GB2167519A

GB2167519A - Method of joining members

Info

Publication number: GB2167519A
Application number: GB08428326A
Authority: GB
Inventors: George Cheneler
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-11-09
Filing date: 1984-11-09
Publication date: 1986-05-29
Also published as: GB2167519B; GB8512138D0; GB8428326D0

Abstract

Members (10,11) of the sill of a bay window frame are joined together by a flanged connector (13) which is driven into a slot (14) common to the members. At the leading end of the connector, the flanges are outwardly flared so that they draw the interfaces (12) of the sill members together. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Joint structure, method of joining members, connector and tool for use in the method From one aspect, the present invention relates to a joint structure. The invention has been devised primarily for use in the construction of window frames but it will be understood that other uses may be made of the joint structure. The joint structure is especially suited for joining together timber members of a frame but may also be used for joining members of other materials, for example plastics and metallic materials. The invention also relates to a method of joining members, to a tool for use in the method and to a connector.

According to a first apsect of the invention, there is provided a method of joining two members together with respective abutment faces of said members in mutually abutting relation, wherein there is formed in each of said members a slot having an open side at said abutment face and an open end at an adjacent face of the member, the members are placed with said abutment faces together at an interface and with said slots mutually aligned to form a single slot which is common to the members and a connector having a web and gripping formations on the web is driven along the common slot with at least one of said gripping formations in engagement under pressure with one of the members and with at least another of said gripping formations in engagement under pressure with the other of the members.

The slot is preferably formed in each of said members prior to driving of the connector along the slot by cutting away material of the member to provide a parallel-sided slot and surfaces defining opposite boundaries of the slot are preferably deformed subsequently to accommodate the gripping formations without cutting material from said surfaces. The deformation may establish a tight fit between the gripping formations and the members.

The deformation may include compression of respective parts of the members in directions towards the interface, thereby establishing pressure contact between the gripping formations and the members such that the members are urged towards each other by the gripping formations.

Deformation of boundaries of the slot may be effected by driving of the connector along the slot or by driving of a tool along the slot, prior to insertion of the connector.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a joint structure including two separately formed members and a connector comprising a plate-like web provided with gripping formations, wherein said members abut each other at an interface, said members collectively define a slot which extends into said members from respective faces of said members adjacent to the interface, said slot extends at said adjacent faces in opposite directions from the interface, the connector is disposed in the slot, the web of the connector intersects the interface and the web of the connector is disposed partly in one member and partly in the other member.

The joint structure may be incorporated in the sill of a bay window. In this case, the adajcent faces of the members of the sill are preferably presented towards the interior of a building, when the window frame is incorporated in the building. It is unnecessary for the slot to open at any face of the sill which will be exposed during use. Thus, presence of the slot in the sill does not assist penetration of moisture into the sill.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a connector comprising a web and at least one flange at each of two opposite margins of the web, wherein the flanges are mutually parallel over a major part of their lengths and are slightly divergent near to an end of one flange and a corresponding end of the other flange.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a tool for use in a method according to the first aspect, the tool comprising a web, a flange at one margin of the web and a body at an opposite margin of the web, the body having respective surface portions which lie in a plane parallel to the flange, the web projecting from the body at a positon between said surface portions and the body being considerably more massive than is the flange.

An example of a window frame embodying a joint structure according to the present invention, produced by a method according to the invention involving use of a tool according to the invention and incorporating a connector in accordance with the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 shows a plan view of a part of a sill of a bay window frame, components of the frame other than the sill being omitted; Figure 2 shows a fragmentary view of the sill on the line II of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a cross-section on the line II I-Ill of Figure 2; and Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the tool.

The drawing illustrates a part of a sill of a bay window frame, the sill comprising a plurality of rectilinear members which are connected together to form a part of a polygon. Thus, the member 10 and the member 11 of the sill are inclined to each other at an obtuse angle and meet at an interface 12 which bisects the obtuse angle. The members 10 and 11 have respective, flat abutment surfaces at the interface.

The joint structure further comprises a connector 13 which lies in a slot 14 common to the members 10 and 11. The slot 14 extends from respective rear faces 15 and 16 of the members 10 and 11 towards, but not to, respective front faces of the members. In the example shown, the slot is parallel to the underside 17 of the member 10, but this is not essential. The slot 14 extends from the interface 12 along the faces 15 and 16 a substantial distance, for example 25mm, to lateral boundaries 18 and 19 of the slot. The slot extends without interruption between these lateral boundaries at the rear faces 15 and 16. The slot may be tapered to wards the front faces of the members 10 and 11.

