Modular form for building a preinsulated, roughly finished concrete wall and method of building a structure therewith

Abstract

A system of building modules that may readily be assembled into wall structures that, when filled with concrete, form an insulated, roughly-finished wall structure ready to receive both exterior and interior wall treatments. The building modules may be readily assembled by relatively untrained personnel and form walls typically having an overall R-value in the range of approximately 30. The novel building modules eliminate the need for setting traditional concrete forms and of finishing a bare concrete wall. The modules are provided in various lengths, the lengths typically being multiples of 16 inches.

1 . A building module adapted for modular construction of a roughly finished, insulated, lost form concrete wall, comprising:
 a} a pair of vertically disposed, spaced apart planar front and rear members each having a height, a width, a thickness, a top edge, a bottom edge, a right edge and a left edge, and inward facing major surface and an outward facing major surface, said inward facing major surface of said front member facing said inward facing major surface of said rear member;   b) an elongated planar top member having a front edge and a rear edge disposed parallel to a major axis thereof, an inward-facing major surface, and an outward facing major surface, said top member being disposed between said vertically disposed front member and said vertically disposed rear member, said front edge of said top member abutting said inward facing major surface of said vertically disposed front member, said rear edge of said top member abutting said inward facing major surface of said vertically disposed rear member, said outward facing surface of said top member being aligned evenly with said top edge of each of said vertically disposed front member and said vertically disposed rear member, said left edge of said top member being aligned with said left edge of each of said vertically disposed front member and said vertically disposed rear member and said right edge of said top member being aligned with said right edge of each of said vertically disposed front member and said vertically disposed rear member;   c} an elongated planar bottom member having a front edge and a rear edge disposed parallel to a major axis thereof, an inward-facing major surface, and an outward facing major surface, said bottom member being disposed between said vertically disposed front member and said vertically disposed rear member, said front edge of said bottom member abutting said inward facing major surface of said vertically disposed front member, said rear edge of said bottom member abutting said inward facing major surface of said vertically disposed rear member, said outward facing surface of said bottom member being aligned evenly with said bottom edge of each of said vertically disposed front member and said vertically disposed rear member, said left edge of said bottom member being aligned with said left edge of each of said vertically disposed front member and said vertically disposed rear member and said right edge of said bottom member being aligned with said right edge of each of said vertically disposed front member and said vertically disposed rear member, said planar bottom member being disposed substantially parallel to said planar top member, said vertically disposed front member, said vertically disposed rear member, said planar top member and said planar bottom defining a rectangular parallelepiped having a hollow interior region;   d) at least one opening into said hollow interior region disposed in at least one of said planar top member and said planar bottom member, said at least one opening being sized and configured to receive poured concrete for placement in said hollow interior space;   e) at least two parallel horizontal support strips each having a length, a height, a thickness, a left edge, and a right edge disposed on and attached to said inward facing major surface of both of said vertically disposed front member and said vertically disposed rear member, said at least two horizontal support strips being disposed substantially parallel to said respective top and bottom edges of respective ones of said vertically disposed front member and said vertically disposed rear member, said left edge of each of said at least two horizontal support strips being aligned with said left edge of a respective one of vertically disposed front member and said vertically disposed rear member, said right edge of each of said at least two horizontal support strips being aligned with said right edge of a respective one of vertically disposed front member and said vertically disposed rear member;   f) an insulation sheet having a top edge, a bottom edge, a left edge, a right edge, and an outward-facing major surface attached to an inward facing surface of each of said at least two horizontal support strips, said top edge and said bottom edge of said insulation sheet abutting said inward facing major surface of a respective one of said planar top member and said planar bottom member, said right edge and said left edge of said insulation sheet being aligned with respective ones of said right edge and said left edge of respective ones of said vertically disposed front member and said vertically disposed rear member; and   g) an air gap formed between said outward facing major surface of said insulation sheet and an inward facing surface of a respective one of said vertically disposed front member and said vertically disposed rear member.   
     
     
         2 . The building module adapted for modular construction of a roughly finished, insulated, lost form concrete wall as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 h) a planar end sealing member having a top edge, a bottom edge, a left edge, a right edge, and an outward facing major surface, disposed at least one position selected from the group: proximate said right edge of said vertically disposed front member, and proximate said left edge of said vertically disposed front member, said planar end member being disposed substantially perpendicular to, each of said vertically disposed front member, said vertically disposed rear member, said planar top member, and said planar bottom member, said top edge of planar end sealing member abutting said inward facing major surface of said planar top member, said bottom edge of planar end sealing member abutting said inward facing major surface of said planar bottom member, said left edge of planar end sealing member abutting said inward facing major surface of a respective one of said vertically disposed rear member and said vertically disposed front member, said right edge of planar end sealing member abutting said inward facing major surface of a respective one of said vertically disposed rear member and said vertically disposed front member, said outward facing major surface thereof being aligned with respective ones of said left edges and said right edges of all of said vertically disposed front member, said vertically disposed rear member, said planar top member, and said planar bottom member.   
     
     
         3 . The building module adapted for modular construction of a roughly finished, insulated, lost form concrete wall as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 h) means for supporting rebar disposed in at least one of said planar top member and said planar bottom member.   
     
