Precast panel, building wall construction and method

Claim 1

A building structural wall comprising at least two load-bearing column members supported in predetermined spaced-apart, parallel vertical relationship for providing a structural skeleton for a building, each of said column members having a pair of elongate flanges generally planar spaced apart a predetermined horizontal distance and defining a vertically extending channel of U-shaped crosssectional configuration oriented in opposing, facing relation to the channel of an adjacent column member, a plurality of superposed precast concrete panels extending between and having opposite end positions thereof disposed in said channels, said panels forming the entire thickness of the building wall intermediate said adjacent pair of said column members and having one face surface simulating the appearance of handlaid brick, weather-sealing means interposed between said one face surface of said panels and an adjacent flange of said column members and interposed between superposed panels for blocking flow of air and precipitation through the building wall, and a pair of elongate angle members, each angle member having first and second legs extending at right angles one to another and being generally symmetrical about a plane bisecting the included angle between the legs, each of said angle members being secured to one of said flanges of a corresponding one of said adjacent pair of column members and extending therealong for at least the full height of at least one of said panels, and each of said angle members having an end of one leg thereof abutting said corresponding one column member flange and the side of the other leg thereof abutting the other face surface of said at least one panel for clamping a corresponding one of said end portions of said at least one panel into engagement with said adjacent flange of said corresponding one column member while distributing the stress of engagement between said angle member and said panel over the side area of said angle member.

Claim 3

A method of erecting a building structure wall section comprising the steps of erecting a load-bearing structural skeleton for a building by supporting a plurality of column members in predetermined spaced-apart, parallel vertical relation and with adjacent pairs of column members oriented to have elongate channels of U-shaped cross-sectional configuration therein disposed vertically and in opposing relation, forming a plurality of cast concrete panels each having at least one face surface simulating the appearance of handlaid masonry, then successively inserting each of a plurality of said precast panels into the upper ends of the elongate channels and lowering the panels into edgewise superposition in and between the elongate channels of an adjacent pair of column members to form the entire thickness of a wall section spanning the distance between the pair of column members and to partially enclose the space within the structural skeleton, inserting weather-sealing means between superposed panels and between said one face surface thereof and the proximate side of the elongate channels, and clamping each distal end portion of the panels into engagement with the proximal side of a corresponding one of the elongate channels while securing an end of one leg of a bilaterally symmetrical elongate right angular member in abutment with the other side of the corresponding one elongate channel and the side of the other leg of the angular member in abutment with the corresponding panel distal end portion so as to distribute the stress of engagement between the angle member and the panel over the side area of the angle member.

Claim 4

A method of erecting a building structure wall section comprising the steps of erecting a load-bearing structural skeleton for a building by supporting a plurality of column members in predetermined spaced-apart, parallel vertical relation and with adjacent pairs of column members oriented to have elongate channels of U-shaped cross-sectional configuration therein disposed vertically and in opposing relation, forming a plurality of cast concrete panels each having at least one face surface simulating the appearance of handlaid masonry, then successively inserting each of a plurality of said precast panels into the upper ends of the elongate channels and lowering the panels into edgewise superposition in and between the elongate channels of an adjacent pair of column members to form the entire thickness of a wall section spanning the distance between the pair of column members and to partially enclose the space within the structural skeleton, inserting weather-sealing means between superposed panels and between said one face surface thereof and the proximate side of the elongate channels, and clamping each distal end portion of the panels into engagement with the proximal side of a corresponding one of the elongate channels while securing an end of one leg of a bilaterally symmetrical elongate right angular member in abutment with the other side of the corresponding one elongate channel and the side of the other leg of the angular member in abutment with the corresponding panel distal end portion so as to distribute the stress of engagement between the angle member and the panel over the side area of the angle member.