FR2848233A1 - Floor covering panel has interlocking edges to define sealed joints to allow water circulation for ground heating - Google Patents

Abstract

The floor covering panel is rectangular and has interlocking formations to allow assembly of multiple panels side by side to form a continuous surface with sealing between the upper and lower faces. The panel has two series of crenellations (12,13) formed by alternating projections (121,131) and recesses (122,132) superimposed on the edges of the while panel periphery.

Description

i

  The present invention relates to a plate made of synthetic material, whether or not cellular, in particular a floor covering plate of particularly rectangular shape.

  Such a plate may, for example, correspond to a plate for retaining water circulation tubes for underfloor heating. The plate according to the invention is fitted with attachment members allowing the assembly of a series of identical plates arranged side by side so as to obtain a continuous mat covering in particular the floor of a room, for example d 'a room to heat.

  Numerous types of hooking members for plates of synthetic material have already been proposed, among which, for example, lateral cuts can be mentioned, giving the plates a configuration comparable to that of the pieces of a puzzle.

  1 5 Such fastening members are however not suitable for plates intended to obtain a mat, the lower face of which is leaktight vis-à-vis the upper face at the joints between the neighboring plates.

  This is for example the case of retaining plates for water circulation tubes 20 for underfloor heating.

  A floor heating installation conventionally comprises one or more sets of water circulation tubes, integrated into the floor screed.

  These tubes must be distributed along a route as regular as possible and keep their positioning during the screed production, until the concrete sets.

  An old technique consisted in fixing the tubes to the metallic mesh of reinforcement of the concrete.

  A newer and more suitable technique for the efficiency of the heating installation consists in using plastic covering plates which have means for hanging the tubes and holding them in place.

  These means consist of studs or bosses defining between them passages for receiving the tubes.

  The sheets are generally rectangular in shape and can, for example, be made of cellular material such as polystyrene, polypropylene or expanded polyethylene, or else of any injected synthetic material such as polystyrene, polypropylene, polyethylene, The shape of the studs is in turn such that the plates come together to form a regular assembly making it possible to receive the tubes along the route chosen according to the geometry of the room to be heated. The sectional view of Figure 1 shows the structure of a floor heating installation.

  This installation is placed on a concrete slab 1 which receives floor covering plates 2 equipped with studs or bosses 21 defining intervals 22 having a trapezoid-shaped section, that is to say undercut to receive tubes 3 in which circulates the heat transfer fluid, which is generally hot water. The assembly is coated with a yoke 4 which blocks the tubes.

  Upon installation, this yoke is conventionally very liquid to penetrate the intervals well and ensure both the strength of the tubes in addition to the strength provided by the floor covering plates 2 and thermal contact.

  The screed 4 can also receive a coating, such as a paving, tiling or even parquet.

  It is essential that during the installation, the liquid screed which is poured on the upper face of the carpet constituted by the assembly of floor covering plates cannot flow towards the lower face of it by introducing itself in slots present at level 25 of the joints between the different plates.

  Consequently, the floor covering plates must be fitted at their edges with hooking members capable of guaranteeing the seal between the upper face and the lower face of the mat at the level of the adjacent plates.

  For this purpose, the fastening members are conventionally constituted by a high double rebate provided on two contiguous sides of the floor covering plates and cooperating with a corresponding low double rebate provided on the other two contiguous sides thereof.

  Figure 2 is a schematic top view of a floor covering plate 2 equipped with a double high rebate 23 on two of these contiguous sides and a double low rebate 24 on its two other contiguous sides.

  Figure 3 is a sectional view of two neighboring floor covering plates 2, 2 'at their joint.

  The rebates 23/24 of a floor covering plate 2 cooperate with corresponding rebates associated 24/23 of a neighboring floor covering pla 2 '.

  The rebates 23 and 24 thus define a baffle making it very difficult for a liquid to pass from the upper face to the lower face of the plates 2, 2 '.

  Despite this advantage, such a configuration of the attachment members 10 is not without drawbacks.

  In fact, during installation, the floor covering plates must be aligned in the same direction, taking into account the position of their rebates in order to be able to interconnect with each other, which is a restriction on use.

  FIG. 4 represents in particular the assembly of six floor covering plates 2A to 2F in accordance with the prior art each provided with a double high rebate 23 and a double low rebate 24 respectively on two of their adjoining sides.

  During assembly, the installer must place plate 2B on plate 2A, plate 2C on plate 2D, plate 2D on plate 2A, plate 2E on plate 2B, etc.

  5 shows a set of floor covering plates 2 identical to those shown in Figure 4 and forming a carpet covering the floor of a rectangular room to be heated.

  The floor covering plates 2 are laid from a corner 20 of the room according to the principle described with reference to FIG. 4.

  It is very rare that the geometry of the room is exactly adapted to the dimensions of the flooring panels.

  Consequently, after installation, there remain two strips 25, 30 26 which have a width or a length less than that of the plates 2.

  Consequently, to fill these strips, the installer must cut sheets with suitable dimensions.

  This results in falls which are difficult to recover for another room.

  In fact, the double rebated fastening members which impose the orientation of the plates during installation prohibit the use of scraps whose remaining rebate is not that suitable.

  The object of the invention is to remedy this drawback by proposing a plate made of synthetic material, in particular a floor covering plate of particularly rectangular shape such as, for example, a plate for retaining water circulation tubes for heating. 5 by the ground allowing easier recovery of the falls while ensuring sealing at the joints between the neighboring plates.

  Such a plate is fitted with hooking members allowing the assembly of a series of plates arranged side by side so as to obtain a continuous mat, in particular a mat covering the ground with a lo 10 cal, while guaranteeing sealing. between the upper face and the lower face of the mat at the joints between the adjacent plates.

  According to the invention, such a plate is characterized in that it is equipped on its edges with two series of slots formed by a succession of identical recesses and protuberances, superimposed on its edges and extending over its entire length. periphery, symmetrically with respect to the center thereof, the slots of the lower level being offset with respect to the slots of the upper level.

  The slots thus define on the periphery of the plate a set of contiguous rebates alternately high and low such as to guarantee sealing between the neighboring plates while considerably limiting falls and facilitating their recovery.

  Indeed, because the slots are symmetrical with respect to the center of the plates, the latter are not "oriented" and can interconnect with each other even after a rotation of 1800 around a vertical axis.

  Consequently, during installation, it is not necessary to respect a particular direction, as was the case with the floor covering plates of the prior art provided with a double high and low rebate. In addition, the configuration of the plates according to the invention generates only a few drops, because it is possible to assemble them with a longitudinal offset or, subject to cutting at their end. to place them at 900.

  It should be noted that, if the plate made of synthetic material according to the invention can advantageously correspond to a floor covering plate, in particular to a tube retaining plate for underfloor heating, this plate can also be of another type and by way of example correspond to any insulating plate such as a wall or ceiling covering plate and even find applications in the field of packaging.

  In the particular case of floor covering sheets, the amount of scraps can be lowered all the more before the laying of the sheets, professionals are in the habit of drawing up plans representing the site on a reduced scale. which allows them to determine the parts that generate the most significant falls in order to recover them from other parts.

  According to a particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the hollows and the protrusions of the slots are in the form of an open U and comprise a central branch as well as two lateral branches preferably making an angle of about 1350 with the central branch.

  Such an angle is necessary to allow a plate to be embedded between two adjacent plates such as the plate 2E shown in FIG. 4.

  Indeed, such a plate can only be put in place by sliding it along the lateral branches of the protrusions of the slots of the neighboring plates 2B and 2D.

  According to the invention, the hollows of the slots of one level can be exactly superimposed on the protrusions of the other level.

  However, such a configuration has the drawback of causing a leak in the junction of the projections of the slots of the two levels: for example in the particular case of 25 retaining plates for underfloor heating, if the neighboring plates are badly joined, when it is poured, the liquid screed can penetrate the passage thus created.

  According to a preferred characteristic of the invention making it possible to remedy this drawback, the hollows of the slots of the upper level are offset with respect to the protrusions of the slots of the lower level and vice versa.

  According to another characteristic of the invention, the protrusions of the two series of slots are respectively provided with ribs and grooves on their internal face.

  During installation, the ribs and grooves of the slots of the neighboring plates snap into each other, which improves the assembly of the plates and prevents them from uncoupling too easily.

  The characteristics of the plate of synthetic material which is the subject of the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying non-limiting drawings in which: - Figure 1 is a sectional view of a water heating installation hot from the ground; - Figure 2 is a top view of a floor covering plate according to the prior art; - Figure 3 is a sectional view of two plates of the prior art assembled together, at their junction; - Figure 4 is a schematic view showing the assembly of six floor covering plates of the prior art; - Figure 5 shows a room coated with plates of the type shown in Figure 4; - Figure 6 is a partial top view of a floor covering plate according to the invention at one of its corners; - Figure 7 is a partial bottom view of a floor covering plate according to the invention at one of its corners; - Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram of the assembly by sliding of two neighboring floor covering plates; - Figure 9 is a bottom view showing the assembly of four floor covering plates of the type shown in Figures 6 and 7; Figure 10 is a top view of a floor covering plate; - Figure 11 is a top view of a variant of such a plate.

  The figures relate to the particular case in which the synthetic material plate corresponds to a tube retaining plate for underfloor heating.

  As already indicated, this is only an example of configuration which should in no way be considered as limiting the invention.

  According to FIGS. 6 and 7, the plate 10 according to the invention is made of synthetic material, and has an upper face i1i visible in FIG. 6 and a lower face 112 visible in FIG. 7.

  According to FIG. 6, the plate 10 is provided on its upper face 111 with a series of studs or bosses 21 which are uniformly distributed and have a configuration and a function in every point identical to those of the studs or bosses 21 of the plates prior art floor covering 2 shown in Figure 1.

  According to Figures 6 and 7, the plate 10 is equipped on its edges with two series of slots 12, 13 superimposed on its edges.

  According to FIG. 9, the two series of slots 12, 13 extend over the entire periphery of the plate 10.

  According to Figures 6 and 7, the slots 12 of the upper level are offset from the slots 13 of the lower level.

  Each series of slots 12, 13 is constituted by a succession of protrusions 121, 131 and identical recesses 122, 132.

  The protrusions 121, 131 and the recesses 122, 132 are in the form of an open U and comprise a central branch 14 separating two lateral branches 15l, 152.

  The angle a between the central branch 14 and the lateral branches 151, 152 is equal to 135.

  According to FIG. 8, this angle cu of 1350 allows the assembly 15 of two plates 10, 10 'by sliding along the arrows X along the lateral branches 15, 15' of their protuberances 121, 12'l; 131, 13'l neighbors.

  It is thus possible to insert a plate such as the plate 2E shown in FIG. 4 between two neighboring plates 2B, 2D by sliding it in a direction X corresponding to the bisectors of the angles of these plates.

  According to FIG. 6, the protrusions 131 of the slots 13 of the lower level are provided on their internal face with ribs 16.

  According to FIG. 7, the protrusions 121 of the slots 12 of the upper level are for their part provided on their internal face with grooves 17 corresponding to the ribs 16.

  During the assembly of two plates 10, 10 'the ribs 16 and the grooves 17 located opposite snap into each other. According to FIG. 9, the slots 12, 13 of the upper level and of the lower level are symmetrical with respect to the center of the plates 10.

  As a result, these plates are not oriented and can be rotated 180, or even offset along their length or across their width 35 which allows to reduce falls.

  According to FIG. 10, the protrusions 121 of the slots 12 of the upper level and the protrusions 131 of the slots 13 of the lower level are respectively superimposed on the recesses 132 of the slots 13 on the lower level and on the recesses 122 of the slots 12 on the upper level.

  This configuration has the drawback of creating an insufficient risk of leaktightness at the level of the line 18 defined by the "cross" of the protrusions 121, 131 in the event of two adjacent plates 10, 10 'being badly joined.

  According to FIG. 11, it is possible to remedy this drawback by shifting the protrusions 121, 131 and the recesses 132, 122 of the two levels of slots 12, 13 of the plate 10. 10

Claims (3)

  10) Plate made of synthetic material, in particular a floor covering plate of particularly rectangular shape, equipped with hooking members allowing the assembly of a series of plates arranged side by side, so as to obtain a continuous carpet, in particular a carpet covering the floor of a room while ensuring the seal between the upper face and the lower face of the carpet, at the level of the adjacent plates, characterized in that it is equipped on its edges with two series of slots (12, 13 ) consti10 killed by a succession of hollow (122, 132) and protuberances (121, 13i) identical, superimposed on its edges and extending over its entire periphery, symmetrically relative to the center thereof, the slots (13) of the lower level being offset relative to the slots (12) of the upper level.   2) Plate according to claim 1, characterized in that the hollows (122, 132) and the protrusions (121, 131) of the slots (12, 13) are in the form of an open U and have a central branch (14) thus 20 that two lateral branches (15) preferably making an angle ((x) of about 135 with the central branch (14).   30) Plate according to any one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the hollows (122) of the slots (12) of the upper level are offset relative to the protrusions (131) of the slots (13) of the lower level and vice versa . 40) Plate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 30 characterized in that the protrusions (121, 131) of the two series of slots (12, 13) are respectively provided on their inner face with ribs (16) and grooves (17) capable of cooperating to improve the assembly of two adjacent plates (10, 10).