EP1075573A1

EP1075573A1 - A device at a log building corner

Info

Publication number: EP1075573A1
Application number: EP99902952A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sonny Bertilsson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-04-29
Filing date: 1999-01-18
Publication date: 2001-02-14
Anticipated expiration: 2019-01-18
Also published as: DE69906720D1; SE9801512D0; EP1075573B1; SE9801512L; DK1075573T3; AU2304499A; DE69906720T2; NO310982B1; WO1999058778A1; ATE237042T1; JP2002514698A; ES2197609T3; NO20005404D0; SE510016C2; NO20005404L

Abstract

A device for improving the insulation at log joined buildings, and particularly the insulation against draught between surfaces of recesses (7, 7', 7'') in logs (1, 2, 3), which in the joint cooperatingly engage each other, whereby the device incorporates further recesses (6, 6', 6''), provided in the surfaces perpendicular to the said recesses (7, 7', 7''), whereby in these recesses (6, 6', 6''; 7, 7', 7'') are provided slots (10 and 9, resp.), which are positioned substantially perpendicular to each other, thus that the slots (9, 10) in two logs positioned in criss cross relation to each other, will be situated aligned with each other and located just in front of each other, and that the device furthermore incorporates substantially U-shaped insulation elements (11, 11a), each being arranged to be inserted with its base portion and its shanks (13) in the slots (9) in one of the recesses in one of the logs, and to protrude out of these slots (9), and to project with its protruding portions into the slots (10) of the adjacent log, thus that it together with said slots forms a labyrinth seal, which is movably arranged in relation to each slot (9, 10) and thereby to adjacent recesses in the logs.

Description

A device at a log building corner

The present invention relates to buildings erected from corner joined logs and it refers to a device intended for improving the insulation at such buildings, and in particular the insulation against draught between the logs.

At conventional building methods of this type, the corner connections are made in that the log ends, or the like, arranged in crisscross relation to each other are provided with recessed grooves, which at mounting are fitted within each other in such a manner that two parallel or near parallel side surfaces facing each other on two adjacent logs, are closely engaging each other along their entire extension outside said recessed grooves.

At such log joining the size of the slots in the corners at the different notches or recessed grooves, will vary in dependency of the swelling or shrinking of the wood due to its degree of drying and to the "weather conditions, as the wood of course is a living material. This brings about problems in getting the joints tight enough and therefore the result is often an annoying draught through the log joined wall .

Earlier it has been tried to meet this problem by clamping insulation material between the logs, and thereby particularly at the very corners, in old days in form of moss and in later years in form of especial rubber seals. However these insulation materials will loose their function of completely filling and sealing off the joints in quite short time, as the strings of moss compressed between the joint elements lack flexibility and will sink down in a rather short time and thereby gradually will "open" new slots, which will give rise to draught, or respectively, that the rubber seals, which are subjected to constant pressure will age and become brittle and therefore loose their draught-reducing function.

The purpose of the present invention is therefore to provide a device, by means of which such draught through the recesses forming the corner connections in the logs is eliminated in an efficient and long-term manner, and this has been achieved in that the invention has been given the features defined in claim 1.

Hereinafter the invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein

Fig. 1 shows in perspective the end portions of three logs, arranged in crisscross relation to each other, during the mounting of a log joint together with the device according to the invention.

Fig. 2 shows in a planar view a first embodiment of the device according to the invention. Fig. 3 is a side view of the device according to Fig. 2,

Figs. 4 and 5 show the device according to Fig. 2 in perspective obliquely from below and obliquely from above, respectively.

Fig. 6 shows an alternative embodiment of the device according to the invention in a planar view, and

Fig. 7 shows a side view of the device according to Fig. 6.

Fig. 1 shows in perspective the ends of three logs 1, 2, 3 or battens, which in the embodiment illustrated are each provided with a longitudinal tongue 4 or groove 5, respectively, along their opposed side edges, whereby the tongue 4 in an under-laying log or batten 1 in mounted position is inserted in the groove 5 in the over-laying, third log 3 which is parallel to the first log 1. Hereby is reduced the tendency of draught between the logs 1, 3, etcetera, laying alongside each other. At the end portions each log or batten 1 - 3, has notches or grooves 6, 7, which together leave a recessed portion 8, with opposed sides, which are substantially parallel, and which in the embodiment shown has a substantially square cross section. For the sake of clarity these details in the second log 2 in the drawing figures have been given a prefix prim (') and for the log 3 a prefix bis (") . The figure shows how the second log 2 is mounted perpendicularly to the first log 1, whereby the lower planar side of the recessed portion 8' of the second log 2 is located thus, that it rests on the upper planar side of the recessed portion 8 of the first log 1. Thereby this recessed portion 8 " in the second log 2 is inserted with half its height in the recess 7 in the first log 1. In accordance with the dash lines the third log 3 at mounting thereby will reach so far into the groove 7 in the second log 2 with its recessed portion 8", that the tongue 4 in the first log 1 will bottom in the groove 5" in the third log 3. Thus is obtained an efficient joint, which forms a rather tight and draught-free connection along the two opposed surfaces of the two parallel logs 1 and 3.

So far the structure corresponds mainly to conventional solutions, whereby however the problems, mentioned in the introduction regarding draught in connection with drying and agening problems in the corner joints themselves, remain.

In order to sustain draught in a long-termed manner at the very corner joints, it now is suggested that the walls of the groove 7 and the upper and lower surface of the recessed portion is provided with a slot 9, which extends in the longitudinal direction of the log and at the same time is opposite side surfaces of the recessed portion 8 in the recess 6, is provided with a slot 10, which extends in parallel with the walls of the recess 6 and is positioned centrally between these side surfaces of the recess 6. In each one of these slots 9 is insertable a substantially U-shaped insulation element 11, which can be manufactured e.g. from stamped out fibre boards or from plastic material, rubber, metal or similar material. As can be better seen from Figs. 2-5, each one of these U-shaped insulation elements 11 has a base portion 12, in the embodiments shown with rounded lower side, and two shanks 13 of such a width, that they do not reach bottom of the opposed slots 9 in the recesses 7 but project out of these. The protruding portions of the shanks at the same time correspond substantially to the depth of the slots 10 in the recess 6 in the different corner joints. Hereby, each insulating element 11 together with the slots 9 in e.g. the first log and the slots 10 in the second log 2, which latter is arranged perpendicular to the first log 1, will form a recessed labyrinth seal, which is furthermore not influenced by the movement of the wood material following changes in the weather and ageing of the wood material, as each insulation element 11 is movable in the direction of each slot 9, 10, respectively and therefore will not risk giving rise to crevices at movement of the wood.

Fig. 2 shows the very insulating element 11 in a planar view, whereas Figs. 3-5 are side views and perspective views through the same, obliquely from below and obliquely from above, respectively. The rounded base portion 12 of the insulation element 11 is of course adapted to the extension of the bottom of the slot 9, and may therefore have other arbitrary shapes, adapted to the bottom shape of the slot.

In Figs. 6 and 7 is shown in planar view and in side view, respectively, an alternative embodiment of the insulation element 11a, which in this case at its shanks is equipped with hook formed sides for hampering the movements of the element in the slots 9, 10, but without making such movement quite impossible, thus that the insulating elements 11, 11a will not be subjected to deformation or destroying stresses at movement of the cooperating parts of the corner joint.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings and described in connection thereto, but modifications and variants are possible within the scope of the following claims. Thus the recesses 7 have been shown in the figures and been described in connection thereto as having a planar bottom, and side walls arranged at right angles thereto, but these recesses can also be provided with a base portion 12 curved in the same manner as the insulating element and preferably being provided with tongue, either in the upper or lower surface and vice versa. Although the slots in the logs have been shown in the tongue-provided sides of the logs, it is of course also possible that slots are provided in a corresponding manner in the groove-provided sides.

6 CLAIMS

1. A device for improving the insulation at log joined buildings, and particularly the insulation against draught between surfaces of recesses (7, 1' , 7") in logs (1,2,3), which in the joint cooperatingly engage each other, c h a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that the device incorporates further recesses (6, 6", 6"), provided in surfaces perpendicular to the said recesses (7, 1' , 7"), whereby in these recesses (6, S" , 6"; 7, 7', 7") are provided slots (10 and 9, resp.), which are positioned substantially perpendicular to each other, thus that the slots (9, 10) in two logs positioned in crisscross relation to each other, will be situated aligned with each other and located just in front of each other, and that the device furthermore incorporates substantially U-shaped insulation elements (11, 11a) , each being arranged to be inserted with its base portion and its shanks (13) in the slots (9) in one of the recesses in one of the logs, and to protrude out of these slots (9) , and to project with its protruding portions into the slots (10) of the adjacent log, thus that it together with said slots forms a labyrinth seal, which is movably arranged in relation to each slot (9, 10) and thereby to adjacent recesses in the logs.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that the insulation element (11, 11a) is constituted by a thin-walled member.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 or 2 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that the base portion (12) of the insulating element (11,11a) has an extension, which follows the shape of the bottom slot (9) in one of the recesses (7) of the log. 4. A device as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d t h e r e i n, that the shanks of the insulating element (11a) are provided with formations (14) reducing the ability of the element to move in the different slots (9, 10) .