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(11) | EP 0 032 311 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | A modular housing |
| (57) A modular housing is disclosed which is capable of disassembly and comprises walls
and a roof which are made using structural frameworks (2, 6 or 23, 26) attached together
using fastening brackets (3,4,5 5 or 3, 24) on the outside of the housing, the brackets
attaching the frameworks together by means of fastening pins (10) locked by locking
springs (11). In one example, the frameworks comprise assemblies of identical elongate structural members (2) and each of the frameworks contains a panel (6) held removably in a window defined by the structural members of the framework. Each of the panels is held removably in the window by short lengths of material (16) engaging with the panel and the structural members defining the window. In another example, each of the frameworks comprises a frame (23) to which is attached a panel (26), the frames being fastened together by means of such brackets (3, 24) |
[0002] According to this invention, there is provided a modular housing which is capable of disassembly and comprises walls and a roof which are made using structural frameworks attached together using fastening brackets on the outside of the housing.
[0003] Preferably, the brackets attach the frameworks together by means of spring-locked fastening pins.
[0004] The frameworks could comprise assemblies of elongate structural members preferably identical members, attached together by means of the said brackets. Each of the frameworks -could then contain a panel held removably in a window defined by the structural members of the framework. For example, each of the panels could be held removably in the window by short lengths of material engaging with the panel and the structural members defining the window.
[0005] Adjacent walls could be joined to elongate upright members extending along adjacent edges of the walls.
[0006] Horizontal elongate members could extend along the top edges of the walls, these members also carrying the roof. Moreover horizontal elongate members could extend along the bottom edges of the walls.
[0007] In another example, each of the frameworks comprises a frame to which is attached a panel, the frames being attached together by means of the said brackets.
[0008] The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a perspective, schematic view of a housing;
Figure 2 to 6 show details of the housing;
Figure 7 shows how a levelling foot is provided for the housing;
Figure 8 shows how a lifting point is provided for the housing;
Figures 9 to 12 show details of another form of housing; ,
Figure 13 shows how a reverse bend may be provided in the alternative form of housing; and
Figure 14 shows how feet can be provided for the alternative form of housing.
[0009] Referring first to Figure 1, a housing comprises four walls and a roof, one of the walls having an opening which is closed by one of the doors of an entrance chamber 1. The entrance chamber 1 includes a corridor between the doors, the corridor being made using transparent polycarbonate panels and elongate structural members of extruded polyvinyl chloride section, as are the doors. The housing has been assembled alongside the entrance chamber 1 and can be disassembled for storage purposes. The walls and the roof of the housing are made using identical elongate structural members 2, each of which is a 91.44 cm length of extruded polyvinyl chloride section containing a steel liner. In the walls and the roof, the members 2 are held together using metal cross-shaped brackets 3, metal T-shaped brackets' 4 and metal corner brackets 5, the attachment of the members 2 to the brackets being by way of spring-locked fastening pins. Transparent polycarbonate panels 6 are held removably in the windows in the walls and the roof formed by the members 2, there being an air extraction point 7 in one of the panels. Positive location and fixing of the walls to each other and to the roof is ensured by the use of lengths of aluminium angle sections running inside the housing from roof to floor at each corner and from wall to wall at the top and bottom of the housing. Attachment to these sections (which sections are not shown in Figure 1) is by means of spring-locked fastening pins of the kind used for fastening the members 2 to the brackets 3, 4 and 5. It might, however, be sufficient for the roof not to be attached to the sections extending along the top of the housing, instead allowing it to rest thereon under its own weight.
[0010] The housing may be used for enclosing a contaminated article, for example a radioactively contaminated article such as an article used in a nuclear power station. The contaminated article is placed.alongside the entrance chamber 1, and the housing erected around it by fabricating separately from their individual components the walls and the roof; attaching to the entrance chamber the wall with an opening in it for one of the doors of the entrance chamber; fixing in place the other three walls; and lowering the roof on to the walls, fixing it to the upper angle sections if necessary. Then, air is sucked out of the housing via the extraction point 7, for maintaining a lower pressure inside-the housing.to prevent the escape of contaminated material. Thereafter, the housing is cleaned, disassembled and its components stored for future use.
[0011] Details of the housing will now be described with reference to Figures 2 to 6, in which references 8 denote the steel liners in the members 2; references 9 denote rubber panel seals held by the members 2; references 10 denote the fastening pins; references 11 denote the locking springs of the fastening pins; references 12 denote the aluminium angle sections; references 13 denote the washers for the pins 10; and references 14 denote rubber seals bonded to the sections 12 for sealing the junctions between the sections 12 and the members 2.
[0012] Figure 2 shows the construction at a corner bracket 5, in particular at the bracket at the corner A in Figure 1, a panel 6 not being shown in Figure 2. Reference 15 denotes a brush seal attached to the angle section which runs along the bottom of the wall.
[0013] Figure 3 shows the construction at a T-shaped bracket 4, in particular at an upper T-shaped bracket of one of the walls, panels 6 also not being shown in this Figure.
[0014] Figure 4 shows the construction at a cross-shaped bracket 3, panels 6 also not being shown in this Figure.
[0015] Figure 5 shows the construction at an upper corner of the housing, in particular at the circleB in Figure 1. This Figure shows how the panels 6 are held in place, that is by short clips 16 cut from a polyvinyl extruded section and having rubber seals 17,which clips are removable and engage with the members 2. In Figure 5, it will be seen that the roof is connected to the upper sections 12 but, as mentioned above, this might not be essential.
[0016] Figure 6 is a view showing the construction at the inside at one of the cross-shaped brackets 3, from which it will be noted that a sealing plate 18 is fastened to cover the ends of the four members 2.
[0017] An advantage of the .above described housing is that the majority of all fastenings and fixings is on the outside of the housing, the inside of the housing being substantially crevice-free to aid cleanliness.
[0018] For use of the housing on an uneven surface, at least four levelling feet can be provided, attached to lower corner and/or T-shaped brackets. Figure 7 shows how such bracket 19 for a levelling foot 20 is attached to a lower corner bracket of a wall. The metal of the bracket 19 is of the same thickness as the washers of the pins 10, so that the washers of the pins used for. fastening the bracket 19 are omitted. It will be appreciated such a bracket 19 could also be attached to a lower T-shaped bracket.
[0019] For lifting on and off the roof and/or lifting the complete housing and/or lifting one or more of the walls, at least some of the brackets 3, 4 and 5 can be provided with lifting points. Figure 8 shows how an upper corner bracket of a wall is provided with a lifting block 21 carried by lifting point bracket 22. The thickness of the material used for the bracket 22 is the same as the thickness of the washers for the pins 10, so that the washers of the pins 10 used for fastening the bracket 22 are omitted. The block 21 is provided with three tapped bores to enable the attachment of lifting means from any of three directions. It will be appreciated that such a block 21 and a bracket 22 as shown in Figure 8 can be attached also to a T-shaped bracket or a cross-shaped bracket.
[0020] The entrance chamber 1 is constructed using similar techniques to those used for constructing the housing and can also be disassembled into its constituent components, namely the two doors and components making up. _the corridor.
[0021] In the Figures, it,will be seen that the ends of the members 2 (which are cut from longer lengths of the extruded material) have been shaped to fit into the brackets 3, 4 and 5.
[0022] Instead of being polyvinyl chloride sections, the structural members 2 could be metal, for example being extruded aluminium alloy sections.
[0023] Referring now to Figures 9 to 14 there will be described an alternative form of housing to that of Figures 1 to 8. In Figures 9 to 14, items which are the same as items in Figures 2 to 8 are given the same reference numerals as in Figures 2 to 8.
[0024] Figure 9 is a perspective view, as seen from the outside of the housing, of one of a plurality of identical individual structural frameworks which are attached together to make up the housing. Each framework comprises. a square frame made from joined together lengths of 5.08 cm by 2.54 cm extruded aluminium alloy tube, to which frame a 3 mm thick reinforced fibre-glass panel 26 is attached by means of double-sided adhesive tape. The frameworks are joined together by means of external fastening brackets using spring-locked fastening pins, there being 'in each frame 23 four holies near each corner and two holes in the middle of each side for receiving such fastening pins. The frameworks are attached together to provide four walls and a roof.
[0025] Figure 10 shows, from outside the housing, how four such frameworks in the roof or one of the walls which meet are attached together where they meet in the roof or wall. This is by way of a cross-shaped metal fastening bracket 3 and fastening pins 10 and locking springs 11.
[0026] Figure 11 is a view, from the outside of the housing, showing how four frameworks are attached together where they meet at a corner of the housing, which corner would be a corner between two walls or a corner between a wall and the roof. This is by way of a metal (for example aluminium) angle bracket.24 extending along the length of the corner, to which bracket the four frameworks are fastened by means of eight locking pins 10 (through appropriate ones of the holes in the frames 23) and four locking springs 11; and a pair of metal brackets 25 of substantially U-shaped cross-section each of which fastens together two frames 23 by means of two fastening pins 10 (through appropriate ones of holes in the frames 23) and locking springs 11. It will be noticed from Figure 11 that, where two sides of a frame 23 abut along their major faces, the sides are fastened together by a bracket 25 by means of fastening pins 10 extending through the holes in the middles of the sides, the pins 10 again being fastened by locking springs 11. Figure 12 shows how two frameworks are attached together by such a bracket 24 at the end of a corner between two walls or.a wall and the roof. Instead of using one continuous bracket 24 extending along the length of a corner, a series of,several shorter angle brackets 24 abutting one another may be used.
[0027] Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view showing how a reverse bend in a wall or the roof may be provided. This is by using a special framework comprising a frame 27 made, like a-frame 23, in the form of a square frame using lengths of 5.08 cm by 2.54 cm extruded aluminium alloy tube to which is attached a 3 mm thick reinforced fibre-glass panel 28 using double-sided adhesive tape, there being opposite the panel 28 an aluminium alloy plate 29 fixed along one side of the frame 27 by welding. The panel 28 and the plate 29 extend beyond the frame 27 on one side thereof and sandwiched between them is a side of a normal frame 23 which is .fastened between the panel 28 and the plate 29 by means of a fastening pin 10 with a locking spring 11. Remote from the side of the frame 27 shown in Figure 13, the framework comprising the panel 28 and frame 27 can be joined to a normal framework according to Figure 9.in the manner described with reference to Figures 11 and 12. In Figure 13, area 0 is outside the housing and area I is inside the housing.
[0028] Figure 14 is a sectional view showing how feet for the walls of the housing may be provided. This is by means of slotted aluminium bars 30, one for each wall, each bar 30 being fastened to the lower sides of the bottom frameworks of the walls of the housing by means of fastening pins 10 extending through the holes in the lower sides of these frameworks, there being locking springs 11 for these pins, which springs are received in the slot in the bar 30. If desired, to provide an internal flooring for the housing, a sheet of plastics material may be clamped during assembly of the housing, with its edges between the bars 30 and the lower sides of the bottom frames of the walls of the housing.
[0029] After a housing described above with reference to Figures 9 to 14 has been assembled, with an entrance door constructed using similar techniques to those described for constructing the walls and the roof, adhesive tape can be used to seal the regions where frames 23 meet on the inside of the housing. Such a housing may also be used for enclosing a contaminated article such as a radioactively contaminated article, for the purposes of decontaminating the article. Thereafter, the housing can be disassembled into its components parts comprising the brackets 3 and 24, the pins 10 and springs 11, the frameworks, comprising frames 23 and panels 26, and the door.
[0030] A housing according to the present invention may be used in other applications than enclosing a contaminated article such as a radioactively contaminated article -- for example a housing according to the present invention (for example either of the above described examples) could be adapted for use as a portable operating theatre.
1. A modular housing which is capable of disassembly and comprises walls and a roof
which are made using structural frameworks attached together using fastening brackets
on the outside of the housing.
2. A housing according to claim 1, wherein the brackets attach the frameworks together
by means of spring-locked fastening pins.
3. A housing according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the frameworks comprise assemblies
of elongate structural members attached together by means of the said brackets.
4. A housing according to claim 3, wherein the said structural members are identical
with each other.
5. A housing according to claim 3 or 4, wherein each of the frameworks contains a
panel held removably in a window defined by the structural members of the framework.
6. A housing according to claim 5, wherein each of the panels is held removably in
the window by short lengths of material engaging with the panel and the structural
members defining the window.
7. A housing according to any preceding claim, wherein adjacent walls are joined to
elongate upright members extending along adjacent edges of the walls.
8. A housing according to any preceding claim, wherein horizontal elongate members
extend along the top edges of the walls, these members also carrying the roof.
9. A housing according to any preceding claim, wherein horizontal elongate members
extend along the bottom edges.of the walls.
10. A housing according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the frameworks comprises
a frame to which is attached a panel, the frames being attached together by means
of the said brackets.