Express framing system

Abstract

A light steel framing construction technique for light gauge load bearing wall type buildings uses specialized brackets to suspend poured slab floors. Multiple stories of the building can be erected without waiting for individual concrete slab floors to be poured and set at each story. During construction, a building is protected from torsional warping, such as may be occur under wind loads, by a series of lateral and diagonal bracing structures at each level affixed in a plane perpendicular to the load bearing elements. Multiple concrete floor slabs can be poured sequentially or simultaneously, as desired, during the construction process.

1 . A method of erecting a building, comprising the steps of locating vertically extending and oppositely facing walls to form a set of joist supporting walls of a building, said joist supporting walls having upper, load bearing surfaces; placing oppositely located rigid suspended slab joist supporting brackets on said wall upper surfaces; placing the ends of generally horizontal extending joists on said rigid suspended slab joist supporting brackets;
 and placing a sheet of slab decking on top of said joists, whereby said decking is supported by said joists and whereby the weight of said decking is borne by said joist supporting walls.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  including the additional step of locating a pair of oppositely placed rigid suspended slab deck support brackets on top of a pair of vertically extending and oppositely facing walls which are perpendicular to said joist supporting walls and suspended slab joist supporting brackets. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  including the additional step of bracing the wall and joist assemblies to reinforce and rigidify said assemblies and thereby inhibit relative twisting or warping by wind or other forces. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein said bracing is reinforcing stiffened strapping. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  including the additional step of pouring a layer of concrete on top of said decking to thereby form a floor for the building. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein at least one joist supporting wall is an exterior load bearing wall. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  wherein at least one joist supporting wall is an interior load bearing wall supporting symmetrical joist supporting brackets on opposite sides of said interior wall. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  including the additional step of erecting a subsequent assembly of load bearing walls, suspended slab joist and deck support brackets and suspended slab decking prior to the pouring of one or more concrete slab floors. 
     
     
         9 . A building constructed according to the method of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         10 . A method of erecting a building, including the steps of locating vertically extending and oppositely facing walls to form a set of joist supporting walls of a building, said joist supporting walls having upper load bearing locations for affixing oppositely located rigid joist support angle brackets on said walls, placing the ends of generally horizontal extending joists on said rigid joist support angle brackets, placing a sheet of suspended slab decking on top of said joists, whereby said decking is supported by said joists and whereby the weight of said decking is borne by said joist supporting walls. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  including the additional step of locating a pair of oppositely placed rigid slab deck support angles parallel to said joists on vertically extending and oppositely facing walls which are perpendicular to said joist supporting walls and joist support angles. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  including the additional step of bracing the wall and joist assemblies to reinforce and rigidify said assemblies and thereby inhibit relative twisting or warping by wind or other forces. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein said bracing is reinforcing stiffened strapping. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10  including the additional step of pouring a layer of concrete on top of said decking to thereby form a floor for the building. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10  wherein at least one joist supporting wall is an exterior load bearing wall. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10  wherein at least one joist supporting wall is an interior load bearing wall supporting symmetrical pairs of joist supporting angle brackets on opposite sides of said interior wall. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10  including the additional step of erecting a subsequent assembly of load bearing walls, joist support angle brackets, deck support angles and suspended slab decking prior to the pouring of one or more concrete slab floors. 
     
     
         18 . A building constructed according to the method of  claim 10 . 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said slab floor is eccentrically suspended from said load bearing walls by means of a cantilevered support bracket. 
     
     
         20 . A method of producing stiffened strapping for use in construction methods requiring reinforcement, comprising the steps of de-coiling and flattening a work piece of unstiffened metal strapping and applying at least one stiffening impression upon the surface of said work piece, thereby forming a stiffening impression along the length of said work piece. 
     
     
         21 . A method as in  claim 20  wherein said stiffening impression is a flute-shaped impression having a concave arc-shaped impression on one surface of said stiffened strapping and a complementary convex arc-shaped impression on the opposite side of said stiffened strapping. 
     
     
         22 . A method as in  claim 20  wherein said stiffening impression is a v-shaped impression having a concave v-shaped impression on one surface of said stiffened strapping and a complementary convex v-shaped impression on the opposite side. 
     
     
         23 . A method as in  claim 20  wherein said stiffening impression is applied along the centerline of said stiffened strapping work piece. 
     
     
         24 . A method as in  claim 20  wherein two or more stiffening impressions are applied symmetrically along the centerline of said stiffened strapping work piece. 
     
     
         25 . A method as in  claim 24  wherein a pair of parallel stiffening flutes are symmetrically disposed from the center line along the length of said stiffened strapping. 
     
     
         26 . A method as in  claim 20  wherein one or more stiffening impressions are applied parallel to and offset from said centerline of said stiffened strapping work piece. 
     
     
         27 . A method as in  claim 20  wherein said stiffening impressions are mechanically applied to said work piece by devices selected from the group consisting of stamping, roll-forming and pressing devices. 
     
     
         28 . A method as in  claim 20  wherein said stiffened strapping is fabricated from a roll of steel strapping. 
     
     
         29 . A method as in  claim 20  wherein said steel strapping has a galvanized coating. 
     
     
         30 . A method as in  claim 20  wherein the stiffened strapping has a length of approximately 2 inches to 30 ft, a width of approximately 1.5 to 12 in and a thickness of approximately 30 to 70 mils. 
     
     
         31 . A method as in  claim 20 , including the additional steps of installing said stiffened strapping in a construction assembly requiring reinforcement; and fastening said stiffened strapping to said construction members to minimize unintended movement. 
     
     
         32 . Stiffened strapping made in accordance with the method of  claim 20 .