Concrete building construction using supported, fillable structures
AssigneeAutomatic Construction Inc.
InventorAlex Morgan Bell
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A building structure assembly for use with constructing buildings (e.g., dwellings, offices, and so on) is described. In some embodiments, the building structure assembly includes a fillable container structure formed of a drop stitch fabric or material, and a removable shoring structure configured to position the container structure in a desired configuration when filled by building material, such as cement or concrete. In some cases, the container structure can include reinforcement components, which move into suitable positions when the container structure is filled with the building material.
Claims20
A building assembly for use in constructing a building, the building assembly comprising:
- a container structure having an expandable shape including a roof, multiple support posts, and a floor,
- wherein the container structure is configured to be filled with a building material, and
- wherein the container structure is formed of a drop stitch material;
- and
- a removable, inflatable shoring structure that supports the container structure in a vertical direction and is disposed between the roof, the multiple support posts, and the floor,
- wherein the shoring structure is configured to be inflated to support the container structure in the vertical direction when the container structure is in the expandable shape and being filled with the building material;
- and
- wherein the shoring structure is configured to be deflated and removed when the building material in the container structure is hardened.
A method of erecting a structure, the method comprising:
- positioning a building assembly at a building site,
- wherein the building assembly includes:
- a container structure having an expandable shape that is configured to be filled with a building material,
- wherein the container structure includes a roof, multiple support posts, and a floor, and
- an inflatable shoring structure that supports the container structure when the container structure is filled with the building material and is disposed between the roof, multiple support posts, and the floor;
- expanding the shoring structure to position the container structure in a desired shape and support the container structure in a vertical direction;
- causing the container structure to be filled with the building material;
- and
- removing the shoring structure from the building assembly.
An apparatus for forming a structure, the apparatus comprising:
- an expandable container formed of a drop stitch material having fibers configured to be tensioned and configured to be filled with a cementitious material;
- and
- multiple reinforcing cables disposed inside the expandable container,
- wherein the reinforcing cables are positioned into a fixed configuration through the expandable container when the expandable container is filled with the cementitious material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.