WO1994022648A1

WO1994022648A1 - Settable material mould

Info

Publication number: WO1994022648A1
Application number: PCT/AU1994/000154
Authority: WO
Inventors: Antonio Perrella
Original assignee: Perval Pty. Ltd.
Priority date: 1993-03-31
Filing date: 1994-03-31
Publication date: 1994-10-13
Also published as: EP0651692A1; EP0651692A4

Abstract

A settable material mould (10, 70, 90, 150, 200) having a resilient liner (20, 76, 94) which is set into dimples (22) to produce buttons (52) of resilient material to mechanically key the resilient liner to a rigid base (12) and side walls (16). The mechanical keying ensures the resilient liner (20, 76, 94) adheres to the rigid base (12) and that is dimensionally stable so as to produce constant dimension moulded units even after much use of the mould (10, 70, 90, 150, 200). The walls (16) can splay apart to release from a moulded unit moulded in a mould cavity (38). The settable material mould (90) can be used in a battery (110) to produce double sided panels (120). The moulds (90) can be refurbished or altered to change the shape of a mould cavity (42). The resulting panels (120) have a reinforcing frame (122) which carry two threaded nuts (142) for fixing to columns (170 and 202) to form a wall or a building (230).

Description

TITLE

SETTABLE MATERIAL MOULD

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a settable material mould particularly, although not exclusively, envisaged for use in moulding settable material being cementitious material such as concrete into paving blocks, panels, columns, lintels, kerbing, sills and the like.

More particularly, the present invention relates to a settable material mould for use in moulding a texture into a top and one or more sides of concrete paving blocks, panels, columns, lintels, kerbing, sills or the like. The present invention also relates to a panel formed by moulding in the settable material mould. The present invention further relates to a battery for moulding a plurality of the panels at a time. The present invention further relates to a building formed from a plurality of the panels and a plurality of columns.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the art of forming concrete paving it is known to make a mould using, for example, polyurethane to form a liner from a master whose shape is to be reproduced in a plurality of panels, say. The liner is typically glued or nailed into a framework to enable a plurality of panels or the like to be moulded to the shape of the master. A significant disadvantage of such prior art moulding members is that the liner is difficult to secure to the framework. Also, the polyurethane liner tends to adhere more vigorously to the settable material than it does to the framework. This has the result that often the liner becomes detached from the moulding member when removing the material when set from the moulding member. This can lead to localised bubbling between the liner and the framework which results in a moulded panel or the like which does not accurately match the master from which it was moulded. This leads to difficulties when using the panel in forming a wall or a building or the like. Prior art attempts at forming a relief surface in a plurality of sides of a settable material block have involved the use of timber boxes with polyurethane liners located therein. In one form of the prior art the polyurethane liners are merely placed in the timber boxes and the settable material poured into the liners. Once set, the settable material block with the liner about it is removed from the timber box and the liner is peeled from the set material, cleaned and replaced in the timber box. The disadvantages of such a prior art system is that it is slow, labour intensive, the polyurethane liner tends to collapse inside the box during filling with the settable material, settable material tends to locate between the liner and the box thus affecting the reproducability of the shape of the material once set, and the liner is not shape stable.

