Concrete Section and Method for Constructing a Wall

Abstract

A concrete section and method for constructing a wall includes first and second concrete sections identically configured and dimensioned to allow the entire concrete wall to be constructed via one concrete section design, thereby minimizing labor time and parts. The single design for all concrete sections for constructing a concrete wall is achieved by vertically “offsetting” corresponding and oppositely disposed first and third locking fingers; and vertically offsetting corresponding and oppositely disposed second and fourth locking fingers. First and second locking finger receiving recesses are also vertically offset to horizontally align a first recess of a second concrete section with a fourth locking finger of a first concrete section; and to horizontally align a second recess of a first concrete section with a first locking finger of a second concrete section. All horizontal alignment occurs when the bottom walls of the first and second concrete sections are coplanar orientated, thereby promoting the snug joining of a locking finger with a cooperating recess.

1 . A method for securing adjacent concrete sections together to construct a wall, said method comprising the steps of:
 providing a first concrete section comprising:
 front and back substantially planar walls; 
 a first side portion having a first locking finger with a first vertical aperture; 
 a first side portion having a second locking finger with a second vertical aperture, said first and second locking fingers being vertically separated a predetermined distance that forms a first recess; 
 a second side portion having a third locking finger with a third vertical aperture; and 
 a second side portion having a fourth locking finger with a fourth vertical aperture, said third and fourth locking fingers being vertically separated a predetermined distance that forms a second recess; 
   providing a second concrete section comprising:
 front and back substantially planar walls; 
 a first side portion having a first locking finger with a first vertical aperture; 
 a first side portion having a second locking finger with a second vertical aperture, said first and second locking fingers of said second concrete section being vertically separated a distance that forms a first recess that promotes the snug insertion of said first locking finger of said second concrete section into said second recess of said first concrete section; 
 a second side portion having a third locking finger with a third vertical aperture; and 
 a second side portion having a fourth locking finger with a fourth vertical aperture; 
 positioning said first and second concrete sections to ultimately form a predetermined configuration for a concrete wall; 
 forcibly urging said first locking finger of said second concrete section into said second recess in said first concrete section, and simultaneously urging said fourth locking finger of said first concrete section into said first recess in said second concrete section; 
 vertically and axially aligning said third and fourth vertical apertures of said first concrete section with said first and second vertical apertures of said second concrete section; 
 inserting a stabilizing rod through said vertically and axially aligned third and fourth apertures of said first concrete section and said vertically and axially aligned first and second apertures of said second concrete section; and 
 injecting a binding agent into said aligned apertures of said second end portion of said first concrete section and said first end portion of said second concrete section with said stabilizing rod inserted through said aligned apertures, whereby, after said binding agent hardens, said stabilizing rod and said second end portion of said first concrete section and said first end portion of said second concrete section are rigidly secured together, thereby maintaining the relative positions of said first and second concrete sections when repeating the method to ultimately secure a quantity of concrete sections together that complete a concrete wall having a predetermined configuration and corresponding dimensions. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said step of providing a first concrete section comprising a first end portion having a first locking finger with a first vertical aperture includes the step of disposing said first locking finger a predetermined distance below a top planar wall of said first concrete section such that a top planar wall of said first locking finger is parallel with said top planar wall of said first concrete section, and such that a bottom planar wall of said first locking finger is parallel with said top planar wall of said first locking finger, resulting in a substantially square configured first locking finger. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein said bottom planar wall of said first locking finger is parallel with a top planar wall of said second locking finger of said first end portion of said first concrete section, resulting in a substantially square configured first recess. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein said second locking finger includes a planar bottom wall that is coplanar with a bottom wall of said first concrete section, resulting in a substantially square configured second locking finger. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein said step of providing a first concrete section comprising a second end portion having a third locking finger with a third vertical aperture includes the step of disposing said third locking finger such that a top planar wall of said third locking finger is coplanar with said top planar wall of said first concrete section, and such that a bottom planar wall of said third locking finger is parallel with said top planar wall of said third locking finger, resulting in a substantially square configured third locking finger. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein said bottom planar wall of said third locking finger is parallel with a top planar wall of said fourth locking finger of said second end portion of said first concrete section, resulting in a substantially square configured second recess. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein said fourth locking finger includes a planar bottom wall that is parallel with said planar top wall of said fourth locking finger, resulting in a substantially square configured fourth locking finger, said planar bottom wall of said fourth locking finger being parallel with and disposed vertically above said bottom wall of said first concrete section. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  for securing adjacent concrete sections together to construct a wall includes a second wall constructed parallel to and separated from a first wall to allow a binding agent to be disposed between and to engage a back surface of said first wall and a front surface of said second lineal wall to stabilize said first and second lineal walls after said binding agent hardens. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said front walls of said first and second concrete sections include ornamental designs etched therein. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said first and second concrete sections can be positioned and secured together from a lineal orientation to an angular orientation. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said first and second concrete sections include a receiving recess in a top wall of each of said first and second concrete sections. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  wherein said first and second concrete sections include a receiving recess in a top wall and a second locking finger that snugly inserts into said receiving recess in said top wall of a concrete section disposed beneath said second locking finger. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein said second locking finger includes a second vertical aperture that vertically aligns with an aperture in said receiving recess in said top wall of said concrete section, said aperture in said receiving recess extending vertically through said first and second concrete sections, said aperture in said receiving recess being axially aligned with vertically aligned apertures in cooperating fingers of first and/or second concrete sections disposed beneath said aperture in said receiving recess. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein said aperture in said receiving recess extending vertically through said first and second concrete sections ultimately receives a stabilizing bar and/or binding material that extends through said aperture in said receiving recess and said aligned apertures in said cooperating fingers of first and/or second concrete sections disposed beneath said aperture in said receiving recess, thereby increasing the vertical and horizontal stabilizing of a completed concrete wall after said stabilizing bar and/or said binding material is disposed into said aligned apertures extending from said top wall of a top tier of said concrete sections down to said bottom wall of a bottom tier of said concrete sections. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said first and second concrete sections include a relatively large recess in said back planar wall of each of said first and second concrete sections, said recess having a depth defined by the transverse dimension of inner side walls of said recess that integrally join with a bottom wall of said recess. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  wherein a mesh material with predetermined openings is secured across substantially the entire surface of a said bottom wall and across all inner side walls of said recess, said mesh material providing a binding element for polyurethane poured into the recess to maintain contact between the polyurethane as it hardens and said side and bottom walls of said recess. 
     
