Patent GB-447978-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to the construction of floors, roofs and like constructional units
IPC: E04B5/10
Filed: 1934-11-23
Abstract: 447,978. Floors; beams. KAVANAGH, C. J., Artillery House, Artillery Row, Victoria Street, Westminster. Nov. 23, 1934, Nos. 33660/34, 24302/35, and 19782/35, [the second Provisional Specification being divided out of the first Provisional Specification]. [Class 20 (iv)] A floor or roof comprises a hollow deep beam formed of upper and lower thin sheetmetal members A, C, which have corrugations running longitudinally of the beam and are connected by welding, riveting or the like, the upper member A being shaped to form an inverted trough running longitudinally of the beam, and the depth of the corrugations in the members being small in relation to the depth of the beam. The term " corrugations " includes the formation in the upper and lower members of grooves which run longitudinally of the members to increase the resistance to bending of the members. In the form shown in Fig. 1, a pair of trough members A, which may be in one piece, is disposed on one lower sheet C, and adjacent lower sheets interengage by means of edge flanges F, K. Instead of edge flanges F, K, the sheets C may have upturned ends extending the full depth of the beams. The corrugations in both the upper and lower members may be of dovetail form. A timber floor may be laid directly on the metal structure, or concrete G may be cast between adjacent members, and, if desired, on the upper surface of the members A. The concrete G may be reinforced by bars which are supported by clips welded or otherwise secured to the hollow beams. Plasterboards, plaster or concrete H may be applied to the underside of the sheets C. Transverse stiffeners L may be provided inside the trough members A. In the modification shown in Fig. 3, the ends of the sheets C are bent up and formed with flanges Q and the adjacent edges of each pair of members A are similarly provided with flanges S. The flanges Q, S, may be used to support the supporting blocks of a floor in the case when no concrete filling G is provided. Both the upper and lower members A, C may be formed with channels M, N, as shown in Fig. 4, which are connected either continuously or at spaced intervals by welding O, and timber joists may be placed in the channels M or embedded in the concrete G. The channels N in the lower sheet C may be of dovetail shape, and both these channels and the channels M may be provided alternately at the junctions of adjacent sheets. In a further modification, the upper sheet is of arched form having its edges bent up and flanged to permit the connection of adjacent lower sheets by clips. Sound-insulating material may be provided between the top and bottom sheets. Internal supports of timber or other suitable material may be provided to damp down vibrations of the beams. Diaphragms of steel, timber, asbestos, felt, &c. may be introduced at intervals between the sheets. The third Provisional Specification describes also the formation of a hollow beam of an arched upper sheet-metal member and a bottom sheet-metal member which need not be of corrugated form, and the edges of the bottom member are turned upwardly to form edge stiffeners. The beam members are supported on timber, rubber or other blocks which are received in the dovetails of the corrugations.