EP2438252A2

EP2438252A2 - Cladding system for external walls of buildings

Info

Publication number: EP2438252A2
Application number: EP10730735A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bruno Sargentini
Original assignee: Same SRL
Current assignee: Same SRL
Priority date: 2009-06-05
Filing date: 2010-06-01
Publication date: 2012-04-11
Also published as: CN102459779A; WO2010139681A3; US20120073222A1; WO2010139681A2

Abstract

A cladding system (1; 100) for external walls of buildings is disclosed, comprising a support element (2) designed to be fixed to a masonry wall (P), a finish panel (3) designed to be fixed to the support element (2) at a certain distance from the masonry wall (P), in such a way to generate at least one air space (I1, I2, I3), at least one insulation panel (6) arranged between the masonry wall (P) and the finish panel (3), and spacing elements (25) provided on said support element (2) to space out said at least one insulation panel (6) from wall (P) and finish panel (3), in such a way to generate at least two air spaces (I1, I2, I3).

Description

Cladding system for external walls of buildings

The present patent application for industrial invention relates to a cladding system for external walls of buildings.

Two types of cladding systems of external walls of a building are known in the building industry: ventilated wall and overcoat wall. The cladding system for ventilated wall generally comprises: - insulation panels applied on the external surface of the wall,

- anchoring brackets fixed to the wall, and

- cladding sheets supported by the anchoring brackets to generate an air ventilation chamber between insulation panels and cladding sheets.

In this way, during the cold season, the heat loss between ventilated chamber and outside is very small, increasing the insulation value of the insulation, with consequent energy saving on heating of internal rooms. Instead, during the hot season, the speed of the air flow in the ventilated chamber increases, thus dissipating heat from the wall, with consequent considerable saving on air-conditioning costs of internal rooms. However, said ventilated walls are impaired by some drawbacks, because it must be considered that the insulation panel is in direct contact with the plaster of the masonry wall. Consequently, condensation can be created between masonry wall and insulation panel, thus deteriorating both the insulation panel and the plaster of the external wall. Condensation infiltrates in the wall, causing humidity in internal rooms, with anti-aesthetical mould that generates bad odors. On the other hand, the ventilated air flow affects only the external side of the insulation panel, and does not contribute to eliminate the condensation formed on the internal side of the insulation panel. In traditional cladded walls, the insulation panel is in contact with the external wall and is protected by plastic mesh and plaster. Also in this case, condensation is often formed, and cladding is always too fragile, thus making deformation of the wall possible in case of small shocks. GB 2 435 446 discloses an insulation material for cavities of walls, comprising plastic bubble material laminated on both sides with aluminum sheets.

FR 2 480 834 discloses a wall cladding material composed of mutually overlapped plates. GB 2 401 188 discloses an insulation material designed to be disposed between an internal door and an external door.

According to the precepts of the prior art, the thickness of said insulation layer is increased to improve the thermal effect of the insulation layer.

The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art, by providing a cladding system for external walls of buildings that is efficient, shock-resistant, efficacious and able to maximize wall insulation and at the same time prevent the formation of condensation.

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide such a cladding system for external walls that is versatile, inexpensive and simple to install. These purposes are achieved by the present invention, the features of which are claimed in the independent claim 1.

Advantageous embodiments are disclosed in the dependent claims.

The cladding system for external walls of buildings of the invention comprises:

- a static support element designed to be fixed to an external masonry wall, - a finish panel designed to be fixed to said support element at a certain distance from the masonry wall, in such a way to generate at least one air space, and

- at least one insulation panel disposed between said masonry wall and said finish panel. The system of the invention also comprises spacing elements provided on said support element to space out said at least one insulation panel from the wall and from the finish panel, in such a way to generate at least two air spaces. In particular, at least two insulation panels are provided, being disposed between said wall and said finish wall, and spaced out by means of spacing elements, in such a way to generate at least three air spaces. The advantages of the cladding system of the invention are evident, since it allows for creation of multiple air spaces to maximize the insulation effect of the external wall. Moreover, such a system guarantees that air is in contact with the surface of the masonry wall to be cladded, thus avoiding the formation of condensation. Additional characteristics of the invention will appear evident from the detailed description below, which refers to merely illustrative, not limiting embodiments, illustrated in the enclosed drawings, wherein:

- Fig. 1 is an exploded diagrammatic cross-sectional view along to a horizontal plane showing a first embodiment of the cladding system for external walls of the invention;

- Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cladding system of Fig. 1 in assembled condition;

- Fig. 3 is a perspective top view of the cladding system of Fig. 2;

- Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view along a horizontal plane of variant of the cladding system of Fig. 2;

- Fig. 5 is an exploded diagrammatic cross-sectional view along to a horizontal plane showing a second embodiment of the cladding system for external walls of the invention; and

- Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the cladding system of Fig. 5 in assembled condition.

