Construction products and method of making same

Abstract

A highly durable and easy to use prefabricated construction product is disclosed having a cellular concrete component sandwiched between two cement boards, wherein the cellular concrete component comprises cement, fly ash, an activating agent and water, and the cement boards comprise cement, fly ash, an activating agent, sand, silica fume, a water reducer agent, a reinforcing fiber, and water.

Description

I. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to concrete construction products that are structurally adjustable to suit many applications and to a method of making same. II. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The need for low cost prefabricated wall panels to suit varying structural requirements and varying geographical climates is substantial. Prefabrication of walling is well understood, the most common being made from reinforced concrete in the form of transportable panels. However in actual practice these types of walling systems although speeding up construction have failed to address the industry's need and in most cases have been proved to be more expensive than conventional construction, particularly in developing countries. [0003] Over the years, many substitute building construction products have been brought into the market with varying degrees of success. New concepts have often required construction workers to learn new skills and use new forms of equi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0024] In another embodiment, the cellular concrete, the cement boards, or both contain additional materials to reduce cure time and increase product strength, such materials include, for example, lime, gypsum, plaster of Paris, sodium silicate, accelerators, and polymers in an amount of about trace to about 4% weight based on a combined weight of non-aqueous components.

[0028] In yet another embodiment, there is provided a construction product comprising a lower compartment of regular cement that is poured in the mould. This layer of cement also includes a fiberglass mesh inside. One or more layers of cellular concrete is then poured on the surface of the cement. A final layer of regular cement with fiberglass is then applied on the cellular concrete as the upper compartment of cement. The tickness of the lower and the upper cement layer may be the same or different and range from about 0.25, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, to 3 inch or more. This embodiment, eliminates the need to create separate concrete boards and does not require amalgamating different parts of the cement boards together.

[0029] The construction products of the invention are environment friendly because they use substantial amounts of natural components with reduced construction time and waste.

Problems solved by technology

However in actual practice these types of walling systems although speeding up construction have failed to address the industry's need and in most cases have been proved to be more expensive than conventional construction, particularly in developing countries.

These prior art concepts also affected conventional ways of handling other aspects of construction such as plumbing and electrical work.

For example, replacing the wood frame wall concept with conventional concrete walls or Insulated Concrete Form walls requires construction workers skilled in concrete forming, placement, and curing, affects the way the electrical and plumbing work is performed, and results in a wall system far heavier than the corresponding wood frame system.

Heavier building elements result in higher inertia forces during earthquakes.

Due to the high thermal conductivity of steel, ghost shadowing, which comprises the appearance of a shadow of the metal stud on the gypsum board wall, has also been a problem.

Steel studs can also be susceptible to local or general buckling when subjected to extreme loads or heat.

Because the cement mixture inside the tube is not reinforced for tensile stresses, the casing does not provide sufficient structural function and any cutting of the casing in this product would compromise the structural integrity of the member.

Although this material exhibits improved toughness and ductility which are good properties against missile impact, its compressive strength is low (250 psi or approximately 1 / 20th of conventional concrete).

The fiber-reinforced cellular material discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,620 does not provide the necessary structural strength to permit use of this product as a primary structural element.

However, the structural systems used in such cases are typically based on load-bearing walls, which is a significant departure from framing systems used in wood houses.

Because of its brittleness, fabrication of members such as 2×4's from cellular concrete is not feasible because they would easily break.

AAC processes rely on expensive autoclave equipment to cure a mixture of cement, sand, lime and other materials that have been aerated by the reaction of powdered aluminum and high pH cement / lime.

The AAC system is good for fire resistance and thermal protection, but much more expensive than other systems.

This system has not been fully developed yet and has a few connection issues, it requires additional measure if more than one floor is required.

The relatively high cost of concrete systems is associated with the use and quantity required of Portland cement to make construction quality concrete.

These systems have several drawbacks with respect to structural integrity, economical consideration, and ease of installation.

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