GB2283046A

GB2283046A - Corner joint arrangement

Info

Publication number: GB2283046A
Application number: GB9421409A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ruth Langer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-10-22
Filing date: 1994-10-21
Publication date: 1995-04-26
Anticipated expiration: 2014-10-21
Also published as: NL194618B; BE1008954A3; FR2711711B1; GB2283046B; GB9421409D0; NL194618C; FR2711711A1; DE4336016A1; NL9401754A

Description

1 CORMR JOINT ARRANGEMENT 2283046 The invention relates to a corner joint

arrangement. Particularly, but not exclusively,. the invention relates to a corner joint arrangement for reinforcement strip rails, in which rails are provided grooves to hold tarpaulins, awnings or the like generally referred to as 'tarpaulins', the tarpaulins being provided with edge reinforcement strips and being used to close off areas which may be erected and dismantled frequently to create work areas, sports, entertainment and/or protective areas, i.e. for scaffolding, stages, marquees, storage areas or similar, and wherein the reinforcement strip rails constructed in the form of profiled rails for securing tarpaulins or awnings have a fastening and support part as well as a reinforcement strip groove part on at least one edge, and wherein the fixed reinforcement strip rails extend in a straight line are substantially rigid, i.e. are constructed to be substantially unbending during normal use, being made of light metal and/or rigid plastics.

In addition to permanent buildings, which generally have straight walls and straight roofs and are erected to last for many years, decades and centuries, there also exists a great need to protect temporarily areas for human use to prevent water, gases, dusts or 2 other pollutants from entering or escaping. The temporary protection most commonly used are tents or marquees to provide protection against inclement weather as well as against the sun's rays, and otherwise provide basic shelter and protection for humans. These are frequently used for celebrations, other entertainment, religious ceremonies, meetings, training sessions, circus and sporting events, and in most cases these tents or marquees are erected on specific sites for relatively short periods of time and then dismantled again after a specific period.

It has long been usual practice to erect support structures with extruded profiles generally made from light metal. These support structures often only follow the shape of walls and roof s. Such prof iles have reinforcement strip grooves in two opposing outer corners. The respective tarpaulins or awnings have reinforcement strips at their edges. These are reinforced edges, which in the past were generally formed by means of leather and cords, but are nowadays generally formed by using plastics, e.g. by a flexible, round, plastic rod being enclosed by the tarpaulin or tarpaulin material in the edge area so that this edge area is folded over in the manner of a hem f lap and is glued and/or firmly sewn directly onto the main portion of the tarpaulin or awning next to the plastic rod without forming a cavity. In the case of such tents or marquees, 3 which are used nowadays in large numbers, the enclosing surfaces are subdivided, like in normal buildings, into a vertical or slightly inclined wall portion and a roof portion, the roof awning covering the upper edge of the wall awning to ensure that this point is sealed as f irmly as possible.

During construction, restoration, cleaning, saf ety and repair operations on building walls, it is increasingly proving at least expedient, if not essential, during this work to secure the outer region of the work area surrounded by scaffolding to prevent objects from falling out of that area or workers from falling from the scaffolding, and above all to prevent vapours or dusts from escaping, in particular when cleaning with water under pressure or during sandblasting. For this purpose, two basic partition wall systems are used. In one system, rigid panels, for example, panels fitted with frames, are joined to one another and secured by overlapping and/or by inserting elastic seals at the junction points. This is expensive and time- consuming, and it is often difficult to achieve a true seal. Therefore, tarpaulins or awnings are preferred in many cases. Simple rectangular awnings with dimensions suitable for easy transport and handling were initially used. However, these pose problems in sealing the junction points, in particular in high winds 4 and rain as well as during sandblasting. For this reason, it was decided some time ago to change to the sealed support and fastening system usual in tent construction using reinforcement strips and reinforcement strip groove profiles.

