Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Cogging element and cogging structure
The invention relates to a cogging element for a cogging structure, which
cogging element has contact surfaces for abutment against adjacent cogging
elements in a common plane or against a base, and lateral surfaces for the
formation of the sides of the cogging structure.
The invention also relates to a cogging structure composed of the cogging
elements, where cogging elements are arranged in two intersecting planes.
Cogging joints can be used in building walls for houses and cabins, and may
also be employed in other building structures such as sandpits, sheltering
walls and play apparatus. Cogging joints are made by placing each of the
cogging elements, usually logs, in an intersecting plane, each of which forms
a wall of the building structure. Traditional cogging joints are made by
placing ends of the cogging elements in the two walls alternately on top of
each other in a line of intersection between the planes, this line of
intersection thus forming a corner for the walls. Notches cut near the ends of
the cogging elements on one or both of the cogging elements' top and bottom
have a total height corresponding to the height of the cogging elements, with
the result that intersecting cogging elements abut closely against each other.
Notches are normally used with a height of approximately '/4 of the height of
the cogging elements both on the top and bottom of the cogging elements,
with the result that the height of the cogging elements is displaced by a half
cogging element height between the planes.
In the contact surfaces on the top and bottom the cogging elements may have
tongue and groove joints in order to improve the closeness between cogging
elements in the same wall.
US 4 056 906 describes a building constructed in log-cabin style with outer
walls formed from superposed wooden boards which, on adjacent walls
meeting at a corner joint, are relatively offset by half the height of a
board.
Each board terminates at the joint in a tongue of reduced height and thickness
lying flat against a side of a reduced neck of an associated junction block,
also of wood, whose enlarged head partly overlies the tongues of two boards
of the orthogonally adjoining wall. The tongues and associated blocks may
be positively interlinked by mating ribs and grooves, a dove-tail fit or other
surface formations; they could also be held together by nails and/or glue.
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Aligned pairs of boards of the same wall can be held together by similar
blocks offset from them by half their height.
The notches in the ends of the cogging elements can be made by hand, which
is time-consuming and demands a high degree of skill. The notches can also
be machine-made, which is less time-consuming than doing it by hand, but is
still more time-consuming and costly than producing the materials only as
logs without notches. This is one of the reasons why making cogging joints is
seldom used as a building technique.
Another problem associated with making cogging joints is that a close and
rigid joint between the cogging elements in the corners requires a close fit
between the notches in two intersecting cogging elements. This is a
requirement which conflicts with the desire for a certain amount of clearance
to enable the cogging elements to be assembled, and to compensate for
inaccuracies in the cogging elements and the building structure.
The object of the invention is to provide cogging elements which can be
manufactured in a rational manner, and when assembled in a cogging
structure provide close and rigid joints between the cogging elements in the
corners. A further object is that the cogging structure should be easy to
assemble and dismantle, thus enabling the cogging structure to be employed
as a temporary structure.
The object is achieved according to the invention with a cogging element and
a cogging structure of the type mentioned in the introduction which is
described below.
The invention therefore relates to a cogging element for a cogging structure,
which cogging element has contact surfaces for abutment against adjacent
cogging elements in a common plane or against a base, and lateral surfaces
for the formation of the sides of the cogging structure. At least one end of
the
cogging element has bevelled end surfaces which form angles with the lateral
surfaces and are adapted to fit corresponding bevelled end surfaces in ends of
other cogging elements in an intersecting plane, and the end of the cogging
element is adapted to be fastened to or provided with at least one fastening
element for fastening to a corresponding end of a another cogging element in
extension of the cogging element in the same plane.
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The invention further relates to a cogging structure composed of the cogging
elements, where cogging elements are arranged in two intersecting planes.
Ends of cogging elements in each of the planes face a line of intersection
between the planes, with bevelled end surfaces abutting against adjacent end
surfaces on cogging elements in the other plane, and ends of the cogging
elements in extension of each other in the same plane are connected by
fastening elements.
The angles between the two planes are often 90 , and the angles between the
bevelled end surfaces and the lateral surfaces in this case are preferably 135
,
since this means that the angles between the end surfaces and the lateral
surfaces everywhere can be identical.
The cogging elements can be divided into two types: elongated elements
which are used in walls and other elongated structures, and which can have
bevelled end surfaces at both ends, and short corner elements which are
normally placed in extension of the elongated elements, on the opposite side
of the line of intersection between the two planes of cogging elements.
The corner elements may be provided with through-going screw holes which
are parallel to the contact surfaces and the lateral surfaces, and the
fastening
elements may be composed of screws which extend through the screw holes
in the corner elements and into the ends of the elongated elements. The ends
of the cogging elements preferably have transverse surfaces intersecting the
end surfaces, thus making room for the fastening elements.
A common cogging structure is an L-corner where two walls in an
intersecting plane are terminated. The two walls will then consist of
elongated cogging elements, with lengths which are adapted to the length of
the wall, or the distance from the corner to an opening in the wall, for
example for a window. Corner elements in extension of the elongated
cogging elements, on the opposite side of the line of intersection between the
walls, form outer elements in the corner.
Another type of cogging structure is a T-corner where a wall is terminated
against a through-going wall, which is used in log houses where an inner wall
is terminated against an outer wall. The through-going wall (the outer wall)
consists of elongated cogging elements on both sides of the corner. The
terminated wall (the inner wall) consists of elongated cogging elements,
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which are terminated by corner elements on the opposite side of the line of
intersection between the two walls.
In the case of a through-going wall, the ends of the elongated cogging
elements, which from each side face the line of intersection between the
planes, may be connected to fastening elements composed of screws with
threads at both ends. A joint of this kind may also be employed if one or both
of the cogging elements are corner elements. In this case the cogging
elements are screwed together before being assembled in the cogging
structure, thus simplifying the assembly process.
The cogging elements may also be employed in a number of other structures,
such as sheltering walls, sandpits, foundations for outdoor stages, barriers
for
persons or vehicles, supporting structures for stones or earth in footpaths or
gardens and other provisional or permanent structures where the two planes
only to a limited extent can be characterized as a wall.
The cogging elements may be made of logs, but a number of other materials
may also be employed, for example plastic materials or concrete materials,
such as light concrete, which compared to timber have the advantage of being
rotproof.
The invention will now be explained in more detail in connection with a
description of a specific embodiment, and with reference to the drawings, in
which:
fig. 1 is a perspective view of an elongated cogging element according to the
invention,
fig. 2 is a perspective view of a corner cogging element according to the
invention,
fig. 3 is a perspective view of an assembled elongated cogging element and a
corner cogging element, and
fig. 4 is a perspective view of a cogging structure according to the
invention.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cogging element for a cogging structure
according to the invention, in the form of an elongated cogging element 11.
The top and bottom form contact surfaces 12 for abutting against adjacent
cogging elements in a common plane or against a base. The elongated
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cogging element 11 further has lateral surfaces 13 for the formation of the
sides of the cogging structure. An end 14 of the elongated cogging element
11 has bevelled end surfaces 15 which form angles 16 with the lateral
surfaces 13, and which are adapted to fit corresponding bevelled end surfaces
in ends of other cogging elements in an intersecting plane, which will be
discussed in more detail later. The opposite end of the elongated cogging
element 1 1 is not shown. The opposite end may correspond to the end 14 or
be designed in another appropriate manner, for example square cut at an
opening in a wall, for example for a window.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of another cogging element according to the
invention, in the form of a corner cogging element 21. As in the case of the
elongated cogging element 11, the top and bottom form contact surfaces 22
for abutting against adjacent cogging elements in a common plane or against
a base. The corner element 21 further has lateral surfaces 23 for the
formation of sides of the cogging structure. An end 24 of the corner element
21 has bevelled end surfaces 25 which form angles 26 with the lateral
surfaces 23, and which are adapted to fit corresponding bevelled end surfaces
in ends of other cogging elements in an intersecting plane. The opposite end
28 of the corner element 21 is square cut.
The cogging elements' ends 14 and 24 respectively are adapted to be fastened
to or provided with at least one fastening element in the form of a screw for
fastening to a corresponding end 24 and 14 respectively of a another cogging
element 21 and 11 respectively in extension of the cogging element 11 and
21 respectively in the same plane. For the corner element 21 this is achieved
by the corner element 21 being provided with a through-going screw hole 29
which is parallel to the contact surfaces 22 and the lateral surfaces 23.
Fig. 3 illustrates the elongated cogging element 11 and the corner cogging
element 21 assembled by a fastening element in the form of a screw 31 which
extends through the screw hole 29 in the corner elements 21 into the end 14
of the elongated element 11. The elongated element 11 is adapted to be
fastened by the screw 3 1, the elongated element being composed of a wooden
beam, into which the screw 31 can be inserted. The cogging elements' ends
14, 24 have transverse surfaces 17, 27 which intersect the end surfaces 15,
25. This makes room for the screws and simplifies the assembly of the
cogging elements. In order to facilitate the insertion of the screws 3 1, the
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transverse surfaces 17 may have a hole adapted to the dimension of the
threads on the screw 31. Alternatively, the screws 31 may be of the self-
drilling type, which can be screwed into the transverse surfaces 17, 27
without preliminary drilling thereof.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a cogging structure according to the
invention.
The cogging structure is composed of 3 elongated cogging elements 11 with
associated corner elements 21 which are arranged in extension of one another
in the same plane, and 2 intersecting elongated cogging elements 11' with
associated corner elements 21' which are arranged in extension of each other
in an intersecting plane. The cogging elements are placed on top of each
other on the contact surfaces 12, 12', 22, 22', and the lateral surfaces 13,
13',
23, 23' together form the sides of the cogging structure.
The cogging elements' ends 14, 24, 14', 24' face a line of intersection 32
between the planes. The ends 14, 24 of the cogging elements 11, 21 are
connected by screws 31 with screw heads 33, while the ends 14', 24' of the
cogging elements 11', 21' are connected by corresponding screws, whereof
only the screw heads 33' are visible.
Bevelled end surfaces 15, 25 of the cogging elements 11, 21 abut against
adjacent end surfaces 25' of the cogging elements 21' in the other plane. The
cogging elements 11' similarly have non-illustrated end surfaces abutting
against the end surfaces 15, 25.
The cogging structure in fig. 4 forms a 90 corner, and since for purposes of
standardisation it is desirable for the ends of the cogging elements to be as
uniform as possible, all the angles 16, 26, see figs. 1 and 2, between the end
surfaces 15, 25 and the lateral surfaces 13, 23 have been chosen to be 135 .
If there are other angles between the planes forming part of the cogging
structure, the angles will be able to be adapted thereto.
In the cogging structure in fig. 4 the cogging elements in the same plane on
one side of the line of intersection 32 are composed of elongated elements
and on the other side of the line of intersection of corner elements, and the
fastening elements are composed of screws 31 which extend through the
corner elements 21, 21' into the ends 14, 14' of the elongated elements 11,
11'.
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In another non-illustrated cogging structure, the cogging elements in the
same plane on both sides of the line of intersection 32 may be composed of
elongated elements. This may, for example, be a cogging structure where an
inner wall is terminated against an outer wall in a house, and where the outer
wall thus extends through the corner with elongated cogging elements on
both sides of the corner. The fastening elements connecting the elongated
cogging elements in extension of one another may be composed of screws
with threads at both ends, which are screwed into the ends of two elongated
cogging elements. This operation may be performed by holding one of the
elongated cogging elements steady while the other elongated cogging
element is rotated. In this case the screwing operation is preferably
performed before the elongated cogging elements are assembled in the
cogging structure. Alternatively, the elongated cogging elements may be
assembled with screws which have right-hand threads at one end and left-
hand threads at the other end, and preferably a spanner holding portion in the
middle. The screw can thereby be inserted in the ends of both the two
elongated cogging elements simultaneously, and drawn together by a spanner
to the desired tightness of the cogging joint. The inner wall may be
connected to the outer wall by corner elements which are fastened by the
type of screws illustrated in fig. 4.
The cogging elements according to the invention may be manufactured by
machine in standardised dimensions, for example from logs, thereby
achieving a rational production. The cogging elements are joined in the same
way regardless of the kind of cogging structure and the kind of corner which
has to be built, and the cogging structure is therefore easy to assemble.
Dismantling is performed in the reverse order to assembly, and consequently
is also simple. The cogging structure according to the invention can therefore
advantageously be employed as a provisional structure, for example for the
erection of structures at trade fairs or open-air stages.
After the cogging elements have been assembled, the screws can be tightened
by suitable tools so that adjacent end surfaces are pressed against one
another. Close and rigid joints are thereby achieved between the cogging
elements in the corners. On account of setting, the corners may loosen
somewhat after a time. In this case the corners can easily be made firm again
by re-tightening the screws.
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The fastening elements can be designed in several ways. Instead of only one
screw between two cogging elements in extension of each other, several
screws may be employed, if this is practical. It is also possible to use other
types of screws, for example stud screws which have threads at one end for
fastening to the ends of the elongated cogging elements, and at the other end
have threads for a nut. These stud screws may be permanently screwed into
the ends of the elongated cogging elements. In the case of cogging structures
which will be used for provisional structures, and which will be assembled
and dismantled several times, for example for use in trade fairs, a practical
possibility is to furnish the ends of the elongated cogging elements with
recessed nuts with internal threads which match corresponding threads on the
screws, thus preventing repeated assembly and dismantling of the corners
from causing wear on the threads in the screw hole in the ends of the cogging
elements.
The screw heads may also be provided with decorative heads, thus giving the
cogging structure an aesthetically more attractive appearance. The ends of
several corner cogging elements located in the same plane may be provided
with a decorative board covering the screw heads. Another alternative is to
widen the outermost portions of the screw holes in the corner elements, thus
enabling the screw heads to be recessed, and pack the screw holes with
aesthetically attractive plugs or stoppers.
