Building construction

Claim 2

In a building construction, the combination of: a foundation; a plurality of adjacent wall panels, each having inner and outer sides, and said walls forming an enclosure each panel having substantially vertical edges standing upwardly from said foundation; said panels overlapped at their adjacent edges so as to dispose said vertical edges of adjacent ones of said panels in horizontally spaced relation to each other; said panels thus having overlapping portions disposed between said respective vertical edges; outer sides of alternate ones of said panels being adjacent inner sides of a pair of said panels which overlap opposite vertical edges of said alternate panels; first means securing said overlapping portions of said panels together to form a column structure of said overlapping portions; and beams supported on said overlapping portions, whereby said overlapping portions secured together afford and constitute structural columns for adequate support of beams and roof structure; some of said panels having at least one of said overlapping portions disposed at an inner side of another one of said overlapping portions with respect to said enclosure; said one of said overlapping portions having a notch forming a horizontal beam ledge; a beam having an end portion supported on said ledge; said another one of said overlapping portions covering said end of said beam outwardly beyond said one of said overlapping portions; said ledge being disposed at a vertical edge of one of said overlapping portions; said panels disposed sucH that each alternate panel has both of its vertical edges overlapped by other overlapping edges of other of said panels which are disposed outwardly relative to said alternate panels, each alternate one of said panels having one of said notches and respective ledges at each opposite vertical edge thereof.

Claim 3

In a building construction, the combination of: a foundation; a plurality of adjacent wall panels, each having inner and outer sides and forming an enclosure, each panel having substantially vertical edges standing upwardly from said foundation; said panels overlapped at their adjacent edges so as to dispose said vertical edges of adjacent ones of said panels in horizontally spaced relation to each other; said panels thus having overlapping portions disposed between said respective vertical edges; outer sides of alternate ones of said panels being adjacent inner sides of a pair of said panels which overlap opposite vertical edges of said alternate panels; first means securing said overlapping portions of said panels together to form a column structure of said overlapping portions; and beams supported on said overlapping portions, whereby said overlapping portions secured together afford and constitute structural columns for adequate support of beams and roof structure; some of said panels having at least one of said overlapping portions disposed at an inner side of another one of said overlapping portions with respect to said enclosure; said one of said overlapping portions having a notch forming a horizontal beam ledge; a beam having an end portion supported on said ledge; said another one of said overlapping portions covering said end of said beam outwardly beyond said one of said overlapping portions; said ledge being disposed at a vertical edge of one of said overlapping portions; such panels disposed such that each alternate panel has both of its vertical edges overlapped by other overlapping edges of other of said panels which are disposed outwardly relative to said alternate panels, each alternate one of said panels having one of said notches and respective ledges at each opposite vertical edge thereof; said first means comprises expansion joint means which connects said overlapping portions of said panels together, said expansion joint means comprising first and second plates in contiguous relation to each other and fixed to respective inner and outer sides of adjacent ones of said panels between their overlapping portions; said plates each extending beyond respective vertical edges of said panels, said plates having large bolt receiving openings therein and bolts extending through said openings and clamping said plates together beyond said respective vertical edges of said panels; said openings being substantially larger than the diameter of said bolts; and large washers on said bolts overlying the extremities of said openings; said bolts being tightenable sufficiently to hold said panels together but preferably not tightened sufficiently to cause seizure of said plates relative to each other whereby said penals may shift slightly relative to each other without cracking.

Claim 4

In a building construction, the combination of: a foundation; a plurality of adjacent wall panels, each having inner and outer sides and forming an enclosure, each panel having substantially vertical edges standing upwardly from said foundation; said panels overlapped at their adjacent edges so as to dispose said vertical edges of adjacent ones of said panels in horizontally spaced relation to each other; said panels thus having overlapping portions disposed between said respective vertical edges; outer sides of alternate ones of said panels being adjacent inner sides of a pair of said panels which overlap opposite vertical edges of said alternate panels; first means securing said overlapping portions of said panels together to form a column structure of said overlapping portions; and beams supported on said overlapping portions, whereby said overlapping portions secured together afford and constitute structural columns for adequate support of beams and roof structure; some of said panels having at least one of said overlapping portions disposed at an inner side of another one of said overlapping portions with respect to said enclosure; said one of said overlapping portions having a notch forming a horizontal beam ledge; a beam having an end portion supported on said ledge; said another one of said overlapping portions covering said end of said beam outwardly beyond said one of said overlapping portions; said ledge being disposed at a vertical edge of one of said overlapping portions; such panels disposed such that each alternate panel has both of its vertical edges overlapped by other overlapping edges of other of said panels which are disposed outwardly relative to said alternate panels, each alternate one of said panels having one of said notches and respective ledges at each opposite vertical edge thereof; said first means comprises expansion joint means which connects said overlapping portions of said panels together, said expansion joint means comprising first and second plates in contiguous relation to each other and fixed to respective inner and outer sides of adjacent ones of said panels between their overlapping portions; said plates each extending beyond respective vertical edges of said panels, said plates having large bolt receiving openings therein and bolts extending through said openings and clamping said plates together beyond said respective vertical edges of said panels; said openings being substantially larger than the diameter of said bolts; and large washers on said bolts overlying the extremities of said openings; said bolts being tightenable sufficiently to hold said panels together but preferably not tightened sufficiently to cause seizure of said plates relative to each other whereby said penals may shift slightly relative to each other without cracking.

Claim 5

An expansion joint means for connecting vertical wall panels together, said expansion joint means comprising a pair of concrete panels have vertical edges disposed in overlapping relationship to each other, said panels having respective inner and outer sides; first and second plates in contiguous relationship to each other and fixed to said respective inner and outer sides between said overlapping portions of said panels; said plates extending beyond respective vertical edges of said panels; said plates having large bolt receiving openings therein and bolts extending through said openings and clamping said plates together beyond said respective vertical edges of said panels, said openings being substantially larger than the diameter of said bolts and large washers on said bolts and overlaying the extremities of said openings, said bolts being tightenable sufficiently to hold said panelS together but preferably not tightened sufficiently to cause seizure of said plates relative to each other whereby said panels may shift slightly relative to each other without cracking.

Claim 6

An expansion joint means for connecting vertical wall panels together, said expansion joint means comprising a pair of concrete panels have vertical edges disposed in overlapping relationship to each other, said panels having respective inner and outer sides; first and second plates in contiguous relationship to each other and fixed to said respective inner and outer sides between said overlapping portions of said panels; said plates extending beyond respective vertical edges of said panels; said plates having large bolt receiving openings therein and bolts extending through said openings and clamping said plates together beyond said respective vertical edges of said panels, said openings being substantially larger than the diameter of said bolts and large washers on said bolts and overlaying the extremities of said openings, said bolts being tightenable sufficiently to hold said panelS together but preferably not tightened sufficiently to cause seizure of said plates relative to each other whereby said panels may shift slightly relative to each other without cracking.