GB2287260A - Grating - Google Patents
Grating Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2287260A GB2287260A GB9504565A GB9504565A GB2287260A GB 2287260 A GB2287260 A GB 2287260A GB 9504565 A GB9504565 A GB 9504565A GB 9504565 A GB9504565 A GB 9504565A GB 2287260 A GB2287260 A GB 2287260A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- load bearing
- spacer
- grating
- locating means
- adjacent
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E04—BUILDING
- E04C—STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS; BUILDING MATERIALS
- E04C2/00—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels
- E04C2/30—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels characterised by the shape or structure
- E04C2/42—Gratings; Grid-like panels
- E04C2/421—Gratings; Grid-like panels made of bar-like elements, e.g. bars discontinuous in one direction
- E04C2/422—Gratings; Grid-like panels made of bar-like elements, e.g. bars discontinuous in one direction with continuous bars connecting at crossing points of the grid pattern
- E04C2/425—Gratings; Grid-like panels made of bar-like elements, e.g. bars discontinuous in one direction with continuous bars connecting at crossing points of the grid pattern made of perforated bars
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Architecture (AREA)
- Civil Engineering (AREA)
- Structural Engineering (AREA)
- Floor Finish (AREA)
Abstract
A grating (1) is provided in which load bearing members (4) are held in lateral spaced relationship by transverse discrete spacers (6) and associated locating means. The spacers extend between adjacent load bearing members (4) to space them apart, and the locating means (12) pass through apertures in the load bearing members to interconnect adjacent spacers. The spacers and associated locating means may be fastened together in a variety of ways e.g. screw-threaded or frictional engagement, or may be formed as an integral member (6). The load bearing members (4) may have different lengths, forming gratings (1) of various external shapes. <IMAGE>
Description
GRATING
The present invention relates to gratings and particularly, though not exclusively, to floor gratings in which a plurality of longitudinally extending, spaced load bearing members are maintained in spaced apart relationship, usually substantially parallel, by transverse connecting members.
The terms flooring members, support members, bearing bars, loading bars and load bearing members are commonly used to refer to the same components; the term load bearing members will be used herein for consistency but should be regarded as incorporating the other terms.
In one known floor grating, described in US Patent 4 244 768, transverse dowels pass through aligned apertures in spaced load bearing members each of which is adhesively bonded at its aperture to the dowel to maintain the load bearing members in spaced apart relationship. Application of adhesive at each junction of the assembled grating is time consuming and costly in production terms; special jigs are required to maintain the load bearing members in spaced apart relationship during manufacture of a grating and the adhesive bonds are apt to break under working stresses of the grating, destroying the structural integrity of the assembly.
In another known grating, disclosed in US Patent 4 522 009, a cross member provided with spaced notches passes through aligned apertures in a plurality of load bearing members, each load bearing member locating at a separate spaced notch of the cross member. The cross member is constructed in three parts to enable it to be assembled with the load bearing members. The load bearing members are held in the desired spaced apart relationship, a pair of notched outer spacers are fed into aligned apertures in the load bearing members and held in place with their notches engaging the load bearing members whilst a core member is inserted between them, to force them apart and complete the cross member.The three parts of the cross member need to be adhesively bonded together and the cross member is bonded at each aperture to the load bearing members once assembled, all of which adds to manufacturing time and expense.
In yet another known grating, disclosed in US
Patent 4 037 383, a cross bar passes through aligned apertures in load bearing members, spacers are mounted free to move transversely on the cross bar intermediate adjacent load bearing members and the ends of each cross bar are bolted or otherwise fastened to the outer load bearing bars to secure the structure together. If part of a cross bar is cut away to form a cut-away section in a grating the grating will disassemble as the remaining load bearing members will no longer be retained in position.
An aim of the present invention is to provide an improvement in the way load bearing members of a grating are held in spaced apart relationship.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a grating in which load bearing members are held in laterally spaced relationship by transverse discrete spacers and associated locating means, the spacers extending between adjacent load bearing members to space the load bearing members apart and the locating means passing through apertures in the load bearing members to interconnect adjacent spacers by means of a positive fastening -with each interconnected spacer.
A plurality of individual locating means may be provided, each individual locating means being adapted to interconnect immediately adjacent spacers.
The positive fastening between a spacer and its associated locating means may be provided in various ways, for example, by a screw-threaded engagement, a snap fit engagement, a frictional engagement, by a spacer being bonded to its associated locating means or by a spacer and its associated locating means being provided as an integral member.
Each locating means may be provided by a stud which passes through the respective load bearing member in the grating and to which adjacent spacers at either side of the load bearing member are positively retained. The stud may be screw-threaded. Where the stud is screw-threaded, a spacer may be attached to it by engagement of the screw-threaded stud with a correspondingly screw-threaded aperture provided in that spacer.
In one preferred embodiment, combined spacer and locating means are provided as integral members in the form of a male/female connector. Each connector comprises a spacer and a first and second locating means, the spacer having a spacer body and substantially parallel opposite first and second spacer faces, the first locating means being an externally screw-threaded central stud integral with the first spacer face and projecting therefrom substantially perpendicularly away from the spacer body, and the second locating means being a central correspondingly internally screw-threaded aperture penetrating substantially perpendicularly into the spacer body. In the grating assembly, the stud of a first male/female connector passes through an aperture provided transversely in a load bearing member and engages with the screw-threaded aperture of a second male/female connector.The load bearing member is sandwiched between, and preferably clamped in compression between, adjacent spacer faces of the first and second male/female connectors.
Instead of male/female connectors being provided, alternative male/male and female/female connectors may be used to connect adjacent load bearing members. Each male/male connector comprises a spacer and locating means in the form of a stud projecting from each of the ends of the spacer. Each female/female connector comprises a spacer and locating means in the form of an aperture corresponding to such a stud provided in each of the ends of the spacer.
Where combined spacer and locating means are provided by a screw-threaded connector, the connector may be provided with opposing flats to facilitate rotation for engagement with an ~adjacent connector.
The connector may be shaped to facilitate its handling and tightening by an automatic tool or apparatus. The connector may be provided without flats or other special shaping; for example it may be cylindrical and be arranged to be rotated by suitable gripping means.
Sandwiching each load bearing bar of a grating between spacer faces of connected spacers confers a high degree of mechanical integrity to the grating.
When subjected to a transverse load, a load bearing member bears against the surface of the adjacent spacer face; this provides greater support than prior known arrangements in which a load bearing member acts transversely only upon a shallow notch or upon adhesive on a plain cross bar. Where a load bearing member is clamped in compression between adjacent spacers, undesirable transverse rotation due to transverse forces is further reduced.
The present invention may permit a grating of adequate strength and integrity to be constructed without the use of adhesive or resin. When desired, however, resin or adhesive may be applied to bond a spacer to its adjacent load bearing member, to bond a spacer face of a spacer to its adjacent load bearing member, or to bond a spacer at its aperture to its associated locating means.
The load bearing members, the spacers and the locating means may be made of any suitable material and, indeed, need not all be made of the same material. Suitable materials include steel, stainless steel, galvanised steel, aluminium, plastics and glass reinforced plastics.
A transversely exterior spacer in the grating may be provided at its exterior spacer face with a stud which passes through an aperture in an adjacent exterior load bearing member, the stud being secured at the external side of the load bearing member by a fastener to secure that load bearing member in the grating structure. Alternatively, a stud may pass through the exterior load bearing member from its external side and engage with an aperture provided at the adjacent spacer face of the exterior spacer to secure the exterior load bearing member in the grating structure.
A section may be cut away from a side of the grating or an open section may be provided in the grating to suit a particular application. Because each spacer is positively connected to its adjacent spacer, removal of one or more spacers in a line of spacers and locating means does not affect the interconnection of remaining spacers which hold the load bearing members in spaced apart relationship.
The load bearing members may be of similar lengths so that the grating has a square or rectangular external shape, or they may be of varying lengths for the grating to have a trapezoidal external shape, for example, or another non-rectangular regular or irregular external shape. The lengths of the load bearing members may also be varied for one or more openings to be defined within the external boundary of the grating.
A transversely exterior side of the grating when intended as a floor grating may be provided by a kick flat or a load bearing member of different depth and/or cross section from the other load bearing members of the grating. Such an exterior side may nevertheless be attached directly to the exterior spacer. Where, for example, the grating is intended for use as a stair tread, the front of the tread may be strengthened relative to the rest of the tread by using a front load bearing member having a greater moment of inertia than the remaining load bearing members.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of assembling a grating which includes the steps of:
securing a first spacer transversely at a first
load bearing member;
positioning a second load bearing member in
laterally spaced relationship to the first load
bearing member and transversely adjacent the first
spacer with locating means passing transversely
through an aperture provided in the second load
bearing member; and
securing a second spacer transversely at the
second load bearing member on the locating means
which interconnects the adjacent first and second
spacers by means of a positive fastening with each
spacer, thereby to sandwich the second load
bearing member between adjacent ends of the
adjacent spacers.
Preferably, the second load bearing member is clamped in compression between the adjacent spacers.
Resin or adhesive may be applied to a spacer prior to its being brought into contact with a load bearing member; this may be achieved by dipping an end of the spacer in resin or adhesive or by applying resin or adhesive directly to it, for example, by means of a paint brush. Similarly, the locating means may have adhesive or resin applied to it prior to its assembly.
Applying resin or adhesive to a free end of a spacer prior to assembly of a grating is easier and quicker than applying resin or adhesive to the joints of an assembled grating as has previously been necessary.
Combined spacer and locating means in the form of an integral connector may be used, as previously described. Use of such integral connectors, or of spacers with individual locating means, facilitates construction of gratings of different width since as few, or as many, load bearing members as desired may be assembled to form the grating. The requirement of having a stock of transverse dowels of different lengths, as has previously been the case, in order to construct gratings of different widths, is thus avoided. Furthermore, the use of discrete spacers avoids the necessity of having a complicated jig to hold load bearing members in the desired spaced apart relationship during assembly of the grating.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 shows an exploded perspective view of
part of a floor grating in accordance with the
present invention; and
Figure 2 shows the grating of Figure 1 in
cross-section.
A floor grating 1 comprises a plurality of longitudinally extending substantially parallel I section load bearing members 4, adjacent load bearing members being connected by connectors 6 providing combined spacers and locating means.
Each connector 6 comprises an elongate body 7 of hexagonal cross-section having parallel first and second spacer faces 8,10 at its opposite ends. At its first spacer face 8, each connector is provided with an integral screw-threaded stud 12 which projects perpendicularly away from the face co-axially of the body 7. At its second spacer face 10 each connector 6 is provided with a corresponding screw-threaded aperture 14, also co-axial of the body 7, adapted to receive a stud 12 of an adjacent connector 6.
In assembling the floor grating 1, a first one of the connectors 6 is secured to an exterior one ,4', of the load bearing members 4. This is achieved by passing the stud 12 of that first connector 6 through a transverse aperture (not shown) provided in a web of the exterior load bearing member 4' and securing the connector in place with a nut 16. The first connector 6 is secured such that its first spacer face 8 bears on the web portion of the exterior load bearing member 4'.A second load bearing member is sandwiched between the second spacer face 10 of the first connector and the first spacer face 8 of a second connector, the stud 12 of the second connector passing through an aperture (not shown) provided in the web of the second load bearing member and engaging the screw-threaded aperture 14 of the first connector 6 to clamp the second load bearing member between adjacent spacer faces of the first and second connectors. A third load bearing member is then connected in the same way, and so on, to create the floor grating having the desired number of load bearing members.
The last assembled, exterior, load bearing member is secured in the grating by passing a bolt (not shown) through an aperture provided in its web, the bolt engaging the screw-threaded aperture of the adjacent connector.
The hexagonal cross section of the spacer body facilitates engagement with a spanner or a socket, which may be powered by a pneumatic tool, to rotate and tighten the spacer during assembly of the grating.
The pitch between adjacent load bearing members is determined by the distance between the first and second spacer faces of the connectors. Consequently, any desired pitch can be simply achieved by using connectors providing the desired spacing.
The invention is particularly well suited to floor grating in which the load bearing members are provided in a glass reinforced plastics material (GRP). When this is the case, the connectors are conveniently made of a plastics material, for example PVC, polypropylene or GRP. The absence of materials susceptible to corrosion is particularly suited to outdoor or offshore use, or use in the chemical industry where resistance to corrosion is of prime importance. Where adjacent connectors are adhesively bonded together or to interposed load bearing members, this results in a permanently assembled structure which has a high degree of structural integrity.
Claims (26)
1. A grating in which load bearing members are held in lateral spaced relationship by transverse discrete spacers and associated locating means, the spacers extending between adjacent load bearing members to space the load bearing members apart, and the locating means passing through apertures in the load bearing members to interconnect adjacent spacers by means of a positive fastening with each interconnected spacer.
2. A grating according to claim 1 in which a plurality of individual locating means is provided, each individual locating means being adapted to interconnect immediately adjacent spacers.
3. A grating according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the or each locating means is provided by a stud which passes through the respective load bearing member and to which adjacent spacers at either side of the load bearing member are positively fastened.
4. A grating according to any preceding claim in which the positive fastening is provided by a screw-threaded engagement.
5. A grating according to claim 4 as dependant from claim 3 in which the stud is screw-threaded and the adjacent spacers are positively fastened thereto by engagement of the screw-threaded stud with correspondingly screw-threaded apertures in the spacers.
6. A grating according to any of claims 1 to 3 in which the positive fastening is provided by a snap fit engagement.
7. A grating according to any of claims 1 to 3 in which the positive fastening is provided by a frictional engagement.
8. A grating according to any of claims 1 to 3 in which the positive fastening is provided by bonding.
9. A grating according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the or each locating means and one of the spacers adjacent thereto are provided as an integral member.
10. A grating according to claim 9 in which the integral member forms a male/female connector comprising the spacer and first and second locating means, the spacer having a spacer body and substantially parallel opposite first and second spacer faces, the first locating means being an externally screw-threaded central stud integral with the first spacer face and projecting therefrom substantially perpendicularly away from the spacer body, and the second locating means being a central correspondingly internally screw-threaded aperture penetrating substantially perpendicularly into the spacer body.
