Title: Connector and system for supporting veneer panels
Abstract: A connector is provided for coupling a veneer panel to a back-up wall. The connector includes a veneer connector and a support member. The veneer connector is adapted to support a generally horizontal edge of the veneer panel. The support member includes a mounting flange that is adapted for securing the support member to the back-up wall. The support member further includes at least one support member side wall for supporting the veneer connector. The at least one support member side wall extends from the mounting flange and is generally vertical. A system of such connectors may be used for the mounting of one or more veneer panels on a back-up wall.
Patent Number: 6,973,756 Issued on 12/13/2005 to Hatzinikolas
| Inventors:
|
Hatzinikolas; Michael (15305-117 Avenue, Edmonton, CA)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
430298 |
| Filed:
|
May 7, 2003 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
52/235; 52/477; 52/506.05; 52/506.06 |
| Intern'l Class: |
E04B 001/38 |
| Field of Search: |
52/235,477,483.1,489.1,506.05,512,506.06
248/250,235
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
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| 1324537 | Dec., 1919 | Belcher.
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| 1818299 | Aug., 1931 | Bowman.
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| 2860504 | Nov., 1958 | Sinner et al.
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| 3319983 | May., 1967 | Zibell.
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| 3342005 | Sep., 1967 | Rickards et al.
| |
| 3350830 | Nov., 1967 | Smith, Jr. et al.
| |
| 3842554 | Oct., 1974 | Swick.
| |
| 3984077 | Oct., 1976 | Shine.
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| 4076203 | Feb., 1978 | McDonnell.
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| 4107887 | Aug., 1978 | Wendt.
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| 4429850 | Feb., 1984 | Weber et al.
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| 4631888 | Dec., 1986 | Palmans.
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| 4799643 | Jan., 1989 | Shepard.
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| 5265396 | Nov., 1993 | Amimoto.
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| 5283992 | Feb., 1994 | Morassutti.
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| 5860257 | Jan., 1999 | Gerhaher et al.
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| 6055787 | May., 2000 | Gerhaher et al.
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| 6484465 | Nov., 2002 | Higgins.
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| 6503558 | Jan., 2003 | Williamson.
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| 6574936 | Jun., 2003 | Anderson, Sr.
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| 6598362 | Jul., 2003 | Hikai.
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| 6792727 | Sep., 2004 | Krieger.
| |
| 2003/0150179 | Aug., 2003 | Moreno.
| |
| Foreign Patent Documents |
| 120788 | Oct., 1984 | EP.
| |
| 479733 | Apr., 1992 | EP.
| |
| 05065759 | Mar., 1993 | JP.
| |
| 05065760 | Mar., 1993 | JP.
| |
| WO 9409222 | Apr., 1994 | WO.
| |
Primary Examiner: Cuomo; Peter M.
Assistant Examiner: D'Adamo; Stephen
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Bereskin & Parr
Claims
1. A connector for coupling a veneer panel to a back-up wall, the connector comprising:
a veneer connector, wherein said veneer connector is adapted to support a generally
horizontal edge of said veneer panel; and
a support member, said support member including a generally inverted-U-shaped
portion and a mounting flange, wherein the mounting flange is adapted for securing
said support member to said back-up wall, said inverted-U-shaped portion including
a first support member side wall and a second support member side wall, wherein
said first and second support member side walls are generally vertical and spaced
apart from each other and are configured for supporting said veneer connector,
and wherein each of said first and second support member side walls is supported
by said mounting flange arranged orthogonally along a generally vertical line,
wherein said veneer connector is configured to connect to said veneer panel.
2. A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said veneer connector is configured
to support said veneer panel along a load transfer region, and wherein said first
and second support member side walls are configured to support said veneer connector
proximate said load transfer region.
3. A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support member is free of welds.
4. A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said support member is made from
a single integral piece of material and is free of welds.
5. A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said veneer connector has at least
one veneer connector side wall, wherein said at least one veneer connector side
wall is generally vertical and extends along a portion of said veneer connector
that is unsupported by said support member.
6. A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said veneer connector is connected
to said support member by a single fastener.
7. A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein a generally horizontal slot is
defined in each of said first and second support member side walls for receiving
said veneer connector.
