GB2092697A

GB2092697A - A Joint

Info

Publication number: GB2092697A
Application number: GB8103573A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Transequip Ltd
Current assignee: Transequip Ltd
Priority date: 1981-02-05
Filing date: 1981-02-05
Publication date: 1982-08-18
Also published as: DE3203575A1; NO820343L; JPS57190110A

Abstract

A joint for a sheet and a structural element, wherein the structural element has an elongate profiled part. The joint includes a strip (3) having an elongate profiled part, shaped complementary to the profiled part of the structural element (2), and an attachment part. The sheet (1) is bonded to the attachment part, and the profiled part of the strip (3) is engageable with the profiled part of the structural element (2). The joint includes removable clamping means (4,5) for taking up forces which, in use, act in a direction tending to disengage the profiled parts. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A Joint The invention relates to a joint for structural elements, a method of joining structural elements, and a product including structural elements interconnected by said joint.

Various joints were described and shown in our British Patent (Application No.

8035396). The joints disclosed in the patent were joints for a sheet and a structural element, and a "sheet" was defined in that patent as "an element of significantly stiff and elastic material having one size, namely its thickness, which is considerably smaller than its other sizes".

The joints disclosed in said patent are joints for a sheet and a structural element, wherein the sheet is along its portion to be joined to said element shaped to have an elongate, substantially trough-shaped part, and the element has a complementarily shaped profiled part engageable with the trough-shaped part. In some of the embodiments disclosed in said Patent the joint is accomplished by using a further element, referred to as "bearing element", which also has a part shaped complementarily to the trough-shaped part, and the sheet is sandwiched between the two elements.

The aim of the invention is to devise a joint which has some advantages over the joint mentioned above.

The invention provides a joint for a sheet and a structural element, wherein the structural element has an elongate profiled part, and the joint includes a strip having an elongate profiled part, shaped complementarily to the profiled part of the structural element, and an attachment part, the sheet being bonded to the attachment part, the profiled part of the strip being engageable with the profiled part of the structural element, the joint including removable clamping means for taking up forces which, in use, act in a direction tending to disengage that profiled part.

Preferably the profiled parts are so shaped that one of the parts is snugly interchangeable with the other part such that, where the parts are in contact with each other, loads transmitted, in use, between the strip and the structural element are transmitted substantially by compression, that the parts are interchangeable by simple insertion (as hereinafter defined) of one of the parts into the other, and that the clamping means are, in use, stressed substantially only in tension.

The term 'simple insertion' as used herein is intended to mean 'insertion not requiring relative displacement of the parts in their longitudinal direction, or their interengagement by hooking one into the other by rotation of one relative to the other, or deformation, whether permanent or temporary, of any of said parts.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a first embodiment, and Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of a joint for a sheet and a structural element.

The structural element shown in Figure 1 is designed as a corner element having two arms which are substantially at right angles to each other, of which only one arm 2 is shown. To the arm 2 is connected a sheet 1 by means of a strip 3. The arm 2 has an elongate profiled part including two substantially trough-shaped portions 2a and 2b. The strip 3 has an elongate profiled part including two ridges shaped complementarily to the trough-shaped portions, and a substantially planar elongate attachment part to which is bonded the sheet 1.

The profiled part of the arm 2 has a row of preferably uniformly spaced first holes between the trough-shaped Dortions 2a, 2b, and the strip has a row of preferably identically spaced second holes. For joining always one first hole is aligned with one second hole and the arm 2 and strip 3 are connected by two-part fasteners 4, 5 received in the aligned holes. The fastener is designed to take tensile loading only and need not be of the type shown.

The second embodiment, shown in Figure 2, shows a structural element 12 having an elongate profiled part and a two-part integral strip 13 having an elongate profiled part shaped complementarily to the profiled part of the structural element 12. The profiled part of the strip 1 3 is substantially U-shaped in cross-section with the outer side of the U-profile siightly turned inwardly. The latter profiled part is integral with an attachment part, which in this embodiment provides two substantially parallel planar surfaces between which is inserted and bonded the sheet 11.

Also in this embodiment the profiled parts are provided with rows of holes accommodating twopart fasteners 14, 1 5.

In the described embodiments the structural elements 2, 12 may be made of metal, such as aluminium, e.g. as extrusions, or of glassreinforced polyester, e.g. as pultrusions, the strips 3, 13 may be made of metal, preferably aluminium, or plastics, e.g. as extrusions, or of glass-reinforced polyester, e.g. as pultrusions, and the sheets 1, 11 may be metal sheets, such as stainless steel sheets or aluminium sheets, plastics sheets or glass-reinforced epoxy panels.

The sheets 1, 11 may have three or more sides to at least one of which a strip 3, 1 3 is bonded. The bonding is preferably made with the use of glue, but, depending on the material of the strip and sheet also other forms of bonding, such as heat bonding or even spot or seam welding may be used.

