U.S. patent number 3,909,995 [Application Number 05/173,234] was granted by the patent office on 1975-10-07 for pick-up cover.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Winnebago Industries Inc.. Invention is credited to Huston K. Bainter, Marvin E. Nerem.
United States Patent |
3,909,995 |
Bainter , et al. |
October 7, 1975 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Pick-up cover
Abstract
A sandwich panel multi-sided structure mountable on a vehicle
body, as a pick-up truck or trailer. The structure is formed from a
single flat sandwich panel comprising a bendable sheet metal facing
and a rigid plywood facing bonded to opposite sides of a plastic
foam core. The core is a compressible expanded polystyrene foam.
The panel is provided with spaced pairs of transverse grooves
extended through the rigid plywood facing toward the bendable metal
facing. The grooves are along the corner sections and divide the
panel into a roof section and opposite side sections. The side
sections have openings for receiving window structures. The
structure is formed by bending the sheet metal facing and
compressing the core along the corner sections to form a roof
converging outwardly and downwardly from a longitudinal ridge and
upright side walls. The back of the pick-up cover is closed with an
end wall having a door.
Inventors: |
Bainter; Huston K. (Forest
City, IA), Nerem; Marvin E. (Forest City, IA) |
Assignee: |
Winnebago Industries Inc.
(Forest City, IA)
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Family
ID: |
26687607 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/173,234 |
Filed: |
August 19, 1971 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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15602 |
Mar 2, 1970 |
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777934 |
Sep 9, 1968 |
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536058 |
Mar 21, 1966 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
52/79.1; 52/262;
52/631; 52/309.9 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04C
2/296 (20130101); B62D 33/04 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B62D
33/00 (20060101); B62D 33/04 (20060101); E04C
2/296 (20060101); E04C 2/26 (20060101); E04c
002/24 (); E04h 001/12 () |
Field of
Search: |
;52/238,631,731,309,69,79,753H,262,90 ;296/23 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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275,709 |
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Jun 1951 |
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CH |
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260,801 |
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Apr 1949 |
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CH |
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Primary Examiner: Abbott; Frank L.
Assistant Examiner: Braun; Leslie A.
Parent Case Text
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 15,602, filed Mar.
2, 1970, now abandoned. Application Ser. No. 15,602 is a
continuation-in-part of U.S. application, Ser. No. 777,934, filed
Sept. 9, 1968 now abandoned. Application, Ser. No. 777,934 is a
continuation of U.S. application, Ser. No. 536,058, filed Mar. 21,
1966, now abandoned. Application Ser. No. 758,244, now U.S. Pat.
No. 3,517,427, is a continuation of application Ser. No. 536,058.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A sandwich construction panel prepared in generally flat form
for converting into a multi-sided structure having a center section
and side sections, said panel being a one-piece member comprising a
pair of spaced facing members located adjacent opposite sides of an
expanded compressible one-piece plastic foam core, one of said
facing members being pliable material, the opposite facing member
being nonpliable material, bonding means securing the facing
members to opposite sides of the core, rigid means located between
the facing members and extended along the edges and the sides of
the panel to reinforce the edges and sides of the panel, at least
one first V-groove formed in said non-pliable facing member, core
and rigid means to separate the center section and the one side
section, at least one second V-groove formed in said opposite
facing member, core and rigid means to separate the center section
and the other side section, said first and second V-grooves
extended through the opposite non-pliable facing member into the
core, the bases of said grooves being spaced from the pliable
member, said pliable member remaining whole opposite said V-grooves
whereby force applied to the sections of the panel on opposite
sides of said V-grooves produces bends in said panel forming at
least three sides of a multi-sided structure, said foam plastic
core adjacent the bases of said grooves being compressed, unbroken
and bonded to the one pliable facing member.
2. The structure of claim 1 wherein there are at least two spaced
apart parallel first V-grooves and at least two spaced apart
parallel second V-grooves.
3. The structure of claim 1 in which at least one opening is formed
in at least one section of said panel to receive a building element
different from the panel.
4. The structure of claim 1 wherein said first pliable facing is
sheet metal, said second non-pliable facing is plywood, and said
plastic foam core is polystyrene foam.
5. A cover comprising a sandwich construction panel having upright
side wall sections, a roof section, and corner sections joining the
side wall sections with the roof section, said panel being a
one-piece member having a pliable outer facing and an inner rigid
facing bonded to opposite sides of an expanded compressible
one-piece plastic foam core, said corner sections having closed
V-groove means in the inner facing and core separating the side
wall sections from the roof sections, said pliable outer facing
having bend portions extended generally along the V-groove means,
the bottom of said V-groove means being spaced from the pliable
outer facing, said plastic foam core adjacent the bottom of the
V-groove means being unbroken, compressed and bonded to the bend
portions of the outer facing.
6. The cover of claim 5 wherein said rigid facing and core have a
plurality of groove means angularly extended with respect to each
other with at least a portion of all the core removed adjacent the
inner section of said groove means whereby the side wall sections
are angularly disposed with respect to each other to produce with
the roof section a corner bordered on at least three sides by
sections of a single panel.
7. The cover of claim 5 wherein said panel has reinforcing means
located between the inner facing and the outer facing along the
edges thereof.
8. The cover of claim 5 wherein said corner sections each have a
pair of spaced parallel closed V-grooves.
9. The cover of claim 5 wherein at least one of said sections has
an opening to receive a building element different from said
panel.
10. A pick-up cover comprising a front end wall, a rear end wall, a
sandwich construction panel mounted on said end walls, said panel
having upright side wall sections, a roof section, and corner
sections joining the side wall sections with the roof section, said
panel being a one-piece member having a pliable outer facing and an
inner rigid facing bonded to opposite sides of an expanded
compressible one-piece plastic foam core, said corner sections
having closed longitudinal V-groove means in the inner facing and
core separating the side wall sections from the roof section, said
pliable outer facing having longitudinal bend portions generally
parallel to the longitudinal V-groove means, the bottom of said
V-groove means being spaced from the pliable outer facing, said
plastic foam core adjacent the bottom of the groove being unbroken,
compressed and bonded to the bend portions of the outer facing,
said roof section having an upwardly directed longitudinal ridge
whereby the roof section converges upwardly from the corner
sections.
11. The pick-up cover of claim 10 wherein said corner sections each
have a pair of spaced parallel closed V-grooves.
12. The pick-up cover of claim 10 wherein at least one of said
sections has an opening to receive a building element different
from said panel.
13. The pick-up cover of claim 10 wherein the outer facing is sheet
metal and the inner facing is plywood.
14. The pick-up cover of claim 13 wherein the core is polystyrene
foam.
Description
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Numerous types of structures have been fabricated to enclose tops
of vehicle bodies. These structures are either fabricated at the
site of mounting the structures on the vehicle body or are
prefabricated into multi-sided structures and shipped to an
assembly location. The fabrication of the multi-sided structures at
the place of installation does not utilize mass production
techniques to manufacture the structures. Completing the
multi-sided structures at a manufacturing location and then
shipping the structures to the points of distribution is not an
economical transportation procedure, as the multi-sided structures
utilize considerable transport space. Also, only a limited number
of structures can be shipped in a single load. An example of this
type of covering structure or top for a truck body is shown in U.S.
Pat. No. 2,848,274.
Collapsible or knockdown structures have been used in the
construction of vehicle body covers. These structures have panels
that are connected to each other to form the complete cover. These
panels require separate connecting structures and seals to hold the
panels in assembled relation with each other. Examples of these
types of pick-up covers are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,690,351 and
No. 3,219,383.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The invention relates to a multi-sided structure or cover adapted
to be mounted on the body of a pick-up truck. The cover has
generally upright side wall sections and a center or roof section
connected to the side wall sections with corner sections. All of
the sections of the structure are formed from a single sandwich
panel having a pliable outer facing and an inner rigid facing
bonded to opposite sides of an expanded, compressible, plastic foam
core. The longitudinal corner sections have both an outer pliable
facing and core integrally joined with the outer facing and core of
both the roof section and side wall sections.
