Cast in situ deck construction and core unit for use therein

Claim 2

A core unit for use in constructing a cast in situ horizontal deck or the like, said core unit comprising an elongated channellike member formed from sheet material, said member including an elongated top panel, a pair of elongated side panels depending outwardly from opposite peripheral portions of said top panel, elongated base panels extending laterally outwardly from the lower edges of said side panels, and end flaps extending laterally inwardly for one end of said top and side panels and cooperating with one another to form a reinforcing flange substantially delimiting said member one end, substantially rigid first reinforcing means provided on said base panels and extending longitudinally thereof; elongated substantially rigid second reinforcing means provided on said flange and extending transversely of the longitudinal axis of said channel-like member; and elongated substantially rigid third reinforcing means secured to one end of said side panels and spanning the distance between said base panels, the opposite ends of said third reinforcing means projecting beyond said side panels.

Claim 3

The core unit of claim 1 wherein each side panel is provided with a locking means disposed adjacent to but spaced from the end of said unit opposite said reinforcing flange, and the opposite ends of saId third reinforcing means extend upwardly from the plane of said base panels and are adapted to interlockingly engage the locking means of a like core unit assembled in endwise relation therewith.

Claim 4

The core unit of claim 2 wherein said locking means comprises transversely aligned open end slots and said base panels terminate adjacent the slot open ends.

Claim 5

The core unit of claim 3 wherein said first reinforcing means are substantially coextensive with said base panels.

Claim 6

The core unit of claim 4 wherein said first reinforcing means are elongated substantially inflexible strips secured to the underside of said base panels; the width of each strip being greater than the width of the base panel to which it is secured, each strip having an elongated edge portion projecting laterally from the edge of said base panel adjacent the opposite base panel.

Claim 7

The core unit of claim 1 wherein said second reinforcing means has the ends thereof affixed to the end flaps connected to said side panels.

Claim 8

The core unit of claim 1 wherein said second and third reinforcing means are arranged in spaced, substantially parallel relation.

Claim 9

The core unit of claim 1 wherein the side panels are provided with knockout areas to permit structural members to be mounted transversely of and extend through said core unit when said cast in situ deck is constructed.

Claim 10

The core unit of claim 8 wherein said knockout areas can be removed only when a predetermined force is applied thereagainst in one direction.

Claim 11

The core unit of claim 8 wherein each knockout area is delimited on one surface of the side panel by a first line and on the opposite surface of said side panel by a second line; said lines being disposed in spaced concentric relation.

Claim 12

The core unit of claim 10 wherein the line delimiting the smaller area comprises a cut, penetrating said side panel a distance less than the thickness thereof, and the line delimiting the larger area comprises a cut penetrating a distance less than the thickness of said side panel.

Claim 13

The core unit of claim 10 wherein the line delimiting the smaller area is formed on the surface of the side panel facing angularly downwardly when said unit is horizontally disposed.

Claim 14

The core unit of claim 1 wherein said top panel and said side panels are foldably interconnected, and said side panels and said base panels are foldably interconnected; said panels being formed of blanks bonded to one another in substantially superposed relation.

Claim 15

A cast in situ horizontal deck construction comprising a plurality of elongated supports mounted horizontally in uniformly spaced substantially parallel relation, each support having an upright central portion and shoulders extending laterally from the bottom of said central portion; a plurality of core units disposed intermediate adjoining supports and being vertically supported by the shoulders thereof, the core units disposed intermediate the adjoining supports being arranged in overlapping end-to-end relation and forming a row; each core unit being formed from sheet material and having an elongated top panel, a pair of side panels depending outwardly from opposite peripheral portions of said top panel, reinforced base panels extending laterally outwardly from the lower edges of said side panels and resting upon the shoulders of the adjoining supports, flaps formed at one end of said top panel and the corresponding ends of said side panels and cooperating with one another to form an inwardly projecting reinforcing flange substantially delimiting said unit one end, and an elongated reinforcing means extending transversely of the adjoining supports and spanning the distance between the base panels of a unit, the ends of said reinforcing means projecting beyond said side panels and a stratum of cast in situ cementitious material overlying said supports and core units, said stratum having a substantially planar upper surface disposed above said core unit top panels, and beamlike portions depending tHerefrom and disposed between adjacent rows of core units, each beamlike portion being delimited by the side panels of said adjacent rows of core units and the shoulders of the support subtending said side panels, the central portion of said support being embedded in said beamlike portion.

Claim 16

A cast in situ horizontal deck construction comprising a plurality of elongated supports mounted horizontally in uniformly spaced substantially parallel relation, each support having an upright central portion and shoulders extending laterally from the bottom of said central portion; a plurality of core units disposed intermediate adjoining supports and being vertically supported by the shoulders thereof, the core units disposed intermediate the adjoining supports being arranged in overlapping end-to-end relation and forming a row; each core unit being formed from sheet material and having an elongated top panel, a pair of side panels depending outwardly from opposite peripheral portions of said top panel, reinforced base panels extending laterally outwardly from the lower edges of said side panels and resting upon the shoulders of the adjoining supports, flaps formed at one end of said top panel and the corresponding ends of said side panels and cooperating with one another to form an inwardly projecting reinforcing flange substantially delimiting said unit one end, and an elongated reinforcing means extending transversely of the adjoining supports and spanning the distance between the base panels of a unit, the ends of said reinforcing means projecting beyond said side panels and a stratum of cast in situ cementitious material overlying said supports and core units, said stratum having a substantially planar upper surface disposed above said core unit top panels, and beamlike portions depending tHerefrom and disposed between adjacent rows of core units, each beamlike portion being delimited by the side panels of said adjacent rows of core units and the shoulders of the support subtending said side panels, the central portion of said support being embedded in said beamlike portion.

Claim 17

The deck construction of claim 13 wherein the projecting ends of the transversely extending reinforcing means of one core unit in a row are in interlocking relation with the opposite end of a second core unit of like construction.

Claim 18

The deck construction of claim 14 wherein the side opposite end of said second core unit has the side panels thereof provided with slots which accommodate the projecting ends of the transversely extending reinforcing means of said one core unit.

Claim 19

The deck construction of claim 14 wherein the end of each core unit provided with the reinforcing flaps is narrower than the opposite end of said unit whereby adjacent core units in a row are in interlocking, partial telescoping relation.

Claim 20

The deck construction of claim 13 including a starter unit for each row of core units, said starter unit comprising a top panel, a pair of side panels depending outwardly from opposite peripheral portions of said top panel, reinforced base panels extending laterally outwardly from the lower edges of said side panels and resting upon the shoulders formed adjacent one end of adjoining supports, flaps formed on one end of said top panel and the corresponding ends of said side panels and cooperating with one another to form an inwardly projecting flange, a transversely extending reinforcing means mounted on said starter unit adjacent said projecting flange, and a transversely extending partition fixedly secured to the opposite end of said top and side panels, said partition being provided with laterally projecting shoulders extending upwardly from the base panels and resting upon the adjacent shoulders of a pair of elongated supports.

Claim 21

The deck construction of claim 17 including an end cover piece overlying the inwardly projecting flange formed on the last laid core unit of a row; said piece including a pair of spaced peripheral slits defining a tongue formed along the upper edge thereof and disposed inwardly of said flange, and a plurality of tabs formed along the bottom edge of said cover piece, said tabs resiliently straddling the elongated transversely extending reinforcing means of said last laid core unit of the row.