The invention relates to a device for temporarily supporting an outer wall or boundary wall of a building.

Such a device is in particular used with the restora¬ tion or replacement of a part of the outer wall, wherein the overlying part of the outer wall should be supported until the supporting function of the underlying part of the outer wall is restored again.

A presently practiced device includes equalizing props connected by cross-stays, said props supporting the out- er wall at the upper end and resting on the foundation of the building with their lower end. These equalizing props and cross-stays extend along the area where the work on the outer wall is to be be carried out, so that the freedom of movement at the position of the outer wall is substantially restricted. The prior art device has a further disadvantage in that some¬ times considerable digging operations must be done to allow the placement of the equalizing props while floors and ceil¬ ings must unnecessarily be broken.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device in which these disadvantages are removed in an effec¬ tive way.

For this purpose the device according to the inven¬ tion is characterized by lateral supports having anchoring means for anchoring the supports in walls of the building ad- jacent to the outer wall a suspension structure carried by the lateral supports and extending therebetween, and a carrier suspended from the suspension structure and carrying the outer wall in a plurality of points.

Because the facade is supported or held up by the adjacent bearing walls, no vertical connection between the lower side of the outer wall part to be supported and the foundation is necessary any more so that the surroundings of the other wall part where the work is to be be carried out may remain free from support parts. This results in an improvement of the quality of the work to be carried out due to a better accessibility. Time is saved as well because it is not neces-

sary any more to dig into the ground or to prize up and res¬ tore the floors.

An advantageous embodiment of the device according to the invention is characterized in that the suspension struc- ture consists of a triangular beam assembly including a girder and two legs, the carrier being suspended from the apex of the triangle.

This embodiment has the advantage that the suspension structure can be made light-weight and- low cost because the legs of the triangular beam assembly are substantially pressure-loaded and the girder is substantially tensile- loaded. As a result of the absence of large bending moments, the beams do not have to be massive and wooden beams may, for example, be sufficient although it is of course also possible to use steel or plastic beams.

The invention will hereafter be elucidated with reference to the drawings showing embodiments of the device according to the invention by way of example.

Fig. 1 is a front view of a building of which the lower facade part is removed and the overlying facade part is supported by the device according to the invention in accor¬ dance with a first exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the line II-II in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows on a larger scale a portion of the view of Fig. 1, but with a second exemplary embodiment of the device according to the invention.

Figs. 4, 5 show on a larger scale details IV, V, res¬ pectively in Fig. 3. Figs. 1 and 2 show a portion of a building, in this case an old terraced house, of which the facade on the level of the ground floor should be replaced. It should be noted that the invention is not only for use with fagades but with all kinds of building walls of buildings. In the drawing one may recognize of the building: the bearing side walls A and B, the facade foundation C, the ground-floor D, the first floor E, and the lower portion of the facade F on the level of the first floor which must be supported. Of course, the faςade F may extend over more

floors. In the facade F there are window frames G having hard stone drainage ledges H.

The device for temporarily supporting the faςade F as proposed by the invention comprises firstly two lateral sup- ports 1 formed by steel U-sections and including steel plates 2 and chemical anchors 2 ¹ functioning as anchoring means. These steel plates 2 are inserted into horizontal grooves made in the side walls A and B for anchoring the lateral supports 1 to the side walls. A and B. On each lateral support 1 there is provided a sufficient number of steel plates 2 to obtain strong anchorage. Of course, other anchoring or attaching methods are also conceivable. The lateral supports 1 carry the outer portions of the facade F adjacent to the side walls A.

A triangular double beam structure having two girders 3 and two pairs of legs 4 rests on the lateral supports 1. The legs 4 rest with their lower ends on the girders 3 near the ends thereof, which rest on the supports 1 and are fixed to the girders 3 by means of band irons 5. The lower ends of the legs protrude into grooves 6 in the upper side of the girders 3 in order to be rigidly supported, especially in the outer directions. The beams extending on either side of the facade F and forming the girders 3 and legs 4 are interconnected by a plurality of tie-bolts 7, causing the beams to clamp the facade F in between, possibly with interposition of wooden blocks 8. The blocks 8 are sometimes necessary because the girders 3 and legs 4 cannot abut the inner or outer side of the facade F directly due to protruding parts, such as the drainage ledges H, boarding and window sills. For the sake of completeness it is noted that the ends of the girders 3 may project slightly into the side walls A and B in which holes are cut.

From the suspension structure formed by the girders 3 and legs 4 a carrier is suspended which takes care of the ac¬ tual vertical support of the facade F. This carrier includes adjustable ties 9 which are attached to a steel reinforcement 10 in the apex of the triangle formed by the girders 3 and legs 4. From each pair of ties 9 on either side of the facade F a HEA-section 11 is suspended, said section being provided with brackets and being arranged through a hole below the piers of the facade F between the window-frames G. Both HEA-

sections 11 are interconnected by connecting beams 12 so that these connecting beams are adapted to absorb the horizontal forces exerted by the ties 11 on the HEA-sections 11 within the plane of the facade F. The girders 3 adapted to clamp the part of the facade F below the sections 11 in between, for example by means of straps, may be supported by the sections 4 to prevent them from sagging.

From the drawing it is clear that on the level of the ground-floor no obstacle is present near the faςade which could hinder the work. The side walls A and B have sufficient additional bearing power for temporarily taking the weight of the faςade F. The triangular structures cause a favourable absorbtion of forces.

Fig. 3-5 show a second exemplary embodiment of the device according to the invention which is particularly suited to be used for different buildings and can be adapted thereto". As is shown in Fig. 3, the exemplary embodiment again includes a triangular double beam structure having a girder 3 and two pairs of legs 4 and a carrier suspended therefrom and includ- ing ties 9. The triangle formed by the girder 3 and legs 4 in this case is adjustable such that the length of the girder may be adapted to the distance between the lateral supports 1 and consequently to the width of the faςade to be supported. For this purpose there is a steel sliding sleeve 13 arranged around each end of the girder 3, said sleeve being permitted to slide some distance along the girder 3 and to rest on the support 1. Both sliding sleeves 13 are interconnected by two ties 14 provided with counter threads, each tie engaging in a tightening nut 15 in the centre and being connected to a hori- zontal shaft 11 through a fork 16 on the other end, said shaft 17 being journaled in the sliding sleeve 13. These ties 14 allow adjustment of the distance between both sliding sleeves 13. Of course it would also be possible to make the sliding sleeves 13 independently adjustable and attachable thereby obviating the need of an interconnection by the ties 14.

To each of said shafts 17 the lower end of the res¬ pective leg 4 is also pivotally connected, for which purpose the beam of the leg 4 is provided on its ends with steel sleeves 18 fixed to the leg by bolts or the like (not shown) . As shown in Fig. 5, the sleeve 18 of the respective leg 4

rests not only on the shaft 17 but also on a socket 19 of the sliding sleeve 13 having the shape of a segment of a circle.

In the apex of the triangle formed by the girder 3 and legs 4, the legs 4 are pivotally connected since the sleeves 18 are connected to a support 21 through shafts 20. To the support 21 there is welded a suspension element 22 provi¬ ded on the upper end with sockets 32 having the shape of a segment of a circle for cooperation with the upper ends of the sleeves 18 of the legs 4. In this exemplary embodiment the sections 11 of the carrier constructed as tubes support the facade F in a posi¬ tion below the girder 3 so that a greater part of the facade remains between the piers and the tubes 11. The hole in the facade F through which the tubes 11 are guided, consists of a drilled circular hole of which the upper part is cut out so that a rectilinear top is created (see Fig. 4) . The carrier 11 is provided on the upper side with welded adaptors 11' so that also the tube 11 obtains a rectilinear top and no splitting forces are exerted on the facade. The ties 9 are equipped with tightening nuts 24 and engage with their lower end into the upper end of a fork 25 engaging around the tube 11 by means of rings 26. The connecting beams 12 between the tubes 11 are in this case constructed as loose adjustable pressure rods rest¬ ing against the tubes 11 with semi-circular support rings 27 between the rings 26. Between the wooden girders 3 and the tubes 11 hardwood wedges may be inserted to support the gir¬ ders 3.

The invention is not restricted to the embodiments shown in the drawing and described hereinbefore, which may be varied in different manners within the scope of the inven¬ tion. For example, the shape, the material and the dimensions of the various parts of the device may be adapted to the par¬ ticular case. It is for instance possible to make the legs 4 in the latter embodiment completely of wood in which the ends of the beams are rounded and rest in brackets of a large dia¬ meter.