Angle-section column-beam connector
View Patent ↗A column/beam interconnection employing angular connectors which wrap complementarily around an outside corner in a column. Each connector includes, on each of two, next-adjacent column faces, a cantilever-projecting deflectable tab which is nominally spaced from another, confronting tab that belongs to a next-adjacent connector. These confronting, spaced tabs freely receive between them the end of the central web in an I-beam, and when clamplingly secured to such a web, deflect under spring resistance to introduce useful compressive forces through the associated connectors into the associated column. The proposed connector arrangement allows, with respect to the placement of a beam for connection to and between a pair of next adjacent columns, for the vertical shifting of the beam into proper place for connection of its central web to and between pairs of spaced tabs, without any need for any lateral shifting of the columns to allow for insertion of the beam between the columns.
1. A structural/column/beam interconnect arrangement comprising
an elongate column having a long central axis, and plural, generally planar, outside faces, the planes of each two adjacent ones of which intersect one another to form a column corner which is characterized by a known angle,
plural angle-section connectors each having an elongate body with a generally W-shaped cross-section as viewed along the long axis of a said body, with said cross-section being defined by a pair of central generally planar expanses which intersect along the length of the body to form an angular trough which is substantially defined by substantially same angle as said known angle, and for each said expanse, a joined substantially planar tab which extends away from said trough at substantially a right angle relative to the tab's directly associated expanse,
said connectors being joined to the outside of said column at a common longitudinal location there along, and in a manner wherein each connector is trough-seated against the column, with the connector's trough complementarily wrapping around one of the column's corners, and with at least a pair of said connectors disposed adjacent one another in a manner wherein one of said tabs in each confronting faces, is spaced from, and substantially nominally parallels one of said tabs in the other, outwardly of a common face in the column, with the nominal space between said confronting, spaced tabs having a first known dimension, each of said confronting tabs having characteristics of an elastically deflectable cantilever element which can be resistibly deflected toward the other confronting tab effectively to diminish the effective spacing between the tabs,
an elongate beam having a generally planar central web with a thickness possessing a second known dimension which is less than said first known dimension, and with one end of said central web received between said confronting tabs, and
fastener structure securing said central web's end to and between said confronting tabs, and in a manner drawing said tabs elastically and resistibly toward one another to close tightly against opposite sides of said central web's end, thus to introduce a preload compression directed inwardly through said common column face generally toward the column's long central axis.
2. The interconnect arrangement of claim 1 , wherein, with respect to the placement of said beam's central web for connection to and between a pair of next-adjacent columns, the arrangement is configured to allow for the vertical shifting of the beam into proper place for connection of its central web to and between pairs of spaced tabs, without any need for any lateral shifting of said column to allow for insertion of the beam between the columns.