GB2087946A - Insulating Panel for Roofs and Suspended Ceilings - Google Patents

Abstract

An insulating panel comprises two sheets joined face-to-face to form an air gap therebetween. One of the panels is dished and has reinforcing channels 25. The panel is transparent or translucent and may be used in a suspended ceiling or be mounted beneath a rooflight 11. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Insulating Panel The present invention concerns improved insulating panels, especially but not exclusively panels for insulating rooflights and for use in suspended ceilings.

The roofs of certain factories, halls, etc are often provided with rooflights which normally comprise a single thickness sheet of a light transmitting material which serves also as outer cladding for the roof. Those areas of the roof not covered by the rooflight are insulated by fixing plaster board to the interior of the roof at a distance from the outside cladding and filling space thus formed with a suitable insulating material, for example, glass fibre mat. This means that the rooflight is not insulated and this results in a substantial heat loss.

It has been proposed in the past to provide insulation for rooflights by attaching a further sheet of light transmitting material onto the underside of the rooflight to create. an air gap, the air gap serving as insulation. This system has proved to have certain drawbacks, for example, the insulating panel has had to be manufactured to size as it has been difficult to provide standard size panels as the configuration of the structural members of roofs vary from building to building, and, furthermore, certain of these prior insulating panels have been held in position by threaded members and this has required drilling and the consequent dangers of cracking the panel and the outer cladding member, and leakage.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate these disadvantages.

In suspended ceilings those panels through which either natural or artificial light is intended to be transmitted have often been single thickness plastics sheets and thus have not provided the same level of insulation as the remaining members of the suspended ceiling.

It is a further object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate this disadvantage.

According to the present invention there is provided an insulated panel including two spaced apart substantially planar members defining an air space therebetween, at least one of the members having strengthening indentations formed therein.

Preferably said one member includes a peripheral skirt having a flange by which said one member is attached to the other member, the indentations therein being substantially straight channels.

Preferably said members are of a plastics sheet material and said one member may be vacuum formed. Said members can be transparent or translucent.

Preferably the bases of the channels forming said indentation are spaced from said other sheet.

Further according to the present invention there is provided a roof comprising structural support members to which external cladding is mounted, said support members having flanges on which internal cladding is supportable, insulation being provided between said external and internal cladding, at least one insulation panel of the type described in the preceding four paragraphs being supported on the flanges of said structural members directly below a light transmitting external cladding member.

Further according to the present invention there is provided a suspended ceiling comprising a plurality of structural members of inverted T cross-section and at least one insulating panel of the type defined in the four paragraphs preceding the last paragraph supported on the flanges of structural members defining a surround for the panel.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 shows a plan of an insulating panel, Fig. 2 shows an end view of the panel, Fig. 3 shows a side view of the panel and Fig. 4 shows a diagrammatic view of a roof incorporating a panel as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3; and Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 show similar views of a modified panel.

In Fig. 4 an insulating panel 10 is shown in position beneath a rooflight 11 in a factory roof comprising a plurality of structural members 12, 1 3 the members 1 3 having flanges (not shown) at their lower ends on which are supported plaster board panels 14 lining the roof, the flanges supporting also the insulating panel 10. A suitable insulating material 1 5 is positioned in the space between the plaster boards 14 and the outer cladding panels 1 6.

Each insulating panel 10 comprises a first planar sheet 20 manufactured from translucent rather than transparent sheet plastics material (the width of the sheet 20 being 600 mm which is a standard width for plaster board sheets) and a second member 22 which is vacuum formed from transparent plastics sheet material and has a peripheral skirt 23 provided with a flange 24 by which the member 22 is fixed by adhesive to the member 20 around the edges thereof.

A series of indentations in the form of straight channels 25 are formed in the member 22, the bases 26 of the channels being spaced from the sheet 20 when the members are fixed together.

The channels serve not only to strengthen the member 22 but also to divide the space between the members into a plurality of relatively small compartments such that heat transfer by convection is minimised.

It will be realised that the insulating panel described above with reference to Figs. 1-4 is relatively simple and cheap to manufacture. It is light but sufficiently rigid and is easy to transport and store. Its lightweight and simplicity also means that it can be readily installed by unskilled labour even on relatively inaccessible roofs. The insulating panel effectively forms a total glazing system for a roof-light and as such considerably reduces the heat loss normally experienced through rooflights.

The modification shown in Figs. 5-8 of the drawings is a similar panel having a square rather than a rectangular shape and is particularly suitable for use as an insulating panel in a suspended ceiling, such use being illustrated in Fig. 8. The advantages of the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1-4 are exhibited also by this modification.

Various modification can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, for example, the indentations 10 need not be straight but could take any other suitable form, for example, they may be lattice-like. Materials other than plastics sheet could be employed although this material has been found to give the greater advantages in cost and weight saving and high insulation values.

It will be realised that the insulation panels described in this specification offer not only heat insulation but also sound insulation.

The panels are advantageous in that they are resistent to attack by most chemicals, are proof against rust, fungus growth and discolouration and, in cases of fire, are self extinguishing.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

Claims (13)

Claims

1. An insulating panel including two spaced apart substantially planar members defining an air space therebetween, at least one of the members having strengthening indentations formed therein.

2. An insulating panel as claimed in claim 1, in which said one member includes a peripheral skirt having a flange by which said one member is attachectto the other member.

3. An insulating panel as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the indentations are substantially straight channels.

4. An insulating panel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which said members are of a plastics sheet material.

5. An insulating panel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the indentations in the or each member are vacuum formed.

6. An insulating panel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, in which said members are transparent.

7. An insulating panel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, in which said members are translucent.

8. An insulating panel as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 7, in which the bases of the channels forming said indentations are spaced from said other sheet.

9. A roof comprising structural support members to which external cladding is mounted, said support members having flanges on which internal cladding is supportable, insulation being provided between said external and internal cladding, at least one insulation panel of the type claimed in any one of the preceding claims being supported on the flanges of said structural members directly below a light-transmitting external cladding member.

10. A suspended ceiling comprising a plurality of structural members of inverted T cross-section and at least one insulating panel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 supported on the flanges of structural members defining a surround for the panel.

11. An insulating panel substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4 or Figs. 5 to 8 of the accompanying drawings.

1 2. A roof substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 4.

13. A suspended ceiling substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 8.