JP7593617B2 - Expansion joint cover body, expansion joint, fixing structure for cover material end, and cover material support structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cover body that constitutes an expansion joint that is installed in a gap between structures, and an expansion joint that uses the cover body.

To avoid the effects of temperature changes in the structural framework and loads during earthquakes, large structures are constructed by dividing the structure into multiple structural components and providing gaps (hereafter referred to as "clearances") between the structural components. Each gap is fitted with an expansion joint that connects the structural components on either side of the gap together, and is designed to absorb stress by deforming in response to displacements in different directions.

As an expansion joint that is installed at the joint of the exterior wall surfaces of structures that face each other across a gap, a structure is known in which a synthetic resin cover material formed into a bellows shape with repeated mountain folds and valley folds is installed at the joint to connect the exterior wall surfaces of the structures that face the gap.

The covering material for such expansion joints is required to deform in response to the displacement of the structures on both sides of the gap to absorb stress, while at the same time maintaining the watertightness of the joint even in stormy weather with strong winds and rain. At present, many of these are made from rubber materials with a relatively high hardness (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-99497

Conventional expansion joints installed at the joints of the exterior wall surfaces of the structural bodies are constructed by connecting both sides of the bellows-shaped covering material that is spanned between the structural bodies by fitting them into grooves formed at the ends of both structural bodies, and installing a support member that passes between the structural bodies on the back side of the covering material. The bellows-shaped covering material, combined with its high surface rigidity, makes it less likely for the covering material to flap when exposed to wind, and even if a large wind pressure is applied to the covering material during a strong wind, the supporting member hits the back side of the covering material and supports it, making it less likely for the covering material to shift or become recessed into the gap.

However, in the conventional expansion joints described above, when a large wind pressure is applied, the support member comes into contact with the back part of the cover material, preventing the cover material from entering the gap and deforming. However, since the cover material itself is not connected to this support member, when negative pressure is applied to the cover material, the cover material may shift toward the outside and flap, or when a large negative pressure is applied, the cover material may bulge toward the outside and deform.

In addition, the connection between the cover material and the main body of the expansion joint was simply formed by pressing the side end of the cover material into a groove provided in the main body to secure it in place, and when a large tensile force was applied to the cover material, there was a risk that the side end of the cover material would come out of the groove, meaning that the allowable amount of movement of the cover material was set small.
Therefore, in the event that the cover material expands beyond the allowable range of movement, for example, when the cover material expands significantly following the widening of the gap caused by an earthquake, when the cover material expands and contracts following complex seismic motion, or when the cover material protrudes to the outdoors due to the application of negative pressure, a large force is applied to pull the side end of the cover material out of the recessed groove, causing the fitting to come loose and the side end of the cover material to fall off the structure. Ensuring a large range of movement for the cover material so that it can respond to seismic motion that exceeds expectations is extremely important in terms of ensuring safety.

On the other hand, instead of or in addition to the configuration in which the side end of the cover material is fitted into the groove of the main body, the side end of the cover material can be fixed to metal fittings attached to the main body with fasteners such as screws or bolts, so that the side end of the cover material will not come off the main body.
However, when a large tensile force is applied to the cover material, stress is concentrated at the part where the cover material and the metal fittings are connected and fastened with the fastener, and there is a risk that the part may break. When fixing a flexible member such as a synthetic resin cover material to a frame, it is necessary to take measures to disperse the stress so that the stress is not concentrated at the part fastened with the fastener.

In addition, since the cover material formed into a bellows shape using a rubber material has a large surface area and is heavy, when it is installed across the joint between the main bodies, it is prone to "sagging" due to its own weight, meaning that all or part of the bellows portion is prone to sagging or loosening unevenly.
Therefore, the cover material needs to be tensioned taking into account the degree of sagging due to its own weight and installed so that the tension is maintained, but the tension when installing the cover material in the expansion joint depends on the tension of the support member that supports the back surface, so it was difficult to install the cover material with the appropriate tension. Therefore, it was necessary to take measures such as hanging the back surface of the cover material with a stainless steel wire to add tension as appropriate depending on the installation location.

The present invention aims to solve the problems of the conventional expansion joints that use synthetic resin cover materials. Another objective of the present invention is to disperse the stress that occurs when an external force is applied when a flexible sheet-like member such as a synthetic resin cover material is fixed to a body using a fastener, thereby preventing damage from occurring at the part connected by the fastener. Another objective of the present invention is to enable a flexible cover material that is elastically deformable to maintain flatness along the gap and cover and conceal the gap without sagging or bending within the gap under its own weight.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a cover body constituting an expansion joint installed in a gap between structures, the cover body being installed between one body forming the gap and the other body to cover the gap,
A cover material to be placed in the gap, the cover material having a shielding surface portion with a plurality of mountain folds and/or valley folds;
a stretchable support member disposed between the two bodies on the rear side of the cover material,
The cover material has a configuration in which at least a portion of the shielding surface portion is connected to the support member.

According to this, the cover body is constructed by connecting a part of the shielding surface of the cover material to an expandable support member arranged on the rear side of the cover material, and since the rear side of the cover material is supported by the support member, even if negative pressure is applied to the cover material, the cover material will not shift toward the outdoors and flutter, or bulge toward the outdoors and deform.
When an earthquake occurs and the gap in the structure is displaced, the support member expands and contracts as the cover material expands and contracts along the width of the gap, so that the displaced gap can be properly shielded by the cover material.

The cover material constituting the cover body can be formed to a size sufficient to cover the gap between the body and the cover using a synthetic resin material having rubber elasticity and flexibility. In particular, the cover material is preferably formed using a synthetic resin material having a hardness of 60° or more, and from the viewpoints of ease of molding and processing costs, it is preferable to use a thermoplastic elastomer as the molding material.
The cover material is formed such that a plurality of mountain folds or a plurality of valley folds are arranged on the shielding surface portion along the width direction of the body gap, and the mountain folds or valley folds open or close to expand or contract along the gap width direction. The shielding surface portion may be formed in a shape in which the mountain folds and valley folds are appropriately combined and arranged, or in a bellows shape in which the mountain folds and valley folds are alternately repeated.

The support member, like the cover material, can be made of a synthetic resin material having rubber elasticity, such as a thermoplastic elastomer. The support member may be constructed of a rubber material or a coil spring, etc., so long as it is installed in the gap on the back side of the cover material and can expand and contract together with the cover material. In addition, the support member can be formed into any shape, such as a tube, plate, net, or bellows, as long as it is installed in the gap and connected to the cover material, and can expand and contract together with the cover material in the gap width direction to support the back side of the cover material.

The reason for connecting the support member to the back side of the covering material is to prevent the covering material from expanding or deforming when negative pressure is applied to the covering material or when the covering material shifts to the outside and flops. Here, "connection" means that the support member is connected so as to restrict deformation of the covering material toward the inside and outside of the gap, that is, deformation of the covering material in the gap depth direction. This includes modes in which the support member is inserted into a hole provided in the shielding surface of the covering material to connect, the support member engages with an engagement portion provided in the shielding surface, or the shielding surface of the covering material and the support member are connected using a connection member that is separate from both components.

The above connection also includes a mode in which a part of the shielding surface of the cover material and the support member are connected as one unit. Here, "connection" refers to a state in which a part of the shielding surface is inseparably connected, fixed, or secured to the support member on the back side of the cover material. The connection between the cover material and the support member can be, for example, a mode in which both members are bound together with a wire made of metal or other material such as wire or twisted wire, a mode in which they are connected by fastening with a connecting metal fitting such as a clip, gripping or placing on a metal fitting, a mode in which they are bonded with an adhesive, a mode in which they are fixed with a fastener such as a screw or bolt, or a mode in which the support member is directly tied to the cover material or inserted therethrough. As long as a part of the cover material is inseparably connected to the support member, the mode of connection is not important.

In the cover body having the above-mentioned configuration, the cover material may be provided with a protruding surface portion protruding toward the rear side on the shielding surface portion, and the support member may be connected to the protruding surface portion.
The protruding surface portion is preferably molded integrally with the shielding surface portion. The protruding surface portion may be molded separately from the cover material and may be integrated with the cover material by being attached thereto.

The cover body of the above configuration can be configured by arranging multiple cover materials in parallel in the gap width direction for a wide gap. Specifically, multiple cover materials with their ends connected to each other are installed in the gap, and a support member installed on the back side of these cover materials is connected to a part of the shielding surface of each cover material.
The ends of the cover material may be connected to each other via a joint member, and this joint member may be connected to the support member.
The joint members that connect the cover materials to each other are also supported by connecting their back sides to the support members, so that the cover materials and joint members are less likely to sag due to their own weight, and they can cover gaps while maintaining tension, preventing the occurrence of missing parts when the structure moves.
The joint member can be made of an appropriate material such as aluminum, stainless steel, or other steel material, or synthetic resin material, and can be formed by providing connection portions for the ends of the cover material on both sides.

The cover body is composed of a plurality of cover materials having a shielding surface portion with the plurality of mountain folds and/or valley folds, joint members connecting the ends of the cover materials, and a flexible support member installed between the cover materials and the joint members on the back side of both the bodies, so that even when the joint members and the support members are connected, the cover materials do not deform when subjected to negative pressure.

The present invention also provides an expansion joint having the cover body having the above-described configuration and installed in a gap between structures,
A connecting member is attached to each end of the body facing each other across the gap,
The cover body has both ends connected to the two connecting members, respectively, and is configured so that the cover body spans between the main bodies to shield the gap.

As mentioned above, when the ends of the cover are connected to metal fittings attached to the main body with fasteners, stress is likely to concentrate on the connection part when an external force is applied to the cover, leading to breakage. Therefore, it is necessary to take measures to disperse the stress.
As such a stress dispersion means, the present invention provides a structure in which an end portion of a flexible cover material is fixed to a body, comprising:
The end of the cover material is bent by engaging with a through material, and the tip side of the bent end of the cover material is sandwiched and screwed between the through material and a base material attached to the main body or a joint base material of a joint member.

The expansion joint of the present invention is an application of the above-mentioned structure, and the connecting member includes a base material attached to the main body, and a through-member that is attached to the base material together with the cover material by screwing a screw into a portion where the end of the cover material is sandwiched between the base material and the through-member,
The end of the cover material is bent by engaging with a through material, and the tip side of the bent end of the cover material is sandwiched between the through material and the base material and screwed in place.
As an example of the configuration, the base member is attached to the body, and the through member is formed to have a substantially L-shaped cross section by a main surface portion and a folded surface portion bent from an end portion of the main surface portion,
A first bent portion is formed at an end of the cover material and is folded back toward the other end of the cover material. A second bent portion is formed by folding back the tip portion of the first bent portion at a substantially right angle. The folded surface portion and the main surface portion of the through material are engaged with the first bent portion and the second bent portion are formed by folding back the tip portion at a substantially right angle.
The main surface of the through material overlaps with the receiving surface provided on the base material, with a flat portion connected to the second bent portion of the cover material sandwiched therebetween,
A screw may be screwed into the overlapping threading material, cover material and base material, and an end of the cover material may be connected to the connecting member.

According to this, the end portions of both sides of the cover material are connected by engaging the through material with the first bent portion and the second bent portion, and the flat end of the cover material is overlapped with the through material and the base material, and the overlapping portion is connected by screwing. Therefore, even if a large tensile force is applied to the cover material, stress is not concentrated at the connection portion where the screw is screwed, and this portion is less likely to break. In addition, the connection is maintained reliably and stably, and the end of the cover material will not come off, so it is safe and the allowable movement amount of the cover material can be set large.

The structure for fixing the end of the cover material can be applied to a configuration in which the end of the cover material is attached to a joint member when connecting cover materials to each other via the joint member.

As described above, the cover material that is flexible and elastically deformable is prone to sagging or bending in the gap due to its own weight. Even if the support member is connected or joined to the back side of the cover material to support it, it may not be sufficient to prevent the cover material from sagging.
To solve this problem, in the expansion joint of the above configuration, it is preferable that the rear side of the cover body is supported by a plurality of movable suspension mechanisms including wires stretched from one of the two main bodies facing the gap to the other.

The structure in which a cover material formed to be elastically deformable is supported by a movable suspension mechanism can be used in a configuration in which a cover body is formed by the aforementioned cover material and a support member that supports its rear side, and this cover body is supported within a gap, and can also be applied to a configuration in which the cover material is installed within a gap in a body structure without using a support member.
That is, the present invention is a structure for supporting a cover material formed to be elastically deformable for an expansion joint installed in a gap between structures,
A hook member attached to the rear side of the cover material;
A hook member attached to one of the bodies facing the gap, and a tension member attached below the hook member and having an end portion that can advance and retreat;
and a wire rod having one end attached to the end of the other body facing the gap and the other end attached to the end of the tension member via the two hook members,
The cover material is suspended in the gap by applying an upward tension thereto, and is characterized by having the movable following ability of the main body.
Such a support structure allows the cover material to be placed in the gap while maintaining flatness along the gap, and it is possible to cover and hide the gap without causing the cover material to sag due to its own weight.
The movable suspension mechanism is composed of at least one hook member attached to the rear side of the cover material, a hook member attached to the end of one of the bodies, a tension member, and a wire stretched between each member. One or more other hook members may be arranged on the tension path of the wire to suspend the wire. The tension member may be a member whose end can be advanced or retreated, preferably a member whose end can be pulled out or returned with a constant force, such as a constant force spring, other elastic or resilient member, or spring member.
The hooking member has a portion where the wire is hooked and where it is guided in the direction of tension, and has the function of transmitting the tension of the wire to something else or of applying tension to it; for example, a pulley or a member having slipperiness and performing the above function is used.

In addition, the present invention is characterized in that, in the expansion joint of the above-mentioned configuration, the end of the support member is provided with an engagement hook that engages with a hole in an engagement plate provided on the connecting member, and an expandable sleeve material that is attached to the outer surface of this engagement hook.
Furthermore, the expansion joint having the above-described configuration is characterized in that the cover materials arranged above and below are integrally connected by joining their ends together.
In the above-mentioned configuration, the wire material includes not only steel wire material such as wire, but also hard wire material made of synthetic resin or other materials.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of one embodiment of the expansion joint of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the rear side of the expansion joint of FIG. 1 (illustration of the bellows-shaped projections and recesses of the cover material is omitted). 2A and 2B are plan views of the cover material of FIG. 1 in a contracted state and an expanded state, respectively. 2 is an enlarged view of a connection portion between the cover body and the body in FIG. 1 . 13 is a diagram showing the connection portion between the connecting member and the cover material with the exterior material removed. FIG. FIG. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating a manner in which an end of a support member is connected to a connecting member. 2 is an enlarged view of a connection portion between the cover body and the joint member in FIG. 1 . FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a connection portion between a joint member and a cover material with the exterior material removed. FIG. 4 is an external view of a main part on the rear side of the cover body. FIG. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing other configurations of the end portion of the support member. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the arrangement of wires on the back side of the expansion joint of FIG. 1 (illustration of the bellows-shaped concaves and convexes of the cover material is omitted). FIG. 13 is an external view of the first hook member in FIG. 12 . FIG. 13 is an external view of the second hook member in FIG. 12 . FIG. 13 is an external view of the tension member in FIG. 12 . 1A is a view showing how cover materials are joined together vertically, and FIG. 1B is a schematic plan view of a connecting piece used in the joining. 13A and 13B are diagrams showing another embodiment in which cover materials are joined together vertically.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of one embodiment of the expansion joint of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a view showing the configuration of the expansion joint as viewed from the back side, i.e., the gap side.
The expansion joint 1 shown in the figure is installed at the joint of the exterior wall surfaces of bodies A and B that face each other across a gap G provided within a structure, and a cover body 2 is spanned between end portion A1 of body A facing gap G and end portion B1 of body B, thereby shielding the gap G facing the outdoors with the cover body 2 and connecting the exterior wall surfaces A2, B2 of bodies A and B into a continuous unit with the cover body 2.

In detail, the expansion joint 1 is configured such that both side ends of the cover body 2, which is installed at the opening of the gap G and is formed to be freely expandable in the width direction of the gap G, are connected to linking members 7, 7 provided at the ends A1, B1 of the bodies A and B facing the gap G, respectively, to cover the gap G with the cover body 2, and when the bodies A and B are displaced relative to each other due to an earthquake or other cause, causing expansion/contraction or misalignment of the gap G, the cover body 2 expands and contracts in response to the displacement, absorbing the displacement, and the outer wall surfaces A2, B2 of the bodies A and B are maintained as an integrated wall surface without any missing parts.

The cover body 2 comprises three cover materials 3, a number of flexible support members 4 that are stretched between the two bodies A and B on the back side of the cover materials 3, and joint members 5 that connect the cover materials 3, 3 together. On the back side of the cover materials 3, the cover materials 3 and the joint members 5 are integrally connected and fixed to the support members 4 with steel wires 6.

In more detail, the cover material 3 is a member formed to be elastically deformable using a material having rubber elasticity, preferably a thermoplastic elastomer with a hardness of 60° or more, and as shown in FIG. 3, it has a shielding surface portion 31 formed in a bellows shape with alternating mountain folds 31a facing the front side and valley folds 31b facing the back side, which expand to a width that covers the gap G, and connection portions 32, 32 provided on both sides of the shielding surface portion 31 and connected to the linking members 7, 7, and is formed in a band shape along the length direction of the gap G, that is, along the height direction of the outer wall surfaces A2, B2.

The connection portions 32, 32 of the cover material 3 are bent toward the front side of the cover material via a first bent portion 32a, which is formed by folding back the end of the flat portion extending outward from the end of the shielding surface portion 31 toward the other end of the cover material 3, and a second bent portion 32b, which is formed by folding back the tip portion folded back at the first bent portion 32a at approximately a right angle, and a thick portion 32c protruding outward is provided at the tip portion.
A protruding surface portion 33 protruding toward the rear side is integrally provided at the valley fold portion 31b of the shielding surface portion 31 located at the center in the width direction of the cover material 3. This protruding surface portion 33 is formed with a hole portion 33a through which the support member 4 is inserted.

The support member 4, like the cover material 3, is a rod-shaped member formed so as to be freely stretchable in its axial direction using a material having rubber elasticity, preferably a thermoplastic elastomer, and has hook-shaped engaging hooks 41, 41 integrally formed at both ends.
The support member 4 is formed to have a length shorter than the width of the gap G, and is stretched between both ends to apply tension so as to span between the connecting members 7, 7. As shown in Fig. 2, a plurality of support members 4 are installed between the bodies A and B along the height direction of the gap G at appropriate intervals.

The connecting members 7, 7 provided at the ends A1, B1 of the body are formed with a base material 71, a through material 72, and an exterior material 73, all of which are made of aluminum shaped material, as shown in Figures 4 to 7. The base material 71, the through material 72, and the exterior material 73 can also be formed using steel materials other than aluminum shaped material, synthetic resin materials, etc.

The base material 71 has a groove 71a at one end into which the thick portion 32c of the cover material 3 fits, and an engaging plate 74, which is an L-shaped angle material, is overlapped on its surface and placed against the end of the body. A fastener S, such as a bolt, is then driven into the end of the body from the gap G side through the overlapping portion of the engaging plate 74 to attach it.
As shown in Figure 5, the base material 71 has a flat receiving surface portion 71b that overlaps with the main surface portion 74a of the through material 74 described later, and the connection portion 32 of the cover material 3 is arranged to engage between this receiving surface portion 71b and a protruding surface portion 71c formed with a gap therebetween.

As shown in FIG. 6, the through member 72 is a plate material having a substantially T-shaped cross section, with a flat main surface portion 72a and a folded surface portion 72b bent at a substantially right angle at an end portion of the main surface portion 72a.
With the thick portion 32c of the cover material 3 fitted into the groove 71a of the base material 71, the folded surface portion 72b and the main surface portion 72a of the through material engage with the first and second bent portions 32a, 32b of the cover material 3, respectively, and the main surface portion 71a of the through material 71 overlaps with the receiving surface portion 71b of the base material 71, sandwiching a flat portion connected to the second bent portion 32b of the cover material 3. A screw serving as a fastener S is screwed into and fixed to the overlapped through material 71, cover material 3 and base material 71, and the connection portion 32 of the cover material 3 is clamped and attached between the cover material 71 and the through material 71.

As shown in FIG. 4, the exterior material 73 is attached by sandwiching the connection portion 32 of the cover material 3, with the thick portion 32c pressed into the groove 71a of the base material 71, between the base material 71 and the through material 72, covering the through material 72 from the gap G side, and driving a fastener S, such as a set screw, from the outside into the overlapping through material 72, the connection portion 32 of the cover material 3, and the base material 71.

The engagement plate 74 has a hole 74a formed in a surface that projects vertically from the surface of the base material 71 toward the gap G, and the engagement hook 41 of the support member 4 is adapted to engage with this hole 74a.
As shown in Figure 7, the end of the support member 4 is attached to the engagement plate 74 by first positioning the engagement plate 74 at the tip side of the fastener S, engaging the engagement hook 41 of the support member 4 with the hole 74a, and then screwing the fastener S with a tool T to displace the engagement plate 74 toward the other end side of the fastener S, thereby stretching the space between both ends of the support member 4 and applying tension to it, thereby attaching it within the gap G.

As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the joint member 5 is formed with a joint base material 51, a through material 52, and an exterior material 53, all of which are made of aluminum shaped material. The joint base material 51, the through material 52, and the exterior material 53 can also be formed using steel materials other than aluminum shaped materials, synthetic resin materials, etc.

As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the joint base material 51 has grooves 51a, 51a on both sides of the front side into which the thick portion 32c of the cover material 3 fits, and is formed in a shape having a protruding surface 51b in the center that protrudes toward the rear side. A hole 51c is formed in the protruding surface 51b through which the support member 4 is inserted. A flat receiving surface 51d is provided on the edge of the groove 51a.

The through member 52 is a plate material having a main surface portion 52a and a bent surface portion 52b, and one end of which has a substantially T-shaped cross section, similar to the through member 72 of the connecting member 7 shown in FIG.
With the thick portion 32c of the cover material 3 engaged with the groove 51a of the joint base material 51, the folded surface portion 52b and the main surface portion 52a of the through material engage with the first and second bent portions 32a, 32b of the cover material 3, respectively, and the main surface portion 51a of the through material 52 overlaps with the receiving surface portion 51d of the joint base material 51, sandwiching a flat portion connected to the second bent portion 32b of the cover material 3. A screw serving as a fastener S is screwed into and fixed to the overlapped through material 52, cover material 3 and joint base material 51, so that the connection portion 32 of the cover material 3 is clamped and attached between the through material 52 and the joint base material 51.

As shown in FIG. 8, the exterior material 53 is attached by pressing the thick portions 32c, 32c of the cover materials 3, 3 that are connected together into the recessed grooves 51a, 51a on both sides of the joint base material 51, overlapping the through materials 52, 52 with the connection portions 32, 32 of the two cover materials 3.3, and sandwiching the connection portions 32, 32 between the joint base material 51 and the through materials 52, 52, covering the exterior material from the outside, and driving fasteners S such as screws into the overlapping through materials 52, the connection portions 32 of the cover materials 3, and the joint base material 51. By fastening the exterior material 53 to the joint base material 51 with fasteners S, the side ends of the cover materials 3, 3 are connected together.

As described above, the cover body 2 is constructed by connecting the side ends of the cover materials 3, 3 via the joint members 5, and in this embodiment, the cover body 2 is constructed by connecting three cover materials 3, 3, 3 together via the joint members 5, 5.
Each cover material 3 and each joint member 5 is integrally connected and fixed to the support member 4 by wrapping the wire 6 inserted into the support member 4 around the outer periphery of both protruding surface portions 33, 51 b and binding them together at a position where the support member 4 passes through the hole 33 a of the protruding surface portion 33 of the cover material 3, and at a position where the support member 4 passes through the hole 51 c of the protruding surface portion 51 b of the joint base material 51.
The cover body 2 is designed to be spanned between the body ends A1, B1 with tension applied as the three connected cover materials 3, 3, 3 expand and contract together with the support member 4, and the length between the two end portions of the cover body 2 extends.

To prevent the engagement hook 41 at the end of the support member 4 from coming off the hole 74a of the engagement plate 74, as shown in FIG. 11, a hollow sleeve material 42 that can expand and contract, such as a coil spring, may be attached integrally to the end of the support member 4 together with the engagement hook 41, and after the engagement hook 41 is engaged with the hole 74a, the sleeve material 42 may be fitted onto the outer circumferential surface of the engagement hook 41.

FIG. 12 shows the arrangement of movable suspension mechanisms 8, 8 having the movable tracking ability of bodies A, B, which support the cover body 2 of the expansion joint 1 on the rear side of the cover body 2, i.e., inside the gap G.
In detail, the movable suspension mechanisms 8, 8 are configured by suspending a wire W between the ends of the bodies A and B that sandwich the gap G via a first hanging member 81 that is attached to the cover body 2 and displaces together with the cover body 2, a second hanging member 82 that is fixed to the body, and a tension member 83 whose end can advance and retreat, and by supporting the rear side of the cover body 2 with the movable suspension mechanisms 8, 8 and applying upward tension to the cover body 2 to suspend it, the cover body 2 is configured to be held in a predetermined position within the gap G without sagging due to its own weight.
Although the figure shows a configuration in which the cover body 2 is supported by two movable suspension mechanisms 8, 8, when the length dimension (vertical height dimension) of the gap G is large and the height of the cover body 2 covering it is large, the cover body 2 is supported by movable suspension mechanisms 8, 8 installed in multiple tiers above and below with a predetermined gap between them.

13, the hook member 81 is attached to the back side of the joint member 5 that connects the cover materials 3, 3, and the opposed base plates 81a, 81a are fixed to the joint member 5 with a gap between them by fasteners 81b such as bolts. The two base plates 81a, 81a face each other via the shaft of the fastener 81b, and a wire W is passed between the base plates 81a, 81a and hooked onto the shaft of the fastener 81b, so that the wire W can slide along the outer periphery of the shaft.
As shown in Figure 14, the hooking members 82 are attached to the respective connecting members 7 at the ends of the bodies A and B facing the gap G, and similarly to the hooking member 81, the opposing base plates 82a, 82a are fixed to the connecting member 7 with a gap between them and fasteners 82b such as bolts, and a wire W is passed between the opposing base plates 82a, 82a via the shaft portion of the fastener 82b and hooked onto the shaft portion, so that the wire W can slide along the outer periphery of the shaft portion.
As shown in FIG. 15, the tension member 83 is attached to the connecting member 7 below the mounting position of the hook member 82 of the bodies A and B facing the gap G, and is configured by mounting a tension retaining member 83b having a push-out function and pulling out its end with a constant force within the main frame 83a.

12, the movable suspension mechanisms 8, 8 have a wire W whose tip end is hooked on a hook provided at the end of the frame A, B above the mounting position of the first hook member 81 attached to the cover body 2 , its middle part hung around the shaft of the hook member 81 and stretched in a V shape, and further hung around the shaft of the hook member 82 attached to the end of the frame A, B above the mounting position of the first hook member 81 to pull downward, while the other end of the wire W is connected to the movable end of the tension retaining member 83b of the tension member 83 via a turnbuckle 83c, and stretched between both frame A, B. The movable suspension mechanisms 8, 8 are erected by setting the tension angle θ of the wire W hung around the shaft of the hook member 81 to an appropriate angle and applying tension so that the wire W is approximately equally spaced on the left and right of the vertical line passing through the shaft.
The tension angle θ can be set, for example, in the range of 20° to 150°, or in a narrower range of 60° to 100°.

As shown in Figure 12, the cover body 2 of the expansion joint 1 is constructed by connecting the ends of three cover materials 3, 3, 3 with two joint members 5, 5, and supporting the rear side with a plurality of support members 4, and on the rear side of the cover body 2, engaging members 81, 81 are fixed to the two joint members 5, 5 respectively, and wires W, W are hung around these engaging members 81, 81 to suspend a set of movable suspension mechanisms 8, 8 between the main bodies A and B.
As shown in the figure, the tension angle θ of the wire W wound around the hook members 81, 81 of both joint members 5, 5 is set to be approximately the same angle of 70° to 100°. Force is applied equally from both movable suspension mechanisms 8, 8 to the cover body 2 via the joint members 5, 5. Therefore, when the cover body 2 expands and contracts in response to the expansion and contraction of the width of the gap G due to the displacement of the frame gap, the widths of the cover materials 3 between the frame A and one joint member 5, between both joint members 5, 5, and between the other joint member 5 and the frame B can be expanded and contracted at approximately equal intervals by the movable suspension mechanisms 8, 8 which expand and contract in conjunction with each other.
Even when displacement occurs in the gap between the structural members, the design of the cover body 2 when viewed from the outside can be maintained, and the cover body 2 can be maintained in a predetermined position within the gap G even after displacement occurs.

FIG. 16 shows an embodiment in which, when the dimension of the gap G in the longitudinal direction is large, the vertical length of the cover body 2 is increased by joining together cover materials 3, 3 vertically.
In this case, with the ends of the cover materials 3, 3 to be joined vertically abutting against each other, a connecting piece 9 of an appropriate length as shown in the same figure (B) is placed on the back side of the shielding surface portions 31, 31 of both cover materials 3, 3 and fixed with adhesive, thereby connecting the cover materials 3, 3 together vertically.
This connection piece 9 is made of the same material as the cover material 3, and is formed with an appropriate length and the same bellows-shaped end shape as the shielding surface portion 31 of the cover material 3. By overlapping and fixing the connection piece 9 to the back side of the shielding surface portions 31, 31 of the cover materials 3, 3 whose ends are abutted above and below, it is possible to connect the cover materials 3, 3 together without leaving any gaps.

In this case, when connecting upper and lower cover materials 3, 3 using a connecting piece 9 with fewer mountain folds and valley folds than the bellows-shaped cover material 3 with many mountain folds and valley folds in the shielding surface portion 31, multiple connecting pieces 9 are lined up in series along the mountain folds and valley folds of the cover material 3 and joined, and each connecting piece 9 is overlapped and fixed to the shielding surface portions 31, 31 of both cover materials 3, 3. Since the ends of adjacent connecting pieces 9, 9 overlap each other, the connecting pieces 9 fit the surface of the cover material 3, and it is possible to fix them in close contact without forming gaps in the bellows-shaped unevenness of the upper and lower cover materials 3, 3. In addition, by arranging the connecting pieces 9 in series with their ends overlapping each other, it is possible to connect cover materials 3, 3 with large dimensions in the width direction.

FIG. 17 shows another embodiment in which cover materials 3, 3 are joined together vertically.
In this case, appropriate cutouts can be formed in the connecting parts 32, 32 on both sides of the covering materials 3, 3 to be joined vertically and in the protruding surface part 33 on the back, so that the lower part of the covering surface part 31 of the upper covering material 3 and the upper part of the covering surface part 31 of the lower covering material 3 overlap each other and are connected integrally by butting the cutout parts together. The connected parts can be fixed using a fastening member such as double-sided tape.

The illustrated configurations of the cover material 3, support member 4, joint member 5, and connecting member 7 are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated configurations. The illustrated cover material 3 has one protruding surface portion 33 with a protruding hole portion 33a at the center of its back side, but multiple protruding surfaces may be provided.
12 shows an embodiment in which the cover body 2 formed by connecting a plurality of cover materials 3 via joint members 5 is supported by the movable suspension mechanism 8, but the present invention can also be applied even if the cover materials 3 are not connected by the joint members 5. In this case, the first engaging member 81 of the movable suspension mechanism 8 is attached directly to the back side of the cover material 3 or via an attachment member attached to the cover material 3.
The mode of support by the movable suspension mechanism 8 can also be applied to a mode in which the back side of the covering material 3 is not supported by the support member 4, that is, a mode in which only the covering material 3 is installed in the gap G, or a mode in which the covering material 3 connected by the joint member 5 is installed in the gap G. By supporting the covering material 3 by the movable suspension mechanism 8, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of deformation due to its own weight. In the illustrated embodiment, the cover body 2 is supported by two (one set) of movable suspension mechanisms 8, 8, but depending on the installation conditions of the expansion joint 1, it is also possible to configure it to be supported using one movable suspension mechanism 8, or to be supported using three or more or two or more sets of movable suspension mechanisms 8.
Further, the illustrated expansion joint 1 is configured to cover the gap G in the exterior wall surface, but it can also be applied to gaps provided in the interior wall surface of a structure.

1 Expansion joint, 2 Cover body, 3 Cover material, 31 Shielding surface portion, 32 Connection portion, 4 Support member, 5 Joint member, 6 Wire, 7 Linking member, 8 Movable suspension mechanism, 9 Connection piece, A, B Body, G Gap, S Fixture, W Wire material

Claims (15)

A cover body constituting an expansion joint to be installed in a gap between structures, the cover body being installed between one body forming the gap and the other body to cover the gap.
a cover material made of an elastic material, the cover material having a shielding surface portion covering the gap and disposed within the gap, the shielding surface portion having a plurality of mountain folds or a plurality of valley folds disposed along the width direction of the gap, the mountain folds or the valley folds being opened or folded to expand or contract along the width direction of the gap ;
a stretchable support member disposed between the two bodies on the rear side of the cover material,
A cover body for an expansion joint, characterized in that the support member is connected to the shielding surface portion by being inserted into a hole provided in the shielding surface portion of the cover material . The cover body for an expansion joint as described in claim 1 , characterized in that the cover material has a protruding surface portion protruding toward the rear side on its shielding surface portion, and the support member is inserted through a hole formed in this protruding surface portion to connect it . A cover body for an expansion joint as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a plurality of cover materials having their ends connected to each other are installed in the gap, and support members installed on the back sides of these cover materials are connected to the shielding surface portions of each cover material. The cover body for the expansion joint according to claim 3, characterized in that the ends of the cover material are connected to each other via a joint member, and the joint member is connected to the support member. A cover body constituting an expansion joint to be installed in a gap between structures, the cover body being installed between one body forming the gap and the other body to cover the gap,
a plurality of cover materials made of an elastic material, the cover materials having a shielding surface portion covering the gap and disposed within the gap, the shielding surface portion having a plurality of mountain folds or a plurality of valley folds disposed along the width direction of the gap, the mountain folds or the valley folds being opened or folded to expand or contract along the width direction of the gap ;
A joint member that connects the ends of the cover material to each other;
and a stretchable support member that is installed between the cover material and the joint member on the back side of the cover material and the joint member,
A cover body for an expansion joint, characterized in that the coupling member has a protruding surface portion protruding toward its rear side, and the support member is connected to the coupling member by being inserted into a hole portion provided in the protruding surface portion . A cover body for an expansion joint according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the cover material has a hardness of 60° or more. The cover body of the expansion joint according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cover material is made of a thermoplastic elastomer. The cover body according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the connection between the cover material and/or the joint member and the support member is a connection in which the connection parts are fixed to each other. An expansion joint having a cover body according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which is installed in a gap between structures,
A connecting member is attached to each end of the body facing each other across the gap,
An expansion joint characterized in that both ends of the cover body are connected to both connecting members, and the cover body is arranged to span between the main bodies and cover the gap. The connecting member includes a base material attached to the body, and a through-member that is attached to the base material together with the cover material by a screw threadedly engaged with a portion where the end of the cover material is sandwiched between the base material and the through-member;
The expansion joint according to claim 9, characterized in that the end of the cover material is bent by engaging with a through material, and the tip side of the bent end of the cover material is sandwiched between the through material and the base material and screwed in place. The expansion joint according to claim 9 or 10, which has a configuration in which an engagement hook is provided at the end of the support member to engage with a hole in an engagement plate provided on the connecting member, and a stretchable sleeve material is provided on the outer surface of the engagement hook. The expansion joint according to any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the expansion joint has a first hooking member attached to the back side of a cover body arranged in the gap and displaced together with the cover body, a second hooking member attached to an end of one of the bodies facing the gap at a position above the attachment position of the first hooking member, and a tensioning member attached below the second hooking member, and a plurality of movable suspension mechanisms are installed in the gap, the plurality of movable suspension mechanisms having a configuration in which a tip of a wire is hooked to an end of the other body facing the gap at a position above the attachment position of the first hooking member, an intermediate portion of the wire is hung around the shaft portion of the first hooking member and the shaft portion of the second hooking member to pull the wire downward, and the other end of the wire is connected to a tension retaining member mounted on the tensioning member, so that the wire is stretched between both bodies, and the rear side of the cover body is supported by the plurality of movable suspension mechanisms. An expansion joint according to any one of claims 9 to 12, in which the cover materials are joined together vertically and integrally connected. In a structure in which the end of a cover material of an expansion joint installed in a gap between structures is fixed to a joint member that connects the body facing the gap or the cover materials,
A fixing structure for an end of a cover material, characterized in that the end of the cover material is bent by engaging with a through material, and the tip side of the bent end of the cover material is sandwiched and screwed between the through material and a base material or a joint base material of a joint member attached to the main body. A structure for supporting a cover material formed to be elastically deformable for an expansion joint installed in a gap in a wall surface of a structure,
a first engaging member attached to a rear side of the cover material disposed in the gap and displaced together with the cover material;
a second hook member attached to an end of one of the bodies facing the gap at a position above the attachment position of the first hook member;
a tension member attached below the second hook member,
at least one movable suspension mechanism having a configuration in which a tip end of a wire is hooked to an end of the other body facing the gap at a position above the attachment position of the first hooking member, a middle part of the wire is hung around the shaft part of the first hooking member and the shaft part of the second hooking member, and the wire is pulled downward, and the other end of the wire is connected to a tension retaining member mounted on the tension member, and the wire is stretched between both bodies ;
A support structure for a cover material, characterized in that the cover material is suspended and supported within a gap by applying upward tension to the cover material.

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