GB2282396A

GB2282396A - Sectional prefabricated buildings

Info

Publication number: GB2282396A
Application number: GB9320179A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Timothy John Bernard; Craig Casci
Original assignee: HARDWICK JAMES IAN; MOORES ARTHUR KEITH; NARAYANAN RAMAN SUNDARARAJAN
Current assignee: HARDWICK JAMES IAN; MOORES ARTHUR KEITH; NARAYANAN RAMAN SUNDARARAJAN
Priority date: 1993-09-30
Filing date: 1993-09-30
Publication date: 1995-04-05
Anticipated expiration: 2013-09-30
Also published as: GB9320179D0; GB2282396B

Abstract

A pre-fabricated portable building 1 comprises a number of vertical triangular frames 7 connected by tie beams 8, 9. The buildings walls 3 and roofing panels 4 are removably mounted on the frames 7 and the beams 8, 9 to allow the building to be dismantled for ease of transportation. The building is assembled by erecting the frames 7 and connecting them by fixing the tie-beams 8, 9 between adjacent frames. The roofing panels 4 are then pivotably secured to the tie beams 8 to allow the roofing panels 4 to be first secured on the tie beam 8 whilst keeping one end of the roofing panel supported on the floor. The roofing panel 4 can then be pivoted about the tie beam 8 until it is in the desired position. <IMAGE>

Description

SECTIONAL PREFABRICATED BUILDINGS This invention relates to prefabricated buildings or buildings having a prefabricated portion.

The present invention provides a sectional pre-fabricated building assembly wherein each section comprises at least one vertical support means and at least one roofing panel removably mounted on the support means, the roofing panel being locatable at a pre-determined position on and pivotable about the support means.

Preferably the roofing panels are made from a pultruded fibre reinforced thermoset polymer e.g. pultruded GRP. Pultrusion is a process wherein continuous fibre rovings are hauled through a bath of resin and then through a shaplng die. The resin then cross-links and hardens, producing a long prismatic component with fibres aligned uniaxially parallel to its long axis.

The vertical support means may comprise a pre-fabricated building assembly according to claim 1 wherein the vertical support means comprises at least two parallel triangular frames and at least two horizontal tie-beam members inter-connecting the upper parts of the frames and being perpendicular to the planes destined by the triangular frames, the triangular frames each comprising a vertical column member, a stay member at an angle to and fixed to the column member and an upper member having a first end fixed to the column member and a second end fixed to the stay member.

The present invention further provides a method of assembly of a prefabricated building comprising the following steps: raising at least one vertical support means to an upright position and fixing the base of the support means; leaning a roofing panel against the support means, locating the roofing panel at a pre-determined position on the support means; pivoting the roofing panel into position; and repeating the above steps for any further roofing panels.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which; Figure 1 is an isometric view of a partially assembled building; Figure 2 is a vertical section through the line II-II in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a verical section along the line III-III in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a horizontal section through the line IV-lV in Figure 2; Figure 5 is a horizontal section, similar to that in Figure 4, illustrating a detail of the corner of a building; Figure 6 is a vertical section through the supported end of a roof panel; Ficure 7 is a vertical section through the other end of the roof panel; Ficure 8 is a vertical section through two adjoining roof panels along the line VIII-VIII in Figure 6; and Figures 9 to 11 illustrate some alternative configurations of the building sections.

Referring to Figure 1, a prefabricated building 1 according to the present invention comprises vertical support means 2 on which wall members 3 and roofing panels 4 are mounted.

Ground beams 5 rest on base plates 6. Ground beams 5 are Beams of either steel or pultruded GRP.

The vertical support means 2 are fixed to the ground beams 5.

The vertical support means 2 comprise a plurality of triangular frames 7 connected by tie beams 8,9.

Each triangular frame 7 comprises a column 10, an upper member 16 and a stay member 17. The upper member 16 slopes downwards from the top of the column 10 to the top of the stay 17. The three frame members are hollow pultruded GRP beams of rectangular cross-section.

The lower end 18 of each column 10 has a cut out 19 defining two lugs 20. The lugs 20 are formed by two sides of the hollow column beam 10. The two lugs 20 engage in slots 21 in the top flange 22 of a ground beam 5 and rest on the lower flange 23. A bolt 24 extends through registering holes in the lugs 20 and the ground beam web 25 (see Figures 2 and 3). First tie beams 8 and second tie beams 9 are hollow pultruded GRP beams of rectangular cross-section which engage with angle cleats on the upper portions of the columns 10 and stays 17 respectively.

A floor grating 31, on which flooring panels 32 may be mounted, is supported on and fixed to the ground beams 5.

Wall members 3 are fixed to the floor grating 31 and to the columns 10 of the triangular frame 7.

The walls of the prefabricated building are built up from a plurality of cooperating wall members 3 which may be mounted alongside and on top of each other (see Figure 1) to fill the space between adjacent columns 10.

The wall members 3 may take a variety of different forms.

These include, opaque wall members 26, transparent wall members 27 and wall members fitted with door and/or window elements. The wall members may also be fitted with built-in services (e.g. air conditioning, heating) or insulation.

Wall support elements 33 are fixed to the outer edges of the floor grating 31 (see Figure 2).

The wall support elements 33 and the bottom portion 34 of wall members 3 have matching castellated profiles which engage with each other to form a watertight seal. The top portion 35 of the wall members 3 have similar castellated profiles which are engageable with the bottom portions 34 of wall members 3 to form a watertight seal (see Figure 2).

The wall members 3 are secured to the columns 10 by, for example, a screw arrangement, bayonet couplings or any other suitable fastening.

The vertical sides of adjacent wall members are equiped with co-operating elastic elements which form a watertight seal when wall members 3 are placed along side each other.

Roofing panels 4 are fixed to the horizontal tie beams 8,9 of the vertical support means 2.

The roofing panels 4 each have top and bottom sheet elements which form top and bottom surfaces 36,37 respectively. The top and bottom surfaces 36,37 are joined by side wall elements to form a hollow closed roofing panel 4. The roofing panel 4 is provided with internal reinforcement elements 38,39,40. All the roofing panel elements are made from pultruded GRP.

Each roofing panel 4 comprises a first support end 41 for mounting on vertical support means 2, and a second end 42 which is not supported by vertical support means 2.

In addition, the roofing panel 4 is provided with a handle 43 at its support end 41 and projecting beams 44 at the second end 42 for ease of handling of the roofing panel 4. The projecting beams 44 are also used to connect opposite roofing panels 4,4'.

Each roofing panel is pivotably secured to the first tie beam 8 at two locations 46,46'. For this purpose, two hinges 45 are fixed to a roofing panel internal reinforcement element 40. Each hinge comprises two plates 47,48 with a plate 48 of each hinge being fixed to the roofing panel internal reinforcement element 40 at each securing location 46,46' (See Figure 6 for details of the roofing panel fixing means). The hinged plate 47 is pivotable about the lower surface 37 of the roofing panel 4. The pivotable plate 47 may be secured to the hollow roofing panel 4 by a clip arrangement when the roofing panel 4 is being transported. The pivotable plate 47 is secured to a bolt 51 projecting from the first tie beam 8. The bolt 51 passes through an elongate slot 52 in the pivotable plate 47 and the pivotable plate 47 is secured to the bolt 51 by a nut 50. The elongate slot 52 allows the plate 47 to move in a direction parallel to the first tie beam 8 relative to the tie beam 8 when the plate 47 is located on the bolt 51 and the nut 50 has not been tightly fastened.

Each roofing panel 4 is fixed to a second tie beam 9 at two locations 53,53'. For this purpose, the roofing panel 4 is provided with two projecting plates 54. Each plate 54 is secured to the second tie-beam 9 by a nut 55 and bolt 61. The bolt passes through registering holes 62,63 (in the plate 54). The hole 64 in the projecting plate is an elongate slot similar to that in the pivotable plate 47.

The plate 54 is slidably located inside the roofing panel 4.

The plate 54 is secured inside the roofing panel 4 when the panel is being transported and is slid into a position in which it projects from the roofing panel lower surface 37 when the building is being assembled. During assembly, the projecting plate 54 is positioned in a slot 65 in the upper surface of the second tie-beam before being fastened by the nut 55 and bolt 61 arrangement.

In addition, roofing panel 4 and the first tie beam 8 are provided with co-operating engagement surfaces 66,67 respectively.

Surfaces 66,67 allow movement of the roofing panel relative to the tie beam in a direction parallel to the tie beams 8,9 whilst inhibiting movement parallel to the plane of the triangular frames 7.

When mounted, the centre of gravity of the roofing panel 4 is located near to the first tie beam 8 and displaced from the supported end 41 of the roofing panel 4. The stay frame member 17 therefore acts as a tension member.

The projecting beams 44 of opposite roofing panels 4,4' are coupled by a nut and bolt arrangement 68. The use of a pin joint such as a nut and bolt arrangement to couple opposite roofing panels 4,4' results in a three pin arch structure.

The top surface 36 of each roofing panel 4,4' has a trapezoidal section rail 69 fixed thereon to which an edge 70 of a polycarbonate transparent element 76 is removably secured to form a sky-light.

The vertical adjoining sides of adjacent roofing panels 4 are provided with co-operating elements 78,79 which form a double gasket having a gutter portion when pushed together. The top surfaces 36 of adjacent roofing panels 4 are provided with raised portions 80,80' which together form a water channel.

The prefabricated building assembly is assembled as follows: i) base plates 6 and ground beams 5 are located at a number of predetermined locations; ii) the triangular frames 7 are fixed to the ground beams 5, horizontal tie beams 8,9 are fixed to the frames 7, floor grating elements 31 are mounted on the ground beams 5, wall support elements 33 are attached to the edges of the floor grating elements 31 on which wall members 3 will be positioned, and flooring panels 32 are mounted on the floor grating 31; iii) at least one side wall member 3 is fixed to and between the columns 10 of adjacent triangular frames 7, and engaged with a wall support element 33; iv) the pivotable plates 47 of a roofing panel 4 are located on the corresponding bolts 51 of a first tie beam 8, with the second end 42 of the roofing panel 4 being supported on the flooring panels 32, and nut 50 fastened so as to allow movement of the roofing panel 4 relative to the tie beam 8; v) the roofing panel 4 is pivoted about the first tie beam 8 and fixed to the second tie beam 9, and nut 55 fastened so as to allow movement of the roofing panel 4 relative to the second tie beam 9; vi) the roofing panel 4 is slid along the tie beams 8,9 to a predetermined position; vii) nuts 50,55 are tightened further so as to prevent any further movement of the roofing panel 4 relative to the tie beams 8,9; tvi.iZfurther roofing panels 4 are mounted on horizontal tie beam members 8,9, with opposite roofing panels 4,4' being coupled together and adjacent roofing panels being pushed together; ix) sky-light elements 76 are fixed between opposite roofing panels 4,4'; and x) any desired further wall members 3 are secured to the columns 10.

The prefabricated building of the present embodiment may be assembled in a number of different configurations. These include those shown in Figures 9,10 and 11.

Figure 9 illustrates a sectional building in which a number of vault-like structures similar to that of Figure 1 are placed alongside each other to form a larger building.

The internal frames 81 may be fitted with wall members to define a corridor or service area between distinct spaces.

Alternatively one large space without internal walls may be provided. Adjoining roofing panel support ends 41 are fitted with a gutter element 83.

Figure 10 illustrates a sectional building in which the unsupported ends 42 of each roofing panel 4 are coupled to the supported ends 41 of a second roofing panel by transparent elements 84. The building assembly further comprises gutter elements 85 and column members 86. The column members 86 engage the projecting beams 44 of the roofing panels 4 and are suitable for supporting wall members 3.

The prefabricated building assembly described above results in a sturdy, aesthetically pleasing structure which is easily assembled and transported. Amongst the advantages of the roofing assembly of the invention are the following: i) Flexibility. The assembly may be used in a large variety of locations and arranged to form buildings having a large range of floor-plan configurations.

ii) Transportability. The relatively flat components of the assembly allow the unassembled structure to be efficiently stored.

iii) Speed of Erection. The method of assembly described allows for quick and simple erection.

iv) Lightness. The assembly may be manufactured from lightweight materials and is therefore lighter than most of the available alternatives.

