INSULATION MAT AND HEAT EXCHANGER ASSEMBLY The invention relates to an insulation mat, in particular for insulating a floor, comprising an insulating layer made of a fiber material and a fastening layer for fastening a pipe assembly.
Furthermore, the invention relates to a heat exchanger assembly with an insulation mat and a pipe assembly arranged on a fastening layer of the insulation mat.
A large number of assemblies and devices for producing heat exchanger assemblies integrated into a floor are known from the prior art.
Such assemblies are used in particular for heating or cooling the space above.
For example, a pipe assembly with fastening means for fastening a pipe to a base is known from EP 0 346 529 A1. The pipe assembly is firmly but releasably secured to a base with the aid of a hook-and-loop fastener.
A loop portion of the hook-and-loop fastener is arranged to a flat side of the base and is connected at predetermined markings to annular retaining members of a retaining portion attached to the pipe of the pipe assembly.
Furthermore, EP 1 248 047 A2 discloses a retaining clip made of plastic for fixing pipes, in particular floor heating pipes, on a heat and/or impact sound insulation base made of plastic.
Both known arrangements allow a particularly simple and flexible fastening of pipe assemblies on an underlying insulating layer.
However, preliminary work is required before the pipes are actually fastened.
In particular, a base or a cover layer must be fastened to the insulating material used on the construction site, which is used to attach the actual pipe assembly.
The insulating material itself or the additional cover layer typically comprise foamed materials that make disposal difficult or contain chemical components that are harmful to health.
DE 202 10 919 U1 discloses a building wall with a support framework consisting of at least two profiles arranged at a distance from one another.
Between two profiles there is an insulating layer made of at least one insulating mat made of mineral fibers, in particular rock wool, which completely fills the space between the profiles.
DE 29 40 261 A1 discloses a large-area heating system consisting of several mounting plates with an insulating layer and a vapor barrier layer arranged on the surface of the insulating layer, preferably made of rigid plastic film, and heating pipes attached to its surface by means of pipe clamps.
DE 297 08 455 U1 discloses an insulation panel with a hook-and-loop nonwoven fabric laminated on it.
The object of the present invention is to disclose improved devices and methods for producing such heat exchanger assemblies.
The effort required on the construction site should preferably be reduced and the use of substances that are harmful to health or the environment should be avoided as far as possible.
According to the invention, an insulation mat, in particular for insulating a floor, is described, comprising an insulating layer made of a first fiber material and a fastening layer for fastening a pipe assembly.
The fastening layer is flexible, comprises a second material, and is tacked or sewn, twisted, or braided to the insulation layer.
The fastening layer is designed as a hook-and-loop nonwoven fabric for the releasable fastening of hook-and-loop elements.
The first fiber material can be, for example, ecologically harmless materials such as mineral wool, rock wool or wood wool, which have already been connected during production to a flexible fastening layer made of a second material by tacking, sewing, twisting or braiding.
The second material is a hook-and-loop nonwoven fabric.
In this way, the additional fastening of a solid base, for example made of a foamed material, can be dispensed with on the construction site.
The fastening techniques mentioned are particularly suitable for mass production by the manufacturer of the insulating material.
The usual gluing of the fastening layer with the associated adhesives can also be omitted, which reduces pollution.
The flexible fastening layer is designed as a hook-and-loop nonwoven fabric for the releasable fastening of hook-and-loop elements.
Such a fastening layer allows a particularly simple fastening of correspondingly prepared pipes by pressing on hook-and- loop elements connected to the pipes onto the fastening layer of the insulation mat.
In one embodiment, the insulation mat is designed to accommodate retaining clips, each provided with at least one hook, so that the hooks of the retaining clips can penetrate into the insulating layer and get caught onto the flexible fastening layer.
Such an assembly also permits a particularly simple fastening of pipes by pressing or tacking the retaining clips onto the pipes.
The first fiber material is preferably fire retardant or non-combustible and the insulation mat is free from additional flame retardants.
In at least one configuration, the insulating layer and the fastening layer are connected to one another at a plurality of punctual or linear connection points.
In at least one embodiment, a further flexible layer, in particular a moisture barrier, is arranged between the insulating layer and the fastening layer, wherein the further flexible layer and the fastening layer are tacked to the insulating layer or sewn to the insulating layer.
In at least one configuration, the insulating layer consists of a plurality of insulation strips which are arranged next to one another and are connected to one another via the fastening layer.
Such an insulation mat can be rolled up into bales by means of the fastening layer, regardless of the hardness of the insulation layer, which simplifies the production, transport and laying of the corresponding insulation mats.
Alternatively, two or more fixed panels can also be connected to one another via the fastening layer as so- called folding panels.
In at least one embodiment, the fastening layer protrudes over the insulating layer in at least one edge region of the insulating material panel, wherein the protruding edge area is designed to form a hook-and-loop connection with an adjacent insulation mat of the same type.