- Figure 7 is an axonometric diagrammatic view of a section of building provided with cladded insulation according to the invention;

- Figure 8 is an axonometric view of the rod of the first module of the apparatus devised for the actuation of said method; - Figure 9 is an axonometric view of the top section of the same rod of fig. 8;

- Figures 10 - 12 are three views (a front, a back and a side view) of the same rod of fig. 8;

- Figure 13 is a partial enlarged view of fig. 11 ;

- Figure 14 is a partial enlarged view of fig. 12; - Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view with a transversal plane of fig. 14;

- Figure 16 is an axonometric view of the rod of the second module of the apparatus of the invention; - Figure 17 is an axonometric view of the rod of the third module of the apparatus of the invention;

- Figures 18 and 19 are two cross-sectional views of fig. 17, respectively with a longitudinal and a transversal plane; - Figure 20 is an axonometric view of the rod of the fourth module of the apparatus of the invention;

- Figure 21 is a diagrammatic view of an insulation panel during installation by means of the apparatus of the invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 - 3 a first embodiment of the cladding system for external walls according to the invention is disclosed, being generally indicated with numeral (1 ).

The figures show a masonry wall (M) that must be cladded with the cladding system (1 ). The masonry wall (M) can be made of bricks covered with plaster.

The masonry wall (M) is provided with blind holes (F) to fix a bracket (2). The bracket (2) comprises:

- a first plate (20) designed to touch the wall (M),

- a second plate (21 ) parallel and spaced from the first plate (20), and

- a shelf (22) that connects the two plates (20, 21 ).

The shelf (22) is disposed according to a vertical plane orthogonal to the two plates (20, 21 ).

The first plate (20) is provided with holes (23) to be disposed in register with the holes (F) of the wall and receive bolts (4) that are fixed inside the holes (F) of the wall with plugs, such as chemical wall plugs made of expanding materials that expand to block the bolts (4) inside the hole (F). The second plate (21 ) is provided with holes (24) to fix finish panels (3), such as ceramic tiles, marble material, slabs obtained by processing minerals and similar materials. To that end the holes (24) of the second plate are threaded and the finish panels (3) are provided with through holes (30) to receive screws (5) that are screwed into the threaded holes (24) of the second plate. The holes (30) of the cladding panels (3) are provided with enlarged end (31 ) to receive the head of the screws (5), in such a way that the head of the screws (5) does not protrude with respect to the external surface of the cladding panel (3).

Two pairs of ribs (25) protrude from both sides of the shelf (22). The ribs (25) are disposed according to planes parallel to the plates (20, 21 ). Between each pair of ribs (25) a groove (26) is obtained to receive the border of an insulation panel (6). The ribs (25) are provided with end borders (27) that are suitably tapered to act as invitation for insertion of the insulation panels (6). The axes of the grooves are equidistant with respect to each other and to the first plate (20) and second plate (21 ). The bracket (2) is made of one piece of plastic material, such as polyvinylchloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP) and similar materials. The bracket (2) is a section that can be obtained by means of extrusion or molding process. Advantageously, the bracket (2) is very long and cut in such a way to adjust to the height of the wall (from floor to floor). The thickness of the bracket (2), measured from the contact surface of the first plate (20) to the contact surface of the second plate is approximately 6 - 10 cm.

