A Building System

TECHNICAL FIELD

THIS INVENTION relates to a prefabricated building module and particularly relates to a building module used as a vertical support on each side of a roller shutter door used in self-storage systems. This invention also relates to a wall assembly and particularly to a wall assembly for self storage systems. BACKGROUND ART

Self-storage (or mini storage) systems usually comprise a number of storage sheds formed from steel or like material and sharing a common roof. Adjacent sheds also generally share a common wall assembly. The front of each shed is provided with a roller door which allows access to the shed and which can be securely locked. The entire building is usually situated within a secure perimeter (such as a security fence).

In order to minimise cost and maximise rate of assembly of such mini-storage systems, many of the components are prefabricated and transported to site for erection. For instance, the roof trusses, and wall frames are usually prefabricated in the factory and transported to site. Hitherto, the front wall of each shed has not been able to be successfully prefabricated. The front wall is formed from a number of spaced vertical columns with a roller door (and its corresponding tracks) being supported by an adjacent pair of spaced columns. The roller door brackets are fixed to an upper part of each column. These columns have, to date, been made from masonry blocks which requires the additional steps of cementing the blocks together. Columns formed in this way can be load-supporting and can function to support part of the roof. However, it has now been found that the internal walls of each shed are sufficiently load- bearing to support the roof in their own right. There is

therefore no need for the front columns to be load- supporting.

A further disadvantage with existing wall assemblies for self storage units is that it has been necessary to assemble such wall partitions in a conventional manner which includes initially erecting a framework of studs and noggins and thereafter affixing wall panels thereto. It is known to make such sheds out of steel or aluminium and it is also known to have wall panels and wall frames also made from steel.

While the above arrangement does result in a shed with partitioning walls, the assembly time is increased especially when a large number of such walls are to be assembled, for instance, in the situation of large self-storage complexes.

A further consideration is that the common roof covering up to fifty or more of such units is supported by beams or a framework which is supported by the front and rear wall of the building. Thus, many internal walls or partitions are not required to be load bearing.

It is also necessary to provide a high degree of security against break- ns into such self-storage units. This has been achieved by using steel wall partitions and steel roller doors. We have now developed a wall assembly which is simple in design, can be effectively used as partitions between adjacent self-storage units and which is simple to install.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide a prefabricated building module which may take the place of the hitherto existing front columns.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a wall assembly which may take the place of conventional wall assemblies formed from studs and noggins and wall panels.

In one form the invention resides in a

prefabricated building module comprising a longitudinal member extendable between a floor and a roof the longitudinal member comprising a pair of spaced longitudinal side walls, each side wall including an inwardly directing front flange. a rear wall interconnecting the pair of spaced longitudinal side walls, and one or more bracing members extending between the side walls. The spaced longitudinal side walls, the inwardly directing front flanges and the rear wall may be integrally formed from sheet material which can be configured into the desired shape by any suitable technique such as roll forming. The side walls are preferably substantially parallel relative to each other and suitably extend at substantially right angles from the rear wall. The rear wall and the front flanges are also suitably in a substantial parallel relationship relative to each other. The front flange suitably extends at right angles inwardly relative to its respective side wall. It is preferred that the front flanges only extend partially across a front face of the longitudinal member and do not meet. In this manner, access to the interior of the longitudinal member can be made. It is also found that this arrangement results in a weight-saving while not significantly affecting the strength of the module.

The one or more bracing members suitably extend substantially horizontally between the side walls. Suitably, the bracing members are also positioned between the back wall of the front flanges. The or each bracing member may comprise a substantially U-shaped channel section having a pair of opposed side walls connected by a web. The or each bracing member may be secured to the longitudinal side walls, front flanges or rear wall of the longitudinal member. It is preferred that the

bracing member is secured to the front flanges. A suitable securement method is by spot-welding.

The module may include a lower bracing member adjacent a lower end of the longitudinal member. The lower bracing member may be of a substantially upright U- shaped channel section. The lower bracing member may be secured to the floor by suitable fasteners to secure the module to the floor.

