FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a Formwork Assembly. More particularly, the present invention relates to a Fiber-Cement Fusion Formwork system in the Monolithic construction of buildings.
BACKGROUND
Building construction is an art which requires a large amount of effort in planning, execution, manpower deployment and construction time. For such constructions, there exist various materials, plans and processes. In recent times, the structuring of the building has become easy with the help of formwork in realizing the desired building shape. Formwork has reduced the building construction time and the man effort spent at the construction area. Their rapid evolution has minimized the need for conventional steel formwork used in concrete structures. Increasingly, they are of low cost, easy to assemble and are realizable with a minimum of skilled labour at the work site.
A few building assembly structures in existing art provide permanent formwork and are discussed below:
PCT Publication Number 2014044644 to Hurley Gerald et.al, entitled “Permanent formwork system for reinforcing concrete structures” relates to a permanent formwork for a wall structure. Formwork Panels are assembled with wall connectors located between two parallel sheets of fibre-cement formwork boards that are stacked with the help of glue or any bonding agents. These wall connectors are of oblong shape with openings allowing the flow of concrete in building formwork. These wall connectors are of varying sizes supporting different wall thicknesses. The panels are

pre-assembled into box like elements and have a sheet of insulation at one or both the faces. The walls are then realized by means of stacking such pre-assembled panels to form a wall.
United States Application Number 2008155924 to Plycem Co. Inc. entitled “Flooring System” relates to a floor formwork system having a reinforcing beam attached to the surface of the form member. They are provided with grooves on the surface of the form member for receiving the reinforcing beams forming a close connection between the surfaces. The concrete is poured on to the assembled form member with reinforcing beam to create a floor.
The above discussed prior art have panel assemblies to form a permanent formwork at places either on the wall or on the ceiling and uses glue to stick the boards together.
However, these exists a need to arrive at a system by which the entire building structure including curvilinear and non-planar surfaces of buildings to be realized, and at a greatly increased speed with the ability to easily install reinforcing elements, insulation elements and service lines.
OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a Fusion Fiber-cement Formwork with factory manufactured fiber cement boards to enable rapid assembly and construction of walls, ceilings and floors. This assembly when filled with concrete results in a monolithic building structure.
Another objective of the present invention is to cut the fiber-cement boards into polygonal shapes with all necessary cutouts to accommodate all desired service lines and thereby enabling easy and failsafe assembly at the site.
Another objective of the present invention is to realize the desired shape of the building at the construction site in the final resting position of the fiber cement boards, generally without the requirement of an intermediate assembly stage.

Another objective of the present invention is to enable rapid placement of related reinforcing elements, insulation panels and service lines directly at the final resting place of these elements in the structure.
Another objective of the present invention is to enable realization of curvilinear and non-planar surfaces of a building using the factory manufactured fiber cement boards.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention discloses a scheme for factory manufactured fiber cement modules / boards for construction of building structures in a more efficient manner and also with better building performance.
According to the present invention, the factory manufactured fiber cement modules / boards are assembled at the construction site to realize the desired shape of the building structure. The fiber cement boards are assembled as a pair of contiguous, generally parallel surfaces at the final resting place of these boards with specially designed clamps to hold together all boards to maintain the dimensional position and accuracy of the desired structure. The assembled boards form a shell structure and are fitted with suitable reinforcing elements to which the specially designed concrete mixture is poured, thereby realizing a monolithic fiber-cement concrete fusion formwork. In the case of ceilings and floors, if the surface is not inclined then the bottom layer of boards alone are necessary for assembling.
In accordance with the present invention, the fiber-cement fusion formwork assembly is incorporated with bracing arrangements to ensure proper alignment of the fiber cement boards at all essential phases of the construction sequence. Various jigs and fixtures are connected to hold the assembled fiber cement boards at their final resting place to impart strengthen to the formwork assembly.

