DE102019119481A1 - Insulating panel, vehicle body, vehicle and manufacturing process - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an insulating panel (2) for a vehicle body, in particular a refrigerated vehicle body, with at least one heat-insulating core layer (4) and at least one cover layer (10) made of a fiber-reinforced plastic material (12), the core layer (4) at least in some areas having at least one groove ( 6) and / or at least one needle hole (8), the cover layer (10) engaging in the at least one groove (6) and / or the at least one needle hole (6) in a form-fitting and / or cohesive manner. The invention also relates to a vehicle body with such an insulating panel, a vehicle with such an insulating panel and a method for producing such an insulating panel.

Description

The invention relates to an insulating panel with the features of the preamble of claim 1. The invention also relates to a vehicle body, a vehicle and a method for producing an insulating panel.

In commercial vehicle construction, metal cover plates are usually used to produce insulating panels, which are arranged parallel to one another and with a gap between them. A liquid is introduced into the space and foamed to form an insulating layer. The production of foamed insulating panels is complex and costly, since the foam has to displace the air contained in the space and fill it. In addition, there are restrictions on the shape and size of the insulating panels produced in this way. Another possibility for the production of insulating panels are glued panels, in which prefabricated insulating layers and cover layers are glued. Here too, the shape and size of the insulating panels are subject to restrictions.

An insulating panel of the type mentioned at the outset with cover layers made of fiber-reinforced plastic materials is made, for example WO 99/50060 A1 known, which goes back to the applicant. Such insulating panels can be produced using a wet-on-wet process, in which glass fiber mats are impregnated with resin and cured. This procedure is complex. The production of insulating panels with cover layers made of fiber-reinforced plastic materials is improved by using the so-called SMC process, in which a flowable resin mat with isotropic properties and random fiber distribution is used in the mat level. The SMC process enables automated production of the insulating panels.

An example of the use of insulating panels in refrigerated vehicles is in DE 10 2013 105 819 A1 shown, which goes back to the applicant. Such refrigerated vehicles usually include built-in components, such as, for example, rail elements, which are used to secure loads or for double-decker loading. The connection of these internals with insulating panels is problematic because, on the one hand, the internals must be mechanically firmly connected to the insulating panels and, on the other hand, they should impair the thermal properties of the insulating panels as little as possible. In addition, the automated production of the insulating panels is made more difficult.

Furthermore, the insulating panels of the type mentioned at the beginning have to meet increasing demands with regard to durability and strength. At the same time, however, the manufacturing expense should at least remain the same and preferably be reduced.

The invention is therefore based on the object of specifying an insulating panel for a vehicle body, in particular a refrigerated vehicle body, which can be manufactured easily and has good strength. The invention is also based on the object of specifying a vehicle body, a vehicle and a manufacturing method for insulating panels.

According to the invention, the object with regard to the insulating panel is achieved by the subject matter of claim 1. With a view to the vehicle structure, the object is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claim 7, with a view to the vehicle by the subject matter of the independent claim 8 and with a view to the method for producing an insulating panel by the subject matter of the independent claim 9.

Advantageous refinements, developments and variants are the subject of the dependent claims.

Specifically, the object is achieved by an insulating panel for a vehicle body, in particular a refrigerated vehicle body, with at least one heat-insulating core layer and at least one cover layer made of a fiber-reinforced plastic material. The core layer has at least one groove and / or at least one pinhole at least in regions. The core layer preferably has several grooves and / or several pinholes. Furthermore, the cover layer engages positively and / or cohesively in the at least one groove and / or in the at least one needle hole. For this purpose, the cover layer is preferably sprayed onto the core layer and pressed with it. In other words, by filling up the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole, tooth-like formations can be formed within the cover layer which engage in the core layer.

At least regionally is understood here to mean that the core layer can also have one or more regions on its surface that are not provided with the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole. However, the core layer preferably has several grooves and / or several pinholes on its entire surface.

The advantage here is that air pockets can escape through the grooved and / or needled core layer during spraying and / or pressing, and air pockets present after pressing are enclosed within the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole. As a result, pressing the insulating panel over the entire area is advantageously optimized. Furthermore, due to the material and / or form-fitting engagement of the cover layer in the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole, a significant increase in strength is achieved compared to the insulating panels of the prior art mentioned at the beginning.

In one embodiment, the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole has a depth with a value in the range between 1 mm and 5 mm. This depth has proven to be suitable, on the one hand, to enable sufficient engagement of the cover layer in the core layer and, on the other hand, to keep the expenditure for introducing the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole low, since complex processes such as drilling the needle holes individually can be dispensed with. Rather, for example, the needle holes are made in the core layer by machining the core layer by means of a needle roller. In this context, the needle roller can be understood to mean a roller which has needles on its surface which pierce the core layer in order to form the needle holes when the needle roller is rolled over the core layer.

According to a further embodiment, the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole are at least partially arranged in a pattern. This is particularly the case when the core layer has several grooves and / or pinholes. In this context, pattern-like can be understood to mean that the grooves and / or the needle holes have a uniform spacing and / or a uniform depth. D. .H. the grooves and / or the pinholes are arranged, at least in regions, in particular evenly distributed over the surface of the core layer. This is made possible simply by using the needle roller already mentioned. The advantage here is that the already mentioned increase in strength of the insulating panels is significantly optimized by the pattern-like arrangement of the grooves and / or pinholes compared to a merely separated or “random” arrangement of grooves and / or pinholes.

The fact that the grooves and / or the pinholes are at least partially arranged in a pattern is based on the idea that some areas of the core layer and thus also the insulating panels, as already mentioned, are not provided with the grooves and / or the pinholes because in these areas for example fasteners are arranged.

In one embodiment, the cover layer completely fills the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole. D. .H. the fiber-reinforced plastic material is preferably arranged completely, positively and / or cohesively within the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole. This is also preferably done by the already mentioned spraying and pressing of the top layer with the core layer. By completely filling the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole, the strength of the insulating panel is again significantly increased. Thus, due to the increased stability, which extends over the entire surface of the insulating panel, practically every point of the insulating panel can be used to attach add-on parts.

In the insulating panel according to the invention, the cover layer can preferably have an outside that is flat or smooth at least in the area of the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole. It is thus possible to create a flat or smooth structure over the entire surface of the insulating panels, that is to say also in the area of the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole. In this exemplary embodiment, areas of the cover layer are formed which are of different thicknesses, but at the same time overall form a flat and uniform visible surface. For this purpose, the profiling takes place in the interior of the insulating panel, specifically through the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole formed in the core layer according to the invention.

The outside of the cover layer is the side of the cover layer facing away from the core layer. The outside of the cover layer can thus form both the inside of the insulating panel and the outside of the insulating panel. In the case of a refrigerated vehicle structure, the inside of the insulating panel limits the internal volume of the loading space, i.e. the loading space. The outside of the insulating panel forms the externally visible wall or outer boundary of the structure.

The cover layer preferably has a uniform layer thickness, at least in sections, outside the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole. A uniform sandwich structure of the insulating panel is thus formed, which is specifically changed in the area of the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole due to the increased layer thickness. The top layer is continuous, i.e. H. monolithically from the area of the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole into the areas outside the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole.

In the context of the invention, a vehicle body, in particular a refrigerated vehicle body, with at least one inventive Isolierpaneel disclosed and claimed. It is possible for the vehicle body to be partially or completely constructed from insulating panels according to the invention.

The vehicle with an insulating panel according to the invention can be, for example, a refrigerated vehicle, in particular a semi-trailer, which is designed as a refrigerated vehicle (refrigerated semi-trailer).

For the production of such insulating panels, reference is made to the production method described in this application and claimed in claim 9.

The method according to the invention for producing the insulating panel described above comprises the following steps. First, a core layer made of at least one heat-insulating, in particular foamed, material is provided.

The core layer is then processed with a tool in such a way that it is provided with at least one groove and / or with at least one needle hole, preferably with several grooves and / or with several needle holes, at least in some areas and preferably on its entire surface.

The core layer including at least the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole is sprayed with a fiber-reinforced, in particular glass fiber-reinforced plastic material, so that a cover layer is formed on the core layer including the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole. The core layer is pressed with the cover layer to fill the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole with the fiber-reinforced plastic material and to form a flat or smooth outer side of the cover layer.

The method according to the invention has the advantage that a particularly strong insulating panel is manufactured in a relatively short production time. The spraying of the top layer onto the core layer can be carried out with the aid of a robot, similar to the painting of body parts in automobile construction. The production of the insulating panels can therefore be easily automated. The method according to the invention is flexible since providing the core layer with the at least one groove and / or with the at least one needle hole and spraying the fiber-reinforced plastic material enables the production of insulating panels with complex geometries. For example, reinforcements, ribs, connecting devices, indentations, inserts and the like can be produced by the sprayed-on plastic material in connection with a correspondingly profiled core layer. The method allows the formation of different areas in one and the same insulating panel, so that the above-mentioned local functional areas (e.g. for arranging fastening elements) or at least one local functional area can be manufactured with little effort.

The insulating panels can be manufactured very precisely. It has also been shown that the connection between the cover layer and the core layer is very good due to the at least one groove and / or the at least one needle hole. In addition, the insulating panels produced according to the invention are lighter than known panels with metal cover layers. This advantage plays a major role in commercial vehicle construction. The insulating panels produced with the method according to the invention are robust, impact-resistant and have a very high strength, so that, for example, damage from hail is avoided or at least reduced.

In comparison to the known manufacturing method, the manufacturing method according to the invention is inexpensive in comparison to insulating panels manufactured according to the prior art with a comparably high strength, both in terms of the manufacturing process and in terms of material costs. The fiber-reinforced plastic materials that are used in the context of the method according to the invention enable a small length expansion in the event of temperature differences, which is particularly advantageous in particular when building a refrigerated vehicle. The plastic materials are corrosion-resistant, colorable, electrically non-conductive, acid and alkali-resistant and mechanically easy to process. In addition, the insulating panels produced according to the invention are lightweight and as such are buoyant.

The manufacturing process is therefore very flexible and suitable for practically any type of built-in element, but at least for the built-in elements customary in commercial vehicle construction, such as tier rails or hinge elements for rear doors or other built-in elements. The manufacturing process also enables stabilization elements to be formed in the insulating panel, as described in detail elsewhere.

Preferably, the steps listed above can be repeated to form a multilayer insulating panel.

The tool is expediently a cutting or forming tool. In particular, the tool is the needle roller already mentioned, as this enables particularly simple processing of the core layer is made possible. For example, the needle roller to form the needle holes is rolled over the core layer, which can also be done in an automated manner.

The advantages and preferred design variants listed with regard to the insulating panels are to be applied analogously to the vehicle structure, to the vehicle and to the method, and vice versa.

• 1 eine Draufsicht auf eine Kernschicht eines erfindungsgemäßen Isolierpaneels sowie
• 2 einen Teilschnitt durch das erfindungsgemäße Isolierpaneel mit der Kernschicht und einer darauf aufgesprühten Deckschicht.

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. These show in a partially simplified representation:

• 1 a plan view of a core layer of an insulating panel according to the invention and
• 2 a partial section through the insulating panel according to the invention with the core layer and a cover layer sprayed thereon.

In the figures, parts with the same effect are always shown with the same reference numerals.

In 1 Fig. 3 is a plan view of an insulation panel 2 for a vehicle body, in particular a refrigerated vehicle body. In 1 just a heat-insulating core layer 4th of the insulating panel 2 shown.

The core layer 4th has, at least in some areas, at least one groove 6th and / or at least one pinhole 8th on. In the embodiment according to 1 exhibits the core layer 4th Several, especially four, grooves distributed over its entire surface 6th as well as several pinholes arranged in a pattern 8th on. In the context of the exemplary embodiment according to FIG 1 understood that the pinholes 8th are arranged evenly and specially each at an even distance from one another.

At least one groove 6th as well as at least one pinhole 8th exhibit a depth T (see. 2 ) with a value in the range from 1 mm to 5 mm. In embodiment 1 all have grooves 6th and all pinholes 8th same depth T on.

During the manufacture of the insulating panel 2 becomes the core layer 4th to form the at least one groove 6th and / or the at least one pinhole 8th machined with a preferably clamping tool. Especially with regard to the formation with the at least one needle hole 8th becomes the core layer 4th processed for example by means of a needle roller, which is over the core layer 4th is rolled.

In 2 is a partial section through the insulating panel according to the invention 2 with the core layer 4th and a top layer sprayed on 10 shown. The top layer 10 here engages positively and materially in the at least one groove 6th and / or in the at least one needle hole 8th a. This is done in particular by the fact that the sprayed-on top layer 10 , which is a fiber reinforced plastic material 12 has or is formed from this, in the manufacturing process with the core layer 4th is pressed and thus the plastic material 12 in at least one groove 6th and / or in the at least one needle hole 8th , is pressed in completely and positively. The plastic material 12 In other words, it forms teeth which form a positive fit and / or a material fit in the at least one groove 6th and / or in the at least one needle hole 8th intervention.

In the embodiment according to 2 is the core layer 4th completely from the top layer 10 surround. The insulating panel is for a clearer representation 2 in the embodiment according to 2 only with two grooves 6th Mistake. The insulating panel 2 however, it can also have several grooves 8th and / or multiple pinholes 8th have (cf. 1 ).

The insulating panel 2 according to 2 and especially the top layer 10 has an outside 14th at least in the area of the at least one groove 6th and / or the at least one pinhole 8th is flat and / or smooth. In the embodiment according to 2 is the outside 14th the top layer 10 holistically, ie completely, ie in all areas, smooth and even.

Furthermore, the top layer 10 outside of at least one groove 6th and / or the at least one pinhole 8th at least in sections a uniform layer thickness D. and is in particular monolithic, that is, in one piece.

In the illustrated embodiment, the core layer knows 4th Grooves 6th and pinholes 8th on. However, it is explicitly pointed out that the invention also includes insulating panels 2 concerns that either grooves 6th or pinholes 8th exhibit. It is also possible that insulating panels according to the invention 2 only grooves on one side 6th and only pinholes on an opposite side 8th exhibit.

Furthermore, it generally applies to all exemplary embodiments of the invention that the grooves 6th can be arranged parallel or at an angle to one another, in particular crossing one another. The pinholes 8th are preferably designed as blind holes, ie they end within the core layer 4th .

The invention is not restricted to the exemplary embodiment described above. Rather, other variants of the invention can also be derived from this by the person skilled in the art without departing from the subject matter of the invention. In particular, all are also in connection with the Embodiment described individual features can also be combined with one another in other ways without departing from the subject matter of the invention.

List of reference symbols

2

Insulating panel

4th

Core layer

6th

groove

8th

Pinhole

10

Top layer

12

Plastic material

14th

Outside

D.

Layer thickness

T

depth

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Patent literature cited

• WO 9950060 A1 [0003]
• DE 102013105819 A1 [0004]

Claims (10)

Insulating panel (2) for a vehicle body, in particular a refrigerated vehicle body, with at least one heat-insulating core layer (4) and at least one cover layer (10) made of a fiber-reinforced plastic material (12), characterized in that the core layer (4) has at least one groove (6 ) and / or at least one needle hole (8), the cover layer (10) engaging in the at least one groove (6) and / or the at least one needle hole (6) in a form-fitting and / or cohesive manner. Insulating panel (2) Claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one groove (6) and / or the at least one needle hole (8) has a depth (T) with a value in the range from 1 mm to 5 mm. Insulating panel (2) Claim 1 or Claim 2 , characterized in that the at least one groove (6) and / or the at least one needle hole (8), in particular several needle holes (8), is arranged in a pattern at least in some areas, in particular several grooves (6). Insulating panel (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cover layer (10) completely fills the at least one groove (6) and / or the at least one needle hole (8). Insulating panel (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cover layer (10) has an outer side (14) which is flat and / or at least in the area of the at least one groove (6) and / or the at least one needle hole (8) or is smooth. Insulating panel (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cover layer (10) outside the at least one groove (6) and / or the at least one needle hole (8) has a uniform layer thickness (D), at least in sections. Vehicle body, in particular refrigerated vehicle body with at least one insulating panel (2) according to Claim 1 . Vehicle, in particular refrigerated vehicle, with at least one insulating panel (2) Claim 1 . Method for producing an insulating panel (2), in particular according to one of the preceding claims, with the following steps: - providing a core layer (4) made of at least one heat-insulating, in particular foamed, material; - Processing the core layer (4) with a tool so that the core layer (4) is provided with at least one groove (6) and / or at least one needle hole (8) at least in some areas, - Spraying the core layer (4) and the at least one groove (6) and / or the at least one needle hole (8) with a fiber-reinforced, in particular glass fiber-reinforced, plastic material (12) to form a cover layer (10); - Pressing the core layer (4) with the cover layer (10) to fill the at least one groove (6) and / or the at least one needle hole (8) with the fiber-reinforced plastic material (12) and form a flat or smooth outer side (14) the top layer (10). Procedure according to Claim 9 , characterized in that the tool is designed as a cutting or forming tool.

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