8. A connector as claimed in claim 7, wherein said mounting flange has a plurality
of apertures therethrough for mounting said support member to said back-up wall,
and wherein said plurality of apertures are positioned above said generally horizontal slot.
9. A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said inverted-U-shaped portion
has a top portion, wherein a first fastener aperture is defined through the top
portion, wherein a second fastener aperture is defined in the veneer connector,
and wherein said fastener passes through the first and second apertures.
10. A connector as claimed in claim 9, wherein at least one of said first and
second fastener apertures is elongate in a first direction, wherein said first
direction is generally horizontal.
11. A connector as claimed in claim 10, wherein the other of said first and second
fastener apertures is elongate in a second direction that is generally orthogonal
to said first direction, and wherein said second direction is generally horizontal.
12. A connector system for coupling at least one veneer panel to a back-up wall,
the connector system comprising:
a plurality of connectors, wherein each connector includes a veneer connector
and a support member,
wherein said veneer connector is adapted to support a generally horizontal edge
of said veneer panel,
and wherein said support member includes a generally inverted-U-shaped portion
and a mounting flange, wherein said mounting flange is adapted for securing said
support member to said back-up wall, said inverted-U-shaped portion including a
first support member side wall and a second support member side wall, wherein said
first and second support member side walls are generally vertical and spaced apart
from each other and are configured for supporting said veneer connector, and wherein
each of said first and second support member side walls is supported by said mounting
flange arranged orthogonally along a generally vertical line,
and wherein each veneer panel is retained by at least one of said connectors
from above and at least one of said connectors from below.
13. A connector system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said mounting flange has
an adjustment aperture therethrough, wherein the adjustment aperture is elongate
and is adapted to adjustably receive a fastener therethrough for mounting said
support member to said back-up wall.
14. A connector system as claimed in claim 13, wherein said adjustment aperture
is generally vertical.
15. A connector system for coupling at least one veneer panel to a back-up wall,
the connector system comprising:
a plurality of connectors, wherein each connector includes a veneer connector
and a support member,
wherein said veneer connector is adapted to support a generally horizontal edge
of said veneer panel,
and wherein said support member includes a mounting flange, wherein said mounting
flange is adapted for securing said support member to said back-up wall, said support
member further including at least one support member side wall for supporting said
veneer connector, wherein said at least one support member side wall extends from
said mounting flange in a generally vertical plane,
and wherein each veneer panel is retained by at least one of said connectors
from above and at least one of said connectors from below,
and wherein said mounting flange has an adjustment aperture therethrough, wherein
the adjustment aperture is elongate and is adapted to adjustably receive a fastener
therethrough for mounting said support member to said back-up wall,
and wherein said plurality of connectors includes a plurality of first connectors
and a plurality of second connectors, wherein on said first connectors said adjustment
aperture extends in a first direction, and on said second connectors said adjustment
aperture extends in a second direction, wherein the second direction is not parallel
with said first direction.
16. A connector for coupling a veneer panel to a back-up wall, the connector comprising:
a veneer connector, wherein said veneer connector is adapted to support a generally
horizontal edge of said veneer panel; and
a support member, said support member including a first support member side wall
and a second support member side wall, wherein said first and second support member
side walls are generally vertical and spaced apart from each other and wherein
a side wall connecting portion connects said first and second side walls to each
other, and wherein said first and second side walls are configured for supporting
said veneer connector, and wherein each of said first and second support member
side walls is supoorted by said mounting flange arranged orthogonally along a generally
vertical line,
wherein said veneer connector is configured to support said veneer panel.
17. A connector as claimed in claim 16, wherein said side walls each have a top
and wherein said side wall connecting portion connects said side walls at the tops.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a connector for securing veneer to back-up walls.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many construction techniques have been developed for commercial buildings utilizing
a back-up wall and a set of thin walled veneer panels that are supported on the
back-up wall. Typically, there is a cavity between the veneer panels and the back-up
wall to allow for the insertion of insulation and other materials. The veneer panels
are connected to the back up wall using any of several different styles of connectors
that are currently available. In addition to supporting the veneer panels, these
connectors typically withstand various other loads, such as shear and wind loads.
Typically prior art connectors are relatively expensive to manufacture,
and offer relatively poor load-bearing capacity for their weight and cost. One
such prior art connector consists of an L-shaped member, and a veneer connector
plate. The vertical portion of the L-shaped member is mounted to the back-up wall,
and the horizontal portion extends outwardly therefrom. The horizontal portion
typically includes slotted holes therethrough, for the mounting of the veneer connector
plate thereon. The veneer connector plate extends outwards and supports at its
outwardmost edge, a portion of a veneer panel.
For several reasons, these connectors are typically relatively expensive, and
can add to the overall cost of erecting a building. One reason for their cost is
that, to support the required loads during use, such connectors are typically required
to be made from relatively thick materials. For example, for some applications,
the L-shaped member is made from angle having a ⅜" wall thickness. Furthermore,
many building codes require such connectors to be made from stainless steel, to
resist corrosion and subsequent weakening or failure. Because of this materials
requirement, the cost of the L-shaped member is increased substantially.
Furthermore, in order to cut ⅜" thick angle when making the L-shaped
member, a sophisticated cutting device may be required, such as, for example, a
plasma cutter. Plasma cutters are typically more expensive to operate than other
cutting devices, and also, plasma cutter operators are more expensive than other
cutting machine operators due to their relatively uncommon expertise.
A further issue driving the cost of prior art connectors is that, typically,
they
include at least two stainless steel bolts in their assembly, for example, to attach
the veneer connector to the L-shaped piece. Stainless steel bolts are relatively
expensive and can add significantly to the overall cost of the connector.
Accordingly, there is a need for a connector that is relatively inexpensive
to manufacture, for use in supporting veneer panels.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a first aspect, the invention is directed to a connector for coupling a veneer
panel to a back-up wall. The connector includes a veneer connector and a support
member. The veneer connector is adapted to support a generally horizontal edge
of the veneer panel. The support member includes a mounting flange that is adapted
for securing the support member to the back-up wall. The support member further
includes at least one support member side wall for supporting the veneer connector.
The at least one support member side wall extends from the mounting flange and
is generally vertical.
In a second aspect, the invention is directed to a system for the mounting of
one or more veneer panels on a back-up wall. The system incorporates a plurality
of the connectors described above. The connectors cooperate with each other to
capture the veneer panels from above and below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a better understanding of the present invention and to show clearly how it
may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the
accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a system of connectors in accordance with a
first embodiment of the present invention, supporting panels of veneer on a back
up wall;
FIG. 2 is a magnified plan view of a veneer connector shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 2
a is a plan view of a variant of the veneer connector shown in
FIG. 2;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the veneer connector shown in FIG.
2, supporting a panel of veneer;
FIG. 4 is a magnified perspective view of a support member shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a magnified perspective view of the connector shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5
a is an end view of the connector shown in FIG. 5, partially sectioned
for greater clarity, with a variant to the fastener shown in FIG. 5;
FIG. 6
a is a magnified plan view of the support member shown in FIG.
1, in a partial state of manufacture;
FIG. 6
b is a perspective view of the support member shown in FIG. 6
a
in a further state of manufacture;
FIG. 7 is a magnified perspective view of an alternative veneer connector to
that which is shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a variant of the support member shown in FIG. 4;
FIG. 8
a is an end view the support member variant shown in FIG. 8, supporting
a veneer panel;
FIG. 9 is a end view of another variant of the support member shown in FIG. 4;
FIG. 10 is a end view of yet another variant of the support member shown in
FIG. 4;
FIG. 11 is a plan view of a work piece that is in a partial state of manufacture,
which can be made into either of the support members shown in FIGS. 9 and 10;
FIGS. 12
a and 12
b are perspective views of the work piece
shown in FIG. 11, in a further state of manufacture; and
FIG. 13 is a plan view of a system, made up of the connectors shown in FIGS.
9 and 10, supporting veneer panels to a back-up wall.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Reference is made to FIG. 1, which shows a system of connectors
10
in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The connector
10 includes a veneer connector
12 for connecting with a veneer panel
14, and a support member
16 adapted for receiving the veneer connector
12 and for securement to a back-up wall
18. The connector
10
may be made of any suitable material, such as 10 or 11 gauge stainless steel. The
connector
10 is preferably free of welds and formed from a single sheet
of metal manufactured into the desired shape. The veneer panel
14 is may
be a natural stone material, such as marble or granite. The veneer panel
14
may be a thin-walled panel, which is typically known as a thin masonry veneer panel,
which many building codes require to be individually supported (ie. each panel
must be supported individually). It will be noted that the mortar that would typically
exist between adjacent veneer panels
14 has been removed from the Figures
for greater clarity.
