Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02291330 1999-11-30
PATENT
Docket No. 12706-002
STRUCTURAL MEMBER CONNECTOR
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the interconnection of structural members
such as beams
and columns.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many structures are built with skeletons of steel or some other suitable
material such as concrete.
When fabricating such a structure of beams and columns, the beams must be
attached to the
columns or to other beams. In the construction of steel structures, the
structural members were
formerly rivetted together but now they are usually bolted or welded. These
procedures are
labourious because the beams must be held in precise alignment while the welds
are made, or the
bolts are inserted and the nuts are tightened.
Means have been developed for connecting structural members which do not
require either
bolting or welding. One approach involves pairs of joint planar faces having
studs and slots
which interlock so as to hold the joint faces together. This approach
eliminates the need for bolts
or welding in many applications. However, in its usual form, it does not
overcome the necessity,
during installation, of precisely aligning the structural members, which have
to be positioned so
that the respective studs and slots are aligned vertically, and the two planar
faces are parallel and
touching. In one approach, the studs and slots are similarly tapered to have a
trapezoidal cross-
section. This means that it is not necessary, during installation, to have the
studs and slots
precisely aligned vertically, but it is still necessary to have the planar
faces parallel and touching.
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Another approach to connecting structural members which does not require
either bolting or
welding involves two mating pieces wherein one piece is a metal tang attached
to and protruding
above a metal plate and the second piece is comprised of two guides parallel
to each other and
attached perpendicularly to a second metal plate, such that when the pieces
mate the protruding
portion of the metal tang is positioned between the two guides and the bottom
edge of the second
plate rests on the top edge of the first plate. The protruding portion of the
metal tang is tapered
in one direction so the structural members are drawn towards the member it is
being attached to
as it is lowered into place, which means that the two pieces do not have to be
precisely vertically
aligned as they are mated. However, the two pieces do have to be aligned from
side to side in
order for the metal tang to properly engage the two guides.
Both of these approaches to connecting structural members involve a labourious
positioning of
the structural members; and protrusions (studs or metal tangs) which may be
easily bent or
otherwise damaged during handling of the structural member. These approaches
to connecting
1 S structural members do not provide any resistance to uplifting of the
vertically supported
structural member.
Therefore there is a need in the art for a way of connecting structural
members which: does not
require bolting or welding; does not require precise alignment of the
structural members during
installation; does not have protrusions which can be easily bent; and resists
uplift.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect of the invention and in general terms the invention comprises a
structural member connector comprising:
(a) a shear plate having two shear plate edges and one of said shear plate
edges
having a bevel; and
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(b) a receptor plate having a notch having two notch sides, said notch sides
being
aligned in a substantially similar manner as said shear plate edges and one of
said
notch sides having a bevel so as to correspond to the bevel on the shear plate
edge
which has a bevel;
wherein the shear plate and the receptor plate may be mated.
The shear plate edges may not be parallel. The structural member connector may
also
have bevels on both the shear plate edges and both the notch sides.
The structural member connector may also have a means for preventing
disengagement of
the shear plate and the receptor plate, being:
(a) a beak on the shear plate;
(b) an adhesive on the mating surfaces of the shear plate and receptor plate;
(c) a skid resistant coating applied to the shear plate;
(d) a wedging means comprising:
(i) a tapered recess on that surface of the shear plate which is closest to
the
structural member to which the receptor plate is fixed; and
(ii) a floating body positioned in said tapered recess; and
(e) a pinning means comprising:
(i) a channel suitable for receiving a pin in the receptor plate;
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(ii) a channel suitable for receiving a pin in the shear plate, which is
aligned
with said channel in the receptor plate when the receptor plate and shear
plate are properly mated; and
(iii) a retaining pin;
wherein said retaining pin may be positioned in the channel in the mated
receptor
plate and shear plate so as to inhibit said mated shear plate and receptor
plate from
disengaging.
The pinning means may also have a means for holding said retaining pin in said
channel
comprising:
(a) two tangs attached to one end of said pin; and
(b) a tapered spike at the inner end of said channel;
wherein, when the retaining pin is driven into said channel, said spike will
be positioned between
said tangs and if suitable force is applied to the retaining pin, said tangs
will spread.
The shear plate edges and the notch sides may be curved. The receptor plate
notch and
the shear plate may each have a side which is stepped. The stepped sides may
be a shear plate
edge and a notch side.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described by way of an exemplary embodiment with
reference
to the accompanying simplified, diagrammatic, not-to-scale drawings.
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Figure 1 shows a receptor plate and a shear plate.
Figure 2 shows the receptor plate attached to a column and the shear plate
attached to a
beam, with the receptor plate and shear plate mated.
Figure 3 shows the receptor plate attached to a square tubing beam and the
shear plate
attached to a square tubing column, with the receptor plate and shear plate
mated.
Figure 4 is a top view of the receptor plate attached to a square tubing
column and the
shear plate attached to a channel beam, with the receptor plate and shear
plate mated.
Figure 5 is a sectional elevation view of the same assembly as is shown in
Figure 4.
Figure 6 is a top view of four beams attached with receptor and shear plates
to a column.
Figure 7 is a sectional elevation view of a concrete column to which a
receptor plate is
attached and a concrete beam to which a shear plate is attached.
Figure 8 is an elevation view of a mated receptor plate and shear plate
showing welds
spanning the mating joint.
Figure 9 is a sectional elevation view of the shear plate and the receptor
plate backing
showing a beak on the shear plate.
Figure 10 is a sectional elevation view of the shear plate and the receptor
plate backing
showing a tapered recess in the shear plate and a floating body.
Figure 11 is a sectional elevation view of the shear plate, receptor plate and
the receptor
plate backing showing a bolt passing through the shear plate and the receptor
plate backing.
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Figure 12 shows a shear plate with a curved shear plate small end having a
bevel on the
shear plate small end.
Figure 13 shows a shear plate with a curved shear plate small end without a
bevel on the
shear plate small end.
Figure 13A shows a shear plate with a straight shear plate small end without a
bevel on
the shear plate small end.
Figure 14 is a sectional elevation view of two flanged beams attached so as to
form a T
showing the shear plate attached to the end of the center web of one beam and
the receptor plate
positioned outside of the flange edges on the other beam.
Figure 15 is an elevation view of two flanged beams attached so as to form a T
showing
the receptor plate attached to a supporting member substantially perpendicular
to the beam which
can be thought of as forming the top of the T and the shear plate attached to
the side of the center
web of the other beam.
Figure 16 is a sectional top view of the same assembly shown in Figure 15.
Figure 17 is an elevation view of two flanged beams showing three receptor
plates
attached to a plate attached to and substantially perpendicular to the
positioned beam and three
shear plates attached to the side of the center web of the incoming beam.
Figure 17A is a sectional elevation view of two flanged beams showing three
receptor
plates attached to the center web of the positioned beam and three shear
plates attached to the end
of the center web of the incoming beam.
Figure 18 is a top view of a pipe column and a beam with a center web showing
a curved
receptor plate and shear plate.
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Figure 19 is an elevation view of two flanged beams attached so as to form a T
showing a
side-entry receptor plate.
Figure 20 shows a stepped shear plate.
Figure 21 shows retaining pin channels in the receptor plate and shear plate.
Figure 21 A is a sectional view of a shear plate showing a trapezoidal pin
channel.
Figure 22 shows a retaining pin with two tangs
Figure 23 shows a modified retaining pin channel for use with short retaining
pins in
confined locations.
Figure 24 is a sectional elevation view of a column to column connection.
Figure 25 shows spiral shaped shear plate - receptor plate combination.
Figure 25A shows a spiral shaped shear plate - receptor plate combination
modified for
side entry.
Figure 26 is a sectional view of a shear plate with a flat bevel.
Figure 27 is a sectional view of a shear plate with a steep bevel.
Figure 28 shows a stepped, side-entry receptor plate - shear plate pair.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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The invention according to the Figures comprises a shear plate (10) and a
receptor plate
(12) which are used to connect structural members, including: column (14) to
column (14); beam
(16) to column (14); beam (16) to beam (16); truss to column (14); truss to
truss; girt to truss;
purlin to column (14); and other suitable structural members.
The shear plate (10) is a plate having two edges, the shear plate edges (44).
In an
embodiment illustrated in Figure l, the shear plate edges (44) are not
parallel. Thus the shear
plate (10) may be wider at the shear plate big end (69) than it is at the
shear plate small end (68).
At least one of the shear plate edges (44) has a bevel (46). In the
illustrated embodiment, both of
the shear plate edges (44) have a bevel (46).
The receptor plate (12) is a plate having a receptor plate notch (48). In an
embodiment
illustrated in Figure 1, the two sides of the receptor plate notch (48), the
receptor plate notch
sides (50), are not parallel, such that the receptor plate notch opening (71 )
is wider than the
receptor plate notch end (70). At least one of the receptor plate notch sides
(50) has a bevel (46).
As shown in Figure 2, in use, the shear plate (10) and the receptor plate (12)
mate. Therefore, in
any particular embodiment, the receptor plate notch sides (50), the receptor
plate notch end (70)
and the bevel (46) on the receptor plate notch (48), are configured so that
the receptor plate (12)
can mate with the relevant shear plate (10).
There are various possible configurations for the shear plate small end (68),
including:
straight and bevelled as shown in Figure 1; curved and bevelled as shown in
Figure 12; curved
and not bevelled as shown in Figure 13; straight and not bevelled as shown in
Figure 13A; and
other suitable configurations. The configuration of the receptor plate notch
end (70) must permit
the shear plate ( 10) and the relevant receptor plate ( 12) to mate.
In use with steel structural members the receptor plate ( 12) and shear plate
( 10) may be
attached to the relevant structural member by bolts, welds or other suitable
means (not shown).
In use with concrete structural members (28) the receptor plate (12) and shear
plate (10) may be
attached to the concrete structural members (28) with concrete anchors (30),
as shown in Figure
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7, or other suitable means.
In one embodiment with steel structural members, the receptor plate (12) and
shear plate
(10) are welded to the steel structural members. It is preferable to not weld
on the shear plate
edges (44) or the receptor plate notch sides (50) as these surfaces are
involved in the mating of
the shear plate (10) and receptor plate (12). The shear plate (10) may be
welded to a flat surface
with the use of plug weld holes (not shown). The receptor plate (12) may be
welded around its
periphery to attach it to a flat surface. The shear plate (10) may also be
welded to the end of
some structural members, as in Figure 2, where the shear plate (10) is
attached to the center web
(22) of the beam (16). However, the shear plate (10) is usually not attached
directly to structural
members such as pipe (24) or square tubing (26), because they lack a central
component to which
to attach the shear plate (10). The receptor plate (12), on the other hand,
can be attached to the
end of a pipe (24) or square tubing (26), because it can be welded on its
periphery. However, the
receptor plate (12) is usually not attached directly to the end of a center
web (22), or similar
component, because this does not provide enough support for the receptor plate
(12). For
example, in Figure 2, the receptor plate ( 12) is attached to the surface of
the flange (20) of the
column, because the receptor plate (12) would not be adequately supported if
it were attached to
the center web (22) of the beam (16), which is where the shear plate (10) is
attached.
In simple terms, in any joining of two structural members, one structural
member is
giving vertical support to the other structural member. For example, as in
Figure 2, the column
(14) gives vertical support to the beam (16) which is attached to it. Where
one beam (16) is
being attached to another beam (16), the positioned beam (54) will give
vertical support to the
incoming beam (56), (Figures 14, 15 and 16). The orientation of the shear
plate (10) and the
receptor plate (16) depends on whether the shear plate (10) or the receptor
plate (16) is attached
to the structural member which is giving vertical support. In Figure 2, the
receptor plate (12) is
attached to the structural member which is giving vertical support, the column
(14), so the
receptor plate (12) is oriented with the receptor plate notch (48) open
upwards. In Figure 3, the
shear plate is attached to the structural member which is giving vertical
support, the column (14),
so the receptor plate (12) is oriented with the receptor plate notch (48) open
downwards.
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When the shear plate (10) is mated to the receptor plate (12), the taper of
the receptor
plate notch (48) and the shear plate (10); and the bevel (46) of the receptor
plate notch sides (50)
and the shear plate edges (44), act together in a double wedging action. In
situations where the
receptor plate (12) is attached to a surface, referred to as the receptor
plate backing (13), this
double wedging acts to clamp the shear plate face (11) to the receptor backing
plate (13). In
situations where the shear plate (10) is attached to a surface, referred to as
the shear plate backing
(76), this double wedging acts to clamp the receptor plate face (78) to the
shear plate backing
(76). In situations where both the shear plate ( 10) and the receptor plate (
12) are attached to
surfaces, the wedging action may act to clamp both the shear plate face (11)
to the receptor plate
backing (13) and the receptor plate face (78) to the shear plate backing (76).
The clamping
action of the shear plate (10) - receptor plate (12) pair is analogous to the
clamping action of nut
and bolt combinations. This clamping action creates a friction connection that
resists, up to a
quantifiable break-free point, movement in any direction, including upwards.
