EP0738804A1 - Wall element system for removable partition walls, especially for acoustic and fire-resistant appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

The partition is made from vertical steel posts (3), top and bottom rails (7), covering panels (4) and aluminium extrusions (8) to cover the joints between panels. The posts (3) are of rectangular-section tubing, able to expand freely between the top and bottom rails, each equipped with an adjustable telescopic element (18) at top or bottom, connected to the post by fixings which separate under the effect of heat. The panels are fitted between the top and bottom rails, which can move freely relative to the posts. The steel posts have flanges on each side to receive and hold rock wool panels giving improved fire resistance, and the top and bottom rails have double sides forming channels for free positioning of the covering panels. The aluminium@ extrusions (8) cover the whole of the joints between panels with the exception of a gap at the top and bottom to allow for expansion.

Description

The present invention relates to a system of removable partitions, with improved acoustic and fire performance.

This partition system can be used in particular to separate volumes in buildings for office or industrial use.

It will find its application in particular in the manufacturers of partitions which realize in their workshops sets of posts, beams, panels and joint covers which are then assembled on site to adapt to the configuration.

Today there are many removable wall systems, the primary purpose of which is always to use connecting means making it possible to associate posts and panels by connecting means, one of the essential characteristics of which is to be removable to allow the user to either move their partitions or redraw them in order to modify the space.

Among the removable partition systems produced so far, aluminum is widely used to manufacture uprights, beams and joint covers in order to quickly associate the different elements on the site. In many cases, the panels are fixed to the structure of the posts.

The present invention is concerned with a particular application of these movable partitions when it is desired to obtain acoustic and fire performance in order to meet increasingly demanding standards.

If you want to obtain fire qualities for these partitions, you can no longer use aluminum as the basic material for building the posts because it has too low a resistance and a melting point.

Removable flame-retardant and fire-resistant partitions have already been made with a metal frame on which the panels were fixed directly and subsequently the joint cover. This structure nevertheless has significant drawbacks because it does not have a sufficiently load-bearing framework without filling the panels. The top and bottom rails are made of metal and are directly attached to the posts. The panels are themselves fixed to this frame. Such a removable partition, however, has poor flame retardant and fireproof qualities since it does not provide for this structure the possibility of expanding because in the event of fire, this will be subjected to temperatures on one side of 20 ° C and on the other side of 1000 ° C.

Panels, rails and joint covers may entail the posts and the assembly as the fire progresses. Furthermore, the expansion of the structure is poorly controlled.

GB Patent No. 2,043,760 shows a partition made from extruded aluminum or PVC profiles which therefore cannot be used for thermal insulation because this partition is not fire-resistant. It is recalled that the firebreak characteristic is to protect for a certain time from a fire at 900 ° C. It is therefore necessary to avoid the use of any material which can be melted or which creates thermal bridges such as beams or joint covers.

Patent NL 6,611,439 also shows the use of an extruded non-fireproof profile. This patent does not describe the use of telescopic elements making it possible to achieve the fire-resistant characteristic.

Patent DE 29.44.904 describes the use of a telescopic upright in a partition. These amounts are held by a metal screw which has the drawback of having to melt very late. This patent describes the use of panels coated with a steel sheet blocked by a part which serves as a fastening.

Patent EP 0.305.542 shows a non-removable partition, that is to say that the adjacent panels must be dismantled to dismantle a panel. This patent shows the use of extruded aluminum or plastic profiles and there is therefore no firewall application of this partition. The panels are not free relative to the uprights and this patent does not use telescopic elements.

US patent 5,020,290 implements beams high and low aluminum, which therefore have the disadvantage of not being able to make firewalls.

The present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks and to this end, one of the first aims of the partitions according to the invention is to significantly improve the acoustic and fire performance of the partitions in order to meet increasingly demanding standards.

• un élément télescopique fixé sur le poteau par un moyen qui se désolidarisera lors d'une élévation de température,
• des panneaux de parement montés libres,
• des rebords sur les poteaux en acier permettant de mieux assurer le maintien de la laine de roche sur toute la hauteur entre le sol et le plafond,
• une double lisse inférieure et supérieure en PVC dans laquelle sont montés les poteaux,
• des couvre-joints recouvrant les poteaux mais pas complètement jusqu'aux extrémités inférieure et supérieure pour favoriser leur dilatation.

Another object of the removable partitions according to the invention is to provide for the facing panels a stable framework during normal use but which resists fire well by not collapsing suddenly. To do this, different means will be used to limit this deformation of the structure such as:

• a telescopic element fixed to the post by a means which will detach during a rise in temperature,
• free mounted facing panels,
• ledges on steel posts to better maintain the rock wool over the entire height between the floor and the ceiling,
• a double top and bottom rail in PVC in which the posts are mounted,
• joint covers covering the posts but not completely to the lower and upper ends to promote their expansion.

1°/

un quart d'heure coupe feu et une demi heure pare-flammes

2°/

coupe feu une demi heure

3°/

coupe feu trois quarts d'heure et pare-flammes deux heures

4°/

coupe feu une heure et pare-flammes une heure et demi.

ACOUSTIQUE
très bon résultat de 43 à 45 décibels pour la cloison normaleAnother object of the removable partitions according to the invention is to build, with the same structure and the same external appearance, different qualities of partitions with suitable performances:
FIRE

1 ° /

quarter of an hour fireproof and half an hour flame arrestor

2 ° /

half hour firebreak

3 ° /

three-quarter hour firebreak and two-hour flame arrestor

4 ° /

one hour fire protection and one and a half hour flame arrestor.

ACOUSTIC
very good result of 43 to 45 decibels for the normal partition

Another object of the removable partitions of the invention is to provide a frame for the panels of facing with an assembly which can deform and expand without collapsing too quickly if it is subjected to fire. With temperatures of 20 ° C on one side of the partition and 1000 ° C on the other, taking into account that the expansion is on average of one millimeter per meter for 100 ° C, it will be necessary to count with expansions of l 'order of thirty millimeters for a ceiling height of three meters.

It will therefore be necessary to dissociate each element of the partitions such as panel, post, telescopic element, joint cover and smooth to allow them not to entrain each other in a fall in the event of fire. Each dissociated element can react differently but separately before the fire.

Thus, the facing panels, for example plasterboard plates are mounted free of the frame and it is the set of steel posts - rock wool which fulfills the fire-fighting function because the plaster panels, the cover aluminum gasket and PVC rails do not withstand a high temperature rise.

The posts and the rock wool must be stable and resistant to fire and their structure as well as their respective assembly must be studied to be able to expand. We will therefore seek to minimize the obstacles to this dilation.

Another object of the removable partitions according to the invention is to use very diverse materials such as steel, aluminum or PVC to reduce the cost price, thermal and acoustic transmission.

For this, steel will be used for the posts because of its mechanical resistance and its good fire resistance compared to aluminum.

Aluminum will be used for joint covers because it is more easily extrudable than steel to produce profiles of complex and varied shapes. These profiles will facilitate the removability of the partitions.

PVC with low heat conductivity can be used for high and low beams.

Another object of the removable partitions according to the invention is to be able to easily adapt to site variations in the height between the floor and the ceiling, which can sometimes be up to five centimeters.

Another advantage of the removable partitions according to the invention is to be able to use standard plaster panels in place of more expensive fire-resistant plaster panels while obtaining the same acoustic or fire qualities.

Another advantage of the removable partitions according to the invention is that they can be made of different types adapted to the user, such as several times of fire break, glass or glass partitions on the sill and possibly doubling and false ceiling.

• de poteaux verticaux en acier,
• de lisses horizontales haute et basse,
• des panneaux de parement,
• des couvre-joints profilés en aluminium entre les panneaux,

caractérisé par le fait que :

• les poteaux en acier sont tubulaires et ils sont montés libres de dilatation entre la lisse haute et la lisse basse,
• chaque poteau présente à sa partie supérieure ou inférieure un élément télescopique réglable en hauteur bloqué sur le poteau par un moyen de fixation dissociable par la chaleur,
• les panneaux sont montés entre les lisses libres de mouvement vis-à-vis des poteaux

en vue d'améliorer les qualités acoustiques et feu de l'ensemble du système.The present invention relates to a system of removable partitions with improved acoustic and fire performance, usable in particular for separating volumes in buildings for office or industrial use, consisting of producing between a floor and a ceiling a structure constituted by an assembly:

• vertical steel posts,
• high and low horizontal rails,
• facing panels,
• aluminum profile joint covers between the panels,

characterized by the fact that:

• the steel posts are tubular and they are mounted free of expansion between the top and bottom rails,
• each post has at its upper or lower part a telescopic element adjustable in height blocked on the post by a fixing means separable by heat,
• the panels are mounted between the beams free of movement with respect to the posts

in order to improve the acoustic and fire qualities of the whole system.

• la figure 1 est une vue partielle d'une cloison amovible selon l'invention,
• la figure 2 est une vue éclatée de certaines pièces de la figure 1,
• la figure 3 est une vue en coupe d'un poteau sur lequel sont montés le couvre joint, les panneaux et la laine de roche,
• la figure 4 est une vue en coupe sur toute la hauteur de la cloison entre la rive haute et la rive basse,
• la figure 5 est une vue en perspective de la partie supérieure d'un poteau avec l'élément télescopique,
• la figure 6 est une vue similaire à la figure 5 qui montre l'élément télescopique fixé à la partie supérieure du poteau et sa fixation sur la rive haute.

The invention will be better understood by referring to the following description of a nonlimiting embodiment illustrated by the appended drawings which form an integral part thereof and in which:

• FIG. 1 is a partial view of a removable partition according to the invention,
• FIG. 2 is an exploded view of certain parts of FIG. 1,
• FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a post on which the joint cover, the panels and the rock wool are mounted,
• FIG. 4 is a sectional view over the entire height of the partition between the high bank and the low bank,
• FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the upper part of a post with the telescopic element,
• Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 which shows the telescopic element fixed to the upper part of the post and its fixing on the upper bank.

The system of removable partitions according to the invention makes it possible, from the same external appearance, to obtain acoustic or fire or combined performances of different levels.

The partitions can therefore be adapted for a wide variety of office or industrial uses.

Reference is made to FIG. 1 which shows a high rail (1) and a low rail (2) which, for production reasons, can be of completely identical shapes. It can nevertheless be conceived that for other applications, these heddles are of different shapes. The rails (1) and (2) are made of PVC in order to reduce the thermal conductivity because this material is not very conductive of heat.

The system of removable partitions according to the invention comprises vertical posts (3) which will preferably be made of steel. This material has better mechanical resistance than aluminum and, given its melting point, it is more resistant to fire.

Between the upper and lower beams, there are panels which can be made of various materials and for example a normal plasterboard not having, for cost reasons, particular fire qualities.

The panels (4) are mounted over the entire height of the partition between the low rail (2) and the high rail (1) or they can be divided, as shown in FIG. 1, into a lower panel (5) and an upper window (6).

The healds (1) and (2), preferably made identical, have two external zones (7) in which is embedded the top of the panel (4) or the base of the panel (5). The thickness of the external zone is preferably dimensioned in relation to the thickness of the panel to be used.

Between each panel (4) and (5), provision is made to place a joint cover (8) which will preferably be made of aluminum since this material makes it possible to produce profiles of very diverse shapes which can easily be clipped onto the posts and thus guarantee the removability of the partitions.

Reference is made to FIGS. 3 and 4 which show that the panels (4) are mounted in the beams (1) and (2) by means of seals (8). In the internal zone (9) of each stringer and over the entire height of the partition is provided rock wool (10) of sufficient thickness, adapted to the fire protection or flame retardant performance that is desired. get.

The post (3) has by construction flanges (11) that can be seen in Figure 5 and which are made on each edge of the post. The function of these edges is to allow the embedding and the maintenance of the rock wool to improve the fire performance and the fire permeability of the whole.

The posts (3) are preferably made of rectangular shape and they are hollow to make the steel more flexible. For example, these posts were made by construction from a closed sheet to form a tube. This assembly makes it possible to obtain good resistance to torsion and to produce, for example on the flat sheet, perforations such as (12). In the example shown, the perforations are rectangular and they have been arranged on the four faces of the post to allow the attachment of different accessories such as crosspieces, bars or rods.

The posts (3) as shown in Figures 1 and 2 are mounted to the bottom of the rail (2) and in the internal area (9). The post will be fixed on the rail by an assembly device identical to that described in a Applicant's patent No. 2,160,785 and there is shown in Figure 2 the slide (13) and the eccentric (14) described in this patent.

Reference will be made to the description of this patent, which is an integral part of the present description, for all further explanations as regards the construction and mounting of this device for assembling two sections.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 5, it can be seen that a bar has been used which will only be made over part of the height of the posts (3). In the example shown in Figure 2, two bars (15) are provided on this height. Each bar comprises on its face (16) not shown staples which come to fit in the perforations (12) of the lateral faces of the post. In these bars also made of steel are clipped small springs (17). The aluminum joint cover (8) is clipped into these springs (17) and extends by its two wings to play its function of joint cover for the panels (4) and (5).

It should be noted that the contact between the joint cover (8) and the post (3) is made only over part of the height by two small bars. Similarly, the metal springs (17) are also small because it is preferable to avoid contact over too large a surface of the aluminum and the steel. Indeed, these two metals have very different manufacturing tolerances and the installation would therefore not always be very easy if the clipping were to be carried out for example over a large part of the length of the joint cover. This fixing of the joint cover on the post also makes it possible to limit the thermal bridges and the phonic bridges.

To improve the acoustic and fire qualities of the system, the tubular posts (3) are mounted free of expansion between the low beam and the high beam. Is implemented for this, for example at the upper part of the post (3) a telescopic element (18) embedded in the post (3) which is hollow. At its lower part, the telescopic element is fixed to the end of the post (3) by means of a eccentric (20) shown in Figure 5. The telescopic element (18) is preferably made of steel while the eccentric (20) is made of aluminum. When mounting, the function of the eccentric (20) is to lock the two jaws (21) and (22) of the telescopic element against the two lateral faces (23) of the post (3).

This eccentric (20) will preferably be made of aluminum or of a material that melts under heat before steel. Thus, when the fire appears, the eccentric (20) will lose its function of blocking the telescopic element on the tube to make this telescopic element free relative to the tube (3). The expansion of the post (3) and the telescopic element (18) can therefore be cashed by the displacement of the telescopic element (22) which will slide at the end of the tube (3) since the eccentric will no longer have of fixing function and that it will have been dissociated by heat.

It should be noted that as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the facing panels (4) or (5) are mounted free of movement with respect to the posts (3) because there is no fixing of the one over the other.

The dissociation of each post, smooth, panel or joint element makes it possible to facilitate their expansion independently. For example, the falling panels must not entrain the structure because it is constituted by a stable framework because the fire screen is constituted by the internal part, namely the association of steel posts and rock wool embedded in the flanges (11).

To control the deformation of the stable structure, during the fire and organize its expansion, the invention has set up a telescopic element mounted free to expansion, flanges keeping rock wool better but still panels mounted free from the structure . Provision has also been made for the aluminum joint cover (8) to cover adjacent panels over the entire height between the top and bottom rails, with the exception of the end zones (24) and (25). In these areas, the end of the joint cover was deliberately stopped a few centimeters of the top or bottom rail, to allow its expansion in the event of fire. It should be remembered on this subject that the temperature on one side of the partition will be 20 ° C while it can be assessed at 1000 ° C on the fire side. If the expansion is around one millimeter per meter per 100 ° C, thirty millimeters of expansion should be provided for panels three meters high. These are very important measures and it is absolutely essential to encourage the expansion of all the separate elements in all directions. In certain cases also, it will be possible to ensure that a connection such as the eccentric (20) is destroyed before the fire and allows its expansion.

In Figure 6, the upper part of the telescopic element is linked to the upper edge (1) with an assembly device in accordance with French patent No. 2,160,785 of the applicant.

To improve the fire characteristics of the partitions, we can first play on the quality of the rock wool (10) and then possibly surround the posts (3) for example with a ceramic sheet known as "CERA BLANKET" ".

1°/

un quart d'heure coupe feu et une demi heure pare-flammes

2°/

coupe feu une demi heure

3°/

coupe feu trois quarts d'heure et pare-flammes deux heures

4°/

coupe feu une heure et pare-flammes une heure et demi.

We were able to make a partition with suitable acoustic and fire performance according to the following different tests:
FIRE

1 ° /

quarter of an hour fireproof and half an hour flame arrestor

2 ° /

half hour firebreak

3 ° /

three-quarter hour firebreak and two-hour flame arrestor

4 ° /

one hour fire protection and one and a half hour flame arrestor.

The design of the partition according to the invention has made it possible to produce partitions having the same external appearance and acoustic or thermal or fire performance at different levels. With regard to acoustic tests, good results were obtained with 43 to 45 dB (A).

All these results were obtained by using a panel (4) made up of standard plaster panels even in an hourly fire stop version instead use much more expensive fire panels.

The cost prices of the partitions according to the invention could also be very improved since PVC, steel or aluminum have been used in a very chosen manner.

We can also make partitions of a wide variety of types suitable for the user, such as fire protection, glass or glass partition on sill and possibly lining and false ceiling.

The system of removable partitions according to the invention also makes it possible to make up for the differences in construction between the floor and the ceiling which may at times be of the order of five centimeters. This take-up will be carried out at the time of assembly of the telescopic element (18) which can be placed higher or lower and make up for a play of a few centimeters since the two elements (21) and (22) can slide at the end of the post (3) before tightening the eccentric (20). If the take-up with a single telescopic element at the top was insufficient, then a second telescopic element at the bottom should be provided which would be mounted in exactly the same way as the first using the eccentric (18).

There is shown in Figures 1 and 2 a crosspiece (28) which is fixed to the perforations (12) of the post (3) by an intermediate piece (29). The crosspiece (28) is secured to the post (3) by elements (13) and (14) described in French patent No. 2,160,785.

These partitions will be constructed with the usual dimensions in the field of removable partitions and it may be indicated for example that the posts are spaced between 0.80 and 1.20 meters to obtain good acoustic and firewall results.

Naturally, other implementations of the present invention, within the reach of those skilled in the art, could also have been envisaged without departing from the scope thereof.

Claims (7)

System of removable partitions with improved acoustic and fire performance, usable in particular for separating volumes in buildings for office or industrial use, consisting of producing between a floor and a ceiling a structure constituted by an assembly: - vertical steel posts, - high and low horizontal rails, - facing panels, - profiled aluminum joint covers between the panels, characterized by the fact that: - the steel posts (3) are tubular and they are mounted free of expansion between the top rail (1) and the bottom rail (2), each post (3) has at its upper or lower part a telescopic element (18) adjustable in height locked on the post by a fixing means which can be dissociated by heat, - the panels (4) are mounted between the beams free of movement with respect to the posts in order to improve the acoustic and fire qualities of the whole system. System of removable partitions with improved acoustic and fire performance, usable in particular for separating volumes in buildings for office or industrial use, according to claim 1, characterized in that the tubular steel posts (3) are hollow and that they have on their lateral face edges (11) making it possible to embed and maintain the rock wool (10) to improve the fire performance. System of removable partitions with improved acoustic and fire performance, usable in particular for separating volumes in buildings for office or industrial use, according to claim 1, characterized in that the top rails (1) and bottom rails (2) are double beams with two external zones in which the facing panels are freely engaged and an internal zone (9) in which the posts (3) are mounted. Removable performance partition system improved acoustics and fire, usable in particular for separating volumes in buildings for office or industrial use, according to claim 1, characterized in that the aluminum joint covers (8) cover two adjacent panels (4, 5) on the entire height between the top rail (1) and the bottom rail (2) with the exception of the ends (24, 25), this zone allowing the joint cover (8) to expand. System of removable partitions with improved acoustic and fire performance, usable in particular for separating volumes in buildings for office or industrial use, according to claim 1, characterized in that the posts (3) are rectangular and have on each side of the perforations (12) allowing the attachment of accessories such as a bar (15). Removable partition system with improved acoustic and fire performance, usable in particular for separating volumes in buildings for office or industrial use, according to claim 1, characterized in that the bars (15) on the lateral faces of the posts are discontinuous and that they comprise springs (17) in which the joint covers (8) made of aluminum are clipped. System of removable partitions with improved acoustic and fire performance, usable in particular for separating volumes in buildings for office or industrial use, according to claim 1, characterized in that the telescopic element (18) of steel is fitted into the end of the post to which it is fixed by an eccentric (20) aluminum which melts before the steel under the effect of heat.

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