Claims

1. A joint for a sheet and a structural element, wherein the structural element has an elongate profiled part, and the joint includes a strip having an elongate profiled part, shaped complementarily to the profiled part of the structural element, and an attachment part, the sheet being bonded to the attachment part, the

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION A Joint The invention relates to a joint for structural elements, a method of joining structural elements, and a product including structural elements interconnected by said joint. Various joints were described and shown in our British Patent (Application No. 8035396). The joints disclosed in the patent were joints for a sheet and a structural element, and a "sheet" was defined in that patent as "an element of significantly stiff and elastic material having one size, namely its thickness, which is considerably smaller than its other sizes". The joints disclosed in said patent are joints for a sheet and a structural element, wherein the sheet is along its portion to be joined to said element shaped to have an elongate, substantially trough-shaped part, and the element has a complementarily shaped profiled part engageable with the trough-shaped part. In some of the embodiments disclosed in said Patent the joint is accomplished by using a further element, referred to as "bearing element", which also has a part shaped complementarily to the trough-shaped part, and the sheet is sandwiched between the two elements. The aim of the invention is to devise a joint which has some advantages over the joint mentioned above. The invention provides a joint for a sheet and a structural element, wherein the structural element has an elongate profiled part, and the joint includes a strip having an elongate profiled part, shaped complementarily to the profiled part of the structural element, and an attachment part, the sheet being bonded to the attachment part, the profiled part of the strip being engageable with the profiled part of the structural element, the joint including removable clamping means for taking up forces which, in use, act in a direction tending to disengage that profiled part. Preferably the profiled parts are so shaped that one of the parts is snugly interchangeable with the other part such that, where the parts are in contact with each other, loads transmitted, in use, between the strip and the structural element are transmitted substantially by compression, that the parts are interchangeable by simple insertion (as hereinafter defined) of one of the parts into the other, and that the clamping means are, in use, stressed substantially only in tension. The term 'simple insertion' as used herein is intended to mean 'insertion not requiring relative displacement of the parts in their longitudinal direction, or their interengagement by hooking one into the other by rotation of one relative to the other, or deformation, whether permanent or temporary, of any of said parts. The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a first embodiment, and Figure 2 shows a second embodiment of a joint for a sheet and a structural element. The structural element shown in Figure 1 is designed as a corner element having two arms which are substantially at right angles to each other, of which only one arm 2 is shown. To the arm 2 is connected a sheet 1 by means of a strip 3. The arm 2 has an elongate profiled part including two substantially trough-shaped portions 2a and 2b. The strip 3 has an elongate profiled part including two ridges shaped complementarily to the trough-shaped portions, and a substantially planar elongate attachment part to which is bonded the sheet 1. The profiled part of the arm 2 has a row of preferably uniformly spaced first holes between the trough-shaped Dortions 2a, 2b, and the strip has a row of preferably identically spaced second holes. For joining always one first hole is aligned with one second hole and the arm 2 and strip 3 are connected by two-part fasteners 4, 5 received in the aligned holes. The fastener is designed to take tensile loading only and need not be of the type shown. The second embodiment, shown in Figure 2, shows a structural element 12 having an elongate profiled part and a two-part integral strip 13 having an elongate profiled part shaped complementarily to the profiled part of the structural element 12. The profiled part of the strip 1 3 is substantially U-shaped in cross-section with the outer side of the U-profile siightly turned inwardly. The latter profiled part is integral with an attachment part, which in this embodiment provides two substantially parallel planar surfaces between which is inserted and bonded the sheet 11. Also in this embodiment the profiled parts are provided with rows of holes accommodating twopart fasteners 14, 1 5. In the described embodiments the structural elements 2, 12 may be made of metal, such as aluminium, e.g. as extrusions, or of glassreinforced polyester, e.g. as pultrusions, the strips 3, 13 may be made of metal, preferably aluminium, or plastics, e.g. as extrusions, or of glass-reinforced polyester, e.g. as pultrusions, and the sheets 1, 11 may be metal sheets, such as stainless steel sheets or aluminium sheets, plastics sheets or glass-reinforced epoxy panels. The sheets 1, 11 may have three or more sides to at least one of which a strip 3, 1 3 is bonded. The bonding is preferably made with the use of glue, but, depending on the material of the strip and sheet also other forms of bonding, such as heat bonding or even spot or seam welding may be used. Claims

1. A joint for a sheet and a structural element, wherein the structural element has an elongate profiled part, and the joint includes a strip having an elongate profiled part, shaped complementarily to the profiled part of the structural element, and an attachment part, the sheet being bonded to the attachment part, the profiled part of the strip being engageable with the profiled part of the structural element the joint including removable clamping means for taking up forces which, in use, act in a direction tending in disengage the profiled parts.

2. A joint according to Claim 1, wherein the profiled parts are so shaped that one of the parts is snugly interengageable with the other part such that, where the parts are in contact with each other, loads transmitted, in use, between the strip and the structural element are transmitted substantially by compression, and the clamping means are, in use, stressed substantially only in tension.

3. A joint according to Claim 1 or 2 wherein the parts are interengageable by simple insertion (as hereinbefore definea) of one of the parts into the other.

4. A joint according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 wherein the structural element is an edge element having two arms, at least one of said arms having said elongate profiled part.

5. A joint according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 wherein the profiled part of the structural element includes at least one engagement portion and the elongate profiled part of the strip includes at least one mating portion shaped substantially complementarily to the engagement portion for engagement therewith.

6. A joint according to any one of Claims 1 to 5 wherein the strip, or its profiled part, is substantially hook-shaped in cross-section with the outer edge of the hook portion turned inwardly at an acute angle to form a hook engaging with a mating recess or portion of the structural element.

7. A joint according to any one of Claims 1 to 6 wherein the strip has at least one thickened portion giving it an increased bending stiffness.

8. A joint according to any one of Claims 1 to 7 wherein the profiled part of the structural element is connected to the profiled part of the strip by fasteners passing through holes in tha profiled parts, the fasteners being designed to take up substantially tensile loading only.

9. A joint according to any one of Claims 1 to 7 wherein the strips are made of metal, plastics, or glass-reinforced polyester.

10. A joint for a sheet and a structural element constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as herein described with reference to, and as shown in, Figure 1 or Figure 2 of the accompanying drawing.