U.S. patent application number 10/537923 was filed with the patent office on 2006-08-03 for vertical alignment and levelling of modular building units.
Invention is credited to John Window.
Application Number | 20060168901 10/537923 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 9948985 |
Filed Date | 2006-08-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060168901 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Window; John |
August 3, 2006 |
Vertical alignment and levelling of modular building units
Abstract
The invention provides a modular building unit (1) comprising
walls, a floor and a ceiling, which is preferably assembled
off-site and furnished or fitted out off-site prior to being
transported to a building site for assembly in a stack as a
vertical and horizontal array to form a building. The modular
building unit is essentially a lined shell defining the walls of a
room. Vertical location of one such modular building unit (1) on
the unit below it in the stack is established by a downwardly
extending location flange (6) around the outside bottom edge of
each module, engaging in a peripheral recess (2b, 2c) around the
top perimeter of the outside top edge of the vertically adjacent
module beneath it in the stack.
Inventors: |
Window; John;
(Leicestershire, GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PIETRAGALLO, BOSICK & GORDON
ONE OXFORD CENTRE, 38TH FLOOR
301 GRANT STREET
PITTSBURGH
PA
15219-6404
US
|
Family ID: |
9948985 |
Appl. No.: |
10/537923 |
Filed: |
December 3, 2003 |
PCT Filed: |
December 3, 2003 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/GB03/05280 |
371 Date: |
February 14, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
52/79.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04B 1/3483
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
052/079.1 |
International
Class: |
E04H 1/00 20060101
E04H001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 3, 2002 |
GB |
0228173.1 |
Claims
1. A modular building unit comprising a skeletal shell lined to
define the walls of a room or rooms, the building units when
stacked in a vertical and horizontal array cooperating to form the
linked rooms of a building, wherein for precise location of one
module or part thereof vertically over another in the resulting
building, each module is provided around the perimeter of its base
with a downwardly extending location flange, and each module is
also provided with an external roof covering of load-bearing
boarding which extends close to but not up to the outside perimeter
of the top of the module, and the external perimeter of the module
is clad with an edging of cold-formed lightweight steel which has a
first portion which laps around the top of the side and end walls
of the module and a second portion which laps over the outside edge
of the boarding, so that between the first and second portions of
the edging is formed a peripheral locating recess into which the
location flange of a vertically adjacent building module can
accurately locate.
2. A modular building unit according to claim 1, wherein the
peripheral recess has an inside side wall which slopes upwardly and
inwardly relative to the building module, to guide the vertically
adjacent building module into position when stacking the modules
one above the other during the erection of a building
therefrom.
3. A modular building unit according to claim 1, wherein the
modular building unit comprises a skeletal shell of structural
steel uprights and cross-members lined to define the walls of the
room.
4. A modular building unit according to claim 1, wherein the lined
skeletal shell is clad with an external roof covering of
load-bearing boarding which extends close to but not up to the
outside perimeter of the top of the module, so that the edge of the
boarding lies along the inside edge of the locating recess.
5. (canceled)
6. A modular building unit according to claim 1, wherein the
locating recess is lined with a rubber or elastomeric or other
sound-absorbing lining.
7. A modular building unit according to claim [[5]] 1, wherein the
edging of cold-formed lightweight steel is laid over a layer of a
rubber or elastomeric or other sound-absorbing lining.
8. (canceled)
9. A method of building using modular building units according to
claim 1, wherein [[the]] one or more levelling units comprising a
skeletal shell of structural steel peripheral members and
cross-members [[to]] define [[the]] a footprint of a modular
building unit according to claim 1, and for precise location of the
modular building units of the floor of a building immediately above
the levelling unit, each levelling unit is provided round its top
perimeter edge with a peripheral recess into which the location
flange of a modular building unit according to claim 1 can
accurately locate, and wherein the levelling units are positioned
over a foundation or ground level structure of the building, and
each is accurately levelled and located relative to the adjacent
levelling units by the use of shims or screw jacks between the
levelling units and the building foundations or ground level
structure; and the levelling units are secured fast to the building
foundations or ground level structure prior to placing individual
modular building units thereon, and locating those modular building
units by engagement of the generally extending location flange
around the perimeter of the base of each building unit into [[the]]
a peripheral recess formed around the respective levelling unit
into which the location flange of the corresponding modular
building unit can accurately locate.
Description
DESCRIPTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to modular building units for use in
the construction of largely prefabricated offices, hotels and
apartment blocks, and buildings of a similar general nature. Such
modular building units are box-like structures which can be
manufactured and fitted-out off-site and then transported to a
construction site for final assembly to form the internal rooms of
a building. The invention also relates to a method for the erection
of buildings using such modular building units, and in particular
to the alignment of such a building and the levelling of the lower
or ground floor units.