Another prior art technique involves clamping the liner to a top edge of the timber box and removing the material once set by pulling with a vacuum platen or the like. The liner then flops back into the box and is ready to receive further settable material. This arrangement overcomes the problems of the liner flopping into the box and the problem of settable material locating between the liner and the box. However, this system has the disadvantage that the liner is greatly stretched during the extraction process and hence the liner tends to fail prematurely. Also, the liner still loses its shape stability because it is not fixed into the framework.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a settable material mould which better reproduces a master.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a settable material mould for moulding settable material to the shape of a master, the settable material mould comprising: a rigid base having a plurality of raised members in it and a plurality of holes located in it; a resilient liner set about the raised members and through the holes for mechanically keying to the rigid base to ensure an intimate contact between the resilient liner and the rigid base; a plurality of walls attached to the base to form an endless wall for defining a periphery of the resilient liner, and for retaining a charge of the settable material; an open top defined by upper ends of the walls remote from the rigid base, the open top being capable of receiving the charge of settable material; whereby, in use, the resilient liner and the walls define a shape to which the charge of settable materials is to set.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided a battery for forming a plurality of moulded units having relief one both faces, the battery comprising: a base frame for location upon a vibrator means for vibrating air bubbles out of settable material poured into the battery, a plurality of mould members pivotably attached to the base frame, each mould member comprising: a frame having a pivot for pivotable attachment to the base frame; and, two settable material moulds removably attached into the said frame , each settable material mould comprising: a rigid base having a plurality of raised members in it and a plurality of holes located in it; a resilient liner set about the raised members and through the holes for mechanically keying to the rigid base to ensure an intimate contact between the resilient liner and the rigid base; a plurality of walls attached to the base to form an endless wall for defining a periphery of the resilient liner; an open top defined by upper ends of the walls remote from the rigid base, the open top being capable of receiving the charge of settable material; the mould members being pivotably moveable between a setting position in which adjacent ones of the mould members define between them a mould cavity for forming a moulded unit from a charge of the settable material, and a release position in which the mould cavity is opened to allow removal of the moulded unit when set; wherein, the settable material moulds can be removed from the mould members for refurbishing the mould members or to redefine the cavity formed between adjacent mould members so as to mould a different shape of moulded unit.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided a panel for use in a building structure also including columns and the like, the panel being formed by moulding a charge of settable material in a battery having adjacent settable material moulds which define between them a mould cavity, the panel having: a reinforcing frame having a grid of reinforcing bars fixed together and fastening means fixed to the reinforcing bars for use in fastening the panel to one of the columns in the building structure, the reinforcing frame being moulded within the charge of settable material; a face formed by the settable material, the face having shoulders for bearing against the columns, the shoulders each having an aperture passing from the face into the panel to provide access to the fastening means for fastening the panel to one of the columns, the face being substantially parallel to the reinforcing frame; and, a cap located within the panel about the fastening means for inhibiting ingress of the settable material into the fastening means during setting of the settable material.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a building formed of prefabricated components including columns and panels, the columns being elongate and having a plurality of holes in opposite edges thereof for receiving threaded fasteners and each of the panels being formed by moulding a charge of settable material in a battery having adjacent settable material moulds which define between them a cavity, the panels each having: a reinforcing frame having a grid of reinforcing bars fixed together and fastening means fixed to the reinforcing bars for use in fastening the panel to one of the columns in the building structure, the reinforcing frame being moulded within the charge of settable material; a face formed by the settable material, the face having shoulders for bearing against the columns, the shoulders each having an aperture passing from the face into the panel to provide access to the fastening means for fastening the panel to one of the columns, the face being substantially parallel to the reinforcing frame; and, a cap located within the panel about the fastening means for inhibiting ingress of the settable material into the fastening means during setting of the settable material; the columns being disposed substantially vertically and a plurality of the panels being fastened between adjacent ones of the columns with threaded members passed through the holes in the columns and into the apertures in the shoulders of the panels and into engagement with the fastening means of the reinforcing frame.

In the context of the present invention a "master" is a shape to which a plurality of moulded units are to be made. Also, in the context of the present invention "mechanical keying" means securing of the resilient liner to the rigid base by setting the resilient liner through the raised members and the holes. Preferably, the liner is formed with no air gaps between it and the rigid base or the endless wall.

Preferably, the resilient liner has a relief pattern to be formed into the settable material.

The endless wall may be hinged between a setting position for moulding the settable material and a releasing position for releasing the settable material once set. In such a case the resilient liner may also cover the walls so as to produce texture on more than one face of a resulting moulded unit. Thence hinging of the walls is particularly necessary where the shape defined by the resilient liner is smaller at the open top than at the base of the mould - since otherwise the moulded unit can not be removed from the mould.

The settable material mould may also include mandrills disposed upwardly from the resilient liner for defining holes and/or apertures in the moulded unit.

The settable material mould may also include one or more members removably attached to the open top and bearing upon the mandrills for defining the shape of the rear of the moulded unit.