The slot 14 is formed in the members 10 and 11 whilst these are separated from each other. A circular saw blade is used to cut material from each of the members 10 and 11 to form the slot which, at this stage, is parallel-sided. Typically, the separation between the opposed, flat boundary surfaces of the slot in each of the members 10 and 11 is 3mm.

After the slot 14 has been cut by the saw blade, the opposed boundary surfaces of the slot are deformed, without cutting further material from the members 10 and 11. Deformation of the members 10 and 11 is effected by the tool shown in Figure 4.

The tool of Figure 4 includes a flat web 20 which projects from a flat face of a body 21. The web extends along a longitudinal centreline of this face of the body, so that respective portions of the face lie on opposite sides of the web. Along a margin of the web remote from the body 21, there are provided two oppositely directed flanges 22 and 23 which extend at right angles to the web 20. Each of the flanges 22 and 23 extends from the web 20 a distance which is within the range one quarter to one tenth the distance between the flange and the body 21.

Along the major part of its length, the flange 23 is parallel to that face of the body 21 from which the web 20 projects. Near to one of its ends, the flange 23 diverges slightly from the body to a rectilinear cutting edge 24 at the end of the flange. At the corresponding end of the flange 22, a similar cutting edge is formed. The body 21 preferably has a length substantially greater than that of the flanges 22 and 23.

The body 21 of the tool is placed against the abutment face of one of the members 10 and 11 with the web 20 aligned with the slot which has been cut in that member and with the cutting edge 24 bearing against the rear face of the member.

The tool is then driven towards the front face of the member, the body 21 being maintained in firm contact with the abutment face of the member and the web 20 moving along the slot of the member.

The cutting edges of the tool penetrate the opposed boundary surfaces of the slot and form in each of those boundary surfaces a respective channel, by compressing material of the sill member in a direction towards the abutment face thereof.

Each channel is spaced somewhat from the adjacent lateral boundary 18 or 19 of the slot, is spaced further from the abutment face and extends along the entire rectilinear part of that lateral boundary.

The tool is removed from the sill member by driving it in the reverse direction along the slot and is used to deform the opposed boundary surfaces of the slot in the other sill member in a similar manner.

The prepared sill members are then placed with their abutment faces in mutual engagement and the connector 13 is driven along the prepared slot.

The connector comprises a web 25 bearing gripping formations which, in the example illustrated, comprise a pair of oppositely projecting flanges 26 and 27 along one margin of the web and a further pair of similarly arranged flanges 28 and 29 along an opposite margin of the web. The dimensions of each of the flanges 26 to 29 may be substantially the same as the dimensions of the flange 23. At a leading end of the connector, the flanges are outwardly flared. The separation between the flanges 26 and 28 is twice the separation between the flange 23 and the body 21. Thus, there is a clear ance space between the lateral boundary 18 of the slot and the flanges 26 and 27 and a further clearance space between the lateral boundary 19 and the flanges 28 and 29. The thickness of the web 25 is substantially equal to the thickness of the web 20.A leading end of the web may be perpendicular to the lengths of the flanges, arcuate or pointed. It is intended that there shall be a vacant part of the slot 14 adjacent to the leading end of the connector, so that this leading end is not required to conform to the shape of the slot. The connector is driven into the slot 14 until it lies entirely within the slot. Assembly of the joint structure is thereby completed.

As the connector 13 is driven along the slot 14, the flanges 26 to 29 compress material of the members 10 and 11 which lie between these flanges and the interface 12, so drawing the members 10 and 11 together and establishing at the interface a substantial pressure which is maintained by the connector.

The web 25 of the connector may be perforated and an adhesive may be introduced into the slot 14 before the connector, some of this adhesive then entering the perforations of the web and becoming bonded to the members 10 and 11 inside the slot.

Whilst gripping formations in the form of marginal flanges have been illustrated, it will be appreciated that different arrangements of gripping formations may be used. For example, gripping formations in the form of ribs which are spaced from lateral margins of the connector may be provided on the web of the connector, either in addition to the marginal flanges or without marginal flanges.

The connector is preferably formed of metal, for example galvanised or nickel coated steel or of stainless steel. In certain cases, for example where the members which are to be joined together are formed of a plastics material, the connector also may be formed of a plastics material. In a case where the connector is formed of a plastics material and is relatively flexible, the slot 14 may be curved.

In a case where the connector is formed of a metal, deformation of the opposed boundary surfaces of the slot 14 to form therein the channels may be carried out by driving the connector along the slot 14 into both of the members 10 and 11. In this case, use of the tool shown in Figure 4 is not required.

