SE0950981A1 - A tool and method for mounting facade elements on a building - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present invention relates to a tool for mounting facade ele-ments on a building, wherein the tool is arranged to move thefacade element horizontally towards the building. The tool com-prises a frame (4), attachment means (1a-b) for attaching theframe in a fixed position with respect to the building close to amounting position of the facade element, and at least one mem-ber (2a-d) rotatably arranged with respect to said frame aboutan axis (3a-d) to be horizontally directed when the frame is insaid fixed position and having a peripheral surface (6) in parallelwith said axis with a distance to this axis increasing in onecircumferential direction around the axis, and that said memberis configured to frictionally engage a surface of a facade ele-ment facing away from said building when the facade element islowered and by that rotate about said axis while engaging saidsurface of the facade element by portions of said peripheral sur-face at an increasing distance between said axis and the saidsurface and by that move said facade element horizontally to-wards said building. (Fig. 1)

Description

Reference: 401018SEApplicant: Brunkeberg lndustriutveckling AB A TOOL AND A METHOD FOR MOUNTING FACADE ELE-MENTS ON A BUILDING FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART The present invention relates to a tool for mounting facade ele-ments on a building, such as a multi-storey building, wherein thetool is arranged to move the facade element horizontally to-wards the building.

The present invention further relates to a method for mountingfacade elements on a building using a tool according to the in-vention.

Multi-storey buildings may be constructed in a plurality of ways.Common for all of them is that they comprise a facade. The fa-cade may be provided in a large number of different ways andmay either constitute a load bearing part of the multi-storeybuilding or only serve as weather protection. ln the latter casethe building comprises a building structure on which plateformed facade elements are attached.

The facade elements are often transported to the working siteon pallets. These pallets are traditionally off-loaded from a de-livery truck by a tower crane and then lifted to the floor wherethe facade elements will be installed. The tower crane is a criti-cal resource. Waiting time for trucks and tower cranes generateswaste time and substantial cost.

The handling of the facade elements during mounting on thebuilding is sensitive and facade elements may be damaged dur-ing handling. During hoisting of facade elements there is risk for the elements to crash into earlier mounted elements or otherparts of the building or nearby equipment and damages mayarise. These risks increase during mounting in windy conditions,which may lead to a standstill in the building while awaitingcalmer weather.

The facade elements are usually lifted to the installation level onthe building using tower cranes which have the purpose of liftingbuilding material to different parts of the building. The methodsused for installation is either direct assembly of façade elementsone by one by the tower crane, or using the tower crane for lift-ing pallets of façade elements to the installation floor from whichfinal installation is made using mobile mini cranes one floorabove installation level. The positioning of panels on the floorsis a problem since staged panels occupy space on each floorthat must be left unobstructed by other trades, and also requiresdetailed instructions from the structural designer due to limitedearly concrete strength. Both these methods are weather de-pendent and hoisting large facade elements using the towercrane is a critical resource US Patent 4 591 308 discloses a method for hoisting facadeelements on a multi-storey building without the use of towercranes. The patent discloses a guide jig for lifting facade ele-ments. The guide jig is suspended from a rope and is guided invertical rails provided on the outside of each facade element.When the facade element reaches the floor on which it is to bemounted the facade element has to be horizontally moved to-wards the building to a mounting position before the facadeelement can be attached to the building. This patent proposesthat the facade element is horizontally moved by means of thetower crane and a mechanical arm provided on the jig. Thismakes it possible to move the facade element to the final mount-ing position without having any person on the outside of thebuilding. However, the proposed method for moving the facade element to the mounting position is complicated and involves anumber of mounting steps.

GB22284009 discloses a method for mounting facade elementsby means of a working elevator. The facade elements are pro-vided with grooves, along which the working elevator is driven.The facade elements are transported to the floor where the fa-cade elements will be installed by the working elevator. Theworking elevator is provided with its own drive. The working ele-vator includes a pneumatically controlled system for horizontallymoving the facade elements towards the building and to itsmounting position. Such a working elevator is complicated andaccordingly expensive. lf a plurality of columns of facade ele-ments is to be mounted in parallel, it is necessary to have a plu-rality of working elevators, which is expensive.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to provide an improvedsolution to the problem of horizontally moving the facade ele-ments from a transportation position to a mounting position.

According to one aspect of the invention this object is achievedby a tool as defined in claim 1.

