Patent Application
20080060284
These and other features and advantages of the various embodiments disclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the following description and drawings in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout and in which:
Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating the present invention and not for purposes of limiting the same, shown in the figures is a groin vault ceiling kit 10 which is constructed of pre-manufactured ceiling segments 12. The ceiling segments 12 may be fabricated using specialized tooling and precise tolerances in a climate-controlled environment such as in a pre-manufacturing facility. The ceiling segments 12 are preferably arch-shaped such that a set of four of the ceiling segments 12 may be constructed at the pre-manufacturing facility and shipped to a job site wherein the ceiling segments 12 may be joined to one another and ultimately interconnected to the building structure such as the wall studs and ceiling joists.
As can be seen in the figures, the groin vault ceiling kit 10 may comprise a set of four arch-shaped ceiling segments 12. Each of the ceiling segments 12 may have a pair of diagonal edges 20 converging from an apex 24 outwardly at a 45 degree angle relative to a back edge 16 of the ceiling segment 12. Each of the ceiling segments 12 may be formed from an arch segment 22 comprised of a plurality of laminated members formed in a circular shape in a manner similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,168 issued to Barry (the “Barry reference”), the entire contents of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
Advantageously, by prefabricating the ceiling segments 12 from pre-manufactured arch segments 22, the shape and, more particularly, the radius of curvature of the ceiling segment 12 may be precisely controlled. Furthermore, the ceiling segment 12 fabricated from pre-manufactured arch segments 22 may provide enhanced structural load bearing capability to the vaulted ceiling due to the ability to tailor the thickness of the ceiling segment 12 by selecting the quantity of laminated members.
As can be seen in the figures, the ceiling segments 12 are configured to intersect in orthogonal relationship to one another (i.e., at right angles) such that diagonal edges 20 of adjacent ones of the ceiling segments 12 are disposed in abutting relationship with one another. In such an arrangement, the four orthogonally arranged ceiling segments 12 are comprised of two pairs of opposing ceiling segments 12. The ceiling segments 12 of each of the pairs are preferably coaxially aligned with one another. The back edge 16 of each of the ceiling segments 12 is preferably oriented perpendicular to an axis of the ceiling segment 12. However, the back edge 16 of each of the ceiling segments 12 may be formed in any shape and at any angle relative to the axis of the ceiling segment 12.
Each of the ceiling segments 12 further has opposing convex and concave surfaces 32, 30. As may be appreciated, the concave surface 30 is exposed to an interior of the building structure when the groin vault ceiling kit 10 is installed. Preferably, the radius of curvature of the concave surface 30 is complimentary to the building structure into which the groin vault ceiling kit 10 is installed. Advantageously, the ability to pre-design the shape of the groin vault ceiling kit 10 using computerized design (e.g., CAD) techniques avoids mismatches between the ceiling segments 12 and the building structure to which the ceiling segment 12 is interconnected.
In order to achieve the desired radius of curvature of the ceiling segments 12, the arch segments 22 are preferably formed of a plurality of the laminated members which are layered over one another. As shown in the figures, the ceiling segment 12 may be comprised of anywhere from 2 to 6 or more laminated members which may each be formed of bonded particulate material. The particulate material itself may be fabricated of cellulose fiber, shredded paper, wooded particles, sawdust and various other materials and combinations thereof as disclosed in the Barry reference.
The particulate material is bonded together via a matrix resin to form the laminate material. Individual ones of the laminated members may consist of individual thin wooden members made of the particulate material which are formed around a curved jig. The laminated members may be bonded together in juxtaposition to one another so as to result in a unitary laminated structure having a pre-determined size, thickness and shape, or curvature.
Under sufficient temperature, pressure and other conditions, the desired arcuate or arch-shaped configuration may be compressed into the laminated members in order to result in an arch segment 22. A mold may be used to form the arch segment 22 into the desired radius of curvature. In this regard, the arch segment 22 may be formed at any radius of curvature and at any length other than that which is shown in the figures. Furthermore, the arch segment 22 may be formed in any suitable manner such as that which is disclosed in the Barry reference or using any other suitable means.
The arch segments 22 may comprise laminated members formed of material that is one quarter-inch thick in order to arrive at a total desired thickness of the arch segment 22. Any number of laminated members of any thickness may be layered together in order to form the arch segment 22 of a desired thickness. Each of the ceiling segments 12 thereby forms a partial arch-section that has sufficient strength and rigidity for interconnection to the building structure.
Optionally, as shown in
The connecting member 34 is preferably mechanically and/or otherwise securable to the concave surface 30. In this regard, it is contemplated that once the tip portion 26 is aligned with the main portion 28 such that the diagonal edges 20 thereof are generally aligned, the connecting member 34 may be bonded to the tip and main portions 26, 28 via an appropriate adhesive in additional to or as an alternative to mechanically fastening the connecting member 34 to the tip and main portions 26, 28.
Each of the tip portions 26 and main portions 28 is preferably fabricated from a plurality of laminated members (i.e., arch segments) similar to that which is described above for the unitarily-fabricated ceiling segment 12. In this regard, the tip portion 26 has an apex 24 at one end and a back edge 16 at an opposite end. The main portion 28 also has opposing front and back edges 18, 16. The back edge 16 of the tip portion 26 is preferably disposed in abutting contact with the front edge 18 of the main portion 28 such that substantially no gap exists between the front and back edges 18, 16.
The combined tip and main portions 26, 28 preferably form the wedge-shape similar to the wedge-shape described above for the unitarily-formed ceiling segment 12. The connecting member 34 may be fabricated of wood or any other suitable material or combination thereof. Mechanical attachment of the connecting member 34 to the tip and main portions 26, 28 may be facilitated through the use of nails, screws and/or any other appropriate or suitable mechanical fastener 36 means.
Also disclosed herein is a method of fabricating a ceiling segment 12 such as may be used in the groin vault ceiling kit 10. The method comprises the steps of providing an arch segment 22 having forward and back edges 16 and which is fabricated from a plurality of laminated members similar to that described above. The method further comprises the step of trimming the arch segment 22 to form a pair of diagonal edges 20 extending outwardly at a 90 degree angle in divergence from an apex 24 of the ceiling segment 12.
The diagonal edges 20 extend outwardly toward the back edge 16 such that the arch segment 22 assumes a general wedge shape. The step of providing the arch segment 22 may itself be comprised of providing a tip portion 26 and a main portion 28 and joining the tip and main portions 26, 28 at the respective ones of the back and forward edges 16, 18 such as via a connecting member 34 as was described above.
Each of the tip and main portions 26, 28 may initially be provided in a semi-circular shape. In this regard, the method of fabricating the groin vault ceiling kit 10 may further comprise the steps of trimming each of the arch segments 22 forming the tip and main portions 26, 28 in order to form the two diagonal edges 20 which diverge at a 90 degree angle from the apex 24 toward a back edge 16 such that the arch segment 22 assumes a wedge shape of the ceiling segment 12.
A set of four ceiling segments 12 may be formed in this manner in order to construct a complete groin vault ceiling kit 10 as may be installed in a building structure. As was earlier mentioned, the ceiling segments 12 which comprise the tip and main portions 26, 28 may be fabricated off-site at a pre-manufacturing facility using specialized tooling in order to produce precisely-dimensioned ceiling segments 12.
The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation. Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devise variations that are within the scope and spirit of the invention disclosed herein, including various ways of interconnecting the tip portion 26 to the main portion 28. Further, the various features of the embodiments disclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with each other and are not intended to be limited to the specific combination described herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited by the illustrated embodiments.
