Structural Block Wall System and Method

The invention relates to the field of construction. More specifically, it relates to a method for creating a load bearing system from prefabricated posts and beams in combination with elementary blocks which may be made from a material comprising plant fibres (hemp, straw, flax, etc.) or concrete and clay materials or composites agglomerated using a binder (in particular dirt, non-hydraulic or hydraulic lime) or cement or clay based or other composites. The present invention more generally relates to structural block wall building system and a method of building a structural block wall.

Any references to methods, apparatus or documents of the prior art are not to be taken as constituting any evidence or admission that they formed, or form part of the common general knowledge.

Most load bearing systems are made of solid element with some element of reinforcing or a combined system such as concrete, bricks, timber or steel or bamboo frame with an infill or cladding on one or both sides. Load bearing frames are generally placed as a whole created as prefabricated elements or on site or created by binding the elements together such as steel reinforced concrete where the steel is surrounded by the binding element.

Timber or steel frames are generally assailed by nails and screws or plates with sheet bracing or angled bracing elements. The frame is used in combination with prefabricated blocks. Some building systems such as the BioSys building system offers the use of hemp concrete that uses a steel reinforced concrete load bearing system. This system has been deemed satisfactory on the basis of the system's mechanical, acoustic and thermal performance (greater than or equal to that of ordinary quarry stone constructions). However, such systems are flawed by their highly technical nature which results in difficult implementation and such systems require highly specialized building skills which limits their use. The use of steel in combination with concrete triggers an environmental issue and a time, material and labour-intensive construction method as concrete infills need to be held from bursting out by planks and clamps. Furthermore, the steel elements need to be created in the form of cages that are comprised of ligatures and re-bars tied or welded together. These cages are then lowered into a cavity and need to be connected with each other to form a framework by the means of twisting steel wire and that is later filled with concrete. The aim of the present invention is to atleast provide an alternative to such a system. It is also desirable to provide a more simplified building system which is easier to implement.

In an aspect, the invention provides a structural block wall system for building a block wall, the system comprising:

In an embodiment, the sleeved bracket further comprises one or more bracket plates attached to the bracket sleeve and extending outwardly from the outer walls of the bracket sleeve for allowing structural support members to be attached to the bracket plate during use.

In an embodiment, one or more of the bracket plates further comprise a corresponding cradle plate that is orthogonally arranged relative to said one or more of the bracket plates to support the structural support member attached onto the bracket plate in a transverse configuration relative to the structural post.

In an embodiment, one or more of the prefabricated blocks comprise an internal void to accommodate the sleeved bracket and structural support members attached to the sleeved bracket.

In an embodiment, two of the spaced apart structural posts are joined by a plurality of bracing members extending between the two or more structural posts to form a bracing structure.

In an embodiment, the bracing members extend diagonally between two structural posts to form the bracing structure.

In an embodiment, in-use upper sections of the spaced apart posts of the bracing structure comprises a connection arrangement for receiving additional bracing structures.

In an embodiment, each bracing member comprises spaced apart bracing sleeves joined by the bracing members, the bracing sleeves being dimensioned for receiving the structural posts and arranging the posts in the spaced apart configuration to form the bracing structure.

In an embodiment, the bracing members comprise bracing bracket plates for facilitating attachment of the bracing members.

In an embodiment, one or more of the prefabricated blocks comprise internal openings between the opposed sides of each block to accommodate the bracing members of the bracing structure during use.

In an embodiment, the sleeved structural member comprises an anchoring plate for engaging with the underlying structure and facilitating anchoring of the sleeved structural member thereon with the sleeve extending upwardly from the anchoring plate to receive the in-use bottom sections of the supporting posts therein.

In an embodiment, the structural block wall system further comprises a securement arrangement to secure the in-use bottom section of the post within the sleeved structural member and prevent withdrawal of the post from the sleeved structural member.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method of constructing a block wall system, the method comprising the steps of:

In an embodiment, the method further comprises the step of positioning a bracket within an internal void of one or more of the prefabricated blocks to allow an in-use top section of the structural post to be received into a bracket sleeve of the bracket.

In an embodiment, the bracket further comprises one or more bracket plates attached to the bracket sleeve and extending outwardly from the outer walls of the bracket sleeve, the method comprising the attachment of structural support members to the bracket plate.

In yet another aspect, the invention provides a structural block wall system for building a block wall, the system comprising:

In an embodiment structural anchoring member comprises an anchoring portion adapted to engage the underlying structure for anchoring thereto wherein the vertical portion is generally perpendicular relative to the anchoring portion.

In an embodiment, during engagement, the bottom use section comprises a hollow internal volume to receiving and engaging the vertical portions of the spaced apart structural members.

In an embodiment, the structural sub-assembly further comprises a substantially solid reinforcement insert adapted to be positioned in the gap between the spaced apart structural anchoring members wherein during use the vertical portions and the reinforcement insert therebetween is received into the hollow internal volume of the bottom section.

In an embodiment, the structural block wall system further comprises a fastening arrangement for fastening the bottom section of the hollow structural post to the spaced apart vertical portions of the structural anchoring members during use.

In an embodiment the structural block wall system further comprises one or more anchor fasteners for fastening the structural anchoring member to the underlying structure.

In an embodiment, the structural block wall system further comprises a bracket with spaced apart bracket members dimensioned to receive an in-use top section of the structural posts and wherein at least some of the prefabricated blocks comprise slots for accommodating the bracket between the end faces of said at least some of the prefabricated blocks.

In an embodiment, the system further comprises one or more additional bracket plates attached to the bracket and extending from the bracket members for allowing structural support members to be attached to the bracket plate during use.

In an embodiment, the system further comprises a tongue and groove arrangement for affixing an underside portion of the prefabricated block to the underlying structure.

illustrate a first embodiment of the structural block wall systemin accordance with the invention. The system comprises a plurality of spaced apart upright sleeved structural members that are generally denoted by. The sleeved structural members are anchored to an underlying structure such as a concrete slab (See) or a wooden floor structure (See). Each sleeved structural membercomprises an anchoring platewith a hollow tubethat extends upwardly from the anchoring plate. The anchoring platecomprises holes for receiving anchoring bolts for anchoring the sleeved structural membersto the underling structure.

The systemalso includes prefabricated blocks denoted generally denoted bythat can be stacked upon each other. Each prefabricated blockcomprises opposed end facesandwith a corein between the two opposed end faces. The core includes a hollow slotthat is dimensioned to receive the hollow sleeved structural members. Typical installation of the block wall system involves stacking the prefabricated blocksabove starting blocksthat are placed on the underlying slab (See) and aligning the slot with the fixed sleeved membersto ensure that the slotfor the blocksreceives the fixed sleeved structural members. It is important to appreciate that in at least some embodiments, the slotsmay be formed on site by way of drilling through the coreof the prefabricated blocks. In other embodiments, the slot or boremay be prefabricated within the blocks. It is also important to note that the prefabricated blockscomprises a horizontal channel extending along a top portion of the block and a tongue portion that extends along the bottom portion of the block. Such an arrangement allows the blocks to be easily stacked on top of each other. The use of the starting blocksis not limiting and in at least some embodiments, the tongue portion of some of the blocksmay be removed or cut for starting the first row of blocks while erecting the block wall.

The assembly of the blocksfor building the block wall assemblyinvolves aligning the slotsfor each row of blocksto ensure that the slotsare aligned to form a long and hollow internal passage extending along the height of the block wall. The provision of the long and hollow internal passage allows a supporting postto be inserted into the passage. Specifically, a bottom section of the postis inserted into the anchored sleeved members. The bottom section of the postis then secured to the walls of the sleeveby using fasteners such as but not limited to a bolt or a screw that can be drilled through the outer faces of the prefabricated blocksurrounding the anchored supporting member. The aforementioned configuration provides a key advantage over prior art systems. Specifically, the prior art block wall systems use upright posts or support structures that are anchored to the underlying floor or slab and stacking of the blocks requires the installers to lift each block from the ground to the height of the support and then align and insert the support post into a hollow opening within the internal core of the prefabricated block. Prefabricated blocks can be heavy and lifting of the blocks by a substantial height for arranging every row of blocks can be time consuming and labour intensive. The provision of the anchoring structural memberswith a sleeve, whereby the sleevehas a substantially lower height than the block wall's height addresses this key issue and provides a systemwhich is much simpler and easier to erect. It is important to note that even though the figures illustrate a square shaped cross section for the postand the sleeve portionof the anchoring support member, the shape of the postand the sleeve portionis not limiting. For example, the postand the corresponding sleeve portionsmay have a cylindrical shape without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The block wall systemalso comprises sleeved brackets generally denoted by. The bracketincludes a bracket sleevethat is dimensioned to receive a top section of the post. Once again, suitable fasteners such as screws or bolts may be used to fasten the bracket sleevewith the outer walls of the post. The sleeved bracketcan also include one or more bracket platesthat are attached to the bracket sleeveand extending outwardly from the outer walls of the bracket sleevefor allowing structural support members S to be attached to the bracket plate during use.illustrates bracket embodimentsA andB with an upwardly extending bracket plateA (a first plate) and a bracket plateB extending from either the left-hand side or the right-hand side (see comparison in). Referring to, a cradle plateis provided to support or cradle a building support (such as a load bearing beam S). Referring to, bracket embodimentD includes two of the upwardly extending bracketsA′ andA″ arranged at right angles to one another. Such a bracket is beneficial particularly when two block walls meet at a corner and load bearing supporting structures need to be installed at right angles to each other. Once again, it would be understood that the slotin the prefabricated blocksare suitably sized or dimensioned to receive the bracket sleevewithin an internal volume of the prefabricated block. Furthermore, as evident in, the internal volume of the corein the prefabricated blockmay be hollowed out to accommodate the load bearing support S and parts of the bracket plateB whereby the bracket plateis fastened to the load bearing support S by using screws or bolts.

