Abstract:
A modular structure includes at least one modular unit comprising a structure base and a structure enclosure carried by the structure base. Each of the structure base and the structure enclosure comprises lightweight concrete providing a significantly improved structure over the currently used fabrication processes. The modular structure is fabricated utilizing tunnel fabrication processes, creating a unitary structure. The structure can be finished at a manufacturing location, then transported and installed at the desired location. Connector plate assemblies are molded into the structure for securing two adjacent modules. Adjacent modules can be oriented perpendicular, parallel, or any angle therebetween to each other.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure relates to structures such as manufactured and modular housing and the like. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a modular structure having modular units multiple ones of which can be selectively attached to each other in the fabrication of a residence or other building. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Fabricated structures such as manufactured housing, trailer structures, modular housing and the like are commonly used for housing and business use. Conventional fabricated structures may include a floor assembly and walls and a roof, which are supported by the floor assembly. Each of the floor assembly, the walls and the roof of the structures may be fabricated using one type of material or a combination of materials including plywood, oriented strand board, fiberboard, panels made of compressed Kraft paper and metal sheeting, for example. 
     Conventional fabricated structures may have a number of drawbacks. The materials and fabrication techniques that are used in the manufacture of fabricated structures may be expensive. Additionally, the floor, walls and roof of fabricated structures may have poor moisture resistance and may be heavy and difficult to install. Moreover, fabricated structures may have a flimsy construction, which renders the structures vulnerable to high winds during hurricanes, tornadoes, and other storm conditions. 
     Therefore, a modular structure is needed which is simple in construction, durable, transportable, and inexpensive and which includes modular units, multiple ones of which can be selectively attached to each other in the fabrication of a residence or other building. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure is generally directed to a modular structure that may be constructed of a strong and durable material such as a lightweight concrete material and is simple and inexpensive to fabricate and transportable from a fabrication facility to a deployment site. The modular structure may include single or multiple modular units, which can be selectively attached to each other to form a residence or other building of selected size and configuration. 
     In one aspect, the modular structure may include: 
     at least one modular unit comprising:
         a structure base;   a structure enclosure carried by the structure base; and   wherein each of the structure base and the structure enclosure is fabricated primarily of a material being a lightweight concrete material bonded to and covering a reinforcing material.       

     In another aspect, the reinforcing material is steel in the form of what is commonly known as “rebar”. 
     Another aspect provides a structure that is assembled utilizing a forming process, wherein the structure is fabricated via forming a structure base, followed by forming and pouring wall and roof portions during a single mold pouring process. The wall and roof portions form a unitary enclosure. The unitary structure may be created utilizing a process by which the wall and roof portions are formed and poured in a single concrete pour, such as via a tunnel forming process, a wall and shored ceiling forming process, and any other process allowing such unit homogeneity. 
     In another aspect, the structure base may include a perimeter footer and optional cross rib supports as structurally required and a floor normally extending the length and width of the modular unit, including the area within the extremities of the footer. 
     In still another aspect, a plurality of structure reinforcing elements, which may include reinforcing steel or other reinforcing materials, may extend from the structure base into the structure enclosure. 
     In another aspect, the structure enclosure may include a pair of spaced-apart side walls carried by the structure base and at least one structure roof section carried by the side walls. 
     In still another aspect, at least one end wall may be carried by the structure base and at least one structure roof section carried by the end walls and side walls. 
     In yet another aspect, a plurality of connector plate assemblies may be carried by at least one of the structure base and the structure enclosure. 
     In another aspect, each wall may include such openings as may be required in the structure enclosure to allow for the placement of doors and windows in the enclosure as may be architecturally specified. 
     In a still further aspect, the plurality of connector plate assemblies may each include a connector plate and a plurality of connector plate anchor members carried by the connector plate and extending into the structure base and/or the structure enclosure. 
     In another aspect, a connector bracket having a bracket base may be provided on the connector plate and a bracket flange may be provided on the bracket base. 
     In another aspect, a plurality of lift insert assemblies may be carried by the structure base and the structure enclosure. 
     In another aspect, the plurality of lift insert assemblies may each include a plurality of list insert anchor members carried by the lift assembly plate which includes a plate flange with thru hole for lifting of the modular unit. 
     These and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the attached drawings and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, which follow. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The illustrative embodiments of the disclosure will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the invention, where like designations denote like elements, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a structure base of a modular unit; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of a modular unit, more particularly illustrating an exemplary method of attaching a structure enclosure to a structure base of the modular unit; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view, partially in section, of a modular unit, additionally illustrating enlarged perspective views of an exemplary connector plate assembly and an exemplary unit lift assembly, respectively; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a modular structure formed having a pair of modular units, more particularly illustrating an exemplary method of attaching the modular units in end-to-end relationship to each other in fabrication of a first illustrative embodiment of a modular structure; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a modular structure formed having a pair of modular units attached to each other in end-to-end relationship with respect to each other in fabrication of an illustrative embodiment of the modular structure; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a modular structure formed having a pair of attached modular units, more particularly illustrating attachment of a third modular unit to an end of the adjacent attached modular units in fabrication of an illustrative embodiment of the modular structure forming an end to end configuration; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a modular structure formed having three modular units attached to each other in end-to-end relationship to each other in fabrication of an illustrative embodiment of the modular structure; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of another illustrative embodiment of the modular structure, with one modular unit oriented in perpendicular relationship with respect to another modular unit; 
         FIG. 9  is an exploded perspective view of an illustrative unit connector assembly in attachment of adjacent modular units to each other in fabrication of an illustrative embodiment of the modular structure; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the illustrative unit connector assembly illustrated in  FIG. 9 , more particularly insertion of a fastener through a pair of connector brackets in the unit connector assembly; and 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the illustrative unit connector assembly illustrated in  FIG. 9 , with the connector brackets fastened to each other in the unit connector assembly. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” or “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. 
     The present disclosure is generally directed to a modular structure that may be constructed of a strong and durable material such as a lightweight concrete material and is simple and inexpensive to fabricate. The modular structure may include a single modular unit or multiple modular units, which can be selectively attached to each other to form a residence or other building of selected size and configuration. 
     Referring to the drawings, an illustrative embodiment of the modular structure is generally indicated by reference numeral  100 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 4-7 , the modular structure  100  may include multiple modular units  101  which can be selectively attached to each other to fabricate a modular structure  100  having a selected size and configuration, as will be hereinafter described. As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , each modular unit  101  of the modular structure  100  may include a structure base  102 . A structure enclosure  130  may be provided on the structure base  102 . The structure base  102  and the structure enclosure  130  may each be a lightweight material such as molded lightweight or foamed concrete, for example and without limitation. The modular unit  101  can be formed via a two-stage pouring process into forms, a process of fabricating the structure base  102 , then forming or molding the structure enclosure  130  onto the structure base  102 , or forming via two separate processes and subsequently attaching the two components to one another. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the structure base  102  may include a footer  103 , located on two or more sides, and a floor  104  that covers the footer  103  and the area inside the footer  103 , formed as an integral structure. The footer  103  can optionally be provided along the entire perimeter of the floor  104 . In some embodiments, the structure base  102  and the structure enclosure  130  of each modular unit  101  may have a generally elongated, rectangular shape. Accordingly, the footer  103  and any corresponding structural footer ribs (not shown) inside of the perimeter footer  103  may be thicker than the floor  104  and may be disposed in generally parallel, spaced-apart relationship to each other. A foundation space  105  may be defined by and between the perimeter footer  103 . In some implementations, a footer  103  may be required along the entire perimeter of the floor  104  such that all four edges are thicker than the center of the structure base  102 . In some implementations, structure reinforcing elements  110  may extend beyond the plane of the floor  104  proximate an area along at least two edges of the structure base, each edge corresponding to a structure wall  131 ,  138 . The structure reinforcing elements  110  are preferably arranged in a spaced-apart relationship to each other. In some embodiments, the structure reinforcing elements  110  may extend along three or all four edges of the structure foundation  102 . The structure reinforcing elements  110  may be rebar or tensioning bars or beams, as examples and without limitation. As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the structure base  102  may include a foundation support structure, which may be a network of wood, metal, and/or other reinforcing material as exemplified by the potential requirement for fabrication of composite flooring, and the like. In some embodiments, the lightweight concrete may be foamed concrete, for example and without limitation. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the structure enclosure  130  of each modular unit  101  may include a pair of spaced-apart side walls  131  which extend upwardly from the structure base  102 . In some embodiments, the structure reinforcing elements  110  ( FIG. 1 ) which extend from the structure base  102  may extend into the side walls  131  of the structure enclosure  130  to anchor the structure enclosure  130  on the structure base  102  and to meet the structural requirements for rebar laps and to tie the rebar or other reinforcing material in the base to the reinforcing materials in the enclosure. Window openings  132  and/or door openings  133  may extend through each side walls  131 . 
     At least one roof section  136  may be provided on the side walls  131 . In some embodiments, a gabled roof  136  may extend from the respective side walls  131 . In some embodiments, a single roof section, such as a flat or shed roof, (not illustrated) may be supported by the side walls  131 . An end wall  138  ( FIG. 4 ) may be provided on at least one end of the structure enclosure  130  and may provide additional support to the roof  136 . A modular unit  101  having an end wall  138  ( FIG. 4 ) may be referred to as a terminal unit. A modular unit  101  having the end wall  138  omitted may be referred to as a central modular unit. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , in some embodiments, the structure enclosure  130  of each modular unit  101  may include an interior finish support furring  140  and ceiling beams  141 , which is generally fabricated of furring strips or long thin strips of wood or metal used to make backing surfaces to support the finished surfaces in a room. A surface finish material  146 , such as drywall, for example and construction components which may include insulation and plumbing and electrical appurtenances and without limitation, is provided on or within or between the interior finish support furring  140  to provide a finished appearance and necessary utility to the side walls  131 , the roof sections  136  and the structure end wall  138 . Other finish items can be installed, such as windows, doors, insulation, plumbing, electrical components, and the like, at the manufacturing location, at the site of the assembly of the modular structure  100 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 5-7 , unit connector assemblies  112  may be used to attach adjacent modular units  101  to each other in the modular structure  100 . As illustrated in  FIG. 9 , each unit connector assembly  112  may include a connector plate assembly  117 , which is provided at each connecting end of each modular unit  101 . Each connector plate assembly  117  may include a connector plate  113  which may be steel, for example and without limitation. Multiple connector plate anchor members  114  may extend from a first connector plate surface  126  of the connector plate  113 . Each connector plate anchor member  114  may include a generally elongated anchor member shaft  115 , which extends from the connector plate  113  and a shaft head  116 , which terminates the anchor member shaft  115 . In fabrication of the modular structure  100 , the connector plate  113  of each connector plate assembly  117  may be partially embedded in, flush/or standing proud with the foundation side portion  103  of the structure base  102 . The connector plate anchor members  114  may extend into the structure base  102  to anchor the connector plate  113  to the structure base  102 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , in some embodiments, at least two connector plate assemblies  117  may be provided at each end and on respective sides of the structure base  102  to facilitate assembly of at least two unit connector assemblies  112  on each connecting end of each modular unit  101 . Additional connector plate assemblies  117  may be provided on the respective roof sections  136 , as illustrated, and/or on the respective side walls  131  of the structure enclosure  130  of each modular unit  101 . 
     As further illustrated in  FIG. 9 , in each unit connector assembly  112 , which attaches adjacent modular units  101  to each other in the modular structure  100 , a pair of connector brackets  118  may attach the connector plate assemblies  117  on the respective modular units  101 . Each connector bracket  118  may be an L-shaped angled connector bracket having a bracket base  119  and a bracket flange  120 , which extends from the bracket base  119 . A strengthening wedge or structural fillet (not illustrated) may be included on each connector bracket  118 . As illustrated in  FIG. 10 , the bracket base  119  of each connector bracket  118  may be attached to a second connector plate surface  127  on the connector plate  113  of each corresponding connector plate assembly  117  such as via a weld  128 , for example and without limitation. A fastener  124  may be extended through registering fastener openings  121  provided in the bracket flanges  120  of the adjacent connector brackets  118 . A nut  125  may be threaded on the fastener  124 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3 , in some embodiments, multiple unit lift assemblies  150  may be provided along the exterior surface about a perimeter of the structure base  102  to facilitate lifting and transport of each modular unit  101  as deemed necessary. As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , each unit lift assembly  150  may include a lift assembly plate  151  which may be embedded in the structure base  102 . The lift assembly plate  151  may have anchor members, similar to the connector plate anchor members  114 , which may extend into the structure base  102  to anchor the lift assembly plate  151  to the structure base  102 . A lifting flange  152  may extend from the lift assembly plate  151 . A lifting plate opening  153  may extend through the lifting flange  152 . Each unit lift assembly  150  may have an alternative design which is suitable to facilitate lifting of each modular unit  101  using a suitable lifting or hoisting apparatus (not illustrated). 
     Each modular unit  101  of the modular structure  100  may be fabricated using conventional molding techniques known by those skilled in the art. In one method of fabrication, the structure base  102  may be poured initially and cured, after which the structure enclosure  130  may be poured on the structure base  102  and cured. A foundation mold (not illustrated), which corresponds to the size and shape of the structure base  102  to be fabricated may then be placed around the base structure. Lightweight concrete may then be poured into the base form, which is subsequently separated from the structure base  102  after hardening and curing of the lightweight concrete. The structure enclosure  130  is then formed onto the structure base  102 , using a similar forming and pouring process. Once cured, the form can be removed and additional finishing can be accomplished on the modular unit  101 . Furring  140  ( FIG. 3 ) may then be assembled onto the modular unit  101  for finishing. A surface finish material  146  may then applied covering the furring  140 , providing features, looks, and the feel of commonly constructed structures. A dropped ceiling may be installed as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . Flooring  142  can be disposed upon the exposed interior surface of the structure base  102 . 
     In yet another method of fabrication of each modular unit  101 , the structure base  102  and the structure enclosure  130  may be molded independent of each other and subsequently assembled as a unitary structure. The structure enclosure  130  may then be placed on the structure base  102 . Prior to placement of the structure enclosure  130  on the structure base  102 , reinforcing element channels (not illustrated) may be provided in each side wall  131  of the structure enclosure  130  to receive the respective structure reinforcing elements  110  of the structure base  102  as the structure enclosure  130  is lowered onto the structure base  102 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 4-7 , a modular structure  100  may be assembled in a linear configuration by attaching multiple modular units  101  to each other in end-to-end relationship. Accordingly, as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the open ends of a pair of modular units  101  may be attached or coupled to each other by fastening the connector plate assemblies  117  at the end of one modular unit  101  to the respective connector plate assemblies  117  at the facing end of the other modular unit  101 . This may be accomplished as was heretofore described with respect to  FIGS. 9-11 , by attaching the connector brackets  118  to the connector plates  113  of the respective connector plate assemblies  117 ; extending a fastener  124  through the registering fastener openings  121  in the connector brackets  118 ; and threading a nut  125  on the fastener  124 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 5-7 , it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any number of additional modular units  101  may be sequentially attached or coupled to the terminal modular unit  101  in like manner to assemble a modular structure  100  having a selected length and number of modular units  101 . The terminal modular units  101  on the respective ends of the modular structure  100  may be fabricated with one structure end wall  138 , whereas the modular units  101  between the terminal modular units  101  may be fabricated without the structure end wall(s)  138 , to provide a continuous structure interior  134  ( FIGS. 4 and 6 ) throughout the length of the modular structure  100 . In some embodiments, an expansion joint (not illustrated) may be placed between the adjacent modular units  101  in the modular structure  100  to accommodate expansion and contraction of the modular units  101  with respect to each other. Each expansion joint may be an extruded resilient material such as rubber, silicone or the like. It is desirable that the modular structure  100  be fabricated of a shape and size suitable for transporting on public roadways. Prior to assembly of the modular structure  100 , the unit lift assemblies  150  provided along the sides of the structure base  102  of each modular unit  101  may be engaged by a suitable lifting or hoisting apparatus (not illustrated) to lift each modular unit  101  onto a transport vehicle (not illustrated) such as a truck or railcar for transport of the modular units  101  to the site of assembly of the modular structure  100 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 8 , in some applications the modular structure  100  may be assembled in a non-linear configuration, referenced as modular structure  200 . Accordingly, a first one of the modular units  101  may be fabricated with a side opening (not illustrated) in a side wall  131  thereof. The open end of a second modular unit  101  may then be placed in communication with the opening in the first modular unit  101  and the second modular unit  101  coupled to the first modular unit  101  via multiple unit connector assemblies  112 . The roof sections  136  of the second modular unit  101  may then be extended to the pitch of the roof sections  136  on the first modular unit  101  by fabrication of a roof frame  144  followed by the application of a covering material to the roof frame  144 . 
     It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the simplicity in construction of the modular structure enables a number of variations of the modular structure configurations depending on the particular needs and desires of the user. Although the preferred embodiments taught herein show the assembly of adjacent modular units  101  having the openings positioned proximate the other, it is understood that a modular unit  101  can be assembled to an adjacently positioned modular unit  101  at any location, angle, and the like. A pathway can be provided between the two connecting modular units  100  as needed. 
     While the illustrative embodiments of the disclosure have been described above, it will be recognized and understood that various modifications can be made to the embodiments and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications which may fall within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.