The building assembly of the present invention is especially suitable for situations where a marquee or tent would be too flimsy; a number of small, interconnecting modular cabins too limited in their possible floor-plan configurations/permutations; and a dedicated structure too expensive. The building assembly of the present invention is particularly useful for providing temporary accomodation in disaster relief operations.

Claims

CLAIMS:

5. A sectional pre-fabricated building assembly wherein each section comprises at least one vertical support means and at least one roofing panel removably mounted on the support means, the roofing panel being locatable at a pre-determined position on and pivotable about the support means.
2. A pre-fabricated building assembly according to claim 1 wherein the support means and roofing panel are made from a composite material.
3. A pre-fabricated building assembly according to claim 1 wherein the composite material is a pultruded fibre reinforced thermoset polymer.
t. A pre-fabricated building assembly according to claim 1 wherein the vertical support means comprises at least two parallel triangular frames and at least two horizontal tie-beam members inter-connecting the upper parts of the frames and being perpendicular to the planes destined by the triangular frames, the triangular frames each comprising a vertical column member, a stay member at an angle to and fixed to the column member and an upper member having a first end fixed to the column member and a second end fixed to the stay member.
5. A pre-fabricated building assembly according to claim 4 wherein the upper member is inclined at an angle to the horizontal and the first end is higher than the second end.
6. A pre-fabricated building assembly according to claim 4 wherein two tie-beam members are removably fixed to the frames, a first tie-beam member fixable to the respective first ends of the frame upper members and a second tie-beam member fixable to the respective second ends of the frame upper members.
7. A pre-fabricated building assembly according to any of claims 4 to 6 comprising fixing means for removably fixing the roofing panel to the support means, wherein the fixing means has an unengaged position, an initial engaged position in which the roofing panel is slidable along and pivotable about the first tie-beam and a final engaged position in which the roofing panel is not slidable along or pivotable about the first tie-beam.
8. A pre-fabricated building assembly according to claim 7 wherein the fixing means comprises at least one set of fixing means, each set of fixing means comprising a first fixing means and at least a second fixing means displaced from the first fixing means, wherein the first fixing means comprises a plate hinged to the lower surface of the roofing panel and having an elongate slot, a pin projecting from the first tie-beam and engageable with the elongate slot to allow the plate to slide parallel to the major axis of the elongate slot, and a nut engageable with the pin.
9. A pre-fabricated building assembly according to claim 2 wherein the support means and roofing panels have complementary engagement means that allow movement of the roofing panel re:tie to the support means in a direction parallel to the horizontal tie-beams and inhibit movement of the roofing panel relative to the support means in a direction perpendicular to the horizontal tie-beams.
10. A pre-fabricated modular building assembly, substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.
11. A method of assembly of the building assembly of claim 1, comprising the following steps: raising at least one vertical support means to an upright position and fixing the base of the support means; leaning a roofing panel against the support means, locating the roofing panel at a pre-determined position on the support means; pivoting the roofing panel into position; and repeating the above steps for any further roofing panels.
12. A method of assembly of the building assembly of claim 8, comprising the following steps; raising at least two triangular frames to an upright position and fixing the bottom part of the column members; fixing first and second tie-beams to and inter-connecting the frames; leaning a roofing panel against the support means with the end of the roofing panel not having fixing means being supported by the ground; fixing the roofing panel to the support means with the first fixing means in its initial engaged position; pivoting the roofing panel about the first tie-beam and supporting the roofing panel on first and second tie-beams; sliding the roofing panel to a pre-determined location; fixing the roofing panel to the support means with the the second fixing means and moving the first fixing means to its final engaged position; repeating the above steps for any further roofing panels.
13. A method of assembly according to claim '2, wherein wall members are fixed to and inter-corect the columns prior to the step cf leaning the roofing panel agaInst the support means.
14. A method of assembly of a pre-fabricated modular building assembly, substantially as herein describe with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.