An arrangement for joining tarpaulins is known from the German Offenlegungsschrift 24 07 552, in which two reinforcement strip groove parts are joined directly to one another. Such reinforcement strip groove rails may be made from light metal or suitable plastics and have been used successfully for a long time. Since they are attached to the actual scaffolding support structure at appropriate intervals and using suitable fastening elements, they must also have the appropriate inherent is rigidity. Consequently, they cannot be made from materials which could bend at random in the corner regions. Therefore, it is also usual in this case to provide a sharp-edged junction point between a horizontal or slightly inclined roof area and a vertical wall area and to abut two separate rigid reinforcement strip groove support parts at angles to one another. It is then necessary to assemble tarpaulin sections accordingly by overlapping parts thereof or pulling them in and then folding over the assembly. The corners are not sealed in these cases. This is no longer feasible particularly during heavy rain and strong winds, when there are fragile items in the interior. but above all in the case of dust and sandblasting material emissions because of the stress on the environment, and this is impermissible when working in narrow urban streets. For these reasons, there is a requirement for a suitable corner joint arrangement.

From constructions a large number of rod framework with reinforcement strip rails for tarpaulins and curved corner guide arrangements between vertical supports and roof section regions, several publications, which do not anticipate the invention, have become known.

DE 40 29 281 A1 relates to a box-shaped hollow profile, in which the reinforcement strip rails are made separately for the box profile to enable both parts to bend separately and so that they may be joined together in a form-locking and non-positive manner. Subsequent changes to the curved arrangement are neither allowed for nor possible.

According to DE 27 21 902 A1 and DE 29 10 647 Al, connection parts are provided for the ridge area in the case of such box profiles. These connection parts have a fixed angle part with a slightly curved reinforcement strip groove. Similarly, the angle in these parts is not adjustable and the connection piece is not made from flexible material, but from metal for a particularly rigid ridge joint.

In the flexible covering for buildings according 6 to DE 40 26 984 Al, the corners between the vertical supports and inclined rafters are at an acute angle. The details shown herein relate to the sliding arrangement of a flexible ridge portion for the purpose of ventilation. No bendable reinforcement strip rail parts are provided.

A process for the production of a construction for enclosing an area covered with a membrane, and a room covering arrangement produced according to this process are known from DE 28 44 152 Al. In this publication, support parts are described which have vertical side supports and purlins with a rounded transition area as a structural part. These rigid structural parts are fitted with reinforcement strip rails, but changes in the angle of the curved reinforcement strip rails and a corresponding adjustment to the local features of a scaffolding cover are not mentioned.

A metal support for scaffolding construction with two continuous reinforcement strip grooves in at least one flange pipe is known from DE 87 07 104 Ul.

Similarly, this publication does not mention a change in angle during or after installation, but relates to a rigid support in the ridge.

An aim of the invention is to provide a corner joint arrangement with the aforementioned features so as to allow rigid reinforcement strip rail parts to be installed bend-free and be tightly joined even at angles of up to 90 between the rigid reinforcement strip rail 7 parts and with even more severe curves at the corner angles.

The invention provides that in the corner region between two rigid fixed reinforcement strip rail parts arranged at an angle to one another, a corner reinforcement strip rail part is provided, which extends at least several decimetres (dm) and is substantially adapted to the profile of the straight fixed reinforcement strip rail parts, the reinforcement strip grooves of said corner reinforcement strip rail part adjoining the rigid reinforcement strip grooves substantially bend-free, and the corner reinforcement strip rail part is constructed as a profile part, which may be bent around different larger radii to allow it to adapt to various angles, and passes through the respective tarpaulin with reinforced edges or a reinforcement strip and extends continuously through the three adjoining reinforcement strip rail parts.

Because a separate corner reinforcement strip rail part is provided and its material characteristics are such that it can be bent around suitably large radii and still assure a bend-free connection of the reinforcement strip grooves, it is now possible to use continuous tarpaulins for the vertical walls and roof surfaces or tarpaulins running continuously horizontally around the corners, which, depending on length and handling properties, may be inserted when the rails are 8 in their finished assembled position. Such connection parts may also be provided in the region of the roof comb in hangars and are not restricted to use are not restricted to use only in the region of the eaves.

However, the arrangement according to the invention is of great advantage for the protection of work areas on scaffolding because it greatly simplifies assembly conditions with little additional expenditure and effort, since the tarpaulin may be installed directly in the short roof portion, which generally amounts to 1 m or 2 m, without assembly of a separate tarpaulin section and without there being any sealing difficulties in the eaves region. In this case, the tarpaulin may be fed to the lower end of the scaffolding or of the hangar-like, tent- is like construction on a drum-like support, transport and assembly arrangement and threaded in at the bottom, and then quickly drawn upwards on ropes using muscle power or run over pulleys. Similarly, during dismantling the entire tarpaulin may be rolled up continuously at the bottom. Great advantages may be achieved in assembly and used with very little expense and effort.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a particular structure of a corner joint arrangement is provided in that the flexible profile part is formed overall from a rubber-like material, which in association with a higher material wall thickness permits a sufficiently dimensionally stable structure, whilst areas is 9 with thinner walls are sufficiently stable against bending in the case of pulling forces of the tarpaulin material acting in the direction of the groove opening, and wherein under the ef f ect of bending forces they allow 5 curved areas to be constructed with a radius of at least 0. 5 m. For expedience, such a material has a Shore hardness of at least 65. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the bendable profile of the corner reinforcement strip rail parts may be composed of different material components, at least with different degrees of rigidity, to merge during extrusion. However, it may be advantageous if the bendable prof ile of the corner reinforcement strip rail parts is constructed in one piece from the same material.

In a development of the invention, the profiles of the rigid rails and the bendable corner profile areas have substantially the same cross- sectional form.

In this case, for expedience, the cross-sectional form has a T-groove profile, in which the screw shank groove points towards the inside of the work area of the scaffolding.

In a development of further elements of the invention, the support profiles of the tarpaulin are connected to the poles by means of holding elements in the area of the poles of the scaffolding.

Moreover, the holding elements and connecting parts in the area of the junction points between rigid and bendable tarpaulin support prof ile parts, i. e. f ixed reinforcement strip rail parts and corner reinforcement strip rail parts, may be fastened by means of holding parts or connection pieces assuring a f lush connection appropriate for installation. In this case, at least in the area of the junction points, flat rod parts in the form of connection pieces may be inserted into the Tgrooves, which have at least one grooved screw, by means of which possibly also the holding elements are detachably fastened. In order to facilitate erection and dismantling, the inside walls of the bendable reinforcement strip grooves of the tarpaulin support element may be provided with a smooth surface and possibly lubricant substances to ease insertion of the tarpaulin elements, which are often many metres in length.

For expedience, a metal joint cover, i.e. a profile metal part, corresponding to the external shape of the profile is provided over the joint between the rigid profile and the flexible profile. In this case, the joint cover may advantageously be connected with a screw penetrating through the rigid connection piece in the form of an insert part spanning the joint. In the rigid profile only the metal part located in the groove rail may be screwed from below.

As a development of the further elements of the invention, at least one holding means, which may be 11 adjusted in height and fixed in position, is provided for the reinforcement strip rail part, which holds the roof surface with the tarpaulin over the work area formed in the scaffolding. In this case, the auxiliary means for the holding element may be attached onto the upper ends of the scaffolding poles and provided with further connection means, e.g. a vertical slide tube with insert pins may be provided.

Details, developments, advantages and features of the invention may be seen from the further claims and the following description, in which embodiments are explained on the basis of drawings.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows the inclined view of part of a house with scaffolding standing against one wall, the work area being secured by means of tarpaulins, in which several zones to above the eaves are shown with tarpaulins in installed position, whereas the front zone is shown when the tarpaulin drawn up into the two reinforcement strip grooves; Figure 2 shows a predominantly diagrammatic side view of an upper scaffolding corner with three reinforcement strip groove parts connected to one another, in which the central section is flexible in order to span the corner; 12 Figure 3 shows a cross-section of the profile of the corner reinforcement strip rail part; Figure 4 shows a cross-section of the fixed reinforcement strip rail part; Figure 5 shows the superposed view of the crosssections of the two reinforcement strip rail parts, the reinforcement strip grooves and the T- groove being shown to be equal and overlapping or flush; Figure 6 shows an inclined view from inside at the bottom to the top right onto a corner, in which two fixed reinforcement strip rail parts are spanned by a corner reinforcement strip rail part, without any tarpaulin drawn up at the front; Figure 7 shows a vertical section of the connection areas between the corner reinforcement strip rail and the fixed reinforcement strip rail, the corner reinforcement strip rail being shown with a break; Figure 8 shows an inside view of the junction point between the lower fixed reinforcement strip rail and the corner reinforcement strip rail; Figure 9 shows a cross-section through the corner reinforcement strip rail in the area of the screw joint between the profile metal part and the connection piece; Figure 10 shows a diagrammatic side view of the angle- and height- adjustable support of the upper fixed reinforcement strip rail; Figure 11 shows a diagrammatic side view of 13 scaffolding with tarpaulins, in which the upper roof tarpaulin with its fixed reinforcement strip rail extends to a low-pitched roof of a house; Figure 12 shows a view corresponding to that in Figure 11, in which the upper roof tarpaulin covering the work area inside the scaffolding extends with its fixed reinforcement strip rail over a high-pitched roof of a building; and Figure 13 shows a view corresponding to that in Figures 11 and 12, in which the reinforcement strip rails and the corresponding tarpaulins extend over the edge area of a flat-roofed building.

Figures 1 to 11 show diagrammatic views and details or an embodiment, whereas Figures 12 and 13 show is the assembly in the case of different transition arrangements between the scaffolding and the corner of the roof of the building with the same technical construction.

The building 20 shown in Figure 1 is a two-storey house, for example, with the house roof 21 constructed as the usual gable roof with scaffolding 25 reaching to below the eaves 22, which together with the gutter (not shown in detail) lies above the uppermost working surface: the scaffolding floor 30.1.

The scaffolding 25 is constructed as a conventional supporting framework using vertical poles 26, horizontal bars 27 and diagonal stays 28, and is 14 provided with conventional scaffold floors 30 forming walkways and working surfaces. It is joined together by attaching horizontal punched discs 31 at set intervals, to which the other elements are fastened by means of 5 wedge elements 32.

The scaf f olding 25 is erected in the usual manner according to the working requirements and the features of the building. In this case, the outer regions 40 of the area formed by the scaffolding are constructed using tarpaulins 41 to define a substantially enclosed work area 43, which is sealed to the outside. For this purpose, vertical fixed reinforcement strip rails 47 corresponding to the zone width 44 are attached by means of fastening elements 46 to the vertical poles in a manner known per se. To create the sealed roof 23 of the scaffolding area, upper fixed reinforcement strip rails 49 forming and supporting the scaffolding roof are also fastened to the scaffolding 25 by means of fastening elements 51 and 52. A corner reinforcement strip rail part 50 is provided to create a continuous corner transition 55. The former is made from flexible material and is fastened to the adjacent reinforcement strip rail parts by means of connecting elements 56, as may be seen in detail from the other figures.

According to Figure 4, the fixed reinforcement strip rail parts 47 and 49 are formed by a fixed reinforcement strip rail profile 60 constructed according 4 i is to the principles of continuous casting f or light metals. The fixed reinforcement strip rail profile 60 has reinforcement strip grooves 61.1 and 61.2 in the two upper outer corner regions which define a mouth-like cylindrical area 59 for the reinforcement 66. This mouth-like cylindrical area 59 has an opening 63 defined by two part-cylindrical edges 64.1 and 64.2 so that the opening 63 receives the edge of the actual tarpaulin or its reinforced edge, i.e. the connection of the reinforcement strip 66 of the tarpaulin 67 lying on the inside and its reinforced edge 68 (Figure 5).

The support area 70 of the fixed reinforcement strip rail profile 60 defines a T-groove 71, which has a conventional continuous screw shank opening 72 and abutments 73.1 and 73.2 for the fastening elements to be inserted. Support legs 74.1 and 74.2 located on the outside provide greater stability for the rail and secure inserted connecting parts of fastening elements against rotation. The connecting wall 75 has a slightly greater wall thickness 76 than the wall thickness 77 of the support legs 74.1 and 74.2 and of the T-groove side walls 78. The containing walls 79 of the reinforcement strip groove have about the same wall thickness as wall thickness 77 except in the connection area 81. This known profile is used thus far, however the tarpaulin then terminates in the area at the end of the rail and the area is substantially sealed by overlapping.

16 A further component with identical profile, namely the corner reinforcement strip rail 50, is used in the arrangement according to the invention for the scaffolding covering described here for purposes of illustration, or other partitioning system. This corner reinforcement strip rail 50 has a corner reinforcement strip rail profile 80, which is shown in cross-section in Figure 3, with the T-groove 71, which is defined by slightly rounded corners 71.1. The T-groove 71 has the same dimensions as in the case of the fixed reinforcement strip rail profile 60. The reinforcement strip grooves 62 or 62.1 and 62.2 of the corner reinforcement strip rail 50 are also the same size, only the openings 84 are smaller than the openings 63 in the case of the f ixed reinforcement strip rails. The wall thicknesses in the rigid zones 82 and 83 close to the central support area 86 are not defined linearly as in the light metal construction, but by rounded and curved wall constructions, which provide greater resistance for the open mouth boundaries 85 against the mouth bending upwards when exposed to side pulling forces. In addition, the support legs 74.1 and 74.2 are dispensed with to allow favourable flexibility and because no corresponding connecting elements are to be connected.

These corner reinforcement strip rail parts 50 are cut from an extruded profile several metres in length which as base material already has a certain curvature, 17 as is also known in plastic tubes for water tube systems and similar materials. Whilst this is of ten a disturbing factor, in this case it is of benefit to assembly and to proper connection, since the corner reinforcement strip rail parts must be installed with a curvature in every case.

A material corresponding to a harder rubber is suitable for use, such as referred to in DIN 7863 as EPM. The full term for the material is ethylene propylene diene rubber. The material used here may have a Shore hardness in the order of 70, if the wall and size conditions illustrated here are used. Other plastics or material combinations corresponding to the respective level of development may also be used here, optionally is with reinforcing agents or with a different type of material or rigidity or hardness structure. It is important that an the one hand the fastening elements can be securely connected and on the other hand that the entire rail part has a certain rigidity, but can be bent in accordance with the corner curvature conditions in a slightly circular shape or in the shape of part of an ellipsis or part of a parabola, while the reinforcement strip grooves 62.1 and 62.2 substantially retain their basic shape and the mouth boundaries 85 assure that the reinforcement strips of the tarpaulins 41 are also held in curved position when exposed to side pulling forces resulting from wind or assembly forces or other securing 18 forces.

Figure 5 shows the position of the outer contours of the two profiles shown in Figures 3 and 4 in relation to one another. It may be clearly seen here that the contours overlap in the area of the T-groove 71. This must be the case because a common rigid metal connection piece 90 has to span the joint and must be usable for this purpose.

Similarly, the reinforcement strip grooves 61 or 62 have the same internal profile, namely on the cylindrical boundary of the main area, that is of the cylindrical area 59. Only the mouth openings 63 and 84 are slightly different. This is as a result of the different choice of material, as shown above.