The tool comprises a frame, an attachment means for attachingthe frame in a fixed position with respect to the building close toa mounting position of the facade element, and at least onemember rotatably arranged with respect to the frame about anaxis to be horizontally directed when the frame is in the fixedposition and having a peripheral surface in parallel with the axiswith a distance to this axis increasing in one circumferential di-rection around the axis, and that the member is configured toengage a surface of a facade element facing away from thebuilding when the facade element is lowered and by that rotateabout the axis in a first direction while engaging the surface of the facade element by portions of the peripheral surface at anincreasing distance to the axis and by that move the facadeelement horizontally towards the building. ln the following, thesurface having a distance increasing in one circumferential di-rection around the axis is named the curved surface of themember.

The distance from the surface of the member to the rotationalaxis is increasing from a minimum distance to a maximum dis-tance. The curved surface of the member is designed to enablethe member to rotate from the minimum distance to the maxi-mum distance when the surface of the member is in contact withthe surface of the facade element and the facade element islowered, thereby utilizing the dead weight of the facade elementto achieve a force to the facade element.

For example, the tool can be used to move the facade elementfrom a transportation position to a mounting position, at a hori-zontal distance from the transportation position. The differencebetween the minimum and maximum distance between thecurved surface of the member and the rotational axis corre-sponds the horizontal distance between the transportation posi-tion and the mounting position.

The minimum distance between the curved surface of the mem-ber and the rotational axis makes it possible for the facade ele-ment to pass by the tool on its way up to the mounting position,and the increasing radius enables the tool to move the facadeelement in a horizontal direction when the facade element ismoved downwards towards its final mounting position. The per-sonnel only has to mount the tool on a structure close to themounting position from inside of the building, and to control theupward and downward vertical movements of the facade ele-ment, and the facade element will automatically be moved to itsfinal mounting position by the mechanics of the tool.

The upward movement of the facade element affects the tool sothat the rotatably member is turned into a working position. Thetool is driven by the vertical down movement of the facade ele-ment. The weight of the facade element is used to achieve theforce needed to horizontally move the facade element from thefirst to the second position. Thus, the tool does not have to beprovided with a drive of its own, which reduces the cost, weightand versatility of the tool. The tool according to the inventioncan be made much cheaper than the previously mentionedpneumatically controlled system for moving the facade elementto its mounting position. As no expensive equipment is needed itis possible to simultaneously mount a plurality of facade ele-ments on different horizontal positions along the building.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the member isconfigured to frictionally engage the surface of the facade ele-ment. This means that the friction between the curved surfaceand the facade element must be large enough to engage themember to the facade element, thereby causing the member torotate while it is in contact with the moving facade element, andto avoid sliding between the facade element and the member.The friction of the curved surface must be selected in depend-ence on the friction of the surface of the facade element. ln or-der to achieve the desired friction between the surfaces, thecurved surface may be covered with a material of high friction,such as rubber. Alternatively, the surface of the facade elementmay temporary be covered with a material of high friction.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the tool comprisesa spring arrangement adapted to provide a torque on the mem-ber in the first direction. The member is preloaded by means ofa spring arrangement. The spring arrangement provides atorque on the member, which forces the member to rotate to-wards the maximum distance between the curved surface of themember and the rotational axis. Thus, when the facade elementis in contact with the member, the curved surface of the member is forced towards the surface of the facade element so that thesurface of the member is bearing on the surface of the facadeelement. This embodiment keeps the curved surface of memberin contact with the surface of the facade element during the ver-tical movement of the facade element.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the member has asecond peripheral surface in parallel with the axis connecting tothe first peripheral surface where this has a maximum distanceto the axis, and the tool is provided with a mechanical stop con-figured to stop the rotation of the member when said second pe-ripheral surface has arrived in contact with the surface of thefacade element upon rotation of the member in said first direc-tion. For example, the second peripheral surface is flat or has aconstant distance to the axis. The second surface supports thefacade element when it is lowered the last distance to its finalmounting position. The mechanical stop is arranged to stop therotation of the member when the second surface is in contactwith the facade element. This embodiment ensures that the fa-cade element stays in the second position when the facade ele-ment is moved the last distance to the final mounting position.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the second pe-ripheral surface is configured to promote sliding of the surfaceof a facade element thereon. The second surface is designed toslide against the surface of the facade element. Preferably, thesliding surface is made of a low friction material in order to allowthe facade element to slide against the tool when the facadeelement is lowered to the final mounting position and attached tothe building.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the tool comprisesa first of the members rotatably arranged with respect to theframe about a first axis, a second of the members rotatably ar-ranged with respect to the frame about a second axis arrangedat a distance from the first axis, and a transmission unit adapted to synchronize the angular positions of the two members. lf thefacade element is tall, it may be necessary to apply a pushingforce at two vertically separated points on the facade element inorder to move the facade elements to the second position. Thetransmission unit ensures a parallel movement of the facadeelement, thereby avoiding possible damages of the facade ele-ment. This embodiment makes it possible to apply a pushingforce at two vertically separated points on the facade element.Due to the synchronization of the angular positions of the mem-bers, a parallel horizontal movement of the facade element isachieved, thereby preventing a corner or an edge of the facadeelement from hitting the building and as a consequence causingdamages.

