WO2004088063A1

WO2004088063A1 - Elevated floor assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2004088063A1
Application number: PCT/EP2004/050416
Authority: WO
Inventors: Eric Peter Isaac
Original assignee: Uniflair Industries S.P.A.
Priority date: 2003-04-01
Filing date: 2004-04-01
Publication date: 2004-10-14
Also published as: ZA200507852B; CN100417779C; JP2006522243A; RU2327018C2; ATE514824T1; JP4659735B2; ES2372250T3; LU91018B1; EP1608827B1; RU2005133477A; CN1777728A; DK1608827T3; EP1608827A1

Abstract

An elevated floor assembly comprising floor panels (10) having an upper surface (14), an opposite lower surface (16) and side faces (18, 18'), two adjoining side faces (18, 18') meeting in corner portions (20) of the floor panel (10). The elevated floor assembly further comprises pedestals (12) for supporting the floor panels (10) at their corner portions (20) above abasefloor, wherein the pedestals (12) comprise a shaft (22) having a lower end (26) being connected to a base plate (28) for resting on the base floor and an upper end (24) being connected to a supporting column (30) for supporting the corner portions (20) of the floor panels (10). According to an important aspect of the invention, the floor panels (10) comprise lugs (36) on the lower surface (16) in the region of the corner portions (20), the lugs (36) extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the lower surface (16) and away from the floor panel (10); and the supporting column (30) comprises a receiving end (34) for receiving the lugs (36) therein.

Description

ELEVATED FLOOR ASSEMBLY

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to an elevated floor assembly

Background of the invention

Elevated floor assemblies are commonly used in commercial applications and office buildings, where a substantial number of cables, pipes and ducts are required and where it is desirable to maintain accessibility to the latter for ease of installation, change 01 removal An elevated floor assembly basically consists of floor panels supported above the base floor by pedestals The pedestals are normally located so as to provide support at panel corners Cables, pipes or even air conditioning services are thus installed in a chamber formed between the base floor and the elevated floor and are easily accessible by simply removing the floor panels where needed

The pedestals geneially comprise a column having a lowet end and an upper end, wherein the lower end is connected to a base plate foi resting on the base floor and the upper end is connected to a support plate for receiving the floor panels thereon The design of the support plate is often very complicated, especially if stnnger membeis, which are geneially used to reinforce the elevated flooi assembly, are to be connected lo the support plates Such support plates aie e g shown m GB 2 226 060, wherein the support plate has radial tabs for the coupling of coi responding ends of stringer members The pedestals are often designed so that the height of the elevated flooi above the base floor can be adjusted Such adjustment is often necessary due to irregularities in the surface of the base floor Often, the pedestal comprises two members, connected together via a threaded connection By rotating one member with respect to the other, fine height adjustment of the pedestal is achieved This design does however generally not allow for a more substantial height adjustment It will also be appreciated that the manufacture of pedestals having complicated support plates is rather expensive. In addition, the greater the size of the support plate, the further the load discharge will be shifted to the outer part of the pedestal, consequently moving the load further from its axis and creating a deflection load on the pedestal itself.

Object of the invention

It is an object of this invention to provide an elevated floor assembly that does not have the above-mentioned disadvantages. This problem is solved by an elevated floor assembly as claimed in claim 1.

Summary of the invention

The invention proposes an elevated floor assembly comprising floor panels having an upper surface, an opposite lower surface and side faces, two adjoining side faces meeting in corner portions of the floor panel. The elevated floor assembly further comprises pedestals for supporting the floor panels at their corner portions above a base floor, wherein the pedestals comprise a shaft having a lower end being connected to a base plate for resting on the base floor and an upper end being connected to a supporting column for supporting the corner portions of the floor panels. According to an important aspect of the invention, the floor panels comprise lugs on the lover surface In the region of tiie corner portions, the lugs extending in a direction that Is substantially perpendicular to the lower surface and away from the floor panel: and the supporting column comprises a receiving end for receiving the lugs therein.