Whereas the external contour 89 of the corner reinforcement strip rail 50 is shown in solid lines, the external contour 88 of the metal fixed reinforcement strip rail is shown in broken lines to make clear which rounded reinforced areas are structured differently in the corner reinforcement strip rail made from flexible material without this influencing the continuous installation and the continuous insertion of the reinforcement strips of the tarpaulins.

Figures 6 to 9 show the connections between the metal fixed reinforcement strip rail parts 47 and 49 and the bendable corner reinforcement strip rail part 50 as is 19 well as the individual components required f or this. These have the same structure in each case. A respective rectangular connection piece 90, which is formed from rectangular flat material, spans the joint 91.1 or 91.2 and fills out the shape except for a lead-in clearance, is located in the T-groove 71. A respective profile metal part 93 is located on the outside surface. The former is screwed onto the connection piece 90 through the respective end of the corner reinforcement strip rail part 50 by means of a screw 94. Both of the spanning components made from rustproof or corrosion -protected metal extend with approximately the same dimensions to both sides of each joint. The f ree end 95 of the connection piece 90 may also have a threaded hole for a grooved screw. The profile metal part 93 overlaps the external walls of the upper mouth boundaries 85 on both sides up to a short distance in front of the mouth openings 84 and is constructed to substantially fit on the external contour 89 of the corner reinforcement strip rail part so that a good form connection may also be achieved with only one or two screws to provide a good seal in the area of the joint 91.1 or 91.2.

Holding elements are provided for fastening the fixed reinforcement strip rail parts 47 and 49. In this case, a vertical rail holding element 101 is provided. This has a tube section 102 with a connecting wedgeshaped element 32 for fastening on the punched disc 31, and on its outer end has a rail engagement section 104 which is welded in front of the face of the tube section 102. It fits between the support legs 74.1 and 74.2 and is firmly connected by means of two grooved screws 107 fitted into the T-groove 71 at their heads to hold the respective fixed reinforcement strip rail part 47 in the appropriate height position. The distance of the vertical rail composed from several fixed reinforcement strip rail parts 47 joined together from the outer pole 26 of the scaffolding 25 is determined by the length of the tube section 102 and should be selected to ensure that the openings outside the scaffolding floors 30 are not too large.

Hinged connections are required for fastening the 15 fixed reinforcement st=ip rail parts 49 also forming the roof of the scaffolding, in order to allow them to adapt to the relative height position of the upper ends of the poles 26 and the roof of the building. In this case, a simple tube attachment 110 is provided for the outer pole according to Figures 10 and 11. At its upper end, this has a simple hinge ill which receives a hinge strap 112. The latter is welded to a connection part 113 fitting between the support legs 74.1 and 74.2 of the fixed reinforcement strip rail parts 49 and has a grooved screw 107. The individual circumstances and curvatures in the corner transition area 55 may be adapted to by longitudinal displacement into the Tgrooves and by 21 tightening the screw joint within the scope allowed in assembly, as may be seen from Figures 10 to 13.

To enable the fixed reinforcement strip rails 49 f or spanning to the house roof 21 to be adapted to requirements, a further sliding and holding element 116 with height -adjustable holding means 117 is required. The hinged and holding arrangement on the upper fixed reinforcement strip rail 49 has the same structure as the component described above and is provided with the same reference numerals. The sliding and holding element 116 is attached onto the upper end of the vertical pole 26.2 and is secured in the attachment hole 119, for example, with a insert pin. A slide tube 121arranged vertically at a short distance therefrom is connected to the heightadjustable holding means 117 via a connection piece 122. The adjustable holding element 125 has an insert tube 126 fitting into the slide tube 121 which has several appropriately spaced continuous holes 127 for the insert pins. As shown in Figures 10 to 13, the height position of the relevant side may therefore be selected within very narrow limits to result in the scaffolding roof 23 having an inclination adapted to the local characteristics over the work area 43 of the scaffolding 25. For this, a connection tube 128 is connected to the upper ends of the fixed reinforcement strip rail parts 49 in the usual manner. The upper ends of the tarpaulins 22 may also be fastened thereto.

