SUPPORT MEMBER

Abstract

A structural support member is disclosed. It has at least two longitudinally extending flanges spaced apart from one another by an assembly comprising a web and at least one reinforcing member. The web comprises at least one wave-shaped web portion arranged perpendicularly to the flanges, and at least one apex of the at least one wave-shaped web portion comprises at least one reinforcing member. The structural support member is typically formed as a beam.

Claims

1. A structural support member comprising at least two longitudinally extending flanges spaced apart from one another by an assembly comprising a web and at least one reinforcing member, wherein the web comprises at least one wave-shaped web portion arranged perpendicularly to the flanges, and wherein at least one apex of the at least one wave-shaped web portion comprises at least one reinforcing member.

2. A structural support member according to claim 1, wherein the structural support member is a beam.

3. A structural support member according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing member is substantially tubular.

4. A structural support member according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing member is at least partially hollow along its length.

5. A structural support member according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing members are positioned on the inner sides of the apexes of the web, closer to the central axis of the beam and/or flanges.

6. A structural support member according to claim 1, wherein the or each apex encapsulates the reinforcing member.

7. A structural support member according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the wave in the web is substantially symmetrical.

8. A structural support member according to claim 1, wherein the distance between two apexes of the wave forming the web where the apexes are disposed on opposing sides of the flange is between 50-100% of the width of the flanges.

9. A structural support member according to claim 1, wherein the section of the web between each apex is substantially flat or linear.

10. A structural support member according to claim 2, wherein a portion of the web at one or both ends extend along the longitudinal axis of the beam.

11. A structural support member according to claim 1, wherein at the contact sites between the or each reinforcing member and the web, the joins between the reinforcing member and the web creates a portion of the assembly with a greater cross-sectional thickness than the web alone.

12. A structural support member according to claim 1, wherein the web comprises cut-out portions.

13. A structural support member according to claim 2, wherein the components of the beam are formed as one integral piece.

14. A structural support member according to claim 2, wherein a beam is formed of several integrally-formed pieces connected together to extend the span of the beam.

15. A structural support member according to claim 14, wherein the components of the beam are formed separately and fixed together.

16. A structural support member according to claim 14, wherein the web is fabricated from multiple modular sections, each comprising one whole apex and two half apexes.

17. A structural support member according to claim 3, wherein the tubular comprises a cylinder and at the locus where the web meets the reinforcing member there is a triangular space formed between the curved side of the cylinder and the flat portion of the web, just before the web begins to curve around the cylinder.

18. A structural support member according to claim 14, wherein larger modular sections of the web are fabricated by zigzag shaped modular sections comprising more than one complete turn.

19. A structural support member according to claim 2, wherein one or more beams are incorporated into modular interlocking sections.

20. A structural support member according to claim 19, wherein the said modular interlocking sections comprise the same or a similar area as shipping containers.

21. A structural support member according to claim 19, wherein the modular interlocking sections are supplied and fitted in modular sections to create the desired size of deck floor sections.

22. A structural support member according to claim 19, wherein the modular interlocking sections comprise the beam according to the invention alternating with a conventional beam to form the overall modular interlocking section.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0032] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a first beam in accordance with the invention, with a flange removed to show the inner wave structure and reinforcing members;

[0033] FIG. 2 shows a second perspective view of the beam of FIG. 1;

[0034] FIG. 3 shows a close-up view of two apexes of the web of the beam of FIG. 1 (flanges not shown) and reinforcing members;

[0035] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the beam of FIG. 1 with both flanges illustrated;

[0036] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a second beam in accordance with the invention, where the web comprises cut-out portions;

[0037] FIG. 6 shows a plan view of a beam in accordance with the invention, the beam comprising a complete web and illustrating the flattened retrofittable ends of the web;

[0038] FIG. 7 shows an example of a substantially V-shaped component part of a web with cylindrical reinforcing members and slot welds; and

[0039] FIG. 8 shows an example of a zigzag shaped component part of a web with cylindrical reinforcing members and slot welds.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLES OF THE INVENTION

[0040] Referring now to FIGS. 1-4, FIG. 1 shows a partial view of a beam 1 with one flange removed for ease of observation of the web 11 and reinforcing members 14.

[0041] The web 11 is welded on seams 10w along the web 11 to a flange 12u. At each of the apexes 11c (where the term apex is used to include troughs from the point of view of the observer) of the web 11 a reinforcing member in the form of a cylinder 14 is welded to the web 11 with slot welds 10c and welded to the flange 12u by a further weld 10f. The welds 10w, 10f are repeated for the opposing flange 12l when it is affixed to form the beam 1.

[0042] At the interface of a cylinder 14 and the web 11, the thickness of the web 11 increases accordingly. The welds 10c between the cylinder 14 and the web 11 create sections with a greater thickness than the web 11 and the cylinder 14 individually. This stiffening mechanism further supports the loading capacity of the beam 1, in that the web 11 structurally supports the cylinders 14 while the cylinders 14 strengthen the web 11.

