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(11) | EP 0 542 416 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Building structure |
| (57) In a building structure comprising two parallel rows of uprights (1), at least some
of the uprights in each row are connected by rigid cross-members (2,3). The uprights
(1) and cross-members (2,3) are provided with means for connection at a range of angles
in both the horizontal and vertical planes. The building structure is advantageous primarily in that it can be readily erected, even on a site which is on, or which includes, an inclined surface, using standard components and without the need for surveying. |
[0001] This invention relates to building structures, in particular to building structures comprising a framework of pre-fabricated uprights and cross-members.
[0002] Hitherto, where it has been desired to erect a building structure comprising a framework of pre-fabricated uprights and cross-members, great difficulties have been encountered unless the building site is perfectly level. It has been necessary to carry out a detailed survey of the site prior to erection of the building and to fabricate many of the components to suit the contours of the site. This has added greatly to the time taken to complete the building structure, and to the expense thereof.
[0003] British Patent Applitation No 2212183A discloses a conservatory system in which the rafters may be connected to the supporting wall at a range of angles. However, this system does not provide any flexibility in the connection of components in the horizontal plane and thus does not solve the problems associated with the erection of pre-fabricated structures on sites which have not been surveyed in detail.
[0004] There has now been devised a building structure comprising a framework of pre-fabricated uprights and cross-members which overcomes or substantially mitigates the above-mentioned disadvantages.
[0005] According to the invention, there is provided a building structure comprising two parallel rows of uprights, the uprights in each row being connected by rigid cross-members, wherein at least some of the uprights and cross-members are provided with means for connection at a range of angles in both the horizontal and vertical planes.
[0006] The building structure according to the invention is advantageous primarily in that it can be readily erected, even on a site which is on, or which includes, an inclined surface, using standard components and without the need for surveying. Furthermore, the uprights may be disposed vertically, irrespective of the degree of slope of the site.
[0007] The connection between the uprights and the cross-members permitting the appropriate orientation in the vertical plane is preferably a hinged or pivoting connection (though, of course, after the building has been erected the structure will generally be completely rigid).
[0008] The range of angles over which the cross-members may be oriented relative to the uprights in the vertical plane may be 90° or more, though in practice 40° is sufficient for most purposes, since a building structure would be unlikely to be erected on an incline of greater than 20°.
[0009] The fact that the cross-members may be connected to the uprights at a range of angles in the horizontal plane enables adjacent sections of the building structure to be connected at a range of angles in the horizontal plane, eg to introduce bends into elongate structures.
[0010] To enable the cross-members to be oriented at the desired angle in the horizontal plane, at least some of the uprights preferably comprise an upright support member and an orientation member, the support member and the orientation member having complementary abutment surfaces such that the orientation member may be secured to the support member at the desired angle.
[0011] Most preferably, the upright support member has a circular cross-section and the orientation member a complementary partircular abutment surface.
[0012] The range of angles over which adjacent sections may be oriented in the horizontal plane may approach 360°, though in practice a range of 90°-270° is generally sufficient since this allows adjacent sections to be disposed at angles close to right angles.
[0013] A form of building structure which may particularly conveniently be manufactured in accordance with the present invention is an enclosed structure comprising parallel walls supporting a roof. One example of such an enclosed structure is a walkway. Other possibilities include shelters of various sorts, eg car ports and shelters at bus stops.
[0014] The enclosed structure conveniently comprises panels, eg glazing panels, mounted between adjacent uprights.
[0015] The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of illustration only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a short length of walkway according to the invention,
Figure 2 is a plan view of the walkway of Figure 1 showing the relative positions of the uprights,
Figure 3 is horizontal section of the upright designated A in Figure 2,
Figure 4 is a horizontal section of the upright designated C in Figure 2,
Figure 5 is a vertical section along the line V-V in Figure 4,
Figure 6 is a sectional view along the line VI-VI in Figure 5,
Figure 7 is a detailed view of the junction between the upright designated B in Figure 2 and an upper cross-member and hoop member,
Figure 8 is a sectional view along the line VIII-VIII in Figure 7, and
Figure 9 is a sectional view along the line IX-IX in Figure 7.
[0016] Referring first to Figure 1, a walkway generally comprises two parallel walls which support a roof structure. The walls are formed from a plurality of uprights 1 connected by upper and lower cross-members 2,3 which are located respectively at the top and near the base of the uprights 1. The uprights 1 are arranged in two parallel rows and support glazing panels 4 between them. The roof structure comprises hoop members 5, connecting the tops of opposing uprights 1, with bowed glazing panels 6 supported between them.
[0017] The glazing panels 4, 6 may be of glass or other suitable materials, eg polycarbonate or polymethylmethacrylate. Alternatively, some of the glazing panels 4, 6 may be replaced by opaque panels, eg of plastics or aluminium, or may (at least in the case of the wall panels 4) be omitted altogether.
[0018] The uprights 1 are lengths of aluminium extrusion of two differing profiles. The majority of the uprights 1 have the form shown in more detail in Figure 3. Referring to this Figure, the upright A comprises a first form of vertical member 31, in the form of an aluminium extrusion, generally of H-section.
[0019] Since the upright A is at the end of the walkway, one side is closed (for cosmetic purposes) by a closure member 32, also an aluminium extrusion, having a snap-fit between two limbs of the H-section.
