The present invention relates to an element for filling the space between formwork panels for floor slabs.

In the provision of floor slabs, typically support devices are used which comprise an upright to be fixed to the end of a supporting prop resting on the ground and a supporting head for at least one supporting beam of a formwork panel, joined along the upright.

According to some conventional supporting head solutions, the supporting head comprises two plates, on which to rest the supporting beams, arranged mirror- symmetrically and adjacent to mutually opposite sides of the upright, to delimit a region for accommodating the ends of the beams, and two symmetrical pairs of recesses provided on the plates, each pair for the insertion of an end portion of a supporting beam.

Above the beams the panels for the formwork are positioned, spaced apart in pairs at the supporting head. The space between the panels constitutes an opening through which the concrete would fall if the opening were not closed prior to casting.

Nowadays, to obstruct the passage of concrete, filling elements A are used which are profiled, therefore with longitudinal extension, like the one shown in cross-section in Figure 1, with a central body B to be inserted with an appendage into the opening between the two mutually opposing panels C and a pair of wings D extending in opposite directions from the upper part of the central body B, and adapted to rest on the panels C. Below the wings D and the central body B there is a contoured element E with two flanks F jutting toward the two respective panels C, which is adapted to be deformed elastically during the installation between the panels in order to remain in contact with them, thus preventing the entire filling element A from being lifted.

Such filling elements are not devoid of drawbacks, among which is the infiltration of concrete below the wings D and as a consequence the concrete falling to the ground.

Another drawback lies in the fact that sometimes the panels need to be positioned according to a mutual inclination, creating a space between them of shape and width that can vary as a function of such inclination; the filling elements known today do not adapt to different dimensions of empty space created between the panels and therefore they cannot obstruct the passage of concrete.

A further drawback lies in the fact that upon removal of the filling elements, after the concrete has hardened, they break and they also leave a considerable impression on the floor slab.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a filling element that is capable of improving the known art in one or more of the above mentioned aspects.

Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide an element for filling the space between formwork panels, which is capable of preventing infiltrations of concrete, even when such panels are mutually inclined.

Another object of the invention is to provide a filling element with which the impressions on the surface of the hardened concrete can be prevented or at least reduced and which can be reused for subsequent provision of formworks for floor slabs.

Another object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the known art in a different manner to any existing solutions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a filling element that is highly reliable, easy to implement and low cost.

This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by an element for filling the space between formwork panels for floor slabs, which has a longitudinal extension and which is characterized in that it comprises, in cross-section, a central portion and, on opposite sides thereof, two elastically deformable lateral portions. Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of three preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments of the filling element according to the invention, which are illustrated for the purposes of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings wherein:

- Figure 1 shows a conventional solution;

- Figure 2 is a transverse cross-section of the filling element according to the invention, in a first embodiment thereof;

- Figure 3 is a transverse cross-section of the filling element according to the invention, in a second embodiment thereof;

- Figure 4 is a transverse cross-section of the filling element according to the invention, in a third embodiment thereof;

- Figure 5 is a perspective view of a step of installation of the filling element according to the invention between two supporting heads for supporting beams of formwork panels;

- Figure 6 is a front elevation view showing the use of a filling element according to the invention, between two formwork panels aligned on a same plane;

- Figure 7 is an enlargement of Figure 6; - Figure 8 is an enlarged front elevation view of the use of a filling element according to the invention, between two inclined formwork panels.

With reference to the figures, the filling element according to the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 10 in its first embodiment, with 110 in the second and with 210 in the third embodiment, has a longitudinal extension.

For all the embodiments, it comprises, in cross-section, a central portion designated respectively with 11, 111, 211 and, on opposite sides of this, two lateral portions 12, 112, 212, which are elastically deformable. Such central portion 11, 111, 211 is, preferably, load-bearing.

In all the proposed embodiments, the lateral portions 12, 112, 212 are hollow and with a closed profile, and the part directed outward is curved.

The inside of the cavity is empty, allowing a deformation thereof by squashing. The material with which the lateral portions 12, 112, 212 are made is preferably plastic material such as rubber, elastically deformable.

The term "squashing" here means a deformation of the hollow curved zones of the element, i.e. at the lateral portions 12, 112, 212, which modify the width thereof. Their surfaces are smooth and this, together with the deformability, determines a surface continuity without grooves, recesses or anything similar into which the concrete could infiltrate.

All the embodiments have an upper part 13, 113, 213, of a substantially rectangular element with rounded comers, which corresponds to the assembly of the central portion and of the lateral portions. Below the upper part there is a lower part, described below, together with which the element 10, 110, 210, assumes a T-shape in transverse cross-section.

Figure 2 shows a transverse cross-section of the element 10 in its first embodiment.

In this case the central portion 11 has a hollow part 14 which constitutes a single body with the lateral portions 12. Inside the hollow part 14 there is an element for stiffening 15 this same central portion 11.

The stiffening portion 15 is conveniently rigid, preferably made of rigid plastic material or made of metallic material.

Such stiffening portion 15 can be solid in cross-section or hollow in turn, as illustrated, and is provided, preferably, by co-extrusion with the single body that comprises the hollow part 14 and the lateral portions 12.

In all the embodiments there is also, in the lower part, a tubular profile 16, 116, 216, rectangular in cross-section, below the central portion 11, 111, 211, with respect to the installation position of the filling element 10, 110, 210 itself, and extending lengthwise for at least a part of the central portion 11, 111, 211, as can be seen in Figure 5.

In particular, such tubular profile 16 is designed to reduce bending and to improve the resistance to torsion of the element 10. It extends below the central portion 11 except for two end portions of the profiled member.

The filling element 10 also comprises a pin 17 (shown only for the first embodiment, in Figure 5, but also present in the other embodiments), also below the central portion 11, 111, 211, with respect to the installation position of the filling element itself, and proximate to each end thereof.

In the second embodiment the filling element is designated with 110 and shown in Figure 3.

In this case the central portion 111 is solid in cross-section and provided in a single piece with the lateral portions 112, so as to constitute the upper part 113 in the assembly.

Such upper part 113 is provided, preferably, by extrusion of elastically deformable plastic material. The solidity of the central portion 111 renders it elastically undeformable, differently from the lateral portions 112.

In the third embodiment the filling element is designated with 210 and shown in Figure 4.

It comprises a flat element 218, with longitudinal extension, for connection between the two lateral portions 212, above the central portion 211, with respect to the installation position of the filling element 210.

The flat element 218 can be made in a single piece with the two lateral portions 212, by co-extrusion or by co-molding. It can also be joined from above with nails to the central portion 211 and it can be made of plastic material or made of metallic material, preferably steel.

The central portion 211 has a substantially rectangular profile, it can be solid or hollow, as illustrated, and it can be made of plastic material or made of metallic material, preferably aluminum.

In all the embodiments, the tubular profile 16, 116, 216 is shorter than the upper part 13, 113, 213 in order to leave space for resting the end portions on the supporting heads 19.

In particular, the supporting heads 19 are drop heads for beams 20, shown in Figure 6 and in Figure 8, for supporting formwork panels. In a conventional manner, the heads 19 have two mirror-symmetrical plates 21 which are adjacent to mutually opposite sides of an upright 22, to delimit a region for accommodating the ends of the beams 20, and two symmetrical pairs of recesses provided on the plates, each pair for the insertion of an end portion of a supporting beam 20.

Above the upright 22 there is a tubular crossmember element 23, rectangular in cross-section, with holes 24 for coupling the pins 17 that protrude downward from the filling element 10. Figure 6 shows the two beams 20 resting on opposite sides of a head

19, aligned on the same plane of arrangement, as are, as a consequence, the two upper panels 25.

The filling element 10 is installed between the two panels 25, by inserting the upper part 13 between two opposite faces of the panels 25 and the pins 17 into the holes 24 of the two contiguous supporting heads 19 nearest to the tubular profile 16. For both end portions of the filling element 10, the central portion 11 rests on the tubular crossmember element 23 for a part comprised between its end and the end of the tubular profile 16.

The two lateral portions 12 rest on the respective opposite faces of the panels 25 and are deformed, i.e. "squashed" thus reducing their width, in order to adapt to the breadth of the opening and adhere to the faces of the panels 25 thus impeding the passage of concrete in a subsequent step of preparation of the floor slab.

As anticipated, by "squashing" what is meant is a deformation of the opposing curved hollow zones of the lateral portions 12, 112, 212 of the element, which is thus capable of modifying its width as a function of the available width between the formwork elements.

The enlargement of Figure 7 clearly shows the deformation of the lateral portions 12.

Figure 8 shows, with an enlargement, the two beams 20 resting on opposite sides of a head 19 and both beams inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, with consequent inclination X of two upper panels 25.

The further squashing of the portions 12, with respect to the previous situation, shows the capacity of the filling element to adapt to the inclination of the panels without this compromising their efficacy in impeding the passage of concrete.

The filling element is also capable of adapting to the space between panels with inclination opposite to that shown in Figure 8, still by deforming at the lateral portions, and showing themselves to be effective in this situation as well.

When the filling element 10, 110, 210 does not protrude upward with respect to the edges of the panels 25, there will be no impressions on the hardened concrete. In some cases it can protrude slightly, while still limiting a possible impression to space comprised between the edges of the two panels.

Use of the filling element according to the invention is evident from the foregoing description and explanation and, in particular, it is evident that it is capable of closing the space comprised between two contiguous formwork panels, independently of their inclination.

In practice it has been found that the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects by providing an element for filling the space between formwork panels, which is capable of adapting to different inclinations of those panels and is capable of adhering to their opposed faces, in this manner impeding infiltrations of concrete.

Furthermore, such filling element installed between the two formwork panels is capable of determining with them a continuity of the formwork surface, in this manner not leaving impressions on the surface of the concrete at the end of the hardening, after which they can be removed and reused for subsequent construction of formworks for floor slabs.

The invention, thus conceived, is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements.

In practice the materials employed, provided they are compatible with the specific use, and the contingent dimensions and shapes, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102020000018199 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference. Where the technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference numerals and/or signs, those reference numerals and/or signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference numerals and/or signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference numerals and/or signs.