Building construction system

Abstract

A grid device for horizontally disposing reinforcement rods in a poured-in-place wall mold cavity formed on a building site and defined by opposed molding surfaces of opposed vertically disposed wall molding panels. The grid device comprises a plurality of elongate elements and a plurality of tie members fixedly connected substantially perpendicular to and laterally spaced with respect to each other along the elongate elements for freely positioning the reinforcement rods within the mold cavity at a preselected horizontal location between the opposed molding surfaces and at preselected vertical locations spaced along the molding surfaces. The grid device is sufficiently rigid to project outwardly from a vertically disposed molding surface and to horizontally suspend the reinforcement rods when the grid device is attached to the vertically disposed molding surface. The grid device is removably attached to the wall forming panels for extending vertically along and substantially parallel to the vertically disposed molding surfaces to retain the reinforcement rods in place between the wall forming panels at preselected horizontal and vertical locations while hardenable material is being poured into the wall mold cavity and allowed to harden.

1 . A grid device for horizontally, freely disposing and suspending reinforcement rods in a poured-in-place wall mold cavity formed on a building site of opposed vertically disposed wall molding panels that define opposed molding surfaces, said grid device comprising: 
 a) a plurality of elongate elements and a plurality of tie members fixedly connected substantially perpendicular to and laterally spaced with respect to each other along said elongate elements for freely positioning said reinforcement rods within said mold cavity at a preselected horizontal location between said opposed molding surfaces and at preselected vertical locations spaced along said molding surfaces,    b) said grid device is sufficiently rigid to project outwardly from a vertically disposed molding surface and to horizontally suspend the reinforcement rods when said grid device is attached to said vertically disposed molding surface, and    c) means for removably attaching said grid device to said wall forming panels for extending vertically along and substantially parallel to the vertically disposed molding surfaces to retain said reinforcement rods in place between said wall forming panels at said preselected horizontal and vertical locations while hardenable material is being poured into said wall mold cavity and allowed to harden.    
   
   
       2 . A grid device as defined in  claim 1  wherein 
 said preselected horizontal location is spaced inwardly from each said molding surface.    
   
   
       3 . A grid device as defined in  claim 1  wherein 
 said grid device includes rod locating means for maintaining said reinforcement rods at a plurality of said preselected horizontal locations horizontally spaced inwardly from each said opposed molding surface while hardenable material is being poured into said mold cavity.    
   
   
       4 . A grid device as defined in  claim 3  wherein 
 said rod locating means includes a pair of parallel elongate elements fixedly extending across said plurality of vertically spaced tie members at each horizontal location between said molding surfaces to freely retain a horizontally disposed reinforcement rod.    
   
   
       5 . A grid device as defined in  claim 3  wherein 
 said means for attaching said grid device to said wall forming panels includes a loop at each end of an upper said tie member and at each end of a lower said tie member,    each said upper and lower tie members having loop end portions which are formed back upon itself to define said loops, and    each opposed molding surface includes means for receiving said loop end portions of said upper and lower tie members for removably attaching the grid device to said wall panels.    
   
   
       6 . A method for producing on a building site a vertically disposed poured-in-place wall structure having horizontally disposed reinforcement rods therein, said method comprises the steps of: 
 a) providing wall molding means including panel holding means for forming laterally spaced, opposed molding surfaces that define a wall mold cavity for forming said wall structure,    b) said wall mold cavity having an upwardly directed top opening into which hardenable material is to be poured and hardened to produce said wall structure within said wall mold cavity,    c) vertically disposing first wall forming means to provide a first molding surface along one side of said wall mold cavity,    d) providing a plurality of separable grid means having two edges for extending vertically along the vertically disposed molding surfaces and being sufficiently rigid for freely positioning and retaining said reinforcement rods horizontally suspended along said first molding surface at a preselected horizontal location laterally spaced from said first molding surface and at preselected vertical locations space along said first molding surface within said mold cavity, then    e) attaching a first edge of said plurality of separable grid means to said wall forming means to project outwardly from said first molding surface, then    f) freely positioning said reinforcement rods to horizontally contiguously rest on said grid means at a spaced distance from said first molding surface and at said preselected vertical locations spaced along said first molding surface, then    g) vertically disposing second wall forming means opposed to the first wall forming means to provide a second molding surface opposed to said first molding surface, and    h) attaching the other outwardly projecting edge of said plurality of grid means to the second wall forming means for retaining said reinforcement rods in place at said preselected horizontal and vertical locations while hardenable material is being poured into said mold cavity and is allowed to harden within said mold cavity.    
   
