GB2174125A

GB2174125A - Structural port

Info

Publication number: GB2174125A
Application number: GB08606969A
Authority: GB
Inventors: William John Appleton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1985-04-23
Filing date: 1986-03-20
Publication date: 1986-10-29
Also published as: GB8606969D0; GB8510350D0; GB2174125B

Abstract

The port comprises a port member 10 defining an aperture or passageway superimposed by a sill component 12. It is incorporated into a wall during construction so as to provide an opening for pipe(s) or for e.g. an extraction fan. When used for a pipe, the port member 10 preferably has an extension 11 which supports the pipe beyond the wall (especially a curved pipe section) and minimises the risk of its fracture upon settling of underlying substrate. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Structural port This invention concerns a structural port, that is to say a device which, when incorporated into the wall of a building, provides an opening through the wall for accommodating one or more pipes or the like or for the installation of equipment such as an extractor fan or the like.

It is well known in relation to the maintenance and repair of pipework, in connection with industrial and domestic buildings, that faults often arise where soil pipe(s) extend through the wall(s) of the building, for example as a result of relative movement between pipework outside the building and pipe(s) extending through the wall of the building.

This is because it is general practice to install soil pipes through a wall by knocking an appropriate hole through the wall, inserting the pipe(s) and thereafter making good the wall securely around the pipe(s). There is, thus, no provision for possible movement of the pipe relative to the wall, which is conducive to the occurrence of cracks or breakages where the pipe emerges through the wall. There is point loading between the wall and the earthenware or plastics pipe, which means that wall slip will result in crushing of the pipe. Moreover, pipe replacement involves breading out the old pipe and the adjacent wall structure, installation of the new pipe, and making good of the wall structure. When all of this has been done, there is still the risk of recurrence of the fault or slip resulting in further breakage of the pipe.

An object of the present invention is to provide a prefabricated device which serves as a structural port as above degined and which can be incorporated into a building during the construction thereof so as to leave available an opening which may be used, for instance, for one or more pipes to extend therethrough with clearance so as to minimise the risk of fractures, or for the installation of other services or equipment.

With this object in view, the present invention provides a structural port comprising a port member defining an aperture or passageway, said port member being united with and superimposed by a sill component.

Such a structural port is employed by incorporating it into the structural work of a wall, the port member being positioned on a suitable brickwork, stonework, concrete or like course. The wall structure is then built up around the device, and can be continued abvoe the device, the structure above the device being supported by the will component.

The device can, additionally, be cosmetically concealed, if desired.

The port member may be of any suitable configuration, such as square, rectangular or polygonal in elevation. It could also, for instance, be Dshaped, stirrup-shaped or trough-shaped in configuration. Conveniently, however, it is in the form of an annulus, ring or cylinder or relatively short axial length, providing an aperture or passageway of circular cross-section.

For supporting a pipe extending through the port, the lower part of the port member may be extended by a flat or U-sectioned extension. In the latter case the extension may taper. For instance, in the case of a cylindrical port member, cylindrical extension which is cut off obliquely, may be pro vided. After installation of the structural port and upon passage of a pipe therethrough, the pipe may be arranged to rest on the extension(s) or an ap propriate soft, resilient or hard packing may be provided between the extension and the pipe.

The sill component in the structural port of the invention is conveniently in the form of a bar, which may be longitudinally, transversely, or angu larly, ribbed, grooved or corrugated. Moreover or alternatively it may be of angular configuration (i.e.

it may be in the form of an angle-sectioned bar) and if desired in each case it may be perforated to ensure a good bond with mortar provided for the brick courses with which it locates.

If desired, the sill may be detachable from the port member; conversely it may be constituted by an effective part of the port member. For instance in the latter case, the port member may be trough shaped with side flanges bridged by the sill which may be fixedly united with the flanges or may be detachable therefrom.

Advantageously, where the structural port is de signed for used in a cavity wall, the port member is elongated and two spaced apart sill conponents are provided for location in the respective skins of the wall.

The port member and sill(s) may be made of metal, or of plastics, and where the sill(s) are in the form of a bar or bars a plano-concave spacer may be provided between the port member and each sill component.

