1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of panels for forming walls of buildings, and more specifically to a prefabricated panel having a concrete planar portion with at least one concrete rib extending from a face thereof and at least one block of polystyrene fitted adjacent thereto, and a metal stud channel containing a polystyrene strip secured over each at least one rib for receiving dry wall screws. The present invention also relates to a structure formed of such panels.
2. Background Information
Concrete block and other prior art wall designs formed upright and incrementally generally have irregular faces and weak cohesion. The placing of concrete blocks is only as accurate as the skill of the blocklayer permits. The resulting exposed, exterior face of the wall is always uneven to some extent, requiring a substantial stucco covering. More important is that the mortar used to join the concrete blocks is below the strength of properly hardened concrete and forms a relatively weak bond with the blocks. Hurricanes and other natural disasters can sometimes shatter such walls. Finally, the insulating properties of such walls are at most adequate.
Attempts have been made to solve these problems with a preformed wall panel. The panel of Walston, U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,126, issued on Apr. 23, 1985, for example, is formed of two layers of polystyrene fitted into a ribbed concrete shell in a multiple step, multiple pour process. Anchor hooks must be embedded in the floor slab when it is poured. Problems with Walston include time-consuming and expensive forming methods and awkwardness and complexity in anchoring procedures.
3. Description of the Prior Art
There have long been prefabricated wall panels for rapid construction of buildings. None teach panels combining high strength, maximum insulating properties, single pour formation, and solid, easy to use anchoring means.
Additional examples of prior panels include Lewis, U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,353, issued on Jan. 22, 1985. Lewis teaches a rigid, rectangular insulating member which fits within the U of opposing vertical hat channels and a bottom channel. The bottom channel is welded to a bottom plate which is secured by anchor bolts to a concrete foundation. Panel connector strips are welded to the hat channels and reinforcing rods extend through holes in the connector strips. Gunite is then sprayed over this structure to form the finished panel. Numerous and complicated metal parts make Lewis expensive. Also, two separate layers of concrete are required, adding pouring and curing time and expense.
Kinard, U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,745, issued on Aug. 6, 1985, discloses a wall formed of foam blocks and channels. The blocks, which have periodic vertical bores, are placed edge to edge. Then a channel with periodic holes is placed along the common top edge of the blocks so that the holes align with the vertical bores. Concrete is poured through the holes into the vertical bores, filling the bores and the channel, and hardens to form a solid skeletal structure. A wall can be formed of several block and channel levels. Kinard does not provide a strong external surface suitable for an outside wall.
Dunker, U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,089, issued on Nov. 25, 1986, is an anchor in the form of a plate having holes through which reinforcing rods extend, for holding reinforced sandwich panels together. An end of the anchor also wraps around a perpendicular mesh rod. Concrete is poured to form a carrier panel such that ends of several such anchors protrude therefrom. Then a layer of insulating material is fitted against the panel so that the protruding ends of the anchors punch through the insulating layer. Then rods for the mesh are fit through holes in the anchor protruding ends and another concrete layer is poured around the mesh and the anchor ends. This anchor holds two concrete layers around an insulating layer. Only the outside wall of most buildings needs to be this strong, so Dunker is wasteful of materials and needlessly expensive.
Marks, U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,381, issued on Dec. 4, 1990, describes another anchor member for joining the outer slabs of a sandwich panel. A metal slat has a hole in each end for receiving a reinforcing rod of each slab, and the slat extends through a middle insulating layer. This anchor is not intended to anchor the panel to a foundation, but is instead part of the internal panel structure. Marks, like Dunker, is another wasteful sandwich arrangement.
Porter, U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,600, issued on Aug. 14, 1990, teaches an interface for mounting a brick wall covering on an existing concrete wall or slab. One side of an angled member is attached to slab to form a shelf, additionally secured by a bracket. Studs extend through and join a foam layer to the slab. Mesh is placed over the foam layer and brick is laid on the shelf in front of the foam. Porter does not teach an effective, economical approach to constructing a new, insulated wall.
Huettemann, U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,702, issued on Jun. 27, 1989, discloses a three-layer panel. The middle panel is an insulating slab such as foam polystyrene. A sheet of particle board is joined to one side and grooves are cut into the other side of the foam slab. Concrete is poured over the grooved side so that the concrete fills the grooves and creates structural ribs. Pouring continues until a layer of concrete is formed on top of the foam slab. Reinforcing rods may be placed in the grooves to strengthen the ribs. No efficient anchoring or lateral connection means are provided.
Zimmerman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,803, issued on Jun. 21, 1988, describes a multi-layer insulating panel having preformed concrete ribs. The ribs, referred to as studs, have metal connecting members protruding from one edge. The ribs are placed in parallel relationship in a jig with the connecting members protruding upward. Additional ribs are formed to create a border around the inside of the jig. A layer of insulating material is placed on top of the ribs and the protruding members pierce through the insulation material. Wire mesh is laid over the insulating material and concrete poured on top of the mesh. The concrete hardens around the connecting members but does not form a true unitary structure.
Other references include Brostrom, U.S. Pat. No. 1,773,168 issued on Aug. 19, 1930; Branson, U.S. Pat. No. 1,840,304 issued on Jan. 12, 1932; Henzel, U.S. Pat. No. 2,321,813 issued on Jun. 15, 1943; Carroll, U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,336 issued on May 23, 1978; Lee, U.S. Pat. No. 4,380,887 issued on Apr. 26, 1983; Walston, U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,126 issued on Apr. 23, 1985; Pardo, U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,243, issued on Mar. 28, 1989; and Linetskii, Russian Patent Number 514,941 issued on Jun. 3, 1976.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a prefabricated panel having a simple design which is inexpensive to construct.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a panel which has an exterior face of high strength and has superior insulating properties.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a panel which is simple to pour and permits rapid fabrication.
It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such a panel which has easy anchoring and interlock means for rapid, strong assembly.