WO2012072642A1

WO2012072642A1 - A tool for mounting facade elements on a building

Info

Publication number: WO2012072642A1
Application number: PCT/EP2011/071304
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jon Henrik Falk; David Fredrik Augustinson; Mathias Farnebo
Original assignee: Brunkeberg Industriutveckling AB
Current assignee: Brunkeberg Industriutveckling AB
Priority date: 2010-11-30
Filing date: 2011-11-29
Publication date: 2012-06-07
Anticipated expiration: 2013-05-30

Abstract

The present invention relates to a tool for mounting facade elements on a building, wherein the tool is arranged to move the facade element horizontally towards the building, the tool comprising: - a frame (50) including a part (51) for attaching the frame in a fixed position with respect to the building, and - a pushing member (54a-b) including a lever (60a-b) rotatably arranged with respect to said frame about an axis (62a-b) to be horizontally directed when the frame is in said fixed position, and a contact surface (59) operatively connected to an outer part of the lever and designed to be in contact with the facade element while the facade element is lowered and by that push the facade element towards the building upon rotation of the lever, and a connection member (56) arranged to removably connect the pushing member to the facade element, and the connection member and the contact surface are arranged at a fixed distance from each other.

Description

A TOOL FOR MOUNTING FACADE ELEMENTS ON A BUILDING

FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART The present invention relates to a tool for mounting facade elements on a building, such as a multi-storey building, wherein the tool is arranged to move the facade element horizontally towards the building. The present invention further relates to a method for mounting facade elements on a building using a tool according to the invention.

Multi-storey buildings may be constructed in a plurality of ways. Common for all of them is that they comprise a facade. The facade may be provided in a large number of different ways and may either constitute a load bearing part of the multi-storey building or only serve as weather protection. In the latter case the building comprises a building structure on which plate formed facade elements are attached.

The facade elements are often transported to the working site on pallets. These pallets are off-loaded from a delivery truck by a tower crane and then lifted to the floor where the facade ele- ments will be installed. Alternative means of lifting is by mobile crane, site hoist or using a mono rail system. All of these act as a critical resource that needs to be used by other working trades for important lifting activities to different parts of the building site, or by occupying crowded space. Waiting time for trucks and tower cranes generates waste time and substantial cost. The handling of the facade elements during final positioning on the building is sensitive and facade elements may be damaged during handling . When using cranes, there is risk for the elements to crash into earlier mounted elements or other parts of the building or nearby equipment and damages may arise. These risks increase during mounting in windy conditions, which may lead to a standsti l l in the bu i ld ing wh i le awaiting calmer weather. The final installation can also made glazing robot running on the floor, or by using mobile mini cranes on a floor above installation level . The storage and moving of panels on the floor is a problem since staged panels occupy space on each floor that must be left unobstructed by other trades, and also requires detailed instructions from the structural designer due to limited early concrete strength .

US Patent 4 591 308 discloses a method for hoisting facade elements on a multi-storey building without the use of tower cranes. The patent discloses a guide jig for lifting facade elements. The guide jig is suspended from a rope and is guided in vertical rails provided on th e outside of each facade element. When the facade element reaches the floor on wh ich it is to be mou nted the facade element has to be horizontal ly moved towards the building to a mounting position before the facade element can be attached to the building . This patent proposes that the facade element is horizontal ly moved by means of the tower crane and a mechanical arm provided on the jig . This makes it possible to move the facade element to the final mounting position without having any person on the outside of the building . However, the proposed method for moving the facade element to the mounting position is complicated and involves a number of mounting steps.

