Scaffolding shelter
A scaffolding shelter having at least one wall and at least partially enclosing a scaffolding made of scaffolding sections. The scaffolding shelter comprises a plurality of self-supporting wall panels, each wall panel defining edges and being adapted to form at least a portion of a wall of the scaffolding shelter; and connectors adapted to provide engagement of the wall panels side by side, and one atop another; whereby the width and the height of the wall is adaptable by adjoining and superposing the wall panels side by side and one above another, respectively.
1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of scaffolding, and more particularly to a shelter for scaffolding.
2) Description of the Prior Art
Scaffolding is well known to the field of construction. It consists of a temporary structure which is erected in front of a surface to work on and allows workers to climb to their work area and to do their work at the desired elevation with much more ease than when using a ladder, for example. Although many advantages result of using a scaffolding, a need has been felt to have a shelter provided in combination with the scaffolding for workers to be shielded against inclement weather. Furthermore, since many masonry products are more efficiently used at a controlled atmosphere (temperature, humidity, etc.), a shelter would be desired in which the desired atmosphere could be maintained at reasonable costs.
It is known in the art to provide shielding by fastening tarpaulins to the scaffolding or to suspend sheets or fabric from the scaffolding structure. However, such shelters are often found to loosen when submitted to wind pressure and wind induced vibrations, and are often undesirably complicated to install. Further, gaps are often created between adjacent layers of the tarpaulins, and the breaches they form are hard to seal, especially when attempting to maintain a controlled atmosphere inside the shelter. Since know-how is important when installing such shelters, inexperienced technicians may end up having to take everything down and starting over with the hope of succeeding the second time, which results in undesired costs for the contractor.
From the above, it can be seen that a need is strongly felt in the art for a temporary scaffolding shelter which could be easily installed and removed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONOne object of the invention is to provide a scaffolding shelter which at least partially overcomes some of the inconveniences of the prior art
One object of the invention is to provide a weather resistant scaffolding shelter with easy to assemble walls formed of self supporting panels supported from below.
One object of the invention is to provide a scaffolding shelter in which a controlled atmosphere can be maintained.
In accordance with one aspect, the invention provides a kit for providing a scaffolding shelter having at least one wall and at least partially enclosing a scaffolding made of scaffolding sections. The kit comprises: a plurality of self-supporting wall panels, each wall panel defining edges and being adapted to form at least a portion of a wall of the scaffolding shelter; and connectors adapted to provide engagement of the wall panels side by side, and one atop another. The width and the height of the wall is adaptable by adjoining and superposing the wall panels side by side and one above another, respectively.
In accordance with another aspect, the invention provides a method of providing a shelter at least partially covering a scaffolding. The method comprises the steps of: erecting a wall panel on a substantially horizontal support surface, by supporting it from below, the erected wall panel defining at least a portion of a wall of the shelter; and attaching the erected wall panel to the scaffolding.
In accordance with still another aspect, the invention provides, in combination with a scaffolding, a scaffolding shelter at least partially enclosing the scaffolding. The scaffolding shelter comprises: at least one shelter wall having a plurality of self-supporting wall panels supported from the bottom and mating with one another in a substantially air-tight manner and covering the scaffolding, the wall panels being adapted to be disassembled and reassembled in different configurations to adapt to different scaffolding configurations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFurther features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in combination with the appended drawings, in which:
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In accordance with a one embodiment, an exemplary weather resistant scaffolding shelter 10 used to maintain a controlled atmosphere within a scaffolding work area is illustrated in
Many types of scaffolding currently exist, the scaffolding 17 depicted in
As it is seen in
Turning back to
To begin mounting the front wall 12 of the shelter on uneven ground, the first step is to level the base member 24 using the levelers 25. A first wall panel 22a is then engaged into the U shaped support channel 23 of the base member 24, and is thereby supported from below. The erected wall panel 22a is then secured to the scaffolding frame 19 or cross-brace 20 using a suitable fastener such as a tie wrap, a metal wire, a strap with clamps at the ends, an elastic with hooks at the ends, or any other suitable fastener selected by one skilled in the art. The fastener is used between an attachment 45 of the panel 22a and a pole of the scaffolding frames 19a and 19b or cross brace 20. Although the panels 22 are self supporting, fastening them keeps them from tipping over when submitted to transversal forces, such as a gust of wind.
If the scaffolding 17 to be sheltered is more than one scaffolding section 18 high, the scaffolding shelter wall 12 will correspondingly be more than one panel 22 high to easily adapt to the height of the scaffolding 17. It is thus desirable that the lower edge of the panels 22b be adapted to engage with the upper edge of another panel 22a. A separate H-shaped connector 26 illustrated in
To adapt the wall 12 to the number of scaffolding sections 18 in width, wall panels 22a, 22b are joined side by side using H shaped connectors 26. The H-shaped connectors 26 used to adjoin the panels 22a, and 22b are preferably 4′10″ long to leave a free space at the upper and lower edges of the panels 22. The free space is to keep an area at the junction between four panels 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d where the connectors 26 do not interfere with one another.
