NZ614632A - A Building - Google Patents

Abstract

614632 A building is supported on a foundation pile that includes a structural cylinder 2, a piston 3 movable within the cylinder, and one or more rods 4 which pass through and are fixed to the piston. The rod is connected to or is part of a wall, floor or roof structure of the building. When fluid is forced into the cylinder the piston is raised to raise the substructure of the building to which the rod is connected. is forced into the cylinder the piston is raised to raise the substructure of the building to which the rod is connected.

Description

Patents Form No. 5 THE PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION A BUILDING I, Dean Karl Zajonskowski, a New Zealand citizen, of 4/25 Victoria Road, Mt Maunganui, New Zealand hereby declare this invention for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement.

TITLE A Building.

FIELD OF INVENTION This invention relates to a building. A preferred form of the invention relates to a building having means to raise it.

BACKGROUND It is known that buildings can incur substantial momentary forces in, for example an earthquake. This can cause a building or parts of it to subside and in need of levelling.

It may also be necessary to raise a building somewhat to avoid flood damage. It is accordingly an object of a preferred form of the invention to go some way towards addressing these needs, or to at least provide the public with a useful choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a building having a foundation pile, the pile having:  a structural cylinder;  a piston movable within the cylinder; and  at least one rod within the cylinder and which passes through and is fixed to the piston; the pile arranged such that the rod forms part of or is connected to a wall, floor or roof structure of the building, the pile also arranged such that a fluid can be forced into the cylinder to cause the piston to move to raise a substructure of the building.

Preferably, the pile has a shock absorbent filling between the cylinder and the piston which is adapted to at least partially absorb momentary loads on the building to protect the structural integrity of the building.

Preferably, the pile has a plurality of similarly arranged rods.

Preferably, the rod(s) are connected to a wall beam of the building.

Preferably, the rod(s) are connected to a floor structure of the building.

Preferably, the rod(s) are connected to a roof structure of the building.

Preferably, the pile has at least one auger adapted to enable the pile to be screwed into the ground.

Preferably, the building has a floor structure connected to the pile, the floor structure having a generally horizontal framework incorporating horizontal diagonal support beams.

Preferably, the building has a floor structure which is formed from a plurality of substructure frames connected by way of tubular connectors.

Preferably, the pile is adapted to receive grease such that the grease causes the piston to move to raise a substructure of the building.

Preferably, the pile has means to release fluid to cause at least part of the building to be lowered.

Preferably, the building has a base plate which is adapted to engage with a floor and wall of the building.

Preferably, the building has skirting which is adapted to engage with a top plate beam, wall post(s) and wall panel(s) of the building. .

Preferably, the building has at least one post engaged with a wall panel and a floor structure, and wherein the piles rod proceeds through the post.

Preferably, the building has a plurality of the piles each arranged in similar manner.

Preferably, the building is modular.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Some preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is a side cross section view of a foundation pile for a building; Figure 2 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of a foundation pile for a building; Figure 3 is a perspective cross section view illustrating the foundation pile of figure 1 connected to a floor and post of a building; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a floor structure of a building; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a base plate of a building; Figure 6 is a perspective view illustrating the base plate of figure 5 when used in a building; Figure 7 is a perspective view of a post of a building; Figure 8 is a perspective view of a dowel of a building; Figure 9 is a perspective view illustrating the dowel of figure 8 when used in the post shown in figure 7; Figure 10 is a perspective view illustrating a wall panel when used in a building; Figure 11 is a perspective view of a top beam plate; Figure 12 is a perspective side cross section view of a post, a top beam plate and a cap; and Figure 13 is a perspective view illustrating a partly constructed modular building.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to figure 1, the foundation pile 1 comprises a cylinder 2, a piston 3 and a rod 4. The cylinder 2 contains a plate 5 at the bottom which serves as a base and support.

This plate 5 can vary in size and can be made from metal or any other suitable material. The cylinder which houses the piston 3 and rod 4 can be made from polyethylene such as alkathene or any other suitable material. In the embodiment shown the cylinder 2 has a shock absorbent filling 6 which can made from foam, rubber or the like. This shock absorbent filing 6 helps to at least partially absorb momentary loads (e.g. vertical and/or horizontal earthquake loads) on the building to protect the structural integrity of it. Between the filing 6 and the cylinder 2 are four rods 7 which hold the plate 5 and a top cap 8 in alignment. In a preferred embodiment these rods are made from galvanised steel. In the embodiment shown the cylinder comprises a pipe 9 within which the piston 3 is located. The pipe 9 can be butt wielded to the base plate 5. In some preferred embodiments the cylinder 2 has two pipes housed within it. The rod 4 passes through the piston 3. In some embodiments the rod 4 has an end adapted to attach to another rod. In a preferred embodiment this attachment is a threaded eye. The piston 3 can be raised by pumping fluid such as grease into the cylinder beneath it. The pile 1 may also have means to release this fluid, such as a value (not shown) which can be opened to remove the fluid and cause the piston to be lowered. In use the foundation pile 1 is connected to a wall or floor structure of the building by way of the rod 4. In the event of flooding or in the event of liquefaction caused by an earthquake grease or the like can be forced into the cylinder 2 to cause the piston 3 to move to raise a substructure of the building. This technique can be used to level a building which has gotten out of level due to an earthquake or subsidence generally, etc.

As shown in figure 2, the pile 1 has augers 10 which allow it to be screwed into the ground at the time of installation.

Figure 3 shows the pile 1 in use connected to a floor structure 11 and wall beam 12 of a building.

Figure 4 shows detail of a floor structure 11 of the building. The floor structure 11 has a generally horizontal framework incorporating horizontal diagonal support beams 13.

The floor may have foam (not shown) placed between the support beams to assist with insulation, bracing and floatation of the building if need be. The floor structure 11 also has tubular connectors 14 which enable connection to the pile 1. These connectors 14 may be made from aluminium or the like. The beams 13 of the floor structure 11 may be made from timber or any other suitable material. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the beams 13 comprise laminated veneer lumber which has been end moulded to the shape of the tubular connectors 14 and are connected to these with bolts, eg. T bolts. In one optional embodiment the floor structure 11 can be used as a roof structure or as another floor.

Figure 5 shows a base plate 15, which engages the floor structure 11 along its side.

The base plate 15 is secured to wall posts and wall panels (not shown) of the building.

The base plate 15 has an overhang 16 which helps prevent air gaps in the building.

This base plate 15 can also be used as a skirting, in which case it engages with wall posts, wall panels and a top beam plate (not shown). The base plate 15 is preferably made from laminated veneer lumber which is machined and glued together as one profile, and cut to modular lengths to fit between posts of the building.

Figure 6 shows the base plate 15 in use engaged with the floor structure 11 and posts Figure 7 shows one of the posts 17 in more detail. As shown the post 17 has a hole 18 running through it which allows a rod (not shown) to pass through. This rod can be the rod 4 which forms part of the pile 1, or can be a separate rod which connects to the rod 4 or to another part of the pile. The post 17 is shaped such that wall panels can slot into grooves 19 in the post 17.

Figure 8 shows the dowel 20 which can be inserted into the top of the post 17. This dowel has a hole which allows the rod 4 to pass through.

Figure 9 illustrates the dowel in use with a corner post 17 with the rod 4 passing through it. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the rod 4 does not proceed through the dowel but rather connects to a further rod which does pass through it. The upper end of the rod 4 has locking nuts to help hold the top beam plate (not shown) to the post 17. This also provides a point for further linkages.

As shown in figure 10 the building has wall panels 22 which slot into the base plate 15 and posts 17. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the wall panels 22 are each a machine pressed component made from foam insulation and plywood panels. A further preferred embodiment has either aluminium, timber or weatherboards connected to it for a finished outdoor surface.

Figure 11 shows a top plate beam 23 which has moulded ends (not visible) which are attached to tubular connectors 24. Each beam 23 is located between two of the posts 17 and above one or more of the wall panels 22. This beam 23 helps prevent the posts 17 from spreading apart. The beam 23 also has a groove (not shown) on both edges.

The groove is used to locate a top skirting plate (not shown) in place by way of a tongue which also holds the wall panel 22 in alignment. In some preferred embodiments of the invention the beams 23 are load bearing beams and can have glass panels and/or doors instead of wall panels below them.

Figure 12 shows a top cap 25 which is inserted onto the tubular connector 24 and a locking bolt is fitted over the top of the rod 4 and tightened. This locks the post 17 and top plate beam 23 together.

Figure 13 shows a partly constructed building 26 incorporating piles 1 and other components described above. The building 26 is modular. All the components are preferably pre-fabricated in a factory and are easy to assemble on site. The roof of the building can be prefabricated to interlock to the parts below it. All of the components are preferably pre-painted before assembly.

While some preferred embodiments of the invention have been described by way of example it should be appreciated that modifications and improvements can occur without departing from the scope of the following claims.

Claims (9)

WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A building having a foundation pile, the pile having:  a structural cylinder; 5  a piston movable within the cylinder; and  at least one rod within the cylinder and which passes through and is fixed to the piston; the pile arranged such that the rod forms part of or is connected to a wall, floor or roof structure of the building, the pile also arranged such that a fluid can be forced 10 into the cylinder to cause the piston to move to raise a substructure of the building.

2. A building according to claim 1, wherein the pile has a shock absorbent filling between the cylinder and the piston which is adapted to at least partially absorb momentary loads on the building to protect the structural integrity of the building.

3. A building according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pile has a plurality of similarly 15 arranged rods.

4. A building according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the rod(s) are connected to a wall beam of the building.

5. A building according to any one of the proceeding claims, wherein the rod(s) are connected to a floor structure of the building. 20

6. A building according to any one of the proceeding claims, wherein the rod(s) are connected to a roof structure of the building.

7. A building according to any one of the proceeding claims, wherein the pile has at least one auger adapted to enable the pile to be screwed into the ground.

8. A building according to any one of the proceeding claims, having a floor structure 25 connected to the pile, the floor structure having a generally horizontal framework incorporating horizontal diagonal support beams.

9. A building according to any one of the proceeding claims, having a floor structure which is formed from a plurality of substructure frames connected by way of tubular connectors.