The module may include an intermediate bracing member extending approximately mid-way along the longitudinal member. The intermediate bracing member may facilitate securement of the module to a wall frame.

The module may further include a pair of spaced upper bracing members adjacent an upper end of the module. The pair of upper bracing members may facilitate securement of the module to a wall frame and/or securement of a roller door fastening bracket to the module.

The module may include a front cover member. The front cover member may extend over the front flanges of the longitudinal member. Suitably, the front cover member comprises a front wall, a pair of side walls adapted to overlie the side walls of the longitudinal member and a pair of rear inwardly-directing flanges adapted to overlie part of the rear wall of the longitudinal member. In this manner, the front cover member may be of a "snap-fitting" configuration to the longitudinal member. If desired, fasteners or other securing means may be used to fasten the front cover member to the longitudinal member.

A plurality of such modules may be spaced apart in a substantially vertically orientation. An upper cross member may interconnect upper ends of the plurality of modules. A cross member may comprise a front wall, a top wall extending rearwardly from the front wall and adapted to overlie an upper end of the module, and a channel

member adjacent a lower end of the front wall.

A decorative fascia panel member may overlie the front face of the cross member and may be fastened thereto. A gutter may be secured adjacent an upper end of the cross member.

The top wall of the cross member may suitably support one or more roofing sheets.

In another form, the invention resides in a wall assembly comprising a plurality of wall panels interconnected by concealed panel joints which are formed by turned in flanges on each edge of adjacent panels which grip each other and prevent the panels from being dislodged other than by sliding the adjacent panels towards each other. Preferably the assembly comprises an elongate floor plate, an elongate top plate, a plurality of said wall panels having lower edges securable to the floor plate and upper edges securable to the top plate and where adjacent side wall panels are inter-connected by one or more of said concealed panel joints.

With this arrangement, there is no need to provide a framework or studs and noggins as the wall panels can be secured directly to upper and lower plates.

Suitably, the floor plate is formed with a bottom wall and a side wall and the lower edges of the wall panels can be secured to the side wall. Suitably, the wall panels are also supported by the bottom wall of the floor plate.

Suitably, the floor plate is formed with a pair of opposed sides to form a channel which can be substantially U-shaped in cross-sectional configuration.

The elongate top plate may be provided with a top wall and a side wall with the upper edges of the wall panels being secured to the side wall. The top plate may be substantially L-shaped in configuration.

The wall assembly suitably extends between spaced end walls. For a side wall assembly, the spaced

end walls typically comprise a front and back wall of the shed or like member. For a back wall assembly, the end walls may comprise a pair of opposed side walls.

The concealed panel joints may be located adjacent side edges of the wall panels. The side edged may be turned in such that adjacent panels can "hook" or overlap relative to each other.

If necessary, or considered desirable, fasteners or expansion members may be associated with the side walls to provide the concealed panel joint.

Suitably, the wall panels are fastened to the floor and top plates through one or more fasteners which may comprise screws or bolts.

The fasteners may be positioned to provide maximum security against removal.

Thus, the fasteners fastening the wall panel to the floor plate may all extend through one side of the wall panel while the fasteners extending the wall panel to the top place may all extend through the opposite side of the panel. In this arrangement, removal of one set of fasteners will still inhibit removal of the wall panel.

However, even with all the fasteners removed, the panels may still not be dislodgable due to the panel joints. The wall panel may be configured to provide strength. Typically, the wall panel is corrugated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which

Figure 1 is a front view of a storage shed comprising a pair of spaced prefabricated building modules interconnected by an upper cross member;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side view of a module of Figure

1;

Figure 4 is a cross-section view of a cross

member;

Figure 5 is a view of a storage building system incorporating one or more wall assemblies according to the invention; Figure 6 is a plan view of a typical wall panel;

Figure 7 is a plan view of a plurality of wall panels fastened to a floor and top plate;

Figure 8 is a side elevation view of a typical floor plate;

Figure 9 is a side elevation view of a typical top plate;

Figure 10 is a side elevation view of a wall assembly according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 11 is a view of a typical panel joint;

Figures 12 and 13 show various connections of the wall panels to other members.

