WALL CONSTRUCTION

Abstract

Wall structure in particular for industrial buildings having a vertical support post (5) supported on the ground, to which an upper end of a support rail (1) is affixed, wherein at least one carrier (2) with a solar module (3) is fixed to the support rail (1) and the support rail (1) is fixed in an inclined position relative to the vertical by means of a spacer (9) positioned between the support post (5) and the support rail (1).

Description

The present invention relates to a wall structure, in particular for industrial buildings.

There are mounting systems for solar modules in which a frame is aligned in an inclined manner and mounted on one side to a place on a wall or a façade and supported at the opposing side on a substructure, for example on pile-driven foundation posts. A disadvantage thereby is that the taking-up of the static loads is done by means of the substructure, which is why this has to be carried out with substantial effort by using pile-driven foundation posts or by the casting of bases or other measures. In addition, it is not always possible to support the mounting system for solar modules on the ground.

Therefore, it is the object of the present invention to provide a wall structure that makes it possible to mount solar modules in a simple manner without the need for anchoring measures on the ground.

This object is achieved with a wall structure with the features of claim 1.

According to the invention, the wall structure comprises a vertical support post supported on the ground, which, for example, can also be a support post for a wall element of an industrial building, to which an upper end of a support rail is affixed. At least one carrier with a solar module is fixed to the support rail, and the support rail is fixed in an inclined position relative to the vertical by means of a spacer positioned between the support post and the support rail. In this manner, the taking-up of the weight loads is done by connecting the support rail to the vertical support post, so that it is then not necessary to provide measures to shore up the support rail on the ground. The support rail is fixed merely by means of a spacer at a pre-determined angle of inclination in order to operate the solar modules with a high degree of efficiency.

It is preferable for the support rail to be attached to the spacer in such a way as to be moveable in a longitudinal direction. Thus, thermal stress in particular can be avoided as the support rail can be mounted in greater lengths of, for example, up to 4 m. To this end, the support rail can be attached to the spacer either by means of a hinge or by being slidable, so that alterations in the length of the support rail can be compensated for without any problems.

To achieve an optimal alignment of the solar modules, the support rail can be positioned at an angle of inclination to the vertical of between 5° and 20°, in particular 8° to 15°. The solar modules are preferably plate-shaped photovoltaic elements, but other solar modules can also be mounted to the support rails.

Preferably, a wall element is mounted to the support post, for example a wall element having an outer layer and an insulating layer. The support rail used for attaching the solar modules extends thereby in a preferential arrangement over at least 70%, preferably at least 80%, of the height of the wall element so that the surface area of the wall element is utilized to a large extent, and the wall structure can also be retrofitted very well to existing industrial buildings.

In order to cover a large surface area of a wall element with solar modules, several support rails next to one another are fixed in each case to a vertical support post, wherein the support rails are connected to each other by means of cross struts to which solar modules with a surface area of more than 20 m² are mounted. Thus also solar modules with a particularly large surface area, for example with a size of more than 4 m², in particular more than 5 m², can be mounted to the support rail in a simple manner. The lower end of the support rail can thereby be arranged less than 1 m above ground, so that a wall element can be covered to a large extent over its entire surface with solar modules.

In order to achieve a stable attachment, it is preferable to provide fixing devices for the support rail and/or the spacer that penetrate the wall element. To this end, a drill hole is formed in the wall element through which the fixing device is guided, wherein the drill hole is then filled out with foam and sealed after installation. Thus, heat loss due to the fixing devices can be kept to a minimum.

The invention will be described subsequently in more detail by means of embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a wall structure according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the wall structure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a detailed view of the upper mounting of the support rails of the wall structure;

FIG. 4 shows a detailed view of the lower connection of the support rails of the wall structure, and

FIG. 5 shows a perspective exploded view of a modified mounting of the support rail.

A wall structure comprises support rails 1 arranged in an inclined manner and which are fixed at the upper end by means of fixing devices 10. Thereby, several support rails 1 are arranged that are connected to each other by means of one or more cross struts 2. Attached to the cross struts 2 are solar modules, for example, large-surfaced photovoltaic modules having a surface area of more that 5 m². The support rails 1 can likewise possess a length from 4 to 10 m, in particular 6 to 8 m, according to the height of a wall element 4.

As shown in FIG. 2, each support rail 1 is held at a side facing towards the ground 14 to a spacer 9 in the form of a strut, wherein the spacer 9 is connected to the support rail 1 by means of a joint 11. At the opposite side, the spacer 9 is likewise connected by means of a joint 12 to a fixing device 90. The support rail 1 is thereby attached to and suspended from the fixing device 10 and can expand and contract in length, as symbolised by the arrow. Pivoting of the spacer 9 compensates for the alteration in length. It is, of course, also possible to provide the spacer 9 with guidance means so that the support rail 1 is guided to slide along the spacer 9.

The support profile 1 is aligned in an incline by the spacer 9 at an angle β of approximately 70° to 85° relative to the horizontal, so that the solar modules 3 have a high degree of efficiency.

The wall structure further comprises a vertical support post 5 that is anchored to a floor 8 and to which a wall element 4 is mounted. Furthermore, the vertical support post 5 serves as a support for roof braces 6 and roof elements 7.

The attachment of the support rail 1 in its upper region is portrayed in detail in FIG. 3. The vertical support post 5 is designed as an I-beam and comprises a side web 17 to which a wall structure 4 is attached. The wall element 4 can have an outer insulating layer consisting of, for example, sheet metal.

In order to mount the support rail 1 to the support post 5, a fixing device 10 is provided that has on one side a plate-shaped mounting flange 15 and which lies against the web 17 and is fixed by means of one or more screws 16. The fixing device 10 comprises a bend-resistant web that extends from the flange 15 to an opposite carrier plate 18 that is aligned in an inclined position relative to the vertical. The carrier plate 18 rests against a web 19 of the support rail 1 that is likewise designed as an I-beam. The carrier plate 18 is thereby fixed to the web 19 by means of one or more screws 16. Likewise, a web 20 is provided at the opposite side of the support rail 1, to which a cross strut 2 is attached by means of fixing devices 21, wherein a plate-shaped solar module 3 is fixed to the cross strut 2 by holding means 22. The solar modules 3 can possess an edge length of over 2 m, for example 2.20×2.60 m.

In order to be able to install the fixing device 10 to a support post 5 in retrospect, first of all a drill hole is made into the wall element 4 and the fixing device 10 is mounted. Subsequently, the cavity in the wall element 4 is filled with foam 23 and closed off to the outside by means of a cover plate 24. Thus heat loss can be kept to a minimum and damage due to damp can be avoided.

In FIG. 4, the connection of the support rail 1 is depicted in its lower region. Here, too, the support rail 1 is connected on the outside to a cross strut 2, to which a solar module 3 is attached. On the side facing towards the wall element 4, a spacer 9 in the form of a strut is provided that is connected to the support rail 1 in an articulated fashion by means of an axis 11. At the opposite side, the spacer 9 is connected in an articulated fashion by means of an axis 12 to a fixing device 90 that rests by way of a mounting flange 15 against the web 17 of the support post 5. The mounting flange 15 is connected to the web 17 by means of screws 16. Furthermore, the plate-shaped fixing device 90 extends from the mounting flange 15 and protrudes through the wall element 4, wherein the axis 12 is arranged on the protruding part for attaching the spacer 9. The wall element 4 is also here left with a recess after drilling that is then filled with foam 23 and closed off by a cover plate 24 after mounting the fixing device 90. As can be recognized in FIG. 4, the fixing device 90 is situated just above the factory floor 8 on which the support post 5 is fixed. Thus, the support rails 1 can extend from just above the ground, for example, from a distance of less than 1 m. Therefore, the height of the wall element 4 is covered to a large extent by the support rail1.

FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment for attaching a support rail 1. Drill holes are provided in the web 17 of the support post 5 for the attachment of a mount 10′ that is designed as a hollow profile and which can be attached to the web 17 by means of a base plate 15′. Welded to a web 19 of the support rail 1 is a plug-in element 18′ that is inserted into the mount 10′. Thus, the support rail 1 can be pre-attached in a simple manner to the mount 10′ before fixing devices are attached to the mount 10′ and the plug-in element 18′.

Claims

1. Wall structure in particular for industrial buildings having a vertical support post (5) supported on the ground, to which an upper end of a support rail (1) is affixed, wherein at least one carrier (2) with a solar module (3) is fixed to the support rail (1) and the support rail (1) is fixed in an inclined position relative to the vertical by means of a spacer (9) positioned between the support post (5) and the support rail (1).

2. Wall structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the support rail (1) is longitudinally moveably attached to the spacer (9).

3. Wall structure according to claim 2, characterized in that the support rail (1) is slidably attached to the spacer (9).

4. Wall structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the support rail (1) is aligned at an angle of inclination to the vertical of between 5° and 20°, in particular 8° to 15°.

5. Wall structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a wall element (4) is mounted to the support post (5).

6. Wall structure according to claim 5, characterized in that the support rail (1) used for attaching the solar modules (3) extends over at least 70%, preferably at least 80%, of the height of the wall element (4).

7. Wall structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that several support rails (1) next to one another are fixed in each case to a vertical support post (5), and the support rails (1) are connected to each other by means of cross struts, to which solar modules (3) with a surface area of more than 20 m2 are mounted.

8. Wall structure according to any one of the aforementioned claims, characterized in that the wall element (4) has an outer layer and an insulating layer.

9. Wall structure according to any one of the aforementioned claims, characterized in that the support rail (1) and/or the spacer (9) are attached to the vertical support post (5) by means of fixing devices (10,90) that penetrate the wall element (4).

10. Wall structure according to claim 9, characterized in that a drill hole is formed in the wall element (4) through which the fixing device (10, 90) is guided, wherein the drill hole is filled out with foam and sealed.

11. Wall structure according to any one of the aforementioned claims, characterized in that the lower end of the support rail (1) is positioned less than 1 m above the ground (14).

12. Wall structure according to any one of the aforementioned claims, characterized in that the support rail (1) has a length of more than 4 m, in particular more than 6 m.