WO1991006725A1

WO1991006725A1 - Modular building systems

Info

Publication number: WO1991006725A1
Application number: PCT/AU1990/000527
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter John Warneford
Original assignee: Peter John Warneford
Priority date: 1989-11-01
Filing date: 1990-11-01
Publication date: 1991-05-16

Abstract

A modular building system including a number of similar wall panels (10) joined one to another by interleaving a plurality of coaxial tubes (18) aligned along the edges of the panels and rigid of each panel and pinned together by pins (19). The tubes (18) and pins (19) are close telescopically fitting square section in order to improve the rigidity of the assembly or a round section pin (19a) for forming a swinging door. The system is well suited to produce horse stables or other cubicles in an existing building.

Description

"MODULAR BUILDING SYSTEMS" BACKGROUND ART

This invention relates to modular building systems which are particularly well adapted to produce the internal dividing walls for horse stables. The modular system does however have numerous other applications.

A horse stable can- be thought of as being a fairly ^• conventional shed with purpose built internal dividing walls. The dividing walls define_^ each of the individual horse stalls and must include a number of important functional attributes. Although most horses will in general be well behaved they can, and sometimes do, become agitated and may kick or otherwise physically abuse the wall structure especially at its lower levels. The wall structure at least at the lower levels must therefore be tough and yet resilient so that the wall structure will not be damaged and the horse will not suffer any self inflicted injury. It might also be desired that the wall structures provide clear visibility through the upper levels in order that horses can be readily observed and for various other reasons.

While it is relatively inexpensive to have suitable conventional external wall and supporting structures ^• erected, as these can be substantially the same as any farm shed or similar, it is often found to be comparatively quite expensive to install the internal structure to produce the dividing walls between the various individual stalls. What is more, once expensive permanent horse stall dividing wall structures are fitted, they can not be readily changed which might on occasions be desirable in order to for instance accommodate a varying number of horses or to utilise part of the shed for alternative purposes. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Essentially the present invention provides a modular building system for producing wall structures by way of a plurality of similar wall panels which can be quickly and securely joined one to another and quickly and securely joined to existing building structure and/or floors by mating pinned attachments.

Accordingly, in one broad form, the present invention can be said to provide a modular building system for producing wall structures comprising: a plurality of similar sized wall panels each including attachment means along at least one pair of transversely opposed straight edges, the attachment means being at least one hollow tube rigidly connected to the panel and positioned so as to allow the at least one tube of an adjacent and aligned panel to be positioned proximate and parallel thereto, pin means insertable through the proximate and parallel tubes so as to snugly and securely join the adjacent panels, and locating means for fixing the location of at least selected pins and/or tubes relative to one another and/or other building structures.

Preferably each attachment means comprises a plurality of the tubes being coaxial and spaced apart along the. edge to which they are connected and being positioned so as to be interleaved and coaxial with the tubes of an adjacent and aligned panel and the pin means is a single pin inserted in and extending the length of the tubes.

Preferably, the panels are rectangular and each includes the tubes on all four side edges, the tubes on opposite edges being positioned complementary to one another.

The invention also includes a particular modular building system comprising a plurality of wall units, each unit including along two opposite parallel side edges thereof hollow sectioned members running generally within the plane of the unit and including open ends proximate the top and bottom horizontal edges of the unit, but distanced therefrom by a space; a plurality of pin inserts of selected shapes, said selected shapes each corresponding to one of a preselected configuration of at least two of said units being co-joined, each of the inserts including at least two locking pins adapted to be closely telescopically inserted into the open ends of said side tubes, the pins being rigidly attached to one another so as to lock together the said at least two co-joined units; and a plurality of channel sections sized and shaped to cap top or bottom edges of co-joined, aligned units and to span across the region of attachment in order to maintain them rigidly coplanar.

