PANELS KIT FOR BALUSTRADES

Abstract

 A balustrade (10-13, 14-16, 200) is erected by interconnecting a number of panels (10, 70) at side flanges (58, 78). By doing this they together form a continuous hand rail with hand rail portions (57, 77) butted together and there is excellent structural strength by virtue of the deformation of a sheet of metal to form the side flanges and the hand rail portions. There are much fewer parts and assembly on site is easier and quicker.

Description

Introduction

[0001] The present invention relates to balustrades for all areas of industry, for example, balconies, stairs or privacy/wind barriers for public areas such as restaurants.

[0002] At present balustrades typically comprise posts which are secured to the floor/ground and various brackets on the posts, support panels, and a hand rail. There are various materials required for the posts, the panels, and the rail.

[0003] The present invention is directed towards providing a balustrade which is of simpler construction and/or which requires fewer parts, and/or which allows less time for installation on site, and/or which is more readily recycled after its lifecycle, and/or is more easily maintained.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] We describe a balustrade kit comprising at least two panels which are arranged to interconnect linearly, in which each panel comprises:

a planar wall having a front face and a rear face, and being formed from a single sheet of material,

a top hand rail portion formed from an extension of said sheet from the wall in a curved shape, and

a pair of side flanges extending rearwardly and being formed from an extension of said sheet,

wherein said panels are configured to:

inter-connect at their side flanges,

connect to a floor or the ground, and to

form a hand rail by butting the panel hand rail portions together.

[0005] In some preferred examples, said side flanges are symmetrically arranged about a vertical plane through each panel. In some preferred examples, at least one side flange is wedge shaped in end view, with a rearmost edge extending downwardly and outwardly for at least some of its height.

[0006] In some preferred examples, at least one said side flange extends from an apex at the top of the panel to be widest at its lowermost level. In some preferred examples, said side flanges are configured at their lower ends to be secured to a floor or the ground.

[0007] In some preferred examples, the hand rail portion is bent in a circular shape.

[0008] In some preferred examples, the sheet forms a lip which extends downwardly as a continuation of the hand rail portion. Preferably, said lip overlies the or each side flange.

[0009] Preferably, said lip extends rearwardly at the same angle as a rearmost edge of the side flange.

[0010] In some preferred examples, there is a side flange at each side of at least one panel; and the wall, the hand rail portion, the side flanges and the lip form a space which is enclosed except for an opening facing downwardly by a gap between a lower edge of the lip and the wall.

[0011] In some preferred examples, at least one panel has a bottom flange provided by an extension of the sheet rearwardly at a bottom edge of the wall.

[0012] In some preferred examples, the bottom flange is connected to the side flanges. Preferably, the kit further comprises L-shaped brackets for securing the side flanges to the bottom flange.

[0013] In some preferred examples, the wall is perforated. Preferably, the perforations provide openings having a total area of 30% to 50% of the wall area, preferably in the range of 35% to 45%.

[0014] In some examples the kit further comprises a rod which is bent between its ends and having narrowed ends to fit within ends of hand rail portions of juxtaposed panels and a central portion having an external surface matching the external surfaces of the hand grip portions.

[0015] We also describe a balustrade comprising a plurality of panels of a kit of any example when joined together at the side flanges.

[0016] We also describe a balcony comprising a balustrade of any example.

[0017] We also describe a stairs assembly comprising a balustrade of any example.

[0018] We also describe a method of constructing a balustrade comprising the steps of providing a kit of any example and interconnecting the panels at their side flanges and securing the panels to the ground or floor.

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0019] The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a stairs incorporating a balustrade of the invention, Fig. 2 is a side view, and Fig. 3 is a front view,

Figs. 4(a) is a front view of a panel of a balustrade, Fig. 4(b) is an enlarged end view of the top portion of the panel, and Fig. 4(c) is a perspective view from above of the rear side of a side mounted panel,

Fig. 5 is a top and perspective view of an alternative panel, in this case floor mounted,

Figs. 6(a), 6(b), 6(c), and 6(d) are rear, side, plan, and perspective views respectively of a balustrade made from a series of three panels,

Fig. 7(a) is a plan view of another stairs and Fig. 7(b) is an enlarged plan view showing interconnection of panels in a balustrade at a bend between one flight of stairs and another, and

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing a floor mounted balustrade of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Embodiments

[0020] Referring to Figs. 1 to 3 a stairs assembly 1 is of steel construction and is self-standing. It comprises a frame 2, a lower flight 3, a landing 4, a top flight 5, and steps in both flights being indicated by the numeral 7. The general design and the steps are conventional, and the invention can be applied to any stairs assembly, balcony or any situation for which a balustrade is needed.