According to an embodiment of the invention, one of the mem-bers is arranged linearly movable in relation to the other mem-ber to enable adjustment of the distance between the members.This embodiment makes it possible for a person standing on theinside of the building to mount a tool with two members at theoutside of the building.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the tool comprisesa third of the members rotatably arranged with respect to theframe about a third axis aligned with the first axis, a fourth ofthe members rotatably arranged with respect to the frame abouta fourth axis aligned with the second axis, and a transmissionunit adapted to synchronize the angular positions of the thirdand fourth members. Each pair of members are adapted to bearranged on opposite sides of a structure close to the mountingposition, in order to act on facade elements on both sides of thestructure. This reduces the number of times the tool has to bemoved. When a facade element has been mounted, only one ofthe tools has to be moved to the mounting position of the nextfacade element to be mounted.

According to another aspect of the invention, the object isachieved by the method according to claim 10.

The method comprises: - attaching the frame in a fixed position with respect to the build-ing close to a mounting position of the facade element, - moving the facade element until it comes into contact with thefirst surface of the member, and - vertically lowering the facade element towards a final mountingposition while the first surface is frictionally engaged to the fa-cade element thereby causing the member to rotate about theaxis at the first direction, i.e. at an increasing distance betweenthe axis and the first surface, and by that moving the facadeelement horizontally towards the building.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the method com-prises moving the facade element upward to a position abovethe final mounting position, while the upward movement of thefacade element affects the member to rotate about the axis in adirection opposite the first direction, i.e. at a decreasing dis-tance to the axis, and by that turning the member into a workingposition. The upward movement of the facade element affectsthe tool so that the tool is turned into a working position. Themember is then in a desired position, i.e. in contact with the fa-cade element at or close to the point of the minimum distance tothe axis, when the facade element is moved downward.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the method com-prises: - mounting two vertical profiles, each having a slot including anouter and an inner part extending along the longitudinal axis ofthe profile, on the building at a distance from each other andwith the slots facing each other, - attaching the tool to at least one of the vertical profiles, - inserting from below the facade element into the outer part ofthe slots of the vertical profiles - moving the facade element upward until it comes into contactwith the tool, - moving the facade element, guided by the outer part of theslots, upward to a position above the final mounting position,while the upward movement of the facade element affects themember to rotate about the axis to a decreasing distance be-tween the axis and the surface and by that turning the membersinto a working position, and - vertically lowering the facade element towards the final mount-ing position while the first surface is frictionally engaged to thefacade element thereby causing the members to rotate about theaxis to an increasing distance between the axis and the surfaceand by that moving the facade element the outer part of theslots to the inner part of the slots. lt is advantageous to use the profiles that support the facadeelements for holding the tool. ln this embodiment, the differencebetween the minimum and maximum distance between the pe-ripheral surface and the rotational axis corresponds the horizon-tal distance between the inner and outer part of the slot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be explained more closely by the descrip-tion of different embodiments of the invention and with referenceto the appended figures.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of tool according to a first em-bodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic side view of a simplified member.

Fig. 3 shows an enlarged view of the upper part of the tool with the transmission removed.

Fig. 4a shows a perspective view of tool according to a secondembodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4b shows an upper part of the tool in figure 4 in a view fromabove.

Fig. 4c shows a lower part of the tool in figure 4 in a view fromabove.

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of tool according to a thirdembodiment of the invention.

Fig. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of a facade element guidedby an outer part of a slot in a vertical profile.

Fig. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of two facade elementsheld by the vertical profile of the first type and supportedby vertical profiles of the second type.

Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate how the tool is mounted on a vertical pro-file.

Figs. 10 - 17 illustrate an example of a method for mounting afacade element on a building according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTSOF THE INVENTION Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a tool for mounting facadeelements on a building according to a first embodiment of theinvention. The tool comprises a frame 4, attachment means 1a-bfor attaching the frame in a fixed position with respect to a build-ing, and two members in the form of two discs 2a-b, each discrotatably arranged with respect to the frame about a rotationalaxis 3a-b, and having a peripheral surface 8 in parallel with theaxis and with a distance to this axis increasing in one circumfer- 11 ential direction around the axis. ln the embodiment disclosed infigure 1, the tool is provided with two attachment members 1a-b.However, the number of attachment members may vary. ln the embodiment disclosed in figure 1, the tool is provided withtwo discs 2a-b arranged at a distance from each other. Eachdisc is movable about an axis 3a-b. The angular positions of thevertically displaced discs 2a-b are synchronized by means of atransmission unit 7, for example a chain or a synchronoustransmission belt. However, the number of discs may vary de-pendent on the height of the facade element. ln alternative em-bodiments of the invention, the tool may have only one disc, ormore than two discs arranged at a vertical distance from eachother.

The tool comprises an upper part including the disc 2a and alower part including the disc 2b. The upper and lower parts areconnected by means of a rod 10. The lower part of the tool isfixedly connected to the rod and the upper part is movably con-nected to the rod 10. The rod 10 is movable along its longitudi-nal axis in relation to the upper part thereby permitting the lowerpart to be movable relative the upper part and accordingly per-mitting the disc 2a to be movable relative the disc 2b, therebyenable adjustment of the distance between the discs.

Figure 2 shows a schematic side view of a simplified member2a-b. The member is disc shaped and has a curved surface 6 inparallel with the axis 3a and with a radius increasing from aminimum radius r to a maximum radius R, wherein the differencebetween the minimum and maximum radius corresponds thehorizontal distance the facade element is to be moved. Thecurved surface 6 forms a cam curve and is adapted to be in con-tact with the facade element. The members 2a-b is configured tofrictionally engage a surface of the facade element. The frictionof the curved surface 6 must be selected in dependence on thefriction of the surface of the facade element. For instance, if the 12 facade element is made of glass the friction of the surface 6must be higher than if the facade element is made of wood inorder to achieve frictional engagement between the surfaces. lnorder to achieve the desired friction between the surfaces, thesurface 6 is covered with a material of high friction, such asrubber.

The disc further includes a sliding surface 8 arranged in connec-tion to the curved surface 6 and designed to slide against thesurface of the facade element when it is in parallel with the fa-cade element. ln this embodiment the sliding surface is flat.However, in an alternative embodiment the sliding surface mayhave a constant radius with respect to the rotational axis. Pref-erably, the sliding surface 8 is covered with a material of lowfriction, such as PTFE-plast (polytetrafluoroethylene), orUHMWPE (Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene).

The member is designed to enable it to rotate from the minimumradius to the maximum radius by means of friction between thefacade element and the curved surface 6 when the curved sur-face is in contact with the surface of the facade element and thefacade element is vertically moved. The disc is designed so thatthe relation between the curved surface 6 and the axis 3b issuch that the disc rotates by means of friction between the fa-cade element and the surface 6 when the surface 6 is in contactwith the surface of the facade element and the facade elementis vertically moved.

The curved surface 6 is designed to have a contact angle d be-tween a line perpendicular to the contact surface at a contactpoint P and a line between the contact point P and the axis ofrotation 3a of the member when the curved surface 6 of themember is rotating in contact with the facade element. The rota-tion of the member is dependent on the friction coefficient u be-tween the curved surface 6 and the surface of the facade ele- 13 ment. The necessary condition for the member 2a to rotateagainst the facade element surface is: pztanü Close to the maximum radius R, the contact angle d gradually isreduced to zero at the maximum rotation angle. From the maxi-mum radius contact point the profile of the member can be astraight line perpendicular to a line from the rotation centre tothe contact point at the maximum rotation angle. The sliding sur-face 8 has low friction making it possible for the facade elementto slide against the surface 8 when pushed in by the curved sur-face 6 on its way down to its final position on the building. Therotation of the member is limited to this final angle by a me-chanical stop 11a-b, as shown in figure 3.

Figure 3 shows the upper part of the tool with the transmission 7removed. As seen from the figure, the disc 2a is preloaded bymeans of a spring arrangement 14 adapted to provide a torque Ton the member in a direction towards an increasing distance tothe axis 3a. The spring arrangement 14 is, for example, a tor-sion spring. The spring arrangement makes the disc rotate withits curved surface directed downward and/or towards the facadeelement when tool is mounted. The rotation of the member islimited by a mechanical stop including a first pin 11a arranged atthe disc 2a and a second pin 11b arranged at the axis 3a.

Figures 4a-c show a perspective view of a tool for mounting fa-cade elements on a building according to a second embodimentof the invention. The tool comprises two attachment members1a-b for attaching the tool to a structure close to the mountingposition of the facade element. ln this embodiment, the tool isprovided with two pair of discs 2a-b,2c-d arranged at a distancefrom each other, each disc are movable about an axis 3a-d. Theaxes 3a and 3c are aligned with each other. The axes 3b and 3dare aligned with each other. The angular positions of the verti- 14 cally displaced discs 2a, 2b and 2c,2d are synchronized bymeans of a transmission unit 7a-b, for example a chain or asynchronous transmission belt. The movements of the discs 2a-b on the left side of the tool and the discs 2c-d on the right sideof the tool are independent of each other. The discs 2a-b andthe discs 2c-d are independently operated in order to move dif-ferent facade elements. Each pair of discs 2a-b,2c-d areadapted to be arranged on opposite sides of a structure close tothe mounting position, such as the vertical element shown infigure 8 and 9, in order to act on facade elements on both sidesof the structure. This reduced the number of times the tool hasto be moved. When a facade element has been mounted, onlyone of the tools has to be moved to the mounting position of thenext facade element to be mounted.

The tool comprises an upper part 12 including the discs 2a,2cand a lower part 13 including the discs 2b,2d. Figure 4b showsthe upper part 12 of the tool and figure 4c shows the lower part13 of the tool. The upper part 12 of the tool comprises a frame 4supporting the axes 3a and 3c. The upper pair of discs 2a, 2care arranged on opposite sides of the frame 4. The lower part 13of the tool includes a supporting structure 15 supporting theaxes 3b and 3d. The lower pair of discs 2b, 2d is arranged onopposite sides of the supporting structure 15. The frame 4 andthe supporting structure 15 are connected by means of a rod 10.The lower part 13 of the tool is fixedly connected to the rod andthe upper part 12 is movably connected to the rod 10. The rod10 is movable along its longitudinal axis in relation to the upperpart 12 thereby permitting the lower part 13 to be movable rela-tive the upper part and accordingly permitting the lower pair ofdiscs to be movable relative the upper pair of discs, thereby en-able adjustment of the distance between the discs and accord-ingly a simple installation of the tool.

Figure 5 shows an alternative tool configuration where the syn-chronisation mechanism is arranged inside a vertical profile 24.

The discs 2a-c on opposite sides of the vertical profile are me-chanically connected to each other and to a synchronisationmechanism arranged inside the profile synchronizing rotation ofthe upper and lower disc pairs. On the centre of the surface ofthe profile on the same side to which the discs are acting a rec-tangular profile 26 is arranged. Below the lower discs 2b, 2d T-shaped profiles 28 are arranged symmetrically on each side ofthe rectangular profile. The T-shaped profiles make it possibleto attach the tool to a vertical profile with T-slots on a facadebelow the tool level. This tool configuration can also be used infacade refurbishment where an existing facade is disassembledand a new facade is assembled one store at a time. The tool isthen used to guide a scrap container during dismantling, to sup-port a protection wall preventing scrap material from falling offthe building, as a support during assemble of new vertical pro-files and to push new facade elements to its mounting position. ln the following an example of a method for mounting facadeelements is described. Figure 6 shows a cross-section throughan example of a vertical profile 30 of a first type and a facadeelement 41 in a first position relative the vertical element 32.The first position is the position in which the facade element isvertically transported to its mounting position. The vertical pro-file 30 has a cross-section, which is essentially constant alongthe length axis of the profile. The profile 30 comprises a firstportion 32, which is arranged to be placed facing the building,and a second portion 34, which is arranged to be placed facingaway from the building. A slot 36 is arranged between the firstand second portion on each side of the vertical profile. The slotextends along the longitudinal axis of the profile. The slot is di-vided into an inner part 38 and an outer part 39. The inner part38 of the slot is designed to receive and house an edge part of afacade element, and the outer part 39 of the slot is designed toreceive and support a second type of vertical profile. The innerpart 38 of the slot is provided with a plurality of flexible ele-ments 40. The flexible elements 40 are made of a resilient mate- 16 rial and are arranged to support, centre, and seal the facadeelement when it is mounted, as shown in figure 7.

