HK1024277B - A transportable structure kit - Google Patents

Description

Transportable structural assembly

Technical Field

The invention relates to a transportable structural assembly consisting of a set of prefabricated parts. The invention is particularly suitable for use as a transportable modular or modular housing structure, on which the following description of the invention is also based. It is to be understood that the invention has broad application and is not limited to this particular use.

Background

Modular dwellings are well known and are generally made up of prefabricated components which are manufactured off-site and transported in a disassembled condition. After the house is transported to the site, the prefabricated parts are assembled to form the main structure of the house. Compared with the traditional method of building houses on site, the combined house has many advantages, such as reduced construction cost and relatively easy assembly. A further advantage is that, since the prefabricated parts are manufactured off-site, the manufactured parts can be worked under more tightly controlled conditions, thus allowing better quality control of the components of the house. Because of these advantages, modular dwellings are well suited for low cost residences or use in remote locations.

The demand for low cost homes has increased in recent times, particularly in developing countries. The use of modular housing is seen as a solution to this need not only due to its low manufacturing cost, but also due to the ease of assembly and availability of local semi-skilled labor resources. However, due to the degree of demand on residences and the limited resources available in developing countries, there is a continuing need to minimize the cost of modular homes to make it feasible. Moreover, when such dwellings are used as a solution to meet such demands, additional issues arise in the form of outfits such as shipping and assembly.

Others have also attempted to propose transportable modular structures. Allison et al, U.S. patent No.5,403,055, teaches an end H-shaped structure by which a group of wall panels can be bolted together. These panels can be assembled into a structure on site. The H-shaped end structure has fittings for lifting and moving wall panels bolted together. The Allison et al H-shaped end structures are not used to construct the final structure and the bolted together wall panels cannot be constructed as a completely enclosed container for receiving all of the components that make up the structure.

Also, U.S. patent No.5,317,857 to Allison et al teaches a fully prefabricated structure with vertical telescoping beams that can be secured at each corner of the structure to enable transport of the finished structure. One of the main problems with the Allison system is that due to the size limitations of shipping containers, the size and shape of the resulting structure is also constrained, i.e., cannot be taller, wider or longer than a standard shipping container. Another problem is that the assembled units are not easily stacked during shipping because the total weight of the structure is borne by the vertical telescopic beams, which may damage the walls of the structure if stacked during shipping or transportation.

U.S. patent No.4,696,132 to LeBlanc teaches a collapsible building structure and method of constructing the structure wherein four side walls are hingedly connected to a continuous floor section and are positioned parallel to the floor during transport. When the four side walls are assembled, the four side walls are rotated to vertical positions, and the corner beams are inserted into the corners. The LeBlanc design does not allow for the incorporation of complete structural internals such as plumbing toilets or kitchens, and is therefore more suitable for use as a small warehouse structure.

U.S. patent No.4,075,814 to Theurer et al sets forth a modular housing construction in which a central component may serve as a receptacle for receiving other components. In the design of Theurer et al, the complete components of the house are finished at the factory, stacking the components one inside the other to form a container. The outer wall of the container is formed by three integral components of the house, and the other integral components of the house are placed in the container during shipping. One major problem with the design of Theurer et al is that the assembled house components are very heavy and must be installed on site using cranes and other heavy equipment. Another problem is that the design must take into account that the complete components should be able to accommodate each other, and thus the design with feasibility is subject to many limitations.

There is therefore a need for a transportable structure which solves the above mentioned problems and which can be installed on site by suitably skilled workers and without the need for heavy equipment.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems by proposing a structure which can be transported in a disassembled condition in an improved transportable packaging which is designed to facilitate the transport and assembly of the structure, thereby further minimizing the associated overall costs.

The present invention therefore proposes a transportable structure comprising a set of prefabricated parts adapted to be transported in a disassembled state and assembled on site as part of the final structure. In a broad sense, the invention is characterised in that, in the disassembled condition, the prefabricated parts may constitute a container to facilitate transport of the structure to the site.

