EP0726381A1

EP0726381A1 - Method for manufacturing a leaf for an outside door and leaf obtained according to this method

Info

Publication number: EP0726381A1
Application number: EP96200265A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Etien Berten; Lieven Berten
Original assignee: QUISTEN Ltd
Current assignee: QUISTEN Ltd
Priority date: 1995-02-07
Filing date: 1996-02-07
Publication date: 1996-08-14
Also published as: BE1009099A3

Abstract

Method for manufacturing a leaf for an outside door, characterized in that it consists of forming a panel (4); in providing recesses (4A), either or not simultaneously with the formation of the panel, along at least three sides of the panel (4); and in providing mouldings (3) in these recesses (4A) in the shape of a case (2) extending along at least three sides of the panel (4) and functioning as a door frame, so that the mouldings (3) are situated at least partially between the two lateral surfaces (5-6) of the panel (4), whereby a stop (10) for the door, moisture barriers, hinges or means onto which hinges (25) can be provided, and grooves (20) for sliding metalwork will be or are provided at the leaf (1), at one or more of the mouldings (3) respectively.

Description

The present invention concerns a method for manufacturing a leaf for an outside door, as well as a leaf obtained according to this method. By doors are also meant gates which can be moved either by means of hinges or in any other way whatsoever. Also panels or such are meant which can be compared to doors and which can be opened by revolving, tilting, sliding, etc.
In general, however, it is not excluded to also apply the invention to fixed leaves, for example in the case where both a fixed panel and a revolving leaf are placed in a doorway.
In particular, the invention concerns leaves which are provided with synthetic panels or aluminium panels.
It is known that the leaves of synthetic outside doors consist of a frame in which synthetic material is provided. The frame hereby consists of conventional leaf mouldings which surround the edges of the panel. In order to provide sufficient strength to the parts of the mouldings which surround the panel, these parts are hollow, so that a heavy-looking frame is created. Consequently, the aesthetic look is in many cases upset and the design possibilities of such doors are restricted. Another disadvantage of the use of conventional leaf mouldings consists in that, in order not to make the door leaves abnormally thick, the panel must be selected relatively thin. With a maximum door thickness of 6 cm, a panel will only be 2 cm thick, so that the burglar resistance and the insulation of such a door are restricted.
Moreover, the technique for manufacturing the known synthetic outside doors is rather time-consuming as several measures have to be taken, such as fixing it so as to prevent it from sagging, slotting drain grooves, etc.
It is also known that doors can be manufactured by successively forming a frame and by providing panels to the first side and second side of this frame, either or not with an enclosed filling such as insulation material. This technique, which has only been used up to the present for inside doors, is disadvantageous in that the frame must be very precisely aligned before the panels are applied to it. Moreover, this stepwise construction is very time-consuming. Since the panels are applied separately, mistakes can very easily be made, so that the outer sides of the door are no longer parallel.
Examples of this known technique are described among others in DE 1.759.125, DE 3.345.181, GB 2.183.706, US 2.765.056 and BE 786.833.
The invention aims to provide a method which does not have the disadvantages of the above-mentioned techniques. Moreover, it aims a leaf for an outside door which is more advantageous in many respects than the known embodiments.
To this aim, the invention aims a method for manufacturing a leaf for an outside door, characterized in that it consists of forming a panel; in providing recesses, either or not simultaneously with the formation of the panel, along at least three sides of the panel; and in providing mouldings in these recesses in the shape of a case extending along at least three sides of the panel and functioning as a door frame, so that the mouldings are situated at least partially between the two lateral surfaces of the panel, whereby a stop for the door, moisture barriers, hinges or means onto which hinges can be provided, and grooves for sliding metalwork are provided at the leaf, at one or more of the mouldings respectively.
The recesses can be provided by means of a removing technique, for example milling. According to the invention, however, this recess can also be provided while the panel is formed.
The above-mentioned method is advantageous in that the manufacturing is made very easy because no leaf frame has to be made in advance and because the square positioning of the different mouldings is obtained automatically by providing these mouldings on the sides of the profile.
The invention also concerns a leaf for an outside door which is manufactured according to the above-mentioned method, in particular a leaf which consists of a case with a panel, characterized in that the case is composed of mouldings which are situated at least partially between the two lateral surfaces of the panel. The lateral surfaces are hereby preferably entirely free of overlapping moulding parts, to the exception of small protective corner pieces.
Thus is created a leaf whose mouldings do not upset the aesthetic aspect. Moreover, the leaf thickness, or in the case of a door the door thickness, is no longer determined by the thickness of the mouldings, but by the thickness of the used panel.
According to its most preferred embodiment, which in particular applies to doors, the invention also aims the following advantages:

