FIELD OF INVENTION
This disclosure relates to a monolithic concrete toilet unit. In particular, it relates to a monolithic precast toilet unit which is capable of quick and easy installation. BACKGROUND Around 560 million people in India (which is 44% of the total population) still defecate in the open. This generates 200,000 metric tons of faecal load which finds its way into the soil and water bodies contaminating them with disease spreading pathogens. As a consequence of this contamination over 140,000 children die every day from diarrhoea. While this situation is acute in rural areas, it is also endemic in several urban areas particularly in slums. A national initiative in the form of “Swachch Bharat Abhiyan” has now been launched to solve this monumental problem. A key component of the solution lies in making available low-cost, clean toilets which can be installed and deployed quickly across the country. It is estimated that as many as 85,000,000 toilets in rural areas and 4,400,000 toilets in urban areas would be required in as short a time period as possible. The challenges of deployment include: 1) the lack of skilled/semi-skilled manpower for installation of each toilet, 2) the ease with which the installation can be accomplished, 3) the time taken to install each toilet. The extremely large quantity of toilets also necessitates a low cost of construction as well as a low cost of installation, in order to ensure viability. In addition to providing the toilets at a very large number of locations many of which are in remote rural areas, it is necessary to generate awareness and motivation to use such toilets, in the minds of a large section of the population. To facilitate this aspect, it is important that the
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toilets meet basic requirements of hygiene, privacy and cleanliness. This requires the toilet to be clean, well ventilated while ensuring privacy and easily maintainable.
There are essentially two types of toilet structures in use today -- mobile toilets and fixed toilets. Mobile toilets are made of lightweight materials such as moulded plastic, fibre or metal. Such structures lack rigidity and therefore require frequent replacement rendering them unacceptable as a solution to the problem. Fixed toilet structures, on the other hand, are generally constructed in-situ using labour and building material such as bricks, concrete and cement. This activity entails substantial time and cost and also requires the use of semi-skilled manpower, rendering this option inefficient and unscaleable and therefore inadequate to meet the requirement. Fixed toilets are usually constructed from untreated concrete or poor fibre-glass and are unhygienic and difficult to clean. Fixed toilets constructed from precast/prefabricated concrete structures also exist in the state of the art. Some patent applications relating to such structures are described below:
Patent application IN1173/MUM/2010 discloses an assembly of pre-cast elements like concrete column forms, beam forms and lightweight concrete wall elements for building a cast-in-situ reinforced concrete structure and a method of manufacturing, assembling, erecting and casting such a structure. The cast assemblies/modules are put together on site in order to receive the column rebar cages and cast-in-situ concrete to form a monolithic RCC structure. The assemblies are manufactured in the factory, transported to the site, erected with the help of a crane, fitted with a special kind of formwork panels, formwork support assemblies and rebar grid. Such an arrangement suffers from the need for skilled/semi-skilled manpower and construction equipment as well as the need for an elaborate foundation and substantial installation time.
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Therefore, there is a need of a low-cost toilet which is easily transportable, quickly installable without the need for skilled manpower while being hygienic, clean and easily maintainable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of subject matter embodiments. It is not an extensive overview of the subject matter, nor is it intended to delineate its scope or to identify key/critical elements of any embodiments.
Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the subject matter in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
An objective of the present disclosure is to provide a low-cost toilet that is capable of being installed at low-cost and minimal time.
Another objective of the present disclosure is to provide a toilet unit which is hygienic, clean, well-ventilated while ensuring privacy during use, and easy to maintain.
Yet another objective of the present disclosure is to provide the precast concrete toilet unit which can be easily installed in a wide range of soil conditions.
To achieve the above-mentioned objectives the present disclosure provides a precast monolithic concrete toilet unit comprising a monolithic precast concrete structure having a plurality of walls, a roof, at least a door and a base foundation including at least one toilet pan
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where the distribution of weight of the individual parts is such that the centre of gravity is located in the vicinity of the base foundation.
These and other objects, embodiments and advantages of the present disclosure will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the embodiments having reference to the attached figures, the disclosure not being limited to any particular embodiments disclosed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a better understanding of the embodiments of the systems and methods described herein, and to show more clearly how they may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIGURE 1 illustrates a side cross sectional view of the precast concrete toilet according to the preferred embodiment of the present subject matter.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Exemplary embodiments now will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing. The disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey its scope to those skilled in the art. The terminology used in the detailed description of the
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particular exemplary embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings is not intended to be limiting. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements.