More specifically, according to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a transportable structure kit for assembling a building structure, comprising: container outer wall panel sections connectable to one another in a transport mode to form a fully enclosed transportable container, said container outer wall panel sections including planar floor sections, planar side walls, planar end walls and planar ceiling sections, the container outer wall panel sections being detachably connectable together in a transport mode to form a fully enclosed transportable container; in a manner of assembling the building structure, the planar floor section and the at least two planar side walls are joined to form a floor of the building structure; said container outer wall panel sections being connected to each other in a transport manner by a plurality of bolts such that said plurality of bolts can be removed from the transportable structure kit prior to assembling the building structure such that the planar side walls can be detached from the transportable structure kit and positioned at respective opposite ends of said planar floor section to form at least a portion of a floor of the building structure; a set of inner panel sections positionable within the fully enclosed transportable container; and means provided at the corners of the fully enclosed transportable container for lifting and moving the container, the container outer wall panel sections and the inner panel sections being adapted to be assembled into a building structure in a manner to be assembled into the building structure.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transportable structure kit for assembling a building structure, comprising: unit container outer wall panel sections connectable to one another in a transport mode to form a fully enclosed transportable container, said container outer wall panel sections including planar floor sections, planar side walls, planar end walls and planar ceiling sections, the container outer wall panel sections being detachably connectable together in a transport mode to form a fully enclosed transportable container; in a manner of assembling the building structure, the planar floor section and the at least two planar side walls are joined to form a floor of the building structure; said container outer wall panel sections being connected to each other in a transport manner by a plurality of bolts such that said plurality of bolts can be removed from the transportable structure kit prior to assembling the building structure such that the planar side walls can be detached from the transportable structure kit and positioned at respective opposite ends of said planar floor section to form at least a portion of a floor of the building structure; a set of interior panel sections which can be placed in the fully enclosed transportable container and other components required to form the building structure, the interior panel sections and said other components being used to assemble the building structure; and means mounted at the corners of the fully enclosed transportable container for lifting and moving the container.

The design of the prefabricated parts according to the invention makes it possible to have a dual use, on the one hand they are part of the final structure and on the other hand they are part of the container used to ship the disassembled structure. This arrangement is of great advantage. In particular, unnecessary packaging can be minimized, reducing costs. But also the production, transport and assembly of the structure can be simplified. For example, the structure may be designed to enable the prefabricated components to be "opened" from the container shape to form the structure. Thus, the container itself becomes a critical reference point when assembling the structure. This eliminates the need for complete disassembly and maintenance of the prefabricated components when assembling the structure. Moreover, this technique allows the components of the structure to be assembled at a site other than the site and installed in its permanent position in the container. After transport to the site, the other components of the structure can be installed around the already installed components. It is advantageous to construct modular dwellings in such a way that difficult to construct parts such as toilets and kitchens can be assembled completely off-site.

The container constructed from the structural prefabricated parts preferably conforms to ISO standards and has ISO shipping container standard dimensions. Furthermore, the prefabricated units are preferably provided with handling lugs to facilitate lifting, handling, shipping and transport of the structure in the disassembled state.

In order to meet the strength requirements of the ISO standard, the prefabricated parts are preferably provided with a steel skeleton. Furthermore, it is desirable to use the skeleton of these prefabricated parts as structural members in the structure and to utilize their strength properties in the final structure.

Each prefabricated part is preferably made in the shape of a square or rectangle and has a skeleton which is fastened to the prefabricated part on one side. In a preferred embodiment, the framework is formed from a set of interconnected steel members, typically hollow section steel, and the walls are formed from sheet material, such as laminated sheet or the like.

Each of the prefabricated parts may be detachably connected together by fasteners or the like to form a container for transport. After delivery to the site, the prefabricated components are disassembled so that they can be reassembled into the structure. One way is to bolt together individual prefabricated parts and enclose the item to be transported therein by spot welding. After the prefabricated part is on site, the prefabricated part can be disassembled only by cutting off the bolts.