[0003] 2. Background Art
[0004] Particularly in the construction of hotels, apartments and
student accommodation it is known to construct the buildings from
lightweight building modules each of which is a skeletal steel
shell formed from lightweight structural steel sections welded into
a box-like structure and lined with boarding such as plasterboard,
plywood or oriented strand board (OSB). Each building module is
made initially as such a lined shell, and is then fitted-out to the
desired standard of internal decoration in a factory before being
transported to the final building site for incorporation into a
building. Other building modules are known, made primarily from
wood frames and wood boarding.
[0005] At the building site, the modules are hoisted by crane from
the lorry or truck on which they had been transported, and stacked
in a vertical and horizontal array cooperating to form the linked
rooms of the final building. For low-rise buildings, the accuracy
required in the stacking process is relatively crude. It makes very
little difference to the final stability of the building whether
the individual modules are accurately positioned vertically one
over the other, and generally it is considered to be adequate for
the individual modular building units to be manipulated into their
final positions by hand as they are lowered by crane. For
progressively higher rise buildings, the accuracy of the vertical
alignment of the individual building units in the array becomes of
increasing importance. Hitherto, however, the accuracy of the
stacking has depended entirely on the skill of the crane driver in
being able to hold the topmost building unit static, while skilled
workers manoeuvre it manually into the correct vertically aligned
position, before the tension in the crane cable is released and the
building unit takes up its final position over the lower units in
the stack.
[0006] It is an object of this invention to provide, for such a
modular building unit and building system, a means for
automatically and accurately aligning the vertically adjacent
building units in the stack. By making the alignment automatic and
largely unreliant on the skill of the building workers manoeuvring
the modular building units into position, it is possible to
increase the height of buildings made from such modular units using
unskilled labour, from a previous practical maximum of about five
storeys to from twenty to thirty storeys.
THE INVENTION
[0007] The invention comprises a modular building unit as specified
in claims 1 to 6 herein. The edge location means, provided by the
cooperating location flange and peripheral recess of vertically
adjacent modules, makes it possible accurately to position the
modular building units one above the other in the array with the
minimum reliance on skilled labour. Preferably the peripheral
recess has an inside side wall which slopes upwardly and inwardly
relative to the building module, to guide the vertically adjacent
building module into position when stacking the modules one above
the other during the erection of a building therefrom. Therefore
the erection team manhandling the module into position as it is
lowered by crane simply have to guide the module being hoisted into
position to within about two or three centimetres of its final
position, and the sloping inside side wall of the peripheral recess
is sufficient to guide the module into its precise final
position.
[0008] The building modules according to the invention may be
constructed as described and claimed in copending Patent
Application No. W068004 filed herewith and linked together
horizontally and vertically as described in W068006 filed herewith.
They may be made from a lined skeletal shell of structural building
elements as described and claimed in copending Patent Application
No. W068007 filed herewith.
[0009] The invention also provides a levelling unit for a building
module according to the invention, as specified in claim 7 herein.
Finally, the invention provides a method of building as specified
in claim 8 herein.
DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a modular building unit
according to the invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a section taken along the line A-A of a top corner
of the building unit of FIG. 1;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a section taken along the line B-B through a
bottom corner of the building unit of FIG. 1; and
[0013] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a levelling unit for use
with the modular building unit of FIGS. 1 to 3.
[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a complete building module
1, constructed according to my copending Patent Application No.
W068004 and provided in addition with edge location means in
accordance with this invention. The module comprises four walls, a
floor and a roof. One end wall is shown in FIG. 1 as having a
window. The opposite end wall (not visible) would have a door. The
window wall would be on the outside of the assembled building and
the door wall would be on the inside, with the doors opening for
example onto a corridor providing access to any of the modules in a
given row.
[0015] Around the outer edge of the top of the module 1 is a
peripheral recess which is defined by a corner strip 2, as shown in
FIG. 2. The corner strip 2 is made from lightweight cold-formed
structural steel by a folding or creasing operation, and comprises
a front face 2a, a lower top face 2b, an inclined face 2cand an
upper top face 2d. The front face 2a is secured to the structural
uprights of the modular building unit, for example by spot welding
or plug welding. The lower top face 2b lies over the horizontally
aligned top ends of those structural uprights. Between the lower
top face 2b and the inclined face 2c is formed the peripheral
recess which extends around all four edges of the top of the module
1.
[0016] The top of the module 1 is externally boarded with
load-bearing panels 3 which are strong enough to bear the weight of
the construction team members who are employed to erect a building
from a number of such modular units. The upper top face 2d of the
corner strip 2 lies in a recess formed in the top of the
load-bearing panels 3, and over the upper top face 2d is adhered a
strip 4 of acoustic insulation, for example a strip of rubber or
elastomeric material such as high density neoprene foam. Another
such strip 5 of acoustic insulation is adhered over the lower top
face 2b of the corner strip 2, so as to provide good acoustic
insulation between vertically adjacent stacked modules 1. An
alternative sound insulation barrier could be obtained by laying
the corner strip 2 over a layer of rubber or elastomeric or other
sound-absorbing llining.
[0017] FIG. 3 shows the detail of the bottom periphery of each
module 1, and also shows how that bottom detail cooperates with the
peripheral recess around the top edge of the module vertically
beneath it in the final building. That module beneath is shown in
FIG. 3 in broken line, but is exactly as described above with
reference to FIG. 2. In FIG. 3 the strips 4 and 5 of acoustic
insulation are shown compressed, as they would be in practice, by
the weight of the module or modules 1 vertically above.
[0018] The bottom detail of the module 1 is provided by a corner
strip cold-formed so as to define a downwardly extending locating
flange 6 into which the structural uprights (not shown) of the
module rest. An outer wall of the flange 6 extends upwardly as an
outside wall portion 7 of the corner strip, which is secured to the
outside of the skeletal building module 1 by spot welding or plug
welding for example. The inner wall of the flange 6 is bent to
follow the angle of the inclined face 2c of the top corner strip 2,
terminating in a bottom plate portion 8 which is welded to the
bottoms of an array of cross-beams (not shown) which support the
floor of the module 1. Although welding has been specified as the
securing method of choice in the particular example illustrated,
other securing methods such as bolts, rivets or even adhesive are
feasible alternatives depending on the permanence of the intended
building and the stresses to which it is expected to be
exposed.
[0019] When erecting a building from a number of modules according
to the invention, a lowermost array of modules 1 is first
manoeuvred into position and anchored to foundations. Then one by
one the modules 1 of the next storey are hoisted into position by
crane. As the modules 1 are lowered by the crane operator, they are
pushed into position by a crew. The edge location provides accurate
positioning of the modules on the modules of the floor below, and
the workmen can walk freely on the roofs of the ground floor array
of modules 1 because the top boarding 3 is load-bearing.
[0020] When each upper storey module 1 is approximately in
position, the crane driver lowers it its last few centimetres, and
the inclined faces 2c guide it gently but accurately into register
with the module below.
[0021] The assembled modules may be locked together as described
and claimed in my copending Patent Application No. W068006.
Alternatively a continuous cable may be threaded through the wall
cavities defined by mutually aligned vertical structural uprights
of successive storeys of the building and tensioned as a continuous
cable run from the building foundations to roof, to lock together
the modules vertically. Instead of a cable, a series of
interconnected tubes or rods may be used, each one storey in
height, as described in my copending Application No. W068007.
Similar interconnected tubes or rods may be used across the
building in the horizontal plane, but generally it will be
sufficient to connect the modules together horizontally using
gutter plates straddling the roves of horizontally adjacent
modules, which for sound insulation purposes are usually stacked
with a small horizontal gap therebetween. The gutter plates not
only tie the adjacent modules together horizontally but also
prevent the ingress of rain between adjacent modules during
erection.
[0022] FIG. 4 shows a levelling unit which in practice is laid over
the foundations or any given course of a building and accurately
levelled before the next courses of building modules are hoisted
into position. The levelling unit of FIG. 4 is given the general
reference 10 and comprises a peripheral structure of C-sections 11,
each made from lightweight cold-formed structural steel. Running in
parallel between the C-sections 11 forming the long edges of the
base levelling unit 10 are an array of C-section cross-beams 12,
each connected to the corresponding C-section peripheral beam 11 in
exactly the same way as the floor and ceiling cross-beams are
connected in the building modules of FIGS. 1 to 3. For additional
rigidity, spacers (not shown) of C-section may be welded at
staggered intervals between adjacent pairs of cross-beams 12, to
create an overall rigid assembly. If desired, although not shown in
FIG. 4, that assembly can be clad over its top surface with
load-bearing flooring similar to the boarding 3 of FIG. 2.
[0023] Around the outside edge of the base levelling unit 10
(although again not shown in FIG. 4) is a corner strip defining a
peripheral recess exactly the same as the corner strip 2 described
and illustrated with reference to FIG. 2 around the top of each
complete building module according to the invention. Thus FIG. 2
could equally be a section through one of the edges of the base
levelling unit 10 of FIG. 4, except that the line in FIG. 2
referenced 1 and indicating the building module would in fact
indicate the outside wall of the levelling unit 10 and the
C-section peripheral members 11.
[0024] In use, it is far easier to handle a levelling unit 10 than
a complete fitted-out building module 1. Therefore after preparing
the foundations of the building, one such levelling unit 10 is
placed in position to define the footprint of each room to be
created on successive floors of the finished building. Levelling of
the individual levelling units 10 can be achieved by the insertion
of metal shims or by the use of screw jacks, and is carried out
with precision until an accurate level base or lower level course
is created for the upper courses of the individual building modules
1 of the finished building. As each levelling unit 10 is accurately
positioned and levelled, it may be secured to the foundations or
ground level structure by anchor bolts, tie straps or other
appropriate anchorage means (not shown) so that the base course for
the upper storeys of the building is both accurately levelled and
secured to the foundations or ground level structure.
[0025] Thereafter, individual building modules 10 are hoisted into
position by a crane and are located by the edge recesses in the
levelling units 10, exactly as described above in relation to the
accurate assembly of the upper storeys of the building.
* * * * *