Building structure with purlin to beam connection

Abstract

A metal frame for a building structure includes a structural beam, such as a truss, and a tubular purlin or trellis attached to the beam. The tubular purlin includes a configured end matably engaging a side of the beam and an attachment tab extending longitudinally from the configured end. The configured end and the attachment tab both are integrally formed from material of the tubular purlin. The structural attachment tab supports the configured end on the structural beam and structurally attaches the tubular purlin to the structural beam. In one form, the tubular purlin includes a wall section that covers an open end of the tubular beam. In another form, the configured end defines an angled recess setting the particular orientation of the beam relative to the purlin. In yet another form, interlock hooks are provided on the attachment tab.

Description

BACKGROUND [0001] The present invention relates to building structures having structural beams and purlins connected between the beams to create a frame, and also relates to building structures having both purlins and trellis. [0002] Tubular purlins are for the most part presently connected to main beams (e.g. trusses) with welded end plates that cover the end of the tubular purlins. The end plates are bent at the top and have an extending flange with holes for receiving bolts to secure the purlins to a main beam or truss. For example, see Porter U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,534. The end plates are pre-formed separate from the tubular purlins and then attached by welding. This takes substantial material, labor, and time, and further results in extra inventory as well as quality and dimensional control concerns. An improvement is desired to reduce the amount of raw material required for manufacture of building structures, to reduce the number of inventoried components, to simplify the manufac...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014] The present structural purlin to beam connections described above are believed to be novel, useful, and unobvious, particularly in association with modern laser cutting technology, because the connecting configured ends are surprisingly and unex

Problems solved by technology

This takes substantial material, labor, and time, and further results in extra inventory as well as quality and dimensional control concerns.

While partial depth cuts can be made with saws, it is largely impractical to do so on a production basis for making building and roof beams and purlins, since partial depth cuts are manually intensive and time-consuming to set up, and further are difficult to accurately control in the heavy gauge metals and high-strength steels used in building beams.

Aside from the aforementioned problems, it is very difficult to exactly match the end point of a first cut with a second cut coming from another angle.

Notably, mis-cuts and poor dimensional control can be a significant problem when manufacturing struct

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