In this way, adjacent insulation mats can be attached to one another in a particularly simple and time-saving manner using the existing fastening layer, in order to avoid gaps forming in the insulation layer.
According to a development of the invention, a heat exchanger assembly with an insulation mat is disclosed, comprising an insulating layer made of a first fiber material and a flexible fastening layer attached to the first fiber material of the insulating layer.
The heat exchanger assembly also comprises at least one pipe assembly arranged on the flexible fastening layer for conducting a medium for cooling and/or heating, wherein the pipe assembly is connected directly to the flexible fastening layer by means of connecting elements.
The fastening layer comprises a second material and is tacked, sewn, twisted or braided to the insulation layer at a plurality of punctual or linear connection points.
The flexible fastening layer is designed as a hook-and-loop nonwoven fabric and the connecting elements are designed as hook-and-loop elements surrounding the pipe assembly at least in sections, so that the hook-and-loop elements enter into a releasable hook-and-loop connection with the hook-and-loop nonwoven fabric when the pipe assembly is pressed on.
Such a heat exchanger assembly is particularly suitable for producing floors with heating or cooling options and essentially enables the above-mentioned advantages.
To produce the insulation mat, the manufacturer of the insulation material carries out the following steps:
- Manufacture of a panel or web-shaped insulating layer from a fiber material, in particular mineral, rock wool or wood wool, - Application of a flexible fastening layer made of a second material, the second material being designed as a hook-and-loop nonwoven fabric,
and - Tacking, sewing, twisting or braiding the fastening layer to the insulation layer. To produce a heat exchanger assembly, the following steps are carried out on the construction site: - Laying at least one insulation mat on a substrate, with the fastening layer being arranged on a side facing away from the substrate, - Applying a pipe assembly directly to the fastening layer of the at least one insulation mat, - Fastening the pipe assembly to the fastening layer, in particular by means of hook- and-loop elements or retaining clips connected to the pipe assembly, and - Casting the pipe assembly with a filling material, in particular screed. Further advantageous refinements of the invention are disclosed in the appended claims and in the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments. The exemplary embodiments are described in detail with reference to the attached figures. The same reference numerals are used for the same or similar components of different exemplary embodiments. Different instances of the same components are denoted by alphabetical suffixes. In the figures:
Fig. 1 shows a heat exchanger assembly according to a first embodiment of the invention,
Fig. 2 shows a heat exchanger assembly which does not fall under the scope of the invention, and
Fig. 3 shows the production of an insulation mat according to an embodiment of the invention.
Fig. 1 schematically shows a cross section through a first heat exchanger assembly 10. The first heat exchanger assembly 10 comprises an insulation mat 11 and a pipe assembly 12 arranged directly on a top side of the insulation mat 11. In the exemplary embodiment, the first heat exchanger assembly 10 lies on a solid substrate 13, for example the raw ceiling of a building. The insulation mat 11 according to the exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 1 comprises an insulation layer 14 made of a fiber material. In the exemplary embodiment, the fiber material is mineral wool. Mineral wool has numerous advantages as a building and insulating material. In particular, mineral wool does not contain any toxic solvents and can therefore easily be landfilled. Furthermore, mineral wool is non-combustible or at least fire retardant, so that the use of special flame retardants can be dispensed with. In addition, mineral wool has very good insulating properties, so that relevant standards for heat and/or sound insulation in residential buildings can be met. In the exemplary embodiment, the insulating layer 14 is between 5 and 28 millimeters thick. It can be produced by the manufacturer in webs with a width of 80 cm, for example. For better transport of long webs, the insulating material layer 14 in the exemplary embodiment shown has a plurality of mutually parallel incisions 15 which are exaggerated in the figure and which essentially extend along the entire thickness and width of the insulating layer 14. For example, the distance between the individual incisions 15 is between 10 and 20 cm. The insulation strips 16 of the insulating layer 14 lying in between are connected to one another via a flexible fastening layer 17. In the exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 1, the flexible fastening layer 17 is a second fiber material, with the fiber material being designed as a hook-and-loop nonwoven fabric. The flexible fastening layer 17 is sewn to the insulation strips 16 of the insulating layer 14 lying underneath. Because the two fiber materials can be easily connected, a relatively thin or simple hook-and-loop nonwoven fabric can be used. The sewing of the insulating layer 14 and the fastening layer 17 takes place during the production of the insulation mat
11. The fastening preferably takes place before the incisions 15 are made in the insulating layer 14. In this way, a simple, large-scale fastening of the fastening layer 17 to the insulating layer 14 is possible. In addition, the fastening layer 17 can be used to roll up the insulation strips 16 of the insulating layer 14. The pipe assembly 12 comprises a plurality of pipes 18 which, in the exemplary embodiment, are wrapped in sections with hook-and-loop elements 19. The hook-and- loop elements 19 can, for example, be attached to the pipes 18 by gluing or other fastening techniques. After the insulation mat 11 has been laid on the substrate 13, the pipe assembly 12 can be fastened to the hook-and-loop nonwoven fabric of the flexible fastening layer 17 by simply pressing on the pipes 18 with the hook-and-loop elements 19 attached to them. This means that no further preparatory measures are required on the construction site. The pipes 18 are held securely on the insulation mat 11 by the hook- and-loop connection between the hook-and-loop elements 19 and the fastening layer 17. Accordingly, the pipe assembly 12 can be cast with a screed in a subsequent step without the risk that the individual pipes 18 will release from the upper side of the insulation mat 11 and protrude upwards through the screed layer.
Fig. 2 shows a second heat exchanger assembly 20 which does not fall under the scope of the claims. The second heat exchanger assembly 20 comprises two insulation mats 11a and 11b and a pipe assembly 12 arranged thereon. The insulation mats 11a and 11b each comprise an insulating layer 14a or 14b, a film 21a or 21b arranged thereon which acts as a moisture barrier and a fastening layer 17a or 17b arranged thereon. The fastening layers 17a and 17b are a relatively strong fabric material. Alternatively, however, it can also be a felt or another suitable material, in particular a fiber material. For example, the hook-and-loop nonwoven fabric described above with regard to the first exemplary embodiment can also serve as fastening layer 17a and 17b of the fastening assembly mentioned below. If the pipe assembly 12 is fastened by means of retaining clips as described below, it is also possible to use other, sufficiently strong materials such as somewhat reinforced plastic films as the fastening layer. The insulating layers 14a and 14b consist of rock wool. Rock wool is a relatively solid material, so that the individual insulation mats 11a and 11b can be supplied and laid as panel material. To secure the adjacent insulation mats 11a and 11b against slipping, the fastening layer 17a of the first insulation mat 11a overlaps the fastening layer 17b of the second insulation mat 11b in an edge region 22. In the edge region 22, on one of the fastening layers 17a or 17b of the insulation mats 11a or 11b, there is a hook-and-loop strip 23 which can be attached either directly to the material of the other fastening layer 17b or 17a or get caught to a corresponding counter-hook-and-loop element of the other insulation mat 11b or 11a. The pipe assembly 12 according to Fig. 2 comprises a plurality of pipes 18 which are connected by means of retaining clips 24 to the fastening layer 17a or 17b and the insulating layer 14a or 14b lying underneath. For this purpose, the retaining clips 24 each have barbed hooks 25 at their ends that pierce the fastening layer 17a or 17b, penetrate the insulation layer 14a or 14b, and latch or get caught behind the fastening layer 17a or 17b, thereby holding the pipe assembly 12 securely on top of the insulation mats 11a or
11b. The fastening layers 17a and 17b, the film 21a and 21b and the insulating layer 14a and 14b of the second heat exchanger assembly 20 are already connected to one another during production of the insulation mats 11a and 11b. For example, the layers mentioned are mechanically tacked to one another at a large number of points by the manufacturer of the insulation mats 11a and 11b (not shown in Fig. 2). Alternatively, a surface adhesive bonding of the fastening layer 17 is also possible.
This is particularly useful when using reinforced plastic films as the fastening layer 17. Figure 3 shows schematically the production of an insulation mat 11. In the exemplary embodiment shown, two flexible layers, in particular a film 21 acting as a moisture barrier, and a flexible fastening layer 17 in the form of a hook-and-loop nonwoven fabric are applied over a machine-made sheet of an insulating layer 14. In an alternative embodiment, not shown, only a single fastening layer 17, for example only a hook-and-loop nonwoven fabric, is applied to the insulating layer 14. The assembly, comprising the insulating layer 14, optionally the film 21 and the fastening layer 17, then runs through a sewing machine 31 and/or a tacking machine 32. The bottom left part of Fig. 3 shows, for example, the sewing of the three layers by the sewing machine 31 along essentially straight seams 33. The tacking of the layers by the tacking machine 32 at individual fastening points 34 is shown as an alternative fastening method in the right-hand part of Fig. 3. In addition to sewing and tacking, there are also numerous other fastening methods, in particular textile fastening methods, in order to permanently connect the fibers of the insulating layer 14 and the fastening layer 17 located thereabove.
The fibers of the layers 14 and 17 can also be twisted or braided directly with one another, particularly in the case of insulation mats 11 without an additional film 21. This is particularly useful when the flexible fastening layer 17 used itself represents a sufficient obstacle to limiting moisture for the insulating layer 14 lying underneath.
In particular, when using mineral or rock wool as insulating material, the use of further flame retardants can largely be dispensed with.
In addition, the use of natural materials makes recycling easier.
List of Reference Numerals (first) heat exchanger assembly 11 Insulation mat 12 Pipe assembly 13 Substrate 14 Insulating layer Incision 16 Insulation strips 17 Fastening layer 18 Pipe 19 Hook-and-loop element
(second) heat exchanger assembly 21 Film 22 Edge region 23 Hook-and-loop strip 24 Retaining clip Barbed hooks 31 Sewing machine 32 Tacking machine 33 Stitching 34 Fastening point