In one form of the invention, the corner sections have closed
longitudinal V-groove means in the inner facing and core separating
the side wall sections from the roof section. The bottom of each
V-groove means is spaced from the pliable outer facing, whereby the
core in the corner section is continuous with the core of the roof
section and side wall sections. The pliable outer facing, along
with the core in the corner sections, has longitudinal bend
portions generally parallel to the longitudinal V-groove means. The
plastic foam core in the corner sections is bonded to the outer
facing and compressed, thereby reinforcing the corner sections. The
roof section has an upwardly directed longitudinal ridge, whereby
the roof section converges upwardly from the corner sections.
In another form of the invention, the pick-up cover has a one-piece
sandwich construction panel having generally upright side wall
sections, a roof section, and longitudinal corner sections joined
to the side wall sections with the roof section. The sandwich panel
has a pliable outer facing and a plurality of inner rigid facings
bonded to opposite sides of an expanded, compressible, plastic foam
core. The inner rigid facings are separated from each other along
the corner sections, whereby the panel has shallow spaces or
grooves on the inside of the panel. These spaces are parallel to
the longitudinal corner sections of the cover. The corner sections
of the cover have a bent or curved pliable outer facing and a
compressed core bonded to the curved portion of the outer
facing.
An object of the invention is to provide a multi-sided structure
which can be manufactured from panels that are shipped as single
flat pieces in relatively large quantities and can be quickly and
easily assembled into a finished cover with a minimum of time and
labor. A further object of the invention is to provide the pick-up
cover with a sandwich panel structure which has a longitudinal
ridge or crown to compensate for changes in temperature without
separating the outer skin from the foam plastic core or buckling
the roof section. Also, another feature of the invention is to
provide a pick-up cover that has reinforced longitudinal corner
sections having an uninterrupted outer skin and compressed foam
plastic core bonded to the outer skin. An additional feature of the
invention is to provide the pick-up cover with strength and
thermo-insulating characteristics.
IN THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pick-up truck shown in light
lines with a multi-sided hollow structure of this invention mounted
thereon;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 2--2 of
FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a sandwich panel cut and grooved but not
formed and is drawn to the same scale as FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the
line 4--4 of FIG. 3 and is drawn to an even larger scale than FIG.
2;
FIG. 5 is a different form of panel that has been both grooved and
cut to produce a five-sided hollow device and drawn to
substantially the same scale as FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the blank in FIG. 5 formed into its
ultimate shape;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a cover of the invention mounted on
the body of a pick-up truck;
FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 8--8 of
FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of a corner section of the
cover;
FIG. 10 is a plan view of a sandwich panel in its preformed flat
transport position; and
FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line 11--11 of FIG.
10.
Referring to the drawings, a practical use to which this invention
may be put is in making what are known as covers and campers for
trucks of the pick-up type such as shown at 10 in FIG. 1. Both
sides, such as the one 11, and the roof of the cover or camper are
constructed from a blank formed according to this invention. The
end member 12 and a second end member fitting in the opposite end
of the cover adjacent the cab of truck 10 complete the
structure.
The portion of the cover including side 11, as shown in FIG. 3, is
made flat in a single piece. Ends 12 and its counterpart, also
being flat, enable the entire device to be shipped in a knockdown
condition in a space no larger than two of the elements shown in
FIG. 3 before it is bent into shape. At an ultimate destination,
there is very little problem in bending the element, shown in FIG.
3, and assembling it to the two ends, such as the one 12 which
makes the unit ready to be installed on a truck.