Typically, the connector has an overall length which is at least twice the overall width of the connector. The thickness of the web of the connector may be less than one tenth the overall width of the connector. The projection of each flange from the web is preferably not less than 5% of the separa tion between opposite margins of the connector and is preferably not less than the thickness of the web.

The joint structure may also be used in other mitred joints, for example those between adjacent parts of a window board and joints in a picture frame.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, in the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, may, separately or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

1. A method of joining two members together with respective abutment faces of said members in mutually abutting relation, wherein there is formed in each of said members a slot having an open side at said abutment face and an open end at an adjacent face of the member, the members are placed with said abutment faces together at an interface and with said slots mutually aligned to form a single slot which is common to the members, and a connector having a web and gripping formations on the web is driven along the common slot with at least one of said gripping formations in engagement under pressure with one of the members and with at least another of said gripping formations in engagement under pressure with the other of said members.

2. A method according to Claim 1 wherein the gripping formations exert on said members at respective positions spaced from the abutment faces a force which tends to establish and maintain pressure at the interface.

3. A method according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the abutment faces are plane and the connector is driven along a path which is parallel to a line contained in the plane of the interface.

4. A method according to any preceding claim wherein the slot is formed in each member prior to driving of the connector along the slot by cutting away material of the member to provide a parallelsided slot and surfaces defining opposite boundaries of that slot are subsequently deformed to accommodate the gripping formations without cutting material from said surfaces.

5. A method according to Claim 4 wherein each parallel-sided slot has a width no less than the thickness of the web of the connector.

6. A method according to Claim 4 or Claim 5 wherein the opposed boundary surfaces of the slot are, prior to driving of the connector, perpendicular to the abutment face of the member in which the slot is cut.

7. A method according to any preceding claim wherein a clearance is left between opposite margins of the web and adjacent boundaries of the common slot which face towards the interface.

8. A method according to any preceding claim wherein, prior to placing of said abutment faces together, at least one of the opposed boundary surfaces of each slot is deformed by driving a tool along the slot to provide a channel for receiving a gripping formation on the connector.

9. A joint structure including two separately formed members and a connector comprising a plate-like web provided with gripping formations, wherein said members abut each other at an interface, said members collectively define a slot which extends into said members from respective faces of the members which are adjacent to the interface, said slot extends at said adjacent faces in opposite directions from the interface, the connector is disposed in the slot and lies partly in one member and partly in the other member and wherein the web of the connector intersects the interface.

10. A joint structure according to Claim 9 wherein said slot has opposed boundary surfaces which are transverse to the interface and spaced apart by a distance which is small, relative to the dimension of the slot measured parallel to the interface along one of said boundary surfaces.

11. A joint structure according to Claim 10 wherein at least one of said boundary surfaces is not flat but contains rectilinear lines extending from said adjacent faces of the members.

12. A joint structure according to any one of Claims 9 to 11 having clearance spaces between the connector and boundaries of said slot at opposite margins of the connector which lie on opposite sides of the interface.

13. A joint structure according to any one of Claims 9 to 12 wherein the gripping formations include at least two flanges at respective opposite margins of the web, which flanges lie one in each of said members and have respective faces presented generally towards the interface.

14. A joint structure according to Claim 13 wherein each of said flanges projects from a face of the web a distance which is not less than the thickness of the web.

15. A joint structure according to Claim 13 wherein each of said flanges projects from a face of the web a distance not less than 5% of the separation between said opposite margins of the connector.

16. A joint structure according to any one of Claims 13 to 15 wherein there are two of said flanges adjacent to each of said opposite margins.

17. A joint structure according to any one of Claims 13 to 16 wherein said flanges are outwardly flared at ends of the flanges remote from said adjacent faces.

18. A frame incorporating a plurality of joint structures according to any of Claims 9 to 17.

19. A frame according to Claim 18 which is a bay window frame and has a sill incorporating a plurality of said joint structures.

20. A connector comprising a web and at least one flange at each of two opposite margins of the web, wherein the flanges are mutually parallel over a major part of their lengths and are slightly divergent near to an end of one flange and a corresponding end of the other flange.

21. A tool for use in a method according to Claim 8 comprising a web, a flange at one margin of the web and a body at an opposite margin of the web, the body having respective surface portions which lie in a plane parallel to the flange, the web projecting from the body at a position between said surface portions and the body being considerably more massive than is the flange.

22. A joint structure substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

23. A method substantially as herein described of joining two members.

24. Any novel feature or novel combination of features disclosed herein and/or in the accompanying drawing.