GB1592849A

GB1592849A - Paving or flooring tilling or panelling

Info

Publication number: GB1592849A
Application number: GB3693676A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: DOBSON PARK CONSUMER PROD
Current assignee: DOBSON PARK CONSUMER PROD
Priority date: 1977-09-20
Filing date: 1977-09-20
Publication date: 1981-07-08

Description

(54) PAVING OR FLOORING, TILING OR PANELLING (71) We, DOBSON PARK CON SUMER PRODUCTS LIMITED, a British Company of Dobson Park House, Coiwick Industrial Estate, Colwick, Nottingham NG4 2BX, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The invention relates to paving, tiling, flooring or panelling and has particular reference to finishing an existing floor or paving an area of ground or path, though it may be further applicable to tiles or panels for walls or ceilings.

In paving an area of ground or a path it is normal to use thick and thus heavy slabs of concrete or stone and this usually requires a special preparation of the ground, say using a layer of sand or a weak sand and cement mixture, often requires grouting to be applied between adjacent slabs, and results in difficuities being encountered in removing or replacing an individual slab if only by reason of the weight of that slab.

It is an object of this invention to provide paving that solves or at least reduces the impact of the above mentioned requirements.

According to the invention there is provided a cast or moulded slab or tile of tray-like form with a central top portion having downwardly extending side edges which, on at least two opposite sides of the slab or tile, are lipped to further extend first outwardly and then upwardly to form beyond the central top portion upwardly open grooves each extending from positions adjacent other sides of the slab or tile and serving to receive and locate a downwardly extending plain edge of another tray-like slab or tile when that is laid for side-to-side registration with said central top portion. As used herein the term "plain edges means an edge that has no tipping from its downward extension. Preferably the further upward extensions of the lipped side edges each fit within side edges of another slab or tile.

Such a slab or tile is conveniently made of reinforced concrete, preferably glass-fibre reinforced cement, of relatively thin section, at least compared with the overall thickness common for the above mentioned slabs of concrete or stone, and so is of much lighter weight and easier to handle. One or more edges may be adapted for interlocking with an adjacent tile or slab.

The slabs or tiles may, of course, be of various designs and shapes, such as square, rectangular, or hexagonal, and may be of different sizes, or even shapes, in order to be capable of providing a substantially continuous surface, though at least one system embodying this invention is envisaged as consisting of slabs or tiles of constant shape and size.

It is preferred that the slabs or tiles be designed and formed with a suitable com bination of plain and lipped edges to allow in terfitting of adjacent tiles or slabs in achieve ment of close spaced paving, if desired without grouting, and assist load distribution between the tiles or slabs. Laying of tiles with the lipping hereof may require a predetermined laying pattern and/or lifting of one or more adjacent tiles.

It may be preferred for the upward extensions of the lipping to extend into engagement with the underside of the central top portion of an adjacent tile.

Also, the lips need not be coextensive with the associated tile or slab sides, and normally will not be, as corners of other tile edges have to be accommodated.

Particularly when using lipped edge tiles or slabs it is a simple matter to provide kerb or edge members along a side or about the periphery of a paved area. Such kerbs may conveniently be provided as a curved or otherwise shaped hollow section of glass fibre reinforced concrete and may, further, have an extended limb or part for forming an anchorage in the ground or floor to be paved.

The tray-like slabs or tiles hereof can be made strong and stiff enough to bear desired loads even though their support is only peripheral at their downwardly facing edges and/ or their upwardly returned lip edges but, particularly when laid on a smooth hard surface, may sound undesirably hollow when walked over. This may be overcome without substantial sacrifice of the lightweight feature by filling the tray-like tile or slab with a core of lighter weight material such as expanded polystyrene. Then, the core material or filler will inevitably bear some load and even .thinner sections of reinforced cement or concrete may be used. Alternatively, or even additionally, one or more discrete plugs of load bearing material may be formed with or disposed below the central top portion or "base" of the tray-like tile or slab.

The latter type of structure is particularly well suited to larger tiles or slabs and to laying over a more or less yielding surface such as sand, clay, turf, soil or cinders and the use of in-filling lightweight core material will allow progressive compression thereof as the edges and/or plugs sink into the yielding surface, thereby taking up at least some of the load.

It will be appreciated that where reinforcing plugs are used, they need not be of the same depth as the tray edges and may be made integrally in a single moulding operation for a slab or tile, and/or may be of a different, perhaps slightly yieldable, material in order to avoid any possibility of arching of the centres of the slabs or tiles.

Using interfitung tiles embodying this invention makes laying on solid or soft ground equally practicable and substantially reduces any tendency for different edge levels to occur due to differential sinking of tiles or slabs relative to their neighboars. Tendencies to rocking of the tiles or slabs are also reduced and undulating ground can be more readily laid over. Furthermore, the tiles or slabs can be positively located by interfitting of their lips and plain edges, if the lips return upwardly, so as to preclude undesired separation thereof and reduce the possibility of weed growth between them.

Specific implementation of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows both a plan and a section of a basic tray-like slab or tile with plain edges; Figure 2 shows a plan of a tile or slab having one pair of opposed sides lipped according to the invention; Figures 2a is a section through the tile or slab of Figure 2 and shows interfitment with a tile or slab of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan view of a tile or slab with each of its side edges lipped; Figure 4 illustrates the laying of an area with tiles of the types shown in Figures 1 and 3; Figure 5 shows a plan view of a preferred tile having two opposed sides only formed with lips; Figure 6 shows an area paved with tiles or slabs of the type shown in Figure 5;; Figure 7 is a section through a lipped tile or slab including both lightweight core material and a central load bearing plug; Figure 8 is a section through a lipped tile or slab fitted at each side with kerb members.

