Stadium building.

This invention relates to a stadium building having a retractable roof or dome.

Covered stadiums are. becoming more common because they provide a controlled environment for outdoor sports and extend the season for such activities. However, an indoor atmosphere is a drawback when the weather is fine because it detracts from the natural environment. To obtain the best of both worlds retractable roofs have been devised to expose the interior of the stadium. Such roofs have been found expensive to construct and/or incomplete in achieving their purpose of approximating complete exposure of the interior. In one type of structure a rectangular roof slides away as a unitary structure (Montreal, Canada) while in another type a round roof is opened in the manner of a camera lens shutter. The shutter roof leaves an overhanging arch while the unitary sliding roof requires an additional area of land equal to the area of land required for the stadium proper.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a stadium having a retractable roof of relatively simple construction giving maximum exposure of the interior.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a stadium building characterised by a retractable roof comprising a central arch separating a pair of end segments, one end segment being movable into nesting relationship with the other end segment, and the central arch being movable to rest above the nesting end segments. Advantageously the end segments are ungular end segments.

In one preferred embodiment said other end segment is fixed.

In another preferred embodiment the nesting end segments and the above nesting central arch are movable laterally, whereby the interior of the stadium is more fully exposed.

Further features of the invention are defined in Claims 2 to 11 and 13 to 4.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a stadium building, a retractable roof comprising a central arch separating a pair of ungular end segments, one end segment being fixed, the other end segment being movable into nesting relationship with the fixed end segment, and the central arch being movable to nest above the fixed end segment.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided in a stadium building, a retractable roof comprising a central arch separating a pair of ungular end segments, one end segment being movable into nesting relationship with the other end segment, and the central arch being movable to rest above the nesting end segments, the nesting end segments and the above resting central arch being movable laterally whereby the interior of the stadium is more fully exposed.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, in which:- <ul id="ul0001" list-style="none"><li>Figure 1 is a perspective view of a stadium having a roof retracted into an open position;</li><li>Figure 2 is a view of the stadium of Figure 1 showing the roof in a closed position;</li><li>Figure 3 is a perspective view of the stadium of Figure 1 from the opposite end thereof;</li><li>Figure 4 is a perspective view of the stadium of Figure 2 from the opposite end thereof;</li><li>Figure 5 is a plan view of the stadium of Figure 1;</li><li>Figure 6 is a plan view of the stadium of Figure 2;</li><li>Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 showing diagrammatically the truck arrangement and closing movement of the movable end segment and the movable vaults;</li><li>Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 of Figure 7 showing the interrelationship between the side walls of the structure and the trucks of the movable end segment and the movable arches;</li><li>Figure 9 is a fragmentary view of the area indicated by numeral 9 in Figure 8;</li><li>Figure 10 is a perspective view of a truck of the movable end segment and arches;</li><li>Figure 11 is a detailed plan view of a plurality of the trucks of one arch;</li><li>Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 12-12 of Figure 11;</li><li>Figure 13 is a diagrammatic side view of the stadium of Figure 1 (in open position);</li><li>Figure 14 is a diagrammatic side view of the stadium of Figure 2 (in closed position);</li><li>Figure 15 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a stadium having a roof retracted into an open position;</li><li>Figure 16 is a view of the stadium of Figure 15 showing the roof in a closed position;</li><li>Figure 17 is a perspective view of the stadium of Figure 15 from the opposite end thereof;</li><li>Figure 18 is a perspective view of the stadium of Figure 16 from the opposite end thereof;</li><li>Figure 19 is a plan view of the stadium of Figure 15;</li><li>Figure 20 is a plan view of the stadium of Figure 16;</li><li>Figure 21 is a view similar to Figure 6 showing diagrammatically the truck arrangement of the end segments and the movable vault;</li><li>Figure 22 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 22-22 of Figure 21;</li><li>Figure 23 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 23-23 of Figure 22₁</li><li>Figure 24 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along line 24-24 of Figure 22;</li><li>Figure 25 is a series of diagrammatic plan views of the stadium of Figure 15 showing the stages of movement of the roof; and</li><li>Figure 26 is a diagrammatic side view of the stadium of Figure 16 (in closed position).</li></ul>

