Formwork for the production of concrete articles

Abstract

A formwork for the production of concrete articles includes: a supporting beam with a development axis; a panel which has an outer surface designed to be in contact with a concrete casting, the panel being connected on an inner side to the beam and being curvable around a transverse direction relative to the development axis of the beam; and a connector, present in the area of one end of the beam, allowing connection of the beam to another structure. The connector includes: a slide connected to the beam to perform a translation or rotation movement, or both, the slide carrying a first fastener connecting the beam to another adjacent beam, and a second fastener connecting the beam to a supporting structure; and an adjustment mechanism which acts on the slide to move it continuously between a retracted position and an extended position, adjusting its position relative to the beam.

Claims

1. A formwork (1) for the production of concrete articles comprising: at least one supporting beam (10) with a development axis (X); at least one panel (20) which has an outer surface (23a) designed to be in contact with a concrete casting, said panel (20) being connected from an inner side (23b) to the beam and being curvable around a transverse direction (Y) relative to the development axis (X) of said beam; connection means (40), present in the area of at least one end of said beam, adapted to allow connection of the beam (10) to another structure; wherein said connection means (40) comprise: at least one slide (41) connected to the beam (10) so as to perform a translation or rotation movement, or both, said slide (41) carrying a first fastening means (44a), to connect the beam (10) to another adjacent beam, and a second fastening means (44b), to connect said beam (10) to a supporting structure; an adjustment mechanism (50) which acts on the slide (41) to move it continuously between a retracted position and an extended position, adjusting its position relative to the beam.

2. The formwork (1) according to claim 1, wherein said slide (41) is slidingly connected to the beam (10) and is movable in a direction substantially parallel to the development direction (X) of the beam.

3. The formwork (1) according to claim 2, wherein said adjustment mechanism (50) comprises a threaded bar (51) connected to the slide (41) and to the beam (10) and rotatingly mounted around an axis (Xb) substantially parallel to the development axis (X), said threaded bar (51) cooperating with at least one threaded insert (52a, 52b), integral with the slide (41) or with the beam (10), so that the rotation of said threaded bar (51) causes movement of the slide (41).

4. The formwork (1) according to claim 2, wherein at least in the area of one end of the beam (10) a housing (11) is obtained inside which said slide (41) can run.

5. The formwork (1) according to claim 2, wherein said slide (41) comprises constraint means (47, 48a) adapted to cooperate with an abutment (14, 19) of the beam.

6. The formwork (1) according to claim 1, wherein said adjustment mechanism (50) comprises a threaded bar (51) connected to the slide (41) and to the beam (10) and rotatingly mounted around an axis (Xb) substantially parallel to the development axis (X), said threaded bar (51) cooperating with at least one threaded insert (52a, 52b), integral with the slide (41) or with the beam (10), so that the rotation of said threaded bar (51) causes movement of the slide (41).

7. The formwork (1) according to claim 6, wherein said slide (41) comprises a pair of facing plates (42a, 42b) parallel to each other and rigidly coupled.

8. The formwork (1) according to claim 7, wherein said threaded insert (52a) is arranged between said plates (42a, 4ab).

9. The formwork (1) according to claim 6, wherein at least in the area of one end of the beam (10) a housing (11) is obtained inside which said slide (41) can run.

10. The formwork (1) according to claim 6, wherein said slide (41) comprises constraint means (47, 48a) adapted to cooperate with an abutment (14, 19) of the beam.

11. The formwork (1) according to claim 1, wherein at least in the area of one end of the beam (10) a housing (11) is obtained inside which said slide (41) can run.

12. The formwork (1) according to claim 11, wherein the beam (10) comprises two section bars (10a, 10b) arranged side by side and substantially parallel to each other between which the said housing (11) is comprised.

13. The formwork (1) according to claim 12, wherein said slide (41) comprises constraint means (47, 48a) adapted to cooperate with an abutment (14, 19) of the beam.

14. The formwork (1) according to claim 11, wherein said slide (41) comprises constraint means (47, 48a) adapted to cooperate with an abutment (14, 19) of the beam.

15. The formwork (1) according to claim 1, wherein said slide (41) comprises constraint means (47, 48a) adapted to cooperate with an abutment (14, 19) of the beam.

16. The formwork (1) according to claim 15, wherein said constraint means comprise brackets (47) which extend laterally from the slide (41), adapted to cooperate resting on a lower surface (14) of the beam.

17. The formwork (1) according to claim 15, wherein said slide (41) comprises a pair of facing plates (42a, 42b) parallel to each other and rigidly coupled; and wherein said constraint means comprise a transverse element (48), interposed between the two plates (42a, 42b), adapted to slide on an abutment (19) integral with the beam (10) and obtained in a housing of the adjustment mechanism (50).

