AU2003271357A1 - Wall panel - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Applicant: BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED Invention Title: WALL PANEL The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: 1 WALL PANEL Technical Field The invention relates to modular, prefabricated wall panels adapted to be assembled edge to edge for the construction of building walls. More particularly, the invention relates to such wall panels which include two containment sheets which are spaced apart and which are designed for the receipt of a poured in filling of concrete or like settable material.

Background Art Composite building walls which are formed on site by pouring a settable material (such as concrete) between two spaced containment sheets are known. The filling is necessarily dense to give substance to the finished wall and is necessarily fluid when being put in place. Thus the containment sheets are required to resist considerable hydrostatic pressure until such time as the filling material sets. As a result, some bulging of the containment sheets is inevitable and in prior art panels various approaches have been adopted in efforts to limit that bulging. These prior art approaches have met with limited success and have been objectionable for other reasons.

Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect, the present invention relates to a modular wall panel comprising two containment sheets, and a plurality of spacers disposed between the 2 sheets, the spacers including a plurality of anchorage devices fixed to opposing faces of the containment sheets, with each anchorage device on one sheet being in register with a corresponding anchorage device on the other sheet, the anchorage devices on one containment sheet interconnecting the corresponding anchorage devices on the other containment sheet, the panel being operative to adopt an assembled form where a cavity is formed between the sheets arranged to be filled with a settable material and the spacers prevent separation of the containment sheets on filling of the cavity.

In one form, the anchorage devices may be directly connected together. In another form, the spacers further comprise a plurality of connector elements, the anchorage devices and the connector elements having cooperating coupling formations such that each connector element may be coupled to an anchorage on one containment sheet and the corresponding anchorage device on the other containment sheet so as to interconnect the anchorage devices. An advantage of this latter arrangement is that it allows flexibility in the design of the panels in that the connector elements may be provide in various widths thereby allowing different sized cavities for panels using the same containment sheet and anchorage devices.

In one particular embodiment, each connector element may be coupled to an anchorage device on one containment sheet and the corresponding anchorage device on the other containment sheet by moving endwisely of itself and of those corresponding anchorage devices to effect mutual engagement of their respective coupling formations.

In one form, each anchorage device and each connector element is an elongated component extending substantially from one edge of a containment sheet to an opposite edge 3 of the sheet. However, each such elongated anchorage device may be replaced in less preferred embodiments, by a row of spaced apart, short lengths of the elongated device. Thus, the term "anchorage device" as herein is to be construed not only as a single elongated item but also a functionally equivalent row of spaced apart, shorter sections of such an item.

In one form the spacers includes apertures that allow passage of settable material to flow across the spacers.

The apertures also can allow services such as cables and piping to pass across the spacers.

The containment sheets are made from any suitable materials. A particular requirement of the containment sheet is that it is able to withstand the hydrostatic forces induced on filling the cavity with the settable material. Such suitable materials include fibre cement, steel and composite constructions.

In one form, the containment sheets are formed from sheet metal. Preferably, the sheets are profiled to have linear stiffening formations extending in a first direction to resist outward bowing of the containment sheets in planes extending in the first direction. More preferably, the spacers are mounted to the containment sheets so as to resist bowing of the containment sheets in planes extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

The linear stiffening formations may be corrugations, ribs or pleats or the like, such that a cross sectional profile of the containment sheet displays a regular wave form with crests and troughs displaced from the centre plane of the sheet. The wave form may be smoothly curved throughout or it may comprise straight portions meeting at 4 relatively abrupt angles, or a combination of both these possibilities.

In one form, the anchorage devices are formed from metal brackets that include flanges that abut the containment sheets and are maintained in engagement by clinches formed between the flanges and the containment sheets. The advantage of this arrangement is that it facilitates production of the containment sheets as the clinches can be formed in a continuous processing step.

In a preferred form, an adhesive is applied between the flanges and the containment sheets to bond the anchorage devices to the containment sheets. In this way, the anchorage devices are secured to the containment sheets by the combined effect of the clinches and the adhesive.

In one form, the panel is movable from a collapsed form where the containment sheets are in close proximity, to the assembled form where a cavity is formed between the sheets and arranged to be filled with the settable material. By having the panels movable between the collapsed and assembled form, substantially facilitates transporting and handling of the panels whilst still enabling the panels to be easily installed on site.

