AU779663B2 - Frame-less building - Google Patents

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: "FRAME-LESS BUILDING" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: 2 TITLE: FRAME-LESS BUILDING FIELD OF THE INVENTION THIS INVENTION relates to buildings and in particular to a frame-less building, parts and techniques therefor, and methods of construction of such buildings.

BACKGROUND ART The usual technique for erecting buildings is to first establish a framework for the building and to then apply a cladding of a suitable kind to the frame. Smaller buildings, such as are intended to serve as garden sheds, are often prefabricated with all of the wall and roof panels preformed in sheet material as units, with edging "members to establish some rigidity in the panel created out of the 15 sheet material. The edging members in these constructions perform *the function of those elements which are bought together in the erection of a frame in a larger building. The preformed panels are then assembled together on site with appropriate edge connectors.

More substantial buildings such as sheds for cars, small factory operations, etc, are erected on site. Typically, a series of portal frames are raised along the length of a slab base, joined by horizontal structural members. Thereafter, the frame is clad by sheet metal applied thereto by metal screws and like connectors. The need to 3 establish portal frames, connect them, and finally clad them, creates an essentially three stage erection process. This three stage process is embodied in the smaller prefabricated process wherein the cladding is laid up, the edge members applied, with final connection of the prefabricated panels after transport to a site. The ultimate cost of such buildings and their efficiency in erection is dependent on factors such as the number of elements to be fabricated and joined. It is desirable to reduce the number of these elements to simplify inventory, reduce fabrication needs, and to obtain savings during erection.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide or establish buildings and the like, preferably in the style of construction 15 which employs steel on slab techniques, wherein one or more of the **number of elements or parts therefore which are required in the fabrication or erection of the building, the time to erect them, and the cost of erection is or are improved and/or optimised, separately or collectively. Other objects and advantages will hereinafter become apparent.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention generally achieves or assists 4 realisation of its object in the utilisation of building processes or the establishment of a building based on or founded in recognition of the concept that the portal frames which previously comprised part of a building, or existed as an entity in the erection of a building, might be established in or be assembled from, essentially sheet material, and that no more than a series of these 'sheet' based portal frames need then be joined, typically edge to edge, to create a building. Edge to edge connection might be by use of suitable connectors, as are known to those skilled in the art, such as pop rivets, metal screws and the like, preferably nut and bolt.

Additional to the above broad conception, the invention .provides an improvement in the art of building.

The wall elements of a portal frame are attached to the base slab of the building in a particularly advantageous manner which might be employed more generally in the building industry, in this development the •**°wall sheets which make up the portal frame or the building wall of cladding are attached to a perimeter element established around, and attached or bonded to, brackets in the building slab. Preferably, the sheets are stood off a step established in form work used to make the slab, the form work additionally providing a portion, free internally of concrete, whereat the wall sheets may be attached by suitable connectors such as pop rivets, metal screws, and the like, preferably nut and bolt.

In a preferred form of the invention, a portal frame of the above kind can be constructed utilising a ridge capping which might be employed more generally in the building industry, forming a ridge capping wherever profiled roof sheets meet at ridge and need to be sealed. In realisation of this development the adjoined edges of roof sheets are adapted at the pan edges of the profiled sheets, between the profile ridges, with extension into an upwardly projected flange, the sheets being laid up, flanges abutted, and a capping piece being applied thereover along the length of the pan, an additional capping being then overlapped over the neighbouring capping and ridges.

'.In another preferred form of the invention a portal frame of the above defined kind might be joined at a shoulder between wall and roof elements in a particularly advantages fashion which might be applied more generally in assembly of buildings wherein wall and roof cladding needs to joined or interacted at the shoulder there between. In this o. particular adaptation, the sheet material which forms the wall and roof components of the portal frame or building are interconnected by a gusset-like element, or an angle bracket, located internally of the ridges of the profiled sheet material which makes up the wall and roof elements, being attached thereto by suitable connectors such as pop rivets, metal screws and the like, preferably nut and bolt.

6 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to preferred embodiments which are shown in the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portal frame in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; FIG. 2 is a detailed perspective view of a ridge joint in accordance with the invention, shown applied to a portal frame of the kind seen in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a detailed perspective of a shoulder joint in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, see here applied to a portal frame of the kind seen in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a detailed view of a manner of connection of sheet material to a concrete slab, in accordance with the present invention, as might be applied to a portal frame as seen in FIG. 1; FIG. 5 is a perspective view of form work seen in FIG. 4; FIG. 6 is a detailed view of a connection of wall to roof in accordance with the invention; and FIGS. 7 and 8 are detailed views of a connection of wall to base in accordance with the invention.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIG. 1 is seen a portal frame 10 which may be largely 7 constituted by four profiled sheets of a kind which will be familiar to those in the trade, the profiled sheet in this embodiment having a pan extended between two ridges of conventional cross section, two profiled sheets forming wall elements or generally vertical members 11,12 and two profiled sheets forming roof elements or covering members 13,14, having a horizontal component to their coverage.

The ridge joint between the two roof forming members 13,14 is described in greater detail in FIG. 2. The wall to roof shoulder joint between those respective members is described in greater detail in FIG. 3. Each element of the portal frame is significantly extended transversely to the frame, with, in this embodiment, a pan section (providing the major portion of the transverse extent of each frame) between two ridges 16,17. In use, adjoining portal frames will be overlapped ridge over ridge and joined to establish the length of the requisite building in a manner which will be familiar to those skilled in the art. Each portal frame will define the height and width of the S. S building. Each roof forming member may be flanged at 18, with, °S S preferably, an edge of the pan stood up to interact in the ridge joint as is described in greater detail below.

