U.S. patent application number 16/736540 was filed with the patent office on 2021-07-08 for system and method for shotcrete construction.
The applicant listed for this patent is Shaw Craftsmen Concrete, LLC. Invention is credited to Jeff Counterman, Ronald D. Shaw.
Application Number | 20210207388 16/736540 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004610510 |
Filed Date | 2021-07-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210207388 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Shaw; Ronald D. ; et
al. |
July 8, 2021 |
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SHOTCRETE CONSTRUCTION
Abstract
Systems and methods of shotcrete construction are contemplated
whereby guide rails are placed in proximity and forward to a
shotcrete receiving surface, with any guide rails disposed directly
in front of the shotcrete receiving surface being configured to be
offset from the receiving surface allowing shotcrete to be sprayed
behind the offset guide rails. Following application of shotcrete,
a screed configured to engage with and traverse along at least two
of the guide rails may be used to rod the shotcrete via a
protruding region of the screed extending beyond the guide rails,
thereby removing excess shotcrete and imparting to the shotcrete
surface a contour at least partially defined by the configuration
of the guide rails and the configuration of the protruding region
of the screed. Complex, precise, and even exotic architectural
shotcrete installations may be created in this fashion by providing
a suitable set of guide rails and screed.
Inventors: |
Shaw; Ronald D.; (Costa
Mesa, CA) ; Counterman; Jeff; (Costa Mesa,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Shaw Craftsmen Concrete, LLC |
Costa Mesa |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000004610510 |
Appl. No.: |
16/736540 |
Filed: |
January 7, 2020 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04F 21/05 20130101;
E04G 21/02 20130101 |
International
Class: |
E04F 21/05 20060101
E04F021/05; E04G 21/02 20060101 E04G021/02 |
Claims
1. A system for shotcrete construction, the system comprising: a
plurality of guide rails configured for placement proximal to a
shotcrete receiving surface and in substantially parallel alignment
to one another, at least one of the guide rails having a spaced
region configured to be forwardly offset from the shotcrete
receiving surface such that when the spaced region of the guide
rail is placed in front of the shotcrete receiving surface,
shotcrete application against the portion of the shotcrete
receiving surface behind the spaced region is not prevented; and a
screed configured for simultaneous engagement with and traversal
along at least a portion of at least two of the guide rails, the
screed having a protruding region such that when the screed is
engaged with and traversed along at least a portion of at least two
chosen guide rails following application of shotcrete against the
shotcrete receiving surface, the protruding region is operative to
rod the shotcrete so as to impart a contour to the shotcrete at
least partially defined by the configuration of the at least two
chosen guide rails; wherein the plurality of guide rails are
configured such that the contour imparted to the shotcrete is
substantially dissimilar from that of the shotcrete receiving
surface.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least two guide rails are
configured for substantially vertical alignment proximal to a
shotcrete receiving surface.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the screed is configured for
substantially horizontal simultaneous engagement with at least two
guide rails.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of guide
rails are substantially identical configured such that the contour
imparted to the shotcrete is substantially similar along the
direction of the shotcrete surface substantially perpendicular to
the substantially parallel direction of the guide rails.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of
guide rails are substantially differently configured such that the
contour imparted to the shotcrete is substantially dissimilar along
the direction of the shotcrete surface substantially perpendicular
to the substantially parallel direction of the guide rails.
6. The system of claim 1 comprising at least three guide rails,
each of the least three guide rails being configured for placement
at a regular predefined interval from one or more adjacent guide
rails.
7. The system of claim 6, wherein the screed is configured to
permit simultaneous engagement with and traversal along any
adjacent pair of the at least three guide rails.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the screed is configured to
engage with and traverse along at least one guide rail via sliding
frictional engagement.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the screed is configured to
engage with and traverse along at least one guide rail via coupling
engagement.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the protruding region of the
screed operative to rod the shotcrete is configured to be one or
more of: linear, arcuate, curvilinear, serrated, smooth, or
combinations thereof.
