Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BRACED TRUSS FRAME AND FALL PROTECTION SYSTEM
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention generally relates to truss frames, and more
specifically to
a braced truss frame and fall protection system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The use of trusses in the building of structures is commonplace. When
the
trusses are installed, regulations require that they be braced for structural
integrity during
installation. Typically, the trusses are braced to the ground. Ground bracing
can be a time-
consuming process, and the ground braces must be removed when the structure is
completed.
Furthermore, OSHA regulations require that workers have a fall protection
system for safety
when working 6 feet or more above the ground. Fall protection systems include
harnesses and
lifelines connected to an anchoring device mounted on the structure to ensure
the worker does
not free fall from tall structures, potentially causing injury. Conventional
anchoring devices for
tying off on a structure require the structure be braced, or alternatively,
the structure include
sheathing covering the truss. Sheathing, however, is added later in the
construction process after
the trusses are fastened in position. Bracing the structure is inconvenient
and time consuming.
Because the trusses must be braced before using the fall protection system,
many workers do not
use fall protection systems or only use them during later stages of
construction, reducing worker
safety.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] In one aspect, a bracing panel for constructing a truss frame having
spaced
trusses includes first and second engagement members having outer faces
extending parallel to
each other. A plurality of spacing members are attached to the first and
second engagement
members. The plurality of spacing members are configured and dimensioned to
maintain the
outer faces of the first and second engagement members parallel and spaced by
a distance equal
to a predetermined truss spacing. A bracing member extends between the first
and second
engagement members and laterally with respect to the spacing members for
providing lateral
support to the spacing members.
[0004] In another aspect, a braced truss frame includes first and second
trusses. Each
truss includes a chord member having an upper surface aligned coplanar with
the chord member
of the other truss. A plurality of first bracing panels are attached to the
chord member of the
first truss and attached to the chord member of the second truss. The first
bracing panels have a
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width sized for spacing the first and second trusses by a distance equal to a
predetermined truss
spacing. The first bracing panels maintain the chord members of the first and
second trusses
parallel and spaced by the predetermined truss spacing.
[0005] In yet another aspect, a method of preparing a truss frame for
installation on a
wall structure includes connecting a plurality of first bracing panels to a
first truss. A first
engagement member of each of the first bracing panels extends parallel to and
engages a chord
member of the first truss along a length of the first engagement member. A
second truss is
connected to the first bracing panels opposite the first truss. A second
engagement member of
each of the first bracing panels extends parallel to and engages a chord
member of the second
truss along a length of the second engagement member. Each of the first
bracing panels has a
width sized for spacing the first and second trusses by a distance equal to a
predetermined truss
spacing. The first bracing panels maintain the chord members of the first and
second trusses
parallel and spaced by the predetermined truss spacing.
[0006] Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed
out
hereinafter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] Figure 1 is a perspective of a building structure including a braced
truss frame
according to the present invention;
[0008] Figure 2 is a perspective of a bracing panel according to the present
invention;
[0009] Figure 3 is a perspective of a first truss having a plurality of
bracing panels
attached thereto and a second truss positioned for attachment to the bracing
panels opposite the
first truss;
[0010] Figure 4 is a perspective of the first and second trusses attached with
bracing
panels, with additional bracing panels attached to the opposite side of the
second truss and a
third truss positioned for attachment to the additional bracing panels;
[0011] Figure 5 is a perspective of the braced truss frame;
[0012] Figure 6 is a partial perspective of a first embodiment of the bracing
panel
fastened between the first and second trusses;
[0013] Figure 7 is a partial perspective of a second embodiment of the bracing
panel
fastened between the first and second trusses and supported by reinforcement
members;
[0014] Figure 8 is a partial perspective of a third embodiment of the bracing
panel
attached to the first and second trusses by a hanger;
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[0015] Figure 9 is a perspective of the hanger used to connect the bracing
panel and
the trusses in Fig. 8;
[0016] Figure 10 is a partial bottom perspective of the embodiment of Fig. 8
showing
the hanger connected to the bracing panel;
[0017] Figure 11 is a partial perspective of the braced truss frame showing an
anchor
attached to the frame;
[0018] Figure 12 is a perspective of the braced truss frame installed on a
wall structure;
and
[0019] Figure 13 is a front elevation of the wall structure and the braced
truss frame
and an additional truss attached to the braced truss frame.
[0020] Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts
throughout the
drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0021] Referring to Figs. 1-5, a braced truss frame is generally indicated in
its entirety
by a reference number 20 and is shown installed on a wall structure, generally
indicated by 22.
The braced truss frame 20 includes trusses 24 and bracing panels 26 connecting
the trusses and
maintaining the trusses in spaced parallel alignment. Each of the trusses 24
includes truss
members including chord members 28. The chord members 28 include upper chord
members 30
and a lower chord member 32 joining the lower ends of the upper chord members.
Web
members 34 extend between the upper and lower chord members 30, 32. The number
and
orientations of the web members 34 and the chord members 28 may vary from the
illustrated
embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention, as the bracing
panel 26
according to the present invention is readily applicable to other truss
configurations. Moreover,
the bracing panel 26 may be used in a structural support other than a roof
truss.
[0022] Referring to Fig. 2, the bracing panel 26 is formed from wooden
structural
members including engagement members configured to engage the chord members 28
of the
trusses 24 and spacing members configured to space the engagement members. In
the illustrated
embodiment, the bracing panel 26 includes a first engagement member 40 and a
second
engagement member 42 opposite the first engagement member. The first
engagement member
40 has an outer face 44 that extends parallel to an outer face (not shown) of
the second
engagement member. A first spacing member 50 is attached to the first and
second engagement
members 40, 42, and a second spacing member 52 is opposite the first spacing
member and also
attached to the first and second engagement members. The first and second
spacing members
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50, 52 maintain the outer faces 44 of the first and second engagement members
40, 42 in parallel
alignment and spaced by a distance 54 equal to a predetermined truss spacing.
The distance 54
between the outer faces 44 of the first and second engagement members 40, 42
is the width of
the bracing panel 26. The first and second spacing members 50, 52 can extend
to the outer faces
44 of the first and second engagement members 40, 42, or can extend only to
inner faces of the
first and second engagement members. The bracing panel 26 further includes a
bracing member
56 extending between the first and second engagement members 40, 42. The
bracing member
56 extends laterally with respect to the spacing members 50, 52 for providing
lateral support to
the spacing members.
[0023] Still referring to Fig. 2, the wooden structural members of the bracing
panel 26
are attached to each other by nailing plates 60. First nailing plates 60a on
the top and bottom of
the bracing panel 26 (only the top is shown) connect the first engagement
member 40, the first
spacing member 50, and the bracing member 56. Second nailing plates 60b on the
top and
bottom of the bracing panel 26 (only the top is shown) connect the second
engagement member
42, the second spacing member 52, and the bracing member 56. Third nailing
plates 60c on the
top and bottom of the bracing panel 26 (only the top is shown) connect the
first engagement
member 40 and the second spacing member 52. Fourth nailing plates 60d on the
top and bottom
of the bracing panel 26 (only the top is shown) connect the second engagement
member 42 and
the first spacing member 50. Other configurations for attaching the wooden
structural members
are within the scope of the present invention, such as nails, screws, or other
suitable fasteners.
[0024] The number of spacing members and bracing members may vary from the
illustrated embodiment without departing from the scope of the present
invention. For example,
the bracing panel 26 can include a plurality of spacing members attached to
the first and second
engagement members 40, 42. The bracing panel 26 can also include a plurality
of bracing
members 56 extending between the first and second engagement members 40, 42.
Other
configurations are within the scope of the present invention.
[0025] The bracing panels 26 are attached to the trusses 24 to brace the
trusses and
maintain the trusses in spaced parallel alignment. A plurality of first
bracing panels 26a are
attached to a first truss 24a. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the first bracing
panels 26a are attached to
the chord members 28 of the first truss 24a at spaced locations. The number
and spacing of the
bracing panels 26a attached to the first truss 24a may vary within the scope
of the present
invention. Preferably, the bracing panels 26 are spaced a distance of 10 feet
or less on center
from each other. In one embodiment, the bracing panels are spaced a distance
of 6 feet on
center from each other. A second truss 24b is connected to each of the bracing
panels 26a
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opposite the first truss 24a. The first bracing panels 26a are attached to the
chord members 28 of
the second truss 24b. The bracing panels 26a maintain the chord members 28 of
the first and
second trusses 24a, 24b in spaced parallel alignment. The bracing panels 26a
also maintain
upper faces 66 of the chord members 28 of the first and second trusses 24a,
24b in spaced
coplanar alignment (see Figs. 6-8). Upper faces 68 of the panels 26 can be
coplanar with the
upper faces 66 of the chord members 28. Alternatively, the upper faces 68 of
the panels 26 can
be offset from the upper faces 66 of the chord members 28. The chord members
28 are spaced
by the distance 54 equal to the width of the bracing panels 26. The distance
54 corresponds to a
predetermined truss spacing for spacing trusses at any standard distance known
in the art. For
example, one standard truss spacing is 24 inches on center, which corresponds
to 22.5 inches
between the closest truss faces. Accordingly, in one embodiment, the distance
54 is 22.5 inches
to achieve the standard on center truss spacing.
