Precast, prestressed concrete truss
AssigneeEricksen Roed & Associates, Inc.
InventorMichael A. DeSutter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A precast, prestressed concrete truss which spans between exterior columns and forms an interior or exterior load bearing wall of a building. The truss includes top and bottom chords interconnected by at least one web member. Prestressed reinforcing members in the top and bottom chords apply a compressive stress in the chords. The top and bottom chords are configured to support concrete planks that form a floor and/or a ceiling of a building in which the truss is used. When used as an interior load bearing wall, the truss can include at least one opening that forms, for example, a corridor passage large enough for a person to walk through the opening. When used as an exterior load bearing wall, the truss can include at least one window opening.
Claims43
A precast, prestressed concrete truss, comprising:
- a load bearing top chord configured to support elements that form a floor and/or ceiling, a load bearing bottom chord configured to support elements that form a floor and/or ceiling, and a plurality of web members interconnecting the top chord and the bottom chord;
- the top chord, the bottom chord, and the web members being integrally formed from concrete;
- wherein the truss has first and second ends, the top and bottom chords extend from the first end to the second end, and the bottom chord is linear from the first end to the second end;
- prestressed reinforcing members embedded in the concrete of the top and bottom chords, the prestressed reinforcing members applying stress in the top and bottom chords;
- and
- at least one opening in the truss between two adjacent web members and between the top and bottom chord, the opening having dimensions sufficient to form a corridor passage in a building in which the truss is used.
A precast, prestressed concrete truss, comprising:
- a load bearing top chord, a load bearing bottom chord, and at least one web member interconnecting the top chord and the bottom chord, the top chord, the bottom chord, and the web member being integrally formed from concrete;
- wherein the truss has first and second ends, the top and bottom chords extend from the first end to the second end, and the bottom chord is linear from the first end to the second end;
- prestressed reinforcing members embedded in the concrete of the top and bottom chords, the prestressed reinforcing members applying a stress in the top and bottom chords;
- and
- the top and bottom chords are each configured to support elements that form a floor and/or a ceiling in a building in which the truss is used.
A building comprising:
- a plurality of load bearing walls, at least one of the walls comprises a precast, prestressed concrete truss that includes:
- a) a load bearing top chord, a load bearing bottom chord, and a plurality of web members interconnecting the top chord and the bottom chord;
- the top chord, the bottom chord, and the web members being integrally formed from concrete;
- the top and bottom chords are each configured to support elements that form a floor and/or a ceiling in the building;
- and the truss has first and second ends, the top and bottom chords extend from the first end to the second end, and the bottom chord is linear from the first end to the second end;
- b) prestressed reinforcing members embedded in the concrete of the top and bottom chords, the prestressed reinforcing members applying a stress in the top and bottom chords;
- and
- c) at least one opening in the truss.
A method of constructing a building, comprising:
- a) providing a plurality of precast, prestressed concrete trusses, with each truss including:
- i) a load bearing top chord, a load bearing bottom chord, and a plurality of web members interconnecting the top chord and the bottom chord;
- the top chord, the bottom chord, and the web members being integrally formed from concrete;
- the top and bottom chords are each configured to support elements that form a floor and/or a ceiling in the building;
- and wherein the truss has first and second end, the top and bottom chords extend from the first end to the second end, and the bottom chord is linear from the first end to the second end;
- ii) prestressed reinforcing members embedded in the concrete of the top and bottom chords, the prestressed reinforcing members applying a stress in the top and bottom chords;
- and
- iii) at least one opening in the truss;
- b) erecting exterior support columns;
- and
- c) installing the trusses as load bearing walls in the building, with each end of each truss supported by one of the exterior support columns.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.