Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
BUILDING STRUCTURE WITH TRANSVERSEL~
TENSIONED FABRIC COVERING
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to building structures,
and more particularly, to building structures of the type in
which fabric or other web material is stretched over a frame
to provide an interior sheltered from the outside environment.
Fabric covered structures in one form or another have
been around for thousands of years. Ancient fabric
structures took many forms, from very primitive teepees to
Arabic palaces. Today, most individuals are familiar with
circus tents and tents used for campin~.
The need for relatively inexpensive, portable, rapidly
erected building structures has led to the development of
fabric covered frame structures able to handle forty pounds
of snow per square foot, winds up to one hundred and twenty
miles per hour, and having insulation, heating and cooling
comparable to permanent building structures of wood, masonry,
concrete or steel.
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Building structures have heretofore been developed which
have included a plurality of transverse arches with
individual fabric panels stretched therebetween. The fabric
panels have been stretched by separating the arches and/or
pulling transversely on the ends of the panels. Efficient
mechanisms for accomplishing transverse stretching of fabric
panels have not been provided.
SUM~ARY OF T~IE INVENTION
It is therefore the primary object of the present
invention to provide an improved fabric covered frame
structure.
It is another object of the present invention to provide
such a structure having a plurality of transversely extending
arches, a plurality of fabric panels connected between
adjacent pairs of the arches, and improved means for
transversely stretching the fabric panels.
Another object of the present invention is to provide
such a structure which may be rapidly assembled with a
minimum amount o~ connectors and other hardware.
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Another ob~ect of the present invention is to provide
such a structure which has inner and outer fabric skins
to provide better thermal insulation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide
such a structure which has a durable construction.
Another object of the present invention is to provide
such a structure which is aesthetically appealing due to the
~act that the fabric panels are tensioned transversely to
make them curved, depressed, and wrinkle-free between the
arches.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a
novel base connection mechanism for mounting the lower ends
of the archesO
According to the illustrated embodiment of the present
invention, a plurality of arches are supported in
longitudinally spaced, transversely extending, vertical
positions. A plurality of fabric panels are each connected
between a corresponding pair of adjacent arches. A pair of
arcuately extending cables are connected to corresponding
opposite end portions of each fabric panel so that the ends
of the cables terminate adjacent the lower ends of the
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corresponding arches. A plurality of base mechanisms are
each attached to and support a lower end of a corresponding
arch. The opposite ends of each cable are threaded thxough
and guided by adjacent base mechanisms so that they can be
pulled together with a winch to transversely tension the
corresponding fabric panel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment
of our building structure fully erected.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary side elevation view
of a portion of one of the arches of the building structure
of Fig. 1 with a base mechanism attached to its ill~strated
lower end.
Fig. 3 is an enlarged front view of the connected arch
and base mechanism, with portions sectioned, taken from the
left hand side of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation view of the
connected arch and base mechanism.
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Fig. 5 is an end perspective view of a portion o~ one of
the arches.
Fig. 6 is a side elevation view illustrating the
tensioning of a fabric panel between a pair of adjacent
arches of the building structure of Fig. 1.
Figs. 7 and 8 are enlarged front and side elevation
views, respectively, of a base which forms part of each of
the base mechanisms.
Fig. 9 is an enlarged top plan view of the base
illustratin~ the positions of its parallel cable guide
rollers. Also illustrated is a terminal end of one of the
arcuate cables threaded around one of the rollers and secured
with a clamp.
Figs. 10-12 are enlarged side, front and end elevation
views of one of the connectors used to mount the lower end of
an arch to a corresponding base.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to Fig. 1, the illustrated embodiment 10 of
our building structure includes a plurality of arches 12 which
are supported in longitudinally spaced, transversely
extending, vertical positions. A plurality of panels 14 made
o a web material are each connected between a corresponding
pair of adjacent arches 12. End sections 16 of the same web
material are attached between the outermost arches 12 and the
ground to form end closures. One suitable high strength,
durable web material is coated or laminate polyester vinyl
chloride (PVC). By way of example, the laminate PVC may be
rated at eighteen ounces per square foot and the coated PVC
may be rated at twenty-two ounces per square foot.
Referring to Figs. 2 and 5, each arch 12 comprises a
plurality of hollow extruded aluminum box beam segments such
as 18, 20, 22, and 24 which are joined end-to-end. The
shapes of the box beam segments, i.e. straight, slightly
curved, etc., are selected to achieve both the span, pitch
and profile of the building suited to the particular usage,
snow load, and other design parameters. Steel moment splices
26 (Fig. 2) fit within adjacent ends of mating box beam segments
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and are held in position with bolts 28. The other moment splices
are not illustrated in Fig. 2 for the sake of clarity.
Referring to Fig. 5, each box beam segment, such as 18,
is formed with pairs of lollgitudinally extending, outwardly
opening rounded slots 30 on opposite sides thereof. The
transverse edges of the fabric panels 14 and end sections 16
have NYLON ropes 32 (Fig. 6) stitched, hemmed or otherwise
connected thereto.
These ropes
have a length and diameter such that they can be snugly
threaded through corresponding ones of the slots 30 to attach
the edges of the panels and sections to corresponding ones of
the arches 12. Each slot has a flared opening 34
communicating therewith in at least one of the box beam
segments in each arch. This flared opening permits the rope
of a panel or end section edge to be threaded into the
corresponding slot after the lower ends of the arches are
mounted to respective base mechanisms 36 (Fig. 2). The
ropes 32 are illustrated in phantom lines in Fig. 6 since
they are hidden from view. The twin slots 30 are opposite
sides of each arch permit upper and lower spaced apart
fabric panels (not illustrated) to be attached between each
adjacent pair of arches to thereby provide greater thermal
insulation.
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Referring to Figs. 1 and 6, the arches 12 are rigidly
connected by horizontally extending purlins 38. These may
also be made of extruded aluminum. The opposite ends of the
purlins are received in, and bolted to, steel saddles 40.
The saddles are in turn bolted to the upper sides of the
arches 12 at spaced locations therealong. The purlins 38 are
mounted above the fabric panels 14.
Fig. 9 is a plan view of one of the base mechanisms 36
that is used to support a corresponding lower end of each of
the arches. In addition, the base mechanisms are also used
in tying down the respective downward apexes 42 (Fig. l) of
the end fabric sections 16. The base mechanism 36 ~Fig. 9)
includes a horizontal metal base plate 44 and spaced pairs 46
and 48 of L-shaped members welded thereto. Each of the
L-shaped members defines an upstanding flange. Referring to
Figs. 7 and 8, the flanges 46a have elongate apertures 50
and the flanges 48a have spaced apart holes 52. A pair of
guide rollers 54 (Fig. 9) are each journaled on respective
bolts 56 between the L-shaped members 48. The ends of the
bolts 56 are received in the corresponding holes 52 in the
L-shaped members 48. Nuts 58 are secured over the ends oE
the bolts 56 to hold them in place. Holes 60 are provided in
each of the four corners of the plate 44 for receiving pins
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such as 62 which are hammered into the ground or otherwise
secured into a foundation 64. This allows the base mechanism
and its associated arch to be anchored into position.
Figs. 10-12 illustrate the configuration of a connector
66 used to mount the lower end of an arch to a corresponding
base mechanism. The connector includes an upstanding member
68 insertable into the box beam 18 (Fig. 2) which forms the
lower end of an arch 12. Referring again to Fig. 12, the
upstanding member includes a pair of opposing U-shaped metal
beams 70 welded to the opposite ends of a pair of parallel
metal plates 72. The lower ends of the beams 70 and plates
72 are welded at an acute angle to metal brackets 74. The
brackets 74 have downwardly extending flanges 74a which are
spaced apart a sufficient distance so that they can fit
within and overlap the upstanding flanges 48a of a
corresponding base mechanism. The positions of the flanges
74a are illustrated in phantom lines in Fig. 9. Thus the
flanges 74a of the connector 66 are pos-itioned between the
ends of the rollers 54 and the flanges of the base mechanism
36. As illustrated in Fig. 11, the flanges 74a have holes
76 therethrough which align with the holes 52 (Fig. 7) in
the flanges 48a for receiving the bolts 56 therethrough.
Bolts 78 (Fig. 3) extend through corresponding holes in
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the connector and beam segment 18 for rigidly securing the
two together.
Each fabric panel 14 (Fig. 6) has a pair of generally
arcuate lines 80 connected to corresponding opposite end
portions of the panel so that opposite ends of the lines
terminate adjacent the lower ends of the corresponding
adjacent pair of arches 12. Each line 80 may comprise a
stranded three-sixteenths inch stainless steel cable which is
heat sealed to the corresponding arcuate longitudinal edge of
a PVC fabric panel along the entire length of the panel edge.
The ends of the cable 80 are threaded through the apertures
50 (Fig. 8) in the flanges 46a of their corresponding base
mechanisms, and around respective rollers 54 thereof so that
they change direction from vertical to horizontal. The ends
of the cable 80 are long enough so that they can be connected
and pulled together by a manual winch 82.
Both of the cables 80 for a given panel are
simultaneously winched by workmen on either side of the
building to thereby transversely tension the panel. This
tightens the fabric and depresses the intermediate portions
of the panel between the two arches, making the panel upwardly
concave. The result is a substantially wrinkle free,
inwardly curved, taught fabric panel. The panel is less
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susceptible to vibration from the wind and is capable of
supporting substantial loads. When all of -the transverse
rectangular panels are so tensioned the structure has is
aesthetically pleasiny. When the cables 80 have been
sufficiently tightened, clamps such as 84 (Fig. 9) are
bolted thereto to prevent the cables from sliding back
through the flanges 46a of the base mechanisms. The panel is
thereby maintained in its tightened condition. The winches 82
are disconnected and used in tightening the next panel 14.
The excess ends of the cables 80 are wound up and stowed
adjacent the base mechanisms 36.
The end sections 16 (Fig. 1) of fabric which form the
end closures of the building structure also have arcuate
cables which extend between the apexes 42 of the end
sections. These cables are similarly threaded throuyh
corresponding base mechanisms, connected, and winched
together to tighten the end fabric sections 16.
Having described a preferred embodiment of our building
structure it should be apparent to those skilled in the art
that our invention may be modified in both arrangement and
detail. Therefore the protection afforded our invention
should only be limited in accordance with the scope of the
following claims.
