to ensure an optimum clamping of the lateral panels 12, 13, 15 and 16.

[0027] The first fluid-dynamic actuators 20 are arranged in correspondence with the zone of action of the first three cables 19, so as to thrust the three cables 19 outwards and bring them under tension. Each first actuator 20 comprises at one end a comb element 20a on which the respective three cables 19 are positioned, in order to keep them in order during the tensioning steps.

[0028] The second fluid-dynamic actuators 21 are arranged in correspondence with the zone of action of the fourth cable 19, they have a shorter travel than the first actuators 20 and are able to thrust the respective cable 19 outwards in order to bring it under tension. Each fluid-dynamic actuator 21 comprises at one end a fork element 21a able to retain the respective cable 19 during the tensioning steps.

[0029] Both the first fluid-dynamic actuators 20 and the second fluid-dynamic actuators 21 are fed in parallel by a pumping unit, of a conventional type and not shown here, and are controlled by valve elements, also of a substantially conventional type, able to dose the feed of each individual fluid-dynamic actuator 20, 21 so as to guarantee a uniform tensioning of the cables 19 along the whole perimeter.

[0030] The formwork 10 according to the present invention also comprises four edge-covering elements 26 (fig. 3), able to be arranged to cover the connecting edges of the lateral panels 12, 13, 15 and 16, each of which is provided with a first guide surface 27 for the first three of the four cables 19, and a second guide surface 29 for the fourth cable 19. The guide surfaces 27 and 29 allow the cables 19 to slide slightly with respect to the edge-covering elements 26 during the tensioning steps, limiting the wear thereof.

[0031] The formwork 10 according to the present invention as described heretofore functions as follows.

[0032] First of all, the four lateral panels 12, 13, 14 and 16 are formed, by connecting together a determinate number of modules 22 depending on the sizes of the sides 11a of the pillar 11.

[0033] The lateral panels 12, 13, 14 and 16 thus formed are positioned one by one, facing the respective sides 11a of the pillar 11, so that the spacers 23 are in contact with the sides 11a, in order to define the interspace 25.

[0034] The edge-covering elements 26 are then positioned in correspondence with the connecting edges of the lateral panels 12, 13, 14 and 16.

[0035] Then the cables 19 are arranged around the lateral panels 12, 13, 14 and 16, and the length of the latter is defined, by means of the reciprocal gripping elements.

[0036] The cables 19 are then arranged in association with the comb elements 20a and the fork elements 21a, and the first and second fluid-dynamic actuators 20 and 21 are activated.

[0037] The thrust action of the actuators 20 and 21, controlled by the valve elements, determines the uniform tensioning of the cables 19 which, once the maximum tension has been reached, reflect the thrust of the actuators 20 and 21 to the lateral panels 12, 13, 14 and 16, thus determining the stable positioning and clamping of the latter to the pillar 11.

[0038] To be more exact, the fluid-dynamic actuators 20 and 21 apply a greater thrust in the median zone of each lateral panel 12, 13, 14 and 16 (fig. 2), since the load applied by the concrete cast in this zone is greater than in the lateral zones.

[0039] With the formwork 10 according to the invention it is not therefore necessary to provide any clamping element to be housed at least partly inside the pillar 11.

[0040] Once the formwork 10 has been clamped to the pillar 11, the concrete cast is made inside the interspace 25.

[0041] In the solution shown in figs. 4a, 4b and 4c, the cable 19 is divided into segments arranged in correspondence with the corresponding lateral panels 12, 13, 14 and 16, so as to allow the latter to be dismantled more easily once the concrete cast has been made.

[0042] In this solution, as shown, one of the four edge-covering elements 126 comprises a fixed block 30 mounted solid with the terminal module 22 of the lateral panel 12, and a lever element 31, substantially C-shaped, pivoted with one end to the terminal module 22 of the lateral panel 16. The lever element 31 is able to be rotated between an open position (fig. 4a), wherein it is unconstrained by the fixed block 30, and a closed position (fig. 4c), wherein it is constrained to the fixed block 30, by means of a constraining pin 32, and keeps the two lateral panels 12 and 16 connected to each other.

[0043] The ends of two distinct segments of the cable 19 are pivoted both to the fixed block 30 and also to the lever element 31, so that, in the closed position, a determinate structural continuity of the cable 19 is defined around the lateral panels 12, 13, 14 and 16.

[0044] It is clear, however, that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the formwork 10 as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.