As is best seen in FIG. 4, the sandwich panel from which the
elements of this invention are made comprises a core member, as
shown at 14, secured to facing members 17 and 18. Bonding materials
15 and 16 may be similar or dissimilar to each other depending on a
number of factors, such as the materials to be bonded and perhaps
the use to which the panel will be put. At least one of the facing
members, shown in FIG. 4 as facing member 17, must be pliable. That
is to say, it must be material that is capable of being bent
without fracturing. A specific example of an acceptable combination
for a particular function is illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 as being a
sandwich panel having a foam polystyrene core 14 with a first
facing 18 of plywood and a second facing 17 of metal, as
aluminum.
The panel shown in FIG. 3 is as wide as the structure shown on
truck 10 in FIG. 1 is long. This panel is grooved, as shown at 19
in FIG. 4, the grooves extending transversely across the panel, as
shown at 19 in FIG. 3. The broken lines represent the inserts of
wood that may be inserted at the edges of the panel. As for
example, at 20 there may be a railing of wood which would have a
corresponding member 21 on the opposite side of the panel, shown in
FIG. 3, to assist in securing the cover to the truck body. At each
longitudinal edge are portions where the polystyrene core 14 has
been cut back in order to leave a marginal edge 23 and 24 of
uncovered sandwich panel facing 17.
The openings, shown at 25 and 26, may be used to install windows
such as the ones shown at 27 in the member 11 of FIG. 1.
The grooves 19 divide the entire panel into a series of sections,
including a center section 22, which are coupled together at least
by the pliable facing 17. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a portion of
the polystyrene or other core materials of the sandwich panel may
also continue to link the sections after grooving.
Panel 12 may be provided with an opening closed with a door such as
the one shown at 28. The panel 12 also may be of a different
elevation having one or more top portions with the top center, as
shown at 29, being slightly higher than any other portions of the
panel. The end member, adjacent to the cab of the truck 10, may be
similarly formed in order to bend the top center of portion 11 or
center section 22 into a sort of ridge pole effect. In other words,
the center section 22 converges outwardly to the longitudinal ridge
29 which extends parallel to the closed V-grooves, as shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2. This bending of the roof may alter both the
appearance and the water shedding characteristics of the structure.
It also tends to provide more rigidity to the otherwise completely
flat roof portion of the portion 11.
The manner in which member 12 and member 11 are secured together is
not of patentable importance and is not shown in detail, since it
may be done in any one of a number of ways. Illustrated here, for
example, the flap edges 23 and 24 may be used to secure the panel
12 and its corresponding opposite panel adjacent the cab to the
portion 11, as shown in FIG. 1.
In FIG. 5, it may be seen a panel generally similar to that shown
in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. The specific difference in this species
resides in the fact that the panel has not only been grooved, as
shown at 30, but it has also been cut, as seen at 31, whereby when
force is applied to the various sections of the panel, illustrated
in FIG. 5, it may assume the configuration shown in FIG. 6. In this
manner, center 32 of the panel, shown in FIG. 5, is surrounded by a
series of wings designated 34 through 37 in a clockwise direction
around the center panel 32 and beginning at the right thereof. The
broken lines in the figure, at 38 for example, mark out areas where
the foam polystyrene or other core material of the paneling is
replaced by a material that has greater tensile strength, as wood
for example, for purposes of attaching hardware, such as hinges and
the like, to the structure. When force is applied to the various
wings 34, 35, 36 and 37, they may be bent with respect to the
center panel 32 to form the multi-sided figure shown in FIG. 6. In
this case, the panel is being used as a cover for the two wheeled
trailer 40. As can be seen in FIG. 5, each of the openings or cuts
31 is bordered by uncovered edges or flanges of facing material. In
each case, the pliable facing of the sandwich panel has been bared
to leave flanges for attaching tabs 39 of the uncovered pliable
sandwich board facing. These tabs are used in forming the corners
of the multi-sided structure shown in FIG. 6. A cover member 32- 35
may be hinged at either side or either end to the trailer box 40.
Alternatively, it simply may be resting thereon with some kind of
aligning members extending between the two to hold them in
position. The cover is lifted off when it is desired not to cover
the box 40. Obviously, the cuts 31 could be made substantially
deeper and/or wider and change the configuration substantially.
Also, the grooves 30 need ned necessarily extend in a straight line
on all four sides and this could produce an effect somewhat similar
to that illustrated in FIG. 1 in the form of the device shown
there. In each case, the critical fact is the combination of
grooves in sandwich panels having at least one pliable face. These
grooves extend from the face opposite the pliable face and leave
unbroken, at least the pliable face. Bonding material is placed
between all of the various facing members and core members in all
of the figures, although not always illustrated.
In summary, the top and side walls of the pick-up cover are formed
from a one-piece sandwich construction panel. This panel is
fabricated in a flat form and cut and grooved prior to shipment to
an erection location. This method of mass manufacturing and mass
shipping of cover components results in substantial savings,
reduced manufacturing time, less labor and lower transportation
costs. The one-piece sandwich panel has a generally flat
non-pliable rigid inner facing 18, as wood, plywood and the like.
The outer facing 17 is pliable, as sheet metal, aluminum sheet and
the like. Located between the facing is an expanded, plastic foam
core 14. The core is identified as a foam polystyrene core. This
type of material offers very low thermo-conductivity, resistance to
the transmission of water vapor and absorption of moisture, and
resistance to relatively high static forces without deformation.
Polystyrene foam has good compressive, flectual and sheer
strengths. Compressive strength of polystyrene foam increases with
the density of the foam. A polystyrene foam having a density of 1.5
to 2.5 pounds per cubic foot has a compressive strength of
approximately 35 psi. When the density of the polystyrene foam is
increased to 3.6 to 4.2 pounds per cubic foot, the compressive
strength increases to 65 to 130 psi.
In the formation of the cover, the corner sections, as shown in
FIG. 2, are bent longitudinally closing the V-grooves 19. The foam
plastic material in the corner sections remains bonded to the
pliable outer facing 17 and compresses along the bases of the
grooves. The compression of the polystyrene core increases the
strength of the material longitudinally along the corner sections
of the panel. The core material in the corner sections is
compressed and remains in the corners attached to the outer facing
17. The compressed core reinforces and insulates the corners
adjacent the bends in the pliable outer facing 17.
The center or roof section 22, as shown in FIG. 1, has an upwardly
directed longitudinal ridge 29 so that the roof section converges
upwardly and outwardly from the opposite corner sections of the
cover. The foam plastic core 14, being compressible or yieldable,
compresses when the outer facing 17 shrinks to a cold temperature
and expands when the outer facing is subjected to heat. The result
is that the core 14 follows the outer facing 17 as it moves. The
ridge portion or crown 29 compensates for temperature changes to
keep the roof section at its desired shape. If the roof section 22
were flat, it would buckle and shrink down in cold temperature.
with an increase in temperature, the roof section would continue to
buckle down and not return to its flat position. The upwardly
directed longitudinal ridge 29 prevents this buckling of the roof
section.
Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a pick-up truck, indicated
generally at 41, having a body 42 enclosed with a cover or
multi-sided structure, indicated generally at 43. The cover 43 has
an upright front wall 44 adjacent the cab of the vehicle and a rear
wall 46. The rear wall 46 has a large removable panel 47 carrying a
door 48. The panel 47 is a large lift-off panel forming a major
part of the back wall. This structure is shown and described in
copending application, Ser. No. 696,396. A one-piece multi-sided
sandwich panel, indicated generally at 49, mounted on the walls 46
and 47 and truck body 42, closes the top of the body 42.
Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the sandwich panel 49 has an outer
pliable and bendable facing or skin 51 of sheet metal, corrugated
sheet aluminum or like sheet material, and a plurality of rigid
inner facings or members 52, 53 and 54, as plywood, hard board or
the like. Sandwiched between the inner and outer facings is a core
56 of expanded compressible foam plastic, as expanded compressible
foam polystyrene. The polystyrene foam core can be in flat board
form. Layers of bonding materials 57 and 58 secure or bond the
entire outer facing 51 and inner facings 52, 53 and 54 to the
opposite sides of the core 56. The bonding material layers 57 and
58 are substantially continuous layers so that the entire inside
surfaces of the inner and outer facings are firmly secured to the
core 56. Interposed between the opposite edges of the facings 51,
53 and 51, 54 are longitudinal rails 59 and 61. The bonding
material layers 57 and 58 secure the rails 59 and 61 to the
facings. Opposite sides of the panel have relatively large
rectangular openings or cutouts 62 and 63 for accommodating windows
65 in the sides of the cover 43.
