Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
  • E04B1/00—Constructions in general; Structures which are not restricted either to walls, e.g. partitions, or floors or ceilings or roofs
  • E04B1/18—Structures comprising elongated load-supporting parts, e.g. columns, girders, skeletons
  • E04B1/19—Three-dimensional framework structures
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
  • E04B1/00—Constructions in general; Structures which are not restricted either to walls, e.g. partitions, or floors or ceilings or roofs
  • E04B1/18—Structures comprising elongated load-supporting parts, e.g. columns, girders, skeletons
  • E04B1/19—Three-dimensional framework structures
  • E04B2001/1924—Struts specially adapted therefor
  • E04B2001/1927—Struts specially adapted therefor of essentially circular cross section
  • E04B2001/193—Struts specially adapted therefor of essentially circular cross section with flattened connecting parts, e.g. ends
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
  • E04B1/00—Constructions in general; Structures which are not restricted either to walls, e.g. partitions, or floors or ceilings or roofs
  • E04B1/18—Structures comprising elongated load-supporting parts, e.g. columns, girders, skeletons
  • E04B1/19—Three-dimensional framework structures
  • E04B2001/1924—Struts specially adapted therefor
  • E04B2001/1936—Winged profiles, e.g. with a L-, T-, U- or X-shaped cross section
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
  • E04B1/00—Constructions in general; Structures which are not restricted either to walls, e.g. partitions, or floors or ceilings or roofs
  • E04B1/18—Structures comprising elongated load-supporting parts, e.g. columns, girders, skeletons
  • E04B1/19—Three-dimensional framework structures
  • E04B2001/1924—Struts specially adapted therefor
  • E04B2001/1951—Struts specially adapted therefor uninterrupted struts situated in the outer planes of the framework
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
  • E04B1/00—Constructions in general; Structures which are not restricted either to walls, e.g. partitions, or floors or ceilings or roofs
  • E04B1/18—Structures comprising elongated load-supporting parts, e.g. columns, girders, skeletons
  • E04B1/19—Three-dimensional framework structures
  • E04B2001/1957—Details of connections between nodes and struts
  • E04B2001/1963—Screw connections with axis at an angle, e.g. perpendicular, to the main axis of the strut
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
  • E04B1/00—Constructions in general; Structures which are not restricted either to walls, e.g. partitions, or floors or ceilings or roofs
  • E04B1/18—Structures comprising elongated load-supporting parts, e.g. columns, girders, skeletons
  • E04B1/19—Three-dimensional framework structures
  • E04B2001/1975—Frameworks where the struts are directly connected to each other, i.e. without interposed connecting nodes or plates
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
  • E04B1/00—Constructions in general; Structures which are not restricted either to walls, e.g. partitions, or floors or ceilings or roofs
  • E04B1/18—Structures comprising elongated load-supporting parts, e.g. columns, girders, skeletons
  • E04B1/19—Three-dimensional framework structures
  • E04B2001/1981—Three-dimensional framework structures characterised by the grid type of the outer planes of the framework
  • E04B2001/1984—Three-dimensional framework structures characterised by the grid type of the outer planes of the framework rectangular, e.g. square, grid
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
  • E04B1/00—Constructions in general; Structures which are not restricted either to walls, e.g. partitions, or floors or ceilings or roofs
  • E04B1/18—Structures comprising elongated load-supporting parts, e.g. columns, girders, skeletons
  • E04B1/19—Three-dimensional framework structures
  • E04B2001/199—Details of roofs, floors or walls supported by the framework
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
  • E04B1/00—Constructions in general; Structures which are not restricted either to walls, e.g. partitions, or floors or ceilings or roofs
  • E04B1/18—Structures comprising elongated load-supporting parts, e.g. columns, girders, skeletons
  • E04B1/19—Three-dimensional framework structures
  • E04B2001/1993—Details of framework supporting structure, e.g. posts or walls

Definitions

• Space frames have found wide applications as framing units for roofs or floors which are required to span large areas, e.g. in aircraft hangars.
• space frames are generally relatively complex and require complicated and expensive connectors to join the top and bottom grids and the load-transmitting diagonal struts.
• Such joints are well suitable for large, heavy-duty space frames, but are unduly expensive for use in lightweight space frames suitable for the construction of, e.g. car- ports, garages and many domestic and industrial buildings.
• each of the struts is provided at its ends with attachment plates secured, preferably by bolts, at nodes of the upper and lower grid.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a part of a space frame made according to the invention, with parallel upper and lower grids of chord members interconnected by diagonal struts
• FIG. 2 is a detail drawing showing the attachment of a diagonal strut to a chord of the space frame shown in FIG. 1,
• FIG. 3 is a plan view of a node of the upper grid of the space frame
• FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of part of a space frame according to the invention, with non-parallel upper and lower grids
• FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the attachment of diagonal struts at a node of an upper grid according to a modification of the invention
• FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing the attachment of diagonal struts at a node of a lower grid according to another embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the attachment of diagonal struts at a node of a lower grid according to a further modification of the invention. - 3 -
• the space frames illustrated each include a top rectangul-ar gri-d of longitudinal chord members 10 and lateral chord members 11, a bottom rectangular grid of 5 longitudinal chord members 12 and lateral chord members 13, and diagonal strut members 14 interconnecting the nodes or intersections of the top grid with the nodes of the bottom grid, in such a way that the space frame consists of a combination of rectangular-base pyramid constructions.
• chord members 10, 11, 12 and 13 are of similar roll-formed steel sections of "top-hat” form, each comprising a channel with side walls 15 diverging from the web 16 and leading to outwardly directed substantially co-planar side flanges 17 which, near to their outer edges, 15 are bent through fairly small angles to form stiffening flanges 18.
• the lateral chords 11, arranged with their channel opening downwardly, their side flanges 17 lowermost, are secured perpendicularly across the 20 longitudinal chords 10 which are reversed, relative to the lateral chords, and have their channels opening upwardly, their side flanges 17 uppermost.
• the lateral chords 13, with their channels opening upwardly, their side flanges uppermost are secured perpendicularly 25 under the longitudinal chords 12 which are arranged with their channels opening downwardly, their side flanges lowermost.
• the lateral and longitudinal chords are rigidly secured together by four bolts 19 at each node, through the side flanges 17 of the superimposed 30 chords.
• the diagonal struts 15 interconnecting nodes of the top and bottom grids are of steel tube with flattened end portions forming attachment plates 20.
• these 5 attachment plates 20 are fitted, at the nodes of the top - 4 -
• the attachment plates 20 of the strut are angled, relative to the main unflattened part of the strut, only sufficiently to enable them to lie flat against the appropriate bolique side walls 15 of the chords, to which they are firmly secured by bolts 21.
• the attachment plates are cut obliquely, as shown in FIG. 2, to bear against the webs 16 of the channel chords in which they are inserted and to which they are bolted. Because of the divergency of the side walls 15 of the chords, the attachment plates 20 of the struts will require to be bent through only small angles relative to the main unflattened parts of the struts.
• the top and bottom grids are parallel, and so all of the struts 14 are of similar length, but in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 the grids are non-parallel, and so a variety of strut lengths is required.
• connection of the struts 14 of the chords at each node may be reinforced by the addition of reinforcing plates 22, as shown in FIG. 5.
• These plates are pieces of sheet steel angled to lie against the outside faces of the chord side walls and also overlie the side flanges 17, and the bolts 21 securing the struts 14, and the bolts 18 interconnecting the lateral and longitudinal chords, pass through and secure in place the reinforcing plates 22.
• the attachment plates 20 of the struts 14, instead of being bolte'd inside channelled chords are instead secured by the bolts 19 holding together the lateral and longitudinal chords.
• the attachment plates 20 require to be bent through considerably greater angles to - 5 -
• roofing sheets may be applied directly to the top of the space frame, and ceiling sheets may be applied directly under the structure.
• the space frame is supported by posts 24, and is made so that its bottom grid is horizontal and its top grid is pitched at an angle to horizontal.
• roofing sheets 25 are secured in any suitable manner to the lateral chords 11 of the top grid, and to any supplementary roofing batten 26 that may be required, and ceiling sheets 27 are secured under the lateral chords 13 of the bottom grid.
• top-hat section chords will nest to compact form for convenient transport and storage and, because of this configuration, two sections of the roll-formed material may have end portions interfitted and bolted together to form a long chord. Also, any chord may be reinforced at any position by a length of the same material fitted onto, or into, the chord and * * ⁇ olted, riveted or otherwise secured in place.
• the struts instead of being flattened at their ends to form attachment plates, may instead be of composite form with their main tubular sections welded or otherwise secured to attachment plates.
• the chords and struts may be of any of a variety of cross-sectional configurations other than that shown.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Architecture (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Electromagnetism (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Joining Of Building Structures In Genera (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=25642462

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (5)

Citations (6)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 1982
  • 1982-03-19 WO PCT/AU1982/000036 patent/WO1982003236A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1982-03-19 EP EP82900780A patent/EP0085679A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1982-03-22 NZ NZ20009082A patent/NZ200090A/en unknown

Patent Citations (6)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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