Method and element for connecting wooden walls

Abstract

 Element for connecting walls formed of piled up beams characterised in that this element consists of four parts, namely two arms (19-20) which are placed at an angle and two protrusions (21-22) which are installed perpendicular to the plane formed by the arms (19-20).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an element for connecting wooden walls, more especially for connecting wooden beams placed on each other which form a wall as is usual with prefabricated stack of wood building systems.

[0002] The present invention also relates to a method which applies the aforementioned elements.

[0003] Still more especially the present invention relates to an element for connecting wooden walls in the corner of a house and in those locations where a wall touches another wall perpendicularly or at another angle, all of which such that at these connection locations no protruding parts are formed.

[0004] It has already been suggested that such connections be realised by applying screws, bolts with nuts and similar whether or not in cooperation with plates or T-profiles of which the core is incorporated in the wooden beams, which compose the wall.

[0005] Processed cut out steel profiles have also already been suggested in the wooden beams.

[0006] All these known solutions however have the disadvantage that during manufacture of the walls and especially during the assembly of the walls, they present serious problems both with the installation of these elements and with the joining together and connection of the wooden beams, through which a perfect and uniform joining together of these beams is almost unachievable.

[0007] The present invention therefore relates to an element for connecting wooden beams which can be implemented in a very simple manner and which permits an ultimate standardisation of the wooden beams as well as a simple joining together of these beams without special knowledge or tools being necessary for this purpose.

[0008] The element for connecting wooden beams according to the invention consists for this purpose of four parts, namely two arms which are placed at an angle and two protrusions which are installed perpendicular to the plane formed by the arms.

[0009] The invention also relates to a method for realising walls formed out of wooden beams which apply the aforementioned element whereby the adjacent beams are provided toward their extremities with bores in which the protrusions of an element can be installed.

[0010] In order to show better the characteristics according to the present invention, some preferred embodiments are described hereafter, as examples without any restrictive character with reference to the enclosed drawings in which:

figure 1 shows in schematic manner a horizontal local cross-section of a wall construction according to the invention, more especially at the level of a connecting element;

figure 2 shows on larger scale the part that is indicated by F2 in figure 1;

figure 3 shows in schematic manner and in perspective a corner connection of wooden beams for the formation of walls according to the invention;

figure 4 shows a perspective view of an element according to the invention;

figures 5 and 6, respectively show cross-sections according to lines V-V and VI-VI in figure 2;

figure 7 shows a cross-section according to line VII-VII in figure 5.

[0011] As shown in the figures walls 1 are formed by piling up wooden beams 2 on each other whereby these wooden beams 2 shown in the embodiment are provided on top with a longitudinally directed groove 3 with semi-cylindrical bottom 4, whereby in relation to this groove 3, on the one hand and on the other hand, ribs 5-6 are formed each of which successively shows a flat top edge 7, a slanting edge 8, a vertical edge 9 and a slanting edge 10.

[0012] Underneath these wooden beams 2 are formed by a longitudinal central rib 11 which forms the boundary of two grooves 12-13 each of which is formed by a flat edge 14, a slanting edge 15, and a vertical edge 16, all of which such that the rib 11, respectively the grooves 12 and 13, of a wooden beam 2 suitably fit into, respectively over, the groove 3, respectively the ribs 5-6 of a beam 2 lying underneath.

[0013] A simple assembly of the beams is thus achieved through the presence of the slanting edges which as it were automatically slide into each other, while a sufficient overlapping is obtained in order to guarantee a complete watertightness.

[0014] It is noted that the groove 3 is noticeably deeper than the height of the rib 11 such that, as will appear hereafter, a space is formed for the utilised connecting elements according to the invention.

[0015] In order to connect walls 1 to each other in the corners, or in the locations where a wall stands transversely against another wall, according to the invention, use is made of an element 17 that, in the embodiment according to figure 3 is formed by a cylindrical bar 18 which is bent at an angle which is equal to the angle at which the walls are disposed in relation to each other, in the examples shown, 90 degrees, in order thus to form arms 19-20 preferably with equal length.

[0016] The dimensions of this bar 18 are so chosen that is fits exactly into the groove 3 of a beam 2 and into the space which remains between the bottom 4 of such groove 3 and the lower wall of rib 11.

[0017] On the free extremities of the thus formed arms 19-20 protrusions, respectively 21 and 22, are provided which are placed perpendicular on the arms 19 and 20 and of which the purpose is that, when the arms 19 and 20 are installed in the grooves 3 in question, these protrusions 21 and 22 have automatically come to rest in the bores 23-24 which are provided for this purpose in the beams 2, more especially in the grooves 3 in these beams 2.

[0018] The protrusions 21-22 are achieved by bending or by welding.

[0019] As shown in figure 3 the beams 2 are placed against each other at right angles and, in one of these beams a notch 25 is provided which lies in the extension of a groove 3 of an adjoining beam.

[0020] Still according to the embodiment from figure 3 the protrusions 21 and 22 combine with bores in beams 2 located thereunder, all of which such that according to the invention it suffices to place the beams 2 next to each other and subsequently to connect them suitably to each other through the installation of an element 17 after which the beams 2 lying above are installed over the beams 2 placed thereunder so that the latter are also attached in relation to each other and in relation to the beams 2 lying underneath.

[0021] The beams 2 will preferably be placed alternately against each other.

[0022] According to a first embodiment variant use could be made of a connecting element 17 that is formed in similar manner to the element that is shown in figure 3, but whereby the protrusions 21-22 are directed upward and whereby in that case the arms 19 and 20 are placed in the grooves 3 of beams 2 lying thereunder, while the protrusions 21-22 in that case combine with bores which are provided for this purpose in the lower walls of the beams 2 lying above.

[0023] Following on from the above, in the embodiment from figures 4 to 6 an element 17 is utilised that is formed in similar manner as above by arms 19 and 20 which on their free extremities are provided with protrusions 21-22 but which in this case protrude both downward and upward past the arms 19 and 20 and this preferably, but not necessarily, over equal lengths.

[0024] The protrusions 21-22 are in this case welded onto the arms 19 and 20.

[0025] With utilisation of an element 17 according to figure 4 the bores 23 and 24 in the beams 2 will pierce these beams over the entire height, there where in the embodiment according to figure 3 these bores can be limited to a depth which is only slightly greater than the length of the protrusions 21-22.

[0026] In this case too the beams 2 are placed against each other at right angles of which one of the beams, as clearly appears from figure 2, is sawn away up to the groove 3 over the entire height in order to form a notch 26 which offers room for the second beam 2 and therefore the grooves 3 run through into each other.

[0027] Subsequently it suffices to install an element 17 according to figure 4 in two beams 2 thus placed against each other in order subsequently to install two other beams over these beams of which the bores 23-24 are placed over the protrusions 21-22.

[0028] In order further to facilitate the assembly the bores 23 and 24, at the bottom of the beams, are surrounded by a conical area 27, all of which such that when placing the beams 2 lying above, the bores 23-24 are guided in a simple manner toward the protrusions 21 and 22.

[0029] The elements, respectively the method according to the invention, permit walls to be formed in a very simple, fast and effective manner by connecting standardised beams to each other, by the insertion, without intervention of special knowledge or tools, of connecting elements 17.

[0030] It is clear that the present invention is not limited to elements 17 as described above and shown in the drawings, nor to the beams 2 shown hereby utilised.

[0031] It is likewise obvious that the beams 2 can be connected at any angle in relation to each other.

[0032] The invention therefore extends to all possible forms and dimensions of the elements, respectively beams, according to the invention.

Claims

1. Element for connecting walls formed of piled up beams, characterised in that this element consists of four parts, namely two arms (19-20) which are placed at an angle and two protrusions (21-22) which are installed perpendicular to the plane formed by the arms (19-20).

2. Element according to claim 1, characterised in that the arms (19-20) are placed at an angle of 90 degrees.

3. Element according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the arms (19-20) show an equal length.

4. Element according to claim 1, characterised in that the protrusions (21-22) show an equal length.

5. Element according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the protrusions (21-22) are directed downward.

6. Element according to one of the claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the protrusions (21-22) are directed upward.

7. Element according to one of the claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the protrusions (21-22) are directed at the same time downward and upward.

8. Element according to claim 7, characterised in that the length of the downward directed part of a protrusion (21-22) is equal to the length of the upward directed part of a protrusion (21-22).

9. Element according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it is formed out of a cylindrical bar (18).

10. Method for connecting walls formed of piled up beams, characterised in that use is made of elements (17) according to one of the preceding claims.

11. Method for connecting walls formed of piled up beams, characterised in that adjacent beams (2) are provided toward their extremities with bores (23-24) in which the protrusions (21-22) of an element (7) can be installed.

12. Method according to claim 11, characterised in that the arms (19-20) of an element (17) are installed in a groove provided in the upper wall of the beams 2 to be connected.

13. Method according to one of the claims 10 to 12, characterised in that it consists in the placing of beams (2) next to each other at right angles; the installing in a groove (3) in the upper wall of the beams (2) of arms (19) and (20) of a connecting element (17) that is provided with downward directed protrusions (21-22) which during the inserting of the element (17) are automatically brought into bores (23) and (24) of the beams (2), and the placing on these beams (2) of a second row of beams (2) of which the lower edge is profiled in order to combine with the row of beams (2) located thereunder.

14. Method according to one of the claims 10 to 12, characterised in that it consists in the placing of beams (2) next to each other at right angles; the installing in a groove (3) in the upper wall of the beams (2) of arms (19) and (20) of a connecting element (17) that is provided with upward directed protrusions (21-22), and the placing on these beams (2) of a second row of beams (2) of which the lower edge is profiled in order to combine with the row of beams (2) located thereunder; and whereby the aforementioned protrusions (21-22) automatically come to rest in bores (23-24) in this row of beams (2) lying above.

15. Method according to one of the claims 10 to 12, characterised in that it consists in the placing of beams (2) next to each other at right angles; the installing in a groove (3) in the upper wall of the beams (2) of arms (19) and (20) of a connecting element (17) that is provided with both downward directed and upward directed protrusions (21-22), whereby the downward directed parts of these protrusions (21-22) during the insertion of the element (17) are automatically installed in bores (23-24) in the beams (2) in question and the placing on these beams (2) of a second row of beams (2) of which the lower edge is profiled in order to combine with the row of beams (2) located thereunder and whereby the upward directed parts of the aforementioned protrusions (21-22) automatically come to rest in bores (23-24) in this row of beams (2) lying above.

16. Wall construction obtained through the application of one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that in one of the upper edges of the beams (2) part of a rib is removed in order to form a passage (25) for the arms (19-20) of an element (17).

17. Wall construction obtained through the application of one or more of the claims 1 to 15, characterized in that over a length equal to the thickness of such a beam (2) and up to the central groove (3) one of the beams (2) shows a notch (26) in order to form a passage for the arms (19-20) of an element (17).

Drawing