Stiffened modular scaffold system

Abstract

 Scaffold system (1) consisting of, amongst other things, system posts (21,42), longitudinal and cross girder elements (10,11), floor elements (3,3¹), adjustable brackets (22) for the mason, especially suitable for stoke height H, being floor heights for residential and office buildings, of approximately 3000mm, in which the posts (21) must be strengthened or stiffened near the outer walls, especially due to the creation of scaffold buffers and higher loads due to storage of building bricks and mortar barrels, with a stiffening construction in the shape of ladder-shaped frames (2,31) or only by an extra post tube (25), which are coupled with a standard post (21,42) or replace this (31), through which, together with a special connection of the floor elements (3,3¹) with hook-shaped ends (4,5) the vertical and to a lesser degree horizontal stiffness or strength of the modular scaffold system (1) is enlarged.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a modular scaffold system that is constructed of system posts of tube material with a multiple of connection points mostly approximately every 500 mm and system lengths of, for example, 2, 3 or 4 meters with a protruding pin at the top side of the mentioned system post, which pin falls or fits into the mentioned steel tube, in order to get a so called post buffer at a certain height, in which longitudinal and cross girder elements and, if necessary, shores and such can be connected at different stroke heights or floor heights H, in order to create a stable scaffolding frame, in which on the cross girder elements, mostly floor elements are applied, in which also, at the building site, vertically moveable brackets can be applied for the bricklayer.

[0002] A modular scaffold system according to the state of the art is described in the European Patent Application nr. EP 04077246.9, submitted on 6^th of August 2004, titled: "Specific Modular Scaffold System". Here, it concerns a modular scaffold system, in which system posts of several lengths are provided approximately every 500 mm with connection points or rosettes to connect horizontal tube-shaped joist elements onto it, in which the stroke height H of the scaffold system can be approximately 3000 mm and connects onto the current or future floor height of residential and office buildings, in which it is not necessary to anchor the modular scaffold system at every junction due to measures for normal use by applying horizontal tube-shaped diagonal elements on stroke height H and in which specific brackets can be mounted onto the system posts for the bricklayer and also small attached scaffolds are necessary to meet the legal tilting standards.

[0003] In spite of the improvements described in the patent document, the above described known modular scaffold system has still some shortcomings being, that constructing it, due to the large stroke height of 3000 mm, provides difficulties with regard to the range length of the scaffold builder and especially with random lengths of 3, 4 or 5 meter of the system posts, post buffers are created (= pin shaped vertical connection between two system posts), which nevertheless form a weak spot with regard to the buckling out of the system post, especially if the mentioned post buffer is situated halfway stroke height H, and what's more the inner system posts, due to close to the exterior wall stacking of building bricks, mortar barrels, brackets with floor elements with the bricklayer, etcetera, are yet extra heavily loaded by the vertical loading and bending by brackets, so that the permitted buckling load onto the inner system post becomes the norm and thus become the weak or normative element in the design. In short, the bearing load of the modular scaffold system must be enlarged in vertical direction, especially at stroke heights of 3 meter, which in a way, also applies in horizontal direction on stroke height by a better or stiffened connection of floor elements to the cross girder elements to guarantee the loadability also at anchorages of the scaffold system to the exterior wall at every two stroke heights.

[0004] It is the aim of the present invention to provide such a modified or improved modular scaffold system, in which the aforementioned disadvantages are solved and in which the further developed modular scaffold system offers big advantages during construction and in use and with that can be put onto the market in a economic responsible way.

[0005] For this, the modular scaffold system with built-in stiffening and applicability for several floor elements between the stroke heights according to the invention is further developed and/or modified in such an inventive way, characterized in that the mentioned system posts, mostly the inner system posts, are strengthened by a fixed stiffening construction with stroke height H, in which the mentioned stiffening construction with stroke height H is constructed as a ladder-shaped frame consisting of a post of tube material with at both ends an element for supporting or fastening the cross girder element of the scaffold or, in another way, are directly supported or fastened onto floor elements at one side and a post of a shorter tube at the other side, in which the mentioned posts are connected to each other by means of horizontal and diagonal connection elements with welded joints, in which the thus created ladder-shaped frame with special coupling elements is fixed to the system post of the modular scaffold system.

