GB1596021A

GB1596021A - Building component

Info

Publication number: GB1596021A
Application number: GB276677A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: XFAM; British Aluminum Co Ltd
Current assignee: XFAM; British Aluminum Co Ltd
Priority date: 1978-01-24
Filing date: 1978-01-24
Publication date: 1981-08-19

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO A BUILDING COMPONENT (71) We, THE BRITISH ALUMI NIUM COMPANY LIMITED, a Company registered under the laws of Great Britain, formerly of Norfolk House, St. Jame's Square, London, SW1Y 4 JS, now of 7 Baker Street, London W1M 1AB, and OXFAM a body corporate organised under the laws of Great Britain of 274 Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 7DZ, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to a building component, various structural building elements fabricated from the component and a building frame fabricated from the component and such structural elements.

There are many occasions when temporary accommodation is required hurriedly which is adequate to protect occupants against wind and rain and which may be erected very rapidly from easily handlable material by unskilled labour utilising the simplest tools.

Such accommodation may be needed, for example, following natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, where the rapid provisions of shelter could be instrumental in saving the lives of many people who would otherwise perish.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a single building component which is cheap to produce, is readily transportable and can be handled and worked on site with unskilled labour using simple tools to produce a range of structural building elements and the framework of buildings.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a metallic building component comprising an elongated plank of substantially uniform thickness and of generally "U" section having a web and two side walls the major parts of which extend at an angle of 135 to the medial plane of the web, in which at least one row of apertures is formed along each side wall and along each side of the web adjacent the junctures thereof with the side walls, the transverse length of each side wall being sufficiently less than the transverse length of the web so that when two such planks are joined by adjacent side walls, in a -Vformation a third such plank may be disposed between the first two planks in such a way that the side walls of the third plank nest respectively against the webs of the first two planks and the outer edges of these side walls do not project outwardly of the plane containing the other side walls of the first two planks, the apertures permitting the bolting together or riveting together of planks. When the component is of alumi- nium alloy it may be less than 2 mm thick and is preferably less than 1 mm.

The transverse length of the side walls may be 0.3 times the transverse length of the web.

The invention also provides a triangular section structural building element comprising three planks joined together according to the penultimate paragraph to constitute a beam or a column.

A building frame may also be provided comprising a plurality of structural elements according to the immediately preceding paragraph, arranged as spaced apart columns joined at or near their upper ends by planks according to the invention. The framework may also include such structural building elements used as beams and may additionally include square section columns formed of four planks joined by adjacent side walls.

The above and other aspects of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure l is a perspective view of a building ctemwnent according to the present inven tion; Figure 2 is a transverse section through the component of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end view of a column of triangular section; Figure 4 is an end view of a column of square section Figure 5 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing part of a building frame, and Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing part of a more elaborate building frame.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, a building component is provided in the for-m of a plank 1 of aluminium alloy having a thickness less than 2 mm and having a flat web 2, two side walls 3 and 4 extending upwardly therefrom to form a trough of '4U" section as shown in Figure 2. The side walls 3 are also flat and extend at an angle of 135 (subject to normal tolerances) to the medial plane of the web. This particular shape enables the planks to nest together with a minimum of wasted space between them so reducing potential transport costs.

The planks are formed with a row of apertures such as 5 along each side wall with a similar row 6 in the web adjacent the juncture of the latter with the side walls, These apertures are not shown in detail and may, for example, be slots at least parts of which are at an angle to the longitudinal dimension of the plank.

The transverse dimension of each side wall relative to the transverse dimension of the web is such that, as shown in Figure 3, when two planks 1 and la are joined together by their side walls 3 and 3a, in a -Vformation, a third plank ib may be disposed between the webs of the planks 1 and la with its side walls nesting against and secured as by bolts or rivets to those webs in such a way that they do not project outwardly of the plane containing the other side walls 3b and 3c of the planks 1 and la.

Figure 4 shows an end view of a square section column formed from four planks secured together at their side walls.

Figure 5 shows part of a building frame in which four triangular section columns 7 are joined at their upper ends by planks 1.

Assuming the building is to be a single storey and to have roof members secured thereto, it is advantageous to bend the uppermost side wall of each of the planks so as to be at an angle of 90" to its web. In view of the gauge of aluminium alloy to be used this may readily be done by hand. For greater strength two planks may be disposed 'back to back" to form a beam. The roof members may be of troughed or corrugated aluminium sheet.

A more complex arrangements is shown in Figure 6 where square section columns 8 are employed at intermediate locations.

It will be understood that a comparatively sophisticated building frame can thus be fabricated from a single building component, i.e. the plank of the present invention, by first assembling a number of columns using either three or four planks and joining these together with other planks (or for a stronger structure, with triangular section structural elements used as beams). By locating the triangular section columns with their flat faces outwardly, sheet material may readily be secured to the frame to constitute a side wall of the building. Such material may be the planks according to the present invention joined together in a zigzag formation. Such planks could similarly be used as a roof covering.

Alternatively, both side walls and roof covering could be of locally available lightweight material.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A metallic building component comprising an elongated plank of substantially uniform thickness and of generally "U" section having a web and two side walls the major parts of which extend at an angle of 135 to the medial plane of the web, in which at least one row of apertures is formed aong each side wall and along each side of the web adjacent the junctures thereof with the side walls, the transverse length of each side wall being sufficiently less than the transverse length of the web so that when two such planks are joined by adjacent side walls in a -V- formation a third such plank may be disposed between the first two planks in such a way that the side walls of the third plank nest respectively against the webs of the first two planks and the outer edges of these side walls do not project outwardly of the plane containing the other side walls of the first two planks, the apertures permitting the bolting together or riveting together of the planks.

2. A building component according to Claim 1 which is of aluminium alloy less than 2 mm thick.

3. A building component according to Claim 2 which is less than 1 mm thick.

4. A building component according to any one of the preceding Claims in which the transverse length of the side walls is 0.3 times the transverse length of the web.

5. A triangular section structural building element comprising three components according to any one of the preceding Claims joined together as indicated in Claim 1.

6. A building frame comprising a plurality of structural elements according to Claim 5, arranged as spaced apart columns joined at or near their upper ends by further elements.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. Figure l is a perspective view of a building ctemwnent according to the present inven tion; Figure 2 is a transverse section through the component of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end view of a column of triangular section; Figure 4 is an end view of a column of square section Figure 5 is a diagrammatic perspective view showing part of a building frame, and Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing part of a more elaborate building frame. Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, a building component is provided in the for-m of a plank 1 of aluminium alloy having a thickness less than 2 mm and having a flat web 2, two side walls 3 and 4 extending upwardly therefrom to form a trough of '4U" section as shown in Figure 2. The side walls 3 are also flat and extend at an angle of 135 (subject to normal tolerances) to the medial plane of the web. This particular shape enables the planks to nest together with a minimum of wasted space between them so reducing potential transport costs. The planks are formed with a row of apertures such as 5 along each side wall with a similar row 6 in the web adjacent the juncture of the latter with the side walls, These apertures are not shown in detail and may, for example, be slots at least parts of which are at an angle to the longitudinal dimension of the plank. The transverse dimension of each side wall relative to the transverse dimension of the web is such that, as shown in Figure 3, when two planks 1 and la are joined together by their side walls 3 and 3a, in a -Vformation, a third plank ib may be disposed between the webs of the planks 1 and la with its side walls nesting against and secured as by bolts or rivets to those webs in such a way that they do not project outwardly of the plane containing the other side walls 3b and 3c of the planks 1 and la. Figure 4 shows an end view of a square section column formed from four planks secured together at their side walls. Figure 5 shows part of a building frame in which four triangular section columns 7 are joined at their upper ends by planks 1. Assuming the building is to be a single storey and to have roof members secured thereto, it is advantageous to bend the uppermost side wall of each of the planks so as to be at an angle of 90" to its web. In view of the gauge of aluminium alloy to be used this may readily be done by hand. For greater strength two planks may be disposed 'back to back" to form a beam. The roof members may be of troughed or corrugated aluminium sheet. A more complex arrangements is shown in Figure 6 where square section columns 8 are employed at intermediate locations. It will be understood that a comparatively sophisticated building frame can thus be fabricated from a single building component, i.e. the plank of the present invention, by first assembling a number of columns using either three or four planks and joining these together with other planks (or for a stronger structure, with triangular section structural elements used as beams). By locating the triangular section columns with their flat faces outwardly, sheet material may readily be secured to the frame to constitute a side wall of the building. Such material may be the planks according to the present invention joined together in a zigzag formation. Such planks could similarly be used as a roof covering. Alternatively, both side walls and roof covering could be of locally available lightweight material. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A metallic building component comprising an elongated plank of substantially uniform thickness and of generally "U" section having a web and two side walls the major parts of which extend at an angle of 135 to the medial plane of the web, in which at least one row of apertures is formed aong each side wall and along each side of the web adjacent the junctures thereof with the side walls, the transverse length of each side wall being sufficiently less than the transverse length of the web so that when two such planks are joined by adjacent side walls in a -V- formation a third such plank may be disposed between the first two planks in such a way that the side walls of the third plank nest respectively against the webs of the first two planks and the outer edges of these side walls do not project outwardly of the plane containing the other side walls of the first two planks, the apertures permitting the bolting together or riveting together of the planks.

3. A building component according to Claim 2 which is less than 1 mm thick.

7. A building frame according to Claim

6 including further structural elements used as beams.

8. A building frame according to Claim 6 or Claim 7 including square section columns formed of four of said building components joined by adjacent side walls.

9. A structural building element comprising four of said building components joined by adjacent side walls.

10. A structural building element according to Claim 9, which is of square cross section.

11. A metallic building component substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

12. A building element substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 3 or Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.

13. A building frame substantially as herein described with reference to Figure 5 or Figure 6 of the accompanying drawings.