a leaf whereby the whole does not need to be fixed so as to prevent it from sagging;
an embodiment whereby no drain grooves need to be slotted as the panel is no longer surrounded by the leaf mouldings on the inside and on the outside;
the heavy leaf moulding which was used until now, with a width of 100 to 120 mm in front view, and the reinforcement by means of a steel pipe can be omitted;
the rubber or silicone fillings between the panel and the mouldings can be omitted;
in the case of a door, a considerably thicker panel can be used than the panel of 20 mm which was customary until now, without the door becoming extremely thick, which results in a better sound and heat insulation and a greater rigidity, among others as far as torsion is concerned;
when a thicker panel is used, also windows can be provided in the door with a greater thickness than the customary 20 mm, so that a greater air cavity can be provided, which results in a better heat insulation;
the leaf may have a panel which is better visible than in the case of the existing constructions of synthetic material, both in the width and in the height, over at least 20 cm, so that there is a possibility to make and to use greater and more aesthetic ornamental frames, especially with panel doors;
by using mouldings which are situated at least partially between the two lateral surfaces of the panel and thanks to the possibility to use thicker panels, any lock can be very easily built in, whereby we think in particular of locks with small to very large entries, which was not possible until now, 5-pin locks and locks with front plates or closing bars of 16 to 22 mm wide;
the door handles can be placed in any place whatsoever, whereas with the old system, the handle had to be placed on the leaf moulding;
the leaf obtained according to the invention is more burglar-proof than the known embodiments, for, as it forms one whole, it is impossible to bend the leaf moulding inward by means of a crow bar in order to draw the lock from the locking plate, simply because no conventional leaf moulding is used;
the leaf according to the invention can be more easily recycled since, according to the most preferred embodiments, mouldings of mixed materials such as the usual synthetic moulding which was reinforced with steel are no longer used;
the use of hinges which are directly connected to the panel, so that a door made according to the invention cannot possibly sag;
the possibility to build up or to build in hinges, preferably in a metalwork groove provided to this end;
the possibility to provide ornamental frames which are situated in the same surface as the front side of the fixed outer frame;
the possibility to obtain a flat inside, as no leaf mouldings or glazing beads need to be used.

In order to better explain the characteristics according to the invention, the following preferred embodiments are described as an example only without being limitative in any way, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

figure 1 schematically represents the method according to the invention in different steps;
figure 2 shows an outside door with a door leaf which is manufactured according to the method of the invention;
figures 3 and 4 show sections to a larger scale according to lines III-III and IV-IV in figure 2;
figure 5 shows a section of a moulding which is also represented in the embodiments of figures 3 and 4;
figure 6 shows a part of the panel which is indicated by F6 in figure 4;
figures 7 to 17 show variants of the moulding which is represented in figure 5;
figure 18 shows a variant of the panel which is represented in figure 6;
figure 19 shows a part of a leaf according to the invention in perspective, in particular of a lower angle of a door leaf;
figures 20 and 21 show sections according to lines XX-XX and XXI-XXI in figure 19;
figures 22 and 23 show a similar view as in figure 21 for two variants of the invention.

As represented in figure 1, the invention concerns a method for manufacturing a leaf 1 for an outside door which consists of a case 2 which is composed of at least three and preferably four mouldings 3 and a panel 4.
In a first phase A, a panel 4 is made in conformity with the sizes of the leaf 1 to be manufactured. Such a panel 4 which is usually but not necessarily rectangular can be made by cutting or sawing it to size from a plate which is either or not composed of several layers and/or materials or by making this to size at once.
In a second phase B, recesses 4A extending lengthwise are made at the perimeter of the panel 4 along at least three and preferably all four sides.
According to a variant which is not represented here, these four recesses 4A can be made while the panel 4 is manufactured, for example by casting these recesses 4A in case the panel 4 consists of an injection moulding or moulded piece. According to a variant, the panel can be made of composed parts which form a recess after they have been adhered. This can be done for example by forming two end plates of certain dimensions and an intermediate plate of insulation material or such of smaller dimensions, and by gluing these together, so that a groove is created at the edge of the thus obtained panel between the two end plates.
In a third phase C, the mouldings 3 are provided in the recesses 4A and they are fixed, for example by means of glue.
Preferably, recesses 4A will be provided whose shape coincides with the shape of the mouldings 3 to be provided, such that the mouldings 3 fit rather precisely in the recesses and such that an adhesion by means of glue can be provided over a relative large surface.
In this way can be made for example a door leaf 1 as represented in figure 2. As represented in the figures 3 and 4, the mouldings 3 thus end up at least partially between the two lateral surfaces 5 and 6 of the panel 4.
Preferably, the mouldings 3 are even entirely integrated between the lateral surfaces 5 and 6, to the exception of a back flange 7 and/or flanges which cover the crosscut ends of the panel 4, in this case the flanges 8 and 9 which are a continuation of the back flange 7, and/or leaf stops, which in this case consist of a bent flange 10.
The section of the above-mentioned mouldings 3 is represented for clarity's sake in figure 5.
The used panel 4 is preferably a sandwich panel which consists of at least two end plates, 11 and 12 respectively, whose outer sides define the lateral surfaces 5 and 6. These end plates are connected to one another at a mutual distance by means of a connecting construction 13.
The connecting construction 13 can be built in several ways as will be described hereafter. According to a preferred embodiment, it mainly consists of a core 14 formed of a synthetic honeycomb structure as represented in figure 6, which is preferably fixed between the end plates 11 and 12 by means of elastic glue layers and/or intermediate layers 15 and 16.
The gluing between the honeycomb structure and the end plates is essential, as this forms the strength of the panel 4.
The end plates 11 and 12 preferably consist of synthetic material, for example PVC sheets, or of aluminium sheet.
Any of the above-mentioned intermediate layers 15-16 can also consist of a film, a membrane or a layer of fibres, for example glass fibre, which is fixed to the honeycomb, which allows for a better gluing of the end plates 11-12.
As the mouldings 3 are mainly integrated in the edges of the panel 4 and there are no borders, or, according to an embodiment described hereafter, only borders of small dimensions which mesh around the outer edge of the panel 4, a relatively thick panel 4 can be used, as opposed to existing synthetic doors, without the thickness of the leaf 1, i.e. in this case of the door, exceeding the total thickness of a conventional door.
Hereby can be used a panel 4 which is entirely made of synthetic material and which is thicker than 20 mm and better still amounts to 45 mm.
In order to be able to glue the mouldings 3 easily between the end plates 11 and 12, these mouldings 3 have two flanges, 17 and 18 respectively, which connect to the inner sides of the end plates 11 and 12. In these flanges can be provided seatings 19 for glue or any other adhesive.
According to the most preferred embodiment, also the metalwork will be integrated at least partly between the end plates 11 and 12 and moreover in the mouldings 3. To this end, the mouldings 3 are provided with grooves 20 in which metalwork can be provided, whereby these grooves 20 are countersunk between the end plates 11 and 12. At the edges of these grooves 20 can be provided seatings 21 and 22 for locking plates or such, which are possibly provided with the required passages, for example for a closing bar or for lock pins in the case of a multi-pin lock.
The mouldings 3 can be provided with an internal fastening flange 23, which preferably lies against the inside of one of the end plates, in this case the end plate 12, and which, as represented in figure 3, allows for example to make a sturdy connection 24 with a truss frame, for example hinges 25, or with other accessories, by means of one or several bolts 26 which go through the end plate 12 concerned and the fastening flange 23 and mesh in screw elements 27 behind the fastening flange 23. The fastening flange 23 is preferably a continuation of the flange 18.
Further, the mouldings 3 can also be provided with a seating 28 for a sealing strip 29 which works in conjunction with the moulding 30 of a fixed window 31. In this window 31 can also be provided sealing strips 32 which work in conjunction with the leaf 1.
The above-mentioned mouldings 3 preferably consist of metal, for example steel or aluminium, or of synthetic material. As the leaf 1 forms a compact whole, whereby the strength is provided by the panel 4 and to a lesser extent by the mouldings 3, the mouldings 3 do not necessarily need to be extra reinforced by means of metal in the case of synthetic material, so that, as mentioned in the introduction, any possible recycling can be carried out more easily afterwards.
As is further represented in figure 3, the wide panel 4 makes it possible to easily place a window 33 in the panel 4, by fixing a thick, multi-layered glass plate 34, having for example a total thickness of 40 mm or more, in an opening in the panel 4 along its edges by means of an adhesive layer 35, such as glue, in this panel 4 and by possibly framing it subsequently by means of a decorative strip 36.
According to the invention, a three-layered glass plate 34 is preferably used. Such a three-layered glass plate 34 offers several advantages in combination with the panel 4. A first advantage consists in that the same thickness can be used for the panel 4 and the glass plate 34. A second advantage consists in that the glass plate 34 is more burglar-proof. A third advantage consists in that the volume of air between the successive glass plates is limited and consequently also the expansion thereof, so that the breaking of the glass due to the expansion of air is excluded.
Finally, it should be noted that, as represented in figure 4, a lock 37 can now be placed directly in the panel 4, whereas in former days it had to be fixed in the frame of the panel in a rather time-consuming manner. As the mouldings 3 are provided between the lateral surfaces of the panel 4 and consequently a thicker panel 4 can be used than was customary for doors until now, it is possible to simply mount the lock 37 in a recess 38 in this panel 4.
The ornamental frames 39 can be easily glued or screwed on the panel 7, or they can be formed by means of thermosetting, moulding in, etc.
It is clear that all the advantages enumerated in the introduction can be realized with the above-described construction.
It is also clear that several variants of mouldings 3 and of the panel 4 are possible. Examples thereof are represented in figures 7 to 17.
Figure 7 shows a variant of a metal moulding whereby the flanges 18 and 23 do not coincide with the side wall of the groove 20.
Figure 8 shows a preferably metal moulding which is provided with protective flanges or corner pieces 40 and 41, whose main function is to protect the corner edges of the panel 4. The width of the corner pieces is restricted to a minimum and will preferably not exceed 1 cm on the outside of the door.
Figure 9 shows a metal moulding 3 with a thermal interruption 42.
Figures 10 to 14 show mouldings 3 made of synthetic material.
Figures 15 to 17 show variants of mouldings 3, preferably made of synthetic material, which are internally reinforced with a steel section 43.
The panel 3 may also consist of a sandwich panel with more than two sheets. Thus, for example as represented in figure 18, a steel plate 44 can be provided in the connecting construction or core 13 as a protection against burglary. Also sheets of aluminium or a polyester reinforcement net can be provided in it.
The connecting construction or core 13 can also consist of another structure than a honeycomb structure, either or not made of synthetic material, such as synthetic foam, cell-shaped structures and solid plastic sheet.
The end plates 11 and 12 can also be made of another material than PVC, such as for example aluminium, steel, slats, etc.
According to yet another variant, the entire panel is made of a solid plate of one and the same material, in which groove-shaped recesses 4A are provided along the perimeter to place the mouldings 3 in.
