GB2417255A

GB2417255A - Support structure, e.g. temporary support for arch

Info

Publication number: GB2417255A
Application number: GB0418410A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Panton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-08-18
Filing date: 2004-08-18
Publication date: 2006-02-22
Anticipated expiration: 2024-08-18
Also published as: GB0418410D0; GB2417255B

Abstract

A support structure comprises a plurality of support members (1) providing opposed first and second support surfaces (4 and 5) extending between the ends thereof. The support members (1) are arranged generally end-to-end in a chain with a preferably cylindrical bearing member (2) between each adjacent pair of support members. Each support member (1) provides at opposed ends thereof a pair of contact surfaces (3) spaced apart from each other and engaging the surface of the bearing member, whereby the support members may be positioned on the bearing members with the support surfaces of one support member at a selected angle to the support surfaces of the next adjacent support member such that the chain describes a desired curved configuration. The structure further comprises linking means (7, 8, 9) linking the first support surface of each of the support members to the first support surface of the or each adjacent support member in the chain so as to maintain the desired curved configuration.

Description

SUPPORT STRUCTURE

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to support structures. In particular, the invention encom- passes temporary support structures, for example as supports for building arches, and permanent structures, such as bridges, ceiling supports and building frames.

Background to the Invention

Buildings often include curved arches over doorways or windows, for example.

When a builder wants to build such an arch out of bricks or blocks, it is necessary to pro- vide a temporary support for the bricks or blocks as building progresses. The dimensions of arches will vary from place to place so, for each archway, a different temporary sup- port structure has to be provided. These supports are usually made on site, using ply- wood and timber, to the exact measurements of the intended span and curvature. It is a time-consuming and therefore expensive operation and, of course, the temporary sup- port Is discarded after use, unless there are other arches of exactly the same dimension still to be built.

Bridges, whether temporary or permanent, are often constructed as a series of arches. The arches support a roadway, railway or possibly an aqueduct. Not surprisingly, similar problems can arise in supporting the main structure whilst the arches are under construction. In other cases, the provision of the arches themselves can be expensive and difficult.

There Is therefore a need for a support structure for temporary or permanent use that overcomes the above and other problems.

My earlier PCT application PCT/GB2004/002258 discloses a support structure comprising a plurality of support members pivotally linked together to form a chain, each adjacent pair of support members being linked together by means of a tubular body ex- tendng transversely of the members and connected to each support member of the pair by two bearing members movably engaging the inner surface of the body, and each tubu- lar member contacting the next in the chain either directly or indirectly through a third bearing member engaging the outer surface of the body, the point of direct or indirect contact lying between said two bearing members, whereby the support members may be - 2 positioned relative to each other to form an arcuate shape, the structure also comprising locking means attached to and extending between each adjacent pair of the support members. I have now found that there are alternative structures which are effective.

Summary of the Invention

The invention provides a support structure comprising a plurality of support members providing a support surface extending between the ends thereof, the support members being arranged generally end-to-end in a chain with a bearing member between each adjacent pair of support members, and each support member providing at each op posed end thereof a pair of contact surfaces spaced apart from each other and engaging the bearing member, whereby the support members may be positioned on the bearing members with the support surface of one support member at a selected angle to the sup port surface of the next adjacent support member such that the chain describes a desired curved configuration, the structure further comprising linking means linking at least some of the support members together so as to maintain the desired curved configuration.

Preferably, the linking means links the support surface of each of the support members to the support surface of the or each adjacent support member in the chain.

Each bearing member is preferably cylindrical, although it might be possible to use a bearing member having a non-circular cross-secton. In a preferred embodiment, the bearing member Is hollow, for example a circular-section tube, and one contact surface may engage the inner surface of the bearing member while the other engages the outer surface.

Preferably, each support member may have opposed first and second support sur faces extending between the ends thereof, and the structure may then comprise further linking means linking the second support surfaces in the same manner as that linking the first support surfaces. The linking means conveniently comprises a continuous strip of flexible sheet material temporarily attached to each support surface, for example by re movable fastenings such as screws. The sheet material may be, for example, a wood derived sheet material such as hardboard or plywood.