The width and height of front wall 12 of the shelter 10 can hence be easily adapted to the width and height of the scaffolding 17 to shelter, by using a number of panels 22 corresponding to the number of sections 18 and mating them to one another using the connecters 26. Once a shelter front wall 12 of the desired width and height is erected, side walls 14 are erected, perpendicularly to the front wall 12, to cover the sides of the scaffolding 17. The dimensions of the panels 22 used in the front wall 12 is preferably of 10′ long×5′ high. Since the width of the scaffolding sections 17 is also of 5′, the same wall panels 22a, b, c, d used in the front wall 12 with their 10′ edge as the base can be used as wall panel 22e in the side wall 14 with their 5′ edge as the base and correspond to the height of two front wall 12 panels. If a shelter of 4, 6, or 8 sections high is desired, the side wall 14 will include 2, 3 or 4 side wall panels 22e superposed along their narrow edge, respectively. The side wall panels 22e are superposed using H connectors, as described above. If the shelter is of an uneven number of sections high, 5′×5′ wall panels (not illustrated) are used to complete the side wall 14. In
The front wall 12 and side wall 14 are joined using an L shaped member 36 which defines a corner of the shelter. The L shaped member 36, which is more clearly depicted in
Now turning to
The roof panels 32a and 32b can be joined to one another using H connecters 26. The roof panels 32a and 32b are joined to the wall panels 22b and 22d (
As it is shown in
Once the walls 12, 14 and roof 16 of the scaffolding shelter 10 are installed, there typically remains gaps between the base members 24 and the ground, between the side shelter walls 14 and the building, and between the roof panels 32 and the building. In some applications, these gaps are not significant, however, in applications where it is desired to maintain a controlled atmosphere in the shelter 10, these gaps present undesired leaks and must preferably be covered. This is achieved by providing one long edge of the wall panels 22e, the base members 24, and roof panels 32a, 32b with a plurality of fastening members 48 such as push buttons, eyelets, or the like and to which a tarpaulin 38 can be fastened to seal the gaps (see
From the above discussion, the shelter 10 must include several components in quantities which are adjusted depending on the size of the scaffolding 17 to be enclosed. Therefore, the shelter 10 is preferably manufactured in the form of a kit for providing a scaffolding shelter 10 rather than in its assembled configuration. The kit includes self-supporting wall panels 22, base members 24, vertical and horizontal H connectors 26, L shaped members 36, roof frames 34, roof connectors 30, roof panels 32, tarpaulins 38 and a number of fasteners. Depending of the quantities of the different components in the kit, one can assemble a shelter 10 to a scaffolding 17 of the desired size.
Although the preferred shelter 10 was described with reference to the drawings, one skilled in the art will understand that many modifications and adaptations can be made within the scope of the invention. For example, the above-described scaffolding shelter kit is adapted to Mason scaffolding made of 10′×5′×5′ scaffolding sections. However, scaffolding frames having 3′×5′, 4′×5′ and 6′4″×5′ are also available, as well as cross-braces having 7′ in length instead of 10′. The shelter of the invention can be adapted to such different sizes by adapting the dimensions of the components, and primarily the panels 22. The invention can also be adapted to different types of scaffolding.
Aluminum tubing is preferred to make the frames 40 of panel 22 and the roof supports 34, because aluminum provides low weight components having the desired structural resistance, and is resistant to corrosion. However, other materials may be used to provide frames for self supporting panels 22, such as plastic, steel, graphite, wood etc. For the membranes 44, impervious sheeting material can be used instead of laminated polyethylene weave, such as polyvinyl chloride fabric, and other fabrics or plastic sheets. The membrane material is preferably selected so that the shelter 10 is air and vapor tight to provide controlled atmosphere around the work area. The panels 22 could alternatively be provided without frames 40, and still be self-supporting. For example plexiglass™ panels could be used.
As described, the preferred engagement between the panels 22 is achieved using H connectors 26 which are provided separately from the panels 22. Alternatively, the H connectors 26 can be provided secured onto the edges of the panels 22. Furthermore, other types of connectors can be used to provide the desired inter-panel engagement, such as providing the panels 22 with opposite mating edges adapted to receive the opposite edge of a superposed or adjoined side-by-side panel 22. In the latter case, the connector is the mating edges of the panels 22.
Furthermore, means other than fastening the panels 22 to the scaffolding can be used to prevent the panels 22 from tipping down. For example, the panels 22 could be held against the scaffolding using an external structure.
The preferred embodiment of the invention provides for rapid installation of a resistant scaffolding shelter which is substantially air-tight, thus allowing internal control of the atmosphere, and allowing the shelter to be heated during winter. The use of self-supporting panels 22 of the dimensions of the scaffolding sections facilitates the erection of the self-supporting walls of the shelter and allows to quickly adapt the size of the wall to the size of the scaffolding to enclose. The base members 24 allow to level the walls of the shelter on uneven ground independently from the scaffolding, and allows adjustments to be made to the level of the walls even once the shelter is erected. This is particularly suited to compensate for the melting of ice beneath the base members 24 due to heating inside the shelter 10. The shelter 10 can be mounted easily by an inexperienced worker with only little training or explanation, and the components can be disassembled, stored, and reused in a different configuration at another scaffolding site.
Many variations and adaptations are possible to the embodiment of the invention described above. Therefore, the description of the preferred embodiment is intended to be exemplary only. The scope of the invention is to be limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A kit for providing a scaffolding shelter having at least one wall and at least partially enclosing a scaffolding made of scaffolding sections, the kit comprising:
- a plurality of self-supporting wall panels, each wall panel defining edges and being adapted to form at least a portion of a wall of the scaffolding shelter; and
- connectors adapted to provide engagement of the wall panels side by side, and one atop another;
- whereby the width and the height of the wall is adaptable by adjoining and superposing the wall panels side by side and one above another, respectively.
2. The kit of claim 1 wherein the each wall panel has a rectangular frame, and a membrane secured to the frame; whereby each wall panel is adapted to support the weight of a superposed wall panel.
3. The kit of claim 2 wherein the wall panels are of the length and height of a scaffolding section of the scaffolding, the rectangular frame is of one of aluminum, plastic, graphite, wood and steel tubing, and the membrane is of one of a plastic material, a fabric material, and a sheet of laminated polyethylene weave, and is secured to the rectangular frame by adhesion.
4. The kit of claim 1 wherein the height of the wall panels is of 5 feet, and the length of the wall panels is of 10 feet.
5. The kit of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of fasteners, and wherein the panels are adapted to be fastened to the scaffolding by the fasteners to be kept from tipping over.
6. The kit of claim 1, further comprising at least one base member adapted to provide a leveled support to a wall panel against the ground.
7. The kit of claim 6 wherein the at least one base member includes at least two adjustable height levelers opposite to the wall panel support and spaced apart along the length thereof; and the wall panel support is adapted to receive the wall panel in mating engagement.
8. The kit of claim 1 wherein the connectors have opposed engagement portions, each adapted to receive a wall portion; whereby engagement of the wall portions is provided by the connectors used between adjacent wall panels.
9. The kit of claim 1 wherein the connectors are provided as oppositely mating edges such that one mating edge of one panel will engage with an opposite mating edge of another panel in a substantially air-tight manner.
10. The kit of claim 1 further comprising at least one elongated L connector having a transversal L shape defined by two flanges, and at least one attachment located at the junction of the flanges, whereby the L connector can secure two perpendicular wall panels from tipping over by an edge of each one of the two wall panels being engaged between a respective flange of the L and the scaffolding, and the at least one attachment being fastened between to the scaffolding between the two wall panels.
11. The kit of claim 1 further comprising at least two roof frames, each roof frame being of right angled triangular shape and having a base and an hypotenuse, the two frames being adapted to be secured to spaced apart locations along a scaffolding section; and at least one roof panel adapted to be secured at each opposite end to the hypotenuse of an opposite roof frame, to define at least a portion of an angled roof of shelter.
12. The kit of claim 11 comprising a roof panel connector adapted to be engaged onto a wall panel on one side, and to receive the angled roof panel at the other side to create a longitudinal connection between the shelter wall and the roof panel.
13. A method of providing a shelter at least partially covering a scaffolding, the method comprising the steps of:
- erecting a wall panel on a substantially horizontal support surface, by supporting it from below, the erected wall panel defining at least a portion of a wall of the shelter; and
- attaching the erected wall panel to the scaffolding.
14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of leveling a base member on the ground to provide a substantially horizontal support surface, and wherein the step of erecting includes engaging a wall panel onto the support surface of the base member.
15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the steps of securing at least two angular roof frames to the scaffolding; engaging a roof panel with the erected wall panel and securing the engaged roof panel to the at least two secured angular roof frames.
16. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of securing at least two angular roof frames to the scaffolding; engaging a roof panel with the erected wall panel and securing the engaged roof panel to the at least two secured angular roof frames.
17. In combination with a scaffolding, a scaffolding shelter at least partially enclosing the scaffolding, the scaffolding shelter comprising:
- at least one shelter wall having a plurality of self-supporting wall panels supported from the bottom and mating with one another in a substantially air-tight manner and covering the scaffolding, the wall panels being adapted to be disassembled and reassembled in different configurations to adapt to different scaffolding configurations.
18. The scaffolding shelter of claim 17 wherein the shelter further comprises a roof including a plurality of roof frames adapted to mate with the scaffolding, and a plurality of roof panels secured to the roof frames and covering the upper portion of the scaffolding in a substantially air-tight manner.
19. The scaffolding shelter of claim 18 wherein the at least one shelter wall completely surrounds the scaffolding and mate in a substantially air-tight manner, further comprising tarpaulins covering remaining gaps between the shelter walls and roof, and a ground and a structure to work on.
20. The scaffolding shelter of claim 17 wherein the lowermost wall panels of the at least one shelter wall are levelably mounted to the ground via levelers.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 23, 2005
Publication Date: Jan 18, 2007
Inventor: Andre Richard (Issoudun)
Application Number: 11/159,239
International Classification: E04H 14/00 (20060101);