SCREENING ASSEMBLY FOR THE SCREENING OF WORK ON AN OUTSIDE WALL

Abstract: Screening assembly for the screening of work on an outer wall (1) having a number of support brackets (2; 39) and a flexible screen (3) which, in operative condition, extends downwards, curtain-shaped, between said support brackets (2; 39). The support brackets each comprise first and second supports (4, 5, 28, 29; 44, 45) for bearing, in operative condition, against an elevated support element. The flexible screen (3) is provided with guide means (8) and the support brackets are provided with guide means (9; 41) cooperating therewith. Thus, a very simple and low-wear manner of fastening the screen (3) of a work-on system is realized.

Description: Title: Screening assembly for the screening of work on an outside wall . FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a screening assembly according to the introductory part of claim 1. In practice, in the building industry as well as in renovation work and paintwork, screens are used which make it possible to continue working under more unfavorable weather conditions than would be the case without such screens. Moreover, at least parts of the work under construction or treatment are protected against weather influences, so that a better and more constant quality of the work produced becomes feasible. Further, such systems provide protection against heat, cold, sun, rain and wind to the persons performing the construction works and paintworks . Such screens are also referred to as work-on systems. A drawback of the existing systems is that the building up and removal thereof generally require much time and effort. Thus, effective working time is lost. Another drawback is that the known systems are not easily universally employable. A further drawback of the existing systems is that they are highly subject to wear, in particular due to wind. A system of the initially indicated type is known from a design by H.A. Keier sent in by Nimeto Utrecht and published in the jury report of the "Nederlandse Ontwerpprijs Afscherming Schilderwerk 1997" (Dutch Design Award for the Screening of Paintwork 1997), a competition set up by the Bedrijfschap Schildersbedrij f (Organisation for the Painting Business) , P.O. Box 377, 2280 MA, Rijswijk. This system comprises C-shaped supports which, in operative condition, have their upper ends hooked in a roof gutter and have their lower ends finding support against a part of a wall located below the roof gutter. From the supports, lines are stretched in pairs to the ground. One line of each pair of lines serves to fix the support and the other line of each pair of lines serves as support for the canvas extending from a position above the supports down to a position adjacent the ground. A drawback of this construction is that it embodies no satisfactory solution to the problem of fitting the canvas over the supports and no solution to the problem of tearing- in of the canvas due to wind load, and that the fitting of the screen over the support brackets is laborious. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the invention is to improve the resistance of a screening assembly to wind load and to facilitate the fitting of the flexible screen. According to the present invention, this object is realized by a designing a screening assembly in accordance with claim 1. As a part of the flexible screen is provided with guide means cooperating with guide means of the support brackets, at least the cover part of the flexible screen, which part is to be fitted between the support brackets, can readily and rapidly be fitted by passing the guide means along the support brackets and can afterwards readily and rapidly be removed again by sliding the guide means from the support brackets again. The attachment by means of cooperating guides further enables an evenly distributed introduction of wind load- exerted forces in the flexible screen and prevents damage by chafing of the flexible screen or fasteners against the support brackets. Particularly advantageous embodiments of the invention are laid down in the dependent claims. These and further objects, aspects and advantages of the invention are specified on the basis of an exemplary embodiment, with reference to the drawing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an example of a screening assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a front view of the screening assembly according to Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view in cross section of a tube of a support bracket of the screening assembly according to Figs . 1 and 2 ; Fig. 4 is a front view of a foot of a support bracket of the screening assembly according to Figs. 1-3; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a wheel for coupling a foot which, in operative condition, is in lower position, of the support bracket of the screening assembly according to Figs. 1-4; Fig. 6 is a schematic front view, in section, of a part of a flexible screen and support brackets of the screening assembly according to Figs. 1-5; Fig. 7 is a peg for anchoring tension lines of the screening assembly according to Figs. 1-6 to the ground; Fig. 8 is a top plan view of a piece of pavement containing a peg according to Fig. 7 anchored therein; Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a variant of a support bracket for a screening assembly according to the invention; Fig. 10 is a schematic view of a top portion of a scaffold having provided thereon settable support brackets of a screening assembly according to the invention; and Fig. 11 is a larger view of a holder of a screening assembly according to Fig. " 10. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The screening assembly according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention shown in Figs. 1-8 is intended for screening an outer wall 1 on which work is performed. Depending on the height above the ground where the operations have to be performed and the nature of the operations, these operations can be performed from a ladder (not shown) or a scaffold placed against or at least in front of the outer wall. The screening assembly is composed of, inter alia, a number of support brackets 2 and a flexible screen 3 which, in operative condition, extends downwards, curtain- shaped, between the support brackets 2. The support brackets 2 each comprise two supports 3, 4 which, in operative condition, bear against an elevated supporting element. In the situation shown, the first one of the two supports 4, 5 is in each case supported in the roof gutter 6 of a building and the second one of the supports 4, 5 rests against the outer wall 1 of that building. The support supported in the roof gutter 6 is designed as a T-shaped foot 4, so that the force exerted on the roof gutter 6 by the support bracket 2 is distributed over a considerable length of that roof gutter 6. According to this example, the flexible screen 3 is divided into two parts. The first part 7 forms, in the operative condition shown, a cover part 7 of the flexible screen 3 and is provided with guides in the form of rope- shaped boltropes 8 engaging grooves 9 in the support brackets 2. Due to this manner of attachment, the cover part 7 of the flexible screen 3 can be fitted between the support brackets 2 in a very fast and reliable manner and forces exerted on the cover part 7 of the flexible screen 3 are introduced in an evenly distributed manner. Further, due to this manner of attachment, chafing of the cover part 7 or fasteners against the support brackets is prevented. Moreover, flapping of the cover parts 7 against the support brackets 2 is prevented, which in particular under windy conditions reduces noise nuisance on the working site and improves the mutual audibility. Depending on the situation and the circumstances, the cover part 7 of the flexible screen 3 can be mounted on the support brackets 2 while the support brackets 2 and the cover part 7 of the flexible screen 3 are still on the ground, or only after the support brackets 2 have been suspended. Instead of the guides in the form of rope-shaped boltropes 8, other guides may also be applied, such as slides displaceable over rails on the support brackets 2. However, designing the guides 8 as strings or rope-shaped boltropes 8 which, in operative condition, are laterally retained in the grooves 8, offers the advantage of a highly evenly distributed force introduction, because the guides extend over a great length. Further, this offers the advantage of the cover part 7 being stretched with few pleats, so that water is given little or no opportunity to remain standing on the cover part 7 and a tight connection of the flexible screen 3 to the support brackets 2 is obtained, so that wind and precipitation are effectively retained. Viewed in cross section, the grooves 9 have a chamber 12 for receiving a guide of the cover part 7 and a passage 13 (see Fig. 3) communicating with the surroundings, the width of the chamber 12 being greater than the width of the passage 13. This allows the boltrope 8 or another guide to be reliably retained in the groove 8. Since the support brackets are further each provided with two grooves 8, they can in each case be mounted between cover parts of the flexible screen 3 which connect thereto from two sides. Further, at the end of an installed screening assembly, an end- face closure 14 can be provided, by providing an upper edge 15 " likewise in a groove 8 of a support bracket 2 (see Fig. 6) . In this manner, a proper seal against " weather influences can also be obtained along the top side of end faces of a screening assembly. The other part of the flexible screen 3 is formed by a curtain-shaped part 10 which, in operative condition, extends downwards from fastening points 11 on the supports 2. In the operative condition shown, the cover part 7 overlaps the curtain-shaped part 10. Dividing the flexible screen into a cover part 7 and a curtain-shaped part 10 offers the advantage that neither during the fitting of the support brackets 2, nor during the attachment of the part of the screen 3 which is to form the cover part of the screen, one has to manipulate with an assembly from which the relatively large curtain-shaped part 10 of the flexible screen already suspends. At a later stage, when at least most operations that have to be performed at a height have been completed, the curtain-shaped part 10 can readily be fitted by suspending it and lowering it or by pulling it up. In the operative condition shown, from each support bracket 2 there extends a tension line 16 downwards from the fastening point 11 located under the grooves 8 in the relevant support bracket 2. The end-face closure 14, too, is stretched downwards by tension lines 17. These tension lines 16, 17 serve in the first place for clamping the support brackets 2 in position, so that they cannot get blown up or start rattling. The tension lines 16, 17 moreover constitute guides for the curtain- shaped screening part 10 provided, along two opposite edges 18, 19, with a succession of guide openings 20, 21 through which the tension lines 16 are threaded. This enables the curtain-shaped part 10 of the flexible screen to be stretched at a distance from a scaffold, so that it can hardly, if at all, flap and chafe against the scaffold, also in the case of a strong wind. In conventional work-on systems, particularly chafing against often sharp parts of a scaffold often leads to rapid wear of the canvas or net material from which the flexible screen is manufactured. Tautening the curtain- shaped part 10 of the flexible screen 3 over the tension lines 16 is efficiently combined with the tautening of the tension lines, in that during the fastening of the tension cables to a peg 23 stuck into the ground 22, the tension line 16 forms a loop 24 and is hooked, by means of a snap hook 25 or the like, behind an opening 21, 22 in the curtain- shaped part 10 of the flexible screen 3. In this manner, the tension on the tension line 16 is approximately distributed over the tension line 16 and the edge portion 18 or 19 of the curtain-shaped part 10 of the flexible screen 3. Thus, the curtain-shaped part 10 of the flexible screen 3 is held fairly taut, but not subjected to the full tension at which the support brackets 2 are clamped tight . Although the proposed screening assembly is resistant to strong wind, it may in some cases be desirable to remove the largest engagement face for the wind, to prevent undue loading or wear of the flexible screen 3. Further, it may, for instance, be desirable to temporarily ventilate more strongly or to allow the sun to shine in, for instance to cause paint or joints to dry faster. To enable rapid removal of the curtain-shaped part 10 of the flexible screen 3, there is provided a pull-up cable or line 26, connected to a lower part, in operative condition, of the curtain-shaped screenirg part 10. The pull-up cable or line 26 extends upwards into the region of an upper part of the curtain-shaped screening part 10. By the pull-up cable 26, the curtain- shaped part 10 of the flexible screen 3 can rapidly be pulled up after the curtain at the bottom side of the tension line 16 has been released from the snap hooks 26. As the pull-up cable 26 is threaded through a series of openings 27 in the curtain- shaped part 10 of the flexible screen 3, the curtain- shaped part 10 of the flexible screen 3 is moreover pleated up automatically. It is observed that the proposed manner of suspending and tensioning the curtain-shaped part 10 of the flexible screen 3 is particularly advantageous in combination with the cover parts 3 attached to the support brackets 2 in the proposed manner, but it may also be advantageously applied in combination with cover parts mounted in a different manner, or in combination with a cover part which forms a one-piece flexible screen together with the curtain-shaped part. The support brackets 2 of the proposed screening assembly comprise supports 28, 29 for attachment of the support brackets on top ends of a scaffold. This allows the support brackets 2 to be used not only in situations where there is a suitable possibility of suspending it from the building along a top edge of the outer wall thereof, but also in a situation where a scaffold is present. Preferably, the scaffold is sufficiently high to cause the screening assembly to reach to a position above the top edge of the outer wall, to prevent rain coming in between the outer wall and the screening assembly. The two C- shaped support brackets can thus be mounted on scaffolds as well as on an edge above the outer wall and against the outer wall. Further, for mounting on top ends of a scaffold, one of the supports 28, 29 is displaceable between different positions on the support bracket 2. As a result, the distance between the supports 28, 29 can be adjusted to the depth of the scaffold and the part of the support bracket along which the support 28 is adjustable also constitutes a bearing part of the support bracket when suspended from the building as shown. Moreover, the support 28 is telescopically length-adjustable to enable adjusting its length to the position of the support along the arm 37 which, in operative condition, inclines upwards from the outer wall 1, and to any height differences of uprights of a scaffold on which the screen is to be placed. Fig. 5 shows a wheel 31, attached to a holder 32 which can be attached to the lower support 5 of the support bracket 2. Through the use of such wheel 31, the chance of damage to the ' outer wall 1 caused by movements of the support 5 relative to the outer wall 1 is reduced. Further, the support 5 can be telescopically slid into and out of the lower arm of the support bracket 2 to enable adjusting the support bracket 2 to the horizontal distance between the parts of a building that are engaged by the supports 4 and 5 in installed condition. For fixing the support 28 in a selected position on the support bracket, it is provided with a socket 33 embracing the support bracket 2, with a clamping bolt 34 extending through an opening in the socket 33 and engaging a threaded bore in a slide 35 retained in the chamber 12 of the groove 8. Upon displacement of the support 28 along the support bracket 2, the socket 33, the clamping bolt 34 and the slide 35 move along. If the bolt 34 is tightened, the slide is clamped down in the groove 8 and provides for fixation of the support 28 relative to the support bracket 2. In the operative condition shown, the tension lines 16, 17 are each connected to a peg 23 of which a portion 36 stuck into the ground is designed as an L-section or a T- section. This enables inserting the peg between three stones or tiles to effect a very stable anchoring in two mutually perpendicular horizontal directions as well as a construction which is very bending-stiff and strong in those horizontal directions. This is of particular importance if the screening assembly is to be applied in an urban environment, where usually no unpaved ground parts are present into which the peg can be inserted. Further, the stones or tiles between which the peg is inserted contribute to the reinforcement of the horizontal support provided to the peg 23. To prevent persons from walking against the tension lines 16, 17 or tripping over the pegs, the pegs are provided with marker rods 37 which, in operative condition, extend upwards from a position adjacent the ground. Fig. 9 shows a variant of a support bracket for a screening assembly according to the invention. The support bracket " 39 shown has a cover-bearing element 40 with guide grooves 41. Further, the element 40 comprises a bridging 42 connecting a section of the cover-bearing part 40 which, in operation, is located adjacent a building 43, to a section of the cover-bearing element 40 remote from the building 43. In this example, the bridging 42 extends substantially horizontally. The bridging 42 comprises fastening supports 44, 45 suitable for mounting on a (top part of a) scaffold. For the sake of completeness, the depending part of the curtain-shaped screening part is shown at 46. The fastening supports 44, 45 are fixable relative to the bridging 42 and, in detached condition, can be repositioned through sliding along the bridging 42. Thus, the distance between the supports 44, 45, as well as the position in depth direction of the support bracket 39 relative to the scaffold can be adjusted. Figs. 10 and 11 show a further elaboration enabling a highly universal applicability. Many scaffolds have a standard distance between two uprights. The above-described work-on system can thus be applied to scaffolds whose pitch between two successive uprights corresponds to the width of the flexible screening part 3. To be able to install the work-on system also in the case of a scaffold where the distance .between the uprights does not correspond to the width of the curtain part, or to apply the work-on system to a larger number of different scaffolds, the invention provides holders 144 which are mounted on the elevated support element so as to be repositionable in horizontal direction transversely to the support brackets 39. The scaffold 100 shown in Figs. 10 and 11 comprises a number of uprights 101-106 and a floor 110. The scaffold 100 further comprises two pairs of horizontal longitudinal girders 111, 112 and 113, 114, fastened adjacent the ends of the uprights 101-106 in a " manner known as such. The girders 111-114 form substantially horizontal, co-planar railings extending in width direction of the scaffold 100. The girders 114, ' 116 are locally provided with holes 115 arranged in a row (see Fig . 11) . Provided on the top ends of a pair of uprights 101, 102, in right-most position in Fig. 10, is a first support bracket 39 for receiving a cover portion of the screen. The supports 44, 45 of the support bracket 39 are mounted on the top ends of the respective uprights 101, 102. A second support bracket 39 is provided on the scaffold 100 at a distance from the first support bracket 39. For this purpose, the girders 111-114 carry holders 144 which, by means of fasteners 124, are slidably fitted on the girders 111-114. In Fig. 11, the holder 144 is shown in more detail, the other holders are constructed correspondingly. This holder 144 comprises a sleeve-shaped part 124 provided around the girder 113, 114. This sleeve-shaped part comprises a pin 134 cooperating with a selected one of the holes 115 in the girders 113, 114 for holding the holder 144 in a position on the girders 113, 114. The next support bracket 39 is similarly mounted on the girders 111-114. Since the positions of the support brackets 39 are adjustable along the girders, flexible parts of different widths can be used. Moreover, the widths thereof need not be accurately accommodated to the pitch in width direction between the uprights 101-106. A further advantage is that the flexible parts of the screen may have a width greater than the pitch in width direction between the uprights. As a result, relatively few support brackets 39 and flexible parts 3 have to be fitted, which saves costs . During the fitting of a flexible screen between successive brackets, it can moreover be tautened by sliding the feet 122 in longitudinal direction of the railings 112, 114. As the holders 144 are mounted on two girders 111-114 disposed one above the other, they can resist considerable moments resulting from tensile force in the cover parts between the support brackets 39. For this, it is further advantageous that the cover- bearing parts 40 of the support brackets 39 each extend on either side of a center line through the connections of the bridging part 42 and the cover-bearing part 40. Consequently, the tension in the cover part between the supports causes moments about the center line through the connections between the bridging part 42 and the cover-bearing parts 40, which moments partially cancel one another. In this manner, the moments to which those connections are subjected are limited. The inner wall of the fastener may be provided with a springy pawl which, in operative condition, abuts against the girder 111-114 and can engage one of the holes 115. This simplifies the positioning of the foot. From the foregoing, it may be readily understood by anyone skilled in the art that within the framework of the present invention, there are still many constructional possibilities other than the one that is shown by way of example. Thus, the sections of the support brackets 2 may, for instance, be designed entirely differently, for instance with external grooves, and have an entirely different configuration. The manner in which the tension lines are adjusted may also be entirely different, for instance by means of clamps mounted on the pegs or adjacent the point of attachment .

Claims: Claims 1. A screening assembly for the screening of work on an outer wall (1) , comprising at least two support brackets (2; 39) and a flexible screen (3) which, in operative condition, extends downwards, curtain-shaped, between said support brackets (2; 39), and first and second supports (4, 5, 28, 29; 44, 45) for supporting, in operative condition, associated support brackets (2; 39) at a distance from each other against an elevated support element, characterized in that the flexible screen (3) is provided, along opposite lateral edges, with first guide means (8) and that the support brackets (2; 39) are each provided with second guide means (9; 41) for cooperating with said first guide means (8) . 2. A screening assembly according to claim 1, wherein said second guide means (9; 41) are designed as grooves in the support brackets (2; 39) which are engaged by said first guide means (8) . 3. A screening assembly according to claim 2, wherein said first guide means (8) are designed as string-shaped or rope-shaped boltropes (8) which, in operative condition, are laterally retained in said grooves (9; 41) . 4. A screening assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flexible screen (3) comprises a cover part (7) stretched between said supports, and a curtain-shaped part (10) separate therefrom and extending downwards from said supports in operative condition, said cover part (7) overlapping said curtain- shaped part (10) in operative condition. 5. A screening assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support brackets (2; 39) each comprise at least one tubular support (28, 29; 44, 45) for supporting the support brackets against a tube (101-106, 111- 114) of a scaffold. 6. A screening assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the support brackets (2) is of C-shaped design and, in operative condition, has an upper end which forms a support (4) for engagement in a roof gutter (6) or behind a roof edge and, in operative condition, has a lower end (5) which forms a support for bearing against a substantially vertical wall (1) • 7. A screening assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, in operative condition, tension lines (16, 17) extend downwards from said support brackets (2; 39) from a fastening point (11) located below said two guide means (9; 41) . 8. A screening assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the curtain-shaped screening part (10) is provided, along two opposite edges (18, 19) thereof, with guides for cooperating with tension lines (16) extending along said edges . 9. A screening assembly according to claim 8, wherein the guides are designed as a succession of openings (20, 21) for threading a tension line (16) therethrough. 10. A screening assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one pull-up cable (26) for pulling up the curtain- shaped screening part from below, said pull-up cable (26) being connected to a lower part, in operative condition, of the curtain-shaped screening part (10) and extending upwards into the region of an upper part of the curtain-shaped screening part (10) . 11. A screening assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, in operative condition, tension lines (16, 17) extend downwards from said support brackets (2; 39), said tension lines (16, 17), in operative condition, each being connected to a ground anchoring (23) . 12. A screening assembly according to claim 11, further comprising a marking (37) of said ground anchoring, said marking (37) , in operative condition, extending upwards from a position adjacent the ground. 13. A screening assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support brackets comprise a cover-bearing portion (40) and a bridging (42), the bridging, in longitudinal direction of the cover-bearing part, interconnecting spaced apart sections of the cover-bearing part (40), said supports (44, 45) engaging said bridging (42) and said supports (44, 45) being repositionable in longitudinal direction of said bridging (42) . 14. A screening assembly according to claim 13, wherein the cover-bearing parts (40) of said support brackets (39) each extend on either side of a center line through connections of the bridging (42) and the cover-bearing part (40) . 15. A screening assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising holders (144) for carrying said supports (28, 29; 44, 45) and fasteners (124) for attaching said holders (144) to girders (113, 114) of a scaffold (100) so as to be repositionable in horizontal direction transversely to said support brackets (41) . 16. A screening assembly according to claim 15, wherein at least a number of said holders (144) each comprise spaced apart fasteners (124) for attaching said holders (144) to spaced apart girders (113, 114) so as to be repositionable in horizontal direction transversely to said support brackets (41) .

Inventors: KOSTER DIEDERIK GEERT, KOSTER, DIEDERIK, GEERT
Applicants: HAAN SERREBOUW B V DE, KOSTER DIEDERIK GEERT, DE HAAN SERREBOUW B.V., KOSTER, DIEDERIK, GEERT
Application year: 1999
Main classification: E04G1
IPC codes: E04G5, E04G21, E04H15