STRUCTURAL PANEL AND CONNECTOR SYSTEM

摘要

A construction system is used for the erection of a building on a floor slab (12). The system includes a set of structural wall panels (16), bottom connector plates (14) for mounting the panels on the floor slab and side connector plates (18) for connecting adjacent panels. The connector plates seat in slots (40, 46) in the edges of the panels. The bottom connector plates (14) are readily mounted on the floor slab using conventional fasteners, for example nails, screws or bolts. A wall panel may then be set on one or more bottom connector plates and fastened in place using, for example a nail or screw through the wall panel and the connector. Other wall panels are also supported on bottom connector plates and adjacent panels are coupled using side connector plates that fit into the aligned side slots in the panels. The panels are connected to the side connector plates with fasteners extending into the panels and through the connector plates. The panels are pre-drilled to accept the fasteners or otherwise marked to indicate the proper fastener locations. The preferred structural wall panels are constructed as stud wall frames (24) with inner and outer skins (22, 20) of an appropriate sheet material and, where desired, an insulated core. The panels may be equipped with doors or windows, suitably framed. Using this system, the basic structure of the building is set up by erection of the walls. The building may be completed with a set of roof trusses, roofing on the trusses and additional panels that extend from the tops of the structural panels to the roof where required.