An edge part of a facade element 41 is supported by the outerpart 39 of the slot in the vertical profile. The facade elementmay comprise glass plates, or laminated glass, one or moreweatherproof plates or a combination of glass plates and weath-erproof plates and may also comprise a frame which holds theglass plates and/or the weatherproof plates. The edge of the fa-cade element is provided with a protruding part extending alongthe entire length of the facade element. The protruding part ofthe edge of the facade element is located in the outer part of theslot. The opposite edge of the facade element is provided with acorresponding protruding part (not shown), which is located inthe outer part of the slot of another vertical element of the firsttype arranged at a distance from the first vertical element.

The second portion 34 comprises an outer surface on whichthere is arranged a plurality of supporting profiles 42, which ex-tend along the longitudinal axis of the profile 30, and betweenwhich notches 44 are arranged. The supporting profiles 42 arebeing used to guide and support the tool. Another example of avertical profile is disclosed in WO2009/O93948.

The facade element is vertically moved until it is close to itsmounting position. When the facade element has reached itsmounting position or close to the mounting position, the facadeelement must be moved from the outer part 39 to the inner part38 of the slots. A horizontal force is needed in order to over-come the resistance from the flexible elements 40 on the verticalprofile. Figure 7 shows the facade element 12 when it has beenmoved from the first position in the outer part 39 of the slot to asecond position in the inner part 38 of the slot of the verticalprofile 30. Figure 7 also shows a profile 46 of a second type,which is designed to fit in the outer part 39 of the slot, and ar-ranged to support the facade element 41 when it has been 17 mounted,.and to seal between the façade element 41 and thevertical profile 30.

Figures 8 and 9 illustrate mounting of a tool for pushing the fa-cade element from the outer part 39 of the slot to the inner part38 of the slot of the vertical profile of the first type. According tothe invention, a specially designed tool is used for performingthis step, for example the tool shown in figure 1. The discs 2a-bare shaped so that the difference between the minimum andmaximum radius of the discs corresponds to the horizontalmovement that is required for pushing the facade element fromthe outer part 39 of the slot to the inner part 38 of the slot. Atthe maximum radius of the disc the disc is provided with a slid-ing surface 8 adapted to bear on the facade element 41. Thesliding surface 8 of the disc is covered with a low friction mate-rial, and the curved surface is covered with a with a high frictionmaterial. The angular movement of the disc is stopped when thesliding surface 8 of the disc is in parallel with the facade ele-ment, as shown in figure 17. ln the following an example of a method for mounting verticalprofiles according to the invention is described. When a facadeis being mounted on a building, a plurality of vertical profiles ofthe first type 30 is attached to the floors of the building. The ver-tical profiles are arranged on top of each other so that the longi-tudinal axes of the profiles are aligned, thereby forming columnsof vertical profiles. A plurality of columns of vertical profiles isarranged in parallel and at a horizontal distance from each otherwhich essentially correspond to the width of the facade ele-ments. Two neighbouring columns of vertical elements 30 arearranged so that the slots are facing each other. Facade ele-ments 41 are mounted between two neighbouring columns ofprofiles. The mounted facade elements are supported by verticalprofiles of the second type 46, which have been entered into theouter parts of the slots of the vertical profiles of the first type.The vertical profiles of the first and second type are mounted so 18 that they are allowed to receive the facade element from belowand to support the edges of the facade element when the facadeelement is transported to the mounting position.

The attachment members 1a-b of the tool are designed to attachthe tool to a vertical profile 30 arranged on the building. The toolis to be mounted with the axes 3a-b horizontally directed and inparallel to the surface of the facade element. Figure 8 illustrateshow the tool is inserted into the notches 44 of one or more ofthe supporting profiles 42 of a vertical profile 30 of the first type,which has been mounted on the building. The upper part 12 ofthe tool, including the upper disc 2a, is attached to the profile.Figure 9 illustrates how the lower part 13, including the lowerdisc 2b, is moved downwards in the supporting profile until itreaches a lower part of the vertical profile 30 and the transmis-sion 7a-b are stretched. The transmission unit ensures a parallelmovement of the facade element relative the vertical profiles.Accordingly, the upper disc 2a is positioned at an upper part ofthe vertical profile and the lower disc 2b is positioned at a lowerpart of the vertical profile. One tool is mounted on each of thetwo vertical profiles arranged neighbouring each other for sup-porting the facade element, as shown in figure 10. ln the following, the mounting of the facade element will be ex-plained with reference to the figures 10-17. Figures 10 and 11show how the facade element is moved upward towards themounting position and figures 12 and 13 show how the upwardmovement of the facade element affects the discs so that theyare turned into a working position. Figures 14 and 15 show howthe facade element is moved downward at the same time as thetools push the facade element towards the building. Figures 16and 17 show the facade element in its final mounting position.

The facade element 41 is moved upward, guided by the outerpart 39 of the slots, until it comes into contact with the lowerdiscs 2b of the tools, as shown in figure 10 and 11. When the 19 facade element 41 comes into contact with the lower discs 2b,the facade element will rotate the discs so that the contact be-tween the facade element and the discs are made where thediscs have their smallest radius r, and accordingly the facadeelement without hindrance can pass by the discs, which sur-faces slide against the facade element. The facade element isfurther moved upward to a position above the final mounting po-sition, while the upward movement of the facade element affectsthe tools so that the discs are rotated in a first direction until thefacade element is in contact with the curved surface 6 at theminimum radius r, as shown in figure 12 and 13. Thus, the up-ward movement of the facade element affects the discs 2a-b sothat the discs are turned into a working position, i.e. the discsare rotated until they reach their smallest radius, i.e. the mini-mum radius r, as shown in figure 13.

Thereafter, the facade element 41 is lowered towards the finalmounting position, as shown in figure 14, and at the same timethe discs 2a-b are driven to push the facade element towardsthe inner part 38 of the slots. While the facade element is moveddownwards towards the final mounting position, the facade ele-ment is in contact with the curved surface 6 thereby causing thediscs 2a-b to rotate in a direction opposite the first direction un-til the facade element is in contact with the curved surface 6 atthe maximum radius R of the member. The discs are caused torotate to their largest radius, i.e. the maximum radius R, by themovement of the facade element, as shown in figure 15. Whenthey are rotated, the discs 2a-b push the facade element to-wards the inner part 38 of the slot. When the discs have reachedtheir largest radius the facade element is close to the finalmounting position, and the facade element is vertically moved,as shown in figure 16 and 17, until fastening units on the facadeelement are engaged to corresponding fastening elements onthe vertical profiles or on a floor of the building, and thereby thefacade element is attached to the floor of the building. The fa-cade element is now positioned in the inner parts of the slot.

The discs 2a-b have lost contact with the facade element andthe tools can be removed from the vertical profile.

The discs are designed so that the discs rotate due to frictionwhen they are in contact with the facade element when the fa-cade element is moved downwards. The facade element ismoved downwards due to its own weight when the gravity forceis acting on the element. Accordingly, the dead weight of the fa-cade element is used to achieve the force needed to move thefacade element from the outer to the inner part of the slots.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments dis-closed but may be varied and modified within the scope of thefollowing claims. For example, the tool may be used in combina-tion with other types of vertical profiles. Further, the engage-ment between the curved surface of the member and the facadeelement can be made by other means than friction, such as bymeans of gears or teeth provided on the curved surface of themember and corresponding gears or teeth provided on the fa-cade element.

Claims (16)

1. A tool for mounting facade elements on a building, whereinthe tool is arranged to move the facade element horizontally to-wards the building, characterized in that the tool comprises: - a frame (4), - attachment means (1a-b) for attaching the frame in a fixed po-sition with respect to the building close to a mounting position ofthe facade element, and - at least one member (2a-d) rotatably arranged with respect tosaid frame about an axis (3a-d) to be horizontally directed whenthe frame is in said fixed position and having a peripheral sur-face (6) in parallel with said axis with a distance to this axis in-creasing in one circumferential direction around the axis, and that said member is configured to engage a surface of a fa-cade element facing away from said building when the facadeelement is lowered and by that rotate about said axis in a firstdirection while engaging said surface of the facade element byportions of said peripheral surface at an increasing distance be-tween said axis and said surface and by that move said facadeelement horizontally towards said building.

