AU2005201705B2

AU2005201705B2 - Railing and Balustrading System

Info

Publication number: AU2005201705B2
Application number: AU2005201705A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Anthony Kastropil
Original assignee: Stainless Tube Mills Australia Ltd
Current assignee: Stainless Tube Mills Australia Ltd
Priority date: 2004-04-30
Filing date: 2005-04-22
Publication date: 2012-01-12
Anticipated expiration: 2025-04-22
Also published as: AU2005201705A1

Abstract

A method of joining individual rigid members in railings, fencing, balustrading or the like in which the ends of secondary members of smaller diameter are inserted through suitable apertures provided in the walls of primary members of larger diameter into the interiors of said primary members, said interiors then being filled with a suitable foaming polymer material in pressurized liquid form, said foaming polymer material expanding to fill said interiors around said ends of said secondary members and catalyzing to form a solid and more or less rigid foam material with a strong and permanent adhesive attachment to all surfaces. Iof I

Description

ORIGINAL Australia Patents Act 1990 Complete Specification for the Invention Entitled RAILING AND BALUSTRADING SYSTEM The invention is described in the following statement: 2 RAILING AND BALUSTRADING SYSTEM This invention relates to construction systems for the provision of railings, fencing, balustrading or the like. In particular the invention relates to construction systems in which railings, fencing, balustrading or the like are pre-fabricated and installed on-site without the necessity for welding, grinding, polishing and the like. In the provision of railings, fencing, balustrading or the like, it is common for more or less horizontal railing members to be welded to stanchion members on-site, with the welded parts subsequently being ground smooth and polished. Welded assembly is the most common construction method where components are made from stainless steel, as is the case in many architectural applications. Hand welding of stainless steel is a skilled process which adds to the installed cost of railings or balustradings and frequently results in unsightly local heat distortion of welded components. Lower cost construction systems in which structural components are simply bolted or clamped together, often using proprietary nodal units, are well known in the art, but these are frequently aesthetically unattractive. As a result, they are unsuited for many architectural applications. Where railing and balustrading construction systems incorporate aesthetically attractive joining means, these usually involve the employment of specially manufactured, expensive components. An example is that taught by US 4,767,232, in which interfitting or mating, generally cylindrical joint members are employed to join stanchion and rail members. The joint members are complex in shape, clearly expensive to manufacture, are somewhat limited in the structural arrangements which they permit and, from an aesthetic standpoint, appear somewhat mechanical. A further example which offers a more aesthetically pleasing 3 arrangement is that taught by US 6,568,658. In this arrangement, specially manufactured, shanked fittings are permanently fixed to stanchions with suitable fastenings and the ends of rail members are slipped over the shanks of the fittings. The internal and external diameters, respectively, of the rail members and shanks are such as to provide a neat sliding fit and the ends of the rail members are retained in place on the shanks by the wedging action of 0 rings accommodated in suitably shaped, tapered grooves in the shanks. While this arrangement provides some ease of assembly, in some applications, long-term hardening and deterioration of the O-rings as a result of temperature extremes may be expected with a possible loss of structural integrity. Additionally, where they are required, intermediate vertical rails between upper and lower horizontal rails are still required to be welded into place. The arrangement thus does not properly fill the need for a relatively low cost, easily assembled, permanent structure. The object of the present invention is to provide a system of constructing railings, fencing, balustrading or the like which employs simple, low-cost, mass-producible nodal components to join railing members to stanchion members, which is aesthetically pleasing, which may be readily assembled on-site without welding or the use of special tools, which is readily adaptable to a wide variety of arrangements and which has a high and permanent structural integrity. According to the present invention, suitable stanchion members are fixed to a supporting surface at suitable intervals. Intermediate railing assemblies are created by fixing the ends of a plurality of parallel, intermediate rail members to upper and lower horizontal rail members by inserting said ends through suitable apertures provided in said upper and 4 lower horizontal rail members and fixing them in position without the need for welding or the use of fastenings by filling said rail members with a suitable foam material which sets more or less rigidly to provide a strong, adhesive attachment. Said intermediate railing assemblies are then fixed to said stanchion members using suitable attachment means. The various aspects of the present invention will be more readily understood by reference to the following description of preferred embodiments given in relation to the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view of parallel intermediate rail members fixed to a horizontal rail member with a foam material. With reference to Figure 1, intermediate vertical rail members 32 are provided extending between upper and lower horizontal rail members 25 and are joined to said horizontal rail members by their extending through suitable apertures 33 provided in said horizontal rail members. In the preferred embodiment, said apertures are punched, drilled or cut through said horizontal rail members, their diameter being such as to provide a light press fit with said vertical rail members. The ends of said vertical rail members are cut square and extend into the interior of said horizontal rail members until they abut the opposite interior wall. Said horizontal and vertical rail members are supported horizontally in suitable elementary jigging means (not shown) in correct and accurate juxtaposition and a measured quantity of foaming polymer material 30 is pumped in pressurized liquid form into said horizontal rail members from access points at their ends. Prescribed procedures for use of said foaming polymer material are followed to ensure proper catalysis, bond and strength development. Within said horizontal rail members, said polymer foam material 5 expands to fill every void and, when calalysed, develops a strong and permanent adhesive attachment to all surfaces. It is unnecessary for the flow of said polymer foam material to penetrate said vertical rail members as depicted at 31 as fixing of said vertical rail members is effected by the bond between the external surface 69 of the ends of said vertical rail members and said polymer foam material. Minimal clean-up of said polymer material is necessary and said rail members are retained in said jigging means until said polymer foam material has properly set. In the preferred embodiment, said polymer foam material is a polyurethane, which sets to a tough, light solid having a strong, adhesive attachment to all surfaces. After setting of said polymer foam material, said rail member assembly is removed from said jigging means and assembled to stanchion members in the manner described. In the preferred embodiment, said vertical rail members are fixed normal to said horizontal rail members. In alternative embodiments, said vertical rail members are fixed to said horizontal rail members in other angular relationships, said method readily permitting this. Suitable plugs incorporating filling conduit connection means are inserted into the ends of members to be filled with said polymer foam material to facilitate injection of its said pressurized liquid form. Obviously, said polymer foam material may take the form of any suitable adhesive compound which may be foamed using a chemical foaming agent or physical blowing agent and injected in pressurised liquid form into the interiors of said rail members to catalyse, set in a solid foam form and develop a strong and permanent adhesive attachment to all surfaces. Obviously, said polymer foam material may be replaced with a suitable adhesive compound which may be injected in pressurised liquid form into the interiors of said rail 6 members to catalyse, set solid and develop a strong and permanent adhesive attachment to all surfaces. Obviously, said method may also be employed to join said horizontal rail members to said stanchion members and in any combination of vertical, horizontal or oblique members in which the end of one may be accommodated within the running part of another. Obviously, said method may be employed with tubing which is round, square, rectangular, fluted or D-shaped in cross-section or of any other regular-polygonal cross sectional shape. Obviously, secondary members joined to primary members of larger diameter through the use of said method may be solid or hollow. With reference again to Figure 1, said intermediate railing assemblies comprising said parallel, intermediate rail members fixed to said upper and lower horizontal rail members by said foam material are fixed to said stanchion members using suitable attachment means. In the preferred embodiment, said attachment means include the system disclosed in Australian Patent Application No. 2004902273 incorporating (as depicted in Figure 1) toroido-cylindrical nodal rings (not shown) positioned on said stanchion members, to which are fixed socket fittings 6 having plain bores 11 in which are accommodated and supported the ends of horizontal rail members 25. Threaded bores 10 made collinear with said socket fittings accommodate fastenings connecting said socket fittings to said nodal rings.

