ES2370435B1 - FLEXIBLE, FOLDING AND ROLLABLE BRICKS SHEET AND PALETIZATION METHOD OF THE SAME. - Google Patents

Abstract

Flexible, foldable and roll-up brick sheet, and palletizing method thereof. # The brick sheet (10) comprises a plurality of bricks (1) provided with holes (1a) and arranged in adjacent rows with said holes (1a) ) mutually aligned, separating elements arranged to provide separation spaces between said rows of bricks (1), rods (2) passed through the aligned holes (1a) of said bricks (1), and retaining means for retain said rods (2) inside the holes (1a) of the bricks (1). The retention means are configured to restrict a movement of the rods (2) in an axial direction of the holes (1a) and to allow a free rotation of the rods (2) at least within the holes (1a) of the bricks (1) belonging to alternate rows. The bricks (1) and optionally links (3) collaborate with the rods (2) to form a flexible chain that constitutes the brick sheet (10).

Description

FLEXIBLE, FOLDING AND ROLLABLE BRICKS SHEET. AND METHOD OF PALETIZATION OF THE SAME

Technical field

The present invention concerns a flexible, foldable and roll-up brick sheet, made of dry and tensile, suitable, for example, for the construction of architectural elements preferably of exposed brick, such as land coverings, floors, walls, decks etc., and formation of ventilated walls.

Background of the invention

International patent application WO 2008139008 discloses a flexible brick sheet comprising a plurality of interwoven flexible rods forming a grid-shaped fabric, and a plurality of bricks provided with clamping configurations crimped with at least some of said rods. to retain said bricks in said grid. The rods are advantageously corrugated to immobilize the crossing points thereof in the grid. The bricks have clamping configurations, for example in the form of a channel, at their ends and during the manufacturing process they are attached to the rods that form the fabric warp interspersed between the rods that form the weft, which act as rods of positioning to link the fabric and restrict the movements of the bricks in it. Optionally the grid includes reinforcement rods arranged as warp rods in the spaces between bricks.

Although this sheet of bricks in a fabric of rods has given an excellent result and is useful in many applications, it has, however, some limitations, For example, although the brick sheet can be wound in the form of a coil over a core for storage and transport, the existence of warp rods in the weave of rods does not allow the brick sheet to be folded or folded, and this hinders its palletizing.

FR 2 744471 discloses a prefabricated element made of bricks with holes, stacked and placed in a breaker arrangement and with the holes aligned. Between the bricks, washers are interspersed aligned with the holes of the bricks to leave a corresponding separation to horizontal joints. Armor bars are passed through the aligned holes of the bricks and washers and a sealing material is injected from the top of the architectural element into the aligned holes of the bricks and washers, immersing the reinforcement bars. The holes of the ladri "os are formed perpendicular to their major faces since the prefabricated element is intended to work under compression.

This prefabricated element generally has the shape of a straight wall section, although it is also provided that it may have, for example, the shape of a curved or angled wall section, a pillar, a bench, etc. However, whatever its form, it has the disadvantage of being rigid due to the existence of the sealing material adhered to the interior surfaces of the holes of the bricks and to the reinforcement bars, and therefore it is not foldable or rolling and its dimensions They are necessarily limited due to storage, handling and transportation requirements. Another drawback of this prefabricated element is that due to its own constitution it requires an arrangement of the breaker bricks or an openwork arrangement, and does not admit a grid arrangement. In addition, the tensile strength of the prefabricated element in a direction perpendicular to the reinforcement bars is limited to the tensile strength of the bricks since these are the only linkage elements in that direction. Since the tensile strength of ceramic bricks is relatively low (for example compared to its compressive strength), the prefabricated element must be handled with certain precautions to prevent its breakage and its applications are significantly limited.

Exhibition of the invention

A first aspect of the present invention contributes to solving the above and other inconveniences by providing a flexible, foldable and enro "brick sheet, comprising a plurality of bricks provided with holes and arranged in adjacent rows with said mutually aligned holes, some separating elements arranged to provide separation spaces between said rows of ladders, rods passed through the aligned holes of said ladders, and retaining means for retaining said rods within the holes of the bricks. rods are sized to rotate and slide freely within the holes of the bricks and said retention means are configured to restrict a movement of the rods in an axial direction of the holes and to allow a free rotation of the rods at least within the holes in the bricks belonging to alternate rows.

The above composition responds to a simple embodiment in which the bricks themselves, which must be on the brick sheet in a break-up arrangement, either compact or openwork, cooperate with the rods to form a chain that can have a width of several rows of bricks and an indefinite length. The mentioned separating elements can be formed in this case by some washers through whose holes the rods are inserted, or by projections formed in at least one of the faces of the bricks to make contact with another adjacent brick.

Another more complex embodiment of the brick sheet includes, in addition to the components described above in relation to said simple embodiment, a plurality of links adjacent to one or more of the brick rows. Each of said links has two holes through which two of the adjacent rods are inserted. The links and the bricks are arranged so that they cooperate with the rods to form a chain, where the links fully or largely assume the tensile stresses in the longitudinal direction of the chain, at least partially preserving the bricks from such efforts. . This composition with links allows the bricks to be arranged in the brick sheet according to a grid arrangement, in addition to the provisions for compact breaker and openwork breaker mentioned above for simple implementation.

The two holes in the links are separated by a certain distance according to the shape and dimensions of the bricks to provide separation spaces of a desired extent between the bricks of each row, and to allow a folding or folding of the sheet of bricks by turning 90 degrees or more around any of the rods without the bricks interfering with each other. Here, the said separator elements are formed by the links, which have, in at least some regions around the holes, a thickness dimensioned to provide separation spaces of a desired width between the rows of bricks. Obviously, some links may be replaced by washers of an equivalent thickness in one or more of the separation spaces between the rows of bricks provided that the remaining links and / or the bricks guarantee the functional and mechanical performance of the brick sheet.

Both in the simple embodiment without links and in the complex embodiment with links, said retention means can be formed, for each rod, by an annular plug, preferably of an elastic material, such as an elastomer, disposed between an outer surface of the end of the rod and an inner surface of the brick hole or link hole. Said annular plug can be formed, for example, by injecting a sufficient amount of silicone in a liquid or pasty state into the corresponding brick holes located in one or both side edges of the brick sheet. This annular plug has the advantage of allowing the rod to be retained without protruding from the brick hole. Alternatively, the retaining means comprise, at least one lateral edge of the brick sheet, a connecting element arranged in the longitudinal direction and joined at its ends to the ends of two adjacent protruding rods of the bricks. This connecting element can be fixed, for example by welding or adhesive, to the ends of the rods, or it can be integrally formed with the two adjacent rods, so that the two rods and the connecting element are obtained from one single piece of bent rod "U". Another alternative form for the retaining means comprises, at least one side edge of the brick sheet, a stop fixed at one end of the projecting rod of the brick. Optionally, a link may be located adjacent to the outer face of the brick located on the side edge of the brick sheet, in which case said stop is fixed one end of the projecting rod of the link. Respectively in each case, the stop will be sized so as not to pass through the hole in the brick or the hole in the link.

Throughout this description the term "brick" is used to generically refer to an essentially orthopedic body, made primarily of a ceramic material, a concrete material, or a stone material, although other materials are not discarded. In a typical embodiment of the present invention, the orthopedic bricks have two opposite wide faces and two opposite narrow faces elongated in a longitudinal direction and two opposite opposite narrow faces elongated in a transverse direction, and the holes extend parallel to the transverse direction and have openings in one and the other of said two opposite narrow faces elongated in the longitudinal direction. This means that in this embodiment the brick sheet has a relatively thin overall thickness, equivalent to the smaller size of the bricks, while they present their larger faces. However, square-plan bricks, or of cubic configuration, or even elongated in the transverse direction, are also within the scope of the present invention.

The brick sheet preferably has a dimension in the longitudinal direction and a dimension in the transverse direction, where the rows of bricks are arranged parallel to said longitudinal direction and the rods are arranged parallel to the transverse direction. Thanks to this arrangement, the brick sheet can be folded or folded in a zigzag around one or more of the rods to reduce the space occupied by it in the longitudinal direction, which is especially advantageous when the longitudinal dimension is significantly longer that the transverse dimension, without forgetting that it can also be wound in the form of a coil on a core. It will be understood, however, that a sheet of bricks of square plan or even with the transverse dimension longer than the longitudinal dimension is also within the scope of the present invention.

According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a method of palletizing a flexible, foldable and roller brick sheet. The method comprises firstly providing a brick sheet according to the simple embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention described above or a brick sheet according to the complex embodiment provided with links described above. Next, the method comprises placing a portion of the brick sheet on a pallet, and then folding or zigzagging the brick sheet around one or more of the rods to form two or more sections of brick sheet superimposed on said pallet. . One way of implementing the method of the invention comprises supporting the brick sheet vertically with a lower edge thereof adjacent to a side edge of the pallet, and performing a vertical descent movement of the brick sheet in relation to the pallet in combination with horizontal reciprocating movements of the brick sheet in relation to the pallet. The aforementioned horizontal reciprocating movements will logically have an amplitude selected according to the dimensions of the pallet. In order to vertically support the brick sheet and to carry out such vertical and horizontal reciprocating movements of the brick sheet in relation to the pallet, for example, a forklift, a crane, or other similar machine can be used, although other means could alternatively be used to move the brick sheet, move the pallet, or move both in combination.

Brief description of the drawings

The foregoing and other features and advantages will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of some embodiments with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a flexible, foldable and roll-up brick sheet, in accordance with a simple embodiment of the present invention with bricks placed in a compact breaker arrangement, in a bent position;

Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of an enlarged detail of the brick sheet of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the bricks that are part of the brick sheet of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a flexible, foldable and roll-up brick sheet, in accordance with another simple embodiment of the present invention with bricks placed in an openwork breaker arrangement, in a bent position;

Fig. 5 is a partial plan view of an enlarged detail of the brick sheet of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the bricks according to a configuration useful for forming part of either the brick sheet of Fig. 4, or the brick sheet of Fig. 11;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a flexible, foldable and roll-up brick sheet, in accordance with a complex embodiment of the present invention with bricks placed in a compact breaker arrangement, in a bent position;

Fig. 8 is a partial plan view of an enlarged detail of the brick sheet of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of one of the bricks according to a configuration suitable for forming part of either the brick sheet of Fig. 7 or the brick sheet of Fig. 15;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of one of the links according to a configuration useful for forming part of either the brick sheet of Fig. 7 or the brick sheet of Fig. 15;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a flexible, foldable and roll-up brick sheet, in accordance with another complex embodiment of the present invention with bricks placed in an openwork breaker arrangement, in a bent position;

Fig. 12 is a partial plan view of an enlarged detail of the brick sheet of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a brick according to an alternative configuration useful for forming part of either the brick sheet of Fig. 7, the brick sheet of Fig. 11, or the brick sheet of Fig. 15;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a link that is part of the brick sheet of Fig. 11;

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a flexible, foldable and roll-up brick sheet, in accordance with yet another complex embodiment of the present invention with bricks placed in a grid arrangement, in a bent position;

Fig. 16 is a partial plan view of an enlarged detail of the brick sheet of Fig. 15;

Fig. 17 is a perspective view of a single piece of "U" bent rod providing a pair of adjacent rods, a connecting element therebetween and retaining means applicable to the brick sheet according to a any of its simple or complex embodiments;

Figs. 18 and 19 are side and top views respectively of two links according to two alternative configurations useful for forming part of the brick sheet according to any one of its complex embodiments;

Figs. 20, 21 and 22 are partial cross-sectional views of retention means according to three alternative configurations applicable to the brick sheet according to any one of its simple or complex embodiments;

Fig. 23 is an illustrative perspective view of a palletizing method of a flexible brick sheet according to the present invention;

Fig. 24 is a perspective view of a flexible brick sheet with a grid arrangement according to the present invention zigzag folded on a pallet;

Fig. 25 is a perspective view of a flexible brick sheet with a compact seal-breaker arrangement in accordance with the present invention zigzag folded on a pallet; Y

Fig. 24 is a perspective view of a flexible brick sheet with an open joint breaker arrangement in accordance with the present invention zigzag folded on a pallet.

Detailed description of some embodiments

First, with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 and to Figs. 4 to 6 describe two simple embodiments of a flexible, foldable and roll-up brick sheet 10 of the present invention. In both simple embodiments, said brick sheet 10 comprises a plurality of bricks 1 generally equal to each other arranged in adjacent rows parallel to a longitudinal direction. Each of the bricks 1 (Figs. 3 and 6) have the shape of an essentially elongated orthopedic body in said longitudinal direction, and has two opposite wide faces 31 and two opposite narrow faces 32 elongated in the longitudinal direction and two opposite narrow faces 33 elongated in a transverse direction. Each brick 1 comprises a pair of through holes 1 that extend parallel to said transverse direction from one to another of said two opposite narrow faces 32 elongated in the longitudinal direction. The bricks can have other holes, hollows

or openings in addition to the mentioned holes 1 a.

In the brick sheet 10 shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the rows of bricks 1 are arranged with the bricks 1 in a compact breaker arrangement, while in the brick sheet 10 shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the rows of bricks 1 are arranged with the bricks 1 in an open-joint breaker arrangement, which differs from the compact-breaker arrangement by leaving considerably wide gaps between opposite narrow faces 33 elongated in the transverse direction of adjacent bricks 1 of the same row. These spacing between bricks of the same row are determined by the distance between the holes 1 a in relation to the total length of the bricks 1, such distance between the holes 1 being longer in the arrangement of openwork breaker that in the compact breaker arrangement for the same brick length 1. In both arrangements the respective holes 1 a of the bricks 1 of the adjacent rows are mutually aligned, and through these holes 1 a aligned of the bricks 1 are passed rods 2. Retention means are provided for retaining said rods 2 within the holes 1 a of the bricks 1 and separating elements to provide separation spaces between the rows of bricks 1, which will be described in detail below.

The rods 2 and the holes 1 a of the bricks 1 are sized so that the rods 2 can rotate and slide freely within the holes 1 a, and said retention means are configured to restrict the movements of the rods 2 in the transverse direction, that is, in the axial direction of the holes 1a, and to allow free rotation of the rods 2 at least within the holes 1 a of the bricks 1 belonging to alternate rows, so that the bricks 2 cooperate with the rods 2 to form a flexible chain with a width corresponding to a number of rows of bricks 1 and a length only limited by the possibilities of handling the brick sheet. This chain constitutes the brick sheet 10, which can be folded or folded around one or more of the rods 2 to adapt to different shapes, surfaces, contours and configurations. Several examples of retention means will be described in detail below in relation to Figs. 17,20, 21 AND

22

Since the brick sheet 10 is elongated in the longitudinal direction, that is, it has a dimension in the longitudinal direction significantly longer than a dimension in the transverse direction, and since the brick rows 1 are arranged parallel to the longitudinal direction. and that the rods 2 are arranged parallel to the transverse direction, the flexibility capacity of the brick sheet 10 can be used to reduce the space occupied by it in the longitudinal direction to facilitate its handling and storage. For example, the brick sheet 10 can be zigzag folded by turning 90 degrees or more around several of the rods 2, or it can be rolled around a core. To facilitate folding, the bricks 1 may include chamfers 34 between one of the opposite wide faces 31 elongated in the longitudinal direction and the two opposite narrow faces 33 elongated in the transverse direction.

In the simple embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 3, each brick 1 comprises protrusions 7 formed on their opposite narrow faces 32 elongated in the longitudinal direction. These protrusions 7 are positioned to make contact with one of the opposite narrow faces 32 elongated in the longitudinal direction another brick 1 of an adjacent row. Thus, the projections 7 act as the said separating elements to provide adequate separation spaces between the rows of bricks 1.

In the other simple embodiment shown in Figs. 4 to 6, the separating elements are formed by washers 6, of a thickness corresponding to the desired separation space, arranged between the rows of bricks 1. Each washer 6 has a hole aligned with the holes 1 a of the adjacent bricks 1, and the rods 2 are inserted through the holes 1 a of the bricks 1 and the holes of the washers 6.

It will be understood that alternatively a brick sheet 10 can be formed with a compact breaker configuration such as that shown in Fig. 1 using as washer separating elements 6 as shown in Fig. 4 instead of the projections 7 in the bricks 1, and conversely a brick sheet 10 can be formed with an open-joint configuration as shown in Fig. 4 using as protruding separating elements 7 in the bricks 1 as shown in Fig. 1 instead of washers 6.

With reference now to Figs. 7 to 10, to Figs. 11 to 14, and to Figs. 15 and 16 describe three complex embodiments of the flexible, foldable and roll-up brick sheet 10 of the present invention. The brick sheets 10 of the complex embodiments are analogous to the brick sheets 10 of the simple embodiments described above except that the brick sheets 10 of the complex embodiments include in addition to the bricks 1, the rods 2, the separating elements (in this case optional) and the retention means, a plurality of links 3 adjacent to one or more of the rows of bricks 1. Each link (see Figs. 10 and 14) has two holes 3a through which they are two of the adjacent rods 2 are inserted, so that the links 3 and the bricks 1 cooperate with the rods to form the chain that constitutes the brick sheet. The links 3 can be located between every two rows of bricks 1 and have a suitable thickness to act as the separation elements between the rows of bricks, or they can be arranged leaving vacancies that can be filled, for example, by washers 6 analogous to those described in relation to Figs. 4 and 5 to act as separation elements in combination with links 3.

In the complex embodiment shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the rows of bricks 1 are placed with the bricks 1 in a compact breaker arrangement, using bricks as shown in Fig. 9, which are analogous to that described above in relation to Fig. 3 but without the protrusions 7, in combination with links 3 as shown in Fig. 10, which have the two holes 3a located at the same distance as the holes 1 a of the brick 1 shown in Fig. 9.

In the brick sheet 10 shown in Figs. 11 and 12, the rows of bricks 1 are placed with the bricks 1 in an open-joint arrangement, using bricks similar to those described above in relation to Fig. 6, in which the holes 1 a are more separated from each other than in brick 1 shown in Fig. 9, although both bricks have the same external configuration, in combination with links 3 as shown in Fig. 14, which have the two holes 3a located at the same distance as holes 1 a of brick 1 shown in Fig. 6.

The incorporation of the links 3 further allows the rows of bricks 1 with the bricks 1 to be placed in a grid arrangement like that of the complex embodiment shown in Figs. 15 and 16, which cannot be achieved with simple embodiments. To form this sheet of bricks 10 with a grid arrangement, bricks 1 can be used as shown in Fig. 9 in combination with links 3 as shown in Fig. 10. Here, in some sections only links 3 cooperate with rods 2 to form the flexible chain constituting the brick sheet 10. Note that using the same bricks 1 of Fig. 9, the same links 3 of Fig. 10 And the same rods 2 can both form the brick sheet 10 with the compact seal breaker arrangement of Figs. 7 and 8 as the brick sheet 10 with the grid arrangement of Figs. 15 and 16 only by varying the placement of the bricks 1.

Alternatively, to form the brick sheets 10 according to any one of the two simple embodiments shown in Figs. 1 to 3 and 4 to 6 or of the three complex embodiments shown in Figs. 7 to 10, in Figs. 11 to 14 and in Figs. 15 and 16 can also be used bricks 1 as shown in Fig. 13, which include a first pair of holes 1 a located in positions suitable for the compact breaker arrangement and for the grid arrangement and a second pair of holes 1 b located in positions suitable for the arrangement of an open-joint breaker, which allows brick sheets of different arrangements to be obtained with a single type of brick 1 only by choosing the pair of holes 1 a or 1 b suitable for each case .

In Figs. 20, 21 and 22 several alternative examples are shown for said retention means. In the example of Fig. 20, the retaining means comprise, at least one side edge of the brick sheet 10, an annular plug 4 disposed between an inner surface of the hole 1 a of the brick 1 and an outer surface of the end of the rod 2. The annular plug 4 is preferably made of an elastic material, such as an elastomer, which frictionally grips the surfaces of the rod 2 and the hole 1 a of the brick 1, and more preferably of a silicone applied by injection in a liquid or pasty state into the hole 1 a in the presence of the rod 2. The annular plug 4 provides sufficient rod retention for a majority of applications and has the advantage of retaining the rod 2 within the hole 1 a of the brick 1 without the rod 2 protruding laterally from the brick 1, as shown in Fig. 20. The annular plug 4 hinders the free rotation of the rod 2 with respect to the brick 1, but this does not it is inconvenient if only annular plugs 4 are installed in bricks 1 of alternate rows, or in bricks of the extreme rows if in the brick sheet 10 there is an odd number of rows, or in bricks of the extreme rows if at opposite ends it is install another type of retention means.

In the examples shown in Figs. 21 and 22, the retaining means comprise, at least one side edge of the brick sheet 10, a stop 5 fixed at one end of the rod 2. This stop 5 is larger than the holes 1 a of the brick 1, so that it cannot pass through the corresponding hole 1 a and retains the movement in an axial direction of the rod 2 without preventing its free rotation with respect to the brick 1. In the example of Fig. 21, the stop 5a is provided by a washer 35 provided with a hole through which a protruding end of the rod 2 is passed, and said washer 35 is fixed to the rod 2 by an adhesive or weld 36. In the example of Fig. 22, the stop 5a is provided by a retaining washer 37 provided with a hole through which an protruding end of the rod 2 and flexible pins 38 extending into the hole and elastically pressing against the outer surface of the rod 2 is passed. Retention 37 can be installed under pressure without adhesive or welding and provides sufficient retention for a majority of applications.

In Fig. 17 a piece of bent rod in the form of "U" 39 is shown which defines a pair of parallel rods 2 connected at their ends by a connecting element 2a of suitable length at the distance between the two holes 1 to 1 b of the bricks 1. Thus the two parallel rods 2 can be used as two of the adjacent rods 2 in the brick sheet 10 And the connecting element 2a acts as the retaining means for retaining the two rods 2 against movements in an axial direction with respect to one or two bricks 1 on a side edge of the brick sheet 10. Furthermore, the connecting element 2a, which is arranged in the longitudinal direction, acts as a separating element when this side edge of the sheet of bricks 10 is placed adjacent to an opposite side edge of another brick sheet 10 from which the ends of the corresponding rods 2 do not protrude, for example by being retained by a plug annular nes 4 as described above in relation to Fig. 20. The "U" bent rod piece 39 is applicable to the brick sheet 10 according to any one of the simple or complex embodiments of the present invention.

It will be understood that alternatively the two rods 2 and the connecting element 2a can be separate pieces joined together, for example by adhesive or welding, instead of a single piece of bent rod "U" 39. In Figs. 7, 11, and 15 links 3 are shown adjacent to the bricks 1 on one of the side edges of the brick sheet 1. These outer links may be fixed to protruding ends of the rods 2, for example by adhesive or welding, or by means of annular caps analogous to those described above in relation to Fig. 20 arranged between an outer surface of the rod 2 and an inner surface of the hole 3a of the link 3, so that the outer links 3 act as connecting elements and as retaining means on this side edge of the brick sheet 10. In any case the connecting elements 2a will be arranged in the longitudinal direction of the brick sheet 10 And joined at their ends to the ends of two of the adjacent rods 2 .

In general, the two holes 3a of the links 3 are separated by a certain distance according to the shape and dimensions of the bricks 1 to provide separation spaces of a desired extension between the bricks 1 of each row. These separation spaces should allow a folding or folding of the brick sheet 10 by a rotation of 90 degrees or more around any of the rods 2. In some applications it may be convenient that one or both holes 3a of each link 3 be elongated holes in the longitudinal direction of link 3 to allow some play in the positions of the rods and the bricks.

In Fig. 18 a link 3 is shown according to an alternative configuration including a single elongated opening that encompasses the two holes 3a. This link 3 of Fig. 18 can be formed, for example, by a conveniently bent rod piece and with the ends joined, for example by adhesive or welding 40.

A link 3 is shown in Fig. 19 according to another alternative configuration intended to act further as a separating element to provide relatively wide separation spaces. For this, link 3 comprises an elongated body with two holes 3a separated by a required distance and thick regions 41 around the holes 3a. These thickened regions 41 have a dimensioned thickness to provide separation spaces of a desired width between the rows of bricks 1, while a connection portion 42 between said thickened regions 41 has only the thickness necessary to ensure a required tensile strength. .

In any of the simple and complex embodiments of the present invention, the bricks 1 may be of a variety of materials, although a ceramic material, a concrete material, or a stone material is preferred. The rods 2 can be of relatively rigid materials, such as steel or other metal alloys, or plastic or synthetic materials optionally reinforced with fibers, or of relatively flexible materials, such as steel cables, nylon cables and the like. The material for links 3 and spacer washers 6, when present, will preferably be a metallic material, such as steel or aluminum, or a plastic or synthetic material. For applications where the rods 2 and the links 3 are exposed to the weather it is preferred that the material of the rods and the links be resistant to corrosion, such as stainless steel, galvanized steel, painted steel, aluminum, or a plastic or synthetic material.

Referring now to Fig. 23, a method of palletizing a flexible, foldable and roll-up brick sheet 10 is described, according to any one of the simple and complex embodiments of the present invention described above. The method comprises placing a section of said brick sheet 10 on a pallet 8 and zigzag folding or folding the brick sheet 10 around one or more of the rods 2 to form two or more sections of brick sheet 10 superimposed on said pallet 8. For this, the brick sheet 10 can be supported vertically by lifting means such as, for example, a forklift, a crane, or the like, and said lifting means can first be maneuvered to place a lower edge of the brick sheet 10 adjacent to a side edge of the pallet 8, and then to effect a movement of vertical descent of the brick sheet 10 in relation to the pallet 8 in combination with horizontal reciprocating movements of the brick sheet 10 in relation to pallet 8 of an amplitude selected in accordance with the dimensions of pallet 8 to deposit a first section of said brick sheet 10 on the pallet 8 and successive sections folded in zigzag superimposed on the first.

In the example shown in Fig. 23, a load bar 43 connected to the lifting means (not shown), and hooks 44 attached on one side to said means are used to attach the brick sheet 10 to the lifting means. loading bar 43 and hooked by the other to a last rod 2 of the brick sheet 10. In the illustrated example, the brick sheet 10 comprises links 3, and a group of final links 3 protrude from the end of the brick sheet 10 to support an auxiliary rod 2 that can be installed through the holes 3a free of the final links 3 to carry out the handling operations of the brick sheet 10 And removed when it is no longer necessary.

Figs. 24, 25 and 26 show brick sheets 10 according to different embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention zigzag bent in four overlapping sections and placed on respective pallets 8 according to the palletizing method of the second aspect of the present invention. The brick sheet of Fig. 24 has the bricks 1 arranged in a grid, the brick sheet 10 of Fig. 25 has the bricks 1 arranged to a compact breaker, and the brick sheet 10 of Fig. 26 has the bricks 1 arranged to break-open joint, as described above. Palletized brick sheets 10 can be stored in an orderly manner occupying a relatively small space and can be conveniently handled by a forklift.

