GB2224523A

GB2224523A - Open flooring

Info

Publication number: GB2224523A
Application number: GB8824698A
Authority: GB
Inventors: B C Trubshawe
Original assignee: Redman Fisher Engineering Ltd
Current assignee: Redman Fisher Engineering Ltd
Priority date: 1988-10-21
Filing date: 1988-10-21
Publication date: 1990-05-09
Also published as: GB8824698D0

Abstract

Open flooring comprises an array of load-bearing bars (10), transverse bars (11) at an upper face of the flooring and a perforated sheet (12) at the underside of the flooring. <IMAGE>

Description

Title:"Floor and panel for use in the same" Description of Invention The present invention relates to flooring which is commonly described as "open flooring" and which comprises a number of bors arranged in a grid.

Open flooring has a number of advantages, as compared with substantially imperforate flooring. Open flooring provides good resistance to slip of footwear on the flooring and allows liquids to drain freely throuqh the flooring. This is useful when the flooring is exposed to rain, to spray from the sea, to spillage of liquids and is also useful to permit water from a sprinkler system to descend through the flooring, in order to combat a fire.

Open flooring suffers from the disadvantage that small obiects, for example tools, may fall through the flooring if they are dropped. We have previously proDosed incorporation in open flooring of relatively light, non-load hearing elements which divide the gaps between adjacent bars of the flooring and thereby obstruct the descent through the flooring of some objects which could otherwise fall throuah the flooring.

Accordinn to a first aspect of the nresenf invention, there is Provided a floor comprising a plurality of bars arranged in a grid apd a sheet at the underside of the bars, the sheet spinning gaps between adiacent bars of the grid.

The sheet of a floor in accordance with the first aspect of the invention impedes the ascent of hot qases and smoke through the floor, in the event of fire occurring beneath the floor. The sheet also retains some obiects dropped on the floor which would otherwise fall through the floor. The sheet may also contribute to the strength and stiffness of the floor, depending upon the degree to which the sheet is secured to the bars.

The sheet is preferably perforated to a deqree such that the floor does not significantly impeded descent throuqh the floor of water discharaed by a sprinkler above the floor and does not substantially modify the distribution of the waterflow from the sprinkler. The waterflow would be substantially modified if the flow was concentrated in certain regions of the floor, leaving other regions of the space beneath the floor substantially free of sprinkled water.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a flooring panel comprising a plurality of mutually spaced, parallel, loadbearing bars, a perforate sheet at one face of the panel and a plurality of transverse bars at an opposite face of the panel, wherein the transverse bars and the sheet are secured to the load bearing bars. A number of panels in accordance with the second aspect of the invention may be used in a floor according to the first aspect.

An example of a panel embodyinq the second aspect of the invention and which is used in a floor according to the first aspect will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein a part of the panel is represented diagrammatically.

The panel illustrated in the drawing comprises a number of load-bearing bars 10 which are rectilinear, are mutually parallel and are spaced from each other. The bars 10 may be identical one with another and the transverse crosssectional shape of these bars is preferably rectangular, the longer dimension being disposed vertically so that an edge of each bar 10 is presented at a face of the panel which is an upper face in use.

The load bearing bars 10 are connected together by a number of transverse bars 11, each of which crosses all of the load bearing bars of the panel. The transverse bars also may be rectilinear and mutually parallel and be perpendicular to the load bearing bars. All of the transverse bars may be identical with one another and the transverse cross-sectional shape of each of these bars may be rectangular, for example square. Each transverse bar may be twisted about its longitudinal axis. By way of example, transverse bars of circular cross-section are represented in the drawinq. The transverse dimensions of the bars I I are preferably small, as compared with those of the load bearing bars 10.

The transverse bars 11 mav have upwardly facing surfaces which are flush with the upper edges of the load bearing bars 10. Typically, each transverse bar is embedded in each of the load bearing bars at the upper edges of the latter. The bars may be united by welding.

The panel illustrated in the accompanying drawing further comprises a sheet 12 which lies at the undersid of the load bearing bars 10 and is therefore spaced from the transverse bars II. The sheet 12 is perforated. By way of example. there is represented in the drawling sheet havinq circular perforations distributed evenly over the surface of the sheet. The sheet 12 is attached to each of the load bearing bars 10 at intervals along its length.

Typically, these intervals are within the range 100 to 500 millimetre.

The bars 10 and 11 and the sheet 12 are preferably formed of metol.

Steel is a suitable material. In a case where the panel is formed of steel, the sheet 12 may be welded to the bars 10. The transverse bars I I may be forgewelded to the bars 10.

The dimensions and spacing of the perforations in the sheet 12 are preferably selected to provide that the perforations represent at least 10% of the superficial area of the sheet. More preferably, the perforations represent at least 20% of the superficial area of the sheet. We prefer that the perforations do not represent more than 50tun of the superficial area of the sheet and the perforations more preferably represent no more than 30% of the superficial area of the sheet. The perforations may all have the same size and be arranqed at a regular pitch along and across the panel. The perforations may be circular. Alternatively, the perforations may be elongated. In a case where the perforations are circular, these are conveniently formed by punching material from sheet stock.In a case where elongated perforatons are provided, these may be formed by expanding sheet stock to form the material qenerally described as expanded metal and then flattening the expanded metal, for example by rolling or pressina, to provide a substantal y flat sheet.

In a case where the perforations of the sheet 12. are circular, the diameter of the perforations is preferably no greater than twenty millimetre.

In a case where perforations are non-circular, the mean distance across each perforation is preferably no greater than twenty millimetre. The mean distance across each perforation is more preferably within the range 5 to 1 5 millimetre.

The thickness of the sheet 12 may he no more than one tenth of the depth of the load bearing bars 10 and may be substantially less than one tenth of this depth.

There may be substituted for the rectilinear transverse bars 11 sinuous bars. each of which lies between a pair of adiacent load bearing bars and which is secured alternately to those load bearings bars.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, 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, as appropriate, may, separately or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

CLAI MS:

I. A floor comprising a plurality of bars arranged in a grid and a sheet at the underside of the bars, the sheet spanning gaps between adjacent bars of the grid.

2. A floor accoding to Claim I wherein the sheet is perforated.

3. A flooring panel comprising a plurality of mutually spaced, parallel, lood-bearing bars, a perforate sheet at one face of the panel and a plurality of transverse bars at an opposite face of the panel, wherein the transverse bars and the sheet are secured to the lood bearing bars.

4. A floor according to Claim 2 or a panel accordina to Claim 3 wherein the perforations in the sheet represent at least 10% of the superficial area of the sheet.

5. A floor or a panel according to Claim 4 wherein the perforations in the sheet represent at least 20% of the superficial area of the sheet.

6. A floor according to Claim 2 or a panel according to Claim 3 wherein the perforations in the sheet represent no more than 40% of the superficial area of the sheet.

7. A floor or a panel according to Claim 6 wherein the perforations represent no more than one third of the superficial area of the sheet.

8. A floor according to Claim ? or a panel according to Claim 3 wherein the sheet is substantially flat.

9. A floor according to any one of Claims 1, 2 and 4 to 8 or a panel according to any one of Claims 3 to 8 wherein at least several of the bars are fixed to the sheet at intervals along the length of the bars.

10. Flooring substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

12. Any novel feature or novel combination of features disclosed herein or in the accompanying drawing.