GB1566483A - Corner structure for frameworks - Google Patents

Description

(54) CORNER STRUCTURE FOR FRAMEWORKS (71) I, ANTHONY CHARLES WORRALLO, 15 Sprott Road, Auckland 5, New Zealand, a British subject, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates generally to frameworks such as are used in shelving, partitioning etc.

According to the present invention there is provided a corner structure comprising a first member and a second member an end of which second member abuts a longitudinally extending face of said first member, each of said members having a longitudinally extending slot defined by two flanges, first and second corner elements, each corner element being generally planar and having side edges which intersect at the same angle as said members meet and each having grooves in one face thereof which grooves extend adjacent to said side edges, the corner elements being located back-toback in the angle enclosed by said members, and each having one of the flanges of one of said members entered in one of its grooves and one of the flanges of the other member entered in the other of its grooves, and a wedging element between said corner elements and forcing said corner elements away from one another and into engagement with said members.

The other face of each corner element may have a step therein adjacent to a further side edge thereby to provide a raised face portion and a lower face portion, there being an inclined ramp surface linking said face portions. In this constructional form, each ramp surface is preferably triangular in shape with a base edge merging with said lower face portion, and triangular flank surfaces extending along the other two edges of said ramp surface and merging both with said ramp surface and said raised face portion.

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a cross-section through a structural member, Figure 2 is a side elevation, to a larger scale of an element for joining two members of the form shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a front elevation of the element of Figure 2, Figure 4 shows the element of Figures 2 and 3 mounted on the member of Figure 1, Figure 5 is a plan view illustrating two members as shown in Figure 1 joined by an element as shown in Figures 2 and 3, Figure 6 is a pictorial view of a corner element of a corner structure, one face of the corner element being visible, Figure 7 is a section on the line VII--VII of Figure 6, Figure 8 is a plan view of the other face of the corner element of Figure 6, Figure 9 is a section on the line IX-IX of Figure 8, Figure 10 is a plan view of a wedging element, Figure 11 is a side elevation of a corner structure, and Figure 12 is a front elevation of the corner structure of Figure 11.

Referring firstly to Figure I, the structural member shown is generally referenced 10 and is an aluminium extrusion of indefinite length. The member comprises a central core 12 from which radiate four spokes 14. The core 12 is generally rectangular in cross-section and the spokes 14 radiate from the corners thereof, there being a re-entrant groove 16 between each pair of adjacent spokes 14. Each groove 16 has a part-cylindrical surface 18 which subtends an angle of approximately 2700 at the centre thereof.

Corner formations 20 are provided at the outer end of each spoke 14, each corner formation comprising two flanges 22 which are at right angles to one another. The longitudinally extending edges 24 of the flanges 22 define longitudinally extending slots 26 leading to longitudinally extending cavities 28.

The element 30 shown in Figures 2 and 3 is, in the front view shown in Figure 3, of Tshape and comprises a collar 32 moulded integrally with a head 34. The head 34 includes two protrusions 36 which extend laterally of the collar 32 on opposite sides thereof and impart the T-shape configuration to the element. The collar 32 includes a cylindrical portion 38 adjacent the head 34 and a part cylindrical portion 40 which protrudes from the portion 38 on the side thereof remote from the head 34. This configuration gives rise to a flat, part annular, transversely extending end face 42 which extends parallel to the flat upper face of the head 34. A bore 44 passes through the head 34 and cylindrical portion 38. Where the bore 44 encounters the part cylindrical portion 40, it becomes a groove 46 of part circular configuration in the longitudinally extending face 47 of the portion 40.The faces 42 and 47 intersect at right angles.

The maximum width of the head 34, as seen in Figure 3, is greater than the width of any one of the slots 26 but less than the maximum width of any one of the cavities 28. The minimum width of the head 34, as viewed in Figure 2, is less than the width of any of the slots 26.

If reference is now made to Figure 4, this figure shows an element 30 mounted on a structural member 10. The bore 44 of the element 30 is axially aligned with the reentrant groove 16 so that the groove 46 and re-entrant groove 16 together define a bore which is an extension of the bore 44. A screw 48 is passed freely through the bore 44 (its head being received neatly in the counter bore provided in the head 34) and its shank is screwed into the re-entrant groove 16. The screw is preferably of the self tapping type and cuts a thread for itself in the bounding wall of the re-entrant groove 16. The face 42 abuts the end face of the core 12 and the part-cylindrical portion 40 is in the adjacent cavity 28.

