Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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PIVOTAL FRAME STRUCTURE FOR BUILDINGS
BACKC:;ROUND OF TllE INVENTION
5 Field of the Invention
This invention relates to pivotal frame structures for buildings,
and in particular to buildings having spaced frarnes pivotally mounted on
ground anchors and having fabric panels extending between adjacent pairs of
frames.
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Related Art
US patent 4583331 describes buildings having a plurality of
spaced parallel frames, pivotally attached to ground anchors, with fabric panelsextending between frames. The frames have upwardly and inwardly inclined
15 wall portions. The frames can readily be assembled on the ground, attached
at their lower ends to the ground anchors, and can be pulled up into a vertical
position. If desired, the frames can be pivoted over and down to the ground
on the other side. The ends of the buildings are closed by various
arrangements, as by vertical panels, inclined panels, or further frarnes ~:~
20 extending at angles between the vertical and horizontal. Parallel frames
require the fabric to be pulled in only after the frames are erected.
It is of considerable advantage to be able to assemble frames,
with the fabric in position, on the ground, pivotally attached to ground anchorsand moved to the erected positlon by pulling up of ~he frames. ~:
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SUMMARY OF TH E I NVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a building having
opposed ends each comprised of a series of frames can be assembled at one
end of a central position, with the frames assembled on the ground and
5 pivotally attached to ground anchors. Fabric panels can be inserted and the
frames pivoted up, with some frames pivoting over past the central portion.
This is obtained by providing particular dimension relationships to the frames
when viewed in side view.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be readily understood by the following description in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of building, in erectedcondition;
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the building of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a plan view of the frames of a building, as
illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, assembled on the ground before erection;
As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, ~ building consists of five
frames 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14. Fabric panels 15, 16, 17 and 18 extend
between the frames. Further panels 19 and 20 extend from the lower or
outer frames 12 and 14 and, in the example, are held down at their lower
edges on to the ground surface. Other numbers of frames can be used, for
example, 3, 4, 6 and 7. There may be no central, substantially vertical, frame.
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In figures 1 and 2, the frames are shown in full, with the fabric
panels in place. The frames may be of the same size, or have different wall
heights. The frames are pivotally attached at their ends to ground anchors at
25 and 26. As seen in Figure 1, the ground anchors at 25 are in alignment,
5 along a line parallel to the center axis of the building, spaced apart in a
direction parallel to the axis of the building. If the frames are of the same size
then the ground anchors at 26 are positioned outwardly of the ground anchors
at25.
In Figure 3 the frames are shown in an assembled condition
10 and prior to putting the fabric panels in position. In this example, frames 10,
11 and 13 have each side wall composed of two straight sections ~0 and the
roof portions are each of four straight sections 31. Walls are joined to roof
portions and the roof portions joined at the apex, by curved sections 32.
Frames 12 and 14 have the walls of two straight sections 30 and one shorter
15 straight section 30a, roof portions of four straight portions 31, and joined by
curved sections 32. However, the frames may be composed of a different
number of sections, for example, in one extreme, of only three sec~ions. The
number of sections will be determined to some extent by frarne size, and also
by the desired maximum length of sections.
The frames are assembled, with the ground anchors 25 and
2~ positioned and securely fastened to the ground. The panels are then
installed. One particularly convenient way of installing panels is by forming a
beaded or roped edge along each side of the panel and sliding the edges
through grooves in the frames. One typical form of cross-section of a frame,
with edges of panels in position, as illustrated in Figure 4.
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Some distortion of the wall portions of the panels needs to
be provided for, during lifting up of the frames. Zippers can be provided to
join wall sections together after the frames are in position, or the wall sections
can be pulled in after the frames are erected.
As illustrated in Figure 4, a frame has a box-shaped cross
section, having two parallel spaced apart flanges 40 with webs 41 extending
therebetween. Two circular cross-section grooves 42 are formed in each
flange 40, at the center top edges, the grooves having openings 44. Panels 46
have their edges wrapped around ropes 47 and are a sliding fit in the grooves
42, near the openings 44.
The grooves extend along the frames and panels are
attached by sliding the roped edge in and along the groove. The first panel 18
is installed by lifting the first frame - 14 - and supporting it up from the ground.
This provides access to the groove on the lower side of the frame. The edges
of the panel are slid into the lower groove in frame 14 and also in the top
groove of frame 13. Frame 13 can then be lifted up and panel 17 inserted.
This is repeated for frames 10 and 11. Panel 20 is readily inserted with the
frame 14 on the ground or lifted up. Frame 12 will be lifted ~o insert panel
19.
The building or structure is now erected by pulling up on
frame 12, as by a rope, the frame lifting up to the vertical and then over and
down on the other side. The frames 13, 10, 11 and 12 follow until the
positions of the frames are as in Figures 1 and 2.
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It has been found that, with the panels in position, pulling up
~5 of the frames as described above can only be obtained if certain geometrical ;-
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relationships occur. Otherwise panels of the correct shape for the erected
configuration will not be able to be inserted near the ground as panels
become taut at particular positions in a panel as frames are pivoting upward
and then over. Considering Figure 5, a side elevation with frames being raised,
S in the direction of arrow X, panel 16 will become taut along a line indicated
on a line between points 50a and 50b. As point 50a will move up and round
on a longer circumference than point 50b, the distance between the points
needs to increase as the frames move up. However if the material is taut
between these points, no increase in distance can occur. Therefore,
movement of frame 12 is prevented. The same situation can occur for the
other panels.
The desirable geometrical relationship is illustrated in Figure
6, which is a partial side view, to a larger scale for clarity. In Figure 6, thedistance between points a and d when the frames are in a "lay flat" position,
should be less than the distance between points a and d when in the erected -
condition, when a is the peak of the upper frame and d is the eave or junction
of roof and wall, for the lower frame. For curves, at the junction between wall
and roof, even large corners, the position d is the center of the curve. :
As illustrated in the drawings, the straight wall portions are
joined to the straight roof portions by curved sections. The radius of the -
corner sections will affect the equation to some extent. The smaller the radius
--the sharper the corner--the more the equation is accurate. As the radius
increases so the equation can be eased slightly. :
Therefore, in accordance with the invention, the distance ad
25 --represented by the dotted line on Figure 6--needs to have a distance
substantially as defined above.
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Thus the invention can be summarized as follows: It is
desired to be able to build a structure "on the flat", that is, flat on the ground,
or substantially so. The structure should include all roof panels such that it can
be erected by the pivoting up of the frames with one or more frames going up
5 and over to the erected position from one side only.
The essential features for this are to chose geometry such
that the individual frames can be built substantially laid flat on the ground
without frames interfering with one another, and avoiding the risk of cutting
the fabric of the panels. Also, the roof panels can be pulled into positiQn in
10 frames while the frames are laid flat or lifted to a slight degree--for ease of
working. In practice, lifting a frame up by abou~ 3 or 4 feet, at the peak, is
sufficient.
To enable the frames to be built flat on the ground, the walls
should be slightly inclined from vertical. This inclination increases with
15 increasing depth of the beam forming the frames and decreasing frame base
separation. For acceptable wall angles (<30 from vertical) and finite beam
depths, base separations can become large, making it more difficult for roof
panels to be pulled in while the frames are flat, or substantially so.
To enable roof panels to be pulled in while the frames are
20 flat, or substantially so, the base pivots should be arranged so that all roof
diagonals (eave to peak distances) when erected are greater than all eave to
peak distances when laid flat, as described above. The particular problem
generally occurs for those diagonals from the higher frame peak to lower
frame eave or those frames which pass over the vertical.
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