WO2006130897A1

WO2006130897A1 - A transportable building and verandah system therefor

Info

Publication number: WO2006130897A1
Application number: PCT/AU2005/000818
Authority: WO
Inventors: Francesco Antonio Martino
Original assignee: Francesco Antonio Martino
Priority date: 2005-06-09
Filing date: 2005-06-09
Publication date: 2006-12-14

Abstract

The present invention relates to a transportable building (12,14,16,18) having a plurality of anchor points associated therewith that is adapted to receive an upright support post (34,36) for supporting a verandah. Portable camps typically include a plurality of such buildings aligned longitudinally in a transversely opposed and spaced apart arrangement. The verandah system (10) of the present invention is adapted to provide shelter to the area (32) between the transversely opposed buildings. The present invention further provides for a structurally robust verandah system in that it is tensioned both longitudinally and transversely across a plurality of buildings, and is further easily assembled and disassembled which is advantageous in situations where camps must be shifted on a regular basis, such as during the construction of pipelines across a large distance.

Description

A transportable building and a verandah system therefor

The present invention relates to a transportable building and, in particular, to a transportable building including a verandah system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Camps have been used for many years to provide shelter and accommodation especially in remote areas. This is especially so in the case of remote camps that are assembled using a number of transportable buildings, some of the buildings used as sleeping quarters, others as the kitchen and dining room facility and others still as recreational areas. It is not uncommon for a camp to consist of sixty to eighty buildings that can accommodate several hundred people.

These camps are completely self-contained in that the transportable buildings provide all of the facilities for a small remote community that may be needed in a particular area. Accordingly these camps include all of the modern day facilities such as electrical power, water, sewerage, and communication. They therefore also include their own generation systems, water distribution systems, sewerage treatment plants, and communication facilities such as satellite dishes. The camps typically require a considerable amount of skill, time, and effort to assemble and commission. Once constructed these camps can however provide accommodation indefinitely if the infrastructure is maintained.

In some instances the camps have to be portable or mobile. For example, during construction of infrastructure across a vast area, such as roads or pipelines supplying water or gas, a particular location for a camp housing the construction workers, may only be viable for several weeks or months. As the pipeline is progressively constructed, there is a balance between the economic cost of the travel time of workers housed in the camp to the current work site and time spent constructing the actual pipeline. It is therefore accepted in the industry that if the travel time between a camp and the work location is more than an hour, a new camp has to be constructed one hour ahead of the current construction location or generally up to several hundred kilometres away from the existing camp.

A camp for several hundred people takes time to construct and commission. Accordingly, construction work on the particular project has to stop for one or two weeks whilst the camp is relocated. Alternatively there are duplicate camps used so that whilst one camp is being used the other is being decommissioned from one location to be assembled at another location. Either solution has its advantages. The first increases the time for a particular project whilst the second is a duplication of infrastructure that requires significant capital.

As mentioned, such camps typically consist of sixty to eighty buildings. The buildings are typically arranged in a series of longitudinal rows of transversely opposed buildings whereby the front of each opposed building faces one another, and the space therebetween forms a longitudinal walkway. The walkways are used by camp occupants to gain access to other areas of the camp such as the dining or recreation area. For obvious reasons, it is appropriate for the walkways to be covered by an appropriate verandah system.

Each longitudinally aligned building is typically spaced apart a few metres to allow sufficient space for various equipment, such as air-conditioning units for example which are typically mounted to the longitudinal end walls of each building. A verandah system which extends along the entire longitudinal walkway, including adjacent the spaced apart area between longitudinally aligned buildings, requires adequate structural support. Verandah systems used in residential houses may well be used, however, such systems require that mounting posts be fixed into the ground, and preferably into concrete, which is not really a viable option in the case of portable camps which must be assembled and disassembled at regular intervals. There is therefore a requirement for a verandah system that may be employed in a portable camp. The basic requirement is that two longitudinal support beams are supported adjacent each longitudinal row of buildings such that a verandah extends between the support beams to thereby cover the longitudinal walkway.

During the course of developing an appropriate verandah system for such camps, the present inventor has also encountered various problems associated with the structural integrity of the verandah system across the entire length of the walkway, which may in some cases be up to a few hundred metres long. In particular, because the system employs the use of vertical support posts mounted directly to the chassis of each building, it has been found that the spaced apart nature of the buildings in each longitudinal row causes deficiencies in longitudinal tensioning between vertical support posts, as well as in transverse tensioning between longitudinal support beams, these being extremely important factors in maintaining a stable verandah.

Furthermore, in order to increase the efficiency of decommissioning and commissioning of the camp, there is a need for a verandah system that may be quickly and easily assembled and disassembled whilst maintaining the structural integrity that is required of such systems.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome at least some of the aforementioned problems or to provide the public with a useful alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore in one form of the invention there is proposed a transportable building characterised by at least one anchor point associated with said transportable building, said at least one anchor point adapted to receive an upright support post for supporting a verandah. Preferably said transportable building further includes a longitudinal chassis wherein said at least one anchor point is mounted to an elongate front side of the chassis.

hi preference said transportable building includes a plurality of anchor points mounted to the front side of the chassis at predetermined spaced apart distances.

In preference each upright support post is adapted to be received at a lower end thereof in one of said anchor points, and is connected at an upper end thereof to a longitudinal support beam adapted to further support the verandah.

Preferably said transportable building further includes a connecting member between the anchor point and the upright support post, said connecting member including a horizontal portion adapted to engage said anchor point, and a vertical portion adapted to engage said upright support post.

Preferably the vertical portion of the connecting member is capable of lockingly engaging the upright support post at a plurality of different heights.

In preference the vertical portion of the connecting member is capable of lockingly engaging the anchor point at a plurality of different transverse positions.

In preference said anchor point is in the form of a transversely extending, tubular chassis beam, and said connecting member is in the form of an L-shaped tubular beam.

Preferably the horizontal portion of the L-shaped tubular beam is of stepped-down cross-sectional size to the transversely extending, tubular chassis beam and is adapted to be received therein.

Preferably the vertical portion of the L-shaped tubular beam is of stepped-down cross-sectional size to the upright support post and is adapted to be received therein.

Preferably said L-shaped, tubular beam, said transversely extending, tubular chassis beam, and said upright support post each have a square cross-section.

In preference wherein said L-shaped, tubular beam, said transversely extending, tubular chassis beam, and said upright support post are each constructed of steel.

In preference said verandah is adapted to extend between the longitudinal support beams of a pair of transversely opposed and spaced apart transportable buildings, to thereby at least partially cover an area therebetween. Preferably said verandah is further adapted to extend between a plurality of said transversely opposed building pairs, said plurality of said building pairs being arranged in a longitudinal row at predetermined spaced apart distances.

Preferably said verandah includes a longitudinal tensioning means between adjacent, longitudinally aligned and spaced apart buildings.

Preferably each transportable building further includes two end upright support posts that are fixedly mounted to the front corners of the chassis.

Preferably said longitudinal tensioning means is in the form of at least one tensionable chain adapted to connect the end upright support posts of adjacent, longitudinally aligned and spaced apart buildings.

In preference said longitudinal tensioning means is in the form of two tensionable chains connecting the end upright support posts of two adjacent, longitudinally aligned and spaced apart buildings whereby the first tensionable chain connects an upper portion of the first post with a lower portion of the second post, and the second tensionable chain connects a lower portion of the first post with an upper portion of the second post, such that the two tensionable chains are arranged in an X- configuration.

Preferably each of said end upright support posts is further supported in the transverse direction by way of a transverse supporting beam extending from the corresponding end side of the chassis to a point along the body of the upright support post.

Preferably said verandah includes a transverse tensioning means between transversely opposed upright support posts.

In preference said transverse tensioning means is in the form of a tensionable cross member adapted to extend between each transversely opposed and aligned upright support post.

In preference said tensionable cross member includes two portions of stepped-down cross sectional size, each of said portions adapted to be fixedly connected at one end thereof to a respective upright support post, and slidably engageable with one another at opposed ends thereof such that the relative position of each portion with respect to the other is adjustable.

Preferably the relative position of each portion with respect to the other is further lockable.

In a further form of the invention there is proposed a portable camp characterised by: a plurality of transversely opposed and spaced apart building pairs arranged such that each of said building pairs is spaced apart in the longitudinal direction; a longitudinal path defined by the area between the transversely opposed building pairs; and a verandah adapted to at least partially cover the longitudinal path.

Preferably said verandah extends between two longitudinal support beams, each longitudinal support beam being supported by a plurality of upright support posts mounted along the front side of the chassis' of the transversely opposed buildings.

Preferably each building further includes a connecting member between the chassis and the upright suppoit post, said connecting member including a horizontal portion adapted to engage said anchor point, and a vertical portion adapted to engage said upright support post.

In preference said portable camp further includes a longitudinal tensioning means adapted to maintain longitudinally aligned upright support posts in tension.

Preferably said portable camp further includes a transverse tensioning means adapted to maintain transversely opposed upright support posts in tension.

Preferably transversely opposed upright support posts associated with each building pair are axially aligned.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several implementations of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the advantages and principles of the invention. In the drawings,

Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a verandah system in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 illustrates an enlarged perspective view of the means of connection between upright support posts and longitudinal support beam of the verandah system of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 illustrates an enlarged perspective view of the longitudinal and transverse tensioning means of the verandah system of Figure 1. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. Although the description includes exemplary embodiments, other embodiments are possible, and changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the following description to refer to the same and like parts.

Illustrated in Figure 1 is a verandah system 10 adapted to be used in a portable camp comprising a plurality of buildings, generally of the transportable type where they can either be transported by loading onto trucks, or alternatively, mounted on wheels that are bolted to the chassis of each building.

In particular, Figure 1 illustrates four buildings 12, 14, 16 and 18 which are each used to provide accommodation, each building having a chassis 20, four separate rooms and a footpath 22, with each room having its own access door 24, 26, 28 and 30 respectively. It is however to be understood that the present invention is not limited to accommodation buildings and that it may equally well apply to other types of buildings, such as the kitchen, common rooms and offices.

Buildings 12 and 14 are transversely opposed, as are buildings 16 and 18. The area that is adapted to be covered by the verandah is the area between the transversely opposed buildings, that is, the footpaths 22 and the longitudinal walkway 32 being the area between opposed footpaths 22. The walkway 32 may extend a significant longitudinal distance depending on the number of buildings present in each row of buildings.

The verandah system 10 comprises a plurality of spaced apart upright support posts 34

(associated with buildings 12 and 16) and 36 (associated with transversely opposed buildings 14 and 18) which are collectively adapted to support two longitudinal support beams 38 and 40 respectively which extend the entire length of the walkway 32. In preference, each building includes four upright support posts each being of well-known square cross-sectional beam construction.

Figure 2 illustrates an enlarged view of transversely opposed upright support posts 34 and 36 mounted to the chassis 20 of buildings 12 and 14 respectively. It will be appreciated that the lower end of the support post 34 is adjustably fixed to the chassis 20 through the use of an anchor point in the form of an L-shaped adjusting member 42 which includes a plurality of horizontal positioning apertures 44 and vertical positioning apertures 46 on its side. The L-shaped adjusting member 42 is also of square cross- sectional beam construction but is of a stepped-down cross sectional size allowing it to fit snugly within the upright support posts 34 or 36, as well as an appropriately sized and positioned chassis beam 48. The chassis beam 48 and upright support posts 34 and 36 also include positioning apertures 50 and 52 respectively adapted to be aligned with respective apertures 44 and 46 of the L-shaped adjusting member 42. Those skilled in the art would realise that the horizontal positioning apertures 44 allow for the selection of multiple transverse positions of the upright support posts 34 and 36, whilst the vertical positioning apertures 46 allow for the height of the upright support posts 34 and 36 to be selected. Once an appropriate transverse position and height have been selected and the particular apertures are aligned, an appropriate fixing means may be used to lock the upright posts in position, for example, through use of a locking pin (not shown) extending through aligned apertures. Welded to the outer sides of the upper ends of the upright support posts 34 and 36 are flanges 53 adapted to be mounted to the respective longitudinal support beams 38 and 40.

Also illustrated in Figure 2 is a transverse cross-beam 54 which consists of two portions 54a and 54b which are again of stepped-down cross section so that portion 54b fits within portion 54a. Each portion 54a and 54b includes mounting brackets 56a and 56b respectively at outer ends thereof for mounting to respective upright support posts 34 and 36. Those skilled in the ait would realise that the transverse cross-beam 54 is to be mounted between the upright support posts 34 and 36 after the support posts have been fixed to the building chassis' 20 as described above. Then when mounting bracket 56a for example has been fixed to support post 34, portion 54b may be slidably moved outwards from portion 54a until mounting bracket 56b is able to be fixed to support post 36. Conventional fixing means such as bolts may be used to lock the brackets 56a and 56b to respective upright support posts 34 and 36. When the brackets 56a and 56b have been fixed to the upright posts, a bolt 58 is used to lock portions 54a and 54b in position.

A plurality of transverse cross-beams 54 are adapted to be mounted between opposed upright support posts 34 and 36 along the entire length of the walkway 32. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the transverse cross-beams 54 provide the verandah system 10 with the transverse tensioning that is required to maintain structural integrity in the verandah system 10, even where a plurality of buildings are present in each longitudinal row.

As mentioned in the preamble, the verandah system 10 must also be appropriately tensioned in the longitudinal direction. This has been traditionally quite difficult in that the buildings in each longitudinal row are spaced apart by a few metres, and do not have a connecting chassis. As those skilled in the art would realise, because there is no connecting chassis, where there are a plurality of spaced apart buildings, appropriate longitudinal tensioning of the verandah system 10 is difficult to achieve.

Figure 3 illustrates a means to overcome this problem, as well as a further means of providing transverse tensioning in the verandah system 10. There is shown two upright support posts 34 mounted directly to the chassis of adjacent buildings 12 and 16. Mounted to each post 34 is a lower bracket 60 and an upper bracket 62 adapted to hold and secure two tensioning chains 66 and 68 in an X-type configuration as shown. Each bracket includes a keyed flange section 64 through which one end of a tensioning chain 66 or 68 is adapted to be secured. Tensioning chain 66 extends from the upper bracket 62 of the upright support member 34 of building 12 to the lower bracket 60 of the upright support member 34 of building 16. Similarly, tensioning chain 68 extends from the upper bracket 62 of the upright support member 34 of building 16 to the lower bracket 60 of the upright support member 34 of building 12. Each tensioning chain is includes a tensioning spring means 70 used to maintain the chains in tension. It should be apparent that in using such a tensioning means between longitudinally spaced apart buildings, the structural integrity of the verandah system 10 in the longitudinal direction is improved.

A third bracket 72 is also present on upright support post 34 located on the ends of each building.

The third bracket 72, which is located between the lower and upper brackets 60 and 62 respectively, connects one end of a diagonal support member 74 to the upright support member 34 whilst the opposed end of the diagonal support member 74 is fixed to a transverse beam of the building chassis 20. The diagonal support member 74 is used to provide additional support to the end support posts, and in particular, to counteract any transverse loading on the end upright support posts.

Although the upright support posts 34 and 36 at the ends of each building may be mounted to the chassis in the same way as previously described, that is, using the L-shaped adjusting member 42, it is preferable for the upright support posts 34 and 36 at the ends of the buildings to be mounted directly to the building chassis 20 by way of a weld, or by secure bolt connection. This additional support provided to the end upright support posts 34 and 36, as well as that provided by the diagonal support members 74, is required to counteract the tensile forces provided thereto by the tensioning chains 66 and 68, and other forces acting thereon.

It is to be understood that the positioning of each of the brackets mentioned herein is not to be limited to the positions shown in the drawings, and may further be moveable and lockable at various positions along their mounting beams/posts. For example, although not shown, upright support posts 34 and 36 may indeed include apertures (not shown) spaced therealong so that the three brackets 60, 62 and 72 mounted thereto may be shifted to an appropriate position in accordance with a particular situation.

The fact that there is no need for a connecting chassis or heavy beam arrangement between spaced apart buildings also increases efficiency in assembling and disassembling the verandah system 10. Thus, in the case of portable camps which are commissioned and decommissioned on a regular basis, a structurally sound verandah system may be constructed in accordance with the present invention in a minimum amount of time and with minimum effort.

The present invention therefore provides for a structurally robust verandah system 10 that is suited for use in a portable camp comprising a plurality of buildings. The verandah system 10 is further easily assembled and disassembled which is advantageous in situations where camps must be shifted on a regular basis, such as during the construction of pipelines across a large distance.

Further advantages and improvements may very well be made to the present invention without deviating from its scope. Although the invention has been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope and spirit of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus.

In any claims that follow and in the summary of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessaiy implication, the word "comprising" is used in the sense of "including", i.e. the features specified may be associated with further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Claims

1. A transportable building characterised by at least one anchor point associated with said transportable building, said at least one anchor point adapted to receive an upright support post for supporting a verandah.

2. A transportable building as in claim 1 wherein said transportable building further includes a longitudinal chassis wherein said at least one anchor point is mounted to an elongate front side of the chassis.

3. A transportable building as in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said transportable building includes a plurality of anchor points mounted to the front side of the chassis at predetermined spaced apart distances.

4. A transportable building as in claim 3 wherein each upright support post is adapted to be received at a lower end thereof in one of said anchor points, and is connected at an upper end thereof to a longitudinal support beam adapted to further support the verandah.

5. A transportable building as in any one of the above claims wherein said transportable building further includes a connecting member between the anchor point and the upright support post, said connecting member including a horizontal portion adapted to engage said anchor point, and a vertical portion adapted to engage said upright support post.

6. A transportable building as in claim 5 wherein the vertical portion of the connecting member is capable of lockingly engaging the upright support post at a plurality of different heights.

7. A transportable building as in claim 5 wherein the vertical portion of the connecting member is capable of lockingly engaging the anchor point at a plurality of different transverse positions.

8. A transportable building as in any one of the above claims wherein said anchor point is in the form of a transversely extending, tubular chassis beam, and said connecting member is in the form of an L-shaped tubular beam.

9. A transportable building as in claim 6 wherein the horizontal portion of the L-shaped tubular beam is of stepped-down cross-sectional size to the transversely extending, tubular chassis beam and is adapted to be received therein.

10. A transportable building as in any one of the above claims wherein the vertical portion of the L- shaped tubular beam is of stepped-down cross-sectional size to the upright support post and is adapted to be received therein.

11. A transportable building as in any one of the above claims wherein said L-shaped, tubular beam, said transversely extending, tubular chassis beam, and said upright support post each have a square cross-section.

12. A transportable building as in any one of the above claims wherein said L-shaped, tubular beam, said transversely extending, tubular chassis beam, and said upright support post are each constructed of steel.

13. A transportable building as in any one of claims 1-4 wherein said verandah is adapted to extend between the longitudinal support beams of a pair of transversely opposed and spaced apart transportable buildings, to thereby at least partially cover an area therebetween.

14. A transportable building as in claim 13 wherein said verandah is further adapted to extend between a plurality of said transversely opposed building pairs, said plurality of said building pairs being arranged in a longitudinal row at predetermined spaced apart distances.

15. A transportable building as in claim 13 or claim 14 wherein said verandah includes a longitudinal tensioning means between adjacent, longitudinally aligned and spaced apart buildings.

16. A transportable building as in claim 15 wherein each transportable building further includes two end upright support posts that are fixedly mounted to the front corners of the chassis.

17. A transportable building as in any one of claims 13-16 wherein said longitudinal tensioning means is in the form of at least one tensionable chain adapted to connect the end upright support posts of adjacent, longitudinally aligned and spaced apart buildings.

18. A transportable building as in any one of claims 13-16 wherein said longitudinal tensioning means is in the form of two tensionable chains connecting the end upright support posts of two adjacent, longitudinally aligned and spaced apart buildings whereby the first tensionable chain connects an upper portion of the first post with a lower portion of the second post, and the second tensionable chain connects a lower portion of the first post with an upper portion of the second post, such that the two tensionable chains are arranged in an X-confϊguration.

19. A transportable building as in any one of claims 13-18 wherein each of said end upright support posts is further supported in the transverse direction by way of a transverse supporting beam extending from the corresponding end side of the chassis to a point along the body of the upright support post.

20. A transportable building as in claim 13 or claim 14 wherein said verandah includes a transverse tensioning means between transversely opposed upright support posts.

21. A transportable building as in claim 20 wherein said transverse tensioning means is in the form of a tensionable cross member adapted to extend between each transversely opposed and aligned upright support post.

22. A transportable building as in claim 21 wherein said tensionable cross member includes two portions of stepped-down cross sectional size, each of said portions adapted to be fixedly connected at one end thereof to a respective upright support post, and slidably engageable with one another at opposed ends thereof such that the relative position of each portion with respect to the other is adjustable.

23. A transportable building as in any one of claims 20-22 wherein the relative position of each portion with respect to the other is further lockable.

24. A portable camp characterised by: a plurality of transversely opposed and spaced apart building pairs arranged such that each of said building pairs is spaced apart in the longitudinal direction; a longitudinal path defined by the area between the transversely opposed building pairs; and a verandah adapted to at least partially cover the longitudinal path.

25. A portable camp as in claim 24 wherein said verandah extends between two longitudinal support beams, each longitudinal support beam being supported by a plurality of upright support posts mounted along the front side of the chassis' of the transversely opposed buildings.

26. A transportable building as in claim 25 wherein each building further includes a connecting member between the chassis and the upright support post, said connecting member including a horizontal portion adapted to engage said anchor point, and a vertical portion adapted to engage said upright support post.

27. A transportable building as in claim 24 or claim 25 wherein the vertical portion of the connecting member is capable of lockingly engaging the upright support post at a plurality of different heights.

28. A transportable building as in claim 27 wherein the vertical portion of the connecting member is capable of lockingly engaging the anchor point at a plurality of different transverse positions.

29. A portable camp as in any one of claims 24-28 wherein said portable camp further includes a longitudinal tensioning means adapted to maintain longitudinally aligned upright support posts in tension.

30. A portable camp as in any one of claims 24-29 wherein said portable camp further includes a transverse tensioning means adapted to maintain transversely opposed upright support posts in tension.

31. A portable camp as in any one of claims 24-30 wherein transversely opposed upright support posts associated with each building pair are axially aligned.