SE538432C2

SE538432C2 - A tool and a locking bracket for mounting façade elements ona building and a façade element

Info

Publication number: SE538432C2
Application number: SE1451229A
Authority: SE
Inventors: Henrik Falk; David Augustinson; Thomas Eidenhardt
Original assignee: Brunkeberg Systems Ab
Priority date: 2014-10-14
Filing date: 2014-10-14
Publication date: 2016-06-21
Also published as: SE1451229A1; WO2016060600A1

Description

A TOOL AND A LOCKING BRACKET FOR MOUNTING FACADE ELEMENTS ON A BUILDING AND A FACADE ELEMENT Technical field of the invention The present invention relates to a tool and a locking bracket for mounting a facade element to a building, such as a multi-storey building. The present invention also relates to a facade element designed to cooperate with such a tool and locking bracket.

Background Multi-storey buildings can be constructed in a variety of ways. Common to all multi-storey buildings, however, is a facade element. The facade element can be constructed to constitute an integral part of the building as a load bearing component or it may only serve as a weather protective layer. There may of cause also be different combinations of facade elements with load bearing properties and weather protective layers. If the facade element only is used as a weather protective layer to seal the building then it is usually formed as a plate. In such a case the multi-story building comprises a building structure onto which the plate formed facade elements are attached.

It is common that the facade elements arrive at the working site on pallets. These pallets are then off-loaded by a tower crane, a mobile crane, a site hoist or the like and lifted to the floor of the multi-story building on which they are to be mounted. This step of lifting and installing facade elements is one of the most time consuming tasks when a new multi-story building is built. Thus, by reducing this time it is possible to reduce the overall time it takes to complete the whole multi-story building.

WO2010070082 discloses a method and a system for mounting facade elements which substantially reduces the time to unload, lift and mount facade elements on a building structure of a multi-story building. In this method facade elements are hoisted whilst inserted in slots of guiding rails mounted on the building structure, i.e. the vertical edges of the facade element will run in slots while hoisted. This will make the hoisting procedure less sensitive to weather conditions, such as wind, since the facade elements run steadily in the slots. The guiding-rails are mounted on the building structure all the way up to the floor that is beneath the floor to be mounted, i.e. with this method the facade elements are mounted from the bottom and up. When the facade elements have reached the floor on which they are to be mounted they have a horizontal distance to the building structure onto which they are to be mounted. Thus, the facade element needs to be pushed in a horizontal direction towards the building. This may be done in different ways.

WO2011073026 discloses a tool for mounting facade elements onto a building. The tool is arranged to move facade elements horizontally towards the building. The tool comprises a component which moves the element from a position in an outer rail to a final position in an inner rail. The tool moves the facade element by using a member which, when the element is lowered, engages the element, rotates and subsequently displaces the member horizontally. This tool is very effective and comprises multiple moving parts including springs and cam-like members which rotate to push the facade element into place. The tool is preferably fixed to the guiding rails mounted on the building structure and is operated manually from the floor above the floor onto which the facade element is to be mounted.

Even if the mounting method described in WO2010070082 together with the tool described in WO2011073026 are very effective and have substantially improved the time it takes to mount facade elements, there is still room for further improvements, especially for a tool that further enhances the horizontal movement of the facade element to its final mounting position.

Summary of the invention An object with embodiments of the present invention is to provide an improved mounting tool, a mounting bracket and facade element which facilitates the mounting of facade elements.

According to a first aspect of the invention the object may be achieved by a tool for mounting and securing a facade element in two vertical profiles mounted on a building structure. The facade element comprises guiding pins at its vertical edges which are adapted to be received by the mounting tool. The mounting tool is configured to cooperate with a locking bracket, which is provided in the vertical profiles and has a plate-like shape. The lower part of the locking bracket has a projected face section, which is divided by a vertically elongated slot extending in a vertical direction and having an open front, an open upper end and a lower end forming a basis. The vertically elongated slot is adapted to receive and guide the guiding pin to the basis. Furthermore, the projected face section is provided with a shelf adapted to support the tool. The tool, when in use, extends away from the facade element and has a length such that when the facade element is hoisted up to a position above its installation position the guiding pin abuts a lower side of the tool and pivots at least part of said tool from a resting position to allow upwards passage of the guiding pin as the facade element is further hoisted. Said at least part of the tool is arranged such that it pivots back to its resting position when the guiding pin has passed the tool upwardly.