11. A method for shotcrete construction, the method comprising the
steps of: providing a plurality of guide rails in proximity to a
shotcrete receiving surface in substantially parallel alignment to
one another and a screed configured for simultaneous engagement
with and traversal along at least a portion of at least two of the
guide rails, at least one of the guide rails having a spaced region
configured to be forwardly offset from the shotcrete receiving
surface such that when the spaced region of the guide rail is
placed in front of the shotcrete receiving surface, shotcrete
application against the portion of the shotcrete receiving surface
behind the spaced region is not prevented, the screed having a
protruding region; applying shotcrete to the shotcrete receiving
surface; and simultaneously engaging the screed with and traversing
the screed along at least a portion of at least chosen two guide
rails to cause the protruding region to rod the shotcrete and
impart a contour thereto at least partially defined by the
configuration of the at least two chosen guide rails.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein at least two guide rails are
configured for substantially vertical alignment proximal to a
shotcrete receiving surface.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the screed is configured for
substantially horizontal simultaneous engagement with at least two
guide rails.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of guide
rails are substantially identical configured such that the contour
imparted to the shotcrete in the engaging step is substantially
similar along the direction of the shotcrete surface substantially
perpendicular to the substantially parallel direction of the guide
rails.
15. The method of claim 11, wherein at least two of the plurality
of guide rails are substantially differently configured such that
the contour imparted to the shotcrete is substantially dissimilar
in the direction of the shotcrete surface substantially
perpendicular to the substantially parallel direction of the guide
rails.
16. The method of claim 11 wherein at least three guide rails are
provided in the providing step, each of the least three guide rails
being configured for placement at a regular predefined interval
from one or more adjacent guide rails.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the screed is configured to
permit simultaneous engagement with and traversal along any
adjacent pair of the at least three guide rails.
18. The method of claim 11, wherein the screed is configured to
engage with and traverse along at least one guide rail via sliding
frictional engagement.
19. The method of claim 11, wherein the screed is configured to
engage with and traverse along at least one guide rail via coupling
engagement.
20. The method of claim 11, wherein the protruding region of the
screed is configured to be one or more of: linear, arcuate,
curvilinear, serrated, smooth, or combinations thereof.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Not Applicable
STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field
[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to the art of
concrete construction, and more particularly, to a system and
method for facilitating the construction of walls, ceilings and
other surfaces from concrete.
2. Related Art
[0004] In the art of concrete construction, it is commonplace to
form concrete walls, ceilings, and other concrete surfaces using
shotcrete, also known as sprayed concrete or gunite. Shotcrete,
which can refer to both the material and the construction technique
itself, involves pneumatically projecting concrete or mortal at
high velocity onto a surface, typically a surface that has been
prepared in advanced by the placement of reinforcing material such
as steel rods, steel mesh, or fibers, such that the sprayed
shotcrete will encase the reinforcing material. Shotcrete has many
advantages over other methods of concrete construction and offers
many benefits in terms of speed, cost, and ease of installation in
relation to conventional poured concrete techniques.
[0005] However, conventional methods of shotcrete construction
suffer from several deficiencies, especially in relation to
architectural projects requiring more complex designs or fine
attention to aesthetics and detail. Unlike poured concrete where
more complex shapes and designs can be achieved via the fabrication
of molds, shotcrete is significantly less precise. As such, the
primary applications of shotcrete have been in relation to
industrial uses of concrete where aesthetics are of less
importance, such as in the stabilization of excavation walls or
cliffsides, or the lining of swimming pools prior to the placement
of tile.
[0006] A major deficiency of shotcrete is that it is very difficult
for even a skilled artisan to produce a shotcrete wall having
different thicknesses at different points on the wall in order to
produce a wall or other surface having arcuate, curvilinear, or
other exotic characteristics across various dimensions. Previously,
in order to accomplish this, protruding dowels, rods, or pins would
be placed at various locations protruding from the shotcrete
receiving surface to predetermined distances, optionally with wires
tied therebetween, and the shotcrete installer would use the length
of the rods and/or the wires tied therebetween as a gauge to
produce a shotcrete wall having the desired depth at the desired
locations. Following this, the shotcrete installer would adjust the
wall using a hand tool in their best attempt to blend the areas of
differing depths to produce the desired arcuate, curvilinear, or
other exotic surface. This technique is extremely imprecise and
labor intensive, and frequently fails to meet the aesthetic needs
of the project. Further, to produce designs with more extreme
arcuate, curvilinear, or other exotic characteristics may require
an unwieldy amount of guide rods to be placed and may require such
extreme labor and attention to detail, both before, during, and
after the shotcrete spraying, that the advantages of shotcrete
construction over poured concrete construction entirely
disappear.
