BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a composite foam and concrete foundation and a composite foam and concrete wall and a method of mounting the wall to the foundation.

Construction of a typical footing is very labor intensive and can take a considerable amount of time to construct. The typical structure requires a hole to be excavated to a desired depth such that a footing can be constructed that will not be affected by frost or other conditions created by the climate. However, in some construction projects excavation of the soil is not required. The footing is then typically placed concrete. Once cured, a foundation wall, typically cinder blocks secured with mortar, a cementious wall or a masonary wall is then constructed with the footings providing the necessary support for the structure. Once the foundation wall is cured, soil is backfilled around the foundation wall to provide a desired grade away from the foundation.

However, excavation of the soil, placing the footing, waiting for the footing to cure, constructing the foundation wall and waiting a sufficient time for curing takes a significant amount of time and effort that increases the cost of construction. It may be beneficial and cost effective to utilize a foam foundation that can be utilized to support a foundation wall, which may or may not be preformed.

A typical wall includes a bottom plate or foundation sill that is attached to a foundation, typically a concrete slab or concrete wall. Bottom ends of spaced apart vertical studs are secured to the bottom plate and a top ends of the spaced apart vertical studs are secured to a top plate. A height of the wall is essentially defined by the length of the vertical studs. The wall provides the support for the outer wall material, such as wood panels and siding, and also the interior wall material, such as sheet rock. Insulation is typically placed between the studs when the stud wall is raised into place and the outer wall material is secured to the stud wall.

Construction of the stud wall is very labor intensive and can take a considerable amount of time to construct. The studs must be cut to a precise length and secured to the bottom and top plates, typically with nails. In the event windows and/or doors are to be placed into the wall, then the studs must be cut to accommodate the required space for the window and/or door and the space must be reinforced with a lintel, which also must be constructed by the construction workers.

Once the stud wall is formed, it is raised and secured to the foundation, typically with bolts that are set into the concrete foundation and through bores in the bottom plate. The bores in the bottom plate are positioned about the bolts. Washers are positioned on the bolts and nuts threadably engage each bolt to frictionally secure the bottom plate to the foundation. Once the stud wall is raised, the outer wall is secured to the studs typically with nails and then siding is secured to the outer wall.

Electric wiring and plumbing are then installed which may including drilling through the studs to place the wiring and plumbing in the desired locations within the wall. Installation of the electric wiring and plumbing can be very labor intensive, time consuming and costly.

In many developing locations, such as the oil fields of North Dakota, the lack of adequate housing is an issue. While people are willing to pay for the construction of a residence, the labor force is not available to meet the housing construction needs. The use of a standard wood stud frame for the residence is one of the impediments to having the required housing built due to the time required to properly build a structure with stud walls.