In an exemplary embodiment the mounting tool is pivotally attached to the locking bracket. The mounting tool may further be attached in a mounting recess of the projected face section of the locking bracket, which mounting recess forms a first seat adapted to receive and support the tool in its resting position.

The mounting tool may further comprise a lower end which cooperates with a second seat of the projected face section of the locking bracket, such that the tool is locked in a vertical position when the guiding pin of the facade element rests against the basis of the vertically elongated slot. Preferably the lower end projects into the lower end of the vertically elongated slot when it is in its locked vertical position.

In another exemplary embodiment the upper part of the tool may comprise a slit extending substantially parallel with the upper side of the tool and ending with a through hole, said slit dividing the upper part of the tool into an upper pivotable part and lower fixed part.

In another exemplary embodiment the mounting tool is rigidly connected to the locking bracket and may also be provided with a handle for easy attachment to the vertical profiles. In order to further facilitate the attachment of the to the vertical profiles the handle may comprise mushroom shaped screw heads adapted to slide in dogleg shaped channels of the vertical profiles.

According to a second aspect of the present invention the object may be achieved by a locking bracket, configured to cooperate with the mounting tool according to the first aspect, for mounting and securing a facade element in two vertical profiles mounted on a building structure. The facade element comprising guiding pins at vertical edges of the facade element. The locking bracket has a plate-like shape, the lower part of which has a projected face section, which in turn is divided by a vertically elongated slot. The slot extends in a vertical direction and has an open front, an open upper end and a lower end forming a basis. The vertically elongated slot is adapted to receive and guide the guiding pin to the basis and the projected face section is provided with a shelf adapted for supporting the tool.

In preferred embodiments the open upper end of the projected face section of the locking bracket may be tapered to enhance the guiding movement. Furthermore the locking bracket may be provided with grooves at its vertical sides, said grooves being adapted for receiving flanges provided on the vertical profiles.

According to a third aspect of the present invention the object may be achieved by a facade element comprising at least two guiding pins at two vertical edges thereof and adapted to be guided by a mounting tool according to the first aspect and received by a locking bracket according to the second aspect. In preferred embodiments the facade element may furthermore be provided with guiding blocks on the same vertical line as the guiding pins, but having a horizontal extension that is larger than the diameter of the guiding pins.

By using the mounting tool, the locking bracket and the facade element according to the present invention the mounting time for mounting facade elements on a building structure may be substantially reduced.

Brief description of drawings The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a schematic view for describing the basic method for mounting facade elements onto a multi-story building, Figs. 2a & b show a schematic view of two exemplary embodiments of a facade element adapted to interact with the mounting tool and the locking bracket, Fig. 3 shows a cross sectional view, along line A-A in figure 1, of two facade elements held by a vertical profile of a first type and a third facade element supported by a vertical profile of a second type, Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the cooperation between the mounting tool and the locking bracket when the locking bracket is attached to the vertical profile of the first type, Fig. 5 shows an enlarged view of the locking bracket, Fig. 6 shows an enlarged view of the mounting tool according to a first embodiment, Fig. 7 shows an enlarged view of the mounting tool and the locking bracket according to a second embodiment, and Fig. 8 shows step by step how the mounting tool interacts with the facade element during the final mounting stage of the facade element to the multi-story building.

Detailed description of the embodiments Embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings in order for those skilled in the art to be able to carry out the invention. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Thus, the invention is only limited by the appended claims.

Prior to describing the mounting tool, locking bracket and facade element of the present invention in detail, the basic method for mounting facade elements according to the present invention will be described. It is believed that this will give a better understanding of the present invention. A more thorough description of this basic method for mounting facade elements onto a multi-story building is described in WO 2010/070082.

Figure 1shows part of a multi-story building onto which facade elements 2 may be mounted. The facade elements are generally denoted with 2 throughout the description, but may also be provided with an index such as 2a, 2b etc. to denote a specific facade element 2 of the building. An enlarged and schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of the facade element 2 is shown in figure 2. The building comprises a number of vertical, load bearing walls (not shown) and floors 4, also denoted slabs, which extend between the walls. Furthermore, there is provided a first type of vertical profiles 6 arranged with a horizontal distance between said vertical profiles 6 that corresponds to the width of the facade elements 2. The vertical profiles 6 of the first type are shown in more detail in figure 3, which is a cross sectional view along line A-A in figure 1. In figure 1 there is also shown a mobile crane 8, which is hoisting a facade element 2c. It should be understood that there be many other types of cranes that are suitable for hoisting the facade elements 2.