The back-up wall
18 may be of form-poured concrete construction. Alternatively,
the back-up wall
18 may be constructed of any suitable material, such as,
for example, metallic studs, or block masonry. The veneer panels
14 may
be spaced from the back-up wall
18 to provide a cavity
20 therebetween.
Optionally, an insulation material
24 and a vapour barrier
26 may
be installed in the cavity
20.
Reference is made to FIG. 2, which shows the veneer connector
12
in plan view. The veneer connector
12 may have a generally rectangular shape
and has a first edge
28 and a second edge
30. An adjustment aperture
32 may be positioned adjacent the first edge
28. Referring to FIG.
5, the adjustment aperture
32 is used to receive a fastener
65 to
join the veneer connector
12 to the support member
16. Referring
to FIG. 2, the adjustment aperture
32 may be generally elongate to permit
adjustment of the position of the veneer connector
12 within the support
member
16, as will be discussed further below.
The veneer connector
12 includes a plurality of veneer connection apertures
34, which may be positioned proximate the second edge
30. The veneer
connector
12 may include any suitable number of veneer connection apertures
34, such as, for example, three apertures
34, as shown in FIG.
2.
Referring to FIG. 3, the veneer connection apertures
34 permit the pass-through
of fastening ties
36 that extend from the edge of the veneer panel
14.
The veneer connection apertures
34 may be generally circular, and may be
sized to permit easy pass-through of the fastening ties
36, but are not
required to be so large as to facilitate substantial adjustment of the veneer
14
relative to the veneer connector
12.
The veneer connection apertures
34 are positioned proximate the second
edge
30 of the veneer connector
12 to prevent the unwanted protrusion
of the second edge
30 past the outer face of the veneer
14. Thus,
the second edge
30 can be buried in the mortar between vertically adjacent
panels of veneer
14.
Referring to FIG. 2
a, an alternative veneer connector
12′
is shown, which has a plurality of veneer connection apertures
34′
which are elongate to provide further adjustability of the veneer connector
12
with respect to the fastening ties
36.
Referring to FIG. 3, a securing means
40 prevents veneer
14
from disengaging from veneer connector
12. Securing means
40 may
be any suitable means, such as, for example, a mechanical fastener or a weld.
The veneer connector
12 supports the veneer panel
14 (FIG. 1) during
use generally in the region of the veneer connection apertures
34. The load
imparted to the veneer connector
12 from the weight of the veneer panel
14 is shown at F.
Reference is made to FIG. 4, which shows the support member
16 in
more detail. The support member
16 includes a mounting flange
42
and a support portion
44. The mounting flange
42 is adapted for mounting
the support member
16 to the back-up wall
18 (FIG.
1).
The mounting flange
42 has an adjustment aperture
50 therethrough,
which is adapted to receive a fastener
52, for fastening the support member
16 to the back-up wall
18 (FIG.
1). The adjustment aperture
50 may be generally elongate, as shown in FIG. 4, to permit adjustment of
the support member
16 in the vertical direction. Such vertical adjustment
capability facilitates aligning the support members
16 in a row on the back-up
wall
18 (FIG.
1).
The mounting flange
42 also includes a securing aperture
54 therethrough,
may be positioned on the other side of the mounting flange
48, generally
opposite the adjustment aperture
50. The securing aperture
54 is
adapted for receiving a fastener
56 therethrough to further retain the support
member
16 on the back-up wall
18 (FIG.
1), and to fix the
position of the support member
16 therewith. Once the desired adjustment
to the position of the support member
16 has been made using the fastener
52 and the adjustment aperture
50, the fastener
56 may be
passed through the aperture
54 and into the back up wall
18 (FIG.
1), to fix the position of the support member
16.
Reference is made to FIG. 5, which shows the support portion
44
of the support member
16 more clearly. The support portion
44 extends
from the mounting flange
42 in a generally vertical plane denoted by the
axes (y) and (z), and joins the mounting flange
42 along two generally vertical
lines which extend in the vertical (y) direction. By extending in a generally vertical
plane, the support portion
44 is provided with a generally greater resistance
to vertical bending forces, which result from the load F, that arise when the connector
10 supports a veneer panel
14 (FIG.
