CONSTRUCTION APPARATUS AND METHOD

Abstract

The invention relates to a construction apparatus with a first and second construction part each including a receiving portion. An interlocking means is included, adapt to be received in the receiving portions of the first and second construction parts when put together to maintain the first panel and second panel together. The invention relates to a construction apparatus made of bamboo. The invention also relates to methods of use of the invention. The invention also relates to an engineered bamboo panel.

Claims

1-64. (canceled)

65. A construction apparatus for building, the construction apparatus including: a first construction part including a receiving portion, the first construction part being made substantially of a thin composite bamboo material; a second construction part, including a receiving portion the second construction part being made substantially of a thin composite bamboo material, being an engineered bamboo sheet using thin layers of bamboo fibres substantially arranged as two outer layers of horizontal bamboo fibres surrounding a central layer of vertical bamboo fibres to give the material particular strength for construction; an interlocking means of bamboo composite formed of an engineered bamboo material and configured to strongly resist damage in all directions, adapted to be received in the receiving portions of the first and second construction parts when put together, wherein the interlocking means maintains the first construction part and second construction part together, without the need for additional fixings.

66. The construction apparatus of claim 65, wherein the arrangement of bamboo fibres is reversed.

67. The construction apparatus of claim 65, wherein the overall thickness of the bamboo sheet is substantially 18 millimetres.

68. The construction apparatus of claim 65, wherein the first and or second construction parts are substantially rectangular panels, with first and second ends, a top surface and lower surface, and a top edge and lower edge.

69. The construction apparatus of claim 68, wherein each end includes receiving portions for receipt of an interlocking means whereby a plurality of first and second construction parts may be attached together.

70. The construction apparatus of claim 65, wherein front and back panels are used, and these attach to corresponding parts to make blocks of a wall.

71. The construction apparatus of claim 65, wherein tongue and groove connections are used between each of the first construction part and second construction part include a tongue at either the top or lower edge and a corresponding groove at the appropriate top or lower edge.

72. construction apparatus of claim 65, wherein the receiving portion lies in at least on end of the first construction part and at least one end of the second construction part.

73. The construction apparatus of claim 72, wherein the receiving portion runs substantially the length of the at least one end of the first construction part, open to the top surface of the first construction part and to the lower surface of the first construction part and the receiving portion runs substantially the length of the at least one end of the second construction part, open to the top surface of the second construction part and to the lower surface of the second construction part.

74. The construction apparatus of claim 65, wherein when a first end of the first construction part and second end of a second construction part are put together the receiving portions in the ends together form a combined receiving portion for receipt of the interlocking means.

75. The construction apparatus of claim 65, wherein the combined receiving portion shape as viewed from above is substantially the same shape in cross-section of the interlocking means.

76. The construction apparatus of claim 75, wherein the combined shape of the receiving means is substantially a bow-tie shape as it strongly resists removal in the horizontal direction.

77. The construction apparatus of claim 65, wherein the receiving portion shape repeats as more first and second construction parts are added to create a wall, sheet or surface.

78. The construction apparatus of claim 65, wherein repeats of first and second parts, including spaced apart from one another assist to form a cavity wall.

79. The construction apparatus of claim 65, wherein the receiving portion of the first construction part and the receiving portion of the second construction part are mirror images of one another.

80. The construction apparatus according of claim 65, wherein corner pieces or shaped construction parts may be included as well as straight parts for either the first or second construction part.

81. The construction apparatus of claim 80, wherein the corner parts may abut at an angle to form the combined receiving portion shape, suitable for receipt of the interlocking means.

82. The construction apparatus of claim 65, wherein the interlocking means is configured to fit into the receiving portions of the first and second part together, whereby the parts are held together strongly.

83. A method of use of a construction apparatus, each construction apparatus including, a first construction part including a receiving portion, the first construction part being made substantially of a thin composite bamboo material, a second construction part including a receiving portion, the second construction part being made substantially of a thin composite bamboo material, and an interlocking means of bamboo composite, the method of use including the following steps: a) aligning a receiving part of the first construction part with a receiving part of second construction part to create a receiving channel; b) putting the interlocking part into the receiving channel, and c) repeating steps a) and b) with further first and second construction parts until the construction has been built, whereby the first and second construction parts are held together without the need for further fixings.