     
         4 . The building module adapted for modular construction of a roughly finished, insulated, lost form concrete wall as recited in  claim 3 , wherein said means for supporting rebar comprises a first through-hole in said planar top member and a second through-hole in said planar bottom member, said first through-hole and said second through-hole being aligned to define an axis substantially perpendicular to a major surface of said top member and substantially parallel to said vertically disposed front member and said vertically disposed rear member, said axis being disposed approximately equidistant from each of said vertically disposed front member and said vertically disposed rear member. 
     
     
         5 . The building module adapted for modular construction of a roughly finished, insulated, lost form concrete wall as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 h) means for sealing a first of said building modules to a second adjacent one of said building modules to prevent egress of concrete poured into said interior region.   
     
     
         6 . The building module adapted for modular construction of a roughly finished, insulated, lost form concrete wall as recited in  claim 5 , wherein said means for sealing comprises means for sealing an end surface of said building module to and end surface of a second building module abutted end-to-end thereto. 
     
     
         7 . The building module adapted for modular construction of a roughly finished, insulated, lost form concrete wall as recited in  claim 5 , wherein said means for sealing comprises means for sealing at least one of a top surface and a bottom surface of a first building module to at least one of a top surface and a bottom surface of a second building module vertically aligned with and adjacent to said first building, module. 
     
     
         8 . The building module adapted for modular construction of a roughly finished, insulated, lost form concrete wall as recited in  claim 5 , wherein said means for sealing comprises means at least one selected from the group: a tongue-and-groove seal, and a groove and spline arrangement. 
     
     
         9 . The building module adapted for modular construction of a roughly finished, insulated, lost form concrete wall as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said building module comprises a corner building module comprising a first portion and a second portion contiguous with and orthogonal to said first portion. 
     
     
         10 . The building module adapted for modular construction of a roughly finished, insulated, lost form concrete wall as recited in  claim 1 , wherein each of said front vertical member, said rear vertical member, said top member, and said bottom member comprise pressure treated plywood. 
     
     
         11 . The building module adapted for modular construction of an insulated, lost form concrete wall as recited in  claim 10 , wherein each of said front vertical members and said rear vertical member have a nominal thickness of approximately ¾ inch. 
     
     
         12 . The building module adapted for modular construction of an insulated, lost form concrete wall as recited in  claim 10 , wherein each of said top member and said bottom member have a nominal thickness of approximately ½ inch. 
     
     
         13 . The building module adapted for modular construction of an insulated, lost form concrete wall as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said top front horizontal strip, said bottom front horizontal strip, said top rear horizontal strip, said bottom rear horizontal strip, said middle front horizontal strip, and said rear middle horizontal strip comprise pressure treated lumber having a nominal dimension of approximately 1×2 inches. 
     
     
         14 . A method of erecting a concrete wall, the steps comprising:
 a) providing a foundation adapted to receive a modular, insulated, lost concrete form;   b) attaching a U-shaped starter channel to an upper surface of said foundation;   c) providing a plurality of building modules adapted for modular construction of an insulated, lost form concrete wall, each of said building modules comprising a hollow, rectangular parallelepiped adapted to receive concrete in a hollow interior region thereof, each of said building modules comprising at least two horizontal support strips disposed within said hollow interior region substantially parallel to a major axis thereof and attached to least one of a front vertical member, and a rear vertical member adjacent at least one of a top member and a bottom member and comprising sheet insulation attached to an inward-facing surface of said at least two horizontal support strips, said insulation sheet forming an air cavity between an outward-facing surface thereof and inward-facing surface of a respective one of said front vertical member and said rear vertical member, and an opening sized and configured to receive poured concrete in said interior region disposed in at least one of said top member and said bottom member;   d) placing a first course of said plurality of building modules in said U-shaped starter channel, said plurality of building modules being placed in an abutting, end-to-end arrangement;   e) placing subsequent courses of said plurality of said building modules atop a lower course of said plurality of building modules, said plurality of building modules of each of said subsequent courses being placed in an abutting, end-to-end arrangement to define at least one wall structure;   f) upon completion of said at least one wall structure, placing alignment braces on an interior face of said at least one wall structure; and   g) filling said at least one wall structure with concrete.   
     
     
         15 . The method of erecting a concrete wall as recited in  claim 14 , the steps further comprising:
 h) when required, placing a spline in at least one of the positions: between an end surface of a first of said plurality of building modules and an end surface of an adjacent, abutted one of said plurality of building modules, and between at least one of a top surface and a bottom surface of a first one of said plurality of building modules and a corresponding one of said top surface and said bottom surface of an corresponding one of said plurality of building modules in an adjacent course of building modules.   
     
     
         16 . The method of erecting a concrete wall as recited in  claim 14 , wherein said providing step (c) comprises providing at least one building module comprising a corner building module comprising a first portion and a second portion contiguous with and orthogonal to said first portion. 
     
     
         17 . The method of erecting a concrete wall as recited in  claim 16 , wherein said placing step (d) comprises placing said at least one building module comprising a corner building module comprising a first portion and a second portion contiguous with and orthogonal to said first portion. 
     
     
         18 . The method of erecting a concrete wall as recited in  claim 17 , the steps further comprising:
 h) when required, placing a spline in at least one of the positions: between an end surface of a first of said plurality of building modules and an end surface of an adjacent, abutted one of said plurality of building modules, and between at least one of a top surface and a bottom surface of a first one of said plurality of building modules and a corresponding one of said top surface and said bottom surface of an corresponding one of said plurality of building modules in an adjacent course of building modules.