The example embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 14 of the drawings consists of a stadium building 10 having a dome 12 resting on a wall structure 14 comprising a circular wall 16 and a pair of parallel, opposed side walls 18 which are tangential to circular wall 16. Dome 12 consists of a central arch comprising a pair of parallel movable barrel vaults 20 and 22 movably mounted on side walls 18, and a pair of opposed ungular end segments 24 and 26 carried by circular wall 16. End segment 24 is movably mounted on the circular wall 16.

The manner of mounting movable barrel vaults 20, 22 and movable end segment 24 is shown in Figures 7 to 12 of the drawings. Each end of barrel vault 20 is carried on a row of trucks 28 which travel on a set of tracks 30 fixed on opposed parallel shoulders 32 on side walls 18. Each end of barrel vault 22 is carried on a row of trucks 34 which travel on a set of tracks 36 fixed on parallel shoulders 38 of side walls 18. End segment 24 is carried on a row of trucks 40 which travel on a set of tracks 42 in a recess 44 in circular wall 16. Each truck 28, 34 and 40 is joined by a pin connection 46 to a truss 47 its respective vault or segment.

Truck 40 is shown in detail in Figure 10 of the drawings and consists of a carriage frame 48 having a set of fixed anchor plates 50 to which end segment 24 is pin connected. Two spaced pairs of double flanged wheels 52 and 54 are journally mounted in parallel on frame 48 and two further spaced pairs of double flanged wheels 56 and 58 are journally mounted in parallel on frame 48 normal to wheels 52 and 54. One end of frame 48 carries a coupling pin 60 and the other end carries an apertured coupling flange 62 for connecting a row of trucks 40 together. Certain of trucks 40 carry a pair of drive motors 64 each mounted on a gear box 66 which includes a pinion 68 engageable with a rack 70. Trucks 28 and 34 are of the same construction as truck 40 except that wheels 56 and 58 are removed as redundant.

Referring again to Figures 8, 9 and 12, each shoulder 32 of side walls 18 carries a pair of parallel, spaced supports 72 with inturned blocks 74. A first pair of rails 76 are fixed on shoulder 32 and a second pair of rails 78 are fixed on blocks 74, to form track 30. Rack 70 is fixed on shoulder 32 between rails 76. Rails 76 and 78 are engaged by pairs of wheels 52 and 54 on truck 28 and rack 70 is engaged by pinions 68. The same arrangement is associated with each shoulder 38 of side walls 18, i.e. supports 72, blocks 74, rails 76 and 78 (to form tracks 32), and rack 70. Recess 44 in circular walls 16 has a pair of secondary recesses 80 and 82 which have fixed pairs of opposed rails 84 and 86 respectively. Recess 44 also has further rails 88 and 90 normal one to the other. Rails 84, 86, 88 and 90 together form track 42.

Figures 11 and 12 show the arrangement of trucks 28 associated with barrel vault 20. Not every truck 28 is needed to move vault 20 and the drive trucks are sequentially spaced between slave trucks 28a which are of the same construction as the drive trucks but do not carry motors 64.

As seen in Figures 1, 3, 5 and 13, dome 12 when open has end segment 24, vault 20, and vault 22 stacked above fixed end segment 26 in nesting position. To close dome 12 into the position shown in Figures 2, 4, 6 and 14, end segment 24 and vaults 20, 22 are moved as seen in Figure 7. More particularly, end segment 24 is rotated on track 42 in the direction of arrow 116 about any imaginary centre of rotation 118, vault 20 is moved linearly on track 36 in the direction of arrow 120, and vault 22 is moved linearly on track 32 in the direction of arrow 122.

