CA1272864A

CA1272864A - Structural corner joints

Info

Publication number: CA1272864A
Application number: CA000498639A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Francois X. Laroche
Original assignee: 160630 CANADA Inc
Current assignee: 160630 CANADA Inc
Priority date: 1985-12-24
Filing date: 1985-12-24
Publication date: 1990-08-21
Anticipated expiration: 2007-08-21

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE:
A structural joint-has a pair of elongated members each provided with an elongated groove with an opening narrower than the inside of the groove. A con-necting key has a pair of legs configured, in cross-section, like the cross-section of the grooves and slidably fitted each into one of the grooves with side faces of the legs engaging opposed side walls of the grooves. Set screws are threaded through bores of the key legs from the openings of the grooves and up to the bottom of the grooves so that when the screws are tightened, they force the leg side faces into engagement with the side groove opposed side walls to lock the legs into the grooves. The adjacent ends of the legs are articulated to one another.

Description

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the-invention . _ The present in~ention relates to the art of assembling structural members together into a building frame and more particularly a frame wherein elongated frame members are joined together at their ends by means o~ connecting keys having two legs extending at a predetermined angle to one another and fixed to the frame members to hold the latter according to this predetermined angle, the legs being solid with one another.
Descripti_n of the related art In present pxactice where the angle between the connected structural member~ is a right angle or even less standard sizes like 45 and 60, the solid connector key presents no problem and a limited number only of con-necting keys need be stocked. However, in certain types of building structures such as greenhouses or solariums, wall panels very often meet at angles other than the conventional angles mentioned above and it is necessary,

2~ in such cases, to fabricate connecting keys that fit particular situations. This is of course a tim~ consuming, thus costly, procedure apart from the fact that a larger inventory o such parts has to be kept.
Such connecting keys are di~closed in US patents 1,817,162 of 1931; 3,848,390 of 1974; 3,866,380 of 1975;
4,251,166 of 1981. It is seen, from these patents, that the connecting keys therein all involve a pair of legs that are integral with one another and thus serve for only one angular connection. They do not consequently provide any flexibility where frame members are to ~e joined together at other anglesO

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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIO~
The object of the present invention i5 to provide a structural joint which comprises:
a) a pair of elongated members, each member being 5 rectangular in cross section and having four sides each provided with an elongated groove e~tending lengthwise thereof, said members being arranged so that the groove of one member communicates with the groove of the other member;
b) wherein each groove defines, in cross-section, a housing having a top opening, a bottom wall and opposed side walls spaced apart a distance greater than said top opening;
c) a connecting key comprising:
- a pair of elongated legs, each leg having, in 15cross~section, a top face, a bottom face and opposed side faces spaced apart a distance greater than said top face; said legs being slidably fitted into said housings with the side faces thereof engaging the side walls of said grooves;
~0- means interconnecting said legs end to end for pivotal movement about an axis transverse to said legs, d) locking means through said legs including screws pressed against said bottom walls of said grooves ~5 forcing said side faces of said legs against said side walls of said grooves thereby to lock said legs into said grooves;
e) at least one additional connector key having the same structure as disclosed in paragraph c), the legs of said additional connector key being slidably fitted into another pair of communicating housings; and f) additional locking means having the same structure as disclosed in paragraph d), said additional locking means cooperating with said additional connector key for locking said additional connector key into two further grooves of said members communicating with one another.

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A description o* preferred embodiments of the invention now follows.
BRIEF DESC~IPTION OF THE_DRAWING
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a structural joint made according to ~he invention and lnvolving three structural membexs;
Figures 2 and 3 arer respectively, a side elevation view and an end view of a colmecting key according to the invention;
Figure 4 is a side elevation view of a mitered structural joint, according to the invention, about to be completed;
Figure 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view of a structural member used in a joint according to the invention, and Figures 6, 7 and B are partial cross-sectional views of joints of the invention according to three embodiments thereof.
Referring to the drawing, connecting keys 1, such as shown in Figures 2 and 3, are used to secure together, at right angles and in three different planes, three structural members A B and C, the end faces of members B and C abutting squarely adjacent side faces of the other member A. Figure 4, on the other hand, illustrates two structural members D and E forming a mitre joint and secured together by a connecting key 1.
~5 The man of the art will readily appreciate that other angular connections are possible between structural members and connecting keys configured according to the present invention and as now to be fully described.
The connecting key shown in Figures 2 and 3 comprises a pair of elongated legs 3 and 5 respectively formed with integral lugs 7 and 9, projecting from one of their ends. It will be seen, in Figure 3, that the lugs 7 and 9 lie on either side of a central plane common to both legs 3 and 5. The lugs 7 and 9 are interconnected, in any k~own manner, by a pivot pin 11 .
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so as to allow free rotatio~al mo~ement about an axis 13 normal to both the lugs 7 and 9 and of course normal to the leys 3 and 5. From thls description, it will be appreciated that the legs 3 and 5 are advantageously identical to one another.
When seen in cross-section, as at the top of Figure 3, each leg`3, 5, has a top face 15,-a bottom face 17 and opposed side faces 19 which are spaced apart a distance greater than the width of the top face 15.
Locking means are used to secure the legs 3 and 5 to the structural members A to E. The locking means illustrated comprise threaded bores 21, through the legs 3 and 5, and set screws 23 of the allen type, that is with a hexagonal recess at the top.
In cross-section, the connecting key 1 of Figures 2 and 3 forms an isosceles trapezium.
The key of Figures 2 and 3 is for use with structural members A to E which are identical in cross-section and are illustrated in Figure 5. These members are hollow and made of extruded alumi~um, being generally rectangular (square being a particular case) in cross-section. Each of the four sides of the rectangle is ~ormed with a groove 25, all grooves being identical.
From Figures 1 and 4l it will be appreciated that the elongated grooves 25 extend fully lengthwise of the members A to E and, in assembledcondition, one groove 25 of one member communicates with one groove 25 of the othex member. In fact, if a firm and steady connection between two members is required, at least two grooves 25 of one member must communicate with two grooves 25 of the other member as is readily apparent from Figures 1 and 4.

