US2569910A

US2569910A - Combination air duct and girder

Info

Publication number: US2569910A
Application number: US767469A
Authority: US
Inventors: Henry E Venuti
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1947-08-08
Filing date: 1947-08-08
Publication date: 1951-10-02
Anticipated expiration: 1968-10-02

Description

Oct. 2, 1951 H. E. VENUTl COMBINATION AIR DUCT AND GIRDER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 8, 194'? mm, w QM Gm m v fl m U R ll K m 9m m t W Henry E. Venu/i Oct. 2, 1951 H. E. VENUTI 2,569,910

COMBINATION AIR DUCT AND GIRDER Filed Aug. 8, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 f v Fig.

i a E a K- i I w Inventor Henry E Venuri Oct. 2, 1951 H. E. VENUTI 2,569,910

COMBINATION AIR DUCT AND GIRDER Henry E. Venufi 2mm WWW 8 Patented Oct. 2, 1951 -UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,569,910 COMBINATION AIR DUCT AND GIRDER Henry E. Venuti, Newburgh, N. Y.

Application August 8, 1947, Serial No. 767,469

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a combination air duct and girder and has for its primary object to conserve space in a building and at the same time facilitate the distribution of heating or cooling air throughout the building.

Among its features, this invention embodies a combination girder and air duct comprising an elongated rectangular tube having a wall thickness of not less than one-fourth of an inch, said tube having longitudinally spaced air discharge openings in its side walls adjacent the upper edges thereof and said tube having an air inlet opening in its bottom wall near one end.

Other features include a reenforcing truss structure extending longitudinally through the tube to improve its weight-sustaining qualities.

Inthe drawings, I I

Figure l is a plan View of a building showing this combination air duct and girder in position therein with the lateral air distributing ducts in place, the return duct and the air circulating means coupled thereto,

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line 22 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale taken substantially along the line 33 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 of ure 1) Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Figure 1,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 6-6 of Figure 1,

Figure 7 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line 1-1 of Figure 1,

Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional view through a truss reinforced girder, and

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 99 of Figure 8.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a building designated generally I comprises a basement floor II from which rise side walls I2 between the upper and lower ends of which a fioor I3 is supported by the side walls I2 and a girder designated generally I4.

The girder I4 above referred to comprises an elongated rectangular tube I provided at opposite ends with end closures I6 and having formed therein at longitudinally spaced intervals in its side walls air discharge openings Il. Opening through the bottom wall of the girder near one end is an air intake opening I8 to which the discharge end of air circulating means I9 is coupled. The air circulating means I9 above referred to preferably comprises an air heating furnace having an air circulating fan connected therewith so that air may be circulated through the system mechanically as well as by means of convection.

Leading from the tube I5 are air conveying ducts 26 which discharge through suitable gratings 2| into the various spaces or enclosures within the building It]. Rotatably supported on shafts 22 which extend through the ducts 20 adjacent the ends which open into the tube I5 are dampers 23 by means of which the flow of air through the individual ducts may be regulated. Fixed to one end of each shaft is a lever 24 by means of which the shaft may be rotated in order to adjust the position of the damper 23 within the duct 20.

Extending around the interior of the building immediately beneath the bottom of the tube 55 is an air return duct 26 which is provided at spaced intervals with lateral ducts 21 which lead into the spaces to be heated for withdrawing the air therefrom and circulating it through the air circulator I9. This duct is provided with an air discharge opening which communicates: with the circulator I9, so that the air may be extracted from the spaces in the building to be passed through the circulator for heating or cooling, as the case may be, and then discharged from the circulator through the tube I5 and ducts 20 back into the spaces within the building. In this way, the proper temperature within the spaces within the building may be maintained.

In the modified form of the invention as illustrated in Figures 8 and 9, a tube 28 corresponding in all respects to the tube I5 is of rectangular formation and provided with longitudinally spaced air discharge openings 29 to which air distributing ducts 36 are connected. Extending vertically through the tube 28 intermediate opposite sides in longitudinally spaced relation are vertical struts 3i between Which diagonal struts 32 extend. These struts cooperate in forming a reinforcing truss which extends longitudinally throughout the length of the tube 28 in order to improve its weight-sustaining qualities.

The side, top and bottom Walls of the tubes I5 and 28 are preferably formed of steel plate of not less than one-fourth of an inch in thickness with the junctions welded together to form a transversely rectangular steel tube through the side walls of which the air discharge openings ex ture will lend materially to the rigidity of the 1 tube and finds utility particularly when there are long spans between the girder supports.

In use, the tube [5 or the tube 28, as the case may be, is employed as a girder to support the loads imposed upon the floors'o'f buildings and the like and by reason of the tubular structure they also may be employed to serv'ea's ducts through which air may be circulated and dis=- tributed to the various spaces within the building in order adequately to heat or cool the 'same, as the case may be.

While in the foregoing there-has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of'this invention, it is to beunderstood that minor 7 changes in the details of'construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed;

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A load sustaining air duct comprising a longitudinally disposed elongated transversely rectangular tube, longitudinally spaced vertically extending struts within the tube fixed at opposite ends to the top and bottom Walls of the tube, diagonal struts withinthe tube extending between the upper ends'of alternate vertical struts to the lower "ends of the intermediate, vertical struts, the

side walls of said tube having longitudinally spaced air discharge openings therein adjacent their upper edges.

2. A load sustaining air duct comprising a longitudinally disposed substantially rectangular tube, a plurality of longitudinally spaced vertically extending struts within said tube, said struts being terminally secured to the top and bottom walls. of the tube, diagonal struts within said 0 tube extending between theupper ends of alternate vertical struts to the lower ends of intermediate vertical struts, a plurality of longitudinally spaced air discharge apertures in the side walls o f said tube, said apertures being adjacent and upper edges of said sid walls of said tube and medial a pair of adjacent vertical struts.

HENRY E. VENUTI.

, REFERENGES CITED The following references are of I record in the file of this patent:

UNITEDQSTA'IES PATENTS