[0007] As such, it may be seen that novel shotcrete construction
techniques which may remedy these and other deficiencies associated
with the prior art are desirable.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0008] To solve these and other problems, systems and methods of
shotcrete construction are contemplated whereby, in an exemplary
embodiment, guide rails are placed in proximity and forward to a
shotcrete receiving surface, with the guide rails disposed directly
in front of the shotcrete receiving surface being configured to be
offset therefrom such that shotcrete may be sprayed against the
receiving surface behind the offset guide rails to form an
uninterrupted shotcrete surface. Following application of shotcrete
to the receiving surface, a screed configured to engage with and
traverse along at least two of the guide rails may be used to rod
the shotcrete via a protruding region of the screed extending
beyond the guide rails, thereby removing excess shotcrete and
imparting to the shotcrete a contour at least partially defined by
the configuration of the guide rails. Likewise, the protruding
region itself of the screed may also be varied to further define
the contour of the shotcrete. It may thus be seen that complex,
precise, and even exotic architectural shotcrete installations may
be created in this fashion by providing a suitable set of guide
rails and screed, representing in a substantial increase in
precision and speed over conventional architectural shotcrete
techniques.
[0009] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a
system for shotcrete construction is contemplated, the system
comprising a plurality of guide rails configured for placement
proximal to a shotcrete receiving surface and in substantially
parallel alignment to one another, at least one of the guide rails
having a spaced region configured to be forwardly offset from the
shotcrete receiving surface such that when the spaced region of the
guide rail is placed in front of the shotcrete receiving surface,
shotcrete may be applied against the portion of the shotcrete
receiving surface behind the spaced region, and a screed configured
for simultaneous engagement with and traversal along at least a
portion of at least two of the guide rails, the screed having a
protruding region such that when the screed is engaged with and
traversed along at least a portion of at least two chosen guide
rails following application of shotcrete against the shotcrete
receiving surface, the protruding region is operative to rod the
shotcrete so as to impart a contour to the shotcrete at least
partially defined by the configuration of the at least two chosen
guide rails.
[0010] At least two guide rails may be configured for substantially
vertical alignment proximal to a shotcrete receiving surface, with
the screed configured for substantially horizontal simultaneous
engagement with at least two guide rails. Each of the plurality of
guide rails may be substantially identical configured such that the
contour imparted to the shotcrete is substantially similar along
the direction of the shotcrete surface substantially perpendicular
to the substantially parallel direction of the guide rails.
Alternatively, at least two of the plurality of guide rails may be
substantially differently configured such that the contour imparted
to the shotcrete is substantially dissimilar along the direction of
the shotcrete surface substantially perpendicular to the
substantially parallel direction of the guide rails.
[0011] More particular embodiments having at least three guide
rails are also contemplated, with each of the least three guide
rails being configured for placement at a regular predefined
interval from one or more adjacent guide rails. In such
embodiments, the screed may be configured to permit simultaneous
engagement with and traversal along any adjacent pair of the at
least three guide rails.
[0012] The screed may be configured to engage with and traverse
along at least one guide rail via sliding frictional engagement.
The screed may also be configured to engage with and traverse along
at least one guide rail via coupling engagement. The protruding
region of the screed operative to rod the shotcrete may also be
configured to be one or more of: linear, arcuate, curvilinear,
serrated, smooth, or combinations thereof.
[0013] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure, a method for shotcrete construction is contemplated,
the method comprising at least the steps of (1) providing a
plurality of guide rails in proximity to a shotcrete receiving
surface in substantially parallel alignment to one another and a
screed configured for simultaneous engagement with and traversal
along at least a portion of at least two of the guide rails, at
least one of the guide rails having a spaced region configured to
be forwardly offset from the shotcrete receiving surface such that
when the spaced region of the guide rail is placed in front of the
shotcrete receiving surface, shotcrete may be applied against the
portion of the shotcrete receiving surface behind the spaced
region, the screed having a protruding region, (2) applying
shotcrete to the shotcrete receiving surface; and (3)
simultaneously engaging the screed with and traversing the screed
along at least a portion of at least chosen two guide rails to
cause the protruding region to rod the shotcrete and impart a
contour thereto at least partially defined by the configuration of
the at least two chosen guide rails.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] These and other features and advantages of the various
embodiments disclosed herein are better understood with respect to
the following descriptions and drawings, in which:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating shotcrete wall formed via
conventional prior art methods;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional
prior art system for shotcrete wall construction;
[0017] FIG. 3 is perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a
system for shotcrete construction placed proximal to a shotcrete
receiving surface;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing shotcrete being applied
to the shotcrete receiving surface illustrated in FIG. 3;
[0019] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a shotcrete wall formed
from the practice of an exemplary method for shotcrete construction
using the system of shotcrete construction illustrated in FIG.