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. ~ ' ~ ~ '' . ' Each groove 25 forms a housing ~7 having a top opening 29, a bottom wall 31 facing the opening 29 and oppose~ side walls 33 joining the opening 29 and the bottom wall 310 The housing ~7 thus has the form of a trapezium, the same as the cross-section ~f the legs 3 and 5. As best shown in Figure 6, the latter leg~ 3 and 5 slidably fit into respective housings 27 of the members ~ to E, their thickness being slightly smaller than the depth of the housing 27. Thus, and as again shown in Figure 6, tightening of the screws 23 against the bo~tom walls`31 of the housings 27 forcibly applies the ~ide faces 19 of the key legs 3 and 5 against the side walls 33 of ~he housings 27. In this manner, with the key legs 3 and 5 fast in their respective grooves 25 and with at least two keys 1 being used for two inter-connected members,the latter can be secured against rotation at the selected angle.
Indeed, while Figures 1 and 4 illustrate structural members A to E being connected at right angles or normal to one another, it will be appreciated that, because of the pivotable interconnection between the legs 3 and 5 of each key 1, any vther angle between structural members can be selected provided of course that the adjacent faces between the members to be con-~5 nected are properly mitred at the desired angle.Conclusively, only one type of key 1 is necessary for any desired angular connection.
From the above description, it will be appreciated that the principle of the invention applied here is that the el~ngated groove 25 defines an elongated opening 29 which is narrower than the inside of the housing 27 defined by the groove 25. Similarly, the legs 3 and 5 of each key 1 has to be configured, in cross-section, like the cross-section of the housing 27.

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With this in mind, the legs 3' 5g may be rounded in cross-section with a flat top as shown in Figure 6. In thls case of course the housing 27' of the corresponding members A' to E' must be likewise arcuate.
Alternatively, and as showm in Figure 7,-the key legs 39' and 5" may have the shape of an inverted T, the housing 27" then having horizontal side wall portions 35 intended to receive the horizontal bar of the T shape.
The principle applied in the variants of the invention illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 is therefore the same as that applied in the embodiment of Figuxe 6.

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Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A structural joint comprising:
a) a pair of elongated members, each member being rectangular in cross section and having four sides each provided with an elongated groove extending lengthwise thereof, said members being arranged so that the groove of one member communicates with the groove of the other member;
b) wherein each groove defines, in cross-section, a housing having a top opening, a bottom wall and opposed side walls spaced apart a distance greater than said top opening;
c) a connecting key comprising:
- a pair of elongated legs, each leg having, in cross-section, a top face, a bottom face and opposed side faces spaced apart a distance greater than said top face; said legs being slidably fitted into said housings with the side faces thereof engaging the side walls of said grooves;
- means interconnecting said legs end to end for pivotal movement about an axis transverse to said legs, d) locking means through said legs including screws pressed against said bottom walls of said grooves forcing said side faces of said legs against said side walls of said grooves thereby to lock said legs into said grooves;
e) at least one additional connector key having the same structure as disclosed in paragraph c), the legs of said additional connector key being slidably fitted into another pair of communicating housings; and f) additional locking means having the same structure as disclosed in paragraph d), said additional locking means cooperating with said additional connector key for locking said additional connector key into two further grooves of said members communicating with one another.

2. A structural joint as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cross-sections of said grooves and legs form isosceles trapezium.

3. A connecting key as claimed in claim 2, wherein said legs are formed with threaded bores extending completely therethrough between said top face and said bottom face, said locking means being screws threaded into said bores.

4. A structural joint as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said means pivotally interconnecting said legs end to end comprise: lugs projecting axially from said legs on one side of the longitudinal axis thereof and pivot means interconnecting said projecting lugs at the free ends thereof.

5. A structural joint as claimed in claim 1, wherein each leg has an inverted T-shape in cross-section.

6. A connecting key as claimed in claim 5, wherein said legs are formed with threaded bores extending completely therethrough between said top face and said bottom face, said locking means being screws threaded into said bores.

7. A structural joint as claimed in claim 1, wherein said top face is flat and wherein said side faces and said bottom face form an arcuate surface starting from said top face.

8. A structural joint as claimed in claim 7, wherein said legs are formed with threaded bores extending completely therethrough between a top face and a bottom face thereof, said locking means being screws threaded into said bores.