Unlike pedestals of prior art assemblies, the pedestals used in the present elevated floor assembly are easy to manufacture. There is no need to provide a complicated support plate, as in prior art assemblies, thereby notably reducing manufacturing costs. All that is necessary is that the lug is received in the receiving end of the supporting column. The installation of the elevated floor assembly is also simplified; the floor panels are simply placed with their corner portion over the pedestal so that the lug engages the receiving end of the supporting column This leads to a simpler and speedier installation of the elevated floor assembly, and hence reduces labour costs Furthermore, by cutting the receiving end to size, the height of the pedestal can easily be reduced on site Also, due to the fact that there is no support plate, deflection load on the pedestal is reduced

Preferably, the ^!ug comprises a first lug oortion and an adjoining second lug portion the first lug portion beirg in a plane ecser tially paiallel to a plane of a first side face of the flooi panel the second lug oortson being in a plane essential¹/ paratøl to a plane of a second side face of the floo panel, the second side ce adjoin ng tho first side face The first and second lug portions are therefore arranged at an angle to each other, thereby reinforcing the structure of the lug Preferably, the [li t and record lug portionc are arranged In the SJIΪ e pl-me as the fust and second s de faces or the floor panel The lug is hence located tight at the edge of the corner portion of the floor panel It is however not excluded to place the lug slightly in retreat of the edge of the corner portion

The lug can co pr se s t ?p&t in a tection away from the toot panel The taper allows easier installation of the floor panel by guiding the lug into the receiving end of the supporting column n^>e ipcjiving end !^■? advantageously ._ tr leial'y cvli"d ical hollo* memoor The cross section of the cylindrical hollow member can be circular, square, hexagonal oi of any other convenient shape Such a cylindrical hollow member piovides a further important advantage of the invention If the height of the pedestal needs to be reduced, this can be achieved by cutting off a top portion of the leceiving end The resulting receiving end will still be a cylindrical hollow membei being able to receive the lugs of the floor panels therein The height of the pedestal can therefore very easily be reduced on site during installation There is no need to provide pedestals of different heights for the installation of the elevated floor assembly An accurate survey of the installation site is no longer needed and savings in transport, handling and storage costs can be made

The rec^eiving end is preferably dimensioned so as to receive t e lugs of all the co er portions me^eting ovei one pedestal

The shaft preferably comprises a thread and a nut with a correspo nding internal trread wherein the support ng column is des gned so as to engage the fan aft and rest on the nut If a height adjustment of the pedestal is necessary, the nut can be rotated about the shaft, thereby moving the nut up or down the shaft As the supporting column is designed to rest on the nut Its position is also modified, thereby adjusting the height of the pedestal The height adjustment by means of the nut is preferably used for fine adjusting the height, e g to compensate for small irregularities in the base floor The lower end of the supporting column can be tapered in order to provide engagement with the shaft Alternatively, a plastic or metal buckle shape can be fixed inside the lower end of the supporting column for the same purpose In ordei to reinforce tho ^fhor pmci, the latter can comprise a Total pltfo on the lower SLi face

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the tloor panel comp'i°es «?ι fenei elements the stι^rfere elements being arranged or the lower sui ce of th° floo^r pai el along the side faces and extending in a generally perpendicular diieo' on aΛiy from the floor pane' Such stiffener elements provide a stiuctural reinforcement along the sides of the flooi panels The stiuctural reinfoicement provides additional stiffness to the floor panels and increased stability to the floor assembly In prior art assemblies, stringer members are connected to the pedestals before installation of the floor panels to provide the structural reinforcement The Installation of such stringer members is rather time consuming The need for such stπngei members is eliminated by the stiffener elements In the present assembly the stiffener elements are connected to the flooi panel, so that the structural reinforcement is provided with the installation of the floor panel It will be appreciated that installation time and costs of the elevated floor assembly is substantially reduced with respect to prior art assemblies The stiffener elements can have generally rectangular or triangular cross- section. Other shapes are however not excluded.

The stiffener elements can be arranged on the edge of the floor panel or slightly in retreat of the edge of the floor panel. By placing the stiffener elements slightly in retreat of the edge of the floor panel, it can be ensured that the stiffener elements do not hinder the introduction of the lugs into the receiving ends of the supporting columns of the pedestals.

The stiffener elements and/or the lugs are preferably formed in one piece with the metal support. Alternatively, the stiffener elements and/or She lugs can be welded or otherwise fixed to the metal support. By connecting the stiffener elements and/or the lugs to the metal support, a reinforced structure can be achieved.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the metal support comprisos at least ono blocking tab for receiving an edge of the stiffener element in engagement between the at least ono blocking tab and the metal plate. Preferably, the at least one blocking tab is formed in one piece with the metal plate. Advantageously, the edge of the stiffener element is engaged in a plurality of blocking tabs.

Brief description of the drawings

The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig.1 : is a perspective view of a floor panel and a pedestal of an elevated floor assembly in accordance with the present invention;

Fig.2: is an enlarged view of the corner portion of the floor panel of FIG.1 ;

Fig.3: is a perspective view of a floor panel received on a supporting column of a pedestal;

Fig.4: is a perspective view of three floor panels received on a supporting column of a pedestal; Fig.5: is a section view through an edge portion of a floor panel according to a first embodiment;

Fig.6: is a section view through an edge portion of a floor panel according to a second embodiment;

5 Fig.7: is a section view through an edge portion of a floor panel according to a third embodiment;

Fig.8: is a section view through an edge portion of a floor panel according to a fourth embodiment; and

Fig.9: is a bottom view of the edge portion of the floor panel of Fig.8.

Detailed description of a preferred embodiment

10 A floor panel and a pedestal of an elevated floor assembly in accordance with the present invention are shown in Fig.1. Such an elevated floor assembly consists of individual floor panels 10, only one of which is shown in Fig.1 , supported above a base floor by means of pedestals 12 so as to define a chamber between the base floor and the elevated floor in which cables, pipes

15 or even air conditioning services may be installed. The floor panels 10 are generally of square or rectangular shape and have an upper surface 14, an opposite lower surface 16 and side faces 18, 18', the latter meeting in corner portions 20 of the floor panels 10. The pedestals are designed to provide support to the floor panels 10 at their corner portions 20. Four corner portions

20 20 of four individual floor panels 10 meet above one pedestal.

The pedestal 12 comprises a shaft 22 with an upper end 24 and a lower end 26. The lower end 26 of the shaft 22 is rigidly connected to a base plate 28 for resting on the base floor. The upper end 24 of the shaft 22 is designed to receive a supporting column 30 thereon for supporting the corner portions 20 of 25 the floor panels 10. The lower end 32 of the supporting column 30 engages the upper end 24 of the shaft 22. The receiving end 34 of the supporting column 30 supports the corner portion 20 of the floor panel 10. The floor panel 10 comprises, on the lower surface 16 of the corner portion 20, a lug 36 designed to engage in the receiving end 34 of the supporting column 30. The receiving end 34 is preferably designed as a hollow cylinder for receiving the lug 36 therein It will be understood that the cross- section of the cylindrical receiving end can be circular, square, hexagonal or of any other convenient shape

The lug 36 can be more clearly seen in Fig 2, which is an enlarged view of the corner portion 20 of the floor panel 10 of Fig 1 The lug 36 can e g compiise a first lug portion 38, being essentially in the same plane as the side face 18, and a second lug portion 38', being essentially in the same plane as the side face 18' In the case of square or rectangular floor panels 10, the two lug portions 38, 38' are then at right angles to one another In order to facilitate engagement of the lug 36 in the receiving end 34 of the supporting column 30, the lug portions 38, 38' comprise a taper in a direction away from the lower surface 16 of the flooi panel 10 Alternatively, the lug 36 can also be differently shaped in ordei to piovide an engagement of the lug 36 in the receiving end 34

In Fig 3, the lug 36 is shown in engagement with the cylinder shaped receiving end 34 of the supporting column 30 The receiving end 34 is designed so as to receive the lugs of all the corner portions meeting over one pedestal In Fig 4, e g , the corner portions of three floor panels 10, 10', 10" are shown with then lugs 36, 36', 36" engaged in the receiving end 34 of the supporting column 30

Referring back to Fig 3, the mounting of the supporting column 30 on the shaft 22 can be explained The shaft 22 comprises a thread and a nut 40 with a corresponding internal thread The lower end 32 of the supporting column 30 is designed so as to engage the upper end 24 of the shaft 22 The lower end 32 can e g comprise an internal thread corresponding to the thread of the shaft 22 When in engagement, a lower surface 42 of the lower end 32 of the supporting column 30 rests on an upper surface 44 of the nut 40 By adjusting the position of the nut 40 on the shaft 22, through rotation of the nut 40, the height of the pedestal 12 can be adjusted Height adjustment by means of the nut 40 can be made especially for fine-tuning If a more substantial height reduction is necessary, e g if the pedestal rests on a raised portion on the base floor, the receiving end 34 of the supporting column 30 can be shortened An upper portion of the receiving end 34 can simply be cut off, for example along cutting line 45 as indicated in Fig 3 This can easily be carried out on site, thereby simplifying the installation of the elevated floor assembly, as there is no need to provide pedestals of different sizes

If further support for the floor panels 10 is needed, which would previously have been provided by stringer members connected between neighbouring pedestals, stiffener elements 46, 46' can be connected to the lower surface 16 of the floor panels 10 The stiffener elements 46, 46' extend along the side faces 18, 18' of the floor panel 10 so as to structurally reinforce the floor panel 10

As shown in Figs 5 to 8, the stiffenei elements 46, 46 can be connected to a metal plate 48 attached to the lowei surface 16 of the floor panel 10 Preferably, the stiffener element 46 is formed in one piece with the metal plate 48 A marginal legion 50 of the metal plate 48 can be folded so as to form the stiffenei element 46 The edge 52 of the marginal region 50 can be welded to the lower surface 54 of the metal plate 48 facing away from the floor panel 10 The stiffener element 46 can be arranged right at the edge of the floor panel 10 as shown In Fig 5 or 8, or slightly in retieat as shown in Figs 6 and 7 Alternatively, the stiffenei elements 46, 46' can be separate elements welded to the metal plate 48

The stiffener element can be formed so as to have a generally triangular cross-section as shown in Figs 5, 6 or 8, or a generally rectangular cross- section as shown in Fig 7 It will be undeistood that many othei configurations are possible

It will be appreciated that the lugs 36 are preferably also connected to the metal plate 48, either formed in one piece therewith or welded thereon This will increase the strength of the assembly The metal plate 48 can comprise one or more blocking tabs 56 for receiving the edge 52 of the stiffener element 46 in engagement between the blocking tabs 56 and the metal plate 48. Such blocking tabs 56 can be seen on

Figs 8 and 9. Preferably, the blocking tabs 56 are formed in one piece with the

5 metal plate 48.

It remains to be noted that, as shown in the figures, a floor panel for an elevated floor assembly commonly has a square shape. However it is not excluded to design the elevated floor assembly with floor panels having any other polygonal shape.

Reference numerals

10 10 10' 10" floor panels

12 pedestal

14 upper surface of floor panels

16 lower surface of floor panels

18 18' side faces of floor panels

15 20 corner portions of floor panels

22 shaft

24 upper end of shaft

26 lower end of shaft

28 base plate

20 30 supporting column

32 lower end of supporting column

34 receiving end of supporting column

36, 36', 36" lugs

38, 38' lug portions

25 40 nut 42 lower surface of lower end of supporting column

44 upper surface of nut

45 cutting line

46 46' stiffener elements 5 48 metal plate

50 marginal region of metal plate

52 edge of marginal region

54 lower surface of metal plate

56 blocking tab

Claims

Claims An elevated floor assembly comprising floor panels having an upper surface, an opposite lower surface and side faces, two adjoining side faces meeting in corner portions of said floor panel, and pedestals for supporting said floor panels at said corner portions above a base floor, wherein said pedestals comprise a shaft having a lower end being connected to a base plate for resting on said base floor and an upper end being connected to a supporting column for supporting said corner portions of said floor panels, characterised in that said floor panels comprise lugs on said lower surface in the region of said corner portions, said lugs extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the lower surface and away from said flooi panel, and said supporting column comprises a receiving end for receiving said lugs theiein The elevated floor assembly according to claim 1 , wherein said lug comprises a first lug portion and an adjoining second lug portion, said first lug portion being in a plane essentially parallel to a plane of a first side face of said floor panel, said second lug portion being in a plane essentially parallel to a plane of a second side face of said floor panel, said second side face adjoining said fust side face The elevated floor assembly according to claim 2, wherein said first and second lug portions are arranged in the same plane as said first and second side faces of said floor panel The elevated floor assembly according to any of the previous claims, wherein said lug comprises a taper in a direction away from said flooi panel The elevated floor assembly according to any of the previous claims, wherein said receiving end is a generally cylindrical hollow member 6 The elevated floor assembly according to any of the previous claims, wherein said receiving end is dimensioned so as to receive the lugs of all the corner portions meeting over one pedestal

7 The elevated floor assembly according to any of the previous claims, 5 wherein said shaft comprises a thread and a nut with a corresponding internal thread, wherein said supporting column is designed so as to engage said shaft and rest on said nut

8 The elevated floor assembly according to any of the previous claims, wherein said floor panel comprises a metal plate on said lower surface

10 9 The elevated floor assembly according to any of the previous claims, wherein said floor panel comprises stiffener elements, said stiffener elements being arranged on said lower surface of said floor panel along said side faces and extending in a generally perpendicular direction away from said floor panel

15 10 The elevated floor assembly according to claim 9, wherein said stiffenei elements have generally rectangular oi tnangular cross-section

11 The elevated floor assembly according to claim 9 oi 10, wheiein said stiffener elements are arranged on the edge of said floor panel or slightly in retreat of the edge of said floor panel

20 12 The elevated floor assembly accoiding to any of the previous claims, wherein said stiffener elements and/or said lugs aie foi med in one piece with said metal support

13 The elevated floor assembly according to any of the previous claims, wherein said stiffener elements and/or said lugs are welded to said metal

25 support

14 The elevated floor assembly according to any of the previous claims, wherein said metal support comprises at least one blocking tab for receiving an edge of said stiffener element In engagement between said at least one blocking tab and said metal plate