Insulated wall structure

Abstract

Insulated wall forms that remain in place and include an exterior wall covering such as stucco or a brick facade, an interior wall covering such as gypsum board or both an exterior wall covering and an interior wall covering greatly simplify wall construction using a hardenable material such as concrete and reduce steps needed to put a finished wall in place.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An insulated, wall form comprising a first panel segment, a second panel segment, and a plurality of connectors, the first panel segment and the second panel segment each being generally planar structures, the first and second panel segments being spaced apart from each other so as to constitute a cavity and oriented such that the first panel segment is generally parallel to the second panel segment, the connectors each having a first end and a second end that is remote from the first end, the first end being removably attached to the first panel segment and the second end being removably attached to the second panel segment, the plurality of connectors maintaining the first and second panel segments in a spaced apart generally parallel orientation, the wall form defining a cavity adapted to receive a hardenable filler material.  
     
     
         2 . The insulated wall form of    claim 1   , wherein the first panel segment is a laminar structure comprising at least two layers, an inner layer that comprises an insulating foam material and an outer layer that comprises an exterior surface material.  
     
     
         3 . The insulated wall form of    claim 2   , wherein the exterior surface material is selected from wood, brick, stucco, concrete block, cementitious board laminate, fiberboard, vinyl siding, wood laminates, brick veneer, or any other material that provides acceptable functional performance and, desirably, aesthetic appeal.  
     
     
         4 . The insulated wall form of    claim 1   , wherein the second panel segment is a laminar structure comprising at least two layers, an inner layer that comprises an insulating foam material and an outer layer that comprises an interior surface material.  
     
     
         5 . The insulated wall form of    claim 4   , wherein the interior surface material is selected from gypsum board, wallboard, wood, paneling, brick, fiberboard, vinyl boards or any other material that provides acceptable aesthetic performance, functional performance or both.  
     
     
         6 . The insulated wall form of    claim 1   , wherein the hardenable filler material is concrete, fiber-reinforced concrete, rebar-reinforced concrete, Portland cement, aluminous cement, hydraulic cement, a hardenable clay, or a hardenable mixture of a cement and a clay.  
     
     
         7 . The insulated wall form of    claim 2   , wherein each first panel segment has defined therein a plurality of channels, the channels being adapted to receive connector ends.  
     
     
         8 . The insulated wall form of    claim 7   , wherein the channels in the first panel segments comprise an elongated aperture in the inner foam layer and a cavity in the outer layer, the aperture and cavity being in fluid communication with each other, the cavity and the aperture each having a width with the width of the cavity being greater than the width of the aperture.  
     
     
         9 . The insulated wall form of    claim 4   , wherein each second panel segment has defined therein a plurality of channels, the channels being adapted to receive connector ends.  
     
     
         10 . The insulated wall form of    claim 9   , wherein the channels in the second panel segments comprise an elongated aperture in the inner foam layer and a cavity in the outer layer, the aperture and cavity being in fluid communication with each other, the cavity and the aperture each having a width with the width of the cavity being greater than the width of the aperture.  
     
     
         11 . The insulated wall form of    claim 1   , wherein at least one of the connectors has an externally screw threaded portion proximate to each connector end, but disposed so as to project at least part of that portion into the cavity.  
     
     
         12 . The insulated wall form of    claim 11   , wherein a plurality of the connectors have the externally screw threaded portion and at least one of said connectors has an internally screw threaded compression nut threadably engaged with the externally screw threaded connector portion so as to releasably secure the connector in a fixed position relative to the first and second panel segments.  
     
     
         13 . The insulated wall form of    claim 12   , further comprising a sealing means that is disposed between the connector end and the compression nut such that the sealing means is in operative contact with both the inner foam layer of a panel segment and the compression nut.  
     
     
         14 . The insulated wall form of    claim 1   , wherein the connectors are disposed in a number of connector assemblies, each connector assembly comprising a lattice wherein each connector is oriented so as to be spaced apart from and generally parallel to at least one other connector, such orientation being maintained by way of at least one connector link between each of two adjacent connectors within a connector assembly.  
     
     
         15 . The insulated wall form of    claim 1   , further comprising a cavity liner.  
     
     
         16 . The insulated wall form of    claim 15   , wherein the cavity liner is adjacent to and in physical contact with at least a surface portion of the first panel segment or adjacent to and in physical contact with at least a surface portion of the second panel segment.  
     
     
         17 . The insulated wall form of    claim 15   , wherein the cavity liner comprises a thermoplastic polymer film, the polymer being selected from polyethylene, poly(vinyl chloride), polypropylene, and polyester.  
     
     
         18 . The insulated wall form of    claim 1   , wherein at least one connector end further comprises a lubricating material, the lubricating material being in physical contact with at least a surface portion of said connector end.