AU2005209605A1

AU2005209605A1 - Metal Roof Truss Connector Assembly

Info

Publication number: AU2005209605A1
Application number: AU2005209605A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Leon Willem Greeff; Graham John Peacock
Original assignee: Vlaeberg Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Vlaeberg Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2005-09-08
Filing date: 2005-09-08
Publication date: 2007-03-22
Also published as: CN101316971B; US20110016820A1; CN101316971A; WO2007028214A1

Description

12857AU 0

ORIGINAL

Complete Specification Applicant: Title: Address for Service: Quickframe Technologies Pty Ltd Metal Roof Truss Connector Assembly LESICAR PERRIN, 49 Wright Street, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to melus: Metal Roof Truss Connector Assembly

O

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a metal roof truss connector assembly and, in 0particular, the assembly for connection between truss members, through the use of an additional guide or flanged insert.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION NThe present inventor is the owner of the co-pending international patent r, application, PCT/AU2004/001045 relating to metal roof truss connection. The O contents of the co-pending application are incorporated by reference herein.

Metal roof trusses generally consist of a frame in the form of three chord members arranged in a triangular configuration to support the roof, and internal stiffening members which serve to strengthen the frame. The chord members typically comprise a base chord member and two upper diagonal chord members which join at the roof apex, whilst the stiffening members are typically configured in a triangular web arrangement between the chord members such that each carries a tension or compression force. Chord and stiffening members are manufactured having a range of cross-sections including C-sections, square hollow sections, rectangular hollow sections, and rounded hollow sections, depending on the strength and structural requirements of the truss. The chord and stiffening members exemplified herein are of the C-section type, however, it is to be understood that the present invention may equally well be used on members having alternate cross-sections.

There are numerous known methods of connecting metal roof truss members, most of which include simple bolt connections. The present application is an improved means of assembly and connection from that of the prior art. This is evident when comparing with the traditional methods of assembly.

Traditional means of assembly are generally time consuming and difficult.

Roof trusses are generally assembled just prior to installation. As those skilled in the art would realise, after fixing a first end of the stiffening members to a base chord member, one must take care to align the opposed end of the stiffening member with a receiving section of an upper chord member for connection thereto. This can be done in one of two ways. One may fix the first end of the stiffening member to the base chord member in perfect alignment, which is difficult. Another way is to only partially fix the first end so that the opposed end may be rotated into alignment with the receiving portion of the upper chord. The method of connection outlined in the co- 00 O pending application provides a more practical connection means between truss members. It allows for a first end of each member to be sufficiently secured to another member whilst allowing the free end to be appropriately moved into a position where N mounting to a further member is desired. The two members are connected together by a screw and held apart by a spacer. The difficulty with this arrangement is that the spacer has to be held in place and aligned correctly. This is both difficult and time consuming.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the aforementioned problems and to provide the public with a useful alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore in one form of the invention there is proposed a connection between a first and a second roof truss member, said connection including: said first member including two parallel and spaced apart longitudinal surfaces wherein at least a portion of said surfaces is laterally disposed from their respective longitudinal surfaces; said second member including two parallel and spaced apart longitudinal surfaces wherein at least a portion of said surfaces is correspondingly shaped with said laterally disposed portions of the first member, whereby engagement of said first member and second member portions allows said second member to rotate relative to said first member whilst preventing said second member from radial movement relative to the first member, said second member rotatable relative to said first member about a bolt adapted to extend through apertures on said first member and second member portions which coaxially align when said portions are engaged; a spacer to maintain the spaced apart relationship between parallel surfaces of first member despite tightening of the bolt which urges said parallel surfaces of said first and second members together, said spacer including a cylindrical body having an internal bore of slightly larger diameter than said bolt.

In preference of said apertures on said first and second member portions are coaxially aligned, said bolt is aligned for fastening by said internal bore of said spacer at a desired angle.

r, Preferably said spacer is retained by said spaced apart member portions.

00 Preferably said spacer consists of said cylindrical body having said internal bore. Said internal bore has a flanged configuration wherein the flanged bore narrows Oto form a diameter of slightly larger dimension than said bolt.

OPreferably said flanged bore is in the form of a flanged insert. Said flanged insert is inserted into said cylindrical body to form the configuration for said spacer.

C 10 Said flanged insert is of a slightly smaller diameter than said cylindrical body so as to be retained.

Preferably said first member includes a secondary locking means in the form of two gripping edges associated with said laterally spaced portions of the first member such that when the bolt connection is tightened, the gripping edges grip said parallel and spaced apart longitudinal surfaces of said second member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several implementations of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the advantages and principles of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 illustrates a side view of a metal roof truss having chord and stiffening members; Figure 2 illustrates a perspective view of the open surface of a metal roof truss chord member; Figure 3 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the connection means used between a chord and stiffening member as it is currently known; Figure 4 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the connection means between a chord and stiffening member; with the use of the flanged insert, in accordance with the present invention; Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the connector assembly, in 00 5 accordance with the present invention; Figure 6 is a side view of the connector assembly of Figure 5; and Figure 7 is a cross-sectioned view of an assembled connector assembly Owhen used on a roof truss.

ODESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. Although the description includes exemplary embodiments, other embodiments are possible, and changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The present invention refers to a metal roof truss connector assembly for the purpose of aiding construction. In particular, a flanged insert that provides a solution to the problems arising from the current method of assembly of a metal roof truss. As mentioned in the preamble of the invention, there is the problem associated with the applicant's method of metal roof truss connection, namely the difficulty in manually securing the spacer in place between circular pressed sections of a stiffening member during assembly. There is also the further difficulty in guiding a bolt through apertures of the circular pressed sections..

Shown in Figure 1 is a metal roof truss 10, having stiffening members 12, 14, 16 and 18 and chord members 20, 22 and 24, is. Although the metal roof truss consists of numerous joints between chord and stiffening members, only one of these is explicitly described herein. More specifically, the connection between the end of stiffening member 12 and the lower chord member 20 as shown in Figure 1 is described. It is to be understood however that this description also applies to the remaining joints also.

Truss 10 includes a triangular frame defined by the lower or base chord member 20 and the two upper diagonal chord members 22 and 24 which form the diagonal sides of the triangular frame. The four stiffening members 12, 14, 16 and 18 of the truss 10 serve to support the chord members. The connection between chord and stiffening members, not only prevents lateral motion of the stiffening members 00 Orelative to the chord members, but also increases the shear strength of each joint. The connection allows a person assembling the metal roof truss 10 to do so in a shorter amount of time then the previous methods of assembly, as they may simply align a Nfree end of each stiffening member with a receiving section of a chord member by simply rotating the free end until it is correctly aligned with the receiving section.

Connection between chord members is also achieved using the same connection means.

Figure 2 illustrates a section of the lower chord member 20 when disconnected from the truss 10. The chord member 20 is made of strip steel that has been extruded into an elongate C-section beam including an indented base 26, side walls 28 and and upper edges 32 and 34 defining an open channel 36. At opposed ends of the chord member 20, side wall 28 extends longitudinally beyond the upper edges 32 and 34 and base 26 to form semicircular flanges 38 and 40, whilst side wall 30 extends longitudinally in the same manner to form semicircular flanges 42 and 44.

Each chord member 20, 22 and 24 includes circular pressed sections such as 46 and 48, on flanges 38 and 40 and those on flanges 42 and 44, not seen on this drawing. The centre point of each pressed section 46 and 48 is defined by the respective aperture 54 and 56. The apertures also define the radial centres of each corresponding semicircular flange. The chord member 20 includes similar pressed sections 62 and 64 located at each section along the member to which another chord or stiffening member is to be mounted.

Each of the stiffening members also includes the configuration of circular pressed sections and semi-circular flanges. The pressed sections 62 and 64 of the chord member 20 are correspondingly shaped with pressed sections 86 and 90 of the stiffening member 12 respectively. These sections; 62 and 64, also include respective central opposed apertures 102.

Figure 3 illustrates the connection means as it is currently known between a stiffening member 12 and a chord member 20. When the flanges 78 and 82 of stiffening member 12 are inserted between side walls 28 and 30 of chord member (at the appropriate mounting position, the pressed sections of each member become engaged. Once engaged, each aperture of each section becomes coaxially aligned so 00 Sthat a bolt 105 may extend there through and engage nut 106. Those skilled in the art would realise that when the pressed sections engage, one section is effectively snapped within the other and prevented from radial movement, or in other words, N relative movement of the members along a shear plane.

Those skilled in the art would further realise that tightening of the bolt 105 causes the end of the stiffening member 12 to be effectively secured within the receiving section of chord member 20. When the bolt is further tightened, the flanges 78 and 82 will deflect inwards. For this reason, housed within the semicircular flanges 78 and 82 is a cylindrical spacer or ferrule 108. The inner diameter of the spacer is greater than the outer diameter of the pressed sections, such as pressed section 86, so that the spacer fits over the pressed section. Even thought the spacer may be held between the flanges by friction, when one is trying to insert the bolt and tighten it, there is the real danger that the spacer may slip. For that reason the spacer needs to be held in place whilst the bolt is being tightened. If it is not, then there is the potential for the spacer to slip so that its edge may lie over the top of the pressed section, and can remain so when the bolt is tightened.

Figure 4 illustrates clearly the connection means of the present invention, that is the way in which stiffening member 12 connects with chord member 20, and in particular the addition of the flanged insert 107 to the connector assembly. One end of the stiffening member 12 is inserted through the splayed opening of chord member The circular pressed sections 86 and 90 of stiffening member 12 retain the ferrule 108 and the flanged insert 107, through the action of circular indents on the pressed sections. The new connector assembly uses a flanged insert 107 to solve the problems associated with the known method of connection. The flanged insert 107 is placed inside the ferrule 108 and the two pieces are secured in position within the circular indents on pressings 86 and 90. This solution eliminates the need for the person assembling the metal roof truss to hold the ferrule in place whilst fastening the bolt 105. The bolt 105 is now guided through both apertures, eliminating the time required to align the two apertures on each side of the pressed sections 86 and 90. The flanged insert is manufactured so that it is a somewhat tight fit within the ferrule or spacer. It is typically made of a plastic material that has the necessary strength whilst being slippery enough to be able to be retainingly inserted into the spacer.

00 Referring now to Figures 5 and 6, the connection assembly is shown in exploded perspective and side view. Figure 5 clearly shows the flanged insert 107 and its relationship within the connector assembly. The flanged insert 107 has a slightly smaller diameter then the ferrule 108, so that it fits inside the ferrule. It can also be seen that the internal aperture of flanged insert 107 is of a slightly larger diameter then that of the bolt 105. It has two flanged or conical ends, 109 and 113, with a cylindrical shaped mid section 111. The flanged insert sits longitudinally inside the ferrule and aligns the apertures on the chord and stiffening members co-axially to guide the bolt 105 for insertion.

It can be seen from Figure 5 that the bolt 105 is threaded through the aperture of flanged insert 107, and also the apertures of circular pressings in stiffening members; 86 and 90. From this diagram it can be clearly seen that the circular pressings contain the flanged insert 107 and in turn contain the ferrule 108.

Referring now to Figure 7, illustrated is a cross-sectional view of the connector assembly. This figure clearly demonstrates the relative diameters of the parts and how each is designed to fit in assembled form.

Furthermore, the above arrangements of truss members are by way of example only and are not intended to limit the present invention to only these arrangements. For example, metal roof truss 10 may well include nine stiffening members rather than four. Also the flanged insert may be of a solid form and the angle of the flanges may be varied for ease of manufacture.

In summary, the present invention discloses a novel and improved connection means between various members of a metal roof truss, namely an improved method of connection between individual chord members and also the connection between chord and stiffening members. This method of connection overcomes the problems of retaining the ferrule and guiding the fastening bolt, thus overcoming the limitations of the previous system by providing a more efficient means of assembly.

The addition of the flanged insert allows the assembler to connect members of a metal roof truss more efficiently with respect to time and complexity. The person 00 5 assembling a metal roof truss is now able, through the addition of the flanged insert, placed inside the ferrule, to retain the ferrule and the flanged insert in position between the circular pressings of the stiffening members, without physically doing so.

Also the person assembling can thread the fastening bolt easily through the aligned apertures, with the flanged insert acting as a guide. This greatly improves efficiency by reducing the complexity of assembly of a metal roof truss.

Further advantages and improvements may very well be made to the present invention without deviating from its scope. Although the invention has been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope and spirit of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus.

In any claims that follow and in the summary of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprising" is used in the sense of "including", i.e. the features specified may be associated with further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Dated this 8 September 2005 QuickFrame Technologies Pty Ltd By their Patent Attorneys LESICAR PERRIN

Claims

1. A connection between a first and a second roof truss member, said connection including: 0said first member including two parallel and spaced apart longitudinal surfaces wherein at least a portion of said surfaces is laterally disposed from their respective longitudinal surfaces; said second member including two parallel and spaced apart longitudinal surfaces wherein at least a portion of said surfaces is correspondingly shaped ,1 with said laterally disposed portions of the first member, whereby engagement of said first member and second member portions allows said second member to rotate relative to said first member whilst preventing said second member from radial movement relative to the first member, said second member rotatable relative to said first member about a bolt adapted to extend through apertures on said first member and second member portions which coaxially align when said portions are engaged; a spacer to maintain the spaced apart relationship between parallel surfaces of first member despite tightening of the bolt which urges said parallel surfaces of said first and second members together, said spacer including a cylindrical body having an internal bore of slightly larger diameter than said bolt.

2. A connection according to claim 1 wherein said apertures on said first and second member portions are coaxially aligned, said bolt is aligned for fastening by said internal bore of said spacer at a desired angle.

3. A connection according to claim 1 and 2 wherein said spacer is retained by said spaced apart member portions.

4. A connection according to claim 1-3 wherein said spacer consists of said cylindrical body having said internal bore. Said internal bore has a flanged configuration wherein the flanged bore narrows to form a diameter of slightly larger dimension than said bolt. t

5. A connection according to claim 1-4 wherein said flanged bore is in the form of a flanged insert. Said flanged insert is inserted into said cylindrical body to N form the configuration for said spacer. Said flanged insert is of a slightly smaller diameter than said cylindrical body so as to be retained. 00

6. A connection according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said first t member includes a secondary locking means in the form of two gripping edges C, associated with said laterally spaced portions of the first member such that when the bolt connection is tightened, the gripping edges grip said parallel and tV 10 spaced apart longitudinal surfaces of said second member.