The present invention will hereinafter be described with particular reference to moulded units being concrete paving blocks, panels and columns, although it is to be understood that it is of general applicability. For example, the moulded units could be concrete window sills, lintels, cappings, strut blocks, parapet walls, kerbing, sills and the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Figure 1 is a plan view of a settable material mould in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the settable material mould of Figure 1, shown to an enlarged scale and with its external frame removed for clarity;

Figure 3a is a cross-sectional side view of the settable material mould of Figure 1 take on line 3a-3a, and shown with a resilient liner set into it;

Figure 3b is a cross-sectional side view, similar to that of Figure 3a, of a settable material mould according to another embodiment of the present invention for forming a pattern in three sides of the settable material;

Figure 4 is a plan view of a settable material mould according to yet another embodiment of the present invention for use in forming a panel having two fixing holes;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the settable material mould of Figure 4 taken on line 5-5;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional side view of a mould member for use in a battery of such moulds for forming panels having relief on both sides;

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional side view of a part of a battery of the mould members of Figure 6;

Figure 8a is a reinforcing frame for use in a panel moulded using the battery of Figure 7;

Figure 8b is a side view of the frame of Figure 8;

Figure 9a is a front view of a panel made in the battery of Figure 7 with the reinforcing frame of Figure 8a; Figure 9b is a cross-sectional edge view of the panel of Figure 9a taken on line 9b-9b;

Figure 10 is a cross-sectional side view of a settable material mould for forming a column with a plurality of pairs of fixing holes; Figure 11 is a plan view of a column produced by the mould of Figure 10, shown in relation to two panels of Figure 9a; Figure 12 is a plan view of the column of Figure 11, shown with a flange attached to one end;

Figure 13 is a cross-sectional side view of the column of Figure 12 taken on line 13-13 and showing two of the flanges, one at each end;

Figure 14 is a cross-sectional side view of a settable material mould for use in forming a corner column;

Figure 15 is a plan view of three columns two of which are corner columns formed by the mould of Figure 14 and the other is the column of Figure 11;

Figure 16 is a front elevation of a wall segment formed of two of the columns of Figure 11 and six of the panels of Figure 9a; Figure 17 is a plan view of the wall segment of Figure 16; and,

Figure 18 is a plan view of a building using the panels of Figure 9a and the columns Figures 15.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In Figures 1 to 3a there is shown a settable material mould 10 comprising a rigid base 12, an open top 14, an endless wall 16, an external frame 18, and a resilient liner 20.

The rigid base 12 has a plurality of dimples 22 extend upwardly towards the open top 14 and are typically arranged in a matrix pattern as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

The dimples 22 have a well 24 formed by frustoconical walls 26 terminating at a top 28 which has a hole 30. The dimples 22 are interconnected by a web 34. The web 34 has a plurality of air holes 36, each air hole 36 typically being located equidistant between adjacent one of the dimples 22. Typically, the air holes 36 are smaller in diameter than the holes 30 in the tops 28 of the wells 24.

Typically, the matrix of dimples 22 are at 50 mm centres. Also, typically the air holes 36 are approximately 5 mm in diameter and the holes 30 are about 10 mm in diameter.

The endless side wall 16 is disposed substantially at right angles to the rigid base 12 and is located about the periphery of the rigid base 12. The endless side wall 16 defines the open top 14 and with the resilient liner 20 defines a mould cavity 38. The endless side wall 16 is typically formed in discrete wall sections which butt together, but which are not joined together except at their connection with the rigid base 12. This has the effect that the wall sections tend to splay away from each other when the external frame 18 is removed. This is beneficial in that it assists in releasing the mould 10 from a moulded unit.

The external frame 18 is typically "L" shaped in cross-section and press fits about a top lip 40 of the endless wall 16. The external frame 18 has a plurality of handles 42 for convenient handling of the mould 10 for transport and for inverting the mould 10 to eject the moulded unit once set.

Particularly as shown in Figure 3a the resilient liner 20 is formed into the rigid base 12 to provide a relief surface 50 uppermost. The relief surface 50 is formed to the shape of a master to which moulded units are to be made.

The resilient liner 20 is formed by placing the master into the open top 14 and inverting the mould 10 so that the rigid base 12 is uppermost. In so doing, a cavity is produced between the top of the master and the tops 28 of the dimples 22. Resilient material, in liquid form, is then poured through the holes 30 in the dimples 22 so as to come into contact with the upper surface of the master. Pouring is continued until the liquid fills the entire cavity and the dimples 22. During the pouring process air is expelled from the cavity through the air holes 36. Once the liquid sets the resilient liner 20 is formed to the shape of the master and the master can be removed from the open top 14 and the relief surface 50 is thus completely formed.

