Building and air distributing structure

June 6, 1961 b. e. curran 2,987,328

BUILDING AND AIR DISTRIBUTING STRUCTURE

Filed March 15, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1

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FIG. I

INVENTOR.

Bernard E.Curran by ^ai&lt;&gt;d:-R.eluvte^&lt;4&lt;

ATTORNEY

June 6, 1961 b. e. curran 2,987,328

BUILDING AND AIR DISTRIBUTING STRUCTURE

Filed March 15, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2

<img file="US2987328A_D0002.tif" />

ATTORNEY

June 6, 1961

B. E. CURRAN

2,987,328

BUILDING AND AIR DISTRIBUTING STRUCTURE

Filed March 15, 1957

Sheets-Sheet 3

<img file="US2987328A_D0003.tif" />

<img file="US2987328A_D0004.tif" />

<img file="US2987328A_D0005.tif" />

INVENTOR.

Bernard E. Curran

FIG.5

ATTORNEY

United States Patent Office

2,987,328

Patented June 6, 1961

937 328 BUILDING AND AIR DISTRIBUTING STRUCTURE Bernard E. Curran, Sewickley, Pa., assignor to Η. H. Robertson Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania

Filed Mar. 15,1957, Ser. No. 646,317 1 Claim. (Cl. 285—19)

This invention relates to a building and air distributing structure and more particularly to a buiding and air conditioning structure of the type forming the subject matter of United States patent to R. P. Goemann, No. 2,729,429, dated January 3, 1956.

The Goemann patent discloses a building and air conditioning and distributing system and apparatus wherein cellular metal floors form the load supporting structure at each of selected stories of a multi-story building, and the present invention has for an object to provide novel apparatus which may be used with advantage in connecting an air supply header extended beneath the cellular metal floor to -the underside of the air conducting cells of the multicellular floor.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel connecting apparatus of the character specified which is of a construction adapted for plant manufacture and field assembly of the components of the connecting apparatus in an efficient and economical manner.

With these, general objects in view and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the connecting apparatus hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a portion of a cellular metal floor wherein air is conducted through selected floor cells as shown in said Gpemann patent above referred to;

FIG. 2 is a transverse cross sectional view taken on the line 2—2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross sectional view taken on the line 3·—3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view in cross section taken on the line 4—4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional detail view of a modified form of the present connecting apparatus; and

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 6—6 of FIG. 1.

The building and air conditioning and distributing structure forming the subject matter of· the Goemann patent above referred to embodies a cellular metal floor of the type illustrated in the patent to Young, No. 1,867,433, and wherein a multiplicity of- air conducting cells form a part of the structural load supporting cellular metal floor itself. As illustrated in the Goemann patent, provision is made for supplying air, particularly conditioned air, to selected and a number of spaced air conducting floor cells, and the present invention is particularly concerned with novel connecting means or apparatus which may be used with advantage in making the connection between the air supply header ducts extended transversely of and beneath the cellular metal floor and the underside of the air conducting cells of the floor. In the various forms of the connecting means, herein illustrated, provision is made for simplifying the labor involved in field erection of the components and for facilitating the manufacture of the various components in the plant.

Referring now to -the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates in plan a portion of one story of a multi-story building embodying the air conditioning and distributing system shown in the Goemann patent wherein hot and cold air ducts 10,12 respectively are extended through the service core of the building and are connected by longitudinally extended ducts 14, 16 and transversely extended duets 18, 20 beneath the cellular metal floor to alternate air conducting cells 22, 24 of the floor which in turn communicate directly with sill box outlets 26 arranged at right angles to the air conducting cells or parallel to the end wall 28 of the building, the sill box outlets 30 arranged along the side wall 32 of the building being connected to the air conducting cells 22, 24 by transverse ducts 34, 36 which extend beneath the multicellular floor. The connections are extended upwardly through openings in the non-air carrying portions of the multicellular floor.

In accordance with the present invention novel connecting apparatus is provided between the transversely extended air supply header ducts 18, 20 and the underside of alternate air conducting cells 22, 24, As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each connecting unit may comprise an upper flanged clamping unit, indicated generally at 38, for cooperation with an opening 40 in the bottom wall 42 of an air conducting cell 22, 24; a lower flanged clamping unit, indicated generally at 44, for cooperation with an opening 45 in the upper wall 46 of an air supply header duct 18, 20, and a vertical sheet metal connecting sleeve 48 secured to the flanged connecting units 38, 44 to provide airtight connection between the cells.

