Metal wall construction for buildings

Abstract

In a metal building wall construction intended especially for house basement walls, the walls consist of edge interlocked metal panels resting on the web of an upwardly-open perimeter channel that delineates the basement floor. A flange on the channel inner side sets the depth of a poured concrete floor and acts as a screed for levelling the concrete. The perimeter channel web is wider than the panels are thick and they are supported at their inner face by spaced tabs struck up out of the perimeter channel web to leave internal drain holes which permit escape of water received in the perimeter channel. Since the thin passage between abutting edge webs unavoidably promotes capillary action whereby water can be drawn into it from the adjacent soil, the passage is provided along its length with an enlargement forming a vertical longitudinal drain passage that will trap the water moving into the passage and cause it to travel downwards to the perimeter channel and through the drain holes. Another longitudinal opening provided between the drain passage and the inner end is sealed by an appropriate material. The panel edge webs are slotted to reduce heat transfer. Other slots are provided at regular intervals and snap-in stiffeners are provided retained by these other slots to support the panels against bulging and to hold the abutting webs in close contact with one another. SUFIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is concerned with improvements in or relating to metal wall constructions for buildings and especially, but not exclusively, to such metal constructions intended for house basement walls.REVIEW OF THE PRIOR ARTThere is a constant endeavour to provide new and better metal wall constructions for buildings in view of the wide usage of this material for this purpose, and the many advantages it possesses when so used. In practice, metal has only previously been used generally for above-ground construction because of the special problems of resistance to soil pressure, sealing against water leakage, and resistance to corrosion, that are encountered.DEFINITION OF THE INVENTIONIn accordance with the present invention there is provided a metal building wall construction comprising:A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY-EXTENDING PANELS, EACH COMPRISING A BODY PORTION HAVING INNER AND OUTER FACES AND INWARDLY-EXTENDING EDGE WEBS AT EACH VERTICAL EDGE OF THE BODY PORTION, THE PANELS BEING DISPOSED SIDE BY SIDE WITH THEIR EDGE WEBS ABUTTING, THE SAID ABUTTING PANEL EDGE WEBS HAVING REGISTERING HOLES THEREIN;AT LEAST ONE OF THE SAID EDGE WEBS HAVING FORMED THEREIN A VERTICAL RIDGE SPACED FROM THE ADJACENT INNER PANEL FACE; ANDAT LEAST ONE CHANNEL-SECTION STIFFENING MEMBER FOR EACH PANEL EXTENDING BETWEEN THE TWO VERTICAL EDGE WEBS OF A PANEL FOR BRACING THE SAID ABUTTING EDGE WEBS INTO CONTACT WITH ONE ANOTHER WITH A FLANGE THEREOF ENGAGING THE INNER FACE OF THE PANEL BODY PORTION FOR STIFFENING THEREOF AGAINST INWARDS BULGING;EACH STIFFENING MEMBER HAVING ONE END SHAPED TO FIT WITHIN TWO REGISTERING EDGE WEB HOLES AND TO WEDGE AGAINST THE IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT EDGE WEB IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF THE RESPECTIVE WEB HOLE, AND HAVING ITS OTHER END SHAPED TO BE ENGAGED BETWEEN THE SAID VERTICAL RIDGE IN THE OTHER EDGE WEB OF THE SAME PANEL AND THE PANEL INNER FACE UPON DISPLACEMENT OF THE SAID OTHER END OF THE STIFFENING MEMBER DOWNWARD WITH ITS SAID ONE END ENGAGED IN THE RESPECTIVE TWO REGISTERING HOLES, SO AS TO BE RETAINED AGAINST THE PANEL INNER FACE BY ITS ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SAID REGISTERING APERTURES AND VERTICAL RIDGE, AND SO AS TO BRACE THE ENGAGED EDGE WEBS OF ITS PANEL AGAINST THE ABUTTING EDGE WEBS OF THE IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT PANELS.Preferably each said stiffening member other end embraces the respective vertical ridge and extends into the neighbourhood of the said registering holes, and the said stiffening member one end engaged in the said registering holes protrudes therethrough and overlaps the adjacent part of the stiffening member other end to prevent its upward displacement.Also in accordance with the present invention there is provided a metal building wall construction comprising:a plurality of vertically-extending panels each comprising a body portion having inner and outer faces and inwardly-extending edge webs at each edge of the body portion, the panels being disposed side by side with their edge webs abutting thereby forming between each two abutting edge webs a capillary passage capable of capillary action to draw moisture therein from the body portion outer faces,one edge web having therein close to the body portion inner face but spaced from said inner face a vertical longitudinal inwardly-extending ridge providing a corresponding longitudinal inwardly-extending recess on the web outer face that provides a vertical longitudinal drain passage disposed between the ends of the respective capillary passage to intercept moisture through the capillary passage and to drain such intercepted moisture to the bottom of the panel,and at least one stiffening member for each panel wedged between the two vertical edge webs to urge each edge web into close engagement with its abutting edge webs and to stiffen the panel against inwards bulging for maintenance of the said capillary passage.

Description

Claims

1. A metal building wall construction comprising:

a plurality of vertically-extending panels, each comprising a body portion having inner and outer faces and inwardly-extending edge webs at each vertical edge of the body portion, the panels being disposed side by side with their edge webs abutting, the said abutting panel edge webs having registering holes therein;

at least one of the said edge webs having formed therein a vertical ridge spaced from the adjacent inner panel face; and

at least one channel-section stiffening member for each panel extending between the two vertical edge webs of a panel for bracing the said abutting edge webs into contact with one another with a flange thereof engaging the inner face of the panel body portion for stiffening thereof against inwards bulging;

each stiffening member having one end shaped to fit within two registering edge web holes and to wedge against the immediately adjacent edge web in the neighbourhood of the respective web hole, and having its other end shaped to be engaged between the said vertical ridge in the other edge web of the same panel and the panel inner face upon displacement of the said other end of the stiffening member downward with its said one end engaged in the respective two registering holes, so as to be retained against the panel inner face by its engagement with the said registering apertures and vertical ridge, and so as to brace the engaged edge webs of its panel against the abutting edge webs of the immediately adjacent panels.

2. A wall construction as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said stiffening member other end embraces the respective vertical ridge and extends into the neighbourhood of the said registering holes, and the said stiffening member one end engaged in the said registering holes protrudes therethrough and overlaps the adjacent part of the stiffening member other end to prevent its upward displacement.

3. A metal building wall construction comprising:

a plurality of vertically-extending panels each comprising a body portion having inner and outer faces and inwardly-extending edge webs at each edge of the body portion, the panels being disposed side by side with their edge webs abutting thereby forming between each two abutting edge webs a capillary passage capable of capillary action to draw moisture therein from the body portion outer faces,

one edge web having therein close to the body portion inner face but spaced from said inner face a vertical longitudinal inwardly-extending ridge providing a corresponding longitudinal inwardly-extending recess on the web outer face that provides a vertical longitudinal drain passage disposed between the ends of the respective capillary passage to intercept moisture passing through the capillary passage and to drain such intercepted moisture to the bottom of the panel,

and at least one stiffening member for each panel wedged between the two vertical edge webs to urge each edge web into close engagement with its abutting edge web and to stiffen the panel against inwards bulging for maintenance of the said capillary passage.

4. A wall construction as claimed in claim 3, wherein the said inwardly-extending ridge and corresponding recess is provided in one vertical edge web of a panel and another outwardly-extending ridge is provided in the other vertical edge web of the same panel, the said another ridge registering with and entering into the said corresponding recess of an abutting panel to form the said vertical drain passage.

5. A wall construction as claimed in claim 4, wherein the said vertical drain passage has a sealing material disposed therein at its junction with the inner part of the capillary passage.

6. A wall construction as claimed in claim 3, wherein the panel edge webs have registering holes therein, and each stiffening member is of channel-section with a flange thereof engaging the panel inner wall for stiffening thereof,

each stiffening member having one end shaped to fit within two registering edge web holes and to wedge against the immediately adjacent edge web in the neighbourhood of the respective web hole, and having its other end shaped to be engaged between the said vertical ridge in the other edge web of the same panel and the panel inner face upon displacement of the said other end of the stiffening member downward with its said one end engaged in the respective two registering holes, so as to be retained against the panel inner face by its engagement with the said registering apertures and vertical ridge.

7. A wall construction as claimed in claim 3 wherein the edge webs of each panel are provided with apertures for the passage of electric cables and the like, and with longitudinal slits providing a longitudinally-extending thermal break, and wherein the edge web provided with the said vertical longitudinal ridge has the apertures and slits disposed between the said vertical ridge and the edge web inner edge.

8. A wall structure as claimed in claim 4 wherein each edge web of the panel is provided with apertures for the passage of electric cables and the like, and with longitudinal slits providing a longitudinally-extending thermal break, the said apertures and slits being disposed between the respective vertical ridge and the edge web inner edge.