WO2006083159A1

WO2006083159A1 - Assembly of structural elements and binding material, use thereof and method using it

Info

Publication number: WO2006083159A1
Application number: PCT/NL2005/050048
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jan Hendrik De Wit
Original assignee: Beheersmaatschappij H.P. De Wit B.V.
Priority date: 2004-12-08
Filing date: 2005-11-22
Publication date: 2006-08-10
Also published as: EP1834055A1; NL1027691C2

Abstract

Assembly comprising a number of structural elements, a tube and binding material, wherein the structural elements are placed in a slab-like configuration, which configuration is defined by four slab sides and a thickness, wherein the tube extends along a face defined by the thickness and one slab side; wherein the binding material holds the slab-like configuration and the tube together in one unit, and wherein at least one end of the tube is accessible, such that a boom can be inserted therein for manipulating said unit.

Description

ASSEMBLY OF STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS AND BINDING MATERIAL, USE THEREOF AND METHOD USING IT

Ih broad terms the invention relates to an assembly of structural elements and binding material, wherein the structural elements are placed in a slab-like configuration, which configuration is defined by four slab sides and a slab thickness. Such an assembly is used, for example, in the building industry; structural elements, such as, for example, plasterboard, plaster blocks and cellular concrete panels, are frequently delivered to the building site as packs that are tied together using a binding material such as, for example, film wrap or strapping.

However, such an assembly is difficult to manipulate and it is difficult to obtain a hold on this, because of the weight, the size and the shape. Ih particular, moving the assembly from outside a building to the inside is difficult if this has to take place via narrow openings, for example window or door openings. Therefore the assembly is frequently unpacked outside, after which the individual structural elements are brought inside one by one; this costs a great deal of time and effort.

More specifically the invention relates to an assembly according to the precharacterising clause of Claim 1, that is to say an assembly comprising:

• several structural elements • a tube, and

• binding means, wherein the structural elements are placed in a slab-like configuration, which configuration is defined by four slab sides and one slab thickness; wherein the tube extends along a face defined by the slab thickness and one slab side; wherein the binding means hold the slab-like configuration and the tube together in one unit; and wherein at least one end of the tube is accessible, such that a boom can be inserted therein for manipulating said unit

Such an assembly is disclosed in GB 1 169 022. The structural elements here are in the form of a wall section made of bricks. To facilitate building, these bricks are assembled beforehand to give a wall section. The bricks assembled beforehand to give a wall section can be installed as a whole when building. Ih this way erecting walls can be appreciably accelerated. The construction of the wall section takes place in a U frame that defines the underside of the wall section and the sides of the wall section. A tube is provided along the top via which the wall section can subsequently be lifted, without U-shaped frame, for transport. In order to ensure that the wall section does not fall apart when lifting from above via the tube, binding means are provided in the form of vertical bracing wires that are suspended from the tube and hold the whole together. The tube is not intended as a tube in which a horizontal boom can be inserted. The unit is also not intended to be taken into a building through an opening. This is also not possible with the tackle device mentioned in GB 1 169022. The vertical bracing wires are needed until the wall section has been placed in the final position. Only then can they be removed. Here the bricks from which the wall is built do not constitute a structural element and cannot be used individually. The wall section is the structural element.

The aim of the present invention is to provide an improved assembly according to the precharacterising clause of Claim 1 in order thus to increase the ease of manipulating an assembly of structural elements and to simplify delivery of structural elements into a building.

