Building structure and method of use
AssigneeHeydon Building Systems, Inc. of California
InventorJohn J. Heydon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved building structure and method of use comprising separately fabricated floor, wall and ceiling structures capable of withstanding shear and seismic forces. The wall structure comprises an elongate track and a plurality of posts rigidly attached to a foundation structure of the building. Disposed between the posts are a plurality of interlocking foam wall sections which encapsulate the posts of the wall structure. Attached to the top ends of the posts are upper and lower header beams which serve as a support structure for the roof and ceiling structures. Brace members are attached to the posts and header beam to provide the wall structure with increased seismic stability.
Claims46
An improved building system including a dimensionally stable, monolithic wall structure, said wall structure comprising:
- a wall frame comprising:
- an elongate track extended along and attached to a horizontal foundation means;
- a plurality of elongate, vertical posts of predetermined lengths having top and bottom ends, said bottom ends being attached to said track at predetermined locations along the length thereof;
- and
- at least one elongate, horizontal header beam attached to the top ends of said posts;
- a plurality of pre-fabricated wall sections, each of said wall sections being disposed between a pair of adjacent posts of the wall frame and including first and second vertical edge portions which abut the posts of the post pair;
- and
- at least two pairs of elongate brace members attached to said wall frame in opposed relation, said brace members of each pair extending diagonally between said track and said header beam and through at least two adjacent wall sections in a generally X-shaped configuration;
- wherein the abutment of said first and second vertical edge portions against the posts of the post pair and the attachment of the brace members to the wall frame produces a synergistic effect by utilizing the compressive, tensile and sheer force properties of said wall frame and said wall sections, thus forming a monolithic wall structure.
A method of forming a monolithic wall structure from a wall frame, interlocking foam wall sections, and at least one pair of brace .members, wherein a synergistic effect is achieved utilizing the compressive, tensile and shear force properties of the wall frame and wall sections, comprising the steps of:
- (a.) attaching an elongate track to a horizontal foundation means;
- (b.) attaching the bottom end of a first post to the foundation at a predetermined location along the track via a first pre-fabricated registration means;
- (c.) disposing a first pre-fabricated wall section upon said track in a manner wherein a vertical slot formed within a first vertical edge portion of the first wall section encapsulates said first post, with said first post being abutted against an interior surface of said vertical slot;
- (d.) securing the bottom end of a second post to the foundation at a predetermined location along the track via said first registration means in a manner wherein said second post is abutted against a vertical tongue formed along a second vertical edge portion of said first wall section;
- (e.) disposing a second wall section upon said track in a manner wherein a vertical slot formed within a first vertical edge portion of the second wall section receives and encapsulates the second post and the vertical tongue of the first wall section, with the second post being abutted against an interior surface of the vertical slot formed within the second wall section;
- (f.) securing the bottom end of a third post to the foundation at a predetermined location along the track via said first registration means in a manner wherein said third post is abutted against a vertical tongue formed along a second vertical edge portion of said second wall section;
- (g.) securing at least one elongate, horizontal header beam to the top ends of the posts via a second prefabricated registration means;
- (h.) extending two pairs of elongate brace members through complimentary pairs of channels disposed within said first and second wall sections in opposed relation and extending between said header beam and said track in a generally X-shaped configuration;
- and
- (i.) attaching said brace members of each pair to said wall frame.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.