Insulating concrete forms have been on the market worldwide for decades.
About seven years ago, American
ConForm Industries developed a refined product that uses interlocking
teeth, called SmartBlock (Figure 2-11). This interlocking system
of gray blocks was designed for speed and accuracy and to ensure straight
and plumb walls with perfect right angles. Special end-caps for the
corners prevent concrete spillage. With an R-factor between R-22
and R-24 (depending on the product), SmartBlock is made from expanded
polystyrene (EPS) that weighs in at 2 pounds per unit. It's available
in a standard fixed width size of 10 x 10 x 40 inches, with a concrete
wall thickness of 6-1/2 inches. Uniquely, it's also available in variable
widths with removable ties. (Figure 2-12 shows some of the end-caps
and ties.) The ties are color coded to represent different sizes.
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Figure 2-11 (left): SmartBlock
Figure 2-12 (right): Ties and endcaps for SmartBlock
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Photo Courtesy of:
American ConFormIndustries, Inc. |
|
Photo Courtesy of:
American ConFormIndustries, Inc.
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Any width interlocks with any other, creating a permanent system –
providing you've installed the first course correctly. Besides using
it for an entire wall system or foundation, you can also consider it
for creating pier and grade-beam foundations, fences, retaining walls,
landscaping, and swimming and lap pools. With some special and specific
detailing, you can create radii and curved foundations/walls (Figure
2-13). Consider the difficulties involved in creating this radius
using conventional methods of building foundation walls! ConForm provides
a working chart to help you figure the width of cuts required for an
inside or outside radius. You make the cut through one side of the block
and into the center of each interior cell (the open space between a
solid bridge or plastic tie). The cell is the area that's filled with
concrete.
Photo Courtesy of:
American ConFormIndustries, Inc. |
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Figure 2-13: Curved wall using SmartBlock |
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