Penetratable form with stiffback

Abstract

A penetratable stiffback useful as a building form is provided and is useful as an integrated member of a forming system in conjunction with a pair of forming panels. The stiffback includes a face panel and a pair of rearwardly projecting support walls, each support wall including a lug projecting outwardly therefrom intermediate the rear margin and the rear of the face panel. The face panel includes a front face for location coplanar with a pair of adjacent forming panels to present a forming system for receiving hardenable material thereagainst, the lugs serving to reinforce the panels on either side. The system includes a connecting member for penetrating the face panel and connection to an opposing forming wall to inhibit separation of the forming walls caused by the weight of the hardenable material poured between the forming walls.

1 . A stiffback for connection to an adjacent forming panel and for use as a building form for a hardenable material comprising: 
 an elongated face panel having a pair of side edges defining a width therebetween less than the length of said face panel and presenting a front face for engagement with the hardenable material and an opposite rear surface;    first and second spaced-apart elongated support walls each extending rearwardly from said rear surface of said face panel proximate said side walls and defining therebetween a channel, each of said walls presenting a rear margin and having a depth defined between said rear surface and said rear margin, said support walls extending rearwardly a greater depth than said width of said face panel, each of said support walls including a lug projecting transversely therefrom and opposite said channel for abutment with an adjacent forming panel, and    an attachment member connected to said each of said support walls proximate said rear margin, each said attachment member including a leg extending transversely from said wall.    
     
     
         2 . A stiffback as set forth in    claim 1   , each of said first and second support walls defining at least one hole therethrough located intermediate said rear surface and said rear margin and adapted to receive a fastener for connecting to an adjacent forming panel.  
     
     
         3 . A stiffback as set forth in    claim 2   , wherein each of said holes is located rearwardly of said rear surface but relatively forwardly of said lug.  
     
     
         4 . A stiffback as set forth in    claim 3   , each of said attachment members including a foot projecting rearwardly from said leg to define a U-shaped gutter bounded by one of the support walls and its respective leg and foot.  
     
     
         5 . A stiffback as set forth in    claim 4   , wherein each of said feet presents a first rail oriented toward its respective support wall and said rear margin presents a second rail oriented toward said first rail to define therebetween a slot of restricted transverse dimension relative to said gutter.  
     
     
         6 . A stiffback as set forth in    claim 5   , wherein said leg on each said support wall is oriented away from said other support wall such that the distance between said feet is greater than the distance between said first and second support walls.  
     
     
         7 . A stiffback as set forth in    claim 1   , including an aperture in said face panel and a connecting member extending through said aperture and abutting said rear margin for resisting displacement of said stiffback in a direction transverse to said face panel.  
     
     
         8 . A forming system for retaining a hardenable material comprising: 
 a first forming panel presenting a first face plate having a first front surface for engagement with the hardenable material and a first side rail;    a second forming panel presenting a second face plate having a first front surface for engagement with the hardenable material and a second side rail;    a stiffback including: 
 an elongated face panel having a pair of side edges defining a width therebetween less than the length of said face panel and presenting a front face for engagement with the hardenable material and an opposite rear surface,  
 first and second spaced-apart support walls extending rearwardly from said face panel opposite said face and defining therebetween a channel, each of said walls presenting a rear margin located at a greater depth from said rear surface than the width of said face panel, each of said support walls including a lug projecting transversely therefrom and opposite said channel for abutment with an adjacent forming panel, and  
 an attachment member connected to said each of said support walls proximate said rear margin, each said attachment member including a leg extending transversely from said wall; and  
   a fastener connecting respective first and second side rails of each of said first and second forming panels to respective ones of said first and second support walls with said face panel substantially coplanar with said respective first and second face plates and said lug on each of said first and second support walls positioned adjacent the respective first and second side rails of said first and second forming panels.    
     
     
         9 . A forming system as set forth in    claim 8   , each of said first and second support walls of said stiffback defining at least one hole there-through located intermediate said rear surface and said rear margin and adapted to receive said fastener therethrough for connecting to one of said adjacent forming panels.  
     
     
         10 . A forming system as set forth in    claim 9   , wherein each of said holes is located rearwardly of said rear surface but relatively forwardly of said lug.  
     
     
         11 . A forming system as set forth in    claim 10   , each of said attachment members including a foot projecting rearwardly from said leg to define a U-shaped gutter bounded by one of the support walls and its respective leg and foot.  
     
     
         12 . A forming system as set forth in    claim 11   , wherein each of said feet of said stiffback presents a first rail oriented toward its respective support wall and said rear margin presents a second rail oriented toward said first rail to define therebetween a slot of restricted transverse dimension relative to said gutter.  
     
     
         13 . A forming system as set forth in    claim 12   , wherein said leg on each said support wall of said stiffback is oriented away from said other support wall such that the distance between said feet is greater than the distance between said first and second support walls.  
     
     
         14 . A forming system as set forth in    claim 8   , including a opposing forming wall located opposite said face panel, said stiffback including an aperture in said face panel and a connecting member extending through said aperture, said connecting member engaging said opposing forming wall and also engaging said rear margin for resisting displacement of said stiffback in a direction away from said opposing forming wall.  
     
     
         15 . A method of forming flowable, hardenable material comprising the steps of: 
 providing a first forming panel presenting a first front surface, a second forming panel presenting a second front surface, and a first stiffback presenting a face panel and having a width, said face panel presenting a first front face, said stiffback including a pair of support walls extending rearwardly from said face panel;    positioning said first stiffback intermediate said first forming panel and said second forming with said first face substantially coplanar with said first front surface and said second front surface;    fastening said first stiffback to said first forming panel and said second forming panel to define a first forming wall;    providing a second forming wall located opposite said first forming wall to define therebetween a material receiving region;    providing a first aperture in said face panel of said stiffback intermediate said support walls and a second aperture through said second forming wall opposite said stiffback;    inserting a connecting member through said first aperture and said second aperture and across said material receiving region for interconnecting said first forming wall and said second forming wall; and    delivering flowable, hardenable material into the material receiving region between said first forming wall and said second forming wall in contact with said first front surface, said second front surface and said face.