STRUCTURAL PANEL AND MODULAR BUILDING FORMED USING THE PANEL
A structural panel includes perimeter rails and parallel joists having top and bottom surfaces lying in common parallel planes. Between the joists and the rails are diagonal planar bridge members extending obliquely in zigzag manner such that an end of one of the bridge members butts an opposed end of a next one of the bridge members at a side face of the joist. Planar top cover sheets bottom cover sheet are adhesively bonded to the top and bottom surfaces of the rail members, bridge members and joists. When used in a modular building, the floor has sufficient stiffness for the module to be transported from an assembly location in finished condition with all interior and exterior cladding attached and with the walls are topped by finished sandwich ceiling panels. The roof structure spanning the assembled modules is built on at the installation location.
This application claims the benefit under 35USC119 from Provisional Application No. 60/822,541 filed Aug. 16th 2006.
This application relates also to the subject matter disclosed and claimed in co-pending application Ser. No. INSERT WHEN KNOWN (Attorney docket 85732-232) filed on the same date as this application by the same applicant and entitled MODULAR BUILDING FORMED USING A STRUCTURAL PANEL.
The present invention relates to a structural panel formed wholly or primarily from wood and to a modular building constructed using the panel which can be shipped to an installation site in substantially completed form to minimize on-site labour.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe structural panel described and claimed herein is primarily designed for use in modular buildings and hence the following description refers primarily to such constructions. However the same construction can be used in many other similar and unrelated fields. The modular buildings described hereinafter are therefore merely examples of end uses.
It is known in the art to fabricate a modular building in sections for later assembly on a remote site, as in-plant fabrication is known to have a number of advantages over on-site construction. In-plant fabrication provides easier monitoring of quality and safety issues, improved repeatability and less dependency on environmental conditions. For many, modular housing may present a desirable alternative to conventional housing construction due to increasing costs and waiting periods. However, when compared to conventional housing, manufactured housing has been associated in some cases with problems such as noticeable difference in appearance, twisting and cracking of materials during travel, low quality wall construction and insulation, high rate of depreciation and high mortgage down payments. As a result, there has been a drive to improve the quality of modular homes to increase their popularity. Up to now two alternate routes have been taken in view of the twisting or movement of the structure which occurs during transportation. In one alternative, the quality of finishing of the building has been very low to accommodate that twisting. This has prevented this type of building from competing in the conventional building market. In the other alternative, much of the finishing is carried out after the modules are transported and located, but this of course cancels much of the advantage of building in the manufacturing location.
Canadian Patent No. 1,203,063 (Kaufman) published Apr. 15th 1986 teaches a prefabricated building for installation on a floor-forming foundation. The building features completed interior and exterior walls and a roof but no floor, for quick and easy on-site installation, but may be limited in size due to its one-piece construction. The building uses triple layer framing at the floor rails and double layer framing at the ceiling and special corners which are intended to provide a structure which is rigid to be lifted onto a foundation which provides the floor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,083,154 (Klink) issued Apr. 11th 1978 teaches a modular home formed of two similar sections for connection on opposite sides of a third section to form an overall shape suggestive of an on-site construction. Each section includes its own roof portion and is formed from conventional framing techniques using floor joists, but from the figures it appears that a significant amount of on-site completion may be necessary before the building is ready for occupation. Klink does not disclose a structural panel which can be used to form such a modular building and discloses no special floor construction.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0252099 (Jenkins) published Nov. 17th 2005 teaches a modular home made up of two lower sections and a third upper roof section, each of which is provided with a complete interior to reduce the amount of on-site work necessary after assembly. The two lower sections are each covered by a roof portion that cooperates with the third section to complete a peaked roof. Installation of an exterior finish is carried out on-site and difficulties with transportation of the two lower sections may arise due to the significant height added by their respective roof portions, for example, should transport between the fabrication and installation sites require passing beneath a bridge.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0056446 (Napier) published Mar. 27th 2003 discloses a building formed of two modules connected together where a roof piece is added after the modules are brought together.
SUMMARYIt is one object of the present invention to provide a structural panel which can be arranged to provide a high level of stiffness.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a structural panel comprising:
a first pair of parallel perimeter rail members arranged to define first sides of the panel;
a second pair of parallel perimeter rail members arranged to define second sides of the panel at right angles to the first sides;
a plurality of parallel joists extending between the first pair of perimeter rail members and parallel to the second pair of perimeter rail members;
the rail members and the joists having top surfaces lying in a common top plane and bottom surfaces lying in a common bottom plane;
each one of the second pair of perimeter rail members and the joists therebetween being connected to a next adjacent one of the second pair of perimeter rail members and the joists therebetween by a plurality of diagonal planar bridge members;
each of the diagonal planar bridge members extending obliquely between said one and said next adjacent one with one end edge fastened to a side face said one and an opposed end edge fastened to a side face said next adjacent one;
and with the diagonal planar bridge members extending obliquely between said one and said next adjacent one being arranged in zigzag manner such that an end of one of the bridge members butts an opposed end of a next one of the bridge members at a side face;
a planar top cover sheet lying in said common top plane and adhesively bonded to said top surfaces of said rail members and said joists;
and a planar bottom cover sheet lying in said common bottom plane and adhesively bonded to said bottom surfaces of said rail members and said joists.
Preferably the top cover sheet and the bottom cover sheet each comprise a layer of sheathing boards. They may however be formed from a single layer of a fabricated sheet material.
Preferably the ends of the bridge members are adhesively bonded to the faces of the joists to effectively transfer loads therebetween.
Preferably the top sheet and the bottom sheet span between the top and bottom cover sheets and are adhesively bonded to top and bottom edges respectively of the bridge members.
Preferably the butting ends of the bridge members on opposite faces of the joists are aligned so that loads form one side of the joist are transferred through the joist directly to the bridge members butting on the other side of the joist.
Preferably the bridge members comprise wood sheets such as plywood or other fabricated wooden structure such as Oriented Strand Board. However they can also be fabricated members such as aluminum sheets.
Preferably the structural panel is longer in direction between the first pair so that the joists extend in the longitudinal direction.
Preferably the rail members are of a common construction with the joists. They can therefore be simple wood members such as 2×12 lumber, or they can be fabricated joists such as laminated boards or trusses.
In accordance with one important feature there is provided a lifting assembly for lifting the panel comprising a plurality of mounting plates extending at right angles to the top cover sheet and fastened to the panel at spaced positions thereon with each plate having a captive nut carried thereon and providing an end of the nut exposed at the top cover sheet, the lifting assembly including a plurality of threaded rods each for fastening to a respective nut so as to extend therefrom at right angles outwardly form the top cover sheet.
Preferably the lifting assembly includes a plurality of second mounting plates extending at right angles to the bottom cover sheet and fastened to the panel at spaced positions thereon with each second mounting plate having a captive nut carried thereon and providing an end of the nut exposed at the bottom cover sheet for receiving a threaded fastener attached thereto.
Preferably the lifting assembly includes a plurality of second mounting plates extending at right angles to the bottom cover sheet and fastened to the panel at spaced positions thereon with each second mounting plate having a captive nut carried thereon and providing an end of the nut exposed at the bottom cover sheet for receiving a threaded fastener attached thereto.
Preferably respective ones of the mounting plates and respective ones of the second mounting plates are clamped together through a component of the panel which extends at right angles to the top and bottom sheets so as to be fastened to the panel.
Preferably there are four components to which the plates are attached each of which extends at right angles to the joists and connects between a joist and a respective one of the second rail members.
Preferably the top and bottom sheets are formed from rectangular sheets having a longer axis and a shorter axis and are arranged with the longer axis at right angles to the joists.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a modular building comprising:
at least two separate modular base sections which are constructed so as to be separately transportable from a location of construction to a location of installation;
each modular base section including a floor structure and upstanding walls mounted on the floor structure;
the base sections being arranged to be connected so as to mate the walls to define a peripheral wall and interior walls of the modular building;
a roof to cover the peripheral wall with the modular base sections connected;
the floor structure of each modular base section comprising a structural panel according to any one of the above defined features.
Preferably the interior walls and the peripheral wall are finished with all electrical connections and plumbing installed; the interior walls and the peripheral wall are finished with all windows, doors, and interior coverings installed; and the peripheral wall is finished with all exterior coverings installed.
Preferably the roof is a separate construction from the modular base sections constructed at the installation location after connection of the modular base sections and includes trusses spanning the peripheral wall so as to bridge over at least two of the modular base sections.
Preferably each of the modular base sections includes ceiling panels covering an open top of the walls thereof such that the ceiling panels form a top cover during transportation of the modular base sections.
Preferably the ceiling panels are structural sandwich panels formed of top and bottom sheet material and a layer of foam therebetween and connected thereto.