By this process of fabrication the resilient liner 20 is keyed into the rigid base 12 through the holes 30 and into the dimples 22. Accordingly, in the event that adherence between the resilient liner 20 and the rigid base 12, due to surface tension, ceases to be effective the resilient liner 20 will be maintained in contact with the rigid base 12 by the portion of the resilient liner 20 which is formed through the holes 30 and into the dimples 22. In this regard, the portion of the resilient liner 20 which resides in the dimples is referred to as a "button" 52. We have discovered through testing that the adherence by surface tension between the resilient liner 20 and the rigid base 12 is quickly lost and the mechanical keying provided by the buttons 52 quickly becomes the only form of securement between the resilient liner 20 and the rigid base 12.

Typically, the rigid base 12 and the endless wall 16 are formed from metal materials. However, they could be formed from wood or fibre glass or the like.

In use, the mould 10 is disposed with the rigid base 12 lowermost and the open top 14 uppermost. Settable material such as cement (with or without aggregate material) is poured into the mould cavity 38 of the mould 10 through the open top 14.

The mould 10 is placed upon a mechanical vibrator for vibrating air bubbles out of the settable material. Once the air bubbles have been removed the mould 10 is removed from the mechanical vibrator and the settable material allowed time to set sufficiently to allow handling. When the material is so set the external frame 18 is removed from about the top lip 40 of the endless wall 16. This allows the wall sections of the endless wall 16 to splay apart and hence come away from the sides of the moulded unit to facilitate release of the mould 10 from the moulded unit. The mould 10 is then lifted using the handles 42 and inverted. This allows the moulded unit to be released from the mould cavity 38.

The external frame 18 is then refitted to the endless side wall 16 and the mould is prepared to receive a further charge of settable material.

In Figure 3b there is shown a settable material mould 70 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The settable material mould 70 is similar to the settable material mould 10 and like numerals denote like parts.

The mould 70 differs from the mould 10 in that it has side walls 72 which are hingedly attached to the rigid base 12 by hinges 74 (such as piano-type hinges). The hinges 74 are disposed along the intersection of the side walls 72 and the rigid base 12. The side walls 72 each have a plurality of dimples 22 the same as the dimples located in the rigid base 12. The mould 70 has a resilient liner 76 which is set through the dimples 22 in the rigid base 12 and in the side walls 72, thus keying to both the rigid base 12 and the side walls 72. The resilient liner 76 has a relief surface 78 formed across the rigid base 12 and over the side walls 72 in one continuous piece. That is, there are no slits in the resilient liner 76 in the vicinity of the edges at which the side walls 72 meet. It is to be noted that the relief surface 78 can define a mould cavity 38 which is narrower at the top lip 40 than at the rigid base 12.

In use, the mould 70 is operated substantially in the same manner as the mould 10 except that when the external frame 18 is remove from the top lip 40 the side walls 72 can be hinged with respect to the base so as to release the moulded unit from the resilient liner 76 at the side walls 72. A removal device, such as a vacuum platen or the like, can then by secured to the upper surface of the moulded unit and the moulded until lifted out of the mould cavity 38. Alternatively, the mould 70 may be inverted to remove the moulded unit in the same manner as with the mould 10.

Once the moulded unit has been removed the side walls 72 hinge towards each other, under the returning force of the resilient liner 20, and the external frame 18 can be repositioned about the top lip 40 and the process of forming moulded units repeated. The moulds 10 and 70 are particularly intended for use in moulding paving blocks such as rectangular paving blocks.

In Figures 4 and 5 there is shown a settable material mould 90 particularly for use in moulding panels. The mould 90 is similar to the mould 10 and like numerals denote like parts.

The mould 90 differs from the mould 10 in that it has two mandrills 92 located centrally of its width and towards its outermost side walls. The mandrills 92 are intended to form holes passing through a panel moulded in the mould 90.