Claims

1. A method of joining individual rigid members in railings, fencing, balustrading or the like in which the ends of secondary members of smaller diameter are inserted through suitable apertures provided in the walls of primary members of larger diameter into the interiors of said primary members, said interiors then being filled with a suitable foaming polymer material in pressurized liquid form, said foaming polymer material expanding to fill said interiors around said ends of said secondary members and catalyzing to form a solid and more or less rigid foam material with a strong and permanent adhesive attachment to all surfaces.

2. A method according to Claim I in which said polymer foam material is a polyurethane compound.

3. A method according to Claim 1 in which said apertures provided in said walls of said primary members are such as to provide a close sliding fit with the exterior surfaces of said ends of said secondary members.

4. A method according to Claim I in which said apertures provided in said walls of said primary members are created by punching, drilling or cutting.

5. A method according to Claim I in which said primary and secondary members are located in correct juxtaposition until said foaming polymer 8 material has catalysed to form a solid and more or less rigid foam material with a strong and permanent adhesive attachment to all surfaces.

6. A method according to Claim I in which suitable plugs incorporating filling conduit connection means are inserted into the ends of said primary members to be filled with said polymer foam material to facilitate injection of said foam in its pressurized liquid form.

7. A method according to Claim I in which said polymer foam material takes the form of any suitable adhesive compound which may be foamed using a chemical foaming agent or physical blowing agent and injected in pressurised liquid form into the interiors of said primary members.

8. A method according to Claim I in which said polymer foam material takes the form of any suitable adhesive compound which may be injected in pressurised liquid form into the interiors of said primary members.

9. A method according to Claim 1 in which said members are joined in any combination of vertical, horizontal and/or oblique arrangement.

10. A method according to Claim 1 in which the cross-sectional shape of said members is round, square, rectangular, fluted, D-shaped or any other regular polygon.

11. A method according to Claim 1 in which said secondary members are solid or hollow.