US 7,458,187 B2Granted

Force-resisting devices and methods for structures

AssigneeEi-Land Corporation

InventorsJohn Hulls, Rory R. Davis

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Abstract

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a force-resisting device for transmitting forces and dissipating and absorbing energy across a discontinuous structural element of a structure. The device includes at least one active element, the active element having defined force versus deflection properties and able to transmit force and dissipate and absorb energy, one end of the active element configured to be connected to a structure, and at least one frame element disposed about a discontinuous structural element, wherein the frame is configured to be connected to a second end of the active element, wherein the active element and the frame element configured to resist forces applied to the structure by transmitting forces across the discontinuous structural element.

Claims41

Dependent claims

A force resistant building system, comprising:

at least two structural members, a first vertical structural member of a shear panel opposing a second vertical structural member of the shear panel;
at least one shear member, the at least one shear member formed from a sheet of structural material, and at least one active element, the at least one active element formed within the shear member, wherein the at least one shear member has, when viewed in cross-section, a first edge region and a second edge region separated by the at least one active element, the at least one active element including surfaces that are out-of-plane with each of the first edge region and the second edge region, wherein the at least one active element is between the first edge region and the second edge region along a first dimension, wherein the at least one active element extends at least partially along a length of the first edge region and the second edge region, the length direction perpendicular to the first dimension, wherein the at least one shear member interconnects two structural members with the first edge region fastened to a first of the two structural members and the second edge region fastened to a second of the two structural members, and wherein one of the first edge region and the second edge region extends at least partially along the length of the respective structural member to which it is fastened, the length direction perpendicular to the first dimension.

A generally rectangular building system, comprising:

a first vertical load bearing building structure element of a shear panel;
a second vertical load bearing building structure element of the shear panel;
and a planar diaphragm panel including one or more ductile non-planar elements folded or formed within the planar diaphragm panel and having a first edge region and a second edge region, wherein the planar diaphragm has, when viewed in cross-section, the first edge region and the second edge region separated by the one or more ductile non-planar elements, wherein the one or more ductile non-planar elements is between the first edge region and the second edge region along a first dimension, wherein the one or more ductile non-planar elements extend at least partially along a length of the first edge region and the second edge region, the length direction perpendicular to the first dimension, wherein the first edge region of said planar diaphragm panel is attached to the first load bearing building structure element and the second edge region is attached to the second load bearing building structure element, wherein one of the first edge region and the second edge region extends at least partially along a length of the respective load bearing building structure element to which it is fastened, the length direction perpendicular to the first dimension.

A force resistant building system, comprising:

at least two structural members, a first structural member opposing a second structural member;
a top structural element fastened to each of the at least two structural members at a first edge of the system and at least one bottom structural element fastened to at least one of the at least two structural elements at a second edge of the system;
a sheathing or shear membrane including at least one opening for a window or a door, the at least one opening at least partially circumscribed by a framing element region of the sheathing or shear membrane;
at least one framing member of the at least one opening for the window or the door;
at least one shear member, the at least one shear member formed from a sheet of structural material;
and at least one active element, the at least one active element formed within the shear member, wherein the at least one shear member has, when viewed in cross-section, a first edge region and a second edge region separated by the at least one active element, the at least one active element including surfaces that are out-of-plane with each of the first edge region and the second edge region, wherein the at least one active element is between the first edge region and the second edge region along a first dimension, wherein the first edge region of the shear member is fastened to the framing element region and the second edge region of the shear member is fastened to the framing member, and wherein the first edge region extends at least partially along a length of the framing element region to which it is fastened and the second edge region extends at least partially along a length of the at least one framing member to which it is fastened.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/337,665Filed 24 Jan 2006 · continuation
Priority: 11 Feb 2002
Published: US 2006/0137288 A129 Jun 2006
Granted: 2 Dec 2008
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

E04H 9/021
Withstanding earthquake or sinking of ground: bearing, supporting or connecting constructions specially adapted for such buildings
F16F 7/003
Vibration-dampers; Shock-absorbers: one-shot shock absorbers
E04H
Buildings or like structures for particular purposes
F16F
Springs

Family

Application10/074,684Parent of this continuation · filed 11 Feb 2002
US 2006/0137288 A1Pre-grant publication · published 29 Jun 2006
US 7,043,879 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2003/0150173 A1Published application
US 7,458,187 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.