Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Including component designed to receive a disparate article... – Component having specific attachment for an article...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-09
2004-06-29
Friedman, Carl D. (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Including component designed to receive a disparate article...
Component having specific attachment for an article...
C052S036100, C052S582100, C052S656900, C052S714000, C052S749100, C403S205000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06754992
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to apparatus for connecting load bearing structural members and more especially, but not exclusively, to apparatus for connecting beams, columns and other like structural members. The invention also relates to a method of connecting such members.
Conventional steel support structures or frameworks are fabricated from preformed beams, columns and like structural members. Typically, beams carry welded brackets which are aligned with preformed holes formed in columns, the beams and columns then being joined by bolts or like connecting devices. Similarly, for connecting secondary beams to primary beams, steel brackets welded to the webs of the secondary beams are aligned with holes preformed in the webs of primary beams (or vice versa), the beams then being connected by through bolts or the like. The provision of these brackets and holes adds cost to the manufacturing process and the subsequent on-site alignment and securement can be time consuming and expensive.
It is known to provide modular supporting structures wherein upright structural members are provided with one or more slots which receive projections of horizontal structural members. Such supporting structures are disclosed in, inter alia, U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,789, Patent Applications GB-A-1051557 and GB-A-1240774. A framework assembly is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,513,606 in which right angled brackets are mounted to a vertical frame member by virtue of a slotted adaptor bracket secured to the frame member by a spring loaded nut and bolt assembly.
Such structures and assemblies suffer from a number of disadvantages.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,801 discloses a device for laterally interconnecting structural members such as beams and columns. The device comprises a plate with a face and a circumscribing edge, at least one slot extending inwardly from one edge of the plate and at least one stud extending outwardly from the face of the plate. The plate is fixed vertically by welding to an end of a beam whereby the stud or studs extend into open-ended slots formed in the opposed end of the column (or a second plate portion welded to one face of the column) with suitably positioned studs extending outwardly from the opposed face of the column (or separate plate portion) extending into the open-sided slots of the plate.
Use of such a device involves a significant amount of welding to achieve the required column to beam or beam to beam connections, this being both costly and time consuming.
It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus for and a method of connecting columns, beams and like structural members which avoids, or at least alleviates, structural and other disadvantages inherent in support members formed with connection slots as discussed previously, and which can be assembled and dismantled with relative ease.
In one aspect, the invention provides a connector for providing a load supporting connection between first and second structural members, the connector comprising a flange for connection to one of the two structural members and a web which subtends an angle to the flange and is formed with at least one slot bordered on all sides by web material and includes a head and a neck coextensive with the head.
The flange may be formed with a series of slots each of which includes a head and a neck coextensive with the head. In a preferred embodiment, the width of the neck is less than that of the head.
According to the present invention in another aspect, there is provided a connector for providing a load supporting connection between a first structural member (the “supporting member”) and a second structural member supported thereby (the “supported member”), the connector comprising a flange and an integral web formed with an array of two or more spaced slots, each having an upper portion dimensioned to receive a head of a stud which projects from a surface of the supported member and a coextensive lower portion dimensioned to receive the shank of the stud, the width of each shank receiving slot portion being less than the width of the respective stud head.
The flange of the connector may also be formed with an array of two or more spaced slots each dimensioned to receive a head of a stud which projects from a surface of the supporting member and a coextensive upper portion dimensioned to receive the shank of the stud.
Preferably, each array comprises two or more generally vertically spaced slots.
According to the present invention in a further aspect, there is provided an assembly of a connector and first and second structural members, the connector providing a connection between the structural members and comprising a flange and a web formed with an array of two or more spaced slots each having an enlarged upper portion and a coextensive narrower lower portion, the enlarged portions of each slot being dimensioned to receive a head of a stud which projects from the surface of a first structural member to be connected and the narrower portion of each slot being dimensioned to receive the shank of one such stud and to trap the head of that stud behind the margins of the slot narrower portions thereby to connect the structural members together.
The flange may also be formed with an array of two or more spaced slots each having an enlarged lower portion and a coextensive narrower upper portion.
Preferably, each array comprises two or more generally vertically spaced slots.
In a still further aspect, the invention provides an assembly comprising first and second structural members and a connector providing a load supporting connection between the first structural member and the second structural member to be supported thereby, each such member having projecting from at least one surface a series of studs each having a shank secured to the respective structural member and a head, the connector comprising a flange and a web which subtends an angle to the flange, a series of slots formed in the web each comprising at least two generally vertically spaced slots each of which includes a head and a coextensive neck, each slot being dimensioned to allow the head of a stud to pass therethrough and each slot neck being dimensioned to receive the shank of a stud.
In a yet further aspect, the invention provides a connector for providing a load supporting connection between first and second structural members, the connector comprising a flange formed with a series of slots and a web which subtends an angle to the flange and is also formed with a series of slots, each such series comprising at least two slots one above the other, and each slot including a head and a narrower neck coextensive with the head, each slot of the flange being positioned with its head below its neck and each slot of the web being positioned with its head above its neck.
The term “stud” as used herein refers to a member which projects from or through a surface of a beam, column or like structural member and comprises a head located at one end of a shank.
The term “generally vertical” as used herein with reference to the slots of an array or series means that one such slot is positioned above another slot or slots of the array or series. The term embraces situations in which one slot is positioned above but to one side of another slot or slots.
Preferably, the studs project horizontally, or substantially horizontally, from each structural member.
The shanks of the studs are typically secured to the respective structural member by welding. Alternatively, the shank may pass through a suitably dimensioned hole formed in the respective structural member, the shank being secured in place by a bolt screwed onto a threaded end of the shank. In this arrangement, the shank may include a collar whose end abuts the margin around the hole formed in the member and acts to space the stud head from the member. Other securement means maybe provided. Preferably the studs are shear studs and are formed of steel, for example plain carbon steel or galvanised steel.
Shear studs are preferably evenly spaced, along all or part of the length and/or
Burgan Bassam Adeeb
Byfield Michael Patrick
Bacon & Thomas PLLC
Friedman Carl D.
Slack Naoko
The Steel Construction Institute
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