In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention:
In the figures, the bridge members are arranged in a regular pattern in that they share the same length and the same angle relative to the joists, for example approximately 45 degrees, although the angles of adjacent bridge members relative to a common joist are in opposite ones of clockwise and counter-clockwise directions therefrom. Adjacent bridge members between neighbouring joists diverge from a common point along one joist to extend toward the other joist. The joist acts like a mirror line in the sense that at the point along the length of the joist where the two adjacent bridge members diverge from one side of the joist, two adjacent bridge members also diverge from the other side of the joist. The bridge members extending obliquely between adjacent joists extend the full space between the side walls 16 of the floor structure perimeter. The result is that all space within the perimeter 14 of the floor structure is divided into triangles by the joists side walls 16, end walls 18, joists 20 and bridge members 22. The triangles formed in part by the side walls 16 are half the area of the others. The bridge members act as braces between the joists, between the perimeter walls and between the joists and perimeter walls, thereby providing a floor structure with significantly improved rigidity, strength and stability.
The perimeter walls, joists and bridge members of the floor structure of the illustrated embodiment are formed of lumber and are interconnected by suitable fasteners known to those of skill in the art. For example, 2×12 inch lumber may be used for the wooden components with the perimeter walls and joists fastened by screws and the bridge members and joists fastened by adhesive. It should be appreciated however, that any one of a number of suitable materials known to those of skill in the art may be used to construct the floor structures. As an example of possible alternatives to wood, the bridge members may be formed of aluminum.
As shown in
The triangular cylinders formed between the top and bottom faces of the floor structure may be filled with insulation to lessen heat transfer into and out of the modular home. Passages for any duct work, venting or plumbing may be provided in the floor structure by methods known to those of skill in the art.
As shown in
In
Due to the increased rigidity of the floor structure 10 provided by the bridge members 22, more weight can be supported without relative movement between the floor components during transport and the stiffness prevents cracking of the finishing caused by distortion of the structure. As a result, the wall structure 26 can be provided with a finished exterior side 32, finished interior side 34 and any necessary elements in-between while still at the fabrication plant, as the rigid floor structure should be able to handle the weight increase. For example, it may be possible to equip the wall interiors with plumbing, electrical components and insulation and apply interior and exterior finishes such as drywall and stucco respectively. The rigidity of the floor structure 10 acts to reduce the likelihood of shifting in the wall structure 26 supported thereon during transport and assembly of the base sections, thereby reducing the risk of cracking, twisting or other damage that may occur to elements supported in or on a wall structure supported by a conventional modular building floor framework. Flooring 36 and furnishings (not shown) may even be provided at the fabrication plant to further reduce the need for completion of the building at the installation site. As shown by hidden lines at 37, interior walls may be provided atop the floor structure. The illustrated position of the interior wall 37 should be considered in an exemplary context only.
As shown in
Different types of foundations on which a modular home can be supported are known to those of skill in the art, including footers, runners, slab or pad, basement and pit-set. Just like prior art modular homes, the base sections of the present invention can be supported on each of these foundation types.
As shown in
As seen in
The roof sections can be completed at the fabrication plant to include the interior ceiling, exterior roof finishing (e.g. shingles), lighting fixtures, electrical wiring, vents/ducts, electrical conduits positioned to align with respective conduits in the wall structures for easy connection of wiring during roof installation, etc. With the floor structures providing sufficient rigidity to support interior and exterior finishes of the wall structure and furnishings, and the roof sections similarly having completed interior (ceiling) and exterior (shingles) finishes and lighting fixtures, the actual on-site labour required to prepare the building for occupation is minimal. As shown in
When transporting base sections having substantially completed interiors, which may have flooring, walls finished with paint or panelling and even furniture, without the corresponding roof sections installed, each base section should be covered in some way to protect the interior from exposure to rain, dust, debris, etc.
As mentioned above, the interior of the base section should be enclosed, not just covered to prevent exposure from above. An opening other than the top of the section may be similarly covered by an additional, or even the same, plastic sheet. Thus the same sheet can be used to cover the top and an open side of the base section which mates with a respective open side of an adjacent section during assembly. The sheet 64 spanning the open top simply extends downward from the top edges 66 downward along the wall structure at the intersection of each end with the open side to the perimeter side wall 16 of the floor structure 10, thereby spanning the open side. With the sheet sealed to base structure, the interior is kept clean and dry during transport. While a side covering should drain on its own and thus not require the step of providing a drainage opening therein, the same removal process may be used by cutting along the wall ends 72 and perimeter side wall 16 if there is to be some sort of covering or seal over the juncture between mated base portions which can cover any remnant plastic in the interior. Otherwise, care should be taken to remove the sheeting at least to a point outward of the interior so as not to detract from the interior's appearance. Similarly, the sheeting atop the section can be removed this way to eliminate the need to cover remaining plastic left by cutting along the top edges 66 within the interior, but this would have to take place before installation of the roof.
