EP3032000B1

EP3032000B1 - Raised access floor

Info

Publication number: EP3032000B1
Application number: EP15382558.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Juan Carlos Hidalgo Castilla
Original assignee: Vaiktec SA
Current assignee: Vaiktec SA
Priority date: 2014-12-01
Filing date: 2015-11-11
Publication date: 2018-02-28
Anticipated expiration: 2035-11-11
Also published as: EP3032000A2; ES2533974A1; EP3032000A3; PT3032000T; ES2671379T3; ES2533974B1

Description

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a raised-access floor.
This raised access floor has optimal characteristics as regards fire resistance by virtue of its particular configuration, and protection against fractures, wear and abrasion, in particular during its handling and assembly, which also determines a greater durability which leads to lower costs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The raised-access floor is a system which arises from the need to conceal the large number of installations present in working areas, technical rooms or other places where there is a great density of cables, piping and ducts of various types.
The raised-access floors for interiors enable the distribution of installations under the floor, whilst making them quickly and simply accessible, allowing a convenient access to the installations at the same time as an easy and fast replacement of parts.
The slabs or boards that form this type of floor are normally placed without the need for gluing on a height-adjustable steel structure or pedestal, achieving a firm false floor on the existing deck.
The inspectable raised-access floor is adaptable to any class of space and constructions and is generally composed of slabs of standard measurement on said pedestal creating a chamber (plenum) which defines a free space under the slabs which enables the placement of telephony, electricity, water, air conditioning installations, etc.
The slabs can be configured in different materials which do not always properly adjust and/or require coatings for their protection and adjustment, which on occasions require later grinding treatment, which are particularly expensive.
Likewise, in the case of fire the raised-access floor has the problem that is deforms and melts, and it therefore hinders the passage of fire brigades.
From the state of the art it is known document US4258516 which describes an apparatus for supporting floor plates above substrate comprising a supporting rod threadedly engaged with an upper female screw threaded sleeve fitted in a hole provided at a corner of the floor plate and threadedly engaged with a lower female screw threaded sleeve fitted in a center hole of a cylindrical rubber-like elastic body disposed on the substrate. Said supporting rod is provided at its upper end with a slot adapted to be engaged with a driving tool and the upper threads of said supporting rod are oppositely handed to the lower threads thereof.
It is also known document EP1022400 which describes a composite refractory building material that is a material in which a reinforcing layer composed of a thermosetting resin and a mineral fiber is provided on at least one side of a porous inorganic core material such as a plasterboard. A plurality of plasterboards may be laminated. A covering layer for preventing a plaster powder from flying may be formed on a butt end surface of a refractory composite constructional material. A patterned layer or an electromagnetic wave shielding layer may be provided on a refractory composite constructional material. A resin composition comprising a thermosetting resin and an elastic polymer has the nail endurance force. This resin composition may be impregnated into a porous substrate or a fibrous substrate and cured to make a molded sheet which may be laminated on a core material to make a molded plate.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is defined by a raised-access floor according to claim 1, having improved characteristics, among others, as regards fire resistance.
The raised access floor comprises a slab which incorporates a core of any material, whether porous or not, in which case it may have a porous primer, which may be, for example, a stony, ceramic, fibre, wood or other material, comprising in its edges a covering or layer of thermosetting resin, which may have a thickness in the order of between 1 and 1.5 mm for example, and which guarantees its hermetic sealing, and it comprises metal supports which emerge from the lower surface of the core and determine an elevation of the core and, therefore, a space between supports which allows, for example, the passage, of ducts, pipes or cables.
The supports determine the permanent lift of the slab and, therefore, the floor. In the event that a fire occurs, the metal character of the supports guarantees this lift, since the supports are not going to be affected by the fire, whilst the fire consumes the melting materials in the environment, maintaining unalterable the stability of the floor, which would facilitate the passage, for example, of the fire brigades.
The metal supports also allow establishing an earth connection of the slab.
The metal supports may consist, for example, of bushings of hexagonal configuration or another, and its internal bore may or may not be threaded. Furthermore, the way in which the joint of the supports to the core is established may be, for example, by gluing or by moulding.
Additionally, the incorporation has been provided of feet which allow a greater height elevation of the slab and which are fundamentally formed by a tubular metal piece which would remain underneath and in contact with the metal support in order to provide continuity in its earthing, as well as provide it with stability.
Preferably, it has been provided that the tubular parts of the feet house bolts which protrude by at least one of their ends and which are designed to thread in the threaded bores of the metal supports. The tubular parts may be coated with a resin and have hexagonal configuration, and they may protrude with respect to the resin, for example, by one of its ends, so that they allow its gripping by a tool that provides the turning and, therefore, the consequent displacement and positioning in height of the foot with respect to the support.
Additionally, it has been provided that the raised access floor incorporates metal blocks which may be manufactured by plate stamping, wherein each block consists of several housings designed to receive the feet of adjacent slabs the corners of which join in a same point. In this way, with a block positioned in accordance with the corner of each slab, it guarantees the positioning and adjustment of the slabs that join in each block, and therefore, their assembly and dismantling.
Depending on the nature of the core, the possibility has been provided of reinforcing its lower surface, for example for the case of cores of ceramic or wooden material, applying at least one first layer of resin. This first layer of resin may be crystallized with silica load.
Additionally, it may incorporate a second layer of resin, applied on the first layer, which would give the core elasticity and could be formed by an epoxy of elastic components.
The first and the second layer of resin may cover part of the supports, leaving one/some of said supports with the end of the metal surface of the bushing uncovered.
Complementarily, and optionally, it contemplates the possibility of applying a final grinding to the slab edges in order to facilitate the adjustment in the assembly or dismantling of the slabs.
Among the advantages provided by the raised access floor of the present invention, the following should be listed:

Saving in costs, in the case of using in the core materials such as granite, for example, as its edges are covered with a thermosetting material they give it protection against breakages and wear, in particular during its handling and assembly, which in the long term determines greater durability of the slabs which lead to a lower cost,
It guarantees the earth connection,
Fire resistance, the resins may melt in the case of fire, but the metal surfaces do not, which guarantees the positional and height stability of the slab and, therefore, of the floor during a fire,
The edging also guarantees a hermetic seal which protects against wear, abrasion, and gives resistance against the action of chemical agents,
It facilitates the adjustment in the assembly and ease of dismantling with highly demanding tolerances,
Achieves greater insulation of the slab,
Allows its adaptation to different installations,

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description being made and in order to aid towards a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, in accordance with a preferred example of practical embodiment thereof, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of said description wherein, with illustrative and non-limiting character, the following has been represented:

Figure 1.- Shows a perspective view of a slab wherein the upper surface of the core is observed coated where applicable in a thermosetting coating.
Figure 2.- Shows a perspective view of a slab by its lower surface wherein a core is observed provided with a first layer of resin and a second layer of resin which has been partially represented to display the first.
Figure 3.- Shows a sectional view of a detail of the slab wherein a support is observed which rests on a foot, which in turn rests on a block.
Figure 4.- Shows a perspective view of the foot.
Figure 5.- Shows a perspective view of the block which consists of four housings designed to position and house the feet of the four slabs which join by their vertices in a same point.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In light of the figures, a preferred embodiment of the raised access floor which constitutes the object of this invention is described below.
As observed in figure 1, the raised access floor comprises a slab provided with a core (1) which is coated in its edges by a layer of thermosetting resin (2), and which shows, in figure 2, metal supports (3) which emerge from the lower surface of the core (1), which determine an elevation of the core (1).
The lower surface of the core (1) of the slab represented in figure 2, is covered by a first layer of resin (4) which is in turn extended around the metal supports (3) so that they define protuberances (5) which cover at least partially at least part of said metal supports (3).
In figure 2, it is observed that on the first layer of resin (4) there is a second layer of resin (14).
The metal supports (3) of figure 2 have an inner threaded bore (6) designed to receive a bolt (7) which forms part of a foot (8), represented in figures 3 and 4.
The foot (8) comprises a tubular metal piece (9), as observed in figure 3 or 4, provided with an inner thread (10) which houses said bolt (7) and a resin coating (11) which surrounds said tubular metal piece (9).
In figure 4, it is observed that the tubular metal piece (9) has a hexagonal configuration, which allows its gripping by a tool so that it regulates the height and positioning of the foot (8) with respect to the metal support (3) by the introduction or extraction of the bolt (7) to/from the inner threaded bore (10).
In figure 3, it is observed that the foot (8) rests by its tubular metal piece (9) on a metal block (12). These metal blocks (12), as also represented in figure 5, has 4 housings (13) designed to receive the feet (8) of adjacent slabs the corners of which join in a same point.

Claims

Raised access floor comprising:
- a slab provided with an upper surface, lower surface and edges, and which comprises a core (1)

- metal supports (3) which emerge from the lower surface of the core (1), and which support the core (1), said metal supports (3) being bushings provided with an inner threaded bore (6);

- height-adjustable feet (8) comprising a bolt (7) to be housed in said inner threaded bore (6) and a tubular metal piece (9), said tubular metal piece (9) being provided with an inner thread (10) that houses said bolt (7); characterized in that

- the core (1) of the slab is coated on its edges by a layer of thermosetting resin (2), and

- said metal supports (3) are adapted to guarantee a permanent elevation of the core (1) even if a fire occurs, and

- said tubular metal piece housing said bolt allows earth connection, and

- said raised access floor further comprises metal blocks (12) provided with at least one housing (13) designed to receive the height-adjustable feet (8) and to provide a continuous earthing.
Raised access floor according to claim 1, wherein the tubular metal pieces (9) are partially coated by a resin coating (11).
Raised access floor according to claim 2, wherein the tubular metal pieces (9) have hexagonal configuration and protrude with respect to the resin coating (11) by at least one of their ends, to allow their gripping and turning by a tool.
Raised access floor according to claim 1, comprising four housings (13) designed to receive the feet (8) of adjacent slabs the corners of which join in a same point.
Raised access floor according to claim 1, wherein the lower surface of the core (1) is reinforced by a first layer of resin (4).
Raised access floor according to claim 5, wherein the first layer of resin (4) is crystallized with silica load.
Raised access floor according to claim 5, wherein the lower surface of the core (1) is reinforced by a second layer of resin (14) positioned on the first layer of resin (4).
Raised access floor according to claim 7, wherein the second layer of resin (14) is formed by an epoxy of elastic components.
Raised access floor according to claim 8, wherein the first layer of resin (4) is extended around the metal supports (3) so that they define protuberances (5) which cover at least partially part of said metal supports (3).
Raised access floor according to claim 1, wherein the layer of thermosetting resin (2) of the edges of the core (1) is grind.
Raised access floor according to claim 1, wherein the metal supports (3) are joined to the core (1) by gluing.
Raised access floor according to claim 1, wherein the metal supports (3) are joined to the core (1) by moulding.