US3103050A - Flexible panel joining means - Google Patents

Description

10, 1963 G.F.RE1TME1ER 3,103,050 f FLEXIBLE PANEL JoINING MEANS Filed April 14. 1961 M ii "l l2 /2 is i IN VEN TOR.

@u @w @gc/yd @M United States Patent O 3,1%,050 FLEXIBLE PANEL J OllNlNG MEANS George F. Reitmeier, East Aurora, N.Y., assigner to Bix-clair Structures, Inc., lualo, N.Y. Filed Apr. 14, 1961, Ser. No. 162,991 3 Claims. (rCl. Zit-203) This invention relates to joining means for .flexible panels subjected to tension and pertains more particularly kto means yfor quickly attaching and detaching flexible panels such as are lused in fabric building structures such as air-inflated structures, `tent-like structures and the like. The use of fabric building structures is becoming more and morepronounced. For example, in military elds, such structures find frequent application by reason of the fact that a rela-tively large structure may be erected in a relatively short period of time, the components thereofbeing subject to easy storage and being characterized by compactness so as to be readily transportable. Such structuresrnay be in the form of relatively large panels of flexible, substantial-ly impervious material which will ultimately be joined together to provide `a skin or enclosure which is `characterized by 4tensioning `of the fabric or tlexible material to rigidify the same and render it load-sustaining. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to any specic type `of fabric structure although the invention is admirably suited for association with `fabric structures of the air-inflated type.

Having the above in mind, it will be readily `apparent that one of the advantages of fabric structures is their ability to be rather rapidly erected and it is to this end that the present invention is directed. That is to say, it is of primary concern in connection with the present invention to provide an improved and novel fastening means for joining the adjacent panels or sections of a fabric ,structure together and to do so in such fashion that the exible `material or sections will be efficiently joined so as to permit uniform distribution of tension loads between adjacent panels or sections of the structure Without imposing localized stress concentrations in the sections or panels such as would tend to occasion their ultimate damage or destruction.

The present invention constitutes au improvement in such fastening means as are disclosed in application Serial No. 739,022, filed June 2, 1958, and the present invention seeks to provide an limproved panel or section joining means which is characterized by the rapidity of its attachment or detachment so as to increase the overall eiiciency of tensioned fabric, load-sustaining structures and to render the same more readily adaptable -for use in many applications.

A furthe-r object of the present invention resides in the provision of an improved joining means rfor adjacent section-s of a tensioned-fabric, load-sustaining structure wherein in addition to permitting of quick attachment and detachment of such sections, the same will render the initial cost of the structure of a more economical nature.

More specifically, it is an lobject of the present invention to provide an improved form of section or panel attaching means particularly as adapted for joining adjacent sections subjected lto tension loads wherein the adjacent sections `are characterized by having a series of spaced loops :formed along their edges to be joined wherein the loops are of substantially the same width as the spacing between adjacent loops and wherein the loops carry peg means which project from opposite sides thereof so that the panels to be joined may be interlaced by interdigitation of the pegs of one panel with the pegs of an adjacent panel to form thereby a continuous, but quickly detachable seam for transferring the tension loads between the panels or sections thus joined.

rice

For a better understanding of this and other objects of the invention, reference -is made to the following specifications and accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. l is a sectional view showing a porti-on of an edge of a flexible panel constructed in accordance With the present invention and illustrating the means by which two adjacent such panels may be joined;

FIG. 2 is a view showing the manner in which a pair of pane-ls may be interlaced or joined;

FiG. 3 is a plan view showing portions of a pair of adjacent panels which have been joined and are ready for erection; and

FiG. 4 is an enlarged section-al view taken substantially along the plane of section line 4--4 in FIG. 3 and illustrating means by which a seal may be accomplished across the seam ior joint.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 1, the reference character 10 therein designates generally a flexible panel or section of a tensioned-fabric, load-sustaining structure which is in the form of a body or panel of substantially impervious and flexible material 12 and which forms a por-tion of a load-sustaining fabric structure. Reference character 14 designates an edge portion of the panel 1t? which is desired to be joined to an adjacent panel similarly formed. This edge portion is formed with a series of loops 16 `and intervening notches 18 wherein the width of the notches 18 is Iat least equal to the width of the loops 16 to permit interdigitation of the loops of adjacent panels such as are `designated generally as reference characters 2iB-22 in FIG. 3.

Loop 16 carries a peg or pin 24 which has opposite end portions 26 and 28 projecting -laterally from the opposite ends of the respective loops 16 to terminate Vshort of the corresponding adjacent ends of the next sequential pegs. These pegs 24 may be secured with-in the loops by any suitable means `as for example by staples 30 which serve only the purpose of retaining the pegs within the loops to prevent los-s of the pegs. Preferably, such securing means are in the `form of some mechanism which is easily removable so as to permit -field replacement of pegs should they become damaged or broken.

The manner of assembly of the joint is illustrated in FIG. 2 wherein it will be readily appreciated that the construction lends itself readily to the lacing together of the panels 20 and 22 generally in the fashion indicated therein. That is to say, the end 32 of the next peg to be joined is placed `behind the end 34 of the :last peg joined and then the other end 36 of this peg is then swung up into position so as to interlace behind the end 38 of the next pcg and so on until `the joint is completed. lIt will be appreciated also that the loops 16, since they are relatively short, even though -they are rigidiiied by their associate pegs 34, do not constitute la lgreat. distraction from the flexibility of the individual panels or sections and present no problem in the folding and storing of these individual sections. At the same time there is no necessity for any separate mechanism, physically removable from the panels, to provide the requisite joint, and for this reason alone the present mode of construction is readily adaptable `for quick assembly as has been described.

A completed joint portion is shown in FIG. 3 and a section therethrough is illustrated in FIG. 4. It will be appreciated that FIG. 4, insofar as the construction of the panels 20 and 22 lare concerned, is largely diagrammatic and purely illustrative and is not intended to show the specific details or their individual constructions other than to show the retention of the pegs 24. In accordance with the copending application previously mentioned, the marginal edge portions 14 of the panels, see FIG. 1, are so constructed as to quickly dissipate the localized tension loads imposed on the separate loops into uniformly distributed stress loads in the -fabric or material of the panel longitudinally along the seam, thus obviating localized stress concentrations in the panels or sections such as would tend to destroy them. In regard to this, it may be noted that actual structures utilizingy this type of joining means have been designed to withstand tension loads equal to 750 pounds per inch, in which case the pegs 24 were constructed of hard wood dowels having `a diameter of S; inch. Under the above conditions, when the present invention is utilized in association with the proper construction of the marginal edge portion 14 so as to j dissipate the localized stresses as aforesaid, actual tests have shown that A; inch hard wood dowels will fail before the fabric is subjected to such loading as will tear or rip the same.

At the same time it will be readily appreciated that should a peg 24 be ydarn-aged or broken it is a simple matter to remove the vfastening means 30 and to insert a new peg. This type of operation is easily performed in the iield and constitutes a further advantage of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a simple means of obtaining a good seal along the joint. This tsea'l takes the form of a flexible strip of material 40` which is permanently secured, as by bonding, stitching or the like, along one edge 44 thereof -to one panel 22, the other edge 43 of the strip being detachably secured by suitable fasteners 42, preferably snap lfasteners, Iand is adapted to overlie the joint substantially as shown.

In accordance with the present invention, it will be seen that rapidity in both attachment and detachment is of primary concern, without sacricing the uniform tension load-transfer between panels or sections. FIG. 2 ill-ustna-tes how the sections are easily joined with great rapidity. The problem of detachment is actually more simple inasmuch as several pegs may be sequentially disengaged -without moving the point of gripping of the hands on the section. This is accomplished by first gripping the two sections near the end of -the joined seam and then manipulating the wrists 'and hands in relatively opposite directions while maintaining the fabric in tension by gradually separating the hands as successive pegs are released. This is repeated along the length of the seam.

4Further in regard to this, it will be appreciated that structure with which this invention may be associated me normally quite large so that the cumulative length of all seams required may be surprisingly substantial. Purely as an example, present air-inflated structures may encompass a span of 60 Ifeet and have a length of 100 feet. Clearly, such a structure, of necessity incorporating several panels or sections, will realize substantial time saving both in erection and disassembly by means of the fastening technique according -to this invention.

At the same time, it will be appreciated that the fastening means according to the present invention is not in all respects represents means relatively impervious to' Weather conditions in its operation and manipulation.

What is claimed is:

1. The combi-nation, in a tensioned-fabric, load-sustaining building structure including lat least a pair of separate flexible sections adapted to be quickly joined to cumulatively form an integral load-sustaining portion, of means for effecting the quick attachment and detachment of such sections, the two sections having mating marginal edge portions, said means comprising a ,series of spaced, rectangular plan view loops formed along each marginal edge in which the spacing between adjacent loops is at least as great as the width of lan individual loop, a rigid peg positioned transversely within the free end of each loop and being xed thereto, each peg being of a length greaterthan the width of the loop so that the opposite ends extend therebeyond `for interdi-gi-tation of the pegs of one Isection with the pegs of the other section.

2. In a tensioned-fa'bric, load-sustaining building structure, la pair of ilexible panel sections having mating edge portions, each such edge portions presenting a continulous series of spaced, rectangular plan view loops therealong deiining intervening notches, the width of each loop, between adjacent notches, being less than the width of the notches yand the loops of the two edge-portions being interdigitated with each other, a rigid peg captive in the free end of each loop, and each peg being of a length to extend beyond the `opposite sides of its associated loop to overlap and lie behind peg-lilled loops of the -other section immediately thereadjacent.

3. In a tensioned-fabric, load-sustaining building structure, a pair lof flexible panel sections having mating edge portions, each such edge portion presenting "a continuous series of spaced loops therealong delining intervening notches, the width of each loop, between adjacent notches, being less tha-n the width of the notches and the loops yof the two edge portions being interdi-gitated with each other, a peg captive in each loop, and each peg being of a rigid length to extend beyond the opposite sides of its associated loop -to overlap and lie behind peg-lilled loops of ythe other section immediately thereadjacent, the diameter of each loop being such that said opposite ends of each associated peg lie closely adjacent the edges of the adjacent notches.

References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 593,721 Hoirnan Nov. 16, 1897 2,406,123 Zalki-nd Allg. 20, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS 50,583 France Jan. l5, 1941 1,180,001 France lune 1, 1959` 96,791 Germany Apr. 5, 1898

Claims (1)

1. THE COMBINATION, IN A TENSIONED-FABRIC, LOAD-SUSTAINING BUILDING STRUCTURE INCLUDING AT LEAST A PAIR OF SEPARATE FLEXIBLE SECTIONS ADAPTED TO BE QUICKLY JOINED TO CUMULATIVELY FORM AN INTEGRAL LOAD-SUSTAINING PORTION OF MEANS FOR EFFECTING THE QUICK ATTACHMENT AND DETACHMENT OF SUCH SECTIONS, THE TWO SECTIONS HAVING MATING MARGINAL EDGE PORTIONS, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A SERIES OF SPACED, RECTANGULAR PLAN VIEW LOOPS FORMED ALONG EACH

Images