Advantageously, provision of the anchoring structural membersalso allows their use for installation of bracing structures(shown in). Each bracing structurecomprises a pair of poststhat are dimensioned such that a bottom section of the postscan be received into the hollow sleeve of the anchoring structural members. As previously discussed, the bottom sections of the postsmay be fastened to the sleeveof the structural anchoring memberby using screws or bolts (See). The pair of postsin each bracing structureis interconnected by diagonally oriented bracing membersto form K-shaped bracing members. It would be understood that the orientation of the bracing membersmay be varied without departing from the scope of the invention described. Referring to, in particular, the coreof the prefabricated blocksmay be hollowed to accommodate the bracing membersextending between the two posts. It is preferable to install the bracing structureonto the anchoring support membersbefore positioning the prefabricated blockswith the hollowed out internal core to stack the blockson top of each other to surround the bracing structure. Referring to, top sections of the postsin the bracing structure′ include sleeved bracketswith bracket plates and a supporting cradle being provided to support a transversely oriented load bearing support S. The sleeved bracketshave a similar structure to the previously discussed sleeved brackets.

Referring to, the anchoring support members′ may be embedded within a precast concrete floor P with a top portion of the sleeveextending outwardly from the floor surface. The bracing structuresor the supporting postsmay be used in conjunction with the embedded anchoring support members′ in the same manner as previously described.

illustrate another embodiment of the block wall systemin which the anchoring support membersare anchored onto an underlying wooden floor system. Specifically, the anchoring support memberare anchored onto floor joists by bolting the anchoring plateto the floor joists. In some instances (best shown in), a cross member (M) may be affixed in between two adjoining floor joists to support the anchoring support memberat least partially on a floor bearer. Once the anchoring support membershave been anchored to the underlying wooden floor structure, the bracing structureand/or the supporting postsmay be positioned into sleeveof the anchoring support structuresin a similar manner as previously described in the earlier sections.shows optional embodiments of the bracing structure″ which is formed from a plurality of bracing sub-structuresA,B andC which are telescopically connected. Each sub-structure includes telescoping connecting portions along top and bottom sections of the support posts forming each bracing sub-structure which enables the easy erection of the bracing structureduring construction.

illustrate another optional embodiment of a structural block wall systemin accordance with another embodiment of the invention. The system comprises a plurality of spaced apart structural sub-assemblies that are generally denoted by. Each of the structural sub-assembliescomprises two spaced structural anchoring membersA andB (generally denoted by) that are anchored to an underlying structure such as a concrete slab. Each structural anchoring memberis generally L-shaped and comprises a generally vertical portionthat extends along a vertical direction of the block wall with a height that is less than the height of the block wall. The vertical portionextends vertically relative to a horizontal anchoring portionthat is anchored to the underlying supporting structure by use of fastening bolts. During use, the L-shaped anchoring membersA andB are anchored in an opposed configuration such that the horizontal anchoring portionsfor each of the spaced structural anchoring membersA andB are anchored to an underlying structure by anchoring fastening boltsto extend in mutually opposite directions as shown best in.

Referring tothe structural block wall systemfurther comprises a substantially solid reinforcement insertthat is adapted to be positioned in the gap between the vertical portionsfor the oppositely arranged spaced apart structural anchoring membersA andB. During use the spaced apart vertical portionsfor the anchoring membersA andB and the reinforcement insertare received into the hollow internal volume of the bottom section of the hollow structural member. Once the bottom section of the hollow structural memberreceives the spaced apart vertical portionsand the insert, fasteners in the form of fastening boltsare passed through the vertical portionsto fasten opposed walls of the bottom section of the hollow structural memberwith the anchoring memberA andB. As shown in, in the preferred embodiment, the fastening boltsextend in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the hollow structural memberto pass through the reinforcement insert. The fastening boltsmay be installed after the prefabricated structural blockshave been positioned by passing the structural hollow memberthrough the openings or slots provided in the prefabricated blocks.

Referring toa tongue membermay be positioned to run along the underlying surface between two pairs of anchoring subassemblies. The tongue membermay be received with a grooveprovided along an in-use lower portion of the prefabricated block.

Referring to, the systemmay also comprise a bracketwith spaced apart bracket membersthat are dimensioned to receive and engage an in-use top portion of the hollow structural member. The bracketsin the preferred embodiment shown incomprises a generally H-shaped configuration comprising an in-use lower receiving portion and an in-use upper receiving portion. The in-use lower receiving portiondefines a receiving volume between spaced apart lower bracket platesA andB to receive the upper end of the hollow structural member. Fastening boltsmay be used for fastening the upper end of the hollow structural memberto the lower bracket platesA andB. The in-use upper receiving portiondefines a receive volume between spaced apart bracket platesA andB for receiving and supporting a transversely oriented structural beamas shown in. Once again fasteners in the form of fastening boltsmay be used for fastening the transversely oriented structural beam to bracket platesA andB.

Referring toL-shaped bracketsmay also be used for supporting the transverse structural beamin another configuration.

In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific to structural or methodical features. The term “comprises” and its variations, such as “comprising” and “comprised of” is used throughout in an inclusive sense and not to the exclusion of any additional features.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to specific features shown or described since the means herein described comprises preferred forms of putting the invention into effect.

The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims appropriately interpreted by those skilled in the art.