Abstract:
The disclosure provides a system and method for constructing support structures in buildings or other projects, which can support molds for use when pouring reinforced concrete slabs. The disclosed structures can accommodate more than one molds stacked vertically one over the other, and can remain in place to define walls or other separators in the completed structure. In one embodiment, the disclosed structure is a wall panel including a frame and vertical support members. The wall panel includes features allowing the vertical stacking of multiple wall panels. The wall panel includes a load distribution member in the form of a T-beam with a web portion disposed between the vertical support members.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention relates to modular wall panels for use in construction of high rise structures, including but not limited to floor support wall panels for use during and after pouring of reinforced concrete floor slabs. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    When constructing high-rise buildings that include more than one floor, typical construction methods include creating a temporary support structure on a newly formed floor surface. This support structure is used to support molds that will form the next floor slab. Thus, the construction of multi-floor buildings requires the sequential pouring of floors, which also involves the erection and removal of support structures and/or scaffolding on successive floors. 
         [0003]    Typical support structures include scaffolding constructed by tubing having a round cross section. Such scaffolding is erected on the floor slab of a newly poured floor to support molds that will be used to pour the floor above. The scaffolding may be dismantled when pouring of the above floor is complete, and moved for re-erection when successively pouring other floors. 
         [0004]    The successive re-use of scaffolding in erecting, dismantling, and re-erecting the structure for each floor of a multi-story building can be quite labor intensive and time consuming. Moreover, the wall structures of the building must be constructed for the newly formed floors after the pouring of the “floor” and “ceiling” slabs are complete. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The structures and methods provided in the present disclosure are advantageously adapted for reducing the labor and time required to pour successive floor slabs when constructing a multi-story structure. In a general aspect, the disclosure provides wall panels that can be erected for more than one floor simultaneously when constructing a multi-story building. The erected wall panels can support more than one floor mold at the same time, thus allowing for the simultaneous or uninterrupted pouring of more than one floor. Moreover, in one embodiment, the disclosed wall panels may be permanently erected in place to provide vertical and shear support to the building after the floor slabs have been poured. The disclosed wall structures are configured to provide useable structural support to a building, as well as useable surfaces for forming walls after the completion of construction. These and other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent from the following discussion read in conjunction with the illustrations of the several views of the drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is an outline view of a wall panel in accordance with the disclosure. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is an outline view of an alternate embodiment of a wall panel in accordance with the disclosure. 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a partial view of the top portion of a connector for a wall panel in accordance with the disclosure. 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is a partial view of a bottom portion of a connector for a wall panel in accordance with the disclosure. 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is a cross section of a connection arrangement between two wall panels in accordance with the disclosure. 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  is another embodiment of a wall panel in accordance with the disclosure. 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  is an enlarged view of a section of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0013]      FIGS. 8 and 9  illustrate a comparison of the load distribution using the wall panels shown in  FIGS. 1 and 6 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 10  is a partial outline view of a wall panel temporary support structure in accordance with the disclosure. 
           [0015]      FIG. 11  is an outline view of wall panels partially assembled onto a building during construction in accordance with the disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]      FIG. 1  is an outline view of a wall panel  100  in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. The wall panel  100  essentially operates as a load bearing structure for supporting vertical loading. The wall panel  100  can be constructed at any desired length and, in one embodiment, can be used as a unitary structure to support a similar wall panel disposed above the wall panel  100  along the entire length or width of a floor slab of a building. In an alternate embodiment, the wall panel  100  may have a predetermined, modular length, for example, 2-32 ft. (0.61-9.75 m). In that embodiment, two or more modular wall panels may be connected, for example, by bolted or welded connections, to form a wall of a desired length formed by the modular wall panels. 
         [0017]    The wall panel  100  includes an outer or box frame  102  having internal supports  104  extending vertically along its length. The box frame  102  operates to support vertical loading and includes a top rail forming a load distribution member  106 , two side rails  108 , a bottom member which may include a light gage track or bottom rail  110  and a support plate  111  below the bottom rail  110  (shown in  FIG. 4 ). The load distribution member  106 , side rails  108 , and internal supports  104  are made of rectangular tube stock, the dimensions of which may be adjusted to provide adequate support for the loading expected to be applied onto the wall panel  100 . The load distribution member  106  operates to distribute the load applied to the wall panel  100  evenly along its length and is formed by a single rectangular tube having a width that is equal to the overall width of the wall panel  100 . 
         [0018]    The bottom rail  110  is made of a cold-formed steel sheet shaped in a U-section channel. The side rails  108  and internal supports  104  can be made of the same tubular stock, as shown in  FIG. 1 , but may alternatively be made of tubular or other stock having different dimensions. The side rails  108  are arranged in pairs with each member of the pair disposed along the outer edges of the wall panel  100 . In the illustrated embodiment, the side rails  108  and vertical supports  104  are made of square 2×2 in. (about 5×5 cm.) tubing of 3/16 in. (0.48 cm.) gage steel. The steel used for constructing the panels can be galvanized, and may additionally be treated after installation with corrosion and/or heat protective coatings. The side rails  108  and internal supports  104  are welded along the outside edges of the load distribution member  106  and to the inside edges of the bottom rail  110  on the bottom. A gap  112  is defined between each pair of side rails  108  and vertical supports  104 , which can provide a passageway for conduits or pipes through the wall panel, even after the panel forms a completed wall of the building. The width of the wall  100  and the dimensions of the side rails  108  and vertical supports  104  determines the width of the gap  112 . 
         [0019]    The wall panel  100  further includes a horizontal bridging rail  114  extending horizontally along the length of the wall panel  100  and disposed at about the midsection thereof. The horizontal bridging rail  114  in the illustrated embodiment is disposed within the gap  112  and is connected to the side rails  108  and vertical supports  104  to provide stability to the wall panel. The wall panels can include a single bridging rail  114 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , or it may include a plurality of bridging rails  114 , each disposed at a distinct height within the wall panel, thereby providing a group of vertically-spaced apart bridging rails  114 . 
         [0020]    During use, two or more wall panels  110  may be stacked on top of one another to build a multi-story structure that can support molds for floors or other floor/ceiling slab structures. Vertical interconnection between adjacent wall panels  100  can be accomplished by a bolted or welded connection arrangement. In the illustrated embodiment, a block  116  having a hole  118  is disposed on either end of the wall panel  100  atop the ends of the load distribution member  106 . Each block  116  may be made of a section of square or rectangular tube stock, and the hole  118  may be formed through the top side wall of each block  116  to accommodate a bolt therethrough (not shown) for connecting an additional panel  110 . In a similar arrangement, two angled brackets  120  may be disposed, respectively, at each end of the wall panel  110  along an inner horizontal surface of the bottom rail  110  to provide structural reinforcement around a hole  122 . Each hole  122  extends through components of the wall panel  110  to provide an opening for attaching the wall panel  100  onto another panel disposed beneath it (not shown) as is described below relative to the illustrations of  FIGS. 3-5 . 
         [0021]    A variation of the wall panel  100  is shown in  FIG. 2 , where elements that are the same or similar to elements already described relative to the wall panel  100  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) are denoted by the same reference numerals previously used. The wall panel  200  shown in  FIG. 2  is specifically arranged to provide improved resistance to shear stresses, which makes the wall panel  200  suitable for use when constructing the core portion of a building, for surfaces of a building exposed to wind or seismic loading, or for any other wall portions expected to bear high shear loading. 
         [0022]    Similar to the wall panel  100 , the wall panel  200  includes top and bottom rails  106  and  110 . The side rails  208  are made of a stock having an increased outer profile, which provides improved resistance to shear loading. In addition, the wall panel  200  includes two cross braces  202 , which extend in an “X” configuration between the four corners of the outer frame  102 . Similar to the horizontal bridging rail  114 , the cross braces  202  are made of rectangular tube stock and extend within the gap  112  defined between the pairs of side rails  208  and the vertical supports  104 . At their ends, the two cross braces  202  may be bolted, pinned, or welded to the side rails  208 . Because of the cross braces  202 , the wall panel  200  may be made into modular lengths, for example, in 8 ft. (2.44 m.) lengths, that can be connected by use of bolted or welded connections. 
         [0023]    Various configurations of the rails used in wall panels  100  and  200  are also possible in order to meet certain load requirements. For example, in addition to having larger rectangular side rails  208 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , the wall panels  100 / 200  could include rectangular supports  104  as well. In addition the supports  104  and/or side rails  108 / 208  can include larger or smaller gage tubing, as required. In certain instances, different wall panels including supports capable of bearing different loads can be used together in the same structure, as described in more detail below. 
         [0024]    A partial outline of a connection block  116  is shown in  FIG. 3 , and of a bracket  120  is shown in  FIG. 4 . The cross section shown in  FIG. 5  illustrates one embodiment for a connection arrangement between two vertically connected wall panels  100  or  200 . More specifically, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the block  116  is welded atop the top rail  106  by use of, for example, two weld beads or lines  302  extending along the outer edges of the block  116 . A bolt  304  extends through the opening  118  such that a threaded section of the bolt  304  protrudes above the block  116 . In the illustrated embodiment, a head  306  of the bolt  304  is connected, for example, by use of tack welding, onto the bottom surface of the top wall of the block  116 . Weld beads or lines  308  connecting the top rail  106  to the two visible side rails  208  are shown extending along outer edges of the wall panel  200 . 