[0006] The advantages are, that the stiffening construction, constructed as a ladder-shaped frame can be coupled directly every time to the system posts of the modular scaffold system in a simple manner and with that the cross girder elements also get an extra intermediate supporting point and that the mentioned horizontal connection elements of the ladder-shaped frame can be used for supporting batter boards or floor elements in order to create intermediate platforms for storage of building bricks, mortar barrels and such, for supplying and meeting the legal tilting standards for brick layer and bricklayer's labourer. Also, the ladder-shaped frame gives a strengthening in horizontal sense of the modular scaffold system by a certain portal effect. Further, the bricklayer's labourer can easily pass with a wheelbarrow filled with mortar at stroke height and fill the mortar barrels at 1 meter above the stoke height floor.

[0007] Further, the modular scaffold system according to the invention is further developed in such a way, characterized in that, the mentioned stiffening construction consists of a steel tube with two lateral welded connection elements provided with the usual half scaffold couplings for fixing directly onto the post, in which the mentioned steel tube is provided with fork-shaped end plates at the ends, which partly grab around the cross girder elements.

[0008] The advantage is, that a very simple vertical and to a lesser degree horizontal strengthening of the modular scaffold system is created.

[0009] Furthermore, the modular scaffold system according to the invention is further developed in such a way that, at the outer wall side, the mentioned system posts are replaced by a ladder-shaped stiffening frame with stroke height H with a tube post with stroke or system height H and is provided at the ends with fork-shaped end plates for supporting or fastening onto the cross girder element of the scaffold and partly grab around it at one side and a post with length H minus approximately 100 mm at the other side, in which the failing length of 100 mm is bridged by a tube post part of approximately 100 mm and in which this tube post part is provided with an intermediate connection point for connecting the matching coupling elements for longitudinal or cross girder elements.

[0010] The advantage is material saving because the ladder-shaped frame is integrated in the modular scaffold system and that nevertheless the usual brackets for the exterior wall can be applied at the desired height for the brick layer.

[0011] Furthermore, the modular scaffold system according to the invention is further developed in such a way that, the cross-section of the cross girder elements is tube shaped in such a way that at both sides of the top side of the cross-section a raised edge is created with a centrally recessed part in between and in which the top side of the raised edges lies on a circle with a radius equal to the circumference radius (r) of a scaffold post, in which, if chosen, floor elements with continuous hook-shaped ends can be hooked onto a raised edge of the cross girder element and also floor elements with interrupted hook-shaped ends, which hook completely over the cross-section of the cross girder elements, in which the interrupted hook-shaped ends of two hooked-in floor elements at two opposite ends of the cross girder elements grab finger-shapedly into each other, in which the floor elements can be locked with a spring pin construction.

[0012] The advantage is that the floor element with differently constructed hook-up possibilities for floor elements can be directly coupled to the cross girder elements with connection elements with differently constructed cross-sections of it.

[0013] The preferred construction of the invention will be described by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawing.

[0014] In which:

Fig. 1

shows a view in oblique projection of the modular scaffold system with built-in stiffening construction in the embodiment of a ladder-shaped frame and floor element over a number of floors according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2A-2C

ditto as figure 1, but now the use of the modular scaffold system with stiffening frames by the bricklayer, in which he can be served optimally at the required height;

Fig. 3A-3B

show two according to the invention used cross-sections of the cross girder elements with connection of the system post of the stiffening frame with the fork-shaped and out of the fork-shaped transformed connection or head plates;

Fig. 4A-4C

cross-sections of cross girder elements as in figures 3A and 3B, but now the connection possibilities of the floor elements on the two types of cross-sections of the cross girders are shown;

Fig. 5

shows a side view in oblique projection of the stiffening frame according to the first preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 6

shows a view in oblique projection of the stiffening construction in the form of a steel tube, which with welded-on half scaffold couplings is coupled to the inner system post according to a second embodiment of the invention: and

Fig. 7

shows a view in oblique projection of the stiffening construction in the form of a integrated ladder-shaped frame with stroke height H according to a third embodiment of the invention.

[0015] Figure 1 shows a view in oblique projection of the modular scaffold system 1 with built-in stiffening frames 2 and floor elements 3, 3¹ with the different hook-shaped elements 4, 5 (see figures 4A up to 4C) on the head ends. The stroke height H roughly corresponds to the used floor height of the floors 6 of approximately 3000 mm. The width B of the ladder-shaped stiffening frames 2 is approximately 500 mm and that gives, at a usual scaffold width of approximately 1400 mm, a passage possibility for the bricklayer's labourer to pass with the wheeler barrel filled with mortar (space approximately 1400-500 = 900 mm). On the modular system posts 21 and 42, connection points 8 are situated every 500 mm. The indicated measurements in figure 1 are further only indicative. The connection points on the posts are applied at a mutual distance of 500 mm heart to heart, on which connection points horizontal joists with coupling elements can be connected. The thus created joints are different in embodiment, such as, for example, the shape of a rosette, saucer, cup and the ends of the joists are provided with matching coupling elements, which are specific for the concerned connection points of the posts.

