A structural beam has a generally T-shaped cross-sectional profile with a column portion and a capital portion. The capital portion has a top surface and downwardly and inwardly converging sidewalls, while the column portion has downwardly and inwardly converging sidewalls and a bottom surface, with the rate of convergence of the capital portion being greater than the rate of convergence of the column portion. Such beam can be employed as a floor beam in a flooring system for a building structure, wherein the ends of a plurality of such floor beams are supported by the inner flanges on opposed foundation beams having an inverted T-shaped profile. The foundation beams can be positioned end-to-end to form shuttering for an in situ cast concrete slab. A layer of a thermal insulating material can be positioned on top of the floor beams, and a concrete slab can be cast on top of the insulating layer such that the top of the concrete slab is no higher than the top of the foundation beams.

Structural beam for use in flooring system

A building structure such as conservatory comprises an outer base member 10 extending around the periphery, and formed from a pre-cast concrete beam, which has a lip 12 to support a floor member 14 or paving slabs 20. These are also supported at intervals by a support 22 comprising a metal bar or tube, which may be in sections, and has a load spreader 26, 28. The lower end of the bar may be threaded to allow the pile to be screwed into the ground. The slabs 20 may be 3 metres square.

Supporting building floors

A floor beam (22) for use in supporting a floor assembly comprises a foot portion (24) and a head portion (26); the foot portion (24) being adapted to engage the ground and the head portion (26) being provided with a surface capable of supporting a floor assembly The beam has a T-shaped profile wherein the head portion is wider than the foot portion, the downwardly depending limb tapering towards the foot portion The beam may include reinforcement (30) A trapezoidal portion (60) provides additional stability

A t-shaped floor beam

A building structure comprises a row of ground piles 12. Elongate members 16 span between adjacent piles 12. A floor structure 18 is supported, at least in part, by the elongate members 16. Vent apertures 20 provide venting through the elongate member 16, to the void 62 underneath the floor structure 18.

Forming pile foundations

Improvements in or relating to flooring arrangements

A building method avoiding the use of traditional excavated foundation comprises placing primary support members (10) into the ground in which the structure is to be built at predetermined intervals, spanning the gap between support members (10) by pre-cast reinforced concrete beams (14) of generally inverted T-shape and predetermined length and building, for example, a double skin wall (42,44) on the outer flange (22) and top of the beam while the inner flange (22) supports a floor slab of beams (40) blocks (46) and screed (48) and abuts the inner face (31) of the upright of the beam to resist inward lateral movement thereof.

Bullivant Roger Alfred

Papers

Improvements in or relating to supports for building structures