In one form, the spacers are movable from a first to a second position to allow the panels to be moved from its collapsed to its assembled form. In one arrangement, the spacers each include a plurality of hinged regions that allow movement of the spacers between their first and second positions. In one form, the hinged regions are formed by regions of preferential bending. In another form, the hinged regions are formed by pivotal couplings.

In one arrangement, the spacers are operative to move between their first and second positions by relative 5 rotation of the connector elements relative to the anchorage devices to which they are coupled. In another form, the hinged regions are located within the anchorage devices and the connecting elements of the respective spacers.

In one form, the containment sheet moves solely in a lateral direction between the collapsed and assembled form. To affect this movement, the spacers require at least three hinged regions. In another form, the containment sheets move relative to one another in both a lateral direction and in a direction in the plane of the sheets when moving between the collapsed and assembled form. In this arrangement, the spacers only require two hinged regions to affect this movement.

In a further aspect, the present invention provides a modular wall panel comprising two containment sheets, and a plurality of spacers disposed between the sheets, the panel being movable from a collapsed form, where the containment sheets are in close proximity, to an assembled form where a cavity is formed between the sheets arranged to be filled with a settable material, wherein the spacers prevent separation of the containment sheets on filling of the cavity and are movable from a first to a second position to allow the panel to move from its collapsed to its assembled form.

In a further aspect, the invention relates to a wall component for a modular wall, the wall component comprising a containment sheet and a plurality of anchorage devices secured to that containment sheet, the anchorage devices including a proximal end secured to the containment sheet and a distal end that includes a coupling formation that allows the wall component to be 6 interconnected to another wall component so as to form the modular wall panel.

In a preferred form, the containment sheet and anchorage devices of the wall component of this aspect of the invention includes any of the features of the corresponding parts defined above in respect of the modular wall panel of the first aspect of the invention.

For convenience, further description of the panels according to the invention is made hereinafter as if the panels were in place in a conventional vertical wall extending upwardly from a horizontal floor, and the terms "horizontal" and "vertical" as applied to the panels and the panel components are used accordingly.

Preferably the linear stiffening formations extend horizontally in the finished panel, that is to say the first direction is horizontal. In that event, the second direction is vertical and the spacers lie in vertical planes. That orientation is preferred as it facilitates the placement of the filling, in that the spacers than present a minimum of obstruction to the flowing of filling material from the top to the bottom of the cavity between the containment sheets.

Preferably the wall panel further includes at least one rigid batten which is secured to an outer surface of one or both of the containment sheets. Preferably each rigid batten extends in the second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

In a further aspect, the invention relates to a building wall formed using the modular panels.

In yet a further aspect, the invention relates to a method of forming a building wall comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of modular wall panels in a collapsed form, assembling the wall panels by moving the 7 panels into their assembled form, and installing the panels edge to edge so that the containment sheets of the panels align to form a pair of containment walls of the building wall; and filling the or each of the cavities formed between the containment walls with a settable material.

In yet a further aspect, the invention relates to a method of forming a wall component comprising a containment sheet and a plurality of anchorage devices secured to the containment sheet, the method comprising the steps of: forming the containment sheets by roll forming a metal sheet to incorporate stiffening formations in the sheet; forming the anchorage devices from sheet metal so that the devices each include a proximal flange and a distal portion projecting from the proximal flange; and securing the anchorage devices to the containment sheet by locating the proximal flanges against the containment sheet and retaining it in position by a clinching operation.

Brief Description of the Drawings It is convenient to hereinafter describe embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be appreciated that the particularity of the drawings is to be understood as not superseding the generality of the preceding broad description of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a modular wall panel; 8 Figure 2 is a plan view of a modular wall panel of Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a detailed view of the material within the enclosure marked (xii) within Fig. 1, drawn to a larger scale and omitting the containment sheet appearing in the enclosure; Figure 4 is a perspective sketch of a portion of the modular wall panel according to Fig. 1; Figure 5 is a side elevation sketch of the subject matter of Fig. 3, showing the containment sheet; Figure 6 is a diagrammatic end elevation of the essential components of a continuous clinch forming apparatus showing a containment sheet and an anchorage device being clinched together; Figure 7 is a schematic of a process line for manufacturing the containment walls for use in the modular wall panel of Fig. 1; Figure 8 is a plan of the modular wall panel of Fig.