In FIG. 2 is seen a ridge joint between roof forming members 13,14, each configured with upright flanges 18,19 on the respective pans of members 13,14, being, in use overlapped with a ridge cap 20 which may then be crossed or pierced by suitable 8 connectors 21 so as to clamp or hold the ridge cap to respective outsides of flanges 18,19. The roof may be thereafter sealed by application of a crest cap 22 adapted to extend over the crest of the profiled sheet ridges and the ridge cap to the upstanding flanges.

In FIG. 3 is seen a gusset or bracket 23 fitted at the shoulder between portal upright member 11 and its respective roof member 24. Ideally this is fitted into the cavities behind the ridges, with suitable connectors applied through the crest of the ridges into a right angle flange along respective edges of the brackets 23.

In FIG. 4 is seen a part section through the edge of a concrete slab 26, poured using a perimeter form-work 29 which might be held in place by a pin 27 prior to pouring. The slab 26 is formed on ground 28 in the usual manner and any of the typical preparations therefor might be made. The form-work 29 remains in 15 place in this variation. Step 30 created on the slab by the form work provides a point on which to rest wall cladding 11, which can be attached by a suitable connector such as a metal screw, screwed into S: ~the pocket at 31, which pocket is maintained free of concrete by the return section at the top of the form work 29. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that this sheet to slab formation might be used more generally than just with portal frames of the above defined kind.

In FIG. 5 is seen a perspective view of the form-work 29 and cladding 11 (without the slab for convenience). The recurved 9 section at the top forms pocket 32 allowing screws (not shown) to be applied via the pan of cladding 11 into the form-work metal and pocket 32.

In FIG. 6 is seen the join between roof cladding 33 and wall cladding 34. Their interconnection is effected by use of an angle bracket 35 whose profile matches that of the ridges of the cladding, being nested inside and fixed to respective cladding sheets by connectors at strategic points such as 36, 37.

In FIGS. 7 and 8 is seen the connection of wall cladding 38 to a building base by means of a bracket 39, the two connected by suitable connectors placed such as at 40. The brackets 39 interact with form-work 41 with arm 42 of bracket 39 passed therethrough to be anchored in a slab when concrete is poured behind the form-work as seen in FIG. 8 *15

Claims (9)

1. A method of erecting a frame-less building comprising: preparing a sheet form wall and roof cladding as elements able to be joined as portal frames; erecting or standing a first portal frame formed from the elements in place; erecting or standing a second portal frame formed from the elements beside the first portal frame; and joining the first and second portal frames edge to edge in creation of the frameless building; wherein: each portal frame is stood off a base slab of the building being formed, each of the wall sheets which make up the wall elements of each portal frame are connected to a first arm of a respective L-shaped bracket, a second arm of each bracket extending through a perimeter member established around the base slab and being bonded in the base slab.

2. A method as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the portal frame elements are constructed using cladding which is profiled in section with pans between ridges, the ends of roof cladding which are joined, in use, being formed at the pan ends, between the profile ridges, with an extension bent into a projecting flange, the roof cladding is laid up in assembly of a portal frame with the flanges abutted, a capping piece is applied thereover along the length of the pan, and an additional capping is overlapped over the neighbouring capping and ridges as the portal frames are connected. COMS ID No: SBMI-01016934 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:43 Date 2004-11-29 29/11 2004 MON 13:40 FAX +61 7 32210597 FISHER ADAMS KELLY IP AUSTRALIAll00/ 9 Q005/009 11

3. A method as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the portal frame elements are formed using wail and roof cladding which is profiled with pans between ridges, the wall and roof cladding is joined at the shoulder of the portal frame formed between respective wall cladding and roof cladding S elements by either a gusset-like element or angle bracket located internally of the ridges of the respective profiled sheet material which makes up the respective wall and roof elements, attached thereto by suitable connectors such as nut and bolt, pop rivets, metal screws and the like.

4. A frame-less building comprising at least in part of a series of 00@ 00:10 two or more portal frames: *the portal frames of said part being sheet material based; the portal frames of said part being joined edge to edge, to create the part, wherein: the wall elements of each portal frame are stood off a base slab of the building, each of the wall sheets which make up the wall elements of each portal frame are connected to a first arm of a respective L-shaped bracket, the second arm of each bracket extending through a perimeter member established around the base slab and being bonded in the base slab.

5. A building as claimed in Claim 4 wherein at least one of said portal frames Is constructed utilising roof cladding which is a profiled sheet with pans between ridges, adjoining pans of the respective profiled sheets being flanged, and a ridge capping is added over adjoining flanges, and COMS IDNo:SBMI-01016934 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:43 Date 2004-11-29 29/11 2004 MON 13:40 FAX +61 7 32210597 FISHER ADAMS KELLY +4 IP AUSTRALIA Z006/009 12 additional capping being overlapped over neighbouring capping and ridges.

6. A building as claimed in Claim 4 wherein: the sheets are stood off a step established in the perimeter member which, in use, may serve as form work used to make the base slab, the wall elements being attached to the first arms of the brackets by suitable connectors such as nut and bolt, pop rivets, metal screws, and the like.

7. A building as claimed in Claim 4 wherein at least one of said portal frames is constructed utilising roof cladding which is a profiled sheet 0 -with pans between ridges, joined at a shoulder between wall and roof elements by a gusset-like element or angle bracket located internally of the ***ridges of the profiled sheet material which makes up the wall and roof elements, being attached thereto by suitable connectors such as pop rivets, metal screws and the like.

8. A method of erecting a frame-less building substantially as 15 hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 0 4

9. A frame-less building substantially as hereinbefore described "with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this twenty.-nlnth day of November 2004. JOHN MICUAEL MONTESALVO By his Patent Attorneys FISHER ADAMS KELLY COMS ID No: SBMI-01016934 Received by IP Australia: Time 14:43 Date 2004-11-29