GB2448859A

GB2448859A - Hinged support bracket for cladding allows access to hidden fastenings

Info

Publication number: GB2448859A
Application number: GB0701828A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Francis Bryan Carey
Original assignee: Ash and Lacy Building Systems Ltd
Current assignee: Ash and Lacy Building Systems Ltd
Priority date: 2007-01-31
Filing date: 2007-01-31
Publication date: 2008-11-05
Also published as: GB0701828D0; IE20080049A1

Abstract

A support bracket 1 for supporting a wall or roof support rail or purlin 9, comprises a base portion 2 adapted to be secured to an existing wall or roof structure 11 and a support arm portion 5 connected or connectable to the base portion 2. The support arm 5 is movable between an open position affording access to the base portion for fixing the base to the underlying structure 11, e.g. by means of fasteners. In a closed, outwardly disposed position, the arm portion can be receive or be received by a wall or roof support member, such as a support rail or roof purlin 9. Preferably the two portions move about a pivot pin, but they may alternatively be integrally formed and fold about a weakened section. The bracket may have notches to allow precise alignment, permitting use by a single person. The two portions are preferably channel shaped, and sized to allow overlapping regions.

Description

I

Improvements in and relating to Wall and Roof Cladding This invention relates to wall and roof cladding of the kind in which weatherproof membranes, typically corrugated metal sheets, are supported by brackets against or on support structures forming part of a building, such as metal roof purlins and support rails/posts of the type described in GB 2240558, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

A problem with such wall and roof membrane support structures, which can be used on new build projects and existing old build projects, is that for the latter the existing wall or roof membranes are often corrugated, with the recesses bearing directly against the underlying framework whereas the corrugations do not. Accordingly, it is necessary to affix any additional formwork such as horizontal purlins or vertical rails, to the existing framework by means of brackets which extend into the recesses in the existing wall or roof membrane.

Although relatively narrow support brackets of the type described in GB 2240558 can be used for this purpose they are primarily designed to resist compressive or tensile forces acting along the major axis of the bracket rather than transverse to it such that, more particularly with longer brackets being required in order to accommodate increasingly rigid insulation requirements, they are less suited to supporting vertically disposed framework onto which wall membranes may be secured, the downward forces of the framework tending to tilt the brackets unless large numbers of them are utilised, which can be unsightly as well as time consuming to install.

The foregoing problem is addressed in part by the use of "top hat" shaped flanged brackets where the flanges are intended to rest within the channel recesses of the existing wall membrane and are secured in place by the use of self drilling screws or other suitable fasteners driven into the existing framework, the top hat portion itself being received within a correspondingly shaped channel of the outer wall membrane support rail. The wall membrane support rail is mounted on the top hat portion of the bracket before being secured by means of bolts driven into the sides of the top hat. However, as will be apparent, because of the presence of the flanges, this kind of bracket is only suitable for use where the corrugations in the existing wall membrane are sufficient'y wide to accommodate them. In addition, this type of bracket can be difficult to align correctly with other brackets in the vertical direction because there is nothing in the centre of the bracket to align anything with and even though it is possible to align, say, one outer edge of one flange, with other corresponding outer edges of other brackets in the vertical direction, it is usually necessary to employ two people for such purpose, one to hold the bracket in place while the other fixes it to the existing wall structure through the use of self-tapping and drilling screws.

The present invention is derived from the realisation that there is a need for a bracket which can be accommodated in relatively narrow recesses of existing corrugated wall and roof membranes and which is relatively easy to align with other such brackets, but whilst still achieving a sufficiently strong fixing to ensure that vertical forces acting on the support rail for the outer wall (or purlin for supporting a roof membrane) are safely transmitted to the inner existing structure.

According to the invention there is provided a support bracket for supporting a wall or roof support rail or purlin, the bracket comprising a base portion adapted to be secured to a wall or roof structure and a support arm portion connected or connectable to the base portion, the support arm being foldable between an open position affording access to the base portion with fasteners for fixing the base portion to an underlying structure, and a closed, outwardly disposed position, at which outwardly disposed position the arm portion can be secured relative to the base portion to thereafter receive or be received by a wall or roof support member, such as a support rail or roof purlin.

Conveniently, the base portion and the arm portion are channel-shaped, the outer channel width of one portion corresponding to the inner channel width of the other, such that as the support arm is folded outwardly for use the sides of the channels overlap in this region, thereby permitting the support arm to be secured against further folding movement by, e.g. bolts being driven through the respective overlapping sidewaUs of the channels in this region.

Preferably, the free end of the support arm is slotted so as to receive therewithin a support rail onto which a wall or roof membrane can be fixed, and, most preferably, diagonally opposite holes are formed in the free end of the support arm in this region, the holes providing fixed and diagonally opposite entry points for self-tapping and drilling screws or bolts by which e.g. a support rail may be affixed thereto, thereby eliminating the risk of oppositely disposed screws or bolts interfering with each other when driven into the support rail.

In order to temporarily hold a support rail in place inwardly extending dimples may be pressed or otherwise formed into the free end of the support arm, particularly if slotted, such that when the support arm is folded outward and secured in its intended position relative to the base plate a support rail may simply be pressed into the slot and be firmly held in position while self-drilling screws or bolts are driven through the opposing sidewalls of the slot and into each side of the rail. This is particularly advantageous since it allows the fixing of a vertically disposed rail by one person as compared to the conventional use of two persons used for fixing top hat rails onto top hat brackets, one to hold the rail in place while the other person drives fasteners into opposing sides of the rail and into the top hat bracket. In addition, in addition, the provision of a slot permits the use of pre-formed holes located at structurally advantageous positions, such as being diagonally opposite, thereby ensuring that fasteners driven through the holes into the support rail in one direction do not impinge upon fasteners being driven through the holes into the support rail in the opposite direction. The precise positioning of the fasteners therefore ensures that a rigid connection is made between the support rail, the support bracket and the underlying framework to which it is attached. A further advantage is that the pre-formed holes provide a keyway for the fasteners which prevents them from wandering out of position, this being a common problem when trying to drive self drilling and tapping fasteners into metal.

Conveniently, the support arm may be separate to the base plate and may be foldably secured or securable thereto by means of e.g. a pivot pin connecting the base to the support arm in the region of the fold. Alternatively, the support arm is integral with the base plate, and the fold is achieved by simple bending of the support arm relative to the base plate where they join after the base plate has been secured in position.

In order to help align the bracket, particularly prior to fixing the base portion to an upright support structure, the free end of the support arm and that end of the base portion furthest therefrom may include centrally disposed alignment notches or apertures, such as holes.

Although the preferred embodiment of support bracket includes a slot at the free end of the support arm for receiving a correspondingly shaped i.e. square or rectangular support rail, where the support rail itself is of a different shape, such as being t" shaped, edges at the free end of the support arm may instead be shaped to fit the edges of the support rail and have recesses or projections by which the support rail may be locked in position either with or without fasteners.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a support bracket according to the invention in situ between an old wall structure and a new wall structure, only part of each of which is shown, Figure 2 is a side elevation of the bracket shown in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a top view of the bracket of Figures 1 and 2 in its original, fully open, position.

Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2, a support bracket shown generally at 1 includes a channel-shaped base portion 2 having a pair of sidewalls 3, 4 between which are received a foldable channel-shaped arm portion 5 itself having respective sidewalls 6, 7. Part of the free end of the support arm 5 between the sidewalls 6, 7 is cut out to define therebetween a slot 8 within which can be received a rectangular support rail 9, as shown in Figure 1.

The base portion 2 of the bracket I is itself secured to a horizontally disposed purlin 10 to which is secured an existing corrugated wall membrane 11, the base portion 3 resting within one of the vertically disposed channels 12 of the membrane 11. In turn, a new wall membrane 13 is shown fixed to the support rail 9 but in this case with the corrugations running horizontally, further support rails 9 and attendant brackets I (not shown) being disposed at regular intervals between the old and new wall membranes 11, 13, thereby providing therebetween a void which may be filled with e.g. additional insulating material.

Turning now to Figures 2 and 3, the support bracket 1 is shown in more detail, in which it will be seen that the base portion 2 and the support arm 5 are linked together for folding movement with respect to each other by means of a pivot pin 14 such that in the extended position shown in Figure 3 a pair of fixing holes 15, 16 are easily accessible for when the bracket I is being fitted against an upright surface and in order to facilitate correct vertical alignment, a pair of centrally disposed notches 17, 18 are cut into respectively opposite ends of the base portion 2 and support arm 5. The base portion 2 also has a third, centrally disposed, hole 19 which is used to first to affix a third fastener through the base portion 2 and into a background surface onto which the bracket I is to be fixed, whereafter the vertical alignment of both notches 17, 18 can be verified prior to the final two fasteners being inserted into their respective holes 15, 16 and had driven into the background support surface. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that a'though the support bracket 1 is, in use, essentially an "L0 shaped bracket permitting only limited access to the fixing holes 15,16 of the base plate 2, when it is initially installed the presence of the support arm 5 in it's folded out, or open, position does not inhibit access to the fixing holes 15, 16. Furthermore, the presence of the alignment notches, 17, 18 make accurate positioning of the bracket I simple to achieve.

As will be seen more clearly with reference to Figure 2, once the base portion 2 has been secured to the chosen surface then by virtue of the pivot pin 14 the support arm 5 can be folded outwardly to the position shown and thereafter permanently secured in place by means of bolts 20 driven into pre-drilled holes 21 (shown in outline in Figure 3) in the sidewalls 3, 4 of the base plate 2. The free end of the support arm 5 also includes diagonally oppositely disposed fixing holes 21, 22 into which can be inserted self-drilling screws or bolts when a support rail is inserted within the slot 8, and in order to assist in retaining such within the slot 8 respective pairs of inwardly projecting dimples 23, 24 are provided by which the rail may be a push fit within the slot 8.

As will be apparent from the foregoing, the support bracket I of the invention lends itself to installation by a single fitter and after the base plate 2 (which may conveniently include a layer of insulating material on the side of the base plate 2 intended to bear against the existing structure to which it is to be fitted) has been installed and the support arm 8 folded and secured in the position shown in the Figures 1 and 2 a support post or rail 9 can then be simply slid into the slot 8 and resiliently held there by virtue of the dimples 23,24, whereafter screws or bolts may be inserted into the fixing holes 21, 22 to secure the rail in its final position. In contrast, existing systems including those using "top hat" shaped brackets often require two fitters to be present, one to hold the bracket in position in order to initially align it while the other then secures it in place by the use of self-drilling screws or bolts, and thereafter one person to hold the support rail or post in place whilst fasteners are driven into the side of a channel-shaped support rail or post after it has been mounted on the free end of the bracket.

Although the invention has been specifically described with reference to a two-piece support bracket I where the support arm 5 is foldable relative to the base portion 2 via pivot pin 14, it will nevertheless be apparent that the bracket I instead may be made of a single sheet, such as in the form of a stepped channel having the same general overall shape as that shown in Figure 3 but without the pivot pin 14 and with appropriate cut-out portions at the required folding point such that as the bracket is folded by hand through 90 (or whatever other angle is required) the cut-out portions provide a limit of movement or fold, whereafter overlapping side walls of the channels may be secured together with screws, bolts or even rivets. This embodiment is particularly advantageous for use with lightweight membranes and membrane supports where the thickness of the metal from which the support bracket is made provides enough support whilst still allowing the support arm to be easily folded before being fixed into its final support configuration.

Although the invention in its various forms has generally been described with reference to use of a support bracket for supporting a wall structure it will be appreciated that such brackets may also be used for supporting roof structures, horizontal or inclined. Similarly, although the support bracket is described with reference to its use for supporting wall or roof structures it will also be appreciated that it may be used in other applications and the invention is therefore not limited to a support bracket for use only in or with wall and roof structures.

Claims

I

Claims 1. A support bracket for supporting a wall or roof support rail or purlin, the bracket comprising a base portion adapted to be secured to a wall or roof structure and a support arm portion connected or connectable to the base portion, the support arm being foldable between an open position affording access to the base portion with fasteners for fixing the base portion to an underlying structure, and a closed, outwardly disposed position, at which outwardly disposed position the arm portion can be secured relative to the base portion to thereafter receive or be received by a wall or roof support member, such as a support rail or roof purlin.
2. A support bracket as claimed in claim 1 wherein the base portion and the arm portion are channel-shaped, the outer channel width of one portion corresponding to the inner channel width of the other, such that as the support * arm is folded outwardly for use the sides of the channels overlap in this region. *..
3. A support bracket as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the free end of the I...

support arm is slotted so as to receive therewithin a support rail onto which a ****** * wall or roof membrane can be fixed.
4. A support bracket as claimed in any one preceding claim wherein diagonally opposite holes are formed in the free end of the support arm in this region, the holes providing fixed and diagonally opposite entry points for self-tapping and drilling screws or bolts by which a support rail or the like is affixable thereto.
5. A support bracket as claimed in claim 3 wherein dimples are pressed or otherwise formed into the free end of the support arm, such that when the support arm is folded outward and secured in its intended position relative to the base plate a support rail is locatable into the slot to firmly held in position while self-drilling screws or bolts are driven through the opposing sidewalls of the slot and into each side of the rail.
6. A support bracket as claimed in any one preceding claim wherein the support arm is separable from the base plate and is foldably secured or securable thereto by means of a pivot, as such a pivot pin, connecting the base to the support arm in the region of the fold.
7. A support bracket as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 to 5 wherein the support arm is integral with the base plate, and the fold is achieved by simple bending of the support arm relative to the base plate where they join after the base plate has been secured in position.
8. A support bracket as claimed in any one preceding claim the free end of *::::* the support arm and that end of the base portion furthest therefrom include centrally disposed alignment notches or apertures.

*
9. A support bracket as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein edges at the free *** end of the support arm are shaped to fit an "L" shaped support rail and have **** recesses or projections by which the support rail may be locked in position on ****** * the support arm either with or without fasteners.
10. A support bracket substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.