Patent Application
20200362561
This invention relates generally to structural shear panels used in construction applications such as shear walls and diaphragms, as well as sheathings and deckings.
This invention relates to USPTO Class 52 static structures, including; subclass 782.1 structure comprising a prefabricated panel, subclass 783.1 structure including sheet-like members, either separate or joined at an edge thereof, subclass 789.1 dimpled or embossed sheet, subclass 791.1 perforate or woven sheets, and subclass 799.1 perforate panels having separate attached, elongated edging.
This invention also relates to USPTO Class 428 stock material or miscellaneous articles, including; subclass 106 products which comprise layers or components of wood, wherein the elongated elements are fibers forming the natural grain of the wood, with the grain of one layer arranged at an angle to the grain of another layer, being the locus for sheets of plywood.
This invention also relates to USPTO Class 428 stock material or miscellaneous articles, including; subclass 304.4 composite having voids in a component, and 314.2 void shape specific, wherein the geometric configuration of the voids, whether regular or irregular, is specified in the claims.
In the field of building design and construction, engineers design buildings with structural frames, comprised of structural components, which are subjected to forces. Among the most significant of such forces are gravity, wind, and seismic forces. Gravity is a vertically acting force while wind and seismic forces are primarily laterally acting forces. These forces are understood by engineers to create design loads on structural components, and structural components are engineered to resist these design loads to achieve static equilibrium. Structural components resist design loads through the stress of said structural components' material and profile shape.
The weights of structural components themselves have an effect on the design loads acting on the structural frames of buildings. The weights of structural components contribute directly to gravity's vertically acting forces' design loads acting on the structural frames of buildings, and the weights of structural components contribute indirectly to the laterally acting forces' design loads acting on the structural frames of buildings. In the field of building design and construction the ratio of the structural component's weight to it's strength for resisting design loads is an important factor in the structural component's efficiency. Lighter structural components that resists the same design loads as heavier structural components are considered more efficient, and efforts are made by engineers to design structural components where the smallest size and weight of said structural components are strong enough to safely resist the required design loads.
In buildings constructed from wood and/or steel, the walls of said buildings are typically constructed from structural components commonly formed from a collection of framing members, comprised of wall studs that are connected to top members called top plates and bottom members called bottom plates, at desired spacing schemes (i.e., 16 inches from center to center) that are interconnected to form structural frames. In wood frame construction the wall studs, top plates, and bottom plates commonly comprise nominal dimensional lumber boards (i.e., 2×4 and/or 2×6 dimensional lumber boards). In metal frame construction, the wall studs, top plates, and bottom plates commonly comprise C-shaped members. In both wood frame construction and metal frame construction the framing members are interconnected by the use of fasteners, for example, by screws, nails, bolts, or other fasteners.
To provide structural frames with resistance to the types of laterally acting forces mentioned above, sections of walls called shear walls are engineered to resist the design loads of said laterally acting forces. Shear walls are comprised of structural shear panels which are commonly attached to sections of structural frames formed by the vertically extending wall studs, and horizontally extending top plates, and bottom plates, such that the structural shear panels extend therebetween. These structural shear panels are planer, and resist laterally acting forces that are applied along their height through in-plane sheer stress. For example, in buildings constructed from wood, shear walls are commonly formed by the application of one or more structural shear panels attached to one side, or to both sides of the shear walls' framing members. In shear walls formed with double rows of framing members, the structural shear panels can also be located intermediately between the double rows of framing members. One or more types of other building components, such as sheathings like plywood boards, fiberboards, particleboards, gypsum boards, cement boards, or other composite boards known to those in the art can be used in combination with structural shear panels to form shear walls. The structural shear panels may be fastened to the shear walls' framing members at many points, thus creating shear walls. Shear walls are used to transfer the laterally acting forces on the structural frames of buildings to the shear walls of subsequent floors below it and ultimately to foundations upon which the shear walls are supported.
The construction of shear walls as part of buildings are made up of structural components, such as framing members and structural shear panels, as well as other building components typically used in interior walls and exterior walls, such as waterproofing and/or vapor barrier membranes, insulations, sheathings, and other finishes known to those in the art, which must all be compatible with each other and be able to be fastened to one another as part of the design of shear walls, and thus coordination of structural shear panels with other building components and methods of fastening thereby are important factors in the performance of shear walls.
Shear diaphragms are structural components of buildings that transfer laterally acting loads on floor frames and/or roof frames to shear walls and/or other shear resisting frames. Shear diaphragms are typically horizontal such as in floor frames or roof frames, but can be sloped such as in sloped roof frames. In shear diaphragms, the laterally acting forces are resisted through in-plane shear stress of structural shear panels.
In buildings constructed from wood and/or steel framing members, the floor frames and/or roof frames are typically fabricated from components commonly formed from a collection of floor joists and/or roof joists that are connected to edge framing members called ledgers and/or beams at desired spacing schemes (i.e., 16 inches from center to center). In wood frame construction the joists, ledgers, and beams usually comprise nominal dimensional lumber boards (i.e., 2×10 and/or 2×12 dimensional lumber boards). In metal frame construction, the joists, ledgers, and beams commonly comprise C-shaped members. In both wood frame construction and metal frame construction the framing members are interconnected by the use of fasteners, for example, by screws, nails, bolts, or other fasteners.
To provide structural frames with resistance to the types of laterally acting forces mentioned above, sections of floor frames and/or roof frames called shear diaphragms are engineered to resist the design loads of said laterally acting forces. Shear diaphragms are comprised of structural shear panels which are commonly attached to sections of structural frames formed by the floor joists and or roof joists and edge members of ledgers and/or beams, such that the structural shear panels extend therebetween. These structural shear panels are planer, and resist in-plane laterally acting forces that are applied along their lengths. For example, in a wood frame construction, shear diaphragms are commonly formed by the application of one or more structural shear panels attached to one side, or to both sides of the floor frames and/or roof frames. One or more types of other building components, such as deckings like plywood boards, fiberboards, particleboards, gypsum boards, cement boards, other composite boards, or other flooring materials, ceiling materials, and roofing materials known to those in the art can be used in combination with structural shear panels to form shear diaphragms. The structural shear panels may be fastened to the floor frames or roof frames at many points, thus creating shear diaphragms. Shear diaphragm are used to transfer the laterally acting forces acting on buildings' structural frames to the shear walls and/or other shear resisting frames of subsequent floors below it and ultimately to the foundations upon which the shear walls are supported.
The construction of shear diaphragms as part of buildings are made up of structural components, such as framing members and structural shear panels, as well as other building components typically used in floors, ceilings, and roofs, such as waterproofing and/or vapor barrier membranes, insulations, sheathings, deckings, and other floor finishes, ceiling finishes, and roof finishes known to those in the art, which must all be compatible with each other and be able to be fastened to one another as part of the design of shear diaphragms, and thus coordination of structural shear panels with other building components and methods of fastening thereby are important factors in the performance of shear diaphragms.
The structural design of buildings, including shear walls and shear diaphragms, are regulated by building codes and standards, testings, and design guides, and thus structural shear panels must be able to be made to comply with said building codes and standards, testings, and design guides. In order to do so structural shear panels must be able to be manufactured, and mass produced to standardized tolerances.
Each of the structural components of the shear walls and shear diaphragms have properties, such as the types and sizes of the framing members, the types and thicknesses of the structural shear panels, the types and diameters of the fasteners, as well as the spacings of the framing members, the spacings of the fasteners, and other similar properties, which an engineer specifies for a given design of shear walls or shear diaphragms, to resist the design loads of a given buildings' structural design.
The industry of structural shear panels has seen developments in composite structural shear panels such as panels which are created by laminating different combinations of material, but there has been little to no developments in the profile shapes of structural shear panels, and little to no development in the design of structural shear panels with profile shapes comprised of voids.
There is a need in the structural shear panel industry for novel ways to reduce structural shear panels' weight, to make structural shear panels more efficient by increasing their strength to weight ratio, and to reduce the amount of raw material used in the structural shear panels, which can be accomplished by the invention and use of structural shear panels with novel profile shapes comprised of voids.
There are also needs in the structural shear panel industry for structural shear panels that provide graspability to facilitate handling, since the standard size of structural shear panels are large (ie. 4′ wide by 8′ tall), and common panels without voids can typically only be grasped at their edges. The needs for structural shear panels that provide graspability to facilitate handling can be accomplished by the invention and use of structural shear panels with novel profile shapes comprised of voids, since the voids allow for points of graspability throughout the panel plane.
Furthermore there is a need in the structural shear panel industry for structural shear panels that provide ventilation, visibility, and the passage of light through the thickness of the structural shear panels, and that facilitate the passage of small conduits through the thickness of the structural shear panels, which can be accomplished by the invention and use of structural shear panels with novel profile shapes comprised of voids.
With the recent developments in Computer Numerical Control (CNC) technology industry, tools like computer controlled routers and other similar tools have allowed the means to mass produce precise and repeatable cutout voids shapes in panels, and thus allowed the means to create structural shear panels with novel profile shapes comprised of voids. The means to mass produce precise and repeatable cutout voids shapes in structural shear panels are needed in order to be able to make structural shear panels with novel profile shapes comprised of voids comply with building codes and standards, testings, and design guides, and so that the properties of structural shear panels with novel profile shapes comprised of voids are specified by engineers for the benefit of buildings' structural design.
Novel structural shear panels used for construction of shear walls and shear diaphragms, as well as sheathings and deckings, and similar constructions, where the structural shear panels have novel shapes formed in a grid pattern, comprised of an ordered series of voids, and material in the form of a grid, called grid pattern structural shear panels, where the ordered series of voids reduce the amount of raw material and weight in said structural shear panels, and the material in the form of a grid is configured so that it resists the design loads required for the structural use of said grid pattern structural shear panels.
In addition, said grid pattern is characterized by said ordered series of voids and material in the form of a grid, where said material in the form of a grid, is configured so that it provides a surface for the connection of said grid pattern structural shear panels to framing members and other building components by the means of fasteners, consistent with industry codes and standards, testings, and design guides for spacings of said fasteners, said framing members, and said other building components.
Furthermore, where said ordered series of voids and said material in the form of a grid, provides points of graspability to facilitate handling throughout the plane of said grid pattern structural shear panel.
And where said ordered series of voids provide ventilation through the thickness, throughout the plane of said grid pattern structural shear panel.
And where said ordered series of voids provide visibility and the passage of light through the thickness, throughout the plane of said grid pattern structural shear panel.
And where said ordered series of voids, facilitate the penetration of small conduits through the thickness, throughout the plane of said grid pattern structural shear panel, without interrupting said material in the form of a grid.
Where the material in the form of a grid has boundary material at the edges of the grid pattern structural shear panels, and where said boundary material has a width.
And where said material in the form of a grid has continuous grid spans throughout the plane of said grid pattern structural shear panels, and said grid spans have grid span widths, grid span angles in relation to the boundary material, and where the number of directions of said grid spans, such as four-way-grids, three-way-grids, or two-way-grids, and the spacing of said grid spans, are properties, which are specified by engineers, and mass produced for the benefit of an application of said grid patterned structural shear panels.
The term “panel” is used in a functional sense indicating a generally planar structural member with a length, a height and a thickness. The preferred embodiment employs a panel formed from plywood, and produced by cutting out the voids shapes with a CNC router or other similar woodworking machinery. This material is readily available, and those of skill in the art are familiar with working with such panels. Plywood panels used for structural applications are graded and classified according to their properties for such use. Other materials or combinations of materials are available that would be suitable for alternative embodiments of the subject matter of the disclosure. Examples are metallic materials, plastic materials, cementitious materials or any other similar materials. Other methods of producing such panels are available that would be suitable for alternative embodiments of the subject matter of the disclosure. Examples are casting, or similar methods of forming such panels from moulds. Those in the art will understand that in any suitable material, now known or hereafter developed, may be used in forming the panels described herein.
Further disclosure related to the invention is provided in the description that follows. The invention is not limited however to any particular preferred embodiments described, and various modifications and alternate embodiments such as would occur to one skilled in the art to which this invention relates, are also contemplated and included within the scope of the invention described herein.
