Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
104'9369
This invent-ion relates to vaulted struct~re which
consist of a covering oE flexible membranous material supported
by a number of arches, of which the pavilion shown in the Fritsche
United States Patent No. 2,797,696, dated July 2, 1957, is an
example. Particularly, the invention relates to structures of
this type which are made up of a number of similar units or modules
which consists of arches bridged by separate panels of the
membranous material, of which that shown in Figure 4B of the
Fritsche patent is an example.
The objects of the invention are to provide a structure
of this type in which the tendency of the covering material to
wrinkle and to flutter or vibrate in gusty winds is minimized
and the ability of the covering material to carry heavy loads of
snow or ice without undue s-train is increased by sufficient
depression of the tensioned covering material. Constructions and
methods of assemblying and erecting such structures which, among
other things, facilitates the attainment of the first-mentioned
i objectives.
The above objects are achieved in the present invention
with a vaulted tension structure comprising at least two arches
with curved bights mounted on the ground or other base in sub-
stantially vertical positions and face to face but spaced from
each other to form a vaulted framework, a flexible roof membrane
that extends between and is attached to the arches, which membrane
is tensioned longitudinally and transversely to have a formed
inward concave curvature between the arch bights, the concave
curvature being defined by the tensioned membrane having a shorter
arcuate length midway between the arches than its arcuate length
where it is operatively attached to the arches, and means for
holding the arches apart horizontally to maintain the tension in
the membrane.
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For a bett:er unc1erstanding of the nature and
objects of the invention, reference is made to the following
specification and the accompanying drawing wherein the
preferred embodiment of the invention is described and shown.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a vaulted structure
in accordance wi-th the invention.
Fig. 2 is a left-end elevation of the structure
shown in Fig. 1.
Figs. 3 and 4 are simplified illustrations of
steps in assemblying the structure shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
Figs. 5 and 6 are sections on the lines 5--5 and
6--6 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 7 is a section taken at a right angle to
14 Fig. 6 through the lower end of a leg Gf one of the arches.
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Fig. 8 is a top plan view of another structure
in accordance with the invention.
Fig. 9 ls an enlarged view on the li~e 9--9 of
Fig. 8.
Fig. 10 is an enlarged view of the section of
one of the arches shown in Fig. 9.
Fig. 11 is a view on the line 11--11 of Fig. 9.
The vaulted structure in Figs. 1-7 of the drawing
includes a series of curved arches 1 mounted to swing on
the ground or other base 2 toward and away from the middle
of the structure from recumbent to upright positions and
vice versa. Between each pair of archesj except the middle
pair, there extends a panel 3 of flexible membranous cover-
ing material, such as a suitable coated fabric, which is
stretchable within limits. One edge of each panel 3 is
- attached to each of the arches through the intermediary ~ ;
of an anchor strip 4 which is shown bonded to the inner `
sides of the arches but may, alternatively, be applied to
the outer sides therçof.
Along each side of each of the strips 4, there
extends a tunnel 5 and along the outer face of the strip
between the tunnels 5 a third tunnel 6. Into the tunnels
5 from the sides of the strip, there extend slits or narrow
slots 7 and into the tunnel 6 from the outer side of the
strip, there exte~ds a wider slot 8. On the edges of the
panels 3 of covering material there ar~ formed beads 9
which are disposed ~n the tunnels 5 and locked therein by
the lips 10. The webs 11 which separate the tunnel 6 from
the tunnels 5 are made flexible so that the slits or slots
.
7 may be opened to admit the beads into the tunnels 5.
After the beads have been inserted into the tunnels 5, the
- - iips 10 are locked against separation by introducing a
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filler 12 into the tunnel 6 and the beads thus retained in the
tunnels. The panels of covering material or membrane are made
of shallow trough shape to provide two angularly related rela-
tively narrow surfaces 13 instead of one broader surface in order
to minimize the tendency of the material to flutter or vibrate
in gusty winds and to enhance its ability to carry heavy loads
of snow or ice without undue strain. As seen in Figures l and
9 this trough shape defines an inward depression or curvature
whereby the membrane has a shorter arcuate length midway bet-
ween a pair of arches than its arcuate length where it is oper-
atively attached to the arches. The depression of the panels
is preferably 5 to 10~ of the distance between the arches.
To facilitate the realization of the structure
described with the widths of covering material under tension
to minimize wrinkling and fluttering, the following expedient
is employed:
There is provided on the lower ends of the legs of
the arches l, except the outermost arches, lateral extensions
14 of increasingly greater length and the arches are mounted to
swing on the extremities of these extensions. As a result of
this, when the arches are in recumbent positions, their summits,
as well as their legs, are nearer together than when they are
in erected positions which facilitates introduction of the
; beads 9 on the edges of t'ne panel 3 of covering material into
the tunnels 5 when the arches are in recumbent positions. When
the arches are swung to upright positions, they move farther
apart at the base and the desired tension is thus introduced
into the widths of covering material near the base. After
the arches have been swung to upright positions, the lateral
extensions may be fixed to the base 2 by bolts 15.