84. The method of claim 83, wherein there is included a step before step a) of placing a pair of first construction parts in a spaced arrangement, whereby a block is created and repeated in either the vertical, or horizontal directly with use of more first and second construction parts.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0072] The invention will now be described in connection with a non-limiting preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0073] FIG. 1 is a perspective view from above of a wall built according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

[0074] FIG. 2 is a view from above of the wall of FIG. 1 showing the internal structure, including corner pieces;

[0075] FIG. 3 is an end view of the wall of FIGS. 1 and 2;

[0076] FIG. 4 is front view of the wall of FIGS. 1 to 3;

[0077] FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a section of wall of FIGS. 1 to 4;

[0078] FIG. 6 is a schematic end view of the wall of the section of wall of FIG. 5;

[0079] FIG. 7 is a schematic front view of the section of wall of FIGS. 5 and 6;

[0080] FIG. 8 is a is schematic view from above of the section of wall of FIGS. 5 to 7;

[0081] FIG. 9 is a detailed view from above of a corner piece of FIGS. 1 to 8;

[0082] FIG. 10 is a capping part of used in FIG. 11;

[0083] FIG. 11 is an example of a tied down section of wall, of the invention of FIGS. 1 to 8;

[0084] FIG. 12 is a perspective sketch of a block of the invention, of FIG. 1 being formed, showing the interlocking tongue and grooves, to attach panels, spacers and the interlocking receiving part;

[0085] FIG. 13 is a detailed perspective view of the interlocking receiving part and grooves of FIG. 12;

[0086] FIG. 14 is a detailed perspective view of the corner piece and interlocking receiving parts;

[0087] FIG. 15 is a view from above of a corner panel of the wall of FIGS. 1 to 13 illustrating the cut-out receiving part, and groove part of the tongue and groove construction;

[0088] FIG. 16 is a view from above of a panel of the wall of FIGS. 1 to 13 illustrating the cut-out receiving part, and groove part of the tongue and groove construction;

[0089] FIG. 17 is a view from above of another panel of the wall of FIGS. 1 to 13 illustrating the cut-out receiving part, and groove part of the tongue and groove construction;

[0090] FIG. 18 is a plan view of the interlocking part, used in the cut-outs of FIGS. 1 to 17;

[0091] FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the interlocking part of FIG. 18;

[0092] FIG. 20 is a plan view of the panel of FIG. 16 and the panel of FIG. 17, being put together as during construction;

[0093] FIG. 21 is a plan view of the panels of FIG. 20 abutting one with the other;

[0094] FIG. 22 is the plan view of the panels of FIG. 21 with the interlocking part pushed into the receiving channel to hold the panels strongly together;

[0095] FIG. 23 is a plan view of the corner panel of FIG. 15 with a corresponding other corner panel being put together as during construction;

[0096] FIG. 24 is a plan view of the corner panels of FIG. 23 abutting one with the other, at a right-angle;

[0097] FIG. 25 is the plan view of the abutting panels of FIG. 24 with the interlocking part pushed into the receiving channel, to hold them strongly together;

[0098] FIG. 26 to FIG. 41 show a sequence of perspective schematic views of using the preferred embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 25, to build a wall.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION INCLUDING A BEST MODE

[0099] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 41, a preferred embodiment of the invention will be described, where construction apparatus 1 is shown to build wall 5, of construction blocks 10. Multiple block 10 arrangements can be used to create walls 5 of any suitable height or width, through use of the apparatus and method of the invention. Construction apparatus 1, used to build wall 5 can be seen to be an extremely useful construction which utilises tongue and groove between blocks and panels, at their upper and lower extremities, and strong interlocking connecting parts to fix panels firmly together, as explained in greater detail below. We refer to the surface created as a wall, but equally the construction could be manipulated and adapted to create floors, ceilings, trusses, and all kinds of internal walls and parts of buildings, not limited to those described. The invention is so versatile and adaptable that it is able to be used in place of many different forms of conventional construction materials.

[0100] Each construction block 10, used to build wall 5, has front panel 12, rear panel 14, and spacer panels 16. Many construction blocks 10, each made of front panel 12, rear panel 14, and spacer panels 16 used repeated to form the construction, through use of tongue and groove construction. Suitable grooves inside panels 12 and 14 at spaced intervals enable spacer panels 16 to be slid in from above to space panels 12 and 14 from one another. The number of spacer panels 16 can be varied to suit the particular application. Panels 12 and 14 with spacer panel 16 form a supported construction. The supported construction is not of sufficient strength at this stage, the interlocking needs to occur to cement the structure together. However, spacer 16 projects above the upper edge of front panel 12 such that another front panel 12 can be slid down onto spacer panel 16. This interplay between the layers assists to hold the structure together during construction, and before being locked in place by use of the interlocking part for that row.

[0101] Spacer panels 16 are illustrated as 300 millimetre high and 176 millimetres side, configured to protrude 50 millimetres above the top of panels 12 and 14. Each space panel has a tongue at either end which slide into corresponding grooves on the inner surface of panels 12 and 14 aligned so that space 16 sits straight across. The spaced apart support that spacer panels give between panels 12 and 14 assist to create the strong construction.

[0102] As illustrated front panel 12 and rear panel 14 are made of bamboo. Bamboo sheeting is known and any suitable bamboo sheeting may be used for the invention. As described, special engineered bamboo sheeting is used which gives the construction greater strength. The particular form of bamboo sheeting used has been devised by the inventor for maximum strength, and has three layers of 6 millimetres each, the other two with fibres running horizontally, around a central layer with vertical fibres.

[0103] The particular form of bamboo sheeting used for the invention is an engineered panel for maximised strength in a lightweight, flexible panel. The method of construction involves steps to harvest bamboo canes, which are then soaked or steamed to remove the sugar, before being oven dried. The oven dried strips are then glued into sheets of three layers, to be engineered to have a central layers each 6 millimetres thick arranged to be vertical and overlapping. The outer two layers are of the same thickness, 6 millimetres but each of these layers runs horizontally. Use of these opposed layers within the fibrous bamboo significantly increases the strength of each bamboo sheet. Each bamboo sheet for making panels 12 and 14 are only 18 millimetres thick after construction but the strength of the engineered panel is very high. As bamboo is a natural fibrous material once formed into sheets in this manner it does not lose its natural flexibility and so the resultant sheet is similarly flexible as well as having superior strength.

[0104] Each panel 12 or 14 therefore has a horizontal grain outmost. As illustrated panels 12 and 14 are 800 millimetres long by 300 millimetres high and 200 millimetres wide. These are the full block sizes but as will be apparent there will also be the need for three quarter sized blocks (not shown) (600 millimetres long by 300 millimetres high and 200 millimetres wide), half sized blocks 11 (400 millimetres long by 300 millimetres high and 200 millimetres wide), and quarter sized blocks (not shown) (200 millimetres long by 300 millimetres high and 200 millimetres wide). Other forms and sizes of blocks may be used within the scope of the invention to suit any particular application. The front and rear panels of the other sizes of block are, and are assembled, exactly as for the described full sized block 10.

[0105] Each panel 12 or 14 uses tongue and groove construction to build panel on panel with tongues at the lower edge of each panel to correspond to the grooves at the upper edge of each of panels 12 or 14. Adhesive (not shown) is applied to the tongue and groove connected panels.

[0106] Capping panel 18 is shown as would be used to finish the upper most surface of wall 5. As illustrated this is a bamboo capping panel 18 of 2400 millimetres by 200 millimetres by 18 millimetres, slid on top of assembled blocks 10 using a tongue and groove arrangement. The tongues (not shown) of capping panel 18 are slid along and into the grooves on the top of panels 12 and 14 to held firmly in place. The tongue and grooves may be reversed as would be understood by a person skilled in the art. In addition to capping panel 18, metal top plate 10 is included of 200 millimetres by 75 millimetres by 10 millimetres, in a suitable steel material. Metal top plate 19 is used for the tie down and final securing of the construction. The invention may be used tied in to any suitable floor. For example, using metal rods through the construction and tied into a standard metal footing in concrete. These may be standard steel 12 millimetre threaded rods, secured and tied into a metal and concrete footing. Other securing to a surface may use fixings, glue for example. The blocks in contact with the floor surface may be adapted to assist with the fixing to the floor. As illustrated additional bamboo strips are placed within the lowest block and secured using nails and glue to the floor below, while metal tie in rods through the construction tie between the metal footing and the top metal plate. In this way the construction assembly 1 is very strongly secured to the footing and movement side to side is acted against, to help maintain the construction in place.

[0107] Due to the created strength of the assembly, other finishing or capping, as used in concrete constructions may not be necessary.

[0108] In other forms of the invention the construction may not need to be so securely tied in, for example, for a non-supporting division or interior wall. In this case the construction assembly may be simply glued or nailed to the underlying floor which itself may be bamboo, or wood or other materials.

[0109] Corner pieces 20/21 and 22/23 are included at either end to show how further walls 5 may be included to build other forms of construction. Repeated corner pieces 20/21 and 22/23 are built up one on top of the other slid together through use of tongue and groove attachments. Corner pieces 20/21 form a right-angle to turn the corner for a wall are orthogonal with a front surface 22 and rear surface 23. For corner pieces a vertical grain may be used or the same format as for the panels. As illustrated the external dimensions of corner pieces 20/21 and 22/23 together are 800 millimetres high by 600 millimetres wide. Corner spacers 24 are used, and these are horizontal in grain of bamboo, as the wall panels 12 and 14, and are sized as illustrated as 176 millimetres by 412 millimetres. Corner spacers 24 work in the same manner as described for spacers 16. These also project above the top of the particular panel to assist the construction of row on row.

