EP0664370A1

EP0664370A1 - Fence panel with bolted corner joints

Info

Publication number: EP0664370A1
Application number: EP95200036A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Marnix Allegaert; Gerdy Delporte
Original assignee: Bekaert NV SA
Current assignee: Bekaert NV SA
Priority date: 1994-01-19
Filing date: 1995-01-10
Publication date: 1995-07-26
Also published as: BE1008030A3

Abstract

Fence panel, in particular for use as a fence gate. It comprises a frame constructed of profiles (1,2,3,4) and a wire mesh (5) which covers the opening within the frame. The panels can be assembled on site with bolts and are exceptionally strong. For this purpose, the profiles have special corner joints, whereby the head of the one profile end (21) rests against the side wall of the other profile end (22). The corner joint is then formed by a number of bolts (34,35), each of which runs in the longitudinal direction of the first profile end (21), from a bolt head (36), through the second profile end (22) and further on into the first profile end (21), where the bolt (34,35) is secured by screwing into a pin (46). This pin (46) runs straight through the first profile end (21). The passageway through the second profile end (22) possesses a compressive resistance in the longitudinal direction which is of the same order of magnitude as the tensile resistance of the bolt(34,35).

Description

The invention relates to a fence panel comprising a frame of fence profiles, preferably tubular in form, and a wire mesh panel which is attached to the frame and covers the opening within the frame. The abutting ends of these profiles form corner joints with one another, thus constituting the frame. In general, such fence panels can be used for the fixed sections between the posts of a fence, but in particular they can also be used as hinged or sliding sections of a gate. Fence profiles are profiles that normally have an apparent cross-section with a surface area in the range from 15 to 250 cm², depending on whether it is a light or a heavy fence. Here the apparent cross-section is the cross-section of the smallest convex figure that fits within the actual cross-section of the profile. These profiles are usually made of steel, coated externally with a corrosion-resistant layer, for example, of zinc, lacquer or polymer. The wire mesh panel covering the opening is a mesh structure of drawn steel wires or rods having a diameter which is usually in the range from 3 to 8 millimetres, these wires being firmly attached to one another in the cross-points, usually by means of welding. Generally speaking, the wire mesh panel is then also coated with a corrosion-resistant layer, for example of zinc, lacquer or polymer.
Generally, the frame has a rectangular shape, but it is clear that the invention is not limited to this shape, and that in general the frame can, if necessary, also have a polygonal shape, and that the profiles that form the sides of the frame do not necessarily need to be straight, provided there is a frame formed by fence profiles whose adjoining ends form corner joints with one another, these corner joints not necessarily being at right angles. In the further description however, only rectangular frames will be dealt with for the sake of simplicity, but it will be clear that the details described can be translated to analogous structures adapted for other frame shapes without going beyond the basic concept of the invention.
Such a frame must of itself be very stable as to its form, because such form stability is supported only to a small extent by the wire mesh covering the opening of the frame. This is especially the case when the fence panel is used as a mobile section for a gate in which the entire frame hangs with its own weight on only one side, and even more according as the horizontal dimension of the mobile gate section increases in relation to the vertical dimension. The corner joints of such a frame therefore need to be very sturdily constructed in order to guarantee this form stability.
Corner joints can be reinforced through the use of profiles running diagonally inside the frame, but these complicate the manufacture or assembly of the frame. To achieve sufficient form stability without diagonal reinforcement, it is necessary for practical reasons to resort to welding of the profiles to one another at the corner joints. But then it becomes inpractical to assemble the frame on site. It has then to be produced in the factory on the basis of the specified dimensions and subsequently exported and transported to the wholesaler, and then further on to the fence installer who specified the dimensions.
It is an object of the invention to provide a fence panel of the aforementioned structure which is very form stable and which at the same time is suitable for assembly on site and for which the profiles can be sawn to length on site. This makes it possible for fence panels to be transported to the wholesaler and to be stored there in the form of panels or rolls of welded wire mesh and bundles of long profiles, which can then be cut to size by the installer himself. In addition, standard mesh panel shapes and standard profile lengths can then be produced and sold in kit form so that the installer himself can, if necessary, adapt the dimensions by cutting the panel and sawing the profiles. But for doing this, it must be possible for him to join the profiles to one another on site with a strong corner joint in a simple manner, not by welding, and which is not time-consuming.
According to the invention, the corner joints between the ends of the fence profiles are designed as bolted joints, at least one of which having the following characteristics :

