Method and system for protecting buildings with garage doors against large lateral forces
OwnerPeter William SCHUYLERinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and system for securing or buttressing buildings having sectional garage doors against lateral forces as experienced in seismic events or high winds, by releasably securing the panels of the sectional garage door to each other and securing them in a closed position against buttressing columns when the garage door is in its closed configuration, thereby allowing the door to act as a shear wall assembly when closed.
Claims11
A method for improving the shear and overturning resistance of a panel door comprising one or more panels that are guided by rollers in tracks, the method comprising
- securing the panels to each other in the case of a multi-panel door to withstand shear forces between the panels when the door is in a closed configuration, and
- releasably securing the one or more panels to buttressing columns or to containment channels that are secured to or integrally formed with the buttressing columns, wherein the for containment channels act to support lateral edges of the panels, and the releasable securing releasably retains the one or more panels in a closed configuration when the one or more panels are in a closed configuration.
A multi-panel sectional garage door comprising,
- multiple panels movable along guide rails between a closed position in which the panels are aligned substantially horizontally on top of one another to cover a door opening that is framed on both sides by a support column, and an open position in which the majority of the panels are aligned substantially horizontally, along a ceiling of the garage to expose the door opening, the panels each comprising an upper and a lower edge and two lateral edges, the upper and lower edges of adjacent panels being provided with at least one of:
- shear-resisting pins engageable in recesses aligned to allow the pins to be received in the recesses when the panels are in a closed configuration, and shear-resisting hinges between the panels to resist horizontal movement, the garage door further comprising means for controllably preventing the panels from moving upward when the door panels are in a closed position.
A multi-panel sectional door comprising,
- multiple panels movable along guide rails between a closed position in which the panels are aligned edge-to-edge to cover a door opening, and an open position in which the panels are moved along the guide rails to expose the door opening, the panels each comprising adjacent engaging edges, which engage with adjacent panels in the closed configuration, and two guided edges that are guided by the guide rails, the engaging edges of adjacent panels being provided with at least one of:
- shear-resisting pins engageable in recesses aligned to allow the pins to be received in the recesses when the panels are in a closed configuration, and shear-resisting hinges between the panels, the door further comprising means for controllably maintaining the door in a closed position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.