To impart a wrinkle free trough shape to the widths
of covering material, the following expedient can be employed
instead of starting with exact preformed widths:
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To start with, a flat width of covering material
of nearly rectangular, triangular, or other appropriate
shape and of the length necessary to follow the contour of
the arches 1 at the base of the trough and of the proper
width with beads 9 in its edges is employed. This width
is attached to a pair of arches 1 in the manner described
when the arches are in recumbent positions as shown in
Fig. 4. Then the edges of the width are stretched to the
j extent nhecessary to make them of the same length as the
preipbery of the arches by drawing their ends down to the
bottoms of the legs of the arches as diagrammatically in-
dicated in Fig. 3 in which the broken line a indicates the
disposition of the lower edge of the width before the lateral
edges are stretched. This may be done either by pulling the
lower ends of the edges of the width to the bottoms of the
legs or by anchoring the lower ends of the edges and raising
the bottoms of the legs. When the lateral edges of the
; width have been drawn down to the bottoms of the legs of
the arches, they are clamped there by bolts 16 and jaws 17.
The stretching operation is illustrated as it is in Fig. 3
primarily to facilitate and simplify illustration, but it
may also actually be done while the arches are in upright
positions as well as when they are in recumbent positions.
To prevent the valleys of the troughs in the widths
of covéring material stretching with the edges, they may be
reinforcéd with webbing or other fabric, cord or rope or
additional thicknesses of membranous plastic 18.
The space between the middle pair of arches 1
may be closed by a panel 19 of covering material attached
to the arches in any suitable manner and an entry 20 and
a door 21.
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The arches 1 may~kept properly spaced at their
summits by purlins or a cable 22. In the latter case, and
preferably also in the former, the arches are also aligned
in upright positions by guys 23 connected to the middle pair
of arches and to the base 2 at the lower ends of the outer-
most arches. Gu~s 24 are connected to the outermost arches
and to the base beyond the limits of the pavilion to pull
the arches 1 apart above the base to tension the covering
material 13 when a cable 22 is used to space the arches.
Suitable closures may be provided for one or both
ends of the structure, such as the accordion-like structures
25 and 26 shown in the drawing, which may be collapsed to
open the ends. The closures 25 and 26 are generally similar
in construction to the body of the structure in that they
are made up of arches 27 in the case of the;closure 25 and
semi-arches 28 in the case of the closure 26 and widths 29
and 30 of flexible covering material which extend between
and are attached to the arches.
~owever, the arches 27 of the closure 25 are mounted
on the base 2 near the lower ends of one of the outermost
arches 1 to swing about a horizontal axis upwardly to col-
lapse the closure and open the end of the structure and down-
wardly to close it.
` The summits of the semi-arches 28 of the closure
26, on the other hand, converge at the summit of the other
outermost arch 1. The clo~ure 26 is made in two halves which~
meetat a projection of the center line of the pavilion to
close the end of the structure. The semi-arches are, how-
ever, mounted to swing about a verticaI axis at the point
of convergence of their summits to collapse each half against
a leg of the end arch 1 and open the end of the structure.
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To facilitate folding of the panels 29 and 30 of
covering material when the end closure 25 and 26 are col-
lapsed, spring-tensioned cables31 with low friction coatings
may be disposed in the valleys or in tunnels in the valleys
of the panels of covering material and anchored to the base
2.
Vaulted structures in accordance with my invention
may be curvilinear or circular or ellipsoidal in shape in-
stead of straight and include modules of different widths,
shapes and materials. Different means of attachment of the
covering material to the arches and different methods of
depressing and tensioning the flexible covering material
between the arches may be also employed. A structure in
which some of these and additional features are employed
is illustrated in Figs. 8 to 11.
The structure shown in Figs. 8-11 is shaped like
an ellipsoid or an elongated doughnut. It consists of two
similar straight sections 32 disposed side by side with their
ends interconnected by curved sections 33.
The sections 32 are similar in a general way to
the body of the structure shown in Figs. l-7 and the sections
33 are also generally similar except in that the arches 34
converge toward their inner sides and the modules are, there-
fore, frusto-triangular instead of rectangular in plan. The
arches 34 are kep~ properly spaced by purlins 35. An entry
; or entries 36 with door or doors in them may be provided in
one or more of the modules.
The arches may or may not be mounted to swing on
the ground or other base 2 but, in either event, they are
mounted so that they may be moved toward and away from each
other to facilitate the attachment of covering material 37
to the arches and to tension it.
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The arches 34 may be made of curved laminated wood
instead of metal or other material. For attachment of
the flexible membrane panels 37 to the arches, there is
provided in each side of each of the arches a tunnel 38
into which extends a lock slot 39 through which the beads
40 on the edges of the widths 37 may be introduced into
the tunnels. To hold the beads in the tunnels there are
provided lock strips 41.
After the panels of covering material are attached
to the arches, the arches are moved apart sufficiently
to tension the panels. They are then attached to the
base 2. Purlins 35 may be used to hold the arches apart
and maintain the tension in the membrane instead of the
cable 22.
In the panels 37 of covering material employed
in the structure shown in Figs. 8-11, the reinforcement
18 is omitted. To tension and depress the panels of
covering material between the arches near the base,
there can be provided near the lower edges of the panels
one or more tension rings 42. Where tension rings are
used, there should be provided at least one tension ring
; for each surface 13. Each of these tension rings consists
of a cable 43 which extends through an arched tunnel 44
in or on the panel of covering material with its ends
attached to the base 2. The cable may itself be a spring
member or be attached to the base by a spring.
The cables 44 are tensioned sufficiently to draw the
edges of the panels of covering material towards the lower
ends of the arches, tension the membrane widths and depress
the intermediate portion near the base.
The roof membrane may be attached directly to the
base without an inward depression along the base if side
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snow loads by drifting or piling are below the membrane
elastic limit. Above this area, the membrane curves trans-
versely with the arches and inwardly between the arches
longitudinally to form a tensioned roof of double curvature.
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