AU731275B2

AU731275B2 - Brick fence panel construction

Info

Publication number: AU731275B2
Application number: AU16328/97A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Sante Troiani
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-03-15
Filing date: 1997-03-14
Publication date: 2001-03-29
Anticipated expiration: 2017-03-14
Also published as: AU1632897A

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: Sante TROIANI Actual Inventor: Address for Service: ADDRESS FOR SERVICE

ALTERED

Invention Title: Sante TROIANI ADDRESS FOR SERVICE

ALTERED

V.

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Patent Trade ark AL,GpQ 1314- 240 Queen Street It 4col Brisban L F E C TRT4000IO BRICK PANEL FENCE CONSTRUCTION Details of Associated Provisional Applications: No. PN8698 filed 15 March 1997 No. PN9280 filed 16 April 1997 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: "BRICK PANEL FENCE CONSTRUCTION" THIS INVENTION relates to a method of constructing a wall using panels prefabricated from building blocks, and a wall constructed according to that method. In particular, the invention is directed to a method of constructing a fence from prefabricated clay brick panels.

BACKGROUND ART Brick fences are relatively expensive and time consuming to construct, due to the need to lay the bricks individually on site. Furthermore, construction may be delayed due to adverse weather conditions.

Although it is known to construct fences from prefabricated concrete panels, such panels do not have the aesthetic and weatherproofing characteristics of clay g brick walls.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of constructing a wall, such as a fence wall, which overcomes or ameliorates the abovedescribed disadvantages, or which at least provides the consumer with a useful choice.

5 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one form, the invention provides a prefabricated panel for a wall structure, such as a fence, the panel comprising a plurality of courses of building blocks with at least some of the building blocks having apertures therein which are vertically aligned to form through holes in the panel at spaced locations therealong, and at least one composite bond beam along the bottom of the panel, the courses of building blocks being supported by the bond beam(s).

The term "vertically aligned" is intended to mean that the apertures overlap sufficiently to form a through hole in which a reinforcing rod may be inserted; the apertures need not be totally aligned.

The building blocks are preferably clay bricks.

However, building blocks of cementitious material or other suitable material may be used.

Preferably, the bond beam is a composite brick bond beam which is formed from a plurality of courses of bricks and has a reinforced core. More particularly, the composite bond beam is formed from at least a pair of courses of bricks having opposed channel sections forming a composite core extending longitudinally therebetween, the core having an elongate reinforcing member extending through it and being substantially filled with cementitious material.

Panels above a certain height may suitably be provided with a double bond beam comprising two pairs of courses of bricks arranged as described above.

Preferably, a bond beam is also placed along the top of the panel, the upper bond beam being a composite brick bond beam as described above.

In one embodiment, upright reinforcing rods are located in the through holes which are then filled with grout to fix the rods in the panel. The top ends of the reinforcing rods may suitably form anchor points by which the panel may be lifted. The lower ends of the upright reinforcing rods extend below the lower bond beam. In use, the protruding lower ends of the reinforcing rods 25 are located in preformed holes in the ground or other supporting base structure. The holes are subsequently filled with concrete to form supporting piers or footings for the panel.

In another embodiment, the panel is positioned such that the (empty) through holes are aligned with the preformed holes in the ground or support structure on which the panel rests. After the panel is placed in position, at least one elongate reinforcing member is inserted through each through hole into its respective hole. The through hole and ground hole are then filled with cementitious material which, when set, forms a supporting pier bonded to a reinforced concrete column within the through hole in the panel.

The panels are not only supported by the piers, but also held in the desired orientation. Since the reinforcing members of this embodiment do not protrude below the panel prior to erection of the wall, the prefabricated panels may be stood upright on their bottom bond beams.

Typically, the panels are arranged end to end to form a fence or similar wall structure.

As the panels may be constructed off site and under cover, they can be constructed quickly and conveniently. Economy of scale can be achieved by constructing a large number of panels at the same time.

These panels can then be stored for future use.

Moreover, the construction of the panels can be automated 15 or semi-automated.

The completed panel has a "whole brick" appearance which is aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, if the panel is constructed of clay bricks, it possesses weatherproofing properties superior to conventional 20 concrete panels.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood and put into practice, preferred embodiments thereof will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a fence panel constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the panel of Fig.

1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the panel of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a clay brick suitable for use in constructing the panel of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative clay block suitable for use in constructing the panel of Fig. 1; Figs. 6-8 are schematic plan views of arrangements of panels of the type shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 9 is a schematic elevational view of a panel according to another embodiment of the invention; Fig. 10 is a plan view of the panel of Fig. 9; and Fig. 11 is a sectional elevational view of the panel of Fig. 9 along A-A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in Figs. 1-3, a panel 10 is formed by laying successive courses of clay bricks 11 upon a bond beam 12. The courses of bricks 11 are also surmounted by a bond beam 13.