3;
[0020] FIG. 6 is a side view of the shotcrete wall shown in FIG.
5;
[0021] FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating, in an exemplary
embodiment of a method for shotcrete construction, the step of
engaging and traversing the screed along the guide rails to remove
excess shotcrete and to impart a contour to the shotcrete
surface;
[0022] FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the application of
a coating to a completed shotcrete wall;
[0023] FIG. 9 is a top view illustrating an exemplary embodiment of
a screed having a linear protruding surface and being configured
for sliding frictional engagement with an adjacent pair of guide
rails; and
[0024] FIG. 10 is a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a screed
having an arcuate protruding surface and being configured for
sliding frictional engagement.
[0025] Common reference numerals are used throughout the drawings
and the detailed description to indicate the same elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] According to various aspects of the present disclosure,
systems and methods of shotcrete construction are contemplated,
wherein according to an exemplary embodiment, guide rails are
placed in proximity and forward to a shotcrete receiving surface,
with the guide rails disposed directly in front of the shotcrete
receiving surface being configured to be offset therefrom such that
shotcrete may be sprayed against the receiving surface behind the
offset guide rails to form an uninterrupted shotcrete surface.
Following application of shotcrete to the receiving surface, a
screed configured to engage with and traverse along at least two of
the guide rails may be used to rod the shotcrete via a protruding
region of the screed extending beyond the guide rails, both
removing excess shotcrete and furthermore imparting to the
shotcrete a contour at least partially defined by the configuration
of the guide rails and which may be at least partially defined by
the configuration of the screed.
[0027] Turning now to FIG. 1, a prior art method of shotcrete
construction is illustrated whereby pencil rods 20 are located at
the shotcrete receiving surface, alone or in combination with guide
wires 22, with such pencil rods and/or guide wires being used to
visually judge the correct depth of shotcrete to be applied to the
shotcrete receiving surface 12 and the intended contour to impart
to the shotcrete surface, with such pencil rods 20 ultimately being
embedded within the shotcrete. In view of the herein described
system and method, the deficiencies of this conventional system
become clear, as not only is this conventional system substantially
less precise than the herein described system and method due to
generally relying on human optical judgment alone, but it may also
be seen that production of more complex contours in concrete
surface rapidly becomes more and more labor and material intensive,
and may require an extremely unwieldly amount of pencil rods 20 to
be utilized, which may require such a substantial amount of time
and labor such that the advantages of shotcrete techniques over
poured techniques become entirely offset. Furthermore, such prior
art techniques rely, during the rodding step, on the capability of
the individual using the screed to blend together the regions
between the pencil rods 20 to achieve a desired contour. Such human
ability to produce adequate blending is notoriously difficult and
unreliable, and generally requires a great amount of skill and
effort, often resulting in the fabrication of a wall having a
imperfect contour which in many cases will not meet the needs of a
more demanding architect, especially when the shotcrete is designed
to at least partially fulfill aesthetic purposes and not merely for
structural purposes alone where aesthetics are substantially less
important.
[0028] Turning now to FIG. 2, the above described prior art system
of pencil rods 20 and guide wires 22 may more fully be seen prior
to the application of shotcrete.
[0029] Turning now to FIG. 3, an exemplary embodiment of a portion
of a system for shotcrete construction 10 placed proximal to a
shotcrete receiving surface 12 is illustrated. The system for
shotcrete construction 10 may be seen to comprise a plurality of
guide rails 14 placed proximally the shotcrete receiving surface
12, with the guide rails 14 being generally aligned in a
substantially parallel direction, which may be seen to be along the
vertical axis in the illustrated exemplary embodiment. However, it
may be seen that in other embodiments, the plurality of guide rails
14 may be generally parallel aligned in a different direction, such
as horizontally or in any other direction as suitable for the needs
of the constructor. It may also be seen that in certain
embodiments, there may be multiple pluralities of guide rails 14,
with each distinct plurality of guide rails 14 being aligned to be
generally parallel in different directions, which may facilitate
construction of more exotic contours of shotcrete walls.
