OA10247A - Building element - Google Patents

Abstract

A building element comprises a topless and bottomless box, preferably manufactured in two halves (52) which are joined together about the vertical diagonal. The top or bottom of the box includes a channel formation (54) which engages the periphery of an adjacent element when stacked therewith. The elements may be stacked to overlap two similar elements located below it and once electrical, water and other service conduits have been placed in position, a concrete mixture or mud or the like is used to fill the boxes. This results in a sturdy structure that is inexpensive and which requires no maintenance or finishing.

Description

010247 -1 -

Titlc: BUILDING ELEMENT

rIELD QF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a building element which is particularlvuseful in the rapid érection of lov/ cost housing.

5 BACKGROUND OF THE IK'VEHTICH

The majority of schemes for le·.·,’ cost housing hâve centered around the t provision of interlocking building blocks but these hâve to betransportée! to the site cr ~ade on the site v/ith moulds which hâve tobe transperted. 10 Mouldsd building blocks are not inexpensive and require a deoree ofskill to erset them. Thsy also hâve to be finishsd off byplastering, painting, or the iike, and require maintainance.

It has also been preposed to affect low cost housing by forninçcladding cr shuttering or fernwork into which concrète is poured but 15 these methods oftsn involve the élévation of heavy concrète to thetep of such shuttering. When the shuttering is removed, it isnecessary to.finish off the structure as discussed above.

It is an object of the cressnt invention to provide an element for abuilding procedure which allows unskilled persans to erect an 20 inexpensive house or cther building very rapidly and for the resulting building not to require finishing or maintenance. WO 94/28261 PCT/NZ94/00047 010247

THE INVENTION

According to the invention a building element comprises a tcpless andbottomless box, the periphery of the top or bottom having a charnelformation adapted to receive the periphery of an adjacent element instacking rslationship. 5 According to a preferred form of the invention, the box comprises two halves about the vertical diagonal thereor, the portions (rightangled halves) including interengaging means.

It will be appreciated that the interengaging formations may take avariety of fôrms, such as dovetail, tenon and mortice and many other, 10 the main object being to provide interengaging joints which are slidable in and out of engagement in the vertical plane or otherwiseeasily locatable.

In the preferred form of the invention the interengaging means forthe portions comprise flexible male éléments having hooked free ends 15 engageable in complemental female éléments including formations adapted to accept the hcoked ends.

The male éléments may take the form of tongues or spades with straight sided hooked ends providing suitable s'noulders for engaging in complemental formations in the female element. WO 94/28261 PCT/NZ94/00047 010247

In one preferred form of the invention a sériés of male éléments may be provided a* one end of a rioht angle portion of a box and complemental female éléments at the other end, so that a pair of right angled portions may be joined together by mating the 5 corresponding male and female éléments.

In an alternative form of the invention, the interengaging meanscomprise bail and Socket joints which may be included in the mould.

The invention makes it possible also to include reinforcing ribs orthe like and the interengaging formations may be located at the ends 10 of the horizontal reinforcing ribs. Cutouts may also be included inthe building éléments of the présent invention for the purpose ofsaving material and also to provide a degree of deformation which maybe necessary in certain circumstances. The primary purpose of thecutcuts is to provide a passage through the building éléments forelectrical conduits, water pipes and the like. This éliminâtes theunsightly practise of having these conduits and pipes running alongthe surfaces of the walls. Drainage pipes, for example, may even belocated at an angle to improve the efficiency of the drainage System.The cutouts may be triangular or rectangular for example.

An important aspect of the invention is the provision of nicks at thecorners of the channelled periphery which permits the staggering ofadjacent éléments. WO 94/28261 PCT/NZ94/00047 010247

In a furthér modification of trie invention the peripheral channelscomprise a continuous outer wall and an inner wall interrupted bycastellations at predetermined locations for receiving the edges ofbuilding éléments. This facilitâtes the stagoered stackina of thebuilding éléments for example with a quarter or half length thereofoverlapping and.bonding with the adjacent element. In this staggeredposition the éléments are held firm in the channel of the élémentslocated therebelow and cannot slide out. It is also conceivable that r the castellations could receive edges of building éléments at rlghtangles thereto and bond with them, although this would of necessityinvolve the removal of a corresponding castellation from the outerWall of the channel.

