GB2229205A - Demountable grandstand - Google Patents

Abstract

A demountable grandstand is assembled from a kit of parts including members (4) making up a supporting framework extending to preselected height or heights above ground level, brace or tie members thereof being preferably of trapezoidal section (30) having one side wall higher than the other with the highest side wall carrying the main loading; and beam members (40) supported by the framework to slope from front to rear, said members having brackets top and bottom of different dimensions so that the beam member can be used either way up to provide shallow or more steep slop or rake for a series of deck members (60), and associated seat units (80) etc located on the beam members by said brackets. <IMAGE>

Description

DF 8.OUíTABLE GRwAtUiDSTAND In recent times many mor members of the public are attending major events such as popular music concerts and major sporting events. Many of these events have been held at the same venues for a period of many years, and the venues are themselves a major part of the event.

However, many venues do not have sufficiently developed sites to cope with the numbers of people attending and often require additional seating accommodation. ror many years this additional accommodation has taken the form of temporary crandstands or tribunes often constructed from, or supported by tubular scaffolding.

In recent times the behaviour of crowds at some sporting events has lead to damage and failure of structures such as safety barriers and roofs. This behaviour has led many governing bodies and local authorities to impleent more stringent enforcement of building and structural regulations resulting in much of the previously use proprietary equipment becoming unusable in large structures.

The requirements for viewing sight lines' is often governed by the topography of the event site and where used indoors, height limitations often restrict the angle of the structure and the height above ground level of the lower rows of seats.

It is the object of this invention to provide a demountable modular grandstand structure which is capable of being erected on uneven surfaces and which incorporates a supporting element which is so constructed as to be capable of being erected to more than one angle of slope thus being able to fully utilise the available height and topographical features of the site.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a kit of parts for assembly into a demountable grandstand, said kit comprising a) a set or sets of components for interconnection to form load bearding suport means extendin to preselected height or heights above ground level;; b) a plurality of beam members to be mounted on the assembled support means so as to extend at a preselected angle or angles of inclination from front to rear of the erected grandstand in use to provide a desired angle or angles of rake of seating and/or decking carried thereby and c) a plurality of deck members and/or seating members for mounting on said assembled beam members wherein all or at least a major proportion of the loac carrying elements making up said components and oeam members are formed of aluminium alloy.

Preferably at least brace or tie components of saic set or sets are extruded or otherwise formed hollow members having a trapezoidal cross section having a pair of parallel spaced side walls of which a first side wall.

which is apertured to receive connecting pegs or bolts of the assembly, is of substantially greater height than a second of said side walls a base wall normal to said side walls and interconnecting their lower edges; and a top wall sloping downwardly at an angle from the top edge of the first side wall to connect to the top edge of the second side wall whereby the major loading on said members is carried by said first side wall both as regards forces transmitted through said pegs in use and forces carried by the members during erection eg by persons standing on the members.

The first side wall of the said hollow members is preferably of greater thickness, at least along a median region thereof which includes apertures for said connecting pegs or bolts, than the other walls of the members.

The invention further resides in a brace or tie component for use in forming any dismountable structure er a grandstand, access platform or tower5 safoldin or the like, formed as defined by the last but one or lest preceding paragraphs.

The invention in a further aspect provides a oeam member for use in the construction of a dismountable grandstand, said member having an elongate girder body which will be mounted with one end higher than the other in use to provide a desired angle of slope or rake of banks of seating or decking to be supported thereby, and sets of locating brackets spaced along the body to project beyond opposing operatively upper and lower edges or faces thereof, the projection beyond a first of said faces or edges being greater than the projection beyond a second of said faces or edges whereby the beam member may be used with one or other of said faces or edges uppermost to support a series of decking or seating elements or sub-assemblies in stepped horizontal relationship at one or other or a steeper or shallower angle of slope or rake.

Conveniently a plurality of said beam members may be connected end to end to form a beam assemoly extending from front to back of the erected grandstand in use and some one or more of the members so connected may be inverted relative to another or others of the members to provide respective banks of seating or decking at different angles of slope or rake.

In the latter case connecting formations for coupling the adjoining ends of the beam members may be adapted to provide positive location at selected positions varying the effective length of the assembly to accommodate the different angles of slope relative to supporting elements at non-variable horizontal spacing.

An example of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: rig.1 is an isometric part sectioned view of a small elevated grandstand; Fig. 2 is an exploded isometric view of a section of the support structure; rig. is an isometric view of a typical brace/tie member: Fig.4 is an isometric view of a main beam member Fig.5 is an isometric view of the connection between the deck unit and the main beam member.

The grandstand system (2) comprises of a kit of parts which, when assembled, forms a structural assembly primarily of aluminium alloy and plywood capable of being erected rapidly into a rigid framework, supporting a sloping deck structure, complete with safety barriers.

hand rails, aisles and gangways, on any terrain or surface profile such that each component when fitted within the structure locates and locks automatically with the preceding components thus forming a totally integral structure.

The supporting framework (Fig.2) comprises of a frame member (4) having vertical load bearing main members (6) connected apart by horizontal members (S) situated near to the ends of the vertical members together with a diagonal stiffening member or members (10) fixed permanently within the frame. The frame incorporates projecting pegs (12) incorporating a locking mechanism onto which are fitted bracing members.

Adjustable base jacks (14) incorporating coarse adjustment by means of peg and hole adjustment and fine adjustment by means of a screwed shaft are fitted into the lower end of each frame at ground level such that any changes in ground level may be accommodated. The base jacks may be connected together at ground level and braced back to frame level by a system of tie and brace members (16) which are connected to vacant holes pitched along the jack member. On assembly pairs of frames are fitted with jacks of sufficient length to accommodate the variations in level and are spaced apart by fitting tie (18) and brace (19) members onto the pegs (12) to form rectangular tower structures. The towers are spaced apart using temporary tie members (20) such that an accurate grid layout is achieved.Further frames (22) are added to the structure using a connecting member or 'head fittinc' (24) until the required height and viuine angles are obtained.

The brace/tie members comprise of specially formed or extruded members of trapezoidal section (30) with a locally thickened portion (32) in the region of the connecting points. The pegs on the frames are designed such that they are of sufficient length that the pegs only penetrate through the thickened portion of the brace/tie section thus hiding the operating mechanism from view and preventing unauthorised tampering. The trapezoidal section ensures that the brace/tie member cannot be assembled incorrectly and that high bending forces are not transmitted to the frame lugs during erection and dismantling of the structure by persons standing on temporary platforms resting on tie members.

The trapezoidal section also ensures that eccentrically applied axially compressive stresses are balanced by the asymmetry of the neutral axis of the section in the eccentrically loaded plane.

A rigid beam member (40) is then fitted between th top of each frame along the line of the slope commencing with a shorter 'starter beam' (42) such that the desired contour of the slope is achieved. The beam, which incorporates a system of brackets (44), is designed such that when installec one way up presents brackets (4O) suitable for shallowly angled structures, and when installed the other way up presents brackets (46) suitable for steeply inclined seating structures. The beam also incorporates a connecting member (50) which fits within the beam profile and which can be locked in position at more than one position thus catering for the difference in hypotenuse dimension when the slope angle of the beam changes.

The deck member (60) comprises of a platform incorporating an anti slip surface (62) and bordered by metal frame members (64) and (66) enclosing the front and rear edges of the deck member. These frame members are so formed that the rear member (66) locates within the bracket member (44) and the front member (64) locates over a peg on the preceding bracket member. Commencing from the lowest deck level, the rear deck member is located within the profile of the brackets and is located over the projecting lugs (67) within the bracket.

Lowering the front of the deck unit onto the vertical lugs (68) locks the deck unit in position in all three axes of movement. Subsequent location of the seat units (80) and gangway steps (82) locks all the deck units securely in position.

The side barriers/ hand rails (70) are fitted into brackets which are located within the ends of the front deck member and also locate over the pegs on the bracket (6o') thus securing the side barrier assembly in position.

Front and/or rear safety barriers (72) are fitted onto vertical posts (74) connected onto the vacant pivoting frame connectors on the beam and are braced securely from the beam connector at the rear or the starter beam at the front. To permit unrestricted viewing for the front rows of seats the front barrier may be fitted at a lower level than the rear barrier due to the asymmetrical pitching of the connecting holes.

Transverse access walkways (76) may be incorporated along the front of the structure and stair wells (78) may be incorporated at the ends of the walkway or at any point within the structure. Where a transverse access walkway is required further back in the structure, the sight lines may be preserved by incorporating a steeper viewing slope immediately behind the access walkway.

This increased slope may be maintained to the back of the structure if required. Alternatively the structure may revert to the shallower slope at any point within the structure.

Stairwells are constructed from stairway stringers which are attached to the frame pegs and incorporate modular stair treads which lock onto the stringers.

Adjustable stringers are available to reach from the base of the frames down to final ground level. Netting or personnel barriers may be fitted to any part of the structure to restrict access by the public.

All structural and safety critical components are locked onto the structure and require special security tools to release the components thus preventing the unauthorised removal of critical items.

The seat units (80) are preferably the tip-up stacking units described and claimed in our co-pending patent application No (Serial No ) of even date herewith and the bolts or pegs used in the construction are preferably the security bolts or pegs described and claimed in our co-pending patent application No (Serial No ) of even date herewith.

Claims (13)

1. CLI[S

   Cz 1. A kit of parts for assembly into a demountal grandstand, said kit comprising: a) a set or sets of components for interconnection to form load bearing support means extending to preselected height or heights above ground level.

   b) a plurality of beam members to be mounted on the assembled support means so as to extend at a preselected angle or angles of inclination from front to rear of the erected grandstand in use to provide a desired angle or angles of slope or rake of seating and/or decking carried thereby and c) a plurality of deck members and/or seating members for mounting on said assembled beam members wherein all or at least a major proportion of the load carrying elements making up said components and bea members are formed of aluminium alloy.
2. 2. A kit as in Claim 1 wherein at least brace or tie components of said set or sets are hollow members having a trapezoidal cross section having a pair of parallel spaced side walls of which a first side wall, which is apertured to receive connecting pegs or bolts of the assembly1 is of substantially greater height than a second of said side walls; a base wall normal to said side walls and interconnecting their lower edges and a top wall sloping downwardly at an angle from the top edge of the first side wall to connect to the top edge of the second side wall whereby the major loading on said members is carried by said first side wall both as regards forces transmitted through said pegs or bolts in use and forces applied to said top edge.
3. 3. A kit as in Claim 2 wherein the first side wall of each said hollow member is of greater thickness, at least along a median region thereof which includes apertures for said connecting pegs or bolts, than the other walls of the member.
4. 4. A kit as in Claim 2 or 3 wherein said hollow members are aluminium alloy extrusions.
5. 5. A kit as in any preceding claim includin G bee-, member having an elongate girder body which will L mounted with one end higher than the other in use to provide said desired angle of slope or rake, and sets of locating brackets spaced along the body to project beyond opposing operatively upper and lower edges or faces thereof, the projection beyond a first of said faces or edges being greater than the projection beyond a second of said faces or edges whereby the beam member may be used with one or other of said faces or edges uppermost to support a series of decking or seating elements or sub-assemblies of the kit in stepped horizontal relationship at one or other of a steeper or shallower angle of slope or rake.
6. 6. A kit as in Claim 5 including a plurality of saic bea members, and means for their connection end to end to fori a beam assembly, said means permitting so. one or more of the members so connected to be selectively inverted relative to another or others of said members to provide respective banks of seating or decking at different angles of slope or rake.
7. 7. A kit as in Claim 6 wherein said means includes connecting formations for coupling adjoining ends of the beam members which are adapted to provide positive location at selected positions varying the effective length of the beam assembly to accommodate the different angles of slope relative to an arrangement of the supporting elements at uniform horizontal spacing.
8. B. A kit as in Claim 5, 6 or 7 wherein said beam members are formed primarily of aluminium alloy.
9. 9. A kit of parts as in any preceding claim including a plurality of deck members.
10. 10. A kit of parts as in any preceding claim including a plurality of further demountable units being one or more seats, gangway steps, hand rails, access walkways or stairs, and/or front, side or rear barriers.
11. 11 . A kit of parts for assembly into a demountable grandstand substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.
12. 12. A demountable grandstand assembled from a kit of parts as defined in any preceding claim.
13. 13. A demountable grandstand substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.