Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
WO 9V2183$ PCI`/AU92/002t9
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2110183
~WOR~ PI~TFORN SYSTEM FOR MULTI-STOREY BUILDINGS "
Technical Field
This invention relates to ~ work platform.sy~tem
for multi-storey buildings, and in particular a system
which enables temporary access to the perimeter ~facade) of
a building, for men and materials for example, ~nd for the
purpose of maintenance, refurbishment or cladding
replacement. .
B~c~around Art
Access to the perimeter face of a buildi~g is
traditionally done with the use of scaffolding assamblad
from the ground upward, which is time consuming and labour
intensive. Scaffolding cantilevered from various levels
within the building has al80 been u~ed, but this intrudes
upon tenanted floor space.
Alternatively, swing ~tage scaffolding, on ropes
from overhead davits located on the top of the building,
may be used, but these normally have a very limited load
capacity. The rope climbing motors u~ed are numerou~,
small capacity machines and ~ynchronising of the climbing
operation al~o presents a problem.
~ t is the ob~ect of the pre~ent invention to
pro~ide platforms for working acce~s to the per~m~ter of a
building which are of greater c~pacity than pre~ious
suspend~d ystems and are not ~ubject to the proble~s
ss~ociated therewi~h. With the present invention work
platforms can be larger and more adequate for their task,
and ~uspension members are less nu~erous requiring fewer
points of control in the lifting process as well as being
visually more pleasing on the face of the building during
the use of the system. Control of platform level is more
positive and precise, and being a suspended system
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upported at the top, out~ide t~ ~Q~d~ng, no ten~nted
floor space need be occupied by the system, and the
building perimeter at ground level may al80 remain
a~ailable to, or not interfere with movement of, the public
as i8 the ease with ground ~upported seaffoldlng.
It i8 also an ob~eet of the present $nvention that
~eeess to the perimeter of the building be flexible, both
in plan geometry, and in order to aeeom~odate ehanges in
the vertieal faee alignment of the building.
The present invention envisages a work platform
system for the perimeter faee of a multi-storey building,
ineluding mean~, in use, to support the syste~ at the top
or an upper storey level of the building and extend~ng
- beyond the perimeter thereof, means to ~uspend at lQast one
work platform down the faee of the perimeter of the
build~ng, and ~aek means seleetively eoupled between said
support means and said suspension means whereby upon
inereasing or deereasing the length of said suspen~ion
mean~ the work platform or platform~ ean be inerementally
lowered down, or raised up, the faee of the perimeter of
the building.
Preferably the support means is a support frame
fixed eantilever style to the top or upper storey le~el of
the building, the suspension ~eans is a series of elongate
suspension me~bers, and the ~aek means are serew ~aeks, or
hydraulie or pneumatie rams.
Preferably the side of t~e platform or platfoxms
away from the faee o the perimeter of the building has
enelosure means applied thereto for workman safety.
Brief Descri~tion of the Drawin~s
One preferred embodiment of the invention will now
be de~eribed with reference to the aceompanying draw~ngs,
in whieh;
Figure 1 is a plan view of the sy~tem extending
around the faee of the perimeter of a build~ng,
Figure 2 is a eross-seetional view taken along
line 2-2 of Figure 1 during one ph~se of operation of the
syste~,
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2110183
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Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view simll~r to that
of Figure 2 during a ~ubsequent pha~e of oper~tlon of the
system, and
Figure 4 i~ a cro~J-sectional view once ~g~in
simil~r to th~t of Figures 2 ~nd 3 during a furth r
subseguent phase of oper~tion of the ~y~tem.
Best Modes for Carrvin~ Out the Invent~on.
With reference to the drawings, the ~ystem of this
preferred embodi~ent of the invention compriseJ ~ plur~llty
of support fr~mes 10 po~itioned ~nd ~tt~ched ~$~ ~upport
structures 11 on the roof 12~ of the bu$1ding at ~p~eed
~p~rt intervals around the top of the perimeter of
building 12 ~nd extending c~nt$1ever style over the
building p~r~pet 12b b~yond the per~mAter of the building.
The building is a multi-storey building havlng a plurality
of floor levels 13, and the syste~ is to be used to ~llow
~inten~ncè, refurbishment or cl~dding repl~eement of the
f~ce of the perimeter of the building. The support fr~m~s
10 eomprlse ~ p~ir vertic~lly ~p~eed ~p~rt r~ or ~ck
support~platforms 14 and 15, on the lower one 14 of which
the l~wer~end of re~pective r~ms or ~acks 16 ~re ~ttached
to d vertically upwardly therefrom ~nd through the
upper pl~tform lS. The r~os or ~cks i6 may be electric
~otor driven screw ~acks of the type described ~nd
illu~trated in the spec~fic~tion of our
International Patent Application No. PCT~AU90~00042, and
c~rry ~t their upper ends he~d fr~mes ?7 which ~re
successively r~ised ~nd lowered dur~ng extension ~nd
retr~ction of the ~ack~.