It should further be noted that the castellations are of sufficientwidth to accommodate closely, two edges of adjacent éléments. Thecastellations further aid in adding strength to the structure beingbullt when the building éléments are staggered for example in thehalf-overlap formation. The periphery male formation of the top oroverlapping building element fits closely against the inner sides ofthe respective castellations. This prevents the sliding out of thetwo underlying building éléments in either direction. Thus the topbuilding element effectively bonds the two éléments therebelow,together; or vice versa. WO 94/28261 PCT/NZ94/00047 -5- 010247

In yet a further modification, the peripheral channel tapers inwardly the periphery of the opposite edge being complementally tapered, the channel and the opposite periphery both being off set from the wall of the unit to provide a straiaht sided wall.

The building éléments are preferably injection moulded from asuitable plastic· material and acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrenepolymers as well as polyvlnyl chloride hâve been found to be verysuitable for the purpose as they are and can be rendered relativelynon-inflammable, hâve a good appearance and can be made strongenough, even for an inexpensive element to bear a load. They canalso be’ rëndered UV résistant.

Once the element of the invention has been assembled to the planrequired, services such as electrical conduits, water pipes and thelike may be located, followed, if required, by reinforcing rods and 4 then a concrète mixture, or mud or any other suitable mixture pouredto complété the building operation, the boxes remalning in positionto proYlde an excellent outside appearance which requires neither anyfurther finishlng or, indeed, any maintainance. The resultingstructure can be adapted to provide for Windows and doors and isstrong enough to support a conventional roof. Load bearing posts maybe included in the structure connecting and supporting beams tosupport conventional building Systems.

The building éléments may be provided with vertical formations suchas ridges, gutters, corrugations or the like to constitute channelsto conduct water downwardly during rain storms. floods and the like. WO 94/28261 PCT/NZ94/00047 010247 -6-

The operation of building may be commenced by laying a slab or afoundation with the boxes then being laid on such slab or foundation.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention are described below with the referencec to the accompanying drawings in which :

Figure 1 is an isométrie view of a building element according to the / invention;

Figure 2 is a similar view of two éléments joined together;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the element; 10 Figure 4 is a front view;

Figure 5 is an end view;

Figure 6 is a sectional view of the peripheral channel and» corresponding male formation,

Figure 7 is a sectional view of the male and female interengaging15 formations between adjacent corners of two building éléments;

Figure 8 is an isométrie view of an alternative form of interengagingformation;

Figure 9 is an isométrie view of an assembly of stacked building * éléments according to the invention; 20 and

Figure 10 is a sectional view threugh the peripheral male-femalecoupling of building éléments in staagered stacked formation. \V0 94/28261 PCT/NZ94/00047 010247

In the drawings a building element includes identical halves 52,which include a peripheral channel 54 which, in the assembled elementis continuous save for the corners which are recessed to receive theend of an adjacent building element. The channel tapers inwardly asshown in Figure 6. The opposite end of the element includes acontinuous male formation 55 which is complementally tapered.

The halves are joined by means of a sériés of tongues or spades 56which are male éléments having hooked ends 57 the hook formationsbeing of straight sided configuration as shown. These tongues engagein recesses or notches 58 to complété a building element according. to.the invention.

The channels 54 hâve a continuous outer wall 50 except for the cornerrecesses 62. The inner wall has castellations 53 at threepredetermirïed locations therealong. This facilitâtes the staggeredstacking of building éléments such that a quarter-brick or half-brickformation may be achieved as shown in Figure 9. If lt is desired tolocate an adjacent building element at an angle (preferably a rightangle) a portion of the outer wall is removed at the desired locationopposite the castellation to receive the edge of the adjacentbuilding element thereacross. The éléments include stiffening ribs64 designed to prevent the sides frcm bulging.

In Figure 8, the two building éléments are joined tcgether by a bailand soccket joint 46. WO 94/28261 PCT/NZ94/00047 010247

Figure 9 illustrâtes the stacking of the éléments in staggeredformation, the castellations 53 permitting a half element overlap asshown as well as a quarter overlap (not shown).

Turning now to Figure 10, building element 80 is stacked on top of5 éléments 70 and 72 such that it overlaps half of each of the élémentsbelow it. The peripheral male formation 55 of element 80 fits intothe peripheral channels of éléments 70 and 72. The corners of

I element 80 fit into the castellations 53 such that there is closecontact between the formation 55 and the inner s ides of thecastellations.

In this position éléments 70 and 72 cannot slide in either directionand therefore element 80 is effectively bonding them together, addingto the overall strength of the stack.

Claims (5)

1. WO 94/28261 PCT/NZ94/00047 -9- 010247 * CLAIMS: 1. A building element comprising a topless and bottomless box, thepheriphery of the top or bottom having a channel formation adapted to 5 receive the periphery of an adjacent element in stacking relationship. r
2. 2. A building element according to claim 1 in which the box comprisestwo halves about the vertical diagonal thereof, the halves including 10 interengaging means. i
3. 3. A building element according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which thechannel formation includes nicks or recesses therein.
4. 4. 15 A building element according to any of the aboyé daims in which the channel formation comprises a continuous outer wall and an inner wallinterrupted by castellations at predetermined locations, thecastellations being adapted to receive the edges of building éléments. WO 94/28261 PCT/NZ94/00047 L , -10- 01 0247 5. A building element according to any of the above daims in which thechannei formation tapers inwardly, the periphery of the opposite edgebeing compiementally tapered, the channei and the opposite peripheryboth being off set from the wall of the element to provide a straightsided wall. 6. A building element according to any of the above daims whichincludes horizontal reinforcing ribs or the like. 10 7. A building * element according to any of the above daims whichincludes eut out formations adapted to provide a degree ofdeformation which may be necessary in certain circumstances. Θ. 15 A building element according to any of the above daims in which the interengaging formations are slidable in and out of engagement in a vertical plane or otherwise easily locatable. ' WO 94/28261 PCï7NZ94/Î)0047 t -11- 01 0247 ? 9. A building element according to daim 8 in which the interengagingmeans comprise flexible male éléments having hooked free endsengageable in complemental female éléments including formationsadapted to accept the hooked ends.
5. 5 10. A building element according to claim 9 in which the male éléments r take the form of tonoues or spades with straight sides hooked endsproviding a suitable shoulder for engaging in a complementalformation in the female element. 10 11. A building* element according to daims 9 and 10 in which a sériés ofmale éléments is provided at one end of the right angled portion of•the element and complemental female éléments at the other endfacilitating jolnlng of a pair of right angled portions by mating the 15 corresponding male and female éléments. 12. A building element according to daim 8 in which the interengaging means comprise bail and sockec joints. WO 94/28261 PCT/NZ94/00047 -12- 01 0247 13. A building element according to claim 6 in which the interengagingformations are located at the ends of the horizontal reinforcingribs. 5 14. A building element accordinginjection moulded from a I acrylonitrile/butadiene/styreneis relatively non-inflammable, 10 résistant and strong. to any of the above daims which aresuitable plastic, such as anpolymer or polyvinyl chloride, whichhas good aesthetic appeal, is UV 15. A building method making use of building éléments according to any ofthe above daims which involves the steps of assembling the élémentsto the plan required, locating the services such as electricalconduits, water pipes and the like therein, locating reinforcing rodstherein if required, and pouring a concrète mixture, mud, or anyother suitable mixture to complété the building operation, the boxesremaining in position to provide an excellent outside appearancerequiring minimal if any finishing or maintenance. 15