Patent Application
20210372142
This invention generally relates to modular working platforms, the structural support members therefore, and the methods for the assembly thereof. More specifically, the invention relates to platform stringers, deck support frames, and methods of assembly of the deck support frames with the stringers to construct a modular working platform.
Modular working platforms generally surround large machinery in the manufacturing industry and the food processing industry. Such platforms are assembled on site. The platforms are generally comprised of support frames, the number and arrangement of which depend upon the size of the machine they are intended for. The support frames of the platforms support decking, that is flooring, that permit operators to walk on the decking. Such platforms, frames and the decking thereon are constructed in light of operator safety concerns. Additionally, at least in the food processing industry, such platforms must meet sanitary conditions. Typically, such platforms are assembled around an existing machine, device, or apparatus. These conventional platform installations utilize square or rectangular structural members to build a support frame to install decking on a walking surface. These conventional structures require structural welds at each joint in the support frame. Further, individual tabs must be welded on to the frame to support the decking thereon.
Other platforms use round material for structural members to build the support frame. Such round members may be more sanitary, because the round members do not have “sides” but arcs that permit easy run off of materials that could possibly accumulate thereon. However, such round structural members still require structural welds at each joint and require the expensive and time consuming process of welding tabs on the upper surface of the frame in order to support the decking that operators walk upon when on the platform.
Yet other platforms utilize square or rectangular structural members turned on a 45 degree angle to build the support frame. This method may be more sanitary than the rectangular structural members, as the edge, prevents the accumulation of material thereon. However, the use of such angled structural members are difficult to cut and prepare and require many structural welds, including welding tabs thereon to support decking installed thereon.
Embodiments of the instant invention provide for simple and cost effective stringers, decking support frames, and methods for assembly of the deck frame with the structural support members of the stringers and cross members for a platform. The embodiments provide sanitary construction methods, structural integrity, and ease of installation together. Large structural materials are able to be integrated together in a way that reduces installation time by producing a more efficient method of joining structural materials.
In addition, embodiments provide for a stringer that incorporates weld free tabs that are used to mount steel decking into the stringer thus saving time, labor costs and the elimination of complex structural welds where cross members pass through the stringer. The weld free tabs, may also provide an important structural improvement over prior welded tabs as the monolithic construction with the stringer body improves strength and provides for the possibility of pitched decking with much greater precision and lower installation time and costs than tabs cut and welded in place during assembly.
More specifically, embodiments of the invention provided a stringer that includes a structural body having a front side, a back side, a top side, and a bottom side. A plurality of weld free mounting tabs are integral with the structural body extending from the top side and away from the bottom side. By integral it means the structural body is monolithic such that it is free of any welds or other bonding materials such that it is a single piece of material fabricated from a single sheet or blank. A plurality of apertures extend evenly spaced along a longitudinal length of the structural body and each aperture extends completely through the front side to the back side as a through hole.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a decking support frame is provided. The decking support frame includes at least two stringers. Each stringer includes a structural body having a front side, a back side, a top side, and a bottom side. A plurality of weld free mounting tabs are integral with the structural body and extend from the top side and away from the bottom side. A plurality of apertures extend evenly spaced along a longitudinal length of the structural body and each aperture extends completely through the front side to the back side. The decking support frame also includes at least two cross members. Each one of the at least two cross members passes through at least one of the plurality of apertures of each one of the at least two stringers to form the decking support frame.
In an embodiment, a member width is defined between the front and back side. A mounting tab width of each one of the plurality of weld free mounting tabs is the same as the member width.
In an embodiment, a plurality of planar surfaces extend from a left side of the structural body to a right side of the structural body and between any pair of any two adjacent weld free mounting tabs.
In an embodiment, each one of the plurality of apertures is square.
In an embodiment, each one of the plurality of apertures is round.
In an embodiment, each one of the plurality of apertures is rectangular.
In an embodiment, each one of the plurality of apertures is a square turned at a 45 degree angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the structural body of the stringer.
In an embodiment, each one of the plurality of weld free mounting tabs is rectangular in shape.
In an embodiment, each one of the plurality of weld free mounting tabs is a different height than every other one of the plurality of weld free mounting tabs.
In an embodiment, the structural body further comprises a left and right side. The front and rear sides extend between the left and right sides. The plurality of weld free mounting tabs extend in a tapered profile from the left to the right side.
In an embodiment, the bottom side is a planar surface extending the entire length of the front and back sides.
In an embodiment, each one of the plurality of apertures is round and the at least two cross members are round.
In an embodiment, a cross section of the structural body is rectangular in shape.
In an embodiment, fillet welds bond the plurality of apertures with the at least two cross members passing therethrough.
In an embodiment, the plurality of apertures are square and the at least two cross members are square.
In yet another aspect, the invention provides a method for constructing a decking support frame. The method includes the steps of providing at least two stringers. Each stringer includes a structural body having a front side, a back side, a top side, and a bottom side. A plurality of weld free mounting tabs are integral with the structural body and extend from the top side and away from the bottom side. A plurality of apertures extend evenly spaced along a longitudinal length of the structural body and each aperture extends completely through the front side to the back side. The method includes the step of inserting a first cross member through a first one of the plurality of apertures of each one of the at least two stringers. The method includes the step of inserting a second cross member through a second one of the plurality of apertures of each one of the at least two stringers to form the decking support frame.
In an embodiment of the method, a further step includes welding the first and second cross members where they pass through the first and second stringers with only fillet welds.
In an embodiment of the method, the step of providing the at least two stringers further comprises the step of providing the plurality of apertures as one of a round aperture, a square aperture, a rectangular aperture and an aperture rotated 45 degrees relative to a longitudinal axis of the structural body.
In an embodiment of the method, the step of providing the first and second cross members further comprises the step of providing a one of a round cross member, a rectangular cross member, and a square cross member an cross member rotated 45 degrees relative to longitudinal axis of the structural body.
Other aspects, objectives and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:
While the invention will be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit it to those embodiments. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Turning now to the drawings, there is illustrated in
In an example, the decking support frame 104, made up of the at least two stringers 100, 102 and the two cross members 108, 110 are made of stainless steel, typically type 304 stainless steel or type 316 stainless steel. Such stainless steel is typically used around equipment requiring sanitary conditions, for example, in food processing plants. However, in other embodiments where such sanitary conditions may not be required, other steels or composites or other suitable materials may be used to construct the decking support frame 104.
The spacing between the stringers 100, 102 and the spacing between the two cross member 108, 110 determine the area of any single decking support frame 104. The overall length of the two cross members 108, 110 can determine the length of the modular working platform. Additional stringers 101, 103, and so on, may be welded or otherwise secured to the ends of the stringers 100, 102, so as to increase the length of the modular working platform 106.
Turning then to
The monolithic, single unitary piece construction of the stringer 100 with its weld free mounting tabs 126, 128, 30, 132 is typically done via laser cutting of the structural body 112 from stock material. By integral it means the structural body 113 is monolithic such that it is free of any welds or other bonding materials such that it is a single piece of material fabricated from a single sheet or blank. Such weld free mounting tabs 126, 128, 130, 132 provide an important structural improvement over prior welded tabs as the monolithic construction with the stringer body 112 improves strength particularly over a weldment or other fastener or bonding/joining means.
However, it is not the intent to limit the fabrication of the stringer 100 to laser cutting as other forming methods including other thermal methods are possible. By way of non-limiting examples, plasma cutting, oxy-fuel cutting, and non-thermal methods may be used, for e.g. typical material removal such as various cutting machine tools and cold working methods such as stamping. Each one of the plurality of weld free mounting tabs 126, 128, 130, 132 are generally rectangular in shape to permit the generally planar decking (not illustrated) to receive a top planar surface 127, 129, 131, 133 of each one of the plurality of weld free mounting tabs 126, 128, 130, 132. It is not the intent to limit the tabs to the rectangular shape as other shapes are possible, for example square shapes or shapes with a tapered top surface to provide a pitch (see
A plurality of apertures 134, 136, 138, 140 extend evenly spaced along a longitudinal length 142 of the structural body 112. Each aperture 134, 136, 138, 140 extends completely through the front side 114 to the back side 116. A plurality of planar surfaces 144, 146, 148, 150, 152 extend from the left side 122 to the right side 124. More specifically, from the left side 122 to the firs weld free mounting tab 126 there is a planar surface 144. Thereafter, between each pair of adjacent weld free mounting tabs 126, 128, and 128, 130, and 130, 132 there is a planer surface, 146, 148, and 150 respectively, and then from the last weld free mounting tab 132 to the right side 124 there is a planar surface 152. The bottom side 120 is an entirely planar surface extending from the left side 122 to the right side 124.
It is not the intent to limit the number of weld free mounting tabs 126, 128, 130, 132 to four or the number of apertures 134, 136, 138, 140 to four or the number of planer surfaces 144, 146, 148, 150, 152 along the top side 118 to five. Instead, the stringer 100 may be sized according to need based on the desired size of the modular working platform 106 (
Still with respect to
Turning now to
By passing the plurality cross members 158, 160, 162, 164 through the apertures 134, 136, 138, 140 with a close tolerance the fillet weld 166 may be used thereby eliminating the complexity of the weld for faster construction. Indeed, the need for structural welds at the intersection of the stringer 100 at the apertures 134, 136, 138, 140 and the cross members 158, 160, 162, 164 is no longer necessary, thereby decreasing costs with decreased labor and welding material because of the less complex and less time consuming fillet welds 166 may be used. Such fillet welds 166 eliminate the need for multiple step process of the structural weld comprising for example a first pass followed by a cover pass.
In light of the foregoing, it can now be readily understood that the stringers 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 allows the end user to marry sanitary construction methods, structural integrity, and ease of installation together. The stringers 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, allow the end user to integrate large structural materials together e.g. cross members 156, 158, 160, 162, 164 and those of the other disclosed embodiments such as in a way that reduces installation time by producing a more efficient method of joining the stringers 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 and the cross members e.g. 156, 158, 160, 162, 164. In addition, the stingers 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, incorporate the weld free mounting tabs (e.g. 126, 128, 130, 132) used to receive the steel decking (not illustrated) thus saving additional welding. The elevation of the weld free mounting tabs e.g. 126, 128, 130, 132 can also be modified to allow for creating a pitch e.g. 276 (
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) is to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