In one embodiment with additional resistance to upward movement, a beak (36)
is located
on the shear plate face (11), as shown in Figure 9, or on the receptor plate
face (78). The beak
(36) is tapered so that in use, the beak (36) offers little resistance as the
shear plate (10) and
receptor plate (12) are mated. The beak (36) acts as another wedge to resist
upward movement.
The clamping action of the mated shear plate (10) and receptor plate (12)
pushes the beak (36)
against the receptor plate backing (12) (or the shear plate backing (76) if
the beak (36) is on the
receptor plate face (78)) and the shape of the beak (36) resists any
disengaging motion of the
mated shear plate (10) and receptor plate (12).
In one embodiment with additional resistance to upward movement, an adhesive
is
applied between the shear plate (10) and the receptor plate (12). In one
embodiment with
additional resistance to upward movement, a skid resistant coating is applied
to the shear plate
face (11) and the receptor plate backing (13) prior to the mating of the shear
plate (10) and the
receptor plate (12). In one embodiment with additional resistance to upward
movement, shown
in Figure 8, the shear plate (10) and receptor plate (12) are welded together.
In one embodiment
with additional resistance to upward movement, shown in Figure 11, a bolt
passes through the
CA 02291330 1999-11-30
shear plate (10) into the receptor plate backing (13).
In one embodiment with additional resistance to upward movement, shown in
Figure 10,
a tapered recess (38) is located in the shear plate face (11). A floating body
(40), such as a
wedge, is, when the shear plate (10) and receptor plate (12) are mated,
disposed within the
tapered recess (38) between the shear plate (10) and the receptor plate (12).
Upward movement
causes the floating body (40) to wedge in the tapered recess (38) and resist
further upward
movement.
In one embodiment with additional resistance to upward movement, shown in
Figures 21
and 22, a pin channel (58) suitable for receiving a retaining pin (64) passes
through the receptor
plate (12) into the shear plate (10). The retaining pin (64) is kept in place
within the pin channel
(58) through the operation of the pin channel flare (60), the pin channel
spike (62) and the
retaining pin tangs (64). When the retaining pin (64) is driven into the pin
channel (58), the pin
channel spike (62) is positioned between the retaining pin tangs (66). If
suitable force is applied
to the retaining pin (64), the retaining pin tangs (66) will spread to occupy
the pin channel flare
(60) and the retaining pin tangs (66) will be wider than the pin channel (58).
In situations where
the shear plate (10) is not attached to a surface, or there is no receptor
plate backing (13), the pin
channel (58) and the retaining pin (64) may be configured so that the
retaining pin (64) will not
be dislodged from the pin channel (58), such as by making the pin channel (58)
and retaining pin
(64) trapezoidal, as shown in Figure 21A. In some situations, there is not
sufficient room on
either side of the shear plate (10) - receptor plate (12) pair to install the
retaining pin (64). This
can be dealt with by modifying the pin channel (58), as shown in Figure 23, so
that a shorter
retaining pin (64) can be used..
In one embodiment with additional resistance to upward movement, shown in
Figure 25,
the shear plate edges (44) and the receptor plate notch sides (50) are curved
such that the shear
plate (10) and receptor plate (12) have a rotational motion relative to each
other as they are
mated. The shear plate (10) and receptor plate (12) cannot be disengaged
unless the rotational
movement is reversed. The receptor plate (12) shown in Figure 25 can be
modified to facilitate
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side entry of a receptor plate (10) by shortening one of the receptor plate
notch sides (50) as
shown in Figure 25A.
The invention can be used to connect a variety of structural members in a
variety of
configurations. In one embodiment, shown in Figures 4 and 5, the beam ( 16)
intersects the
column (14), but the beam (16) does not terminate at the column (14). The
receptor plate (12)
and shear plate (10) can be attached to the surfaces of the beam (16) and
column (14). Figure 6
is a top view showing four beams (16) attached to a column (14). As seen in
Figure 6, using a
shear plate (10) - receptor plate (12) pairs it is convenient to attach beams
(16) to opposite sides
of the center web (22) of a column. As is apparent, it is not necessary to
hold one beam in
position, such as with chain or a pin bar through bolt holes, while the
opposite beam is brought
into position.