The first plate (20) is approximately 9 - 12 cm wide, whereas the second plate (21 ) is approximately 5 - 6 cm wide. The ribs (20) protrude from the shelf (22) for approximately 15 - 30 mm. The insulation panels (6) are preferably also of sound-resistant, sound- absorbing and reflective type. For example, each panel (6) can comprise a layer of air bubble polyethylene (61 ) arranged in sandwich configuration between two sheets of metal reflective material (60), such as aluminum. In such a case, the insulation panels (6) have thickness of about 7 mm; whereas the grooves (26) of the bracket (2) have width of about 9 mm to allow for easy assembly of insulation panels (6) with some clearance. Referring to Fig. 3, in order to mount the cladding system (1 ), the brackets (2) are fixed to the wall (M) in vertical direction and mutually spaced, in accordance with the width of the insulation panels (6) and finish panels (3). Then, the insulation panels (6) are fitted in the air spaces (26) between two adjacent brackets (2); whereas the finish panels (3) are fitted by means of screws (5) to the second plates (21 ) of two adjacent vertical brackets. Referring in particular to Figs. 2 and 3, when the cladding system (1 ) is mounted on the wall (M), three air spaces (11 , I2, I3) are formed.

The first air space (11 ) is generated between the wall (M) and the first insulation panel (6), the second air space (I2) is generated between the two insulation panels (6) and the third air space (I3) is generated between the second insulation panel (6) and the finish panel (3).

Referring to Fig. 3, it must be noted that the first air space (11 ) affects a large surface (M1 ) of the wall, between the two first plates (20) of the two brackets.

Moreover, the first plates (20) are in contact with the plaster of the wall (M) that is generally irregular (not perfectly flat), consequently, a thin air space

(14) is generated between the first plates (20) and the wall (M) in communication with the first air space (11 ).

So the entire external surface of the wall (M) is constantly affected by an air chamber that prevents the formation of condensation and humidity. In the following text identical elements or elements that correspond to elements that have already been described are indicated with the same reference numerals, omitting their detailed description.

Fig. 4 shows a variant of the first embodiment of the cladding system (1 ). In such a case, the shelf (22) of the bracket is provided with individual ribs (25) that act as stops for the insulation panels (6) to adjust their position and planarity. In such a case, glue (C) is applied on the ribs (25) to fix the end of the insulation panel (6).

Figures 5 and 6 show a second embodiment of the cladding system of the invention, generally indicated with numeral (100). The cladding system (100) comprises a threaded pin (102) that is fixed into a hole (F) of the wall (M), in such a way that part of the pin (102) protrudes from the wall.

A first washer (125) is screwed onto the threaded pin (102) at a distance from the wall (P) sufficient to generate a first air space (11 ). A first insulation panel (6) is forced onto the pin (102) in such a way that it is perforated and comes in contact with the first washer (125) that acts as stop spacer. A second washer (125') is screwed onto the threaded pin (102) at a distance from the first insulation panel (6) sufficient to generate a second air space

(I2).

A second insulation panel (6) is forced onto the pin (102) in such a way that it is perforated and comes in contact with the second washer (125') that acts as stop spacer.

Then a coupling element (108) is screwed onto the pin (102) to fix the finish panel (3). The coupling element (108) is preferably made of a section with basically rectangular hollow cross-section, which is provided with a first threaded hole (180) to be screwed onto the pin (102) and a second threaded hole (181 ) to receive a fixing screw (105) that crosses the hole (30) of the finish panel.

A lock-nut (107) is screwed onto the pin (102) before the coupling (108) to adjust and fix the coupling (108) in position. Referring to Fig. 7, the method of the invention provides that each insulation panel (P) with basically rectangular shape is mounted on the outside of masonry walls (M) of a building with interposition of support means (MS) designed to keep it detached from the same wall.

In view of the action of said support means (MS) a "packet" with multiple layers of said insulation panels (P) is created, with formation of an air chamber (C) in intermediate position between the various insulation panels

(P)-

The insulation panels (P) are concealed by rigid covering panels (PT) made of wood, brick, metal, etc. designed to be fixed on the front of the support means (MS) of the insulation panels (P).

The method of the invention is actuated by means of the especially designed modular apparatus.

The first module of said apparatus consists in the rod (201 ) that is expressly shown in figures from 8 to 15. The function of said rod (201 ) is to maintain a traditional non-self bearing insulation panel (P) in operating position on the front of the masonry wall; more precisely, a similar function is carried out by two adjacent specimens of said rod (201 ), in such a way that each of them holds one of the longitudinal borders of the same panel (P), as shown in Fig. 7.