1 in a collapsed form; Figure 9 is a plan view of an alternative design of the modular wall panel of Fig. 1; and Figure 10 is a further alternative of the modular wall panel of Fig. 1.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, the panel 1 comprises two containment sheets 15, each furnished with five anchorage devices 50, and five connector elements 51. The anchorage devices and connector elements are interconnected to form five spacers 60. All those components are preferable made of coated, sheet-steel.

Each containment sheet 15 is corrugated with the corrugations extending horizontally from one vertical edge of the sheet to the other, as indicated diagrammatically by the horizontal parallel lines appearing in Fig. 1.

9 Such a profile rigidifies the sheet in respect of bowing in horizontal planes. Other ridigifying profiles characterised by elongated zones of the sheet being displaced horizontally from its mid-plane may also be used if desired.

Each anchorage device 50 is generally angle-sectioned strip comprising an affixture flanges 52, whereby it may be fixed to a containment sheet 15 so that it extends substantially vertically from the bottom to the top of the containment sheet, and a hook sectioned coupling flange 53. The affixture flange 52 may be planar.

Alternatively it may be at least partly profiled to enable it to make area contact with the inner surface of the adjacent containment sheet 15. It will be noted that the rightmost anchorage devices 50 (as seen in Fig. 2) are disposed inboard of the adjacent vertical edges of the sheets 15 by a distance approximating one half of the width of the flanges 52. It will also be noted that the flanges 52 of the leftmost anchorage devices 50 project outboard of the vertical edges of the sheets 15 to a similar extent. This is a preferred, but not essential, feature of the invention. It facilitates the location and alignment of adjacent panels during their assembly into a finished wall.

The anchorage devices 50 may be secured to the respective containment sheets 15 by any suitable fastening means. However for preference they are clinched to the sheets by row of clinches 54. That preference arises because of the speed with which multiple clinches may be applied by a continuous clinching apparatus 86.

Such an apparatus is described in some detail in the complete specification of Australian Patent No. 675590 (BHP Steel (JLA) Pty Ltd). Briefly stated such apparatus 10 comprises a rotary die assembly 100 and a co-acting rotary punch 101, between which two workpiece sheets to be clinched together, in this instance a containment sheet a affixture flange 52, are passed. The apparatus acts to cut two parallel slits in the sheets, depresses a centre part of the material between the slits until it is clear of the sheets, and then compresses the centre part to cause it to expand laterally so that it cannot thereafter return between the slits. Thus, continuous clinching lends itself to automatic operation, produces an effective affixture between the workpiece sheets and avoids the need for additional fastening devices.

Preferably, clinching apparatus used in the manufacture of panels is a gang apparatus, able to clinch all of the anchorage devices to each containment sheet in a single pass. To further secure the anchorage devices to the containment sheet 15, adhesive is applied between the affixture flanges 52 and the sheet Fig. 8 is a schematic view of a processing line for manufacturing the containment sheets 15 incorporating the anchorage devices In the process line 80, sheet metal strip 81, 82 is fed from coils to manufacture the containment sheets and anchorages devices 50 separately. The sheet 81 which forms the containment sheet passes through a roll forming operation 83 which profiles the sheet with the stiffening formations extending across the sheet. This roll forming operation is typically conducted by a barrel forming operation, such as that disclosed in the applicant's earlier Australian patent application 89256/01.

The sheet strip 82 which is used as the material for the anchorage devices 51 is cut and folded in stage 84.

At stage 85, adhesive is applied to the affixture flange 11 52 formed on the anchorage devices 50 and is then brought into the contact with the profiled containment sheet On being brought together, the anchorage devices are then retained against the containment sheet by the clinching apparatus 86 which is able to clinch all of the anchorage devices to each containment sheet in a single pass.

Accordingly, the manufacturing process line enables shaping and mounting of the anchorage devices to the containment sheets as part of a single process line thereby facilitating manufacturing of the modular panel.

Each connector element 51 comprises body strap with hooked coupling flanges 56 extending along its vertical edges. It will be apparent that each connector element 51 may be moved endwisely of itself and of the corresponding anchorage devices 50 to cause their respective coupling flanges 56 and 53 to mutually engage, as may best be seen in Figure 12, to couple those components together. Following which the containment sheets are held in the required spaced apart configuration and the connector elements are effective to resist bowing of those sheets transversely of the vertical direction.

Two or more of the above-described panels can be assembled edge-to-edge in a building wall and secured together by fasteners extending through overlapping portions of mating containment sheets and anchorage device affixture flanges. Once the panels have been assembled edge-to-edge, concrete or the like may be poured into the cavity between the panels, to add substance to the wall, and render it more sound proof and more fire proof.