A plurality of sets of elong~te suspension
members ~re suspended from the he~d fr~mes 17, ~nd ~re in
the for~ of suspension tubes 18 ~ligned ~nd attached end to
end to extend down the face of the perimeter of the
building ~nd to ~uccessively lower levels thereof. The
lower ends of the aligned sets of suspension tubes carry a
plurality of vertical~y sp~ced ~p~rt work platforms 2~ to
support workmen maint~ining, refurbi~hing, or replacing
cl~dding on, the face of the building. The platforms 21
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extend through and between the sets of suspension tubes to
thereby provide continuous platforms extending around the
face of the perimeter of the build~ng.
Barriers 22 for the ~afety of work~en are provided
on the sides of the work platforms away from the face of
the perimeter of the building, and buf~ers, slides or
rollers 23 are supported by the platform structure to bear
against, and ~pace the platform structure from, the face of
the perimeter of the building.
The ~acks 16, which are controlled to operate in
unison by a central controller, together with the head
fra~es 17, are crane lifted into the support frames 10
which are attached to the top of the building. The fr~mes
10 provide access to the ~ack area for operation, placement
and removal of attach~ents and other component~. The
frames 10 may be adapted in their support and attachment to
thè individual building on wh~ch they are located.
In the form ~hown, the platforms are capable of
~panning large dlstances between tubes, and a number of
working levels may be supported by the continuous
structure, as depicted. Cont~nuity of the work~ng
platform~ may bè about the entire building perimeter, or
ted to discrete zones - independent on each build~ng
face for instance. Further, this contlnuity in a
~ulti-level platforms may be staggered vertlcally at
selected locations to accommodate a change ln worklng
conditions or a better deployment of labour. The sy~tem is
flexible and options in eont~nuity of the platforms are
numerou~, dependent on support and re~traint eondltions
reguir~d.
Aeees~ to the working platform area~ may be by man
and material hoists up the out~ide of the building or via
the tupport struetures 11 on the roof of the building.
Sueh hoists outside of the building may readily
aceess/enter the work platform area, being inerementally
ad~usted in height to mateh the ehange in level of the
working platforms. Alternatively, access may be by crane
externally, or internally by use of the building lifts and
.
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2llals~
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~ccessing the platforms through a window or from
balcony.
In order to further stabilize ~nd balance the
system props 24 and 24` may be respectively coupled between
the inner sides of th~ support frames 10 ~nd the parapet
12b and between the frame 10 and the top of the parapet
12b, whilst frames 25 containing counter weights may be
suspended from the inner sides of the support frames.
When the sy~tem is in operation the platforms 21
, may be either incrementally lifted from the ground up, or
lowered in¢rementally from the top of the building
downward. -,
The op~ration of the ~ystem will be descrlbed for
the more difficult of the two alternative starting
locationc, that is, lowering from the top downward.
~ Sufficient aligned sQt~ of suspension tubes 18 are
connected to the he~d fr~mes 17 to extend to the platform
structure incorporating the platforms 21. ,~
The working platforms 21, associated platform
lév~ls ~nd b~rriees 22 are assembled in selQcted segments
at ground level and then r~ised as completed components
with external cr~nage to the underside of the support
fra~es 10. Here the suspens~on tubes 18 between ~he
platform structure 21 and the support frame 10 are coupled
together in c~mplete safety.
, The pl~tform ~tructures are then connected
together at the corners of the building.
Extern~l cr~n~ge is thereaftQr no longer needed
-for the incremental lifting or lowerlng of the system.
Sufficient cranage for the ~upply or removal of materials,
if nec~ssary, to ~nd from the work pl~tforms need only be
provided during the operation of the system. External
cranage will'be needed again for dism~ntl~ng the system.
~ Dism,antling of the lower p~rt of the system will
be at ground level, - or even at a constructed level of
protection above the ground ~llow~ng public ~ccess ~t the
b~se of the building. It then re~ins to dism~ntle the
rest of the system with external cr~n~ge. Pirst the
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suspension tubes which must`be incrementally dismantled,
and then the ~acks 2!md their frames at the top of the
building.
With referenee to Figures 2, 3, and 4 of the
drawings, during the work platform lowerlng operatlon as
shown (F~gure 2) shear pins 19 or other attaehments are
used to eouple e~eh of the sets of suspension tubes 18 to
struetural me~ers of their respeetive support frames 10 at
the lower ~aek support platform 14, with shear pins 19 or
other attaehments being used to eouple the sets of
suspension tubes to the respeetive he~d frames 17 at
platform lS.
