GB2219016A - Building of panels connected by brackets - Google Patents

Abstract

A rapidly constructed building 10 includes wall panels 11, 12 and one or more roof panels 13, 14 united by brackets 15, the panels 11, 12, 13, 14 being both intrinsically protective and structural to allow the building 10 to stand without additional support structure. <IMAGE>

Description

Buildinq This invention relates to a building and particularly, but not exclusively to a building which can be used as a temporary shelter to protect work/workers on an assembly line. However, the building is equally suitable to form, or form part of, a free-standing building in its own right. It is an object of the present invention to provide a building which can be constructed simply from a small number of components and which does not need to be secured to the ground, foundations or comparable structure in order to be stable.

Accordingly, the invention provides a building comprising a pair of spaced apart upright panels and one or more roof panels, each of said panels having both protective and structural properties and the various panels being connected together by brackets.

The protective nature of the panels will normally be a weatherproofing property, that is to say the panels will normally be water and/or wind proof.

The structural quality of each panel will be such as to enable it to stand alone and to bear all the loads applied to it by the brackets and by the other members without the need for any external or internal framework, foundation, or other comparable support assisting structure.

Preferably, there are two roof panels arranged to form a gable roof, the angle between each roof panel and its adjacent wall panel being the same as.the angle at a ridge between the two roof panels, so enabling a single type of haunch bracket to be used to interconnect the panels.

The panels will normally be generally rectangular and each panel preferably has frame stucture adapted to be secured to a connecting bracket and also adapted to transmit the uniting force of said bracket to the relevant panel.

It is envisaged that a single pair of brackets, one at each edge, will be sufficient to connect each panel to an adjacent panel.

As mentioned, the panels will normally be rectangular and the length of the roof and wall panels can be the same so that by connecting two wall and two roof panels together a unit arch building structure can be provided. By joining "unit-arch structures together a building of indefinite length in the ridge direction can be constructed. It is envisaged that at each joint between the panels there will be two brackets in each arch unit, the brackets being at the ends of the arch unit (considered in the ridge direction) such panels serving not only to unite the panels one to the other but also to unite each arch unit to its neighbouring arch unit(s).

The wall panels can be provided with door and/or window openings as desired. The roof panels can be provided with skylight and/or access openings if desired.

The lower ends of the wall panels can be provided with wheels, rollers or the like mounted to engage rails or comparable ground based structure to allow the building to be traversed in a ridge-wise direction. This makes the building suitable for use on a production line when it can be moved over and above articles being dealt with or constructed on that production line to protect the articles and/or personnel.

Gable end panels, or panel assemblies can be provided to close off ends of a structure consisting of one or more arch units to form a closed building.

Such gable ends can be used in connection with the mobile building if desired being demounted if necessary for movement of the building.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a end elevation of a single arch building structure conforming to the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a single roof panel of the building of the invention; Fig. 2a is a end view of the panel of Fig.2; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a preferred bracket for use in the invention; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the building of Fig.l showing possible additions thereto; and Fig. 5 illustrates how a lower edge of a wall panel can be provided with wheels.

A preferred building 10 of the invention is shown in end elevation in Fig. 1 and includes two wall panels 11,12 and two roof panels 13,14. Each of the panels 11,12,13,14 is "self-supporting" in that its structure is sufficient not only to give protection, as in the manner of a conventional cladding panel, but is also sufficient to bear its own weight, that of any parts attached thereto and applied loads.

Thus, the building of the invention can be made without any steel framework or other additional external or internal structural members. The structure of an individual panel will be discussed later in connection with Figure 2.

The four panels 11 - 14 are connected together by means of six haunch brackets each indicated at 15 which are bolted to the respective panels at the eaves and at the ridge. On the upright wall panels 11, 12 the haunch brackets 15 are connected at their upper ends, but in the case of the roof panels 13,14 the eaves haunch brackets are spaced somewhat inwards to give an overhang at 16.

Referring now to Fig. 2, the structure of a roof panel, such as panel 13, will be discussed in detail.

However, it must be stressed that very many different types of panel construction are envisaged for use in the building of the invention. The panel 13 consists of a pair of parallel side members 17 joined by end members 18. Intermediate angle members 19 interconnect the members 17. The space 20 between the outer boundaries of members 19 and the outer edges of side members 17 and 18 is filled by a weather resistant, waterproof and protective substance such as glass reinforced plastics,steel or other metal panel, or by a cast, settable material such as a lightweight concrete. Adjacent each corner of the panel reinforcement means 21 is provided and adapted to be bolted to the haunch brackets 15. A transverse bracing strut 22 is provided and there is shown at 23 the position of a potential skylight which can be provided if necessary.At the ridge any gap between the roof panels 13, 14 can be closed by a conventional ridge member (not shown).

It will be appreciated that the building of the invention can be constructed rapidly from four panels and six identical brackets thus requiring the erector to exert minimal skill and to store minimal numbers of parts. the building is in itself stable and self-supporting without the need for any brackets and, in particular, without any need for foundations or the like.

Fig. 3 illustrates a single haunch bracket 15 in more detail and it will be seen that each bracket 15 includes a flat generally triangular body 23 to which are welded a pair of generally flat rectangular plates 24 to form a body which is generally T-shaped in cross-section, and is braced by end fillets 25 and intermediate fillets 26. The bracket 15 is of welded construction and the plates 24 have an array of holes as 27 for connection to the wall and roof panels.

Fig. 4 illustrates the single arch building 10 of Fig. 1 standing alone and there is shown in dotted lines how the building 10 can be extended simply by erecting a comparable arch unit 28 next to it. In such a construction a single haunch bracket can unite not only two panels of a single arch structure but also adjacent arch structures.

The ability of the arch building structure of the invention to stand alone without foundations makes it very useful for applications on site where foundations may not be available, or particularly for covering temporary structures or equipment where foundations would be an unnecessary difficulty and might not be desired. As a further point, the arch building construction of the invention is particularly suited for use in connection with the construction of articles essentially in the open air, wherein a structure and/or apparatus needs to be protected for at least some of the time, but wherein access is necessary at other times. To this end the lower ends of wall panels 11,12 can be provided with wheels such as wheels 29 which can run on rails 30 or the like secured, as by bolts 31 to a concrete base or similar.

In the case of a production line for large concrete structures a pair of rails 30 could extend one on each side of the production line and a plurality of buildings such as building 10 be provided mounted thereon. Thus, whilst a particular piece of equipment/building was being prepared for casting, for example by the preparation of shuttering or comparable structure, the building could be disposed above the work station protecting the workers and the structure from the elements.

Removable gable walls (not shown) can be provided if more than simple rain protection is required. When, however, the structure has been cast and cured, it is not at all unusual for it to be necessary for a large crane to be used to lift the concrete structure from its mould/shuttering. With the building of the invention it is a simple matter to roll the building away and then approach the structure with a mobile crane. The ability to use a mobile crane in this way greatly facilitates manoeuvring as the provision of an overhead gantry crane is usually prohibitively expensive.

However, it will be appreciated that the building of the invention can be used in many other environments. Indeed, for the construction of such buildings as temporary shelters, site huts and the like it is most appropriate. The various parts can be taken to a site easily and assembled quickly. If a rather more long term building is required then a flat concrete base can be constructed to receive the elements of the building.

Claims (18)

Claims

1. A building comprising a pair of spaced apart upright panels and one or more roof panels, each of said panels having both protective and structural properties and the various panels being connected together by brackets.

2. A building as claimed in claim 1 wherein the protective property of the panels is a weatherproofing property.

3. A building as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the structural quality of each panel is such as to enable it to stand alone and to bear all the loads applied to it by the brackets and by the other members without the need for any support assisting structure.

4. A building as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein there are two roof panels arranged to form a gable roof, the angle between each roof panel and its adjacent wall panel being the same as the angle at a ridge between the two roof panels.

5. A building as claimed in claim 1, 2,3 or 4 wherein the panels are generally rectangular and each panel has frame structure adapted to be secured to a said connecting bracket and also adapted to transmit the uniting force of said bracket to the panel.

6. A building as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a single pair of brackets, one at each edge, connect each panel to an adjacent panel.

7. A building as claimed in claim 5, wherein the panels and the length of the roof and wall panels is the same so that by connecting two wall and two roof panels together a unit arch building structure of constant length is provided.

8. A building as claimed in claim 7 and connected to one or more further comparable "unit-arch" structures to form a longer building.

9. A combination as claimed in claim 8 wherein at each joint between the panels there are two brackets in each arch unit, the brackets being at the ends of the arch unit (considered in the ridge direction), and such brackets serving not only to unite the panels one to the other but also to unite each arch unit to its neighbouring arch unit(s).

10. A building as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9 wherein the wall panels are provided with door and/or window openings.

11. A building as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the roof panels are provided with skylight and/or access openings.

12. A building as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein lower ends of the wall panels and complementary subjacent tracks are provided with friction reducing means to facilitate travel of the building along the tracks.

13. A building as claimed in claim 12, wherein the tracks are smoothe surfaces and the wall panels have comparable slide surfaces.

14. A building as claimed in claim 12 wherein the tracks and/or the walls have wheel, rollers or the like.

15. A building as claimed in claim 14, wherein the tracks are disposed one on each side of an elongate manufacturing space or a production line to allow selective cover of parts thereof.

16. A building as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein gable end structure is provided to close off ends of a structure consisting of one or more arch units to form a closed building.

17. A building as claimed in claim 16, when appendant to claim 14, the gable structure being demountable for movement of the building.

18. A building substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.