AU649856B2

AU649856B2 - Cantilever scaffold device

Info

Publication number: AU649856B2
Application number: AU20518/92A
Authority: AU
Inventors: William Dazenko
Original assignee: Australasian Mining & Forestry
Current assignee: Australasian Mining & Forestry Equipment Manufacturing Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1991-07-25
Filing date: 1992-07-23
Publication date: 1994-06-02
Anticipated expiration: 2012-07-23
Also published as: AU2051892A

Description

649856 P/00/0011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

r r sr r e AUSTRALASLAN MINING FORESTRY

EQUIPMENT

Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: AUSTRALASIAN MINING FORESTRY EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING PTY. LTD.

WILLIAM DAZENKO Address for service in Australia: Invention Title: CANTIL CARTER SMITH BEADLE, Qantas House, 2 Railway Parade, Camberwell, Victoria, 3124, Australia, Attorney Code: CD ,EVER SCAFFOLD DEVICE Details of Associated Provisional Applications: Nos: PK7416 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: -1 -2- The present invention relates to a cantilever scaffold device and more particularly to a cantilever scaffold device allowing tradesmen to readily access the outside walls of highrise or multi-storey buildings during the construction phase.

During construction of high-rise or multi-storey buildings, it is necessary for tradesmen to perform various works on the outside walls or building face. Usually such works involve mounting glazing or fixing bars to the building face to accommodate glazing or other facia material which is 10 fixed to the outer face of the building to provide a finished facade. Conventionally tradesmen gain access to the outer face by using a swing scaffold which is a "cage" suspended from scaffolding "needles" by means of cables. The cage if usually winched up from the bottom in stages as the work proceeds.

Two main problems arise with the conventional scaffold.

Firstly, because the scaffold is suspended from the top of the building it is necessary that the building be constructed to full height before the swing scaffold can be used and thus, work cannot be commenced on the building face until the main 20 building structure is virtually completed. Also, any outwardly "protruding scaffolding between floor levels must be removed as it would interfere with the suspension cables which pass down the outside of the building. This delay in being able to commence work on the building face causes an inefficiency in the building construction.

Secondly, because the swing scaffold is usually suspended over a considerable height, at least initially when work is conducted on the lower floors, the cage is susceptible to wind conditions which can cause the cage to swing around

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3 considerably causing danger to the tradesmen working thereon.

Thus in adverse weather conditions such as moderate to high winds, it is not possible to perform work on the building face. This again causes inefficiencies in the construction work.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved scaffold device which overcomes one or more of the aforementioned disadvantages of the conventional swing scaffold, Thus, the invention provides a cantilever scaffold device comprising a base frame for providing a stable support for the device, first support members cantilevered from said base frame :.at one side thereof, said first support members supporting an intermediate frame including an intermediate working platform arranged to one side of said base frame and substantially above the bottom of said base frame, second support members cantilivered from said intermediate frame in the same direction as said first support members, said second support members supporting an upper working platform arranged substantially 20 above and to the side of said intermediate working platform such that said intermediate and upper platform are cantilevered to the one said side of said base frame in a stepwise fashion, and means is mounted on said base frame spaced from said one side to prevent tilting of said device due to the weight of tradesmen and tools on said working platforms.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, one particular embodiment will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: FIGURE 1 is a perspective view from above and to one 4 side, of a cantilever scaffold device in accordance with the invention; and FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the scaffold device of Figure 1.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, the cantilever scaffold device 10 is shown to comprise essentially a base frame 11, an intermediate frame 12 above and to one side of the base frame 11, and an upper frame 13 above and partly offset to one side of the intermediate frame 12. The base frame 11 is a rigid box frame formed of steel members welded together and consists essentially of lower frame members 14 of tubular or angle iron which form generally a rectangular base. Upright posts 15 also of tubular or angle iron are arranged at the four corners of the lower frame. Adjustable legs 16 are arranged at the four corners to extend down from the posts 15 and are provided with a screw jack at each leg to allow adjustment thereof. The legs are provided with feet 17 to support the scaffold device 10 on a floor structure 18 (Figure In most cases the floor a structure 18 will comprise the suspended floor of a multia. 20 storey building.

t The base frame 11 is provided with steel swivel castor wheels 19 at each of the four corners and the wheels support the weight of the scaffold arrangement only when the legs 16 are adjusted such that the feet 17 are above the wheels 19.

