US2204566A - Building frame structure - Google Patents

Description

June 18, 1940. H. w. B'UELOW 7 BUILDING FRAME STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 3, 1938 11v VENTOR aelam A TTORNE Ys.

Patented June 18, 1940 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BUILDING FRAME STRUCTURE Henry W. Buelow, Detroit, Mich.

Application October 3, 1938, Serial No. 233,014

Claims. (01. 189-36) The present invention relates to building frame George Buelow. As described and claimed in that structures, and particularly to the provisions of patent, these members, which may be formed of improved bridging or like members adapted to either single or double web construction, are form a supporting or reinforcing connection becharacterized as being formed of two angle or 5 tween adjacent structural members; and is a channel members arranged in back-to-back re- 6 continuation in part of applicant's co-pending lation and rigidly secured together with the opapplication, Serial No. 41,364, filed September 20, posed and adjacent faces in spaced relation. 1935. These opposed and adjacent faces are corrugated A principal object of the present invention is in the direction of their length, the corrugations 10 to provide ametal framing structure having imof one being complementary to the corrugations 10 proved bridging and supporting connections beof the other. Those portions of members which tween the structural members thereof, and an are opposed and adjacent each other are of rigid improved method of erecting the same. and self-supporting character and they are so Further objects of the present invention are spaced with respect to each other as to form beto provide a bridging or supporting connection tween them asinuous slotof such character that 15 between a pair of spaced structural members, when a nail or similar fastener of the character wherein the structural members are provided intended for use therewith is driven into the slot with expansible flanges, and wherein the bridging between the members in a direction transverse to or supporting member is formed at its ends to. the slot, the nail or fastener is caused to bend interlock with such flanges, whereby a nail or d 10 approximately fOllOW e SinuOSity of the 20 other fastener may be driven through such ends slot to h r y positively fix the l r fa n into the flanges to expand the same into gripping in po With respect to t e members. With engagement with such ends. this construction, a substantial portion of the With the above as well as other and more dee ect o y simp y nailing p s together in the tailed objects in view, which appear in the folmanner now customary in the erection of wooden 25 lowing description, and in the appended claims, frame structures. I preferred but illustrative embodiments of the in- The p v n of the present ppli ti Veniion are Shown i the m y g drawing, are specifically directed to improved bridging and throughout the several views of which ntrimmer joist arrangements, characterized, in one so spending reference characters are u d t desigsense, in that bridging'of trimmer joist elements nate corresponding parts, and in which; are provided at their ends with parts adapted to Figure ,1 is a view in perspective of th 1 interlock with the flanges of associated joists or proved bridging arrangement of the present inequivalent members, whereby a nail Or othe vention; fastener may be driven through such ends into Fig. 2 is a detailed view of an individual bridgt e expansible flan es 0f e J' S as t e 35 ing member; pand the same into gripping engagement with Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vi of a modified the bridging element or trimmer joist. The imbridging arrangement; provements to which the present application is Fig. 4 is a detailed vie of th bridging directed are, however, susceptible of a more gen- 40 ment shown in Fig, 3; and eral use than that indicated and the illustration 40 Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of a trimmer of such improvements in connection with bridging joist arrangement embodying th i ti and trimmer joist arrangements is not, therefore,

In accordance with the invention disclosed in be considered in a limiting s e. the above identified parent application, Serial Referring to 1, it Will be understood t No. 41,364, a complete framing structur for members l0 may represent floor joists or other 45 h s, as well as for a wid Variety of th structural members, and thataplurality of bridgstructures, may comprise a relatively few standing members Preferably arranged in p s, a e ard shapes. These structural shapes may b distributed along the lengthof members H] to erected through use of a relatively few, economireinforce them and hold them in predetermined 5o cally formed attaching elements, spaced relation to each other. The members I0 The main structural members, which may be are of I section, and embody the construction of I, T, or channel section, are preferably of the claimed in the aforesaid Patent No. 1,900,541.

type disclosed in Patent No. 1,900,541, granted Referring to Fig. 2, a preferred bridging mem- March 7, 1933, on application Serial No. 548,134, ber 12 is formed of channel section with the ends filed July 1, 1931, by the present applicant and oppositely notched at I4. Each notch I4 is 55 slightly in excess of the width of the joist flanges.

formed by cutting a rectangular section from one leg and correspondingly cutting the channel web. The inner face of each notch I4 is provided with an inwardly extruding notch I6 of generally V form, for a purpose mentioned later. Each flange end portion not notched is pierced at I9 opposite the corresponding notch to permit nailing of the bridging member to an associated member such as I0.

It will be understood that the spacing between the bases of the notches I6 is substantially equal to but slightly less than the spacing between the marginal edge of an upper flange on one of the members I0 and the marginal edge of the lower flange of a companion member II]. It will further be understood that the spacing between the notch edges Ma and M17 of each notch I4 is With this relation, a bridging member I2 may be preliminarily positioned with respect to the two joists ID, a part of a flange of each joist being received in the corresponding notch I6. This position of the bridging member I2 may be effected by first inserting the flange of one joist into one notch I6, swinging the other end of the bridging member to a position at an angle to the normal disposition thereof, suflicient to permit the flange of the other joist to be inserted in the notch I4 at the corresponding end, and thereafter reswinging the bridging member to a position at right angles to the two joists.

