WALL PANEL AND METHOD
The disclosure provides a system and method for constructing support structures in buildings or other projects, which can support molds for use when pouring reinforced concrete slabs. The disclosed structures can accommodate more than one molds stacked vertically one over the other, and can remain in place to define walls or other separators in the completed structure. In one embodiment, the disclosed structure is a wall panel including a frame and vertical support members. The wall panel includes features allowing the vertical stacking of multiple wall panels. The wall panel includes a load distribution member in the form of a T-beam with a web portion disposed between the vertical support members.
The invention relates to modular wall panels for use in construction of high rise structures, including but not limited to floor support wall panels for use during and after pouring of reinforced concrete floor slabs.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONWhen constructing high-rise buildings that include more than one floor, typical construction methods include creating a temporary support structure on a newly formed floor surface. This support structure is used to support molds that will form the next floor slab. Thus, the construction of multi-floor buildings requires the sequential pouring of floors, which also involves the erection and removal of support structures and/or scaffolding on successive floors.
Typical support structures include scaffolding constructed by tubing having a round cross section. Such scaffolding is erected on the floor slab of a newly poured floor to support molds that will be used to pour the floor above. The scaffolding may be dismantled when pouring of the above floor is complete, and moved for re-erection when successively pouring other floors.
The successive re-use of scaffolding in erecting, dismantling, and re-erecting the structure for each floor of a multi-story building can be quite labor intensive and time consuming. Moreover, the wall structures of the building must be constructed for the newly formed floors after the pouring of the “floor” and “ceiling” slabs are complete.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe structures and methods provided in the present disclosure are advantageously adapted for reducing the labor and time required to pour successive floor slabs when constructing a multi-story structure. In a general aspect, the disclosure provides wall panels that can be erected for more than one floor simultaneously when constructing a multi-story building. The erected wall panels can support more than one floor mold at the same time, thus allowing for the simultaneous or uninterrupted pouring of more than one floor. Moreover, in one embodiment, the disclosed wall panels may be permanently erected in place to provide vertical and shear support to the building after the floor slabs have been poured. The disclosed wall structures are configured to provide useable structural support to a building, as well as useable surfaces for forming walls after the completion of construction. These and other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent from the following discussion read in conjunction with the illustrations of the several views of the drawings.
The wall panel 100 includes an outer or box frame 102 having internal supports 104 extending vertically along its length. The box frame 102 operates to support vertical loading and includes a top rail forming a load distribution member 106, two side rails 108, a bottom member which may include a light gage track or bottom rail 110 and a support plate 111 below the bottom rail 110 (shown in
The bottom rail 110 is made of a cold-formed steel sheet shaped in a U-section channel. The side rails 108 and internal supports 104 can be made of the same tubular stock, as shown in
The wall panel 100 further includes a horizontal bridging rail 114 extending horizontally along the length of the wall panel 100 and disposed at about the midsection thereof. The horizontal bridging rail 114 in the illustrated embodiment is disposed within the gap 112 and is connected to the side rails 108 and vertical supports 104 to provide stability to the wall panel. The wall panels can include a single bridging rail 114, as shown in
During use, two or more wall panels 110 may be stacked on top of one another to build a multi-story structure that can support molds for floors or other floor/ceiling slab structures. Vertical interconnection between adjacent wall panels 100 can be accomplished by a bolted or welded connection arrangement. In the illustrated embodiment, a block 116 having a hole 118 is disposed on either end of the wall panel 100 atop the ends of the load distribution member 106. Each block 116 may be made of a section of square or rectangular tube stock, and the hole 118 may be formed through the top side wall of each block 116 to accommodate a bolt therethrough (not shown) for connecting an additional panel 110. In a similar arrangement, two angled brackets 120 may be disposed, respectively, at each end of the wall panel 110 along an inner horizontal surface of the bottom rail 110 to provide structural reinforcement around a hole 122. Each hole 122 extends through components of the wall panel 110 to provide an opening for attaching the wall panel 100 onto another panel disposed beneath it (not shown) as is described below relative to the illustrations of
A variation of the wall panel 100 is shown in
Similar to the wall panel 100, the wall panel 200 includes top and bottom rails 106 and 110. The side rails 208 are made of a stock having an increased outer profile, which provides improved resistance to shear loading. In addition, the wall panel 200 includes two cross braces 202, which extend in an “X” configuration between the four corners of the outer frame 102. Similar to the horizontal bridging rail 114, the cross braces 202 are made of rectangular tube stock and extend within the gap 112 defined between the pairs of side rails 208 and the vertical supports 104. At their ends, the two cross braces 202 may be bolted, pinned, or welded to the side rails 208. Because of the cross braces 202, the wall panel 200 may be made into modular lengths, for example, in 8 ft. (2.44 m.) lengths, that can be connected by use of bolted or welded connections.
Various configurations of the rails used in wall panels 100 and 200 are also possible in order to meet certain load requirements. For example, in addition to having larger rectangular side rails 208, as shown in
A partial outline of a connection block 116 is shown in
As shown in
Another embodiment of a wall panel 400 is shown in
The T-shaped beam, referred to herein as a T-beam, which forms load distribution member 406 of wall panel 400, can be any support beam including a T-shaped construction having a flange 412 and a web 414, as shown in detail in
As illustrated in
The location of web 414 between the pairs of supports 404 and side rails 408 also provides a distinct advantage. The inclusion of the web 414 serves to add increased support to the overall structure by strengthening the load distribution member and controlling shear stress and the forces of bending. In this regard, the web 414 allows T-beam 406 to have similar structural advantages as a rectangular structural member in comparison to a simple flat plate. However, in contrast to a rectangular structure, such as the tube stock 106 used in wall panel 100, the web 414 is entirely disposed below the upper ends of the side rails 408 and supports 404. Thus, the portion of T-beam 406 supplying the additional strength to address shear and bending forces, is entirely disposed within the gap 112 between side rails 408 and supports 404. In contrast, with a rectangular structure, the added benefit of using a three-dimensional structure over a simple flat plate, is yielded at the expenses of increased height of the load distribution member above the tops of side rails 108 and supports 104.
When wall panels 100, 200 and/or 400 are stacked together, a stable support structure may be formed by welding vertically along corners of abutting panels as well as by providing temporary bracing between facing wall panels. One type of facing arrangement 600 is shown in the partial outline view of
An outline view of wall panels 100 and 200 partially assembled onto a building 700 during construction and in accordance with the disclosure is shown in
Wall panels 200 are shown disposed toward the center of the building 700 to form a core, within which elevators, stairwells, or other building portions may reside (none shown). Similar to the wall panels 100 forming non-core portions of the building 700, the wall panels 200 at the core portion of the building 700 may be welded at their corners and to each other. A plurality of cross braces 602 are shown disposed between facing walls of panels to provide structural rigidity to the panel assemblies until pouring of floors between the panels has been completed.
The assembled wall panel structure 710 shown in
The wall panel structure 710 may also be constructed to form load bearing walls of the completed building after the floor slabs are poured and completed. In this regard, it may be advantageous to use wall panels 100 in the lower floors that are stronger than the wall panels 100 used in the upper floors of the wall panel structure 710. For example, the wall panels of the lower floors could use larger supports 104 and/or larger side rails 108 than the wall panels of the upper floors. For example, the wall panels 100 of a lower floor may use a 2×6″ structural HSS member for support 104, while the wall panels of the upper floors use a 2×2″ square tube. Alternatively, or in addition, the wall panels of the lower floors may include supports 104 and/or side rails 108 that have a larger gauge than the supports or rails 104/108 of the upper floors. For example, a lower floor may use wall panels with supports 104 having a side-wall with a thickness of ¼″, while the supports 104 in wall panels of the upper floors may include a side-wall thickness of ⅛″.
Tables 1-3 together demonstrate the different possible wall panel constructions that can be used for various floor heights based on typical assumptions for a building given a variety of variables. The information shown in Tables 1 and 2 are provided for a wall panel 400 constructed according to
Table 2 shows the axial load capacity of each pair of supports 404 in the wall panel 400. The depicted data corresponds to a wall panel having supports 404 spaced every 24 inches and that includes two rows of bridging. As shown in the table, the wall panels can support a large range of loads based on the size and gauge of the tubing used for supports 404. The loading that can be supported by the supports 404 also varies based on the height of the wall panel. As shown, the taller wall panels are unable to support the same load as a shorter wall panel.
Table 3 shows the axial capacity of the supporting bottom plate 160 of the wall panel 400. As shown, the capacity depends on both the thickness (gauge) of the bottom plate and on the size of the supports 404.
In accordance with the calculations shown in Tables 1-3 wall panels 400 can be selected specifically for different floors to meet the service load requirements calculated for that floor. For example, in a ten story building with the loading and building construction assumptions used in the example above, and, as an example, the total expected service load on the first floor is 47.2 kips. In the same building, the total expected service load on the sixth floor, which only has to support itself and the four floors above it (thus, the number of floors is five), is only 24.7 kips. Further assuming that the building requires a floor height corresponding to 11 feet, the data in Table 2 indicates that a wall panel 400 including supports 404 having a size of 2×2 with a gage of ¼ inch will adequately support the load at the bottom floor, since a wall panel of this type can support 52.2 kips, which is above the service load of 47.2 kips. In contrast, the wall panel used for the sixth floor, and higher floors, can use a lighter gage tube for supports 404. As shown in Table 2, a wall panel including supports 404 having a size of 2×2 with a gage of ⅛ inch can support a load up to 29.7 kips, which is higher than the required service load of 24.7 kips.
Once the wall panel structure 710 is assembled, the molds for floor slabs can be put in place so that the floor slabs can be poured in connection with the assembled structure 710. In an exemplary embodiment, the molds are position so that the floor slab is poured in an area corresponding to the supporting blocks 116 between the load distributing member 406 of a lower story and the support plate 111 of an upper story. As explained above, the assembled wall panel structure 710 is a load-bearing structure, with the load from upper floors being distributed directly through the wall panels of the upper floors to the wall panels of the lower floors. Accordingly, after the floor slabs have been poured, the completed structure has 100% bearing. Since the wall panels 100 are already assembled prior to the pouring of the floor slabs, gaps and spacing between the wall panels 100 and the floor slabs can be completely avoided.
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
Claims
1. A wall panel configured as a load bearing structure for supporting vertical loading in a building, the wall panel comprising:
- a box frame having a generally rectangular shape, the box frame including: a load distribution member disposed at a top of the box frame, a bottom member, and two sets of side rails interconnecting the load distribution member and bottom member, wherein each set of side rails includes two side rail members extending parallel to one another and defining a gap therebetween;
- a plurality of vertical supports disposed parallel to one another and to the side rails extending between the load distribution member and bottom member of the box frame, each vertical support including two vertical support members extending parallel to one another and defining an additional gap therebetween that is substantially aligned along the length of the wall panel with the gaps defined the side rail pairs;
- wherein the load distribution member includes a T-beam having a flange connected to the side rails and the vertical supports and having a web extending down from the flange and disposed within each gap between the respective sets of side rails and within each additional gap between the respective vertical support members of each support, the load distribution member being configured to distribute loading applied vertically from above the load distribution member substantially evenly along the length of the bottom member.
2. The wall panel of claim 1, wherein the side rails and vertical support members are made of rectangular steel tube stock.
3. The wall panel of claim 1, wherein the bottom rail is made of cold-formed steel sheet having a U-section.
4. The wall panel of claim 1, wherein each set of side rails includes a first side rail disposed along a first outer edge of the wall panel and a second side rail disposed along a second outer edge of the wall panel.