         [0025]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the bracket  120  has an “L” shape and is connected at each inside corner between the vertical rails  208  and the top surface of the bottom rail  110 . The hole or opening  122  is a through-hole meant to accommodate the threaded portion of the bolt  304 . A partial cross section of the connection arrangement between two wall panels  200 , which would be similar between two wall panels  100 , is shown in  FIG. 5 . As can be seen from the illustration, the two stacked wall panels  200  are connected when the bolt  304  passes through the opening  122  and the two panels are secured to one another by a nut  310  engaged onto the bolt  304 . 
         [0026]    Another embodiment of a wall panel  400  is shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . One significant difference between wall panel  400  and wall panels  100  and  200  is that load distribution member  406  is formed as a T-shaped beam instead of the rectangular stock used in wall panels  100  and  200 . This has particular advantages, as will be explained in more detail below. Many of the other features of wall panel  400  can be formed similarly to the corresponding features of wall panels  100  and  200 . For example, the various described constructions for attaching the bottom of the wall panel to the top of block  116 , the different possible sizes and shapes of side rails and supports, and the use of cross beams  202  can all be incorporated into wall panel  400 . 
         [0027]    The T-shaped beam, referred to herein as a T-beam, which forms load distribution member  406  of wall panel  400 , can be any support beam including a T-shaped construction having a flange  412  and a web  414 , as shown in detail in  FIG. 7 . For example, load distribution member  406  may be a standard W-tee beam. Alternatively, load distribution member  406  can be formed from two or more members that are coupled together to form a T-beam. For example, a first plate forming the flange  412  could be welded to a second plate forming the web  414 . As another alternative, the T-beam  406  could be formed by two L-shaped members attached to one another in a T-shape. 
         [0028]    As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the T-beam is disposed on the supports  404  and side rails  408  with the flange  412  of load distribution member abutting a top end of each of the supports  404  and side rails  408 . The web  414  of T-beam  406  extends downward from the flange  412  in the space  112  between each of the side rails  408  in a pair, and similarly between each of the supports  404  of a respective pair of supports. Both of these characteristics of the T-beam load distribution member  406  provide some advantages over the rectangular tube stock used as the load distribution member  106  in wall panels  100  and  200 . 
         [0029]      FIG. 8  demonstrates the axial loading from load distribution member  106  to side rails  108 , which is similar to the distribution to supports  104 . Using the rectangular tube stock for load distribution member  106 , the load F passes through the load distribution member  106  along the outer edges of the tube stock, where the supporting material is located. As a result, in some instances, most of the load is translated from the load distribution member  106  directly into the area of the side rails  108  or supports  104  that lie below the outer edges of the tube stock of the load distribution member. Accordingly, the inner sides of the side rails  108  or supports  104  bear a lesser extent of the load. Thus, the load F′ below the load distribution member may not be evenly distributed, as shown in  FIG. 8 . In contrast, by using the T-beam  406  as the load distribution member in the wall panel  400 , the axial load is only required to pass through the solid plate formed by flange  412  to reach the side rails  408  or supports  404 . Consequently, the load distribution member is able to distribute the axial load to all sides of the side rails  408  or supports  404  evenly, as shown in  FIG. 9 . This increased distribution of the load from load distribution member  406  to the side rails  408  and supports  404  allows the total axial load capacity of the wall panel to markedly increase. 
         [0030]    The location of web  414  between the pairs of supports  404  and side rails  408  also provides a distinct advantage. The inclusion of the web  414  serves to add increased support to the overall structure by strengthening the load distribution member and controlling shear stress and the forces of bending. In this regard, the web  414  allows T-beam  406  to have similar structural advantages as a rectangular structural member in comparison to a simple flat plate. However, in contrast to a rectangular structure, such as the tube stock  106  used in wall panel  100 , the web  414  is entirely disposed below the upper ends of the side rails  408  and supports  404 . Thus, the portion of T-beam  406  supplying the additional strength to address shear and bending forces, is entirely disposed within the gap  112  between side rails  408  and supports  404 . In contrast, with a rectangular structure, the added benefit of using a three-dimensional structure over a simple flat plate, is yielded at the expenses of increased height of the load distribution member above the tops of side rails  108  and supports  104 . 
         [0031]    When wall panels  100 ,  200  and/or  400  are stacked together, a stable support structure may be formed by welding vertically along corners of abutting panels as well as by providing temporary bracing between facing wall panels. One type of facing arrangement  600  is shown in the partial outline view of  FIG. 6 . The facing arrangement  600  includes crossing brace members  602  that extend in an “X” or “K” configuration across two opposite wall panels  100  or  200  in a four sided structure of wall panels, which is shown and discussed relative to  FIG. 7 . Each crossing brace member  602  includes round shaft portions  603  connected axially to one another through flat bar portions  604 . Hooks  606  having a generally “J” shape are disposed at the ends of each brace member  602 . The hooks  606  engage portions of the wall panels  100 , for example, at the vertical supports  104 . Pairs of brace members  602  disposed around a pin joint  608  are capable of interlocking the wall panels  100  or  200  such that vertical, shear, and lateral loading can be temporarily isostatically-supported until construction of the floor/ceiling portions is completed. In the illustrated embodiment, a portion of a floor/ceiling joist  610  is shown extending horizontally across the wall panels  100  or  200 . 
         [0032]    An outline view of wall panels  100  and  200  partially assembled onto a building  700  during construction and in accordance with the disclosure is shown in  FIG. 7 . As shown, the building  700  may include completed floor slabs  702  at lower floors  704 . A unitary wall panel  100  is mounted onto the topmost slab to form a wall panel support structure  710  and ultimately a wall of the building. Each of four sides of the slab supports one or more wall panels  100  that together form a wall of the building. A second story or subsequent floor wall panel  100  is shown disposed on one side of the building  700  in accordance with the disclosure. The upper wall panel  100  is connected to the lower wall panel  100  by bolted connections  706  as shown in  FIG. 6 , thus forming a wall panel structure  710  of more than one story of wall panels. At each of the corners  708  defined between adjacent walls, the wall panels  100  may be welded or bolted together to form a rectangular, continuous wall. 
         [0033]    Wall panels  200  are shown disposed toward the center of the building  700  to form a core, within which elevators, stairwells, or other building portions may reside (none shown). Similar to the wall panels  100  forming non-core portions of the building  700 , the wall panels  200  at the core portion of the building  700  may be welded at their corners and to each other. A plurality of cross braces  602  are shown disposed between facing walls of panels to provide structural rigidity to the panel assemblies until pouring of floors between the panels has been completed. 
         [0034]    The assembled wall panel structure  710  shown in  FIG. 7  illustrates the beginning of a construction of new floors on top of the completed floors  704  that already include poured and constructed floor/ceiling slabs. After the placement of the panels shown in  FIG. 7 , additional wall panels  100  may be attached to the shown structure  710  to complete the walls of the second story of wall panel structure  710  above the constructed floor slabs. Additional stories of wall panels  100  can then be constructed on top of the completed stories of wall panel structure. For example, the wall panel structure  710  can be built up to a height of four or twenty stories of wall panels  100  on top of the existing completed floors  704 . As an alternative, it is certainly possible for the wall panel structures to be built up directly from the ground floor, or from a foundation structure, such that a wall panel structure  710  corresponding to the entire height of the building can be constructed before any of the floor slabs are poured. As the wall panel structure  710  is constructed, the individual wall panels  100  are joined, as described above, to form a load bearing structure that is both self supporting and also able to bear loads associated with the construction of the floor slabs. 
         [0035]    The wall panel structure  710  may also be constructed to form load bearing walls of the completed building after the floor slabs are poured and completed. In this regard, it may be advantageous to use wall panels  100  in the lower floors that are stronger than the wall panels  100  used in the upper floors of the wall panel structure  710 . For example, the wall panels of the lower floors could use larger supports  104  and/or larger side rails  108  than the wall panels of the upper floors. For example, the wall panels  100  of a lower floor may use a 2×6″ structural HSS member for support  104 , while the wall panels of the upper floors use a 2×2″ square tube. Alternatively, or in addition, the wall panels of the lower floors may include supports  104  and/or side rails  108  that have a larger gauge than the supports or rails  104 / 108  of the upper floors. For example, a lower floor may use wall panels with supports  104  having a side-wall with a thickness of ¼″, while the supports  104  in wall panels of the upper floors may include a side-wall thickness of ⅛″. 
         [0036]    Tables 1-3 together demonstrate the different possible wall panel constructions that can be used for various floor heights based on typical assumptions for a building given a variety of variables. The information shown in Tables 1 and 2 are provided for a wall panel  400  constructed according to  FIG. 6  including the T-shaped beam as the load distribution member. Table 1 shows calculations of the expected loads of each pair of supports  404  within the wall panel  400  based on assumptions for a typical building. As shown, the assumptions for the building include a dead load value for each floor along with an estimated value for a live load. The building includes a joist span of 30 ft with the joists spaced at 4 ft, which are both common values. Given these assumptions, different load values are shown that are expected to be supported for every foot of wall panel  400 . The bottom of Table 1 shows the load requirement for each pair of supports  404 , which is referred to in the table as a stud assembly. Table 1 also includes values corresponding to various different numbers of floors, since the wall members of lower floors in a tall building will bear greater loads than the wall members of the upper floors, or than the wall members of shorter buildings. The load levels shown in the table correspond to the load that is supported by the bottom floor of a construction having, in total, the number of floors shown. The values depicted in Table 1 include load levels for 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20 story constructions. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Service level load per pair of supports 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Dead Loads 
                   
                   
                 Live Load 
                 40.0 
                 psf 
               
               
                   
                 slab 
                 38 
                 psf 
                 stud spacing 
                 24.0 
                 in 
               
               
                   
                 joists 
                 3 
                 psf 
                 Joist span 
                 30.0 
                 ft 
               
               
                   
                 ceiling/mep 
                 4 
                 psf 
                 Joist spacing 
                 4.0 
                 ft 
               
               
                   
                 partitions 
                 15 
                 psf 
                 trib 
                 30.0 
                 ft 
               
               
                   
                 DL total 
                 60 
                 psf 
                 Ai 
                 480.0 
                 ft 2 /fl 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 # of floors 
                 1 
                 5 
                 10 
                 15 
                 20 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 service level wall load (k/ft) 
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Lr 
                 37.4 
                 22.2 
                 18.7 
                 17.1 
                 16.1 
                 psf 
               
               
                   
                 W dead   
                 1.8 
                 9.0 
                 18.0 
                 27.0 
                 36.0 
                 psf 
               
               
                   
                 W live   
                 1.1 
                 3.3 
                 5.6 
                 7.7 
                 9.7 
                 psf 
               
               
                   
                 W total   
                 2.9 
                 12.3 
                 23.6 
                 34.7 
                 45.7 
                 k/ft 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 service level load per stud assembly 
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 W total   
                 5.8 
                 24.7 
                 47.2 
                 69.4 
                 91.3 
                 k 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0037]    Table 2 shows the axial load capacity of each pair of supports  404  in the wall panel  400 . The depicted data corresponds to a wall panel having supports  404  spaced every 24 inches and that includes two rows of bridging. As shown in the table, the wall panels can support a large range of loads based on the size and gauge of the tubing used for supports  404 . The loading that can be supported by the supports  404  also varies based on the height of the wall panel. As shown, the taller wall panels are unable to support the same load as a shorter wall panel. 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Axial capacity of each pair of supports 
               
               
                 Service Level Axial Capacity Pn/Ω (kips) (capacity per pair of tubes) 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 HSS tube size (two tubes) 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 2 × 2 × 
                 2 × 2 × 
                 2 × 2 × 
                 2 × 2 × 
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 Height (ft) 
                 16 
                 15 
                 14 
                 11 
                 2 × 2 × ⅛ 
                 2 × 2 × 3/16 
                 2 × 2 × ¼ 
                 6 × 2 × 3/16 
                 6 × 2 × ¼ 
                 6 × 2 × 5/16 
                 6 × 2 × ⅜ 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                 10 
                 17.2 
                 20.3 
                 23.3 
                 32.5 
                 32.1 
                 45.2 
                 56.6 
                 103.4 
                 133.9 
                 161.3 
                 186.1 
               
               
                 11 
                 15.8 
                 18.6 
                 21.3 
                 29.9 
                 29.7 
                 41.7 
                 52.2 
                 96.6 
                 124.9 
                 150.2 
                 172.9 
               
               
                 12 
                 14.5 
                 16.9 
                 19.4 
                 27.2 
                 27.2 
                 38.2 
                 47.6 
                 89.6 
                 115.7 
                 138.9 
                 159.5 
               
               
                 13 
                 13.1 
                 15.2 
                 17.4 
                 24.5 
                 24.7 
                 34.7 
                 43.1 
                 82.6 
                 106.5 
                 127.5 
                 146.1 
               
               
                 14 
                 11.7 
                 13.5 
                 15.5 
                 21.8 
                 22.2 
                 31.2 
                 38.7 
                 75.6 
                 97.3 
                 116.2 
                 132.8 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Allied Tube 
                 Structural HSS 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0038]    Table 3 shows the axial capacity of the supporting bottom plate  160  of the wall panel  400 . As shown, the capacity depends on both the thickness (gauge) of the bottom plate and on the size of the supports  404 . 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
             
           
               
                 TABLE 3 
               
             
             
               
                   
               
               
                 Axial capacity of supporting bottom plate 
               
             
          
           
               
                 tube 
                   
                 Service Level Axial 
               
               
                 size 
                 bottom track gage 
                 Capacity 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 2 × 2 
                 16 ga 
                 11k 
               
               
                   
                 14 ga 
                 14k 
               
               
                   
                 12 ga 
                 19k 
               
               
                   
                 ⅜″ plate 
                 50k 
               
               
                   
                 ⅝″ plate 
                 67k 
               
               
                 2 × 6 
                 ⅜″ plate 
                 103k  
               
               
                   
                 ⅝″ plate 
                 119k  
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
         [0039]    In accordance with the calculations shown in Tables 1-3 wall panels  400  can be selected specifically for different floors to meet the service load requirements calculated for that floor. For example, in a ten story building with the loading and building construction assumptions used in the example above, and, as an example, the total expected service load on the first floor is 47.2 kips. In the same building, the total expected service load on the sixth floor, which only has to support itself and the four floors above it (thus, the number of floors is five), is only 24.7 kips. Further assuming that the building requires a floor height corresponding to 11 feet, the data in Table 2 indicates that a wall panel  400  including supports  404  having a size of 2×2 with a gage of ¼ inch will adequately support the load at the bottom floor, since a wall panel of this type can support 52.2 kips, which is above the service load of 47.2 kips. In contrast, the wall panel used for the sixth floor, and higher floors, can use a lighter gage tube for supports  404 . As shown in Table 2, a wall panel including supports  404  having a size of 2×2 with a gage of ⅛ inch can support a load up to 29.7 kips, which is higher than the required service load of 24.7 kips. 
         [0040]    Once the wall panel structure  710  is assembled, the molds for floor slabs can be put in place so that the floor slabs can be poured in connection with the assembled structure  710 . In an exemplary embodiment, the molds are position so that the floor slab is poured in an area corresponding to the supporting blocks  116  between the load distributing member  406  of a lower story and the support plate  111  of an upper story. As explained above, the assembled wall panel structure  710  is a load-bearing structure, with the load from upper floors being distributed directly through the wall panels of the upper floors to the wall panels of the lower floors. Accordingly, after the floor slabs have been poured, the completed structure has 100% bearing. Since the wall panels  100  are already assembled prior to the pouring of the floor slabs, gaps and spacing between the wall panels  100  and the floor slabs can be completely avoided. 
         [0041]    All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein. 
         [0042]    The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention. 
         [0043]    Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.