Prefabricated Building Sections or Room Units and Methods for the Manufacture of Such Sections or Units

This invention relates to prefabricated building sections or room units and to methods for the manufacture of such sections or units.

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for the manufacture of prefabricated building sections or room units comprising making a panel and subsequently connecting at least one frame beam and/or at least one wall or other partition to that panel, wherein making the panel comprises the steps of forming a frame of beams, arranging a first plate on said frame, arranging a second plate on said frame and providing the panel with at least one tubular service conduit, the completed panel subsequently having the frame beam and/or wall or other partition connected thereto.

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a floor panel constructed in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view, to an enlarged scale, illustrating the formation of part of the floor panel in a mould,

FIG. 3 is a further sectional view, to the same scale as FIG. 2, showing a subsequent stage in the formation of the floor panel in a jig,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view, to an enlarged scale, showing additional details of the construction of one corner of the floor panel of FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view to the same scale as FIG. 1 showing the floor panel of that Figure provided with walls and frame beams, the latter being in the form of supporting columns,

FIG. 6 is a perspective view, partly in section and to the same scale as FIG. 4, showing the form of cooperation between the panel and the lower end of one of the supporting columns of FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic elevation, to a reduced scale, illustrating a block of apartments or other dwellings formed from building sections or room units of the general kind illustrated in FIG. 5, and

FIG. 8 is a horizontal section through part of one story of the building shown diagrammatically in FIG. 7.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 3 of the drawings, the floor panel that is illustrated has a frame which is generally indicated by the reference 1 and which is formed from a plurality of metal beams. Two plates 2 and 3 are arranged inside the frame 1 in parallel but spaced apart relationship, said plates 2 and 3 preferably being made from concrete which is cast in the frame 1. The frame 1 which is illustrated is of oblong configuration having two longer side beams 4 and 5 that are parallel to one another and two shorter end beams 6 which are also parallel to one another and perpendicular to the beams 4 and 5. The beams 4, 5 and 6 are all of channel-shaped cross-section and their ends are welded to each other at the four corners of the frame 1. The frame 1 that is illustrated has a length 7 of substantially 12 meters and a width 8 of substantially 3 meters, the length 7 of the frame thus being substantially four times the width 8 thereof.

In order to cast the concrete plates 2 and 3 inside the frame 1 and to obtain a satisfactory bond between the metal beams and the concrete of said plates, the longer beams 4 and 5 are perpendicularly interconnected by a large number of ribs 9 that are of approximately Z-shaped cross-section. The cross-section is, in fact, such that each rib 9 has upper and lower horizontal limbs 11 that are perpendicularly interconnected by a vertical limb in such a way that the upper and lower horizontal limbs are substantially out of vertical alignment with one another. The arrangement of the ribs 9 is also such that, as seen in FIG. 1 of the drawings, a substantially horizontal plane containing the upper limbs 11 thereof is located at a level beneath that of a substantially horizontal plane containing the upper limbs 10 of the channel-shaped (in cross-section) frame beams 4 and 5. Metallic mesh 12 which serves as a reinforcement is arranged above the upper limbs 11 of the ribs 9 (see FIG. 3 of the drawings) and is welded to the beams of the frame 1 after the construction of that frame. If desired, further reinforcing mesh may be provided in contact with the upper limbs 11 of the ribs 9. After the frame 1 has been assembled and has been provided with the ribs 9 and the metallic mesh 12, the whole assembly is inverted and is placed on a jig table 15 as shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings. Concrete is then poured to form the plate 2 to a vertical thickness 16 which may, for example, have a magnitude of substantially five centimeters. An upright concrete rim 17 that is disposed internally of the frame beams 4, 5 and 6 is poured at the same time as the plate 2.

When the plate 2 and rim 17 have set, the partially completed panel is lifted from the jig table 15, subsequently inverted to bring it to its original disposition and is then lowered onto a jig table 15A as shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings. However, before putting the panel on the jig table 15A, a metallic reinforcing mesh 20 is welded between the lower limbs 19 of the frame beams 4, 5 and 6. When required, as will usually be the case, tubular conduits 21 for electric cables together with junction and connection boxes 22 and 23 are placed in position with the metallic reinforcing mesh 20 and may, if desired, be secured to that mesh. The concrete or other castable material of the plate 3 is subsequently poured or otherwise introduced onto the jig table 15A around the parts 20 to 23 inclusive as shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings. Holes may be formed through the plate 2 to enable the semi-liquid concrete or other castable material to be brought to the position in which it is to set to form the plate 3. However, as an alternative, the concrete or other castable material that is to form the plate 3 may be arranged on the jig table 15A before the partially completed panel is itself lowered onto that jig table. When this method of formation is employed, it is possible to lower the partially completed panel onto the jig table 15A in such a way that the lower limbs 19 of the beams of its frame 1 penetrate into the waiting semiliquid concrete or other castable material to a sufficient extent to bring those limbs firmly into contact with the upper surface of the jig table 15A. Once the concrete or other castable material of the plate 3 has set or otherwise hardened, the substantially completed frame 1 can be lifted away from the jig table 15A ready for use as part of a prefabricated building that is to be erected or for use as part of a prefabricated building section or room unit that is itself destined for employment as one part of a prefabricated building.

The panel whose construction has been described with particular reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 of the drawings is intended for use as a floor panel but it is emphasized that panels intended for use as walls and other partitions are made in a similar way. In the case of the floor panel whose construction has been described, the plate 2 is intended to serve as an upper load-bearing surface for human beings, furniture and so on whereas the lower plate 3 is intended to serve as a ceiling for the room or other space that may be formed beneath the floor penel in question. If the floor panel should be part of a story located at ground level, then the plate 3 will co-operate with an underlying foundation. FIG. 5 of the drawings illustrates the floor panel that has been described forming the bottom of a prefabricated three-dimensional building section or room unit. This section or unit is assembled by securing a number of frame beams in the form of supporting columns 40, 41, 42, 43, 44 and 45 inclusive to the panel. In the example which is being described, there are six of the columns 40 to 45 but this is not, of course, essential and other numbers of columns may be used where appropriate. Openings 46, 47, 48, 49, 50 and 51 inclusive (FIG. 1) are formed in the floor panel for the reception of the lower ends of the columns 40 to 45 inclusive and these openings are defined partly by the upper plate 2 and partly by the upper limbs 10 of the beams 4, 5 and 6 of the frame 1.

The connection of each supporting column 40 to 45 to the corresponding one of the openings 46 to 51 is similar and, accordingly, it is only necessary to describe the cooperation of the supporting column 45 with the opening 51 in detail. As can be seen in FIG. 6 of the drawings, the column 45 has a metallic core which, in the example that is being described, is in the form of a tube 52 of substantially square cross-section. This cross-sectional configuration is by no means essential and the core of the column 45 may have other cross-sectional shapes such as, for example, a U-shape or a J-shape. The illustrated tube 52 is surrounded by a layer of fire-proof material 53 such as concrete. The lower end of the tube 52 fits in a matchingly shaped portion 54 of the opening 51 which portion 54 is defined between the frame beams 4 and 6 at one corner of the frame 1. The tube 52 is welded to the beams 4 and 6 at the locations of both the upper and the lower limbs of those beams, the plate 3 and the lower limbs of the beams of the frame 1 being formed with similar openings to the openings 46 to 51 inclusive that are located at the top of the floor panel. The upper and lower openings are, of course, in vertical register with one another.

After the tube 52 has been welded to the beams 4 and 6, it is provided with a layer or sheath of the surrounding fire-proof material 53 to match the remainder of the column 45 that projects above the plate 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the material 53 is concrete and this material, or some other castable fire-proof material, can be cast or otherwise formed around the lower end of the tube 52 after that end has been welded to the frame 1. In order to surround the tube 52 with the concrete affording the fire-proof material 53, that concrete must lie between the upper and lower limbs 55 and 56 of the beams 4 and 6 and the sides 57 and 58 of the substantially square cross-section tube 52. Holes 59 through which the semi-liquid concrete or other castable material can be introduced into these regions are accordingly formed in the upper limbs 55 of the beams 4 and 6. The concrete that affords the portion of the layer fire-proof material 53 that surrounds the sides of the tube 52 remote from the two sides 57 and 58 thereof is kept in its appointed position during setting by jig plates 60 and 61 (FIGS. 4 and 6) that extend between the plates 2 and 3 and into the recesses between the limbs 55 and 56 of the beams 4 and 6. These jig plates 60 and 61, which may be integral, may be placed in their appointed positions at any convenient time during the formation of the plates 2 and 3 of the floor panel or even after the tube 52 has been welded to the frame 1 provided that the necessary access apertures are still available. The concrete or other castable material of the layer 53 that is in the region of the jig plates 60 and 61 can also be introduced through the holes 59.

The fire-proof material 53 can be cast easily around that portion of the column 45 that is located above the plate 2 merely by temporarily arranging a removable jig around said tube 52. Layers of fire-proof material can be provided around the cores of the other columns 40 to 44 inclusive in a similar manner. The necessary jigs are removed immediately after the concrete or other castable material has set or otherwise hardened around the cores of the columns. As an alternative, it is possible to provide the tubes 52 or other column cores with the surrounding layers of fire-proof material 53 before the columns are secured to the frame 1. Under these circumstances, the lowermost ends of the tubes affording the cores will normally be left bare and the concrete or other castable material required to form the fire-proof material 53 around the lower ends thereof will be provided after securing the cores to the frame 1. Walls or other partitions can be arranged between the various supporting columns 40 to 45 above the plate 2 of the floor panel in accordance with the particular part of a building that is to be formed by the building section or room unit in question. The required division of the internal space of the building section or room unit by the walls or other partitions can be effected during the prefabrication of the building section or room unit by forming the partitions from vertical beams 70 and 71 (FIG. 5) between which is a wall portion 72 made of a light cast material, such as concrete. Such a partition comprising the beams 70 and 71 and the intervening wall portion 72 can be prefabricated separately and may then be arranged in a simple manner between two of the supporting columns of the building section or room unit. In the case illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings, the partition under discussion is arranged between the supporting columns 43 and 44. The lowermost ends of the beams 70 and 71, which will normally be metal beams, can be welded to the upper limb 55 of the frame beam 4 to secure the partition in position.