In particular, the rod (201 ) obtained from molding plastic materials (preferably copolymer polypropylene), is provided with a special double-T cross-section, wherein two symmetrically opposite wings are identified, respectively representing the front longitudinal wall (2a) and the back longitudinal wall (2b) of said rod (201 ) and being centrally connected by means of a perpendicular partition (203). Three identical pairs of regularly spaced longitudinal ribs (4a, 4b) protrude from each side of said partition (203), each of them defining an intermediate longitudinal conduit (205); it can be said that the pairs of ribs (4a, 4b), when seen in cutaway view, suggest the shape of comb teeth. On the other hand, in each of said pairs, the first rib (4a) facing the front wall (2a) is always provided with lower depth than the second rib (4b). With special reference to Fig. 9, the upper end of said rod (201 ) is characterized in that it is provided, in correspondence of said central partition (203), with a "Latin-cross" rib (206), wherein the longitudinal section (6a) has the same length as the partition (203) and the length of the transversal section (6b) situated towards the lateral end of said partition (203) is the same as the width of the partition (203).

The lower end of the rod (201 ) is provided with a basically wedge-shaped profile, wherein the back wall (2b) covers the entire height of said rod (201 ), whereas the corresponding front wall (2a) is interrupted at a considerably higher height than the lower horizontal border of the back wall (2b). To obtain a suitable connection between the two walls (2a, 2b), also the pair of ribs (4a, 4b) are disposed with lower end at "scaled" height with respect to the lower horizontal border of the back wall (2b).

Referring to Fig. 14, it must be noted that the lower end of the pair (CP) of ribs closer to the back longitudinal wall (2b) of the rod (201 ) is disposed at the same height as the horizontal border of the rod (201 ), the lower end of the central pair (CC) of said ribs is disposed at higher height than the lower end of said back pair (CP) and the lower end of the pair (CA) of ribs closer to the front wall (2a) of the rod (201 ) is disposed at higher height than the lower end of said central pair (CC) of ribs.

Within such a structural configuration, it is also provided that a central strip (208) protrudes downwards from the lower horizontal border of the front wall (2a) of said rod (201 ), the lower horizontal border of which is disposed at higher height than the front pair (CA) of ribs (4a, 4b).

Another peculiarity of the lower end of the rod (201 ) consists in the fact that the front wall (2a) is joined, at the height of the base horizontal border, with the first rib (4a) of the front pair (CA) by means of a gutter-shaped concave profile (7a) that in such a way closes from the bottom the space created between them for the entire height of the rod (201 ); special reference is made to Figs. 13-15.

Two identical gutter-shaped sections (7b, 7c) are respectively provided in intermediate position between the second rib (4b) of the front pair (CA) and the first rib (4a) of the central pair (CC) and in intermediate position between the second rib (4b) of the central pair (CC) and the first rib (4a) of the back pair (CP).

Moreover, it must be noted that said gutter-shaped profiles (7a, 7b, 7c) are disposed at considerably higher height than the lower end of the first ribs (4a), thus determining the formation, immediately below each of them, of a corresponding overturned-U shaped housing (8a, 8b, 8b). As shown in Fig. 15, the three gutter-shaped profiles (7a, 7b, 7c) are provided with V-shaped tilted transversal borders that converge towards the back wall (2b) of the rod (201 ). On the outside of said back wall (2b) a regularly spaced series of raised sections (209) with basically ashlared configuration is provided. At the height of said ashlared sections (209) cylindrical holes with horizontal axis (9a) are provided, crossing the entire section of the rod (1 ), in correspondence of the partition (3) that acts as coupling between the back wall (2b) and the front wall (2a).

Fig. 16 shows the second module of the apparatus of the invention, which consists in a rod (210) that generally corresponds to the afore-described rod (201 ).

It must be noted that, whereas the afore-described rod (201 ) is designed to be mounted at the base of the vertical masonry wall (M) to be insulated, the rod (210) representing the second module of the apparatus of the invention is designed to be mounted above the first one.

For the sake of descriptive simplicity, the rod (201 ) representing the first module is defined as "base rod" and the rod (210) representing the second module is defined as "upper rod". It must be noted that the use of the latter definitions must not be considered as limitative, since that they do not mean that the two rods (201 , 210) must be necessarily mounted in vertical position (in front of a wall of a building); in fact, they can be mounted, one after another, also in horizontal position, in correspondence of a floor or a ceiling of a building. In any case the peculiarity of said second module (210) consists in that it is provided with a flat section, similar to the upper ending section of the rod (201 ,) in correspondence of both the upper and the lower end. However, in correspondence of the upper end, the second module (210) is provided with a cross-shaped rib (206) that corresponds exactly to the one provided in similar position on the top of said first module (201 ); whereas in correspondence of the lower end it is provided with a corresponding cross- shaped impression (211 ).

The rib (206) and the impression (21 1 ) are designed to cooperate, by means of male-female coupling, when the lower end of one of said second modules (210) is engaged against the upper end of an identical lower module (210) or against the upper end of a lower specimen of first module (21 ), when multiple specimens of rods (201 , 210) are stacked vertically.

Figures 17 and 21 respectively refer to the third (300) and fourth (400) module of the apparatus of the invention that, in their general lines, correspond to said first (201 ) and second module (210). The only difference with respect to the latter is that the two additional modules (300, 400) are provided with pairs (CA, CC, CP) of ribs (4a, 4b) only in one of the sides of the intermediate partition (230); it can be otherwise said that said modules (300, 400) are provided with a basically C-shaped cross-section, as shown in fig. 19.

In view of the above, the other side of the partition (230) is perfectly flat and, in order not to impair said planarity, also the front (20a) and back (20b) walls of said modules (300, 400) laterally protrude only in correspondence of the side from which the three pairs of ribs (CA, CC, CP) protrude.

Referring to Fig. 21 , the fifth module of the apparatus of the invention consists in a thin cylindrical bar (212) provided with such a cross-section that each end can be forced from down up inside one of said overturned-U shaped housings (8a, 8b, 8c) obtained in the lower end of the rod (201 ) that represents the first module of the apparatus of the invention.

The sixth module of the apparatus consists in a template (213), practically a list provided at the ends with two orthogonal pins with the same cross-section as the holes (9a) that thoroughly cross the rods (201 , 210, 300, 400) that represent the first four modules.

The function of the template (213) is to facilitate, as described below, the adjacent mounting of a pair of said first four modules.

The template (213) is useful not only because it allows to establish perfect parallelism between two specimens of said rods (201 , 210, 300, 400), but also because it allows to mount the latter at a distance that certainly corresponds to the width of the insulation panel (P) to be supported.

This is because the template (213) has a length that corresponds to the width of the panel (P).

Figure 21 shows a special clamp (214) that represents the seventh module of the apparatus of the invention, designed to be used, as illustrated below, to mount the insulation panels (P) between two specimens disposed next to said first four modules (201 , 210, 300, 400).

In particular, the clamp (214) is formed of a bar with horizontal direction (14a), to which two prehensile branches (14b) are hung near the corresponding ends, being designed to grab and hold the upper horizontal border of an insulation panel (P).

Referring to figs. 7 and 21 , the description continues with reference to the installation and cooperation modes of said modules of the apparatus of the invention, assuming that the insulation panels they are designed to support must be disposed in vertical position in front of a wall of the building. In such a situation, the first operation is to fix a pair of said "base rods" (201 ) against the wall to be insulated (M), with lower end in proximity of the floor and the back wall (2b) engaged against said wall (M).

For mounting purposes, bolts not shown in the enclosed figures are used, being designed to cross the through holes (9a) provided in each rod (201 ) and to engage in the wall (M). It must be noted that the interference between each rod (201 ) and the wall (M) is actually established between the latter and the ashlared sections (209) provided on the back wall (2b) of each rod (201 ).

Such a condition provides a double advantage, in consideration of the fact that said ashlared sections (209) protrude with respect to the surface of the back wall (2b) and the ashlars have a pyramidal profile that ends with a rather pointed vertex.

The protuberance of the ashlars is necessary to establish a distance, that is to say a free air space, between the back wall (2b) of the rod (201 ) and the masonry wall (M); this avoids the direct contact between the two different materials - reference is made to the plastic material of the rod (201 ) and to the brickwork (M) of the bearing wall - and consequently the occurrence of possible intermediate condensation phenomena and the creation of thermal bridges that would impair the efficacy of insulation. On the other hand, it appears evident that the double advantageous effect is favored by the considerably pointed profile of the ashlars adopted in the ashlared sections (209), because they create punctiform contact with the masonry (M) that affects a very small surface directly.

It is worthless saying that the correct installation of an adjacent pair of said rods (201 ) is guaranteed by the use of said template (213). In particular, its use provides for the leveled fixing of one of the rods (201 ) against the masonry wall (M); it being a non-permanent fixing, meaning that at least one of said through holes (9a) must remain free from its fixing bolt. Now the template (13) is engaged against the front wall (2a) of the rod (1 ), in such a way that one of said pins can be engaged inside the free hole (9a) of the rod (201 ).

