This invention pertains to building frame structure, and more particularly to unique column, beam, cross-bracing and interconnect structures employable in such structure. A preferred embodiment of the invention, and a manner of practicing it, as well as several illustrated modifications, are shown and described herein.
Proposed, among other things, according to the invention is a new, elongate column structure which is formed from an assembly of plural, elongate, angle-iron-like components that are united by bolting them together through interposed spacers which help to define the final configuration of the column. In a preferred column embodiment of the invention, four such angle-iron-like components are employed, with each of these taking the form, generally, of an elongate, right-angle, angle-iron section of otherwise conventional construction, and with cross-like spacers (one or more) interposed and holding these components apart. These four elongate components are arranged in such a fashion that their legs, also referred to herein as spaced, parallel planar plate components, essentially radiate in a star-like manner from the long axis of the assembled column. Each leg in each angle-iron-like component confrontingly faces one other leg in one adjacent such component.
These spaced, confronting, parallel planar legs, or plate components, play an important role as anchor points in the practice and use of the present invention. For example, and as will be seen from a review of the drawings herein, these plate components enable the specially prepared ends of beams (extending central web portions of beams) to be inserted for attachment to columns in a manner which permits straight downward beam lowering (under the influence of gravity) without requiring a forced lateral separation or splaying of otherwise prepositioned, properly laterally spaced, substantially vertical columns to accommodate this activity. Hooks formed in the undersides of such extending beam-end web portions catch pre-installed cross-bolts, or cross-pins, which span a pair of spaced, confronting plate components, and such catching results in automatic establishment of a proper relative spatial relationship between the thus preliminarily interconnected building-frame elements.
The angle-iron-like components and the spacer, or spacers, are nut-and-bolt connected to create a frictional interface between these elements. Depending upon the tightness employed in such connections, the level of frictional engagement can be adjusted. The assembled combination of angle-iron-like components and spacers forms a generally cross-shaped (transverse cross section) column assembly. Each column assembly is also referred to herein as a column structure, and as a column.
Given this type of column assembly, it will be apparent that there are spaces or recesses provided in the regions between confronting legs (plate components) in an assembled column. In a building frame structure, and still referring to a preferred form of the invention, these recesses are employed, as was just generally outlined above, to receive modified and inserted end regions (or extensions) of the central webs in elongate I-beams. These same recesses also receive the ends of cross-braces which, in a preferred embodiment, each take the form of flat metal bar stock. The end-modified I-beams result from removal of short portions of their upper and lower flanges to create central-web extensions. Bolt holes, or openings, that are provided appropriately in the flanges in the angle-iron-like components in a column, and as well as in the end central-web extensions in a beam, are employed with nut-and-bolt cross-assemblies to complete an anchored connection between a column and a beam. In such a column/beam assembly, the column and beam directly engage one another through a frictional interface wherein the level of frictional engagement is nut-and-bolt adjustable.
With respect to such a column/beam interconnection, and providing now a further elaboration, the lower-most opening provided in an I-beam's web-end projection takes the form of an open-bottomed hook which, during quick, preliminary assembly of a frame structure, extends into the open, or recessed, region between flanges in a column. Under the influence of gravity, the downwardly exposed and facing hook catches and seats onto a preliminarily entered nut-and-bolt assembly, wherein the bolt's shank extends across and spans the space between a pair of flanges to act as a catch on which this hook can seat and become gravity-set. Such seating quickly introduces preliminary stabilization in a frame being assembled, and (as already mentioned) also acts to index the proper relative positions of columns and beams.
With this construction, and as can be seen in the drawings, an I-beam, importantly, can be lowered straight down under the influence of gravity into a proper seated position in a building frame. When so lowered, and as will also be seen seating of a beam in place produces precision and correct spatial alignment of the beam and of the frame components (plate components, columns and other beams) to which it is attached. This is an important feature of the present invention.