[0016] Figures 2A up to 2C show the use of the modular scaffold system with ladder-shaped stiffening frames 2 by the brick layer and bricklayer's labourer for realizing the exterior walls 7, 7¹. The adjustable usual brackets 22 can be moved in vertical sense with a solid stroke of 500 mm (= rosette or connection distance) and the building bricks, mortar barrel 9 and such can, each time, be placed on the desired legal tilting height by the bricklayer's labourer (not indicated). The ladder-shaped stiffening frame 2 thus replaces the small attachment scaffold for the mortar barrel 9 and the building bricks (not indicated) described in the previous patent document.

[0017] Figures 3A and 3B show two desired cross-sections of the cross girder elements 10 and 11. The cross-section in figure 3A is a cold deformation of the cross-section of the scaffold tube of figure 3B, in which the moment of inertia or quadratic area moment of the cross-section around the line X-X stays the same. The post tube 12 of the stiffening frame 2 is provided with a welded-on fork-shaped head plate 13 at the bottom side and with a welded-on bulged fork-shaped head plate 14 at the top side. Further details of the cross-section of the cross girder elements 10, 11 with connecting hook-shaped ends 4, 5 and spring pin construction 15, 15¹ of the floor elements 3, 3¹ is described in claims 8 and 9.

[0018] Figures 4A up to 4C show the hook-shaped elements 4, 5 connected onto the two cross-sections of the cross girder elements 10 and 11 at the head sides of the floor elements 3, 3¹. Further, the floor elements 3, 3¹ are locked against tilting upwards with the spring pin 15, 15¹.

[0019] Figure 5 shows a side view in oblique projection of the ladder-shaped stiffening frame 2 according to the invention. The cross-section of the rungs 16 is U-shaped or has the round shape of the cross-section of the cross girder element of the scaffold tube 10 and 11. The vertical post 17 can be formed from a U-shaped or tube-shaped profile. These vertical posts 17 are supplied with three common jaw constructions 18 with cotter locking at the outside in order to be coupled to the modular system post 19, to which every 500 mm rosettes have been applied. The width B is close to approximately 500 mm. Furthermore, stiffening shores 20 are applied for further retaining its form of the stiffening frame 2.

[0020] Figure 6 shows a view in oblique projection of a vertical stiffening construction in the shape of a steel tube 25 supplied with two half scaffold couplings 26 according a second suitable embodiment of the invention. The mentioned steel tube 25, mostly a scaffold tube with an outer diameter of approximately 48 mm and a wall thickness of approximately 3 mm, is provided with fork-shaped head plates 27 and 28 at the ends, which partly grab around the cross girder element 10, 11. The mentioned two half scaffold couplings 26 are connected with the steel tube 25 by means of intermediate welded connection elements 29. Onto the steel tube 25, an intermediate bracket 30 with floor parts 3, 3 can be applied at approximately 1000 mm above a floor height for placing building brackets and/or a mortar barrel 9 onto it.

[0021] Figure 7 shows a view in oblique projection of a stiffening construction in the shape of a ladder-shaped frame 31 with stroke height H of approximately 3000 m and working width B of approximately 500 mm according to a third embodiment of the invention. The ladder-shaped frame 31 consists of a tube post 32 with stroke height H and at the ends provided with fork-shaped head plates 33 and 34 for supporting onto the cross girder elements 10 and 11 at one side and a post 35 with a length of H minus approximately 100 mm at the other side, in which the failing length of approximately 100 mm (2x 50 mm) is bridged by a tube part 36 with a working length part 37 of approximately 100 mm and on both sides two protruding pins 38 and 39 for forming the post 35 of a post buffer. The post 35 is also provided with welded-on eyes 40 for hooking onto it in vertical sense mentioned moveable brackets 22 (not indicated in this figure). Onto the rosette or connection disc 41 the usual longitudinal and cross girder elements can then be connected.

[0022] Finally it has to be emphasized, that the above description constitutes preferred embodiments of the invention and that further variations and modifications are still possible without departing the scope of this patent description.