   
       7 . A method as defined in  claim 6  wherein 
 said plurality of grid means each includes a plurality of vertically disposed retaining means for said reinforcement rods spaced horizontally with respect to each other along said opposed spaced molding surfaces,    said reinforcement rods are horizontally disposed across said plurality of grid means, and are substantially parallel to the molding surfaces and laterally spaced with respect to each other between said molding surfaces.    
   
   
       8 . A method as defined in  claim 6  wherein 
 said first wall forming means includes a plurality of wall forming panels to provide said first molding surface, and    said second wall forming means includes a plurality of wall forming panels to provide said second molding surface.    
   
   
       9 . A method as defined in  claim 8  wherein 
 said wall forming panels are portable for removable vertical disposition to form said wall mold cavity, and    said panel holding means is effective to independently maintain said wall forming panels with respect to each other in said vertical disposition.    
   
   
       10 . A method as defined in  claim 6  wherein 
 said grid means includes a plurality of elongate grid elements that each extend vertically along the vertically disposed molding surfaces and between the opposed molding surfaces, and a plurality of grid tie members horizontally disposed and fixedly attached to and at spaced preselected vertical locations along said elongate grid elements,    said grid means includes rod locating means for maintaining said reinforcement rods at said vertical locations and spaced inwardly from each said opposed molding surface while hardenable material is being poured into said mold cavity.    
   
   
       11 . A method as defined in  claim 10  wherein 
 said rod locating means includes a pair of parallel elongate grid members fixedly extending across said plurality of vertically spaced grid tie members at each horizontal location between said molding surfaces, said pair of parallel elongate grid members being effective to freely retain a suspended reinforcement rod that extends horizontally across the plurality of vertically disposed grid means.    
   
   
       12 . A method as defined in  claim 6  wherein 
 said reinforcement rods include at least two elongate rods laterally spaced with respect to each other with each rod being freely positioned and horizontally suspended at a spaced inward distance from the opposed molding surfaces and at a spaced outward distance from a centerline located between said opposed molding surfaces.    
   
   
       13 . In an assembly formed on a building site for producing a monolithic concrete building including a concrete floor slab, walls, and ceiling; said assembly comprising molding means including a poured-in-place ceiling molding means located above a wall mold cavity disposed on the concrete floor slab for defining inner and outer building walls that form a plurality of rooms defined by a building floor plan, said mold cavity having opposed molding surfaces on vertically disposed, opposed wall molding panels with an upwardly directed top opening into which hardenable material is to be poured and hardened to produce the concrete building having a ceiling structure and a wall structure with horizontally disposed reinforcement rods, the combination comprising: 
 a) a plurality of separable, horizontally laterally spaced grid means suspended to project outwardly from and laterally spaced along said opposed molding surfaces within said mold cavity, each said grid means including a plurality of horizontal tie members that are disposed at vertically spaced preselected vertical locations for contiguously supporting said horizontally extending reinforcement rods being freely contiguously disposed on said tie members,    b) said grid means being effective to retain the freely contiguously disposed reinforcement rods suspended substantially parallel to said molding surfaces and suspended at a plurality of horizontal locations vertically spaced along and between said opposed wall surfaces, and    c) means for removably attaching said grid means to said opposed wall molding panels at laterally spaced horizontal distances with respect to each other to retain said suspended reinforcement rods in place while hardenable material is being poured into said wall mold cavity and allowed to harden,    d) said floor slab having a top surface and upstanding inner and outer wall portions projecting upwardly from the floor slab top surface that define a profile of inner and outer building walls according to said building floor plan,    e) said wall forming panels including outer edges and being effective to be vertically, contiguously disposed edge-to-edge along opposed sides of said upstanding inner and outer wall portions to define said wall structure having a top plan profile according to said building floor plan,    f) said ceiling molding means extending above said wall mold cavity and being effective to form an exterior profile of said upwardly directed mold opening that defines external sides of said building.    
   
   
       14 . The combination as defined in  claim 13  wherein 
 each said grid means includes a plurality of elongate elements for extending vertically in a direction substantially parallel to the molding surfaces with said plurality of horizontal tie members being fixedly connected to and substantially perpendicular to said elongate elements,    said horizontal tie members being vertically spaced with respect to each other to provide contiguous support for said reinforcement rods at said vertically spaced horizontal locations,    said reinforcement rods freely contiguously resting on said horizontal tie members at laterally spaced distances inwardly from each said opposed molding surface.    
   
   
       15 . The combination as defined in  claim 13  wherein 
 each said grid means having a plurality of elongate elements for extending vertically along said vertically disposed molding panels,    each said horizontal tie member being fixedly connected to the vertically disposed elongate elements and extending substantially perpendicular to the molding surfaces to define said vertically spaced horizontal locations,    said tie members being effective to contiguously, freely support the horizontally disposed reinforcement rods at a preselected horizontal location spaced inwardly from each said molding surface within said mold cavity.    
   
   
       16 . The combination as defined in  claim 13  wherein 
 said grid means includes rod locating means for maintaining said reinforcement rods at said plurality of horizontal locations spaced inwardly from each said opposed molding surface while hardenable material is being poured into said mold cavity,    said rod locating means includes two pair of substantially parallel, vertically disposed elongate grid elements fixedly extending across said plurality of vertically spaced, horizontal tie members at each horizontal location between said molding surfaces,    each said pair of elongate grid elements being spaced by an amount effective to freely retain a reinforcement rod that extends horizontally across and normal to each pair of said elongate grid elements, each said pair being spaced inwardly from the opposed molding surfaces and spaced outwardly from a centerline located between said opposed molding surfaces.    
   
   
       17 . The combination as defined in  claim 13  wherein 
 said means for removably attaching each said grid means to said wall forming panels includes a loop at each end of an upper said tie member and at each end of a lower said tie member,    each said upper and lower tie members having loop end portions which are formed back upon itself to define said loops, and    each opposed molding surface includes means for receiving said loop end portions of said upper and lower tie members for removably attaching each grid means to said wall panels.    
   
   
       18 . An assembly as defined in  claim 13  wherein 
 said molding means is removably mounted to said assembly, and    each said grid means is suspended along the vertically disposed molding surfaces.    
   
   
       19 . An assembly as defined in  claim 13  wherein 
 each said grid means includes an upper said tie member and a lower said tie member each having a length longer than respective lengths of a plurality of tie members laterally spaced along said elongate grid elements between said upper and lower tie members,    said length of said upper and lower tie members being longer by an amount sufficient to form distal end coupling portions at each distal end of said upper and lower tie members for extending into said wall forming panels,    each said opposed wall forming panel includes means for receiving said distal end portions of said upper and lower tie members,    said means for attaching said grid means to said wall forming panels includes means for removably connecting each distal end coupling portion received by said wall panel receiving means for removably attaching each grid means to said wall panels.    
   
   
       20 . An assembly as defined in  claim 13  wherein 
 at least two reinforcement rods are laterally spaced with respect to each other and freely positioned horizontally on said tie members so as to suspend each rod at a spaced inward distance from an opposed molding surface and at a spaced outward distance from a centerline located between said opposed molding surfaces.