Concrete wall form panel unit with facing-reinforcing and insulating means

Claim 1

AS A NEW ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE, A PREFABRICATED RECTANGULAR PANEL UNIT ADAPTED TO BE ARRANGED IN AN UPSTANDING POSITION AND ALSO IN EDGE-TO-EDGE RELATION WITH SIMILAR PANEL UNITS AND TO FORM WITH SUCH SIMILAR UNITS ONE SIDE OF A WALL FORM INTO WHICH WET CONCRETE IS TO BE POURED AND THEN SET FOR WALL-FORMING PURPOSES, SAID PANEL UNIT COMPRISING A NORMALLY FLAT RECTANGULAR PLYWOOD FACING, A RECTANGULAR FRAME EXTENDING AROUND AND SERVING TO REINFORCE THE FACING, HAVING ITS FRONT MARGINAL PORTIONS CONNECTED TO THE MARGINAL REGIONS OF THE FACING, HAVING ITS INTERMEDIATE AND REAR MARGINAL PORTIONS PROJECTING REARWARDS OF THE REAR SURFACE OF THE FACING AND FORMING THEREWITH A RECTANGULAR SPACE OF APPRECIABLE THICKNESS, A RECTANGULAR REARWARDLY BULGED PAN FORMED OF IMPERFORATE SHEET MATERIAL OF COMPARATIVELY HIGH TENSILE STRENGTH, DISPOSED FOR THE MOST PART WITHIN AND SHAPED IN OUTLINE SUBSTANTIALLY CONFORMABLY TO SAID SPACE, HAVING ITS MARGINAL PORTIONS, SUBSTANTIALLY THROUGHOUT THEIR ENTIRE LENGTH, CONNECTED FIXEDLY IN PLACE ADJACENT TO THE JUNCTURES OF THE FRONT MARGINAL PORTIONS OF THE FRAME AND THE MARGINAL REGIONS OF THE FACING, AND DEFINING WITH SAID REAR SURFACE OF THE FACING A CLOSED POCKET, AND A MASS OF MATERIAL POSSESSING LIGHTNESS OF WEIGHT, A COMPARATIVELY HIGH DEGREE OF RESISTANCE TO COMPRESSION AND A SLIGHT AMOUNT OF RESILIENCY, DISPOSED IN AND ENTIRELY FILLING THE POCKET, AND ARRANGED SO THAT THE INNER SURFACE THEREOF IS IN COEXTENSIVE CONTACT WITH SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE AREA OF THE REAR SURFACE OF THE FACING AND ITS REAR SURFACE IS IN COEXTENSIVE CONTACT WITH SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE AREA OF THE INSIDE SURFACE OF THE PAN, SAID PAN BEING FOR THE MOST PART UNIFORMLY ARCUATE IN CROSS SECTION FROM END TO END IN ORDER THAT IT POSSESES A CATENARY EFFECT, SAID MASS BEING OF SUCH CHARACTER THAT WHEN WET CONCRETE IS POURED AGAINST THE FRONT SURFACE OF THE FACING AND THE FACING THEREBY TENDS TO BULGE REARWARDS, IT IS PLACED UNDER COMPRESSION AND ANY REARWARD PRESSURE WHICH IT EXERTS AGAINST THE PAN, PLACES THE PAN UNDER TENSION AND IS, DUE TO THE CATENARY EFFECT OF THE PAN, OPPOSED BY CORRESPONDING COMPRESSION OF THE FACING WITH THE RESULT THAT THE MASS AND PAN EFFECTIVELY COACT TO RESIST TO A MAXIMUM REARWARD BULGING OF THE FACING IN CONNECTION WITH POURING OF WET CONCRETE AGAINST IT.