Methods of erecting prefabricated buildings and equipment employed in such methods

An improvement in the method of assembling a prefabricated building from a plurality of box-shaped building sections each having dimensions compatible with being transported on highways by transport vehicles, the improvement comprising the steps of performing the functions of:

• positioning a plurality of said sections to make up one story at the building site whereby one story has at least one longer side and at least one shorter side as seen in plan view;
• disposing overhead lifting means proximate said shorter side, positioning one of said transport vehicles carrying one of said sections directly under said lifting means and proximate said shorter side, engaging one section by said lifting means and elevating same thereby vertically from said transport vehicle to above the height of the next story of the building which is being assembled whereby its bottom is higher than the adjacent top of said one story;
• placing said one section on at least one further section of said one story by moving said lifting means laterally to a location whereby said one section is spaced above said further section;
• lowering and disengaging said one section from said lifting means onto said further section whereby it is received and directly supported at least in substantial part by said further section;
• providing said one story with moving means for further laterally moving said one section, said moving means being attached to a side of the building remote from said shorter side thereof where said lifting means is disposed, laterally shifting said one section across said one story to its appointed position in the next story by said moving means, thereafter disengaging said one section from said moving means for the subsequent shifting of further said sections by said moving means to make up said next story;
• and upon completion of said next story elevating said moving means by substantially the height of one completed story and releasably connecting same to the just completed story for use in shifting sections of the next story to be erected across the top of said just completed next story.

An improvement in the method of assembling a prefabricated building from a plurality of elongated box-shaped building sections each having dimensions compatible with being transported on highways as a unit by transport vehicles, which comprises the steps of:

• positioning at least five of said sections in a row whereby each section is connected to an adjacent section along a longer side with such longer sides of the sections in a parallel relationship and the shorter sides and top and bottom portions of the sections in substantial alignment, a longer side of an end section of said row of sections comprising a shorter side of the building, and the aligned shorter sides of said sections in a row comprising the front and a longer side of the building;
• situating an overhead lifting means proximate a said shorter side of said building, moving a transport vehicle carrying a further elongated section under said lifting means and positioning same whereby the longer sides of said further section are substantially parallel to the longer sides of said sections in a row and the shorter sides of said further section are substantially coplanar with the shorter sides of said sections in a row;
• engaging said further section in its upper aspect by said lifting means and elevating said further section directly upwardly whereby its bottom is higher than the height of the tops of said sections in a row, moving said further section laterally by said lifting means whereby it is spaced directly above a top of a said section in said row, and lowering said further section onto the top of such section in said row,
• providing guide means on the tops of said sections in a row to form a channel for receiving and guiding said further sections and by moving means releasably attached to the shorter side of said row of sections remote from said lifting means, sliding said further section along the tops of said sections in a row within said channel to its predetermined position in the completed building and upon completion of a story of sections so placed on the tops of said sections in a row elevating said moving means the height of one completed story for use in shifting sections of the next story to be erected over the top of the just completed story.

An improvement in the method of assembling a prefabricated building from a plurality of elongated box-shaped building sections each having dimensions compatible with being transported on highways as a unit by transport vehicles which comprises the steps of:

• positioning a group of at least five of said sections in a row whereby each section is attached to an adjacent section and the group of sections has a rectangular shape as seen from above with the outboard longer sides of opposite sections in the group forming the shorter sides of the rectangle;
• positioning overhead lifting means immediately adjacent one of said outboard sides and providing space under said lifting means to receive a transport vehicle carrying a further said section, moving the transport vehicle carrying said further section under said lifting means, engaging said further section in its upper aspect by said lifting means and elevating same thereby from said transport vehicle to where its bottom is higher than the top of the next story of the building being assembled, placing said further section on the top of the nearest section of said row of sections by said lifting means and disengaging said lifting means from said further section whereby said further section is received and supported by said nearest section;
• and
• attaching to said further section means for laterally moving it across the tops of said row of sections and by said moving means shifting said further section to its predetermined position on said row of sections in the completed building, said moving means being releasably connected at the shorter side of said row of sections and upon completion of the building story directly above said row of sections, said moving means is elevated one story for use in shifting sections over the tops of such completed story.

An improvement in the method of assembling a prefabricated building from a plurality of boxshaped building sections each having dimensions compatible with being transported on highways as a unit by transport vehicles which comprises the steps of performing the following functions:

• positioning a plurality of sections at the building site to form a first story of the building assembled;
• placing a lifting device immediately adjacent said first story, said lifting device including cables and providing space to receive transport vehicles carrying further sections directly under said cables;
• attaching said lifting device to engage the upper aspect of a further section which is supported on the bed of a transport vehicle and lifting said further section vertically by said cables from said transport vehicle to a height whereby the lowest part of said further section is higher than the adjacent top of said first story;
• moving said further section laterally to a position spaced above the adjacent top of said first story while supporting it by said cables and then lowering said further section onto said adjacent top of said first story by said cables and disengaging said further section from said lifting device;
• and
• engaging said further section by moving means and thereby moving said further section across the tops of said sections of said first story to its predetermined position in the completed building, said moving means being releasably connected at the side of said first story remote from said lifting device and being elevated the height of one story upon completion of the second story for use in moving sections to make up the third story across the second story.