BEST MODE Referring to Figure 1 there is shown a shed having a floor 10 typically formed of concrete. Positioned on floor 10 and secured thereto are a pair of prefabricated building modules 11, 12 according to an embodiment of the invention. The upper end of each building module is interconnected by a cross member 13. Module 11 is an end wall module and is of reduced width relative to module 12 which extends across and to each side of a side wall 25 of the shed.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the arrangement of Figure 1 again showing modules 11, 12 and cross member 13. In this figure the configuration of modules 11 and 12 is more clearly illustrated. Each module comprises a longitudinal member 14a, 14b arranged vertically in use. The longitudinal member is formed from sheet material which is configured by roll-forming to include a pair of spaced longitudinal side walls 15a, 16a, 15b, 16b, a rear wall 17a, 17b and a pair of inwardly directing front flanges 18a, 19a, 18b, 19b.

As shown in Figure 1 each module includes a number of internal bracing members (see for instance 20- 23) being a lower bracing member 20, an intermediate bracing member 21, and a pair or spaced upper bracing members 22, 23. Module 12 is formed likewise with similar bracing members. Each bracing member is of a channel-shaped section (see figure 3) and is secured to the respective front flanges of the longitudinal member by spot-welds. The bracing members extend horizontally within the longitudinal member between the side walls and also between the rear wall and the front flanges. In this manner, the bracing members are contained totally within the module.

Lower bracing member 20 is secured to the floor 10 by a suitable fastener such as a shot nail to secure the module to the floor.

The uppermost bracing member 23 can be fastened to side wall member 27 while the lower bracing member 22 forms a support for a roller door (not shown). As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the modules are also secured to a respective rearwardly extending side wall 25A, 25B. In the embodiment, side wall 25A is an external wall, while side wall 25B is an internal wall. Side walls 25A and 25B comprise vertical framing members (eg. 26, 27, see Figure 3). Forwardmost framing member 27 is secured to a respective module 11 (or 12) by suitable fasteners. Intermediate bracing member 21 is positioned such that it is located adjacent a fastener 28 which fastens the side wall to the module at a position slightly above a horizontal noggin 29. This maximises the securement between the two member as this portion is difficult to flex due to noggin 29. The respective side walls 25 can be faced with wall panels such as corrugated iron 30, 31 as shown in Figure 2. To provide a decorative finish to the front of the modules 11, 12, each module is provided with a front cover member 30, 31 which is fitted over the front face

of the longitudinal member. Each cover member includes a front wall, a pair of rearwardly directing side walls which themselves terminate in inwardly directing lips therefore allowing the front cover panel to pass around a respective longitudinal member and to be snap-fitted to a rear portion thereof. Fasteners can be used if required. The cover member is formed of thin walled metal which is painted, powder coated or otherwise treated.

Upper ends of modules 11, 12 are interconnected by a cross member 13 as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Cross member 13 is a purlin which has a cross-sectional configuration as shown in Figure 4. Cross member 13 includes a front wall 32, and a top wall 33 extending rearwardly from wall 32. Top wall 33 terminates in a depending flange 34. The lower portion of front wall 32 terminates in a channel-type section 35. Cross member 13 can be fitted to overlie an upper end of a respective module 11, 12 as shown in Figure 3. That is, the top wall 33 of cross member 13 sits on top of an upper end of module 11 with the rear flange 34 extending behind the upper end of module 11. A decorative fascia 36 (see Figure 3) may be secured to overlie front face 32 of cross member 13. A gutter 37 may be fixed to the fascia and/or cross member 13. Roofing sheets 38 can be secured directly to top wall 33 of cross member 13. Roofing sheets are also periodically supported by purlins 39 which provide the correct angle to the roofing sheets to facilitate water shedding.