The formwork may also have in-situ insulation panels which result in better thermal and acoustic properties of the building.
Thus, the fiber cement boards are assembled to realize all types of walls, ceilings and floors with the necessary internal elements and along with doors, windows, sills and similar elements form a complete building structure.
A computer model of the so assembled building using such boards along with the internal elements and concrete can be used to simulate performance under seismic stresses and natural disasters before the actual realization at site.
The fiber-cement fusion formwork assembly of the present invention enables significant reduction in building time, reduced waste of building materials and provides better quality and finishing. Further, the boards are screwed onto the fastening webs in realizing the desired building structure without any intermediate assembly.
The objective and advantages of the present invention will become more evident from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The objective of the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which
FIG. 1 shows a general arrangement of a wall and ceiling section using polygonal fiber cement boards in a typical fusion formwork assembly; and
FIG. 2 illustrates the method for forming the fusion formwork assembly.

REFERNCE NUMERALS:
101 to 107 Polygonal Fiber Cement Boards
108 Clamp
109 Window Cutout
110 Rebars
111 Roof
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention deals with a permanent formwork assembly which is fused with a concrete mix to form a final building structure.
According to the present invention, the formwork assembly is constructed using factory manufactured and appropriately cut fiber cement boards / modules. Fiber cement here includes all boards that have cement based binders and reinforcing fiber as constituents and include autoclaved fiber cement boards, calcium silicate boards, air cured fiber cement boards and the like. Here the term fiber includes wood cellulose, synthetic, plastic and mineral fibers.
Referring to FIG. 1, it illustrates the arrangement of wall and ceiling section using polygonal fiber cement boards formed in a typical fusion formwork assembly. The fiber cement boards of polygonal shape (101 to 107) are placed in the assembly, where the boards have a provision for window cutout (109). The boards are assembled together by means of fastening element such as clamp (108) and are fitted with the reinforcing element such as rebars (110) along with the roof (111). Also, FIG. 1 shows the sectional view (on the left) and assembly view (on the right) of the construction assembly. The assembled structure is realized with a curvilinear and non-planar surfaces of the buildings.
The fiber cement boards are cut into polygonal shapes for easy assembling and accommodating doors, windows, sills etc. The fiber cement boards have necessary cutouts to accommodate all

specified service outlets including plumbing, electrical, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems.
In addition, these boards can also have markings and inspection ports at pre-determined locations to ensure rapid assembly of the building structure and to test and check concrete placement at every stage of execution.
The fiber cement boards assembly of the present invention is used to realize the desired shape of the building. The cut fiber cement boards are transported to the construction site for assembly and are assembled in the final resting place as a contiguous pair of generally parallel surfaces so as to form the desired surface and contours of the building. In the case of ceilings and floors, if the surface is not inclined, only the bottom layer of boards are necessary for assembling.
In accordance with the present invention, the fiber cement boards are assembled at their final resting place with specially designed clamps to form a shell structure with a cavity between the adjacent boards. The cavity formed between these fiber cement boards are filled or poured with specially designed cement concrete mixtures to form a fused monolithic entity. Thus, these boards ultimately form the walls, floors and ceilings of the building. Boards are suitably cut to accommodate fixing of doors, windows, sills and other features of the building. The reinforcing elements including but not limited to steel rebar rods, steel meshes etc., are fitted to the fastening clamps inside the cavity of the formwork. The formwork assembly containing reinforcing clamps are bonded by the concrete mixture in order to provide a robust structure. The fusion formwork (can also be referred as permanent formwork or non-removal formwork) along with the concrete forms a fused monolithic building structure.
The fastening elements used in the formation of assembly formwork include but not limited to clamps or clips made of steel or plastic and are used to connect the fiber cement boards, hold the reinforcement bars and meshes, service lines and insulation elements in place. These clamps are designed to ensure that the assembled structure does not break or excessively deform due to self-weight or transient loads encountered during construction.

