Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04B—GENERAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTIONS; WALLS, e.g. PARTITIONS; ROOFS; FLOORS; CEILINGS; INSULATION OR OTHER PROTECTION OF BUILDINGS
  • E04B2/00—Walls, e.g. partitions, for buildings; Wall construction with regard to insulation; Connections specially adapted to walls
  • E04B2/02—Walls, e.g. partitions, for buildings; Wall construction with regard to insulation; Connections specially adapted to walls built-up from layers of building elements
  • E04B2/28—Walls having cavities between, but not in, the elements; Walls of elements each consisting of two or more parts kept in distance by means of spacers, all parts being solid
  • E04B2/30—Walls having cavities between, but not in, the elements; Walls of elements each consisting of two or more parts kept in distance by means of spacers, all parts being solid using elements having specially designed means for stabilising the position; Spacers for cavity walls
  • E04B2/32—Walls having cavities between, but not in, the elements; Walls of elements each consisting of two or more parts kept in distance by means of spacers, all parts being solid using elements having specially designed means for stabilising the position; Spacers for cavity walls by interlocking of projections or inserts with indentations, e.g. of tongues, grooves, dovetails
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04D—ROOF COVERINGS; SKY-LIGHTS; GUTTERS; ROOF-WORKING TOOLS
  • E04D11/00—Roof covering, as far as not restricted to features covered by only one of groups E04D1/00 - E04D9/00; Roof covering in ways not provided for by groups E04D1/00 - E04D9/00, e.g. built-up roofs, elevated load-supporting roof coverings
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B28—WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE
  • B28B—SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS; SHAPING SLAG; SHAPING MIXTURES CONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER
  • B28B19/00—Machines or methods for applying the material to surfaces to form a permanent layer thereon
  • B28B19/003—Machines or methods for applying the material to surfaces to form a permanent layer thereon to insulating material
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04C—STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS; BUILDING MATERIALS
  • E04C2/00—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels
  • E04C2/02—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels characterised by specified materials
  • E04C2/04—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels characterised by specified materials of concrete or other stone-like material; of asbestos cement; of cement and other mineral fibres
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04D—ROOF COVERINGS; SKY-LIGHTS; GUTTERS; ROOF-WORKING TOOLS
  • E04D13/00—Special arrangements or devices in connection with roof coverings; Protection against birds; Roof drainage ; Sky-lights
  • E04D13/04—Roof drainage; Drainage fittings in flat roofs, balconies or the like
  • E04D13/0404—Drainage on the roof surface
  • E04D13/0477—Underroof drainage layers
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04D—ROOF COVERINGS; SKY-LIGHTS; GUTTERS; ROOF-WORKING TOOLS
  • E04D3/00—Roof covering by making use of flat or curved slabs or stiff sheets
  • E04D3/02—Roof covering by making use of flat or curved slabs or stiff sheets of plane slabs, slates, or sheets, or in which the cross-section is unimportant
  • E04D3/04—Roof covering by making use of flat or curved slabs or stiff sheets of plane slabs, slates, or sheets, or in which the cross-section is unimportant of concrete or ceramics

Definitions

• the present invention relates to cladding panel for a cladding construction for a roof, deck or similar structure, and fabricating method of the cladding panel.
• the present invention also relates to a cladding construction and method for a roof, deck or similar structure, constructed using the cladding panel.
• FIG. 1 illustrates a typical construction 100 of a cladding construction system of a concrete roof deck 102.
• a cement sand base 104 is formed over the roof deck 102, the base 104 being screed to form a slope or slope-to-fall gradient to create a drainage fall into a drain 106 and downpipe 108.
• a waterproof membrane 110 is laid over the cement sand base 104, interrupted only by downpipe 108, and extending a height 112 of 300mm up the inside surface of walls 114. Where the deck 102 meets some walls 114, the transition of the waterproof membrane from the horizontal surface to the vertical surface may be effected by use of waterproof filler such as poly foam 116.
• a thermal insulating layer 118 is constructed on top of the membrane 110, the layer 118 comprising extruded polystyrene insulation board of 50mm thickness.
• a separation fleece layer 120 overlies the thermal insulating layer 118.
• an overlying protective screed concrete layer 122 of 75mm thickness is provided, comprising 4.5m by 4.5m panels separated by joints filled with bituminous compound. Plastering 124 is applied to walls 114.
• the thermal insulating material 118 reduces heat transfer through the concrete roof deck 102 into the building below.
• the protective cement screed 122 protects the thermal insulating material 118 and the waterproofing membrane 110, and bears the human traffic on the roof deck.
• Such a construction 100 is constructed in-situ on site, with an expansion joint provided at regular intervals.
• Construction 100 suffers from a range of problems.
• the expansion joints in concrete screed layer 122 are a weak point in the construction and a source of leaks.
• a further problem is that on site cladding construction makes quality control difficult, can cause damage to the waterproofing system, and is subject to the vagaries of inclement weather during construction leading to time delay, hi addition, mixing, handling and/or applying concrete slurry on site can be messy and laborious.
• waterproofing membrane 110 and/or components of the built-up waterproofing system 104, 118, 120, 122 need to be destructively removed such as by being cut away, effectively destroying the construction 100.
• the entire process of building up the waterproofing system must then be repeated to re-establish a waterproof cladding.
• the present invention provides a cladding panel comprising:
• a light weight core material a bottom surface of the core material having at least one groove extending from a first bottom edge of the core material to a second bottom edge of the core material; a rigid casing formed over a top and sides of the core material and extending to the bottom edges of the core material;
• the at least one groove in the bottom of the core material extends through bottom portions of the rigid casing, forming at least one continuous channel across the bottom of the cladding panel.
• the term “groove” refers to the structure formed on the core material
• the term “continuous channel” refers to the structure formed on the cladding panel.
• the present invention provides a method of fabricating a cladding panel, comprising:
• the present invention provides a cladding construction comprising:
• the at least one cladding panel located over the membrane, the at least one cladding panel having a lightweight core material and a rigid casing over a top and sides of the core material, the at least one cladding panel being provided with at least one continuous channel across the bottom of the cladding panel forming a drainage channel over the membrane.
• the present invention provides a method of forming a cladding construction, the method comprising:
• the membrane providing a waterproof membrane over a rigid surface; and locating over the membrane at least one cladding panel having a lightweight core material and a rigid casing over a top and sides of the core material, the at least one cladding panel being provided with at least one continuous channel across the bottom of the cladding panel forming a drainage channel over the membrane.
• the present invention provides for drainage and vent of water and/or moisture which builds up beneath the cladding panel.
• the normal drainage slope of the membrane layer combined with the open channel for passage of water, provides for the water to freely flow away beneath the cladding panel and above the membrane to a drainage point.
• the channels now serve as vents for the moisture to dissipate, hence helps release the moisture pressure exerted on the cladding panel. Consequently, pressure variations of the moisture caused by temperature variations can be released along the or each channel.
• the or each continuous channel is of sufficient cross sectional area to carry all water requiring draining during normal conditions, and to dissipate moisture.
• no effort is required to exclude water and/or moisture from building up beneath the or each cladding panel, or to provide for drainage / vent paths above the cladding panel, due to the provision of a drainage / vent path beneath the cladding panel for such water and/or moisture.
• cladding panels are separated by a gap sufficient to allow thermal expansion. Embodiments of the invention eliminating panel jointing such as bituminous panel jointing thus eliminate concerns over cracking of such panel jointing.
• Embodiments of the present invention omitting panel jointing to fixedly secure cladding panels together, provide for simple maintenance of the cladding panel and underlying layers. Such maintenance can be performed simply by lifting a cladding panel to access and perform maintenance upon the cladding panel or underlying layers, and then returning the cladding panel or a substitute cladding panel into position once maintenance is complete. Such ease of maintenance can eliminate the need for disturbance of the remaining waterproofing construction.
