JOINT BETWEEN TWO BUILDING COMPONENTS CONSISTING OF SOLID WOOD

Abstract: A joint between two building components (10, 11) of solid wood, including a first component (11) forming part of the stuctural wall and a second component (10) forming part of a floor structure, comprises a groove (12), which is provided in one (10) of said two components and runs in the longitudinal direction of the wall and which extends in a vertical direction into said one component (10), and a projection (13), which is provided at the other one (11) of said two components and runs in the longitudinal direction of the wall and which projects in a vertical direction from said other component (11) and is inserted into said groove (12) and which has a height exceeding the depth of the groove (12).

Description: Joint between two building components consisting of solid wood. The present invention relates to a joint between two building components consisting of solid wood and comprising a first component forming part of a structural wall and a second component forming part of a floor struc- ture supported by said wall or supporting said wall resting thereupon. In previously known joints of the above kind, the wall component bears against an outer portion of a mairi surface of the floor structure component with a plane edge surface thereof having a width corresponding to the thickness of the wall. The two components are secured against any mutual displacement thereof in the transversal direction of the wall by means of screws, nails or other fastening means. A disadvantage of said known joints is that, as a consequence of their design, they cannot be produced in a rapid and easy manner. The reason is that, in practice, it is difficult to ensure that the two components will be placed in the desired positions in relation to each other and maintained in said positions until they have been secured to each other by means of screws, nails or the like. Another disadvantage is that, when movements occur in the building, vertical loads may become concentrated in an uncontrollable manner to por- tions of the joint, the location of which may vary in the transversal direction of the wall, and hence give rise to deformations in the joint. The invention has for its purpose to provide an improved joint of the kind initially specified, in which the above-described and other disadvantages of the known joints are eliminated. The joint, according to the invention proposed for said purpose, is primarily characterized in that it comprises a groove, which is provided in one of said two components and runs in the longitudinal direction of the wall and which extends in a vertical direction into said one component, and a projection, which is provided at the other one of said two components and runs in the longitudinal direction of the wall and which projects in a vertical direction from said other component and is inserted into said groove and which has a height exceeding the depth of the groove. The above-described use of a groove, provided in one of the two building components, and a projection, provided at the other building component and insertable into said groove, results in that it will be possible in a very rapid and easy manner both to place the two components in their desired mutual positions and to secure them in relation to each other. The reason is that the groove and the projection, cooperating with the groove, will serve on the one hand as guide means, facilitating the step of placing the two components in their desired positions in relation to each other, and on the other hand, as cooperating engagement means by which the two components are secured against any mutual displacement in the transversal direction of the wall. Thus, the previous need for a fixation by means of screws, nails or the like is totally eliminated. Additionally, as a consequence of the fact that the projection has a height exceeding the depth of the groove and that it rests against the bottom of the groove at its outer end, the transfer of vertical forces between the two components will always take place at a predeter- mined place, namely at the place of contact between the bottom of the groove and the outer end portion of the projection. Hereby, the previously existing risk of an uncontrollable concentration of such forces to varying portions of the joint is avoided. The groove and the projection may preferably be located at least approximately centered in relation, to the longitudinal vertical centre plane of the wall in order hereby to ensure a corresponding centering of the vertical forces applied on the wall. However, in certain special cases, there may exist reasons to place the groove and the projection in positions displaced in relation to said plane. In order to facilitate the insertion of the projection into the groove, the groove, which at its bottom should have a width corresponding to the width of the projection at the outer end portion of the latter, may have a larger width at its opening. In this case, the groove may preferably be successively widening in a direction from its bottom and towards its opening, while the projection may have an at least approximately con- stant width along its height. In addition to an improved guidance of the projection during the insertion of the projection into the groove, such a design of the groove and the projection also results in that the joint may permit a small limi- ted movement of the wall component in relation to the floor structure component. Hereby, the disadvantages of previously known joints, caused by the absolutely rigid fastening of the wall components to the floor structure components and consisting, inter alia, in that vibrations induced in the floor structure components will be transmitted substantially undamped to the wall components, will be eliminated. The contact .surfaces formed by the bottom of the groove and the outer end portion of the projection and by means of which the two components bear against each other may consist of fully plane surfaces. However, alternatively, the projection may instead bear against the bottom of the groove with a contact' surface thereof having a convex curved cross-sectional shape. In this case, the groove may have a plane contact surface or a contact surface having a concave cross-sectional shape for cooperation with said contact surface of the projection. The projection and the walls of the groove need not necessarily consist of the same material as the remainder of the wall or floor structure components. Thus, the projection may instead wholly or partially consist of a material different from that of which the remainder of said other component consists. For instance, the projection may at least partially consist of a ma- terial having a certain elasticity. Moreover, at least the bottom of the groove may consist of a material different from that of which the remainder of said one component consists. Below the invention is further described with re- ference to the accompanying drawing, in which :- Figure 1 shows a partial side elevation view of a floor structure component and two adjacent wall components which are connected to the floor structure component each by means of a joint according to a first embo- diment of the invention, selected by way of example only, while Figure 2 shows a detail view on an enlarged scale of one of the two joints in Figure 1 and Figure 3, 4 and 5 show views corresponding to Figure 2, illustrating joints according to three different additional embodiments of the invention. In Figure 1 and 2, reference numeral 10 designates a floor structure component of solid wood, only partially shown, and reference numeral 11 designates two structural wall components, also consisting of wood and only partially shown, one of said two wall components being placed below floor structure component 10 and supporting the latter resting thereupon, while the- other wall component is placed above floor structure component 10 and is supported resting thereupon. Each one of the two wall components 11 is connected to floor structure component 10 by means of a joint according to a first embodiment of the invention. Said joint comprises a groove 12, which is provided in floor structure component 10 and runs in the longitudinal di- rection of wall components 11 and which extends in a vertical direction into component 10 from the horizontal main surface of component 10 facing the wall component in question, and a projection 13, which is provided at wall component 11 and runs in the longitudinal direction of said component and which projects in a vertical direction from component 11 at the horizontal edge of said component facing component 10 and is inserted into groove 12. As may best be seen from Figure 2, groove 12 com- . prises a bottom 14 and two opposite side surfaces 15 which extend in mutually slightly diverging directions from bottom 14 and towards opening 16 of groove 12. Accordingly, the width of groove 12 increases successively in a direction from bottom 14 and towards opening 16. Projection 13, which at its outer end has an end surface by means of which it bears against bottom 14 of groove 12, has a height exceeding the depth of groove 12 and a width being approximately constant along the whole height of the projection and corresponding to the width of groove 12 at bottom 14. The above-described design and dimensioning of groove 12 and projection 13 ensures that existing vertical forces will be transmitted between components 10 and 11 only through the cooperating contact surfaces formed by bottom 14 of groove 12 and end surface 17 of projection 13. In Figures 1 and 2, projection 13 has been shown located centered in relation to the, longitudinal vertical centre plane 18 of wall component 11, shown by a dash- dotted line. This results in a corresponding centering of the vertical forces appearing in component 11. The embodiment shown in Figure 3 differs from the embodiment according to Figures 1 and 2 in that, adjacent to its edge, floor structure component 10 is provided with a lowered surface 19 upon which a moulding 20 provided with groove 12 is mounted. Said moulding need not consist of wood but may instead, if so desired, consist of any other suitable material. Thus, moulding 20 may for instance consist of a metal or plastic moulding. As to the rest, the embodiment according to Figure 3 fully corresponds to the embodiment according to Figure 1 and 2. The embodiment according to Figure 4 differs from the embodiment according to Figures 1 and 2 in that floor structure component 10 is provided with a shallow groove 21 in which a moulding 22 having a rectangular cross-section is mounted. Said moulding forms a projection 13' corresponding to projection 13 but projecting from component 10. In wall component 11 there is provided a groove 12' serving to receive projection 13' and corresponding to groove 12 in the embodiment according to Figures 1 and 2. Moulding 22 may con- sist of a material different from wood. For instance, at least partially, it may consist of a plastic material having a certain elasticity. The embodiment according to Figure 5 differs from the embodiment according to Figure 4 in that moulding 22 has been replaced by a rod 23 of circular cross-section which has been placed in a groove 24 in floor structure component 10 and forms a projection 13" received in a groove 12" in wall component 11. Groove 24 and groove 12 both have a part- circular cross-section suited to rod 23. The invention is not restricted to the embodiments above described and shown in the drawing. Instead, many other embodiments are feasible within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims: Claims 1. Joint between two building components (10, 11) consisting of solid wood and comprising a first component (11) forming part of a structural wall and a second component (10) forming part of a floor structure supported by said wall or supporting said wall resting thereupon, characterized in that said joint comprises a groove (12), which is provided in one (10) of said two components and runs in the longitudinal direction of the wall and which extends in a vertical direction into said one component (10), and a pro- jection (13), which is provided at the other one (11) of said two components and runs in the longitudinal direction of the wall and which projects in a vertical direction from said other component (11) and is inserted into said groove (12) and which has a height exceeding the depth of the groove. 2. Joint according to claim 1, characterized in that the groove (12) and the projection (13) are located at least approximately centered in relation to the longitudinal vertical centre plane (18) of the wall. 3. Joint according to claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that, at its bottom (14), the groove (12) has a width corresponding , to the width of the projection (13) at the outer end portion of the latter, while, at its opening (16), it has a larger width. 4. Joint according to claim 3, characterized in that the groove (12) is successively widening in a direction from its bottom (14) and towards its opening (16), while the projection (13) has an at least approximately constant width along its height. ' 5. Joint according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the projection (13") has a contact surface having a convex curved cross-sectional shape and by means of which the projection bears against the bottom of the groove (12"). 6. Joint according to claim 5, characterized in that the groove has a plane contact surface cooperating with said contact surface of the projection. 7. Joint according to claim 5, characterized in that the groove ( 2") has a contact surface having a concave curved cross-sectional shape and cooperating with said contact surface of the projection (13"). 8. Joint according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that, at least partially, the projection consists of a material different from that of which the remainder of said other component consists. 9. Joint according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least the bottom of the groove consists of a material different from that of which the remainder of said one component consists.

Inventors: GUSTAFSSON KARL MARTIN, GUSTAFSSON STIG ANDERS LENNART, GUSTAFSSON, KARL, MARTIN, GUSTAFSSON, STIG, ANDERS, LENNART
Applicants: MARTINSONS TRAE AB, NORRA MASSIVTRAE AB
Application year: 2001
Main classification: E04B1
IPC codes: E04B1