According to the invention said aim is achieved by providing an assembly according to the precharacterising clause of Claim 1, which is characterised in that the binding means consist of binding material and in that the tube and the binding material are provided on the outside of the slab-like configuration. By using binding material for the binding means and providing this on the outside of the slab-like configuration, inexpensive, generally available packaging materials can be used as binding material which are easily accessible for removal, so that the structural elements can be used individually. Furthermore, according to the invention the binding material and the tube can preferably be removed from the slab-like configuration. It is also pointed out that DE 829053 discloses an assembly of a single wall slab with a metal section part with a U-shaped recess at the edge. Two tube sections are provided in the U-shaped recess. These tube sections are intended, on the one hand, as point of engagement for a lifting crane in order to be able to hoist this wall slab with tackle and, on the other hand, to join adjacent wall slabs to one another in the building. The metal section parts can optionally be provided on all sides of the wall slab. However, the metal profile sections are not binding material. Furthermore, it is not the intention to remove the tubes. This construction is also not intended for passing into a building through a door/window opening. The assembly according to the invention can be manipulated in a simple manner by inserting a boom in the tube and lifting the assembly by means of the boom while the boom is inserted and horizontally orientated in the tube. With this arrangement the boom can be mounted on a lifting device, such as a reach truck. The assembly can then, for example, be brought inside via an opening in the building. The assembly is preferably moved inside essentially in the longitudinal direction of the tube. Because the assembly hangs down from the tube, in this case the thickness of the assembly determines the minimum width of the opening through which the assembly can pass. Preferably the assembly with tube is already made up at the manufacturer of the structural elements or the packer thereof, so that no further operations for this are needed on the building site. However, it is also possible to make up the assembly on the building site itself.

The tube can be attached to the slab-like configuration of structural elements using, for example, film wrap or strapping, In one embodiment the unit comprising the slab-like configuration of structural elements and the tube is completely surrounded by film wrap.

The film wrap then has to be punctured at the location of one end of the tube in order to insert the boom in mat end of the tube. According to another embodiment the tube is made of a flexible material and this can optionally be held open at at least one end by means of an annular element, so that the boom can easily be inserted in that end.

According to the invention it is particularly advantageous if the structural elements are made of plaster, such as in the form of plasterboard or plaster blocks, or if the structural elements comprise cellular concrete panels.

According to a further aspect, the invention relates to the use of an assembly according to the invention for manipulating structural elements, in particular for bringing said structural elements inside through an opening in a building.

According to yet a further aspect, the invention relates to a method for delivering structural elements into a building,

• wherein a boom is inserted in the tube of an assembly according to the invention, • wherein the assembly is lifted by means of the boom, whilst the boom is inserted and horizontally orientated in the tube, and is brought inside through an opening in the building from the outside.

The invention will now be explained in more detail on the basis of the following figures:

Figures Ia to Ie show various embodiments of an assembly according to the invention,

Figure 2 shows, in side view, an assembly according to the invention suspended from the boom of a lift truck (shown in part),

Figure 3 shows a front view of the assembly in Figure 2 that is being moved through an opening in a building.

In Figures Ia to Ie a few different embodiments of an assembly according to the invention are shown by way of example. Figure Ia shows an assembly Ia of plasterboards 3, which have been placed in a slab- like configuration, and a tube 2a, which are held together as a unit by strapping 4a.

Figure Ib shows an assembly Ib of plaster blocks 5, which have been placed in a slab-like configuration and are surrounded by packaging material 6, and a tube 2, wherein the whole is held together as a unit by strapping 4b. Figure Ic shows an assembly Ic of plasterboards 7, which have been placed in a slab- like configuration, and a tube 2c, wherein the whole is held together as a unit by film wrap 8; with this embodiment the film wrap has to be punctured at one end of the tube 14 in order to insert a boom 9 into that end of the tube 2c.

Figure Id shows an assembly Id of structural elements 17 in a slab-like configuration and a tube 2d, wherein the whole is held together as a unit by strapping 4d. hi this embodiment the tube is made of a flexible material and is provided at one end with an annular element IS for holding that end open, so that the boom can easily be inserted therein. The strapping 4d forms an independent loop for accommodating the tube, for example by joining this to itself between the tube and the slab-like configuration using a connecting piece 16, so that the strapping can be tensioned firmly around the slab-like configuration without the tube being squashed.

Figure Ie shows an assembly Ie of block-shaped structural elements 30, which can be, for example, plaster blocks. The block-shaped structural elements 30 have been placed in a slab-like configuration with slab sides A, B, C and D and slab thickness X. Here the dimensions of each block are X x D x E. Viewed in the longitudinal direction of the tube 2e, these blocks are positioned one after the other. Such a slab-like configuration of blocks can be held together by film wrap, corresponding to Fig. Ic. However, here it is not film wrap that is used but a single strap 4f, a single strap 4g and two (sic) straps 4e. At both ends of the tube the strap 4f is wrapped around the end of said tube so as to have two parts 31 and 32 running downwards over an end face of the slab-like configuration, with the two parts 31, 32 running along the underside of said slab-like configuration and running upwards again over the other end face of said slab-like configuration so as to meet one another again on top of the other tube end. The straps 4e run in the same way as the abovementioned straps 4a, 4b or 4d. The strap 4g is optional and holds the structural elements 30 together. The function of strap 4g can optionally also be completely fulfilled by strap 4f.

Figure 2 shows a side view of an assembly 1 of plasterboards 12, binding material 11 and tube 2, where the assembly is suspended from a boom 9 that has been inserted in the tube 2. The boom is oriented essentially horizontally and is mounted on the arm 10 of a lift truck, such as a reach truck. The assembly can now be moved by means of the boom and moved inside through an opening in a building.

Figure 3 shows a front view of the assembly 1 while it is being brought inside through an opening 13 in a building; in this case the assembly is moved in the longitudinal direction of the tube 2, perpendicularly to the plane of the drawing. In the building binding material and tube can be removed to separate and use the structural elements. It can clearly be seen that the thickness of the assembly determines the minimum width of the opening through which the assembly can pass.

Claims

1. Assembly (1, Ia-Ie) comprising:

• several structural elements (3, 5, 7, 12, 17, 30) • a tube (2, 2a-2e), and

• binding means (4a-4g, 11), wherein the structural elements are placed in a slab-like configuration, which configuration is defined by four slab sides (A, B, C, D) and one slab thickness (X); wherein the tube extends along a face defined by the slab thickness (X) and one slab side (A); wherein the binding means hold the slab-like configuration and the tube together in one unit; and wherein at least one end of the tube is accessible, such that a boom (9) can be inserted therein for manipulating said unit, characterised in that the binding means consist of binding material (4a-4g, 11) and in that the tube and the binding material are provided on the outside of the slab-like configuration.

2. Assembly according to Claim 1, wherein the binding material (4a-4g, 11) and the tube (2, 2a-2e) can be removed from the slab-like configuration.

3. Assembly according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the structural elements are made of plaster.

4. Assembly according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the structural elements are boards (3, 7, 12), such as plasterboards.

5. Assembly according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the structural elements are blocks (S, 30), such as plaster blocks.

6. Assembly according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the structural elements are cellular concrete panels.

7. Assembly according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the tube (2) is a cardboard tube.

8. Assembly according to Claims 1 - 7, wherein the tube (2) is made of a flexible material.

9. Assembly according to Claim 8, wherein the tube (2) is provided with an annular element (14) at at least one end for holding said end open.

10. Assembly according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the binding material is film wrap (8).

11. Assembly according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the binding material comprises at least two straps (4a, 4b, 4d, 4e, 4f, 4g) that surround the slab-like configuration and the tube (2).

12. Use of an assembly according to one of the preceding claims for manipulating structural elements, in particular for bringing said structural elements inside through an opening in a building.

13. Use according to Claim 12, wherein the unit is brought into the building via an opening with the slab-like configuration upright.

14. Use according to Claim 12 or 13, wherein the opening is a window or door opening.

15. Use according to one of Claims 12 - 14, wherein the structural elements are plasterboards.

16. Method for delivering structural elements into a building,

• wherein a boom (9) is inserted in the tube (2, 2a-2d) of an assembly according to one ofClaims l - 11,

• wherein the assembly is lifted by means of the boom, whilst the boom is inserted and horizontally orientated in the tube, and is brought inside through an opening (13) in the building from the outside.

17. Method according to Claim 16, wherein the opening is a door opening.

18. Method according to Claim 16, wherein the opening is a window opening.

19. Method according to one of Claims 15 - 17, wherein the assembly is made up before inserting the boom in the tube.

20. Method according to Claim 18, wherein the assembly is formed in situ, in particular on Ihe building site.

21. Method according to one of Claims 15 - 20, wherein the binding material and the tube are removed from the structural elements after the assembly has been delivered into the building.

22. Method according to one of Claims 16 -20, wherein the structural elements are plasterboards.