18. The formwork (1) according to claim 1, wherein the first and second fastening means on the slide (41) comprise holes (44a, 44b) adapted to house pins or bolts.

19. The formwork (1) according to claim 1, further comprising stroke end means (45) adapted to limit the movement of the slide (41) between the retracted position and the extended position.

20. The formwork (1) according to claim 19, wherein said stroke end means comprise at least one slot (45) obtained in the slide (41), which slidingly houses a respective pin (46) integral with the beam (10), the major axis of said slot (45) being arranged substantially parallel to the development axis (X) of the beam (10).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the description of a preferred but non-exclusive embodiment of a formwork as illustrated in the attached figures in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a front view of a formwork, according to a variation of the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a view of the beam of the formwork of FIG. 1, sectioned along a plane parallel to the main development axis;

(4) FIG. 3 is a view of the beam of the formwork of FIG. 1, sectioned along a plane transverse to the main development axis;

(5) FIGS. 4a and 4b are a front view and a lateral view respectively of the slide of the formwork of FIG. 1;

(6) FIG. 5 is a front view of equipment comprising formworks according to the invention, arranged in a tunnel.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(7) With reference to the attached figures, the number 1 indicates overall a formwork for the production of concrete articles, or equivalent construction materials, which have at least one curved surface.

(8) The formwork 1 comprises at least a supporting beam 10 and at least a panel 20 which defines the “shell” adapted to give the curved shape to said surface of the article.

(9) According to a preferred variation illustrated in the example of the figures, the beam 10 comprises a pair of rectilinear section bars 10a, 10b which develop along a main axis X.

(10) For example, the beam can have a coupled double UPN profile, or other forms commonly used in engineering and construction. In this way it is possible to use catalogue-ordered materials supplied by the majority of suppliers, limiting production costs.

(11) However, the beam can have any shape, for example partly or wholly arched or with one or more curved sides. In this case the development axis X is positioned in the direction of the largest dimension of the beam and is parallel to the panel 20, when the latter is flat.

(12) The beam 10 is preferably made of metal or other materials suited to withstanding the stress transmitted by the concrete casting to the panel. According to the arrangement of the formwork during use, said stress originates from the hydrostatic thrust of the casting or, in the case of the production of vaults of tunnels and the like, also from its weight.

(13) The panel 20 comprises a flat sheet having a different thickness depending on the component material. Typically, the panel is made of metal, for example steel, but can equally be made of wood or laminated plastic materials. Said thickness, in any case, is such as to allow the panel to be bent without being damaged and at the same time withstand the pressure exerted by the casting without being deformed.

(14) The panel 20 typically has a rectangular or square shape with a front edge 21 and a rear edge, not visible in the figure, parallel to the axis X of the beam 10 and two lateral edges 22a, 22b substantially perpendicular to said axis X.

(15) The dimensions of the panel 20 are variable according to requirements. Generally, the panel has a width, in the direction X, ranging from 0.3 metres to 3 metres, and a length ranging from 0.5 metres to 6 metres.

(16) According to the length of the panel 20, the formwork 1 can comprise one single beam 10, for example in the centre of the panel lengthwise, two beams 10, in the area of the front and rear edges of the panel respectively, or further beams 10 arranged between said front and rear edges.

(17) The panel 20 is connected to the beam 10 in the area of an inner surface 23b, the one facing downwards in the attached figures. The outer surface 23a, on the other hand, is designed to come into contact with the concrete casting.

(18) In the example in the figures, the panel 20 is connected to the beam 10 by means of an adjustment device, indicated overall by the number 30, which allows both variation of the curvature of said panel 20 around a direction Y transverse relative to the axis X of the beam 10, and transfer to said beam of the forces discharged by the casting. The beam according to the invention can, however, be provided with adjustment devices different from the one illustrated and of known type. The adjustment device will therefore not be described in further detail.

(19) According to the invention, the formwork is equipped with connection means, indicated overall by the number 40, positioned in the area of at least one of its ends, or preferably of both, as in the example of the figures.

(20) Said connection means comprise a slide 41 running in a direction parallel to the axis X of the beam 10 between a retracted position, in which it is at a minimum distance from the centre line of the beam 10, and an extended position, in which it is at a minimum distance from the above-mentioned centre line of the beam 10.

(21) In further detail, said slide 41 is arranged in the space between the two section bars 10a, 10b of the beam 10, which defines a housing 11.

(22) According to a preferred variation, the slide 41 comprises two plates 42a, 42b facing each other and rigidly coupled by means of one or more spacers 48 adapted to maintain them substantially parallel at a given distance.

(23) The width dimension of the slide 41 is calculated according to the width of the housing 11, namely the distance between the two section bars 10a, 10b of the beam 10. In particular, the two plates 42a, 42b are arranged at a distance such that the respective outer surfaces 43a, 43b are substantially in contact with the respective inner sides 12a, 12b of said section bars.

(24) The slide 40 is equipped with fastening means 44a, 44b which allow connection of the beam to other structures. In the example of the figures, said fastening means comprise holes, or slots, adapted to house pins, bolts and the like.

(25) In further detail, the slide 41 comprises a first hole 44a for connection of the beam 10 to an adjacent beam, for example to another slide 41 of an identical beam 10. The slide 41 further comprises a second hole 44b to which a supporting structure 100 can be connected, adapted to support the various formworks such as, for example, the equipment illustrated in FIG. 5. In the variation illustrated, said holes 44a, 44b cross both the plates 42a, 42b.

(26) The movement of the slide 41 relative to the beam 10 is limited by stroke end means and by constraint means.

(27) The stroke end means comprise a slot 45 obtained on at least one and preferably on both the plates 42a, 42b. The slot 45 is arranged with its major axis substantially parallel to the development axis X of the beam 10.

(28) The slot 45 houses a pin 46 mounted integral on the beam 10. The length of the major axis of the slot 45 coincides substantially with the stroke which the slide can perform along the axis X between the retracted position and the extended position.

(29) The slot 45 and the pin 46, in addition to the above-mentioned stroke end function, also have a structural function since through the pin 46 a part of the loads on the beam 10 are transmitted to the slide 41.

(30) The constraint means comprise a pair of brackets 47, projecting laterally from the slide 41, on which the lower side 14 of the beam 10 rests, and more precisely of the respective section bars 10a, 10b.

(31) Said brackets 47 have the job of constraining rotation of the slide 41 relative to the beam 10 and the task of transmitting to said slide the stress which the beam 10 receives from the panel 20.

(32) Preferably, the constraint means further comprise a transverse element 48a interposed between the plates 42a, 42b which slides in contact with an abutment element 19 integral with the beam 10.

(33) Preferably said abutment element 19 is obtained in a housing 18 which also houses part of the adjustment system described below.

(34) The element 48a also acts as a spacer for the plates 42a, 42b.

(35) According to the invention, adjustment of the position of the fastening means, and therefore movement of the slide 41, is carried out by means of an adjustment mechanism indicated overall by the number 50.

(36) According to a preferred variation, the adjustment mechanism comprises a threaded bar 51 mounted in a rotating manner relative to the beam and housed between the inner walls of the two section bars 10a, 10b of the beam 10. The threaded bar 51 is arranged with its rotation axis Xb substantially parallel to the development axis X of the beam.

(37) Said threaded bar 51 comprises two threaded portions 53a, 53b, respectively screw-tightened in a first insert 52a integral with the slide 41 and with second insert 52b integral with the beam 10. The first insert 52a is preferably arranged between the plates 42a, 42b of the slide 41. The second insert 52b is preferably housed between the section bars 10a, 10b of the beam 10. Preferably said second insert 52b is mounted in the housing 18 of the beam 10.

(38) Rotation of the threaded portions of the bar in the respective inserts causes movement of the slide 41 along the axis X. The rotation of the threaded bar 51 can be imparted by using an appropriate tool on a head 54 positioned at one of the ends.

(39) The screw adjustment mechanism thus conceived allows the slide 41 to be arranged and maintained in any intermediate position between the extreme retracted and extended positions.

(40) Due to said adjustment it is possible to place the holes 44a of the fastening means at a distance that allows, by joining several formworks 1 to one another, the respective panels 20 to be positioned so that the outer surfaces 23a form a curved, continuous and uniform profile, as shown in FIG. 5.

(41) Said distance can be easily obtained by means of calculations once the curvature of the profile and the dimensions of the formwork are known.

(42) According to a possible variation, the formwork can be provided with appropriate markers adapted to indicate the distance of the holes 44a, 44b of the fastening means from a fixed reference on the beam, for example the centre line or other.

(43) Adjustment of the position of the slides 41 can be made either with the formworks 1 dismantled and on the ground or when they are already installed on the equipment 100, for example to perform final precision adjustments.

(44) In the example of FIG. 5, the formworks 1 are mounted on equipment 100 and arranged side by side to create a curved surface C of a vault of a tunnel G.

(45) Due to the present invention it is therefore possible to arrange and connect to one another the various formworks more quickly and simply than in the case of the formworks of the known art. In fact, during use of the formwork, the slides are always blocked in rotation and translation by the adjustment mechanism. In this way, in the area of the connection point between two adjacent beams, even only one supporting element of the equipment 100 is sufficient.

(46) The adjustment system thus produced is furthermore simple and reliable in addition to being inexpensive to produce.

(47) The invention has been described for illustrative non-limiting purposes, according to some preferred embodiments. A person skilled in the art will be able to find numerous other embodiments and variations, all falling within the protective scope of the following claims.