Each bond beam is formed by a first (lower) course of bricks, each of which may suitably be a 110mm wide CORAL SEA clay brick (Fig. 4) or a CLAYBLOCK brick (Fig. both of which are manufactured by Wide Bay Brickworks Pty Ltd, of Bundaberg, Australia. The centre portions of each brick are partially removed so that a longitudinal open channel is formed along the course of bricks, as can be seen in Fig. 2. One or more steel reinforcing rods 14 are laid in this channel along the complete length of the course.

A second course of bricks is then laid over the 25 first course. The bricks in the second (upper) course may also have a longitudinal channel formed therein in the same manner as the first course, and are laid in opposed facing relationship to the bricks in the lower course, so that a composite hollow core is formed between the two courses.

The core (with reinforcing rod 14) is filled with grout. A composite brick bond beam is thereby formed. In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the lower bond beam is a double bond beam, comprising two pairs of upper and lower courses of bricks.

After the double bond beam 12 is formed, additional courses of bricks 11 are then laid progressively on the bond beam 12 to construct the panel.

The panel is finished off by the upper bond beam 13, which is also a composite brick bond beam constructed as described above.

Vertical reinforcing rods 15 are inserted at opposite ends of the panel 10 as it is being constructed.

These vertical reinforcing rods are suitably located in through holes formed by vertically aligned apertures of the bricks 11 used to construct the panel 10, including bond beams 12, 13. The vertical reinforcing rods 15 are "cast in" by filling the through holes housing the rods with grout.

The upper end of at least one reinforcing rod at each end of the panel provides an anchor or lifting point by which the completed panel may be lifted, e.g. by a crane or other suitable device. The lower ends 15A of the vertical reinforcing rods 15 extend below the lower bond beam 12. These lower ends 15A are conveniently bent S.parallel to the bond beam while it is being constructed, and during storage and transportation of the completed panel.

The panels 10 may be prefabricated in a workshop or other convenient location, and stored for subsequent transport to the site at which a wall or fence is to be erected.

If the panels 10 are to be used to construct a fence, for example, spaced holes 16 are formed in the ground at locations corresponding to the positions of the vertical reinforcing rods 15 in the completed panels Once the panels 10 have been transported to the site for erection, the lower ends 15A of the reinforcing rods are straightened to protrude vertically downwardly from the panel 10. The panel is placed on the ground at the desired position, such that the lower ends 15A of the vertical reinforcing rods 15 extend into the preformed holes 16. The panel is temporarily held in position while the holes 16 are filled with concrete to form bonded footings or piers for the panel 10. A pier may support two juxtaposed ends of adjacent panels.

A fence or other wall structure may be constructed by placing the panels 10 end to end in various arrangements, as exemplified in Figs. 6 to 8.

An alternative wall construction is shown in Figs. 9-11. A panel 20 is formed (off site) in a similar manner to that described above for panel 10 of Fig. 1.

Successive courses of clay bricks 21 are laid upon a double bond beam 22. The courses of bricks 21 are also surmounted by a bond beam 23. The clay bricks are provided with apertures, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. At least some of these apertures are vertically aligned to form vertical through holes 25 at the opposite ends of the panel.

Unlike the method described above in relation to the panel of Fig. 1, the cast-in vertical reinforcing rods 24 are not located in the outermost through holes.

Rather, the outermost through holes 25 are left empty, and the vertical reinforcing rods 24 are located inwardly of the outermost through holes 25, typically adjacent the through holes 25. The through holes in which the reinforcing rods 24 are located are grouted as described above to fix the rods 24 in the panel 20. The tops of the vertical cast-in reinforcing rods 24 provide lifting points by which the entire panel may be lifted.

25 The vertical reinforcing rods 24 protrude into the bond beams 22 (and are angled at their lower ends to extend horizontally along the bond beams), but do not protrude below the panel The panel 20 may be prefabricated in a workshop or other convenient location, and stored for subsequent transport to the site at which a wall or fence is to be erected. Since the vertical reinforcing rods do not extend below the panel, each panel is substantially freestanding.

If the panels 20 are to be used to construct a fence for example, spaced holes 26 are formed in the ground at locations corresponding to the positions of the through holes 25. The panel is placed on the ground so that the through holes 25 are generally aligned with the respective holes 26. At least one vertical reinforcing rod 27 (shown in full outline in Fig. 9 for illustrative purposes) is placed in each through hole 25 and extends into the subjacent hole 26.