1). In other words, the
configuration of the support portion
44 provides the support member
16
with a relatively high moment of inertia in the vertical (y) direction, compared
to a typical L-shaped member used in connectors of the prior art.
The support portion
44 is made up of two spaced apart side walls
58,
which are connected at their respective upper ends by a top portion
59.
The top portion
59 and the spaced configuration of the side walls
58
provide resistance to bending loads that can occur in the lateral (x) direction
during use. It is expected that any lateral loads will be smaller than the vertical
loads incurred from the weight of the veneer
14 (FIG.
1). As a result,
the moment of inertia in the lateral (x) direction may be smaller than that in
the vertical (y) direction.
The side members
58 together define a slot portion
60, which may
extend in a generally horizontal (x-z) plane, for receiving and supporting the
veneer connector
12. The slot
60 permits the lateral adjustment of
the veneer connector
12 in both the (x) direction and in the z direction.
The slot
60 is made sufficiently deep so that the veneer connector
12
is supported along a substantial portion of its length. More particularly, the
support portion
44 extends outwards to support the veneer connector
12
proximate its load supporting region, ie. the region about the apertures
34
where the load F is imparted to the veneer connector
12 by the veneer panel
14 (FIG.
1). This reduces bending stresses on the veneer connector
12 in use when supporting a veneer panel
14 (FIG.
1).
The slot
60 is preferably positioned proximate the upper ends of the side
walls
58, to reduce its impact on the overall moment of inertia of the support
portion
44 in the vertical (y) direction. It will be noted that the slot
60 may extend in a plane that is other than horizontal. For example the
slot
60 may be angled generally downwards towards its blind end, so that
the veneer connector
12 may be retained in place temporarily without the
use of a fastener.
An adjustment aperture
62 may be defined in the upper portion
59,
for receiving the fastener
65 therethrough. The fastener
65 may pass
through the adjustment aperture
62 and the adjustment aperture
32
in the veneer connector
12 for fixedly retaining the veneer connector
12
in place in the support member
16. The adjustment aperture
62 may
be generally elongate, and may extend in a direction that is generally perpendicular
the aperture
32 in the veneer connector
12. In this way, the apertures
62 and
32 cooperate to provide adjustment for the veneer connector
12 within the slot
60 in both the (x) and (z) directions.
The fastener
65 may be any suitable type of fastener. For example, the
fastener
65 may be made up of a stainless steel hex-head bolt
65a,
a washer
65b, and a nut
65c. The hex head bolt
65a extends upwards from under the veneer connector
12, and
is sized so that the side walls
58 capture the head of the bolt
65a
and prevent it from rotating. The threaded end of the bolt
65a passes
up and through the adjustment aperture
62 on the support member
16.
The washer
65b and nut
65c are positioned on the exposed
end of the bolt
65a and are tightened to provide a secure connection
between the support member
16 and the veneer connector
12. By having
captured the bolt
65a between the side walls
58, the task
of installing the fastener
65 is facilitated. It will be noted that other
types of bolts and other types of fasteners altogether could alternatively be used
to connect the support member
16 and the veneer connector
12.
Reference is made to FIG. 5
a, which shows an alternative washer
65b′ that can be used as part of the connector
65.
The washer
65b′ may have a generally arcuate shape in side
view and extends downwards to capture the side walls
58 of the support member
16. When the nut
65c is tightened, the washer
65b′
captures and pushes together the side walls
58, further strengthening their
capture of the head of the bolt
65a. Thus, as the tightening force
on the nut
65c is increased, the capturing force of the side walls
58 on the bolt
65a is increased, inhibiting the bolt
65a
from rotating as a result of the increased tightening force.
It will be noted that the washer
65b′ may have any suitable
shape for pushing the side walls
58 together. For example, the washer
65b′
may alternatively have an inverted V-shape in side view instead of an arcuate shape.
Furthermore, the washer
65b′ may have any shape in plan view.
For example, the washer
65b′ may have a generally circular
shape or may alternatively have a rectangular shape so that it better captures
the side walls
58.
Reference is made to FIG. 6
a, which shows a plate
70 which
may be used to manufacture the support member
16 (FIG.
1). The plate
70 may be machined with a plurality of apertures and slots which will ultimately
form the slot
60, the aperture
62 and the mounting apertures
50
and
54. Furthermore, a slot
72 may be machined into the plates
70,
to remove unnecessary material. Once the plate
70 is machined with the appropriate
slots and apertures, it may be bent into the shape of the support member
16
by two primary bending operations. The first bending operation bends the two tabs
shown at
74 and
76 along a bend line
78, resulting in the
structure
79 shown in FIG. 6
b. The tabs
74 and
76 will
ultimately form the mounting flange
42 (FIG.
4). The second bending
operation involves folding the plate
70 generally about a fold line
80.
The folding of the plate
70 may be performed on a radiused surface thereby
forming the upper portion
59 and the spaced apart side walls
58.
Manufacturing the support member
16 in this way saves cost and manufacturing
time while providing a relatively strong resulting structure. It will be noted
that the order of operations described is preferable, but may alternatively be
rearranged in any suitable way.
By making the support member
16 by appropriately machining and by applying
two simple bends to the single, integral plate
70, the cost of manufacture
for the support member
16 are reduced, relative to complex structures of
the prior art which are made from multiple pieces which are welded together.
Reference is made to FIG. 1, which shows the connector
10 in use.
In use, a plurality of connectors
10 are used to support a plurality of
panels of veneer
14 in a spaced relationship from the back up wall
18
of a structure such as an office tower. The support members
16 are mounted
to the back-up wall, and may be spaced from each other in a generally horizontally
and vertically extending array. The veneer connectors
12 are positioned
in the slots
60 (FIG.
5), and extend therefrom to support the veneer
panels
14. The fastening ties
36 (FIG. 3) extend between vertically
adjacent veneer panels
14 and pass through the veneer connection apertures
34, which retain the panels
14 in place. Furthermore, mortar may
be used to close any air gap adjacent veneer panels
14, and to assist in
retaining the panels
14 in place. The vertical load F that results from
the weight of the veneer panels
14 is supported by the veneer connectors
12, and in turn, by the support members
16. Because the support members
16 have generally high moments of inertia in the vertical direction, they
are able to be made with relatively thin gauge material for supporting the load
imposed thereon by the veneer panels
14. It will be noted that while two
connectors
10 are shown along the top edge of each veneer panel
14,
any suitable number of connectors
10 may be used to support each veneer
panel
14, depending on the nature of the specific application.
Reference is made to FIG. 7, which shows a veneer connector
82,
which may be used alternatively to the veneer connector
12. The veneer connector
82 may be similar to the veneer connector
12 (FIG.
2), or
the veneer connector
12′ (FIG. 2
a), except that the veneer
connector
82 has a pair of side webs
84 that extend vertically from
the side edges of the veneer connector
82. The side webs
84 may extend
generally along substantially the entire length of the veneer connector
82,
except for the portion
86 of the veneer connector
82 that will be
embedded within the gap between adjacent veneer panels
14 (FIG.
1).
The side webs
84 provide increased bending resistance to the veneer connector
82, relative to the veneer connector
12 (FIG.
2), because
the side webs
84 generally increase the moment of inertia of the veneer
connector
82.
Reference is made to FIG. 8, which shows a support member
88 that
maybe used as an alternative to the support member
16 (FIG.
4). The
support member
88 may be similar to the support member
16, except
that the support member
88 has a slot
90 that positioned closer to
the bottom of the support member
88, relative to the slot
60 on the
support member
16 (FIG.
4). The slot
90 may otherwise be similar
to the slot
60, and is for receiving and retaining the veneer connector
12 or
82 (FIGS. 2 and 2
a). Referring to FIG. 8
a, the
slot
90 is positioned sufficiently low, so that, when the support member
88 is being mounted to the back-up wall
18 proximate the top edge
of a veneer panel
14, the veneer panel
14 does not completely obstruct
access to the adjustment aperture and the securing aperture, which are shown at
92 and
94 respectively. Thus, the relatively lower position of the
slot
90 facilitates the mounting of the support member
88.