GB22284009 discloses a method for mounting facade elements by means of a working elevator. The facade elements are pro- vided with grooves, along which the working elevator is driven. The facade elements are transported to the floor where the fa- cade elements will be installed by the working elevator. The working elevator is provided with its own drive. The working elevator includes a pneumatically controlled system for horizontally moving the facade elements towards the building and to its mounting position. Such a working elevator is complicated and according ly expensive . If a plu ral ity of colu mns of facade elements is to be mounted in parallel, it is necessary to have a plurality of working elevators, which is expensive. FR2304747 discloses a method for instal l ing panels on a surface or structure. A device for hang ing up the panels is used during the installation of the panels. The device includes a framework attached to the building , and two pivoting links which are attached to the edge sides of the panel when the panel is at a d istance from the surface of the facade, and the panel is then moved to its installation position by its own weight. After installation of the panel , the device remains in the installed position with the links arranged in the vertical space between two installed panels. Th is vertical space is fi lled with a seal after the installation of panels. A d isadvantage with th is method is that it is expensive to use for large building , such as high rise building , for which thousands of panels have to be installed .

WO2010/070082 discloses a method for mounting facade ele- ments on a multi-story building using a mounting tool for pushing the facade element from the outer part of a slot to the inner part of a slot of a vertical profile. The tool includes one or more eccentrically supported discs arranged at a vertical distance from each other. The discs are shaped so that the difference be- tween th e m i n i m u m an d max i m u m radius of the disc corresponds to the horizontal movement that is required for pushing the facade element from the outer part of the slot to the inner part of the slot. At least a part of the surface of the disc is covered with a high friction material , such as rubber. The d iscs are desig n ed so that they rotate d u e to friction when th ey are in contact with the facade element when the facade element is moved downwards. The facade element is moved downwards due to its own weight when the gravity force is acting on the element. The weight of the facade element is used to achieve the press power needed to move the facade element in a hori- zontal direction . When the facade element has been mou nted , the tool is removed . The same mounting tool can be used for mounting a large number of facade elements and accord ing ly is more cost effective than the previously mentioned mounting tool . However, a disadvantage with this tool is that it requires a h igh friction coefficient between the facade and the su rface of th e tool . The friction coefficient depends on the weather and can , for example, be reduces due to damped weather or dirt on the facade. If the friction coefficient becomes to low, there is a risk that the tool to slides on the facade. For large facade element it is necessary to use one tool on each side of the facade element to achieve a uniform movement of the element. I n that case, there is a risk that the friction coefficient is different on both sides of the facade, and the tool is connected to the element only on one side of the panel . The consequence of this is that the press power will be different on different sides of the element, and accordingly the element can be obliquely positioned . Another disadvantage is that wear of the rubber cover reduces the lifetime of the tool . OBJECTS AN D SUM MARY OF THE I NVENTI ON

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved solution to the problem of horizontally moving the facade elements from a transportation position to a mounting position .

According to the invention this object is achieved by a tool as defined in claim 1 .

Such a tool comprises a frame including a part for attaching the frame i n a fixed pos ition with res pect to th e bu i ld i ng , an d a push ing mem ber includ ing a lever rotatably arranged with re- spect to the frame about an ax is to be horizontal ly directed when the frame is in said fixed position , and a contact su rface operatively connected at an outer part of the lever and designed to be in contact with the facade element wh i le the facade ele- ment is lowered and by that push the facade element horizontally towards the building upon rotation of the lever, and an connection member arranged to removably connect the tool to the facade element, and the connection member an d th e contact surface are arranged at a fixed distance from each other.

The connection member is arranged to mechanically connect the tool , and in particular the push ing member, to the facade element. The push ing member is designed to push the facade element towards the bu ild ing upon rotation of the lever wh ile the tool is connected to the facade element. Due to the fixed d istance between the connection member and the contact surface, it is possible to position the tool on the facade element with a hig h accuracy, and accord ing ly a un iform press power on both sides of the element is guaranteed when more than one tool is used . The fact that the connection member and the contact surface are arranged separate from each other, makes it possible to provide a tool wh ich is independent of the friction coefficient between the tool and the facade element, and accord ingly there is no risk that the tool is slid ing on the facade element.

The expression "the contact surface is operatively connected at an outer part of the lever" is to be understood that the contact surface does not have to be d irectly in contact with the lever, it is possible to provide the surface at a d istance from the lever as long as the su rface is mechan ically connected to the lever so that the position of the surface is affected by the movements of the lever. Further, is to be understood that the contact surface may as well be a part of the lever. Accord ing to an em bod iment of the invention , the tool fu rther comprises a second lever rotatably arranged with respect to said frame at a fixed distance from the first lever, a second pushing surface provided on an outer part of the second lever, and a bar extending between the connection member and the first and second lever, and the first and second levers are rotatably con- nected to the bar. This embodiment makes it possible to push the facade element at two vertically separated positions and thereby to achieve a uniform movement of the facade element.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the connection member is rotatably connected to the lever, which makes it possible to keep the connection member in a fixed position with respect to the facade element while the lever is rotated.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the connection member is arranged to be automatically disconnected from the facade element by rotation of the lever. For example, the lever is adapted to rotate between a first position above a defined plane and a second position below the defined plane, and the connection member is arranged so that it is automatically dis- connected from the facade element when the lever has passed the defined plane. When the tool has been mounted to the facade, the defined plane will be the horizontal plane. Thus, when the tool is mounted, the lever is adapted to rotate between a position above the horizontal plane and a position below the hori- zontal plane, and the connection member is arranged so that the facade element is automatically disconnected when the lever has passed the horizontal plane. This embodiment enables a quick and easy detachment of the connection between the facade element and the tool when the facade element has been moved to its final horizontal mounting position, without any involvement of a human.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the connection member includes a protruding part adapted to be engaged with a corresponding protruding element mechanically connected to facade element in order to mechanically connect the tool to the facade element. The corresponding protruding element can either be a part of the facade element, or be temporarily attached to the facade element during the mounting of the facade element, for example, it can be a part of a jig used during the mounting of the facade element.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the protruding part is wedge shaped and includes a first surface adapted to be in contact with said corresponding protruding element while the tool is connected to the facade element, and a second surface facing away from the first surface and arranged slanted relative the first surface. When the protruding element of the facade element comes into contact with the second surface of the protruding part, the second surface will push away the pushing member so that the protruding part and protruding element will be engaged to each other. This embodiment of the invention provides a simple and cheep removable attachment of the tool to the facade element. According to an embodiment of the invention, the lever is configured to rotate about the axis in a first direction when the facade element is lowered, and the tool comprises a spring arrangement adapted to force the lever to rotate in a direction opposite the first direction when the protruding part has been dis- connected.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the contact member is rotatably connected to an outer part of the lever. For example, the contact member is a wheel. This embodiment re- duces the risk for abrasion on the facade element and increases the tolerance to different surfaces irregularities.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the lever is configured to rotate about said axis in a first direction when the fa- cade element is lowered, and the tool comprises a spring arrangement adapted to force the lever to rotate in a direction op- posite the first direction when said protruding part has been disconnected. By this, the lever is automatically returned to its initial position.

According to an embodiment of the invention, said lever has a fixed radius, and accordingly provides a fixed distance between the surface in contact with the facade element and the axis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be explained more closely by the description of different embodiments of the invention and with reference to the appended figures. Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a tool according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig.2 shows an example of a connection member. Fig.3a shows a view from above of the tool shown in figure 1

3b shows a view from above of the tool when it is mounted in a fixed position with respect to a building, and the facade element is in its transportation position.

3c shows a view from above of the tool and the facade element in its final mounting position.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the tool and the facade element when the facade element is moved towards its mounting position.

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of the tool and the facade element, when the facade element is positioned in its final mounting position. Figs. 6a-g illustrate how the tool works in order to move the facade element horizontally towards the building .

