METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

Abstract: A method of and apparatus for building construction using a series of tubular elements which are locked together in side-by-side relationship to form a building structure. Each tubular element includes a series of plates interconnected by two or more spaced bands, the bands of adjacent tubular elements being overlapped. The elements may be locked together by rods passing between the overlapped bands or by transverse tension rods, by the interlock of the bands in slots on the adjacent elements or by a combination of these. The plates may be solid or in the form of mesh and covering sheets may be applied to one or more of the elements.

Description: METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION THIS INVENTION relates to a method of and apparatus for building construction using a series of tubular elements which are locked together to construct walls, floors, ceilings or roofs for, inter alia, buildings, swimming pools and earth retention walls. Throughout the period of man, he has developed an almost infinite number of methods of building constructions. The methods employed today are relatively complex, relying on the need for skilled tradesmen and often, specialist tools, which makes such methods expensive. With many of the present methods, modular systems of construction are not possible and so the economies of scale available with such systems cannot be enjoyed. In addition, in-situ construction techniques can never be as accurate as in-factory techniques. When curved or inclined structures must be built, the present building methods must be modified, requiring further specialist skills and incurring additional expense. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of building construction which is based on a modular system, is simple and relatively inexpensive to manufacture. It is a preferred object to provide a method which enables, erection of a building structure by relatively unskilled labour with only simple, readily-available tools. It is a further preferred object to provide a number of alternative forms of the method to suit the particular intended application. It is a still further preferred object to provide a wide range of simple tubular elements which are suitable for use in the method- Other preferred objects will become apparent from the following description. In one aspect, the present invention resides in a method of building construction characterized by the steps of : (i) providing a plurality of tubular elements, each tubular element comprising a plurality of plates inter¬ connected by a plurality of spaced bands outwardly directe from the sides of the plates with respective apertures being defined' between adjacent pairs of said bands; (ii) placing the tubular elements in substantially side by-side relationship so that at least one of the bands of one side of a first tubular element overlaps a respective band of the adjacent side of an adjacent tubular element and enters a respective aperture of the adjacent tubular element; and (iii) locking the tubular elements together. In a second aspect, the present invention resides in a building construction characterized by: a plurality of tubular elements in substantially side-by-side, relationship, each of the tubular elements comprising a plurality of plates interconnected by a plurality of spaced bands outwardly directed from the side of the plates, and respective ' apertures defined between adjacent pairs of the bands; and means to lock the tubular elements in said sub¬ stantially side-by-side relationship wherein at least one of the bands of one side of a first tubular element overla a respective band of the adjacent side of an adjacent tub u lar element and enters a respective aperture of the adjacent tubular element. Throughout the description, claims and abstract, the term "tubular element" will be used to describe and define a substantially hollow element which in end view is substantially circular, elliptical or polygonal with three or more sides (e.g. hexagonal, octagonal) and/or a combination of these, e.g. one plate is semi-circular in end view and a second plate is semi-elliptical in end view. The locking means to effect step (iii) may include longitudinal rods passing between overlapped bands to prevent adjacent tubular elements from being separated; at least one transverse rod passing through the tubular elements provided with bearing plates which engage the end elements; slots formed in the bands which are engaged by the bands of the adjacent elements; and/or a combination of these. Longitudinal and/or reinforcing rods may be provided in the structure to increase its strength. The tubular elements may be filled with concrete, soil or rock, or with insulating foam or fibrous material. Normally such filling will place the plates in tension but, if a plate is concave, the plate will be placed in compression. If an expansion joint is required, one or more of the elements may be left empty or only be partially filled. The bands may be formed integrally with the plates or may be fixed thereto by, e.g. welding, riveting, clipping or other suitable fastening methods or by the use of suitable adhesives. Alternatively, the bands may be formed by rings to which the plates are releasably or securely fixed, e.g. each tubular element comprises a pair of plates and a series of rings which are engaged by the plates. The plates may be solid, i.e. in sheet form, or may have holes punched therethrough or may be in the form of mesh to which a liner or covering