OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention refers to a disposable formwork, especially conceived to produce
cylindrical columns, for example using reinforced concrete.
[0002] The object of the invention is to achieve a formwork that allows perfectly cylindrical
columns to be achieved.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
[0003] To build a column on the basis of, for example, reinforced concrete, it is necessary
to have a mould or formwork that gives the final configuration and size thereto, and
said formwork must integrate two different but complementary characteristics: on the
one hand to ensure the column's perfect surface finish and, on the other hand, to
do so at a sufficiently low cost so as to make it viable for the builder, especially
when comprising disposable formwork.
[0004] Formwork offering the characteristics described above is disclosed in the Spanish
invention patent with application number 9800419, of which the applicant is titleholder,
which discloses disposable formwork for columns structured as a tubular body or core
made on the basis of four pieces of expanded polystyrene, fitted together by means
of adhesive strip throughout their connecting edges, a tubular core that is internally
covered with a plastic sheet constituting an impermeable barrier, which is attached
to said core by means of a layer of adhesive, whereas externally said tubular core
is reinforced with a grid-like support structure, consisting of fibreglass mesh helicoidally
wrapped around the tubular core and also attached thereto by means of adhesive, in
such a way that said mesh confers the appropriate mechanical stability to the ensemble
against the radial pressure generated by the mass of concrete to be poured inside
the formwork.
[0005] An improvement of this formwork is contained in the certificate of addition to the
abovementioned patent, with application number 9802487, which contemplates replacing
the plastic sheet that forms the impermeable barrier attached to the core, by a series
of wooden panels that are plastic-coated on their internal surface, or of rigid plastic
plates, that join together with the help of adhesive strips conveniently mounted on
their internal surface corresponding to the adjacent edges between plates, thus producing
an internal tubular body with a perfectly smooth , waterproof surface, whereon, subsequently
and externally , the polystyrene pieces constituting the central rigid tubular body
are arranged and whereon, in turn and finally, the external support layer is established
on the basis of the abovementioned helicoidally wound fibreglass mesh, providing the
formwork with the appropriate mechanical resistance.
[0006] These two types of formwork are designed to produce square or rectangular section
columns, but obviously on many occasions cylindrical columns must be produced, in
other words, columns with a circular section. To this effect, patent invention with
application number 200000010, of the same applicant, envisages increasing considerably
the number of rigid plates that conform the formwork, specifically by turning them
into very narrow strips, which given their large number and the joints between them,
tend towards a circumferential section, but only in tendency, given that in reality
the column produced is of a polygonal section, although with a considerable number
of sides, corresponding to the number of plates or strips employed.
[0007] In an attempt to simplify the construction process of this formwork tending to wards
a cylindrical shape, invention patent 200001776 envisages that the rigid bands fixed
using adhesive strips of the above patent are replaced by a single board, also with
a plastic-coated internal surface, which is subjected to a number of longitudinal
cuts on its external surface to permit the required deformation thereof, so that,
in turn, it may be transformed from its original, flat configuration into a cylindrical
configuration. However, these cuts or slots in its external surface make the board
deform in an irregular manner, obviously most accentuated on the lines corresponding
to said cuts which, in practice , entails that the final result is not a perfect cylinder
either, but rather that its section is also polygonal.
[0008] Finally, the following are also worthy of note: invention patent No. 9902893 "Machine
for applying fibreglass reinforcement to disposable formwork for columns", which is
complemented by Invention Patent application "Formwork for prismatic or cylindrical
columns" with application number 200002631, also of the applicant, which envisages
that the surrounding fibreglass mesh that gives the formwork the necessary mechanical
resistance be replaced by a strip of a self-adhesive nature, consisting of paper or
similar, wherein the fibreglass threads would be embedded and which exclusively adopt
a longitudinal arrangement (instead of forming a mesh) which, after wrapping said
strip on the formwork, makes the fibreglass threads adopt an appreciably transversal
arrangement with respect to the formwork's axis, thus eliminating longitudinal threads
that, due to their own situation, are inoperative according to the pursued object.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The disposable formwork proposed by the invention, starting from the basic premise
of the abovementioned patents, i.e. establishing a tubular body reinforced externally
through fibreglass threads, either in the shape of a mesh or embedded in a paper or
similar support allowing the production of a perfectly cylindrical column, meaning
a perfectly circular section, with an absence of any type of edge or roughness in
its surface.
[0010] For this purpose, and in a more specific manner, the formwork is structured using
a smooth rigid plastic plate, such as, for example, made of high impact polystyrene
(HDPE) or other similar material, a plate that adopts a perfectly cylindrical configuration
when wrapped around an inflatable assembly core, obviously of a cylindrical configuration
and with an external diameter equal to the diameter of the concrete column to be produced,
joining the two complementary edges of said smooth plastic plate using self-adhesive
tape.