So the opposite pin of the template (213) becomes the reference element for the correct installation of the second specimen of the rod (201 ).

The latter must be fixed to the masonry (M) only after obtaining the perfect insertion of said second pin of the template (213) inside the hole (9a) that, in this second rod, occupies the same height as the one occupied, on the rod that is already fixed to the wall, by the hole that houses the first pin of the template (13).

Once the two specimens of the base rod (201 ) are correctly mounted, the template (213) is removed; after freeing the holes (9a) of the two rods (201 ) that previously housed said pins, the bolts designed to be engaged in the masonry (M) are inserted. After fixing a similar pair of base rods (201 ) and by using the same template (213), the top of each base rod (201 ) is coupled with a corresponding specimen of one of said upper rods (210), which is then screwed onto the masonry (M) as illustrated above. During such a consecutive assembly of a base rod (201 ) and an upper rod (210), a very important function is carried out by the prismatic coupling obtained between the upper end of the base rod (201 ) and the lower end of the upper rod (210).

Reference is made to the male-female coupling obtained when the cross- shaped impression (21 1 ) provided on the lower end of the upper rod (210) is perfectly matched with the corresponding rib (26) provided on the upper end of the base rod (201 ).

The presence of such a prismatic coupling with "rib/cross-shaped impression" system is crucial to prevent the two consecutive rods (201 , 210) from mutually sliding in X and Y direction and losing the perfect alignment that is a mandatory condition for the good operation of the apparatus of the invention. To that end it must be noted that, in particular, such a consecutive assembly of the rods (201 , 210) must guarantee that their longitudinal conduits (205), which are defined by corresponding series of ribs (4a, 4b) on both rods, are aligned perfectly.

This is because each of the longitudinal conduits (205) is designed, for the entire height of the apparatus of the invention, to house and contain one of the vertical borders of an insulation panel (P) that is inserted inside it, starting from the lower "wedge-shaped" end of the base rod (201 ) as illustrated below. It is worthless saying that, although so far the installation of the apparatus of the invention provides for the consecutive assembly of one specimen of the base rod (201 ) and of only one specimen of the upper rod (210), one or more additional specimens of the upper rod (210) can be installed above the previous one, in accordance with the total height of the masonry wall (M). The above explains how the two vertical "series" of said rods (201 , 210), which are now firmly fixed to the masonry wall (M), can contain and support the longitudinal borders of an insulation panel (P) designed to be mounted on the front of said wall (M).

It must be noted that, in any case, each vertical series of said rods (201 , 210), being provided with said longitudinal conduits (205) on both sides, can support said insulation panels (P) either on the right-hand side and or the left- hand side, thus occupying an intermediate position between the two panels. Referring now to the mounting process, it must be noted that each rod (201 , 210), being provided with three pairs (CA, CC, CP) of said ribs (4a, 4b) on each side, can be coupled with three corresponding specimens of the same insulation panel (P). As mentioned above, each of said pairs of ribs (4a, 4b) defines a longitudinal conduit (205) and each of said conduits (205) is designed to receive one of the vertical borders of an insulation panel (P).

This means that each of said rods (201 , 210) is provided with three of said conduits (205) on each side and can be therefore coupled with three different insulation panels (P) designed to form the aforementioned "packet" with empty intermediate spaces that is shown in Fig. 7.

Moreover, it must be noted that the three specimens of said insulation panels (P) must be mounted in a sequence, meaning that the first panel to be mounted is the panel designed to be inserted in the conduit (205) defined, on said rods (201 , 210), by the back pair (CP) of ribs (4a, 4b), the second panel to be mounted is the panel designed to be inserted in the conduit (205) defined by the central pair (CC) of ribs (4a, 4b) and the third panel to be mounted is the panel designed to be inserted in the conduit (205) defined by the front pair (CA) of said ribs (4a, 4b).