As mentioned aboveFigure 2a&bshows an enlarged views of exemplary embodiments of the facade element 2. The facade element 2 comprises four guiding pins 22 provided on the vertical edges 24 of the facade element 2. The guiding pins 22 are adapted to cooperate with the mounting tool of the present invention, which will be described further below. The facade element 2 may also be provided with more than 4 guiding pins depending on the size and in particular the height, i.e. the vertical extension, of the facade elements 2. The facade element can furthermore be provided with guiding blocks 25 on the vertical edges 24 of the facade element 2. As is apparent in figure 2b, the guiding blocks 25 are provided on the same vertical line as the guiding pins 22. The horizontal width or extension of the guiding blocks 25 is greater than the diameter of the guiding pins 22. The function of the guiding blocks 25 will also be described further below.

Figure 3shows a cross sectional view, along line A-A in figure 1. In figure 3 three different facade elements 2a-2c are shown, having the same reference numerals as in figure 1. Figure 3 also shows the vertical profile 6 of the first type, which holds the two facade elements 2a and 2b. The vertical profile 6 of the first type, hereinafter first vertical profile 6, is almost shaped as a T-bar but is provided with grooves or channels 20 where the horizontal part of the T meets the vertical part of the T and also further grooves or channels are provided at the bottom region of the T. The first vertical profile 6 furthermore comprises a support surface 11 against which facade elements 2 may rest. The channels in the bottom region of the T-bar like shaped first vertical profile 6 is adapted to receive and support a vertical profile 26 of a second type, hereinafter second vertical profile. There are many ways the first and second vertical profiles may be connected to each other. In the embodiment shown in figure 3, the second vertical profile 26 is U-shaped. The U-shaped vertical profile 26 constitutes a channel, which is adapted to receive and guide the guiding blocks 25 of the facade element 2c. It should be understood that the figure 3 is not drawn in scale but for illustrative purposes only and that may details have been left out.

Now having described the vertical profiles 6 and 26 of the first and second type and the facade elements 2, it is time to describe the basic method for installing this type of facade elements 2 onto a multi-story building. First a number of the first vertical profiles 6 are attached to the first floor of the multi-story building and facade elements 2 are then inserted there in between. Two neighbouring first vertical profiles 6 are arranged such that the above mentioned channels 20 are facing each other. The facade elements 2a and 2b are mounted between two neighbouring first vertical profiles 6. The mounted facade elements 2a and 2b are supported by the support surfaces 11. When the first floor has been provided with facade elements 2, new first vertical profiles 6 are arranged above the previously attached first vertical profiles 6, such that they form a column along the entire height of the multi-story building when it is time to mount facade elements 2 on the top floor 4. In figure 1 three columns of the first vertical profiles 6 are shown arranged in parallel and at a horizontal distance to each other. The horizontal distance between the columns is essentially the same as the width, i.e. the horizontal extension, of the facade elements 2.

After that facade elements 2 have been mounted on one floor the second vertical profiles 26 are mounted onto the first vertical profiles of that floor in such a way that they are allowed to receive a facade element 2c from below. When a facade element 2c is to be transported to its mounting position, the guiding pins 22 and guiding blocks 25 on the vertical edges 24 of the facade element 2c are inserted into the channel formed by the U-formed second vertical profile 26 of the lowest ones of the second vertical profiles 26 and is moved upwards to its mounting position by means of the mobile crane 8. The advantage with using guiding blocks 25 having a horizontal width greater than the diameter of the guiding pins 22 is that when the facade element 2 is hoisted any possible lateral movement of the facade element 2 is absorbed by the guiding blocks 25 and not by the guiding pins 22. Thus, by using the guiding blocks 25 any scraping of material from the guiding pins 22 is avoided.

When the facade element 2 reaches the first vertical profiles 6 mounted on the floor at which the facade element 2 is to be mounted, the guiding blocks 25 slide out of the U-shaped second vertical profiles 26 and the facade element 2 will then be free to move in a horizontal direction. When the facade element 2 has reached its final mounting position the facade element 2 is essentially at its final height or vertical position, but has to travel a horizontal distance such that the facade element abuts the support surfaces 11. It is for enhancing this horizontal movement the mounting tool of the present invention is useful.