It can therefore be seen that the prefabricated building modules according to the invention readily lend themselves to attachment to the side walls of a shed. The modules do away with the requirement for cementing vertical columns of blocks or bricks.

Referring to Figure 5, there is shown a typical demountable self-storage building system. The building system is formed with a common roof 40 which spans between front and back bearers 41, 42. The interior of

the building is partitioned into various sheds or units, ie. 43 which are accessible through a roller door or like member. Each shed or unit is formed with a pair of side walls 44, 45 and a back wall 46 and it can be seen that the side walls and back wall also from the side walls and back walls of adjacent sheds or units.

The wall assembly according to an embodiment of the invention can comprise side walls 44, 45 and/or back wall 46. Referring to Figure 6 there is shown a typical wall panel 47 forming part of the wall assembly. Wall panel 47 can be corrugated to provide strength thereto. The panels can be formed from steel which may be galvanised or painted if required. Typically, each wall panel is in the order of 810cm long and has a height to suit the particular application.

Referring to Figure 7 there is shown three wall panels 48 - 50 affixed to each other and also affixed to a floor plate 52 and a top plate 53 (see Figure 10 for a side elevation view).

Figure 8 shows a typical floor plate which is formed with a bottom wall 53 and a pair of opposed side walls 54,55 to form a channel. The lower edges of the respective wall panels can sit within the channel as shown in Figure 10. Due to the corrugation of the wall panels, the "thickness" of the wall panel is approximately 30 mm and therefore the width of the channel is also in the order of 30 mm. In this manner, the respective wall panel can fit snugly within the channel.

As shown in Figures 7 and 10, the lower edge of the respective wall panels are fastened to the larger of side walls 55 of the floor plate by a plurality of fasteners 56. The fasteners are typically "Tek" screws or self-tapping screws.

It can be seen from Figure 7 and Figure 10 that all the fasteners 56 which fasten the wall panels t the

floor plate extend through side wall 55 only.

Top plate 51 is typically formed from right- angle channel section and a typical section is shown in Figure 9. Figure 10 shows how an upper edge of a wall panel 47 is fastened to top plate 51 by fasteners 57. Again, all the fasteners 57 extend through top plate 51 only through one side thereof. Top plate 51 may be secured to a roof beam or like member is desire.d.

The reason for having the fasteners arranged in a particular manner is shown in Figure 10 and is to provide a high degree of security. Thus, any removal of fasteners from one side of wall panel 47 will not result in the wall panel being able to be removed as access will not be had to the fasteners on the other side of the wall panel.

Also the panel joints prevent panels from being pulled out as it is necessary to move the panels sideways to release the side edges. As long as some of the panels are fixed, it will not be possible to slide any panel in the wall assembly.

Adjacent panels 48-50 are interlocked by panel joints. Figure 11 shows a particular panel joint assembly. In this figure, the side edges of wall panels 49 and 50 are turned in such a way that they overlap and hook to each other. In the installation sequence, the panels are interconnected as shown in Figure 11 and are then pulled away from each other such that the extreme longitudinal edges 60,61 of each panel abut firmly against the remaining portion of the other panel. Thus, when the panels are fastened to the floor and top plates, it is not possible to separate adjacent panels. This particular arrangement provides a neat, secure and concealed fastening system and does not require any external screws of fasteners. Figure 12 and 13 show two methods by which the wall assembly can be fastened to another member. For instance in Figure 12, wall assembly 62 can be fastened

to an external frame 63 through an L-shaped angle 64 as shown.

Figure 13 shows an arrangement where a number of different wall assemblies 65, 66 and 67 can be interconnected again through the use of angle channels 68, 69.

It can therefore be seen that the wall assembly according to the invention is simple, versatile and inexpensive to manufacture and easy to install. The wall assembly can comprise the side and rear walls of a shed or unit. The concealed panel joints provide a degree of security in preventing the joints from being separated.