(a) that the first profile end comprises two profile parts situated, in cross-section of said profile, opposite one another, between which profile parts an internal space and an internal surface of the profile end can be distinguished, the head of this profile end comprising a cap with a head section which covers the head of this profile end and with a shaft section which extends in the longitudinal direction of this first profile end in said internal space and rests against the internal surface of this profile end ;
(b) that the head of this first profile end rests via the head section of the cap against the side wall of the second profile end ;
(c) that the corner joint comprises at least two bolts, each one with a bolt head, a shaft section and a threaded end, with each of the bolts running from the bolt head, situated on the second profile end and diametrically opposite the place where the head of the first profile end rests, further with its shaft section along a passageway through the second profile end and in the longitudinal direction of the first profile end, and further on through an opening in the head section of said cap into the internal space of this first profile end, in which the axes of the bolts are situated in one and the same plane, that is parallel with the longitudinal direction of the second profile end ;
(d) that each of the respective aforementioned passages through the second profile end is constructed so as to have a compressive resistance in the longitudinal direction which is at least equal to the tensile resistance of the shaft section of the bolt which runs through this passageway ;
(e) and that said two profile parts of the first profile end situated diametrically opposite one another comprise a pair of openings traversed by a same pin that has an axis situated perpendicular to the axes of the bolts and in the plane thereof, and that comprises a number of threaded openings into which the threaded ends of the bolts are screwed.

