Patent Application
20240328159
The present invention is developed in the field of construction. Specifically, the present invention is related to a structural profile to form mezzanine plates that allow replacing conventional tiles or plates, which can be easily installed in any type of construction, and also exhibits characteristics of resistance to bending and resistance traction, which confers earthquake resistance advantages to constructions.
In recent years, the construction field has made significant progress in the development of various alternatives aimed at overcoming the drawbacks present in traditional construction systems. Particularly, progress has been made in new mechanisms to improve the earthquake resistance capacity of buildings in the event of earthquakes, which is why the development of highly structural systems that provide rigidity, resistance, and help maintain counterweight of the structures has increased. It is for this reason that researchers have evaluated various types of structural conformation to maximally prevent the risk of collapsed buildings. Such is the case of the formation of mezzanines through the use of plates or slabs formed by the framework with concrete or cement. In this way, conventional mezzanines require a structure with a large number of equidistant structural elements (commonly called beams), so that each one resists a portion of the total load of the plate. Thus, the mezzanines require the use of these structural devices to form the plates.
In the state of the art, the conventional system for forming mezzanines is well known, which consists of assembling plates or plates, generally made of wood, that function as molds. This system consists of the framework of a series of forms supported by beams on which the concrete material is poured, and the plate is formed once the material has dried, the beam supports and the wooden forms are released. However, it is well known that its formation requires a large number of structural elements such as support elements or beams and wooden forms, a greater amount of load-bearing material such as concrete or cement, and a greater number of workers are required and, therefore, the installation requires more time and operating costs increase. Additionally, these conventional systems still exhibit certain disadvantages of earthquake resistance and flexural strength that are essential to the construction system.
Consequently, it is clear that there is still an urgent need in the state of the art for a novel alternative for the formation of plates or mezzanines that clearly improves the disadvantages of conventional plate-based systems by reducing operating costs, the number of operators required, easily available, economical, and that also significantly improves the flexural resistance and earthquake resistance properties of the constructions.
A structural profile for the formation of mezzanines including a flat base that bends at its ends to form two wing elements; from these wing elements, two side walls are formed that extend upward to form two ends or upper edges, which are configured as an inward fold in the shape of an inverted U; wherein said elongated flat base exhibits a series of one or more grooves in the form of lines that run along it longitudinally; and wherein each of said side walls exhibits grooves in the form of parallel lines ranging from the base to the upper ends and are spaced apart along said side walls.
The person skilled in the art will understand that the Figures described are merely illustrative of some of the possible embodiments of the present invention, but multiple combinations of grooves and geometric shapes thereof are possible, as long as the spirit and purpose of the invention are preserved to achieve rigidity and resistance in the structural profile.
The present invention provides a first object that corresponds to a structural profile for the formation of mezzanines, characterized in that it consists of a flat base that bends at its ends to form two wing elements; from these wing elements, two side walls are formed that extend upward to form two ends or upper edges, which are configured as an inward fold in the shape of an inverted U; wherein said elongated flat base exhibits a series of one or more grooves in the form of lines that run along it longitudinally; and wherein each of said side walls exhibits grooves in the form of parallel lines ranging from the base to the upper ends and are spaced apart along said side walls.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural profile is characterized in that the base and the ends or upper edges are completely smooth, that is, they do not include grooves in any direction.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural profile is characterized in that the base exhibits one or more grooves in the longitudinal direction, and the side walls include a parallel or transverse type groove, and is separated from another groove, and so on until go through the entire body of the profile.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural profile is characterized in that the base includes one or more grooves in the longitudinal direction, and the side walls include two grooves together of the parallel or transverse type, and are separated from two other grooves, and thus successively until covering the entire body of the profile.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural profile is characterized in that the base exhibits one or more grooves in the longitudinal direction, and the side walls include three grooves together of the parallel or transverse type, and are separated from three other grooves, and thus successively until covering the entire body of the profile.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural profile is characterized in that both the base and the side walls include a parallel or transverse type groove, and it is separated from another groove, and so on until it runs through the entire body of the profile.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural profile is characterized in that both the base and the side walls include two joint grooves of the parallel or transverse type, and are separated from two other grooves, and so on until they cover the entire body of the profile.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural profile is characterized in that both the base and the side walls exhibit three grooves together of the parallel or transverse type, and are separated from three other grooves, and so on until they cover the entire body of the profile.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural profile is characterized in that both the base and the side walls can exhibit four or more grooves together of the parallel or transverse type, and are separated from other four or more grooves, and so on until reaching the entire body of the profile.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural profile is characterized in that the base can exhibit one, two or three transverse grooves separated from each other by one or more longitudinal grooves, and so on until it runs through the entire body of the profile.
The base, side walls and top edges may include as many grooves as possible to completely run along the body of the profile, either along its longitudinal axis or its transverse axis, provided that the technical strength advantages are achieved to the desired traction.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural profile is characterized in that the base is completely smooth, and does not exhibit internal grooves.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural profile is characterized in that the upper ends or edges exhibit a series of internal grooves that run longitudinally throughout the entire body of said upper ends.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural profile is characterized in that the upper ends or edges exhibit a series of internal grooves that run transversely across the entire body of said upper ends.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural profile is characterized in that the upper ends or edges exhibit a series of internal grooves in the form of points that run transversely across the entire body of said upper ends.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural profile is characterized in that each of the upper ends exhibits from one to four longitudinal grooves.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural profile is characterized in that the grooves at the upper ends have straight, rounded, semi-rounded, triangular, elliptical, curly, polyhedral edges or mixtures thereof.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural profile is characterized in that the upper ends exhibit edges of straight, rounded, square, triangular, semi-rounded, trapezoidal, hexagonal, ellipsed, curly, polyhedral shapes or mixtures thereof.
In the same way, a person skilled in the art will understand without much difficulty that, within the context of the present invention, it is possible to make multiple modifications in the inclusion of grooves or their geometric shapes, either in the base and/or the walls sides and/or the top edges, provided that such modifications do not depart from the scope of the present invention in terms of the need to achieve improved flexural strength compared to conventional devices.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the structural profile is characterized in that it is manufactured from steel, galvanized steel, cold rolled steel (commonly known as Cold Rolled (CR) or hot rolled steel (commonly known as Hot rolled (HR)) or aluminum.
The results of the laboratory tests carried out on the structural profile of the present invention demonstrate that this product is configured in a completely specific design that allows significantly improving the properties of earthquake resistance and flexural resistance in any construction that incorporates it, whether as a mezzanine or roof.
The structural profile of the present invention provides the described advantages, given that its specific design obeys an elongated element with two extreme sides, which forms an elongated flat base with lateral extreme edges that fold inwards on themselves to form some wing-type elements. These wings subsequently extend perpendicularly upward to form the side walls, which continue to extend until two corresponding upper ends are formed for each wall, which are configured as ends folded over themselves in the manner of an inverted U, such as it is illustrated in the figures. A characteristic aspect of the structural profile of the present invention is its possibility of combining completely flat or smooth surfaces of the base, walls or upper edges with grooves, or ribs or stiffeners, in the form of parallel lines. In the same way, the profile of the present invention contemplates the possibility of including longitudinal grooves in the upper ends, where these grooves can exhibit edges of different geometric shapes, and completely run through the body of said upper ends, as illustrated by the
The term “grooves” is synonymous with “ribs” or “stiffeners” and is very commonly used in the state of the art, and as used within the context of the present invention, it refers to those elements present in the base, walls sides or upper edges of the structural profile, which are achieved by techniques widely known in the state of the art, such as extrusion, molding, engraving or stamping with the purpose of achieving the designs illustrated in the accompanying figures, and which are responsible, in part, to provide improved rigidity and strength to the profile of the present invention.
In this way, the structural profile of the present invention can exhibit any of the previous combinations in terms of the presence or absence of grooves in the base, walls or upper ends. This novel combination of the structural profile of the present invention makes it possible for it to exhibit superior flexural resistance properties with respect to conventional devices of this type, which makes it an efficient alternative to replace traditional systems for forming covers, plates or mezzanines.
And these advantages of the structural profile of the present invention are possible because it is coupled together with other structural components to form the covers, plates or mezzanines, according to the area specifications required by the users. In this way, the structural profile of the present invention is arranged longitudinally in the form of ordered rows spaced apart from each other, to adjust rectangular elements of the icopor type or blocks on its wing portions, in such a way that they are coupled one behind from another on the profiles of the present invention. It must be taken into account for the arrangement of the structural profiles of the present invention, both the modulation and the span between supports of the beam, will be the factors that determine the section of the structural profiles adopted. Therefore, in general, the beams are oriented in the direction that generates the shortest distance between supports, in such a way that structural profiles with the smallest possible section are required. Once this structure is formed between the structural profiles of the present invention and the rectangular support elements, the operator proceeds to arrange an additional support element made up of steel rods or meshes. Finally, the operator allows concrete or cement to be poured onto the upper portion of this structural profile-support element frame until the entire area is covered, and it is left to dry. This dry system makes it possible to form a roof, construction plate or mezzanine with excellent earthquake resistance and flexural resistance properties that replace conventional construction systems.
Now, the upper portions of the structural profile of the present invention exhibit various configurations in their design, as long as the entry of the contributing material into the interior of said device is possible. These modifications make possible various shapes in its edges and longitudinal grooves, which can be straight, triangulated, semi-straight, semi-oval, semi-ellipsed, polyhedral, curly, circular, semi-circular, among others, as seen in the plan views of
In this way, it is clear that the structural profile of the present invention can exhibit so many combinations between its three main components, that is, the base, the side walls or the upper ends. For example, the base may be completely smooth while the walls may exhibit diamond-shaped or truss-shaped grooves and the upper ends are smooth; or the base may include diamond-shaped or truss-type grooves while the side walls and upper ends are smooth surfaces, or both the base and the side walls include diamond-shaped or truss-shaped grooves while the upper ends include one to four longitudinal grooves. Likewise, the edges of the upper ends that are folded into an inverted U shape may exhibit one or more longitudinal grooves, while the walls and base may be smooth; or the ends may exhibit one to four longitudinal grooves while either of the base or walls may exhibit lozenge or truss type grooves. In any case, the person skilled in the art will understand that any of the base, walls or ends may or may not include further grooves; The resulting combination of these grooves in the base, walls or top ends will depend on market needs or the required technical specifications.
These grooves along the walls, top portions and base of the structural profile of the present invention are largely responsible for the improved earthquake resistance and flexural strength properties with respect to conventional devices, since their arrangement specific confers greater rigidity and resistance to the structural profile of the present invention.
Additionally, the ends of the top edges can exhibit various shapes on their edges to meet market needs. For example, depending on the number of grooves present or not, these upper end edges may exhibit among some of these shapes straight, rounded, triangulated, trapezoidal, curly, oval, semi-ellipsed, or semi-rounded edges, as illustrated in
The structural profile, according to the present invention, is specifically configured to achieve the advantage of required earthquake resistance and flexural strength.
The structural profile of the present invention can be manufactured in various materials that are common to materials used in the mechanical sector, such as steels, galvanized steel, cold rolled steel (commonly known as Cold Rolled (CR) or hot rolled steel (commonly known as Hot Rolled (HR)) or aluminum, among others. Although the person skilled in the art will understand that another variety of materials can be used to manufacture said components, as long as the expected results are achieved to improve earthquake resistance and flexural resistance of constructions that incorporate the structural profile.
Regarding the weights and measurements of the structural profile of the present invention, the person skilled in the art will understand that said profile can be manufactured to fit and comply with the standard norms established in accordance with each local legislation for the field of construction. In this way, although the structural profile of the present invention can be manufactured to fit the needs of the market, the person skilled in the art will understand that the necessary modifications can be made in weight, measurements, materials, and calibers, provided that the technical specifications required for the structural profile of the present invention are maintained for improved earthquake resistance and flexural strength. Particularly, the structural profile of the present invention can be manufactured with materials exhibiting gauges of 0.8 to 1.6 mm, and still achieve the desired earthquake resistance properties.
This is how the person skilled in the art interested in manufacturing the structural profile of the present invention can design it according to a calculation table in which the specifications of the profile are standardized based on different variables, among which include weight, dimensions, calibers, maximum supported load (flexural resistance), earthquake resistance, among others. Starting from these specifications, the person skilled in the art can combine said variables and perform the necessary calculations to determine the technical specifications of the structural profile resulting from the present invention with improved earthquake resistance and flexural resistance properties. However, as an illustrative example, the table shown below describes some typical technical specifications for a structural profile such as that of the present invention:
The above dimensions are not restrictive of the structural profile of the present invention, but are illustrative of some measurements commonly required in the market for a structural profile of this type and, therefore, may vary in accordance with the requirements of the user or the market.
An illustrative structural profile of the present invention, which exhibits straight upper edges, and longitudinally shaped grooves at the base and parallel in the side walls, was subjected to various laboratory tests to measure its resistance to bending or maximum supported load. The results are shown in the following table:
Tests carried out by the Testing Division-CONCRELAB, Bogotá Headquarters, Colombia. The test corresponds to a FLEXION TEST, carried out following the procedure described in the Colombian technical standard NTC 3353-97.
The above results strongly demonstrate that the structural profile of the present invention with longitudinal grooves in the base and parallel grooves in the side walls, with straight edges, exhibits a significantly higher bending resistance, since it is capable of resisting a load, maximum of 19.00-21.00 KN (2,000-2100 kgf) despite being manufactured in a 1.35 mm caliber when the normal thing in the field is to use 1.5 caliber, and in comparison, with conventional devices without grooves that barely exhibit a maximum load of 13 kN (1300 kgf). The above indicates that by scaling the caliber of the material to values greater than 1.5 mm, as is conventionally used, the profile of the present invention will support a greater maximum load and, therefore, the bending resistance will be significantly greater. These results support the fact that the specific profile design of the present invention is absolutely ideal for forming plates or mezzanines in various constructions. Additional tests performed on other structural profiles, which are within the scope of the present invention, demonstrate that the presence of grooves in the walls, base or top ends, or the combination of grooves with smooth surfaces, also exhibit superior strength results, flexural strength, making it a highly desirable profile to replace conventional mezzanine construction systems or to enhance conventionally available devices.
In this way, the previous tests corroborate that the structural profile of the present invention, which combines the presence or absence of grooves, in the forms described in this document, do represent an advance in the field of construction and a novel alternative in the formation of plates, roofs or mezzanines, since it is capable of resisting a very high maximum load to confer flexural resistance and earthquake resistance properties compared to conventional systems.
The structural profile of the present invention can be configured and manufactured using various state-of-the-art techniques well known to anyone skilled in the art. For example, it is well known that one of the techniques consists of cold rolling (called “cold rolled” in the conventional market) and hot rolling. Another technique that can be used to configure the structural profile of the present invention is the extrusion of the material, which may include steel or aluminum, until the specific design of the structural profile is achieved. Additionally, the design and configuration of the grooves, inward or outward of the base, side walls and/or top edges can be made as part of the mold or die designed to achieve the specific design. In this regard, the person skilled in the art will understand perfectly that the procedure used must allow the design proposed for the structural profile of the present invention with the required technical specifications.
The structural profile of the present invention exhibits some of the following advantages compared to conventional systems, which make it desirable for the formation of plates, roofs or mezzanines.
The structural profile exhibits excellent flexural resistance and earthquake resistance properties in any type of construction, as demonstrated by the results of experimental tests, since it exhibits a specific configuration that provides improved rigidity, with light weight, particularly due to the presence of grooves on the walls, base and upper edges.
It is simple because it does not require expensive forms or accessories.
It is versatile because it fits easily into any area, and it is aesthetically attractive because it provides an excellent finish.
It is easy to install since it does not require installation equipment or special tools, which significantly reduces construction costs.
It is obtained through simple manufacturing processes, which significantly reduces production costs.
It is a product that is easily available to the user in warehouses and hardware stores.
Any person skilled in the construction technique will understand without much difficulty that various modifications or variations on the structural profile disclosed therein are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiments and variations set forth in the present invention should not be understood as limiting the scope of the invention, which is determined by the content of the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-000110 | Mar 2023 | CR | national |
