Method and apparatus for construction of concrete shells

Claim 2

The method of constructing the concrete shell for a building according to claim 1, including the additional step of positioning a plurality of small precast concrete chairs on the external surface of the outer fabric layer of the inflated form and positioning the metal reinforcement members on said chairs so that said chairs support said reinforcement members in predetermined spaced relation to the external surface of the inflated form.

Claim 3

The method of constructing the concrete shell for a building according to claim 3, in which each chair includes a gauge member projecting upwardly of the chair by a distance substantially greater than the overall thickness of the reinforcement members, and in which step E is performed in two stages, first depositing a base layer of concrete to a thickness deteRmined by said gauge members, and subsequently applying a finish layer over the base layer.

Claim 4

A plural-use form assembly for constructing a multi-segment concrete shell for a free-standing, above-grade building comprising a foundation structure defining the perimeter of a building space and a concrete shell covering that space, said form assembly comprising: a rigid structural frame including two spaced form-supporting members each conforming in configuration to the required configuration for an edge portion of one segment of said shell; a two-layer inflatable form, mounted on said frame and affording a substantially airtight chamber spanning the space between said form-supporting members, said inflatable form including an outer layer for said chamber formed of a strong, relatively inelastic fabric and having a maximum thickness, when inflated, much smaller than any principal dimension of said building; and inflating means, including a pump, for inflating said inflatable form chamber and maintaining said form chamber at a pressure sufficient to support workmen on said outer fabric layer with only minimal deformation thereof and to support both a network of reinforcing steel and a substantial layer of wet concrete, said outer fabric layer being spaced from said frame, except at the edges of said form, when said form is inflated.

Claim 5

A form assembly according to claim 5, in which said form-supporting members of said frame are of arcuate configuration, located on opposite sides of said frame, and in which said frame includes a plurality of struts extending through said chamber between said form-supporting members to resist tension forces in said fabric tending to pull said form-supporting members together when said form is inflated.

Claim 6

A form assembly according to claim 5, and further comprising means for elevating said form to align said form at a desired elevation and for lowering said form upon completion of a shell segment to allow movement to a new position.

Claim 7

A form assembly according to claim 7, in which said elevating and lowering means comprises a series of jacks mounted along each side of the form assembly for elevating and lowering the form assembly as a whole.

Claim 8

A form assembly according to claim 5, in which at least one of said form-supporting members includes a shelflike extension projecting outwardly of the fabric outer layer of said inflatable form to afford a supplemental form for a shell segment transition element interconnecting one shell segment with an adjacent similar shell segment.

Claim 9

A form assembly according to claim 9, in which said extension includes means for supporting and aligning the ends of a plurality of metal reinforcing members on the form assembly, said supporting and aligning means including a plurality of releasable reinforcing bar clip members mounted at spaced intervals along said extension.