Such a corner joint can be assembled on site with bolts, and is exceptionally strong. It is possible that in certain cases it would be sufficient for only one such corner joint to be constructed in this manner, and that the other corner joints of the frame could then be less strong and that they could be bolted together on site in another manner. However, especially with rectangular panels for the mobile section(s) for a gate it will be clear that all corner joints of the frame should preferably be constructed in the manner described above under (a) to (e). The invention is not limited, however, to the fact that all corner joints must be constructed in this manner.
Both profile ends should preferably be of tubular construction.
A detailed explanation of the invention will first be given in the context of its use in a rectangular mobile section of a gate where the frame is constructed of tubular profiles, although the invention is limited neither to this use nor to these forms, as will become apparent below. In this explanation :
Figure 1 shows a rectangular mobile section of a gate according to the invention.
Figure 2 is a detailed view of a bolted corner joint according to the invention, between two tubular profiles.
Figure 3 is a detailed view of a bolted corner joint, also according to the invention, between a tubular profile and a U-profile.
The rectangular mobile section of a gate according to Figure 1 is a fence panel containing a rectangular frame formed by four tubular fence profiles 1, 2, 3 and 4, the adjoining ends of which forming, two by two, four corner joints at right angle, for example 11, thus constituting a closed frame. This fence panel further contains a wire mesh panel 5 (not completely shown), the outer edges of which being attached to the front side of the tubes, thus covering the rectangular opening within the frame, such that the fence panel blocks entry. The tubes are made of steel and in this example they have a square cross-section with sides of 6 cm. This fence panel is installed vertically between two vertical steel fence posts 6 and 7 which are anchored solidly in the ground, and which, in this example, are in the form of tubes with a square cross-section with 15 cm sides. The vertical tubular profile 2, adjoining post 6, is provided with a pair of half hinges which engage into corresponding stationary halves attached to post 6, thus forming a pair of hinges 8 and 9. The use of more than two hinges is also possible here. For preference, the other vertical tubular profile 4 has a gate handle 10, or a bolt and/or a lock which fastens into the vertical post 7, which is of the same type as post 6.
Such a mobile section of a gate stands open for a large part of the time, during which time the frame is no longer supported by the door bolt resting on post 7. In this condition, the frame is suspended only from post 6 by means of the hinges 8 and 9 and is in danger of sagging under its own weight and becoming distorted into a parallelogram, this risk being the greater according as the horizontal tubular sections 1 and 3 are longer in relation to the length of the vertical tubular sections 2 and 4. As can be seen in the figure indeed, neither in the corners nor anywhere else in the panel, the latter is reinforced with any diagonally positioned tube or rod to counteract this deformation. This fact is compensated by the use of the special corner joint according to the invention in each of the four corners. One of these corners 11 is indicated by a circle in Figure 1, and a detailed view of this corner is shown in Figure 2.
In Figure 2 the ends of the tubular profiles 1 and 2 are indicated by the numbers 21 and 22, respectively. The respective axes 23 and 24 of the two tube ends indicate the longitudinal direction of these tube ends. These axes run through the centres of the respective cross-sections, i.e., in this example, through the point where the diagonals of the square, formed by the cross-section, intersect. In this example the two axes lie in the plane of the figure and form a right-angle with respect to one another. Figure 2 is a cross-section along the plane defined by the two axes. To facilitate reading the figure, the first tube end 21 is called the "horizontal" tube end and the second tube end 22 is called the "vertical" tube end.
On both the horizontal and the vertical profile ends, a "head" can be distinguished. In general, on the basis of a starting figure, defined by the end points of the longitudinal lines drawn in the profile, this "head" is the smallest convex figure that can be contained in said starting figure. For tubular forms with a square cross-section which are sawn perpendicularly through their axis as in this example, this head is a flat square, defined by the outside edge of the cross-section.
It consists then of the access openings 25 and 26 into the horizontal and vertical tube ends 21 and 22, respectively, together with the edge surrounding the respective access openings.
As can be seen in Figure 2, the head of each of the tube ends is fitted with a cap 27 and 28, respectively. Each of these caps comprises a head section 29 and 30, respectively, which covers the head of each tube end. And each of these caps also comprises a tubular shaft section 31 and 32, respectively, which extends into the tube cavity and rests without any play against the internal surface of the tube, preferably with a certain amount of pressure such that the cap of itself remains tightly jammed in the cavity. The caps in this example are made of aluminum, but can also be of plastic or steel.
