Material handling tower using column and stub connections

Abstract

A material handling tower includes a plurality of vertical column trees forming corners of the tower. Each of the plurality of column trees forms a moment connection including a pair of stub connectors. The stub connectors are perpendicular and extend in a direction of an adjacent column tree. Each stub connector has a proximal end welded to the column tree and a distal end having a connecting plate. The tower has at least one interior platform connecting to the plurality of column trees. Each of the at least one interior platforms has a plurality of outer girders with the outer girders connected to the stub connectors of the moment connections. Each girder has a connecting plate at each of its ends and each of the moment connections is completed by connecting the connecting plate of the stub connectors to the connecting plate of the girder.

At least the following is claimed: 
     
         1 . A material handling tower in which at least a portion of the tower is constructed without diagonal cross braces, the portion of the tower comprising:
 a plurality of vertical column trees forming corners of the tower, each of the plurality of column trees forming a moment connection comprising a pair of stub connectors, wherein the stub connectors are perpendicular and extend in a direction of an adjacent column tree of the plurality of column trees, and each stub connector has a proximal end welded to the column tree and a distal end having a connecting plate; and   at least one interior platform connecting to the plurality of column trees, wherein each of the at least one interior platforms comprises a plurality of outer girders with said outer girders connected to the stub connectors of the moment connections, wherein each girder has a connecting plate at each of its ends and each of the moment connections is completed by connecting the connecting plate of the stub connectors to the connecting plate of the girder.   
     
     
         2 . A method for constructing a material handling tower in which at least a portion of the tower is constructed without diagonal cross braces, the method comprising:
 forming a plurality of vertical column trees at the corners of a tower, each of the plurality of column trees forming a moment connection comprising a pair of stub connectors, wherein the stub connectors are perpendicular and extend in a direction of an adjacent column tree of the plurality of column trees, and each stub connector having a proximal end welded to the column tree and a distal end having a connecting plate, the plurality of moment connections on the plurality of column trees forming at least one platform connection site;   forming at least one interior platform at a location remote from the platform connection site, wherein the at least one interior platform comprises a plurality of outer girders, wherein each girder has a connecting plate at each of its ends;   lifting the at least one interior platform to the at least one platform connection site so that each one of the connecting plates of the stub connectors is adjacent to one of the connecting plates of the girders; and   completing the moment connections by connecting said connecting plates of the stub connectors to adjacent connecting plates of the girders.