US 3,956,437 A · Method and apparatus for casting a concrete column

Abstract

A reusable column mold particularly adapted for use in casting concrete pillars or columns, that mold including a sheet of flat, flexible material which can be rolled into a columnar configuration to erect the mold form and which can be readily stripped from a set-up concrete column cast into the mold form. In preferred form, the flat sheet is of a rectangular configuration and is characterized by a plurality of tongues on one side edge which, when the sheet is rolled into columnar configuration, are adapted to fit into slots in the sheet located on one of a series of slot lines (the slot lines are parallel to the sheet's tongued side edge and are positioned intermediate the sheet's side edges); the cross-sectional area of the mold form is determined by that slot line of the sheet which cooperates with the sheet's tongued edge. The mold form is retained in set-up configuration by banding at spaced locations along its length, the banding serving to force the tongues fully into the slots, to prevent the form from unwrapping out of columnar configuration, and to reinforce the flexible material in columnar configuration. Further, visual indicia is provided on the sheet, and is adapted to cooperate with a port in the sheet when it is rolled into columnar configuration, to indicate the cross-sectional area of the erected mold form.

Claims19

Dependent claims

Column mold apparatus for use in casting concrete columns, said column mold apparatus comprising

a sheet of flexible material having at least one face that may be easily stripped from set-up concrete cast thereagainst, said sheet being of a length such that at least about two complete wraps are provided when said sheet is rolled into columnar configuration to erect a mold form of multi-wraps, said multi-wraps being frictionally engaged one with the other to resist unwrapping of the mold form when concrete is cast therein,
at least one tongue fixed to one side edge of said sheet,
at least one slot formed in said sheet to receive said tongue when said sheet is rolled into columnar configuration, said slot being located on at least one slot line parallel to the sheet's tongued side edge and positioned intermediate the sheet's side edges, the cross-sectional area of the mold form being determined by the distance between the slot line and the sheet's tongued edge when the sheet is rolled into the multi-wrap mold form,
at least one tension band associated with said sheet, said band being of a length that allows it to be positionable at least temporarily about the entire exterior periphery of said multi-wrap mold form, and
tightening means cooperatively engageable with said band to draw said band tight about the external periphery of said multi-wrap mold form for defining the desired cross-sectional area of said mold form by forcing said tongue into a full seated relation with said slot and by substantially removing any slack between said multi-wraps.

2 more elements

A method of casting concrete columns, said method comprising

rolling up a sheet of flexible material into a mold form of multi-wraps having at least about two complete wraps, said multi-wraps being frictionally engaged one with the other to resist unwrapping of the mold form when concrete is cast therein,
inserting at least one tongue fixed to one side edge of said sheet into at least one slot formed in said sheet to arrange said sheet into columnar configuration of a predetermined cross-sectional area, said slot being located on a line parallel to the sheet's tongued side edge and positioned intermediate the sheet's side edges, the cross-sectional area of the mold form being determined by the distance between the slot line of the sheet which cooperates with the sheet's tongued edge when the sheet is rolled into the multi-wrap mold form,
positioning at least one tension band at least temporarily about the entire exterior periphery of the multi-wrap mold form,
drawing said tension band tight about the external periphery of said multi-wrap mold form for defining the desired cross-sectional area of said mold form during use by forcing said tongue into a full seated relation with said slot and by substantially removing any slack from between said multi-wraps, and
thereafter casting concrete into the mold form.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for casting a concrete column

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for casting a concrete column

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19