Figure 4shows a perspective view of a mounting tool 30 when it is mounted to the first vertical profile 6. The mounting tool 30 is configured to cooperate with a locking bracket 28. The mounting tool 30 has an upper side 40, a lower side 42 and a short side 44. The locking bracket 28 will be closer described in conjunction with figure 5 and the mounting tool 30 will be closer described in conjunction with figure 6. As may be seen in figure 5 the locking bracket 28 may be provided with grooves 54 at its vertical sides. These grooves 54 are adapted to receive flanges 63 that are provided on the first vertical profile 6 in order to ensure that the locking bracket 28 is secured to the first vertical profile 6. Two different positions 61, 65 for the facade element 2 are indicated by dotted lines in figure 4. In the first position 61, which is the transport position, the guiding block 25 of the facade element 2 has as mentioned above just left the U-shaped second vertical profile. The length of the guiding pins 22 and guiding blocks 25 is adapted such that they may run freely without getting stuck when the facade element is moved in a horizontal direction towards the support surface 11. In the second position 65 the facade element 2 is in its final mounted position. In order to better illustrate the function of the mounting tool 30 the facade element is only indicated by one guiding pin 22 and one guiding block 25 in figure 4.

Turning now toFigure 5the locking bracket 28 will be more closely described. The locking bracket 28 is basically shaped as an elongated plate with a projected face section 50 forming a bracket at the lower end, i.e. the end facing the ground. The locking bracket 28 has a front surface 52 and back surface. The vertical sides of the locking bracket 28 are as mentioned above provided with grooves 54 adapted to receive flanges of the first vertical profile. The grooves 54 assist the positioning of the locking bracket 28 on the first vertical profile 6, i.e. the locking bracket 28 may slide vertically along the first vertical profile 6 but is unable to move substantially in a horizontal direction. Furthermore, the looking bracket 28 comprises fastening holes 56, a vertically elongated slot 58 in the projected face section 50, which comprises a lower end forming a basis 60 and an upper end 62, a mounting recess 64, a first seat 66, a second seat 67 and a mounting tool hole 68.

The locking bracket 28 may be fixed to the first vertical profiles 6 by using the fastening holes 56 to bolt or screw it onto the first vertical profiles 6. As is readily understood by a person skilled in the art also other fixing members may be used to fasten and fixate the locking bracket 28 to the first vertical profiles 6. The fastening holes 56 may be arranged at a distance from one another parallel to the vertical axis of the locking bracket 28.

The vertically elongated slot 58 has an open front and also an open upper end 62. The lower end of the vertically elongated slot 58 is closed and forms a basis 60 which may be semi circular shaped. The upper open end 62 of the vertically elongated slot 50 may be tapered such that it may easily receive and guide the guiding pin 22 of a facade element into the vertically elongated slot 58. The semi circular shaped basis may have a radius that corresponds to the radius of the guiding pin 22.

The projected face section 50 of the locking bracket 28 may have a mounting recess 64, which forms a first seat 66 or shelf adapted to receive and support the mounting tool 30. The mounting recess 64 is formed parallel and normal to the surface of the plate in the face of the projected face section 50 of the locking bracket 28. The mounting recess 64 may be provided with a mounting tool hole 68, which is aligned normal to the surface of the locking bracket 28 and runs through the projected face section 50. The mounting tool hole 68 may be a through hole or may have a depth that is less than the thickness of the projected face section 50. The mounting tool hole 68 is used to pivotally fasten or attach the first tool 30 to the locking bracket 28 by means of a pin, a rod or the like. The mounting tool 30 will have a corresponding hole, which will be closer described in conjunction with figure 6.

The projected face section 50 of the locking bracket 28 may also have a second seat 67or shelf adapted to receive and support another part of the first mounting tool 30. The second seat 67 is formed by a locking recess 69 that is formed parallel and normal to the surface of the plate in the face of the projected face section 50 of the locking bracket 28.

The locking bracket 28 may be manufactured from any rigid material such as but not limited to aluminium, steel or different alloys thereof. The locking bracket 28 may also be manufactured from any type of rigid polymer. Such polymer may for example be a PolyOxyMethylene, POM, such as Delrin® (DuPont).

Turning now toFigure 6a first embodiment of the mounting tool 30 will be described. The mounting tool may also be designed with a handle which will be described in conjunction with figure 7. Thus, there are many design options when it comes to the mounting tool, but also the locking bracket 28, which will be readily understood by a person skilled in the art after reading this description. Independently of the type of embodiment of the mounting tool it will have an upper side 40, a lower side 42 and a short side 44. In this first embodiment of the mounting tool 30 there is also provided a mounting hole, which together with the mounting tool hole 68 of the locking bracket 28 is used to pivotally fasten or attach the first mounting tool 30 to the locking bracket 28 by means of a pin, a rod or the like. Furthermore, the upper side 40 or part may have a trapezoidal cross section as depicted in figure 6.

As may be seen in figure 6 there is provided a recess at the bottom end of the mounting device 30. The recess has a radius of curvature that is adapted to the radius of curvature of the first seat 66 (figure 5) of the locking bracket 28. The first seat 66 will serve as support of the mounting tool 30 when it is pivotally attached to the locking bracket 28. When mounted to the locking bracket the first mounting tool 30 is pivotable around a pivoting axis P (see also figure 5). The lower end 80 of the mounting tool 30 is adapted to rest against the second seat 67 when the first tool 30 is in a locking position to be described further below.

The first mounting tool 30 may be manufactured in many different materials, for example a rigid material such as a metal, for example steel, aluminium or an alloy of such. It may also be manufactured by any other type of rigid material such as an engineering polymer. An example of such a polymer is POM, such as Delrin® (DuPont). A member manufactured from polymer may have the benefit of being lighter and may be less costly to manufacture compared to a metal. A polymer member may also provide some elasticity to the pivoting arm when it is contacted by a facade element.

Figure 7shows a second embodiment of a mounting tool 33. The mounting tool 33 comprises a handle 35. As regards the pivotal movement the basic principle is the same for the second mounting tool 33 as for the first mounting tool 30. Also the second mounting tool 33 comprises an upper side 40, a lower side 42 and a short side 44. The difference compared to the first mounting tool 30 is that the upper end of the second tool 33 is provided with a slit 94 extending substantially parallel with the upper side 40 of the mounting tool 33 and ending with a through hole 96. Said slit 94 divides the upper part into two parts. The upper one of the two parts 37 is pivotable in the direction of arrow A. The upper part 37 is made of a material that is flexible enough to "snap" back to the position shown in figure 7 after it has been moved in the direction of arrow A. The rest of the second mounting tool 33 is rigidly connected to the locking bracket 28 and rests on and is locked to a tapered shelf 46 of the projected face section 50. The tapered shelf 46 is not fully shown in figure 7, since it is hidden by the second mounting tool 33. However, the tapered shelf 47 is a mirror image of the tapered shelf 47, which is clearly visible in figure 7. Thus, the locking bracket 28 in this second embodiment differs from the one in the first embodiment in that it lacks a mounting recess or shelf where the tool is pivotally attached, since it instead is rigidly attached to the tapered shelf 46. When it comes to other features of the locking bracket 28, such as the grooves 54 that assist in the positioning of the locking bracket 28 and the fastening holes, they may be provided in the same or similar way as in the first embodiment.

The handle portion 35 of the mounting tool is mounted behind the second tool 33, when viewing the mounting tool as seen in figure 7. When the mounting tool 33 is mounted onto the first vertical profile 6 this means that the handle 35 is closer to the T-shaped first vertical profile 6 then the second tool 33. The handle portion 35 of the mounting tool is further provided with an opening 92, such that a person easily may slide or push the mounting tool onto the flanges 63 (figure 4) of the first vertical profile. To further enhance and guide the second mounting tool 33 into place, the handle 35 may be provided with mushroom shaped screw heads adapted to slide in dogleg shaped channels of the first vertical channel 6.

In order to better understand the function of the mounting tool the final steps of mounting a facade element 2 to a building structure provided with first vertical profiles 6 will be described in conjunction withFigure 8.Figure 8 shows a sequence of steps a to g for a mounting tool attached to the same first vertical profile 6. In this case the mounting tool is the mounting tool 30 of the first embodiment described in conjunction with figures 4 to 6. Reference numerals have only been provided in step a in order to not obscure the figure. In Figure 8 the facade element itself is left out and is only "visible" by one of its guiding pins 22 and one of its guiding blocks 25. In step a the facade element is located within a first vertical profile 6. The facade element is on its way vertically upwards and the guiding pin 22 of the facade element is located below the first mounting tool 30. In this phase of the mounting process the first mounting tool 30 is in an initial, resting position. As the facade element is moved vertically upwards the guiding pin 22 abuts the lower side 42 of first mounting tool 30, step b, and causes the first mounting tool 30 to pivot upwards in a clockwise direction, in this example. The guiding pin 22 is able to move slidingly along the short side 44 of the first tool 30. After the first tool 30 has pivoted through an angle determined by the length of the first tool 30, the guiding pin 22 can move vertically past the arm as shown in step c. Once the guiding pin 22 has moved past the first tool 30 the arm is free to pivot back to its initial resting position. These three steps a to c will also be the same for a mounting tool according to the second embodiment described in figure 8, with the difference that only the upper part 37 of the second tool 33 will pivot forth and back.