The specification may refer to “an”, “one” or “some” embodiment(s) in several locations. This does not necessarily imply that each such reference is to the same embodiment(s), or that the feature only applies to a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments.
As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless expressly stated otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “includes”, “comprises”, “including” and/or “comprising” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. Furthermore, “connected” or “coupled” as used herein may include operatively connected or coupled. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations and arrangements of one or more of the associated listed items.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with
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their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
The figure depicts a simplified structure only showing some elements and functional entities, all being units whose implementation may differ from what is shown. It is apparent to a person skilled in the art that the structure may also comprise other functions and structures.
Figure 1 illustrates the precast concrete toilet unit 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The unit 100 comprises a pre-cast monolithic concrete structure comprising a plurality of walls 110a, 110b & 110c, a roof 120, at least a door 150 and a base foundation 130 including at least one toilet pan 140. The structure 100 is constructed to have a low level of center of gravity and thereby a high degree of stability by providing a thick foundation 130 which is much greater than the thickness of the walls 110a, 110b & 110c and roof.
In one embodiment, the walls 110a, 110b & 110c are 40 mm to 60 mm thick concrete slabs cast around a steel wire mesh 170 of 2 mm to 4 mm diameter. The walls support an integrated tapered sloping roof of 70mm thickness and are integrally joined to a base foundation 130 of 300 mm to 500 mm thick concrete. The base foundation may include one or more toilet pans, or western commodes or urinals, etc. 140 and a plurality of inlet pipes and a sewage outlet pipe 180. The toilet pan 140, inlet pipelines and sewage outlet pipe 180 are placed in the base foundation 130 at the time of casting. The roof 120 of the toilet unit 100 integrally joins with and covers the walls of said unit with a slight projection above the door 150. A water tank stand 160 is provided at the top middle portion of the roof to place a water tank for providing water to the toilet unit.
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The door 150 is made of thin metal sheet or wood or plastic or any other material preferably of 0.8 mm thickness. It has thin perforations on its upper part for ventilation and daylight. The perforations are provided at an angle on the door 150 to avoid any direct visual access from the outside of the unit. The perforations are provided to keep the unit sanitized and ventilated.
In one embodiment of present disclosure, the wall is casted having 50 mm thickness with steel mesh having reinforcement of 3 mm diameter.
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the base foundation is made of RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete) and has a thickness of 400 mm which provides stability to the structure. Further, the thickness of the base foundation makes the toilet unit a free standing unit with low center of gravity.
In one embodiment of the present disclosure a plurality of holes are provided in the base foundation for facilitating the transportation of the toilet unit to installation site.
In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the upper half of the door is provided with thin perforations for ventilation and daylight. A thin 0.8 mm perforated door standing on a 40mm and MS (Mild Steel) section with reinforcement at the center (900mm X 2000mm) provides ventilation inside the toilet without compromising on privacy. The perforations are provided at an angle that does not allow any visual link from the outside, but provide enough daylight and ventilation to keep the toilet sanitized.
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In another embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one water tank stand is provided at the roof top of the toilet unit for placing water tank for providing water to the unit.
In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality of inlet pipelines and outlet sewage pipes are provided in-situ at the time of casting the toilet unit.
While manufacturing said structure, the low level of center of gravity is achieved by keeping the thickness of the base foundation much greater than the thickness of the walls and the roof. Each wall of the concrete structure is 40 mm to 50 mm thick with steel mesh having reinforcement of 3 mm diameter. The base foundation of the structure on the other hand, is made of 300 mm to 500 mm thick concrete. The concrete used for molding the entire structure is reinforced concrete having minimum grade of M-20. A thin 0.8mm thick metal door is provided with perforations for ventilation and daylight in the toilet. The installation of the unit is done in such a way that the inlet pipelines and outlet sewer pipes are already placed and the product is casting is finished as a single piece.
Only a shallow excavation is required at the site to fit the monolithic precast toiler structure once pipelines have been installed to connect to the nearest sewer line/septic tank for clean disposal and refilling. The thick base foundation of the unit provides a solid standing base in any type of soil at the installation.