The port member may optionally be provided, opposite the sill component(s), with a substantially flat resting surface. This resting surface may simply be a plate secured to the underside of port member and where the port member is cylindrical a plano-concave spacer may be positioned there between.

For use of the structural port with a pipe, such as a soil pipe, there may be provided, as an adjunct, a grommet or packing ring, preferably of resilient material, such as rubber or deformable plastics, for filling the annular space between the pipe and the port member. Then, when the pipe is required to be installed so as to be inclined to the horizontal, the grommet or packing ring may be correspondingly configured. However, the annular space may, if desired, simply be packed with a suitable mastic, cement or other packing material.

The invention may also include an arrangement in which two of the port members are connected together (e.g. by the cavity width of a cavity wall) by one or more spacing elements. These spacing elements may be planar, so that the two devices are connected together so as to be in alignment. In the case where the respective ports are required not to be in alignment, i.e. one is above or below the other, the connecting elements may be of Z shaped configuration, so that an S or Z-shaped pipe may extend therethrough.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a fragmentary part-sectional perspective view illustrating a first embodiment of the structural port of the invention installed in a brick wall; Figure 2 is a fragmentary part-sectional perspective view illustrating a second embodiment of the structural port of the invention installed in a cavity wall; Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 illyustrating a third embodiment of the invention installed in a cavity wall; Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevation illustrating a pipe extending through the second embodiment of the structural port of the invention, when installed in a cavity wall; Figure 5 is a similar view to Figure 4 but to a smaller scale so as to show all the packing around the pipe;; Figure 6 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the structural port of the invention; and Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional elevation illustrating a pipe extending through the fourth embodiment when the latter is installed in a cavity wall.

As shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, a first practical embodiment of the structural port of the invention comprises essentially a port member 10 which in the illustrated case is substantially cyiindrical and accordingly provides a circular aperture or passageway therethrough. The port member 10 is of relatively short axial length, being, for example, approximately 4 ins (100mm), when the device is for use in conjunction with brickwork of standard thickness, e.g. of the order of 1/2 (115 mm). The radial thickness of the port member 10 is of the order of one-eighth inch (approx 3mm), for example.

The lower half of the port member 10 is extended by a U-shaped extension 11, which in this case is semi-circular in section and is approximately 8 ins (200 mm) in length.

The port member 10 is superimposed by a sill component 12 which in the illustrated case is in the form of a metal bar of width substantially equal to the axial length of the port member 10 and of overall length (considered from left to right in Figure 1) approximately 24 ins (approx 610 mm) being about a quarter inch (approx 6 mm) in thickness. The sill component 12 may be secured directly to the port member 10 or a plano-concave spacer (not shown) may be interposed therebetween, the concave surface of which fits sugly to the port member 10.

In the illustrated case, the entire device is made of metal, for instance stainless steel or steel which has been coated with a plastics or other protective covering layer to prevent it being attacked by external influences. However it may, if desired, be of any suitable material. For instance it could be cast of concrete, preferably reinforced, or it could be moulded of a plastics material suitable for incorporation into a building structure.

Figure 1 shows the device having been incorporated into a brick wall. In the building of the wall, after a suitable course of bricks as represented at 20, 20 has been laid, the device is placed in position by the port member 10 being rested down upon the upper surface of such brick course. In the illustrated case, the port member 10 lies directly above a mortar joint 22 between the two bricks 20, 20 but of course this is not essential. The device having been put in position, construction of the wall continues, with use of mortar layers 24, 26 and brick courses 28, 28 and 30, 30, the bricks in these courses being shaped where they confront the device, and a filling of mortar being provided therebetween as at 32. The next brick course, represented at 34, 34 is naturally, laid over the sill component 12 and thereafter construction of the wall continues conventionally.The extension 11 of the port member 10 projects from one side of the wall, i.e. where additional support for a pipe extending through the member 10 is most required, as determined by the user.

Once the structural port has been incorporated into the wall as described, it can be used for a soil pipe (not shown) to extend therethrough with a substantial clearance so that in the event of settlement or other point load shifting, between the pipe and the wall, no damage to the pipe will occur.

Moreover, the need to provide an approximatelypositioned loose infill, whose position is to be estimated by the bricklayer, for drainage, or otherwise breaking through the wall to permit pipe installation, is avoided. Furthermore if the position of the device is specified in previously-prepared drawings, it may be very accurately located by the bricklayer.

If desired, a gasket or packing (not shown) of resilient rubber or plastics material, e.g. of annular form, or of two substantially circular parts which can be assembled to a ring, may be provided for introduction into the space around the pipe to blank such space off. In the case where the pipe is inclined, the gasket or packing may be correspondingly configured.

The provision of the gasket is not essential to the invention; if desired the space between the pipe and the device may be pointed up with a cement mortar, mastic or other suitable packing material.

The device illustrated is suitable for a "single" thickness' brick wall. Naturally, in the case of a cavity wall, two of the devices can be used, these being located in the respective skins of the wall, for example in alignment with each other, which alignment may be achieved by the provision of alignment protrusions on the devices, or by connections between the devices. Similar connections may also enable the respective devices to be offset relative to one another.

However, Figure 2 shows a modified device which is specifically designed for installation in a cavity wall. In this device the port member 40 is elongated compared to that in Figure 1, being, for example, 12 ins (300 mm) long, so that it can ex tend across both skins 21, 22 of the wall and the intervening cavity 23. The extension 41 may of the same length again as the basic port member 40, but is of exactly the same semicircular section as in Figure 1. The final difference compared to Figure 1, is the provision of two sill components 42, 43, superimposed on the respective end margins of the port member.

The device is installed in a similar manner to the device shown in Figure 1 in that when suitable brick courses have been laid to the same level in the respective skins 21, 22, the port member is positioned thereon so that the respectivesill components 42, 43 are in line with the skins 21, 22.

Thereafter the wall is built up around the port member and above the sill components and a loose infill 24 may be placed in the cavity 23. Obviously the spacing between the sill components 42, 43 must be chosen to match approximately the width of the cavity 23.

The subsequent installation of a soil pipe through the structural port shown in Figure 2 when located near the bottom of a cavity wall is illustrated in Figures, 4 and 5, the same reference numerals being used, in each case, for corresponding parts. Figure 4 shows how a curved pipe section 50, which provide for a 90 bend in a length of piping, is attached to a generally horizontally lying straight pipe section 51 by connection means 52.

the horizontal pipe section being inserted through the port member 40 until the connection means 52 is in line with one of the skins 22 of the cavity wall.

The curved pipe section 50 thus lies above the extension 41 and it is supported thereby an angular element 53 which rests upon the extension 41, and prevents downward slippage of the curved pipe section 50 as a result of settling of underlying substrate.

In practice, the extension 41 and the curved pipe section 50, which it serves to support, will be projecting into the interior of a building. In other words the skins 21, 22 will be outer and inner skins, respectively.

Figure 5 illustrates how, in the installation of a soil pipe through the "double" structural port previously described, a trench 61 in the subsoil 60 must be provided, adjacent the inner skin 22, in the vicinity of the projecting extension 41. The trench 61 is preferably lined with sand blinding 62 and then the pipe sections 50, 51 are joined together and inserted through the port member 40 as described above. In this particular case the curved pipe 50 is supported by concrete trenching 54 mounted on the extension41 and hard core is packed therearound.

A further pipe section 55, which is of an appropriate length to project above floor level in the interior of the building is then connected to the upper, free end of the curved section 50 by further connection means 52. This further pipe section 55, is of course, substantially vertically arranged. Once this is in position the entire trench 61 is filled with hard core or rubble 63, which is temped down and levelled. A waterproof plastics sheet 65, made of a material called visqueen, is then laid upon the hard core 63 prior to the laying of concrete 64, the sheeting 65, of course, being punctured to fit over the upstanding end of the pipe section 55. If the pipe is being laid at the same time as the wa!l is being built, the visqueen sheet 65 may extend to provide the damp course through the respective skins.If not, it should be of sufficient size to extend up the inside of the wall to the level of the damp course 66, as illustrated in Figure 5. After the concrete 64 is set, domestic piping 56 can be connected up to the section 55.

Figure 3 illustrates a slightly modified form of the above-described "double" structural port designed for installation in cavity walls. In this case the extension 44 of the port member 10, which is cylindrical as previously, tapers from its junction with the port member. Indeed, the extension 44 may simply be formed by oblique cutting of a cylindrical tube where the port member is made of plastics or metal. This modified embodiment is used in exactly the same way as the embodiment shown in Figure 2, and the same reference numerals have been used for corresponding parts.

Another embodiment of the structural port of the invention which is of more complex construction than the previous embodiments is shown in Figure 6. The device again consists of a port member 70 and a superimposed sill component 80. The port member 70 is formed from a cylinder, but excepting at one end margin 71, this is cut away to leave a semi-circular profile 72. Vertically extending side plates 73 are connected thereto adjacent the cylindrical end margin 71, whilst the other end margin 74 projects as a U-sectioned (i.e. semi-circular profile) extension.The sill component 80 is in the form of an angle-sectional bar of S-shaped or Zshaped configuration, a first, lower horizontal region 81 being fixed to the top of the cylindrical end amrgin 71 of the port member 70, whilst a central upwardly inclined region 82 and a second, upper, horizontal region 83 are fixed to the upper edges of the respective side plates 73, which project above the level of the cylindrical margin 71.

It will be appreciated that the aforesaid embodiment is also designed for installation in a cavity wall, with the respective horizontal regions 81, 83 of the sill component being located in the respective skins 21, 22 thereof, while the inclined region 82 extends therebetween in the cavity 23, as shown in Figure 7. With this embodiment, since the passageeway is wider adjacent the extension 74, a curved section of pipe 50 can be inserted further through the port member 70 so that its connection 52 to a horizontal pipe section 51 is in line with the furthermost skin 21.

The invention is not confined to the precise details of the foregoing example and variations may be made thereto. The dimensions given abvoe are, of course, only exemplary and they will be chosen according to the particular purpose which the device is to serve. Thus, it may be used for the passage of any desired service members, such as tubing, cables, supply pipes to the like. If installed at a high level it can, for example, be used for the installation of an extractor fan or like equipment.

Other optional features include an underlying substantially flat resting surface for the port member, and possible a plano-concave spacer between such resting surface and the port member. Also the sill or sills may be detachable.

Claims

1. A structural port comprising a port member defining an aperture or passageway, said port member being united with and superimposed by a sill component.

2. A structural port as claimed in claim 1 wherein the port member is in the form of an annulus, ring or cylinder of relatively short axial length, providing an aperture or passageway of circular cross-section.

3. A structural port as claimed in claim 2 wherein a plano-concave spacer is provided between the sill component and the port member.

4. A structural port as claimed in claim 1 wherein the port member is D-shaped, stirrupshaped or trough-like in configuration.

5. A structural port as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the lower part of the port member is extended by a flat or U-sectioned extension for supporting a pipe extending through the port.

6. A structural port as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4 wherein the port member is provided, in its lower region, with a tapering U-sectioned extension.

7. A structural port as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the sill component is in the form of a bar which is ribbed, grooved or corrugated.

8. A structural port as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the sill component is in the form of a perforated bar.

9. A structural port as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the sill component is in the form of an angle-sectioned bar of approximately S-shaped or Z-shaped configuration.

10. A structural port as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8 wherein two spaced apart sill components are provided.

11. A structural port as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each sill component is detacha bie from the port member.

12. A structural port as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the port member is provided, opposite the sill component, with a substantially flat resting surface.

13. A structural port as claimed in claim 12 wherein the resting surface comprises a palte secured to the underside of the port member.

14. A structural port as claimed in claim 13 wherein a piano-concave spacer is positioned between the flat resting surface and the port member.

15. A structural port as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a gasket or packing ring of resilient material is provided in the opening or passageway for filling an annular space between the post member and a pipe extending therethrough.

16. A structural port as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8 wherein two port members are connected together by one or more spacing elements, which may be planar or Z-shaped in configuration.

17. A structural port for incorporation into a wall of a building to provide an opening therethrough for accommodation of a pipe to the like substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figure 1 or Figures 2, 4 and 5, or Figure 3, or Figures 6 and 7 of the accompanying drawings.