The mould 90 is provided with a resilient liner 94 as shown in Figure 6. Two of the moulds 90 are arranged back-to-back in a frame 96 supported upon two pivots 98 (only one of which is depicted in the drawings) to form a mould member 100. The moulds 90 are secured into the frame by fixings such as bolts 102. Hence, the moulds 90 can be removed from the frame 96 and replaced when the resilient liners 94 are no longer serviceable or when a new shape of panel is to be produced by the moulds 90. The pivots 98 each have a hole 104 which is pivotably attached to a base frame (not shown).

A plurality of the mould members 100 so arranged form a battery 110 which is shown in part in Figure 7. Adjacent ones of the mould members 100 form a mould cavity 112 between their resilient liners 94. The mould cavities 112 formed between the plurality of mould members 100 each have an open top 114 through which settable material can be poured. Edges of the mould cavities 112 are defined by the junction of the resilient liners 94 of the adjacent mould members 100. In order to achieve a seal, between the adjacent mould members 100, which will withstand the force of the weight of a head of settable material it is preferred that the pivots 98 be relatively close together and a clamp be used at the free ends of the mould members 100 to force the mould members together in sealing contact.

In Figures 8a to 9b there is shown a panel 120 in accordance with the present invention and a reinforcing frame 122 therefor. The panel 120 is a generally rectangular prism and has an exterior face 124 an interior face 126 which bound the reinforcing frame 122. The panel 120 also has two ledges 128 located on the exterior face 124 and extending from a lower edge to an upper edge of the panel 120. The ledges each have an aperture 130 for receiving a bolt. The reinforcing frame 122 comprises a plurality of horizontal bars 136 and a plurality of vertical bars 138 arranged in a grid. Typically there are two of the vertical bars 138 at each vertical edge of the panel 120, one of the vertical bars 138 in the middle of the panel 120, two of the horizontal bars 136 in the middle of the panel 120 and one of the horizontal bars 136 at each of the upper edge and the lower edge of the panel 120. The reinforcing frame 122 also has two bolt fixings 139 each comprising a plate 140 for mounting a nut 142 for fixing one edge of the panel 120 to a column, as described hereinafter. In the process of moulding the panel 120 a cap 144 is placed over the nut 142 so as to inhibit the ingress of the settable material into the thread of the nut 142. Typically, the cap is made from plastics material and is conical in shape. Preferably, the reinforcing frame 122 is located in the panel 120 so that the plate 140 and the nut 142 are disposed away from the exterior face 124 so as to allow greater tension to be used in attaching the panel 120 to the column with a bolt. In figure 10 there is shown a settable material mould 150 similar to the mould 10 and like numeral denote like parts. The mould 150 differs from the mould 10 in that it has two mandrills 152 similar to the mould 90. The mandrills 152 support two box shutters 154 which are disposed along the length of the mould 150 and at its lateral edges. The box shutters 154 are typically relatively rectangular in cross-section. The box shutters 154 each have a hole located though them to allow a locking rod 156 to be passed through the box shutter 154 for fixing them to the mould 150. For this purpose the frame 18 has two tabs 158 extending upwardly to receive the ends of the locking rod 156. The resilient liner 20 and the box shutters 154 define the mould cavity 38.

In use, the mould 150 has a reinforcing frame 160 placed into it prior to placement of the box shutters 154 on the mandrills 152. The reinforcing frame 160 comprises a saddle 162, two vertical bars 164, two reinforcing bars 166 and a plurality of horizontal bars 168 spaced along its length. The reinforcing bars 166 are welded to the saddle 162 and the saddle 162 is welded to the horizontal bars 168. The vertical bars 164 are welded to the ends of the horizontal bars 168.

Settable material is then poured in to the mould cavity 38 up to the top edge of the box shutters 154 proximate the interior of the mould 150. When the material is set sufficiently to allow handling the locking rod 156 is removed and the box shutters 154 lifted of the mandrills 152. The frame 18 is then lifted off the top lip 40 of the endless wall 16. The mould 150 can then be inverted to remove the now moulded column 170 shown in Figures 11 to 13 and 15 to 17. The column 170 comprises a beam 172 and two shoulders 174 extending from opposite edges of the beam 172. Accordingly, the column 170 is substantially "T" shaped in cross-section. Distributed along the length of the two shoulders 174 are a plurality of holes 176. The holes 176 correspond in shape to the mandrills 152 of the mould 150. Each end 178 of the column 170 has a recess 180 particularly as shown in Figures 12, 13, 15 and 17. The recesses 180 each receive a flange 182 for fixing the column 170 either to a footing or to a roof member. The column 170 has ferrules 184 to which the flanges 182 are fixed with bolts 186. The ferrules 184 are conveniently welded to the reinforcing bars 166.

