GB2268522A - Temporary building of interlocking panels - Google Patents

Abstract

A system of fixing panel or panel assemblies to constitute a temporary, collapsible or other structure whereby horizontal courses of panels are fixed as in a brickwork bond with each successive course displaced laterally. Each course overlaps exteriorly the course below and the lateral displacement of the panel courses is typically by half the length of a panel. The fastenings, which can be of a quick-release type, are between the abutting overlapping surfaces of the panels, and may be arranged diagonally to give horizontal and vertical rigidity. The rigidity of the walls and roof so formed is sufficient to minimise or obviate the need for framework. <IMAGE>

Description

A Svstem of Interlocking Panels Suitable for Use with Temporary and Other Buildings and Structures This invention relates to a system of fastening panels, one to another, to form the wall or roof means of a portable or collapsible building or other structure.

Collapsible buildings of the type which are constructed of a number of rigid panels which are hinged or otherwise joined together and fold flat when stored, suffer from a limitation as to their size if they are to be manhandled on site and erected by a small number of people with no lifting gear. The size and weight of the connected panels is the limiting factor as any assembly of panels which has to be manhandled into position during erection ideally has to be light enough to be moved to the required position by just one or perhaps a few persons of only average strength.

This is particularly true if such buildings are used as emergency shelters in disaster situations where those available for such work may be for various reasons limited in strength.

A method of readily connecting smaller and therefore lighter individual panels or panel assemblies would enable larger walls and roof spans to be erected with severely limited manpower than would be possible using larger, heavier panels which themselves constitute a major part of the wall or roof means. The smaller, lighter panels could be placed and fixed in position one at a time to build the structure or roof much like placing bricks in a wall or tiles on a roof.

To make a comparison with traditional building methods; a brick or tile is small enough to be easily manhandled on site and individually placed in position to be fixed by the appropriate traditional means to build a large, substantial, permanent structure, whose walls and roof are many times larger than the individual brick or tile.

At present temporary collapsible buildings are commonly constructed from hinged or detachable components such as panels which are large relative to the overall size of the structure of which they are a part. This is clearly disadvantageous for the reasons mentioned above.

According to the present invention, there is provided a system of fixing individual panels or panel assemblies which may assemble to form the wall or roof means of a temporary building or other structure and which may disassemble to facilitate storage and transport.

Horizontal courses of panels or panel assemblies fixed as in a brickwork bond with each successive course displaced laterally, in order to link and give rigidity to the courses immediately above and below. Each course overlaps the one below, as in roof tiling, exteriorly and is fixed by quick release fastenings which may be arranged diagonally as in Fig. 1 to give vertical and horizontal rigidity to the array of assembled panels which constitute the wall or roof means of the building.

The top and bottom courses may additionally be linked by fish-plates, for example, which may also serve as in the case of the upper and lower courses as bearers for the roof and floor.

As with roof tiling, such an arrangement of panels will aid water runoff and weather-proofing. Additionally the exterior overlap provides two surfaces, one from each course of panels or panel assemblies, which may be fastened one to another in such a way that, together with the lateral displacement of successive courses, rigidity is imparted to the wall means or roof means so formed in both a horizontal and a vertical direction.

This arrangement of panels combines the overlapping of tiling with the lateral displacement and bonding of brickwork. The panels, when assembled, could be thought of as serving both as 'tiles' and 'bricks' simultaneously. The panels overlap exteriorly as with tiles, yet the resulting wall is load-bearing as with brickwork, but unlike either they are fastened one to another at their common area of overlap.

Individual adjacent panels may be hinged or otherwise connected to form panel assemblies in order to facilitate construction or to impart rigidity.

The panels are being used as bricks, bonding one with another and bearing weight from the structure, however their shape is more akin to tiles, as relative to a brick their thickness is slight, like a tile, providing little opportunity for a strong joint between the edges. The overlapping provides a larger abutting area, and therefore a greater opportunity for a strong join due to the geometry of leverage.

The comparison between this arrangement and conventional brickwork could also be compared with that between clinker and carvel techniques in boat-building. In the former method one course of planks overlap exteriorly those below, and they are nailed through their thickness, whereas with the carvel method, the planks are laid such that those above are edge-on to those below. This distinction in methods has carried through into more modern methods of shipbuilding in steel, with the techniques of overlapping riveted plates as compared with edge-toedge welding.

The present suggested method of temporary building differs from those cited in the above analogies, in that unlike boat or shipbuilding, this method would require no major framework, as the walls formed by the system would have their own structural rigidity which in many cases would be adequate for a frameless structure.

The other major difference is of course that in this system the fastenings would normally be of a temporary quick-release type, enabling the panels readily to be disassembled and stored and transported.

It is envisaged that the suggested method of construction could be used to build readily collapsible structures of all sorts, including those used in civil engineering and transport, in additional to providing temporary shelter. The use of more permanent fastenings and more substantial panels would produce structures of a more permanent nature thus providing a building system for use generally.

This proposed form of construction could be of particular use in areas susceptible to earthquakes, particularly if used in conjunction with a means of fastening which has shock-absorbing qualities. In the event of an earthquake the lower courses of the building would suffer the greatest amount of movement but the upper rows of panels and roof would experience progressively less effect from the shocks, thus minimising the likelihood of damage or collapse due to the dampening effect of the fastenings between the panels and courses This dampening effect would also occur laterally between adjacent panels within a course, thus the force of the tremors would be reduced in both a vertical and horizontal direction.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 shows a section of a partly constructed building using the present system.

A panel assembly 2, comprising two panels, hinged at their join 9, may be unfolded and erected with the component panels at right angles to each other at the corner of the building as illustrated. A fish-plate 3 is then attached at the bottom edge with quick release fastenings 4; these fish-plates may also act as bearers for any floor braces 12. A lower wall panel 1 is placed in position and attached to the fish-plate 3, with the quick release fasteners 4.

An upper wall panel 5 is then set in position adjoining a hinged upper wall panel assembly 6 which has been employed at the corner.

The upper wall panels exteriorly overlap, and are attached to their lower counterparts by quick release fastenings 10. They are set astride the join of the lower course as in a brickwork bond. The building is constructed in this manner, comprising two or more courses of individual panels or panel assemblies.

Fish-plates 8 and 13 are then fastened by quick release fasteners at the upper edge of the upper course of panels at their join.These fish-plates can also act as bearers for any roof braces 11, that may be necessary.

One type of quick-release fastener which could be employed is shown in FIG. 2. This illustration shows part of an upper panel just before being fastened to a lower panel. The upper part of the fastener which would otherwise be hidden in this view is illustrated by 'cutaway' technique.

Should this type of fastener be used, additional simple locking devices or latches, accessible only from the interior of the building, would be required to prevent panels being lifted off at times other than when being properly dismantled.

The panels may be shaped to bear a pitched roof, or to accommodate doorways 7, or windows 14. A roof 15 may similarly be constructed using this system, and attached to the upper wall panels and roof braces using quick release fasteners.

Claims (19)

Claims

1. A system of fixing panels or panel assemblies to constitute a temporary, collapsible or other structure whereby horizontal courses of panels or panel assemblies are fixed as in a brickwork bond with each successive course displaced laterally. Each course overlaps exteriorly the course below.

2. A system of fixing panel or panel assemblies to constitute a temporary collapsible or other structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lateral displacement of the panel courses is typically by half the length of a panel.

3. A system of fixing panel or panel assemblies to constitute a temporary, collapsible or other structure as claimed in claim 1 in which the fastenings are between the abutting overlapping surfaces of the panels.

4. A system of fixing panels or panel assemblies to constitute a temporary collapsible or other structure as claimed in any preceding claim in which the fastenings are arranged diagonally to give horizontal and vertical rigidity.

5. A system of fixing panels or panel assemblies to constitute a temporary collapsible or other structure as claimed in any preceding claim in which the fastenings are of a quick release type.

6. A system of fixing panels or panel assemblies to constitute a temporary collapsible or other structure as claimed in any preceding claim in which the panels or panel assemblies making up the uppermost and lowest courses in the wall or roof means are fixed together at their upper and lowest points respectively by fish-plates.

7. A system of fixing panels or panel assemblies to constitute a temporary collapsible or other structure as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the fish-plates may act also as bearers for the roof and floor bracing.

8. A system of fixing panel or panel assemblies to constitute a temporary collapsible or other structure substantially as described herein with reference to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing.

9. A frameless structure, the walls of which comprise courses of panels or panel assemblies with an upper course overlapping, and being displaced laterally of, an adjacent lower course, each panel being provided with fastening means so disposed and arranged that adjacent courses of panels are interconnected in the overlap regions of vertically spaced apart locations.

10. A structure according to claim 9, wherein the fastening means each comprise a first portion attached to one panel and a second portion, co-operable with the first portion, attached to an adjacent overlapping portion.

11. A structure according to claim 10, wherein each panel is provided with a first portion of a fastening means on its outer face both at or towards an upper corner and at a generally central location inset from the upper edge of the panel, and a second portion of a fastening means on its inner face both at or towards a bottom corner and at a generally central location inset from the lower edge of the panel, the arrangement being such that when an upper panel overlaps a lower panel the respective first and second portions of the fastening means co-operate to secure the panels at the overlap region.

12. A structure according to any of claims 9 to 11 wherein the fastening means are releasable.

13. A structure according to any of claims 9 to 12 wherein the lowermost and uppermost courses of panels connect, via the fastening means, with a base and a roof, respectively.

14. A structure according to claim 13 wherein the fastening means on the base and roof comprise fish-plates.

15. A structure according to claim 14 wherein the fish-plates also act as bearers for base and roof bracings.

16. A structure according to any of claims 9 to 15, wherein the lateral displacement of an upper course with respect to an adjacent lower course is half the width of a panel.

17. A structure substantially as herein particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

18. A method of erecting a frameless structure comprising the steps of: - erecting a first wall by - abutting a plurality of panels or panel assemblies side by side to form a lowermost course; - fastening the panels to a base, or to each other by fish plates interiorly along their lower edge; - erecting a second course on the lowermost course by abutting a plurality of panels or panel assemblies side by side, with each panel being laterally offset from the corresponding panel below and overlapping exteriorly the adjacent panels below; - fastening the panels or panel assemblies of the second course to the adjacent panels of the lowermost course at vertically spaced apart locations in the overlap regions; - erecting further courses, if required, in a manner similar to the second course.

- erecting further walls in a manner similar to the first wall to provide the required structure; and - erecting a roof over the erected walls, which itself may be constructed in a similar manner to that described above.

19. A method of erecting a frameless structure substantially as hereinbefore particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings.