SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR SUPPORTING A FOIL SLEEVE FORMED BY A FOIL AND STRUCTURE COMPREHENSIVE OF SUCH A SUPPORTING STRUCTURE

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a supporting structure, in particular a secondary supporting structure, for supporting a film envelope formed by a film, having at least a first supporting structure element and a second supporting structure element, which are defined and adjacent to one another with a gap spaced therefrom, wherein the supporting structure elements each have a film receptacle for fastening the film, so that the supporting structure elements are connected to one another by means of the film when the film is fastened, and to a building which has a corresponding supporting structure.

[0002] ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene copolymer) films, particularly those with a thickness of 50 to 350 µm, are used in architecture primarily for membrane structures. The films are used as roofing for swimming pools, such as the Beijing National Aquatics Center, and greenhouses or other buildings, such as Tropical Island and Gondwanaland in Germany, the Eden Project in England, the Beijing National Stadium (Bird's Nest), and the 150 m high tent structure of Khan Shatyr in Kazakhstan. ETFE films also play an important role in football stadiums, such as the Allianz Arena, the HDI Arena, PGE Narodowy in Warsaw, and the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv.

[0003] ETFE foils are particularly used as foil cushions. For example, in roof structures, but also in other building components, ETFE foils are stretched or arranged using supporting structures.

[0004] Because these foil structures are often used over large areas, forces acting on the foil cause movements in the supporting structure, which in turn leads to stretching of the foil. These stretches occur in concentrated local areas and can lead to damage to the foil due to material fatigue, especially if they occur frequently.

[0005] DE 10 2014 016999 A1 discloses a lightweight construction element for buildings in which a foil or fabric is enclosed by a profile by means of a stud or clinch joint, and a shock absorber is arranged on one or both sides or centrally of the foil or fabric to convert movement of the foil or fabric into usable energy using piezo elements attached to the shock absorbers. For this purpose, the foil is held elastically by the shock absorbers orthogonally to one edge of the foil.

[0006] DE 27 47 913 A1 discloses an arched tent structure in which rubber elements are used in the supporting structure. The supporting structure is then tensioned and stiffened using ropes.

[0007] DE 10 2013 218 331 A1 discloses a wall or ceiling element with a foil cushion for a movable building structure. Inflatable foil elements can be used to change the geometry and opening position of a roof. The foil cushions are suspended in a frame structure.

[0008] DE 10 2014 016 999 A1 describes a lightweight construction element and a clamping device, wherein a film element is elastically held within the clamping device by means of spring elements.

[0009] DE 27 47 913 A1 discloses a tent-like support structure in which individual elements are connected to one another by means of stiffenable joints.

[0010] The object of the invention is to improve the state of the art.

[0011] The object is achieved by a supporting structure, in particular a secondary supporting structure, for supporting a film envelope formed by a film or a membrane envelope formed by a membrane, having at least a first supporting structure element and a second supporting structure element, which are defined and adjacent to one another and spaced apart by a gap, wherein the supporting structure elements each have a film receptacle for fastening the film or membrane, so that the supporting structure elements are connected to one another by means of the film when the film is fastened, wherein the supporting structure elements are movably arranged in a movement receptacle of the supporting structure set up for the directed guidance of supporting structure movements and are coupled by means of a first spring element, so that during a supporting structure movement a film stretching or membrane movement is distributed over the supporting structure elements.

[0012] This delocalizes the film's locally occurring stretching, thus distributing it across multiple structural elements. This means that the film itself has less to compensate for the structure's movement. The structural elements can move relative to each other, thereby distributing local stresses and strains from the film. Since this movement occurs primarily parallel to an edge or border of the film, local overstretching of the film along the structure is avoided, thus preventing damage or tearing.

[0013] The following terminology should be explained: A "supporting structure" is specifically the term for an overall static system of load-bearing elements that are crucial for the stability of a building. The supporting structure of a building consists, for example, of ceilings, beams, columns, walls, and the foundation. However, individual components such as ceiling beams and column walls are also referred to as supporting structures. Thus, cable structures, rod structures, and shell structures are also included. The present invention, in particular, enables the realization of an adaptive supporting structure that physically adapts to external properties, such as wind loads and the like, in a defined manner.