In some embodiments, to enhance the sound proofing and fire proofing of the panel, the connectors elements may be provided with openings 57 along their length to 12 enable concrete to enter and at least partially fill the hollow within the flange elements.

For preference the concrete filling is reinforced.

To that end, a planar grid (not shown) of reinforcing rods may be provided, in the pre-fabricated panel. That grid may comprise horizontal rods 19 extending through the openings 57 of the connector elements 51 and held in place by down turned ends. Such an arrangement is disclosed in the applicant's previous application (WO 03/046312), the contents of which are herein incorporated by cross reference.

In those instances where the panel is to be incorporated in a multi-storey building and is called upon to support a concrete floor, and may be a superimposed similar panel, the reinforcement provided in the prefabricated panel may also comprise "starter" elements (not shown) intended to be embedded in the concrete of two pours and bridge the gap between them.

An advantage of the openings 57 in the body straps of the connector elements 51 is that they enable filling material to flow from one side of each connector element to the other.

The couplings between the anchorage devices 50 and the connector elements 51 preferably provide for some play to facilitate the insertion of the connector elements.

For this reason the rectangular shape of the panel as seen in Figure 2 may relax into a near rectangular parallelogram during transport and handling of an assembled panel before the filling is put in place and allowed to set as shown in Fig. 8. To counter this effect, when the panel 1 is in its assembled form, a Ushaped clip or anti-racking strap 58 may be tightly applied to an edge of the panel. That clip becomes 13 redundant once the filling has set and may then be removed or left in place at the option of the person building the wall.

Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate modifications to the design of the spacers 60 to facilitate movement of the panel 1 between a collapsed and an assembled form. In each of the embodiments of Figs. 9 and 10, the spacers 60 include three hinge regions 61 to facilitate the movement of the panel between its collapsed and assembled form. The use of three hinge regions enables the containment sheets to move solely in a lateral direction between their collapsed and assembled form. In the embodiment of Fig. 1, the containment sheets move relative to one another in both a lateral direction and a direction of the plane of the sheets moving between the collapsed and assembled form.

The hinge region 61 in the embodiment of Fig. 9 is formed by regions of preferential bending in each of the anchorage devices 50 and in a mid section of the connector elements 51. This region of preferential bending is formed by the use of elongated slots along the line that the bend is required, although other arrangements could be used.

In the embodiment of Fig. 10, the hinge regions are formed by pivot connections 62 incorporated in both the anchorage devices 50 and the connector elements 51. With such an arrangement, each of the anchorage devices and the connector elements are formed from multiple parts which are coupled together by the pivot connections 62.

In both the arrangements shown in Figs. 9 and reinforcement 90 may be incorporated in the panel when in its collapsed form, and not impede more of the containment sheets to enable the panel to adopt its assembled form.

14 In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention.

It is to be appreciated that variations and/or modifications may be made to the parts previously described without departing from the spirit or ambit of the invention.

Claims (24)

1. A modular wall panel comprising two containment sheets, and a plurality of spacers disposed between the sheets, the spacers including a plurality of anchorage devices fixed to opposing faces of the containment sheets, with each anchorage device on one sheet being in register with a corresponding anchorage device on the other sheet, the anchorage devices on one containment sheet interconnecting the corresponding anchorage devices on the other containment sheet, the panel being operative to adopt an assembled form where a cavity is formed between the sheets arranged to be filled with a settable material and the spacers prevent separation of the containment sheets on filling of the cavity.

2. A panel according to claim 1, wherein the spacers further comprise a plurality of connector elements, the anchorage devices and the connector elements having cooperating coupling formations such that each connector element may be coupled to an anchorage on one containment sheet and the corresponding anchorage device on the other containment sheet so as to interconnect the anchorage devices.

3. A panel according to claim 2, wherein each connector element may be coupled to an anchorage device on one containment sheet and the corresponding anchorage device on the other containment sheet by moving endwisely of itself and of those corresponding anchorage devices to effect mutual engagement of their respective coupling formations.

4. A panel according to either claim 2 or 3, wherein each anchorage device and each connector element is an 16 elongated component extending substantially from one edge of a containment sheet to an opposite edge of the sheet. A panel according to any preceding claim, wherein the containment sheets are formed from sheet metal.