[0110] Referring to FIG. 11 in particular, an example of a tie down is shown including metal top plate 19 with metal 12 millimetre threaded rod threaded through the hole in 19 (not labelled) and secured with nut 26. At the other end metal rod 25 forms part or is tied into footing 27, set in a concrete footing 28. The footing formation is known and may be adjusted to depend on the different types of construction arrangement to which construction apparatus 1 is to be attached.

[0111] Referring to FIG. 12 in particular, a schematic partially assembled block 10 is illustrated, showing the spaced apart panels 12 and 14 before spacer 16 is put in place. Grooves 30 can be seen on the inside of panel 14, three to each panel, corresponding to the tongue of the tongue and groove panel 16 used as a spacer. There are corresponding grooves on the inside of panel 12 at the same location so that three spacer panels 16 can be slid in during assembly.

[0112] Grooves 32 are schematically indicated at the uppermost edge of panels 12 and 14. These are suitable sized to receive tongue 34 as can be seen at the lower edge of panel 12 in FIG. 12. It is through use of grooves 32 and corresponding tongues 34 that multiple panels may be constructed one on top of the other.

[0113] Cut-out receiving portion 36 can be seen to form a trapezoid shape from above. The shape is cut-out and continued from top to bottom of each of panels 12 and 14. The cut-out may be formed in any suitable manner during construction of panels 12 and 14. Similarly, groove 38 lies along the top edge of corner pieces 20/21 and 22/23 to again along joining through tongue and groove on reciprocating pieces. Each corner piece 20/21 or 22/23 also includes trapezoid cut-outs 40, the same shape as those in panels 12 and 14. Similarly, the straight ends of the straight pieces of the corner pieces 20/21 22/23 (not shown) also include a cut-out and are connected to block 10 through use of further interlocking parts, in the cut-out of the straight part of the corner part and of the straight parts of the front and back panels.

[0114] Interlocking part 42 is important, as it is the same trapezoid shape as formed by two cut-outs of either panels 12 and 14 or corner pieces 20/21 or 22/23 when put together. The forming of the shape can be seen in particular in the sequences of Figures. In these figures it can be seen that the corresponding cut-outs are formed so as to sit together and form the exact cross-sectional shape of interlocking part 42. Interlocking part 42 can therefore be aligned straight above each reciprocating cut-out 36 or 40 and slid in along its length/height. The long strong lock fixes the two panels together as once in place pulling forces in any direction are resisted by the angled shape. The process is repeated across numerous blocks until wall 5 is built.

[0115] A summary of the steps of construction may be:

1. Attach a footing layer to a base or floor (this may be tied in to a concrete footing as shown, but may also be glued and use other fixings in other applications);
2. Sliding pairs of front and rear panels to the footing layer, sliding the tongues of the bottom edges into grooves to be lightly held in place
3. Applying adhesive may be applied during step 2, or afterwards to fix the construction;
4. Sliding spacers into grooves on the inner surface of the front and rear panels to strut the blocks formed by the front and back panels.
5. Locating corresponding cut-out portions from adjacent panels and the channel created;
6. Attaching the panels together by sliding the interlocking part into the channel formed by the two cut-outs together so as to be held;
7. Repeating for rows of blocks and across with more panels.

[0116] Additional steps may be included such as to cap the top piece, using shortened spacers. Corner pieces may be used at the end and these can be formed and fixed in a similar manner, sliding the pieces into the grooves and then fixing in place through use of the lock and key formation of the channel of the cut-out and the interlocking piece.

[0117] The inventor has developed a building material, block and construction method that uses a cheap to produce sustainable product, with a low carbon footprint. Bamboo is flexible and extremely durable and fire resistant and can be treated to resist insects. The resultant construction can be strong enough to meet stringent building standards.

[0118] It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that changes may be made to the embodiment disclosed herein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its various aspects.

TABLE-US-00001 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST: 1 Construction apparatus 5 Wall 10 Construction blocks 11 Half size construction block 12 Front panels 14 Rear panels 16 Spacer panels for 10 18 Capping panel 19 Metal top plate 20/21 Corner piece 22/23 Corner piece 24 Spacer 25 Metal rod 26 Nut 27 Metal tie in 28 Concrete footing 30 Groove (spacer) 32 Groove (12 and 14) 34 Tongue 36 Cut-out (12 and 14) 38 Groove (20/21, 22/23) 40 Cut-out (20/21, 22/23) 42 Interlocking part