U.S. patent application number 11/916420 was filed with the patent office on 2009-06-18 for end caps for structural members.
This patent application is currently assigned to HENLEY CONSULTANTS LIMITED. Invention is credited to John WINDOW.
Application Number | 20090151165 11/916420 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34835061 |
Filed Date | 2009-06-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090151165 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
WINDOW; John |
June 18, 2009 |
End Caps for Structural Members
Abstract
The invention provides a method of constructing a multi-storey
building from modular panel components. Each panel component
comprises a framework of cold-formed C-profile structural steel
members including vertical members, horizontal members and optional
diagonal cross-brace members. The vertical members include some
load-bearing structural uprights of the finished building, each of
which is provided with an end cap on each of its top and bottom
ends, connected to the corresponding load-bearing structural
upright by welding or by brazing. Each end cap comprises a back
plate portion secured across the open side of the C-profile of the
associated structural upright, to side plate portions secured to
opposite sides of the associated structural upright and an end
plate portion which lies across the otherwise open end of the
associated structural upright. The end plate portion is in
continuous metal-to-metal contact with the associated load-bearing
structural upright, so that in the finished building the end caps
at the top ends of the load-bearing structural uprights of one
storey are in contact, either directly or via one or more metal
shim plates, with the interior faces of a C-profile horizontal
structural member spanning two or more structural uprights or with
the end caps at the bottom ends of the load-bearing structural
uprights to the next higher storey. This construction, relying as
it does on continuous metal-to-metal contact, enables the building
of higher structures than would otherwise be possible using
cold-formed C-profile structural steel members.
Inventors: |
WINDOW; John; (Isle of Man,
GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PIETRAGALLO GORDON ALFANO BOSICK & RASPANTI LLP
ONE OXFORD CENTRE, 38TH FLOOR, 301 GRANT STREET
PITTSBURGH
PA
15219-6404
US
|
Assignee: |
HENLEY CONSULTANTS LIMITED
Isle of Man
GB
|
Family ID: |
34835061 |
Appl. No.: |
11/916420 |
Filed: |
June 5, 2006 |
PCT Filed: |
June 5, 2006 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/GB06/02037 |
371 Date: |
December 8, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
29/897.312 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04B 1/08 20130101; Y10T
29/49627 20150115 |
Class at
Publication: |
29/897.312 |
International
Class: |
B21D 47/00 20060101
B21D047/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 3, 2005 |
GB |
0511309.7 |
Claims
1: A method of constructing a multi-storey building from modular
panel components wherein: each panel component comprises a
framework of cold-formed C-profile or U-profile structural steel
members including vertical members and horizontal members of which
at least some of the vertical members are C-profile members forming
load-bearing structural uprights of the finished building; each of
the said load-bearing structural uprights is provided at each of
its top and bottom ends with an end cap which is connected to the
load-bearing structural upright by welding or by brazing, and which
comprises a back plate portion secured across the open side of the
C-profile of the associated structural upright, two side plate
portions secured to opposite sides of the associated structural
upright, and an end plate portion which lies across the otherwise
open end of the associated structural upright, the end plate
portion being in continuous metal-to-metal contact with the
associated end of the load-bearing structural upright; and in the
finished building the end cap at the top of each of the
load-bearing structural uprights of one storey is in contact,
either directly or via one or more metal shim plates, with the
internal walls of a U-profile horizontal member spanning two or
more of the structural uprights or with an end cap at the bottom
end of one of the load-bearing structural uprights of the next
higher storey so as to transmit the vertical load of the building
directly through the end caps down through the associated
load-bearing structural uprights.
2: A method according to claim 1, wherein the end caps are formed
by cold-bending a steel sheet so that two wing portions are bent
over by 90.degree. from the back plate portion to create the side
plate portions and an upstanding portion is bent over by 90.degree.
from the back plate portion to create the end plate portion, and
edges of the side plate portions are secured to edges of the end
plate portion by welding or by brazing.