The best D~ans 80 far devised for the transfer of
load from the su8pen8ion tubes 18 to supporting frames 10
or head frames 17 is the use of a surrounding support
braeket aeeommodating two shear pins, eaeh in double shear, ~:
for the autom~tie and safe transfer of load to and from the
suspension tubes 18 at both ~aek support platforms 14 and
lS.
When the shear pins 19 are removed at platform 15
the ~aeks 16 ean be extended to raise the head frames 17
and repo2;ition platform as shown in Figure 3 whereafter
additional su8pen8ion tubes 18 are positionQd for
attaehment at their lower ends to the exist$ng sets of
tubes 18 and eoupled by the shear pins 19 at their upper
ends to the head fr~mes 17 nt platform lS. The shear pins
19 between the set~ of suspension tubes at platform 14 ean
then be dis~ngaged and the ~aeks 16 retraeted to lower the
set~ of su~pension tubes, and the work platform strueture
downwardly to a lower position a8 shown in Figure 4. The
seguenee of operations is repeated to inerementally lower
the work platform strueture down the face of the perimeter
of the building as maintenance, refurbishment ~new eladding
20) or the like proceeds over a period of time.
The operation sequenee may be varied in a number
of ways, but in eaeh ease it involves a means of load
transfer from the ~aeks 16 to the support frames 10 while
the jaeks are extended and an extra suspension tubes 18 are
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wos2~2l~ PCT/AU92/0022s
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added. Then a reversal of the load transfer back from the
support frames to the ~acks for the incremental downward
movement of the work platform structure. The increment~l
movement in the above operation is egual to the interval
between platforms 14 and lS and is matched to the
incremiental movement required at working platform structure
below.
A variation of the above operation is, for
instance, as follows. Again consider the change ln system
levei operation commencing with the shear pin~ lnstalled at
platform 14 ~nd the platform structure suspended from the
support frames lO on top of the building at this level, but
st~ll connected via the suspension tubes 18 and head^fr~mes
17 to the ~acks 16.
- The sets of suspension tubes are uncoupled from
the top suspension tubes at the coupling ~ust above
platform I4.
The jacks 16 are now free to be extended to lift
the head frames l? and top suspension tubes, away from the
remaining lower sets of suspension tubes.
The head frames are reconnected to the lower sets
of suspension tubes by adding and coupling additional
suspension tubes between platforms 14 and 15, the coupling
; be~ng at ~ust above platform ~S, and below ~ust above
platform 14.
The ~acks are then extended sufficiently to take
the weight of the platform structure and sets of suspension
tubes. The shear pins in the suspen~ion tubes at platform
l~ are removed and the ~acks are then retractQd to the head
level. The ~upport shear pins l9 are recoupled to the
suspension tubes at platform 14. The ~acks are then
slightly retracted to transfer the load ~o the support
frame at platform 14.
The different options in varying this sequence
have different advantages and disadvantages, but in each
the underlying principle is the same.
The advantages in the operation of this system
over the prior art may now be further elaborated upon in
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WO g2/21838 ' ' PCr/~Ug2/00229
the light of the above descriptio~ 1~ Yhe ~y~tem.
As control on the finite and discrete number of
suspension lifting points may be guite precise, especially
using the motor ~crew ~acks disclosed in the Internat~onal
Patent ~pplication referred to above, and controlled to
operate in un~60n, the entire perimeter work platform
structure can be lifted simultaneou~ly. The platform
~tructure on each face of the building can then, as a ~;
con~eguence, be connected together at the bu~ld$ng corner~
throughout the entire operation, which offers mutual
stability to the platform string in plan located on each of
the building elevations.
It can be seen from the above description of the
system that it 18 readily adapted to varlous building plan
geometrie~. Similarly, limited changes in vertical
alignment of a building face or faces, may be accommodated
by a shift of the location of the ~ack on its supporting
frame at the top of the building. This shift can be
achieved, as may be required part way through a building
maintenance pro~ect, with the aid of external cranage and
for example the ad~ustment of the platform strlng at corner
~oints. -
~; ~Furthermore the weight of the platform structure
is taken directly by the support frames attached to the
building except during the ~acking between levels. The
system is, in effect, static for the ma prity of time, and
;no dynamic load~ need be considered on the sy~tQm. It is
only during the ~acking shift that dynamic loading and ~ack
capacity reduction involving this dyn~mic load need be
considered - thi~ is a time when the live loads on the
system may be reduced by appropriate ~ite control and
management.
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