The invention relates to multistory buildings composed of prefabricated modules, such as Modular Integrated Construction (MIC) or Prefabricated Prefinished Volumetric Construction (PPVC) and, more particularly, to reversible, self-locking connections between columns or beams of adjacent modules that permit interconnection among plural modules with minimal worker interaction.
Construction of multistory buildings is an expensive and time-consuming process that involves considerable skilled labor and often dangerous working conditions. Due to adverse conditions at construction sites such as hot or cold weather, rain or snow, various finishing may take place in a poor environment, resulting in construction delays and defects in the finished product.
In order to improve building quality and acceleration construction time, modular techniques such as Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) or Prefabricated Prefinished Volumetric Construction (PPVC) are increasingly used. In these techniques, modules are created in a factory, with optional finished plumbing and electrical work. The prefabricated modules are delivered to the building site and assembled into multistory buildings. Each module may be a portion of an office, apartment, or flat, or may be a complete apartment. In some building designs, core walls are erected onsite, such as concrete core walls, and modules must be connected to the core walls as well as to each other.
Various techniques may be used to join modules together. For steel components, mechanical connections such as bolts or tension rods may be used; for example, a bolt inserted through a hole in one module may be inserted through a hold in a mating module. This requires considerable worker interaction to insert and tighten the bolt. In addition to connections between steel components such as steel beams and columns, connections between steel and concrete components are also needed such as connections between steel module components and concrete core walls.
Further, the connection between modules and concrete core walls may have issues with design tolerance. To ensure the strength and stiffness of MiC building systems, MiC connections are generally designed for small tolerance. However, the tolerance of on-site constructed core walls may be difficult to control. Consequently, it is difficult to create a module to core wall connection sufficient to satisfy the strength and stiffness on the one hand and allow larger tolerance on the other hand.
Thus, there is a need in the art for improved connections between modules and between modules are core building elements.
The present invention provides a novel connection system for modular construction such as MiC and PPVC construction. The novel connection system is self-locking, minimizing the need for worker interaction, and is reversible, such that constructed modules may optionally be disassembled and re-built at another location.
In a first aspect the present invention, there is provided a first lower steel module defining a portion of a modular building having plural lower module columns, at least a first lower module column including a first lower column receiving aperture. A first upper steel module defines a portion of a modular building having plural upper module columns, at least a first upper module column including a first upper column receiving aperture. A first reversible self-locking mechanism interlocks the first upper module column of the first upper steel module to the first lower module column of the first lower steel module. The first self-locking mechanism includes a horizontal load transfer plate for transferring loads in a horizontal direction. A first inner sleeve is positioned beneath and connected to the horizontal load transfer plate, the first inner sleeve configured and dimensioned to be received within the first lower module column. A second inner sleeve is positioned above and connected to the horizontal load transfer plate, the second inner sleeve configured and dimensioned to be received within the first upper module column. A first spring-loaded latch is positioned within the first inner sleeve for engaging the first lower column receiving aperture. A second spring-loaded latch is positioned within the second inner sleeve for engaging the first upper column receiving aperture. The first and second spring-loaded latches are recessed within the respective first and second inner sleeves during insertion of the first and second inner sleeves into the lower and upper module columns, the first and second latches engaging with the first and second receiving apertures by respective spring forces when the first upper steel module is positioned and aligned on the first lower steel module.
Each of the first and second spring-loaded latches may include a latch plate having a wedge-shaped latch protrusion connecting to a vertical latch surface. The latch plate may include one or more latch plate apertures for receiving a rod within a coil spring.
The reversible self-locking interconnection system may optionally include a second reversible self-locking mechanism interlocking the first upper steel module and the first lower steel module to a building load-bearing support such as a core wall or core beam or core column. The second reversible self-locking mechanism includes an angled protrusion extending from the horizontal load transfer plate to mate with a protrusion-receiving structure embedded in the load-bearing support. In one embodiment, the horizontal load-transfer plate may include a 90-degree angled edge/L-shaped plate that mates with the embedded protrusion-receiving structure. In another embodiment, the protrusion-receiving structure includes a base portion embedded in the load-bearing support and an adjustable cover plate forming a plate-receiving slot. In yet another embodiment, the load-bearing support is a core wall or a core column, or a core beam.
In other embodiment, the present system further comprises third and fourth steel modules, the third steel module positioned adjacent the first steel module and the fourth steel module positioned adjacent the second steel module, each of the third and fourth steel modules including columns with receiving apertures positioned therein, and wherein the first reversible self-locking mechanism includes third and fourth inner sleeves positioned adjacent to the first and second inner sleeves with third and fourth spring loaded latches positioned therein for engaging the receiving apertures such that the first reversible self-locking mechanism connects all of the first, second, third, and fourth steel modules.
In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reversible self-locking interconnection system for modular integrated construction comprising:
first, second, third and fourth lower steel modules, each module defining a portion of a modular building having plural lower module columns, at least one of each lower steel module have a lower module column including a lower column receiving aperture;
first, second, third and fourth upper steel modules, each module defining a portion of a modular building having plural upper module columns, at least one of each upper steel module having an upper module column including an upper column receiving aperture;
a first reversible self-locking mechanism interlocking one upper module column of each of the first, second, third, and fourth upper steel modules to one lower module column of each of the first, second, third, and fourth lower steel modules, the first self-locking mechanism including:
wherein the first and second spring-loaded latches are recessed within the respective inner sleeves during insertion of the inner sleeves into lower and upper module columns, the first and second latches engaging with the receiving apertures by respective spring forces when the upper steel modules are positioned and aligned on the lower steel modules.
A third aspect of the present invention provides a method for assembling a plurality of modules using the reversible self-locking interconnection system of the present invention, where the method comprises: positioning a lower steel module; inserting a sleeve assembly comprising an inner sleeve in the lower steel module such that the first latch is first depressed to be flush with the inner sleeve walls and, when the inner sleeve reaches the lower column aperture, projecting into the aperture through the action of springs against the latch plate, thereby securing the sleeve assembly to the lower module; positioning an upper module over the sleeve assembly secured to the corresponding lower module; and depressing the second latch until the second latch engages in the upper module column aperture of the upper module.
Turning to the drawings in detail,
A schematic example of a module 50 is depicted in
A spring-loaded latch system 450 is included in both the lower inner sleeve portion 410 and upper inner sleeve portion 420. Latch system 450 engages receiving aperture 110 in the lower inner sleeve portion and receiving aperture 210 in the upper inner sleeve portion. A detailed depiction of spring-loaded latch system 450 is depicted in
Similarly, when an upper module is hoisted into place above the lower module, the wedge shaped latch element 454 smoothly engages a leading edge of the upper module column 200 and the latch is gradually compressed to a recessed position within the upper module column 200 and the column edge moves up along the wedge-shaped element 454. When the latch reaches the upper module column aperture 210, the latch extends through the aperture due to the action of spring 459. In this manner the sleeve is securely engaged in both the lower and upper columns and the upper and lower modules are connected.
Note that the angle of the wedge is opposite in the upper and lower latch elements 454 to accommodate the insertion of the sleeve into the lower module column 100 and the placement of the upper module column 200 over the upper inner sleeve portion 420 (best seen in
In some embodiments, an optional second connection system may be used to connect an assembly of connected modules to a building load-bearing support such as a core wall, core column, or core beam. In many modular buildings, various core elements are erected onsite and form a building core to which plural modules are attached. In some embodiments, these core elements are fabricated from concrete such that different connection techniques may be needed to facilitate a steel-to-concrete connection. Further, as discussed above, the core building elements may not have as precise tolerances as the pre-fabricated modules. As such, the connection system must be able to accommodate dimensional variations.
In
Turning to
The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with various modifications that are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalence.
This application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/078,349 filed Sep. 15, 2020, and the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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63078349 | Sep 2020 | US |