     
         17 . A method for constructing a concrete wall, said method comprising the steps of:
 providing a first concrete section comprising:
 front and back substantially planar walls, said back planar wall having a relatively large recess therein for receiving a binding agent that ultimately hardens to form a relatively lightweight first concrete section; 
 a first side portion having a first locking finger; 
 a first side portion having a second locking finger, said first and second locking fingers being vertically separated a predetermined distance that forms a first recess; 
 a second side portion having a third locking finger; and 
 a second side portion having a fourth locking finger, said third and fourth locking fingers being vertically separated a predetermined distance that forms a second recess; 
   providing a second concrete section comprising:
 front and back substantially planar walls, said back planar wall having a relatively large recess therein for receiving a binding agent that ultimately hardens to form a relatively lightweight second concrete section; 
 a first side portion having a first locking finger; 
 a first side portion having a second locking finger, said first and second locking fingers of said second concrete section being vertically separated a distance that forms a first recess that promotes the snug insertion of said first locking finger of said second concrete section into said second recess of said first concrete section; 
 a second side portion having a third locking finger; and 
 a second side portion having a fourth locking finger, said third and fourth locking fingers being vertically separated a predetermined distance that forms a second recess; 
 positioning said first and second concrete sections to ultimately form a predetermined configuration for a concrete wall; and 
 forcibly urging said first locking finger of said second concrete section into said second recess in said first concrete section, and simultaneously urging said fourth locking finger of said first concrete section into said first recess in said second concrete section; whereby, said end portion of said first concrete section and said first end portion of said second concrete section are secured together, thereby maintaining the relative positions of said first and second concrete sections when repeating the method to ultimately secure a quantity of concrete sections together that complete a concrete wall having a predetermined configuration and corresponding dimensions. 
   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein a mesh material with predetermined openings is secured across substantially the entire surface of a said bottom wall and across all inner side walls of said recess, said mesh material providing a binding element for polyurethane poured into the recess to maintain contact between the polyurethane as it hardens and said side and bottom walls of said recess. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17  wherein said first and second concrete sections include vertical and/or horizontal stabilizing bars extending through said recesses in said back planar walls of said concrete sections before said polyurethane is poured into said recess, said stabilizing bars cooperating with vertically and horizontally adjacent concrete sections to secure adjacently disposed concrete sections together, thereby stabilizing the concrete wall during construction and after completion of the concrete wall. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17  wherein said recesses in said back planar walls of said first and second concrete sections includes multiple metal channels secured inside said recesses via a plurality of screws extending from a countersunk position below a top edge of said channels such that a threaded portion of said screws are disposed into a semi-solid concrete at a bottom portion of said recess, said semi-soled concrete ultimately hardening, thereby anchoring said screws into said concrete and anchoring said channels upon said hardened concrete, said anchored channels promoting the securing of said first and second concrete sections to vertically adjacent concrete sections. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 17  wherein said front planar walls include horizontal ridges extending from said outer planar wall for receiving a binding material between said ridges such that said binding material applied to said ridges forms a substantially planar deformable wall that allows inner wall portions of concrete blocks to be manually impressed into said deformable wall, thereby displaying predetermined designs in outer walls of said concrete blocks. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 17  wherein said front planar walls of said first and second concrete sections are precast in a mold by configuring said front planar walls when in a semi-solid state via engagement with a preselected form disposed beneath and in horizontal engagement with said front wall, said method providing an oil based liquid coating upon said preselected form to prevent damage to said front wall when separated from said preselected form after said front wall has hardened with a design impressed into said front wall that corresponds to said design of said preselected form. 
     
     
         23 . A method for constructing a concrete wall from lightweight concrete sections, said method comprising the steps of:
 providing a plurality of rectangular configured concrete section having an outer front wall with a predetermined design, planar outer side walls, planar outer top and outer bottom walls, and an inner planar wall having a relatively large recess therein with a depth defined by the transverse dimension of planar inner side walls;   securing a fiberglass mesh with substantially one-quarter inch square configured openings across a bottom wall and across said inner side walls of said recess, said fiberglass mesh providing a binding element for polyurethane poured into said recess to maintain contact between hardening polyurethane and said side and bottom walls of said recess; and   installing vertical and/or horizontal stabilizing bars that extend through said concrete section before said polyurethane is poured into said recess in said inner planar wall; whereby, said vertical and/or horizontal stabilizing bars are covered by polyurethane that ultimately hardens to form a substantially planar wall flush with said inner planar wall, thereby providing stability to a constructed concrete wall assembled with a plurality of said concrete sections such that said vertical and/or horizontal stabilizing bars are joined to cooperating vertical and/or horizontal stabilizing bars of vertically and/or horizontally adjacent comparably fabricated lightweight concrete sections.