The sheet or sheets may be fastened to the support members by providing each such member with a wooden lath or the like extending across it and bolted or screwed - 3 thereto. The sheets can then be screwed or nailed to the laths, according to the structure to be formed. So, for example, the structure may be formed Into a curved shape to pro- vide a temporary support for masonry during the construction of an arch.

The bearing members are preferably cylindrical tubes, and the chain may be held together during formation of the structure by means of bolts or pins extending between opposed sides of the support members and passing through the tube to bear against the inner cylindrical surface thereof, while permitting rotation of the support member around the axis of the tube, typically through a minor arc.

The support members are conveniently formed as hollow rectangular section members open at the opposed ends so that the two opposed edges of each open end serve as the contact surfaces engaging the outer cylindrical surface of the bearing mem- ber. Alternatively, the contact surfaces may be provided by pins, bolts or rollers located between opposed sides of the support member.

The hollow rectangular section members may be formed by cutting short lengths from an extruded metal profile, for example of aluminium or an aluminium alloy. The bearing members may similarly be formed from extruded tube. The use of such materials is satisfactory for temporary structures to be used in masonry arch formation, but appli- cations with higher loading may require the use of stronger materials such as steel.

End sections of the support structure are preferably provided with means for mounting an end of the support structure to a side wall of an archway. The mounting means may comprise an apertured plate.

Although the support structure of the Invention is generally described herein as being used to support arches and other downwardly-directed loads, it will be understood that it may also be used in other orientations, for example horizontally to support vertical shutterbug, especially where the shattering is arranged to form a vertical wall with curved surfaces in plan. It may also be used to support more complex structures, such as ceiling panels having combined multiple concave and convex profiles.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In the drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention: Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view through a small portion of a support structure according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a side elevational view of a portion of a support structure according to an alternative embodiment; Figure 3 is a side elevation of a portion of a support structure according to an other embodiment of the Invention; Figure 4 is a top plan view of the structure illustrated in figure 3; and Figure 5 Is a view corresponding to that of Figure 3, showing the components in use.

Detailed Description of the Illustrated Embodiments Figure 1 shows a basic embodiment of the invention comprising support members 1 In the form of lengths of rectangular section hollow metal extrusion with cylindrical bearing members 2 located in the open ends of adjacent support members 1 so that the ends 3 of the upper and lower sides of the members 1 engage the curved surface of the cylinder. This configuration permits the support members 1 to be rotated around the bearing members 2, the extremes of rotational movement being determined by one sup port member coming into contact with the other. Each support member 1 has attached to its upper and lower faces 4 and 5 a small wooden block 6. This may conveniently be attached, in the case where the support member 1 is formed from an aluminium extru son, by drilling one or more small holes in the face 4 or 5 and then using a self-tapping screw extending through the block 6. An elongate strip 7 of hardboard is attached to each block 6 on the upper faces 4 of the support members 1 by means of a wood screw 8. Similarly, a second strip of hardboard is attached to the blocks 6 on the lower faces 5.

The structure is conveniently assembled by positioning the components on a flat surface with the bearing members 2 having their cylindrical axes extending normally to the surface, the support members 1 being arranged in a chain to define the desired pro file, for example an arch. The hardboard Is then curved round to follow the profile and attached to the blocks 6 by fastenings such as screws 9, thereby forming a stable structure which can then be secured In position, for example to serve as a former on which a ma sonry arch can be built up. After the mortar in the masonry has set, the support struc - 5 ture can be removed, its components then being re-used to form new structures. It has been found that the stable structure formed becomes locked under a uniform load thereon, and thereby capable of supporting a substantial loading without deformation of the desired profile.

figure 2 shows a preferred embodiment, In which the cylindrical bearing members 2 are replaced by short metal tubes 20, which are permanently attached to the support members on either side by means of bolts 21 extending between opposed sides of the support members 1 and through the tubes 20. This has the advantage of easier handling during shaping of the profile and assembly of the structure.