Following seating of a beam in a condition where, as will be seen from description provided later herein, a downwardly facing hook-like slot in the end of a beam web freely receives the shank of a cross-bolt (of a nut-and-bolt assembly) which has been attached to, and which spans, the two spaced plate components in a pair of these components, another cross nut-and-bolt assembly is installed to anchor the beam end in place.
As will further be seen, the invention features both column/beam (outlined above) and beam/beam interconnections. In a beam/beam interconnection, the side of the central web in a beam is equipped with an attached pair of spaced, upright, parallel-planar plate components which extend laterally outwardly from the associated central web intermediate the opposite ends of the beam. The prepared end of the central web in a beam is seated between such laterally extending plate components to establish an orthogonal relationship between two, thus-interconnected beams. Vertical, or straight-down, lowering of a beam with its prepared ends to interconnect, say, two spaced, parallel, horizontal beams which are already connected to columns can be accomplished without there being any requirement for forced lateral separating of the two spaced, parallel beams in order to accommodate such a “cross-attachment” of another beam.
Modifications to the preferred form of the invention are recognized, and are possible in certain applications. For example, columns might be formed with three rather than four elongate components. With respect to a column having just three such components, the included angles between legs in these elements, progressing circularly about the column's long axis, might be 120°-120°-120°, 135°-135°-90°, or 180°-90°-90°. Illustrations of these arrangements, which are not exhaustive, are illustrated herein.
Another modification area involves the configuration and structure of a cross-brace. Such a configuration could, for example, take the form of a right-angle angle iron, of a tubular element, or of a welded assembly of a flat plate and an angle iron. Illustrations of theses configurations while not exhaustive, are also provided herein.
While different lengths of component-assembled columns can be made in accordance with the invention, such lengths being principally a matter of designer choice, two different column lengths are specifically shown and discussed herein. The principal one of these lengths characterizes a column having a length which is basically the height-dimension of two typical stories in a multi-story building. The other length characterizes a column having a length of approximately of one such story height. The individual columns are stacked end-for-end to create elongate upright column stacks that define an overall building-frame height.
According to one interesting feature of the invention, where two stacked columns abut end-to-end, this abutment exists essentially at the location of one of the floor heights intended in the final building. At this location, and according to a special feature of the present invention, a direct structural splice is created between such end-contacting, stacked columns, such a splice being established through the nut-and-bolt connected end extension of the central web in a beam. Thus, structural connections between beams and columns act, according to the invention, as connective splices or joints between adjacent, stacked columns. The amount of tightness introduced into the splice-related nut-and-bolt assemblies controls the level of frictional engagement present there between beam and column.
Another interesting feature of the invention involves a unique way for introducing vertical-plane cross-bracing in various upright rectangles of space that are spanned by a pair of vertically spaced beams, and by a pair of horizontally spaced columns. While different specific components can be used to act as cross-bracing structure, one form that is particularly useful, and which is illustrated herein, is that of conventional steel flat bar stock which crosses, and thus braces, such a space. Opposite ends of such bar stock are bolted in place in the recesses between confronting flanges of the angle-iron-like components in the columns.
As will become apparent from the description in detail which follows below, taken along with the accompanying drawings, forces which are exerted and transmitted between columns and beams in a building structure formed in accordance with the present invention lie in upright planes which pass through the central longitudinal axes of the columns and beams. Accordingly, load management is, as is most desired, directed essentially centrally between adjacent connected components. Forces transmitted through cross-bracing elements also essentially lie in these same planes.
The nut-and-bolt, frictional-interface connections proposed by the invention for the regions of interconnection between elongate column components and spacers, and between beams and columns, allow for limited relative sliding motions between these elements under certain load-handling circumstances. Such motions enhance the load-management capabilities of a building frame structure, and furnish a certain helpful amount of energy dissipation in the form of non-damaging heat.
The detailed description of the invention now given below will clearly bring out these special offerings and advantages of the several facets of the present invention.
One further arrangement proposed by the present invention involves a cross-beam connection between mid-regions of laterally next-adjacent horizontal beams. Through-bore brackets bolted to and through the central webs of adjacent beams, and having some of the same features of the flange end regions in columns where splices can be made, allow for installation of elongate cross-beams which extend from beam-to-beam in locations that are intermediate a pair of columns.
Turning attention now to the drawings, and referring first of all to
Three columns in stack 22 are shown at 30, 32, 34. As will shortly be more fully explained, the upper end 32a of column 32 is joined to the lower end of column 30, and the lower end 32b of column 32 is joined to the upper end of column 34. Columns 30 (shown only fragmentarily) and 32 are two-story columns (see length L), and column 34 is a single-story column herein (see length 1). One more column is specifically labeled at 35 in
Extending between and joined to the columns in the several column stacks pictured in
Presented in
As can be seen, column 32 has a generally cross-shaped transverse cross-sectional configuration, formed in such a fashion that the legs in the angle-iron-like components essentially radiate laterally outwardly (star-like) from axis 32c. Each leg in each angle-iron-like component is spaced from, confrontive with, and generally parallel to one leg in a next-adjacent angle-iron-like component.
As seen in
Provided at the locations of previously mentioned black dots 42, 44 in
Spacer 42 is placed generally longitudinally centrally between beams 36, 38, and between the confronting legs of column components 46, 48, 50, 52. It is bolted there in place through appropriate nut-and-bolt assemblies, such as the assembly shown at 58 in
In each column, the angle-iron-like components, the spacer, or spacers which hold these apart, and the nut-and-bolt assemblies (and related through-bores) which bind all together, are toleranced in such a manner, that there is present in the region associated with each spacer a friction interface. This interface can allow for a certain small amount of relative longitudinal motion (along the long axes of the columns) between these elements. The amount of tightness introduced into the nut-and-bolt assemblies dictates the level of frictional engagement, which is thus selectable and adjustable. The significance of this feature of the invention will be more fully discussed shortly.
An assembled column, like column 32, thus takes the form of an assembly of four, right-angle, angle-iron-like components disposed as described and illustrated relative to one another, and held together through nut-and-bolt assemblies which clamp the angle-iron-like components onto the spacers, such as spacers 42, 44. A consequence of this construction is that there are openings or recesses laterally outwardly facing along the length of column 32, defined, in part, by the spacings which exist between the confronting legs in the angle-iron-like components.
These recesses are employed herein to receive, as will below be described, the inserted extending end portions of the central webs in beams, such as beams 36, 38, 40.
Digressing for just a moment to
Turning attention to now to
Provided in extension 36d are three vertically spaced through-bores 36e, and a downwardly facing through-bore-like hook 36f. How this modified form of an otherwise conventional I-beam functions in the setting of the present invention will be described shortly.
Suitable spacer structures, like that shown at 78, act between components 72, 74, 76 in column 70 in much the same manner that a spacer, like spacer 42, acts between column components, such as components 46, 48, 50, 52 previously discussed. Joinder between spacer structures and angle-iron-like components is also similar to that previously described with respect to column 32.
In
Shifting attention now to
Also pictured in
The end of beam 36 which includes central-web extension 36d is advanced toward the recess between angle-iron-like components 46, 48, and, according to one manner of placement, or seating, is introduced by gravity into proper position as illustrated by curved arrow 92. This involves insertion of extension 36d between components 46, 48, and hooking, employing gravity, hook 36f onto the shank of the bolt in nut-and-bolt assembly 90.
According to another manner of placement, beam 36 can be lowered under the influence of gravity straight down into place as indicated by arrow 91. It will be understood that the “arrow-91” manner of beam seating, with both ends of beam 36 prepared with the configuration illustrated in
Beam 36 is then oriented so that its long axis is substantially orthogonal with respect to the long axis of column 32, and column 30 is lowered toward and into its solid outline position in
This results in a completed assembly between columns 30, 32 and beam 36 in a condition where web extension 36d in beam 36 creates a splice between the adjacent ends of columns 30, 32. This condition is clearly shown in
Completing now a description of things shown in the various drawing figures,
In
As can be seen in
In
A four through-bore pattern, including bores such as the two shown at 118, is provided in legs 114a, 116a. A nut-and-bolt assembly 120 is fitted into the lower-most opposing through-bores, with the shank of the bolt spanning the space between legs 114a, 116a.
The fragmentally visible but yet unattached, end of beam 112 is prepared with a matchingly through-bore central web extension 112a, wherein the lower-most through-bore is actually a hook 112b which is like previously mentioned hook 36f. Full attachment of beams 110,112 is accomplished in somewhat the same manner described above for column-beam attachment (see vertical arrow 122 in
The special features of the present invention are thus fully illustrated and described. The column and beam components of the present invention, which can readily be created using standard structural cross sections, allow for extremely easy, intuitive and unfailingly accurate on-site assembly and construction. Vertical gravity assembly of components causes these components to become properly spatially disposed. Proper spatial disposition is also described herein as resulting in a correct, relative, spatial, three-dimensional disposition of the mentioned pairs of spaced plate components. Nut-and-bolt interconnectors, which are essentially all that are required fully to assemble a building frame from these components, establish all necessary connections and joints without welding. The bolt shanks which engage the hooks formed in beam-end webs each create what can be thought of as an initial gravity-locked interconnect between a beam end and the other connected frame element. When a second, overhead bolt in a nut-and-bolt assembly is introduced, a moment connection in the plane of a beam web is established. Regions of joinder between columns and beams are promoted where end portions of beams create load-managing splices between vertically stacked, adjacent columns. Similar connections exist from beam-to-beam. Plural-element assembled columns, in various different producible configurations, present distinctly smaller gravitational footprints than do comparable gravitational load-capacity tubular columns. Interconnected columns, beams and cross-braces deliver and handle loads essentially in common upright planes containing their respective longitudinal axes. Relative motion, energy dissipating, frictional interconnections exist (a) within columns, (b) between columns, beams and cross-braces, and (c) from beam-to-beam to offer appropriate and forgiving responses to severe loads delivered to a building.
In terms of methodology offered by the present invention, that methodology can be expressed as a method of installing an elongate beam between a pair of nominally in-place, previously installed building-frame elements which, before such beam installing, are spaced apart by a substantially correct lateral distance, and where the beam includes a generally planar, upright central web, with this method including (A) establishing for each of such two spaced elements a joined anchor point in the form of (a) a pair of spaced, substantially parallel-planar plate components which are spaced apart in a manner creating an upright, generally planar, straight-down vertically accessible, open-topped beam-web receiving zone having a lateral width which is suitable for freely receiving the thickness of such a beam's central web, and (b) a spanning device extending between such plate components at a location which is below the open top of the receiving zone, (B) preparing each of the opposite ends of such a beam's central web (a) to be vertically clear so as to permit downward insertion of the web end into a receiving zone of the character mentioned and through the open top of that zone, and (b) to possess a downwardly facing hook designed to catch and seat downwardly by gravity against a spanning device of the type mentioned, (C) vertically lowering a prepared-web-end beam to cause its prepared web ends to be inserted into the receiving zones associated with the established anchoring points associated with the two spaced building-frame elements, with the hooks in the prepared web ends catching and becoming seated on the spanning devices associated with such anchor points, and without requiring any appreciable increasing of the pre-lowering lateral spacing between the building-frame elements, and (D) by such vertically lowering, (a) causing the lowered beam to become attached and interconnected by gravity to the spaced building-frame elements, and (b) creating a condition of gravity-stabilized, correctly spatially organized interlock of the lowered beam and the interconnected, spaced building-frame elements.
This application is a continuation U.S. patent application, Ser. No. 10/102,404, filed Mar. 18, 2002, for Building Frame Structure, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,802,169 B2, granted Oct. 12, 2004, and a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/961,886, filed Oct. 9, 2004, for Building Frame Structure. The entire contents of that prior application are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10961886 | Oct 2004 | US |
Child | 11655516 | Jan 2007 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10102404 | Mar 2002 | US |
Child | 10961886 | Oct 2004 | US |