Also, while quality lumber is currently available, it is foreseeable that in the future that the wood required for the stud wall may not be available. As such, there is a need for a wall, that does not require wood, or other renewable materials, which can be quickly constructed while having good energy and sound efficiency.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a composite foam and concrete wall. The composite foam and concrete wall is formed by aligning slabs of foam side by side to form a foam layer where the seams between the foam panels are substantially parallel to the upper and lower edges of the composite wall. Spaced apart channels are formed into an upper surface of the aligned slabs of foam substantially perpendicular to the seams wherein the pilasters are a sufficient depth to aid in securing a concrete layer to the upper surface of the foam panels. A horizontal channel is formed into the foam layer at a top surface. Rebar is placed in the channels and is raised from the foam surface a selected distance with rebar chairs. An end plate utilized as a top wall of a form with spaced apart lifting mechanism is positioned proximate the top end of the foam layer and proximate a top edge of the horizontal channel. A remaining portion of the form is placed about a perimeter of the foam layer and extends upwardly above the foam layer a selected distance, where the distance defines a wythe of concrete of the composite wall. Concrete is then placed into the form and over the foam layer wherein the concrete is placed into the channels and creates pilasters that increase the structural strength of the wall and also increase the bond strength between the concrete layer and the foam layer. When the wall is raised, utilizing the lifting mechanisms within an upper horizontal pilaster proximate the top portion of the form, the lifting force is substantially perpendicular to the seams in the foam and, therefore, prevents cracking in the concrete during the lift. While the concrete is not set, structural detail can be added to the surface, such as rocks, coloring or a stamping that resembles siding or a brick pattern. Because of the thickness of the concrete, the wall is structural, meaning it satisfies the requirements of a load bearing wall and the foam layer provides superior thermal and sound insulating qualities.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a composite foam and concrete foundation. The foundation includes a foam portion that can define the dimensions of the foundation, including the length, the width and the height of the foundation. An upper channel is formed into the foam portion substantially along a longitudinal axis extending along the length of the block from a top surface and into the block. The upper channel extends about one half the thickness of the block and can have a dovetailed construction such that a width of the bottom of the channel is greater than the opening in the top surface and wherein both left and right side surfaces extend inwardly at an acute angle from the bottom surface of the channel to the opening. The opposing ends of the foam block include left and right openings that extend from the top surface to the bottom surface where a top portion of the left and right openings is defined by the upper channel. Lower portions of the left and right openings can have a dovetail configuration where an opening at the bottom surface is lower than that of the transition from the upper surface to the lower surface. Rebar may optionally placed within the upper channel and/or the left and right opening and concrete is then placed into the upper channel and the left and right openings such that the concrete is substantially even with the outer surfaces of the foam portion. Because of the thickness of the concrete in the upper channel, the composite foam and concrete foundation meets the structural requirements of a standard foundation while being able to be produced off-site or prior to the construction of the structure. In some structures, piers or pilings may also be used to ensure the structural requirements are met.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method of constructing a foundation of structure. The method includes positioning a number of pilings or piers into the soil at locations where foundations described above abut each other such that the concrete bottom surfaces of the foundation rest on the upper surface of the pier. The piers and foundations are positioned into the soil at a selected depth (which is dependent upon building codes) such that the concrete in the upper surface defines a perimeter of the structure. A structural wall as described above is positioned proximate the foundation and is raised to be positioned on the concrete surface of the foundations where the structural wall is disclosed herein and can be a composite foam and concrete wall. Upper edges of the walls are leveled with shims between the foundation and the wall. Once positioned on the concrete surface of the foundation and leveled, the structural wall is then secured to the foundation by a securing mechanism. Once the walls are secured to the foundations, the adjacent walls are secured together at the seams with adhesive and additional securing mechanisms can secure the adjacent walls together at the top surface. The method also includes positioning an insulating panel about a perimeter of the foundations and adjacent the outside edge of the foundation. The insulating panel extends a selected distance away from the foundation such that the foundation is protected from climatic factors such as frost. Soil is then back filled over the insulating panel, the foundation and is adjacent a lower portion of the structural wall.

Another aspect of the present disclosure includes a bracket that is configured to be secured to a foam layer at least along a side edge and a top edge of the foam layer. The bracket includes a bottom portion configured to be positioned on an upper surface of the foam block and an angled tang forming an acute angle with the bottom portion. The angled tang is configured to be positioned in an angled slot within the foam layer to prevent the bracket from moving on the foam layer as the concrete is placed. A wall extends from a distal edge the bottom portion wherein a distance from a top edge of the wall to the bottom portion defines a thickness of a wythe of concrete, when placed. A screed portion extends from an upper end of the wall where the screed wall is substantially parallel to the bottom portion. The screed wall provides a surface for leveling the placed concrete. The bracket can optionally include angled spaced apart braces extending from the bottom portion to the wall wherein the braces can prevent the wall from flexing outwardly due to forces imparted onto the wall by the placed concrete. In some instances, the bracket supports one or more lifting mechanism that are encased within the placed concrete where the lifting mechanisms can be utilized to lift the wall into place. An angle of the wall can be any desired angle relative to the bottom portion.

