Modular Box Structure

Abstract

This invention provides a different way to build habitable structures that are quick to erect, cost effective, easily expandable, and are in compliance with most building codes. Instead of stick framing a structure on site, this invention uses modular self-supporting box frames to build a structure by placing the box frames next to each other. The box frames have openings on all sides and are easily attached to each other. The outside openings are closed in with door and window panels, making a good dwelling unit that is easily expandable by adding more box frames to the structure. The box-frame is collapsible to make transportation easier, with all panels shipped flat. The panels for the box-fames are built at a factory, then shipped to and erected on site. This saves a lot on time and cost of construction.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates to construction of habitable buildings that are quick to assemble and cost effective. The components of such buildings are built in the factory, then shipped to and assembled on site.

2. Description of Related Art

This invention provides another way to build a habitable structure.

Stick framing a structure on site is very costly and usually takes more than a year to build. This is the usual way homes are built today.

Other ways like mobile homes and sectional homes, are factory made and transported to site. However they are bulky and hard to transport due to their width.

Container or trailer type homes are smaller and are easier to transport. However they are hard to expand. One cannot put two or more trailers together to provide more space.

This invention solves the problem of transportation and expansion of modular homes. It provides a different way to build any size home, that is quicker and cheaper than conventional stick framing of a building. The benefits of this invention are listed below.

• • 1. All the building panels are prefabricated in a factory, saving on the cost of construction.
  • 2. Because the floors, walls, and roof are factory made, the assembling of a structure takes only weeks instead of years.
  • 3. The panels are made to standard container width to make it easier to transport.
  • 4. The wall panels are foldable and fit within the folded trailer box. This way it takes up less space during transport.
  • 5. All wall, floor and roof panels are built to meet the Building Codes. This makes getting the building permitted by the City a lot easier.
  • 6. The panels when put together form a covered, self-supporting trailer-box that can be habitable.
  • 7. These trailer-boxes could be placed next to each other to form any size 1-story building.
  • 8. The trailers boxes could also be stacked to form 2 or 3-story buildings.
  • 9. The bathrooms and kitchens could be built and shipped separately, all enclosed with fixtures; or built on site within the trailer box structure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides a different way to build a habitable structure. Our structure is built out of factory made box frames that are placed next to each other to form a building. The box frames consist of a floor panel, a bubble type roof panel, and eight shear wall panels that support the roof panel and resist the lateral loads. Our box frame is collapsible to make transportation easier. When put together the panels form a free standing box, which is structurally sound and meets most state building codes. The box frame has a three feet openings on each of the narrow sides, and large foot openings on the wide sides. Those openings call be filled in with pre-fabricated window, door, and wall panels as needed to enclose the structure, or left open when combining two or more of these box frames to build a larger structure. By properly placing these box frames next to each other, one can build any size or shape structure that they wish.

The floor, roof and wall panels are built with 2× and 4× lumber, CDX plywood and siding, nailed together, waterproofed, and insulated per Building codes at the factory. The shear and the outside wall panels are shipped with-in the empty space between floor and roof panels. Collapsed, the box frame is only 30″ high, making it easier to transport. The box frames are transported to jobsite by trucks and erected by use of lift cranes.

In the field the box frames are assembled and placed next to each other to form a desired structure. The box frames can sit on the ground or on a concrete footing that was designed to support the shear walls. The box frames are attached to concrete with foundation bolts and interconnected by metal straps and plywood.

The box frames can also be stacked. This enables a designer to erect two and even three-story buildings using our box frames. Additional hold downs are required, footing pads need to be thickened, and stairs built to access upper floors. The bathrooms and kitchens can be factory-built and attached to the building, or built later within the erected structure.

This invention show how our floor panels, roof panels, shear walls and moment frames are made, and how a structure out of our box frames is put together. The moment frame permits a designer to relocate shear walls and open up floor space without lessening the structural integrity of the building.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1a shows an isometric view of the already set up box frame.

FIG. 1B shows a side view of a collapsed box frame.

FIG. 2a provides a plan view of the floor panel

FIG. 2b shows the transverse view of the floor panel.

FIG. 2c shows the longitudinal view of the floor panel.

FIG. 3a provides a plan view of the modified floor panel

FIG. 3b shows the transverse view of the modified floor panel.

FIG. 3c shows the longitudinal view of the modified floor panel.

FIG. 4a provides a plan view of the roof panel

FIG. 4b shows the transverse view of the roof panel.

FIG. 4c shows the longitudinal view of the roof panel.

FIG. 5a provides a longitudinal view of how the shear walls connect to the floor and roof panels.

FIG. 5b provides a transverse view of how the shear walls connect to the floor and roof panels.

FIG. 5c shows the cross section of a shear wall panel.

FIG. 6a provides the longitudinal view of the wood moment frame panel.

FIG. 6b provides the transverse view of the wood moment frame panel.

FIG. 6c provides cross-section view of the wood moment frame panel.

FIG. 7 shows an open layout of a 1000 sq. foot structure built with 8 box-frames (7.5′×15′ each) and 8 moment frames.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

This invention provides another way to make any size habitable structure per present building code. Instead of stick-framing a structure on site, the structure is built out of factory made free-standing roofed box frames (FIG. 1a) that are set next to each other to form a structure desired. The box frame (1) is made from factory-made panels that when put together forms a free standing roofed box that is structurally sound and meets the building codes. The box frame (1) consists of a floor panel (2), a bubble shaped roof panel (3), and shear wall panels (4) that support the roof panel (2). The moment frame shown in FIG. 5 permits removal of required shear walls (4). The box frame has openings on all sides. Three feet opening on narrow sides, and large eleven foot or larger openings on the wide sides. The outside openings call be filled in with pre-fabricated window, door, and wall panels as needed to enclose the structure. Inside openings are left open when combining two or more of these box frames (FIG. 7) to build a structure. By properly placing these box frames next to each other, we can build any size or shape structure we wish.

For ease in transporting, the box frames (FIG. 1a) are made to be collapsible (FIG. 1b). For this reason hinges (9) and 4×6 horizontal supports (14) are added to the shear walls (4). During transportation the inside straps are bent out of the way. The vertical hinges (9) permit the shear walls (4) in each corner to fold next to each other, and the two horizontal hinges (9) allow the shear walls to lay down. The 4×6 (14) laid flat under the shear walls (4) provide the space for the folded shear walls to lay flat. These supports (14) are attached to the floor panel (2) and the perimeter joists with sufficient screws to resist the generated shear.

The floor panel (FIG. 2) is made of treated 2×6 joists (6) placed at 16″ apart with ⅝″ CDX plywood (7) nailed to them and insulated per Building code. Double or even triple 2×6 runs all around the perimeter of the rectangle, with metal straps (8) nailed to them to serve as tie downs for the shear walls (4). It is the double or triple 2×6 that provides the resistance to the overturning moment produced by the shear walls (4). Those floor panels are placed directly on gravel or concrete pad, and used primarily in the trailer designs. To be used as a building the building code requires foundation. For this reason we modified the floor panel design such that it can sit on a concrete foundation or used as 2^nd floor panels in multi-story buildings.

The modified floor panel (FIG. 3) is similarly built with 2×6 joists (6) at 16″ and ⅝″ CDX plywood (7) nailed on top. Except the perimeter of the rectangle is built out of I-joists (9) that are nailed to the 2×6 floor joists (6). The I-joists (9) provide continues support to the floor, as well as raising the floor joists (6) off the ground. The I-joists are also braced at the bottom with 2×3 cross-braces at 4′. Modified floor panels are used when raised floor building is desired. A foundation is designed per building code under the shear walls.