Reference is made to FIG. 9, which shows a support member
96, which
is another alternative to the support member
16. The support member
96
may be similar to the support member
16, except that the support member
96 has an adjustment aperture
98 that is elongate along an angle
A from the vertical. The adjustment aperture
98 in the embodiment shown
in FIG. 9 provides vertical adjustability for the support member
96, in
a similar way to the adjustment aperture
50 on the support member
16
(FIG.
4). During vertical adjustment of the support member
96, however,
the support member
96 will be shifted by a certain amount horizontally.
Preferably, the angle A from the vertical is small, to reduce the horizontal shift
that occurs during vertical adjustment of the support member
96. Referring
to FIG. 10, a support member
96′ may also be made which has an adjustment
aperture
98′ that is a mirror image of the adjustment aperture
98
(FIG.
9).
Referring to FIG. 11, the support members
96 and
96′
may be manufactured from a common plate
100. The common plate
100
may be similar to the plate
70 (FIG. 6
a), except that the common
plate
100 has an aperture
102 therein, that will ultimately become
the adjustment aperture
98 (FIG.
9), or the adjustment aperture
98′
(FIG.
10), depending on which way the plate
100 is folded during
manufacture. For example, referring to FIG. 12
a, the tabs on the plate
100,
which are shown at
104 may be folded in a first direction, so that the plate
100 will ultimately form the support member
96. However, referring
to FIG. 12
b, the tabs
104 may be folded in a second direction that
is opposite the first direction, so that the plate
100 ultimately forms
the support member
96′.
Reference is made to FIG. 13, which shows a system of connectors
106
and
108, which cooperate in pairs to support veneer panels
14. The
connectors
106 and
108 may be similar to the connector
10
(FIG.
1), and include a suitable veneer connector, such as the veneer connector
12. However, the connectors
106 and
108 include the support
members
96 and
96′ respectively, instead of the support member
16 (FIG.
1).
The top and bottom edges of the panel
14 are supported by at least one
of each connector
106 and
108. As a result, the weight of the panel
14 is prevented from dragging the connectors
106 and
108 down
the wall
18, because the adjustment apertures extend in different directions.
Thus, because the adjustment apertures
98 and
98′ are not
parallel to each other when the connectors
106 and
108 are installed
on the back-up wall and are in use, the adjustment apertures
98 and
98′
cooperate with their respective fasteners and with each other to prevent the connectors
106 and
108 from being dragged down from their supported load.
It will be noted that more than one of each connector
106 and
108
may be used to support an edge of the veneer panel
14. For example, several
of one type of connector, eg. connector
106 and one or two of the other
type of connector, eg. connector
108, may be used to support an edge of
the veneer panel
14. At least one of each connector
106 and
108
is used, however.
It will be noted that the features shown in the support members
16,
88,
96 and
96′ may all be combined into a support member in accordance
with the present invention in any desired way. For example, a support member may
be provided that includes the basic structure of support member
16, but
that has a low-positioned slot, similar to the slot
90 of support member
88 (FIG.
8), and that also has a slanted adjustment aperture, similar
to the adjustment aperture
98 or
98′ of support members
96
and
96′ (FIGS.
9 and
10).
In the embodiments described above, the side walls of the support members are
integrally connected to the mounting flanges along a vertical line. It will be
noted that the line along which the side walls connect to the mounting flanges
need not be strictly vertical, but are at least generally vertical.
In the embodiments described above, the side walls of the support members have
been described and shown as extending outwardly from the mounting flanges along
vertical planes. It will be noted that the vertical planes need not be strictly
vertical, but are at least generally vertical. In another alternative, the side
walls of the support members need not be strictly planar, and may instead be curved
or may have further folds, which are preferably generally vertical.
In the embodiments described above, the veneer connector mounts to the support
member using a single fastener, such as a bolt. Using a single fastener instead
of a plurality of fasteners can provide a significant cost savings in the overall
cost of the connector, particularly in jurisdictions which require the use of stainless
steel for connectors supporting veneer panels in a cavity wall.
The connectors of the present invention are able to support the same loads as
the L-shaped connectors of the prior art, but can be manufactured from thinner
material, with fewer fasteners. As a result the connectors of the present invention
can be less expensive than the L-shaped connectors of the prior art.
While what has been shown and described herein constitutes the preferred embodiments
of the subject invention, it will be understood that various modifications and
adaptations of such embodiments can be made without departing from the present
invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims.
*