sheet is applied internally or externally. In certain applications, a covering sheet may be provided to cover one or more of the tubular elements. For example, a building wall could comprise a series of tubular elements sandwiched between aluminium exterior cladding and a timber veneer interior lining. In most applications the sides of adjacent plates and/or covering sheets will be butted, clipped or fixed together and suitable sealant materials or sealing beads or strips provided at the joints between the plates or sheets. For inclined structures, adjacent elements may be vertically offset, while for non-linear structures (e.g. curved walls) , the apertures are not diametrically aligned across the elements but may be spaced apart at angles of, e.g. 60°, 90° or 120°. By varying the angle, a particular type of element can be modified to enable construction of curved walls having a wide range of radii of curvature. For increased strength, the elements may be positioned in the footings trench before the concrete for the footings is poured. Reinforcing rods in the footings may extend transversely through the elements or may extend longitudinally up through the elements for connection, e.g. to the roof structure to act as cyclone bolts. To enable the invention to be fully understood, a number of preferred embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a part of a wall assembled from tubular elements according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a partly exploded perspective view of a tubular element according to a modified form of the invention; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a pair of band clips for use in a further modified form of the invention; FIGS. 4 & 5 are sectional views of a pair of co- joined tubular elements according to other embodiments of the invention; FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a pair of cojoined tubular elements of a still further embodiment of the invention together with a door jamb unit; FIGS. 7 & 8 are sectional views of still further embodiments of the present invention; FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of the tubular elements of a still further embodiment of the present ____ _ v.:?o invention; and FIG. 10 is a section view of a pair of cojoined tubular elements according to FIG. 9. Referring to FIG. 1, a plurality of tubular elements 10 are arranged in side-by-side relationship in a footing trench 11 to form a wall. Each tubular element has a pair of curved plates 12 interconnected along their longitudinal sides by bands or strips 13, diametrically opposed apertures 14 being of greater depth than the a jac- ent bands. At one end of each tubular element, an end aperture 15 is open on its fourth side while at the other end, an end band 16 is flush with the end of the tubular element. As shown, the tubular elements are arranged side- by-side, the bands 13 along one side of each element 10 overlapping the bands 13 along the adjacent side of the adjacent element and entering respective apertures 14 in the adjacent element. To enable this overlapping effect, alternate elements 10 are inverted so that the end band 16 of one element enters the end apertures 15 of its adjacent elements. A substantially vertical rod 17 is passed down between the overlapped bands 13, 16 to prevent the tubular elements from being separated. Preferably the diameter of the vertical rod 17 is selected to be equal to, or just greater than, the distance between the overlapping bands on the axis joining the centres of the adjacent elements to securely lock the elements together. The edges 18 of the plates 12.are aligned so that filling material placed in one of the tubular elements may enter the adjacent elements but may not escape from between the plates 12 of the adjacent elements. If preferred, a sealant or weatherproofing material (e.g. a silicon sealant) or- a sealing or weatherproofing strip or bead may be provided at the junction of adjacent plates 12 of adjacent elements 10. To provide lateral reinforcement to the. wall, a plurality of transverse reinforcing rods 19 are passed through aligned apertures 14, 15 in the tubular elements to bond to any filling material placed in the elements. A concrete footing 20 in the trench 11 surrounds the tubular elements and is provided with longitudinal and transverse reinforcing rods 21, 22 respectively. To provide a more secure bond between 'the footing and the elements, the transverse reinforcing rods 22 pass through aligned pairs of holes 23 formed in the lower portions of each plate 12 of the elements. The elements may be filled with concrete, which bonds to the plates 12, bands 13, vertical and transverse rods 17, 19 and which places the plates 12 under tension t form a strong, rigid structure. As the concrete also bond to the transverse reinforcing rods 22 and may engage the concrete 1 in the footing 20, the wall is securely connected to the footing 20 to increase the strength of the resultin structure. The tubular elements 10 may be formed from glass reinforced plastic (GRP) , unplasticized polyvinyl chloride (UPVC) or steel or aluminium sheet. With GRP and UPVC, the elements may be cut from endless tubes and the apertures 14, 15 cut or punched as required. With steel o aluminium sheet, the elements may be punched from a single sheet or from two such sheets, rolled and then welded or riveted to form the tube. Alternatively, each band may be formed by a pair of tongues integral with their adjacent plates where each tongue has a hook at its distal end to engage the corresponding tongue on the other plate. FIG. 2 shows a modified form of tubular element 30. A plurality of spaced steel rings 31 have transverse tabs 32 welded or riveted about their peripheries. A pair of body plates 33 are substantially semi-circular in profile, have a plurality of substantially planar panels 3 C placed side-by-side with an obtuse included angle. Each plate 33 is terminated by an inwardly-turned flange 35 which engages a respective set of aligned tabs 32 on the rings 31. When assembled, the elements 30 are arranged in a similar side-by-side relationship as the elements 10 of FIG. 1 and vertical rods 17 are passed down between the overlapped bands 31 to lock the elements 30 together. The plates 33 may be formed from suitable plastics material (e.g. by injection moulding or continuous extrusion) or formed from metal sheet (e.g. by rolling or bending) . The particular profiles of the plates 33 and their external finishes (e.g. anodized, painted) can be varied to suit the particular application. The elements 30 can be transported to the site in disassembled form to save transport costs. The simple method of assembly of the elements does not require skilled labour or any special tools. In a modified form of the element 30, the bands 31 m each be replaced by a pair of band straps 35 shown in FIG. 3. Each band strap has a central portion 37 of substantially V-section terminated by a pair of outwardly directed hooks 38 which engage the flanges 35 on the plates 33. FIG. 4 shows a section end view of a pair of cojoined tubular elements 40 of a fourth embodiment of the invention. Each tubular element 40 has a pair of substantially planar plates 41 provided with inturned side flanges 42. A series of bands 43 interconnect the plates, each band 43 has a central outwardly directed portion 44 terminated by feet 45 welded or riveted to the side flanges 42. A vertical rod 46 passes through the over¬ lapped bands 43 to lock the elements 40 together with the side flanges 42 of the elements butted together. Suitable sealing means (not shown) may be provided between the adjacent side flanges 42. To prevent the plates 41 from bowing when the elements are filled with, e.g. concrete, soil or rocks, Zed-section braces 47 may be provided in each element with the feet 48 of each brace welded or riveted intermediate the width of the plates 41. FIG. 5 shows a modified form of the elements 40 o FIG. 4. Each element 50 has a pair of concave plates 51. When concrete or other filling is poured into the elements 50, central portions 52 of the concave face plates 51 wil try to move outwardly but will be constrained from doing s as the ~ width of each planar panel 53 must be reduced to enable the plate 51 to be deformed to a convex profile. Therefore each panel 53 is placed in compression to increase the strength of the element. FIG. 6 shows a sectional end view of a pair of cojoined tubular elements of a sixth embodiment of the invention, where a door jamb element is fitted to one of the elements 60. Each element 60 has a series of spaced composite rings 61. Each ring 61 includes a pair of face straps 62 with inturned end flanges 63. A pair of band straps 64 interconnect the face straps 62, each strap 64 having an outwardly directed central portion 65 terminated at each end by lateral feet 66 welded or riveted at the junction of the face straps 62 and end flanges 63. A plate 67, having a substantially planar profile, is fitted to one side of each of the elements 60. The plate 67 has a pair of inturned side flanges 68 provided with return flanges 69 which engage the end flanges 63 of the rings 61, the side flanges 68 of adjacent elements 60 being butted together. Plates 70 on the other side of each element 60 have angled panels 71 interconnecting their planar central panels 72 with their side flanges 68. As in earlier embodiments, vertical rods 73 lock the elements 60 together. ^RE To place the structure under compression, a tension assembly 74 includes a pair of aligned rods 75 each having a hook 76 at one end engaged with a vertical rod 73 and a screw thread 77 at the other end engaged in a turnbuckle 78. By rotation of the turnbuckle, the rods 75 may be drawn together to place the tubular elements 60 between the vertical rods 73 connected to the assembly 74 under compression. A door jamb element 79 has a suitable front profile terminated by a pair of rearwardly directed flanges 81 which are interconnected by spaced band straps 64 welded or riveted thereto. Similar elements may be provided for, e.g. window frames, air vents and air conditioner mountings. FIG. 7 is a sectional end view of a pair of cojoined elements 90 of a seventh embodiment of the invention. Each element 90 comprises a plurality of spaced wire rings 91 interconnected by spaced vertical wire rods 92 to form a mesh structure about which is fixed an external cover of carpet 93. • Diametrically opposed aligned apertures are cut in the carpet 93 to enable a band of carpet between, e.g. three rings 91 on one element to enter the aperture on the adjacent side of the second element. To lock the elements 90 together, a series of transverse tension rods 94 are passed through the apertures in the elements. Each end of the tension rods 94 is screw threaded to receive a nut 95 received in a respective hole 96 in a vertical strip of timber 97 along each end of the completed structure. By tightening the nuts 95 on the rods 94, the elements 90 are pressed into secure locking engagement with each other. In a modified form of the seventh embodiment as shown in FIG. 8, the elements 90 are again arranged in the over-lapping side-by-side relationship but are locked together by a vertical rod 98 passing between the over¬ lapped portions of the wire rings 91. A plastic or canvas internal liner 99 is provided in each element. If the elements are filled with, e.g. concrete, soil or rocks, the liner 99 will bulge out between the rings 91 and rods 92 to form a secure bond between the elements and the filling material. FIG. 9- is a front perspective view of the elements 100 of a ninth embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10 showing a section view of a cojoined pair of elements 100. Each element 100 has' a pair of face plates 101 joined by a series of spaced bands 102. A pair of paralle longitudinal slots 103 in each band 102 forms an integral longitudinal tongue 104. To assemble a structure, alternative elements are inverted as shown in FIG. 9. The elements are brought together in side-by-side relationship but vertically offse so that each band 102 and its integral tongue 104 enters • an aligned aperture 105 in the adjacent element. The elements are then moved longitudinally relative to each other to cause each tongue 104 to slide behind a respectiv tongue 104 and band 102 on the other element until the end 106 of their slots 103 are engaged. The elements are now locked together. If preferred, a vertical'rod (not shown) may be passed between the overlapped bands and tongues to provide a further locking means between adjacent elements. The tubular elements shown in FIGS. 1 to 9 are substantially circular or substantially square. In certai applications, it may be preferable that the length (L) of the plates is much greater than the ' width (W) of the elements. For example, the plates 41 shown in FIG. 4 could be 500-lOOOmm long and the width of the elements could be only 100-150mm. This means that fewer elements would be required for a particular length of structure, thereby further reducing the erection time of the structure On such elements, it would be preferred to provide horizontal and/or vertical reinforcing ribs or channels in or on the plates 41 to resist any tendency of the plates to bow out when the elements are filled, e.g. with concrete. In FIG. 6, one method of preventing extension of the length using rods and turnbuckles has been shown. As an alternative, a metal strap with holes punched with spacings corresponding to the distance between the vertical rods may be placed under the structure, each rod engaging in a respective hole. As a further alternative, braces (similar to the braces 47 in FIG. 4) may be provided to interconnect aligned pairs of bands in the elements. In certain applications, the bands 43 and 64 (illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6) will not provide sufficient lateral alignment between adjacent elements. To overcome this problem, bands of the type shown in dashed lines in FIG. 5 and denoted by numeral 54 may be used. The central portion of the band forms a socket or channel to receive a vertical rod, the width of the socket or channel being equal to, or just greater than, the diameter of the vertical rod. For additional strength, all of the ' elements in the embodiments described may be filled with concrete, soil, rocks or a combination of these. Alternatively, for sound and/or heat insulation, the elements may be filled with insulating foam or fibrous material. If an expansion joint is required in the structure, one or more of the elements may be left empty or only partially filled to enable the element to expand or contract. For different applications, the plates of the elements may be made of different materials and may have different profiles and/or finishes. For example, the plates 41 of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 may be non-planar but may be, e.g. curved, elliptical or have a similar profile to the plates 33 in FIG. 3. Similarly, plates 51 of the embodiment in FIG. 5 could be concavely curved. Alternatively, cover sheets, e.g. aluminium wall cladding or wood veneer panelling, may be fixed to the resultant structure to cover the elements. Similarly, alternative methods (and combinations of methods) are available to lock the elements together in a building structure. For a non-linear, e.g. curved, structure, the apertures in the elements may be angularly offset while, for an inclined structure, the elements may be vertically offset relative to each other. Each embodiment is based on a modular system for economy of scale and in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the elements may be assembled on site to save on transport costs. The invention provides a number of simple, yet highly flexible methods of building construction which require only semi-skilled labour and no specialist tools. It will be readily apparent to the skilled addressee that a wide range of alternative or modified methods to those described and illustrated " will fall within the scope of the present invention defined in the appended claims. O Fi

Claims: CLAIMS : 1. A method of building construction characterized by the steps of: (i) providing a plurality of tubular elements, each tubular element comprising a plurality of plates inter¬ connected by a plurality of spaced bands outwardly directed from the sides of the plates with respective apertures being defined between adjacent pairs of said bands; (ii) placing the tubular elements in substantially side- by-side relationship so that at least one. of the bands of one side of a first tubular element overlaps a respective band of the adjacent side of an adjacent tubular element and enters a respective aperture of the adjacent tubular element; and (iii) locking the tubular elements together to form a building structure. 2. A method as claimed in Claim 1 wherein step (iii) is characterized by: passing a longitudinal rod between overlapping bands to prevent withdrawal of the bands from their respective apertures. 3. A method as claimed in Claim 2 wherein step (iii) is characterized by: passing at least one transverse rod through aligned apertures in the tubular elements; providing plate means at the end ones of the transverse rod to engage the end tubular elements; and tensioning the transvers rod to apply a compress- ive force to the tubular elements. 4. A method as claimed in Claim 1 wherein step (iii) is characterized by: forming longitudinal slots in the bands adjacent the junction of the bands and the plates, the slots being in communication with respective adjacent apertures; and longitudinally sliding a first tubular element relative to an adjacent tubular element to cause at least one of the bands of the first to engage in the slots in a respective band of the adjacent tubular element. 5. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4 and further characterized in that: a covering sheet is attached to the bands or a plate of at least one of the tubular elements. 6. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4 and further characterized in that: the adjacent sides of adjacent plates of adjacent tubular elements are brought into engagement. 7. A method as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4 and further characterized by the steps of: (iv) forming a footing trench; (v) positioning said tubular elements with their lower portions in the footing trench; and (vi) pouring concrete into the footing trench and into the tubular elements to form a bond between the concrete footing and the tubular elements. 8. A building construction characterized by: a plurality of tubular elements in substantially side-by-side relationship, each of the tubular elements comprising a plurality of plates interconnected by a plurality of spaced bands outwardly directed from the sides of the plates, and respective apertures defined between adjacent pairs of the bands; and means to lock the tubular elements in said substantially side-by-side relationship where at least one of the bands of one side of a first tubular element over¬ laps a respective band of an adjacent side of an adjacent tubular element and enters a respective aperture of the adjacent tubular element. 9. A construction as claimed in Claim 8 wherein said locking means is characterized by: a longitudinal rod passing between overlapped bands of adjacent tubular elements. 10. A construction as claimed in Claim 8 wherein: at least one transverse rod is passed through aligned apertures in the tubular elements; plate means at each end of the transverse rod to engage the end ones of the tubular elements; and means to tension the transverse rod to apply a compressive force to the tubular elements. 11. A construction as claimed in Claim 8 and further characterized by: slots formed in the bands of the tubular elements adjacent the junctions of the bands and the plates, the slots being in communication with respective adjacent apertures, so arranged that, on longitudinal sliding movement of a first tubular element relative to an adjacent tubular element, at least one of the bands of the first element will engage the slots in a respective band of the adjacent tubular element. 12. A construction as claimed in any one of Claims 8 to 11 and further characterized in that: the tubular elements are filled with concrete, soil rocks, insulating foam, insulating fibrous material or a combination of ' these. 13. A construction as claimed in Claim 12 wherein at. least one of the plates is concave, characterized in that: a compressive force is applied to the concave plate by the filling material. 14. A construction as claimed in any one of Claims 8 to 11 and further characterized in that: the bands of a tubular element are formed by a plurality of spaced rings attached to the plates of the tubular element. 15. A construction as claimed in Claim 14 and further characterized in that: the plates are releasably attached to the rings. 16. A construction as claimed in any one of Claims 8 to 11 and further characterized in that: at least one of the plates of a tubular element comprises a mesh structure provided with an internal or external liner or covering sheet. 17.. ' A construction as claimed in any one of Claims 8 to 11 and further characterized in that: adjacent tubular elements are vertically offset to provide an inclined building structure. 18. A construction as claimed in any one' of Claims 8 to 11 and characterized in that: the apertures along the sides of the tubular elements are not diametrically aligned, the tubular elements being arranged in a non-linear relationship in plan. 19. A construction as claimed in any one of Claims 8 to 11 and further characterized by: the lower portions of the tubular elements being positioned in the footing trench; and concrete in the footing trench and the tubular elements forming a bond between the concrete footing and the tubular elements. 20. A construction as claimed in Claim 19 and further characterized by: reinforcing rods extending from the footing trench longitudinally through the tubular elements for connection to a roof structure supported by the tubular elements.

Inventors: HART G
Applicants: HART G
Application year: 1980
Main classification: E04B2
IPC codes: E02D29, E04B1, E04B2, E04C5, E04H4