Modifications and variations will occur to one skilled in the art from the embodiment shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (13)

1.-Flexible, foldable and roll-up brick sheet, of the type comprising: a plurality of bricks (1) provided with holes (1 a) and arranged in adjacent rows with said holes (1a) mutually aligned; separating elements arranged to provide separation spaces between said rows of bricks (1); rods (2) passed through the aligned holes (1a) of said bricks (1); And retaining means for retaining said rods (2) inside the holes (1 a) of the bricks (1), characterized because: the rods (2) are sized to rotate and slide freely within the holes (1 a) of the bricks (1) and said retention means are configured to restrict a movement of the rods (2) in an axial direction of the holes (1a) and to allow a free rotation of the rods (2) at least within the holes (1a) of the bricks (1) belonging to alternate rows; Y a plurality of links (3) are arranged adjacent to one or more of the rows of bricks (1), where each link has two holes (3a) through which two of the adjacent rods (2) are inserted, and where said links (3) and the bricks (1) are arranged forming a chain in cooperation with the rods (2). 2. Brick sheet according to claim 1, characterized in that said bricks (1) have an essentially orthopedic shape. 3. Brick sheet according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the brick sheet has a dimension in a longitudinal direction and a dimension in a transverse direction, where the rows of bricks (1) are arranged parallel to said direction longitudinally and the rods (2) are arranged parallel to said transverse direction, whereby the brick sheet can be folded or folded in a zigzag around one or more of the rods (2) to reduce the space occupied by it in the longitudinal direction 4. Brick sheet according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the bricks (1) in the brick sheet are in a selected arrangement between reticle, compact breaker and openwork breaker. 5. Brick sheet according to claim 4, characterized in that the two holes (3a) of the links (3) are separated by a distance determined according to the shape and dimensions of the bricks (1) to provide spaces separating a desired extension between the bricks (1) of each row, and to allow a folding or folding of the brick sheet by a rotation of at least 90 degrees around any of the rods (2). 6. Brick sheet according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that said separating elements are formed by the links (3), which have, at least in some regions around the holes (3a), a thickness sized for provide spacing spaces of a desired width between the rows of bricks (1). 7. Brick sheet according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that said separating elements comprise washers (6) through whose holes the rods (2) are inserted. 8. Brick sheet according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that said separating elements comprise projections (7) formed on at least one of the faces of the bricks (1) to make contact with another brick (1 ) adjacent. 9. Brick sheet according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that said retention means comprise, at least one side edge of the brick sheet, an annular plug (4) disposed between an outer surface of the end of the rod (2) and an inner surface of the hole (1a) of the brick (1) or hole (3a) of the link (3). 10. Brick sheet according to claim 1,2 or 3, characterized in that said retention means comprise at least one lateral edge of the brick sheet, a connecting element (2a) arranged in the longitudinal and joined direction at its ends to ends of two adjacent rods (2) or formed integrally with the two rods (2) as a single piece of bent rod (39). 11. Brick sheet according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that said retention means comprise, at least one side edge of the brick sheet, a stop (5) fixed at one end of the rod ( 2), said stop being (5) sized not to pass through the corresponding hole (1a) of the brick (1) or hole (3a) of the link (3). 12.-Palletization method of a flexible, foldable and roller brick sheet, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: provide a sheet of bricks (10) according to any one of the preceding claims; placing a section of said brick sheet (10) on a pallet (8); and fold or zigzag the brick sheet (10) around one or more of 5 the rods (2) to form two or more sections of brick sheet (10) superimposed on said pallet (8). 13. Method according to claim 12, characterized in that it comprises vertically supporting the brick sheet (10) with a lower edge thereof adjacent to a lateral edge of the pallet (8), and making a movement of 10 vertical descent of the brick sheet (10) in relation to the pallet (8) in combination with horizontal reciprocating movements of the brick sheet (10) in relation to the pallet (8) of an amplitude selected according to the dimensions of the pallet (8). 14. Method according to claim 13, characterized in that 15 comprises using lifting means to vertically support the brick sheet (10) and to carry out said movements of vertical descent and horizontal swinging of the brick sheet (10) in relation to the pallet (8).