In the corner joint according to the invention, the relative position of the tube ends 21 and 22 with respect to one another is such that the head of the horizontal tube end 21 rests via the head section 29 of cap 27 against the side wall of the vertical tube end 22. According to Figure 2, the head of the horizontal tube end 21 does indeed rest via the peripheral edge of the head section of cap 27 against the side wall 33 of the vertical tube end 22. In this example, with two square tubular cross-sections, the place where the head section 29 of the cap rests against the side wall of the vertical tube end has the shape of a simple flat square. This does however not exclude the possibility that the horizontal tube end can have a different cross-section, with the place where it rests against the side wall of the vertical tube end then having a different shape, as for example a circle when the horizontal tube end has a round cross-section. This also does not exclude the possibility that the vertical tube end too can have a different cross-section, for example round, with the place where the horizontal tube end rests against the side wall of the vertical tube end then having a more complicated, non-flat shape, but where the head of the horizontal tube end and the head section 29 of the cap then have a modified form which rests equally well against the side wall of a vertical tube end having a round cross-section. For preference, however, the two tube ends have square cross-sections of equal dimensions.
The corner joint further comprises two steel bolts 34 and 35, which are intended to take up a great deal of force. Each of these bolts comprises a head 36, a shaft section 37 and a threaded end 38. The head 36 of the bolt is situated on the external side of the vertical tube end, on the side diametrically opposite the point where the horizontal tube end rests against the side wall of the vertical tube end. The shaft section of the bolt runs from here along an axis 39, which has the same direction as the axis 23 of the horizontal tube end, straight through the vertical tube end 22 and straight through the shaft section 32 of the cap 28. For this purpose, this vertical tube end comprises a pair of openings 40 and 41 situated diametrically opposite one another, while the shaft section 32 of cap 30 also comprises a pair of openings 42 and 43 situated diametrically opposite one another, intended for the shaft section of the bolt 34 to pass through. This shaft section then runs further through into the internal space of the horizontal tube. For this purpose, cap 27 comprises an opening 44 in its head section to allow the shaft of bolt 34 through. The shaft section of the bolt then ends in the internal space of the horizontal tube and passes into the threaded end 38 of the same bolt, which is screwed tight in a threaded opening 45 in a steel pin 46. This pin can also be made of plastic.
Bolt 35 has an identical structure and runs through the corner structure in the same way as bolt 34, though parallel with it. For this purpose, the vertical tube end and the shaft section of the cap 28 must once again comprise like pairs of openings to let this bolt through, and the cap 27 must also have an opening for this purpose. It is also possible to have more than two parallel bolts. In any case, the axes of the bolts lie in one and the same plane, which includes the axis of one of the bolts and which is parallel with the axis 24 of the vertical tube end, i.e. in the plane of the figure in this example.
The axis of pin 46 runs perpendicular to the axes of the bolts and in the plane of these axes, i.e. in the plane of the figure in this example. To enable this pin to run through the horizontal tube end, this tube end comprises a pair of openings 47 and 48 situated diametrically opposite one another, and the cap 27 of the horizontal tube end also comprises a pair of openings 49 and 50 for this purpose situated diametrically opposite one another. Additionally, a number of parallel threaded openings run through the pin, one for each bolt, such as opening 45 for bolt 34. These openings are threaded, and the threads of the corresponding bolts fit into them.
To ensure the strength of the joint, the bolts 34 and 35 must be sufficiently tightened, thus pressing the head of the horizontal tube end forcefully against the vertical tube end. When the mobile section of a gate is standing open, there is still the weight F of the gate itself acting in the direction of the downward arrow 52 which, due to the effect of leverage, develops a very large bending moment against the side wall of the vertical tube end where it is in contact with the head of the horizontal tube end. Because of this, the lower side of the head of the horizontal tube end is pressed even more forcefully against the vertical tube end. The head section 29 of cap 27 does indeed ensure that the pressure force exerted by the edge of the horizontal tube end does not act directly on the side wall of the vertical tube end, but rather is distributed over the vertical tube end. However, this cannot prevent this vertical tube end from being pressed flat. An analogous phenomenon occurs on the upper side of the head of the horizontal tube end. Due to the abovementioned bending moment, this upper side is pulled with great force away from the vertical tube end. This force is transferred via the pin 46 and bolt 34 to the head 36 of this bolt, which presses so forcefully against the side wall of the vertical tube end that there, too, the tube end is in danger of being pressed flat. For this reason, a tubular steel reinforcement 51 is installed in the internal space of the vertical tube end around the shaft section of each bolt. Each of the ends of this tubular reinforcement rests against the edge of the openings 40 and 41 of the vertical steel tube end, i.e. against the internal surface of the tube end. On the external surface of this tube end, around the edge of opening 40, there is the bolt head 36, which plays a part in preventing the tubular reinforcement 51 from being pushed through opening 40. At the other end of the tubular reinforcement, on the external side of the tube end, is the head section 29 of the cap 27, which performs the same function.