[0045] For example, it comes within the field of the present invention to provide extension elements, not shown, able to be associated with the modules 22, in the event that the sides 11a of the pillar 11 have particular sizes, such as for example in the event that the pillar 11 is shaped substantially like a truncated pyramid.

[0046] It also comes within the filed of the present invention to provide that the annular cables 19 are arranged with two in correspondence with the lower part, and two in correspondence with the upper part, or in another way, or that there may be a different number of them, other than four.

[0047] It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent forms of device for forming concrete casts, all coming within the subject matter of the present invention.

Claims

1. Forming device for concrete casts for making a building artifact (11), comprising a plurality of lateral elements (12, 13, 15, 16), able to be associated with each other so as to define the outer profile of said building artifact (11), and clamping means (17) able to selectively clamp together said lateral elements (12, 13, 15, 16) so as to form a compact and substantially rigid structure, characterized in that said clamping means (17) comprise at least a flexible element (19) of the non-extendable type, arranged externally around said lateral elements (12, 13, 15, 16) and a plurality of tensioning members (20, 21) associated with said lateral elements (12, 13, 15, 16) and able to act against said flexible element (19) and determine the tensioning thereof.

2. Forming device as in claim 1, characterized in that in correspondence with each connecting edge between two adjacent of said lateral elements (12, 13, 15, 16) an edge-covering element (26, 126) is provided able to keep said lateral elements (12, 13, 15, 16) connected to each other.

3. Forming device as in claim 2, characterized in that said edge-covering element (26) is provided with at least a guide surface (27, 29) for said flexible element (19).

4. Forming device as in claim 2, characterized in that said edge-covering element (126) comprises a fixed block (30) mounted solid with a terminal part of a first of said lateral elements (12, 13, 15, 16), and a lever element (31), substantially C-shaped, and pivoted with one end to a terminal part of a second of said lateral elements (12, 13, 15, 16) arranged adjacent to the first, said lever element (31) being able to be rotated between an open position, wherein it is unconstrained by said fixed block (30), and a closed position, wherein it is constrained to said fixed block (30), in order to keep said lateral elements (12, 13, 15, 16) connected to each other.

5. Forming device as in claim 4, characterized in that the ends of said flexible element (19) are pivoted both to said fixed block (30) and to said lever element (31).

6. Forming device as in claim 1 or 2, wherein each of said lateral elements (12, 13, 15, 16) consists of a plurality of modules (22) connected to each other, characterized in that each of said modules comprises, associated therewith, at least one of said tensioning members (20, 21).

7. Forming device as in claim 6, characterized in that each of said modules (22) also comprises spacer means (23) able to face towards said building artifact (11) and to be rested thereon, in order to define an interspace (25) between the relative formed lateral element (12, 13, 15, 16) and said building artifact (11).

8. Forming device as in claim 7, characterized in that said spacer means (23) comprise an element of adjustable length, able to allow the selective adjustment of the amplitude of said interspace (25).

9. Forming device as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that said tensioning members comprise a plurality of fluid-dynamic actuators (20, 21), each of which is able to thrust said flexible element (19) outwards in order to bring it under tension.

10. Forming device as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that said flexible element comprises four cables (19).

11. Forming device as in claim 10, characterized in that each of said four cables (19) comprises a plurality of segments each arranged in correspondence with a respective lateral elements (12, 13, 15, 16), so as to allow an easier dismantling of said lateral elements (12, 13, 15, 16) once the concrete cast has been made.

12. Forming device as in claim 10, characterized in that three of said four cables (19) are able to be arranged in correspondence with a lower part of said lateral elements (12, 13, 15, 16), while the fourth of said cables (19) is able to be arranged in correspondence with an upper part of said lateral elements (12, 13, 15, 16).

13. Forming device as in claims 9 and 12, characterized in that a first group of said fluid-dynamic actuators (20) are able to be arranged in correspondence with the first three of said four cables (19), while a second group of said fluid-dynamic actuators (21) are able to be arranged in correspondence with said fourth cable (19).

14. Forming device as in claim 13, characterized in that each fluid-dynamic actuator (20) of said first group comprises a comb element (20a) on which the respective three cables (19) are able to be positioned, and in that each fluid-dynamic actuator (21) of said second group comprises a fork element (21a) able to retain said fourth cable (19).

15. Forming device as in any claim from 10 to 14 inclusive, characterized in that each of said cables (19) comprises at a first end a gripping element able to grip the second end of said cable (19) or a segment thereof depending on the size of the perimeter of said building artifact (11).

Drawing