[0043] At the apexes 11c, the web turns around a tight circumference and traverses diagonally across the centre of the flange 12u (and flange 12l/the beam 1 when fully assembled) towards the other edge of flange 12u. The web sections 11f between the apexes 11c of the web 11 are substantially linear. The web 11 undulates across approximately 90-95% of the entire width of the flange 12u in this example. The reinforcing cylinders 14 are positioned on the inner surfaces of the apexes 11c, and their location relative to the central axis of the flange 12u (and therefore the central axis of the beam 1) alternates with each turn of the web 11, along the longitudinal extent of the flange 12u. The horizontal distance between apexes 11c is constant along the length of the wave portion of the web 11.

[0044] Due to the wave profile, the beam 1 can have a deeper height between the upper 12u and lower 12l flanges, which increases the beam's 1 bending resistance while maintaining web buckling and shear resistance, and avoiding lateral torsional buckling. Furthermore, both flange 12u, 12l and web 11 thicknesses can be reduced, in order to lower beam weight while maintaining the beam's 1 ability to resist the applied transverse loads along its span. The configuration of the beam 1 according to the present invention enables lighter beams and/or longer beam spans to be provided without detriment to the beam's strength characteristics compared with known beams.

[0045] At the ends of the beam 1, the web 11 can in certain embodiments revert to a flat central web (see e.g. FIG. 6) for a short distance to enable the beam 1 to be fitted into structural connections configured to receive I-beams without requiring the connective components throughout the larger structure to be changed out, further reducing cost.

[0046] FIG. 4 illustrates a beam 1 in its assembled state with upper 12u and lower 12l flanges welded to the web 11 and the cylinders 14.

[0047] FIG. 5 illustrates a further example of a web 111 in accordance with the present invention, where like features have had their reference numerals increased by 100 for ease of comparison to the features of FIGS. 1-4.

[0048] As illustrated in FIG. 5, the flat portions 111f of the web 111 may be perforated by having apertures 111a cut or formed through them, for example moulded, punched, and so forth. In this example, the apertures 111a are approximately circular and arranged in a “gun barrel” configuration, with a single central aperture 111a surrounded by a concentric circle of 6 further apertures 111a. Other suitable configurations may of course be used where appropriate.

[0049] The apertures 111a serve the dual purpose of further reducing the weight of the beam 1 while also providing a route for services such as power conduits, communications conduits, and the like. Beams with the perforated web 111 may be particularly useful in commercial applications where a large number of services may require routing.

[0050] A beam may be formed with several separate sections of web connected together. For example, the components of the beam may be formed separately and fixed together.

[0051] FIG. 6 shows an example of a beam, again with one flange 412u illustrated and one removed to show the web 411. The web 411 comprises reinforcing cylinders 414 as previously described. A portion 411e of the web 411 at both ends extends along, or parallel with, the longitudinal axis of the beam, providing the beam with a similar profile to a conventional I-beam at each end. This permits the beam to be retrofitted into connections for I-beams, thereby avoiding the need for new connections where, for example, this beam is used to replace a damaged or corroded conventional beam.

[0052] FIG. 7 shows an example of a section of a wave-shaped web 211, fabricated as one component 202 in an approximate V-shape (with one “complete” apex 211c), where the reinforcing cylinders 214 are slot welded 210 to the apexes 211c, 211p of the web 211. The full length web is fabricated from several such component parts 202 connected together. Each end 211p of the web 211 is a partial circumference of a cylinder 214 and approximately half of the length of an apex 211c of the web 211. These component parts 202 can be welded or, otherwise affixed together, to form the required length of web 211 for the required length of beam.

[0053] At the ends of the component parts 202, where sections 202 are joined together, three welds 210 are used to fix the respective cylinder 214 both to the end 211p of the web 211, and to fix the ends 211p of two sections 202 together, while on the continuous portion 211c of the component part 202 the cylinder 214 is slot welded 210 to the adjacent flat portions 211f of the web 211.

[0054] The slot welds 210 are facilitated by chamfering the substantially triangular-shaped gap between the cylinder 214 and the flat portions 211f of the web 211 to create weld slots. The slot welds 210 can enhance the strength of the web 211, and therefore the beam, by creating an additional thickened section of wall on the inner side of the web 211 between the cylinder 214 and the web 211.

[0055] As previously described, at the ends of the complete beam the web 311 may be flattened out, for example to align with the central axis of the beam. The beams can thus be retrofitted into connections configured for convention beams such as I-beams or H-beams.

[0056] Alternatively, a web may be fabricated from larger component parts. FIG. 8 shows a zigzag shaped component part 302 comprising more than one complete apex 311c. As before the ends 311p of the component parts 302 form a half-turn or half-apex. Two ends 311p are thus joined together by a weld 310 to form a complete apex and continue the web 311. As many component parts 302 as required may be connected together.

[0057] The formation of the wave shape in the web 11, 111, 211, 311, 411 can be adjusted according to the thickness of the web material as required.

[0058] As previously described the examples illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 are also fixed e.g. welded to flanges on opposite sides of the web 211, 311 to form the beams.

[0059] In all examples of the invention the flanges 12u, 121, 412u; the webs 11, 111, 211, 311, 411; and the reinforcing cylinders 14, 114, 214, 314, 414 are all interconnected such that they all act structurally as one structural unit, including in those examples where the beam is formed of modular component parts. All connections between parts facilitate load transfer between the structural elements of the flanges 12u, 121, 412u, the webs 11, 111, 211, 311, 411; and the reinforcing cylinders 14, 114, 214, 314, 414.

[0060] Modifications and improvements may be made to the examples hereinbefore described without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.