According to the invention, the leaf 1 is always provided with moisture barriers. These moisture barriers can be made in different ways. For clarity's sake, an embodiment is represented in figures 19 and 20 whereby these moisture barriers consist of an overhanging edge 45 which is part of a plinth 46 provided on the outside of the door.
According to a special characteristic of the invention, similar-shaped mouldings 3 are used on all sides of the leaf 1. In order to exclude a draught under the leaf 1 in the construction of figure 19, a connecting element 47, preferably in the shape of a moulding, will be provided at the bottom side of the leaf 1 which reaches further than the crosscut ends 48 of the plinth 46.
According to other possibilities, these moisture barriers may consist of a rubber lip, a brush extending along the bottom side of the door leaf or an element which automatically moves up and down.
Figure 22 shows a variant whereby the moisture barriers consist of an edge 45 on the one hand and of a rubber sealing 49 on the other hand, whereby the sealing 49 is in the first place meant to exclude draughts, but in extreme cases also prevents water from penetrating.
According to the invention, the mouldings 3 are provided with grooves 20 which make it possible to provide sliding metalwork. The figures 19, 20 and 21 show how such sliding metalwork can be mounted in the grooves 20. The sliding metalwork can continue over the corners of the leaf 1. Depending on the embodiment of the door leaf, the groove 20 can possibly also be used for fixing hinges.
Figure 23 shows a variant in which the panel 4 is formed of slats on one side, also called narrow shelves 50.
It should be noted that the combination of a panel 4 of synthetic material and mouldings 3 of metal, for example of aluminium, is particularly advantageous according to the invention. On the one hand, metal mouldings offer a great strength, and on the other hand, the construction according to the invention offers the advantage that these metal mouldings not necessarily have to be provided with a thermal interruption. As represented in the figures, the metal on the front side of the leaf 1 remains restricted to the flange 8, so that the heat loss is very limited. Moreover, this flange 8 according to the construction of the invention does not make direct contact with the outer environment, as it is situated behind the fixed stop of the moulding 30 when the leaf 1 is closed, and as it is usually also situated behind the sealing strip, for example the above-mentioned sealing strip 32.
According to the invention, it is not excluded to connect the ends of the mouldings with one another which touch one another at right angles. This can be done for example by means of corner pieces 51 which, as represented in figure 1, are mounted while the mouldings 3 are applied. These corner pieces 51 fit for example in the grooves 20, as is schematically represented in figure 23.
In case use is made of mouldings 3 of synthetic material, they can be welded together in the corners by heating their ends and pressing them together as they are hot while they are applied in the recesses 4A.
With an embodiment as represented in figure 4, whereby a handle is provided both on the outside and on the inside, the whole consisting of the lock case and the handles are preferably held in place among others by means of plates 52-53 or such which are provided on either side of the panel 4 and which are fastened to one another by means of bolts 54-55 which extend through the panel 4 and which are clamped against the panel 4.
When only a pull handle or nothing at all is provided on the outside, the mouldings 3 will be provided with an extra long flange 56 which makes it possible for the plate 52 or such to be attached to it. The bolts or screws 54-55 are shorter in this case and mesh in the flange 56.
In case the leaf 1 consists of mouldings 3 of aluminium and a panel 4 with lateral surfaces 5-6 of synthetic material, a finish will preferably be provided which is characterized in that the mouldings are chromated and painted with paint which is suitable for chromated aluminium, preferably powder enamel, prior to the assembly of the leaf, and in that after the assembly, the whole is enamelled, either or not in different colours, with a paint which is suitable for synthetic material. This technique offers several advantages. As the mouldings have been enamelled beforehand with a metallic paint, the adhesion of the second coat of paint does not cause any problems. Unwanted colour differences between the mouldings and the panel are excluded.
The present invention is by no means restricted to the embodiment given as an example and described in the accompanying drawings; on the contrary, such a method for manufacturing a leaf for an outside door can be made according to different variants while still remaining within the scope of the invention.