[0021] The landing 4 has a steel floor of conventional construction and a balustrade comprising four panels 10. Advantageously, the panels 10 are mounted to the floor and are interconnected in a modular manner without need for a separate hand rail or separate panel elements. As described in more detail below each panel 10 is formed from a single sheet of steel, which is bent around to form a hand rail shape, and this butts against the equivalent feature of the next panel in the same line so that together they provide the full handrail. Where panels 10 are at right angles, at each end of the landing, a right-angled rod is inserted into the end of each panel rail to provide continuity to the handrail, or there is no continuity at the corner as required by architectural requirements. In the latter case the gap at the corner is less than 10 cm.

[0022] The panels which include this integrated rail are not necessarily of rectangular shape, and different angled shapes are possible, and in this example, there are panels 11, 12, and 13 on both sides of the first flight 3 and these have irregular shapes to suit the configuration of the flight. The flight 5 has a balustrade of irregular panels 14 and 15 on both sides of the steps, and a smaller rectangular panel 16 on a top landing. Irrespective of the shape of the panel in front view, the panels have features for forming a hand rail and for engaging an adjoining panel and the floor in the same manner.

[0023] Referring to Figs. 4(a), (b), and (c) each panel 10 is formed from a single sheet of metal, having a wall 51 with a perforated region 52, a flange 58 at each side and extending at right angles to the wall 51. The lower end of each side (vertical) flange is configured with bolt holes to engage an L-shaped bracket for fixing to the floor.

[0024] At the top of the panel 10 the sheet of metal has been folded around to form a circularly curved hand rail portion 57 with a circularly curved top surface which may be gripped like a hand rail. The metal continues from the circular bend to form a planar lip or flap 56 which extends at an acute angle to the wall 51 and is aligned with the edge 59 of the flange 58 at each end. Advantageously, each side flange 58 extends from a point just beneath the tube portion 57 and has an edge 59 which extends rearwardly in a tapered manner forming a wedge shape in end view. The lip 56 extends at the same angle as the side flange edge 59 so that they are in contact to form a strong and streamlined structure. These features are best viewed in Fig. 4(c) which shows the rear of the panel which faces outwardly in use, whereas the view of Fig. 4(a) shows the panel from the inside with the lip 56 and the flanges 58 being hidden.

[0025] To fabricate a stairs assembly such as the assembly 1 the panels are designed in terms of their outline shape and the single sheet of metal is formed to provide the side flanges, the hand rail portion, and the lip 56 extending for some distance along the rear edges of the side flanges. The stairs assembly frame, floor, and steps are fabricated in a conventional manner; however, the balustrades are assembled from the factory-made panels 10 in a simple and fast manner. The relevant panels are mounted to the floor and to each other so that there is a continuous handrail provided by a series of hand rail portions 57.

[0026] In the case of the panels shown in Figs. 1 to 5, they are mounted to the floor by brackets engaging the bottom ends of the lateral flanges 58.

[0027] Referring to Fig. 5 a floor mounted panel 70, comprises a planar wall 71 without perforations, lateral flanges 78, a hand rail portion 77, and a flap 76 extending downwardly to match the otherwise exposed edges of the flanges 78. This arrangement is generally similar to the panel 10 (side mounted), however in this case there is also a lower flange 72 extending rearwardly from the lower edge of the wall 71 and engaging at its ends with the lower edges of the lateral flanges 78. The flange 72 provides engagement with the floor and it is also suitable for side mounting at the side flanges 78 where the design necessitates it.