2. The tool according to claim 1, wherein said member is config-ured to frictionally engage the surface of the facade element.

3. The tool according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tool is ar-ranged to move the facade element from a first position to asecond position at a horizontal distance from the first position,and the distance between said peripheral surface and the axis isincreasing from a minimum distance (r) to a maximum distance(R), wherein the difference between the minimum and maximumdistance corresponds to the horizontal distance between the firstand second position. 22

4. The tool according to any of the previous claims, wherein thetool comprises a spring arrangement (14) adapted to provide atorque (T) on the member (2a-d) in said first direction.

5. The tool according to any of the previous claims, wherein themember has a second peripheral surface connecting to said firstperipheral surface where this has a maximum distance to saidaxis, the tool is provided with a mechanical stop configured tostop said rotation of the member when said second peripheralsurface has arrived in contact with said surface of the facadeelement upon rotation of the member in said first direction.

6. The tool according to claim 5, wherein said second peripheralsurface is configured to promote sliding of the surface of a fa-cade element thereon.

7. The tool according to claim 5 or 6, wherein said second pe-ripheral surface (8) is flat or has a constant distance to the axis.

8. The tool according to any of the claims 5 - 7, wherein thesecond peripheral surface (8) has lower friction than the firstmentioned peripheral surface (6).

9. The tool according to any of the previous claims, wherein thetool comprises a first (2a) of said members rotatably arrangedwith respect to said frame about a first axis (3a), a second (2b)of said members rotatably arranged with respect to said frame(4) about a second axis (3b) arranged at a distance from thefirst axis, and a transmission unit (7;7a-b) adapted to synchro-nize the angular positions of the two members.

10. The tool according to claim 9, wherein one of the members(2b) is arranged linearly movable in relation to the other member(2a) to enable adjustment of the distance between the members. 23

11. The tool according to any of the claims 9 or 10, wherein thetool comprises a third (2c) of said members rotatably arrangedwith respect to said frame (4) about a third axis (3c) aligned withthe first axis, a fourth (2d) of said members rotatably arrangedwith respect to said frame about a fourth axis (3d) aligned withthe second axis, and a transmission unit (7b) adapted to syn-chronize the angular positions of the third and fourth members.

12. A method for mounting a facade element on a building bymeans of a tool according to any of the claims 1-11, wherein themethod comprises: - attaching the frame (4) in a fixed position with respect to thebuilding close to a mounting position of the facade element (41),- moving the facade element until it comes into contact with thefirst mentioned surface (6) of the member, and - vertically lowering the facade element towards a final mountingposition while said first mentioned surface is frictionally engagedto the facade element thereby causing the member (2a-b) to ro-tate about said axis (3a-b) in said first direction and by thatmoving the facade element horizontally towards the building.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the method fur-ther comprises: - moving the facade element (41) upward to a position above thefinal mounting position, while the upward movement of the fa-cade element affects the member (2a-b) to rotate about saidaxis (3a-b) in a direction opposite the first direction and by thatturning the member into a working position.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the methodcomprises: - mounting two vertical profiles (30), each having a slot (36) in-cluding an outer (39) and an inner (38) part extending along thelongitudinal axis of the profile, on the building at a distance fromeach other and with the slots facing each other, - attaching the tool to at least one of said vertical profiles, 24 - inserting the facade element from below into the outer part ofthe slots of the vertical profiles - moving the facade element upward until it comes into contactwith the first mentioned surface (6) of the member, - moving the facade element, guided by the outer part of theslots, upward to a position above the final mounting position,while the upward movement of the facade element affects themember to rotate about said axis at a decreasing distance be-tween said axis and the first surface and by that turning themember into a working position, and - vertically lowering the facade element towards the final mount-ing position while said first surface is frictionally engaged to thefacade element thereby causing the member to rotate about saidaxis at an increasing distance between said axis and the firstsurface and by that moving the facade element from the outerpart of the slots to the inner part of the slots.

15. The method according to any of the claims 12 - 14, whereinthe tool is driven by a vertical down movement of the facadeelement.

16. The method according to claim 2 and any of the claims 12 -15, wherein the difference between said minimum (r) and maxi-mum (M) distance between the first mentioned surface (6) andsaid axis (3a-b) corresponds to the horizontal distance betweenthe first and second position.