JP7613755B2 - Cross Structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cross structure for rigidly joining two intersecting members, such as a column and a beam that form the framework of a wooden building.

Torii gates, which are installed at the entrances of shrines, have a gate-like structure with the tops of two pillars connected by a kasagi or other similar structure, and a component called a nuki is sometimes placed slightly below the kasagi to ensure strength. To hold the nuki in place, a hole is made in the side of the top of the pillar, but the cross section of this hole is slightly larger than the nuki. As a result, there is still space in the hole even after the nuki is inserted, and by driving a wedge into it, the pillar and nuki are rigidly joined. This technology of rigidly joining components by driving in a wedge is also widely used in wooden architecture, and examples of this include the patent documents listed below.

Patent Document 1 discloses a through joint structure that can prevent a decrease in rotational rigidity. In this case, it is assumed that a pillar and a through joint that intersect in a cross shape are joined, and the pillar is provided with a through hole that penetrates both sides, and the through hole is inserted into it. The vertical cross section of the through hole is large enough to allow the through to be inserted with ease, and after the through hole is inserted, a first wedge and a second wedge are inserted to fill the remaining space in the through hole, and these two wedges are positioned so that they face each other with the pillar in between. Furthermore, these opposing wedges are attracted to each other through a connecting structure consisting of a bolt and nut, so that the wedges can be prevented from coming loose, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in rotational rigidity even in the event of an earthquake.

Patent Document 2 also discloses a wedge with an automatic penetration device that, when a pair of wedges are arranged facing each other in an intersection structure between a pillar and a crossbeam, can push the pair of wedges toward the center of the pillar without being affected by the behavior of the other wedges. In Patent Document 1, the opposing wedges are connected with bolts or the like, but in that case, when the pillar inclination increases due to repeated horizontal loads, the bolts may deform and the state of drawing each other may not be maintained. Therefore, this document proposes placing a compression spring and a fixing part behind each wedge, and this fixing part is an L-shaped metal plate, one side of which is fixed to the upper surface of the crossbeam, and a compression spring is sandwiched between the wedge and the fixing part, and the wedge is pushed in by the reaction force. As a result, even when the inclination of the pillar increases, the opposing wedges can maintain their original function without being affected by the behavior of the other wedges.

JP 2010-7436 A JP 2016-56647 A

Traditional wooden buildings often have a lattice structure on the front for the purposes of lighting, ventilation, crime prevention, etc. This lattice structure is widely recognized as a design that symbolizes traditional wooden architecture, and even in newly constructed buildings, lattice structures are sometimes incorporated for the purpose of improving aesthetics, and the geometric pattern is sometimes intentionally made visible. In such cases, at the intersections between the structural members that form the building's framework, the two are sometimes rigidly joined to ensure strength, as in the two patent documents mentioned above.

In this way, when parts are rigidly joined at their intersection, if a large compressive load is constantly applied to the contact surface between the two parts, this surface will gradually cave in over time, and eventually the contact surface between the parts may loosen, making it impossible to maintain a rigid connection. The end grain surface of a part is less likely to cave in due to compressive load, and therefore less likely to become loose. However, since the side surface of a part is perpendicular to the end grain surface, if a compressive load is applied there, it is likely to cause deformation that crushes the spaces between the grain, inevitably increasing the possibility of cave-ins and requiring some kind of countermeasure. Additionally, the intersections between parts may remain visible even after construction, so it is desirable to take aesthetics into consideration, and it is also important that construction work can be carried out smoothly.

The present invention was developed based on these circumstances, and aims to provide an intersection structure that can rigidly join two intersecting members, such as the pillars and beams that make up the framework of a wooden building, while also suppressing deformation of the members over time and considering aesthetics.

