Patent Grant
12098537
The present invention relates to modular buildings and, particularly, to modular building sections and techniques for constructing clearspan buildings of the type immovably erected on a construction site.
Modular construction utilizes individual, discrete building sections that are manufactured offsite, such as in a factory, and delivered to a construction site for final construction of the building. For example, individual wall sections may be manufactured at a factory and driven, via tractor trailers, to a construction site to be assembled to form a complete building. Alternatively, individual sections of a house, such as a living room or kitchen, may be assembled offsite and delivered to a construction site for assembly into a complete house.
Due to size and structural constraints, clearspan buildings, such as gymnasiums or auditoriums, which generally require high ceilings and large open spaces are difficult to construct modularly. Specifically, transporting large sections of such a building, such as a portion of the wall and roof, to a construction site is difficult. As a result, clearspan buildings are often manufactured using traditional on-site construction methods, or by only partially taking advantage of modular building techniques, with some of the potential benefits of such techniques being lost because of the roof and the walls being manufactured and shipped separately.
Moreover, when items intended to be newly housed by a clearspan building are already on the future building site, their removal from the construction site is often necessary during building construction. Such items may include inventory, vehicles, equipment, etc., which may be stored or in use on the planned building's floor space. This floor space may, for example, be defined by a concrete pad prepared in anticipation of the building itself being later added onto the pad. Furthermore, a convenient space may be unavailable for temporarily relocating those items during building construction. Regardless, temporary removal of such items during the construction period can be time-consuming, cost-prohibitive, and interrupt business operations. Therefore, it would be desirable to construct a modular clearspan building without necessitating removal from the construction site of items the building is intended to house.
It would also be desirable to incorporate as many of the completed building's structural and operational features as is practicable, into the modular clearspan building sections as manufactured and shipped. Doing so can avoid scheduling delays and costs associated with incorporating such features subsequent to arrival or installation of the building sections at the construction site, and allows the building to be more easily and immediately completed.
In addition to facilitating modular construction of buildings or rooms having high ceilings and defining large open spaces, a modular clearspan building according to the present disclosure beneficially provides modular building sections and techniques that address the above-mentioned issues.
The invention includes, in one form thereof, a modular building section configured to have an installed state at a construction site in which the building section defines the roof and opposing walls of an immovable modular clearspan building erected on the construction site. The building section includes a roof portion extending in a longitudinal direction between opposite first and second ends, and a pair of first and second legs. Each of the first and second legs has an upper end and a lower end. The first leg is pivotally attached about a first pivot axis to the roof portion proximate the roof portion first end, and the second leg is pivotally attached about a second pivot axis to the roof portion proximate the roof portion second end. The first and second pivot axes are parallel to each other and spaced in the longitudinal direction. Each of the first and second legs has a stowed position in which the leg extends generally in the longitudinal direction and is in vertical superposition with the roof portion, and an expanded position in which the leg depends from the roof portion and extends generally perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction. The first and second legs are moveable independently of each other from their respective stowed positions to their respective expanded positions under the influence of gravity during lifting of the roof portion with neither the lower end of the first leg nor the lower end of the second leg retained to the construction site, and the building section is capable of unrestrained movement relative to the construction site with the first and second legs in their expanded positions.
In some embodiments of the modular building section, the roof portion is substantially rigid between its opposite first and second ends, and in their stowed positions the first leg and the second leg are both disposed beneath the roof portion.
In some embodiments of the modular building section, the first leg and the second leg in their stowed positions are substantially co-planar.
In some embodiments of the modular building section, each leg has a free end at which the respective leg lower end terminates, and the distance between the first or second pivot axis of the roof portion and the free end of the first or second leg, respectively, is no greater than one half the distance between the first and second pivot axes of the roof portion.
In some embodiments of the modular building section, the roof portion is articulable between its opposite first and second ends and includes a pair of roof sections pivotally connected to each other about a roof axis. The building section is adapted for selectively assuming, with the first and second legs in their stowed positions, a roof portion extended condition in which the first and second legs are disposed beneath the roof portion, and a folded configuration in which the pivotally connected roof sections are vertically superposed. The distance the roof portion extends in the longitudinal direction in the folded configuration is approximately one-half the distance that the roof portion extends in the longitudinal direction in the building section installed state, and the length of the building section in the folded configuration is comparatively reduced. Consequently, transportation or storage of the modular building section can be better accommodated.
In some embodiments of the modular building section, the roof portion is supported proximate the roof axis during lifting of the roof portion, and in the building section installed state the pivotally connected roof sections define a roof portion apex along the roof axis.
In some embodiments of the modular building section, the modular building section has an expanded state in which the first and second legs are in their expanded positions, and further includes a pair of expanding flanges. Each of the pair of expanding flanges is disposed proximate to either the roof portion first end or the roof portion second end, and the roof portion and the respective first or second leg are engageable through one of the pair of expanding flanges. Each expanding flange is biased into an open position in which movement of the respective first or second leg from its expanded position towards its stowed position is prevented through abutting engagement of the expanding flange, and each expanding flange is moveable from its open position through sliding engagement of the expanding flange into a depressed position in which movement of the respective first or second leg into its expanded position is permitted. Consequently, building section is retained in the expanded state.
In some embodiments of the modular building section, each expanding flange is pivotally connected to the roof portion, and is adapted to have abutting engagement and sliding engagement with the respective first or second leg.
In some embodiments of the modular building section, each expanding flange has a free edge abuttingly engageable with the respective first or second leg in the leg expanded position.
In some embodiments of the modular building section, each first or second leg is pivotally attached to the roof portion at a location between the leg upper and lower ends, and the expanding flange abuttingly engages a portion of the respective first or second leg between the leg upper end and the pivot axis.
In some embodiments of the modular building section, with the modular building section in an expanded state, each of the first leg and the second leg has a fully expanded position into which the first or second leg is secured relative to the roof portion.
Another embodiment takes the form of a modular clearspan building including at least one aforementioned modular building section in an installed state.
In some embodiments of the modular clearspan building, the at least one modular building section has lateral edges, and the modular clearspan building includes a plurality of laterally adjacent modular building sections in an installed state, the plurality of modular building sections interconnected along juxtaposed lateral edges thereof.
Another embodiment takes the form of an aforementioned modular building section wherein, prior to the building section being in an installed state, the first and second legs includes substantially finished wall portions of a modular clearspan building.
In some embodiments of the modular building section, the building section is manufactured and configured for transportation to a construction site with the roof portion and the first and second legs defining substantially finished roof and wall portions, respectively, of a completed modular clearspan building.
In some embodiments of the modular building section, the roof portion and/or wall portions of the building section as delivered to a construction site include structural and/or operational features of a completed modular clearspan building.
In some embodiments of the modular building section, the structural and/or operational features are defined by componentry of the building section as delivered to a construction site and are selected from the group consisting of: interior siding, exterior siding, insulation, finished doors, windows, window trim, receptacles for part of an electrical system, wiring for part of an electrical system, fixtures for part of an electrical system, pipes for part of a plumbing system, fittings for part of a plumbing system, sprinkler system components, ducts for part of an HVAC system, registers for part of an HVAC system, and lighting system components.
In some embodiments of the modular building section, the modular building section includes a pair of ground-engaging wheels at least temporarily attached to and supporting the lower ends of the first and second legs during lifting of the roof portion, whereby dragging contact of the lower ends of the first and second legs on the ground during lifting of the roof portion is prevented.
The invention also includes, in another form thereof, a method for constructing a modular clearspan building including the steps of: lifting a roof portion of a modular building section; allowing a pair of legs attached to the roof portion to pivotally move relative to the roof portion about parallel pivot axes independently of each other under the influence of gravity during the step of lifting, from substantially stowed positions beneath and substantially parallel with the roof portion to expanded positions in which the legs depend from the roof portion; slidably engaging an expanding flange pivotally connected to the roof portion with an upper portion of each respective leg during pivotal movement of the leg to move the expanding flange against a biasing force from an open position to a depressed position with the leg upper end; moving each leg upper end past a free end of the respective expanding flange in its depressed position and into an expanded position and allowing the biased expanding flange to return to an open position; and automatically locking each leg in its respective expanded position by facilitating abutting engagement between the respective expanding flange free end in its open position and the leg upper end.
The invention also includes, in yet another form thereof, a method for constructing a modular clearspan building, including the steps of: providing at a construction site a plurality of modular building sections, each building section having a roof portion and pivotally attached legs defining substantially finished roof and wall portions, respectively, of a completed modular clearspan building, each building section including componentry defining structural and/or operational features of the completed clearspan building; lifting the roof portion of a first modular building section of the plurality of modular building sections; allowing a pair of legs attached to the roof portion of the first modular building section to pivotally move relative to the roof portion about parallel pivot axes independently of each other under the influence of gravity during the step of lifting, from substantially stowed positions beneath and substantially parallel with the roof portion to expanded positions in which the legs depend from the roof portion and define opposing walls of the completed clearspan building; installing the first building section by securing it into its intended position on the construction site; lifting the roof portion of a second modular building section of the plurality of modular building sections; allowing a pair of legs attached to the roof portion of the second modular building section to pivotally move relative to the roof portion about parallel pivot axes independently of each other under the influence of gravity during the step of lifting, from substantially stowed positions beneath and substantially parallel with the roof portion to expanded positions in which the legs depend from the roof portion and define opposing walls of the completed clearspan building; installing the second building section by securing it into its intended position on the construction site adjacent the first building section; and securing the first and second building sections together.
In some embodiments of the method for constructing a modular clearspan building, the method also includes the step of interconnecting at least some componentry of the first and second building sections that define structural and/or operational features of the completed clearspan building.
The various objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Although the drawings represent embodiments of the disclosed apparatus or system, the drawings are not necessarily to scale or to the same scale and certain features may be exaggerated or omitted in order to better illustrate and explain the present disclosure. Moreover, in any accompanying drawings that show sectional views, cross-hatching of various sectional elements may have been omitted for clarity. It is to be understood that this omission of cross-hatching is for the purpose of clarity in illustration only.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.
The invention is adaptable to various modifications and alternative forms, and the specific embodiments thereof shown by way of example in the drawings are herein described in detail. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may appreciate and understand the principles and practices of the present disclosure. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description are not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
In the exemplary embodiments described herein, a plurality of individual modular building sections is to be provided and connected together at a construction site to form a modular clearspan building. Some modular building section embodiments according to the present disclosure are manufactured and shipped with their roof portions providing a finished roof. The roofs of some such embodiments include roofing material, such as a continuous sheet of rubberized material, which extends over and is adhered to planar roof deck portions. Each roof deck portion may include a base layer of corrugated sheet metal affixed to the supporting rafters. Atop the corrugated sheet metal base layer is a first layer of wooden fiberboard sheet, atop which is a layer of 4-inch-thick structural foam board. The roof decks of building section embodiments for use in modular clearspan buildings to be constructed in high wind regions preferably include a second layer of wooden fiberboard sheets secured atop the foam board. These layers are surrounded by a 2×6-inch wooden frame across which the above-mentioned roofing material extends between the eaves at opposite ends of the roof portion. Modular building sections manufactured and shipped with finished roofs will define narrow gaps therebetween after being installed. Each gap is sealably covered with a continuous strip of roofing material that overlaps and is adhered to the roofs of adjacent building sections near their lateral edges, with the strip preferably extending the entire length of the gap.
Each building section according to the various embodiments herein described includes a roof portion including rafters which support a roof that, in some embodiments, is a roof substantially as described above. Each building section embodiment herein described also includes a pair of opposing, foldable legs pivotably connected to the roof portion near each longitudinal end of the building section. Each leg generally extends laterally the width of its building section and is pivotably connected to rafters that define part of the roof portion structure. The rafters support the roof of the building section, and are pivotably coupled to the legs at pivot points located near the eaves.
Referring to
By rotating legs 12 of building section 10 inwardly about the parallel pivot axes 19, legs 12 are folded into their stowed positions wherein their interior sides interface the interior side of roof portion 13. In their stowed positions, legs 12 lie beneath and are substantially parallel with roof portion 13. The exterior side of roof portion 13 defines roof 16 of building section 10. Roof 16 has roof ridge 28 that extends in directions along roof axis 29, which is generally parallel with pivot axes 19 and is generally centered therebetween, as best shown in
As known to a person of ordinary skill in the relevant art, in the field of plane geometry a “complete angle” measures 360°, a “straight angle” measures 180°, and a “reflex angle” measures between 180° and 360°; relative to two intersecting lines that lie in the two-dimensional plane, an “included angle” about the point of intersection extends between the lines and about the point of intersection; and, about the point of intersection, the sum of the included angle and the reflex angle is a complete angle. Hence, an included angle extends between 0° and 180°. Included angles θ of the exemplary embodiments described herein are within the range of 0° to 180°.
As also known to a person of ordinary skill in the relevant art, the two-dimensional plane geometry scenario is readily adapted to the three-dimensional solid geometry scenario in which the two above-mentioned intersecting lines respectively lie in two planes which extend perpendicularly relative to the above-mentioned two-dimensional plane, and the above-mentioned point of intersection is disposed along an axis normal to the two-dimensional plane, and about which axis included angle θ is measured. In building section 10, included angle θ of roof portion 13 is measured about roof axis 29, along which roof ridge 28 extends, as best shown in
Each leg 12 has a lower end at which is located leg free end 40. The distance between free end 40 of each leg 12 and its pivot axis 19 is no greater than one half the distance between the two pivot axes 19 of roof portion 13, so that both legs 12 of a building section 10 substantially lie in a plane when they are folded into their stowed positions. Legs 12 are secured to rafters 14 with removable brackets 42 that retain the legs in their stowed positions for storage and shipping of building section 10. With legs 12 in their stowed positions, each individual building section 10 has a substantially flat, thin profile that allows for a plurality of individual building sections 10 to be vertically superposed when loaded onto a trailer for transport via known tractor-trailer rigs.
During construction, legs 12 of building section 10 are unsecured from their stowed positions by removing brackets 42, and are unfolded downwardly, away from the interior side of roof portion 13, by allowing legs 12 to rotate about their pivot axes 19 as roof portion 13 is raised, as by forklifts 20 or a crane (not shown) through attached cables, as shown in
According to one exemplary construction method, building section 10 with its legs 12 secured in their stowed positions is maneuvered into a position generally over the eventual footprint of its installed position, and rested on the floor space. In this position, legs 12 are unsecured from their stowed positions and roof portion 13 then raised, causing legs 12 to swing downwardly under the influence of gravity. Referring to
In certain embodiments, wheels 44 (shown in
Once the building section reaches the building section expanded state and its legs 12 are substantially vertical, the legs 12 may be secured to a building pad or other supporting structure. Legs 12 may thereafter be secured into their expanded positions, in which they are fixed relative to roof portion 13. Alternatively, legs 12 may first be fixed into their expanded positions, and leg free ends 40 thereafter placed and secured into their installed positions.
According to another construction method, building section 10, assuming its expanded state under the influence of gravity alone or with its legs 12 fixed into their fully expanded positions, is lifted by a crane and positioned generally above its eventual footprint on the construction site's building floor space, on which items to be housed by the building are located. By this construction method, removal of the items from the footprint, much less from the construction site, is unnecessary. Building section 10 is lowered into place over the items, and secured into its installed position as described above. In a variation of this construction method, building section 10, having assumed its expanded state under the influence of gravity or with its legs 12 fixed into their expanded positions, is supported by a crane above the floor space and moved laterally towards its installed position along the floor space and, in a straddling manner, over the items to be housed by the finished building. This variation of the construction method may be preferable when constructing a clearspan building having relatively tall walls or which is to house tall items, while the items to be housed remain on the building floor space.
Once moved into their respective installed positions, building sections 10 can be secured into the installed positions by bolting leg free ends 40 to spaced stanchions set into and projecting from the concrete pad whereby building sections 10, and the modular clearspan building as erected on the construction site, are permanently affixed to the construction site and immovable. Legs 12 of adjacently installed building sections 10 can also be bolted together through their abutting lateral edges.
In certain embodiments, one or more expanding flanges 24 is pivotably attached about its respective pivot axis 25 to roof portion 13. Expanding flange 24 pivotably attached to the roof portion 13 is used to lock each leg 12 at least partially if not fully into its expanded position and temporarily prevent the leg from closing (i.e., folding inwardly) until the building's plurality of building sections 10 is fully secured into their respective installed positions and to each other. In one such embodiment, shown schematically in
In operation, as legs 12 pivot about pivot points 18, uppermost end 52 of each respective leg 12 contacts its associated expanding flange(s) 24. As the leg 12 continues to rotate about its pivot point 18, the weight-induced force exerted by leg 12 against the expanding flange(s) 24 overcomes the biasing force of biasing mechanism 22, depressing expanding flange(s) 24 in a direction toward roof 16 and allows leg 12 to pass by expanding flange free end(s) 26. Once leg 12 has passed by its expanding flange free end 26, biasing mechanism 22 forces expanding flange 24 from the depressed position back into the open position, shown in
Roof sections 32 of building section 30 are relatively moveable components of the articulable (i.e., non-rigid) roof portion 46, and cooperate to reconfigure building section 30 during construction of a clearspan building. In its installed state, and at times while building section 30 is being erected, roof portion 46 forms apex 50 (
As shown in
In building section 30, included angle θ of roof portion 46 extends about roof axis 48 and between spaced positions on pivotally interconnected roof sections 32 of roof portion 46, as best shown in
Transitioning from the view of
Therefore, because roof portion 46 of building section 30 is articulable rather than being a rigid structure, in its extended condition included angle θ has differing values within its defining range, i.e., within the range of 0° to 180°. More particularly, in the depicted embodiment of building section 30, included angle θ about roof axis 48 ranges between a maximal value that, as depicted in
In
Alternatively, or additionally, in some modular building section embodiments upper ends 52 of legs 12, located above pivot points 18, are bolted to rafter members 14, 54 to fully draw and securely fix legs 12 into their expanded positions, wherein the building section is in its fully expanded state. In such embodiments, interfacing surfaces of each leg's upper end 52 and a rafter member 14, 54 are drawn together into abutting contact and securely clamped together by tightening interconnecting bolts extending therethrough (e.g., bolts 56 of
Some modular building section embodiments according to the present disclosure are manufactured and shipped with legs 12 defining a skeleton or framework to which building walls may be attached during building construction. Examples of such embodiments are shown in
Referring now to
Legs 12 of building section 60 as shipped and installed define substantially finished wall portions 62 of the clearspan building. Roof portion 74 and/or wall portion 62 in various embodiments of building section 60 include structural and operational features of the completed building. These features, which have a structural and/or operational purpose in the completed building, are installed during manufacture of modular building sections 60 at the factory, and are therefore installed concurrently with building sections 60, during construction of the resulting building.
Wall portions 62 of an embodiment of building section 60 are defined by interior siding 64 and exterior siding 66 located on opposite sides of legs 12. Wall portions 62 may be insulated, as by the provision of fiberglass batting or other suitable insulating material between interior and exterior siding 64, 66. As manufactured, building section 60 carries componentry of systems that include structural and/or operational features of the completed building. For example, building section 60 may include receptacles for part of an electrical system 68; pipes and/or fittings for part of a plumbing system, finished (e.g., painted) doors 72, and/or windows and their associated trim; and/or ducts and/or registers for part of an HVAC system, some of which are not shown.
Roof portion 74 of an embodiment of building section 60 may include features such as, for example: wiring, components (e.g., lighting components 80), fixtures and/or receptacles for part of an electrical system 76; pipes and/or fittings for part of a plumbing system 82; safety system components (e.g., smoke or CO detectors and wiring, and sprinkler system components 84); and/or ducts and/or components for part of an HVAC system, some of which are not shown.
Referring to
As earlier mentioned, building section 60 is erected in a manner similar to that described above in connection with building section 10 and/or building section 30. That is, during elevation of roof portion 74 of building section 60, legs 12 defining wall portions 62 move downwardly about pivot points 18 independently of each other from their respective stowed positions to their respective expanded positions under the influence of gravity as the roof portion is lifted, as described above with reference to the progressions shown sequentially in
According to each of the above-described embodiments, the open ends of the erected clearspan building, between which the installed building sections are located, are closed or capped with a plurality of adjacent, interconnected, vertically-extending, planar end wall sections (not shown) of known configuration, whose heights are typically greater than that of roof apex 50. These end wall sections may be finished with doors, siding, insulation, wiring, plumbing, and/or other componentry in situ, subsequent to their installation relative to building sections 10, 30, 60. Alternatively, such components may be installed during manufacture of the end wall sections, which are shipped to the construction site in a substantially finished condition, with their structural/operational components interconnected as necessary at the time of installation.
While this invention has been described as having preferred designs, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/354,865 filed Jun. 27, 2016.
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