Bracket
The invention relates to a bracket to restrain a partition wall in the interior of a building. The bracket comprises a body having a generally hollow sheath and a shaft that is slidable within the sheath to adjust the bracket. The bracket is particularly suitable for supporting internal partition walls of buildings that are located in areas prone to earthquakes and high winds because the bracket allows for the wall to be laterally supported while also accommodating vertical movement experienced during building deflection and inter-storey drift without transferring compression and expansion loads onto the partition wall.
1. An adjustable partition wall bracket comprising:
a first attachment system configured to attach the bracket to an upper surface of a partition wall;
a second attachment system attached to lateral support bracing configured to attach and laterally restrain the bracket to an upper structure within a ceiling cavity;
a body located between and attached to the first and second attachment systems, the body comprising a shaft and a sheath, the sheath comprising a hollow region configured to slidably receive a portion of the shaft therein;
wherein at least one of the shaft and the sheath are freely slidable up and down relative to the other to automatically adjust a length of the body between an expanded state and a compressed state in response to vertical displacements between the wall and the upper structure such that at least one of:
(i) the shaft is freely slidable within the sheath from a first position where a first end of the shaft is at a first distance from a first end of the sheath, towards a second position where the first end of the shaft is at a second distance from the first end of the sheath, or
(ii) the sheath is freely slidable over the shaft from a first position where the first end of the sheath is at a first distance from the first end of the shaft, towards a second position where the first end of the sheath is at a second distance from the first end of the shaft.
2. The partition wall bracket of claim 1 , wherein the shaft is longer than the sheath.
3. The partition wall bracket of claim 1 , wherein the shaft comprises an extension portion, which is receivable within the hollow region of the sheath, and an attachment portion; and the sheath comprises a stabilising portion and an attachment portion; and
wherein the extension portion of the shaft is longer than the stabilising portion of the sheath.
4. The partition wall bracket of claim 1 , wherein the portion of the shaft that is slidably received within the hollow region of the sheath is movable longitudinally within the sheath.
5. The partition wall bracket of claim 1 , wherein the shaft is slidable from a position in which a majority portion of the shaft is positioned below a top of the sheath, to a position where a majority portion of the shaft is positioned above a top of the sheath.
6. The partition wall bracket of claim 1 , wherein the hollow region of the sheath extends from a first end of the sheath to a second end of the sheath to form a tubular sheath comprising a circular cross-section and wherein the shaft is substantially cylindrical.
7. The partition wall bracket of claim 1 , wherein the bracket comprises a biasing member to bias the bracket towards a neutral, installation position.
8. The partition wall bracket of claim 1 , wherein the partition wall comprises a head track, and the first attachment system attaches to the head track.
9. The partition wall bracket of claim 1 , wherein the lateral support bracing comprises one or more lateral support brackets or tension member restraints to attach to the upper structure to restrain lateral movement of the partition wall.
10. The partition wall bracket of claim 1 , wherein the sheath comprises a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the sheath is attachable to the first attachment system.
11. The partition wall bracket of claim 1 , wherein the shaft comprises an attachment portion located at or near an end of the shaft for engaging with the second attachment system.
12. The partition wall bracket of claim 1 , wherein the shaft is longitudinally movable between about 50 mm (about 1.97 inches) and about 75 mm (about 2.95 inches) from a neutral position.
13. The partition wall bracket of claim 1 , further comprising a removable locking member extending through at least one of the shaft and the sheath to limit downwards movement of the shaft relative to the sheath.
14. The partition wall bracket of claim 1 , wherein the body comprises a first end and a second end, and wherein the first end is attachable to the first attachment system and the second end is attachable to the second attachment system.
15. The partition wall bracket of claim 1 , wherein the lateral support bracing comprises one or more rigid connectors that comprise a horizontal portion for attachment to the second attachment system, and an angled portion that projects from the horizontal portion at an angle of between about 35° and about 90° to the horizontal portion.
16. The partition wall bracket of claim 1 , wherein the lateral support bracing comprises a pair of opposing rigid or tensile connectors, each comprising a horizontal portion for attachment to the second attachment system, and an angled portion that projects from the horizontal portion at an angle of about 45° to the bracket body.
17. The partition wall bracket of claim 1 , wherein the shaft or the sheath comprises opposing gripping portions to facilitate gripping of the bracket body by a tool during installation.
18. The partition wall bracket of claim 1 , wherein the sheath is slidable from at or near a first, lower end of the shaft to at or near a second, upper end of the shaft.
19. The partition wall bracket of claim 18 , wherein a stop is provided at or near a second end of the shaft to limit movement of the sheath along the shaft.
20. The partition wall bracket of claim 1 , wherein a lining member is positioned at least partly within the hollow region of the sheath.
21. The partition wall bracket of claim 20 , wherein the lining member is a lining sleeve provided on at least a portion of the shaft and comprises a coating on an exterior surface of the shaft.
22. The partition wall bracket of claim 1 , wherein the second attachment system is attachable to lateral bracing that comprises at least one of the group consisting of: an angle bracket, a channel bracket, one or more rigid connectors, or one or more tensile member connectors to inhibit lateral movement of the partition wall.
23. The partition wall bracket of claim 22 , wherein the lateral support bracing comprises at least one rigid connector comprising a horizontal portion for attachment to the second attachment system, and an angled portion for fastening to the upper structure.
24. The partition wall bracket of claim 23 , wherein the lateral support bracing comprises multiple rigid connectors, each comprising a horizontal portion with an aperture therein, the horizontal portions being arranged to overlay each other with the apertures concentric to receive an end of the bracket body therein.
25. The partition wall bracket of claim 24 , wherein each rigid connector is rotatable about a respective aperture of the rigid connector, relative to the other rigid connector(s) and the bracket body.