It is reaffirmed that the insertion of each panel (P) must be carried out starting from the lower "wedge-shaped" end of the two base rods (201 ), by valuably using the thin cylindrical bar (212), as shown in Fig. 21. In particular, the bar (212) must be mounted in such a way that one of its ends is forced, from down up, inside the overturned-U shaped housing (8c) provided on one of said rods (201 ) opposite the conduit (205) defined by the back pair (CP) of ribs (4a, 4b) and the other end is similarly engaged in the corresponding housing (8c) provided on the adjacent rod (201 ). The function of said bar (212) is better understood when considering that the insulation panels (P) designed to be mounted between the two adjacent series of rods (201 , 210) have a soft, flexible structure that can be basically assimilated to the structure of a rectangular cloth made of heavy fabric. Moreover, it must be noted that these panels are normally unrolled from large coils with length higher than the wall to be cladded.

Therefore they are "presented" in front of the lower end of the two adjacent bars (201 ) in horizontal position, and are then inserted vertically in said conduits (5), after covering a 90 " trajectory with down-up direction. To that end, the longitudinal borders of a similar panel (P) are inserted in the conduits (205) that, on the two opposite rods (1 ), are defined by the back pairs (CP) of ribs (4a, 4b).

So, the change of forward movement, from the horizontal to the vertical plane, is favored by the presence of said cylindrical bar (212) inserted in the U- shaped housing (8c) slightly opposite the two conduits (205) defined by the back pairs (CP) of ribs (4a, 4b).

In such a position, the bar (212) represents the transversal element against which the insulation panel (P) energetically interferes, suffering the change of forward movement from the horizontal to the vertical plane. In order to insert a second insulation panel (P) inside the conduits (205) that, on the two opposite rods (201 ), are defined by the central pairs (CC) of ribs (4a, 4b), the bar (212) must be removed from the previous position and inserted in the two opposite housings (8b) immediately opposite said conduits (205).

Finally, it is worthless saying that the bar (212) must be inserted in the two housings (8a) of the two rods (201 ) in order to insert a third specimen of the insulation panel (P) inside the conduits (205) defined by the front opposite pairs (CA) of ribs (4a, 4b).

In order to improve the efficacy and balance of the forward movement of each insulation panel (P) along the vertical conduits (205) of two adjacent specimens of rod (201 ), the additional module of the apparatus of the invention as shown in Fig. 21 must be used. Once the longitudinal borders of an insulation panel (P) are inserted, for a short section, into the lower ends of said vertical conduits (205), the front transversal border (BT) of said panel (P) is grabbed at the two lateral ends by the two prehensile branches (14b) that protrude vertically from a horizontal bar (14a), in the centre of which a string (14c) is fixed in upper position. Therefore, the person responsible for installation of said panels (P) must simply pull the string (14c) upwards to raise the horizontal bar (14a) and make the insulation panel (P), which is joined to it, slide upwards to complete the insertion of its longitudinal borders inside the corresponding conduits (205) obtained on the adjacent series of vertical rods (201 , 210). Referring to Fig. 15, it must be noted that the complete insertion of said longitudinal borders of the panel (P) into the corresponding conduits (205) is guided and facilitated by the fact that each of said borders is subjected in sequence to the invitation and guide action, towards the bottom of said conduit (205), exerted by the tilted border of said gutter-shaped-section (7c) that occupies a position immediately before the conduit (205) and by the first front rib (4a), with lower width, of the pair (CP) that defines the same conduit (205). Also the third and fourth module (300, 400) of the apparatus of the invention - that it to say the modules provided with a basically C-shaped cross-section and with pairs of ribs (4a, 4b) on one side only. - can be mounted one after the other, according to the same modes and with the same purposes illustrated for the cooperation of said first (201 ) and second (210) module. However, it must be noted that the specific destination of the third (300) and fourth (400) "asymmetric" modules is to be mounted on a masonry wall (M) flush with the border of a window or French window or possibly in a corner of the building; in a situation, that is to say, in which it is impossible to mount an insulation panel (P) also on the "external" side of said rods (300, 400).

Claims

1 ) Cladding system (1 ; 100) for external walls of buildings, comprising:

- a support element (2; 102; MS) designed to be fixed to a wall (M) of the building,

- a finish panel (3; PT) designed to be fixed to said support element (2; 102; MS) at a certain distance from the wall (M), in such a way to generate at least one air space (11 , I2, I3), and

- at least one insulation panel (6; P) arranged between said wall (M) and said finish panel (3; PT),

- spacing elements (25; 125, 125') provided on said support element (2; 102) to space out said at least one insulation panel (6; P) from wall (M) and finish panel (3: PT) in such a way to generate at least two air spaces (11 , I2, I3), characterized in that it comprises at least two insulation panels (6) arranged between said wall (M) and said finish panel (3; PT) and spaced out by means of said spacing elements (25; 125, 125') in such a way to generate at least three air spaces (11 , I2, I3).