6. A panel according to claim 5, wherein the containment sheets are profiled to have linear stiffening formations extending in a first direction to resist outward bowing of the containment sheets in planes extending in the first direction, and the spacers are mounted to the containment sheets so as to resist bowing of the containment sheets in planes extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

7. A panel according to either claim 5 or 6, wherein the anchorage devices are formed from metal brackets that include flanges that abut the containment sheets and are retained in engagement by clinches formed between the flanges and the containment sheets.

8. A panel according to claim 7, wherein an adhesive is applied between the flanges and the containment sheets to bond the anchorage devices to the containment sheets.

9. A panel according to any preceding claim, wherein the panel is movable from a collapsed form where the containment sheets are in close proximity, to the assembled form and wherein the spacers are movable from a first to a second position to allow the panel to move from its collapsed to its assembled form. A panel according to claim 9, wherein the spacers each include a plurality of hinge regions that allow movement of the spacers between their first and second positions.

11. A panel according to claim 10, when dependent on claim 2, wherein the spacers are operative to move between their first and second positions by relative rotation of 17 the connector elements relative to the anchorage devices to which they are coupled.

12. A panel according to claim 10 when dependent on claim 2, wherein respective ones of the hinge regions are located in both the anchorage devices and the connecting element of the respective spacers.

13. A panel according to either claim 10 or 12, wherein the hinge regions are formed by regions of preferential bending.

14. A panel according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the hinge regions are formed by pivotal couplings. A panel according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein the containment sheets move solely in a lateral direction between the collapsed and assembled form.

16. A panel according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein the containment sheets move relative to one another in both a lateral direction and in a direction in the plane of the sheets in moving between the collapsed and assembled form.

17. A modular wall panel comprising two containment sheets, and a plurality of spacers disposed between the sheets, the panel being movable from a collapsed form, where the containment sheets are in close proximity, to an assembled form where a cavity is formed between the sheets arranged to be filled with a settable material, wherein the spacers prevent separation of the containment sheets on filling of the cavity and are movable from a first to a second position to allow the panel to move from its collapsed to its assembled form.

18. A panel according to claim 17, wherein the spacers each include a plurality of hinge regions that allow movement of the spacers between their first and second positions. 18

19. A panel according to claim 18, wherein the hinge regions are formed by regions of preferential bending. A panel according to claim 18, wherein the hinge regions are formed by pivotal couplings.

21. A method of forming a building wall comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of modular wall panels according to any one of claims 9 to 20 in a collapsed form; assembling the wall panels by moving the panels into their assembled form, and installing the panels edge to edge so that the containment sheets of the panels align to form a pair of containment walls of the building wall; and filling the or each of the cavities formed between the containment walls with a settable material.

22. A method according to claim 21, further comprising the step of applying a facing panels to at least one of the containment walls.

23. A wall component for a modular wall panel, the wall component comprising a containment sheet and a plurality of anchorage devices secured to the containment sheet, the anchorage devices including a proximal end secured to the containment sheet and a distal end that includes a coupling formation that allows the wall component to be interconnected to another wall component so as to form the modular wall panel.

24. A wall component according to claim 23, wherein the containment sheet is formed from sheet metal and is profiled to have linear stiffening formations extending in a first direction to resist outward bowing of the containment sheets in planes extending in the first direction, and the anchorage devices each extend in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. 19 A wall component according to either claim 23 or 24, wherein the anchorage devices are formed form metal brackets that include flanges at their proximal end that abut the containment sheet, and wherein the flanges are attainment in engagement with the containment sheet by clinches formed between the flanges and the containment sheet.

26. A wall panel according to any one of claims 23 to wherein an adhesive is applied between the anchorage device and the containment sheet to bond the anchorage device to the containment sheet.

27. A method of forming a wall component comprising a containment sheet and a plurality of anchorage devices secured to the containment sheet, the method comprising the steps of: forming the containment sheet by roll forming a metal sheet to incorporate stiffening formations in the sheet; forming the anchorage devices from sheet metal so that the devices each include a proximal flange and a distal portion projecting from the proximal flange; and securing the anchorage devices to the containment sheet by locating the proximal flanges against the containment sheet and retaining it in position by a clinching operation.

28. A method according to claim 27, wherein the flanges are profiled to match the profile of the portion of the containment sheet to which it is secured.

29. A method according to either claim 27 or 28, further comprising the step of applying an adhesive between the anchorage devices and the containment sheet so as to bond the anchorage devices to the containment sheet. 20 Dated this 30th day of December 2003 BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED By their Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK