GB2255576A - Masonry support. - Google Patents

Abstract

A masonry support, for example as shown in Figure 2, includes a component (22) of L-shaped cross-section one limb (23) of which is adapted, adjacent its free end, for connection to an inner, load supporting structure (12) of a wall construction, and the other limb (24) of which protrudes, in use, outwardly from the inner structure (12) to engage and support courses of masonry of the outer leaf (11) of the wall construction, and, screw adjustable abutment means (27) carried by said component (22) and extending rearwardly of the component (22) to engage the inner structure (12), in use, below the point of attachment of said one limb (23), the screw adjustability of said abutment permitting accommodation of varying gaps between the component (22) and the inner structure (12). <IMAGE>

Description

MASONRY SUPPORT This invention relates to a masonry support whereby part of the vertical load of an external leaf of a wall construction can be transferred to an inner, load bearing structure of the wall construction.

A known wall construction of a single or multi-storey building, comprises an inner, load supporting structure which may be an assembly of metal girders, or cast concrete beams, on which the cast concrete floors or roof of the building are supported; and an outer leaf which is primarily, but not exclusively, decorative and is constructed from masonry blocks, for example building bricks which provide the exterior of the building with an aesthetically pleasing appearance. In such wall constructions it is required that at various points in the height of the outer leaf the vertical load of the leaf is transferred in part to the inner, load supporting structure.Known masonry supports for this purpose include L-shaped metal brackets which have one limb anchored to the inner structure, and the other limb protruding outwardly from the inner structure to extend between courses of the blocks defining the outer leaf.

Usually the outer leaf will be required to be planar, and vertical, and thus the masonry supports carried by the inner structure will be required to lie in relative orientations matching the outer leaf. A problem is encountered where the vertical surface of the inner structure against which the masonry supports bear is not accurately parallel to the outer leaf, and in such circumstances it is usual to interpose packing shims between the masonry support and the inner structure. It will be recognised however that packing shims can accommodate irregularities in the spacing between the inner support structure and the outer leaf but are inadequate to accommodate inaccuracies in the vertical alignment of the face of the inner structure against which the masonry support bears.In order to accommodate such irregularities shaped, for example tapering, shims would be needed and it would be necessary for the builder to stock a wide variety of different shim thicknesses and shapes to accommodate all possible misalignments. It is an object of the present invention to provide a masonry support wherein misalignment of the bearing face of the inner, load supporting structure relative to the outer leaf can be accommodated in a simple and convenient manner.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a masonry support including a component of Lshaped cross-section one limb of which is adapted, adjacent its free end, for connection to an inner, load supporting structure of a wall construction, and the other limb of which protrudes, in use, outwardly from the inner structure to engage and support courses of masonry of the outer leaf of the wall construction, and, screw adjustable abutment means carried by said component and extending rearwardly of the component to engage the inner structure, in use, below the point of attachment of said one limb, the screw adjustability of said abutment permitting accommodation of varying gaps between the component and the inner structure.

Preferably said first limb of said component is secured to a coupling member extending parallel to, but in the opposite direction from said second limb, said coupling member providing an adjustable means of securing the component to the inner, load supporting structure of the wall construction.

Preferably said coupling member has an elongate longitudinally extending slot through which a securing bolt extending upwardly from a floor member of the inner, load supporting structure protrudes to secure the component in position relative to the inner structure.

One example of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a wall construction incorporating a masonry support in accordance with one example of the invention; and Figure 2 is a view of part of Figure 1 to an enlarged scale.

Referring to the drawings the wall construction comprises a masonry outer leaf 11 consisting of courses of building bricks held together by mortar in the usual way, and an inner, load supporting structure 12 comprising an assembly of metal beams or girders 13 and cast concrete floor slabs 14. A cavity exists between the outer leaf 11 and the inner structure 12. The floor slab 14 is cast in concrete and the sheet metal shuttering 15 in which the slab 14 is cast remains in place after the floor slab has set, the sheet metal shuttering 15 including ribs 15a of dove-tail cross-section which strengthen the shuttering and an upstanding edge 15b which in use defines the outer, vertical edge of the floor slab.Wall and floor slab constructions of the kind described above are conventional, as is the use of some form of masonry support anchored to the inner structure and extending outwardly between courses of the outer leaf to accept part of the vertical load of the outer leaf, and transfer that load to the inner leaf.

It is known that the outer edge of a cast floor slab may be somewhat irregular in its shape (in relation to the intended accurate shaping of the outer leaf) by virtue of flexure of the upstanding outer edge 15b of the shuttering during casting. The inaccuracy in the outer edge of the slab 14 may be both an inaccuracy in the spacing of the edge from the intended position of the outer leaf, and also an inaccuracy in the vertical alignment of the outer edge of the slab. For this reason, when using such cast floor slabs, it has been usual to anchor the masonry supports to the parts of the structure supporting the floor slabs, for example the beams 13 (or their concrete equivalents where the inner structure is a cast, or precast/prestressed concrete structure).

In the arrangement illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 the masonry supports can be carried by the floor slab since inaccuracies in the front edge of the floor slab can be readily accommodated as described below.

When casting the floor slab 14 an elongate metal channel member 16 is embedded in the floor slab, the channel member 16 having a plurality of downwardly extending anchors 17 which key the member 16 firmly to the floor slab 14 when the floor slab has solidified. The open face of the channel member 16 is exposed at the top surface of the floor slab 14 and the opposite edges of the channel are turned inwardly so that the channel member has a re-entrant recess therein. The length of the channel member 16 is aligned parallel to the intended front edge of the slab 14 and the head of a bolt 18 is captive within the channel member 16, but slidable along the length of the channel member 16. The screw threaded shank of the bolt 18 protrudes upwardly from the channel member 16 and projects above the level of the top surface of the slab 14. The bolt head is rectangular and so dimensioned that in one orientation it can pass through the opening in the top of the channel member 16 whereafter rotation of the bolt about its axis engages the head with the inner side walls of the member 16 below the inturned edges thereof to retain the bolt in position.

The masonry support 21 includes an L-shaped component one limb of which extends vertically and the other limb of which extends horizontally. The vertical limb of the component is defined in part by a vertical flange 23 of an elongate metal strip 22 of L-shaped cross-section the other flange 24 of which defines the horizontal limb of said component. The remainder of the vertical limb of said component is defined by a bracket 25 of channelshaped cross-section the base web of the channel of the bracket 25 being parallel to the flange 23 of the strip 22 and the flange 23 being welded to the free edges of the side walls of the channel of the bracket 25 so that a hollow box-section is defined by the bracket 25 and the flange 23 of the strip 22.

The flange 24 of the strip 22 is coplanar with the bottom edge of the bracket 25, and welded to the opposite, upper end of the bracket 25 so as to lie parallel to, but extending in the opposite direction from the flange 24 is a metal coupling plate 26. Adjacent its free end the coupling plate 26 is formed with an elongate slot disposed longitudinally of the plate 26, that is to say disposed at right angles to the length of the strip 22.

Adjacent the slot in the plate 26, the upper edge of the plate 26 is serrated, or otherwise roughened, and in use the plate 26 lies against the upper face of the slab 14 with the screw threaded shank of the bolt 18 extending through the slot in the plate 26 and a nut 19 and load spreading washer 20 being engaged with the shank of the bolt 18 to clamp the plate 26 against the upper surface of the slab 14. It will be recognised that the position of the masonry support 21 relative to the front edge of the slab 14 can be adjusted by moving the plate 26 at right angles to the front edge of the slab as permitted by the length of the slot in the plate 26 through which the bolt 18 extends.

Assuming that it is intended that the outer leaf of the wall construction shall be vertical and planar then it will be recognised that a series of masonry supports 21 carried by the inner, load supporting structure of the wall construction will be adjusted in the horizontal direction so that the flanges 23 of their strips 22 are substantially coplanar. Each masonry support will be of substantially identical construction to all of the others, and so those masonry supports which are carried by the same floor slab 14 will have their flanges 24 coplanar. It will be recognised however that in effecting horizontal adjustment of the masonry supports 21 the gap between the base wall of the bracket 25 of each masonry support 21 and the adjacent part of the front edge of the slab 14 may be different for each masonry support 21 owing to inaccuracies in the front edge of the slab 14.Moreover, the inaccuracies may not simply be inaccuracies in the horizontal spacing between the front edge of the slab 14 and the base wall of the bracket 25 of the supports, there being the possibility of differences in the spacing by virtue of non-vertical alignment of parts of the front edge of the slab. In order to provide a firm abutment between the lower end region of each masonry support 21, and the front edge of the slab 14 so that loading imposed upon the masonry support by the associated portion of the outer leaf 11 is transferred to the inner, load supporting structure notwithstanding the possible inaccuracies of the positioning of the front edge of the slab 14, each masonry support 21 includes an adjustable abutment 27.

Adjacent its lowermost end the base wall of the bracket is formed with an aperture and aligned with the aperture is a captive screw threaded nut 28 welded to the base wall of the bracket 25. If desired the aperture in the base wall can be threaded with a continuation of the screw thread of the nut 28 and extending through the base wall of the bracket, in screw threaded engagement with the nut 28 is a screw threaded shank 29 carrying a load spreading pad 31 at its end protruding rearwardly, in use, from the bracket 25. The opposite end of the shank 29, within the box structure defined by the bracket 25 and the strip 22 is shaped to accept a tool for rotating the shank relative to the bracket 25, for example by having a hexagonal head 32 as shown in Figure 2.

Alternatively however the end of the shank 29 may have a cross-cut slot to receive a screwdriver type tool, a polygonal recess to receive an allen-key type tool, or a cross drilling to receive a simple lever.

In use, after the support member 21 has been positioned relative to the slab 14 and clamped by means of the nut 19 and washer 20 the shank 29 is rotated relative to the nut 28 to bring the pad 31 into engagement with the front edge of the slab 14. If desired a lock nut arrangement can be provided to prevent movement of the shank 29 from its adjusted position, but unless the building is to be subjected to significant vibration in use then it is probable that a lock nut will not be needed. It will be recognised that once the pad 31 has been moved into engagement with the front edge of the slab 14 then the downwardly vertical load imposed upon the flange 24 of the masonry support 21 will be transmitted through the bracket 25, the shank 29 and the pad 31 to the slab 14.

Moreover the adjustable abutment 27 will be equally effective whether or not the gap between the front edge of the slab 14 and the bracket 25 is a parallel, or a tapering gap. If desired some compliance can be introduced between the shank 29 and the pad 31 or between the shank 29 and the bracket 25 so that the pad 31 can assume a slight angle relative to the shank 29 to accommodate severe vertical misalignment of the front edge of the slab 14.

It will be understood that positioning of the support member 21 along the length of the slab 14 can be achieved by moving the bolt 18 along the channel member 16. Thus the channel member 16 may be sufficiently long to accommodate the intended range of adjustment of a single support member 21, or, if desired a longer channel member 16 can be incorporated in the floor slab 14 to provide the anchorage for a plurality of masonry supports 21.

Although a cast-in mounting of the channel 16 is described above it will be recognised that there can be applications where the channel is secured by bolts or the like to a pre-formed slab.

It will also be understood that the use of the masonry support arrangement described above is not restricted to building constructions where the floor slab 14 is cast in a sheet metal shuttering which remains in situ, and while it is particularly useful in such constructions it can also be utilized in constructions using other floor and roof slab arrangements including those cast using demountable metal or wooden shuttering.

The material from which the support member is constructed will be determined by the environment, but usually it will desirable to manufacture support members from stainless steel.

Claims (13)

1. A masonry support including a component of Lshaped cross-section one limb of which is adapted, adjacent its free end, for connection to an inner, load supporting structure of a wall construction, and the other limb of which protrudes, in use, outwardly from the inner structure to engage and support courses of masonry of the outer leaf of the wall construction, and, screw adjustable abutment means carried by said component and extending rearwardly of the component to engage the inner structure, in use, below the point of attachment of said one limb, the screw adjustability of said abutment permitting accommodation of varying gaps between the component and the inner structure.

2. A masonry support as claimed in Claim 1 in which said first limb of said component is secured to a coupling member extending parallel to, but in the opposite direction from said second limb, said coupling member providing an adjustable means of securing the component to the inner, load supporting structure of the wall construction.

3. A masonry support as claimed in Claim 2 in which said coupling member has an elongate longitudinally extending slot through which a securing bolt extending upwardly in use from a floor member of the inner, load supporting structure protrudes to secure the component in position relative to the inner structure.

4. A masonry support as claimed in Claim 3 including an elongate channel shaped member for attachment to the floor member in use and to which the securing bolt is anchored.

5. A masonry support as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the screw adjustable abutment means comprises a shank in screw threaded engagement with the component, a first end of the shank being arranged to abut the inner structure, in use.

6. A masonry support as claimed in Claim 5 in which the component defines an aperture through which the shank extends.

7. A masonry support as claimed in Claim 6 in which an internally screw threaded element is attached to the component coaxial with the aperture, the shank extending through and being in screw threaded engagement with the internally screw threaded element.

8. A masonry support as claimed in any one of Claims 5 to 7 in which the first end of the shank is provided with a load spreading washer.

9. A masonry support as claimed in any one of Claims 5 to 8 in which the shank is provided with means to aid rotation of the shank.

10. A masonry support as claimed in Claim 9 in which the means to aid rotation comprises a hexagonal head.

11. A masonry support as claimed in Claim 9 in which the means to aid rotation comprises a cross-cut slot to receive a screwdriver head.

12. A masonry support as claimed in Claim 9 in which the means to aid rotation comprises a recess of polygonal cross-section for receiving an allen-key type tool.

13. A masonry support substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.