Figure 5 shows two structural members 10 joined by an element 30. The element 30 is secured to the horizontal structural member 10.1 and the head 34 is entered in one of the cavities 28 of the vertical structural member 10.2. It will be seen that the protrusions 36 of the head 34 lie behind the flanges 22 defining the slot 26 in which the cylindrical portion 38 of the collar 32 is received.

Two possible procedures are available for joining the structural members 10.1 and 10.2 by means of the element 30. Firstly, the member 10.1 may be presented to a side face of the member 10.2 with the maximum dimension of the head 34 aligned with the direction of elongation of the slot 26. The head 34 passes between the flanges 22 and the member 10.1 is then turned through 90 to bring the head to the position in which the protrusions 36 lie behind the flanges 22. Alternatively, the element 30 may be presented to one end of the member 10.2 in the position in which the maximum dimension of the head 34 is parallel to the width of the slot 26. The member 10.1 can then be displaced longitudinally of the member 10.2 so that the head 34 enters the cavity 28. The member 10.1 is moved with respect to the member 10.2 until they reach the desired relative positions.The first procedure is the preferred mode of assembly.

Turning now to Figures 6 to 10, these figures illustrate the components of a corner structure for bracing two structural members 10.1 and 10.2 which are linked together as shown in Figures 5, 11 and 12.

Figures 6 to 9 illustrate a corner element 50 of the corner structure (two of these are employed) and Figure 10 illustrates a wedging element 52 one of which is used between the two elements 50.

The element 50 comprises a main body 54 which is of triangular form with a right angled corner at 56. The sides of the main body 54 adjacent the corner 56 are extended by strip-like pieces 58 the cross-sectional shape of which is best seen in Figure 7. It will be seen that each of these pieces includes a groove 60, one wall of which is constituted by the adjacent edge 62 of the main body 54 and the other wall of which is constituted by a vertical face 64 of an edge rib 66 of the piece 58. It will be noted that the height of the face 64 is less than that of the edge 62.

The extension pieces 58 have end faces 68 and 70. The two end faces 68, which are at right angles to one another, are aligned with the edges 62 of the main body 54. The end faces 70 are aligned with a step 72 (see Figures 8 and 9) provided in the other face of the component 50. Mid-way between the ends of the step 72 there is a ramp 74 which slopes upwardly from a narrow rectangular surface 76 to the main face 78 of the component 50. The provision of the ramp 74 results in there being flank surfaces 80 of triangular form which join the main face 78 to the ramp 74.

The wedging element 52 is of truncated triangular form having parallel long and short edges 82 and 84 and converging edges 86.

The corner structure is used to brace two structural members 10.1 and 10.2 which meet at right angles as best shown in figure 11. It can be assumed that the member 10.2 is a column and that the member 10.1 is a cross member. The two components are held together by an element 30 which, while preventing them from being pulled apart, is not complete security against a load on the member 10.1 causing it to slide downwardly with respect to the member 10.2 or security against twisting of the member 10.1.

Two of the elements 50 are placed in the angle between the members 10.1 and 10.2.

The grooves 60 receive the flanges 22 and the ribs 66 engage behind the flanges. The shape of the element 50 at its corners prevents it fouling the flanges 22. In this position, there is a gap between the elements 50, and the ramps 74 are alighed with one another. The short edge 84 of the wedging element 52 is pushed between the elements 50, and the ramps 74 are aligned being engaged by the wedge as it enters the gap between the elements 50. As the wedging element is pushed in, the elements 50 are urged apart so that their ribs 66 are firmly interlocked with the flanges 22. In this condition, as will be seen in Figure 12 the wedging element 52 is sandwiched the elements 50 and the frictional engagement between the various elements prevents downward movement of the member 10.1 with respect to the member 10.2.

The element 30, the elements 50 and the wedging element 52 may all be mouldings of synthetic plastics material.

The element shown in Figures 2 and 3 and the structure shown in Figures 1, 4 and 5 are described and claimed in my co-pending Patent Application No. 21943/77 (Serial No.