11. A grating according to claim 9 in which the integral member forms a male/male connector comprising the spacer and first and second locating means, the spacer having a spacer body and substantially parallel opposite first and second spacer faces, and the first and second locating means being provided at the first and second spacer faces respectively and each comprising a screw-threaded central stud integral with the respective face and projecting therefrom substantially perpendicularly away from the spacer body.
12.A grating according to claim 9 in which the integral member forms a female/female connector comprising the spacer and first and second locating means, the- spacer having a spacer body and substantially parallel opposite first and second spacer faces and the first and second locating means being provided at the first and second spacer faces respectively and each comprising a central screw-threaded aperture penetrating substantially perpendicular into the spacer body.
13. A grating according to any of claims 9 to 12 in which the spacer body of the integral member is shaped to facilitate handling and tightening thereof by an automatic tool or apparatus.
14. A grating according to any of claims 9 to 13 in which the spacer body of the integral member is provided with opposing flats to facilitate its rotation.
15. A grating according to claims 9 to 13 in which the spacer body of the integral member is cylindrical.
16. A grating according to any preceding claim in which an exterior load bearing member is spaced from an adjacent one of the load bearing members by means of a spacer retained to the adjacent load bearing member having a stud which passes through an aperture in the exterior load bearing member and has a fastener applied thereto to retain the exterior load bearing member to the spacer.
17. A grating according to any of claims 1 to 15 in which an exterior load bearing member is spaced from an adjacent one of the load bearing members by means of a spacer retained to the adjacent load bearing member having an aperture in which is secured a stud passed through an aperture in the exterior load bearing member thereby to retain the exterior load bearing member to the spacer.
18. A grating according to any preceding claim in which the load bearing members are of similar lengths and the grating has a rectangular external shape.
19. A grating according to any one of claims 1 to 17 in which the load bearing members are of varying lengths and the grating has an irregular external shape.
20. A grating according to any one of claims 1 to 17 in which the lengths of the load bearing members are varied to define at least one opening within the external boundary of the grating.
21. A method of assembling a grating including the steps of:
securing a first spacer transversely at a first load bearing member;
positioning a second load bearing member in laterally spaced relationship to the first load bearing member and transversely adjacent the first spacer with locating means passing through an aperture provided in the second load bearing member; and
securing a second spacer transversely at the second load bearing member on the locating means which interconnects the adjacent first and second spacers by means of a positive fastening with each spacer, thereby to sandwich the second load bearing member between adjacent ends of the adjacent spacers.
22. A method according to claim 21 in which the second load bearing member is clamped in compression between the adjacent spacers.
23. A method according to claim 21 or claim 22 in which resin or adhesive is applied to the spacers prior to being brought into contact with the load bearing members.
24. A method according to claim 21 or claim 22 in which resin or adhesive is applied to the locating means prior to assembly of the grating.
25. A grating substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.
26. A method of assembling a grating substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9404645A GB9404645D0 (en) | 1994-03-10 | 1994-03-10 | Grating |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB9504565D0 GB9504565D0 (en) | 1995-04-26 |
| GB2287260A true GB2287260A (en) | 1995-09-13 |
Family
ID=10751614
Family Applications (2)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9404645A Pending GB9404645D0 (en) | 1994-03-10 | 1994-03-10 | Grating |
| GB9504565A Withdrawn GB2287260A (en) | 1994-03-10 | 1995-03-07 | Grating |
Family Applications Before (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9404645A Pending GB9404645D0 (en) | 1994-03-10 | 1994-03-10 | Grating |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (2) | GB9404645D0 (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SG40053A1 (en) * | 1995-11-30 | 2002-07-23 | Singapore Productivity And Sta | A composite platform |
| GB2377230A (en) * | 2001-05-14 | 2003-01-08 | Gilberts | Floor grille |
Citations (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP0616095A2 (en) * | 1993-03-19 | 1994-09-21 | Arno Domnick | Bar grating |
-
1994
- 1994-03-10 GB GB9404645A patent/GB9404645D0/en active Pending
-
1995
- 1995-03-07 GB GB9504565A patent/GB2287260A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP0616095A2 (en) * | 1993-03-19 | 1994-09-21 | Arno Domnick | Bar grating |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SG40053A1 (en) * | 1995-11-30 | 2002-07-23 | Singapore Productivity And Sta | A composite platform |
| GB2377230A (en) * | 2001-05-14 | 2003-01-08 | Gilberts | Floor grille |
| GB2377230B (en) * | 2001-05-14 | 2004-09-29 | Gilberts | Floor grilles |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB9404645D0 (en) | 1994-04-27 |
| GB9504565D0 (en) | 1995-04-26 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |