The present invention relates to modular integrated construction. The invention relates to construction from prefabricated modules, such as Modular Integrated Construction (MIC)/Prefabricated Prefinished Volumetric Construction (PPVC) and, more particularly, to interconnection between prefabricated modules used to construct multi-storey buildings.
High-rise buildings are typically built one level at a time by traditional construction methods, which follow a linear construction sequence on site. Substantial casting of concrete occurs on-site which is subject to external factors such as weather conditions, available manpower, and availability of knowledgeable workers. In addition, the internal finishing of each floor, for example electrical and hydraulic systems, can only be performed after construction of the building. These interior finishes are difficult to complete in the on-site environment.
Modular integrated construction (MiC) is an innovative construction technique that uses free-standing volumetric modules fitted with internal finishes, fittings and fixtures. Typically, the prefabricated modules represent a unit of a building, such as a flat, apartment, office, or a portion thereof, optionally formed complete with plumbing fixtures, electrical wiring, built-in cabinets, etc. The prefabricated modules may include up to four vertical walls and a ceiling and floor; alternatively, they may have fewer than four walls and only a ceiling or floor with the third and/or fourth wall and either ceiling or floor being provided by an adjacent module These modules are prefabricated off-site in a factory prior to transportation to a construction site where they are assembled into multi-storey buildings. By using MiC construction techniques, buildings can be assembled in a shorter period of time with better quality control, fewer workers, and a reduction in construction waste. Additionally, MiC results in reduced building costs and a safer work environment.
Concrete MiC has been adopted in an increasing number of residential building projects and is becoming the trend for high-rise private residential buildings because of the similar touch and feel as conventional reinforced concrete building construction and its merits of reduced inspection and maintenance costs after completion of the buildings.
However, the heavy weight of normal concrete MiC and load limit of tower cranes currently in service give rise to limitations to the dimensions of building modules. In addition, the current concrete MiC usually involves a shear wall structural system which is used to provide stiff resistance to vertical and lateral forces acting in its plane and is capable of transferring loads vertically to a building's foundation, which results in the inflexibility of usage space and architectural layout since the structural shear walls cannot be demolished or removed.
Another problem with concrete MiC is the tedious and large wet trade work on site due to the existing connection joint design by lapping rebars and on-site concrete between modules, or by semi-precast slab, semi wall lapping rebars and on-site concrete to pockets.
Several techniques exist to join prefabricated modules together. Typically, mechanical solutions are employed, for example, a pin from one module being inserted into a mating recess or socket or horizontal and vertical plates bolted to the modules and interconnected with each other. These are commonly used for steel-based modules. Newer connection techniques have also been proposed. For example, WO 2017/058117 uses a module-joining technique involving a retainer, fastener, and link plate. WO 2018/101891 depicts interlocking plates for steel-framed PPVC modules. SG 10201703972W describes a technique for making composite structural walls in PPVC construction in which channels formed in a pair of wall channels receive a linking rod. U.S. Pat. No. 9,366,020 uses a steel frame with a central rod and nut and bolt connection for module assembly.
While these techniques may be acceptable for some environments, locations that are subject to extreme conditions such as high winds (typhoons, hurricanes) or earthquakes may require greater strength in the joints between adjacent prefabricated modules. Further, many prior art joining techniques are directed to steel-framed based modules rather than concrete-based modules. Thus, there is a need in the art for high-strength connections in modular construction to accommodate the needs of buildings subject to potentially harsh environments. Further, there is a need in the art for joining systems for concrete-based MiC modules that are simple to implement on-site and result in secure joining of adjacent modules.
In a first aspect, the present invention provides a multi-storey modular building made from plural concrete-based prefabricated modules. The building includes a first lightweight concrete-based prefabricated module having at least four concrete load-bearing elements including at least one beam and at least one column. The module also includes at least one horizontal structure selected from a ceiling or a floor that is at least partially attached to two or more of the load-bearing elements. The column has a grout-accepting cavity at its top end. A second lightweight concrete-based prefabricated module is positioned over the first module and includes at least four concrete load-bearing elements including at least one beam and at least one column. At least one horizontal structure selected from a ceiling or a floor is at least partially attached to two or more of the load-bearing elements. The column has a grout-accepting cavity at its bottom end. A connection system connects the first lightweight concrete-based prefabricated module and the second concrete-based prefabricated module, and includes at least one vertical alignment connector attached to a horizontal load-distributing plate, a top portion of the vertical alignment connector positioned in the grout accepting cavity in the bottom end of the column of the second lightweight concrete-based prefabricated module and in the top end of the column of the first lightweight concrete-based prefabricated module. The horizontal load-distributing plate is positioned between the first and second lightweight concrete-based prefabricated modules. In-situ grout embeds the vertical alignment connector in each grout accepting cavity.
In one embodiment of the first aspect, one horizontal load-distributing plate is attached with two vertical alignment connectors for connecting four lightweight concrete-based prefabricated modules of the multi-storey modular building, where two of the four lightweight concrete-based prefabricated modules are upper lightweight concrete-based prefabricated modules and the other two of the four lightweight concrete-based prefabricated modules are lower lightweight concrete-based prefabricated modules, and where each of the upper and lower lightweight concrete-based prefabricated modules is positioned adjacent to the other of the upper and lower lightweight concrete-based prefabricated modules, respectively.
