Stripping means for concrete slab casting forms

Claim 1

MEANS FOR STRIPPING STEEL CASTING FORMS, EACH CASTING FORM HAVING A GENERALLY U-SHAPED CROSS SECTION WITH A LENGTH GREAT IN COMPARISON TO THE TRANSVERSE DIMENSIONS THEREOF, EACH CASTING FROM DURING STRIPPING BEING IN A HORIZONTAL POSITION WITH THE SIDES OF THE CASTING FORM EXTENDING UPWARDLY AND THE CASTING FORM RESTING ON ITS BOTTOM, THE STRIPPING REQUIRING THAT THE SIDES OF THE CASTING FORM BE FORCED OUTWARDLY AWAY FROM EACH OTHER AND THE BOTTOM OF THE CASTING FORM ARCHED UPWARDLY, SAID STRIPPING MEANS COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SEPARATE INDIVIDUAL STRIPPING UNITS DISPOSED LONGITUDINALLY OF A CASTING FORM, EACH STRIPPING UNIT HAVING A LENGTH WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY SMALLER THAN THE LENGTH OF A CASTING FORM BEING OPERATED UPON, SAID STRIPPING UNITS BEING SIMILAR AND EACH UNIT INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING: HOLD-DOWN MEMBERS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF A CASTING FORM IN STRIPPING POSITION, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID HOLD-DOWN MEMBERS TO BE MOVABLE FROM A NORMALLY INOPERATIVE POSITION TO AN OPERATIVE POSITION WHERE SAID MEMBERS CAN COOPERATE WITH THE SIDES OF SAID CASTING FORM, MEANS NORMALLY INOPERATIVE DISPOSED BELOW THE BOTTOM OF SAID CASTING FORM AND MOVABLE UPWARDLY FIRST TO ENGAGE THE CASTING FORM BOTTOM THEN ELEVATE THE SAME ABOVE A NORMAL SUPPORTED POSITION AND FINALLY TO PROVIDE A FORCE TO ARCH THE CASTING FORM BOTTOM DURING STRIPPING, MEANS NORMALLY INOPERATIVE FOR MOVING SAID HOLD-DOWN MEMBERS DOWNWARDLY FROM THEIR OPERATIVE POSITIONS FIRST TO ENGAGE THE CASTING FORM SIDES AND THEN HOLD THE SAME DOWN AGAINST THE UPWARD ARCHING FORCE EXERTED AGAINST THE FORM BOTTOM, MEANS POWERED BY HYDRAULIC PRESSURE FOR MOVING SAID TWO NORMALLY INOPERATIVE MEANS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS FOR STRIPPING A CASTING FORM; SAID STRIPPING ASSEMBLY INCLUDING CONDUIT MEANS CONNECTING ALL SEPARATE HYDRAULIC POWER MEANS OF THE VARIUS STRIPPING UNITS MAKING UP A STRIPPING ASSEMBLY TO A COMMON SOURCE OF HYDRAULIC PRESSURE AND PROVIDING UNRESTRICTED FLUID FLOW BETWEEN THE INDIVIDUAL HYDRAULIC PRESSURE POWERED MEANS, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A CASTING FORM IN NORMAL HORIZONTAL POSITION, AND MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID VARIOUS STRIPPING UNITS INDEPENDENTLY OF EACH OTHER WHEREBY A CASTING FORM DURING STRIPPING IS OPERATED UPON BY A PLURALITY OF PHYSICALLY SEPARATE STRIPPING UNITS, THE SEPARATE HYDRAULIC POWER MEANS BEING SUBJECT TO SIMILAR HYDRAULIC PRESSURE AND THE SEPARATE UNITS BEING SHORT ENOUGH SO THAT THE AMOUNT OF FORCE EXERTED UPON A UNIT LENGTH OF CASTING FORM DURING A STRIPPING OPERATION IS GENERALLY INDEPENDENT OF THE LENGTH OF THE CASTING FORM AND STRIPPING OF VARIOUS LENGTHS OF CASTING FORM WILL BE ACCURATELY AND CONSISTENTLY ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT DANGER OF OVERSTRESSING.