Referring now to Figures 3, 4 and 5, a single bearing member 30 Is shown be tween a pair of support members 31 for the purposes of illustration only. It will be ap preciated that the components could be part of an extended chain of similar components, in which case the support members 31 would be the same shape at both ends instead of as shown. The bearing member 30 is a short metal tube, while the support members 31 are in the form of a hollow square section cut away at the end to provide a pair of op posed flanges 32 to receive the bearing member 30, with metal pins 33 extending be tween the flanges to engage on the inner and outer surfaces of the bearing member tube 30. The pins 33 are positioned so as to be all to one side of the diameter of the tube 30.

It will be understood that this embodiment of the invention can only form a curve in one direction, as illustrated; when the pins 33 move above the diameter in the orientation il lustrated, a stable structure can no longer be formed.

figure 5 Illustrates the structure in use. The support members 31 are disposed at the desired angle to each other. Wooden blocks 34 are attached to the undersides of the members 31 (in practice, these will be attached prior to use and left attached between uses), and a strip 35 of a flexible sheet material (for example hardboard or plywood) is formed into the desired shape corresponding to the angle set between the members 31 and is then secured to the blocks of wood 34, for example by screws 36. When the flexible sheet material is released, it has a tendency to return to its previously flat state. In doing so, it causes the support members 31 to tend to rotate outwardly around the bear sing tube 30. However, the position of the metal pins 33 is such that rotation In this man - 6 ner causes the pins to grip on to the wall of the tube 30 and thereby to lock against fur- ther rotation. The locking effect increase with downward loading on the structure, hold- ing the structure rigidly in its predetermined shape. - 7

Claims

1. A support structure comprising a plurality of support members providing a support surface extending between the ends thereof, the support members being ar- ranged generally end-to-end in a chain with a bearing member between each adjacent pair of support members, and each support member providing at each opposed end thereof a pair of contact surfaces spaced apart from each other and engaging the bearing member, whereby the support members may be positioned on the bearing members with the sup- port surface of one support member at a selected angle to the support surface of the next adjacent support member such that the chain describes a desired curved configuration, the structure further comprising linking means linking at least some of the support mem- bers together so as to maintain the desired curved configuration.

2. A support structure according to Claim 1, wherein the linking means links the support surface of each of the support members to the support surface of the or each adjacent support member in the chain.

3. A support structure according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the or each bearing member is cylindrical.

4. A support structure according to Claim 1, Claim 2, or Claim 3, wherein the bearing member is tubular.

5. A support structure according to Claim 5, wherein one contact surface engages the inner surface of the bearing member and the other engages the outer surface of the bearing member, in use.

6. A support structure according to any preceding claim, wherein each sup port member has opposed first and second support surfaces extending between the ends thereof.

7. A support structure according to any preceding claim, comprising further linking means linking the second support surface of each of the support members to the second support surface of the or each adjacent support member in the chain.

8. A support structure according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each linking means comprises a continuous strip of flexible sheet material temporarily attached to each support surface. - 8

9. A support structure according to Claim 8, wherein the sheet material is hardboard or plywood.

10. A support structure according to Claim 8 or Claim 9, wherein each support surface is provided with a block of wood attached thereto, to which the sheet mate- rial can be fastened by nails or screws.

11. A support structure according to any preceding claim, wherein the support members comprise hollow rectangular section members open at the opposed ends so that the two opposed edges of each open end serve as the contact surfaces engaging the outer cylindrical surface of the bearing member.

12. A support structure according to any of Claims 1 to 10, wherein the con tact surfaces are provided by pins, bolts or rollers located between opposed sides of the support member.

13. A support structure according to any preceding claim, wherein end sectons of the support structure are provided with means for mounting an end of the sup port structure to a side wall of an archway.

14. A support structure, substantially as described with reference to, and/or as shown in, Figure 1, figure 2, or Figures 3 to 5 of the drawings.