EP0541437A1 - Modular panel for horizontal separation - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a modular tile for a horizontal separation, particularly for counterfloors. It comprises a first metal element (10) comprising a rectangular plane plate (12) provided with a rim (14) which is substantially perpendicular to the said plate, a second metal element (16) comprising a rectangular plane plate (18) provided with a rim (20) which is substantially perpendicular to the said plate, the assembly being such that the rims of the two elements interact mechanically directly or indirectly. The internal space delimited by the two elements is substantially filled with an internal reinforcing structure (22, 42) which interacts mechanically with the two elements. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a modular slab for horizontal partition.

More specifically, the invention relates to modular slabs, the combination of which makes it possible to produce horizontal partitions and in particular false floors or raised floors.

When fitting out office or industrial premises, provision is more and more often made for the installation of a raised floor to allow the installation of electrical cables, telephone cables, pipes or ducts. service between the actual floor and the raised floor. The false floor is produced by modular slabs, most often square in shape and 600 mm wide, the corners of which rest on small columns, the feet of which rest on the ground themselves. These columns can include a jack for a rigorous leveling of the floor.

It is this arrangement which is shown in perspective in FIG. 7 appended. The columns E have been made to appear, which have a plate F at their top. The columns are located at the top of squares having dimensions corresponding to those of the slabs. The slabs G1, G2 ... rest by their vertices on the plates F integral with the balusters.

These modular tiles must of course have a number of properties. First of all, it is necessary that the periphery of the slab has a high flexural strength in order to avoid that, under the effect of a vertical load on a slab, does not cause a deformation of part of the periphery of this slab, this part of the periphery no longer being at the same level as the periphery of the neighboring slab. From this point of view tests are planned to check the resistance, for example, to a load of 500 kg applied to a surface of 4 x 4 cm.

It is also necessary that the current surface of the slab (inside its periphery) have the same resistance under the effect of a point vertical load which is tested in a similar manner. You can optionally add tests to the perforation.

It is also desirable that the modular slab be insensitive to moisture in order to avoid deformations which could result on the materials used.

It must also exhibit satisfactory behavior on fire, on the one hand as regards its reaction to fire (non-flammability), on the other hand as regards its fire resistance, that is to say its behavior. mechanical to fire, and its ability not to transmit a rise in temperature from one of its faces to the other.

It is also necessary that the slab has a high dimensional accuracy in the horizontal plane in order to allow the slabs to be assembled to form a raised floor.

It is also useful that the slab has the sound insulation properties and possibly the desired thermal insulation properties.

In addition, during their initial installation or subsequent interventions on the raised floor, these slabs are subject to numerous handling operations. It is therefore preferable that their weight is as small as possible in order to facilitate handling, during transport thereof or during their installation.

Finally, the development of industrial premises or offices requires the use of a very large number of slabs, taking into account the enormous surfaces to be equipped. It is therefore very desirable that their cost of production be as low as possible, the cost of production of course depending, on the one hand, on the nature and quantity of the products used and, on the other hand, on the operations of machining and assembly that their manufacture requires.

In most cases, the slabs are made in the following way: we start from a "tray" formed from a flat sheet whose thickness is of the order of 1 mm, whose edges are folded perpendicularly in the plane of the sheet and the corners of the rim thus formed are either left open, which ensures no stiffening of the sheet and does not provide any seal, or closed, for example by welding. In this second case, the drawbacks mentioned above are avoided but the manufacturing cost is increased. It is understood that such a tank does not have any of the characteristics set out above. It is therefore necessary to complete the slab by mounting an internal element in the tank which will give it the required characteristics. It will therefore, most often, be a chipboard of high density and therefore of heavy weight. The choice of an adequate high density of the material certainly makes it possible to obtain a high mechanical strength but at a very high "price". On the one hand, the cost of the material itself increases with its density. On the other hand the higher weight due to the increase in density is not necessarily desirable for the reasons mentioned above. In addition, it is necessary to use a material whose other main characteristics are rather negative for the intended application, that is to say a high sensitivity to humidity which can cause deformation of the slab and fire behavior. unsatisfactory, generating moreover a significant calorific contribution in the building equipped with these slabs in the event of a fire thereof in its uncontrolled phase.

More generally, it is understood that with this type of solution, the metal "tray" in itself does not provide any significant characteristic of mechanical strength. This property is therefore obtained by the element placed in the "bin" which cannot, by its unitary nature, satisfy the other conditions which the modular slab must satisfy.