An improvement in the method of assembling a multistory prefabricated building from a plurality of elongated box-shaped building sections each having dimensions compatible with being transported on highways as a unit by transport vehicles which comprises the steps of:

• positioning a plurality of sections at the building site side by side in a row to form a first story of the building to be assembled whereby the shorter sides of said story comprise longer sides of said sections;
• situating lifting means immediately adjacent a shorter side of said first story whereby the lifting means is supported by four columns in a fixed relationship, said lifting means providing space between said column to the building to receive a transport vehicle carrying a further section for the next story of the building, lifting said further section vertically from the transport vehicle by said lifting means and then moving it laterally by said lifting means to a location spaced over the top of said first story, lowering said further section onto said first story and positioning it in its predetermined place thereon in the completed building;
• thereafter similarly lifting additional sections by said lifting means and similarly positioning them on said first story until at least the portion of the second story adjacent said lifting means is substantially completed;
• raising said lifting means at its bottom by raising said four columns a distance substantially the height of the next story of the building and inserting a further bottom portion comprising four additional column portions at the bottom of said lifting means;
• and then lifting still further sections and positioning them on the top of said second story by said lifting means substantially to complete a third story of the building at least in the vicinity of said lifting means.

An improvement in the method of assembling a prefabricated building from a plurality of box-shaped building sections each having dimensions compatible with being transported on highways as a unit by transport vehicles which comprises the steps of performing the functions of:

• positioning a plurality of sections at the building site in a side-by-side relationship to form a first story of the building to be assembled whereby the shorter sides of said story comprise longer sides of said sections;
• situating a lifting device immediately adjacent a shorter side of said first story, said lifting device including four columns in a fixed relation to the building and between said columns to receive a transport vehicle carrying a further section, providing above said further section in said lifting device two depending pairs of cables so that they depend perpendicularly relative a horizontal plane containing the top of said further section and substantially intersect the corners of a horizontal rectangle, each pair of said cables being connecting to a supporting assembly and including a pair of hook-like extensions;
• engaging the upper aspect of said further section in its forward portion by one pair of said extensions and in its after portion by the other pair of said extensions;
• lifting said further section vertically from the transport vehicle by said cables to a height whereby the bottom of said further section is higher than the adjacent top of said first story;
• and
• moving said cables with said supporting assemblies and said further section laterally to above said first story and lowering said further section thereon, and disengaging said further section from said supporting assemblies.

An improvement in a method of assembling a prefabricated building from a plurality of box-shaped building sections each of which has dimensions suitable for efficient transportation on highways by transport vehicles, the improvement comprising steps performing the functions of:

• placing and connecting a plurality of said building sections side-by-side at the building site to comprise the ground floor of the prefabricated building;
• providing adjacent ssaid ground floor a pair of lifting support means and spacing said support means sufficiently apart so that a transport vehicle carrying one of said sections can be driven between said support means, mounting across said support means lifting means at a relative position whereby it can lift one of said sections from a transport vehicle driven between said support means to a height whereby its bottom is higher than the top of the adjacent ground floor structure;
• installing elevator means in association with said support means adapted to elevate said support means simultaneously a height at least equal to the overall height of said ground floor;
• driving a transport vehicle carrying one of said sections between said support means and directly under said lifting means, connecting said lifting means to said section carried by said transport vehicle and lifting it therefrom to a height whereby the bottom of said lifted section is above the top of said floor, placing said section on the top of said ground floor by said lifting means, disconnecting said section from said lifting means and by moving means releasably connected to said ground floor opposite said lifting means moving it along the top of said ground floor to its predetermined location in the completed building;
• removing the transport vehicle which carried said section between said support means and successively bringing further transport vehicles with further said sections, between said support means and repeating the above steps whereby each said further section is moved to its predetermined location on top of said ground floor to complete the second story of the building;
• removing said moving means from said ground floor and releasably connecting it to said second floor opposite said lifting means for use in completing a third floor of the building;
• and simultaneously elevating said support means by said elevator means a height which is at least the height of said second floor above said ground floor for the lifting of additional sections to complete a third floor of the building.

An improvement in a method of assembling a prefabricated building from a plurality of elongated box-shaped building sections each of which is suitably dimensioned for efficient transportation on highways by transport vehicles, the improvement comprising steps performing the functions of:

• placing and connecting a plurality of said sections side-by-side at the building site to comprise a floor of the prefabricated building whereby longer sides of said sections comprise shorter sides of the floor;
• transporting a further of said sections to adjacent said building site and said floor by one of said transport vehicles;
• lifting said further section directly vertically by lifting means situated adjacent a shorter side of said floor from said transport vehicle to a height wherein its bottom is higher than the top of said floor;
• moving said further section and said lifting means laterally above said floor and then lowering said further section by said lifting means directly on the top of at least one section of said floor whereby it is supported at least in part by said one section, shifting said further section by moving means releasably connected to said floor opposite said lifting means across the top of said floor;
• repeating said transporting, lifting, moving and shifting steps for a further plurality of sections to comprise the second floor of the building;
• and
• removing said moving means from said first story and elevating and releasably connecting same to said second floor for use in constructing a third floor of the building.

An improvement in a method of assemblying a multi-story prefabricated building from a plurality of boxshaped building sections each of which is suitably dimensioned for efficient transportation on highways by transport vehicles, the improvement comprising steps performing the functions of:

• placing and connecting a first plurality of said sections side-by-side at the building site to comprise a first floor of the prefabricated building;
• placing lifting means adjacent one end of said first floors;
• transporting a second plurality of said sections to said building site and lifting such sections by said lifting means onto the top of said first floor and moving same across the top of said first floor to their predetermined positions in the completed building whereby a second floor of the building is formed;
• elevating said lifting means by approximately the height of one story and inserting supports in the bottom of said lifting means as so elevated;
• and
• transporting a third plurality of said sections to said building site and lifting such sections by said elevated lifting means onto the top of said second floor and moving same across the top of said second floor to their predetermined positions in the completed building whereby a third floor of the building is formed.