The wheels enable the scaffold device to be manoeuvered in to position and once in position, the feet 17 are adjusted to be on the floor structure 18 so that further movement of the device is prevented. Upper horizontal support members extend across the top of the base frame 1. at two opposite 5 sides thereof and project beyond the extremities of the base frame 11 to form cantilevered members for supporting an intermediate frame 12 as will be described hereinbelow.

The support members 20 are formed of steel channel and are provided with lifting lugs 21 are welded thereto as shown in Figure 1 to facilitate lifting of the scaffold device into position using a crane (not shown). Steel braces 22 are arranged to extend between respective posts 15 and upper support member 20 and comprise angle iron which is welded in position. A counterweight 23 in the form of a concrete block is supported in the base frame 11 in a frame structure welded to the base frame 11. The frame structure for the counterweight is not fully evident in the drawings but is essentially a steel box frame formed of angle iron and capable of supporting the concrete block. The concrete block is permanently fixed to the base frame 11 by means of the frame structure for the counterweight during manufacture. A small ladder 24 is welded in the base frame 11 to extend from the bottom to the top of the base frame to provide access to the S 20 intermediate frame 12. It is not necessary to provide a floor S"in the base frame 11.

As mentioned above the support members 20 cantilever to one side of the base frame 11 and the said one side of the base frame is blocked off either by steel mesh or by a sheet steel panel 47. The support members 20, where they extend beyond the base frame 11, support an intermediate frame 12, as mentioned above. The intermediate frame 12 is again in the form of a hollow box frame formed of steel members similar to the base frame 11. In other words the intermediate frame includes four 6 upright posts 25, two of which are extensions of the posts of the base frame 11. The four posts 25 are formed on angle iron and support cross members 26 which form the upper horizontal members of the intermediate frame 12 and on two opposite sides extend beyond the extremities of the intermediate frame to form cantilevered members 27. The base of the intermediate frame 12 includes a steel platform 28 which is welded to the support members 20 and to transverse base members 42 (Figure 2) which form the base of the intermediate 10 frame 12. Steel mesh 43 is welded in the sides of the intermediate frame 12 to fully enclose three sides leaving only the side which is directed towards the base frame 11 to remain open. A further ladder 29 is provided and extends from the platform 28 of intermediate frame 12 to the top of the intermediale frame at the side where the upper frame 13 cantilevers beyond the extremities of the intermediate frame 12.

The cantilever members 27 support an upper working platform 30 which, unlike the platform 28 is in three separate parts which will be described in more detail hereinbelow. A collapsible fence arrangement 31 is supported on brackets 48 welded to the respective ends of P cross-member 35 of upper frame 13. The collapsible fence arrangement 31 comprises a first fence member 32 pivotally attached at each end to a respective bracket 48. The fence member 32 is adapted to pivot into a horizontal position whereby it overlies the upper platform 30. At each end of the fence member 32 a wing member 33 is hinged so as to swing inwardly against the fence member 32 when not in use. The wing members 33 form sides of the 7 upper frame 13 so as to protect a tradesman working on the upper platform 30. The wing members 33 have drop bolts 34 at the respective free ends thereof for locating the wing members in position by dropping the respective bolts 34 into suitable holes in the cross members 26. A chain 41 extends on the outside of each wing member 33 from an attachment on a respective cross member 26 to an attachment at the top of a respective end of the fence member 32. The chain prevents the fence member 32 pivoting outwardly away from the scaffold 10 arrangement beyond the vertical position.

In order to collapse the fence arrangement 31 it is merely necessary to hinge the wing members 33 inwardly towards each r *.other to a position against the fence member 32 and pivot the fence member 32 downwardly so that it overlies the platform As stated above the upper platform 30 is a three part platform. The first part 44 is a fixed part which is welded to the cantilever members 27 and cross member 35 and covers en~ that part of the floor of the upper frame 13 that cantilevers beyond the extremities of the intermediate frame 12. The other 9* 20 two parts 36 and 37 are hinged to the first part along the edge which extends between the cantilevered members 27. The one part 36 provides a hatch and is arranged therefore above the ladder 29. The other part 37 provides an extension to the upper platform and extends over the intermediate frame 12.

Both parts 36 and 37 may be hinged through 1800 to overlie the fixed part of the upper platform 30. When a tradesman is working on the intermediate platform 28 both parts 36 and 37 are arranged to overlie the fixed part A striker post 38 is provided on the intermediate frame 12 8 at one or both sides of the scaffold device 10. The striker post/s are removably attached to the intermediate frame 12 by plates with holes therein for accommodating upwardly extending bolts 39 (Figure 1) mounted on wing members 45 of the intermediate frame 12. The striker post/s have a height so as to extend above the level of the upper platform 30 for reasons which will be apparent hereinbelow.