3: A method according to claim 2, wherein the end caps are made to
establish face-to-face contact with all three internal walls of an
associated U-profile horizontal member spanning two or more of the
structural uprights, by forming the outer side edges of the end
plate portion of the end cap to abut but not completely to overlie
the associated edges of the side plate portion thereof and by
connecting together the abutting edges by a seam weld or braze so
as to define therebetween a recess or chamfer to accommodate an
internal form radius of the associated U-profile member.
4: A method according to claim 1, wherein one of the pair of end
caps secured to each of the load-bearing structural uprights is
provided with one or more spigots projecting longitudinally from
the end cap and the other of the pair of end caps secured to the
same structural upright is provided with one or more apertures in
its end plate portion, so that in the finished building each of the
spigots projecting from the structural uprights of one storey is
located in a corresponding one of the apertures to locate the
structural uprights of adjacent storeys in longitudinal alignment
one with another.
5: A method according to claim 4, wherein the spigots are secured
to their associated end caps by passing each one through an
aperture in the end plate portion of the end cap and securing it in
position by swaging.
6: A method according to claim 5, wherein the spigots are
internally threaded.
7: A method according to claim 1, wherein the back plate portion of
the end cap is welded or brazed to each of the mutually aligned
edge portions of the open end of the associated C-profile
structural upright so as to create, at the said top or bottom end
of the C-section structural upright a complete box section
profile.
8: A method according to claim 7, wherein each weld or braze
between the back plate portion of the end cap and the mutually
aligned edge portions of the open end of the associated C-profile
structural uprights is a spot weld or a plug weld or plug
braze.
9. A method according to claim 7, wherein the side plate portions
of each end cap are secured to the opposite sides of the associated
C-profile structural uprights by screws or by welding or
brazing.
10: A method according to claim 1, wherein the framework of each
panel includes at least one diagonal cross-brace member which is
also a cold-formed C-profile structural steel member.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to a method of constructing a
multi-storey building from modular panel components.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] In modular building construction it is known to assemble a
building from factory-formed modular building panels each
fabricated from cold-formed structural steel. The steel is
cold-formed into various profiles to create the necessary rigidity.
One well documented profile is a so-called C-profile in which the
sheet steel is folded longitudinally to create a front face, two
side faces each in a plane perpendicular to the front face, and two
inturned flange portions down the longitudinal edges of the side
faces remote from the front face. Cold-formed C-section structural
steel members can be assembled, generally by bolting together, into
frameworks which include some vertical members, some horizontal
members and optionally one or more diagonal cross-brace members.
Z-section cold-formed structural steel members are secured to the
frameworks to provide offset support shoulders creating an edge
rebate into which solid shim panels can be secured.
[0003] One disadvantage of such a method of construction is that it
is very limited in its ability to support multiple storeys. As a
generality, buildings made by the known framework panel
construction method can be three or at most four storeys high. For
higher buildings it is necessary to incorporate more rigid
load-bearing vertical pillars which may be of masonry, reinforced
concrete or hot-rolled steel section such as I-section girders.
[0004] This invention is based on the realisation, supported by
structural analysis calculations, that the known framework panel
system as discussed above can be used in the construction of
buildings six, eight, ten or even twelve storeys high after only
minor modification to strengthen the C-section structural members
at the areas of maximum potential weakness and to create a reliable
and uniform transmission of the vertical load of the building
through mutually aligned C-section structural uprights.
THE INVENTION
[0005] The invention provides the method of construction identified
in claim 1 herein. When the structural uprights have their end caps
in direct contact with one another or separated only by shim
plates, the transmission of the vertical load of the building
directly from one structural upright to the next through abutting
end caps and through any associated shim plates enables the
vertical load to be spread evenly throughout the entire building in
a manner and to an extent never before achieved. When the
structural uprights and their end caps slot into the internal
recess of U-shaped horizontal members spanning two or more of the
structural uprights, the vertical load is shared between adjacent
C-section structural uprights and is thereby shared even more
evenly throughout the building.