The hole 26 and through hole 25 are then grouted or otherwise filled with cementitious material which, when set, forms a supporting pier in the hole 26 which is bonded to a reinforced concrete column extending through the respective through hole 25. The hole 26 may be filled through the through hole 25, or from outside the panel The panel is not only supported by the resultant piers, but is also held in its upright orientation. The corner L-sections on each end of the panel illustrated in Fig. 3 are generally not required.

The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the invention, and modifications which are obvious to those skilled in the art may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, the reinforcing rods 27 may be cast in piers, and protrude upwardly therefrom. The panels may be then lowered onto the piers so that the cast-in reinforcing rods 27 are received in the through holes 25 which are then grouted to fix the panel 20 to the reinforcing rods 27.

Further, the bricks 11 used to form the infill portion of each panel may be of narrower width (70mm or compared to the width of the bricks used to form the bond beams (110mm).

Claims

1. A prefabricated panel for a wall structure, such- as a fence, the panel comprising a plurality of courses of building blocks with at least some of the building blocks having apertures therein which are vertically aligned to form through holes in the panel at spaced locations therealong, and at least one composite bond beam along the bottom of the panel, the courses of building blocks being supported by the bond beam(s).

2. A panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a bond beam at the top of the panel supported on the courses of building blocks.

3. A panel as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the through holes are at or near opposed ends of the panel.

4. A panel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each bond beam is formed from at least a. pair of courses of building blocks having opposed channel sections forming a composite core extending longitudinally therebetween, the core having an elongate reinforcing member extending through it and being substantially filled with cementitious material.

5. A panel as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein the oo building blocks in said plurality of courses of building blocks have a narrower width than the building blocks in oooo the bond beam.

6. A panel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the building blocks are clay bricks.

7. A panel as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising upright reinforcing rods extending 30 through the through holes, the through holes containing the ":"!reinforcing rods being substantially filled with cementitious material to fix the reinforcing rods in the "panel, and further wherein the reinforcing rods protrude from the bottom of the panel.

8. A panel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising upright reinforcing rods extending through the panel and located in vertically aligned holes A 41in the building blocks, the holes being filled with cementitious material such that the reinforcing rods are fixed in the panel.

9. A method of constructing a wall structure, such as a fence, using a panel as claimed in claim 7, the method comprising the steps of forming spaced holes in the ground or other supporting surface at a spacing corresponding to the distance between the through holes in the panel, placing the panel on the ground or other supporting surface such that the reinforcing rods protruding from the bottom of the panel extend into the respective holes formed in the ground or other supporting surface, and filling the holes with cementitious material to form footings for the panel, the bottom ends of the reinforcing rods being fixed in the footings.

A method of constructing a wall structure, such as a fence, using the panel of claim 8, the method comprising the steps of forming spaced holes in the ground or other supporting surface at a spacing corresponding to the distance between the through holes in the panel, see placing the panel on the ground or other supporting surface such that the through holes are fgo• 25 vertically aligned with the respective holes in the ground or other supporting surface, inserting reinforcing rods through the through holes and extending into the holes, and substantially filling the through holes and the S: 30 holes with cementitious material such that the reinforcing rods are fixed in the panel and the holes.

11. A method of constructing a wall structure, such as a fence, using the panel of claim 8, the method comprising the steps of forming spaced holes in the ground or other supporting surface at a spacing corresponding to the distance between the through holes in the panel, placing upright reinforcing rods in the holes 11 and substantially filling the holes with cementitious material such that the reinforcing rods are fixed in an upright orientation and protrude upwardly from the holes, lowering a panel onto the ground or other supporting surface such that the upright reinforcing rods are received in the respective through holes in the panel, and substantially filling the through holes with cementitious material such that the reinforcing rods are fixed in the panel.

12. A wall or fence structure comprising a plurality of panels each formed of courses of building blocks supported on at least one composite bond beam, each panel having upright reinforcing rods which are located in vertically aligned apertures in the building blocks at or near opposed ends of the panel and which extend below the panel into respective holes in the ground or other supporting structure, the holes and the vertically aligned apertures containing the rods being substantially filled with cementitious material such that the filled holes form footings for the panel and the reinforcing rods are fixed in the panel and the footing.

13. A panel as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying ::.drawings.

14. A method of constructing a wall structure, such as a fence, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this Twelfth day of December 2000 Sante Troiani 0 by Pizzeys Patent Trademark Attorneys