1,566,482) of which the present application is a divisional.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A corner structure comprising a first member and a second member an end of which second member abuts a longitudinally extending face of said first member, each of said members having a longitudinally extending slot defined by two flanges, first and second corner elements, each corner element being generally planar and having side edges which intersect at the same angle as said members meet and each having grooves in one face thereof which grooves extend adjacent to said side edges, the corner elements being located back-toback in the angle enclosed by said members, and each having one of the flanges of one of said members entered in one of its grooves and one of the flanges of the other member entered in the other of its grooves, and a wedging element between said corner elements and forcing said corner elements away from one another and into engagement with said members.

2. A corner structure as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the other face of each corner element has a step therein adjacent to a further side edge thereby to provide a raised face portion and a lower face portion, there being an inclined ramp surface linking said face portions.

3. A corner structure as claimed in Claim 2, wherein each ramp surface is triangular in shape with a base edge merging with said lower face portion, and triangular flank surfaces extending along the other two edges of said ramp surface and merging both with said ramp surface and said raised face portion.

4. A corner structure as claimed in Claim 2 or 3, wherein each corner element is triangular in shape and thereby has three side edges, said grooves extending adjacent two of such side edges, said lower face portion being of narrow rectangular form and extending along the third side edge of said element.

5. A corner structure as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein said wedge element is in the form of a trapezium having a long edge, a short edge parallel to the long edge, and two further edges which converge with one another from the long edge towards the short edge.

6. A corner structure as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein said members meet at right angles and said side edges of the corner elements are normal to one another.

7. A corner structure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 6 to 12 of the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (7)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. with respect to the member 10.2 or security against twisting of the member 10.1. Two of the elements 50 are placed in the angle between the members 10.1 and 10.2. The grooves 60 receive the flanges 22 and the ribs 66 engage behind the flanges. The shape of the element 50 at its corners prevents it fouling the flanges 22. In this position, there is a gap between the elements 50, and the ramps 74 are alighed with one another. The short edge 84 of the wedging element 52 is pushed between the elements 50, and the ramps 74 are aligned being engaged by the wedge as it enters the gap between the elements 50. As the wedging element is pushed in, the elements 50 are urged apart so that their ribs 66 are firmly interlocked with the flanges 22. In this condition, as will be seen in Figure 12 the wedging element 52 is sandwiched the elements 50 and the frictional engagement between the various elements prevents downward movement of the member 10.1 with respect to the member 10.2. The element 30, the elements 50 and the wedging element 52 may all be mouldings of synthetic plastics material. The element shown in Figures 2 and 3 and the structure shown in Figures 1, 4 and 5 are described and claimed in my co-pending Patent Application No. 21943/77 (Serial No. 1,566,482) of which the present application is a divisional. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A corner structure comprising a first member and a second member an end of which second member abuts a longitudinally extending face of said first member, each of said members having a longitudinally extending slot defined by two flanges, first and second corner elements, each corner element being generally planar and having side edges which intersect at the same angle as said members meet and each having grooves in one face thereof which grooves extend adjacent to said side edges, the corner elements being located back-toback in the angle enclosed by said members, and each having one of the flanges of one of said members entered in one of its grooves and one of the flanges of the other member entered in the other of its grooves, and a wedging element between said corner elements and forcing said corner elements away from one another and into engagement with said members.

2. A corner structure as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the other face of each corner element has a step therein adjacent to a further side edge thereby to provide a raised face portion and a lower face portion, there being an inclined ramp surface linking said face portions.

3. A corner structure as claimed in Claim 2, wherein each ramp surface is triangular in shape with a base edge merging with said lower face portion, and triangular flank surfaces extending along the other two edges of said ramp surface and merging both with said ramp surface and said raised face portion.

4. A corner structure as claimed in Claim 2 or 3, wherein each corner element is triangular in shape and thereby has three side edges, said grooves extending adjacent two of such side edges, said lower face portion being of narrow rectangular form and extending along the third side edge of said element.

5. A corner structure as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein said wedge element is in the form of a trapezium having a long edge, a short edge parallel to the long edge, and two further edges which converge with one another from the long edge towards the short edge.

6. A corner structure as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein said members meet at right angles and said side edges of the corner elements are normal to one another.

7. A corner structure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 6 to 12 of the accompanying drawings.