[0014] A "secondary structure" is, in particular, a sub-unit of an actual structure. For example, a roof structure may have a cable structure as a secondary structure, which supports the components forming the actual roof elements, such as foils, fabrics, or membranes.

[0015] In this context, a "film" refers specifically to a very thin sheet of metal, fabric, and / or plastic. The term also includes all membranes and flexible materials, such as woven and coated ones. This particularly includes plastic films, colloquially also called plastic foil. This is usually a thin (< 1 mm) sheet of plastic. This is often first manufactured in continuous strips, rolled up, and later cut into suitable pieces. The films for these supporting structures are often made of ETFE (ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer). ETFE is a fluorinated copolymer consisting of the monomers tetrafluoroethylene and ethylene. It can also be made of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), although ETFE is more resistant to β- and γ-radiation than PTFE. In principle, any weatherproof plastic can be used.

[0016] A "film envelope" can be formed by the film in a single layer or it can also include film cushions in which in particular two, three, four or more films enclose a hollow space.

[0017] The first and second "supporting structure elements" are components of the supporting structure and serve, in particular, to secure the film or, accordingly, the film sleeve. For example, the film sleeve can be connected to the respective supporting structure element by clamping. It is essential that forces acting on the film sleeve are transmitted into the supporting structure via the supporting structure elements. For example, supporting structure elements can be arranged in such a way that they form a frame for tensioning the film sleeve or, accordingly, the film. In particular, the supporting structure elements can be arranged so that they can move relative to one another, for example, so that they can slide along the supporting structure.

[0018] A "gap" arranged between two structural elements provides a space between two structural elements, which is reduced or enlarged accordingly due to any movements of the structural elements.

[0019] The "film holder" can directly accommodate the film or film sleeve and secure it, for example, by clamping, or it can serve as a holder for a separate fastening element, which is particularly located on the edge of a film. This fastening element can, for example, be attached to the respective structural element by clamping or screwing.

[0020] The "first spring element" coupling the two structural elements is, in particular, an elastic element that dampens the movement of two adjacent structural elements. In a very simple embodiment, this can be, for example, a hard rubber element arranged in the gap between the first structural element and the second structural element. This first spring element thus directly reduces the expansion that would otherwise have to be compensated for by the film or film covering.

[0021] Thus, the core of the invention is that the resilient coupling supporting structure element reduces the expansion, which according to the prior art is compensated or yielded by the film, or which is absorbed by external spring elements only orthogonal or approximately orthogonal to an edge of the film, particularly in the direction along the edges or edges of the film. This significantly increases the service life of the films.

[0022] In a further embodiment, the supporting structure comprises a third supporting structure element, a fourth supporting structure element, a fifth supporting structure element and / or further supporting structure elements, which are each arranged with a gap to an adjacent supporting structure element by means of a second spring element, a third spring element, a fourth spring element and / or by means of further spring elements, so that during a supporting structure movement the film stretching is distributed over several supporting structure elements.

[0023] The additional structural elements and additional spring elements can thus compensate for or dampen movements of the supporting structure across multiple structural elements. This, in turn, results in the load being distributed across the film or, accordingly, the film envelope. The respective structural elements as well as the spring elements can be designed in the same way as the previously described structural elements and spring elements.

[0024] In order to guide structural movements in a directed manner by means of the structural elements, the structural element according to the invention has a movement absorber, in particular in one embodiment a rail in which the structural elements are movably arranged.

[0025] In a further embodiment, two or more spring elements are mechanically coupled to one another. This mechanical coupling, in particular, allows the structural movement to be distributed more evenly among the individual structural elements. To distribute this movement even better and more homogeneously, adjacent structural elements can be mechanically connected by means of a coupling device, with the coupling spring element being assigned to each respective coupling device.

[0026] The "coupling device" can, for example, be firmly connected to one of the structural elements and mechanically connected to the corresponding spring element in the other structural element.

[0027] To adjust the permissible play of a structural element, the coupling device can have a limiting element, which is particularly designed as an elongated hole. In the case of an elongated hole, the coupling device serves as a guide element that adjusts the permissible movements of the structural elements and as a limit.

[0028] In a further embodiment, the supporting structure comprises the foil covering, wherein the foil forming the foil covering is connected to the supporting structure elements.

[0029] Thus, a system can be provided which can be used as a structural element, such as a roof structure, in a building.

