Ridge roof beam

Claim 2

A beam comprising an elongated continuous web including a plurality of elongated plywood web sections joined in end-to-end relation, each plywood web section including a pair of outer veneer sheets extending fully the length of the section with the grain of said outer veneer sheets extending generally longitudinally of the beam, and a plurality of interior veneer sheets therebetween, said veneer sheets being adhesively bonded together in face-to-face relation along glue lines between contiguous sheets, each web section having a groove formed in an end edge thereof receiving an end edge of an adjacent web section, with said adjacent web sections being bonded together along said adjacent edges, and at least a pair of elongated, laterally spaced flanges extending adjacent and parallel to opposite longitudinal edge margins of said web and secured to at least one face of the web, each of said flanges including a plurality of elongated wood flange sections joined in end-to-end relation, each flange section having a groove formed in an end edge thereof receiving an end edge of an adjacent flange section, with said adjacent flange sections being bonded together along said adjacent end edges.

Claim 3

The beam of claim 1, wherein the groove in an end edge of a web section extends lengthwise of said end edge.

Claim 4

The beam of claim 1, wherein the groove in an end edge of a flange section extends lengthwise of said end edge.

Claim 5

The beam of claim 1, wherein the flanges are positioned on said web with the joints between adjacent flange sections offset in a direction longitudinally of the beam from a joint between adjacent web sections.

Claim 6

The beam of claim 1, wherein adjacent end edges of adjacent sections have mating complementary groove configurations.

Claim 7

The beam of claim 1, wherein the other faces of said outer veneer sheets define outer faces for the section, and a grooved end edge of a web section has a first surface spaced toward the opposite end of the section from said edge, said first surface extending inwardly from an outer face of one of the outer sheets at a substantial angle relative to said face of the sheet and terminating at an inner edge intermediate the faces of said outer sheet, a second surface extending from the inner edge of the first surface in a plane inclined at a low angle away from the outer face of said outer sheet across a glue line between adjacent sheets to the end edge of the section, a third surface disposed toward the other outer veneer sheet from said second surface, said third surface extending away from said end edge of the section in a plane inclined at a low angle relative to the faces of the section across another glue line in the section to an inner end spaced from said end edge, a fourth surface extending substantially parallel to said second surface from said inner end of the third surface to the end edge of the section, said fourth surface intersecting said end edge in a region intermediate the faces of the other outer veneer sheet, and a fifth surface at the end edge of the section extending at a substantial angle relative to the outer face of the section from the intersection of said fourth surface with the end edge to the outer face of said outer veneer sheet.

Claim 8

The beam of claim 1, wherein each flange section includes a pair of veneer sheets forming opposite face plies of the section and the grain of said sheets extends generally longitudinally of the beam, and the flanges are adhesively bonded to the web with a face ply of each flange section against an outer face of the web.

Claim 9

In a modular housing unit adapted to be joined together along one of its sides with another housing unit, a ridge roof beam extending along said side of the housing unit, said beam comprising an elongated continuous web including a plurality of elongated plywood web sections joined in end-to-end relation, each plywood web section including a pair of outer veneer sheets extending fully the length of the section with the grain of said outer veneer sheets extending generally longitudinally of the beam, and a plurality of interior veneer sheets therebetween, said veneer sheets being adhesively bonded together in face-to-face relationship, each web section having a groove formed in an end edge thereof receiving an end edge of an adjacent web section, with said adjacent web sections being bonded together along said adjacent edges, and a pair of elongated, laterally spaced flanges extending adjacent and parallel to opposite longitudinal edge margins of said web and secured to one face of the web, each of said flanges including a plurality of elongated plywood flange sections joined in end-to-end relation, each flange section having a groove formed in an end edge thereof receiving an end edge of an adjacent flange section, with said adjacent flange sections being bonded together along said adjacent end edges.

Claim 10

In a modular housing unit adapted to be joined together along one of its sides with another housing unit, a ridge roof beam extending along said side of the housing unit, said beam comprising an elongated continuous web including a plurality of elongated plywood web sections joined in end-to-end relation, each plywood web section including a pair of outer veneer sheets extending fully the length of the section with the grain of said outer veneer sheets extending generally longitudinally of the beam, and a plurality of interior veneer sheets therebetween, said veneer sheets being adhesively bonded together in face-to-face relationship, each web section having a groove formed in an end edge thereof receiving an end edge of an adjacent web section, with said adjacent web sections being bonded together along said adjacent edges, and a pair of elongated, laterally spaced flanges extending adjacent and parallel to opposite longitudinal edge margins of said web and secured to one face of the web, each of said flanges including a plurality of elongated plywood flange sections joined in end-to-end relation, each flange section having a groove formed in an end edge thereof receiving an end edge of an adjacent flange section, with said adjacent flange sections being bonded together along said adjacent end edges.

Claim 11

The housing unit of claim 8, wherein the groove in an end edge of a web section extends lengthwise of said end edge.

Claim 12

The housing unit of claim 8, wherein the groove in and end edge of a flange section extends lengthwise of said end edge.

Claim 13

The housing unit of claim 10, wherein each flange section includes a pair of veneer sheets forming opposite face plies of the flange section and the grain of said sheets extends generally longitudinally of the beam, and the flanges are adhesively bonded to the web with a face ply of each flange section against an outer face of the web.