TRUSS SUPPORT SYSTEM

Abstract

A truss support system (10) comprises a support pole (12), a connector (14) located at one end of the support pole (12) and for connecting to a scaffold pole (16), a first extendable arm (18) connected at one end to the support pole (12) and extending away from the support pole (12), and a first fixing plate (20) connected to the first extendable arm 18 at the opposite end to the support pole (12). The truss support system (10) is also provided with a second extendable arm connected at one end to the support pole (12) and extending away from the support pole (12), and a second fixing plate connected to the second extendable arm at the opposite end to the support pole (12).

Description

This invention relates to a truss support system and to a method of operating the truss support system.

In many new buildings, pitched roofs are built using a number of wooden roof trusses, which are often prefabricated. Storage and movement of the trusses can be dangerous and any accident can result in life-changing injuries or death. A standard pack of trusses weighs around 500 kilos and each block wall on a roof is a further tonne of weight, which leaves workers in the area and particularly below exposed to 2.5 tonnes of material. When a pack of trusses are first lifted into position on top of the block walls prior to the construction of the roof, the pack must be secured in place before any further working on the roof can take place.

Currently, the main way to secure the pack of trusses to a roof is by using pieces of 4×1 bracing which are temporarily tacked on. These planks of wood are secured with 3 in nails, normally two nails at the top and a further two nails onto part of the constructed roof or, if this has not yet been constructed, the 4×1 planks will have to be nailed into the scaffold. This can cause an additional hazard because there is the potential for the planks to obstruct any walkway over the scaffolding. Such a connection system also puts more pressure on the 4×1 planks because of the length of distance each plank has to go over.

The disadvantage of this method of erecting a roof is that there are tonnes of pre-prepared weight that are not secured in position before a construction worker has time to fix the trusses to anything. At present, when a construction worker needs to get a truss out from the pack, the construction worker has to unsecure the whole pack held in place with the 4×1 planks, which means the whole pack is unstable and could fall. The pack of trusses are insecurely held in place when only fixed using small planks and these planks continually have to be removed when a construction worker wishes to take a truss from the pack to fix that truss in position.

It is therefore an object of the invention to improve upon the known art.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided truss support system comprising a support pole, a connector located at one end of the support pole and for connecting to a scaffold pole, a first extendable arm connected at one end to the support pole and extending away from the support pole, and a first fixing plate connected to the first extendable arm at the opposite end to the support pole, characterised in that the system further comprises a second extendable arm connected at one end to the support pole and extending away from the support pole, and a second fixing plate connected to the second extendable arm at the opposite end to the support pole.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating a truss support system comprising receiving a truss support system comprising a support pole, a connector located at one end of the support pole, a first extendable arm connected at one end to the support pole and extending away from the support pole, and a first fixing plate connected to the extendable arm at the opposite end to the support pole, connecting the connector to a scaffold pole, extending the arm to contact a truss, and connecting the fixing plate to the truss, characterised in that the system further comprises a second extendable arm connected at one end to the support pole and extending away from the support pole, and a second fixing plate connected to the second extendable arm at the opposite end to the support pole, and the method further comprises the steps of extending the second arm to contact a second truss and connecting the second fixing plate to the second truss.

Owing to the invention, it is possible to provide a much more secure and safe method of handling building components such as roof trusses during the construction of, for example a roof. The truss support system provides the ability to secure a pack of roof trusses to a scaffold already in situ on the roof. The trusses can be lifted by a mechanical lifting aid or crane onto the roof and instead of having to be held in place by for example, ply wood and a couple of nails, the roof trusses will be securely held by the support system ensuring the safety of the people working on the roof. Additionally, the truss support system provides the benefit of an extendable arm which holds the trusses in place, which is flexible enough to allow a construction worker to remove one truss at a time whilst keeping the rest of the trusses secure and everyone safe. The truss support system provides versatile security and safety and also has the ability to be used in other situations, for example to hold a spandrel or any other modular building panel in place. The truss support system is a device that that can be used to clamp building components securely in position improving the safety of working conditions around these components.

The truss support system has a second extendable arm connected at one end to the support pole, and a second fixing plate connected to the second extendable arm at the opposite end to the support pole. By providing two extendable arms on the truss support system, the security and safety of the truss support system is greatly increased. The second extendable arm can be used to connect to the opposite side of the pack of trusses to the side that are connected to the first extendable arm. This allows the pack of trusses to be held securely in an upright position with both sides of the pack being fixed to an extendable arm of the truss support system, both arms being connected to the support pole, which is itself connected to a scaffold pole of the local scaffolding.

Advantageously, the extendable arm is rotatable around the support pole and the second extendable arm is rotatable around the support pole. The truss support system can be enhanced by the extendable arms being rotatable around the support pole, as well as the arms being extendable. This makes it much easier for a construction worker to manoeuvre the fixing plates on the end of the extendable arms into position adjacent and contacting the opposite sides of the pack of trusses. The construction worker is able to fix the truss support system to the scaffold pole first and then rotate and extend the two arms into the correct position to then secure the fixing plates to the two opposite sides of the pack of trusses.

The rotation provided to the two arms also makes it easier for a construction worker to remove a single truss from the pack of trusses, as a fixing plate (on either side) can be disconnected from the pack of trusses and then swung away from the pack using the rotation of the specific arm to remove a truss. After a truss has been removed, then the specific arm can be rotated back into position, the extension adjusted to take into account the removal of a truss from the pack and the specific fixing means can then again be secured in position on the remaining trusses in the pack of trusses.

Ideally, the second extendable arm is releasably connected to the support pole and can be connected to the support pole at different locations providing different spacing from the first extendable arm. If two arms are present in the truss support system, then the second extendable arm is preferably height adjustable relative to the first extendable arm. For example, the second extendable arm could be slidably mounted on the support pole, allowing the spacing between the two arms to be adjusted. This allows the truss support system to be used on different sizes of trusses, as a construction worker using the system can set the relative heights of the two extendable arms according to the size of the pitch of the truss, for example.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:—

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a partially constructed building,

FIG. 2 is a side view of a first embodiment of the truss support system,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1, showing the system of FIG. 2 in use,

FIG. 4 is a side view of a second embodiment of the truss support system,

FIG. 5 is a perspective exploded view of the components of the embodiment of FIG. 4, and

FIG. 6 is a perspective detail of the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a partially constructed building 30, which has walls 32 already constructed including the ends walls 34. Scaffolding 36 is erected adjacent to the building 30, so that those working on the building can work safely at height. A pack 38 of trusses 22 has been lifted into position and is resting on the walls 32. These trusses 22 must be taken in turn from the pack 38 and secured in place by a construction worker or carpenter who is constructing the roof using the trusses 22. Prior to any work using the trusses 22, the pack 38 must be secured in position, given the weight of the pack 38 and the potential for work accidents involving the pack 38.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of a truss support system 10 that can be used to secure the pack 38 of trusses 22 shown in FIG. 1. The truss support system 10 comprises a support pole 12, a connector 14 located at one end of the support pole 12 and for connecting to a scaffold pole, a first extendable arm 18 connected at one end to the support pole 12 and extending away from the support pole 12, and a first fixing plate 20 connected to the extendable arm 18 at the opposite end to the support pole 12. The system 10 also comprises a second extendable arm 24 connected at one end to the support pole 12 and extending away from the support pole 12, and a second fixing plate 26 connected to the second extendable arm 24 at the opposite end to the support pole 12.

Both the first extendable arm 18 and the second extendable arm 24 are rotatable around the support pole 12. The second extendable arm 24 is connected to the support pole 12 at the opposite end to the connector 14 and the first extendable arm 18 is connected to the support pole 12 in-between the second extendable arm 24 and the connector 14. The truss support system 10 can be mounted on a conventional scaffold pole and be used to secure and support the pack 38 of trusses 22, for example as shown in FIG. 1. The connector 14 comprises an elongate tube 14, with the support pole 12 located in one end of the elongate tube 14, with the other end of the elongate tube 14 open to receive a scaffold pole 16.

FIG. 3 shows the truss support system 10 of FIG. 2 in use, in the work situation shown in FIG. 1. The system 10 has been connected to a scaffold pole 16 via the connector 14 and the first fixing plate 20 has been connected to one side of the pack 38 of trusses 22. The first fixing plate 20 is provided with a number of holes, for example, four holes, that can be used to screw the first fixing plate 20 to the end truss 22 of the pack 38. In this way, once the pack 38 of trusses 22 has been moved into position on top of the walls 32, the pack 38 can be safely and securely held by the truss support system 10.

The second extendable arm 24 on the truss support system 10 increases the security and safety of the truss support system 10. The second extendable arm 24 can be used to connect to the opposite side of the pack 38 of trusses 22 to the side that are connected to the first extendable arm 18. This allows the pack 38 of trusses 22 to be held from both sides. The trusses 22 are securely fixed in an upright position. Both sides of the pack 38 can be fixed to an extendable arm 18 and 24 of the truss support system 12. Both of these arms are connected to the support pole 12, which is connected to a scaffold pole 16 of the scaffolding. A second truss support system 10 can also be used, to increase the security of the pack of trusses, located on the opposite end of the scaffolding 36 to the first truss support system 10, again with the two arms 18 and 24 connected on opposite sides of the pack of trusses.

The system 10 provides a secure and safe method of handling the trusses 22 during the construction of a roof. The truss support system 10 is able be used to secure a pack 38 of trusses 22 to an existing scaffold pole 16 already in situ on the roof. The trusses 22 are lifted, for example by a crane, onto the roof. The roof trusses 22 are securely held in place ensuring the safety of any people working on the roof. The truss support system 10 has the benefit of an extendable arm 18 which holds the trusses 22 in place. The first arm 18 is flexible enough to allow the removal of one truss 22 at a time, while keeping the rest of the trusses 22 secure and ensuring the safety of those working in the vicinity.

The first extendable arm 18 is connected to the support pole 12 at right angles to the support pole 12 and the second extendable arm 24 is connected to the support pole 12 at right angles to the support pole 12. The second extendable arm 24 is releasably connected to the support pole 12 and can be connected to the support pole 12 at different locations providing different spacing from the first extendable arm 18. This allows the second extendable arm 24 to be height adjustable relative to the first extendable arm 18. This provides flexibility in the operation of the truss support system 10, allowing the system 10 to be used with different sizes of truss 22.

The truss support system 10 of FIG. 2 can be constructed using standard scaffold poles. The support pole 12 and both extendable arms 18 and 24 cam be formed from standard scaffold poles. Each arm 18 and 24 is connected to the support pole 12 by a swivelling T-joint with a locking collar. Each of the arms 18 and 24 are provided with adjustment safety bolts that allow the arms 18 and 24 to be locked in position at their chosen extension. The second fixing plate 26 is rotatable 90 degrees which allows the second fixing plate 26 to be swung out of position while the second extendable arm 24 is manoeuvred into position and then swung back into place to be fixed to a truss 22. In a preferred embodiment of the truss support system 10, the measurements of the various components are as follows. The support pole 12 is 1624 mm long and the connector 14 is 600 mm long. The first extendable arm 18 is 743 mm long in its non-extended form and has 400 mm of extension. The second extendable arm 24 is 1294 mm long in its non-extended form and has 800 mm of extension.

FIG. 3 shows the truss support system 10, in use. The system 10 has been connected to a scaffold pole 16 via the connector 14 and the first fixing plate 20 has been connected to one side of the pack 38 of trusses 22. The first fixing plate 20 is provided with a number of holes that are be used to screw the fixing plate 20 to the end truss 22 of the pack 38. The second extendable arm 24 is extended to the correct length to be hooked over the pack 38 of trusses 22 and the second fixing plate 26 is fixed to the opposite side of the pack 38 of trusses 22, via holes provided in the second fixing plate 26. In this way, once the pack 38 of trusses 22 has been moved into position on top of the walls 32, the pack 38 can be safely and securely held by the truss support system 10, with the two fixing plates 20 and 26 securing opposite sides of the pack 38 of trusses 22.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of a second embodiment of the truss support system 10. As in the previous embodiment, the system 10 comprises a support pole 12, a connector 14 located at one end of the support pole 12 and for connecting to a scaffold pole, a first extendable arm 18 connected at one end to the support pole 12 and extending away from the support pole 12, and a first fixing plate 20 connected to the first extendable arm 18 at the opposite end to the support pole 12. The system 10 also comprises a second extendable arm 24 connected at one end to the support pole 12 and extending away from the support pole 12, and a second fixing plate 26 connected to the second extendable arm 24 at the opposite end to the support pole 12.

The truss support system 10 of FIG. 4 differs from the first embodiment in a number of ways, but the general principles of construction and operation remain the same. The support pole 12 is telescopic, which means that the height of the support system 10 is adjustable. The second extendable arm 24 is telescopic and is formed in three sections which allows this arm 24 to be extended over longer distance. The first extendable arm 18 is formed so that the first fixing plate 20 is mounted on a part of the arm 18 that is screwed relative to the remainder of the arm 18.

FIG. 5 is a perspective exploded view of the different components of the truss support system 10 of FIG. 4. The support pole 12 is formed from a number of tubes that can be telescoped up and down. The two extendable arms 18 and 24 are formed from multiple individual components. In the case of the first extendable arm 18, a first part of the arm is formed from a circular cross-section tube into which is screwed a second part which has the first fixing plate 20 mounted on the opposite end thereof. The second extendable arm 24 is formed from three square cross-section tubes of different sizes that telescope together. A groove and lockable ratchet system is provided that allows the extension of the second extendable arm 24 to be controlled. The second fixing plate 26 is mounted on one end of the second extendable arm.

FIG. 6 shows a detail of the truss support system 10 of FIGS. 4 and 5, with the two extendable arms 18 and 24 folded down against the support pole 16. The second embodiment of the truss support system 10 is constructed so that the two extendable arms 18 and 24 can be folded down, when the system 10 is not in use. Each arm 18 and 24 is connected to the support pole 16 by a hinge which can be locked and unlocked as required. The support system 10 can be transported with the two extendable arms 18 and 24 folded down so that they are parallel to the support pole 16 and then when the truss support system 10 is to be used, the two extendable arms 18 and 24 can be hinged so that they are now perpendicular to the support pole 16 and then the extendable arms 18 and 24 can be locked in the perpendicular position.

Claims

1. A truss support system comprising a support pole, a connector located at one end of the support pole and for connecting to a scaffold pole, a first extendable arm connected at one end to the support pole and extending away from the support pole, and a first fixing plate connected to the first extendable arm at the opposite end to the support pole, wherein the system further comprises a second extendable arm connected at one end to the support pole and extending away from the support pole, and a second fixing plate connected to the second extendable arm at the opposite end to the support pole.

2. A truss support system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first extendable arm is rotatable around the support pole.

3. A truss support system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second extendable arm is rotatable around the support pole.

4. A truss support system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second extendable arm is connected to the support pole at the opposite end to the connector and the first extendable arm is connected to the support pole in-between the second extendable arm and the connector.

5. A truss support system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first extendable arm is connected to the support pole at right angles to the support pole.

6. A truss support system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second extendable arm is connected to the support pole at right angles to the support pole.

7. A truss support system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second extendable arm is releasably connected to the support pole and can be connected to the support pole at different locations providing different spacing from the first extendable arm.

8. A truss support system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the connector comprises an elongate tube, with the support pole located in one end of the elongate tube, with the other end of the elongate tube open to receive a scaffold pole.

9. A method of operating a truss support system comprising receiving a truss support system comprising a support pole, a connector located at one end of the support pole, a first extendable arm connected at one end to the support pole and extending away from the support pole, and a first fixing plate connected to the extendable arm at the opposite end to the support pole, connecting the connector to a scaffold pole, extending the arm to contact a truss, and connecting the fixing plate to the truss, wherein the system further comprises a second extendable arm connected at one end to the support pole and extending away from the support pole, and a second fixing plate connected to the second extendable arm at the opposite end to the support pole, and the method further comprises the steps of extending the second arm to contact a second truss and connecting the second fixing plate to the second truss.