GB2216567A - Sheet metal wall structures for cubicles. - Google Patents

Abstract

A sheet metal structure forming a wall of a cubicle is assembled from panels 20 the marginal regions of which are bent up through successive right angle bends to from first, second and third marginal portions 24, 25 and 26. The second portions 25 lie parallel to the main walls of the panels 20 while the third portions return half way towards the main walls. Adjacent panel face in opposite directions and their marginal regions are interfitted and secured by fasteners X to form box-section stiffeners. A door construction is also described. <IMAGE>

Description

SHEET MEmL STRUCTURES The present invention relates to sheet metal structures of the type assembled fram sheet metal panels having their marginal portions folded up out of the plane of the panel for secursnent to an adjacent member of the structure.

According to the invention there is provided a sheet metal structure of this type in which at least one panel forms a single-skin wall of a wall or door and its marginal portions are secured to adjacent sheet metal elements defining box-section reinforcements. The boxsection reinforcements may each be formed by two further panels secured together at their marginal portions, thereby spacing the remaining main portions of the panels apart. Alternatively, edge portions of the margins may be folded to extend parallel to the main panel portion and be folded again towards the main panel portions to form a securing flange. By fastening a securing flange of one panel against the inner face of the margin of an adjacent panel and viceversa, a box-section reinforcement is formed by the two panels.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the acoompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a horizontal section through a cubicle wall.

Figures 2 and 3 are similar views of two of the panels used to form the wall of figure 1.

Figure 4 is a similar view of a rear wall of a cubicle.

Figure 5 is a similar view of the junction of a party wall between two cubicles and the rear walls of the two cubicles.

Figure 6 is a similar view of a front wall of a cubicle of increased width.

Figure 7 shows a modification to Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a similar view of a door for a cubicle.

Figures 9 to 11 are similar views of the individual panels used to form the door of figure 4.

Figure 12 is a horizontal section through a portion of the door showing the mounting of a sliding bolt in the door.

The wall 10 shown in figure 1 serves to separate two cubicles and is received at its right hand end as seen in the figure in a mounting member 11 which is secured to a fixed structural wall (not shown).

At this end, the wall consists of a panel 30A of the kind shown at 30 in figure 3. This panel 30A is formed from a metal sheet of length equal to the required height of the wall. The marginal portion of the panel 30 which is received in the member 11 is folded up at right angles to the main panel wall 31 to define a marginal portion 32 which is again folded to define a terminal flange 33 extending parallel to the main panel wall 31. At its other end, the marginal region of the panel is again folded up to form a first marginal portion 34 which is folded over towards the flange 33 as a second marginal portion forming a stiffening wall 35 which in turn is again folded to form a third, return section 36 or securing flange extending about half way back towards the main panel wall 31.

Secured to the panel 30A is a series of panels 20 of the kind shown in figure 2, adjacent panels 20 facing in opposite directions. Each margin of a panel 20 is of the same construction as the right hand portion of the panel shown in figure 3. The marginal conformations of the panels are interfitted with each other as shown in figure 1 and holes drilled through the first marginal portions 24 and 34 in register with holes in the third marginal portion 26 and 36 receive fastening elements such as pop-rivets having their centres indicated at X. The resulting construction forms box-section reinforcements 12 between which extend, on alternate sides of the box-sections, the main panel portions 21 and 31, the fastening elements X being less obtrusive than if they were in the main panel portions.

At the opposite (left hand) end of the wall shown in figure 1, a further panel 30B of the kind shown in figure 3 has its walls 31 and 33 secured to angle members 13 which are in turn secured to extruded pilasters 14 forming portions of front door frames for the cubicles.

A channel member 16 closes the space between the flange 33 and the panel wall 31B and is secured to these wall portions and to the angle members 13 by suitable fasteners Y. A similar channel member 17 is similarly secured in the panel 30A.

At the top and bottom edges of the wall, the main panel portions 31 extend beyond the marginal portions to form extensions which are secured by appropriate fasteners to the side walls of top and bottam rails formed either by lengths of channel or, preferably, square section tubing 18.

The rear wall construction shown in figure 4 is assembled from panels 20 in a similar manner to that shown in figure 1 with the exception that the two end panels 36 and 37 are modified to enable them to inters it with the margins of panels 20 of the side walls 20 of the cubicle. The panel 36 has its left hand margin bent twice to form first and second portions 36a and 36b which engage around the portions 25 and 26 of the rear panel 20 of the side wall. The right hand margin of the right hand panel 37 is similarly bent twice to form marginal portions 37a and 37b, the bending in this case being in opposite directions to enable it to fit around a reinforcement member 38 formed in the same manner as one margin of a panel 20 or in fact part of a panel 20 where a further rearward extension of the side wall is required.

Figure 5 shows a junction of a modified panel 20' with the junction of two panels 20 forming a continuous rear wall for a set of cubicles. In this case, the rear margin of the panel 20' is not folded but lies flat against the portion 24 of the left hand panel 20.

Figure 6 shows a front wall section formed from panels 20 and inserted between the front panel 30 of a partition wall and a halfpilaster 14A. The two end panels of this wall section are of similar construction to the panel 30 but have shortened flanges 33which are supported by channel sections 16'. If required, a stepped trimmed strip 39 can be used to improve the appearance of, and stiffen, the junction of the left hand panel 30' and the halfpilaster 14A being secured to the latter by a nut and bolt assembly 39a.

In figure 6, the front wall section is formed fran a odd number of panels. Figure 7 shows the arrangement where the front wall section has an even number of panels.

The door structure shown in figure 8 consists of box-section reinforcements 41 and 42 each formed by interfitting panels 61 and 71 shown respectively in figure 10 and 11, and a central panel 51 shown in figure 9. The central panel 51 has a main panel wall portion 52 and two folded up marginal portions 53.

The panel member 61 (figure 10) is of similar construction having marginal walls 63 and 64 but the marginal wall 64 is extended by a folded over flange 65.

In the case of the panel 71, both marginal portions 73 and 74 are folded over to form reinforcing flanges 75 and 76, the width of the margin 74 being slightly greater than the width of the margin 73 (by an amount equal to the thickness of the metal). Similarly, the width of the main wall portion 72 is less than the main wall portion 62 (again by the thickness of the metal sheet) to enable a flange 53 of the panel 51 to be secured between the marginal portions 63 and 73 as shown in the assembled condition shown in figure 4 where the panels are again secured together by appropriate fasteners X.

Again, rails 44 of channel section or tubular section are secured to the panel members at the top and bottom of the door.

Figure 12 shows an arrangement for mounting a sliding bolt mechanism to the left hand edge of the door shown in figure 8. The sliding bolt tongue 81 extends through slot 82 formed in the marginal wall 63 and 74 and through corresponding slots 83 in the bent up ends 84 of a metal strip 85, the ends 84 of the strip forming supports for the panel walls 72 in relation to the panel wall 62 when casing members 86 and 87 are secured to the opposite faces of the door by means of screws 88 engaged in threaded bushes 89 carried by the casing member 86 (which may be of the conventional kind including an indicator showing the position of the bolt tongue 81). The e bolt tongue is manipulated between its locked and unlocked positions by means of a handle 90 carrying a pin 91 extending through the bolt tongue 81 into an element 92 of the mechanism within the casing 86.

Claims (11)

Claims

1. A sheet metal structure oamprising at least two adjacent panels each having a marginal region folded up out of the plane of the main panel wall, the two marginal regions of the panel being secured together, wherein each said marginal region has a first portion bent up fran the main plane of the panel to extend transversely thereto, a second portion bent up from the first portion in the direction towards the other margin of the panel and a third, return portion extending part way back towards the main panel wall, the marginal portions of the two panels being interengaged and secured together with the outer face of each second portion lying against the main wall of the other panel and with the third, return portion of each panel lying against the inner face of the first marginal portion of the other panel.

2. A sheet metal structure according to claim 1, wherein the adjacent marginal regions are fastened together by fastening elements extending through the first marginal portion of one panel and the third, return marginal portion of the other.

3. A sheet metal structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at at least one end of the structure at least the first and third marginal portions of each panel are cut back to leave upstanding edge flange portions of the main panel walls which are fastened to a stiffening rail extending along that edge of the structure.

4. A sheet metal structure according to claim 3, wherein the stiffening rail is a rectangular-section tube.

5. A sheet metal structure according to claims 1 to 4, wherein each third, return portion does not extend more than half-way towards to respective main panel wall.

6. A sheet metal structure substantially as described with reference to figures 1 to 3 or any of figures 4 to 7 of the drawings.

7. A sheet metal structure comprising a central panel having its longitudinal margins bent up to form flanges and rectangular boxsection formations adjacent each margin of the central panel, each box section formation comprising first and second sheet metal panels each having its longitudinal margins bent up from its main panel wall portion to engage the main panel wall portion of the other panel of that formation, each marginal flange of the central panel being trapped between adjacent flanges of the first and second panels of the respective box-section formation, adjacent flanges being secured together.

8. A sheet metal structure according to claim 7, wherein the marginal portions of the panels of the box-section formations each carry stiffening flanges to lie against the main wall portion of the other panel of the respective formation, except for the marginal portions which engage the inner surfaces of the flanges on the central panel.

9. A sheet metal construction according to claim 7 or 8, wherein at at least one end of the structure, the marginal portions of the panels are cut back to leave upstanding edge flange portions of the main panel walls which are fastened to a stiffening rail extending along that edge of the structure.

10. A sheet metal structure substantially as described with reference to figures 8 to 11 of the drawings.

11. A sheet metal structure having a sliding bolt substantially as described with reference to figure 12 of the drawings.