Assembly proceeds as follows: the scaffolding 25 is erected in the usual manner. The vertical fixed reinforcement strip rail parts 47 are fastened to the outer poles 26 in the usual manner. They are generally equal in length to the poles and the joints each lie in the same height position. The holding elements to be provided at the upper end are then attached, possibly loosely initially so as to be adapted. The corner reinforcement strip rail part 50 is inserted by its two protruding and firmly connected components (free end 95 of connection piece 90 and profile metal part 93 into the T-grooves 71 of the adjacent fixed reinforcement strip rail parts 47 and 49. The upper fixed reinforcement strip rail part 49 may then be installed. After all the screws have been aligned and tightened, the tarpaulin 41 with its reinforced edges 68 and its reinforcement strips 66 is inserted into the corresponding reinforcement strip grooves 61 and pulled upwards by means of ropes 132 secured in eyelets 131 - as evident from the right-hand section of Figure 1. In this way, the tarpaulin 41 may be pulled up without interruption through the corner transition area 55 to the end of the upper fixed reinforcement strip rails 49, which are slightly inclined in relation to the horizontal, in the edge region of the house roof 21, and then be fixed in suitable positions by additional means such as straps and metal fastening 23 elements so that the tarpaulin does not slip down. As may be seen from Figure 1, the tarpaulin 41 may be pulled up from the roll, and may accordingly be dropped on dismantling and at the same time rolled up again. Hence, the area may be quickly and simply covered section by section by the tarpaulins 41 after installation of the reinforcement strip rails. A secure and well sealed outer surface is thus achieved for the work area 43 within the scaffolding 25. In the same manner, tents and other wall sections for closing off specific areas maybe drawn around corners via suitably bent rounded sections using tarpaulins or awnings and suitable reinforcement strip rails, which may also be directed horizontally or on an incline. In this case the curves should be selected so that the radius 130 amounts to several decimetres to ensure on the one hand that the material of the corner reinforcement strip rail parts 50 may be sufficiently dimensionally stable and still be adequately flexible, and on the other hand that sliding movements of the reinforced edges and reinforcement strips of the tarpaulins are not hindered. only a few additional components assure such an arrangement, which encourages water, dust and other dirt formed on the inside to slide off it, and also allows the area to be thoroughly cleaned using pressure water jets after the work has been concluded.

Tarpaulins with reinforcements are secured in 24 rigid reinforcement strip rails (47, 49) for defining specific areas. A corner reinforcement strip rail part (50) may allow continuous assembly via rounded corners if it is made from flexible, but dimensionally stable 5 material.

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Claims

CLAIMS:

is 1. A corner joint arrangement for reinforcement strip rails, in which grooves hold tarpaulins provided with edge reinforcement strips used to close off areas which may be erected and dismantled frequently to create work areas, sports, entertainment and/or protective areas, i.e. for scaffolding, stages, marquees, storage areas or similar, and wherein the reinforcement strip rails constructed in the form of profiled rails for securing tarpaulins or awnings have a fastening and support part as well as a reinforcement strip groove part on at least one edge, and wherein the fixed reinforcement strip rails extending in a straight line are substantially rigid, i.e. are constructed to be unbending during normal use, being made of light metal and/or rigid plastics, in which in the corner region between two rigid fixed reinforcement strip rail parts arranged at an angle to one another, a corner reinforcement strip rail part is provided, which extends at least several decimetres (dm) and is substantially adapted to the profile of the straight fixed reinforcement strip rail parts the reinforcement strip grooves of said corner reinforcement strip rail part adjoining the rigid reinforcement strip grooves substantially bend-free, and the corner reinforcement strip rail part is constructed as a profile part, which may be bent around different larger radii to 26 allow it to adapt to various angles, and passes through the respective tarpaulin with reinforced edges or a reinforcement strip and extends continuously through the three adjoining reinforcement strip rail parts.
2. A corner joint arrangement according to Claim 1, in which the flexible profile part (corner reinforcement strip rail part 50) is formed overall from a rubber-like material, which in association with a higher material wall thickness permits a sufficiently dimensionally stable structure, whilst areas with thinner walls (mouth boundaries 50) are sufficiently stable against bending in the case of pulling f orces of the tarpaulin material acting in the direction of the groove opening (mouth opening 84), and wherein under the ef f ect of bending forces they allow curved areas (55, 130) to be constructed with a radius of at least 0.5 m.
3. A corner joint arrangement according to Claim 2, in which the material has a Shore hardness of at least 65.
4. A corner joint arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the bendable profile of the corner reinforcement strip rail parts is composed of different material components, at least with different degrees of rigidity, to merge during i extrusion.

