IE84023B1 - A floor assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT The invention relates to a floor assembly comprising a plurality of floor panels abutted and secured together, each panel comprising a flooring sheet supported by a plurality of longitudinally and substantially parallel spaced apart joists bridged at their exposed and edges by an end joist. The floor assembly further comprises a plurality of unitary timber lloor panel interconnectors, each unitary floor panel interconnector connecting a pair of adjacent floor panels together and each interconnector further comprisin g a metal joist having a spacer section positioned intermediate the pair of adjacent floor panels and a support section providing support to each of the pair of adjacent floor panels.

Description

A floor assembly This invention relates to a floor assembly comprising a plurality of floor panels abutted and secured together each panel comprising a flooring sheet supported by a plurality of longitudinally and substantially parallel spaced apart joists bridged at their exposed end edges by an end joist.

For many years, houses and other buildings have been constructed using floors having prefabricated timber floor panels mounted onto support structures. One such system is disclosed in the applicants own Irish Patent No. 81680. In this system the prefabricated timber floor panels are mounted directly onto the support structures which comprise the outer perimeter walls and the internal load bearing walls of the building. These floors allow for the building to be constructed in a quick and efficient manner.

While this known type of floor panel is relatively efficient in use and indeed more useful than conventionally laid floors it has the disadvantage of all known flooring in that it bends under load. Where excessive loading of all known types of flooring occurs flexing results. Such movement is undesirable.

Another known type of floor assembly is that described in JP 11081478. in this patent application a timber floor panel is suspended between a pair of C-shaped metal joists. Two opposing sides of the timber floor panel are hung from the C- shaped metal joists by way of Z—shaped fittings. The timber floor panel is bolted on to each of the Z-shaped fittings along their length and the bolts connecting the timber floor panel to the Z-shaped fitting along one side are offset to the bolts connecting the Z-shaped fitting to the timber floor panel along it's other side to provide an improved walking feeling to an individual walking on the floor. This type of floor assembly has the disadvantage that an intermediate Z-shaped bracket must be connected to both the floor panel and the metal joist. This increases the amount of time that is required to construct the floor assembly. Furthermore, by having additional connector pieces the floor assembly will be more difficult and time consuming to construct.

A further disadvantage with the known types of floors is that once the floor panels have been mounted on the support structures considerable work must be carried out if services using electrical cabling or piping for example for a central heating system are to be provided. This will usually result in a section of the floor panel having to be removed which results in a considerable amount of additional work to be carried out installing the services. it is an object therefor of the present invention to provide a floor that overcomes at least some of the difficulties associated with the known types of floors.

Statements of Invention.

According to the invention there is provided a floor assembly comprising: a plurality of timber floor panels and a plurality of unitary timber floor panel interconnectors; the plurality of timber floor panels being abutted and secured together, each timber floor panel comprising a plurality of longitudinally and substantially parallel spaced-apart joists bridged at their exposed end edges by an end joist and a timber flooring sheet supported on said plurality of longitudinally and substantially parallel spaced apart joists; each of the unitary timber floor panel interconnectors connecting a pair of adjacent floor panels together, each floor panel interconnector being connected to an end joist of a first timber floor panel and an end joist of a second timber floor panel adjacent to the first timber floor panel, each floor panel interconnector comprising a metal joist having a spacer section and a horizontal-in-use support section, the spacer section being positioned intermediate the end joist of the first floor panel and the end joist of the second floor panel thereby preventing direct contact between the pair of end joists, the horizontal support section further comprising a pair of support flanges extending outwardly in opposite directions from the lower end of the -spacer section, each support flange being located underneath the end joist of one of the pair of adjacent timber floor panels so that the end joist rest thereon.

By having such a floor assembly a timber floor panel interconnector will be located between a pair of adjacent prefabricated timber floor panels thereby ensuring that the two panels do not have wooden joists abutting against each other. in this way, the two panels will not move against each other and therefore any movement in the structure will be greatly reduced. Furthermore, this will provide a very sturdy floor that can be constructed in a simple and efficient manner. The timber floor panel interconnectors may be mounted onto the end joists in the factory or may be supplied loose to the site where they may be fitted on site. By having a unitary floor panel interconnector the floor assembly will be able to be constructed in a very quick and efficient manner and will require a minimum of drilling and fastening with bolts when being constructed on site which will further simplify and speed up the construction of the floor.

Another advantage of the floor assembly according to the invention is that the floor assembly will be easier and more cost efficient to manufacture then the previously known types of floor assemblies. This leads to increased savings for the manufacturer of the floor assembly. in another embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor assembly in which the spacer section and the floor panels are dimensioned so that when the floor panels and the metal joist are connected together a groove is defined in the floor above the spacer section between the adjacent floor panels. By having a groove defined in the floor above the spacer section between the adjacent floor panels, there will be no undesirable hard spots in the floor. In addition to this the groove may be used to carry cabling or could be used to carry piping for a central heating system.

In a further embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor assembly in which the metal joist is a rolled steel joist (RSJ) comprising an elongate body portion substantially I -shaped in cross-section having a vertical-in-use spacer section and a pair of horizontal-in-use end sections substantially perpendicular to the spacer section thereby defining a pair of back-to—back channels along it’s length, each channel being suitable for receiving an end joist of a timber floor panel therein. This is seen as a particularly stable configuration of metal joist that will maintain the floor panels in position in a secure manner.

In one -embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor assembly in which the metal joist further comprises a pair of c-shaped metal joists connected together back- to-back along their length thereby forming an elongate body portion substantially I - shaped in cross section having a vertical-in-use spacer section and a pair of horizontal-in-use end sections substantially perpendicular to the spacer section thereby defining a pair of back-to-back channels along its length, each channel being suitable for receiving an end joist of a timber floor panel therein. Again, this is seen as a stable configuration of metal joist that will provide good support to the adjacent floor panel.

In another embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor assembly in which the metal joist further comprises a metal plate welded to one end section of the body portion and protruding outwardly therefrom in a pair of flanges along the length of the body portion. This is seen as a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention.

The additional metal plate welded to the end section provides additional support to the adjacent floor panels and will facilitate construction of the floor assembly.

In a further embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor assembly in which each end joist of the timber floor panels are cut away in a stepped section to project into the channels formed by the metal joist. This is seen as a useful construction of floor assembly as a snug fit of floor panel and the joist may be achieved which will increase the stability of the structure while at the same time reducing any movement between the abutting parts. H In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor assembly in which the metal joist further comprises an elongate body portion having a vertical-in—use spacer section and a horizontal-in-use support section connected intermediate it's ends to the lower end of the vertical spacer section thereby providing a metal joist with an inverted T-shaped cross-section, the horizontal support section being suitable for receiving an end joist of a floor panel thereon. This is seen as a useful construction of metal joist that will allow simple assembly of the floor assembly in a quick and efficient manner while also providing a solid support structure for the floor panels.

The metal joist may consist of a pair of L-shaped steel angles connected together back to back along their length. This allows for a very simple construction of the metal joist. in another embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor assembly in which the metal joists spacer section is box-shaped in cross section and the support section further_comprises a pair of flanges substantially parallel to one side of the box shaped spacer section, each flange extending outwardly from opposite ends of that side of the box shaped spacer section. This is seen as a simple yet sturdy construction of timber floor panel interconnector. in a further embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor assembly in which the metal joists spacer section is box-shaped in cross section and the support section further comprises a metal plate connected along its length to one side of the box- shaped spacer section, the metal plate protruding outwardly beyond the corners of the side of the box-shaped spacer section in a pair of flanges each for support of an end joist thereon. in one embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor assembly in which the metal joists spacer section is box-shaped in cross section and the support section is provided by way of a pair of L-shaped metal angles welded to opposite sides of the box shaped spacer section thereby providing flanges for reception of an end joist thereon. Again, this is a simple yet effective configuration of timber floor panel interconnector. in another embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor assembly in which the metal joist further comprises an elongate body portion substantially I—shaped in cross section with a centre section and a pair of end sections substantially perpendicular to the centre section, the metal joist further comprising a pair of L- shaped steel angles, one on each side of the centre section, each L—shaped angle being welded to the outermost end of each of the end sections on that side of the centre section, along their length to form a pair of flanges for reception of an end joist thereon. Such a metal joist will result in a stable floor assembly that is quick and simple to construct. in a further embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor assembly in which the timber floor panel further comprises a plurality of substantially parallel cross- members secured underneath and across the joists for reception of a ceiling in spaced apart relation ‘with the joists. By having the substantially parallel cross- members secured underneath and across the joist the ceiling may be held in spaced- apart relationship to the joists. This will result in a gap between the joists and the ceiling through which cabling and the like may be run.

In one embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor assembly in which there is provided a spacer intermediate the metal joist and the end joist of the floor panel.

Preferably the spacer is constructed from an insulating material. These will allow for tolerances in the accuracy in which the floor must be constructed and will ensure a snug fit for the floor panels on the support structures. in another embodiment of the invention there is provided a floor assembly in which the floor panels are provided without end joists, the metal joists being connected directly to the plurality of substantially parallel spaced apart joists thereby also acting as end joists to the floor panels. By using the metal joists as end joists to the floor panels the weight of the floor panels will be reduced and it also reduces the amount of timber which must be used in the construction of the floor assembly. A metal joist will provide more than adequate support for the timber floor panels.

Detailed Descrigtion The invention will now be more clearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a floor according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the lines B-B of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the lines C-C of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the lines A-A of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a side view of a metal joist forming part of the floor; Fig. 6 is an end view of an alternative construction of metal joist for use with the floor according to the invention; Fig. 7 is an end view of another alternative construction of metal joist for use with the floor according to the invention; Figs. 8 to 13 inclusive are end views of alternative constructions of metal joist for use with the floor according to the invention; and Fig. 14 is an end sectional view of part of a floor incorporating the metal joist shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings and initially to Fig. 1 thereof there is shown a floor indicated generally by the reference numeral 1 comprising a plurality of support structures provided by load bearing walls 2 and a plurality of floor panels 4 abutted and secured together mounted on the support structures. Each of the flooring panels comprising a flooring sheet (not shown) supported by a plurality of longitudinally and substantially parallel spaced apart joists 42 bridged at their exposed end edges by an end joist (not shown). Metal joists 3 are mounted on the end joists and are positioned intermediate two adjacent prefabricated timber floor panels.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings the metal joists have a substantially I — shaped cross section defining two back to back channels 6a and 6b, each channel having a side, 7 and 8 respectively, of a timber floor panel mounted therein. Each side 7, 8 of the floor panels terminates in an end joist 10 which is inserted into the respective channel 6a, 6b of the metal joist. When the sides 7, 8 of the floor panels 4 have been mounted in the channels 6a, 6b of the metal joist a channel 12 is formed between each floor panel and the top surface of the metal joist. This channel 12 is suitable for the reception of services such as piping for central heating or water supply, cabling for electricity, telephone or television services and the like. A flooring sheet 41 is mounted atop each of the spaced apart joists 42 to form a floor panel 4.

Referring now to Fig. 4 of the drawings there is shown a sectional view along the lines AA of Fig. 1. A side of the floor panel is mounted atop a load bearing wall 2 and is connected to the load bearing wall via an infill strip 14. A packing strip 15 is positioned intermediate the joists 42 and the load bearing wall. The opposite side of the floor panel (not shown) is mounted in a metal joist (not shown) in the manner previously described.

Referring now to Fig. 5 of the drawings there is shown a side view of a metal joist . Bolt holes 16 are spaced apart along the length of the metal joist. Couchbolts (not shown) are passed through the bolt holes for fixing the flooring panel to the _ rolled steel joist.

Referring now to Fig. 6 of the drawings there is shown an alternative construction of metal joist for use with the floor of the present invention. The metal joist 3 further comprises an elongate body portion having a vertical portion 44 and a horizontal portion 45 connected intermediate its ends to the lower end of the vertical portion thereby providing a metal joist having an inverted T-shaped cross section.

Referring now to Fig. 7 of the drawings there is shown another alternative‘ construction of metal joist for use with the floor of the present invention. The metal joist 3 further comprises an elongate body portion having a box section 47 with a pair of flanges 48, 49 extending outwardly therefrom. Each of the flanges 48, 49 is substantially parallel to one side 50 of the box section and each of the flanges 48, extends outwardly from opposite ends of that side 50 of the box section.

Referring now to Fig. 8 of the drawings there is shown another alternative construction of metal joist for use with the floor of the present invention. The metal joist 3 further comprises an elongate body portion having a box section 53 with a pair of L-shaped steel angles 54, 55 welded to opposite sides of the box section thereby providing flanges 56 for reception of a prefabricated flooring panel thereon.

Holes (not shown) are provided on each flange 56 for screw fixing of the timber flooring panel to the metal joist.

Referring now to Fig. 9 of the drawings there is shown another alternative construction of metal joist 3 for use with the floor of the present invention. The metal joist further comprises an elongate body portion 58 substantially I -shaped in cross section having a centre section and two end sections substantially perpendicular to the centre section thereby defining a pair of back to back channels along its length, the metal joist further comprising a metal plate 59 welded to one end section of the body portion 58 and protruding outwardly therefrom in a pair of flanges 60 along the length of the body portion 58.

Referring now to Fig. 10 of the drawings there is shown another still alternative construction of metal joist 3 for use with the floor of the present invention. The metal joist further comprises an elongate body portion substantially I -shaped in cross section with a centre section 66 and a pair of end sections 67 substantially perpendicular to the centre section. On either side of the centre section 66, an L — shaped steel angle 68 is welded to the outermost ends of each of the and sections 67 along their length to form a pair of flanges 69 for reception of a timber flooring panel. Holes (not shown) for screw fixing of a timber flooring panel to the flanges 69 are provided on each of the flanges.

Referring now to Fig. 11 of the drawings there is shown another alternative construction of metal joist for use with the floor of the present invention. The metal joist 3 comprises an elongate body portion having the cross section of an inverted T-shape. This metal joist is constructed by joining two elongate L-shaped steel angles 71, 72 together back to back along one side thereof. _lO_ Referring now to Fig. 12 of the drawings there is shown another alternative construction of metal joist for use with the floor of the present invention. The metal joist 3 comprises an elongate body portion having a box section 75 with a steel plate 76 connected along the length of one side of the box section. The steel plate 76 is so dimensioned that it protrudes outwardly beyond the corners of the side of the box section to form a pair of flanges 77, 78. Holes (not shown) are provided on the flanges for facilitating connection of atimber flooring panel to the flange.

Referring now to Fig. 13 of the drawings there is shown another alternative construction of metal joist 3 for use with the floor of the present invention. The metal joist 3 comprises an elongate body portion 80 substantially I -shaped in cross section. The metal joist is formed by two elongate C-shaped steel channel sections 81, 82 connected together back to back.

Referring now to Fig. 14 of the drawings there is shown a sectional view of a floor 1 in which the metal joist 3 comprises an elongate body portion 58 substantially I ~ shaped in cross section having a centre section 61 and two end sections 62, 63 substantially perpendicular to the centre section thereby defining two back to back channels. A metal plate 59 is welded to the lower ‘end section 63 of the body portionand protrudes outwardly therefrom in a pair of flanges 60. The pair of back to back channels formed by the I -shaped metal joist are filled with packing material 64. Two floor panels 42, one either side of the body portion are rested on the flanges 60 of the metal plate. The floor panels may then be attached to the flanges and the packing material as required. it will be understood that in the embodiments shown the metal joist is I — shaped in cross section. Various other shaped cross sections such as an inverted T — shaped cross section could be used instead. What is important is that there will be a portion of the metal joist intermediate the two adjacent floor panels so that two adjacent floor panels do not abut against each other. In the embodiment shown, where a floor panel has a plurality of floor panels adjacent thereto there may be provided a metal joist intermediate the floor panel and an adjacent floor panel. if two floor panels should meet each other over a load bearing _wall then each floor _.ll_ panel may be connected to the load bearing wall and held spaced apart from each other. This will allow for all the metal joists to be oriented in the same direction.

The floor panels will not be in any danger of rubbing against each other. In one embodiment the metal joist could itself act as the end joist and negate the need for providing a separate timber and joist. in the embodiment described the spacers were constructed from an insulating material. It is envisaged that this could also be a fire resistant material to help avoid the spread of fire. The metal joists have also been oriented in a single direction. It has been found that a front to back orientation is useful in the construction of many floors as this is beneficial when subsequently wiring a building in which the floor forms part thereof. in this specification the terms “comprise, comprises, comprised and comprising “ and any variation thereof and the terms “include, includes, included and including" and any variation thereof are deemed totally interchangeable and should be afforded the widest possible interpretation.

The invention is in no way limited to the embodiments here and before described but may be varied in both construction and detail within the scope of the claims.

Claims (1)

1. Claims A floor assembly comprising: a plurality of timber floor panels and a plurality of unitary timber floor panel interconnectors; the plurality of timber floor panels being abutted and secured together, each timber floor panel comprising a plurality of longitudinally and substantially parallel spaced-apart joists bridged at their exposed end edges by an end joist and a timber flooring sheet supported on said plurality of longitudinally _, and substantially parallel spaced apart joists; each of the unitary timber floor panel interconnectors connecting a pair of adjacent floor panels together, each floor panel interconnector being connected to an end joist of a first timber floor panel and an end joist of a second timber floor panel adjacent to the first timber floor panel, each floor panel interconnector comprising a metal joist having a spacer section and a horizontal-in-use support section, the spacer section being positioned intermediate the end joist of the first floor panel and the end joist of the second floor panel thereby preventing direct contact between the pair of end joists, the horizontal support section further comprising a pair of support flanges extending outwardly in opposite directions from the lower end of the spacer section, each support flange being located underneath the end joist of one of the pair of adjacent timber floor panels so that the end joist rest thereon. A floor assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which the spacer section and the floor panels are dimensioned so that when the floor panels and the metal joist are connected together a groove is defined in the floor above the spacer section between the adjacent floor panels. A floor assembly as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the metal joist is a rolled steel joist (RSJ) comprising an elongate body portion substantially I -shaped in cross-section having a vertical-in-use spacer section and a pair of _horizontal-in-use end sections substantially perpendicular to the spacer section thereby defining a pair of back-to-back channels along its length, each channel being suitable for receiving an end joist of a timber floor panel therein. A floor assembly as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the metal joist further comprises a pair of c-shaped metal joists connected together back-to-back along their length thereby forming an elongate body portion substantially I - shaped in cross section having a vertical-in-use spacer section and a pair of horizontal-in-use end sections substantially perpendicular to the spacer section thereby defining a pair of back-to-back channels along its length, each channel being suitable for receiving an end joist of a timber floor panel therein. A floor assembly as claimed in claim 3 or 4 in which the metal joist further "comprises a metal plate welded to one end section of the body portion and protruding outwardly therefrom in a pair of flanges along the length of the body portion. A floor assembly as claimed in any of claims 3 to 5 in which each end joist of the timber floor panels are cut away in a stepped section to project into the channels formed by the metal joist. A floor assembly as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the metal joist further comprises an elongate body portion having a vertical-in-use spacer section and a horizontal-in-use support section connected intermediate it's ends to the lower end of the vertical spacer section thereby providing a metal joist with an inverted T-shaped cross-section, the horizontal support section being suitable for receiving an end joist of a floor panel thereon. A floor assembly as claimed in claim 7 in which the metal joist consists of a pair of L-shaped steel angles connected together back to back along their length. A floor assembly as claimed in any of claims 1 or 2 in which the metal joists spacer section is box-shaped in cross section and the support section further comprises a pair of flanges substantially parallel to one side of the box shaped spacer section, each flange extending outwardly from opposite ends of that side of the box shaped spacer section. A floor assembly as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the metal joists spacer section is box-shaped in cross section and the support section further comprises a metal plate connected along its length to one side of the box- shaped spacer section, the metal plate protruding outwardly beyond the corners of the side of the box-shaped spacer section in a pair of flanges each for support of an end joist thereon. A floor assembly as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the metal joists spacer section is box-shaped in cross section and the support section is provided by way of a pair of L-shaped metal angles welded to opposite sides of the box shaped spacer section thereby providing flanges for reception of an end joist thereon. A floor assembly as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the metal joist further comprises an elongate body portion substantially I-shaped in cross section with a centre section and a pair of end sections substantially perpendicular to the centre section, the metal joist further comprising a pair of L-shaped steel angles, one on each side of the centre section, each L-shaped angle being welded to the outermost end of each of the end sections on that side of the centre section, along their length to form a pair of flanges for reception of an end joist thereon. A floor assembly as claimed in any preceding claim in which the timber floor panel further comprises a plurality of substantially parallel cross-members secured underneath and across the joists for reception of a ceiling in spaced apart relation with the joists. A floor assembly as claimed in any preceding claim in which the floor panels are provided without end joists, the metal joists being connected directly to the plurality of substantially parallel spaced apart joists thereby also acting as end joists to the floor panels. A floor assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.