Should the mating side of the base section not include a partial interior wall 37 but instead be open fully thereacross, then the sheet may tend to sag between the ends along the open side. However, this may provide some degree of automatic draining of rain water from the top of the base section, as it may flow toward the aforementioned sagging portion and then continue downward to the ground.
Turning now to
A planar top cover sheet 24 formed by individual sheets of a wood material lies in a common top plane defined by the joists, rails and bridge members and is adhesively bonded to said top surfaces of the rail members and joists and a symmetrical planar bottom cover sheet 24A is adhesively bonded to the bottom surfaces of the rail members, bridge members and joists.
The ends of the bridge members 22 are adhesively bonded at 22A to the faces of the joists and the butting ends 22A of the bridge members on opposite faces of the joists 20 are aligned.
The panel includes four transverse lifting rails 80 connected between the rails 18B and the first joist 20 and formed from the same material as the joists. A lifting assembly for lifting the panel comprising four pairs of mounting plates 81, 82 extending at right angles to the top cover sheet and each pair fastened to the panel at the lifting rail 80. Each plate 81 carries a captive nut 83 thereon and provides an upper end of the nut exposed at the top cover sheet 24. Each nut 83 cooperates with a respective one of a plurality of threaded rods 85 each so as to extend therefrom at right angles to the top of the module where a suitable fastener 86 is located for lifting the module.
The lifting assembly further includes the second mounting plates 82 fastened to the panel on the opposite side of the rail 80 by fasteners 87 extending through the rail with the mounting plate 82 having a captive nut 84 carried thereon and providing an end of the nut 84 exposed at the bottom cover sheet for receiving a threaded fastener which can act as a tie down for the panel.
The top and bottom sheets are preferably formed from rectangular sheets having a longer axis and a shorter axis and are arranged with the longer axis at right angles to the joists.
The modular building using the stiff floor panel is shown in
The floor structure of each modular base section has sufficient stiffness alone independently of the stiffness of the walls to provide stiffness for the modular base section to allow the modular base section to be transported and installed with the interior and peripheral wall finished and with the modular base section separate from the other modular base sections.
The interior walls and the peripheral wall are finished with all electrical connections schematically indicated at 100 and plumbing 101 installed. The interior walls and the peripheral wall are finished with all windows, doors, and interior drywall 95 installed and the peripheral wall is finished with all exterior siding or stucco 94 installed.
The roof 103 is a separate construction from the modular base sections and includes trusses spanning the peripheral wall so as to bridge over at least two of the modular base sections. The roof is arranged so as to be constructed using conventional materials at the installation location after connection of the modular base sections.
Each of the modular base sections includes ceiling panels 96 covering an open top of the walls thereof such that the ceiling panels form a top cover during transportation of the modular base sections. The ceiling panels are structural sandwich panels formed of top and bottom sheet material 97, 98 and a layer of foam 99 therebetween and connected thereto. A finishing layer 99A of drywall can be applied on the inside. An insulating material to supplement the foam 99 can be applied on top of the panels when the roof is complete in conventional manner.
Each of the modular base sections has a width of 12 feet and a length of 40 feet as this provides a convenient size for shipping without road or rail restrictions.
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
Claims
1. A structural panel comprising:
- a first pair of parallel perimeter rail members arranged to define first sides of the panel;
- a second pair of parallel perimeter rail members arranged to define second sides of the panel at right angles to the first sides;
- a plurality of parallel joists extending between the first pair of perimeter rail members and parallel to the second pair of perimeter rail members;
- the rail members and the joists having top surfaces lying in a common top plane and bottom surfaces lying in a common bottom plane;
- each one of the second pair of perimeter rail members and the joists therebetween being connected to a next adjacent one of the second pair of perimeter rail members and the joists therebetween by a plurality of diagonal planar bridge members;
- each of the diagonal planar bridge members extending obliquely between said one and said next adjacent one with one end edge fastened to a side face said one and an opposed end edge fastened to a side face said next adjacent one;
- and with the diagonal planar bridge members extending obliquely between said one and said next adjacent one being arranged in zigzag manner such that an end of one of the bridge members butts an opposed end of a next one of the bridge members at a side face;
- a planar top cover sheet lying in said common top plane and adhesively bonded to said top surfaces of said rail members and said joists;
- and a planar bottom cover sheet lying in said common bottom plane and adhesively bonded to said bottom surfaces of said rail members and said joists.