100261 Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, a plurality of second bracing panels 26b
are attached
to the second truss 24b. The second bracing panels 26b can be aligned with the
first bracing
panels 26a vertically and horizontally and attached to the chord members 28 of
the second truss
24b opposite the first bracing panels. Alternatively, the second bracing
panels 26b can be offset
from the first bracing panels 26a, either vertically, horizontally, or both
vertically and
horizontally, to permit easy attachment of the bracing panels and the trusses
24. In one
embodiment, each second bracing panel 26b is attached to a chord member 28 of
the second
truss 24b on the opposite side of the chord member from a first bracing panel
26a and adjacent
to the first bracing panel. A third truss 24c is connected to each of the
second bracing panels
26b opposite the second truss 24b. The second bracing panels 26b are attached
to the chord
members 28 of the third truss 24c. The bracing panels 26b maintain the chord
members 28 of
the second and third trusses 24b, 24c in spaced parallel alignment. The
bracing panels 26b also
maintain upper faces 66 of the chord members 28 of the second and third
trusses 24b, 24c in
spaced coplanar alignment. Upper faces 68 of the panels 26 can be coplanar
with the upper
faces 66 of the chord members 28. Alternatively, the upper faces 68 of the
panels 26 can be
offset from the upper faces 66 of the chord members 28. The chord members 28
are spaced by
the distance 54 equal to the width of the bracing panels.
100271 Each wooden member incorporated into the bracing panels 26 has a
rectangular
cross section having two narrow sides and two wide sides. As shown in Fig. 6,
the wooden
structural members of the bracing panels 26 can be oriented so that the
surfaces incorporating
the two wide sides form the outer faces 44 of the first and second engagement
members 40, 42
(i.e., the wooden structural members are oriented vertically as illustrated).
As shown in Figs. 7
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and 8, the wooden structural members of the bracing panels 26 can be oriented
so that the
surfaces incorporating the two narrow sides form the outer faces 44 of the
first and second
engagement members 40, 42 (i.e., the wooden structural members are oriented
horizontally as
illustrated).
[0028] Referring to Fig. 6, a first option for connecting the bracing panels
26 to the
trusses 24 is illustrated. The bracing panels 26 can be attached to the chord
members 28 by
fasteners 70. As illustrated, first and second end faces of each of the first
and second spacing
members 50, 52 engage the chord members 28. Two fasteners 70 extend through
the chord
members 28 and into each of the end faces of each spacing member 50, 52. The
two fasteners
70 extending into each of the end faces of the spacing members 50, 52 are
preferably vertically
aligned and extend through a center of the end face. The fasteners 70 in each
end face can be
spaced by a distance of about 1.5 inches. The outer faces 44 of the first and
second engagement
members 40, 42 engage the chord members 28 along a length of each engagement
member.
Fasteners 70 extend through the chord members 28 and into the outer faces 44
of each
engagement member 40, 42. In the illustrated embodiment, two fasteners 70
connect each
engagement member 40, 42 to the chord member 28. The fasteners 70 are
generally centered
vertically in each engagement member. In one embodiment, the fasteners 70 can
be screws,
such as 2-7/8 inch HEADLOK screws sold by FastenMaster of Agawam,
Massachusetts.
HEADLOK is a U.S. federally registered trademark of Handy & Harman Corporation
of White
Plains, New York.