In addition telescoping posts 49 are provided on each side of the intermediate frame 12 adjacent the respective striker posts 38. The telescoping posts 49 are displaced from the striker posts a short distance in the direction towards the upper platform 30 and each of the posts 49 is vertically slidable in a sleeve welded to the respective upright posts One of a series of spaced holes in the posts 49 may be aligned with a hole in the sleeve and a pin (not shown) is used to positively locate the each post 49 relative to its sleeve.

It will be evident to persons skilled in the art that the overall size of the device 10 may be varied to suit different applications, but generally speaking the overall height is 20 critical as the upper platform 30 must be at a height enabling it to move beyond the side of a multi storey building without interfering with a perimeter beam 40 (Figure 2) which usually projects downwardly from the ceiling 46 of the floor above, around the perimeter of a multi storey building. It is also important that the height of the upper platform 30 be such that when it is cantilevered outwardly from the side of the building, a tradesman working thereon is able to reach over the building facia extending to the floor level of the next floor a~bove. Therefore, it is important that the height of the upper 9 platform 30 be as close as possible to the ceiling 46 of the building whilst allowing clearance under the perimeter beam Clearly, the width of the device, that is the dimension in a direction perpendicular to the page in Figures 1 and 2, is not critical and may be varied according to requirements.

In use the scaffold device 10 is arranged on a floor of a multi storey building usually by means of a crane which lowers the device in through the side of the building. With the adjustable legs raised so that the device 'sits' on wheels 19 it is able to be moved into position as shown in Figure 2 wherein the intermediate and upper platforms extend out from the side of the building. Once in position the adjustable legs 16 are screwed down until the feet 17 bear on the floor structure 18 and the wheels 19 are raised off the floor. The striker post 38 prevent the scafforld device 10 from moving outwardly any further from the position shown in Figure 2. In other words, the striker posts 38 would engage the perimeter beam 40 in the event that an attempt was made to move the device outwardly from the building. This is clearly a safety 20 feature which prevents the scaffold device from falling from S"the building. The telescoping posts 49 may be adjusted so that the tops thereof bear on the underside of the beam 40 or, in the case where the striker post/s 38 do not have sufficient height to engage the beam 40 the telescoping posts 49 may be extended further upwards to serve the purpose normally served by the striker post/s 38. The collapsible fence arrangement 31 may then be erected by means of a tradesman climbing the ladder 24 and standing on the platform of the intermediate frame 12.

This procedure may necessitate the tradesman climbing at least 10 part way up the ladder 29 of the intermedia+e frame 12 or may even involve the tradesman standing on the upper platform The fence arrangement 31 is erected by pivoting the fence member 32 to an upright position and then folding the wing members 33 outwardly to the position shown in Figure 1. The bolts 39 are then located in position to prevent retraction of the collapsible fence arrangement. A tradesman is then able to work on the platform of the intermediate frame 12 and on the platform of the upper frame 13. In order to access the upper 10 platform the access hatch must be open but once part way up the ladder 29 the tradesman may pivot the part 37 into position to extend the upper platform and once through the hatch and 5 standing on either of the parts 37, 44 may close the hatch 36.

As will be evident to persons skilled in the art the scaffold device of the present invention provides a considerable improvement over the prior art. The mobility of the device allows it to be shifted around the perimeter of a building floor until all work on the facia between that floor and the floor above has been completed. At this time the 20 scaffold device may be readily moved to the next floor whereby the procedure is then rcpeated. This work may be piogressed before the building has been constructed to full height as it does not involve any cables extending downwardly from the top of the building other than the cables of a crane which are required to move the device from one floor to another and this can be accommodated.

The scaffold device of the inxention is very safe and may be used in moderate to high wind conditions as it is not suspended on cables. Furthermore, once the collapsible fence 11 arrangement of the upper platform has been lowered in order to retract the scaffold back from its position extending outside the building, it may be used as a working platform to perform tasks on the ceiling of a building floor. In other words a tradesman standing on the intermediate platform has ready access to the ceiling.

It will also be evident to persons skilled in the art that many modifications may be made to the particular embodiment described above without departing from the spirit and scope of 10 the invention. For example the size of the scaffold device and the particular materials used may be varied in accordance with requirements. Of course the counterweight 23 must provide

A

sufficient force to prevent toppling of the scaffolding device when the prescribed number of tradesmen with tools are working on the intermediate and/or upper platforms. This counterweight will be varied in accordance with the size of the

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particular scaffold arrangement. As an alternative to the counterweight 23 a vertically telescoping post (not shown) may be provided on the base frame 11 at the same end as the 20 counterweight and the telescoping post could be extended to bear on the ceiling and thus prevent toppling of the scaffolding device. This alternative is not preferred as often it would interfere with duct!:ng and the like arranged on the ceiling.