[0030] In a further aspect, the problem is solved by a building which has a previously described supporting structure.

[0031] The invention will be explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments. Figure 1 is a highly schematic side view of a supporting structure with several fastening profiles which are spaced apart from each other by means of gaps, and Figure 2 is a highly schematic side view of a supporting structure with two fastening profiles spaced apart from each other.

[0032] A supporting structure 101 comprises a plurality of adjacently arranged fastening profiles 105, each spaced apart by a gap 121. Rubber springs 107 are arranged in the respective gaps 121. The fastening profiles 105 are arranged on a profile rail 103 so as to be movable in and against an expansion direction 111. The respective fastening profiles 105 clamp an ETFE foil 109. Thus, the fastening profiles 105 support the entire ETFE foil 109.

[0033] If a force is now introduced into the supporting structure 101 in the direction of expansion 111 due to wind, this causes the fastening profiles 105 in the profile rail 103 to move in the direction of expansion 111. This leads to an expansion of the ETFE foil 109, which is, however, reduced by the rubber springs 107.

[0034] An alternative supporting structure 201 has fastening profiles 205. These fastening profiles 205 are mounted in a profile rail 203 so that they can move in the direction of expansion 211. In addition, the fastening profiles 205 are clamped to the ETFE foil 209.

[0035] A connecting rod 213 is firmly connected to a mounting profile 205 by means of a connecting bolt 217. The connection to the other mounting profile 205 is movably mounted due to the elongated hole 215 and the associated guide bolt 217. Directly following the connecting rod 213 is a spring rod 219, which is coupled to another connecting rod with a coil spring 217.

[0036] If a force is now introduced into the supporting structure 201 in the direction of expansion 211, this causes the spring 207 to extend. This extension is limited by the elongated hole 215 and requires that the further expansion be compensated by the remaining fastening profiles 205. Thus, this limitation overcomes the inertia of the spring elements and distributes the expansion force in the direction of expansion 2111 within the supporting structure 201. List of reference symbols

[0037] 101Supporting structure 103Profile rail 105Fastening profile 107Rubber spring 109ETFE foil 111Expansion direction 121Gap 201Alternative supporting structure 203Profile rails 205Fastening profile 207Coil spring 209ETFE foil 211Expansion direction 213Connecting rod 215Elongated hole 217Connecting bolt 219Spring rod 221Gap

Claims

1. Support structure (101, 201), in particular a secondary support structure, for supporting a film wrapping formed by a film (109, 209) or a membrane wrapping formed by a membrane, having at least a first support structure element (105, 205) and a second support structure element (105, 205), which are spaced apart in a defined manner and adjacent to one another with a gap (121, 221), wherein the support structure elements each have a film receptacle for fastening the film or membrane, such that the support structure elements are connected to each other by means of the film or membrane when the film or membrane is fastened, characterised in that the support structure elements are movably arranged in a movement receptacle of the support structure configured for the directional guidance of support structure movements and are coupled by means of a first spring element (107, 207), such that in the event of a support structure movement a film elongation or membrane elongation is distributed over the support structure elements.

2. Support structure according to claim 1, characterised by a third support structure element, a fourth support structure element, a fifth support structure element and / or further support structure elements, which are each arranged with a gap to an adjacent support structure element and are coupled by means of a second spring element, a third spring element, a fourth spring element and / or by means of further spring elements, such that in the event of a support structure movement the film elongation or the membrane elongation is distributed over a plurality of support structure elements.

3. Support structure according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the support elements are movably arranged in a rail.

4. Support structure according to any one of claims 2 or 3, characterised in that two or more spring elements are mechanically coupled to each other.

5. Support structure according to claim 4, characterised in that support structure elements arranged adjacent to each other are mechanically connected by means of a coupling device (213), wherein the coupling spring element is associated with the coupling device in each case.

6. Support structure according to claim 5, characterised in that the coupling device has a guide element.

7. Support structure according to any one of claims 5 or 6, characterised in that the coupling device has a limiting element and in particular is configured as an elongated hole.

8. Support structure according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the support structure has a film wrapping or a membrane wrapping, wherein the film forming the film wrapping or the membrane forming the membrane wrapping is connected to the support structure elements.

9. Building structure, having a support structure according to any one of the preceding claims.