Truss and rebar reinforced concrete structures

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention comprise apparatuses and methods of manufacturing and installing reinforced concrete structures. The reinforced concrete structures utilize trusses and rebar to form a support structure. A screed guide bar is removeably coupled to the support structure. Concrete is supplied to the support structure, and screeding occurs to form the reinforced concrete structure from the support structure (e.g., rebar mats and trusses) and concrete. The use of trusses and the screed guide bar allow for the formation of a reinforced concrete structure without the need for using spacers and standees to position the mats, or performing position checks to determine the position of the concrete during screeding. The screed bar guide allows workers to quickly form the desired surface of the reinforced concrete structure, remove the screed bar, and fill any void left by the screed bar, as necessary.

1 . A support apparatus, comprising:
 one or more mats;   one or more trusses operatively coupled to the one or more mats to form a support structure; and   wherein the support structure is at least partially surrounded by concrete to form a reinforced concrete support.   
     
     
         2 . The support apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a screed guide bar operatively coupled to the support structure; and   wherein the screed guide bar is used as a positioning device to screed the concrete.   
     
     
         3 . The support apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the screed guide bar is removeably coupled to the support structure such that it can be removed from the support structure after screeding. 
     
     
         4 . The support apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein a void left by the removal of the screed guide bar is at least partially filled with concrete. 
     
     
         5 . The support apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the screed guide bar is used as the positioning device to screed the concrete, such that no additional positioning devices are required to determine a position of the concrete during screeding. 
     
     
         6 . The support apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more mats comprise a bottom mat, a top mat, and an intermediate mat; and wherein one of the one or more trusses are operatively coupled between the bottom mat and the intermediate mat, and another of the one or more trusses are operatively coupled between the intermediate mat and the top mat. 
     
     
         7 . The support apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more trusses are operatively coupled to the one or more mats, such that no additional positioning of the mats with spacers is required. 
     
     
         8 . The support apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 cross-bracing between two or more trusses to provide additional support in the reinforced concrete structure.   
     
     
         9 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a screed guide bar removeably coupled to a support structure;   wherein the support structure comprises at least one rebar mat and at least one truss; and   wherein the screed guide bar is used during screeding, after concrete covers at least a portion of the support structure, to position a level of the concrete using at least a portion of the screed guide bar as a guide.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein a void left by the removal of the screed guide bar after screeding is at least partially filled with concrete. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the screed guide bar is used as the positioning device to screed the concrete, such that no additional positioning devices are required to position the level of the concrete during screeding. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the support structure comprises a bottom mat, a top mat, and an intermediate mat; and wherein trusses are operatively coupled between the bottom mat and the intermediate mat, and trusses are operatively coupled between the intermediate mat and the top mat. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the truss is operatively coupled to the mats, such that no additional positioning of the mats with spacers is required. 
     
     
         14 . A method for forming a reinforced concrete structure, comprising:
 installing trusses;   installing mats, wherein the mats are operatively coupled to the trusses to form a support structure;   installing a screed guide bar, wherein the screed guide bar is operatively coupled to the support structure;   supplying concrete to the support structure; and   screeding the concrete into a proper position using a screed bar and at least a portion of the screed guide bar as a guide.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the screed guide bar is removeably coupled to the support structure such that after screeding at least a portion of the concrete, the method further comprises:
 removing the screed guide bar from the support structure; and   filling at least a portion of a void left by the screed guide bar with concrete.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the screed guide bar is used as a positioning device to screed the concrete, such that no additional positioning devices are required to determine the proper position of the concrete during screeding. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the mats are operatively coupled to the trusses such that no additional positioning of the mats with spacers is required. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein installing the trusses comprises installing at least partially pre-assembled trusses at the installation site. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein installing the trusses comprises instilling cross bracing between two or more trusses to provide additional support in the reinforced concrete structure. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein installing the mats comprises assembling rebar in cross-patterns.