Claims

1. Modular scaffold system that is constructed of system posts of tube material with a multiple of connection points mostly approximately every 500 mm and system lengths of, for example, 2, 3 or 4 meters with a protruding pin at the top side of the mentioned system post, which pin falls or fits into the mentioned steel tube, in order to get a so called post buffer at a certain height, in which longitudinal and cross girder elements and, if necessary, shores and such can be connected at different stroke heights or floor heights H, in order to create a stable scaffolding frame, in which on the cross girder elements, mostly floor elements are applied, in which also, at the building site, vertically moveable brackets (22) can be applied for the bricklayer, characterized in that, the mentioned system posts, mostly the inner system posts (21), are strengthened by a fixed stiffening construction with stroke height H.

2. Modular scaffold system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, the mentioned stiffening construction with stroke height H is constructed as a ladder-shaped frame (2) consisting of a post (12) of tube material with at both ends an element for supporting or fastening the cross girder element (10, 11) of the scaffold or, in another way, are directly supported or fastened onto floor elements at one side and a post (17) of a shorter tube at the other side, in which the mentioned posts are connected to each other by means of horizontal and diagonal connection elements (16, 20) and (12, 17) with welded joints, in which the thus created ladder-shaped frame (2) with special coupling elements (18) is fixed to the system post (21) of the modular scaffold system (1).

3. Modular scaffold system as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that, the elements for supporting or fastening onto the cross girder element consist of fork-shaped end plates (13, 14), which partly grab around the cross girder element (10,11).

4. Modular scaffold system as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that, the mentioned special coupling elements (18) are connectable onto the connection points (8) of the system post (21), in which the heart to heart distance of the mentioned coupling elements (18) is a multiple of 500 mm.

5. Modular scaffold system as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that, the mentioned special coupling elements (18) consist of one or more connection elements, welded onto the mentioned short tube provided with, for example, jaw constructions with cotter.

6. Modular scaffold system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, the mentioned stiffening construction consists of a steel tube (25) with two lateral welded connection elements (29) provided with the usual half scaffold couplings (26) for fixing directly onto the post (21), in which the mentioned steel tube is provided with fork-shaped end plates (27, 28) at the ends, which partly grab around the cross girder elements.

7. Modular scaffold system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, at the outer wall side, the mentioned system posts (21) are replaced by a ladder-shaped stiffening frame (31) with stroke height H with a tube post (32) with stroke or system height H and is provided at the ends with fork-shaped end plates (33, 34) for supporting or fastening onto the cross girder element (10, 11) of the scaffold and partly grab around it at one side and a post (35) with length H minus approximately 100 mm at the other side, in which the failing length of 100 mm is bridged by a tube post part (36) of approximately 100 mm and in which this tube post part (36) is provided with an intermediate connection point for connecting the matching coupling elements for longitudinal or cross girder elements.

8. Modular scaffold system as claimed in claims 1-7, in which floor elements with differently constructed hook-shaped elements can be attached or coupled directly onto the cross girder elements and horizontal coupling elements of the mentioned stiffening construction, constructed as a ladder-shaped frame, characterized in that, the cross-section of the cross girder elements (10) is tube shaped in such a way that at both sides of the top side of the cross-section a raised edge (31) is created with a centrally recessed part (32) in between and in which the top side of the raised edges (31) lies on a circle with a radius equal to the circumference radius (r) of a scaffold post (11), in which, if chosen, floor elements (3) with continuous hook-shaped ends (4) can be hooked onto a raised edge (31) of the cross girder element (10) and also floor elements (3¹) with interrupted hook-shaped ends (5), which hook completely over the cross-section of the cross girder elements (10, 11), in which the interrupted hook-shaped ends (5) of two hooked-in floor elements (3¹) at two opposite ends of the cross girder elements (10, 11) grab finger-shapedly into each other, in which the floor elements (3, 3¹) can be locked with a spring pin construction (15, 15¹).

9. Modular scaffold system as claimed in claims 1-5 and 8, characterized in that, the mentioned ladder-shaped frame (2) provided with horizontal connection elements (16) can have a cross-section of the cross girder elements (10, 11), so that the floor elements (3, 3¹) with different hook-shaped ends (4, 5) can be connected hereto.

10. Modular scaffold system as claimed in claims 1 and 7, characterized in that, of the mentioned ladder-shaped stiffening frames (31), the post (35) with a length H of approximately 100 mm is provided with eyes welded onto it at the outer wall side for hooking the mentioned moveable brackets (22) in vertical sense onto that.

Drawing