GB2253877A

GB2253877A - Handrail system

Info

Publication number: GB2253877A
Application number: GB9111750A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Herbert; Bryan John Summerfield
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-03-20
Filing date: 1991-05-31
Publication date: 1992-09-23
Anticipated expiration: 2011-05-31
Also published as: GB2253877B; GB9111750D0; GB9105902D0

Abstract

A handrail post (1) adapted to form part of a handrail system (2), comprises an upright member (5) provided with a securing or supporting means (6, 7) for handrails in the form of wire ropes (4) adapted to be strung transversely between adjacent posts (1), and a mounting plate (8) attached directly or indirectly to the upright member (5) and incorporating screw clamping means (10, 12) whereby the plate (8) and hence the post (1), is attachable to support structure of the building (3) e.g. a flange (13) of an upright column (9) or horizontal beam (15), at any desired location along the support structure. Horizontal member 14 may be omitted, or may be of adjustable length. Plate 8 may be vertical (as shown) or horizontal for connection to a horizontal beam. <IMAGE>

Description

HANDRAIL SYSTEM ETC.

This invention relates to a handrail system etc., particularly, though not exclusively for use in the construction industry for the erection of a temporary handrail, for safety purposes, during the construction of a building, particularly a portal building.

Conventionally, a support structure of scaffold tubing is erected to support a handrail system. Such a scaffold tubing structure is not only arduous and time consuming to erect and dismantle as it weighs perhaps 1 - 2 tons, for a building of say 35 m x 12 m, but also principally because of the weight factor, requires relatively expensive transport to and from a storage site.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a handrail post adapted to form part of a handrail system, the post, comprising: (i) an upright member provided with a securing or supporting means for a handrail post in the form of a wire rope adapted to be strung transversely between adjacent posts, and (ii) a mounting plate attached directly or indirectly to the upright member and incorporating screw clamping means whereby the plate and hence the post, is attachable to support structure of the building e.g. a flange of an upright column or horizontal beam, at any desired location along the support structure.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a handrail system comprising a plurality of posts in accordance with the first aspect, secured to structure of the building at spaced apart locations, and at least one handrail in the form of a wire rope extending transversley between adjacent posts.

Thus, in use, a plurality of posts in accordance with the first aspect are located, e.g., around the perimeter of a building, in a run where a handrail is required to be erected, with a wire rope then being strung between the posts and lightly tensioned, with its ends suitably secured or anchored.

The system in accordance with the invention, compared with the prior art scaffold tubing system offers considerable economies both in manpower erection and dismantling time, and also in transport, as for the same 35m x 12m building, the handrail system of the invention weighs some 0.35 tons.

Preferably, each handrail post is provided with two handrail securing or supporting means, one conveniently located adjacent an upper end of each post and the other approximately midway down the post, whereby two handrails e.g., two wire ropes, or one wire rope and one rigid bar each to constitute a handrail, may be strung between adjacent posts, at the different heights indicated. The securing or supporting means may be constituted by eyes.

The mounting ' plate òf: each post is conveniently rectangular and provided with four apertures - through holes, or slots to accommodate a variety of steelwork column sizes one adjacent each corner to receive a clamping bolt, on the stem of each of which a lugged clamping element is provided, and then a clamping nut, so that with the clamping plate presented to a front face of a flange of an R.S.J., the lugs of the clamping elements may be engaged around a rear face of that flange and the nuts tightened. Thus, the mounting plate and hence its handrail post may be attached to an R.S.J. column or rafter - at any convenient location, without the need to drill the flanges for instance, to receive the bolt stems.

For direct attachment of the mounting plate to the upright member, the plate may simply be welded or bolted to the lower end of the upright member. However, it is usually desirable to space the upright member laterally from the support structure; in which case the mounting plate would be indirectly attached via an interposed horizontal arm, again secured by welding or bolting, to the lower end of the upright member, so that the post is generally "L"-shaped.

For attachment to a column, the mounting plate is located in a vertical plane, while for attachment to a rafter, the mounting plate is located in a horizontal plane (considering the upright member in a vertical position).

Each upright member and any horizontal arm, may conveniently be of circular or rectangular steel tubing.

For a handrail post intended to be attached to building structure in the form of an upright column, a suitable length is selected for the horizontal arm to provide the required extent of lateral projection of the post, and hence handrail, from the column and hence the building.

Alternatively, the horizontal arm could be adjustable in length, conveniently by being telescopic.

For a handrail post intended to be attached to building structure in the form of a horizontal gable rafter, the horizontal arm is preferably adjustable in length, conveniently by being telescopic, so that the extent of projection of the post from the rafter may be selected by the erector.

The invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a first embodiment of handrail post in accordance with the first aspect of the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1; Figure 3 corresponds to Figure I but shows a second embodiment; and Figure 4 indicates a handrail system in accordance with the second aspect.

In Figure 1, a handrail post 1 detailed in Figures 1 to 3 is adapted to form part of a handrail system 2, detailed in Figure 4, where a plurality of posts 1 are located around the perimeter of a building 3, in a run where a handrail is required to be erected, with handrails in the form of wire ropes 4 then being strung between the posts 1 and lightly tensioned, with the rope ends suitably secured or anchored.

The handrail post 1 comprises an upright member 5 provided with a handrail securing or supporting means constituted by an upper eye 6 and a mid-length eye 7 for the wire ropes 4 adapted to be strung transversley betwen adjacent posts 1, as shown in Figure 4. A mounting plate 8 is attached in the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 in a vertical plane to an upright member constituted by an "I"-section column 9.

The mounting plate 8 of each post is rectangular and provided with four apertures - through holes, or slots to accommodate a variety of steelwork column sizes - one adjacent each corner to receive screw clamping means in the form of a clamping bolt 10, on the stem of each of which a lugged clamping element 11 is provided, and then a clamping nut 12, so that with the mounting plate 8 presented to a front face of a flange 13 of the column 9, the lugs of the clamping elements 11 may be engaged around a rear face of that flange 13 and the nuts 12 tightened. Thus, the mounting plate 8 and hence its handrail post 1 may be attached to the column 9 at any convenient location, without the need to drill the flanges for instance, to receive the bolt stems.

For direct attachment of the mounting plate 8 to the upright member 5, the mounting plate 8 is simply welded or bolted to the lower end of the upright member 5. However, it is usually desirable to space the upright member 5 laterally from the support structure 9, in which case the mounting plate 8 is indirectly attached via an interposed horizontal arm 14, again secured by welding or bolting to the lower end of the upright member 5, so that the post 1 is generally "L"-shaped.

As illustrated in Figure 3, for attachment to an "I"section rafter 15 the mounting plate 8 is located in a horizontal plane (considering the upright member in a vertical position) and the same lugged clamping elements 11 are provided.

Each upright member 5 and any horizontal arm 14 is of circular or rectangular steel tubing.

For a handrail post 1 intended to be attached to building structure in the form of the upright column 9, it is normally sufficient to select a suitable length for the horizontal arm 14 to provide the required extent of lateral projection of the handrail post 1, and hence wire ropes 4 forming the handrail proper, from the column 9 and hence the building 3.

For a handrail post 1 intended to be attached to building structure in the form of a horizontal gable rafter 15, the horizontal member 14 is adjustable in length, as illustrated in Figure 3, conveniently by being telescopic, so that the extent of projection of the handrail post 1 from the rafter 15 may be selected by the erector.

Claims

1. A handrail post adapted to form part of a handrail system, the post, comprising: (i) an upright member provided with a securing or supporting means for a handrail post in the form of a wire rope adapted to be strung transversely between adjacent posts, and (ii) a mounting plate attached directly or indirectly to the upright member and incorporating screw clamping means whereby the plate and hence the post, is attachable to support structure of the building e.g. a flange of an upright column or horizontal beam, at any desired location along the support structure.

2. A handrail post as claimed in Claim 1, provided with two wire rope securing or supporting means, one conveniently located adjacent an upper end of each post and the other approximately midway down the post;

3. A handrail post as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the securing or supporting means are constituted by eyes.

4. A handrail post as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the mounting plate of each post is rectangular and provided with four apertures - one adjacent each corner to receive a clamping bolt, on the stem of each of which a lugged clamping element is provided, and then a clamping nut.

5. A handrail post as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the mounting plate is welded or bolted to the lower end of the upright member.

6. A handrail post as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the mounting plate is indirectly attached via an interposed horizontal arm, again secured by welding or bolting, to the lower end of the upright member, so that the post is generally "L"-shaped.

7. A handrail post as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein each upright member and any horizontal arm is of circular or rectangular steel tubing.

8. A handrail post as claimed in Claim 6, or Claim 7 when appendant to Claim 6, wherein the horizontal arm is of fixed length.

9. A handrail post as claimed in Claim 6, or Claim 7 when appendant to Claim 6, wherein the horizontal arm is adjustable in length.

10. A handrail post substantially as hereinbefore described with references to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

11. A handrail post substantially as hereinbefore described with references to Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.

12. A handrail system comprising a plurality of posts in accordance with any preceding Claim, secured to structure of the building at spaced-apart locations, and at least one handrail in the form of a wire rope extending transversely between adjacent posts.

13. A handrail system, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.