The modular units advantageously include rigidly attached further tube elements arranged to accept the rigid attachment of further devices by way of pinned and interleaved said tubular members. The locating means may be rigidly connected coaxial spaced apart tubes, arranged similarly to the tubes of the attachment means, rigidly fixable to an internal wall structure, floor or other component, of a building. The locating means may also be attachments rxgiJly connectable to such internal wall or other building structure and having an aperture structure which receives and rigidly locates an end of one of the pins. Furthermore, the locating means may comprise elongate rigid members connectable at spaced apart attachments to selected pins which are installed in assembled panels so a≤ to maintain the selected pins and the panels in a fixed spacial relationship. These and other locating means may be used in combination.

The walls are produced by joining a numoer of the building panels one to another in a number of levels. The panels are each attached to adjoining panels in the same level and adjoining panels in any adjacent higher or lower level.

The system is particularly suited to produce horse stalls in an already erected building. In such case, the panels are produced in a width equivalent to the desired width of a horse stall door. The door itself can be produced from panels of the system being hinged along one side by the connecting pins and releasably fixed along the opposite side by any suitable latching device. The .panels may all be produced with identical surrounds and attachment means but with a selection of internal structure. Panels with solid timber internals are favourable, at least for lower levels of the walls and. doors as they are tough yet suitably resilient to sustain possible abuse from an occupying horse without inflicting injury to that horse. Parallel steel bar internals may also be appropriate for higher levels to allow free vision without compromising security. Of course other internal structures may well -be equally suitable.

The system is also suited to producing quickly erected and demounted self supporting stables, such stables can be temporarily used and then disassembled to allow the area to be put to alternative uses. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an assembly of panels according to the invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are perspective views of two types of panels of the assembly; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a connecting piece of the assembly;

Figs. 5 - 7 are plan views of variously connected panels of the assembly;

Fig 8 is a sectional view of the assembly installed in a building; Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a horse stall installation within an existing building structure; and

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a roof structure to be attached to the structure of Fig. 1. By way of example only preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the, above described drawings. BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Fig. 2 shows a single panel 10 having a perimeter frame 11 and an internal grill 12. The grill 12 comprises a number of closely spaced apart metal bars 13 extending between opposite frame members 14 and 15.

Frame members 14-17 are of steel and have a number of steel square tubes 18 welded along their edges. The tubes 18 of each frame member 14-17 are coaxial and spaced apart slightly greater than the longitudinal length of the tubes 18. Also, opposing frame members 14, 15 and 16, 17 have their respective tubes 18 positioned in a complimentary manner so that similar panels 10 may be adjoined one next to the other with the tubes 18 of respective frame members interleaved as shown in Fig. 1.

Long steel pins 19 are placed through the bores of aligned tubes 18 so as to snugly and securely attach the adjacent panels 10 one to the other. The wall structur-e is then built up by adjoining adjacent panels 10a together as a first level of panels and then continuing with a second higher level of panels 10b, again joined one to another and each to the adjacent panel of the lower level. All of these rigid joins are effected by pins 19 and interleaved tubes 18. Generally the pins 19 are square sectional to hold the panels in line in a fixed manner although where a door is required a round pin 19a is used.

Ends of the wall which are to be rigidly fixed to other structures of the building for example, rear walls, vertical studs, floor fittings and others, are conveniently joined thereto by a locating means 20. The locating means 20 is produced from a single rigid member 21 and a plurality of axially aligned and spaced apart tubes 18 positioned so as to be interleaved between the tubes 18 of the panels 10. The rigid member 21 is then welded, bolted or otherwise rigidly fixed to the building structure where that edge of the wall section is to be anchored. As before, a long pin 19 is inserted through the interleaved tubes 18 so as to effect the rigid securement of the panels 10 to the locating means 20. The illustrated locating means 20 is adapted to form a corner to be attached to a stud or other vertical support and includes two sets of aligned tubes 18, one for each adjoining wall. Other locating means include fixtures 22 and 23 adapted to be rigidly attached to earthen (23) or man-made (22) floors and to accept the hollow end of a pin 19 so as to improve the rigid fixture of the panels 10 relative to the floor surface. Other forms of convenient locating means, not shown in the drawings, include mitre pieces which attach to the pins at two opposite corners of the stall so as to maintain a rigid 90° configuration.

In Fig. 1 it can be seen that the panels of the lower level, 10a, are fully closed in, shown in more detail in Fig. 3. These panels 10a are produced with a solid timber interior structure held rigidly within the frame perimeter 11. Such solid wood panel is extremely well adapted for use in a horse stall as its toughness and resiliency combine in a manner that will accept the abuse that some horses effect upon stall walls yet have sufficient "give" so as not to injure the horse.

On higher levels, such as in Fig. 1 at panels 10b and in detail in Fig. 2, the interior structure is produced by a number of separated steel bars 13 producing a grill and allowing clear visibility. This not only allows the occupying horse to see what is going on around it, but also allows people caring for the horse to keep it under frequent observation. By selecting the size of the panels to correspond to the desired width of the stall gate or door, the stall gate 24 can easily be produced from the same panels 10 as are used in producing the walls. Only one vertical side . of the stall gate is attached to adjoining structure by way of a round pin 19a, and thus the stall gate as a whole may easily be swung between open and closed positions as in dotted outline in Fig. 1. The gate 24 can be maintained in a closed position by using any suitable conventional latching device. Again, as with the walls, the gate can be produced from any number of different panel structures such as the solid timber panel 10a or the grill panel 10b. What is more by making horizontal pins 19 of the gate removable and having the latching devices suitably positioned to the appropriate panels 10, stall gates may be partially opened e.g. the bottom half may be kept locked closed while the top half is opened. This is often desired while feeding the horse or for other reasons.

Fig. 5 shows an assembled corner formed using a- locating means 20, described previously, which in turn can be rigidly fixed to any convenient rigid structure of an existing building either directly or via another device such as floor locator 22.

Fig. 6 shows an ordinary wall mid point join between adjacent panels 10. A cap 25 is inserted into the otherwise exposed end of pin 10 for aesthetics.

Fig. 7 shows the hinged join of a door 24 and panel 10.

In Fig. 8 a corner of the self supporting structure formed by an assembly of panels 10 is_ shown in section. A locating means 20 with ground locator 23 is used in each corner and a pin 19b located in member 21 supports a roof attachment 26. A roof section 27 is carried by its attachment 26 thus forming a quickly erected and easily dismantled mobile horse stall and shelter. As an added safety feature the gap between the lower edge of the panels 10 and the possibly uneven ground structure is filled with a semi flexible skirt 28.

When an existing building is fitted out with horse stalls produced from this modular building system, the number and/or location of those stalls can be easily altered simply by removing the connecting pins 19 and relocating the appropriate panels 10. This is a very quick operation which need not be performed by any person of particular skill. Also, if in fact the building is no longer to be used for horse stalls all of the panels 10 and connecting pins 19 may be removed and reused-, at worst only locating means which have been permanently attached to the building, for example locating means 20 welded to permanent wall structures, are not reusable. The horse stables shown in Fig. 9 are particularly well adapted to be quickly erected and disassembled and to be installed in an existing building structure without the need to make any permanent attachments to that structure, especially the floor. Thus they can be used in a large exhibition hall, or similar, which will commonly be used without the stalls for many general purposes.

The array of stalls that can be produced by this system is not limited to the single row as shown in the drawing. Certainly, a chess board type array could equally be produced, notwithstanding the possible access difficulty to inner stalls, or more commonly an array of two continuous rows, the rows being fixed adjacent to one another and having common rear walls. The array of stalls, whatever shape it be, can be positioned anywhere within a building and in numerous configurations, eg, the array of stalls may continue as a square perimeter around a large central area of the building.

The stalls are formed by a number of panels 31 placed and interlocked to adjacent such panels 31 generally in the means illustrated in Fig. 9a. The panels 31 include on their vertical sides welded tube sections 32 which end at their upper and lower limits somewhat short of the upper and lower limits of the panel 31. Within the so-formed gap 33 there is room to drop in a locking pin 34. In the case of two adjoining panels 31 forming part of a straight wall section, the locking pin 34 comprises simply a rectangular plate section 35 and two parallel leg sections 36 extending perpendicular from the plate 35. The leg sections 36 fit closely telescopically within the square tubes 32. A locking pin 34 is also inserted at the lower end of the square tubes 32. Capping off the top and bottom horizontal rail sections 37 of each of the panels 31 is a channel sectioned member 38. The channel member 38 is of sufficient length to pass across a number of panels 31 and is bolted by a screw or other fastener 39 passing through the channel and rail 37 proximate the centre of each rail 37. The channel 40, which is used in a similar manner for the bottom of the panels 31, may optionally include an integral or welded heavy horizontal web 41 which, by virtue of its weight, tends to anchor the stables fixed in place notwithstanding that no permanent fixtures such as bolts might be allowed in view of their possible damage to the building floor.

The pins 34 are provided in a number of different configurations 42 so that panels 31 can be joined in respective configurations, including simple right-angle joins, right-T joins and right-cross joins. Each of these configurations 42 include the same leg sections 36 but appropriately shaped plates 35. In order to maintain the structure as rigid as possible, alternate upper corners of each of the stalls are fitted with^' a mitre brace 43. The structure and fitment of the mitre brace 43 is shown clearly in Fig. 9d. The channel sections 38 which are to be placed adjacent panel intersections which require bracing include welded on pairs of square tubes 44. These are aligned and include a gap therebetween which will accept a mating square tube 45 welded to the mitre brace 43. To lock the mitre brace to the channels, a close telescoping fit square pin 46 is then inserted through the aligned square tubes 44 and 45. Once the assembled structure of brace 43 and the pair of channels 38 is complete, it can be lowered on to the top rails.37 of the adjoined panels 31 and then bolted into place by pin or bolt devices 39 as described above.

The mitre braces 43, in the exemplary single row array of Fig. 9, will be positioned one either side of the selected T-joins of the panels 31. The selected T-joins of the panels 31 including mitres 43 are staggered in a somewhat zig-zag fashion along the whole length of the array, such that one pair, of diagonally opposite corners of each stall will include a brace 43, while the other diagonally opposite pair of corners will not include any brace 43. In the joining of panels 31, which form a simple coplanar join, there is included an additional attachment at approximately half the height of the panel. Such is shown clearly in Fig. 9c and includes a pair of locking plates 47. The locking plates 47 include a generally rectangular plate section 48 with a hole 49 at one end and a stud device 50 welded to the other end and protruding generally at right angles to the plate 48. The stud 50 may be threaded, as shown in the Figure, or may have other surface features so long as it is co-operative with some locking device such as a conventional nut, split pin or so-called speed nut. The locking plates 47 are installed once the panels 31 are fitted side by side and pinned, as described above, by the locking pins 34. Each of the square tubes 32 include, at equal heights, through holes 51 which are sized to accept^' the stud 50 therethrough.

The locking plates 48 are arranged one on each side of the plane of the panels 31, each of the studs 50 protruding through the holes 51 and 49 and the locking device, such as speed nut 52, placed on the exposed section of the stud 50 in order to rigidly clamp the panels 31 together at the midpoints.

Where panels 31 are joined in a right section, such as a T-section shown in Fig. 9b, not only is the appropriate locking pin 34 used at the top and bottom of the panels 31, but an alternative right-angled locking plate 53 is used at the half-height fastening points. The right-angled locking plate 53 again includes a stud portion 50, a plate portion 48 and a through hole 49. Once the panels 31 are satisfactorily positioned and pinned by locking devices 34, the stud 50 of the corner locking plate 53 is inserted through either of the panel holes 51 and locked by use of the speednut 52. The hole 49 of the plate 53 will now be approximately aligned with the remaining hole 51 of the panel 31 and fixed by way of an additional locking bolt and nut.

The roof structure shown in Fig. 10 includes top wall sections 57, one of each adapted to extend along each side of the completed stable structure and including lower square tube portions 58. sized and configured to interleave with the square tube sections 18 welded to the top edges of the panels 10b(fig 1) or to similar tubes welded to the top of panels 31(fig 9). Again the two sets of square tubes 58 and 18 are rigidly connected by way of telescoping close fitting square tubes 29. Integral with the top wall sections 57 are a number of approximately perpendicularly extending square sections 60 positioned and angled to accept mating square sections 61 of an eaves structure 62. Each eaves section 62 includes a portion of a roofing sheet 63. Once the square sections 61 are telescopically attached to the mating sections 60, they are secured in position conveniently by self-tapping screws or similar.

The roof per se is formed by separate roof frame structures 64 which sit within angle members 65 welded along the top of the sections 57. Again the structures 64 are conveniently screwed to the angle sections 65. Further roof sheeting 63 is secured to the roof structures 64.

The completed roof structure is rigid in its entirety and, once secured to the completed wall structure, acts to brace the entire assembly.

A convenient accessory item is the shutter closure 66 which pivots from a lower section of the structure 57 by way of round sectioned tubes 67 and 68, these pivoting on a close fitting telescopic round section rod 69.

It will be recognised by- persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and modifications may be made to the invention as described above without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described.

Claims

CLAIMS : -

1. A modular building system for producing wall structures comprising: a plurality of similar sized wall panels each including attachment means along at least one pair of transversely opposed straight edges, the attachment means being at least one hollow tube rigidly connected to the panel and positioned so as to allow the at least one tube of an adjacent and aligned panel to be positioned proximate and parallel thereto, pin means insertable through the proximate and parallel tubes so as to snugly and securely join the adjacent panels^', and locating means for fixing the location of at least selected pins and/or tubes relative to one another and/or other building structures.

2. A modular building system as in claim 1 wherein each attachment means comprises a plurality of the tubes being coaxial and spaced apart along the edge to which they are connected and being positioned so as to be interleaved and coaxial with the tubes of an adjacent and aligned panel and the pin means is a single pin inserted in and extending the length of the tubes.

3. A modular building system as in claim 2 wherein the panels are rectangular and each includes the tubes on all four side edges, the tubes on opposite edges being positioned complementary to one another.

4. The modular building system comprising a plurality of wall units, each unit including along two opposite parallel side edges thereof hollow sectioned members running generally within the plane of the unit and including open ends proximate the top and bottom horizontal edges of the unit, but distanced therefrom by a space; a plurality of pin inserts of s-elected shapes, said selected shapes each corresponding to one of a preselected configuration of at least two of said units being co-joined, each of the inserts including at least two locking pins adapted to be closely telescopically inserted into the open ends of said side tubes, the pins being rigidly attached to one another so as to lock together the said at least two co-joined units; and a plurality of channel sections sii'ed and shaped to cap top or bottom edges of co-joined, aligned units and to span across the region of attachment in order to maintain them rigidly coplanar.

5. The modular building system of claim 4 further including rigidly attached further tube elements arranged to accept the rigid attachment of further devices by way of pinned and interleaved said tubular members.

6. The modular^" building system of claim 5 wherein the locating means are connected coaxial spaced apart tubes, arranged similarly to the tubes of the attachment means, rigidly fixable to an internal wall structure, floor or other component, of a building.

7. A modular building system as in claim 1 wherein each attachment means comprises a single hollow tube along each of at least two opposite parallel side edges of each panel from points proximate to, but spaced from, each of two opposite ends of each edge and the pin means including at least two parallel locking pins held rigidly spaced apart one another and each pin adapted to the closely telescopically inserted into an open end of a respective side tube, one said pin means being inserted at each of the two said ends of the tubes, so as to rigidly secure adjacent tubes of adjacent aligned panels, one to the other.

8. A modular building system as in claim 7 further comprising elongate, substantially U sectioned channel members fitting about, and closely lapped to top and bottom edges of adjacent, fixed together, panels so as to maintain said adjacent panels rigidly in a predetermined mutual orientation.

9. A building structure being an assembly of components of a modular building system as in claim 1, adjacent panels being rigidly attached one to the other by the insertion of the pin means within the tubes. 10 A building structure as in claim 9 wherein the structure defines internal walls of an existing building. 11. A building structure as in claim 9 wherein the structure is a self-supporting whole building including a roof sub-structure being joined to wall panels by a plurality of pinned together said tubes.