When the guiding pin 22 has past the first tool 33 and the arm has pivoted back, subsequent lowering of the facade element will lead to that the guiding pin 22 will abut the upper side 40 of the tool 30 from above, step d. In the embodiment shown in figure 8 the tool 30 cannot rotate in an anti-clockwise direction further than its resting position. It is the seat 66 of the mounting recess 64, see figure 5, that locks the tool 22 into its resting position, i.e. a force applied on the upper side 40 of tool 30 will be counteracted by the force of the seat 66 in the mounting recess 64. The tool 30 is stopped at an angle such that the arm forms a ramp for the guiding pin 22, such that the guiding pin 22 is forced downward towards the locking bracket 28 when the facade element is lowered, step e. Further movement downwards, step f, of the facade element 2 results in that the guiding pin 22 of the facade element slides further down the formed ramp and into the locking bracket 28, where it is further guided by the tapered upper open end 62 of the vertically elongated slot 50 (figure 5).

Once the guiding pin 22 of the facade element has travelled into the elongated slot 50 the downward applied force on the upper side 40 of the tool 30 will result in a pivoting force in the opposing direction to the previous pivoting force counteracted by the seat 66. This pivoting force causes the tool 30 to rotate clockwise in this example. The pivoting force causes the tool 30 to pivot to a substantially vertical position, step g. The guiding pin 22 of the facade element continues to engage the tool 30 also when it has reached the bottom end 60 of the elongated slot 50. In this position the guiding pin 22 is in contact with the tool 30 such that it is locked in the vertical position and thereby also locks the facade element in its vertical position. In a preferred embodiment the lower end 80 of the mounting tool 30 projects into the lower end of the elongated slot 58 when it is in its locked vertical position. In this position the locking bracket 28 will carry the dead load of the facade element.

The second embodiment of the mounting tool will also function essentially in the same way as the first embodiment when it comes to steps d and e. However, since the second tool 33 is rigidly attached to the locking bracket 28 and only the upper part 37 of the second tool 33 is pivotable the second tool 33 will remain in its "resting position" as the guiding pin 22 is guided into the locking bracket 28. Also in this second embodiment the locking bracket 28 will carry the dead load of the facade element.

Thus, the function of different embodiments of mounting tools has been described. It should be understood that even if the function for one mounting tool has been described one will need at least two mounting toolsinorder to perform the last horizontal movement of the mounting process. The mounting tools are mounted on two adjacent first vertical profiles by means of the locking brackets. Even more preferably the facade element is guided by four mounting tools, one upper and one lower pair. Two opposing mounting tools constitute a pair and may be positioned on parallel and on opposing first vertical profiles.Insuch an embodiment the faces of the projected face sections are parallel and directed towards one another and the two pivoting arms (or upper parts for the second embodiment) pivotinparallel planes. When four locking brackets are used for cooperation with the mounting tools the upper pair will carry the dead load of the facade element and the lower pair will prevent lateral movement of the faced element.

Thus, it is believed that different embodiments have been described thoroughly for purpose of illustration and description. However, the foregoing description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit example embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Thus, modifications and variations are possibleinlight of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various alternatives to the provided embodiments. The examples discussed herein were chosen and describedinorder to explain the principles and the nature of various example embodiments and its practical application to enable one skilledinthe art to utilize the example embodimentsinvarious manners and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. The features of the embodiments described herein may be combinedinall possible combinations of methods, tools, modules and systems. It should be appreciated that any of the example embodiments presented herein may be usedinconjunction, orinany combination, with one another.

It should also be noted that the word "comprising" does not necessarily exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed and the words "a" or "an" preceding an element do not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. It should further be noted that any reference signs do not limit the scope of the example embodiments and that several "means", "units" or "tools" may be represented by the same item of hardware.

Claims

1. A tool (30; 33) for mounting and securing a facade element (2) in two vertical profiles (6) mounted on a building structure, said facade element (2) comprising guiding pins (22) at vertical edges (24) of the facade element (2), wherein said mounting tool (30; 33) is configured to cooperate with a locking bracket (28), which is provided in the vertical profiles (6) and has a plate-like shape, the lower part of which has a projected face section (50), which is divided by a vertically elongated slot (58) extending in a vertical direction and having an open front, an open upper end (62) and lower end forming a basis (60), said vertically elongated slot (58) being adapted to receive and guide a guiding pin (22) to the basis (60), said projected face section (50) having a shelf (66; 46) adapted for supporting the tool (30; 33), said tool (30; 33), having an upper side (40), a lower side (42) and a short side (44) and said tool (30; 33), when in use, extending away from the facade element (2) and having a length such that when the facade element (2) is hoisted up to a position above its installation position the guiding pin (22) abuts the lower side (42) of the tool (30; 33) and pivots at least a part of said tool (30; 33) from a resting position to allow upwards passage of the guiding pin (22) as the facade element (2) is further hoisted, said at least part of the tool (30; 33) being arranged such that it pivots back to its resting position when the guiding pin (22) has passed the tool (30;33) upwardly.

2. The mounting tool (30) according to claim 1, wherein the tool (30) is pivotally attached to the locking bracket (28).

3. The mounting tool (30) according to claim 2, wherein the tool (30) is attached in a mounting recess (64) of the projected face section (50) of the locking bracket (28), which mounting recess (64) forms a first seat (66) adapted to receive and support the tool (30) in its resting position.

4. The mounting tool (30) according to claim 3, wherein the tool (30) comprises a lower end (80) which cooperates with a second seat (67) of the projected face section (50) of the locking bracket (28), such that the tool (30) is locked in a vertical position when the guiding pin (22) of the facade element (2) rests against the basis (60) of the vertically elongated slot (58).

5. The mounting tool (30) according to claim 4, wherein the lower end (80) of the tool (30) projects into the lower end of the vertically elongated slot (58) when it is in its locked vertical position.

6. The mounting tool (33) according to claim 1, wherein the upper part of the tool (33) comprises a slit (94) extending substantially parallel with the upper side (40) of the tool (33) and ending with a through hole (96), said slit (94) dividing the upper part of the tool (33) into an upper pivotable part (37) and a lower fixed part.

7. The mounting tool (33) according to claim 6, wherein the tool (33) is rigidly connected to the locking bracket (28).

8. The mounting tool (33) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the tool (33) is provided with a handle (35).

9. The mounting tool (33) according to claim 8, wherein the handle (35) comprises mushroom shaped screw heads adapted to slide in dogleg shaped channels of the vertical profiles (6).

10. A locking bracket (28) configured to cooperate with a mounting tool (30;33) according to any of the previous claims, for mounting and securing a facade element (2) in two vertical profiles (6) mounted on a building structure, said facade element (2) comprising guiding pins (22) at vertical edges (24) of the facade element (2), said locking bracket (28) having a plate-like shape, the lower part of which has a projected face section (50), which is divided by a vertically elongated slot (58) extending in a vertical direction and having an open front, an open upper end (62) and a lower end forming a basis (60), said vertically elongated slot (58) being adapted to receive and guide a guiding pin (22) to the basis (60), said projected face section (50) having a shelf (66; 46) adapted for supporting the tool (30; 33).

11. The locking bracket (28) according to claim 10, wherein the open upper end (62) of the projected face section (50) is tapered.

12. The locking bracket (28) according to claim 10 or 11, further provided with grooves (54) at its vertical sides, said grooves (54) being adapted for receiving flanges (63) provided on the vertical profiles (6).

13. A facade element (2) comprising at least two guiding pins (22) provided at two vertical edges (24) of the facade element (2) and adapted to be guided by a mounting tool according to any of claims 1 to 9 and received by a locking bracket (28) according to any of claims 10 to 12.

14. A facade element (2) according to claim 13, further comprising guiding blocks (25) at two vertical edges (24) of the facade element (2), said guiding blocks (25) being provided on the same vertical line as the guiding pins (22) and having a horizontal extension that is larger than the diameter of the guiding pins (22).