[0006] The entire building shell is constructed from modular
framework body panels before any solid wall panel partitioning or
cladding is added. Preferably the end cap at one end of each
structural upright, for example the top end, is provided with one
or more spigots which are received in one or more locating
apertures in the end cap at the adjacent end, for example the
bottom end, of the aligned structural upright of the framework body
panel of the adjacent storey, for example the storey above. This
ensures rapid longitudinal alignment of the structural uprights of
successive storeys. The spigots are preferably held in place by
swaging in apertures punched into the end plate portions of the end
caps during their initial manufacture. Preferably the spigots are
commercial fasteners sold under the Trade Mark AVDALE, which are
intended to create a recessed screw threaded anchor point in a
metal plate. The method of construction described above envisages
those fasteners being inserted from the underside of the end plate
portion of each end cap, so that they project from the end plate
portion as a smooth-sided cylindrical steel spigot rather than
depending from the top face of the end plate portion to create an
internally screw-threaded recess.
DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a framework panel component
of a modular building constructed according to the invention;
[0008] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a top end of one of the
cold-rolled C-section structural uprights without its end cap;
[0009] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the end cap to be secured to
the end of the structural upright of FIG. 2;
[0010] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the end cap of FIG. 3 viewed
from the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 3;
[0011] FIG. 4A is a side elevation, taken in the direction of the
arrow 4A of FIG. 4, of the end cap of FIG. 4, but showing the joint
between the side and end plate portions of the end cap in greater
detail. FIG. 4A also shows, in phantom, the associated structural
upright and a U-shaped horizontal member which in use would span
two or more such structural uprights;
[0012] FIG. 4B is an enlarged detail of one corner of the end cap
of FIG. 4A, but shown in perspective view;
[0013] FIG. 4C is a perspective view similar to that of FIG. 3, but
of a modification of the end cap of FIG. 3;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a plan view of a flat piece of steel before it is
bent and welded or brazed into the end cap of FIGS. 3 and 4;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the structural upright of FIG. 2
with the end cap secured thereto, with the bottom end portion of an
associated structural upright of the next storey of the building
being shown in phantom lines;
[0016] FIG. 7 is a section through an AVDALE.TM. fastener fitted as
a spigot to the end plate portion of an end cap; and
[0017] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a part of the framework of
panel components of a building during construction, before the
addition of the solid wall panels to form the internal partitioning
of the building and cladding to form the outer walls of the
building.
[0018] The invention relates to a method of constructing a
multi-storey building from modular panel components. FIG. 1 is a
perspective view of one such modular panel component. It is of
standard room height and its length is preferably a standard length
so that multiples of the identical building panel can be made up
into a variety of building shapes and sizes, or possibly mixing
together two similar building panels of the same height but of
different standardized lengths can provide more flexibility to the
designer. If a building length or width is desired that cannot be
made up from standardized length panels, then preferably a whole
number of uniform standardized length panels is used, with a single
custom-made building panel constructed generally as illustrated in
FIG. 1 being used to bring the array to the precise length
specified by the architect.
[0019] The modular panel of FIG. 1 comprises a framework of
cold-formed C-profile structural steel members. These include
vertical members 1 to 5, horizontal 6 and 7, and diagonal
cross-brace members 8 and 9. The framework is assembled in a
factory using an assembly jig which ensures that each panel can be
made to precisely the same dimensions, working to extremely low
tolerances. The joints are all welded or brazed.
[0020] The vertical members 1 and 5 form load-bearing structural
uprights of the finished building, and each is provided at its top
and bottom ends with end caps 10. The precise construction of which
is explained with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. The end caps end at
the top and bottom of the respective load-bearing structural
uprights 1 and 5 are identical except for the addition of locating
spigots 11 in the end caps 10 along the top of the panel,
cooperating with corresponding apertures in the end caps along the
bottom of the panel.
[0021] Each loading-bearing structural upright 1 and 5 extends the
full height of the panel component, emanating in a flat end (top or
bottom) as illustrated in FIG. 2. A chamfer 12 is formed across the
top and bottom ends of each inturned side flange portion 13 of the
C-profile of vertical member 1 or 5, as shown in FIG. 2. The
purpose of this chamfer 12 is explained later.
[0022] Each end cap 10 is formed by bending a metal blank that has
been cut to the shape shown in FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, the fold lines
are shown in phantom. The blank is formed from sheet steel and
comprises a back plate portion 10a, a pair of wing portions 10b and
an upstanding portion 10c. The wing portions 10b are bent over by
90.degree. from the back plate portion 10a to create side plate
portions of the end cap as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and the
upstanding portion is bent over by 90.degree. to create an end
plate portion, also as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The bending is a
cold press bending operation, and after the bending is complete the
edges of the side plate portions 10b are secured to edges of the
end plate portion 10c by welding or by brazing as indicated at 14
in FIGS. 3 and 4.
[0023] The formed end cap 10 is dimensioned to fit accurately and
securely over the respective upper or lower end of the structural
upright 1 or 5. Because any end formed by cold-bending a steel
sheet is necessarily a small arc as opposed to a true right angle,
the internal bend line between the back plate portion 10a and the
end plate portion 10c is arcuate, and chamfer 12 is established on
the structural uprights 1 and 5 to ensure that when fitted the end
plate portion 10c lies completely flat in metal-to-metal contact
with the whole of the top or bottom of the structural upright 1 or
5.
[0024] The end caps 10 are secured to their associated structural
uprights 1 and 5 by welding or brazing. Preferably the back plate
portion of the end cap is welded or brazed to each of the mutually
aligned edge portions of the open end of the associated C-section
structural upright 1 or 5. The side plate portions of each end cap
may be secured to the associated opposite sides of the structural
upright 1 or 5 by screws or by welding or brazing. In either case
the weld or braze may be a spot weld or a plug weld or braze. Thus
the back plate portion 10a spans the gap between the inturned slide
flanges 13 of the structural uprights, so that when welded together
the top and bottom of each structural upright is formed as a
complete channel member with metal on all four side faces, as
opposed to the remainder of the structural upright 1 or 5 which is
open C-section.
[0025] The end caps 10 which sit on the top of the panel framework
are fitted with a pair of protruding spigots 7 which protrude from
apertures 15 cut from the end cap blank as shown in FIG. 5. The
corresponding end caps of the bottom of the panel structure have no
such spigots 11 fitted, but are formed with corresponding apertures
15. Each spigot is preferably a swaged anchor member such as those
commercially available under the Trade Mark AVDALE. One such spigot
is shown in section in FIG. 7. It comprises a retaining flange
portion 11a, an internally screw threaded portion 11b and an
intermediate portion 11c which is of a thinner wall thickness than
that of 11b so that when the screw threaded portion 11b is pulled
downwardly using an appropriate setting tool, the intermediate
portion 11c swages over to lock the fastener to the aperture 15 in
the end plate portion 10c. The outer surface of the screw threaded
portion 11b is cylindrical, so that the secured fastener act as a
spigot extending perpendicularly out from the end plate portion
10c. If all of the apertures 15 in the end cap blanks are
accurately positioned, as they can be if for example they are cut
by laser, then the spigots 11 protruding from the top of the
framework are accurately aligned with the corresponding apertures
15 in the end caps 10 of the bottom, so that successive storeys of
a building made by the method of the invention can be very
accurately positioned one over the other.
[0026] FIGS. 4A and 4B show in greater detail the preferred
construction of the end plate and side plate portions of the end
cap and their precise inter-engagement. Outer side edges 10c' of
the end plate portions 10c abut but do not overlie top side edges
10b' of the side plate portions 10b, so that there remains a recess
or chamfer to accommodate an internal form radius of an associated
U-profile horizontal member 40 into which the end cap can be
located. This makes it possible for the end cap to establish
face-to-face contact with all three of the internal walls of the
associated U-profile horizontal member 40 as illustrated in FIG. 4A
in which the U-profile member 40 is shown in phantom line together
with the associated structural upright which is shown with the
reference number 42.
[0027] It will be noted that FIG. 4A shows no spigots 11. Where the
end cap is to be fitted into a U-profile horizontal member spanning
two or more structural uprights, it is possible that the spigots 11
may be omitted. Alternatively they may be included as already
described, in which case they interfit with holes drilled through
the horizontal web of the U-profile horizontal member 40.
[0028] An alternative end cap to that of FIGS. 3, 4A and 4B is
shown in FIG. 4C. As with the end cap of FIGS. 3, 4A and 4B, it is
made with a back plate portion 10a, two side plate portions 10b and
an end plate portion 10c formed by bending from a single cut metal
blank similar to that of FIG. 5. However with the end cap of FIG.
4C there are shown holes 43 in the back plate portion 10a, being
the holes through which the plug braze or plug weld joins are made
to connect the end cap to the aligned sides of the open face of the
C-profile structural upright (not shown) to which it is joined. The
holes 43 may be arranged in any suitable pattern. A slot 45 is made
down each of the side plate portions 10b. The two slots are
identical, although only one is visible in FIG. 4C. In use the end
cap at the end of a structural vertical upright is pushed into an
inverted U-profile channel section wall plate, and if that channel
section has been formed with internally directed dimples in its
parallel side faces, those dimples can slide down the slot 45 to
locate the end cap longitudinally of the U-profile wall plate. By
forming that wall plate accurately to size and locating the dimples
accurately in the factory using numerically controlled machinery,
the location of the end cap along the wall plate can be both
positive and accurate even when the building is being erected under
site conditions. The slot 45 and the dimples in the U-profile wall
plate provide an inexpensive alternative to the use of the
AVDALE.TM. spigot location means discussed earlier.
[0029] The end caps 10 are preferably secured to the corresponding
structural uprights 1 and 5 by plug welding or by plug brazing,
using holes (not shown) which are pre-formed in the blanks for the
end caps 10. In addition, bolt holes 16 are formed, to enable the
assembled wall panels to be pulled together and secured fast one to
the other during construction.
[0030] When erecting a multi-storey building by the method of the
invention, a first storey is first erected, by bolting and/or
welding an appropriate number of panel frameworks one to the other.
To build the next higher storey, similar building panels are used,
with the structural uprights (1 and 5) both the higher of the two
storeys being placed directly over the corresponding structural
uprights of the storey just completed. Metal shims (one of which is
shown as 17 in FIG. 6) are placed over the tops of the end caps 10
of the structural uprights of the floor just completed, and the
number and thickness of the shims 17 is adjusted until the new
storey being built is exactly horizontal. The spigots 11 pass
through holes cut in the shims. They continue on to engage in the
apertures 15 cut in the end caps at the bottom of the structural
uprights of the next higher storey, and the metal-to-metal contact
between the top edge of the structural uprights and the peripheral
internal edge of the end plate portion of each end cap means that
there is a continuous longitudinal run of metal through all such
structural uprights running from the lowest to the highest storey
of the building. That enables a significantly higher building to be
constructed than if the building load were transmitted generally
along the whole of the top and bottom faces of the horizontal
members 6 and 7.
[0031] FIG. 8 illustrates just how versatile the method of
construction of the invention can be. The end caps can be used
whenever the structural uprights meet horizontal members of the
framework in an L-configuration as shown at 20, a T-configuration
as shown at 21, a 3-way mutually perpendicular junction as shown at
22, a 4-way mutually perpendicular junction (not illustrated) or a
5-way mutually perpendicular junction as illustrated at 23. All of
those junctions more advanced than the simple L-shaped junction 20
can be created by bolting together two, three or four panel
components, each of which is constructed as previously
described.
[0032] Once the building framework has been constructed from the
modular panel components as described above, floors ceilings and
wall cladding can be added. Preferably individual panel components
contain the necessary anchorages for the doors and windows, so the
final finishing of the building can be carried out rapidly
according to conventional methods.
* * * * *