In Figure 14 there is shown a settable material mould 200 similar to the mould 150 and like numerals denote like parts. The mould 200 differs from the mould 150 in that it is effectively only half of the mould 150. So instead of producing a "T" shaped column the mould 200 produces an "L" shaped column 202, referred to as a corner column 202.

In use, the mould 200 produces an "L" shaped corner column 202 as shown in Figure 15. The corner column 202 comprises a shoulder 204 extending from a beam 206. The shoulder 204 is substantially the same as the shoulder 174 of the column 170. The beam 206 is substantially the same as the beam 172 of the column 170. The beam 206 is dimensioned to be received on the shoulder 174 and on the beam 172. The ends of the beam have a recess 208 to correspond with the recess 180 on the beam of the column 170 to allow fixing of the corner column 202 to the beam 172 of the column 170. The beam 206 also has a plurality of ferrules 210 fixed to reinforcing bars 212 located in it to allow bolting of the corner column 202 to the shoulders 174 of the column 170.

A plurality of the panels 120 can be stacked one upon the other and bolted between two of the columns 170 as shown in Figures 16 and^' 17 to produce a wall segment 220. A plurality of the wall segments 202 can be connected together, also using the corner columns 202 to form a building 230 as shown in Figure 18.

The settable material moulds of the present invention all have the advantage that their liners are in intimate contact with their bases so that the liners remain di ensionally stable and release efficiently from the moulded units. The settable material mould 70 enables blocks of settable material to be formed with relief surfaces on two or more of its faces. This is particularly important in the field of textured concrete blocks for use in retaining walls. Further, the settable material moulds can be used with precast machinery designed for wet casting concrete products. For example, the settable material moulds can be used with a precast machine made by Concrete Machinery Systems Limited and sold under the trade mark MULTI BLOC cms 36.

Modifications and variations such as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are considered within the scope of the present invention. For example, the settable material moulds 100 could be other than rectangular in plan, cross section and/or in side elevation or end elevation.

The battery 110 has the advantage that the settable material moulds 90 of the mould members can be removed for replacement or for changing the shape of the cavities they define.

The panel 120 has the advantage that its fixing means (nut 142) is welded to its reinforcing frame 122 and set into the panel 120 during setting of the settable material. Hence, the interior surface 126 of the panel 120 is devoid of any holes or recesses or protruding nuts or bolt heads or the like, and is thus more suited for use as an interior as an interior surface as a building.

The building 230 has the advantage that each wall segment 220 is capable of supporting itself and each panel 120 can support itself within the wall segment 220. Hence, the building 230 is much more stable than prior art buildings of prefabricated components in which each component relies upon other components for its stability.

Claims

1. A settable material mould for moulding settable material to the shape of a master, the settable material mould comprising: a rigid base having a plurality of raised members in it and a plurality of holes located in it; a resilient liner set about the raised members and through the holes for mechanically keying to the rigid base to ensure an intimate contact between the resilient liner and the rigid base; a plurality of walls attached to the base to form an endless wall for defining a periphery of the resilient liner, and for retaining a charge of the settable material; an open top defined by upper ends of the walls remote from the rigid base, the open top being capable of receiving the charge of settable material; whereby, in use, the resilient liner and the walls define a shape to which the charge of settable materials is to set.

2. A settable material mould according to claim 1, in which the raised members are dimples each with a frustoconical wall terminating at a top having an aperture in it and the resilient liner being set through the said holes of the dimples to form a plurality of buttons for mechanically keeping the resilient liner to the rigid base.

3. A settable material mould according to claim 2, in which the dimples are arranged in a regular pattern and the rigid base also has a plurality of further apertures disposed between the dimples, the further apertures being smaller in cross-sectional dimension than the said apertures in the dimples.

4. A settable material mould according to claim 1, also having an external frame removably locatable about the said open top and in which the said walls attached to the base butt together at their adjacent ends but are not fixed together so that the ends of the said walls can be urged together into contiguous contact when the external frame is located about the open top and so that the ends of the said walls can splay apart to disengage from the settable material once set when the external frame is removed from said open top.

5. A settable material mould according to claim 4, in which at least one of the walls has raised members, the resilient liner being set into the raised members in at least one of the walls, the walls being hinged to the rigid base to allow for greater splaying of the walls for greater opening of the top to release moulded units having moulded features on a plurality of their sides.

6. A battery for forming a plurality of moulded units having relief one both faces, the battery comprising: a base frame for location upon a vibrator means for vibrating air bubbles out of settable material poured into the battery, a plurality of mould members pivotably attached to the base frame, each mould member comprising: a frame having a pivot for pivotable attachment to the base frame; and, two settable material moulds removably attached into the said frame , each settable material mould comprising: a rigid base having a plurality of raised members in it and a plurality of holes located in it; a resilient liner set about the raised members and through the holes for mechanically keying to the rigid base to ensure an intimate contact between the resilient liner and the rigid base; a plurality of walls attached to the base to form an endless wall for defining a periphery of the resilient liner; an open top defined by upper ends of the walls remote from the rigid base, the open top being capable of receiving the charge of settable material; the mould members being pivotably moveable between a setting position in which adjacent ones of the mould members define between them a mould cavity for forming a moulded unit from a charge of the settable material, and a release position in which the mould cavity is opened to allow removal of the moulded unit when set; wherein, the settable material moulds can be removed from the mould members for refurbishing the mould members or to redefine the cavity formed between adjacent mould members so as to mould a different shape of moulded unit.

7. A battery according to claim 6, in which each of the settable material mould is further characterised according to one of claims 2 to 5.

8. A panel for use in a building structure also including columns and the like, the panel being formed by moulding a charge of settable material in a battery having adjacent settable material^' moulds which define between them a mould cavity, the panel having: a reinforcing frame having a grid of reinforcing bars fixed together and fastening means fixed to the reinforcing bars for use in fastening the panel to one of the columns in the building structure, the reinforcing frame being moulded within the charge of settable material; a face formed by the settable material, the face having shoulders for bearing against the columns, the shoulders each having an aperture passing from the face into the panel to provide access to the fastening means for fastening the panel to one of the columns, the face being substantially parallel to the reinforcing frame; and, a cap located within the panel about the fastening means for inhibiting ingress of the settable material into the fastening means during setting of the settable material.

9. A panel according to claim 8, in which the fastening means is two threaded nuts and the reinforcing frame has two vertically disposed reinforcing bars and two horizontally disposed reinforcing bars arranged in proximity to each other to support a plate for mounting the threaded nuts proximate opposite edges of the panel.

10. A building formed of prefabricated components including columns and panels, the columns being elongate and having a plurality of holes in opposite edges thereof for receiving threaded fasteners and each of the panels being formed by moulding a charge of settable material in a battery having adjacent settable material moulds which define between them a cavity, the panels each having: a reinforcing frame having a grid of reinforcing bars fixed together and fastening means fixed to the reinforcing bars for use in fastening the panel to one of the columns in the building structure, the reinforcing frame being moulded within the charge of settable material; a face formed by the settable material, the face having shoulders for bearing against the columns, the shoulders each having an aperture passing from the face into the panel to provide access to the fastening means for fastening the panel to one of the columns, the face being substantially parallel to the reinforcing frame; and , a cap located within the panel about the fastening means for inhibiting ingress of the settable material into the fastening means during setting of the settable material; the columns being disposed substantially vertically and a plurality of the panels being fastened between adjacent ones of the columns with threaded members passed through the holes in the columns and into the apertures in the shoulders of the panels and into engagement with the fastening means of the reinforcing frame.

11. A building according to claim 10, in which the panels are further characterised according to claim 9.

12. A building according to claim 11, in which the columns are "T" shaped in cross-section having two shoulders each for receiving one shoulder of one of the panels, each shoulder having a plurality of spaced apart holes, and a threaded bolt locatable through one of the holes in the shoulders and securable into the fastening means of the panel.