At least part of the prefabricated elements is preferably designed to be used as a floor for a structure. In a preferred embodiment, the structure is provided with a seat portion engageable with the skeleton of the prefabricated part. In one embodiment, the height of the stand can be adjusted to accurately position the structure for installation in the field. In this form of construction, the mounting of the support is carried out before the structure in the disassembled condition is in place on site.

In one embodiment, the support comprises two parts that can be moved relative to each other for height adjustment. In a preferred embodiment, the support comprises a housing with a guide channel in which the support can be mounted. The housing may be fixed to the ground by a concrete foundation or similar structure. The tail ends of the supporting columns extend out of the shell and can be fixedly connected with the framework of the prefabricated part. A fastening device is provided between the housing and the support to secure the two parts of the support together and prevent slippage between the two parts when the support is at the correct mounting height.

In one embodiment, the structure comprises two layers, and the prefabricated parts used to construct the container can serve as floors for both layers. In one form of construction, the container conforms to ISO dimensional standards, with the "top" and "bottom" panels of the container serving as the upper and lower floor panels, respectively. The panels are supported internally when the container is constructed, and support can be achieved by internal partitions of the structure. Thus, the internal parts of the structure are in their permanently installed position in the container and, after transport to the site, the "sides" and "ends" of the container can be removed, leaving these internal parts in place.

Transportable structures consisting of prefabricated parts are well suited for use as modular dwellings. Transport in the disassembled state is facilitated since all the components of the structure are contained in one container. Moreover, since the container is made of parts of the structure itself, the assembly of the structure is greatly simplified. The installation of the modular housing of the invention takes 2-4 days, compared to 6-10 weeks for building using conventional site construction techniques. Due to the fast assembly speed and the convenient transportation, the structure is suitable for being used as a movable house or a temporary structure. In this configuration, a dedicated trailer is provided to transport the containers by road, so that the structure can be easily moved as required.

Drawings

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The role of these figures in the description relating thereto should not be understood as superseding the generality of the preceding description of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the assembled structure in a disassembled state, in which the prefabricated parts of the structure form a container for transporting the assembled structure;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the modular structure in a disassembled state;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the structure of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a basic plan view of the modular structure;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a floor panel of a modular structure showing prefabricated components of the floor panel constituting the structure;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the detailed structure of the base portion of the modular structure;

figures 9 and 9a show details of the pedestal, floor and wall of the modular structure;

FIGS. 10 and 10a show details of the floor and two-level ceiling of the modular structure;

FIGS. 11-16 are schematic views of various installation steps of the modular structure;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a specialized trailer for transporting containers;

FIG. 18 is a bottom plan view of the floor portion of the container;

fig. 19 is a side view of fig. 18 showing details of an alternative forklift truck forking guide and support sub-beam.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1-5, shown therein is a modular structure 10 constructed from a set of prefabricated components. These prefabricated parts include a floor frame 11, wall sections 12, windows 13, doors 14 and internal partitions 15. These prefabricated parts 10 can be transported in disassembled condition, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, and can be assembled to form a house, as shown in fig. 3-5.

In the disassembled state as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the floor sections 11 may be joined together to form the container 50. In the illustrated construction, the container 50 conforms to the ISO standard, which is also the ISO standard shipping container size. The vessel also includes handling lugs 51 which allow the vessel to be hoisted onto the container ship using a standard crane. Since the overall dimensions of the container are ISO standard dimensions, the container can be easily lifted into the gantry system of the vessel.

In order to meet the requirements of the ISO standard and to enable the container 50 to provide adequate protection to the structural components of the structure during transport, the floor section 11 includes a steel framework 16. In the illustrated construction, the framework 16 of each section is formed from a plurality of interconnected square hollow section steel panels, and the floor panels are formed by securing panels 17 to the framework. In the illustrated construction, the steel members are welded together and the sheet material, typically in the form of a laminate, is secured to the frame 16 by fasteners such as bolts or rivets. The floor sections may be bolted together to form the container 50, and the framework 16 of the floor section 11 may form a grid around the container when assembled.

The container 50 may house the remaining components of the structure 10 so that the container is easily transported in a disassembled state. Also in the illustrated construction, certain portions of the structure 10 are in place in the container 50 at the point when they are ultimately fully installed. In particular, the internal partition 15 is in a vertical position in the container 50, with respect to the sub-floor section 11¹And a top floor section 11²And (4) connecting. In this state, the inner partition 15 is used as a load-bearing member for supporting the container side wall 11³And 11⁴And an end wall 11 of the container⁵And 11⁶After removal, the inner partition 15 should be able to support the top floor section 11²The weight of (c).

Also, although not shown in the drawings, a toilet wall, a sanitary facility, and a wooden structure have been installed and attached to the floor part 11¹At the set position. Therefore, the installation and pipeline connection work of the upper and lower water paths which is laborious and has certain technical difficulty can be carried out outside the site. Kitchen cabinets may also be permanently installed with wall finishes and decorations. The wiring of the electric wires, the water pipes and the drainage devices are installed, and simple connection can be made after the electric wires and the water pipes and the drainage devices arrive at the site.

Although the illustrated embodiment only proposes to use the floor section to form the container, it is also possible to use other prefabricated parts of the structure to form the container, such as wall sections or ceiling sections or the like.

Referring to fig. 3-11, the assembled modular structure 10 is a two-story building having a floor and a top. The floor of the bottom floor of the house 10 is composed of a floor part 11¹、11³And 11⁴The structure is supported by the support 18, and the support 18 will be described in detail later. The floor of the second floor is formed by directly arranging the floor part 11¹Floor part 11 supported by partition walls 15 at the top²And (4) forming. The upper floor panel also comprises a floor part 11⁵And 11⁶. Each section is divided into two sections (not shown) along the top floor section 11²Are secured together end-to-end. In the illustrated form, the ends are bolted in place and the laminate structure forms the floor, as shown in figures 9 and 10.

The exterior of the house 10 includes an exterior wall portion 12, which is shown as a sandwich structure with a cement slab 19. As shown in fig. 9 and 9a, the outer wall is fixed to the wall panel by using the Z-shaped supporting waterproof sheet 20. The roof structure comprises roof panels 21 mounted on pre-machined roof elements 22. Ceiling floor beams 23 join the exterior wall 12 to the ceiling floor. Wall 24 of the top floor and floor 11 of the top floor⁵And 11⁶Fixed together and extending to the roof framework 22 to form the box frame structure of the roof structure. The end frame of the gable includes a roof panel layer 25, as shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 6-8 show details of the foundation of the modular housing 10. The foundation includes spaced-apart pedestals 18 as shown in FIG. 6, and these pedestals 18 may be located along each floor frame section 11 as shown in FIG. 7¹、11³And 11⁴Is arranged at the edge of the panel. Fig. 8 and 9 show the detailed structure of these supports. As can be seen, the support 18 comprises a housing 25 secured in a reinforced concrete foundation 26, as shown in fig. 9. A floor brace 27 made of square hollow section steel is slidably fitted over the housing 25 in a telescopic manner, and the upper end of the brace 27 is provided with a bolt coupling portion 28 to be coupled to the frame 16 of the floor portion 11. After attachment to the floor section, the two sections of the support 18 are secured together with fasteners 29.

Figures 11-16 illustrate various assembly steps for assembling the structure shown in figures 1 and 2 in a disassembled state into the structure shown in figures 3-5 in an assembled state.

First, a laminated floor part with a steel skeleton for constituting a container is manufactured at an off-site place such as a processing plant. Toilet walls, plumbing fixtures and wooden structures are installed on the floor section 11 and the necessary connections are made at the permanent installation locations. Kitchen cabinets are permanently installed with the coating and decoration of the walls. The electric wire wiring, the water pipe and the drainage device are installed, and simple connection can be made after the electric wire wiring, the water pipe and the drainage device arrive at the site. All other building components are loaded into the container 50 and the container 50 is then sealed and locked for shipment.

The containers may be transported to their destination by ship or by road or rail and then towed to the job site. The construction site should have various underground facilities ready and various connections to the connecting portions of the modular structure ready in place. The container 50 may be unloaded from the trailer at the final location, and the container unsealed in preparation for unpacking and removal.

As shown in fig. 11, the container is folded on both sides and placed on a prepared base for attachment to a specifically designed stand 18. The prefabricated insulated exterior wall panels are then installed vertically and secured to the floor platform using Z-shaped steel support flashing as shown in fig. 12.

The internal partition walls of the wooden frame are vertically installed and fixed in place. Then the two end faces of the container are lifted to the top of the partition wall and connected with the edge of the top plate of the container to form the floor of the top floor of the upper floor. The ceiling floor stringers are installed to the top edges of the floor and exterior walls of the attic as shown in figure 13.

And vertically installing the wall of the top floor on the floor of the top floor to form a box beam structure of the roof structure. Then, the roof structure was assembled using the prefabricated wooden members, the end frames of the gable were vertically installed, and the prefabricated facings (fascias) and the flue for the clip wall were installed, and wooden hanger boards (bird boards) were installed between the purlins, as shown in fig. 15.

The roof plate is installed together with the ridge cover plate and the flashing. The window needs to be installed in the reserved opening, and all the fastening and connecting devices need to be firmly fixed. The lining is installed on the partition wall with the wood frame, the electric socket is installed, and the interior decoration is completed. All the pipelines, drainage facilities and electrical devices are connected with the on-site water supply and power supply pipeline. Finally, painting is performed as required, and the interior, exterior and floor are paved as required. Thus, the construction of the housing is completed and the housing can be used for living.

The transportable structure according to the present invention thus provides an improved transport-friendly packaging which is designed to facilitate transport and assembly of the structure. The present structure is designed to minimize consumption of packaging and simplify an assembly process, compared to a general modular housing assembly, thereby having good economical efficiency. Moreover, the dimensions of the structure in the disassembled state allow the formation of containers complying with the ISO standard, greatly simplifying the transport of the structure. In this way, the structure is easily transported in the disassembled state by ship, rail vehicle, or other transport means. The use of a trailer as shown in figure 17 allows for more flexibility in the transportation of the structure. This special trailer 60 is provided with a chassis 61 adapted to carry the container 50. The trailer 60 can be hitched to a typical large vehicle using a standard hitch 62. The container 50 is typically bolted to the trailer 60 for transport. The structure 10 is suitable for use as a mobile dwelling or temporary structure due to its rapid assembly speed and ease of transport by trailer.

As shown in fig. 18 and 19, in order to facilitate the transportation of the structure, a forklift fork-mounting guide groove 40 may be welded to the bottom of the container bottom 11 (covered with a laminated plate-like plate material 17), and a bottom sub-beam 41 supporting the guide groove may be additionally installed in a direction perpendicular to the steel frame 16. The container may also be provided with standard container corner fittings to cushion the container a distance from the floor to facilitate use of the forklift forklifts 40.

Finally, various changes, modifications and/or additions may be made to the form of construction of the parts previously described without departing from the spirit or ambit of the present invention.

Claims (16)

1. A transportable structural assembly for assembling a building structure, comprising:

container outer wall panel sections connectable to one another in a transport mode to form a fully enclosed transportable container, said container outer wall panel sections including planar floor sections, planar side walls, planar end walls and planar ceiling sections, the container outer wall panel sections being detachably connectable together in a transport mode to form a fully enclosed transportable container; in a manner of assembling the building structure, the planar floor section and the at least two planar side walls are joined to form a floor of the building structure;

said container outer wall panel sections being connected to each other in a transport manner by a plurality of bolts such that said plurality of bolts can be removed from the transportable structure kit prior to assembling the building structure such that the planar side walls can be detached from the transportable structure kit and positioned at respective opposite ends of said planar floor section to form at least a portion of a floor of the building structure;

a set of inner panel sections positionable within the fully enclosed transportable container; and

means provided at the corners of the fully enclosed transportable container for lifting and moving the container, the container outer wall panel sections and the inner panel sections being adapted to be assembled into a building structure in a manner to be assembled into the building structure.

2. The transportable structure kit of claim 1, wherein in a assembled building structure, the floor panels of the building structure comprise a first floor panel and a second floor panel, and the portion of the container outer wall panels not used to assemble the first floor panel is used to assemble the second floor panel of the building structure.

3. The transportable structure kit of claim 1, wherein at least two spaced apart interior wall panels span and are permanently connected to the planar ceiling section and the planar floor section.

4. A transportable structure kit as claimed in claim 2, wherein the preassembled sanitary fixture is located between at least two spaced apart interior wall panels permanently connected to the planar ceiling section and the planar floor section.

5. The transportable structure kit of claim 1, further comprising other prefabricated components including sandwich wall panels of exterior walls, interior partitions, doors, windows, roof trusses, gable trusses, trim panels, plenum flues, trim materials, and hardware.

6. The transportable structure kit of claim 1, further comprising telescopic pedestal portions that permanently and adjustably adjust the height of the floor portion relative to a foundation that can support the assembled structure, the telescopic pedestal portions having a lower end adapted to be permanently attached to the foundation.

7. The transportable structure kit of claim 1, wherein the outer wall panel portion of the container comprises a steel frame clad on at least one side with a cladding material.

8. A transportable structure kit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for lifting and moving the container mounted at a corner of a fully enclosed transportable container comprises a metal lifting lug removably attached at the corner.

9. A transportable structure kit as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a channel portion secured to the underside of the planar floor portion for a forklift container.

10. The transportable structure kit of claim 1, wherein the planar floor section, planar side walls, planar end walls and planar ceiling section comprise an integral unit section.

11. A transportable structural assembly for assembling a building structure, comprising:

unit container outer wall panel sections connectable to one another in a transport mode to form a fully enclosed transportable container, said unit container outer wall panel sections including planar floor sections, planar side walls, planar end walls and planar ceiling sections, the container outer wall panel sections being detachably connectable together in a transport mode to form a fully enclosed transportable container; in a manner of assembling the building structure, the planar floor section and the at least two planar side walls are joined to form a floor of the building structure;

said container outer wall panel sections being connected to each other in a transport manner by a plurality of bolts such that said plurality of bolts can be removed from the transportable structure kit prior to assembling the building structure such that the planar side walls can be detached from the transportable structure kit and positioned at respective opposite ends of said planar floor section to form at least a portion of a floor of the building structure;

a set of interior panel sections which can be placed in the fully enclosed transportable container and other components required to form the building structure, the interior panel sections and said other components being used to assemble the building structure; and

apparatus for lifting and moving a fully enclosed transportable container mounted at the corner thereof.

12. The transportable structure kit of claim 11, wherein the container outer wall panel sections not used to assemble the floor panel are used to assemble a second floor panel of the building structure.

13. The transportable structure kit of claim 11, wherein at least two spaced apart interior wall panels span and are permanently connected to the planar ceiling section and the planar floor section.

14. The transportable structure kit of claim 11, wherein the outer wall panel portion of the container comprises a steel frame clad on at least one side with a cladding material.

15. A transportable structure kit as claimed in claim 11, wherein the means for lifting and moving the container mounted at a corner of a fully enclosed transportable container comprises a metal lifting lug removably attached at the corner.

16. A transportable structure kit as claimed in claim 11 further comprising a channel portion secured to the underside of the planar floor portion for receiving a container by a forklift.