METHODS OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

Abstract: Methods of building construction where a series of elements (10) are superimposed and/or in a side by side relationship to be used as "stay-in-place" formwork for concrete (or other) filling to form structural walls for buildings, swimming pools, earth retaining walls or the like. Each element (10) has a pair of substantially parallel side panels (11) connected together, and the side panels (11) of all adjacent elements (10) are connected together directly or indirectly by connecting and/or locking members. The side panels (11) may be rigid or semi-rigid and may have concave or convex profiles under compression or tension respectively. Vertical beams or rods (31) may be provided internally of the elements (10) to limit the flexing of the side panels (11) as the elements (10) are filled, to reinforce the resultant walls and to assist in anchoring them to the building foundations.

Description: Title: "METHODS OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION" BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the Invention This invention relates to methods of building construction and, in particular, to methods for building structural walls which employ building elements which are used as "stay-in-place" formwork. (2) Brief Description of the Prior Art Modular methods of building construction have been developed and refined over many years. A number of these known methods have been based on the use of substantially U-shaped elements which are locked together to form a wall, and which may be filled with cement, soil or other filling material. Examples of such methods are disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos.863,779 (Budd) ; 3,107,755 (Thibert); 3,411,261 (Soddy) ; 3,815,311 (Nisula et al) and 4,104,837 (Naito). These methods generally use vertical building elements of complex shape where the side panels are inter¬ connected by a base which engages the side panels of an adjacent element. Tests have shown that these known elements have a number of disadvantages which severely limit their application and acceptance in the building industry. As the known elements are generally formed in complete unit, they cannot be easily and compactly trans- porte . While efforts have been made to enable the elements to be nestable for transport, the resultant elements are completely complex (see U.S. Patent No. 4,104,837 of Naito). The known elements are generally arranged vertically in a side-by-side relationship and so the resultant structural wall must, of necessity, be of constant thick¬ ness throughout its height. When the wall is filled with cement, soil or rock, the pressure in the lower part of the wall tends to cause the side panels of the wall to bulge. To overcome this problem, thick gauge side panels, which can resist the pressure, but which are thicker than necessary for the top of the wall, must be used. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION it is an object of the present invention to provide one or more methods of building construction employing building elements which are suitable for use as "stay-in- place" formwork for structural walls. It is a preferred object to provide methods, using the elements for the construction of free-standing cantilever walls, which may be connected by roof bearers or trusses to transfer any shear loads between the walls. It is a further preferred object to provide methods of construction where the elements may be transported disassembled and then easily assembled on the site. It is a further preferred object to provide methods of construction where the length, height, width, gauge and profiles of the elements may be easily varied to suit particular applications. 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: (a) assembling a plurality of building elements, each element comprising a pair of substantially parallel side panels of rigid or semi-rigid material inter¬ connected by at least one connecting member; (b) placing the elements in a substantially superimposed or side-by-side relationship so that the side panels of a first element engage the side panels and/or the connecting members (s) of an adjacent element; and (c) connecting the side panels of the first member to the side panels and/or the connecting member (s) of the adjacent element. In a second aspect, the present invention resides in building construction characterized by: a plurality of building elements in a substantially superimposed or side-by-side relationship, each element comprising a pair of substantially parallel side panels of rigid or semi-rigid material interconnected by at least one connecting member, so arranged that the side panels of a first element engage the side panels and/or connecting members of an adjacent element; and connection means connecting the side panels of the first element to side panels and/or the connecting members of the adjacent panel. Preferably locking means are provided on, or adapted to co-operate with, the connecting member (s) to lock the side panels of the first element to the side panel and/or connecting member (s) of the adjacent element. The side panels may be rigid, e.g. of timber or ply¬ wood or semi-rigid, e.g. rolled sheet metal or plastic and may be planar or have concave or convex profiles, the latter two being placed under compression and tension respectively where elements are filled with cement or the like. Reinforcing ribs or grooves may be provided on the panels, as may decorative patterns, e.g. woodgrain, for aesthetic appeal. In certain applications, rigid reinforcing panels may be placed inside the semi-rigid side panels for increased strength. The gauge or thickness of the side panels may be varied, with panels of heavier gauge being used at the base of a wall to withstand the higher pressures on that portion of the wall. While the connector member (s) may be formed integral¬ ly with the side panels, it is preferred that they be separate components. The connecting members may be roll- formed from sheet metal or assembled from a plurality of bars or strips of steel welded, bronzed, riveted or other- — -i - wise fastened together. Tabs, flanges or sockets may be provided on the side bars or transverse straps of the assembled members to engage the side panels and one or more locking members, complementary to the connecting members, may be used to lock the panels to the connecting members. Substantially vertical rods, posts or bars, e.g. rolled hollow steel sections (RHS) , may be positioned in the assembled elements and these may be provided with slots or brackets to engage the connecting members to limit the vertical movement of the members, and thereby the flexing of the panels when the elements are filled with cement or like filling. The rods, posts or bars assist in locating the elements as they are assembled, provide reinforcement for the completed wall and assist in anchoring the wall to the foundations. Alternatively, or in addition to the rods or the like, external joining pieces and end walls with scalloped flanges complementary to the profile(s) of the panels may be used to limit the flexing of the panels as the elements are filled. In a third aspect the present. invention resides in a building structure characterized by a pair of substantially parallel free-standing side walls constructed by the methods hereinbefore described, wherein the walls are connected by transverse roof bearers or trusses which transfer the shear loads between the walls (enabling the walls to be of thinner section than would be required for free-standing cantilever walls) . The bearers or trusses may be extended outwardly from the walls as cantilevered supports, and the weight applied to the bearers or trusses outside the walls being used to oppose the bending moments applied to walls by the weight applied to the bearers or trusses between the walls. The bearers may include boxed-section beams of timber or plywood, rolled-steel joists (RSJ), rectangular hollow stee sections (RHS) , logs or structural trusses. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 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 showing a plurality of elements of a first embodiment connected together; FIG. 2 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a sectional end view of FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale; FIG. 4 is a sectional end view of a second embodiment; FIG. 5 is a sectional end view of a third embodiment; FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the connecting member of the third embodiment of FIG. 5; FIG. 7 is a sectional end view of a fourth embodiment; FIG. 8 is a sectional end view of a fifth embodiment; and FIG. 9 is a sectional end view of a modified form of the embodiment of FIG. 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a plurality of elements 10 of the first embodiment are arranged horizontally in a superimposed relationship, the panels being connected together to form a wall of the desired length. Each element 10 has convex side panels 11 which are substantially rectangular in side view. An outwardly inclined hook portion 12, with an inwardly directed mouth, is provided along the upper side of each side panel 11, while an inwardly directed hook portion 13, with an out¬ wardly directed mouth, and terminated by an inwardly directed flange 14, is provided along the lower side of each side panel 11. The lower sides of the side panels 11 of each element are connected by a connecting member 15 which comprises a pair of substantially parallel, spaced, steel bars 16 each having a downwardly, inwardly directed side flange 17, the bars being maintained in their spaced relationship by spaced transverse straps 18 of substant- ially L-section. To assemble an element, the side panels 11 are arranged substantially parallel at the desired spacing and the side flanges 17 of the connecting member 15 are engaged in the lower hook portions 13, the bars 16 resting on the respective flanges 14. The respective elements are assembled as hereinbefore described. A first element is positioned, e.g. on a building foundation (not shown) , and a second element is placed on top of the first in a superimposed relationship. The upper sides of the panels 11 of the first (or lower) element are pushed inwardly to enable its upper hook portions 12 to engage the respective lower hook portions 13 of the second (or upper) panel. A locking member 19, having a pair of parallel side bars 20, interconnected by transverse straps 21, and having outwardly inclined flanges 22, is slidably inserted from one end so that its flanges 22 engage the upper hook portions 12 of the first (or lower) element 10. The profiles of the hook portions 12, 13 of the panels 11 of each element, and the co-operating arrangement of the connecting member 15 and the locking member 19 ensure that the two elements 10 are securely locked together. The elements 10 are progressively connected together in the manner hereinbefore described until the desired height of framework is achieved. Adjacent groups of elements 10 are connected together by joining members 23 which are of substantially ϋ-shape in plan,having a pair of side walls 24 connected by a base wall 25. Each side wall 24 is scalloped to closely engage the convex profiles of the side panels 11. Opposed joining members 23 are provided at the junction of each group of elements and the opposed junction members are connected together by tension bolts 26. At the ends of the wall, end members 27, of substan- tially C-section in plan, have inturned lip flanges 28 scalloped in the same manner as the side walls 24 of the joining members 23 to engage the side panels of the elements. Tension bolts 29 are provided between the adjac¬ ent transverse straps 18 of the elements and the end wall 30 of the end members 27 to secure the latter in position. A plurality of rolled hollow steel (RHS) sections 31 are inserted downwardly through the assembled elements. Each RHS section has a plurality of pairs of slots 32 provided at opposed corners of the section, the spacing between the pairs of slots corresponding to the spacing between the connecting members 15 of the superimposed elements 10. The RHS sections 31 are rotated through approximate¬ ly 45 so that the side bars 16 of each connecting member 15 engages in a respective slot 32 in the RHS sections. Cement, soil or other filling material is poured into the cavity defined by the elements and is compacted or allowed to set to complete the structural wall. The RHS sections 31 oppose any tendency of the height of the assembled elements to be reduced due to bulging of the side panels 11 when the filling material is poured into the cavity, this bulging being further restrained by the joining members 23 and end members 27. Referring now to FIG. 4, the side panels 33 of the elements 34 have a substantially concave profile which is placed under compression when the cavity defined by the elements 34 is filled with the filling material. A substantially S-section double hook portion 35 is provided along the upper side of each side panel, the hook portion having a lower, outwardly directed mouth 36 and an — a — upper inwardly directed mouth 37. A complementary lower double hook portion 38 is provided along the lower side of the side panels, having a lower outwardly directed mouth 39 (facing the side panel) and an upper inwardly directed mouth 40. The connecting member 41, with parallel side bars 42 and transverse straps 43, is provided with an inwardly directed socket 44, the lower flange 45 of which engages in the outwardly directed mouth 40 of the lower double hook portion 38 of the upper of the two superimposed elements 34, while the locking member 46, with side bars 47 and transverse straps 48, has outwardly directed flanges 49 engaged in the upper inwardly directed mouths 37 of the upper double hook portions 35 of the lower of the two superimposed elements 34. RHS sections 31, with their slots 32 engaged by the transverse straps 43 of the connecting members 41 are provided as hereinbefore described with reference to FIGS. 1-3, as are joining members and end members (not shown) with side walls and lip flanges, respectively profiled to correspond to the profile of the side panels 33. When the filling material is poured into the cavity defined by the elements 34, the side panels 33 will be pushed outwardly in compression. The increase in height of the assembled elements due to the outward movement of the side panels is opposed by the RHS section 31 in the manner hereinbefore described. In the third embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the side panels 50 of each element 51 are substantially planar and are formed of substantially rigid material, e.g. timber or plywood. The lower side of each side panel is supported in longitudinal side channels 52 roll formed in the longitudinal side bars 53 of the connecting member 54, the side bars 53 being connected together in parallel spaced relationship by transverse straps 55. A first element 51 is assembled with its side panels 50 engaged in respective side channels 52 in the connecting member 54. The upper sides of the panels 50 are pushed inwardly and connecting member 54 is positioned on top of the panels, the upper sides of the panels 50 engaged inwardly of the side channels 52, and supporting the transverse straps 55, of the connecting member. A second pair of side panels 50 are supported by this upper conn¬ ecting member 54 and their upper sides are then engaged by a third connecting member 54. This method is repeated until the elements are assembled to the desired height. The cavity defined by the elements 51 may now be filled with filling material to form the structural wall. For improved aesthetic appeal, cover panels 56, e.g. of roll-formed aluminium sheet or extruded plastic, may be fitted to the wall to cover the elements 51. The panels 56 have a face panel 57 divided by an intermediate V-shaped channel or groove 58. The upper side of the panel has a substantially Z-shape terminating in a locking flange 59 which engages a σomplementϊary slot or channel 60 along the lower side of the cover panel 56 immediately above it. It will be readily understood by -the addressee that the cover panels 56 may have a wide range of external finishes and profiles and that alternative means may be used to connect the cover panels to the structural wall, e.g. by locking engagement with the element connecting members 54. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a similar conn¬ ecting member 61 to the connecting member 54 of the FIG. 6 embodiment is used, but the channels 62 are of reduced width and the outer flange 63 of the channels 62 engage longitudinal slots 64 formed along the lower side edges of the side panels 65 (which may have a decorative finish, e.g. a woodgrain effect). This embodiment has the advantage that any moisture running down the side panels 65 will not become trapped in the channels 62. The lower element 66 in the assembly is supported on, and connected to, a concrete pad or foundation 67. A bracket 68, substantially L-shape in side view, has its foot 69 welded to the side bars 70 of the connect¬ ing member 61 and an anchor bolt 71, anchored in the concrete pad or foundation 67, passes through a hole (not shown) in the foot 69 and a nut 72 secures the connecting member to the anchor bolt. A head beam 73 is connected to, and supported by, the upper element 66 of the assembly. A cap plate 74 has downturned flanges 75 which engage in longitudinal slots 76 in the upper side edges of the side panels 65 to hold the side panels in the desired spaced relationship. The head beam 73 is fabricated with longitudinal side plates 77 and upper and lower transverse connecting straps 78, 79 and is laid on the cap plate 74. A tension bolt 80 has a hook 81 at one end engaged in a slot 82 in the leg 83 of the bracket 68 and passes through aligned holes (not shown) in the cap plate 74 and a lower transverse connecting strap 79. A nut 84 bears on the connecting strap 79 to tension the bolt and to place the assembly in compression. Decorative side panels 85, e.g. of plastic, are used to enclose the beam 73 for improved aesthetic appeal. The embodiment of FIG. 8 has elements 86 where the connecting member 87 is similar on one side to the connect¬ ing member 61 of the FIG. 7 embodiment to provide a weatherboard-type external wall. To enable the internal wall to be substantially planar, a T-section connector 88 is provided on the other side of the connecting member 87 and this connector has vertical flanges 89 which engage longitudinal slots 90 in the upper side edge of the side panel 91 in a lower element 86 and the lower side edge of a superimposed element 86. The elements 92 of the embodiment of FIG. 9 are similar to the elements 86 of the FIG. 8 embodiment in that both walls are planar, the connecting member 93 having connectors 88 along both sides. By use of the elements of the embodiments herein- before descr.ibed, many types of structural walls can be constructed and they may be filled with cement, soil, rock, insulating material (or a combination of these filling materials) to suit the particular application. To produce a free-standing cantilevered wall, or other upwardly tapering wall, the width of the connecting members may be progressively reduced, or they may be reduced in groups of, for example, 3 or 4 elements high. A building structure, e.g. a dwelling, may be con¬ structed using two parallel cantilever walls of the type described along the two longitudinal sides of the structure. Alternatively, walls of thinner section than for such cantilever walls may be constructed. Roof bearers or trusses, including boxed beams of plywood or timber, rolled-steel joists (RSJ), RHS sections, logs or fabricated trusses may be provided at regular spaced intervals to transfer the shear loads between the two walls, the end walls, e.g. of glass, of the structure providing little shear strength to these walls. By extending the bearers beyond these walls, the weight of the roof outside the walls provides a bending moment which opposes the bending moment applied to the walls by the weight of the roof between the walls. This method of construction is particularly suitable where large supplies of timber and soil are readily available, and transportation is difficult and little skilled labour is available. In the embodiments of FIGS. 7 to 9, a number of seg¬ ments may be cut from a log, trimmed to the desired depth and length and employed as the side panels of the elements, the wall being filled with compacted soil. The only components which require fabrication in a factory include the connecting members and the tensioning rods and brackets. To assist in maintaining the elements in vertical alignment as they are superimposed on each other, the end caps for the assemblies may be provided with parallel flanges which engage the inner side faces of the side bars of the connecting members. As will be readily apparent to the skilled addressee, the present invention in its various embodiments provides simple, efficient, cost effective and aesthetically pleasing methods of building construction. Various changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended Claims.

Claims: CLAIMS : 1. A method of building construction characterized by the steps of: (a) assembling a plurality of building elements, each element comprising a pair of substantially parallel side panels of rigid or semi-rigid material inter¬ connected by at least one connecting member; (b) placing the elements in a substantially superimpos¬ ed or side-by-side relationship so that the side panels of a first element engage the side panels and/or the connecting member (s) of an adjacent element; and (c) connecting the side panels of the first member to • the side panels and/or the connecting member (s) of the adjacent element. 2. A building construction characterized by: a plurality of building elements in a substantially superimposed or side-by-side relationship, each element comprising a pair of substantially parallel side panels of rigid or semi-rigid material interconnected by at least one connecting member, so arranged that the side panels of a first element engage the side panels and/or connecting members of an adjacent element; and connection means connecting the side panels of the first element to side panels and/or the connecting members of the adjacent panel. 3. A building construction as claimed in Claim 2 and further characterized in that: locking means are provided on, or adapted to co¬ operate with, the connecting members to lock the side panels of the first element to the side panels and/or connecting members of the adjacent element. 4. A building construction as claimed in Claim 2 and further characterized in that: the side panels are semi-rigid and have concave or convex profiles, being placed in compression and tension, respectively, when the elements are filled with a filling material. 5. A building construction as claimed in Claim 2 and further characterized in that: the side panels are rigid or include rigid reinforcing panels or pieces. 6. A building construction as claimed in Claim 4 or Claim 5 and further characterized in that: the gauge or thickness of the side panels in the lower elements in an assembly of elements is greater than the gauge or thickness of the side panels in the upper elements to resist the increased pressure of the filling material in the lower portion of the assembly. 7. A building construction as claimed in Claim 4 and further characterized in that: the upper sides of the side panels include hook portions adapted to co-operate with complementary hook portions in the lower sides of the side panels of respect¬ ive superimposed or adjacent elements; and the connecting member (s) include tabs or flanges adapted to engage said hook portions to connect the side panels of superimposed or adjacent elements together. 8. A building construction as claimed in Claim 5 and further characterized in that: the locking means includes tabs or flanges complementary to the tabs or flanges of the connecting member (s) to lock the side panels of the superimposed or adjacent elements together. 9. A building construction as claimed in Claim 5 and further characterized in that: the connecting members include longitudinal channels or slots adapted to receive the lower sides of the side panels of the elements, the upper sides of the side panels being engaged inwardly of the channels or slots of the connecting members of superimposed or adjacent elements. 10. A building construction as claimed in Claim 5 and further characterized in that: the connecting members include longitudinal side flanges adapted to engage longitudinal slots in the upper and/or lower side edges of the side panels of the elements. 11. A building construction as claimed in Claim 2 and further characterized in that: tensioning means are provided internally of an assembly of elements to place the elements in compression and to resist any variation of height in the assembly due to flexing or distortion of the side panels of the elements in the assembly when filled with a filling material. 12. A building construction as claimed in Claim 2 and further characterized in that: the elements are assembled in groups, and adjacent groups of elements are connected together by joining members having side flanges with profiles complementary to the adjacent profiles of the elements. 13. A building construction as claimed in Claim 2 and further characterized in that: the width of the connecting member (s) of the elements in lower portion of the assembly is greater than the width of the connecting members in the upper portion of the assembly, the assembly being filled with filling material to produce a free-standing upwardly tapering wall. 14. A building structure characterized by: a pair of substantially parallel free-standing upwardly tapering walls as claimed in Claim 13 wherein: the walls are connected by a plurality of transverse roof bearers or trusses which transfer the shear loads between the walls. 15. A building structure as claimed in Claim 14 and further characterized in that: the thickness of the upwardly tapering walls is less than the thickness required for free-standing cantileve ed walls; and the roof bearers or trusses extend outwardly from the upwardly tapering walls as cantilevered supports for a roof structure, the weight of the roof structure outside the upwardly tapering walls providing a bending moment to oppose the bending moment applied to the upwardly tapering walls by the weight of the roof structure between the upwardly tapering walls.

Inventors: HART GARRY RANDALL
Applicants: HART GARRY RANDALL
Application year: 1982
Main classification: E04B2
IPC codes: E02D29, E04B2, E04H4