EP0462042A1 - Method for dry assembly of building-blocks - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a free-expansion dry construction method, which is perfectly sealed and particularly well suited for building walls which are load bearing or not. The elements (1) and (2), of substantially parallelepipedal shape, are assembled by means of blind holes (3) and (4) which receive dowels (5) of conical appearance. The elements (1) and (2) rest on each other by means of horizontal flexible pads (6) and (7), one of which has a constant thickness and the other a thickness precalculated as a function of the perpendicularity. Recesses (8) receive an assembly key (9). The sealing of the vertical seals is provided by guide ways (10) into which seals (11) are inserted. The spacing between the holes (3) and (4), when it is regular, forms the repeat distance (pitch) (p) of the method which is then modular. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a method of dry assembly of building elements. It relates to the design of the elements to be assembled, of the connecting members as well as the device for implementing the starting elements in the case of an application of the method to the construction of vertical walls.

The invention relates to the technical field of building and incidentally public works.

The assembly of building materials is generally done with concrete or mortar, plaster, glues, welding, screws, nails, staples etc ..., which seek to solidly join the elements together. On completion, most of the structures are thus generally stiffened and find it difficult to withstand inevitable stresses resulting from, for example, expansion, vibrations and differential settlement. They frequently crack, whereas a dry assembly of elements of reasonable dimensions would avoid this drawback.

Some heavy prefabrication systems with quasi-dry connections exist. Requiring large investments, they only apply to large orders and lead to a repetitive architecture with limited expression; therefore they tend to disappear. The design of light buildings, demountable or not, provides many examples of dry assembly, but these relate to thin panels and cannot be extrapolated to conventional construction. Finally, many so-called "dry" processes, more or less developed, patented or not, use industrialized elements comparable to concrete blocks. But very often, if the elements are actually disposed or mounted dry on the site, their connection then requires the filling of certain cavities with a mortar which, after hardening, gives the construction the rigidity which should be avoided. Totally "dry" processes are rare and have no success because they fail to solve globally and economically the problems of stability, balance, air and rain tightness and free expression. architectural.

The method according to the invention provides an overall solution to these problems. Its principle consists in uniting the construction elements to be assembled, of substantially parallelepiped shape, by pins engaging in friction in blind holes of conical shape made on the upper and lower faces of these elements; while these rest on two special flexible edge seals. These edge seals are intended for receive the load drops from the construction, absorb the flatness defects of their contact zones, ensure the sealing of the laying bed and possibly allow, by choosing the thickness of one of them, to correct the balance. To this end, they can be made from a single slightly compressible material (elastomer for example), in particular if the load drops are low, but more generally from two materials: one elastic (elastomer for example) placed at the periphery of the joint for flatness and sealing defects and the other, very slightly compressible (plastic or metal for example), defined according to the compression constraints of the construction and constituting the core of the joint.

The tightness of the process is completed by flat or lip seals fitting into slides incorporated at the four vertical angles of each element, the length and rigidity of these seals (reinforced if necessary) being such that they are found. tablets on the edge joints when the upper element is installed. Finally, in order to perfect the solidity of the construction, the elements may have a trapezoidal section notch at each end of their upper part in order to receive there a wedge-shaped alignment key, the risk of which can be dislodged. avoided by providing it, on top, with an elastic wedge coming into contact with the underside of the upper element.

According to a variant, the seal at the vertical angles can be obtained by seals with an elastomer or similar product, of tubular type or with lips (reinforced if necessary) introduced by their heel, before laying the next element, in slides incorporated at the two vertical angles of the same end of each element. When installing the element along the side face of it, not provided with slides, comes into contact with the tubular part or the lips of the two seals, press them on their slide as the element embedded in the ankles and this stronger and stronger because of their taper. At the same time the seals, due to the friction forces, are drawn down into their slide and are applied firmly to the lower edge seals. As in the basic version, the length and stiffness of the heel joints are determined so as to obtain good contact on the upper edge joints. With this variant - which introduces into the process an obligatory direction of installation but which requires only two slides per element - it is however necessary, at certain particular points of a work, to use elements with four slides of the basic method, for example to join the two ends of a horizontal row or to meet an element whose height interests several rows of common elements.

The dry assembly process thus described constitutes a tight construction system, with free expansion, in a way pre-cracked and as such liable to undergo relatively large deformations without damage. It can also help design earthquake-resistant construction processes. Its implementation is simple and fast: it does not require any particular know-how, it can take place in very severe climatic conditions, practically without tools and it leads to perfectly clean sites. Finally, it is a removable process, all of whose elements are recoverable.

Figure 1 shows, in perspective, the general principle of the process.

Figures 2, 3 and 4 show, in cross-section, three types of two-component edge seals.

Figure 5 shows, in longitudinal section, the abutment in whistle and dry edge joints.

FIG. 6 represents, in perspective, a tubular-type heel seal engaged in its slide.

Figure 7 shows, in schematic section, the principle of the assembly of two elements with heel joints.

Figures 8 and 9 show two types of dowels, by axial sections on their housings.

Figure 10 shows, in section and perspective, the starting element of a vertical wall (wall with integrated exterior facing), as well as the device for its implementation on a foundation.

Figure 11 shows, in perspective, the particular case of the meeting of an element whose height interests several rows of common elements requiring the use of a special sealing tongue.

Figure 12 shows, in cross section, a building element of a wall with integrated exterior facing.

Figure 13 is a view, from above, of the assembly by tubular heel joints of two elements of a wall with an integrated external facing.

Examination of FIG. 1 showing the assembly of two common elements (2) on a starting element (1) shows that the method is perfectly applicable to concrete block type elements for the construction of vertical walls of buildings. In this case the spacing between the holes blind (3) and (4) which receive the pins (5) is regular and constitutes the step (p) of the process, the construction thus becoming modular. These pins (5) are full or hollow, with or without a collar (16). Their ends can be conical or pyramidal, but their lower ends, which are placed manually or mechanically in the holes (3) can also be cylindrical. They are made of plastic, metal, wood or any other material, even a composite, and their housings (3) and (4) can be sheathed by sleeves (17) integral with the elements to be assembled. Their number per linear meter and their characteristics are a function of the efforts they will have to undergo by their position in the structure.

The edge seals (6) and (7) are preferably two-component (13) and (14) and an adhesive (12), placed during manufacture on their underside, can facilitate installation on the site. They are in principle of great length so as to avoid the connections but these, when they are necessary, are made by abutment in whistle and dry as represented on figure 5; the crushing of the elastic components (13) one on the other providing the desired seal. A clip (26) shown in Figure 11 is optionally added.

During assembly the plumb of the construction is controlled row by row; any defect in verticality tending to deviate from the tolerances allowed being corrected by choosing for one of the two banks of the zone considered - always the same bank for the purpose of simplification - the thickness of the joint (6) or (7) or the thickness of its core (14) which is suitable. The control can be done very simply by a carpenter's level (cant level) or a leveling or direct reading device whose numbers or colors of the graduation correspond to the same numbers or colors of the joints to be used. In view of the precision currently obtained by manufacturers of building materials, the correction must be limited and require only a limited number of special thicknesses.

Alignment keys (9) housed in the notches (8), shown in FIG. 1 and already described, can give the wall an additional solidity, particularly advantageous in the case of half-elements contiguous to an element of great height (case of Figure 11) and having only one pin.

The vertical joints are sealed according to the process and its variant, either with flat or lip seals (11) introduced into slides (10), or with tubular or lip heel seals (15), the principle of implementation of which is recalled in FIG. 7. When the wall to be built has vertical elements of interest to several rows of common elements (in the case of a bay frame, for example), the edge joints (6) and (7) abut on the slides (10) of the element vertical (24) shown in Figure 11 without warranty of tightness; also to remedy it should be placed in the slides (10) a tongue (25) of the same kind as the edge joints (6) or (7), the end of which is cut according to the internal profile of the slides and which join these joints as a whistle, dry and with a clip (26) if necessary. The vertical joints (11) thus stack on each other with the interposition of a tongue (25) at each row of common elements (2) and the assembly is compressed during the installation of the element which covers the vertical element (24).

Finally, for the construction of a vertical wall, it is essential, as indicated in a simplified manner in FIG. 1, to have a starting element (1) integral with the foundation and precisely materializing the pitch (p ) chosen. According to FIG. 10, this starting element consists of prefabricated pieces of small thickness (19) and of a length suitable for the subjections of manufacture, handling and expansion. These pieces (19), made of plastic or metal for example, are assembled by pins or clips to pieces of the same profile (20) serving as their covers. These covers (20) are in turn fixed in a removable manner or not to a frame (21) and (22) corresponding to the length of the foundation (18) and perfectly positioning the pieces (19) for their sealing on this foundation. The sealant (23) is placed before or after wedging the frame and when its grip is sufficient, the simple lifting of the frame leaves the elements (19) in place with or without their covers (20), as the case may be; covers to protect the starting area while waiting for construction to continue. It should be noted that the part (21) on which the covers are fixed may be part of the frame: FIG. 10 represents it in the form of a plate adapted to a three-dimensional structure, but this representation is only schematic and this platinum can very well be replaced by the full or perforated sole of a composite beam, for example.

From this basic element thus integrated into the foundation, the installation of elements are done very simply, preferably with a light crane with quick assembly. The adjustment of the pins in their housings is such that the weight of each element is sufficient for a good fit, without additional effort. All other operations are done manually, without difficulty.

The industrial applications of the invention are numerous. All types of building or civil engineering walls, load bearing or not, with integrated insulation or not, with integrated facing or not, enclosure walls, quays, silo walls, etc. should be attached to the vertical walls. But the horizontal walls can also be interested, because the process applies, for example to the assembly of load-bearing slabs on beams to constitute dry floors, as well as to the assembly of joists, beams, purlins etc. ... between them or at the level of their supports. This list cannot be limiting.

Figures 12 and 13 provide an example of the application of the method to the design of a hollow wall element with integrated exterior facing. In this case, the edge seal (6) of constant thickness is placed on the side of the external facing (27) so that the intervals between the elements (2) constitute a rigorously regular so-called "sharp joint" device. A suitable covering (28), for use as a drip edge in the lower part, mechanically protects the edge seal (6) and the corresponding vertical seal (15), here of tubular type with heel, from the action of the sun. A rejingot (29) associated with the drip edge in a very conventional manner further guarantees the seal (6). Finally, the interior facing of the elements can be provided with the prefabrication of fasteners for fixing the thermal insulation and the lining wall.

Claims (9)

1) A method of dry assembly of building elements of substantially parallelepiped shape, characterized in that the elements are interconnected by dowels (5) engaging in friction in blind holes of conical appearance (3) and (4) formed on the upper faces of the starting elements (1) and on the upper and lower faces of the current elements (2), and in that the elements (2) rest on two flexible, slightly compressible edge seals ( 6) and (7), optionally comprising an adhesive (12) to facilitate installation and blowing into a whistle, dry and with a staple (26) if necessary. 2) dry assembly method according to claim 1, characterized in that the flexible edge joints (6) and (7) are two components, one elastic (13), in direct contact with the elements to be assembled and the other very little compressible constituting the core of the seal (14). 3) dry assembly method according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the thickness of one of the two seals (6) or (7), or the thickness of the core (14) of one of the two seals (6) or (7) is chosen, during the installation of this seal, as a function of the plumb of the starting elements (1) or the plumb of the row of current elements (2 ) already in place. 4) dry assembly method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the current elements (2) have a notch (8) at each end of their upper part in order to receive an alignment key wedge-shaped (9), possibly provided with an elastic wedge on the top. 5) A method of dry assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the current elements (2) are provided with a slide (10) at each of their four vertical angles in which, after their installation, is introduced a flat seal (11) or lip seal, reinforced or not and of a length slightly greater than that of the slide (10). 6) dry assembly method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, constituting a variant of the preceding claim, characterized in that the current elements (2) are provided with a slide (10), at the two vertical angles of one of their ends, into which is introduced, before the installation of the next element, a seal with heel (15) of elastomer or similar product, reinforced or not, of tubular or lip type and of a length slightly greater than that of the slide (10). 7) dry assembly method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pins (5) can be solid or hollow, with or without flange (16), that their ends can be of conical appearance or pyramidal, that their lower ends can be cylindrical, that they can be made of plastic, metal, wood or any other material, even composite, that their housings (3) and (4) can be sheathed by sleeves ( 17) integral with the elements to be assembled. 8) Starting element with its implementing device within the framework of an application of the method to the construction of vertical walls, according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that this element (1) to be fixed on the foundation (18) consists of prefabricated pieces of small thickness (19) assembled by nipples or clips on a piece of the same profile (20), forming a cover for these pieces (19), itself fixed in a removable manner or not to a frame (21) and (22) allowing the perfect wedging of the element before or during its sealing on the foundation. 9) Device according to claims 5 or 6, for sealing in the case where the edge seal abuts on a slide, characterized by a tongue (25) of the same nature as the edge seals (6) or (7), the end of which is cut according to the internal profile of the slide (10) and which is joined to the joint (6) or (7) as a whistle, dry and with a staple (26) if necessary.

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