[0030] At least one of the guide rails 14 may have spaced region 16
configured to be forwardly offset from the shotcrete receiving
surface 12 such that when the spaced region 16 of the guide rail 14
is placed in front of the shotcrete receiving surface 12, shotcrete
may be deposited against the portion of the shotcrete receiving
surface 12 beyond the spaced region. In this way, it may be seen
that even when the guide rails 14 are emplaced prior to the
spraying of shotcrete, such placement would not interfere with the
ability of the applicator to apply a continuous shotcrete surface
to the shotcrete receiving surface 12. In some embodiments, the
spaced region 16 may be the majority of or substantially all of at
least one of the guide rail 14. However, in other embodiments, it
may be seen that the spaced region may form only a portion of a
guide rail 14. It may also be seen that others of the guide rails
14 may not be configured with a spaced region. For example, it may
be seen that according to certain embodiments such as the
embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the guide rails 14 located at the
periphery of the shotcrete receiving surface may also serve as a
lateral containing surface for containing the lateral installation
of shotcrete at the periphery of the shotcrete receiving surface
12, and as such it may not be desirable for such guide rails 14 to
be configured with a spaced region 16, but rather for such guide
rails 14 to be in contact with the shotcrete receiving surface 12
or otherwise occlusive of the continuous lateral application of
shotcrete.
[0031] The guide rails 14 may be constructed from any material
known to be useful or usable in the construction or concrete
industries for formwork or scaffolding, including but not limited
to timber, plywood, metal, plastic, fiberglass, precast concrete,
or any other material suitable to or which may be adapted to the
herein purposes, or any combination of such materials. In the
exemplary embodiment, the guide rails 14 are simple protruding
members which extend forwardly from the shotcrete receiving surface
12 at a distance configured to be further than the intended depth
of the shotcrete application. Such forward extension distance may
be constant along the length of the guide rail 14, or more
commonly, may vary along the length of the guide rail 14.
Generally, it will be an objective of certain embodiments described
herein that the forward extension difference in each area of the
guide rail 14 will be more distant that the intended depth of
shotcrete application of at the local region of the shotcrete
receiving surface 12 proximal to that area of the guide rail 14,
such that in the case of guide rails 14 configured with a spaced
region 16, the spaced region 16 of the guide rail 14 does not
occlude the creation of a continuous surface of shotcrete at the
region of the shotcrete receiving surface 12 behind the spaced
region 16 such that the spaced region 16 does not become contained
within the applied shotcrete. In the case of certain peripheral
guide rails 14 which do not contain a spaced region 16 but instead
may be used to contain the lateral application of shotcrete, it may
still be desirable for the forward extension of the guide rail 14
from the shotcrete receiving surface to be further than the
intended depth of the shotcrete proximal thereto, so that the guide
rail 14 may still function to laterally contain the shotcrete.
[0032] Turning now to FIG. 4, an exemplary embodiment of a step of
applying shotcrete to the shotcrete receiving surface 12 is shown.
It is to be understood that such step of applying shotcrete may be
any method of shotcrete application known or future developed and
furthermore, is not necessarily to be limited to the application of
concrete or mortar via a pneumatic method or even limited to any
method of projecting concrete or mortar, but that the presently
contemplated methods, and indeed, the term "shotcrete" as recited
here, when referring to a construction technique, is to be
understood as encompassing any and all known or future enveloped
methods of applying concrete or mortar to a surface or area,
including hand application or pouring, and when referring to the
physical material used in any such construction technique, may
encompass all concretes or mortars or any other material utilized
in such construction technique, even if such construction technique
does not involve pneumatic or other projection methods. It may even
be seen that the presently described or contemplated systems and
methods may not necessarily be limited to vertical, upright, or
ceiling-like surfaces where shotcrete is typically utilized, but
that the presently described or contemplated systems and methods
may also be utilized in conventional horizontal poured concrete
installation where the guide rails 14 may be, for example,
horizontally aligned atop the shotcrete receiving surface 12 of the
horizontal poured concrete installation.
