Abstract:
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. A temporary bracing system is further disclosed for use when stabilizing multiple stacked panels until construction of the surrounding floor or ceiling slabs has been completed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/238,897, filed Sep. 1, 2009, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    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 INVENTION 
       [0003]    When constructing high-rise buildings that include more than one floors, 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. 
         [0004]    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 poor the floor above. The scaffolding may be dismantled when pouring of a floor above is complete, and moved for re-erection when successively pouring other floors. 
         [0005]    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, additional wall structures are required for newly formed floors after the pouring of the “floor” and “ceiling” slabs are complete. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The 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 floors simultaneously when constructing a multi-story building. The erected wall panels can support more than one floor molds at the same time, thus allowing for the simultaneous pouring of more than one floors. 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 completion of construction. These and other aspects for the disclosure will become apparent from the following discussion read in conjunction with the illustrations of the several views of the drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is an outline view of a wall panel in accordance with the disclosure. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is an outline view of an alternate embodiment of a wall panel in accordance with the disclosure. 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a partial view of the top portion of a connector for a wall panel in accordance with the disclosure. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a partial view of a bottom portion of a connector for a wall panel in accordance with the disclosure. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a cross section of a connection arrangement between two wall panels in accordance with the disclosure. 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a partial outline view of a wall panel temporary support structure in accordance with the disclosure. 
           [0013]      FIG. 7  is an outline view of wall panels partially assembled onto a building during construction in accordance with the disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]      FIG. 1  is an outline view of a wall panel  100  in accordance with the disclosure. The wall panel  100  essentially operates as a load bearing structure for supporting vertical loading. The wall panel  100  can be constructed at any desired length and, in one embodiment, can be used as a unitary structure to support a similar wall panel disposed above the wall panel  100  along the entire length or width of a floor slab of a building. In an alternate embodiment, the wall panel  100  may have a predetermined, modular length, for example, 2-32 ft. (0.61-9.75 m). In that embodiment, two or more modular wall panels may be connected, for example, by bolted or welded connections, to form a wall panel of a desired length. 
         [0015]    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  106 , two side rails  108 , and a bottom rail  110 . The top rail  106 , side rails  108 , and internal supports  104  are made of rectangular tube stock, the dimensions of which may be adjusted to provide adequate support for the loading expected to be applied onto the wall panel  100 . The top rail  106  operates to distribute the load applied to the wall panel  100  evenly along its length and is formed by a single rectangular tube having a width that is equal to the overall width of the wall panel  100 . 
         [0016]    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  FIG. 1 , but may alternatively be made of tubular or other stock having different dimensions. The side rails  108  are arranged in pairs with each member of the pair disposed along the outer edges of the wall panel  100 . In the illustrated embodiment, the side rails  108  and vertical supports  104  are made of square 2×2 in. (about 5×5 cm.) tubing of 3/16 in. (0.48 cm.) gage steel. The steel used for constructing the panels can be galvanized, and may additionally be treated after installation with corrosion and/or heat protective coatings. The side rails  108  and internal supports  104  are welded along the outside edges of the top rail  106  and to the inside edges of the bottom rail  110  on the bottom. A gap  112  is defined between each pair of side rails  108  and vertical supports  104 , which can provide a passageway for conduits or pipes in a completed internal wall. The width of the wall  100  and the dimensions of the side rails  108  and vertical supports  104  determines the width of the gap  112 . 
         [0017]    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. 
         [0018]    During use, two or more wall panels  110  may be stacked one on top of the other to build a multi-story structure that can support molds 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 top bar  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  118  to accommodate a bolt therethrough (not shown) for connecting an additional panel  110 . In a similar arrangement, two angled brackets  120  may be disposed, one each, 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  FIGS. 3-5 . 
         [0019]    Before describing the interconnections of wall panels, a variation of the wall panel  100  is shown in  FIG. 2 , where elements that are the same or similar to elements already described relative to the wall panel  100  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) are denoted by the same reference numerals previously used. The wall panel  200  shown in  FIG. 2  is specifically arranged to provide improved resistance to shear stresses, which makes the wall panel  200  suitable for use when constructing the core portion of a building or for surfaces of a building exposed to wind or seismic loading. 
         [0020]    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. 
         [0021]    A partial outline of a connection block  116  is shown in  FIG. 3 , and of a bracket  120  is shown in  FIG. 4 . The cross section shown in  FIG. 5  is meant to illustrate one embodiment for a connection arrangement between two vertically connected wall panels  100  or  200 . More specifically, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the block  116  is welded atop the top rail  106  by use of, for example, two weld beads  302  extending along the outer edges of the block  116 . A bolt  304  extends through the opening  118  such that a threaded section of the bolt  304  protrudes above the block  116 . In the illustrated embodiment, a head  306  of the bolt  304  is connected, for example, by use of tack welding, onto the bottom surface of the top wall of the block  116 . Weld beads or lines  308  connecting the top rail  106  to the two visible side rails  208  are shown extending along outer edges of the wall panel  200 . 
         [0022]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the bracket  120  has an “L” shape and is connected at each inside corner between the vertical rails  208  and the top surface of the bottom rail  110 . The hole or opening  122  is a through-hole meant to accommodate the threaded portion of the bolt  304 . A partial cross section of the connection arrangement between two wall panels  200 , which would be similar between two wall panels  100 , is shown in  FIG. 5 . As can be seen from the illustration, the two stacked wall panels  200  are connected when the bolt  304  passes through the opening  122  and the two panels are secured to one another by a nut  310  engaged onto the bolt  304 . 
         [0023]    When wall panels  100  and/or  200  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  FIG. 6 . The facing arrangement  600  includes crossing brace members  602  that extend in an “X” or “K” configuration across two opposite wall panels  100  or  200  in a four sided structure of wall panels, which is shown and discussed relative to  FIG. 7 . Each crossing brace member  602  includes round shaft portions  604  connected axially to one another through flat bar portions  604 . Hooks  606  having a generally “J” shape are disposed at the ends of each brace member  602 . The hooks  606  engage portions of the wall panels  100 , for example, at the vertical supports  104 . Pairs of brace members  602  disposed around a pin joint  608  are capable of interlocking the wall panels  100  or  200  such that vertical, shear, and lateral loading can be temporarily isostatically-supported until construction of the floor/ceiling portions is completed. In the illustrated embodiment, a portion of a floor/ceiling joist  610  is shown extending horizontally across the wall panels  100  or  200 . 
         [0024]    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  FIG. 7 . As shown, the building  700  may include completed floor slabs  702  at lower floors. A unitary wall panel  100  is mounted onto the topmost slab to form a support structure and ultimately a wall of the building. Each of four sides of the slab supports a wall panel  100 . A second story or subsequent floor wall panel  100  is shown disposed on one side of the building  700  in accordance with the disclosure. The upper wall panel  100  is connected to the lower wall panel  100  by bolted connections  706  as shown in  FIG. 6 . At each of the corners  708  defined between adjacent walls, the wall panels  100  may be welded or bolted together to form a rectangular, continuous wall. 
         [0025]    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. 
         [0026]    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. 
         [0027]    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. 
         [0028]    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.