With the parts in this position, the end portions may be bent along the lines 20 and 22, bringing the portions I8 parallel with and in abutting relation to the flange surfaces. The positioning is completed by bending the extremities 24 of the end sections around behind the joist flanges along the lines 22.

The assembly is completed by driving nails 26 or other fastening elements through the openings I9 therein and into the slots Illa formed in each joint flange. This operation, as described in the above paragraph, expands the flanges so that the opposite marginal edges thereof bear solidly against the bases of the corresponding notches I6 and against the opposite faces I4a of the corresponding notch I4. The insertion of the nail or other fastener also deforms the same, due to the curvature of the nailing groove in joist I 0, thus firmly securing the nail or other fastener in place. The resultant assembly is therefore one which can very readily and economically be erected and which at the same time is thoroughly rigid and effective.

In the modified embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the bridging element 30 is of generally channel shape, the web and one flange whereof are cut away at each end, leaving the remaining flange portions 32 and 34 extending beyond the ends of the intermedi ate channel portion. The bridging element 30 may be preliminarily positioned with respect to its associated joists or other members III in the manner described above with reference to the bridging member 30. After such preliminary positioning, the extreme end portion 34 of each flange portion 32 is bent down and around beneath the corresponding flange portion III" of the associated joist. It will be understood also that'the opposite marginal flange edge lies closely adjacent the abutment 36 constituted by the end of the web of the bridging member. The assembly is completed as described above by passing a nail or other fastener 38 through each flange portion 32 into the joist nailing groove,

which action expands the flange into tight gripping engagement with the bridging member.

It will be understood that it is frequently desirable to form a connection between the adjacent joists or other structural members which serves as a support for a partition or the like. An example of such an instance is in connection with non-bearing partitions which may lie parallel to but between two adjacent joists. In such instances, as well as others, the improved trimmer joist of the present invention may be used to advantage. 7

Referring particularly to Fig. 5, trimmer joist 40 comprises a T section, the ends 42 of which are deformed to provide U-shaped members which rest upon adjoining joists or other members 44. As will be understood, the web 44 is cut away throughout-each U-shaped portion, as

indicated at 48. The U-shaped portions 42 are knocked up from the main level of the flange to an extent substantially equalto the thickness of the flanges of joists 44, so that after erection of the trimmer joists the central section of the flange 50 is of the same level as the tops of the flanges of the main joist 44. The ends 52 of the U-shaped sections 42 are turned down and, after the trimmer joist is in place, the extreme end portions are turned under the flanges of the main joists 44.

As in the case of the bridging members, the end portions 42 of each trimmer joist 40 are provided with nailing openings, through which fasteners such as 54 may be passed to expand the flanges of the joists 44 into gripping engagement with the lateral sides of the U-shaped portions 42, thus firmly locking the trimmer joist in place with respect to the joists 44.

Although only specific embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated that various modifications in the form and arrangement of parts may be made within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. In a structural assembly, a connection between a pair of spaced members each having an expansible flange, comprising a unitary member having an intermediate portion formed to extend between said members and having end portions integral with said intermediate portion and disposed to interlock with said flanges respectively, said end portions being dimensioned to wedge on said flanges when the latter are expanded, and a fastening element operatively associated with each said flange so as to effect said expansion of the corresponding flange.

2. In a structural assembly, a connection between a pair of spaced members at least one whereof has an expansible flange, comprising a member having an intermediate portion formed to extend between Said members and having at least one end portion constituted by an abutment and a bendable tongue, said tongue being bent around said flange so that when said flange is expanded it is wedged between said bent tongue and said abutment, and a fastening element operatively associated with said flange so as to eflect said expansion of said flange.

3. In 'a structural assembly, a connection between a pair of spaced structural members each having expansible flanges; comprising a member having an intermediate portion disposed to extend diagonally between said flanges, and having end portions disposed to interlock with said flanges, said end portions being disposed to wedge on said flanges when the latter are expanded,

and a fastening element operatively associated with said flange so as to effect said expansion of said flange.

4. In a frame structure, a connection between two spaced members each having an expansible flange comprising an element having a flat central section of predetermined thickness and end sections of corresponding thickness, said end sections being knocked up from said central section substantially the thickness of said end sections, and said end sections being disposed to interlock with said flanges when the latter are expanded, and a fastening element operatively associated with each flange to expand it into interlocked relation to the corresponding end section.

5. In a structural assembly, a connection between a pair of spaced members each having an expansible flange and disposed so that a member extending diagonally between them overlies said flanges, comprising a bridging member extending diagonally between said spaced members, said bridging member having end portions each constituted by an abutment and a bendable tongue, each said tongue being bent around the corresponding flange so that when said corresponding flange is expanded it is wedged between the associated tongue and abutment, and a fastening element passed through each end portion into the corresponding flange so as to effect said expansion of said corresponding flange,

HENRY W. BUELOW.

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