The invention described in claim 1 for solving the above problem is a cross structure of an upright member and a horizontal member, in which a through hole is provided on the side of the upright member for inserting the horizontal member, a bottom plate for placing the horizontal member is arranged at the bottom of the through hole, and a ceiling plate attached to the upright member is arranged at the top of the through hole, a pressure plate is placed on the upper surface of the horizontal member, the pressure plate faces the ceiling plate across a gap, and the through hole is arranged in the gap between the pressure plate and the ceiling plate. The wedges are arranged so as to face each other across the midpoint of the pressure plate and the ceiling plate, and both or either of the pressure plate and the ceiling plate have inclined surfaces that allow the wedges arranged so as to face each other to approach each other and press down the pressure plate. The opposing wedges are pulled towards each other via a connecting bolt, so that the pressed down pressure plate comes into close contact with the horizontal member, and an embedding tool that comes into contact with both the bottom plate and the pressure plate is embedded in the horizontal member.

This invention is a technology for rigidly joining two members used in wooden construction at their intersection. One of these two members is called an upright member and the other a horizontal member. Both are wooden (including laminated lumber) rods, and the longitudinal direction of the upright member and horizontal member coincides with the vertical direction of the tree from which they are made, and the end faces of the upright member and horizontal member form the end grain surface. In addition, a through hole is provided on the side of the upright member so that the horizontal member can be inserted. Therefore, the horizontal member is thinner than the upright member, and when the horizontal member is inserted into the through hole, the upright member and the horizontal member cross each other in a cross shape. In addition, the upright member is generally arranged vertically, and the corresponding horizontal member is arranged horizontally, but the position and intersection angle of these can be freely changed, and there are cases where both the upright member and the horizontal member are tilted, and it is also possible for the entire structure to be tilted sideways.

The bottom plate, pressure plate, and ceiling plate are all sized to fit into the through hole, but not to protrude from it. The bottom plate is placed so that it fits into the bottom of the through hole, and the horizontal member is placed on its top surface, but to prevent it from falling off, it is attached to either the upright member or the horizontal member by some means. The ceiling plate is placed so that it fits into the top of the through hole, and is attached to the upright member by means of screws or nails. The pressure plate is placed so that it rests on the top surface of the horizontal member, and is attached to the horizontal member by some means. Therefore, the pressure plate and ceiling plate are adjacent to each other, but the height of the through hole is adjusted so that a specified gap is maintained between them without them touching. The bottom plate, pressure plate, and ceiling plate are all made of hard materials such as metal that can withstand compressive loads.

The wedge is placed in the gap between the pressure plate and the ceiling plate, and serves to increase the gap between them. It is a metal piece shaped like a wedge (a trapezoid turned on its side). One wedge is placed in the through hole from each side of the upright, with the two wedges facing each other across the midpoint of the through hole (the middle of the upright) and lined up in a straight line. At that time, the bottom of the wedge touches the pressure plate, and the top of the wedge touches the ceiling plate. Furthermore, there are cases where a pair of wedges lined up in a straight line are placed together, either as a single set or multiple sets side-by-side.

To allow the wedge to perform its intended function, the pressure plate or ceiling plate is provided with an inclined surface at the point where it comes into contact with the wedge. This inclined surface is inclined so that the gap between the pressure plate and the ceiling plate narrows as it moves deeper into the through hole, and as the wedge moves deeper into the through hole, the gap between the pressure plate and the ceiling plate increases. Naturally, this inclined surface needs to correspond to the shape of the wedge, and in some cases inclined surfaces are provided on both the pressure plate and the ceiling plate, or only on one of them. In addition, pressure plates and ceiling plates are sometimes divided into two pieces during manufacturing to simplify the processing of the inclined surfaces.

A connecting bolt is used to bring a pair of wedges that are aligned in a straight line and face each other closer together, and is positioned so that it passes through the pair of wedges. The wedge is provided with a center hole or the like so that the connecting bolt can be inserted. When using fully threaded bolts as connecting bolts, both ends of the bolt are inserted into the center holes of the wedges, and nuts are screwed onto both ends of the connecting bolt protruding from the opposite sides. When both nuts are tightened evenly, the pair of wedges are drawn to each other and gradually move closer together. When using headed bolts as connecting bolts, the center hole of one of the wedges can be replaced with a female thread. In this way, connecting bolts can be implemented in a variety of forms.

The embedding tool is a metal rod that is embedded in the cross member and is positioned to connect the bottom and top of the cross member. As a result, the bottom end of the embedding tool comes into contact with the bottom board and the top end comes into contact with the pressure plate, so that compressive loads that bring the bottom board and pressure plate closer together are not transmitted to the cross member but are transmitted through the embedding tool, preventing the bottom and top of the cross member from collapsing. Furthermore, the bottom and top of the cross member are necessarily perpendicular to the butt end surface, and if a compressive load is applied to them from the bottom board and pressure plate, the gaps between the grains are crushed, making them more susceptible to collapsing, but the embedding tool can prevent this.

Specific examples of embedding tools include lag screws, deformed steel bars, shafts, and many other options. If lag screws are used, their protrusions will bite into the cross member, and are expected to have the effect of suppressing cracks. In addition, multiple embedding tools are often placed in a dispersed manner to ensure that compressive loads are transmitted. Furthermore, if the embedding tool protrudes from the bottom or top of the cross member, it will no longer be possible to clamp the cross member between the bottom plate and the pressure plate, which will cause the cross member to become loosely held, so the length of the embedding tool must be carefully managed.

In this way, in a structure where uprights and horizontal members intersect, the horizontal member is inserted into a through hole provided in the uprights, and the through hole is further filled with a bottom plate, pressure plate, and top plate, and the horizontal member is sandwiched between the bottom plate and pressure plate. In addition, wedges are placed in the gap between the pressure plate and the ceiling plate, and a pair of opposing wedges are brought closer to each other with connecting bolts, which increases the gap between the pressure plate and the ceiling plate, and the pressure plate comes into close contact with the horizontal member, thereby rigidly joining the uprights and horizontal members. Furthermore, by embedding an embedding tool that contacts both the bottom plate and pressure plate in the horizontal member, the compressive load acting on the horizontal member is alleviated, and it is possible to prevent the bottom and top surfaces of the horizontal member from collapsing.

The invention described in claim 2 specifies the configuration around the wedge, and is characterized in that a guide groove into which the wedge fits is formed in both or either of the pressure plate and ceiling plate, and the wedge moves along the guide groove. This guide groove must extend in the direction penetrating the through hole, and when pulled by the connecting bolt, each wedge moves along the guide groove toward the back of the through hole. Naturally, the guide groove can fulfill its role even if it is provided in only one of the pressure plate or ceiling plate. The bottom of the guide groove may be made into an inclined surface so that the gap between the pressure plate and ceiling plate can be increased by the movement of the wedge.

The invention described in claim 3 relates to the arrangement of wedges, etc., and is characterized in that both the wedge and the connecting bolt are housed in the through hole. As described above, a gap is provided between the pressure plate and the ceiling plate, and the wedge is sandwiched therein. Therefore, by housing the wedge and the connecting bolt in the through hole as in this invention, it is possible to ensure that no parts protrude from the surfaces of the uprights and horizontal members. Therefore, at the intersections between the uprights and horizontal members, floorboards, wall materials, etc. can be laid without gaps along the surfaces of the uprights and horizontal members without taking any measures, and in cases where the intersection structure is visible, the aesthetic appearance is not marred.

As in the invention described in claim 1, in the cross structure of the uprights and the cross members, the cross members are inserted into the through holes provided in the uprights, and the through holes are further filled with a bottom plate, a pressure plate, and a ceiling plate, and the cross members are sandwiched between the bottom plate and the pressure plate. In addition, wedges are placed in the gap between the pressure plate and the ceiling plate, and by bringing a pair of opposing wedges closer to each other with a connecting bolt, the gap between the pressure plate and the ceiling plate increases, and the pressure plate comes into close contact with the cross member, so that the uprights and the cross members can be rigidly joined. Moreover, by embedding an embedding tool that contacts both the bottom plate and the pressure plate in the cross member, the compressive load acting on the cross member is alleviated, so that the collapse of the bottom and top surfaces of the cross member can be suppressed, and the rigid joint between the uprights and the cross members can be maintained even after the passage of time.

