Rail for suspended and movable receiving of wall elements, in particular on a marine vessel

Abstract

A rail for the suspended and movable mounting of wall elements, preferably for forming a wall, particularly on a seagoing vessel, wherein the wall elements are aligned with rollers, is provided that the rail has bearing surfaces for rollers and is manufactured in one piece from a metal or plastic. This rail can bear high loads despite its simple construction.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a rail for the suspended and movable mounting of wall elements, preferably for forming a wall, particularly on a seagoing vessel, wherein the wall elements are equipped with rollers.

[0002] Wall elements can be combined to form walls by joining them together. These wall elements can also be glass elements, allowing individual glass elements to create a glass wall. Such glass walls are used particularly on ships to open or close off lounge or living areas to the outside.

[0003] Such wall elements, particularly on seagoing vessels, can be subjected to forces from wind loads and precipitation. In addition, the relatively high mass of the wall elements, especially when they are made of glass or predominantly of glass, further complicates matters.

[0004] Rail systems have already been proposed for handling and lifting such wall elements. The rails for these systems can be attached to ceilings, for example, to foundation slabs, and the wall elements then hang from the rails. The wall elements typically have rollers along their upper edges, which allow them to rest on sections of the rail.

[0005] The invention is based on the objective of demonstrating a rail of the aforementioned type which can withstand high loads while being easy to manufacture.

[0006] This problem is solved according to the invention in that the rail has bearing surfaces for rollers and is made in one piece from a metal or from a plastic.

[0007] Manufacturing the rail from a single piece simplifies its production. The rail does not need to be assembled from multiple workpieces and can be made of either metal or plastic. Nevertheless, it still provides bearing surfaces for the rollers of the wall elements.

[0008] The rail can be made of aluminum or a metal alloy. Especially for mounting such a rail on a seagoing vessel, marine-grade aluminum or a marine-grade metal alloy can be used.

[0009] The rail preferably has lateral recesses in the vertical section to accommodate the rollers. The rollers can project laterally from the wall elements or from building components connected to the wall elements and thus project into the lateral recesses of the rail. The rollers then rest on a section of the rail, enabling the wall elements to move.

[0010] In vertical section, the rail has a narrow section at the level of the lateral indentations. Below this narrow section, a wider section is arranged, which has undercut sections. Brushes can be inserted into these undercut sections, which, in a parallel arrangement of rails according to the invention, span the distance between two adjacent rails. The wall elements can be guided through these brushes; the brushes enclose the sections of the wall elements that pass through, preventing dirt from penetrating the area of ​​the bearing surfaces for the rollers and the rollers themselves.

[0011] According to a further development of the invention, it is provided that the rail also has undercut sections in a widespread area above the indentations.

[0012] The rail preferably also features undercut sections in an upper end face. T-nuts, which are attached to the foundation slab or a ceiling, can be inserted into these undercut sections. The rail itself is thus attached, for example, to a foundation slab.

[0013] The rail can also preferably have undercut sections on its lower end face. Covers for the rail can be inserted into these undercut sections using suitable T-nuts.

[0014] A further development of the invention provides that each undercut section includes a recess in the transformation of the rail.

[0015] Furthermore, it may be provided that recesses are arranged in the surface of the rail on both sides of the undercut section of the upper end face. The rail can be guided along provided projections with these grooves during insertion, thereby securing its position.

[0016] The individual undercut sections may also include grooves to facilitate the insertion of drilling tools.

[0017] An embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawing. It shows: Figure 1 shows a sectional view of a rail according to the invention for receiving wall elements, Figure 2 shows a sectional view of a foundation slab with five rails according to Figure 1 and with partial views of wall elements.

[0018] The rail in Figure 1The rail is formed in one piece, for example from aluminum. It has lateral indentations 1. These indentations 1 create a widened area 2 below the indentations 1 and a widened area 3 above the indentations 1. Each of these areas 2, 3 has undercut sections 4, 4'. The upper and lower end faces of the rail also have undercut sections 5 and 6. Each undercut section 4, 4', 5, 6 comprises a recess in the wall of the rail.

[0019] The rail has 5 recesses 7 cut into its surface on both sides of the undercut section on its upper end face. A groove 8 is cut into each undercut section 4, 4', 5, 6 and into each recess 7.

[0020] Figure 2Figure 1 shows the foundation plate 9, to which five rails according to the invention are attached via T-nuts 10. Each T-nut 10 is inserted into an undercut section 5 of the rails. The rails are aligned parallel to each other and positioned close together; spaces 11 for routing cables or drive elements for the wall elements 12 are arranged in the spaces between the rails.

[0021] The wall elements 12 are suspended from the rails by means of rollers 13. Each wall element 12 is guided between two adjacent rails by a support structure 14. The support structure has rollers 13 on both sides, which rest on the adjacent rails. The rollers 13 project into the recesses 1 of the rails and bear against the lower, widened sections 2 of the two rails.

[0022] Figure 2shows that in the lower widened area 2 undercut sections 4' are filled with brushes 15 which are opposite each other in the case of two adjacent rails and bridge the distance between the rails.

[0023] T-nuts 16 are also inserted into the undercut sections 6 in the lower end faces of the rails. These T-nuts 16 support a cover 17 for the rail. Additional T-nuts can be accommodated in the undercut sections 4 and 6 and secured with set screws, which are then available for further use when the rail is in operation.

Claims

1. Rail for the suspended and movable mounting of wall elements, preferably for forming a wall, particularly on a seagoing vessel, wherein the wall elements are aligned with rollers, characterized by that the rail has bearing surfaces for rollers (13) and is made in one piece from a metal or from a plastic.

2. Rail according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that it is made of aluminium or a metal alloy.

3. Rail according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the fact that it has lateral indentations (1) in the vertical section for receiving the rollers (13).

4. Rail according to claim 3, characterized by the fact that it has undercut sections (4') in a widened area (2) below the indentations (1).

5. Rail according to claim 4, characterized by the fact that Brushes (15) are inserted into the undercut sections (4') of the widened area (2).

6. Rail according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized by the fact that it has undercut sections (4) in a widened area (3) above the indentations (1).

7. Rail according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that it has undercut sections (5) in an upper end face.

8. Rail according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact that it has undercut sections (6) in a lower frontal surface.

9. Rail according to one of claims 4 to 8, characterized by the fact that Each undercut section (4, 4', 5, 6) comprises a recess in the wall of the rail.

10. Rail according to one of claims 7 to 9, characterized by the fact that In the upper end face, recesses (7) are arranged on both sides of the undercut (5).

11. Rail according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterized by the fact that In the lower end face, grooves (8) are arranged on both sides of the undercut (6).

12. Rail according to one of claims 8 to 10, characterized by the fact that in each depression (7) and in each undercut section (4, 4', 5, 6) at least one groove (8) is arranged in the surface.

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