Building wall construction

Claim 2

A building wall structure for a load-bearing wall, comprising a plurality of vertically disposed elongated wall panels joIned together to form a wall structure, each panel having a generally L-shape in horizontal cross section with a first leg forming the exterior surface of the wall and an instanding leg generally perpendicular to the first let, said first leg terminating at its edge opposite the instanding leg in an inwardly offset tongue, said instanding leg having a recess inwardly offset to receive the tongue of an adjoining panel, vertically extending channels formed in said instanding leg, a cover member for the upper edges of the panels including at least one elongated angle member, and bolts extending through said cover member and threadingly engaging the channels in the wall panels.

Claim 3

A building wall structure for a load-bearing wall, comprising a plurality of vertically disposed elongated wall panels joined together to form a wall structure each panel having a generally L-shape in horizontal cross section with a first leg forming the exterior surface of the wall and an instanding leg generally perpendicular to the first leg, said first leg terminating at its edge opposite the instanding leg in an inwardly offset tongue, said instanding leg having a recess inwardly offset to receive the tongue of an adjoining panel, and a support for a floor-ceiling intermediate the ends of the panels; said support including an angle member extending horizontally along the edges of the instanding legs of the wall panels to support joists for the floor-ceiling a pair of joist support arms secured to said angle member and to the instanding legs of adjacent wall panels, said support arms each having a web portion with a vertically disposed channel therein, a bolt extending through said angle member and the channel to secure the angle member to the support arm, the opposite end of the web generally conforming to the profile of the instanding leg of a wall panel, an elongated bolt extending through a pair of support arms and the instanding panel legs to secure the support arms to the wall panels, and a spacing sleeve encompassing the last mentioned bolt and extending between the legs of the wall panels.

Claim 4

A building wall structure for a load-bearing wall, comprising a plurality of vertically disposed elongated wall panels joined together to form a wall structure each panel having a generally L-shape in horizontal cross section with a first leg forming the exterior surface of the wall and an instanding leg generally perpendicular to the first leg, said first leg terminating at its edge opposite the instanding leg in an inwardly offset tongue, said instanding leg having a recess inwardly offset to receive the tongue of an adjoining panel, and a support for a floor-ceiling intermediate the ends of the panels; said support including an angle member extending horizontally along the edges of the instanding legs of the wall panels to support joists for the floor-ceiling a pair of joist support arms secured to said angle member and to the instanding legs of adjacent wall panels, said support arms each having a web portion with a vertically disposed channel therein, a bolt extending through said angle member and the channel to secure the angle member to the support arm, the opposite end of the web generally conforming to the profile of the instanding leg of a wall panel, an elongated bolt extending through a pair of support arms and the instanding panel legs to secure the support arms to the wall panels, and a spacing sleeve encompassing the last mentioned bolt and extending between the legs of the wall panels.

Claim 5

A building wall structure for a load-bearing wall, comprising a plurality of vertical disposed wall panels joined together by interleaved edges thereof, each panel having a first leg forming the exterior surface of the wall and at least one instanding leg, at least one vertically extending channel formed in said instanding leg, a head member for the upper edges of said panels, and a sill member supporting the lower edges of said panels, an elongated rod located within and continuously supported laterally by each channel and extending through said head member and said sill member, and fastening means engaging each end of each rod above said head member and below said sill member.

Claim 6

A building wall structure for a load-bearing wall, comprising a plurality of vertical disposed wall panels joined together by interleaved edges thereof, each panel having a first leg forming the exterior surface of the wall and at least one instanding leg, at least one vertically extending channel formed in said instanding leg, a head member for the upper edges of said panels, and a sill member supporting the lower edges of said panels, an elongated rod located within and continuously supported laterally by each channel and extending through said head member and said sill member, and fastening means engaging each end of each rod above said head member and below said sill member.

Claim 7

A building wall structure as set forth in claim 3, in which said load-bearing wall is intermittently supported, whereby both horizontal and vertical shear are transmitted through said rods, said wall panels, and said head and sill members to the intermittent supports for the wall, wherein the assembled wall functions as a beam and truss between the intermittent supports.

Claim 8

A building wall structure for a load-bearing wall, comprising a vertically disposed elongated wall panel having a first leg forming the exterior surface of the wall and an instanding second leg generally perpendicular to the first leg, said panel having a recess inwardly offset from one edge of said first leg, said first leg terminating at its edge opposite said one edge in an inwardly offset tongue received in the recess of the next adjacent panel, said panel being formed from extruded aluminum and having a vertically extending random naturalistic texture imparted to the surfaces thereof resulting from the extrusion of the panel in an indeterminate length and, in horizontal section, the first leg is convoluted inwardly and outwardly from a vertical plane of the wall to increase the rigidity of the wall panel.

Claim 9

A building wall structure for a load-bearing wall, comprising a vertically disposed elongated wall panel having a first leg forming the exterior surface of the wall and an instanding second leg generally perpendicular to the first leg, said panel having a recess inwardly offset from one edge of said first leg, said first leg terminating at its edge opposite said one edge in an inwardly offset tongue received in the recess of the next adjacent panel, said panel being formed from extruded aluminum and having a vertically extending random naturalistic texture imparted to the surfaces thereof resulting from the extrusion of the panel in an indeterminate length and, in horizontal section, the first leg is convoluted inwardly and outwardly from a vertical plane of the wall to increase the rigidity of the wall panel.

Claim 10

A building wall Structure as set forth in claim 5, in which the horizontal section of said first leg is wholly identical throughout the vertical dimension of the leg, said random naturalistic texture being deliberately shaped to provide a nonrepetitive, nonmechanical and consequently esthetically pleasing exterior visible surface.

Claim 11

A building wall structure as set forth in claim 5, in which said instanding leg includes at least one vertically extending channel formed therein, and an elongated and conformably received within said channel and extending beyond the upper and lower edges of the panel.

Claim 12

A building wall structure for a load-bearing wall, comprising a vertically disposed elongated wall panel having a first leg forming the exterior surface of the wall and an instanding second leg generally perpendicular to the first leg, said panel having a recess inwardly offset from one edge of said first leg, said first leg terminating at its edge opposite said one edge in an inwardly offset tongue received in the recess of the next adjacent panel, said tongue and recess having a plurality of vertically spaced aligned openings therein, and a shear transfer pin inserted in each set of aligned openings, so that continuous shear transfer is obtained across the minor axis of the resulting column due to the interleaving of the tongue and recess parallel to the minor axis, and intermittent shear transfer is obtained both longitudinally and across the major axis due to the shearpins, said first leg having a vertically extending random naturalistic texture imparted to the surfaces thereof and, in horizontal section, is convoluted inwardly and outwardly from a vertical plane of the wall to increase the rigidity of the wall panel.

Claim 13

A building wall structure for a load-bearing wall, comprising a vertically disposed elongated wall panel having a first leg forming the exterior surface of the wall and an instanding second leg generally perpendicular to the first leg, said panel having a recess inwardly offset from one edge of said first leg, said first leg terminating at its edge opposite said one edge in an inwardly offset tongue received in the recess of the next adjacent panel, said tongue and recess having a plurality of vertically spaced aligned openings therein, and a shear transfer pin inserted in each set of aligned openings, so that continuous shear transfer is obtained across the minor axis of the resulting column due to the interleaving of the tongue and recess parallel to the minor axis, and intermittent shear transfer is obtained both longitudinally and across the major axis due to the shearpins, said first leg having a vertically extending random naturalistic texture imparted to the surfaces thereof and, in horizontal section, is convoluted inwardly and outwardly from a vertical plane of the wall to increase the rigidity of the wall panel.

Claim 14

A building wall structure for a load-bearing wall, comprising a vertically disposed elongated wall panel having a first leg forming the exterior surface of the wall and an instanding second leg generally perpendicular to the first leg, said panel having a recess inwardly offset from one edge of said first leg, said first leg terminating at its edge opposite side one edge in an inwardly offset tongue received in the recess of the next adjacent panel, said instanding leg including a vertically extending channel adjacent said first leg, a web portion extending from the recess and terminating in a second vertically extending channel, and a pair of elongated rods conformably received within said channels and extending beyond the opposite edges of the panel said first leg having a vertically extending random naturalistic texture imparted to the surfaces thereof and, in horizontal section, is convoluted inwardly and outwardly from a vertical plane of the wall to increase the rigidity of the wall panel.

Claim 15

A building wall structure for a load-bearing wall, comprising a vertically disposed elongated wall panel having a first leg forming the exterior surface of the wall and an instanding second leg generally perpendicular to the first leg, said panel having a recess inwardly offset from one edge of said first leg, said first leg terminating at its edge opposite side one edge in an inwardly offset tongue received in the recess of the next adjacent panel, said instanding leg including a vertically extending channel adjacent said first leg, a web portion extending from the recess and terminating in a second vertically extending channel, and a pair of elongated rods conformably received within said channels and extending beyond the opposite edges of the panel said first leg having a vertically extending random naturalistic texture imparted to the surfaces thereof and, in horizontal section, is convoluted inwardly and outwardly from a vertical plane of the wall to increase the rigidity of the wall panel.

Claim 16

A building wall structure as set forth in claim 9, in which said channels are generally C-shaped in horizontal cross section.

Claim 17

A building wall structure as set forth in claim 9, including an intermittently supporting foundation for the wall structure, an elongated sill supported by the foundation, a plurality of wall panels joined together resting on said sill, and a cover member for the upper edges of the panels including at least one elongated angle member, said elongated rods extending through said sill and said cover member, and fastening means cooperating with said rods retaining the cover member, sill and panels together.

Claim 18

A building wall structure as set forth in claim 11, in which said sill and cover member act as tension and compression chords, respectively, and positive shear transfer is provided through said elongated rods to said sill and cover member.

Claim 19

A building wall structure for a load-bearing wall, comprising a vertically disposed elongated wall panel having a first leg forming the exterior surface of the wall and an instanding second leg generally perpendicular to the first leg, said panel having a recess inwardly offset from one edge of said first leg, said first leg terminating at its edge opposite said one edge in an Inwardly offset tongue received in the recess of the next adjacent panel, an instanding leg of a wall panel terminating in a channel receiving an edge of an interior wall surface, a shoulder intermediate the ends of the leg, a sealing strip engaging said shoulder, a window having an edge engaging the sealing strip, and a snap-in member engaging the instanding leg and the sealing strip to retain the window in operative position, said first leg having a vertically extending random naturalistic texture imparted to the surfaces thereof and, in horizontal section, is convoluted inwardly and outwardly from a vertical plane of the wall to increase the rigidity of the wall panel.

Claim 20

A building wall structure for a load-bearing wall, comprising a vertically disposed elongated wall panel having a first leg forming the exterior surface of the wall and an instanding second leg generally perpendicular to the first leg, said panel having a recess inwardly offset from one edge of said first leg, said first leg terminating at its edge opposite said one edge in an Inwardly offset tongue received in the recess of the next adjacent panel, an instanding leg of a wall panel terminating in a channel receiving an edge of an interior wall surface, a shoulder intermediate the ends of the leg, a sealing strip engaging said shoulder, a window having an edge engaging the sealing strip, and a snap-in member engaging the instanding leg and the sealing strip to retain the window in operative position, said first leg having a vertically extending random naturalistic texture imparted to the surfaces thereof and, in horizontal section, is convoluted inwardly and outwardly from a vertical plane of the wall to increase the rigidity of the wall panel.