Claims

Method for manufacturing a leaf for an outside door, characterized in that it consists of forming a panel (4); in applying and/or providing recesses (4A), either or not simultaneously with the formation of the panel, along at least three sides of the panel (4); and in providing mouldings (3) in these recesses (4A) in the shape of a case (2) extending along at least three sides of the panel (4) and functioning as a door frame, so that the mouldings (3) are situated at least partially between the two lateral surfaces (5-6) of the panel (4), whereby a stop (10) for the door, moisture barriers, hinges or means onto which hinges (25) can be provided, and grooves (20) for sliding metalwork will be or are provided at the leaf (1), at one or more of the mouldings (3) respectively.
Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the panel (4) is made by cutting or sawing it to size from a plate which is either or not composed of several layers and in that the recesses (4A) are provided by means of a removing technique.
Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the panel (4) is provided with recesses (4A) whose shape coincides with the shape of the mouldings (3) concerned.
Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the panel (4) is provided with mouldings (3) with a groove (20) for sliding metalwork, whereby the grooves (20) are at least partially countersunk between the above-mentioned lateral surfaces (5-6).
Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mouldings (3) are entirely integrated between the lateral surfaces (5-6), possibly to the exception of a back flange (7) and/or flanges (8-9) which cover the crosscut ends of the panel (4) and/or protective flanges (40-41), in particular protective corner ends, whose main function is to protect the corner edges of the panel (4) and/or leaf stops (10).
Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that, for the panel (4), use is made of a sandwich panel which consists of at least two end plates (11- 12) which define the lateral surfaces (5-6), and which are connected to one another at a mutual distance by means of a connecting construction (13).
Method according to claim 6, characterized in that use is made of a panel (4) whereby the above-mentioned connecting construction (13) mainly consists of a core (14) formed of a synthetic honeycomb structure which is fixed to the end plates (11-12) by means of gluing.
Method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the end plates (6-7) consist of synthetic material or aluminium.
Method according to claim 6, 7 or 8, characterized in that the hinges (25) are provided such that one of the end plates (12) is clamped between the hinges (25) and a flange (23) which is part of the moulding (3) concerned.
Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mouldings (3) are glued in the recesses (4A).
Method according to any of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that the mouldings (3) are glued onto the panel (4) by means of flanges (17-18) which extend against the inner sides of the end plates (11-12).
Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that, for the panel (4), use is made of a panel of synthetic material with a thickness of more than 20 mm.
Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mouldings (3) are fixed to one another in the corners.
Method according to claim 13, characterized in that the mouldings (3) are fixed to one another by means of corner pieces (51) which are pushed in the crosscut ends of the mouldings (3) while these mouldings (3) are applied in the recesses (4A).
Method according to claim 13, characterized in that use is made of mouldings (3) of synthetic material and in that the mouldings (3) are welded together by heating their ends and pressing them together as they are hot while they are applied in the recesses (4A).
Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the case (2) is composed of similar-shaped mouldings (3); in that a plinth (46) is provided at the bottom of the leaf (1); and in that also one or more connecting elements (47) are mounted at the bottom which reach beyond the crosscut ends (48) of the plinth (46).
Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the panel (4) is provided with mouldings (3) with perpendicular protective corner pieces (40-41) which connect to the lateral surfaces (5-6) and which overlap the panel (4) on the outside of the door over 1 cm at the most.
Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that use is made of mouldings (3) which are provided with an extra long flange (56) which makes it possible for a plate (52) or such of a handle to be fixed onto it.
Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the leaf (1) consists of mouldings (3) of aluminium and a panel (4) with lateral surfaces (5-6) of synthetic material, and in that a finish is provided which consists in that the mouldings are chromated and painted with paint which is suitable for chromated aluminium, preferably powder enamel, prior to the assembly of the leaf (1), and in that after the assembly, the whole is enamelled, either or not in different colours, with a paint which is suitable for synthetic material.
Leaf for an outside door, characterized in that it is manufactured according to the method of any of claims 1 to 19.