Claims

1. A cantilever scaffold device comprising a base frame for providing a stable support for the device, first support members cantilevered from said base frame at one side thereof, said first support members supporting an intermediate frame including an intermediate working platform arranged to one side of said base frame and substantially above the bottom of said base frame, second support members cantilivered from said intermediate frame in the same direction as said first support 10 members, said second support members supporting an upper working platform arranged substantially above and to the side of said intermediate working platform such that said intermediate and upper platform are cantilevered to the one said side of said base frame in a stepwise fashion, and means is mounted on said base frame spaced from said one side to prevent tilting of said device due to the weight of tradesmen and tools on said working platforms.

2. A scaffold device as defined in claim 1 wherein said means to prevent tilting comprises a counte weight mounted 20 adjacent the side of said base frame opposite to said or. side.

3. A scaffold device as defined in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein, said base frame is provided with wheels and vertically adjustable feet whereby with the feet adjusted upwardly the device is mobile on said wheels, and with said feet adjusted downwardly said device is supported on said feet and said wheels are suspended.

4. A scaffold device as defined in any one of the preceding claim!s wherein said upper working platform is recxangular and is provided with a collapsible fence on three 13 sides to provide a safety fence around tradesmen working on said upper platform, the fourth side T ng an open side facing in a direction towards said intermediate frame, the overall height of said device with said fence in a collapsed condition being such that said device just fits between the floors of a multi-storey building of the genex-l type of building on which the device is to be used.

A scaffold device as defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein said upper platform is at least a two 60,0. 10 part platform comprising a fixed first part arranged to the side of said intermediate frame and a pivotal second part adapted to pivot from a position overlying said first part to S a position extending over part of said intermediate frame and co-planar and co-extensive with said first part so as to extend the area of said upper platform.

6. A scaffold device as defined in claim 5 wherein said pivotal second part is shorter in a direction along the pivotal axis than said first part and a pivotal third part similar but S smaller than said second part is arraniged to provide a hatch 20 for allowing tradesmen access to said upper platform when said So third part is pivoted to a position overlying said first part.

7. A scaffold device as defined in any one of the preceding claims wherein said intermediate working platform is substantially co-planar with the top of said base frame and said upper working platform is substantially co-planar with the top of said intermediate frame.

8. A scaffold device as defined in claim 7 wherein a first ladder is provided within said base frame to allow a tradesman ready access to said intermediate working platform 14 and a second ladder is provided within said intermediate frame to allow a tradesman ready access to said upper platform.

9. A scaffold device as defined in claim 4 wherein said collapsible fence comprises a main fence member hinged to a frame of said upper platform so as to pivot through 90" from an upright position to a position overlying said upper platform and a wing fence member pivotally connected to each end of said main fence member.

A scaffold device as defined in any one of the 30 preceding claims including a post member mounted on said device to extend upwardly above the height of said upper platform so as to engage, in use, with a ceiling edge beam or lintel of a multi-storey building to prevent said base frame from moving beyond the extremity of the building floor when said internmediate and upper working platforms are arranged to extending outwardly beyond the extremity of the building.

11. A scaffold device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 20 accompanying specification individually or in any DATED this July 22, 1992 CARTER SMITH BEADLE Fellows Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: AUSTRALASIAN MINING FORESTRY EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING PTY. LTD. >v 15 ABSTRACT A cantilever scaffold device for extending outwardly beyond the extremity of a multi-storey building during constructions comprises a base frame (11) for location on a floor of the building, an intermediate frame (12) cantilevered from the top of said base frame on one side thereof and an upper working platform (30) cantilevered from the top of said intermediate frame in the same direction as said intermediate o .O frame. The device is counterbalanced by a weight In use e• 10 the intermediate frame which encloses intermediate working platform (28) and the upper platform extend beyond the building perimeter and a collapsible fence arrangement (31) is raised to protect tradesmen on the upper platform. Ladders (24) (29) allow access to the intermediate and upper platforms 15 respectively. The device has wheels (19) for mobility and adjustable legs (16) which raise the device off the wheels when the device is in use. The upper platform is foldable to facilitate working from the intermediate platform and a post (38) prevents movement of the base frame beyond the perimeter of the building of the building.