[0020] The other side of the H-section vertical member 31 receives the edge of a glazing panel 4 which is held in place by two lengths of vertical glazing bead 33, 34. The glazing beads 33, 34 are again aluminium extrusions which have a snapfit with the vertical member 31. Prior to assembly, elastomeric sealing strips 35, 36 are fitted into longitudinal grooves in the glazing beads 33, 34.
[0021] For the upright designated B in Figure 2, the construction is similar, with the exception that glazing panels and glazing beads are fitted to both sides of the H-section vertical member.
[0022] At a point at which it is necessary for a bend to be introduced into the walkway structure, an upright assembly such as that designated C in Figure 2 is used. This assembly is shown in more detail in Figure 4 and comprises a tubular upright 41 of circular cross-section to which are abutted two of a second form of vertical member 42. The second vertical member 42 is an aluminium extrusion, one side of which is identical in form and dimensions to one side of the H-section member 31 and the other side of which is formed to fit closely to the tubular upright 41. The second vertical members 42 are secured to the tubular upright 41 by resilient clips (not shown) applied to the top and bottom of the upright at W, X, Y and Z.
[0023] The two second vertical members 42 are arranged at the desired angle, which may be between 90° (at which surfaces 43, 44 abut) and 270° (at which surfaces 45, 46 abut).
[0024] The glazing panels 4 are secured by means of vertical glazing beads in the same manner as shown in Figure 3 (for clarity, only one glazing panel 4 and no vertical glazing beads are shown in Figure 4).
[0025] Where the walkway, or a section of the walkway, is assembled on an inclined surface as shown in Figure 1, it is necessary for the upper and lower cross-members 2,3 to be connected to the uprights 1 at an angle which is other than 90°. This is achieved by means of a hinged connection shown in Figures 4 to 6.
[0026] Referring to these Figures, a bracket 51 is secured to a second vertical member 42 (or to an H-section vertical member 31) by means of four bolts 52 passing through holes in the bracket 51 and engaging hexagonal nuts 53, the heads of the bolts 52 having a close fit within longitudinal grooves 54 formed in the vertical member 42.
[0027] The bracket 51 has a transverse tubular portion 55 which receives a rod 56. The rod 56 is greater in length than the width of the bracket 51 and hence protrudes from the ends of the tubular portion 55. The ends of the rod 56 locate in holes provided in the end of a lower cross member 3, the holes being masked by the sides of the second vertical member 42.
[0028] The lower cross-member 3 is once again an aluminium extrusion, having the profile shown in Figure 5. A glazing panel is secured to the lower cross-member 3 by a horizontal glazing bead 57. The horizontal bead 57 is another aluminium extrusion having a snap-fit with the lower cross-member 3, elastomeric seals 58,59 again being fitted to the horizontal bead 57 and the opposing face of the lower cross-member 3 prior to assembly.
[0029] The connection between an upright 1 (in particular, the upright designated B in Figure 2) and the corresponding upper cross-member 3 and hoop member 5 is shown in Figures 7 to 9. It will be understood that for clarity certain components (eg glazing panels, vertical glazing beads) are omitted from some or all of these Figures.
[0030] Referring first to Figure 8, the upper cross-member 3 is an aluminium extrusion which, when viewed from below, has a channel which receives the upper end of a vertical member 31.
[0031] A bracket 72 (similar in form to the bracket 51) is affixed to the unde!side of the upper cross-member 3 by screws 73 passing through holes in the cross-member 3 and threadedly locating in longitudinal channels 91 in the hoop member 5 (see Figure 9).
[0032] The bracket 72 has a laterally-extending tubular portion 74 which receives a rod 75. The rod 75 is greater in length than the width of the bracket 72 and hence protrudes from the ends of the tubular portion 74. The ends of the rod 75 locate in holes provided in the end of the upper cross member 3, the holes being masked by the sides of the channel in the upper cross-member 3 in which the end of the vertical member 31 is received.
[0033] Bowed glazing panels 6 are seated in a trough 81 provided in the cross-member 3 and are held in place by a bowed glazing bead 82 and a horizontal retaining extrusion 84. The bowed glazing bead 82 is secured to the hoop member 5 by means of a coupling member 83 of resilient plastics material, sealing strips (shown in black) previously having been fitted.
1. A building structure comprising two parallel rows of uprights (1), at least some of
the uprights (1) in each row being connected by rigid cross-members (2,3), wherein
the uprights (1) and cross-members (2,3) are provided with means for connection at
a range of angles in both the horizontal and vertical planes.
2. A building structure as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the connection between the uprights
(1) and the cross-members (2,3) permitting the appropriate orientation in the vertical
plane is a hinged or pivoting connection.
3. A building structure as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the range of angles
over which the cross-members (2,3) may be oriented relative to the uprights (1) in
the vertical plane is 90° or more.
4. A building structure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least
some of the uprights comprise an upright support member (41) and an orientation member
(42), the support member (41) and the orientation member (42) having complementary
abutment surfaces such that the orientation member (42) may be secured to the support
member (41) at the desired angle.
5. A building structure as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the upright support member (41)
has a circular cross-section and the orientation member (42) a complementary part-circular
abutment surface.
6. A building structure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the range
of angles over which adjacent sections may be oriented in the horizontal plane is
90°-270°.
7. A building structure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, which is an enclosed
structure comprising parallel walls supporting a roof (6).
8. A building structure as claimed in Claim 7, which comprises panels (4) mounted between
adjacent uprights (1).