DETAI LED DESCRI PTION OF PREFERRED EMBODI M ENTS OF THE I NVENTION

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a tool according to an embodiment on the invention for mounting facade elements on a building . Figure 3a shows the tool in a view from above. The tool comprises a frame 50 including an elongated part 51 for attaching the frame in a fixed position with respect to a building . I n this embodiment, the part 51 is designed to attach the tool to a vertical profile 30 arranged on the bu i ld ing , as shown in figure 3b. The frame 50 further comprises a rod 52 arranged in parallel with the part 51 and a framework 53 arranged between the part 51 and the rod 52 to keep them in a fixed relation relative each other. The part 51 is provided with elements designed to be connected in corresponding slots in the vertical profile 30. The tool further includes at least one push ing mem ber 54a-b, arranged to be engaged to the facade element while the facade element is lowered and to push the facade element horizontally towards the building . I n the embodiment shown in figures 1 and 2, the tool includes two pushing members 54a-b arranged on opposite sides of the frame part 51 and can used to move two adjacent facade elements. The pushing members are operatively connected to the frame, in this embodiment to the rod 52, and arranged rotatable with respect to the frame. Each of the pushing members includes at least one and preferably two levers 60a-b rotatably arranged with respect to the frame 50 about an axis 62a-b, which is horizontally directed when the frame is connected to the building . The levers have a fixed radius.

Each push ing member 54a-b further includes at least on e and preferably two contact surfaces 59 operatively connected to an outer part of the lever and designed to be in contact with the fa- cade element wh i le the facade element is lowered and by that push the facade element towards the bu ild ing . The contact surface can be provided on an outer part of th e lever, or can be provided on a separate contact mem ber operatively connected to an outer part of the lever and having a surface designed to be in contact with the facade element. The contact mem ber is , for example, a ru b be r cu rsing attached to the outer part of the lever. In this embod iment, the contact members are wheels 58a- b rotatably connected to an outer part of the levers 60a-b. The wheels have outer su rfaces 59 designed to be in contact with the facade element. The lever is operatively con nected to the su rface 59 of the contact mem ber. However, i n an oth er embodiment of the invention, the contact member can be fixedly attached to the lever, or can be an integrated part of the lever.

Each push ing member 54a-b further includes a connection member 56 arranged to removable connect, i .e. engage or attach the tool to the facade element. The connection member and the contact su rface are arranged at a fixed d istance from each other. The contact members 58a-b can be positioned anywhere along the bar 63 as long as there is a d istance between the contact surface 59 and the connection member 56.

The connection member 56 is rotatably connected to the lever 60a-b, wh ich makes it possible to keep the connection member 56 in a fixed position with respect to the facade element while the levers 60a-b are rotated about the axis 62a-b. The connection member 56 is arranged to be automatically disconnected from the facade element. The con n ection mem ber can be de- signed in many d ifferent ways, for example, an electromagnet or a spring-loaded bolt. In this example, the connection member is arranged to be automatically disconnected from the facade element by rotation of the lever 60a-b. The connection member 56 is arranged so that the tool is automatically disconnected from the facade element when the lever 60a-b has passed the horizontal plane, when the tool is in its mounting position . Figure 2 shows the connection member 56 from figure 1 in an enlarged view. The connection member includes a protruding part 56 having a first surface 66 designed to be in contact with a corresponding protruding element of the facade element in order to connect the tool to the facade element. The protruding part 56 is wedge shaped . The first surface 66 is facing away from the contact member 58a-b. The first surface 66 is smooth . The protruding part 56 further includes a second surface 67 arranged slanted relative the first surface 66. This means that the angle between the first and second surfaces is less then 90°. The function of the slanted surface 67 is to push away the tool , so that the facade element can pass by the protruding part 56 and by that engage the pushing member 54 to the facade element.

The tool further comprises a bar 63 extending between an lower lever 60b and an upper lever 60a. The protruding part 56 is arranged in an upper end of the bar 63. The bar 63 is arranged so that it is always in parallel with the frame part 51 and the rod 52. The bar 63 also extends between the contact member 58a-b and the connection member 56 and consequently the connection member 56 and the contact member 58a-b are arran ged at a fixed distance from each other. Preferably, the distance between the contact surface 59 and the connection member 56 is more than 0, 1 m in order to provide a h igh accuracy in the position ing of the tool on the facade element. The wheel 58a and the lever 60a are rotatably connected to the bar 63 about a common shaft 65. The wheel 58b and the lever 60b are rotatably connected to the bar 63 about a common axis which is in parallel with the shaft 65. The bar 63 extends above the u pper wheel 58a and is connected to the connection member 56.

Each of the wheels 58a-b is connected to an end potion of the levers 60a-b and to the bar 63. An opposite end potion of the lever is rotatably connected to th e frame . Th e lever 60a-b is configured to rotate about the axis 62a-b in a first direction when the facade element is lowered . The outer end potion of the lever including the surface 59 is adapted to rotate between a position above the horizontal plane and a position below the horizontal plane when the tool is in its mounting position. The surface 59 is arranged in parallel with the axis 62a-b.

Thus, the tool comprises a locking mechanism for mechanically locking the pushing members 54a-b to the facade element and the locking mechanism is arranged so that the locking to the fa- cade element is automatical ly d isconnected by rotation of the lever. A hook is arranged in the upper end of the bar 63. The locking mechanism is arranged so that the hook is automatically d isconnected when the outer end portion of th e level 60a has passed the horizontal plane.

The member 54 further comprises a spring arrangement including a spring 64 arranged between the upper lever 60a and the bar 63. The spring 64 is arranged to force the levers 60a-b to rotate in a direction opposite the first direction when the tool has been disconnected from the facade element.

Figure 3b shows a view from above of the tool wh ich is mounted on the bu ild ing . Th e frame part 51 is attached to a profi le 30 mounted on the bu ild ing . A facade element 41 a is in its trans- portation position and a neighboring facade element 41 b has already been mounted . The transportation position is the position i n wh ich th e facad e e le ment is verti ca l ly tra n s ported to its mounting position . The tool is about to push the facade element to its mounting position . Figure 3c shows a view from above of the tool and the facade element 41 a when the facade element has been moved to its final mounting position .

Figures 4 and 5 show the tool when it is mounted to the building and how the facade element is moved downward at the same time as the tool pushes the facade element towards the building . As seen from the figures one tool is mounted on each side of the facade element 41 . The facade element is vertically moved until it is close to its mounting position. When the facade element has reached its mounting position or close to the mounting position, the facade element must be moved towards the bu ild ing . A hori- zontal force is needed in order to move the facade element.

Figures 6a-g illustrate how the tool works in order to move the facade element horizontally towards a building . I n this example, the upper part of the facade element 41 is provided with a de- vice 68, having a protruding element 70 with a surface designed to be in contact with the protruding part 56 of the connection member of the tool . The device 68 may be temporarily attached on the upper part of the facade element. The function of the tool will now be described with reference to the figures 3b, 4, 5 and 6a-g . The tool is to be mounted with the axis 62a-b horizontally directed and in parallel with the surface of the facade element 41 to be mounted , as shown in figure 4. The part 51 of the tool is inserted in to notches of a vertical pro- file 30, wh ich has previously been mounted on the build ing , as shown in figures 3b and 6a. The spring 64 holds the lever 60a-b in a start position, as shown in figure 6a. The facade element 41 is moved upward , as shown in figure 6b, guided by a slot of the vertical profile 30, until it comes into contact with the lower lever 60b of the tool . The facade element then swivels the push ing members 54a-b away from the building as shown in figure 6b. At the same time the spring 64 is compressed . The facade element is further moved upwards until the device 68, or alternatively an upper edge of the facade element, comes into contact with the slanted surface 67 of the protrud ing part 56. When the facade element comes into contact with the protruding part 56 during its upward movement, the facade element pushes away the pushing member, so that the facade element can pass by the protruding part. When the protrud ing element 70 of the facade element has passed the protruding part 56, the device 68 swings back so that protruding element 70 rests on the surface 66 of the protruding part 56, which results in that the protruding element 70 and the protruding part 56 lock into each other, as shown in figure 6c. This means that the pushing member 54a of the tool is mechanically connected to the facade element and the surfaces 59 of the contact members 58a-b are in contact with the facade element.

Thereafter, the facade element 41 is lowered towards the final mounting position, as shown in figure 6d . At the same time, the connection between the facade element and the pushing members 54 forces the levers 60a-b to rotate about the horizontal axis 62, while the surfaces 59 of the wheels 58a-b are in contact with the facade element thereby forcing the pushing members 54a-b to pu sh th e facad e e lement toward s th e bu i ld i n g , as shown i n f igure 6d-e. At the same time the spring 64 is stretched . At the moment when the levers 60a-b passes the horizontal plane, as shown in figure 6e, the facade element connects to the building , which forces the facade element to move straight down towards its final position. When the facade ele- ment is in its fin al position , an d th e outer en d portion of th e lever is below the horizontal plane as shown in figure 6f, the protruding element 70 is no longer is contact with the surface 66 of the protruding part 56, and thereby enabling the spring 64 to rotate the levers 60a-b back to its original starting position as shown in figure 6g . Thus, the protrud ing part 56 is automatically disconnected from protruding element 70, when the facade element is in its final mounting position.

The present invention is not l im ited to th e em bod iments d is- closed but may be varied and mod ified with in the scope of the following claims. For example, the lever and the contact member may have different shapes. I n another embodiment, the contact member may be a part of the lever or fixedly connected to the lever. Further, the contact members 58a-b can be position ed anywhere along the bar 63 as long as there is a d istance between the surface 59 and the connection member 56.

Claims

1 . A tool for mounting facade elements on a build ing , wherein the tool is arranged to move the facade element horizontally to- wards the build ing , the tool comprising :

- a frame (50) includ ing a part (51 ) for attach ing the frame in a fixed position with respect to the bu ilding , and

- at least one pushing member (54) including a lever (60a-b) ro- tatably arranged with respect to said frame about an axis (62a- b) to be horizontally d irected when the frame is in said fixed position, and a contact surface (59) operatively connected to the lever and desig ned to be i n contact with th e facade element while the facade element is lowered and by that push the facade element towards the building upon rotation of the lever, charac- terized i n that the tool further comprises a connection member (56) arranged to removably connect the tool to the facade element, and the connection member and the contact surface are arranged at a fixed distance from each other.

2. The tool according to claim 1 , wherein said connection member (56) is rotatably connected to the lever (60a-b).

3. The tool according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said connection member (56) is arranged to be automatically disconnected from the facade element by rotation of the lever.

4. The tool according to any of the previous claims, wherein the lever (60a-b) is adapted to rotate between a first position above a defined plane and a second position below said defined plane, and the connection member is arranged so that it is automatically disconnected from the facade element when the lever has passed the defined plane.

5. The tool accord ing to claim 4, wherein said connection mem- ber includes a protruding part (56) adapted to be engaged with a correspond ing protrud ing element mechan ical ly connected to facade element in order to mechanically connect the tool to the facade element.

6. The tool accord ing to claim 5, wherein said protruding part (56) is wedge shaped and includes a first surface (66) adapted to be i n co ntact with said corresponding protruding element while the tool is connected to the facade element, and a second surface (67) faci ng away from the first su rface and arranged slanted relative the first surface (66).

7. The tool accord ing to any of the previous claims, wherein the lever (60a-b) is configured to rotate about said axis (62a-b) in a first direction when the facade element is lowered and the tool comprises a spring arrangement (64) adapted to force the lever to rotate in a d irection opposite the first direction when said connection member has been disconnected .

8. The tool accord ing to any of the previous claims, wherein the push ing member comprises a contact member (58a-b) mechani- cally connected to an outer part of th e lever and said contact member includes said contact surface (59).

9. The tool according to claim 8, wherein said contact member (58a-b) is a wheel .

10. The tool according to any of the previous claims, wherein the tool further comprises:

- a second lever (60b) rotatably arranged with respect to said frame at a fixed distance from the first lever (60a),

- a second pushing surface operatively connected to an outer part of the second lever, and

- a bar (63) extend ing between the connection member (56) and the first and second lever, and the first and second levers are rotatably connected to the bar.