The inner facings 52 and 53 have adjacent longitudinal parallel
edges 64 and 66 forming sides of a longitudinal flat groove or
recess 67. The facing 62 also has an edge 68 spaced from and
substantially parallel to the edge 69 on the facing 63. A
longitudinally spaced flat groove or recess 71 separates the edges
68 and 69. The facings 52, 53 and 54 can be bonded to the core 56
in a manner so that the edges 64, 66 and 68, 69 are parallel and
evenly spaced from each other. These edges can be trimmed in
parallel spaced relation with suitable cutting tools so that the
cover can be formed with uniform straight corners. The entire core
56 adjacent the grooves 67 and 71, along with the outer pliable
facing, remains whole and continuous so that the sandwich panel is
always a one-piece member.
Referring to FIG. 8, the one-piece panel is divided into a center
or longitudinal roof section 72 located between longitudinal side
wall sections 73 and 74. The longitudinal corner sections 76 and 77
integrally join the roof section 72 with the side wall sections 73
and 74.
The sandwich panel 49, along with the front end wall 44 and the
rear end wall 46, is shipped as a unit in a flat condition to the
point of erection. The cover is formed by longitudinally bending
the corner sections 76 and 77 to form a multi-sided structure, as
shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The pliable outer facing 51 has a
substantially uniform curve in the corner sections. The core 56A in
the corner sections is compressed with a resultant increase in
density of the foam plastic material. The increase in density of
the foam plastic material increases the strength of the core 56A
along the corner sections. For example, a polystyrene foam having a
density of 1.5 to 2.5 pounds per cubic foot has a compressive
strength of approximately 35 psi. When the density of the material
is increased to 3.6 to 4.2 pounds per cubic foot, the compressed
strength increases to 65 to 130 psi. The polystyrene used in this
application has a normal density of about 1.9 pounds per cubic
foot. This density increases to approximately 4 pounds per cubic
foot in the corner sections with a resultant substantial increase
in the compressive strength of the core 56A in the corner sections.
In addition to the increase in strength of the corner sections, the
plastic foam core has insulating characteristics and resistance to
the transmission of water vapor and the absorption of moisture. The
bonding in the corner sections remains in tact, in that the
compressed core 56A is not separated from the pliable outer facing
51. This corner section provides the strength for maintaining the
shape of the roof sections 72, as well as preventing sagging of the
side wall sections which are weakened by the elongated openings 62
and 63.
As shown in FIG. 8, the sandwich panel 49 is mounted on the body
42. The roof section of the panel has an upwardly directed
longitudinal central ridge or crown 78, whereby opposite portions
of the roof slope in a downwardly and outwardly direction toward
the corners of the cover. This crown 78 compensates for the
expansion and contraction of the outer pliable facing 51 due to
changes in temperature. The crown 78 prevents the buckling of the
roof section when it is subjected to changes in temperature.
The insides of the corner sections are enclosed with longitudinal
arcuate cover plates 79 and 81 attached to the inner facings 52, 54
and 52, 53 with fasteners 82, as screws, bolts and the like. The
cover plates 79 and 81 can be elongated metal members which fill in
the space between the opposite adjacent edges of the facings and
thereby cover the compressed core material 56A. The cover plates
also serve to reinforce and add to the strength of the corner
sections and provide support for both the roof section 72, as well
as the side wall sections 73 and 74 of the cover.
While there have been shown and described preferred embodiments of
a multi-sided structure, it is understood that various changes in
size and number of the sections may be made by those skilled in the
art without departing from the invention.
* * * * *