[0011] Optionally, and to avoid problems of deformities on this joint line, as a result
of the weakness thereof, it has been contemplated to place , on the external face
of the tubular body corresponding to said connection line, a strip of the same material,
of about 4 or 5 cm wide and the same length as the formwork and also fixed using one
or two self-adhesive tapes.
[0012] The thus produced tubular body is complemented with the external surround structure
based on fibreglass threads, whether in the shape of a mesh or independent threads
embedded in a paper support or similar.
[0013] The elasticity of the rigid plastic used allows its transformation into a cylinder
without the need for making cuts in its external surface or any other type of manipulations
and said smooth plate, precisely because of its continuous thickness, ensures a perfectly
cylindrical internal surface for the formwork which, in turn, determines a perfectly
cylindrical section, i.e. not polygonal, for the column to be produced.
[0014] Obviously, the inflatable nature of the assembly core that has been referred to above
has the purpose of facilitating the latter's disassembly once the formwork has been
produced by deflating said core.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] To complement the description that is being made and with the aim of contributing
to a better understanding of the invention's specifications, following a preferred
practical embodiment thereof, a set of drawings is included as an integral part of
said description, which, by way of illustration but not delimitation, show the following:
- Figure 1.-
- Shows the flat and smooth surface rigid plastic plate, which is used to produce the
disposable formwork that is the object of this invention
- Figure 2.-
- Shows the same flat plate of the figure above, duly fitted to the assembly core, according
to a cross- section close-up.
- Figure 3.-
- Shows an enlarged detail of the above figure corresponding to the area where said
smooth plate closes in on itself, in the specific event of said closure being realised
simply with the help of an adhesive tape.
- Figure 4.
- Shows a detail similar to that of the above figure, but a reinforcing strip of the
new material forming the smooth plate is used in the joint, in addition to said adhesive
tape.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
[0016] In view of the described figures and especially figure 1, we can see that in order
to produce the disposable formwork proposed by the invention a smooth plate (1) of
rigid plastic is used, such as, for example, rectangular, high impact polyethylene,
, with a length equal to the envisaged height of the column to be produced, with a
width in turn coinciding with the evolution of the section of said column, in other
words with said section's circumference.
[0017] This plastic plate (1) is arched or wrapped around an assembly core (2), cylindrical,
formally and dimensionally coinciding with the column to be produced, in such a way
that the plate (1) comes back into contact with itself along its longitudinal or vertical
edges (3-3') adopting a tubular and perfectly cylindrical shape, which is stabilised
, in principle , with the help of adhesive tape (4) as shown in the enlarged detail
of figure 3.
[0018] Nonetheless, it has been envisaged that in order to avoid the tubular body configured
by said plate (1) becoming weakened at the level of the joint (3-3'), a reinforcing
strip (5) may be applied externally, of the same rigid plastic as the plate (1) and
length coinciding with length thereof, that is fixed to it with the help of a pair
of adhesive tapes (4-4') or a much wider single adhesive tape, as shown in the detail
of figure 4, a strip (5) that may have a varying width but , for the pursued object,
can have a size between 4 and 5 cm.
[0019] In any event, the tubular body thus produced is externally reinforced with the classic
helicoidal casing on the basis of a fibreglass mesh or a series of fibreglass threads
embedded longitudinally and equidistantly on a paper support or similar, to provide
the tubular body, and especially the joint (3-3') thereof, with the appropriate stability
and mechanical resistance against radial pressure exerted by the concrete when poured
inside the formwork, obviously after first removing the core (2) used during its assembly,
and whose inflatable nature allows for an incredibly fast and simple disassembly.
1. Disposable formwork for circular section columns of the type incorporating a tubular
body constituting the surface of the formwork, stabilised by an external casing consisting
of a helicoidal band, either materialised in fibreglass mesh or in a series of fibreglass
threads arranged longitudinally and equidistantly in a support of paper or similar,
characterised in that said tubular body consists of a smooth plate (1) of rigid plastic, such as, for example
, rectangular high impact polyethylene or similar, with a length that coincides with
the envisaged height of the column and a width in turn corresponding to the development
of the circular section of said column, a plate that is arched and closes in on itself
along its longitudinal or vertical edges (3-3') with the help of an adhesive external
tape (4) that joins said edges, configuring a tubular and cylindrical body, which
is stabilised by means of the external fibreglass.
2. Disposable formwork for circular section columns, according to claim 1, characterised in that optionally on the closing line (3-3') of the smooth plate on itself, there is an
external strip (5) of the same rigid plastic, of about 4 or 5 cm wide, of a length
coinciding with the length of the formwork, which reinforces said closing line and
is fixed to the smooth plate also with the help of one or two adhesive tapes (4-4').
3. Disposable formwork for circular section columns, according to previous claims, characterised in that the smooth and initially flat plate (1) is transformed into a cylindrical element
with the help of an assembly core (2), cylindrical, formally and dimensionally coinciding
with the column to be produced and inflatable in order to facilitate its subsequent
disassembly.