Channel and foam block wall construction

In a wall structure comprising blocks formed at least in part of foam plastic, each block having opposite exterior surfaces extending in a longitudinal and height dimension, the opposite exterior surfaces generally separated by a width dimension, each block also including at least one vertically extending block opening therein which is interiorly spaced from the exterior surfaces, load-bearing concrete occupying the block openings of the blocks, and an improvement comprising:

• a member contacting at least one block and extending in the width dimension from one exterior edge thereof adjacent one exterior surface of the one block to the opposite exterior edge thereof adjacent the other opposite exterior surface of the one block, said member also extending in a longitudinal dimension a predetermined distance, said member including means defining at least one member opening therein interiorly spaced from its outer periphery in the longitudinal and width dimensions, the member opening in said member extending vertically through said member, said member located with the member opening generally vertically aligned with the block opening in the one block, and the concrete occupying the block opening of the one block also extending substantially into the opening in the member to permanently retain the member rigidly in position relative to the one block in said wall structure, said member characterized by the capability to receive and retain fasteners inserted in the exterior edges thereof to attach construction elements to said wall structure.

Wall structure construction elements for use in conjunction with load-bearing means including concrete for constructing a wall structure comprising:

• a block of right rectangular configuration formed by an integral single piece of foam plastic, said block defining two planar opposite exterior surfaces extending in a longitudinal and a height dimension and separated by a width dimension, a planar top and an opposite planar bottom surface extending in the longitudinal and width dimensions and separated by the height dimension, and two opposite planar end surfaces extending in the height and width dimensions and separated by the longitudinal dimension, said block further including a plurality of block openings extending in the height dimension between the top and bottom surfaces and spaced in the width dimension between the two exterior surfaces, the block openings positioned at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal dimension, the block openings adapted to contain concrete therein;
• and
• a U-shaped channel member comprising a pair of side walls and a bottom wall connected to and extending between the side walls, the bottom wall adapted to contact and extend longitudinally along the top surface of said block, the side walls extending in the height dimension above the bottom wall, the side walls and bottom wall defining a U-shaped channel adapted to be filled with concrete, the bottom wall including a plurality of channel openings formed therethrough at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal dimension corresponding to the predetermined intervals at which block openings are positioned, the channel openings aligning with the block openings when the bottom wall contacts the top surface, an exterior surface of at least one side wall adapted to extend generally in the plane of one exterior surface of the block when the bottom wall contacts the top surface and the block and channel openings are aligned, the U-shaped channel also operative for funneling fluid concrete during construction into the block and channel openings, at least one of the side wall or exterior edge portions of the bottom wall from which the side walls extend upward being characterized by the capability to receive and retain fasteners inserted therein from the exterior surface for the purpose of attaching construction elements to the wall structure.

A method of constructing a wall structure upward from a support, comprising:

• placing a foam plastic block on the support, the block having an exterior surface extending in a longitudinal and a height dimension, the block having a plurality of longitudinally spaced and height-wise extending block openings formed completely therethrough, the block also having a top surface extending therealong in the longitudinal and the width dimension;
• placing a channel member on the top surface of the block member, said channel member having a bottom wall and a pair of side walls connected to and extending upward from the bottom wall to define a U-shaped channel, the bottom wall having a plurality of channel openings formed therethrough at predetermined locations to align with predetermined block openings;
• placing at least one reinforcing member in the U-shaped channel and in at least some of the block openings and the channel openings;
• flowing fluid concrete into the U-shaped channel;
• filling the aligned block openings to their complete height with fluid concrete by steps including funneling the fluid concrete from the U-shaped channel through the channel openings into the block openings;
• filling the U-shaped channel with fluid concrete;
• allowing the fluid concrete to harden.