[0028] Figs. 6(a), (b), (c), and (d) show a series of three panels 70 to form a balustrade. The lower part of the vertical flange 78 is welded to the horizontal flange 72 on both sides so that load is transferred correctly from the handrail to the vertical flange and on to the horizontal flange that's held by the brackets 81 which are provided to evenly transfer most of the load from the horizontal flange to the side flanges. The panels 70 are aligned so that the ends of the hand rail portions 77 butt each other to form a continuous hand rail, the fixing holes on the vertical support flanges of both floor and side mounted panels, ensure accurate alignment and sideways force distribution through a series of panels. Folded L shaped brackets are designed to spread the bolt loads more evenly to the most rigid part of the panel (the folds), making the connection point more rigid and reducing possible flexing at handrail level when under load.

[0029] Figs 7(a) and 7(b) show a stairs assembly 100 with a lower flight 101, a top flight 102 mounted on a frame 103. There is a landing 104 between the flights 101 and 103, and a hand rail 112 formed by panels runs continuously from the flight 101, to the landing 104, and to the flight 102. Continuity of the hand rail is provided by a bent rod 120 which is inserted into the ends of hand rail portions 114 and 115, the rod 120 having narrowed ends to fit in the hand rail portions and an enlarged portion to match the outside diameter. The landing 104 has a balustrade of panels 10, and hand rail continuity is provided by right angled rods which fit into the ends of adjoining curved portions 57.

[0030] Fig. 8 shows a simple balustrade, formed by five panels 10. The hand rail portions 57 of the panels at the corners are very close together.

[0031] It will be appreciated that a number of the panels form a kit for easy assembly of a balustrade on site. It is only necessary to accurately secure the panels (preferably with use of a mounting template for easy positioning and fitting) and to interconnect them together so that their walls 71 form a continuous front face and their hand grip portions butt together to form a hand rail. Continuity of the handrail may be provided at corners by use of a rod as described above. However, in general it is preferred to simply terminate the hand rail portions of adjacent panels at corners with a gap of up to 10 cm, depending on architectural design requirements. In this way the number of parts and on-site work is minimised.

[0032] Also, the hand rail portions provide a shape which is easy to grip by virtue of the circular pattern extending forwardly, around to present a top convex surface, rearwardly, and rearwardly with a flange 56/76 as shown most clearly in Fig. 4(b). The balustrade derives a significant portion of its strength and practicality by virtue of the lip 56/76 which extends downwardly as a continuation of the hand rail portion 57/77 so that it overlies the flanges 58/78 and indeed extends rearwardly at the same angle as the rearmost edges 59/79 of the side flanges.

[0033] It is particularly advantageous in some examples that the wall 51/71, the hand rail portion 57/77, the side flanges 58/78, and the lip 56/76 form a space which is enclosed except for an opening facing downwardly by a gap between a lower edge of the lip and the wall. This arrangement is aesthetically pleasing and provides a very practical hand rail and provides bending resistance in all directions.

[0034] In all examples the side flanges of linearly adjoining panels are secured together, preferably by bolting. Where there is a horizontal bottom flange (72) the panel is also bolted to the floor. However, even where there is no bottom flange (panel 10), brackets are used to secure the side flanges to the floor. Where there is a bottom flange (72) it is preferred that the side flanges are secured to the bottom panel, at the bottom corners, thereby providing very high compression resistance arising from pushing of the panel from the front (the side facing into the balcony or other enclosed area). Such joints may be formed by brackets or by the side flanges being up-turned at the bottom to overlie the bottom flange and welded.

[0035] In tests of the strength of a balustrade of the invention horizontal loads were applied at the level of the hand rail portions. The force is incrementally increased until the balustrade deforms.

[0036] The following is a table of results for a panel of the type illustrated in Fig. 5. (floor mounted), of S275 steel, 3 mm plate thickness, of width 1.3 m and height 1.1 m.

Load (kN)	Displacement (mm)	Comments
0	0
0.44	0.0501
0.89	0.302
1.33	0.500
1.78	0.600
2.23	0.69
2.68	1.37
3.13	2.4
3.57	4.5	Concrete begins to deteriorate at this point
4.02	7
4.47	10.5
4.75	15	Failure of the panel at this point

[0037] In general, it is preferred that the sheet of material from which the panel is manufactured has a thickness in the range of 2 mm to 4 mm. A major advantage of the invention is that due to the bending for the hand rail portion, the side flanges, and the bottom flange (if present) there is very high resistance to horizontal loading and so any of a range of materials may be used, including softer metals such as Aluminium.

[0038] It will be appreciated that the invention provides for much simpler manufacture of balustrades: panels each formed from a single sheet of metal, thereby avoiding need for multiple materials to be secured together. The panels are very easily secured at ground level by the bottom ends of the lateral flanges and to each other by these lateral flanges also. The lateral flanges (items 58 and 78 in the drawings) provide for excellent bending resistance and also for very simple inter-connection of the panels by simply bolting adjoining flanges together and securing at ground level by bolting the bottom ends of the lateral flanges with brackets and/or securing a horizontal flange if present.

[0039] Because the panels are of a single material, preferably metal, the balustrade may be easily recycled at the end of its life, or indeed it may be easily renovated by removal of panels and re-spraying form example.

[0040] If the wall is perforated turbulence and wind loading are significantly reduced, and it is preferred that the perforations provide openings between 30% to 50% of the wall area, Such a perforation pattern can be achieved with the single sheet of material using known perforation technology and it provides an optimum degree of wind load reduction and wind mitigation in use.

[0041] Components of embodiments can be employed in other embodiments in a manner as would be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. The invention is not limited to the embodiments described but may be varied in construction and detail within the scope of the claims. In some cases, there may be a spacer plate to keep the bottom edges of the panels off the ground if there is expected to be a significant water accumulation at floor level. The panels may be of any suitable material, preferably metal, for example stainless steel, Aluminium, mild steel, Weathering Steel.

Claims

1. A balustrade kit comprising at least two panels (10, 70) which are arranged to interconnect linearly, in which each panel comprises:

a planar wall (51, 71) having a front face and a rear face, and being formed from a single sheet of material,

a top hand rail portion (57, 77) formed from an extension of said sheet from the wall in a curved shape, and

a pair of side flanges (58, 78) extending rearwardly and being formed from an extension of said sheet,

wherein said panels are configured to:

inter-connect at their side flanges,

connect to a floor or the ground, and to

form a hand rail by butting the panel hand rail portions together.

2. A kit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said side flanges (58, 78) are symmetrically arranged about a vertical plane through each panel.

3. A kit as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein at least one side flange is wedge shaped in end view, with a rearmost edge (59, 79) extending downwardly and outwardly for at least some of its height, and optionally at least one said side flange (58, 78) extends from an apex at the top of the panel to be widest at its lowermost level.

4. A kit as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said side flanges are configured at their lower ends to be secured to a floor or the ground.

5. A kit as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the hand rail portion (57, 77) is bent in a circular shape.

6. A kit as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sheet forms a lip (56, 76) which extends downwardly as a continuation of the hand rail portion, and optionally said lip (56, 76) overlies the or each side flange (58, 78).

7. A kit as claimed in claim 6, wherein said lip (56, 76) overlies the or each side flange (58, 78), and said lip extends rearwardly at the same angle as a rearmost edge (59, 79) of the side flange.

8. A kit as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein there is a side flange (59, 79) at each side of at least one panel; and the wall (51, 71), the hand rail portion (57, 77), the side flanges (58, 78) and the lip (56, 76) form a space which is enclosed except for an opening facing downwardly by a gap between a lower edge of the lip and the wall.

9. A kit as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least one panel has a bottom flange (72) provided by an extension of the sheet rearwardly at a bottom edge of the wall, and optionally the bottom flange is connected to the side flanges.

10. A kit as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the wall is perforated (52).

11. A kit as claimed in claim 10, wherein the perforations provide openings having a total area of 30% to 50% of the wall area, preferably in the range of 35% to 45%.

12. A kit as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a rod (120) which is bent between its ends and having narrowed ends to fit within ends of hand rail portions (114, 115) of juxtaposed panels and a central portion having an external surface matching the external surfaces of the hand grip portions.

13. A balustrade comprising a plurality of panels of a kit of any preceding claim when joined together at the side flanges.

14. A balcony or a stairs comprising a balustrade of claim 13.

15. A method of constructing a balustrade comprising the steps of providing a kit of any of claims 1 to 12 and interconnecting the panels at their side flanges and securing the panels to the ground or floor.

Drawing