The concrete mix poured into the assembly of fiber cement boards to form the fused monolithic building structure is specially designed with necessary admixtures to ensure ease of pouring and to attain the necessary strength after setting. Concrete mix herein mentioned includes all binder mixes where cement is used, including mixes that have sand, gravel, gypsum, silica and similar construction minerals.
The clamps used in the present invention are specially designed to hold the fiber cement boards together and also to support the reinforcing steel and insulation elements. These clamps maintain the specified width-wise distance between the boards, help withstand the pouring pressure of concrete, have special features to properly hold and position steel reinforcement in multiple directions, and optionally have special supports to position and hold service lines and insulation panels in the correct spatial positions.
In addition, these fiber cement boards have necessary cutouts required for fitting the specified service outlets. The boards also can incorporate necessary markings to enable rapid assembly at site. Markings are also provided at identified points for invasive and non-invasive testing or checking of the evolving structure at all stages of construction.
Further, the formwork assembly of the present invention is also supported with special bracing arrangements during the concrete pouring stage to ensure proper alignment, to hold the formwork assembly at the required position, and also to retain and offer strong resistance against various transient loads encountered during the construction phase. The assembly can also contain supporting elements such as jigs and fixtures to retain the work in place and to enable proper assembly at the construction site.
In addition, the formwork assembly can incorporate insulating panel elements including but not limited to polystyrene or polyurethane, that greatly reduces the thermal conductivity of the building. These insulating members are inserted into the fiber cement board cavity before filling or pouring of concrete and include necessary supporting elements to hold them in place.

In accordance with the present invention, the fastening clamp aids and supports in assembling the desired building structure. The fastening clamps perform one or more functions which include: to assemble and hold the fiber cement boards together in order to maintain the spatial positioning accuracy; to withstand the pressure of the concrete when poured inside the board assembly cavity; to locate and retain the reinforcing elements placed within the fiber cement formwork; to locate and retain the insulating panel members; to locate and retain all the service lines; and also to help locate and retain the bracing elements of the fiber cement formwork.
Referring to FIG. 1, the following steps describes in detail about the method involved in the fusion formwork assembly to form a final building structure:
a. Creating the desired building model in the computer. (step 201);
b. Breaking up all surfaces of the walls, ceilings and floors of the building in the model into
polygons – (the step called ‘Striping’). (step 202);
c. Marking openings for elements like doors, windows, sills etc. in the model (step 203)
d. Marking all cutouts for various service lines in the model (step 203);
e. Placing the fastening clamps required to hold the boards in the model together in their final
resting place (step 204);
f. Placing the reinforcement steel elements in the assembly of boards in the model (step 204);
g. Placing the insulation elements in the assembly of boards in the model (step 204);
h. Routing all service lines inside the assembly in the model (step 204);
i. Readjusting all elements in the model to avoid clashes in placement of elements listed above and to optimize for board sizes, ease of manufacture, failsafe and foolproof assembly at site, efficient pouring of concrete, and reduction of cost of total material consumed (step 204);
j. Optionally, validation of the structure is performed against static, seismic and wind velocities (step 205);
k. Manufacture of the boards in polygonal shapes with necessary service cutouts and markings to aid site assembly (step 206);

l. Assembling the board in their final resting place with clamps and all attendant elements
listed above using the required bracing and support systems at the construction site (step
207); m. Pouring the concrete with admixtures in pre-determined pouring sequences to realize the
monolithic building structure (step 208), and n. Applying suitable jointing and finishing compounds to seal all joints at the junction of the
polygonal fiber cement board interfaces (step 208);
For simpler structures, the steps involved in creating the desired building model (step 201) and breaking up of all surfaces into polygonal (step 202) can also be done by manual drafting.
The above method of forming a fused monolithic building structure is described further in detail below:
The desired building structure is normally modeled in the computer. The surfaces of all the walls, floors and ceilings in the model are “Striped” in which Striping refers to breaking down of the surfaces into polygonal board components. After striping, other parameters like windows, doors, sills, service lines, fastening clamps and reinforcement elements are located in the model, where:
. Clamp components are used to fasten the boards and service lines. These components are
normally made of but not limited to plastic or metal. . Jambs are used to support the doors and windows that are inserted . Reinforcement elements such as steel bars are used to ensure the structural strength of the
building. . Service lines factors such as plumbing, electrical, insulation and air conditioning are placed
wherever necessary
After providing all the above requirements, optionally, the computer can be used to validate the building model against various factors like static and seismic loads and wind velocities in order to ensure that the desired building meets all the construction specifications.

After validating the model, the board components are cut to accommodate doors, windows etc. and all necessary service lines. Then, the boards are transported and assembled at their final resting place at the construction site with necessary clamps. Reinforcement elements are places as per design. In addition, insulation material along with service lines for electrical, plumbing etc. are placed into the cavity between boards. After assembling of boards together, a concrete with special admixtures is poured to realize the solid building structure. Necessary ports are provided for checking and testing at all stages of pouring the concrete.
A system of such an assembly of cut fiber cement boards of the present invention holds the following advantages: improves the speed of building construction; provides superior protection against seismic stress and natural disasters; needs very little chasing of walls to insert conduits; virtually eliminates plastering; ensures better building performance such as in fire protection.
The fiber cement formwork assembly of the present invention also has the following advantages: necessary engineering marking of boards and fail safe design results in reduced skill requirements at site, reduction in work such as in masonry, plastering, etc. at the construction site, reduced cost; reduction in building material waste at site; and better quality and finish.
While the foregoing written description of the invention enables one of ordinary skill to make and use what is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill will understand and appreciate the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific embodiment, method, and examples herein. The invention should therefore not be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit of the invention as claimed.

I / We Claim
1. A Fiber Cement Fusion Formwork assembly, wherein the formwork assembly comprises of:
a. plurality of factory manufactured fiber cement boards, wherein the board boards are of
polygonal shape with cutouts to accommodate building elements and service lines;
b. a supporting means for spatial placement of the fiber cement boards to form a
contiguous pair of generally parallel surfaces, wherein the supporting means holds in
place all reinforcing elements, insulation elements, service lines, building elements and
the like; and
c. a cavity or shell is formed in between the contiguous pair of parallel surfaces formed
using the fiber cement boards, wherein the cavity is filled with a concrete mix to form
a fused monolithic building structure at a construction site.
2. The formwork assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the assembly further comprises jigs and fixtures to enable rapid assembly at the site.
3. The formwork assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the assembly further comprises bracing elements to hold the boards together and to withstand transient loads during construction.
4. The formwork assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the building elements includes but not limited to doors, windows, ceiling and walls.
5. The formwork assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the service lines includes but not limited to electrical wiring and plumbing lines.
6. The formwork assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fastening clamps are made up of but not limited to steel or plastic.
7. The formwork assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reinforcement elements includes but not limited to steel reinforcement bars or meshes.

8. The formwork assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the assembly further optionally includes insulation panel elements made up of but not limited to polystyrene or polyurethane.
9. A method for assembling a formwork structure from fiber cement boards as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method comprising the steps of:
a. Modelling the target building in a computer;
b. Breaking up of all surfaces of the board that form the walls, floors and ceilings of a
building into polygonal elements;
c. Locating cutouts in the model to specify building elements, service lines and insulation
panels, etc;
d. Locating the fastening elements in the model to fasten the boards and service lines;
e. Locating the reinforcement elements in the model;
f. Optionally, validating the modelled structure against factors comprising static loads,
seismic loads and wind velocities;
g. Cutting the board with the required cutouts for ingress and exit of service lines;
h. Assembling the board at a construction site with necessary fastening elements,
reinforcement elements, insulation elements and service lines; and i. Pouring a concrete with admixtures to realize a solid building structure.
10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the modelling is done either by standard drafting
packages or by manual drafting.