[0033] As may be seen in FIG. 4, the freshly applied shotcrete may
not have a substantially uniform surface or distribution against
the shotcrete receiving surface 12, but rather it is highly typical
for freshly applied shotcrete to vary in depth to form an irregular
fresh shotcrete surface. As such, in order to produce a more
regular or otherwise contoured shotcrete surface, the freshly
applied shotcrete must be rodded or otherwise manipulated so as to
contour the surface of the freshly applied shotcrete in order for
the freshly applied shotcrete to cure or dry in the appropriately
desired configuration with the desired contour.
[0034] Turning now to FIG. 5, an example of a shotcrete wall is
illustrated which has been rodded according to an exemplary
embodiment of the presently contemplated methods using an exemplary
embodiment of a presently contemplated system for shotcrete
construction 10 is illustrated, prior to the removal of the system
for shotcrete construction 10 and/or the shotcrete receiving
surface 12. As may be seen, the contour of the resulting shotcrete
wall may depend substantially on the configuration of the guide
rails 14.
[0035] Turning now to FIG. 6, a side view of a shotcrete wall is
illustrated which has been rodded according to an exemplary
embodiment of the presently contemplated methods using an exemplary
embodiment of a presently contemplated system for shotcrete
construction 10 is illustrated, prior to the removal of the system
for shotcrete construction 10 and/or the shotcrete receiving
surface 12. As may be more fully seen by this figure, the contour
of the resulting shotcrete wall may depend substantially on the
configuration of the guide rails 14. In particular, it may be seen
that via the use of a screed to rod the shotcrete via simultaneous
engagement with and traversal along at least a portion of at least
two of the guide rails 14, the shotcrete may be contoured so as to
result a substantially precise screeding distance 18 between the
guide rails 14 and the surface of the resulted contoured shotcrete
at all locations. In this way, it may thus be seen that complex
contours may be imparted to the shotcrete merely by fabricating
guide rails 14 which are adapted to produce such desired complex
contours and by ensuring that during the step of rodding the
concrete, the screed is maintained in continuous engagement with
the guide rails 14 during the traversal thereof. Such complex
contours may be, for example but without limitation, arcuate,
curvilinear, jagged, or even highly exotic forms. To produce, as in
the illustrated embodiment, a shotcrete wall having a contour with
a substantially similar cross-sectional thickness across any
horizontal portion of the wall, with variation in cross-sectional
thickness only across a single dimensional axis of the wall, it may
be seen that similarly or identically contoured guide rails 14 may
be utilized across the shotcrete receiving surface. However, it may
also be seen that to produce even more complex contours, such that
those which may vary in cross-sectional thickness across multiple
dimensional axis of the shotcrete surface, it may be desirable to
utilize differently contoured guide rails 14. Further, it may be
seen that multiple separate assemblies of guide rails 14 may be
placed and/or utilized simultaneously or in sequence to rod the
shotcrete to produce a desired contour of the shotcrete.
[0036] Turning now to FIG. 7, an exemplary embodiment of a step of
simultaneously engaging the screed with and traversing a screed 24
along at least a portion of at least chosen two guide rails 14 to
cause a protruding region of the screed 24 to rod the shotcrete and
impart a contour thereto at least partially defined by the
configuration of the at least two chosen guide rails 14 is
illustrated. As seen by this illustrated exemplary embodiment, it
may be seen that engaging and traversing the screed 24 may comprise
physically contacting the screed 24 with the forward surfaces of
guide rails 14 and maintaining such engagement while traversing the
screed 24 along the guide rails 14 via sliding frictional
engagement, and that the system for shotcrete construction 10 may
be configured to accomplish this step. However, it may also be seen
that in other embodiments of the herein contemplated systems and
methods, other ways of the screed 24 engaging with and traversing
along the guide rails 14 may be utilized. For example, it may be
seen that one or more guide rails 14 may be configured to accept or
be accepted by a corresponding feature on the screed 24 so as to
result in a coupling between the screed 24 and the guide rails 14.
In this way, it may be seen that the requirement to manually apply
pressure to the screed to maintain contact against the guide rails
14 may be reduced or eliminated. Examples of such couplings may be,
for example and without limitation, features such as bearing
surfaces, wheeled or tracked engagements, dovetails, notches,
grooves, or any other known or future developed forms of coupling
engagement. Versions of screeds 24 are also contemplated wherein
manual manipulation of the screed may not even be necessary, for
example, in embodiments where the screed may be actuated and
traversed along the guide rails 14 via a motor or other form of
powered mechanical motion. It may even be seen that, according to
more advanced versions of herein contemplated systems, the screed
24 may not necessary be a distinct part from the guide rails 14,
but may be integrated therewith, and when not in use, may be
positioned at a location on the guide rails 14 which does not
interfere with the application of the shotcrete.
[0037] It may also be seen that it may be desirable in certain
instances that, when three or more guide rails 14 are utilized, for
the lateral distance between each respective laterally adjacent
guide rail 14 to be substantially identical. This may permit the
use of a single screed to rod the shotcrete, rather than requiring
use of multiple separately configured screeds for each respective
pair of guide rails 14. It may also be seen, however, that other
configurations of lateral spacing between guide rails 14 may be
utilized, and that corresponding screeds 24 may be utilized to
adapt to the lateral spacing of the guide rails 14. It is also
envisioned that a single screed 24 may be configured so as to be
utilized with different or multiple configurations of lateral
spacing between guide rails 14, for example, by including a feature
on the screed that permits adjustment of an engagement point on the
screed or by including multiple optional engagement points. For
example, it is contemplated that the screed 24 may be configured to
be telescoping so as to permit adjustment of the distance between
two engagement points thereupon so that the screed 24 may be
utilized with many possible configurations of lateral distances
between guide rails 24.
[0038] Turning now to FIG. 8, it may be desirable, following the
step of rodding the shotcrete, to apply a coating or covering to
the shotcrete surface, through any known technique for applying
coatings or coverings to shotcrete surfaces, such as spraying or
manual application. Such coatings may be, for example but without
limitations, aesthetic or protective coatings, or combinations
thereof, or coatings to impart other desired characteristics. It
may also be seen that besides coatings, other manipulations to the
shotcrete surface may be made after the desired contour is achieved
via rodding the shotcrete with the screed 24, such as embedding of
particulate materials, the installation of tile, a physical
manipulation of the shotcrete surface via an abrasive, mechanical
or chemical method of altering the shotcrete surface, or any other
known or future developed manipulation of the shotcrete surface,
all of which are at least equally achievable in a shotcrete surface
produced via the herein contemplated methods as compared to known
conventional methods, if not more achievable.
[0039] Turning now to FIG. 9, a screed 24 according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present disclosure is more fully illustrated,
including the protruding region 26 of the screed. It may be seen
that the protruding region 26 of the screed 24 may be configured to
protrude beyond the spaced region 16 of one or more corresponding
guide rails 14 to rod the shotcrete when engaged with two or more
of the corresponding guide rails 14 and traversed along the length
of the shotcrete, in order to produce a contoured shotcrete at
least partially defined by the configuration of the guide rails. In
the illustrated embodiment of the screed 24, it may be seen that
the protruding region 26 is substantially linear, which may be seen
to generally result in the production of a contoured shotcrete
which is substantially linearly contoured transverse to the
direction across which the screed is traversed. However, it may be
seen that in other embodiments, the protruding region 26 of the
screed 24 may be configured in other ways, such as arcuate,
curvilinear, jagged, stepped, or any other configuration which may
at least partially contribute to the production of a contoured
shotcrete. Further, embodiments of a screed are also contemplated
in which the protruding region may extend laterally behind a spaced
region 16 of a guide rail 14 in order to rod shotcrete applied to
the shotcrete receiving surface 12 in the region behind a spaced
region.
[0040] Turning now to FIG. 10, another embodiment of a screed 24 is
illustrated, wherein the protruding region 26 is configured to be
arcuate so to at least partially define an arcuate contour in the
shotcrete, which may be useful especially for creating arcuate
walls or surfaces It may be seen that according to the particular
embodiment illustrated, the engagement points on the screed may not
be configured to engage with guide rails 24 having the same
coordinated profile as in the screed illustrate in FIG. 9., but
rather may be configured to engage with differently configured
guide rails 24, such as guide rails which may extend forward from
linearly from an shotcrete receiving surface 12 having a
substantially similarly arcuate profile to the screed 24, or with
guide rails which are canted outward from a more linear shotcrete
receiving surface 12. Regardless, however, it may be seen that
there may exist an essentially infinite variety of screeds with
different configurations, each of which is contemplated as falling
with the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.
[0041] The above description is given by way of example, and not
limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art
could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the
invention disclosed herein. Further, the various features of the
embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying
combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to
the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the
claims is not to be limited by the exemplary embodiments.
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