To remedy these drawbacks, it has also been proposed to close the "bin" provided internally with its mechanical resistance element with a sheet forming a "cover" which can be glued on the upper face of the mechanical resistance element and / or welded on the edges of the tank. This technique certainly gives the slab an increase in sealing properties but at the cost of a significant increase in cost. However, this does not significantly increase the mechanical resistance of the assembly and in any case it does not reinforce its resistance to vertical loads at its periphery unless a sheet of very thick material is used to make the cover. It is therefore the element placed in the tank which alone must satisfy the various conditions to be met with the exception of the sealing problems. We therefore understand that this solution, in addition to the fact that it is expensive, does not really solve the problems posed as a whole.

To compensate for the insufficient mechanical resistance of the known slabs in the event of heavy loads, it has been proposed in this case a particular mounting of the modular slabs on a frame or cross-member structure reinforcing the mechanical resistance of the slabs to the vertical loads at their periphery. Figure 8 shows in perspective such an arrangement. The balusters A, the feet of which rest on the ground B, have their heads which are interconnected by crosspieces such as C which thus form frames. The periphery of each slab D1, D2, D3 rests on the upper face of these crosspieces in contrast to the assembly of FIG. 7 in which the slabs rest only by their vertices on the upper ends of the columns. It is then the sleepers themselves which strengthen the resistance of the periphery of the slabs and prevent the deformation of the periphery of the slabs. It is understood, however, that this solution leads to a very appreciable increase in the cost due to the greater complexity of the support structure and the increase in the exposure time and that it is therefore very desirable to limit the number of cases where it is necessary to have recourse to it.

To overcome the drawbacks of the previous solutions described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a modular slab for horizontal partition which has high mechanical strength while being able to remain relatively light, capable of ensuring a perfect seal against the penetration of moisture, having ideal characteristics as to its behavior in fire (reaction and resistance to fire) and which is of reduced cost.

To achieve this object, the modular slab for horizontal partition according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises a first metallic element comprising a rectangular flat plate provided with a flange substantially perpendicular to said plate, a second metallic element comprising a plate rectangular plane provided with a rim substantially perpendicular to said plate, the rim of one of said elements being able to penetrate into the space limited by the plate and the rim of the other element, the mounting being such that the rims of the two elements cooperate mechanically to give the support frame thus produced a high mechanical resistance to vertical loads at its periphery, and in that the internal space limited by the two elements is substantially filled by a reinforcement structure which cooperates mechanically with said support frame and with the two plates, whereby each of the faces of said structure is s substantially in contact with one of said plates, said structure having a high mechanical resistance in the direction perpendicular to said plates.

It is understood that the modular slab according to the invention meets the main requirements set out above. The mechanical cooperation of the edges of the two elements provides the slab with a rigid support frame with respect to vertical loads. In addition, the presence of the internal structure having, by its own configuration, great resistance to vertical loads, by cooperating with the frame, thereby provides great stiffening in bending and torsion in the horizontal plane to the assembly. and distributes this high resistance to vertical loads over the entire surface of the slab within its periphery. However, this structure being able to be perforated, it can have a very reduced cost and its weight remain limited. The mechanical cooperation of the two edges gives to the slab the sealing properties to the penetration of moisture and to the supply of oxygen to avoid maintenance of the combustion.

Finally, the modular slab has the required dimensional precision since the dimensions thereof are defined by the two metal assemblies which are formed and / or stamped with precision and not by an internal structure manufactured, for example, by sawing.

According to a first embodiment, the edges of the two elements are at least partly in contact with one another so as to produce a tight fitting.

According to a second embodiment, a peripheral seal is mounted between the edges of the two elements whereby mechanical cooperation is obtained between the edges.

According to a preferred embodiment, the internal structure is perforated. It can be at least partially filled with a filler material.

It is understood that thus the internal structure provides the mechanical strength required for vertical loads while the filler material can be chosen to give the structure better resistance to deformation in a horizontal plane and to the modular slab with properties of thermal and / or sound insulation, this material being able to be further adapted to meet the fire resistance requirements. In addition, the choice of material can be guided, for example, by its density depending on the characteristics sought.

More generally, it is understood that the particular construction of the modular slab, according to the invention, makes it possible to specialize and combine the properties of its various constituent elements whereas the previous solutions, by their global nature, could in no case in any case meet all required conditions.

• la figure 1 est une vue de dessus d'une dalle conforme à l'invention ;
• la figure 2 est une vue en coupe verticale selon la ligne II-II de la figure 1 ;
• la figure 3 est une vue de dessus d'une structure de renforcement utilisable pour l'invention ;
• la figure 4 montre en coupe verticale une variante de réalisation de dalle modulaire ;
• la figure 5 montre un mode préféré de réalisation de l'élément supérieur de la dalle modulaire ;
• la figure 6 montre une variante de réalisation de l'élément supérieur ;
• la figure 6a montre en coupe verticale partielle une variante de réalisation des bords des éléments de la dalle ; et
• la figure 6b montre en coupe verticale une variante de réalisation de la structure interne ;
• la figure 7, déjà décrite, montre un premier exemple connu de montage de dalles modulaires pour réaliser un faux-plancher ; et
• la figure 8, déjà décrite, montre un deuxième exemple de montage des dalles avec mise en place d'une structure de traverses de renforcement.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description of several embodiments of the invention given by way of nonlimiting examples. The description refers to the accompanying drawings in which:

• Figure 1 is a top view of a slab according to the invention;
• Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view along line II-II of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a top view of a reinforcing structure usable for the invention;
• Figure 4 shows in vertical section an alternative embodiment of a modular slab;
• FIG. 5 shows a preferred embodiment of the upper element of the modular slab;
• Figure 6 shows an alternative embodiment of the upper element;
• Figure 6a shows in partial vertical section an alternative embodiment of the edges of the elements of the slab; and
• Figure 6b shows in vertical section an alternative embodiment of the internal structure;
• FIG. 7, already described, shows a first known example of mounting modular tiles to make a raised floor; and
• Figure 8, already described, shows a second example of mounting the slabs with the establishment of a structure of reinforcing crosspieces.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, we will describe a first embodiment of the modular slab according to the invention. This comprises a first element 10 formed by a flat plate 12 provided with a continuous rim 14 which is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the plate 12. The plate 12 with its rim 14 therefore defines the dimensions of the slab a for example as dimensions 600 x 600 mm in a horizontal plane. The slab has a second element 16 also consisting of a plate 18 and a flange 20 substantially perpendicular to the plane of the plate 18. As best shown in Figure 2, the flange 20 of the element 16 is shaped so that may introduce the element 16 inside the space limited by the element 10. More generally, the elements forming the modular slab are rectangular, the square shape corresponding only to a preferred embodiment. More precisely, according to this embodiment, the two elements are dimensioned in such a way that a tight interlocking is obtained between them in order to achieve mechanical cooperation between the two flanges which stiffens the edge of the slab thereby forming a frame. According to a preferred embodiment, the edge 14 of the element 12 is not strictly perpendicular to the plate 12 but forms an angle a with the latter which is of the order of 95 degrees, or more generally between 90 and 100 degrees. We understand that the presence of this slightly pyramidal rim facilitates the establishment of a modular slab compared to neighboring slabs. In addition, the edge 20 of the element 16 could form an angle b greater than 90 degrees with the plate 18. The shape of the seal 30 must be adapted to the inclination of the edges 14 and 20. In addition, preferably, the free edge 20a of the rim 20 is supported on the plate 12 of the element 10 and the free edge 14a of the rim 14 is substantially in the same plane as the external face of the plate 18.

The interior of the space limited by the elements 10 and 16 is at least partially filled with a preferably perforated reinforcement structure 22. According to a preferred embodiment, the internal reinforcement structure 22 is of the cellular type and is , for example, in accordance with that which is shown in principle in FIG. 3. More specifically, the reinforcing structure is constituted by strips 24, 26 between which are placed strip elements having undulations such as 28. These strips can be assembled together by any suitable means, welding, extrusion, gluing, interlocking, etc. This reinforcing structure can be made of metal, plastic material or paper. It is thus very light but it has a very high resistance to crushing in the direction perpendicular to the plane of Figure 3, that is to say in the direction perpendicular to the plates 12 and 18 of the modular slab since the bands forming the structure have generatrices substantially perpendicular to the plates. Of course, the bands 28 could be replaced by rectilinear bands making an angle with the bands 24, 26.

More generally, in this embodiment, by internal reinforcement structure is meant a structure constituted by bands whose generatrices are substantially perpendicular to the plates 12 and 18, the bands being joined together according to generatrices and defining between them orifices of any shape.

It goes without saying that other forms of internal structure could be used provided that it provides the required strength in the vertical direction over the entire surface of the slab and that it rests on the support frame. produced by the mechanical cooperation of the two edges. In particular, instead of an openwork internal structure of the cellular type, we could! use a panel consisting of a phenolic resin sandwich of the type marketed by the Italian company MVR under the Fenvierre brand. The material has the required properties of mechanical resistance to vertical loads, thermal insulation, fire and water behavior. In addition, they are light.

It is possible to place between the opposite faces of the edges 14 and 20 of the two elements of the slab, a layer 30 of a product forming a peripheral seal. Depending on the material chosen, the modular behavior of the modular slab and its impermeability to the penetration of moisture can be improved. In this case, of course, the edges of the elements 10 and 16 do not have a tight fit. It is the seal 30 which ensures the mechanical cooperation between the two flanges. In addition, this joint by adhering to the edges of the two elements ensures the mutual joining of these. You can also stick the seal on the edges.

Whatever the embodiment considered, preferably the flanges 14 and 20 cooperate mechanically directly or indirectly over a substantial part of their height, that is to say over a length corresponding to at least a substantial part of the distance between the two plates if not over the entire distance.

Preferably, the first element 10 is produced by stamping a sheet, for example of steel. The rim 14 is therefore continuous over the entire periphery of the plate 12. The element 16 can be produced from a sheet which is cut and folded to form the edge 20. In this case, the rim 20 may have discontinuities of limited dimensions such as 32 in the zones where two edge elements meet.

Preferably, the sheet used to produce the two elements has a thickness of the order of 1 mm.

According to another alternative embodiment of the modular slab, it is possible to pour inside the perforated reinforcement structure 22 a filling with a filler material such as plaster, phenolic resin, etc. mechanical resistance, in particular resistance to deformation in a horizontal plane under vertical load, and the fire resistance of the slab as well as the thermal and sound insulation that it provides. Depending on the shape of the internal reinforcement structure and the nature of the filler material, it is possible to inject the material through one or more orifices provided in the edges or in the plate 12 of the element 10 and which can be subsequently filled.

Figure 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the slab. The external element 10 'is identical to the element 10 in FIG. 2 and therefore comprises a plate 12' and a flange 14 'which makes an angle of the order of 95 ° with the plane of the plate 12', or more generally between 90 and 100 °. The second element referenced 36 is constituted by a flat plate 38 and by flanges 40 which have with respect to the plate 36 an inclination b which is the complement of the angle a to 180 degrees. This further improves the quality of the nesting between the two elements 10 'and 36 forming the modular slab. In this case also, there is inside the elements 10 ′ and 36 a reinforcing structure 42 which can be identical to the material 22 of FIG. 3. In this case also, the height or thickness h of the structure is substantially equal at the distance h 'between the plates 12' and 38 when the element 36 is fitted into the element 10 '. The total thickness of the slab is generally between 25 and 40 mm.

FIG. 6 shows an alternative embodiment of the edge 20 of the element 16. This is double and obtained by folding an initial edge of suitable width. The two parts 20a and 20b of this edge make it possible to further increase the mechanical resistance to bending under vertical load of the periphery of the modular slab.

According to another alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 6a, the flanges 14 and 20 of the elements 10 and 16 may have a respectively projecting groove 50 and recess 52 to secure the two elements by clipping. The clip elements could also be punctual. This connection can also be obtained by gluing the edges or by any other suitable means.

Figure 6b shows yet another alternative embodiment of the modular slab. According to this embodiment, the internal space defined by the elements 10 and 16 is filled, on the one hand, by a layer 54 for example of a fire-insulating material which rests on the lacquer 12. Its thickness is for example of the order of 7 mm. The rest of the space is occupied, on the other hand, by an internal reinforcing structure 22 of the same type as that shown in FIG. 3. This structure can itself be at least partially filled with a filler material . In this case, the mechanical cooperation between the structure 22 and the plate 12 occurs via the layer 54. It goes without saying that the layer 54 could also be placed against the plate 18 of the element 16 or that a layer of material could be placed against each plate.

We understand that with such a construction and, in in particular, with the fact that the edges of the two elements are in contact over a significant part of their height directly or by means of a joint, the resistance to crushing of the tiles is increased on their periphery. The internal structure provides the assembly with a high stiffness in bending in torsion in the horizontal plane and distributes a large part of the mechanical resistance to vertical loads from the periphery over the entire surface of the slab inside its periphery. In addition, due to the fact that they are perforated, it is possible to inject therein a filler material having thermal and / or sound insulation properties and of improving the fire behavior of the entire slab. This also improves resistance to deformation in the horizontal plane.

It goes without saying that the modular slabs according to the invention can be mounted either in accordance with FIG. 7 (direct mounting on the balusters), or in accordance with FIG. 8 (mounting on a structure of reinforcing crosspieces). In the first assembly with the slabs according to the invention, the same peripheral rigidity is obtained as in the case of the second assembly with conventional slabs since the support frame formed by the edges of the slabs according to the invention constitutes an equivalent of the reinforcing crosspieces of the assembly of Figure 8. It is therefore understood that by using the assembly of Figure 8 with slabs according to the invention, one will obtain a mechanical resistance to the vertical loads of the periphery of the slabs which it was impossible to obtain previously since we then have the equivalent of two superimposed reinforcement "frames".

Finally, it should be added that the preceding description more particularly envisaged the use of modular slabs for the production of false floors. However, the modular tiles according to the invention can also be used to produce false ceilings. It goes without saying that, in this case, the parameters for producing the slabs will be chosen as a function of the characteristics which the false ceilings must have, taking into account in particular lower mechanical strength requirements but greater lightness constraints.

Claims (16)

Modular slab for horizontal partition, characterized in that it comprises a first metallic element (10) comprising a flat planar plate (12) provided with a flange (14) substantially perpendicular to said plate, a second metallic element (16) comprising a flat rectangular plate (18) provided with a rim (20) substantially perpendicular to said plate, the rim of one of said elements being able to penetrate into the space limited by said plate and said rim of the other element, the mounting being such that the edges of the two elements cooperate mechanically directly or indirectly to give the support frame thus produced a high mechanical resistance to vertical loads at its periphery, and in that the internal space limited by the two elements is substantially filled by an internal reinforcement structure (22, 42) which mechanically cooperates with the frame and with the two plates, whereby each of the fac es of said structure is substantially in contact with one of said plates, said structure having a high mechanical strength in the direction perpendicular to said plates. Modular slab according to claim 1, characterized in that the flanges (14, 20) of the two elements (10, 16) are at least partly in contact with one another so as to produce a tight fitting. Modular slab according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises between the flanges (14, 20) of the two elements (10, 16) a seal element (30) ensuring mechanical cooperation between said edges. Modular slab according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the mounting of the two elements (10, 16) ensures a good seal against the supply of oxygen and / or the penetration of moisture towards the internal space. Modular slab according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises means for securing together the edges (14, 20) of the two elements (10, 16). Modular slab according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the element (10) whose rim (14) is external is obtained by deformation of a metal sheet to obtain said plate (12) and a rim (14) surrounding the whole of said plate. Modular slab according to claim 6, characterized in that the element (10) whose rim (14) is external has a rim making an angle (a) between 90 ° and 100 ° relative to said plate (12). Modular slab according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said element (16) has an internal rim (20) which is obtained by cutting and bending a metal sheet to provide the straight portions of the rims. Modular slab according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the said internal structure (22, 42) consists of the assembly of strips of material, the generators of which are arranged perpendicular to the plates of the said elements. Modular slab according to claim 9, characterized in that said perforated internal structure (22, 42) is at least partially filled with a filler material. Modular slab according to any one of claims 9 and 10, characterized in that said internal reinforcement structure (22, 42) is metallic. Modular slab according to claim 10, characterized in that said filler material has thermal and / or sound insulation properties. Modular slab according to either of Claims 10 and 12, characterized in that the said filler material is non-flammable. Modular slab according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the said structure internal (42) is constituted by a panel of a material constituted by a sandwich based on phenolic resin. Modular slab according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that said reinforcing structure (22, 42) has a thickness in the direction perpendicular to the two plates (12, 18) substantially equal to the distance separating said plates. Modular slab according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the internal space limited by said elements (10, 16) comprises at least one layer (54) of a material in contact with one of said plates (12 , 18) and in that said internal reinforcement structure (22) substantially fills the rest of the space.

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