As in the invention described in claim 2, by forming a guide groove into which the wedge fits in both or either one of the pressure plate and ceiling plate, the wedge can move smoothly without loosening. This makes it possible to avoid problems such as the corners of the wedge digging into the pressure plate or ceiling plate and impeding the movement of the wedge, and allows construction work to be carried out smoothly. Furthermore, even if the cross structure needs to be dismantled for some reason, the wedge can be removed without difficulty. In addition, it is possible to make only the bottom of the guide groove an inclined surface, which reduces the area required for complex cutting when manufacturing the pressure plate and ceiling plate.

As in the invention described in claim 3, by storing both the wedge and the connecting bolt in the through hole, it is possible to ensure that no parts protrude from the surfaces of the uprights and horizontal members. Therefore, at the intersections between the uprights and horizontal members, floorboards and wall materials can be laid without gaps along the surfaces of the uprights and horizontal members without taking any measures, and when the intersection structure is visible, the aesthetic appearance is not marred. In addition, by storing the wedge in the through hole, the length of the connecting bolt is necessarily reduced, so that the pair of wedges can maintain their function of attracting each other even after being subjected to external forces such as earthquakes.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a specific example of an intersecting structure of uprights and cross members according to the present invention, in which the cross member is inserted so as to penetrate the side of the upright member. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the process of attaching a bottom plate and a pressure plate to the cross member of FIG. 1, in which the bottom plate is attached at the top of the figure and the pressure plate is attached at the bottom of the figure. After Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the process of inserting the cross members into the uprights. The top of the figure shows the state just before insertion, and the bottom of the figure shows the state after insertion, but in both cases the uprights are drawn in half to show the internal structure. This is a perspective view showing the final stage where the uprights and cross members are rigidly joined together, following the stage shown in Fig. 3. Note that the upper part of the figure is a cross-sectional view of part of the structure to show the internal structure. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a cross structure different from that shown in FIG. 1 . This is a perspective view showing the state in which the uprights and cross members in Figure 5 are rigidly joined together. Note that the lower part of the figure shows only the wedge and its surrounding parts.

Figure 1 shows a specific example of the cross structure of the uprights 71 and horizontal members 81 according to the present invention, in which the horizontal members 81 are inserted so as to penetrate the side of the uprights 71. The uprights 71 are pieces of wood arranged vertically, and the horizontal members 81 are pieces of wood arranged horizontally. A through hole 78 is machined on the side of the uprights 71 to allow the horizontal members 81 to be inserted. Naturally, the through hole 78 penetrates both sides of the uprights 71, but its height is designed to ensure sufficient clearance for the horizontal members 81. The width of the through hole 78 is large enough to fit the horizontal members 81 without any looseness, and when the horizontal members 81 are actually inserted into the through hole 78, the uprights 71 and the horizontal members 81 cross each other in a cross shape.

In the section of the horizontal member 81 that is accommodated in the through hole 78, four pilot holes 84 are machined through the bottom and top of the horizontal member 81, and the embedding tool 41 is embedded in each pilot hole 84. In this figure, a lug screw is used for the embedding tool 41, and a protruding rib 44 protrudes from its side surface. The protruding rib 44 extends in a spiral shape, and when it bites into the inner surface of the pilot hole 84, the embedding tool 41 is firmly integrated with the horizontal member 81. In addition, a hexagonal head is provided at the upper end of the embedding tool 41, and when embedding, a tool is applied to the hexagonal head to rotate the entire device. In addition, a female thread 46 is provided at the center of both the upper and lower end faces of the embedding tool 41. The length of the embedding tool 41 is aligned with the height of the horizontal member 81, and the end faces of the pilot hole 84 and the embedding tool 41 are aligned without any steps on either the top or bottom.

The through hole 78 accommodates the bottom plate 11, the pressure plate 21, the ceiling plate 31, etc., in addition to the horizontal member 81 being inserted. In this figure, the bottom plate 11, the pressure plate 21, and the ceiling plate 31 are all assumed to be made of metal, and the bottom plate 11 is placed at the bottom of the through hole 78, with the horizontal member 81 placed on its upper surface. The size of the bottom plate 11 is made to match the length and width of the through hole 78, and the entire bottom plate 11 is accommodated in the through hole 78. In addition, in order to attach the bottom plate 11 to the horizontal member 81, fixing holes 16 are provided at the four corners of the bottom plate 11. The fixing holes 16 are arranged so as to be concentric with the pilot holes 84 of the horizontal member 81, and the fixing bolts 66 are inserted from below the bottom plate 11 toward the female threads 46 of the embedding tool 41. In order to embed the heads of the fixing bolts 66 in the bottom plate 11, the inner diameter of the entrance side of the fixing holes 16 is enlarged.

The pressure plate 21 is placed on the top surface of the horizontal member 81 to cover the pilot hole 84 and the embedding tool 41. The pressure plate 21 in this figure is divided into two pieces, but both have the same shape, and one of them is inserted into the through hole 78 from one side of the upright member 71, and the other is inserted into the through hole 78 from the opposite side. In addition, two rows of guide grooves 25 are formed on the top surface of each pressure plate 21. The guide grooves 25 extend along the longitudinal direction of the through hole 78, but their bottoms are inclined. When the two pressure plates 21 are inserted into the through hole 78, the guide grooves 25 are arranged so that their depth decreases toward the back of the through hole 78. Furthermore, the pressure plate 21 is attached to the horizontal member 81 via the screw nails 76. For this reason, the pressure plate 21 is provided with six fixing holes 26 for inserting the screw nails 76. In addition, because the embedding tool 41 is placed below the guide groove 25, it is difficult to attach the pressure plate 21 to the embedding tool 41 via the fixing bolt 66, and the pressure plate 21 and embedding tool 41 simply come into contact with each other.

The ceiling plate 31 is attached to the top of the through hole 78, but in this figure it is divided into two pieces, has a guide groove 35, and is the same shape as the pressure plate 21. However, since the ceiling plate 31 is used upside down with respect to the pressure plate 21, the guide grooves 25, 35 of the pressure plate 21 and the ceiling plate 31 face each other, and when the ceiling plate 31 is housed in the through hole 78, the guide groove 35 of the ceiling plate 31 is arranged so that its depth decreases toward the back of the through hole 78. The ceiling plate 31 is also attached to the upright 71 via a screw nail 76. For this reason, the ceiling plate 31 also has a fixing hole 36 for inserting the screw nail 76. In this figure, both the pressure plate 21 and the ceiling plate 31 are divided into two pieces for the purpose of simplifying the manufacturing process, and the total of four pressure plates 21 and ceiling plates 31 are all the same shape, and their individual postures change depending on the arrangement.

The wedge 51 is a metal lump that is placed in the gap between the pressure plate 21 and the ceiling plate 31 and fits into both guide grooves 25, 35, but the bottom and top surfaces of the wedge 51 are inclined, and it has a shape like a trapezoid turned on its side. The wedge 51 is placed in the through hole 78 from both one side and the opposite side of the upright 71, and the tapered sides of both wedges 51 are placed facing each other, so that two wedges 51 form a pair, and when the two wedges 51 are brought closer to each other, the guide grooves 25, 35 and the inclined surfaces of the wedge 51 increase the gap between the pressure plate 21 and the ceiling plate 31, and the pressure plate 21 is in close contact with the horizontal member 81. This load is also transmitted from the bottom plate 11 to the upright 71 via the embedding tool 41.

Two pairs of wedges 51 are aligned along the guide grooves 25, 35, and a connecting bolt 64 is used to draw them together. The connecting bolt 64 is a simple round-rod, fully threaded bolt, and the wedge 51 has a center hole 54 for inserting the connecting bolt 64. A nut 67 is screwed onto the end of the connecting bolt 64 protruding from the center hole 54. Therefore, when the nuts 67 on both ends are tightened evenly, the opposing wedges 51 move closer to each other. Two rows of guide grooves 25, 35 are formed in one pressure plate 21 and ceiling plate 31. Therefore, in this figure, two pairs of wedges 51 are used, and two connecting bolts 64 are necessarily lined up.

After embedding the embedding tool 41 in the pilot hole 84 of the horizontal member 81, the bottom plate 11 is attached to the bottom surface of the horizontal member 81 via the fixing bolt 66, and two pressure plates 21 are attached to the top surface of the horizontal member 81 via screw nails 76, sandwiching the horizontal member 81 between the bottom plate 11 and the pressure plate 21. Two ceiling plates 31 are also attached to the top of the through hole 78 via screw nails 76. After that, the horizontal member 81 is inserted into the through hole 78, and the bottom plate 11 and the pressure plate 21 are accommodated in the through hole 78. Furthermore, wedges 51 are inserted so as to connect the guide grooves 25, 35 of both the pressure plate 21 and the ceiling plate 31, and when the pair of opposing wedges 51 are brought close to each other with the connecting bolt 64, the pressure plate 21 is in close contact with the horizontal member 81, and the upright member 71 and the horizontal member 81 are rigidly joined.

When the pressure plate 21 is in close contact with the horizontal member 81, the compressive load acting on the horizontal member 81 by the bottom plate 11 and the pressure plate 21 crushes the gaps between the grains of the horizontal member 81, which can easily cause collapse, and there is a risk that the rigid connection will no longer be maintained over time. However, in reality, the embedding tool 41 prevents the horizontal member 81 from collapsing, so the rigid connection can be maintained. The compressive load generated by the wedge 51 is also transmitted to the upright member 71 via the bottom plate 11 and the ceiling plate 31, but because the bottom plate 11 and the ceiling plate 31 come into contact with the end surface of the upright member 71, the gaps between the grains of the upright member 71 are not crushed, and collapse is inevitably prevented.

Figure 2 shows the process of attaching the bottom plate 11 and the pressure plate 21 to the horizontal member 81 in Figure 1, with the bottom plate 11 attached at the top of the figure and the pressure plate 21 attached at the bottom of the figure. In this figure, the embedding tool 41 has already been embedded in the pilot hole 84 of the horizontal member 81, but the length of the embedding tool 41 is adjusted to the height of the horizontal member 81, and the bottom end surface of the embedding tool 41 is aligned without any step with the bottom surface of the horizontal member 81, and the top end surface of the embedding tool 41 is aligned without any step with the top surface of the horizontal member 81. Then, the bottom plate 11 is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the horizontal member 81, and its fixing hole 16 is aligned concentrically with the female thread 46 of the embedding tool 41. Then, the fixing bolt 66 is inserted from the fixing hole 16 toward the female thread 46, and the bottom plate 11 is attached to the horizontal member 81. The head of the fixing bolt 66 is embedded in the bottom plate 11.

Two pressure plates 21 are placed on the top surface of the horizontal member 81 so as to cover the embedding tool 41, and the positions of the two pressure plates 21 are adjusted so that they are lined up vertically with the bottom plate 11 without any steps. After that, screws 76 are inserted into the fixing holes 26 of the pressure plates 21, and the pressure plates 21 are attached to the horizontal member 81. The screws 76 are positioned so that they do not come into contact with the embedding tool 41. In addition, because a guide groove 25 is positioned above the embedding tool 41, it is difficult to attach the pressure plates 21 to the embedding tool 41, and the pressure plates 21 and embedding tool 41 simply come into contact with each other.

Since each pressure plate 21 is smaller than half the bottom plate 11, a gap is ensured between the two pressure plates 21. Each pressure plate 21 has two rows of guide grooves 25, but the guide grooves 25 of two adjacent pressure plates 21 are aligned in a straight line. When viewed from the gap between the two pressure plates 21, the inclined surfaces of the guide grooves 25 are aligned downward. As shown in this figure, the bottom plate 11 and pressure plate 21 can be attached to the cross member 81 at an early stage, reducing on-site work.

Figure 3 shows the process of inserting the horizontal member 81 into the upright member 71 after Figure 2. The top of the figure shows the state immediately before insertion, and the bottom of the figure shows the state after insertion, but in both cases the upright member 71 is drawn in half to show the internal structure. As in this figure, a ceiling plate 31 is attached to the top of the through hole 78 of the upright member 71 using a screw nail 76. As with the pressure plate 21, two ceiling plates 31 are lined up with a gap between them, and their outer edges are aligned with the side of the upright member 71. Also, when viewed from the gap between the two ceiling plates 31, the inclined surface of the guide groove 35 of the ceiling plate 31 is aligned upward. After the ceiling plate 31 is attached, the horizontal member 81 is inserted into the through hole 78, but at this stage the horizontal member 81 can be inserted with ease.

As shown in the lower part of the figure, when the bottom plate 11 and the pressure plate 21 attached to the cross member 81 are accommodated in the through hole 78, the pressure plate 21 and the ceiling plate 31 face each other with a gap between them, and the vertical distance between the guide grooves 25 and 35 of both plates gradually narrows as they move deeper into the through hole 78. Then, the wedges 51 are arranged so that they face each other across the upright member 71, and then the wedges 51 are fitted into the guide grooves 25 and 35. Furthermore, the connecting bolts 64 are inserted into the center holes 54 of the wedges 51, and the connecting bolts 64 are arranged to connect the opposing wedges 51. The nuts 67 are then screwed onto the ends of the connecting bolts 64 protruding from the center holes 54. Then, when the nuts 67 at both ends are tightened evenly, the opposing wedges 51 move closer to each other. Note that here, two pairs of wedges 51 are used, and there are also two connecting bolts 64.

Figure 4 shows the final stage after Figure 3, where the uprights 71 and horizontal members 81 are rigidly joined. Note that the upper part of the figure is a partial cross section to show the internal structure. When the opposing wedges 51 are brought closer to each other by the connecting bolts 64 and nuts 67, the gap between the pressure plate 21 and the ceiling plate 31 increases due to contact between the wedges 51 and the guide grooves 25, 35, and the pressure plate 21 adheres closely to the horizontal member 81, so that the uprights 71 and horizontal member 81 are rigidly joined.

In this way, when the uprights 71 and the horizontal members 81 are rigidly joined, the bottom plate 11, the pressure plate 21, the ceiling plate 31, the wedge 51, the connecting bolts 64, and the nuts 67 are all housed in the through holes 78, and no parts protrude from the surfaces of the uprights 71 or the horizontal members 81. Therefore, at the intersections between the uprights 71 and the horizontal members 81, flooring and the like can be laid without gaps, and it is also easy to cover and conceal the series of parts.

Figure 5 shows an example of a cross structure different from that shown in Figure 1. Here, a metal shaft is used as the embedding tool 42, there is only one set of wedges 52, and the ceiling plate 32 is replaced with a flat metal plate. The embedding tool 42 can take any shape as long as it can transmit the compressive load acting between the bottom and top surfaces of the horizontal member 81, so in this figure a round bar-shaped shaft is used, but of course its length is aligned with the height of the horizontal member 81. In addition, female threads 46 are provided on both the top and bottom end faces of the embedding tool 42, and the bottom plate 11 and pressure plate 22 can be attached via fixing bolts 66.

The pressure plate 22 is divided into two, and a row of guide grooves 25 is formed in the center of each pressure plate 22. The two pressure plates 22 are arranged with a gap between them, but when viewed from the gap, the inclined surfaces of the guide grooves 25 are aligned downward. In addition, a fixing hole 26 is provided to sandwich the central guide groove 25, and the pressure plate 22 can be attached to the embedding tool 42 by inserting a fixing bolt 66 into the fixing hole 26. Therefore, the bottom plate 11 and the pressure plate 22 are integrated via the embedding tool 42, and the horizontal member 81 is sandwiched between the bottom plate 11 and the pressure plate 22. In addition, the ceiling plate 32 has a simple shape with fixing holes 36 provided in its four corners. After placing it at the top of the through hole 78, screws 76 are inserted into the fixing holes 36 to attach the ceiling plate 32 to the upright member 71.

The wedge 52 is placed in the gap between the pressure plate 22 and the ceiling plate 32 and fitted into the guide groove 25 of the pressure plate 22, but the wedge 52 and the ceiling plate 32 are only in surface contact. Therefore, only the bottom surface of the wedge 52 is inclined. Then, a pair of wedges 52 aligned in the same line are connected with a connecting bolt 64, nuts 67 are screwed onto the ends of the connecting bolt 64, and the nuts 67 on both ends are tightened evenly, so that the opposing wedges 52 approach each other, and as a result, the gap between the pressure plate 22 and the ceiling plate 32 increases, and the pressure plate 22 comes into close contact with the horizontal member 81.

Figure 6 shows the state in which the upright member 71 and the horizontal member 81 in Figure 5 are rigidly joined. The lower part of the figure shows the state in which only the wedge 52 and the surrounding parts are extracted. After the embedding tool 42 is embedded in the horizontal member 81, the bottom plate 11 is attached to the bottom surface of the horizontal member 81 and the pressure plate 22 is attached to the top surface of the horizontal member 81. The bottom plate 11 and the pressure plate 22 are integrated via the embedding tool 42, and the horizontal member 81 is sandwiched between the bottom plate 11 and the pressure plate 22. The ceiling plate 32 is attached to the top of the through hole 78 of the upright member 71 via a screw nail 76, and then the horizontal member 81 is inserted into the through hole 78.

When the horizontal member 81 is simply inserted into the through hole 78, the pressure plate 22 and the ceiling plate 32 do not come into contact and a gap is maintained, but when the wedges 52 are inserted into the guide grooves 25 of the pressure plate 22 from both sides of the upright member 71 in this state, and the opposing wedges 52 are brought closer to each other with the connecting bolts 64, the pressure plate 22 comes into close contact with the horizontal member 81, and the upright member 71 and the horizontal member 81 are rigidly joined. In this way, in the present invention, the shapes and arrangements of the pressure plate 22, the ceiling plate 32, and the wedges 52 can be freely determined. However, the wedges 52 are sandwiched between the pressure plate 22 and the ceiling plate 32 while housed in the through hole 78. In each figure, the uprights 71 are shown extending vertically and the cross members 81 extending horizontally, but these positions can be freely changed, and it is also acceptable for the uprights 71 to extend horizontally and the cross members 81 to extend vertically.

11 Bottom plate 16 Fixing hole 21 Press plate (two rows of guide grooves)
22 Pressure plate (with one guide groove)
25 Guide groove 26 Fixing hole 31 Ceiling plate (with guide groove)
32 Ceiling panels (without guide grooves)
35 Guide groove 36 Fixing hole 41 Buried tool (lag screw)
42 Buried tool (shaft)
44 Convex strip 46 Female thread 51 Wedge (bottom and top surfaces are inclined surfaces)
52 Wedge (only the bottom surface is inclined)
54 Middle hole 64 Connecting bolt 66 Fixing bolt 67 Nut 71 Upright member 76 Screw nail 78 Through hole 81 Cross member 84 Pilot hole

Claims (3)

A cross structure of upright members (71) and cross members (81),
A through hole (78) is provided on the side of the upright member (71) for inserting the cross member (81),
A bottom plate (11) for supporting the cross member (81) is disposed at the bottom of the through hole (78), and a ceiling plate (31 or 32) attached to the upright member (71) is disposed at the top of the through hole (78);
A pressure plate (21 or 22) is placed on the upper surface of the cross member (81), and the pressure plate (21 or 22) faces the ceiling plate (31 or 32) with a gap therebetween.
A wedge (51 or 52) is disposed in the gap between the pressure plate (21 or 22) and the ceiling plate (31 or 32) so as to face each other across the midpoint of the through hole (78),
Both or either one of the pressure plate (21 or 22) and the ceiling plate (31 or 32) are provided with an inclined surface that allows the wedges (51 or 52) arranged to face each other to approach each other and thereby press down the pressure plate (21 or 22),
The opposing wedges (51 or 52) are brought into a state of being attracted to each other via a connecting bolt (64), so that the pressed down pressure plate (21 or 22) comes into close contact with the cross member (81),
A cross structure characterized in that an embedding tool (41 or 42) that contacts both the bottom plate (11) and the pressure plate (21 or 22) is embedded in the cross member (81). The cross structure described in claim 1, characterized in that a guide groove (25, 35) into which the wedge (51 or 52) fits is formed in both or either of the pressure plate (21 or 22) and the ceiling plate (31 or 32), and the wedge (51 or 52) moves along the guide groove (25, 35). The cross structure according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that both the wedge (51 or 52) and the connecting bolt (64) are housed in the through hole (78).

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