[0029] Referring to Fig. 7, a second option for connecting the bracing panels
26 to the
trusses 24 is illustrated. The bracing panels 26 can be attached to the chord
members 28 by a
combination of fasteners 72 and reinforcement members 74. In this embodiment,
a
reinforcement member 74 is connected to the chord members 28 adjacent each
spacing member
50, 52. The reinforcement members 74 reinforce the spacing members 50, 52
against in-plane
bending. The reinforcement members 74 have a width equal to the width of the
bracing panel
26. The reinforcement member 74 can be a metal channel member that engages a
face of the
spacer member 50, 52. The reinforcement members 74 include tabs 76 that can be
bent to
engage the chord members 28. Fasteners 78 extend through the tabs 76 to
connect the
reinforcement member 74 to the chord member 28. The fasteners 78 connecting
the
reinforcement member 74 to the chord members 28 can be any suitable fastener,
such as 1-5/8
inch wood screws. The outer faces 44 of the first and second engagement
members 40, 42
engage the chord members 28 along a length of each engagement member.
Fasteners 72 extend
through the chord members 28 and into the outer faces 44 of each engagement
member 40, 42.
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The fasteners 72 connecting the engagement members 40, 42 and the chord
members 28 can be
any suitable fastener, such as 3 inch wood screws.
[0030] Referring to Figs. 8-10, a third option for connecting the bracing
panels 26 to
the trusses 24 is illustrated. The bracing panels 26 can be attached to the
chord members 28 by a
plurality of hangers 84. Each hanger 84 includes a first portion 86 configured
to surround a
portion of the chord member 28 and a second portion 88 configured for
attachment to the
bracing panel 26. As seen in Fig. 9, the hanger 84 includes an intermediate
portion 90 between
the first and second portions 86, 88. The intermediate portion 90 is
positioned between the
bracing panel 26 and the chord member 28 when the hanger 84 is installed.
Fasteners 92 attach
the hanger 84 to both the chord member 28 and the bracing panel 26. As
illustrated, four
hangers 84 can be used to attach the bracing panel 26 to the trusses 24 at
each corner of the
bracing panel. Other configurations and suitable hangers for attaching the
bracing panels to the
chord members are within the scope of the present invention.
[0031] As seen in Fig. 11, an anchor 94 can be attached to the braced truss
frame 20
adjacent the bracing panels 26. Preferably, the anchor 94 is attached to the
second truss 24b
between the bracing panels 26 and an apex 96 of the truss. Other
configurations are within the
scope of the present invention. For example, the anchor 94 can be attached to
any of the trusses
24b at any location along the truss. Some trusses, for example, longer
trusses, may require
multiple anchors 94 along their length. The number and position of the anchors
94 should be
selected based on the configuration of the truss. The anchor 94 is configured
to support a
worker during attachment of trusses once the three truss braced truss frame 20
has been installed
and secured to the wall structure 22 in the event a safety line is needed. Any
suitable anchor can
be used, such as an ARS Super Anchor sold by Super Anchor Safety of
Woodinville,
Washington.
[0032] Once the three truss braced truss frame 20 is assembled as described,
the braced
truss frame is installed and secured on top of the wall structure 22, as
illustrated in Fig. 12.
Because of the bracing panels 26 connecting the multiple trusses 24, the
braced truss frame 20 is
sufficiently braced and requires no additional bracing. Accordingly, the need
for ground bracing
is eliminated. Furthermore, once the braced truss frame 20 is installed and
secured to the wall
structure 22, a worker can tie off on the anchor 94 for fall protection while
installing the
remaining trusses to complete the roof. As illustrated in Fig. 13, the
remaining trusses can
quickly be connected to the braced truss frame 20 by attaching bracing
structures 98 between
adjacent trusses to attach adjacent trusses. Any suitable bracing structure
can be used to attach
the remaining trusses, such as the STABILIZER sold by MiTek USA, Inc. of
Chesterfield,
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Missouri. STABILIZER is a U.S. federally registered trademark of MiTek
Industries, Inc. of
Chesterfield, Missouri. The bracing panel 26 and braced truss frame 20
according to the
present invention simplifies installation of a roof, eliminates the need to
brace trusses to the
ground, and also offers a simple fall protection system for the safety of
workers installing the
roof.
[0033] Having described the invention in detail, it will be apparent that
modifications
and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention
defined in the
appended claims.
[0034] When introducing elements of the present invention or the preferred
embodiments(s) thereof, the articles "a", "an", "the" and "said" are intended
to mean that there
are one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising", "including" and
"having" are intended
to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the
listed elements.
[0035] In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the
invention are
achieved and other advantageous results attained.
[0036] As various changes could be made in the above products and methods
without
departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter
contained in the above
description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as
illustrative and not
in a limiting sense.