5. The wall panel of claim 1, wherein the respective gaps and additional gaps provide a passageway for conduits or pipes extending through the wall panel.
6. The wall panel of claim 1, further comprising a bridging rail extending horizontally along the length of the wall panel and disposed at about the midsection of the wall panel.
7. The wall panel of claim 1, further comprising an interconnection device adapted to interconnect the wall panel with an additional wall panel, wherein the interconnection device includes two blocks, each block having a hole and disposed on either end of the wall panel atop respective ends of the load distribution member, wherein each block is made of a section of rectangular tube stock, wherein each hole extends through a top side wall of each block to accommodate a fastener therethrough for connecting the additional panel.
8. The wall panel of claim 7, further comprising two angled brackets, each disposed, at a respective end of the wall panel along an inner horizontal surface of the bottom member, wherein the two angled brackets are configured to provide structural reinforcement around a hole formed in the bottom member that is aligned with the hole in the corresponding block.
9. The wall panel of claim 1, further comprising two cross braces which extend in an “X” configuration between the four corners of the box frame.
10. A building system, comprising:
- a plurality of inter-connectable wall panels configured to be assembled into a load bearing structure for a building;
- each wall panel comprising a box frame having a generally rectangular shape, the box frame including: a load distribution member disposed at a top of the box frame and including a T-beam having a flange and a web, a bottom member, and two sets of side rails interconnecting the load distribution member and bottom rail, wherein a top of each side rail abuts the flange of the T-beam and each set of side rails includes two side rail members extending parallel to one another, disposed on respective opposite sides of the web of the T-beam and defining a gap therebetween; a plurality of vertical supports disposed parallel to one another and to the side rails and extending between the load distribution member and bottom member, each vertical support including two vertical support members extending parallel to one another, disposed on respective opposite sides of the T-beam and defining an additional gap therebetween that is substantially aligned along the length of the wall panel with the gaps defined by the side rails; and
- an interconnection device adapted to interconnect each wall panel with an additional wall panel, wherein the interconnection device includes two blocks, each block having a hole and being disposed on either end of the wall panel atop respective ends of the load distribution member, wherein each block is made of a section of rectangular tube stock, wherein each hole extends through a top side wall of each block to accommodate a fastener therethrough for connecting the additional panel;
- wherein the load distribution member of each wall panel is configured to distribute loading applied vertically from above the load distribution member substantially evenly along the length of the bottom member of the respective wall panel.
11. The building system of claim 10, wherein the side rails and vertical support members of each wall panel are made of rectangular steel tube stock.
12. The building system of claim 10, wherein the bottom member of each wall panel includes a light gage track made of cold-formed steel sheet having a U-section and a support plate below the light gage track.
13. The building system of claim 10, wherein each set of side rails of each wall panel includes a first side rail disposed along a first outer edge of the wall panel and a second side rail disposed along a second outer edge of the wall panel.
14. The building system of claim 10, wherein each gap provides a passageway for conduits or pipes extending through the respective wall panel.
15. The building system of claim 10, wherein each wall panel includes a bridging rail extending horizontally along the length of the wall panel and disposed at about the midsection of the wall panel.
16. The building system of claim 10, wherein each wall panel includes two angled brackets respectively disposed at each end of the respective wall panel along an inner horizontal surface of the bottom member, wherein the two angled brackets are configured to provide structural reinforcement around a hole formed in the bottom member that is aligned with the hole in the corresponding block.
17. The building system of claim 10, wherein the vertical support members of a first of the plurality of interconnectable wall panels are formed of a stronger structural member than the vertical support members of a second of the plurality of interconnectable wall panels.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 17, 2011
Publication Date: Dec 20, 2012
Inventor: FREDERICK HARTMANN (CHICAGO, IL)
Application Number: 13/163,540
International Classification: E04B 1/19 (20060101); E04B 1/38 (20060101); E04C 2/52 (20060101); E04C 3/04 (20060101);