Patent Publication Number: US-6212844-B1

Title: Architectural bearing wall construction incorporating courses of fiberboard planks or the like

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to architectural constructions and, more particularly, to bearing wall constructions for small buildings. 
     2. The Prior Art 
     A myriad of wall constructions have been proposed for small, as well as large, architectures. Such constructions have involved various materials ranging from concrete to wood to fiberboard in various units ranging from blocks to beams to sheets. There is a need for an improved small architectural construction that facilitates the use, by amateurs as well as professionals, of standardized materials that are handy to use and that produce predictable results. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is a complete insulating wall bearing system made of a multiplicity of elongated flat planks laid flat side down end to end and course upon course in a fashion unique to the building trades. This invention concerns the construction of walls between a top plate and a sill at the base of a wall. The system makes use of a dense rigid insulating material for a load bearing wall. The system makes use of an insert placed in a non-structural, non-connecting expansion or shrinkage joint. The system makes use of fasteners, such as long nails or screws, which secure courses in a vertical fashion and also prevent horizontal shear. The vertical stability of the constructed wall is determined by the width at the base of the wall. This stability is increased by an imposed load at the top. Additional vertical structural members are not required. Abutting planks in a horizontal course are not structurally engaged. Rather, they are secured to continuous courses of planks below and above a joint. 
     Thus, the primary object of the present invention is to facilitate the construction of bearing walls by use of superposed courses of planks that are characterized by a novel combination of composition, geometry and arrangement. These planks preferably are composed of a homogenized dispersion of fiber and binder, preferably, cellulosic fiber and organic binder. This material has been found to have a suitably high compression coefficient, to be chemically inert as a practical matter from the standpoint of resistance to atmospheric conditions, and to be inexpensively produced, for example, from recycled newsprint or the like. It is to be understood, however, that these planks, in alternative embodiments of the present invention, may be composed of lumber, plywood, particle board and the like. The planks generally have dimensions which enable standardized production and ease of assembly. The planks generally are substantially greater in width than in thickness. As a result, their effective moment of compression has a maximal vertical vector and a minimal horizontal vector, by which buckling is inherently precluded. The contiguous ends of abutting planks are spaced from each other by about ⅛ th  inch. Pairs of the planks are provided at matched end locations with aligned notches for the reception of inserts that establish weather-tight joints. The purpose of these inserts is to establish weather-tight joints and to allow movement during wall construction. The planks are nailed or otherwise interlocked in staggered joints, by which the integrity of the construction is securely maintained. Preferably, the planks have vertical cutouts, which reduce weight and which, when aligned, establish channels for the insertion of utility conduits. 
     Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, reference is made to the following description, which is to be taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a plank for use in accordance with the present invention; FIG. 2 shows a broken-away corner section of a single course of planks of an architectural construction embodying the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 shows a broken-away corner section of several courses of planks of an architectural construction embodying the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 shows a side view of the construction of FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 shows a broken-away plan view of another embodiment of a plank for use in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 illustrates a side view of a wall pursuant to the present invention with a door and window; 
     FIG. 7 illustrates a physical principle of the present invention; 
     FIG. 8 illustrates a physical principle of the prior art; and 
     FIG. 9 illustrates another physical principal of the prior art. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A plank for use in accordance with the present invention is shown at  20  in FIG.  1 . Preferably, this plank is composed of a homogenized and compacted dispersion of a cellulosic fiber and an organic binder of the type sold under the trade designation HOMASOTE by Homasote Corporation. This material has been found to have a suitably high compression coefficient, to be chemically inert as a practical matter from the standpoint of resistance to atmospheric conditions, and to be produced, for example, from recycled newsprint and the like. This plank is thermally insulating, sound absorbing and capable of accepting a normal distributed load. As indicated above, the plank may be composed alternatively of lumber, plywood, particle board, or the like. 
     A typical bearing wall construction embodying the present invention has courses of planks  20 . As shown in FIG. 1, the primary configuration of these planks critically ranges in dimensions from 8 to 16 inches wide as shown at  22 , from ¾ inch to 3 inches thick as shown at  24 , and from 5 to 20 feet long as shown at  26 . Typically, these primary configurations are cut from original lengths that have the aforementioned dimensions of width and thickness, but that range initially from 5 to 20 feet long. 
     The planks generally have- dimensions that enable standardized production and ease of assembly. It is to be noted that these planks generally are substantially greater in width than in thickness. As a result, stacked courses of these planks are characterized by an effective moment of compression that has a maximal vertical vector and a minimal horizontal vector, by which buckling of the stack is inherently precluded. 
     As shown, plank  20  has equidistant circular cutouts  28 , which range from 4 to 12 inches in diameter. In alternative embodiments, these cutouts are of shapes other than circular. The cutouts are not structural and are intended primarily to minimize weight and to provide workmen at the job site with handgrips for picking up and positioning planks in the wall under construction. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, the cutouts are separated by equidistant graphical indicia  30 , e.g. lines, that contribute to ease of cutting to size and assembling at the job site. Preferably, pairs of adjacent lines on a plank are spaced apart at a distance that is equal to the width of the plank so as to allow for overlap at corners and to enable the use of cut-off pieces that, in practice, may be used at other parts of the construction to minimize or eliminate waste. Preferably, at the center of each of lines  30 , are factory drilled holes  31  that are about ⅛ th  inch in diameter and that serve as markers for  1  inch holes that are to be drilled for the reception of tie rods if required by laws. 
     In a typical bearing wall construction embodying the present invention, pairs of the planks are provided at matched end locations  32  and  34  with pairs of aligned and equidistantly spaced notches  36  and  38  for the reception of pairs of inserts  40  and  42 . Each pair of equidistant notches is located either at a transverse extremity or at a longitudinal extremity of a plank. In other words, each pair of notches is located transversely at matched corner positions at the end of a plank, or longitudinally at matched side positions adjacent to the end of a plank. 
     A corner consisting of cross-lapped planks is shown in FIG.  3 . As shown in FIG. 4, continuous plank sections  44  and  46  are located below and above abutting plank sections  48  and  50 . There is no structural engagement or tie between abutting planks in the same course. The purpose of the inserts is to establish weather-tight joints and to properly space the matched end locations from each other to compensate for any slight movement or shrinkage that may occur. Preferably, the inserts are composed of metal or plastic and are press-fitted snugly into their respective notches. 
     As shown, an assemblage of the planks are joined by nails, screws or other fasteners  52 . The planks so interlocked are arranged in staggered courses, by which the integrity of the construction is securely maintained. Preferably, a majority of nails or screws penetrate at least three of the courses of planks. The fasteners provide two functions: (1) they secure planks together in a vertical and horizontal fashion; and (2) they prevent horizontal shear and eliminate the type of racking that can occur in frame constructions using studs and columns. The arrangement is structural and insulating. 
     In one embodiment, the surfaces of the bearing walls of the present invention are adapted to be finished with stucco, paint, plaster or other treatment. In areas where hurricanes and tornadoes may occur, there is a danger that flying objects may impact and pierce the constructed wall. Here, the cutout holes may be filled with sand at the top before the top plate is installed. The sand will resist and disperse the impact load of the flying objects. 
     Operation 
     As shown in FIG. 6, a structural wall  54  of the present invention is composed of a multiplicity of planar courses  56  of superposed elongated flat planks laid flat side down. Optional solid planks  58 ,  60 ,  62  and  64  are provided for sills and for concealing lintels. Generally, the vertical cutouts are sufficiently large to reduce weight and, when aligned, establish channels for utility conduits. Some building codes require that tie rods be installed between the foundation or sill at the base and the top plate. Holes drilled in the field, about one inch in diameter, allow insertion of such tie rods. These holes are easily located at pre-drilled pilot holes  31 . FIGS. 7,  8  and  9  illustrate the basic operation of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, a stack of planks  10  will not tend to buckle. Distributed loads  66  from joists, rafters and trusses provide additional stability. As shown in FIG. 8, a stack of planks or other structural unit  68 , having a width of 6 inches or less, is much more likely to buckle than a stack of planks embodying the present invention. This is so even if, as shown in FIG. 9, the prior art stack is transversely supported. Furthermore, planks composed of the preferred cellulosic fiber and organic binder will not tend to crumble, as will concrete or masonry. Thus, a wall constructed pursuant to the present invention is adapted for use in geographical regions having earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes.