A permanent form member for a composite construction member comprises an elongated body having an outer wall defining a concrete retaining channel therethrough, and a bracing member extending from the outer wall into the concrete retaining channel. The bracing member comprises ribs fixed to the outer wall at diametrically opposed positions thereon. For use as a beam form the outer wall of the elongated member is open along its entire length such that concrete retaining channel is substantially U-shaped. A method of constructing a composite concrete house frame is provided wherein form members are connected to a foundation wall and filled with concrete to form composite columns. Form members for beams are connected to the composite columns and interconnected to one another and filled with concrete to form a composite lintel supported on the plurality of composite columns.

An insulated concrete form panel system, and method of making same, is provided, the system and method comprising first and second opposed panels forming a cavity therebetween and an internal connector frame serving as a mold for receiving expandable polymer material to form the first and second panels, such that the irreleasably pre-assembled connector frame extends between, and is integral to, first and second panels. The present system provides first and second panel pairs may be mechanically connected to panel pairs positioned adjacent thereto (e.g. above, below, or side-by-side), increasing integrity of the structure.

A reinforcing element includes a first and a second reinforcing mat having metal mat rods, which are welded at angles to each other at junction points, which reinforcing mats are held spaced apart from each other at a normal distance by rod-shaped spacers with respect to the first mat plane and the second mat plane of the reinforcing mats. The spacers are metal and are permanently connected to individual mat rods of the first and second reinforcing mat by welding connections, preferably resistance welding connections, wherein at least individual spacers protrude outward at least beyond the first mat plane of the first reinforcing mat in a direction pointing away from the second reinforcing mat by a first protrusion length. Further, a double wall is furnished with the reinforcing element and a method produces the reinforcing element and the double wall.

In exemplary implementations of this invention, a nozzle sprays foam, layer by layer, to fabricate a fabricated object according to a CAD model, and a subtractive fabrication tool removes material from the fabricated object according to a CAD model. The fabricated object comprises a mold or an interior form. The foam may be low-density, high strength and fast-curing. The foam may be used for large-scale 3D printing. For example, the foam may be used to 3D print molds for walls of homes. The foam molds may be left in place, after casting concrete in the molds, to serve as insulation. Or for example, the foam may be used to 3D print on site an internal form for a large wind turbine blade. The wind turbine blade may then be produced on site by depositing fiberglass on the outside of the internal form.

A method of tensioning concrete is disclosed.

An insulated concrete form panel system, and method of making same, is provided, the system and method comprising first and second opposed panels forming a cavity therebetween and an internal connector frame serving as a mold for receiving expandable polymer material to form the first and second panels, such that the irreleasably pre-assembled connector frame extends between, and is integral to, first and second panels. The present system provides first and second panel pairs may be mechanically connected to panel pairs positioned adjacent thereto (e.g. above, below, or side-by-side), increasing integrity of the structure.

A stay-in-place lining is provided for lining a structure fabricated from concrete. The lining comprises a plurality of panels connectable via complementary connector components on their longitudinal edges. Each panel comprises a first connector component on a first longitudinal edge thereof and a second (complementary) connector component on a second longitudinal edge thereof. The lining comprises at least one edge-to-edge connection between the first connector component of a first panel and the second connector component of a second panel, the edge-to-edge connection comprising a protrusion of the first panel extended into a receptacle of the second panel through a receptacle opening. The receptacle is shaped to prevent removal of the protrusion from the receptacle and the receptacle is resiliently deformed by the extension of the protrusion into the receptacle to thereby apply a restorative force to the protrusion to maintain the edge-to-edge connection.

A barrier system for use with a structure having a wall formed of a plurality of insulating concrete form blocks. The barrier system includes a support member having a web, a first flange, and a second flange extending from opposing ends of the web to define a pair of panel receiving cavities on opposing sides of the web. The first flange has a first wing extending outwardly and perpendicularly from the first flange, and the second flange has a second wing extending outwardly and perpendicularly from the second flange. The support member is positionable on the top end of one of the insulating concrete forms with a top end receivable in one of the panel receiving cavities, and a bottom end of another insulating concrete form is positionable in another one of the panel receiving cavities. One of the first wing and the second wing extends towards the concrete receiving cavity.

Modular, prefabricated insulating concrete forms and methods for fabricating such forms are presented herein. In one aspect, a reinforced cement based coating is disposed over at least the top, bottom, and outward facing surfaces of insulating foam cores comprising two sidewalls of a modular, prefabricated insulating concrete form (ICF). In a further aspect, a cement based finish coating is disposed over a portion of the reinforced cement based coating located over an outward facing surface of a sidewall of the ICF. In another aspect, at least a portion of the top and bottom surfaces of the sidewalls are disposed at an angle with respect to the outward facing surfaces of the sidewalls such that the sloped portions of the bottom and top surfaces are parallel. In this manner, multiple ICFs interlock when stacked on top of one another.

In exemplary implementations of this invention, a nozzle sprays foam, layer by layer, to fabricate a fabricated object according to a CAD model, and a subtractive fabrication tool removes material from the fabricated object according to a CAD model. The fabricated object comprises a mold or an interior form. The foam may be low-density, high strength and fast-curing. The foam may be used for large-scale 3D printing. For example, the foam may be used to 3D print molds for walls of homes. The foam molds may be left in place, after casting concrete in the molds, to serve as insulation. Or for example, the foam may be used to 3D print on site an internal form for a large wind turbine blade. The wind turbine blade may then be produced on site by depositing fiberglass on the outside of the internal form.