The roof panel (FIG. 4) is designed similar to floor panel with 2×6 joists (6) placed 24″ apart and held together with two I-joists (9), one on each side. The I-joists (9) support the roof or floor loads from above over the long span and run around three sides of the roof. The fourth side allows for runoff from rain and snow. The 2×6 joists (6) are nailed at a slope to the I-joists (9) to provide the slope to the roof. ⅝″ CDX plywood (7) is nailed to the top of the roof rafters (6) and covered with 2 layers of felt paper and Class A roofing material. The I-joists and rafters are also insulated and waterproofed per Building Code, and then the I-joists (9) are wrapped with ⅜″ siding panels (13) for additional strength. Metal straps (8) are nailed to the sides of the I-joists (9) and the shear walls (4) to serve as tie-downs for the shear walls (4). The I-joists (9) are additionally braced with 2×3 diagonal braces (10) at every 4′ to provide more stability to the bubble frame.

The shear walls panels (FIG. 5) resist the lateral and gravity loads that are placed on a building. They are made of 2×4 (12) and 4×4 studs (11) with double 2×4 top and bottom plates, nailed together with ⅜ plywood siding (13) nailed on one side or on both sides for double shear strength. The shear walls (4) are also waterproofed and insulated. Eight shear walls (4) support the roof panel (3) and provide lateral support to the frame box (FIG. 1). The metal straps (8) from floor panel (2) and roof panel (3) are nailed to shear wall (4) to transfer shear between panels and keep the shear walls from overturning. Two shear walls (4) in each corner give the box best rigidity and strength. However, the shear walls (4) with straps (8) can be moved if it is desired by the designer.

The moment frame design (FIG. 6) allows designers to relocate the required shear walls (4) and to provide a more open floor plan in a building. Since the number of shear walls to resist the lateral loads must remain the same, we can only move them. The moment frame (5) moves the shear walls (4) to the sides while providing the lateral support to the roof panel (3) corners. Most corners require relocation of 8 walls, 4 in each direction. That means that a duel moment frame must be added in each direction to the building. The moment frame consists of 2×6 floor joists (6) with a shear wall (4) attached on each end, and an I-joist beam (10) on top connected together with metal straps mailed on both sides. The top I-beam has a bracket (14) attached that supports the roof corners of adjoining boxes. The metal straps (8) keep the frame rigid, enabling it to resist the lateral and gravity loads placed on the frame. To make the moment frame (5) stronger, an I-joist (10) is nailed between the 4×4's (11) of the shear wall (4). This allows the moment frame to carry even more shear, like the additional shear that develops in multistory buildings.

When properly put together, the floor plate (2), shear walls (4), moment frame (5) and roof panel (3) form a strong rectangular box (FIG. 1a) that structurally stands up to most building codes. The box frames (1) can be placed next to each other to form buildings of any size and shape. FIG. 7 provides an example of a 1000 sq. ft. open style building that is built with 8 box-trailers (1) and 8 moment frames (5). The outside wall openings are filled in with prefabricated window, door, and solid wall panels (not show in drawings) that are also insulated and waterproofed per building code. Interior partition panels (also not show in drawings) are later installed where ever desired by the designer.

The box frames (FIG. 1a) can sit on the ground or on top of concrete footing and attached to it with metal hold downs and foundation bolts set into the concrete. These box frames (FIG. 1a) can also be stacked on top of each other with additional hold downs and thicker concrete footing. Thus, allowing designers to build two and three story structures.

Claims

1. I claim a collapsible box structure that is built to building code standards and comprising of;

a. a floor panel, and

b. a roof panel, and

c. multiple shear wall panels that support the said roof panel, and

d. wood moment frames that also supports the said roof and floor panels,

2. I claim a method of building 1-story structures, whereby the box structures of claim 1 are placed next to each other to form a much larger habitable structure, and

3. I claim a method of building 2 and 3-story structures, whereby the box structures of claim 1 are stacked one on top of the other to form multi-story habitable buildings.