In the structure as seen in Figure 14 it will be noted that vaults 20, 22 and end segments 24, 26 carry interengaging means to seal dome 12 in its closed position. In particular, end segment 24 carries at its upper edge 92 an upwardly extending flange 94 which cooperates with a downwardly extending flange 96 on leading edge 98 of vault 20 to form a vertical seal with a suitable sealing element 100. Similarly trailing edges 102 of vault 22 carries a downwardly extending flange 104 which cooperates with upper edge 106 of end segment 26 to close the gap between the vault and the segment together with a sealing element 108. A sealing element 110 between trailing edge 112 of vault 20 and leading edge 114 of vault 22 completes the sealing of dome 12.

The example embodiment shown in Figures 15 to 26 of the drawings consists of a stadium building 130 having a roof or dome 132 resting on a wall structure 134 comprising a circular wall 136, a pair of parallel opposed side walls 138 which are tangential to circular wall 136, and a platform 140 extending rearwardly of the circular wall between the side walls. Dome 132 consists of a central arch, comprising a barrel vault 142 which is preferably externally convex in lateral cross-section, and a pair of opposed ungular end segments 144 and 146. Barrel vault 142 is mounted movably on side walls 138, end segment 144 is mounted movably on circular wall 136, and end segment 146 is mounted on a carriage 148 which is movable on a plurality of parallel rails 150 resting on platform 140.

The manner of mounting barrel vault 142, end segment 144 and carriage 148 is shown in Figure 24. Each end of barrel vault 142 is carried on a row of trucks 152 which travel on a set of tracks 154 fixed on opposed shoulders 156 on side walls 138, each truck being pin connected to the end of a truss of barrel vault 142. End segment 144 is carried on a row of trucks 158 which travel on sets of tracks 160 fixed on carriage 148, each truck being pin connected to the end of a truss of the end segment. The ends of the trusses of end segment 146 are connected by pins 162 to carriage 148 which is carried on rows of trucks 164 travelling on rails 150. Each truck 158 is independently driven by motor means (not shown) while each truck 164 is driven by a rack and pinion combination 166 in the same manner as trucks 28 in the previous embodiment. Carriage 148 includes additional trucks 168 which bear laterally against subsidiary rails 170 fixed on side walls 138 of building 130. A sheet cover 172 is mounted on carriage 148 and meets with a cover 174 on segment 144, segment 146 also having a cover 176 which includes a gutter 178.

The manner of opening and closing dome 132 is shown in Figures 25 and 26 of the drawings. From a closed position of dome 132 as seen in Figure 25a and 26, end segment 144 is rotated on trucks 158 in the direction of arrow 180 as seen in Figures 25b, 25c and 25d until it comes to rest in a nesting position above segment 146 as seen in Figures 25e and Figure 26. At the same time barrel vault 142 is moved rearwardly on trucks 152 in the direction of arrow 182 as seen in Figures 25b, 25c and 25d until it comes to rest as seen in Figure 25e and Figure 26. Next nesting segments 144 and 146 are moved rearwardly by carriage 148 on trucks 164 in the direction of arrow 184 as seen in Figures 25f and 25g until they rest beneath barrel vault 142 as seen in Figure 25h and Figure 26, completely exposing the interior of stadium 130 within circular wall 136.

Carriage 148 is constructed with trusses to distribute the loads of end segments 144 and 146, a portion of the loads being transferred to side walls 138 by lateral trucks 168. As in the previous embodiment, seals are provided between barrel vault 142 and end segments 144, 146 when dome 12 is in a closed position. Trucks 164 of carriage 148 are driven by rack and pinion to control uniform movement of the truck array.

As in the previous embodiment, barrel vault 142 and end segments 144 and 146 carry interengaging means to seal dome 132 in its closed position. In particular, end segment 144 carries at its upper edge an upwardly extending flange 190 which cooperates with a downwardly extending flange 192 on the leading edge of vault 142 to form a seal and the trailing edge of the vault carries a seal 194 which interengages with end segment 146.