The building section or room unit that is illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawings may be employed as part of a prefabricated dwelling. FIG. 7 diagrammatically illustrates a multi-story block of apartments formed principally from such building sections or room units and FIG. 8 of the drawings shows the internal arrangements of some apartments or flats in one story thereof. Each story comprises a plurality of adjoining building sections or room units and includes two such sections or units 81 and 82 that are located alongside one another at one end of the building to constitute an entrance hall or vestibule for the story concerned and a staircase 83 for access to other stories. The section or unit 81 also comprises two adjoining lift or elevator shafts 84 and 85. It will be evident that different apartments may require more or less space and apartments or flats of different sizes may be provided in one story, as shown in FIG. 8 of the drawings, by forming them from different numbers of building sections or room units. Four adjoining building sections or room units 86, 87, 88 and 89 constitute a larger apartment 90 having a width of substantially 12 meters whereas three such sections or units constitute a smaller apartment 91 having a lesser width of substantially 9 meters. It will be evident from FIG. 8 that each building section or room unit is provided with appropriate partitions and, during the prefabrication of the sections or units, all of the required main service and other service conduits are incorporated in the floor panels, walls or other partitions. FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings show the provision of the tubular conduit 21 and associated junction and connection boxes 22 and 23 but, of course other conduits, such as gas pipes, water pipes for water supply and heating, conduits for television and radio aerial leads and the like can all be incorporated in a similar manner. Kitchen appliances, sanitary equipment and the like are also preferably built into the sections or units during their prefabrication so that a prefabricated building incorporating such sections or units only needs those sections or units to be placed in their correct positions relative to one another during the erection of the building thus substantially limiting the finishing work to the interconnection of the various supply and waste pipes, service conduits and the services carried by those conduits. It will be noted from FIG. 8 of the drawings that, at the junctions of the apartments 90 and 91 with their neighbors, the longer sides of the sections or units that afford those junctions provide double walls thus greatly increasing the noise insulation and security against the spreading of fires.

FIG. 8 of the drawings indicates by an arrow V the direction in which the building section or room unit 87 of FIG. 8 is seen alone in FIG. 5 of the drawings. The section or unit 87 includes four walls or other partitions 92, 93, 94 and 95 the last of which is afforded by the previously mentioned vertical beams 70 and 71 and the intervening wall partition 72. The prefabrication of the floor panels is facilitated by providing each of them with the spaced apart upper and lower plates 2 and 3 so that both the load-supporting floor of an upper story and the ceiling of an underlying story are furnished by a single unit. It is emphasized that, as previously mentioned, a panel similar to that of the kind that has been described with particular reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 of the drawings may be intended fo use as a vertical or at least upright double-skinned wall or other partition. The plates 2 and 3 may, if desired, be formed from some material other than concrete when use as a wall or other partition is intended. The upper plate 2 of the floor panel shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 of the drawings incorporates three tubular conduits 21 for electric cables although only one of those conduits is actually visible in FIG. 3 of the drawings. It is to be noted that different numbers of conduits may be provided particularly in the cases in which the panels are to form walls or other partitions in which the two plates 2 and 3 are formed from the same material. In such a case, both of the plates 2 and 3 may incorporate tubular conduits that are similar to the illustrated conduit 21 and junction and connection boxes 22 and 23 will then be provided in both the plates 2 and 3 so that electricity and other services may be available at both sides of the panel concerned. The conduits 21 that have been mentioned, and further conduits, may be arranged in the space between the two plates 2 and 3. When the described panel is to serve as a floor panel, it is advantageous to form the upper plate 2 from heavy or coarse concrete and the lower plate 3 from light or fine concrete. When the panels are to form vertical or at least upright walls or other partitions in generally box-shaped building sections or room units, some of the beams 4,5 and 6 will be vertically and some horizontally disposed and may be connected to horizontal beams of the skeleton of the section or unit concerned to facilitate the panels being retained in their appointed vertical positions and to facilitate further panels being retained in appointed horizontal positions as floors or ceilings or both.

Although various features of the methods of manufacturing building sections or room units have been described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and various features of the sections or units themselves, will be set forth in the following claims as inventive features, it is emphasized that the invention is not necessarily limited to those features and includes within its scope each of the constructional steps described illustrated and each part described or illustrated both individually and in various combinations.