2) Cladding system (1 ; 100) as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that said insulation panels (6) are thermal reflective panels. 3) Cladding system (1 ; 100) as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the insulation panels (6) comprise a central layer of air bubble polyethylene (61 ) arranged in sandwich configuration between two aluminum sheets (60).

4) Cladding system (1 ) as claimed in any of the above claims, characterized in that the support element (2) is a section comprising: - a first plate (20) fixed to the wall (M),

- a second plate (21 ) on which the finish panels (3) are fixed, and

- a shelf (22) that connects the first plate (20) to the second plate (21 ), in which said spacing elements (25) are ribs obtained on the shelf (22).

5) Cladding system (1 ) as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that said spacing elements (25) comprise a pair of ribs that define a groove (26) in which the ending part of the insulation panel (6) is fitted.

6) Cladding system (1 ) as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that said spacing elements (25) comprise individual ribs on which the ending part of the insulation panel (6) is glued.

7) Cladding system (100) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the support element (102) is a threaded pin that is fixed to the wall (M) in such a way to protrude from the wall (M) and said spacing elements (125, 125') are washers screwed onto said threaded pin (102).

8) Cladding system (100) as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that it comprises a coupling element (108) that is screwed onto the threaded pin (102) to fix the finish panels (3). 9) Cladding system (100) as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the coupling element (108) is shaped as an empty rectangular section that comprises a first threaded hole (180) to screw the threaded pin (102) and a second threaded hole (181 ) to tighten screws (105) used to fix the said finish panels. 10) Cladding system as claimed in any one of the above claims, characterized in that it comprises a modular structure composed of the following modules:

- a first module consisting in a rod (201 ) with double "T" shaped cross-section formed of two symmetrically opposite wings that are respectively a front longitudinal wall (2a) and a back longitudinal wall (2b) of said rod (201 ) and are connected along the central line by means of a partition (203) in perpendicular position, from which at least one pair of ribs (4a, 4b) protrude on both sides, each of them defining a longitudinal conduit (5) that receives one of the borders of an adjacent insulation panel (P); said rod (201 ) being provided on top with a flat profile from which a cross-shaped rib (206) obtained on said partition (203) protrudes, and at the lower end, with a basically wedge-shaped profile, from which said back wall (2b) extends to the end of the rod (201 ) and front wall (2a) is interrupted at a higher height, whereas the lower ends of said intermediate pairs of ribs (4a, 4b) have scaled height between the two lateral walls (2a, 2b); said rod (201 ) being provided with a series of cylindrical holes with horizontal axis (9a) across the entire cross-section of the rod in correspondence with said partition (203); - a second module consisting in a rod (210) provided with double "T" shaped cross-section formed of two symmetrically opposite wings that are respectively a front longitudinal wall (2a) and a back longitudinal wall (2b) of said rod (210) and are connected along the central line by means of a partition (203) in perpendicular position from which at least two pairs of ribs (4a, 4b) protrude on both sides, each of them defining a longitudinal conduit (205) that receives one of the borders of an adjacent insulation panel (P); said rod (210) being provided with two flat ends, in which said partition (203) is provided on top with a cross-shaped rib (206), in accordance with the one obtained on top of said first module (1 ), and with a corresponding cross- shaped impression (21 1 ) at the base; said rod (210) being provided with a series of cylindrical holes with horizontal axis (9a) across the entire cross- section of the rod in correspondence with said partition (203). 11 ) Installation method of non self-bearing insulation panels on building walls, in which each insulation panel (6; P) is mounted on the front of the corresponding wall (M) with interposition of support means (2; 102; MS) adapted to keep it detached from the wall (M) and act as fixing points for rigid finish panels (PT) designed to frontally cover and conceal said insulation panels (P), said support means comprising spacing elements (25; 125; 125') characterized in that at least two insulation panels (6; P) are arranged between said wall (M) and said rigid finish panel (3; PT) and spaced out by means of said spacing elements (25; 125, 125') in such a way to generate at least three air spaces (11 , 12, 13). 12) Method as claimed in claim 1 1 , characterized in that the longitudinal borders of two insulation panels (P) are disposed on one side and on the other side of said support means (MS).