Lintel for double-skin wall

In a load-carrying lintel for use in a vertical wall having spaced and substantially parallel inner and outer vertical skins defining a cavity therebetween, said lintel comprising:

• a first lintel member adapted to be fixedly connected to said inner skin;
• a second lintel member adapted to be fixedly connected to said outer skin at an elevation below said first lintel member;
• said second lintel member including a plate portion disposed within and substantially spanning said cavity and being inclined upwardly and inwardly from said outer skin toward said inner skin;
• and
• means coacting between said plate portion and said first lintel member (1) for preventing moisture from passing therebetween into the space below said plate portion and (2) for permitting relative movement between said inner and outer skins in a horizontal direction toward or away from one another;
• said coacting means includes a first platelike flange fixedly connected to said first lintel member and projecting downwardly therefrom, said first platelike flange being spaced a substantial distance from the adjacent surface of said inner skin to define a downwardly opening slotlike recess therebetween, said coacting means further including a second platelike flange fixedly secured to said plate portion adjacent the upper edge thereof, said second platelike flange projecting upwardly from said plate portion and extending a substantial distance into said slotlike recess so that said first and second platelike flanges substantially overlap, said second platelike flange having a thickness substantially less than the width of said recess as defined between said first platelike flange and the adjacent wall of said inner skin;
• said first lintel member having a substantially Z-shaped cross section and including first and second platelike portions disposed in substantially parallel and laterally spaced relationship and interconnected by an intermediate connecting portion, said first platelike portion being fixedly secured to the surface of said inner skin, said second platelike portion being spaced downwardly from said first platelike portion and spaced outwardly from the adjacent surface of said inner skin, said second platelike portion constituting said first platelike flange;
• said second lintel member including a substantially horizontal load-carrying plate fixedly connected to said inclined plate portion adjacent the lower edge thereof, said horizontal plate being adapted to be embedded within said outer skin, and said second platelike flange being fixedly connected to the upper edge of said inclined plate portion and extending substantially vertically upwardly therefrom so as to project into said downwardly opening slotlike recess.