When this same force F now exerts its bending moment against the side wall of the vertical tube end, the two forces that are acting against the vertical tube end - below, the pressure force of the head section 27 of cap 29, and above, the pressure force of head 36 of bolt 34 - are transferred to the two tubular reinforcements 51 around the bolts. These reinforcements are then subjected to a pure buckling stress and hence much more easily support the pressure forces which otherwise have to be borne by the vertical tube end and the cap 28 as a bending stress. It should be noted that under the influence of this force F, the upper side of the head of the horizontal tube end is pulled away from the side wall of the vertical tube end, but that the pin 46 in opening 48 resists this force. Because of this, the edge of this opening is under very great stress. The pin and the corresponding openings must therefore be made large enough to avoid damage to the edges of this opening due to excessive pressure force. These openings must also be located sufficiently far from the head of the horizontal tube end so that the pin will not tear through the opening towards the head of the horizontal tube end. Hence the bolts 34 and 35, the pin 46, and the tubular reinforcements 51 are parts which have to withstand strong forces. They must therefore be made of steel or another material of equivalent strength.
This principle of transferring and taking up these forces holds, both when cap 28 is present on the second tube end and when it is left off. Hence the invention is not limited to the presence of this cap. The cap can be very useful, however, because it can greatly facilitate the assembly of the tubular reinforcements 51, since during assembly these tubular reinforcements need to be brought into position and held fast in order for the bolts to be passed through them. With the vertical cap 28 this is simple. The shaft section 32 of this cap comprises indeed pairs of openings 42 and 43, situated diametrically opposite one another for allowing a corresponding bolt 34 to pass through each pair of openings. Before then inserting this cap with its shaft section 32 into the vertical tube end 22, the tubular reinforcements 51 are first inserted into the openings 42 and 43 of the vertical cap, and only then is the cap inserted into the vertical tube end. Thus these tubular reinforcements are brought into position and held in position by the cap.
In this example tubes have been used in which an "axis" can be distinguished in each tube, i.e. a longitudinal line through the centre of the cross-section, and these axes intersect one another in the plane of the figure. To employ the invention, however, it is not necessary that a central axis should be discernable in the tube ends, or that for this purpose any cross-sectional form is required with any kind of symmetry in which a centre can be distinguished for the purpose of defining an axis. Additionally, these axes need not run in the same plane and intersect with one another. It is only the longitudinal directions that are important, and it must be possible to distinguish them in order to determine the direction in which the axis of the bolts and of the pin should run. It is however necessary that the bolt head 36 should lie diametrically opposite the place where the side wall of the second tube end rests against the head of the first tube end 21. This means that the bolt head 36 and the head of the first tube end rest against parallel surfaces which are perpendicular to the axis of the bolt 34. It is also necessary that the pairs of openings 40 and 41 in the vertical tube end and the pairs of openings 42 and 43 in the shaft section of the vertical cap, as well as the pairs of openings 47 and 48 in the horizontal tube end and the pairs of openings 49 and 50 in the shaft section of the horizontal cap, should lie "diametrically" opposite one another, i.e. openings in parallel surfaces and with a connecting line running perpendicular to these surfaces. The obvious reason is that the forces between the different components pressing against one another must be transferred in a direction perpendicular to the contact surface upon which the pressure is being exerted in order to avoid shearing forces. Therefore it is not absolutely necessary that, as is the case in the present example, the connecting line between these openings should intersect an "axis" of one of these tube ends as referred to above. Thus for example vertical tubular profiles 2 and 4 can be used, having a square cross-section that is larger than the square cross-section of the horizontal tubular profiles 1 and 3, and the axis of these horizontal tubes need not necessarily run through the axis of the vertical tubes 2 and 4, provided the bolts and the pin run through pairs of openings lying diametrically opposite one another in the sense referred to above. Hence it is clear that, in particular, tubes having a rectangular cross-section can be used.
It is possible to attach an extra plate to the vertical tube end 22 during assembly, between the bolt heads 36 and the external side of the vertical tube end. This plate (not shown) then runs perpendicular to the plane of the frame and forms part of the hinge half which is used for hinging the gate, as shown in Figure 1. To the extent that post 6 is situated close to this plate, the heads 36 of the bolts are no longer accessible when the gate is closed, thus hindering disassembly for the purpose of breaking and entering.
If the tubes that have been delivered are not of the desired length, the installer himself can shorten them on site as required, bore the openings along the side where they have been shortened and place the caps on the tube head. In this way he is able to receive a gate or fence panel in separate pieces or kit form and then make the necessary adjustments and assemble the parts himself using simple tools.
This example can lead to a great variety of other embodiments. In the first place, in the example according to Figure 2 the first profile end 21 used was tubular in form. This first profile end, however, can be of any profile form, provided the cross-section includes two profile parts which are located diametrically opposite one another. This means that on the two opposing sides of the cross-section there should be two profile parts, either straight or in the form of a curve, but in general running parallel in relation to one another, such that openings diametrically opposite one another can be made in them, analogous with openings 47 and 48, through which the pin 46 can be pushed. Examples here include a U-profile or a T-profile. As already stated, openings situated diametrically opposite one another means: openings in surfaces running parallel to one another and having a connecting line perpendicular to these surfaces. The two profile parts then have a space between them which is defined as the "internal space" of the profile end, in which the shaft section 37 and threaded end 38 of the two bolts 34 and 35 run into the pin 46. Furthermore, these two profile parts have two surfaces facing one another which are defined as the "internal surface" of the profile end and against which the shaft section of the cap 27 will rest. If this profile is not a tube, this shaft section may not of itself remain tightly jammed in the profile. But if this shaft section is long enough, such that openings situated diametrically opposite one another, analogous with openings 49 and 50 of Figure 2, also have to be made in it to push the pin 46 through, then this cap is held in place by the pin. The head section 29 of cap 27 then needs to cover the head of the first profile end in order to ensure a well-distributed transfer of pressure to the side wall of the second profile end. For profile forms in general, as already stated, on the basis of the figure defined by the end points of the longitudinal lines drawn in the profile, the "head" of the profile end refers to the smallest convex figure that can be contained within the former figure. Hence, for a U-profile with three equal sides this head has a square form, and the head section of the cap 27 has a square form. The place where this head section rests against the second profile end when the latter has the form of a square tube, then also has the form of a flat square.
Furthermore it is also possible to use a second profile end having a form other than tubular. When this profile end 22 has a tubular form, as in Figure 2, the passageway for each of the bolts 34 and 35 is defined by the openings 40 and 41, situated diametrically opposite one another, and by the tubular reinforcement 51 between the two. This entire passageway is constructed so as to possess a compressive resistance in the longitudinal direction which is of the same order of magnitude as the tensile resistance of the shaft section of the corresponding bolt 34, because it is this passageway that will have to effect the reactive force against the tensile force in the bolt. By same order of magnitude is meant not less than about 0,3 times the tensile resistance of that bolt. However, this does not necessarily require a tubular form with two openings situated diametrically opposite one another and a tubular reinforcement between them. Thus, a cross-sectional form can be used, such as for the first profile end, which includes two profile parts situated diametrically opposite one another, for example a T-profile or a U-profile, with two openings situated diametrically opposite one another, analogous with openings 40 and 41, and a tubular reinforcement between them. Then the external side of the one profile part is placed against the head of the first profile end and the bolts are introduced along the external side of the other profile part. But it can be done in yet another way. It is sufficient (see Figure 3) that the cross-sectional form of the second profile end 22 should have a profile part 61 that can be placed against the head of the first profile end 21. And the latter need not necessarily be a tubular form as in Figure 3, provided the profile fulfils the aforementioned criteria set for the first profile end. There are openings 62 and 63 for the passage of the bolts 34 and 35, respectively, through this profile section 61. The passageway through the entire second profile end is thus formed simply by such an opening 62 or 63. This passageway needs no tubular reinforcement in order to have by itself a compressive resistance in the longitudinal direction which is at least equal to the tensile resistance of the shaft section of the bolt 34. Indeed, this compressive resistance is effected by the steel of the profile section 61 around the opening 62. Hence a U-profile and even an L-profile can be used for the second profile end. In the case of a profile with three sides in a U-form, the middle side that forms the connection in the U-form is utilized for preference as profile section 61, in which the passage for the bolts 34 and 35 is formed by the openings 62 and 63, respectively, in this profile section 61. In a sliding gate, such a U-profile can for example be used for the lower horizontal fence profile 1 of the frame around the panel, as well as serving as a rail for guide wheels.
Just as with the tubular form for the first tube end, a cap can be provided for every other profile form, having a head section that covers the head of this second profile end and a tubular shaft section that extends into the tube cavity and rests without any play against the internal surface of the tube. This cap can, for example, be attached by the bolts 34 and 35 to the second profile end.

Claims

Fence panel, comprising a number of fence profiles (1,2,3,4), the adjoining ends of which form a number of corner joints with one another thus constituting a frame, and a wire mesh panel (5) which is attached to this frame and covers up the opening within the frame, characterized by the fact that the corner joints between the ends of the fence profiles are designed as bolted joints, at least one of which having the following characteristics :
(a) that the first profile end (21) comprises two profile parts situated, in cross-section of said profile, opposite one another, between which profile parts an internal space and an internal surface of the profile end can be distinguished, the head of this profile end comprising a cap (27) with a head section (29) which covers the head of this profile end and with a shaft section (31) which extends in the longitudinal direction of this first profile end in said internal space and rests against the internal surface of this profile end ;

(b) that the head of this first profile end (21) rests via the head section (29) of the cap (27) against the side wall of the second profile end (22) ;

(c) that the corner joint comprises at least two bolts (34,35), each one with a bolt head (36), a shaft section (37) and a threaded end (38), with each of the bolts running from the bolt head (36), situated on the second profile end (22) and diametrically opposite the place where the head of the first profile end (21) rests, further with its shaft section (37) along a passageway through the second profile end (22) and in the longitudinal direction of the first profile end (21), and further on through an opening (44) in the head section (29) of said cap (27) into the internal space of this first profile end (21), in which the axes of the bolts (34,35) are situated in one and the same plane, that is parallel with the longitudinal direction of the second profile end (22) ;

(d) that each of the respective aforementioned passages through the second profile end (22) is constructed so as to have a compressive resistance in the longitudinal direction which is of the same order of magnitude as the tensile resistance of the shaft section (37) of the bolt which runs through this passageway ;

(e) and that said two profile parts of the first profile end (21) situated diametrically opposite one another comprise a pair of openings (47,48) traversed by a same pin (46) that has an axis situated perpendicular to the axes of the bolts (34,35) and in the plane thereof, and that comprises a number of threaded openings into which the threaded ends (38) of the bolts (34,35) are screwed.
Fence panel according to Claim 1, characterized in that the first profile end (21) has the form of a tube, the opening (25) of which is covered by the head section (29) of the cap (27), and in which the shaft section (31) of this cap (27) rests without any play within the internal space and against the internal surface of this tube.
Fence panel according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the second profile end (22) has a cross-section with three sides in a U-form, in which the head of the first profile end (21) rests against the external surface of the middle side which connects the two legs of the U-form, and that each passageway for the respective bolts (34,35) through the second profile end is formed by an opening in said middle side.
Fence panel according to claim 2, characterized in
(a) that the second profile end (22) also has the form of a tube, in which the bolt head (36) is situated on the external side of the second tube end (22) and diametrically opposite the place where the head of the first tube end (21) rests, and that the shaft section (37) runs through this second tube end (22) and further on into the internal space of the first tube end (21) ;

(b) that the respective passageways for each bolt through this second tube end (22) each comprise a pair of openings (40,41) situated diametrically opposite one another in the side wall of this tube end, and a tubular reinforcement (51) around said shaft section (37) and running through the internal space of this tube end (22) from one opening (40) to the other (41), the ends of such tubular reinforcement (51) resting against the edge of the corresponding opening (40 and 41, respectively).
Fence panel according to Claim 1, characterized in that the frame is rectangular and that all corner joints are executed in accordance with one of the above Claims.
Fence panel according to Claim 5, characterized in that all profile ends of the frame are tubular and all corner joints are executed according to Claim 4.
Fence panel according to one of the foregoing Claims, characterized in that one of the sides of the frame has a number of hinge halves mounted on it and adapted to pivotably fit into corresponding stationary hinge halves, thus forming the mobile section for a gate.
Fence panel according to Claim 4, characterized in that the head of the second tube end (22) comprises a cap (28) with a head section (30) which covers the opening (26) at the end of this tube, and a tubular shaft section (32) which extends into the cavity of the tube and rests without play against the internal surface of the tube, whereby this shaft section (32) comprises a pair of openings (42,43) situated diametrically opposite one another, each pair being traversed by a corresponding bolt (34), surrounded by said tubular reinforcement (51).
Fence panel according to one of the foregoing Claims, characterized in that the shaft section (31) of the cap (27) of the first profile end (21) comprises a pair of openings (49,50) which are situated diametrically opposite one another and are traversed by said pin (46).
Fence panel according to one of the Claims 2 to 9 characterized in that the fence profiles (1,2,3,4) that have tubular profile ends are tubes with cross-sections that are rectangular or square in form.
Fence panel according to one of the foregoing claims, characterized in that the fence profiles (1,2,3,4), said bolts (34,35), said pin (46) and, in the embodiment where it is present, the tubular reinforcement (51) around each bolt, are mainly constructed from steel.
Fence panel according to one of the foregoing Claims in which said cap (27) of the first profile end and, in the embodiment where it is present, said cap (28) of the second profile end, are constructed of aluminum, steel or plastic.