• the or each cladding panel is : pre-fabricated off- site, thus eliminating corresponding on-site construction difficulties.
• the cladding panel comprises a plurality of continuous channels across the bottom surface of the cladding panel.
• the or each channel is preferably configured such that tiling of multiple cladding panels in a cladding construction leads to alignment of a continuous channel of a first cladding panel with a continuous channel of an adjacent cladding panel.
• the plurality of channels are preferably configured such that a continuous channel of a first cladding panel is aligned with a continuous channel of an adjacent cladding panel when tiled, regardless of the orientation of the cladding panels.
• the continuous channels of each cladding panel may be substantially straight, and substantially evenly spaced across the bottom surface of the core material.
• the or each cladding panel is preferably of geometric shape to provide for continuous tiling of the cladding panels to substantially occupy and clad an arbitrarily shaped area. While such shapes may include triangular or hexagonal, square or rectangular cladding panels are preferred both for manufacturing and storage efficiency, and for efficient tiled cladding of building structures which are most often rectangular. Colour schemes or patterns may be implemented by appropriate tiling techniques, and may be easily changed by replacing or altering the location of one or more cladding panels.
• a first set of continuous channels in the bottom surface of the cladding panel may be aligned substantially at right angles to a second set of continuous channels of the cladding panel.
• the first set may be substantially parallel to a side of the cladding panel.
• the first set may be at substantially 45 degrees to a side of the cladding panel.
• the location of the first set and the second set preferably ensures alignment with such channels of a substantially identical cladding panel regardless of orientation of the cladding panels during tiling.
• At least one groove is provided in a top surface of the lightweight core material, and each such groove is occupied by a portion of the rigid casing.
• the portion of the rigid casing occupying the groove in the top surface functions as a strengthening beam, to provide added rigidity and strength to the top portion of the rigid casing and thus to the cladding panel as a whole.
• Such bonding may comprise the use of chemical bonding additives in the rigid concrete casing around the top and sides of the lightweight core material.
• Such bonding may additionally or alternatively comprise the provision of at least one groove in at least one side surface of the lightweight core material, the at least one groove being occupied by a portion of the rigid casing to effect mechanical bonding of the rigid casing to the lightweight core material.
• the at least one groove in the or each side of the lightweight core material may extend substantially parallel to a bottom edge of the lightweight core material, such that the mechanical bonding counteracts lifting of the rigid casing from the lightweight core material.
• the lightweight core material preferably provides thermal insulation.
• the lightweight core material preferably comprises polystyrene foam, such as extruded polystyrene foam board.
• the rigid casing is a concrete casing.
• the concrete casing is preferably formed by placing the core material in a mould which allows space around the four sides of the core and within which the casing can be formed, hi such embodiments, the method of the second aspect of the present invention preferably comprises extending the groove through the bottom portions of the rigid concrete casing by placing inserts in the mould to provide extensions of the grooves in the bottom of the core material and then pouring concrete into the mould to form the concrete casing over the top and around the sides of the core, and over the inserts. Moulding concrete over the lightweight core material further provides for the poured concrete to occupy grooves in the top and/or side surfaces of the lightweight core material prior to setting.
• the lightweight core material and rigid casing are preferably adapted to provide a cladding panel of a weight which is light enough to enable manual manipulation and installation of the cladding panel.
• the weight of the cladding panel is preferably no more than substantially 50 kg, and more preferably no more than substantially 20kg.
• the area of the cladding panel is preferably no more than substantially 5 m .
• the or each cladding panel is preferably of sufficient weight to avoid wind uplift of the cladding panel when installed.
• a cladding panel of substantially 0.3844 m 2 area preferably weighs not less than substantially 14kg.
• Such embodiments provide for an easily installed cladding panel which does not require additional securement of the cladding panel to combat wind uplift.
• preferred embodiments of the invention comprise a rigid concrete casing of about 0.62m x 0.62m in size formed with a high strength concrete additive, having side portions of substantially 10mm thickness, and a top portion having a thickness of substantially 13mm.
• a cladding panel in accordance with such embodiments of the invention can preferably be stacked for storage prior to or after installation, providing for efficient stacking use of storage space. Such stacking is facilitated by bottom portions of the rigid casing extending to the bottom of the cladding panel, such that during stacking such bottom portions of the rigid casing assist in bearing the weight of the cladding panel and of other cladding panels stacked above, and reduces the load bearing requirement upon the core material when stacked.
• the rigid casing is preferably of sufficient strength for the cladding panels to be trafficable by foot, while still protecting the underlying membrane.
• the rigid surface to be clad may comprise a concrete slab of a roof or decking, or other rigid surface requiring cladding.
• the rigid surface may be substantially flat, with a drainage fall provided beneath the membrane, and may be intended for foot traffic. Additionally or alternatively, the rigid surface may be at an angle.
• Figure 1 illustrates a typical roof cladding construction
• Figures 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d are plan, elevation, section and isometric views, respectively, of an extruded polystyrene foam board suitable for fabrication of a cladding panel in accordance with the present invention
• Figure 3 is a flowchart of a process for fabricating a cladding panel from the extruded polystyrene foam board of Figure 2;
• Figures 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d are plan, elevation, section and isometric views, respectively, of the extruded polystyrene foam board of Figure 2 after a groove formation stage of fabrication;
• Figures 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d are plan, elevation, section and isometric views, respectively, of a cladding panel fabricated in accordance with the process of Figure 3 from the extruded polystyrene foam board of Figures 2 and 4;
• Figure 6 is a cross sectional view of a roof cladding construction in accordance with the present invention
• Figure 7a is an exaggerated cross sectional view of a conventional warped polystyrene foam board
• Figure 7b is an exaggerated cross sectional view of a warped polystyrene foam board in accordance with the present invention.
• Figures 8a and 8b are exploded perspective bottom views of the foam board and cement casing of the cladding panel of Figure 5.
• Figures 9a and 9b are exploded perspective cross sectional top views of the foam board and cement casing of the cladding panel of Figure 5.
• Fig. 10a is a perspective top view of a cladding panel according to another embodiment of the present invention.
• Fig. 10b is an exploded cross sectional perspective view of the cladding panel of Figure 10a along B-B;
• Fig. 1 Ia is a perspective bottom view of Fig. 10a;
• Fig. 1 Ib is a perspective bottom view of the casing of the cladding panel of Fig. 10a;
• Fig. 12 is a perspective top view of a foam board for fabrication of a cladding panel of Fig. 10a;
• Fig. 13 is a perspective bottom view of Fig. 12;
• Fig. 14 is a top view of Fig. 12;
• Fig, 15 is a bottom view of Fig. 12;
• Fig. 16 is a side view of Fig. 12;
• Fig. 17 is a flow chart showing a method for fabricating a cladding panel according to one embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 2 illustrates an extruded polystyrene foam board 200 suitable for fabrication of a cladding panel in accordance with the present invention.
• Fig. 2a is a plan view showing the square shape of the foam board 200, the square having sides 202 being 600mm in length.
• Fig. 2b is an elevation view from elevation A in Fig. 2a, illustrating the 50mm thickness of the foam board 200.
• Fig. 2c is a sectional view of the foam board 200 along section X-X in Fig. 2a.
• Fig. 2d is an isometric view of the foam board 200, indicating a top surface 204, side surfaces 206, 208, 210 and 212, and a bottom surface 214.
• Figure 3 is a flowchart of a process 300 for fabricating a cladding panel from the extruded polystyrene foam board 200 of Figure 2.
• the foam board 200 is placed onto a router table to lie on surface 214, and a first set of three grooves are cut into the bottom surface 214 parallel to surface 206, while simultaneously cutting a single groove along surface 206.
• the foam board 200 is rotated 90 degrees, and a second set of three grooves are cut into the bottom surface 214 parallel to surface 208 and perpendicular to the first set of grooves, while simultaneously cutting a single groove along surface 208.
• the foam board 200 is turned over to lie on the top surface 204, and then a third set of three grooves are cut into the top surface 204 parallel to surface 210, while simultaneously cutting a single groove along surface 210.
• the foam board 200 is rotated by 90 degrees, and a fourth set of three grooves are cut into the top surface 204 parallel to surface 212 and thus perpendicular to the third set of grooves, while simultaneously cutting a single groove along surface 212.
• Figure 4 illustrates the extruded polystyrene foam board 200 after stage 308 of the fabrication process 300.
• a first set of grooves 216 in the bottom surface of the foam board 200 are perpendicular to a second set of grooves 218 in the bottom surface of the foam board 200.
• a third set of grooves 220 in the top surface of the foam board 200 are perpendicular to a fourth set of grooves 222 in the top surface of the foam board 200.
• Groove 224 is cut along surface 206 and groove 226 is cut along surface 208. Similar grooves (not referenced) are cut along surfaces 212 and 210.
• the design of the grooves 216, 218, 220, 222, 224, 226, in terms of size, shape and numbers and positioning on the extruded polystyrene foam board 200 has been optimized, as overly large or too many grooves would excessively weaken the extruded polystyrene foam board 200, whilst under-sized grooves or an insufficient number of grooves will not hold the foam board securely within the cement casing and/or provide adequate .water drainages / moisture vents.
• this optimization has resulted in all grooves being cut to a depth of 12mm and with a 12 mm width.
• the grooved foam board 200 is placed centrally in a metal formwork, with gaps of 10mm between the surfaces 206, 208, 210, 212 and the respective walls of the formwork, and with inserts positioned to extend the first set of grooves 216 and the second set of grooves 218 through the rigid concrete casing once formed.
• a pre-mixed self-levelling high strength cement grout with concrete hardener additive is prepared.
• the grout is poured onto the foam board and into the metal formwork, until the surface 204 of the foam board is covered to a depth of 13mm.
• the top surface of the grout is trowelled and finished.
• the grout is left to dry and harden.
• the formed cladding panel is removed from the formwork.
• Fig. 5 illustrates the cladding panel 500 produced after step 320 of process 300.
• the lightweight core material comprising foam board 200 has a rigid concrete casing 502 formed over the top surface 204 and side surfaces 206, 208, 210, 212.
• Fig. 5c it can be seen that the third set of grooves 220 and the fourth set of grooves 222 cut into top surface 204- are occupied by portions of concrete casing 502, which function as beams to increase the strength and rigidity of the top of the rigid casing 502 and thus increase the strength and rigidity of the cladding panel 500.
• Such beams serve to distribute applied weight such as foot traffic to reduce the likelihood of foam board 200 being crushed.
• FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of a roof cladding construction 600 in accordance with the present invention.
• a roof slab 602 is finished with a fall, indicated at 604, to cause water to flow to drain 606 and into downpipe 608.
• the slab 602 is finished smooth to avoid ponding.
• a waterproof membrane 610 is laid down onto the slab 602 and extends a height 612 of 300mm up the inside of walls 614, which in turn have a waterproof coating 616.
• a plurality of cladding panels 618 of the type illustrated in Figure 5 are laid directly over the membrane 610, with the concrete surface facing upwards and the bottom surface 214 of foam board 200 against membrane 610. Cladding panels 618 are laid out in a tile pattern to substantially cover the roof area, withstand foot traffic and protect membrane 610. Gaps, indicated at 620, of 5mm are left between the cladding panels 618 to allow for thermal expansion.
• water is freely allowed to pass down between the cladding panels 618.
• the provision of continuous drainage channels in the underside of the cladding panels and above the membrane 610 provides for free flow of such water into drain 606. Should the drainage channels back up during particularly heavy rainfall, water is nevertheless free to flow over the top of the cladding panels to the drain 606, as the top surface of the cladding panels 618 has the same drainage fall as the membrane layer 610.
• Figure 7a is an exaggerated cross sectional view of a conventional polystyrene foam board 700, warped due to the effect of surrounding temperature / humidity.
• Tension stress 702 and compression stress 704 are generated which cause the foam board 700 to warp.
• tear or damage 706 are possibly taken place at top and/or bottom surfaces of the foam board 700.
• Figure 7b is an exaggerated cross sectional view of a polystyrene foam board 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the manner in which grooves 216 and 222 assist in releasing stress caused by warpage of the polystyrene foam board 200.
• warping may be caused for example by temperature variations and/or pressure caused by moistures to which the foam board 200 is subjected.
• Figures 8 a and 8b are exploded perspective bottom views of the foam board 200 and the cement casing 502 of the cladding panel 500 of Figure 5.
• Figures 9a and 9b are exploded perspective cross sectional top views of the foam board and cement casing of the cladding panel of Figure 5.
• grooves 220 and 222 in the top surface of foam board 200 lead to portions of concrete casing 502 residing in grooves 220 and 222 to function as beams 504.
• a prefabricated lightweight composite cladding panel made of cement and extruded polystyrene foam board for use on concrete roof decks and floors as a thermal insulating and protection medium for any underlying waterproofing membrane on the concrete roof deck and floors, incorporating a water drainage and moisture vent system and providing a surface for light human traffic.
• Pre-fabrication in accordance with the process of Figure 3 avoids the problems associated with on-site wet works construction for concrete roof decks and floors. Quality can be maintained as the cladding panels 500, 618 are manufactured in a controlled environment.
• the pre-fabricated cladding panels 500, 618 are high strength, with thermal insulating properties, are easy to handle, simple to install and allow for easy maintenance of the roof deck 602 and/or the waterproofing membrane 610.
• foam board 200 Different sizes and thicknesses of foam boards may be utilized to achieve different thicknesses of the finished cladding panel and different thermal insulating properties.
• the dimensions of foam board 200 are 50mm thick by 600mm width by 600mm length. Typical specifications of the polystyrene foam board 200 are listed below. :
• the dimensions of the finished cladding panel 500 is 63mm thick by 620mm width by 620mm length.
• the size and thermal insulating properties of the cladding panel 500 can be customized using different sizes of extruded polystyrene foam board.
• composition of the pre-mixed, self leveling, high strength cement grout is listed below.
• the continuous drainage / vent channels of cladding panels 618 form a drainage / vent grid over membrane 610.
• the drainage / vent grid provides a system of outlets for residual water to discharge to the gutters and to drain 606, minimizing the risk of water stagnating below the cladding panels 618.
• the drainage / vent grid also provides a system of outlets for residual moisture to dissipate. , This reduces the risk of pressure from expanding moisture acting on the extruded polystyrene foam board 200 and the cement casing 502 causing cracks, thus minimizing possible water leakage.
• the cladding panels 618 may be simply lifted up and placed aside, without necessitating damage to the roof construction 600. On completion of maintenance work, the cladding panels can be laid back on the waterproofing membrane to re-instate roof cladding. Such cladding panels further provide a modular cladding construction 600, enabling each single cladding panel to be separately replaced if required. Further, the cladding panels 618 may be used to implement a graphic design on the roof deck, by having colored cladding panels 618 and/or shaping and arranging the cladding panels 618 to form a desired pattern.
• a cladding panel 800 according to a further embodiment of the present invention includes a core 810 and a casing 820.
• Core 810 is a polystyrene foam, firstly molded to a foam board 802.
• Foam board 802 has a main body 830 of about 970mm x 970mm x 50mm in size.
• first set of grooves 832 and 834 are formed, dividing top surface 830a of the main body 830 into a 4x4 array of sub-areas 836 (only four are marked in Fig. 12 for illustration) of substantially the same size.
• second set of grooves 842 and 844 there are formed a second set of grooves 842 and 844, as shown in Fig. 13. Similarly, second set of grooves 842 and 844 divides bottom surface 830b into a 4x4 array of sub-areas 846 each of which is positioned corresponding to one sub-area 836 at top surface 830a.
• An opening 838 (only four are marked in Fig. 12 for illustration) is formed at the center of each sub-area 836 and 846. Each opening 838 extends from top surface 83Oa to bottom surface 830b of main body 830.
• second set of grooves 844 and 846 each has a dead end, as shown in
• each of the second sets of grooves 844 and 846 is a closed groove having a lug 850 formed at each end.
• Each lug 850 is projected outwardly from a respective side surface 830c of main body 830.
• cement or concrete material is cast onto the foam board 802 to form a casing 820 enclosing top surface 830a and side surfaces 830c of foam board 802. Due to the presence of openings 838, the cement or concrete material flows into each of the openings 838 and upon curing, the portion filled in each of the openings 838 forms an array of columns 828 (only four are marked in Fig. 1 IA for illustration) and more clearly, in Fig. 1 IB.
• lugs 850 block the cement or concrete material from covering the full area of side surface 830c.
• notches 860 are formed on the casing 820, at positions corresponding to each lug 850.
• lugs 850 are removed to open each of the second sets of grooves 842 and 844, forming channels 870 extending through opposite side surfaces of cladding panel 800, as shown in Fig. 1 IA.
• the cladding panel has a dimension of about
• cladding panels are laid on the roof of a building, in a way similar to that described in the previous embodiments, with channels 870 in alignment with the channels of an adjacent cladding panel.
• a channel network is therefore formed on the roof which serves the purpose of draining away rain waters or other types of moistures.
• columns 828 As the columns 828 are extended from top and bottom surfaces of the cladding panel, these columns firmly bind core 810 and casing 820 together. To this extend, chemical binders may be added to increase the bonding strength. In addition, columns 828 provide a strong support to the reinforce the strength and rigidity of cladding panel. Accordingly, cladding panels fabricated according to the present embodiment may be of a size larger than that provided under the previous embodiments. In turn, the total number of cladding panels to be laid on a given roof surface area is less, hence a saving of labour costs required to carry out the installation and/or maintenance work. Further, columns 828 may also serve to withstand a relatively heavy human traffic on the cladding panel when needed to, for example, carry out any roof investigation and/or maintenance work.
• the present embodiment makes it possible to fabricate the intermediate foam board by molding, which further enjoys the high productivity and hence cost benefit.
• a method 900 of fabricating a cladding panel according to the present embodiment is illustrated in Fig, 17.
• At least one groove is formed in a bottom surface of a core material, as shown in block 902.
• At each end portion of the groove there is formed a lug blocking the groove, and projected outwardly from the side surface of the core material, as shown in block 904.
• at least one opening is formed on the core material, as shown in block 906.
• a rigid casing is then formed by casting a cement or concrete material onto the core material, shown in block 908 by which, part of cement or concrete material is filled into the at least one opening.
• the rigid casing Upon curing of the cement or concrete material, as shown in block 910, the rigid casing is formed with at least one column with the portion filled into the opening, and one or more notches at the positions where the lugs are located. The lugs are then removed to form the cladding panel, as shown in block 912,

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Architecture (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
• Electromagnetism (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Building Environments (AREA)
• Road Paving Structures (AREA)
• Finishing Walls (AREA)
• Roof Covering Using Slabs Or Stiff Sheets (AREA)

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• 2005
  • 2005-10-05 SG SG200506472-0A patent/SG131776A1/en unknown
• 2006
  • 2006-04-28 AU AU2006297907A patent/AU2006297907A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2006-04-28 EP EP06733554A patent/EP1931835A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2006-04-28 KR KR1020087010356A patent/KR20080068832A/ko not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2006-04-28 WO PCT/SG2006/000111 patent/WO2007040461A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2006-04-28 CN CNA2006800371683A patent/CN101283149A/zh active Pending

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