SUPPORT PROFILE

Abstract

Support profile (1) of the tube type having external grooves for joining two covers (10, 11) provided with bulb strings (14, 15) which are welded along the joining areas of the covers, the external grooves (5, 6) of the support profile have an approximately S-shaped cross section (4) as the bulb strings (14, 15) of the covers are provided in the upper cavity (5) and the lower cavity (6) of the S-shaped cross section, respectively.

Description

SUPPORT PROFILE

The present invention concerns a support profile of the tube type having external grooves for joining covers provided with bulb shaped strings which are welded along the joining areas of the covers.

More exactly the invention is related to support profiles which are utilized in connection with structures as tents and plastic halls for example and wherein the support profiles are the supporting structure and where the areas between the support profiles are provided with covering fabrics or covers.

Hence, the support profiles will function as the supporting structure of the construction and as the joining structure between adjoining fabrics or covers.

Today supporting profiles of the tube type are known having external grooves for joining covers. One example of a prior art support profile having external grooves for joining two covers is shown in the bottom part of the profile of FIG. 2a. The external grooves for joining covers are in this example provided horizontally next to each other.

A problem of the prior art solution as mentioned above, where the external grooves are provided horizontally next to each other, is that a such solution is not satisfying with regard to ingress of water and leakage particularly in connection with the joining the support profiles.

An object of the present invention is to provide a support profile of the tube type having external grooves for joining two covers which are provided with bulb shaped strings (bulb strings) which are welded in along the joining areas of the covers wherein the joining grooves are provided in a such way that the joining between the covers are improved and tighter such that ingress of water and leakage problems are eliminated also in the areas where the profiles are joined.

Another object of the invention is that the profiles shall be simple to join as a “skeleton” of a support structure. Further, the covering fabrics or covers should be in a simple and quick way mounted in the external grooves of the support profile.

The objects of the present invention are achieved by a support profile of the tube type having external grooves for joining two covers provided with bulb strings which are welded along the joining areas of the covers, the external grooves of the support profile have an approximately S-shaped cross section as the bulb strings of the covers are provided in the upper cavity and the lower cavity of the S-shaped cross section, respectively.

Preferred embodiments of the support profile are further detailed in the claims 2 including 4.

The present invention shall now be furthered explained with the references to the attached drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts a plastic hall which is under construction with support profile according to the invention.

FIG. 2a depicts a first embodiment of a support profile where the external grooves in the upper area of the profile are formed according to the invention, and wherein the external grooves in the bottom of the profile are formed according to a prior art solution.

FIGS. 2b, 2c and 2d depict a second, third and firth embodiment respectively of the support profile having external grooves for joining covers according to the invention.

FIGS. 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d depict a fifth embodiment of the support profile where insertion of joining covers is shown in a stepwise operation.

At first with reference to FIG. 1 a plastic hall is shown during construction. The support structure or skeleton of the plastic hall is constituted of a number of support profiles 1. After assembling the support structures of the plastic hall a number of fabrics or covers 10, 11 are mounted in the external grooves of the support profile. Different embodiments of the support profile 1 are further shown in FIGS. 2a-d and FIGS. 3a-d. The characterizing feature of the support profile 1 is that its upper area is provided with an approximately S-shaped cross section 4 having an upper cavity 5 and a lower cavity 6. In the shown embodiment of the approximately S-shaped cross section 4 centre 5a of the upper cavity is horizontally displaced in relation to the centre 6a of the lower cavity. Further, the upper and lower cavities 5, 6 of the S-shaped cross section are in their upper open area provided with downwardly extending lips 7, 8 respectively for sealing contact with the covers 11, 10. The covers 10, 11 are in their joining areas in the upper and lower cavity 5, 6 of the S-shaped profile provided with bulb shaped strings (bulb strings), i.e. the ropes that are welded in along the sides of the covers. The bulb strings 14, 15 are inserted into the lower and upper cavity 6, 5 of the S-shaped cross section respectively from the end and are pulled through the support profile 1 substantially by means of the rope fixed to the end of the covers 10, 11.

The bulb strings 14, 15 are provided on top of each other and overlapping each other such that water that possibly penetrates to the upper cavity 5 of the support profile then will drip down on the cover underneath and flow away from the support profile which always will be the highest point of the cover due to the support structure.

The support profile having the S-shaped cross section 4 is further provided with downwardly extending lips 7, 8 or “draining roof overhang” preventing ingress of water in the upper and lower cavities 5, 6. In this connection is should be mentioned that previously known support profiles are encumbered with leakages into the cavities between the bulb strings even if gaskets are mounted in this area. The support profile having the S-shaped cross section is water tight without the use of gaskets.

Thus, a safe sealing between the covers 10, 11 and the support profile is achieved and in addition each cover 10, 11 will be provided with an inclination also in the transversal direction whereby water will flow down on the underlying roof and away from the support profile.

The result is that the joining areas are improved and more water tight than what was the case with the previously known solutions wherein the covers are inserted in external grooves located on the same level, but displaced horizontally from each other as shown in the bottom part of FIG. 2a.

It should be mentioned that the support profiles may have different shapes depending on the constructional requirements, but the unique feature of the present invention is that the S-shaped cross section 4 including upper cavity 5 and lower cavity 6 results in a substantial improvement in relation to the prior art solutions.

Claims

1. Support profile (1) of the tube type having external grooves for joining two covers (10, 11) provided with bulb strings(14, 15) which are welded along the joining areas of the covers,

characterized in that the external grooves (5, 6) of the support profile have an approximately S-shaped cross section (4) as the bulb strings (14,15) of the covers are provided in the upper cavity (5) and the lower cavity (6) of the S-shaped cross section, respectively.

2. Support profile (1) according to claim 1,

characterized in that the center (5a) of the upper cavity is horizontally displaced in relation to the center (6a) of the lower cavity.

3. Support profile (1) according to claim 1,

characterized in that it is aluminium.

4. Support profile (1) according to claim 1,

characterized in that the upper and lower cavity (5, 6) of the S-shaped cross section are in their upper open area provided with downwardly extending lips (7, 8) for sealing contact with the covers (11, 10).

5. Support profile (1) according to claim 2,

characterized in that it is aluminium.

6. Support profile (1) according to claim 2,

characterized in that the upper and lower cavity (5, 6) of the S-shaped cross section are in their upper open area provided with downwardly extending lips (7, 8) for sealing contact with the covers (11, 10).

7. Support profile (1) according to claim 3,

characterized in that the upper and lower cavity (5, 6) of the S-shaped cross section are in their upper open area provided with downwardly extending lips (7, 8) for sealing contact with the covers (11, 10).

8. Support profile (1) according to claim 5,

characterized in that the upper and lower cavity (5, 6) of the S-shaped cross section are in their upper open area provided with downwardly extending lips (7, 8) for sealing contact with the covers (11, 10).