7
5. A corner joint arrangement according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the bendable profile of the corner reinforcement strip rail parts is constructed in one piece from the same material.
6. A corner joint arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the profiles of the rigid rails and the bendable corner profile areas have substantially the same cross-sectional form.
7. A corner joint arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cross-sectional form includes a T-groove profile, in which the screw shank groove points towards the inside of the work area of the scaffolding.
8. A corner joint arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the support profiles of the tarpaulin are connected to the poles by means of holding elements in the area of the poles of the scaffolding.

2C
9. A corner joint arrangement according to any one of the preceding claints, in which the holding elements and connecting parts are located in the area of the 28 junction points between rigid and bendable tarpaulin support profile parts, i.e. fixed reinforcement strip rail parts and corner reinforcement strip rail parts, are fastened by means of holding parts or connection pieces assuring a flush connection appropriate for installation.
10. A corner joint arrangement according to Claim 9, in which at least in the area of the junction points, flat rod parts in the form of connection pieces (90) are inserted into the T-grooves, which have at least one grooved screw (107), by means of which possibly also the holding elements are detachably fastened.
11. A corner joint arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the inside walls of the bendable reinforcement strip grooves of the tarpaulin support element (cylindrical areas 59) are provided with a smooth surface and possibly lubricant substances to ease insertion of the tarpaulin elements, which are often many metres in length.
12. A corner joint arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, in which a metal joint cover (profile metal part 93) corresponding to the external shape of the profile is provided over the joint between the rigid profile and the flexible profile.

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13. A corner joint arrangement according to Claim 12, in which the joint cover is connected with a screw penetrating through the rigid insertion part (connection piece 90) spanning the joint.
14. A corner joint arrangement according to Claim 13, in the rigid profile of which only the metal insert part (connection piece 90) located in the groove rail is screwed from below.
is. A corner joint arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, in which at least one holding means, which may be adjusted in height and fixed in position, is provided for the reinforcement strip rail part, which holds the roof surface with the tarpaulin over the work area formed in the scaffolding.
16. A corner joint arrangement substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
17. A structure comprising a supporting frame and a sheet member, in which the frame comprises a plurality of support members, each of which has a groove shaped and dimensioned to receive and retain an edge portion of the sheet member, and a corner member having a groove similar to that of the members, and formed as to interconnect ends of the support members so as to allow the sheet member to extend continuously therebetween.
is. A structure comprising a supporting frame or a sheet member substantially as herein described with 5 reference to the drawings.
19. A structure according to claim 17 or claim 18, in which the sheet member comprises a tarpaulin, awning, net, mesh, textile or plastics sheet.
20. A corner member for a framework structure, the structure comprising a plurality of supporting members, each having a groove adapted to receive and retain an edge portion of a sheet member, the corner member being formed as to be placeable between two supporting members and having a groove which cooperates with the grooves in the supporting members to provide continuous retention of a sheet member between the support members.
21. A corner member for a frame structure substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.