Reusable Concrete Support Beam for Adaptable Building Frames
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Solution Overview
Problem
Concrete frame buildings face challenges such as inflexibility due to sturdy frames, high construction costs, and environmental impact due to non-reusable support beams, as well as height limitations in traditional roof constructions.
Innovation Solution
A support beam with a T-shaped or I-shaped cross-section and concrete reinforcement volumes, featuring flat recesses for detachable attachment to columns, allowing for modification and reuse, and the use of elastomer blocks for standardized crossbeams to facilitate drainage and reduce costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional concrete frame construction uses grout, cement, or mortar to attach beams to columns, then the frame achieves high strength and stability, but the building becomes impossible to modify and beams cannot be reused
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between support beams and columns is segmented into detachable components: steel connection elements with anchor bolts in the columns, and corresponding connection plates on the beams. This allows the frame to be assembled and disassembled while maintaining structural integrity during use, resolving the contradiction between strength and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection system transitions from static permanent attachment (grout/cement) to dynamic detachable connection (bolts and connection plates). This enables the building structure to be modified or dismantled and reconfigured, achieving both high strength during operation and adaptability when needed.
2Strength
If custom made beams are used for each location in the concrete frame, then the frame achieves optimal structural performance, but construction costs increase and beam reuse becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Standardized support beams with uniform connection plates and dimensions are designed to work with standardized column connection elements. This universal design allows the same beam type to be used in multiple locations throughout the building, reducing manufacturing complexity and cost while maintaining structural performance through proper engineering of the standardized components.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than customizing beam geometry for each location, the invention achieves structural optimization by varying connection parameters (bolt positions, connection plate configurations) and beam positioning, while maintaining standardized beam dimensions and manufacturing processes.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional I-shaped support beams are used, then manufacturing is simplified, but the beams cannot protrude through the upper plane formed by crossbeams, reducing useful stacking height
Solution Approach 1:
The support beam uses an asymmetric T-shaped cross-section where the vertical stem extends significantly beyond the horizontal flange. This asymmetric geometry allows the beam to protrude through the plane formed by crossbeams while maintaining manufacturing simplicity, as the T-shape can be produced using standard formwork and reinforcement techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The T-shaped cross-section adds vertical dimensionality to the beam structure, allowing it to extend through the horizontal plane of crossbeams. This dimensional change enables increased stacking height without complicating the manufacturing process, as the T-shape is a straightforward geometric form.
4Adaptability or versatility
If support beams are detachably attached using connection means, then beams can be reused and building modified, but the connection complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connection system extracts the fastening function into separate, standardized steel connection elements and bolts, leaving the concrete beams and columns simpler in form. This separation reduces overall complexity by using simple, well-understood mechanical fasteners rather than complex integrated connection details.
Solution Approach 2:
Steel connection plates and anchor bolts serve as intermediary elements between the concrete beams and columns. These intermediaries simplify the connection by providing standardized, pre-fabricated components that bridge the concrete elements, reducing the complexity of direct concrete-to-concrete connections.
Data Source
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AI summary
The current invention relates to a support beam for roof support of a concrete frame building, the support beam being formed by a concrete volume extending in a longitudinal direction, having a T-shaped or I-shaped cross-section, formed by a stroke and an arm or by a stroke, a first and second arm, the support beam comprises a concrete reinforcement volume in each corner formed by respectively the stroke and the arm or the stroke and the first arm, the concrete reinforcement volumes bounded by the stroke, the arm and a sloping wall, the support beam comprising at each end and both sides of the stroke a flat recess in the sloping wall, a perforation extending parallel with the stroke from the flat recess through the arm. The invention also relates to a concrete frame building and a method for constructing it.