In the drawings, Figures 1 shows a tile or slab 10 in the form of a square tray with a continuous downwardly projecting edge for ground engagement with the "base" of the tray-form presenting central top portion or a finish or load bearing surface. As with other embodiments to be described, this tile or slab is formed as a moulding of glass fibre reinforced cement.

Figure 2 shows a tile 20 having opposed edges 21 provided with lips 22 in the form of outwardly extending flanges 23 and up sand ing terminations 25 forming channels of a width suitable to receive plain edges of a tray of the form of Figure 1. Such interfitment is clearly shown in Figure 2A from which it will be noted that the tiles of Figure 1 have an overall depth that is less than those of Figure 2 by the thickness of the lip flanges.

With normal manufacturing tolerances, it is anticipated that such interfitment will be adequate to substantially inhibit penetration by weeds and may be such as to remove the necessity for grouting between adjacent tiles or slabs. However, if desired, the lip channels could have a mastic or other sealant, perhaps a weak concrete mix, run into them as they are laid. The returned lip terminating edges 25 could, of course, extend sufficiently to engage the undersurface of an adjacent tile either as an additional load supportive and distributive measure to the seating of a plain edge into a channel bottom flange 23 or as an alternative thereto where the plain edge is of the extension.

The tile or slab 30 of Figure 3 has lips 31 formed to each of the edges and these are bevelled across the corners of the tile proper to allow for interfitment with plain edged tiles such as those of Figure 1 and as shown in detail in Figure 4.

Such bevelling of the edge lips is, of course, desirable for tiles of the type of Figure 2 in order to avoid gapping of the plain edges of a tile of Figure 1 and is shown in Figure 5 for a tile or slab 50 having lips 51.

Figure 6 shows the formation of continuous paving using tiles of the type in Figure 5 in which consecutive tiles in both rows and columns are successively rotated by 900 relative to each other. These can be laid without ever requiring more than one previously laid tile or slab to be lifted by adopting a laying pattern that follows successive parallel diagonals of a square or rectangular array. A practical plain edge could be shallow for most of its extent with greater depths at its ends to fit into and over a returned lip.

As has been mentioned, for sound deadening purposes the interior of the tile may be filled with a core of very lightweight material having a much lower load-bearing capability for example expanded polystyrene, and this is indicated at 71 in Figure 7 for a lipped tile 70. Figure 7 also shows the provision of a central plug 72 of load bearing material which may be different from the reinforced cement of the tile proper, but is preferably formed of the same material and integrally with the formation of the tile. Clearly, a plurality of such plugs could be provided as desired at apprqpriate spacings.

Figure 8 shows a lipped tile 80 with interfitting substantially U shaped kerb members 82 having a short limb 83 interfitting to the lip channel and a longer limb 84 serving as an anchorage in a groove or slot formed in the ground or floor to be paved or tiled. These kerb members may be of the same length as individual tiles or slabs, or may be longer, perhaps particularly where using two-lipped tiles or slabs as in Figure 6.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A cast or moulded slab or tile of traylike form with a central top portion having downwardly extending side edges which, on at least two opposite sides of the slab or tile, are lipped to further extend first outwardly and then upwardly to form beyond the central top portion upwardly open grooves each extending from positions adjacent other sides of the slab or tile and serving to receive and locate a downwardly extending plain edge of another tray-like slab or tile when that is laid for side-to-side registration with said central top portion.

2. A slab or tile according to claim 1, wherein the further upward extensions of the liplped side edges each fit within side edges of another slab or tile.

3. A slab or tile according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein both of the other side edges of a rectangular said slab or tile are plain.

4. A slab or tile according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein all of the side edges of a rectangular said slab or tile are similiarly lipped.

5. A slab or tile acording to any preceding claim, wherein the slab or tile is of cast reinforced concrete.

6. A slab or tile according to claim 5, wherein the slab or tile is of glass fibre reinforced concrete.

7. A slab or tile according to any preceding claim, wherein the slab or tile includes a relatively lightweight core.

8. A slab or tile according to claim 7, wherein said core fills the hollow space of the slab or tile.

9. A slab or tile according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the slab or tile has a plurality of discrete spaced plugs of load bearing material in its hollow space.

10. A slab or tile according to claim 7, 8 or 9, wherein said core or said plugs are compressible under load.

11. A slab or tile substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

12. A method of paving using slabs or tiles according to any preceding claim and substantially as herein described.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. having a much lower load-bearing capability for example expanded polystyrene, and this is indicated at 71 in Figure 7 for a lipped tile 70. Figure 7 also shows the provision of a central plug 72 of load bearing material which may be different from the reinforced cement of the tile proper, but is preferably formed of the same material and integrally with the formation of the tile. Clearly, a plurality of such plugs could be provided as desired at apprqpriate spacings. Figure 8 shows a lipped tile 80 with interfitting substantially U shaped kerb members 82 having a short limb 83 interfitting to the lip channel and a longer limb 84 serving as an anchorage in a groove or slot formed in the ground or floor to be paved or tiled. These kerb members may be of the same length as individual tiles or slabs, or may be longer, perhaps particularly where using two-lipped tiles or slabs as in Figure 6. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A cast or moulded slab or tile of traylike form with a central top portion having downwardly extending side edges which, on at least two opposite sides of the slab or tile, are lipped to further extend first outwardly and then upwardly to form beyond the central top portion upwardly open grooves each extending from positions adjacent other sides of the slab or tile and serving to receive and locate a downwardly extending plain edge of another tray-like slab or tile when that is laid for side-to-side registration with said central top portion.