In another embodiment, the present invention relates to a precast concrete toilet unit (100) comprising a monolithic precast concrete structure having a plurality of walls (110a, 110b. 110c), a roof (120), at least a door (150) and a base foundation (130) including at least one embedded toilet pan (140), wherein the mass of said base foundation is made equal to or
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greater than the combined mass of the remaining structure thereby providing a low center of gravity. The mass of the base foundation is made equal the combined mass of all the walls and the roof by constructing it with a thickness of between 6 to 10 times the thickness of the walls and the roof. The steel mesh (180) reinforcement is provided in the concrete structure. The concrete is reinforced minimum M20 grade concrete. The door comprises a thin metal sheet having perforations on upper part of said door for providing ventilation and daylight. The perforations are provided at an angle which prevents direct visual access from outside. At least one water tank stand is provided at the roof top of said unit for placing a water tank. The at least one inlet pipeline and outlet sewage pipeline are placed in-situ at the time of casting said toilet unit for concealing and avoiding any damage and theft.
In one embodiment, a plurality of metal hooks are provided in the back wall and in the said base foundation for facilitating the transportation of said structure.
Advantages of the present invention
The present invention is a monolithic structure with integrated foundation. The base foundation of the toilet unit is 400mm thickness which is made of Reinforced Cement Concrete provides stability to the structure making it a free standing unit with low center of gravity.
The concealed plumbing connections provide protection against any external damage or theft.
The concrete mix used for the fabrication of unit requires low water content and dries quickly, suitable for India where lack of water is a huge concern. The quick dry property enables the construction of a large number of the toilet units on daily basis in order to meet the need of the hour.
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The use of steel mesh in walls of the structure provides stability and holes in the base foundation facilitate the transportation easy, reducing any risks of damage during logistics.
The structure in itself is portable and can be lifted and placed anywhere. Since it’s a precast concrete structure, it is more permanent in nature and suitable for any urban or rural setup. Installation of product is quick and thus does not cause disruption on site.
In different embodiment of present invention, the precast concrete toilet unit comprises of at least one toilet pan (any type of Orissa pan or European style or urinals or anglo Indian style), set in the floor of said toilet unit and at least one housing for covering said toilet unit. The housing further comprises of plurality of walls, a roof and at least a door.
In an embodiment, the toilet unit is prepared in pre-cast concrete having minimum parameters of M 20 grade. However, it is evident to a person skilled in the art that any other parameter can be used to prepare the pre-cast concrete. The casting of the toilet unit is prepared in a mold which can be made of mild steel, ply or other woods and/or aluminum having a cavity which can be shaped into an individual toilet. The toilet pan is set in the flooring of the toilet unit at the time of casting which ensures a seamless and joint less structure.
In an embodiment, the wall thickness of the housing of the mobile pre-cast concrete toilet unit is 40 mm to 50 mm of the concrete. The advantage of the same is that it helps in very effective temperature management of the unit. However, it is evident to a person skilled in the art that any other thickness can be used to construct the wall of the pre-cast concrete.
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It is further in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter that the structure of the mobile precast concrete toilet unit is such that it can be added on to crate group/cluster toilets.
It is in accordance with an aspect of the present subject matter that the precast is used to create a toilet unit which is permanent and rigid in its features and quick and easy for installation or reinstallation.
Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternate embodiments of the invention, will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention. It is therefore contemplated that such modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as defined.

We claim:
1. A precast concrete toilet unit (100) comprising a monolithic precast concrete structure having a plurality of walls (110a, 110b. 110c), a roof (120), at least a door (150) and a base foundation (130), wherein the mass of said base foundation is made equal to the combined mass of the remaining structure thereby providing a low center of gravity.
2. The precast concrete toilet unit (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mass of the base foundation is made equal to the combined mass of all the walls and the roof by constructing it with a thickness of between 6 to 10 times the thickness of the walls and the roof.
3. The precast concrete toilet unit (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein steel mesh (180) reinforcement is provided in the concrete structure.
4. The precast concrete toilet unit (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said concrete is minimum reinforced M20 grade concrete.
5. The precast concrete toilet unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said door comprises a thin metal sheet having perforations on upper part of said door for providing ventilation and daylight.
6. The precast concrete toilet unit as claimed in claim 5, wherein said perforations are provided at an angle which prevents direct visual access from outside.
7. The precast concrete toilet unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one water tank stand is provided at the roof top of said unit for placing a water tank.
8. The precast concrete toilet unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one inlet pipeline and outlet sewage pipeline are placed in-situ at the time of casting said toilet unit for concealing and avoiding any damage and theft.