The invention can be used to connect positioned beams (54) having center webs
(22) to
incoming beams (16) with or without center webs (22), in a variety of ways. In
one embodiment,
shown in Figure 14, the shear plate (10) is attached to the center web (22) of
the incoming beam
(56) and the receptor plate (12) is attached to a support member which
provides the receptor plate
backing (13). The receptor plate (12) is positioned so that the incoming beam
(56) can be
lowered from above to mate the shear plate (10) and receptor plate (12). In
one embodiment,
shown in Figures 15 and 16, the shear plate (10) is attached to the side of
the center web (22) of
the incoming beam (56) and the receptor plate (12) is attached to a receptor
plate backing (13)
which protrudes from the center web (22) of the positioned beam (54) at
whatever angle is
required for the proper mating of the shear plate (10) and receptor plate
(12).
The amount of sliding or displacement required to mate or disengage a receptor
plate
(12) - shear plate (10) pair depends on the angle of the bevel (46), and the
angle between the
shear plate edges (44) (and between the receptor plate notch sides (50)).
Shear plates (10) and
receptor plates (12) with a flat bevel (74), shown in Figure 26, overlap each
other more than
shear plates (10) and receptor plates (12) with a steep bevel (72), shown in
Figure 27, and
therefore require greater displacement to mate or disengage. By the same
token, the smaller the
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angle between the shear plate edges (44) (and between the receptor plate notch
sides (50)), the
greater the displacement required to mate or disengage the shear plate (10)
and receptor plate
(12). For example, if the shear plate edges (44) (and receptor plate notch
sides (50)) are parallel,
the shear plate (11) would have to be displaced the length of the receptor
plate notch sides (SO) in
order to disengage from the receptor plate (12). As an extreme example, with
two shear plate
( 10) - receptor plate ( 12) pairs, both having the same bevel, where one pair
has an angle between
the shear plate edges (44) (and receptor plate notch sides (50)) of 10 degrees
and the other pair
has an angle between the shear plate edges (44) (and receptor plate notch
sides (50)) of 90
degrees, mating or disengaging the pair where the angle is 90 degrees will
require less
displacement than disengaging the pair where the angle is 10 degrees.
Therefore, by adjusting
the bevel (46) and the angle between the shear plate edges (44) (and between
the receptor plate
notch sides (50)), the displacement required to mate and disengage the shear
plate (10) and
receptor plate (12) can be adjusted.
In situations where minimal mating displacement is preferred, such as is shown
in
Figures 17, where an incoming beam (56) is being attached under the flange
(20) of a positioned
beam (54), the bevel (46) and the angle between the shear plate edges (44)
(and between the
receptor plate notch sides (50)), can be adjusted to reduce the amount of
vertical displacement
required. As the angle between the receptor plate notch sides (50) increases,
the receptor plate
notch opening (71) grows larger. To avoid having receptor plates (12) and
shear plates (10)
which are inappropriately wide for the particular application, it is possible
to use a plurality of
smaller shear plate (10) - receptor plate (12) pairs, as shown in Figures 17
and 17A, while
maintaining the angle between the receptor plate notch sides (50) necessary
for minimal mating
displacement.
As shown in Figure 19, in situations where there is little room for vertical
displacement
of the incoming beam (56) the receptor plate (12) may be oriented to receive
the shear plate (10)
from the side. A bolt (42) can be put through lugs projecting from the shear
plate (10) and the
receptor plate (12) to secure the connection after the beams (16) are in
place. The load of the
incoming beam (56) can be distributed through the use of a stepped shear plate
small end (68)
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and receptor plate notch end (70), as shown in Figure 28.
As shown in Figure 20, the top-entry shear plate (10) - receptor plate (12)
pairs may also
be stepped in order to distribute the load of the supported structural member.
As shown in Figure 18, the shear plate ( 10) and receptor plate ( 12) need not
be planar.
The shear plate (10) and receptor plate (12) may be curved or take any shape
which meets the
engineering and aesthetic requirements of the particular structure.
The invention may also be used to connect a column (14) to another column (14)
as
shown in Figure 24. Typically the shear plate (10) is sufficiently long so as
to span the joint
between the columns (14) and mate with the receptor plate (12). The shear
plate (10) - receptor
plate (12) pairs do not take any of the load of the upper column (14) and so
the shear plate small
end (68) can be shaped to aid erection by guiding the upper column ( 14) into
place. A bolt (42)
can be put through lugs projecting from the shear plate (10) and the receptor
plate (12) to secure
the connection after the upper column (14) is in place.
As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, various modifications,
adaptations and
variations of the foregoing specific disclosures can be made without departing
from the teachings
of the present invention.