2. The structural panel according to claim 1 wherein the top cover sheet and the bottom cover sheet each comprise a layer of sheathing boards.
3. The structural panel according to claim 1 wherein the ends of the bridge members are adhesively bonded to the faces of the joists.
4. The structural panel according to claim 1 wherein the top sheet and the bottom sheet are adhesively bonded to top and bottom edges respectively of the bridge members.
5. The structural panel according to claim 1 wherein the butting ends of the bridge members on opposite faces of the joists are aligned.
6. The structural panel according to claim 1 wherein the bridge members span between the top and bottom cover sheets.
7. The structural panel according to claim 1 wherein the bridge members comprise wood sheets.
8. The structural panel according to claim 1 wherein the structural panel is longer in direction between the first pair so that the joists extend in the longitudinal direction.
9. The structural panel according to claim 1 wherein the rail members are of a common construction with the joists.
10. The structural panel according to claim 1 wherein there is provided a lifting assembly for lifting the panel comprising a plurality of mounting plates extending at right angles to the top cover sheet and fastened to the panel at spaced positions thereon with each plate having a captive nut carried thereon and providing an end of the nut exposed at the top cover sheet, the lifting assembly including a plurality of threaded rods each for fastening to a respective nut so as to extend therefrom at right angles outwardly form the top cover sheet.
11. The structural panel according to claim 10 wherein the lifting assembly includes a plurality of second mounting plates extending at right angles to the bottom cover sheet and fastened to the panel at spaced positions thereon with each second mounting plate having a captive nut carried thereon and providing an end of the nut exposed at the bottom cover sheet for receiving a threaded fastener attached thereto.
11. The structural panel according to claim 10 wherein the lifting assembly includes a plurality of second mounting plates extending at right angles to the bottom cover sheet and fastened to the panel at spaced positions thereon with each second mounting plate having a captive nut carried thereon and providing an end of the nut exposed at the bottom cover sheet for receiving a threaded fastener attached thereto.
12. The structural panel according to claim 11 wherein respective ones of the mounting plates and respective ones of the second mounting plates are clamped together through a component of the panel which extends at right angles to the top and bottom sheets so as to be fastened to the panel.
13. The structural panel according to claim 12 wherein there are four components to which the plates are attached each of which extends at right angles to the joists and connects between a joist and a respective one of the second rail members.
14. The structural panel according to claim 1 wherein the top and bottom sheets are formed from rectangular sheets having a longer axis and a shorter axis and are arranged with the longer axis at right angles to the joists.
15. A modular building comprising:
- at least two separate modular base sections which are constructed so as to be separately transportable from a location of construction to a location of installation;
- each modular base section including a floor structure and upstanding walls mounted on the floor structure;
- the base sections being arranged to be connected so as to mate the walls to define a peripheral wall and interior walls of the modular building;
- a roof to cover the peripheral wall with the modular base sections connected;
- the floor structure of each modular base section comprising a structural panel according to claim 1.
16. The modular building according to claim 15 wherein the interior walls and the peripheral wall are finished with all electrical connections and plumbing installed; the interior walls and the peripheral wall are finished with all windows, doors, and interior coverings installed; and the peripheral wall is finished with all exterior coverings installed.
17. The modular building according to claim 15 wherein the roof is a separate construction from the modular base sections constructed at the installation location after connection of the modular base sections and includes trusses spanning the peripheral wall so as to bridge over at least two of the modular base sections.
18. The modular building according to claim 15 wherein each of the modular base sections includes ceiling panels covering an open top of the walls thereof such that the ceiling panels form a top cover during transportation of the modular base sections.
19. The modular building according to claim 18 wherein the ceiling panels are structural sandwich panels formed of top and bottom sheet material and a layer of foam therebetween and connected thereto.
Type: Application
Filed: Aug 9, 2007
Publication Date: Feb 21, 2008
Inventors: Alena Vetesnik (Manitoba), Jan Vetesnik (Manitoba)
Application Number: 11/836,181
International Classification: E04H 1/00 (20060101);