As shown in FIG· 3, the upper connecting unit 38 may comprise an inner hollow shoe plate 50 having a rectangular body portion in the form of an upright rim or band and provided with an outwardly extended flange 52 at its upper end and an inwardly extended flange 54 at its lower end. The outwardly extended flange 52 is arranged to engage the inner surface of the bottom wall 42 surrounding the opening 40 with the body portion of the shoe plate 50 extended through the opening. The upper connecting unit 38 also includes an outer hollow shoe plate 56 arranged to cooperate with the inner shoe plate 50. The outer shoe plate 56 also comprises a rectangular body portion provided with an outwardly extended upper flange 58 and an inwardly extended lower flange 60 and is arranged to fit over the inner shoe plate in nesting relation with the upper flange 58 bearing against the outer wall surface 42 surrounding the opening 40 of the air conducting cell. A gasket 62 may be interposed between the flange 58 and the bottom wall to. render the joint airtight. The flanged connecting unit 38 is secured to the bottom wall 42 about the opening 40 by bolts 64 extended through clearance openings in the inwardly extended lower flange 6Q and cooperating with threaded openings in the inwardly extended lower flange 54. The bolts are tightened to effect a clamping of the outwardly extended flanges, 52, 58 in airtight relation about the opening 40.

The lower flanged connecting unit 44 may comprise similar hollow inner and outer shoe plates 66, 68 having rectangular body portions in the form of upright bands, each shoe plate having outwardly extended bottom flanges 70, 72 for cooperation with the wall portions surrounding the opening 45 in the upper wall 46 of the air supply header duct 18, and having inwardly extended upper flanges 74, 76 secured together by bolts 78 which extend through clearance openings in the inwardly extended flange 76 and cooperate with threaded openings in the inwardly extended flange 74 to effect clamping of the outwardly extended bottom flanges 70, 72 about the opening 45. A gasket 80 may be provided between the flange 70 and the outer surface of the header duct 18 to provide an airtight connection.

The upper and lower ends of the sheet metal connecting sleeve 48 are fitted over the upright body portions of

2,987,328 the outer shoe plates 56, 68 and are preferably secured thereto by spot welding. In order to provide an airtight seam, a solder seal indicated at 83 may be provided between the ends of the sleeve 48 and the shoe plates 56, 68. As illustrated, a substantial thickness of sound insulation material 82 may be secured to the inner wall of the sleeve 48 prior to the assembly of the sleeve and shoe plates. The sleeve 48 with outer shoe plates 56, 68 secured thereto may be erected as a unit with the inner and outer shoe plates 50, 56 of the upper connecting unit 38, and the inner and outer shoe plates 66, 68 of the lower connecting unit 44 being secured together in the manner heretofore described.

From the description thus far it will be seen that the flanged connecting and clamping units 38, 44, together with the assembled connecting sleeve 48, are secured in airtight relation about their respective openings 40, 45 with the opening 40 in the air conducting cell 22 aligned vertically with the opening 45 in the air supply header duct 18.

It will be observed that an important advantage of the present structure resides in the fact that the sleeve 48 may be produced in various lengths adapted to accommodate variations in vertical spacing between the header duct and the underside of the cellular floor. In practice during the erection of the air distributing structure, the contractor may cut the sleeves to the required length in the field, and the expedient of securing the ends of the sleeve to the relatively wide vertical band or rim portions of the outer shoe plates by means of spot welding and solder sealing provides a practical and convenient structure to accommodate such variations in vertical spacing.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6, the parallel air supply header ducts 18, 20 extended transversely of the cellular floor may be connected to alternate air conducting cells 22, 24 to supply air of different condition to the dual air discharge outlets or sill boxes 26, one of which is indicated in broken lines in FIG. 2, and the air conducting cells 22, 24 may be further connected by transverse ducts 34, 36 to outlets or sill boxes 50 as shown in FIG. 1. It will be understood that the sheet metal sleeves 48 and the outlet connecting units 38, 44 to which they are secured serve to suspend the header ducts 18, 20 from the underside of cellular floor and to support the weight of the header ducts therefrom.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a modified form of outlet connecting unit for cooperation with the opening 40 in the underside of an air conducting cell 22 permits elimination of the inner shoe plate 50 and provides a relatively rigid supporting structure for suspending the weight of the header duct. As herein shown, the modified outlet connecting unit comprises an outer shoe plate 84 having a rectangular vertical body portion, an outwardly extended upper flange 86 and an inwardly extended lower flange 88. The outwardly extended flange 86 is welded to the bottom wall 44 about the opening 40 to provide an airtight seam and to serve as a reinforcement about . “ ⁷ the opening in the cell. The upper end of the sleeve 48 is preferably seam welded to the rectangular body of the shoe plate 84 further reinforcing the connecting structure to enable it to support the weight of the header duct suspended therefrom. The openings in the inwardly extended flange 88 may be eliminated, and such flange serves as a reinforcing member and also as a retaining flange for the sound absorbing insulation 82 applied to the inner wall of the sleeve as shown.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms within the scope of the following claim.