In another embodiment of the first aspect, one horizontal load-distributing plate is attached with four vertical alignment connectors for connecting eight lightweight concrete-based prefabricated modules of the multi-storey modular building building, where four of the eight lightweight concrete-based prefabricated modules are upper lightweight concrete-based prefabricated modules and the other four of the eight lightweight concrete-based prefabricated modules are lower lightweight concrete-based prefabricated modules, and where each of the upper and lower lightweight concrete-based prefabricated modules is positioned adjacent to each of the other three upper and each of the other three lower lightweight concrete-based prefabricated modules, respectively.
In other embodiment of the first aspect, each of the vertical alignment connectors is a steel bar and the horizontal load-distributing plate is a steel plate, where one or more of the steel bars is/are permanently affixed to the steel plate through welding or through mechanical connectors, and where the mechanical connectors may be composed of a threaded portion on the one or more steel bars and a corresponding threaded aperture in the steel plate for receiving the threaded portion of the steel bars.
In yet another embodiment of the first aspect, each of the upper lightweight concrete-based prefabricated modules comprises at least one grouting channel that leads to an upper portion of the grout accepting cavity for grouting to embed the vertical alignment connector in said grout accepting cavity.
In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method of assembling a multi-storey modular building that is made from concrete-based prefabricated modules. In this method, a first lightweight concrete-based prefabricated module is positioned on a first level, the module having at least four concrete load-bearing elements including at least one beam and at least one column, and at least one horizontal structure selected from a ceiling or a floor that is at least partially attached to two or more of the load-bearing elements. The column has a grout-accepting cavity at its top end. Grout is applied to the grout-accepting cavity. A vertical alignment connector attached to a horizontal load-distributing plate is positioned on the first module such that bottom portion of the vertical alignment connector is inserted into the grout-accepting cavity in the top end of the column with the horizontal load-distributing plate positioned over the top end of the column. A second lightweight concrete-based prefabricated module is positioned over the first lightweight concrete-based prefabricated module, the second lightweight concrete-based prefabricated module having a similar column with a grout-accepting cavity at its bottom end. The second lightweight concrete-based prefabricated module is positioned such that a top end of the vertical alignment connector is inserted into the grout-accepting cavity at the bottom end of the column and the horizontal load-distributing plate is positioned between the first and second lightweight concrete-based prefabricated modules.
Preferred embodiments of the invention are hereafter described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the following drawings in which:
MiC module 10 typically includes four or more load-bearing columns and beams, a light-weight concrete slab for a floor and a roof, and light-weight concrete non-structural external walls and inside partition walls.
As seen in
The adoption of light-weight concrete slab for floor, ceiling and wall panels in the present invention greatly reduces the total weight of the concrete module and increases its resistance to fire. For the same width (2.5 m) and height (3 m) with a module weight limit of less than 25 tons, the length of a concrete module according to the present invention can be increased from 5 m˜6 m to 8 m˜10 m. The great weight reduction of the superstructure of an MiC building also helps to realize tremendous savings in its foundation cost. In addition, the provision of a high-strength concrete frame instead of structural load bearing wall system improves the flexibility of space and architectural layout since non-structural light-weight concrete wall panels in the middle area can be demolished or removed.
Advantageously, the connection system of the present invention does not require mechanical elements such as nuts and bolts to secure the connectors. This is important so that the connection system is flush with the interface between modules. Advantageously, the thickness of the horizontal load-distributing plate used may be selected on the job site to accommodate any gaps between adjacent modules due to fabrication variations.
Following delivery of the completed modules to the building site, the modules are assembled together using the connection system of
In
In
In
In
In
In
In
The completed MiC module-connection system 60 combination is depicted in cross-section in
As will be seen in further aspects of the present invention, below, the connection system of the present invention is flexible such that it can be used for a number of different module configurations and can also be used to connect different number of modules-two, three, or four modules in a single horizontal lower level with similar numbers of modules in the upper level.
The connection system shown in
The connection system 70 shown in
The connection system shown in
The connection system shown in
The connection system shown in
The connection system shown in
The foregoing description of the present invention has been provided for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to the practitioner skilled in the art.
While the present disclosure has been described and illustrated with reference to specific embodiments thereof, these descriptions and illustrations are not limiting. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The illustrations may not necessarily be drawn to scale. There may be distinctions between the artistic renditions in the present disclosure and the actual apparatus due to manufacturing processes and tolerances. There may be other embodiments of the present disclosure which are not specifically illustrated. The specification and the drawings are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation, material, composition of matter, method, or process to the objective, spirit and scope of the present disclosure. All such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the claims appended hereto. While the methods disclosed herein have been described with reference to particular operations performed in a particular order, it will be understood that these operations may be combined, sub-divided, or re-ordered to form an equivalent method without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure. Accordingly, unless specifically indicated herein, the order and grouping of the operations are not limitations.
This application claims priority from a U.S. provisional patent application No. 63/103,180 filed Jul. 22, 2020, and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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