GB2436334A

GB2436334A - Joist Hanger

Info

Publication number: GB2436334A
Application number: GB0605643A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Robert Sean Smith; Abdolghaffar Kermani
Original assignee: Edinburgh Napier University
Current assignee: Edinburgh Napier University
Priority date: 2006-03-21
Filing date: 2006-03-21
Publication date: 2007-09-26
Anticipated expiration: 2026-03-21
Also published as: GB0605643D0; GB2436334B

Abstract

A support member (joist hanger) (1) supports a joist or beam (2) against disproportionate structural collapse of a building, without compromising the low frequency sound insulation of the joist or beam (2) and connected floor (11) and/or ceiling assemblies. This is achieved by providing a support member (1) which allows the joist or beam (2) to contact the perimeter wall (11) directly. The support member (1) comprises side walls (3) connected together at one end by a support plate (4), the other end of the side members remote from the support plate (4) being provided with connecting means (7) adapted to enable fixing of the support member (1) to a structural element (10) of a perimeter wall (11). The side walls (3) of the support member (1) extend substantially obliquely between the connecting means (7) and the support plate (4) such that the support plate (4) is offset by a distance (A) from the remote ends (6) of the side walls (3).

Description

1 SUPPORT ER 3 This invention relates to a support member for use 4 in

the Construction industry and more particularly to a support member which supports a joist or beam 6 against disproportionate structural collapse of the * .* 7 building, without interfering with or degrading the 8 low frequency sound insulation of the joist or beam 9 and connected floor and or ceiling assemblies as a whole or in part.

** 12 During construction of a floor in a building, the *.! 13 perimeter wall is built up with brick or block or 14 concrete (whether in-situ or panel form) or timber frame or metal frame or timber panel systems. When 16 the required height is reached for a floor 17 construction to be formed or installed, it is 18 necessary to provide joists or beams which provide a 19 support structure for the floor panels or decking construction to be laid upon or for ceiling panels 21 to be fixed to either directly or indirectly through 22 other components. These joists or beams may for 1 example be I-:joists formed by an upper and lower 2 timber or metal flange separated by a timber or 3 metal web.

In the following description the term beam will be

6 used to mean either beams or joists having a 7 suitable construction to enable a floor construction 8 to be supported thereon and or a ceiling structure 9 to be affixed thereto.

11 In order to mount a beam in position across the 12 perimeter wall, both for external walls or internal 13 walls, it is conventional to support the ends of the 14 beam in hangers which are substantially U-shaped in profile having side sections which are connected at 16 their lower end by a stirrup portion. Alternatively aa 17 connector plates or straps may be used to support 18 the beam, which are mounted at the end of the beam, 19 such that the beam is not built into the perimeter wall.

22 In the case of hangers, the upper end of the side 23 members is formed with a horizontal flange or hook 24 which can be laid upon the upper level of bricks or the frame in the perimeter wall. A beam is then 26 mounted in the stirrup portion of the hanger and 27 fixed in position with screws or nails to prevent 28 the beam from undergoing any lateral twist under 29 stress from the floor construction. As further layers of the perimeter wall are laid, the flange or 31 hook of the hanger is held securely in position 32 within the wall and in turn supports the end of the 1 beam adjacent to the face of the perimeter wall or 2 frame. The hangers are supported off the perimeter 3 walls but the beams are not built into the perimeter 4 walls.

6 Whilst such a beam hanger is useful in some cases in 7 supporting the beams against disproportionate 8 collapse of the building, such a fixing arrangement 9 means that the beams are not built into the perimeter walls but rest upon the hangers instead.

11 As such the beam end bearing points are eccentric to 12 the depth of the perimeter walls or frame.

14 Similarly for connector plates or straps, beam end * * 15 bearing points are eccentric to the depth of the S.S** 16 perimeter walls or frame. The connector plates or 17 straps may be connected to the perimeter walls or 18 frame but the beam is not built into the perimeter 19 walls or frame and the underside of the beam does not bear directly onto the perimeter wall. * S S. * S S

22 It has been proposed to fix a rear bracing element 23 having a depth less that that of the perimeter wall 24 at the point where a beam is to be supported and to provide a hanger which is fixed to the bracing 26 member and passes beneath the end of the beam. This 27 allows the beam to be built into the wall of the of 28 the construction, but the presence of the stirrup 29 portion of the hanger between the beam and the perimeter wall has been found to interfere with the 31 low frequency sound insulation of the beams and 32 floor and ceiling assemblies.

2 It is an object of the present invention to provide 3 a support member which overcomes or at least 4 mitigates these problems associated with known beam hangers or connector plates or straps.

7 According to one aspect of the present invention 8 there is provided a support member for use in 9 mounting a beam on a perimeter wall, the support member comprising side walls connected together at 11 one end by a support plate, the other end of the 12 side members remote from the support plate being 13 provided with connecting means adapted to enable 14 fixing of the support member to a structural element * .. 15 of the perimeter wall, the side walls extending *5*5 16 substantially obliquely between the connecting means 17 and the support plate such that the support plate is S. * 18 offset from the remote ends of the side walls.

s., : 20 Advantageously, the support plate may be integrally * 21 formed with the side walls of the support member. ** S * * S

23 Conveniently, the connecting means may comprise a 24 flange which may be perpendicular to the plane of the side walls.

27 Preferably the side walls may extend parallel to one 28 another.

Preferably means may be provided for fixing the 31 support member to a beam. The fixing means may 32 comprise apertures formed in the side walls of the 1 support member and co-operating nails or screws 2 which pass through the apertures.

4 Advantageously, means may be provided for fixing the support member to a structural element of the 6 perimeter wall. The fixing means may comprise 7 apertures formed in the flange and co-operating 8 nails or screws which pass though the apertures.

Preferably, the support member is formed of metal.

12 Preferably, the flanges of the connecting means lie 13 in a plane perpendicular to the support plate.

: *** 15 An embodiment of the present invention will now be *.I.

16 described with reference to the accompanying 17 drawings in which:-I. 19 Figure 1 is an isometric view of a support member according to one aspect of the present invention; * * S

SI * S S

22 Figure 2 is a side view of the support member of 23 Figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan view of the support member of 26 Figure 1; 28 Figure 4 is an end elevation of the support member 29 of Figure 1, and 31 Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the support 32 member of Figure 1 in position supporting a beam.

2 Turning now to the figures, there is shown a support 3 member 1 for a beam 2. The support member 1 may be 4 formed of a sheet metal material in a stamping or extrusion process. The support member is formed 6 with two parallel side plates 3 joined together at 7 their lower ends by a horizontal stirrup portion 4.

8 The width of the stirrup portion is selected to 9 receive a range of beam dimensions.

11 The side plates 3 extend vertically from the stirrup 12 portion 4 of the support member at approximately 45 13 to the horizontal axis of the stirrup. The length 14 of the side plates is dependent upon the height of the beam to be supported and the offset "A".

17 The upper end 5 of the side plates, remote from the S. * . 18 stirrup portion 4 is provided with an integral 19 vertical extension 6 which lies in the same plane as the side plates and perpendicular to the horizontal * SS 21 axis of the stirrup portion 4.

23 A portion of the upper end of the side plates is 24 deflected outwards at approximately 90 to provide an angled return surface 7 for connection to a 26 bracing element 10 as will be described further 27 below.

29 Apertures 8, 9 are provided in the lower part of the side plates 3 adjacent to the stirrup portion 4 and 31 also in the angled return surfaces 7 to receive 1 fixing means (not shown) as will be described more 2 fully below).

4 When it is required to position a floor spanning the construction, a bracing element 10 is mounted upon 6 the top of the perimeter walls 11. The bracing 7 element may be a suitable block or brick or timber 8 or metal element which has a depth which is less 9 than the depth of the perimeter walls. The end of the beam 2 is mounted on the top of the perimeter 11 walls or frame such that the underside of the beam 12 bears directly onto the perimeter wall or frame and 13 is built into the depth (partially or fully) of the 14 perimeter wall. I.

16 A support means 1 is mounted onto each end of a beam *...S 17 2 such that one edge or face of the beam is placed S. 18 within the stirrup portion of the support means.

19 For example, where the beam 2 is an I-joist as shown in Figure 1, one flange of the joist is received * S * 21 within the stirrup portion 4 of the support member.

23 A fixing member such as a nail or screw is driven 24 through the aperture 9 in the angled return 7 of the side member of the support in order to fix the 26 support to the bracing member. Further fixing means 27 are driven through the apertures 8 in the lower part 28 of the side member to fix the support member to the 29 beam.

31 As shown in Fig.1 the offset "A" of the stirrup 32 portion from the return surface on the upper end of 1 the side plates is greater than the bearing length 2 "B" of the beam on the perimeter wall.

4 An appropriate number of beams or joists are installed to provide a support for floor and or 6 ceiling components.

8 The diagonal form of the sides 3 of the support 9 member 1 ensure that although the stirrup portion 4 supports the end of the beam 2, this support is 11 provided in front of the leading edge of the 12 perimeter wall such that the stirrup portion 4 does 13 not pass between the perimeter wall and the end of 14 the beam. This ensures that the beam is built into the perimeter wall or structural frame of the 16 building and the underside of the beam rests or S....

17 bears directly on the perimeter wall. *5 5.

19 Therefore the beam remains supported in the event of a localised structural collapse of the lower * U S 21 perimeter wall or frame. Furthermore, beam being 22 built into the perimeter wall or frame and the 23 fixing of the support member to the beam increases 24 the stiffness of the beams which assists in low frequency sound and vibration insulation performance - 26 of a floor and or ceiling construction for a range 27 of frequencies of sound and vibration as the beam is 28 acoustically clamped and fixed in position.

Claims

1 CLAIMS 3 l.A support member for use in mounting a beam on a 4

perimeter wall, the support member comprising side walls connected together at one end by a support 6 plate, the other end of the side members remote from 7 the support plate being provided with connecting 8 means adapted to enable fixing of the support member 9 to a structural element of the perimeter wall, the side walls extending substantially obliquely between 11 the connecting means and the support plate such that 12 the support plate is offset from the remote ends of 13 the side walls.

2. A support member according to claim 1, wherein 16 the support plate is integrally formed with the side 17 walls of the support member. S.

19 3. A support member according to claim 1 or 2, * * 20 wherein the connecting means comprises a flange * S * 21 perpendicular to the plane of the side walls.

23 4. A support member according to claim 3 the flange 24 of the connecting means lies in a plane perpendicular to the support plate.

27 5. A support member according to any one of the 28 preceding claims, wherein the side walls extend 29 parallel to one another.

1 6. A support member according to any one of the 2 preceding claims wherein means are provided for 3 fixing the support member to a beam.

7. A support member according to claim 6, wherein 6 the fixing means comprises apertures formed in the 7 side walls of the support member and co-operating 8 nails or screws which pass through the apertures.

8. A support member according to any one of the 11 preceding claim, wherein means are provided for 12 fixing the support member to a structural element of 13 the perimeter wall.

: *. 15 9. A support member according claim 8, wherein the *.I.

16 fixing means comprises apertures formed in the S*S 17 flange and co-operating nails or screws which pass S. ** * * 18 though the apertures.

10. A support member according to any one of the 21 preceding claims, wherein the support member is 22 formed of metal.

24 11. A support member substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the 26 accompanying drawings.