GB2110735A - Panelling system - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to joined panels (1), a number of which may be used for forming a wall cladding or lining wherein the panels are joined by substantially vertical tongue (5) and groove (6) joints characterised in that the panel edges include a longitudinally extending recess to form a self draining weather cavity e.g. at 5a, (7) or 12 between panels on engagement of the edge of one panel with the edge of its adjacent panel. A clip (Fig. 6 not shown) for securing the panel to the wall structural member may be included the clip comprising a base which is secured to the structural members and a socket which engages the interior of the recess. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A panelling system The present invention relates to a panel a plurality of which may be used for forming a cladding for the exterior walls of a building, for lining the interior surfaces of the walls of a building or the like. This cladding will consist of a plurality of adjacent panels of the type wherein adjacent panels are linked by a tongue and groove joint, a tongue and/or a groove being formed on the respective edges of each panel and in use the joint will lie in a substantially vertical direction.

An essential requirement of exterior cladd ing is that it adequately protects the building from the elements and preferably it should be easy to assemble and erect and require mini mal maintenance such as periodic repainting, repunching of its securing nails etc. Interior lining must typically provide or support a decorative facing such as wallpaper or the like and preferably incorporates appropriate heat and/or sound insulation. In some environ ments such as in large halls, gymnasiums, factories or the like the interior lining must also be relatively robust and wear-resistant.

It has been found that in use none of the prior art cladding systems is wholly successful in fulfilling these requirements and in particular none possesses suitable structural rigidity as well as having the requisite weather resistance. One problem encountered with part art systems wherein the panels extend vertically is that the joints between adjacent panels are prone to allow water to seep into and through the joint.

The present invention provides a panelling system suitable for use as a cladding or lining which may be applied to for example either the structural members of interior or exterior walls of a building or the existing lining or cladding of such wails and which includes a joint construction comprising an integral self draining weather cavity. Additionally the joint construction is such that said cavity and other members of the joint are hidden below the visible surface of the cladding.

These features provide a number of advantages as follows. The self draining weather cavity serves to catch water seeping into the joint and direct it to appropriate drainage so that the likelihood or water passing right through the panelling into the interior of the wall is minimised. In addition cladding formed of panels incorporating said joint is particularly strong and secure and is particularly resistant to torsional and racking forces. The form of the joint whereby the panels of the invention are secured to each other and to the supporting surface accordingly adds considerably to the structural rigidity of the completed wall and this of course can be advantageously taken into account during the design stage where panels according to the invention are utilised.

Furthermore, since the members of the joint including the self draining weather cavity are hidden below what in use is the front or visible face of the panels, the joint construction does not infiuence or dictate the applications to which the panels of the invention can be put. The shape or texture of the surface may be varied as desired for any application and if desired decorative or protective material can be applied to the panels during manufacture thus providing further advantages.In summary the panel of the present invention provides a cladding or lining directly applicable to supporting surfaces such as for example the structural members of the walls of the building or the existing lining or cladding thereof, which is particularly weather resistant, which possesses such strength that it may form an integral structural element of said wall, and to which a decorative and/or protective coating may be applied prior to assembly.

In its first aspect therefore the invention comprises a panel for forming a cladding composed of a plurality of said panels, each panel having a, front face, a rear face and two parallel edges each respectively adapted to engage an adjacent panel in a tongue and groove joint which in use will lie in a substantially vertical direction, characterised in that at least one said edge includes a recess extending longitudinally thereof to form a self draining weather cavity on engagement of said edge with the edge of the adjacent panel.

In another aspect the invention comprises a panel for forming a cladding composed of a plurality of said panels, each panel having a front face, a rear face and two parallel edges each respectively adapted to engage an adjacent panel in a tongue and groove joint which in use will lie in a substantially vertical direction, characterised in that at least one said edge includes a recess extending longitudinally thereof to form a self draining weather cavity on engagement of said edge with the edge of the adjacent panel the invention also comprising a panel securing clip having a base and a socket which has a major axis substantially copolanar with said base, the said socket being adapted to engage over a flange extending from an edge of said panel, the base including means to enable the said clip to be mounted on a supporting surface so as to secure the said panel to the supporting surface.

To assist in further understanding of the present invention, by way of example only, preferred embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings wherein: Figure 1 shows a cross sectional view through a part of a wall of a building having its exterior walls clad with a preferred embodi ment panelling of the invention that portion of each securing clip within a joint between adjacent panels which would not ordinarily be visible being shown in phantom outline, and Figure 2 shows an enlarged cross sectional part view of the joint between two panels of the preferred embodiment, and Figure 3 shows an enlarged cross sectional view of the joint between two panels of the preferred embodiment similar to that shown in Fig. 2 but also showing a panel securing clip fitted to said joint, and Figure 4 shows an enlarged cross sectional view of the edge of an end most panel of the preferred embodiment and also shows a starting panel securing clip fitted thereto, Figures 5, 6 and 7 show respectively a plan view, a section along the line 6-6 and a section along the line 7-7 of one form of a securing clip shown in Fig. 3, Figures 8, 9 and 10 show respectively a plan view, a section along the line 9-9 and a section along the line 10-10 of a modified form of a securing clip.

Figures 11, 12 and 13 show respectively a plan view, a section along the line 12-12 and a section along the line 13-13 of one form of a starting clip shown in Fig. 1, Figures 14, 15 and 16 show respectively a plan, a section along the line 15-15 and a section along the line 16-16 of a modified form of the starting clip.

Fig. 1 shows a cross sectional plan view of a wall which is clad with a series of panels 1 in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, which panels form an exterior cladding and extend vertically for example for the full height of the wall. The panels of the invention may however be utilised as either or both interior or exterior lining or cladding and may be secured to extend either horizontally or vertically as desired. In addition the panels may be of any length width or geometric shape desired.

The vertical edges of each panel 1 abut with the longitudinal edges of adjacent panels and a joint between the adjacent panels is provided as generally indicated at 2 and as referred to earlier which joint is a tongue and groove joint comprising tongue 5 and groove 6, more particularly indicated in Fig. 2. As shown in this Fig. the relationship between the length of the tongue 5 and the depth of the groove 6 is such that when the joint is made, the mating edges 8 of adjacent panels 1 a and 1 b will abut. In addition the joint when so formed includes a self draining weather cavity 7 which in the preferred embodiment is of a triangular shape but which may, in other embodiments, be of any desired cross-sectional shape.Viewed in cross-section it can be seen that the walls of this cavity are formed by the bevelled portions 9a and 9b which extend the full length of the longitudinal edges of each panel while the cavity base is formed by the tongue 5. The cavity is of such a diameter that it not only forms an anticapillary cavity to counter seepage of water through the joint but additionally forms a selfdraining weather cavity so that the ingress of water uinto the joint is not only halted if it should occur but, in addition any water thus caught will tend to drain away from the joint.

To further counter the possible seepage of water through the joint, the longitudinal edges of the tongue 5 may optionaily be chamfered as indicated at 5a to form subsidiary selfdraining cavities. In addition the grooved edge of the panel is preferably formed at its land 10 so as to provide a gap 1 2 between the two jointed panels at the rear of the joint, which gap provides a last resort cavity and moreover provides room for panel securing clips as will be further described.

To further ensure the weather and wear resistance of the joint, any protective and/or decorative coating applied to the exterior 1 c of the panels (such as would be utilised if the panels are formed from wood) such as paint, a plastic or bituminous coating or the like is preferably applied during manufacture prior to assembly so as to cover the surfaces of the abutting edges 8 and the bevelled portions 9a and 9b which will on assembly form the walls of the self-draining weather cavity 7. If desired said protective coating may also be applied to cover the interior of the groove 6 and the exterior of the tongue 5.

The front face of the panels shown in the drawings is formed so as to include a face groove at each joint 2, (in Fig. 1) between adjacent panels 1 but this is illustrative only and it should be appreciated that if face grooves are incorporated they may be provided at any desired spacing without regard to joint spacing and of course it is not necessary to include such face grooves, almost any surface pattern or texture desired being possible. In addition while the panels shown are of a thickness to which they might be made if the panels are formed of wood, nevertheless the panels may be formed of a plastics material or the like and in that case the panel thickness may be reduced.

While in a least preferred embodiment panels as described may be affixed directly to a supporting surface such as the structural members of a wall or the existing cladding thereof with nails or the like, in the preferred embodiment they are secured by clips which are shown particularly in Figs. 5 through 1 6 and which may for example be formed by zinc die casting or any other suitable method known in the art. Each of these clips includes a base portion 20 adapted to rest on a supporting surface such as for example the studs 4 of a wall (see Figs. 1, 3 and 4) and this base portion 20 is provided with a mounting hole 21 which is preferably countersunk and which also preferably strengthened by a peripheral boss 22 (see for instance Figs. 6 and 7). The base may be secured to the supporting surface preferably by screws, nails or the like.The base portion 20 preferably also includes strengthening ribs 23 so as to ensure the required structural rigidity of the clip.

The clip shown in Figs. 5 through 10 shall for ease of description be referred to as a securing clip and will normally be used between adjacent panels 1 a and 1 b as shown in Fig. 3. This securing clip includes a socket generally indicated at 25 into which may be inserted the land 10 adjacent the lower side of the groove 6 of a grooved panel as will be further described. The panel engaging socket 25 is in the preferred embodiment formed by a wall 24 which projects from the clip base portion 20 and by a wall 25a which projects from the upper portion of the wall 24 so that the space enclosed between these walls and the upper surface of the base portion 20 i.e.

the interior of the clip, defines a socket. The wall 25a preferably projects substantially parallel to the base 20 although the walls may be angled slightly to give the interior of the socket a slight wedge shape if desired. The height of the wall 25a above the base 20 is such that said land 10 will be a neat fit within the socket 25.

The interior of the socket 25 of the clip may also include locating means to engage and securely locate the clip on the panel edge and vice versa and in the embodiment shown in Figs. 5 through 7 this locating means comprises spikes 27 which project into the interior of the socket 25 towards the open mouth 25b thereof. When the land 10 of a grooved panel is entered into the socket 25 and for example tapped home thereon the spikes 27 will be forced into the material of the land 10 as shown in Fig. 3 thus serving to positively locate the panel in relation to the clip.

The clip shown in Figs. 8 through 10 is also a securing clip and is identical to that described above except that it includes an alternative form of locating means comprising a series of saw-tooth like serrations 30 which extend into the interior of the socket 25 from the wall 24 along the width thereof.

These two forms of locating means shown in Figs. 5 through 7 and 8 through 10 are the highly preferred forms, nevertheless other forms of locating means known in the art may be utilised.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional part view of a joint between adjacent panels 1 a and 1 b, located on a supporting surface, shown in this figure as a stud 4 by a securing clip of the type described above. A screw 30 extends into the stud 4 through the base 20 and the head of the screw is countersunk therein. When the panels 1 are positioned to extend vertically, then the longitudinal axis of the intermediate clips will be horizontally aligned. The land 10 of the panel 1 b engages the socket 25 of the securing clip and accordingly the wall 25a of the socket 25 extends into the groove 6 of the panel 1 a and as can be seen from comparison with Fig. 1 the thickness of tongue 5 is locally reduced so as to accommodate the wall 25a within the groove 6 under the tongue 5.Thus it will be appreciated from consideration of the above that the wall 25a of the clip socket 25 is in effect contained within the cavity formed by local removal of material from the underside of the tongue 5 and thus the securing clip is not only located on the land 10 of one panel but also laterally in relation to the tongue 5 so as to effectively bind the panels together against forces and loadings in virtually any direction of importance.

Preferably material is removed from the underside of the tongue at predetermined intervals along the length thereof during manufacture of the panels or alternatively and additionally material may be removed during assembly on site as appropriate.

The clip shown in Figs. 11 through 1 6 shall for ease of desciption be referred to as a starting clip and is of similar construction to that of the securing clip earlier described. The essential difference between the starting clip and the securing clip however is that the starting clip is particularly adapted to engage the protruding tongue of an end most panel adjacent a corner edge or the like rather than the land 10 as does the securing clip. Accordingly the socket 25 is moved towards one end of the starting clip and is raised slightly above the base portion 20 reiative to the socket 25 of the securing clip. The starting clip of the preferred embodiment shown in Figs. 11 through 1 6 also includes locating means similar to that of the securing clip and indicated at 27 and 30.

Fig. 4 shows an enlarged cross-sectional part view of a corner of a wall showing the joint between the end most panels adjacent the corner and a starting clip. The base 20 of the starting clip is located on a stud 4 of the wall and is affixed thereto as desired, for example by a screw 30 countersunk into the base 20. The clip is positioned on said corner such that it extends over the edge to abut against the underside of the panel 1 just around the corner and to maintain said panel in correct spatial relationship with the wall relative to the other panels with which the wall is clad. The tongue 5 of the endmost panel 1 extends into the interior of the socket of the starting iip as shown and the spikes 27 shown engage the end of the tongue to securely locate the starting clip on the panel edge and vice versa.

To finish and weatherproof the corner appropriate corner capping such as that indicated at 40 in Fig. 1 may be applied and secured as desired (no securing means being shown in the drawings).

In practice the procedure by which the panels of the present invention may be secured to the wall of a building to form the linirig or cladding thereof is as follows.

Initially a number of starting clips are attached to an appropriate edge or corner of the wall such as the end most stud thereof and if for example said panels are to extend vertically a number of starting clips are attached to said corner along the height thereof, spaced apart from each other a predetermined distance from the bottom to the top of the wall so that the tongue of a panel which will be the endmost panel may be engaged into said starting clips as earlier described. These starting clips may be attached with reference to a vertical plumb line or otherwise as known in the art.

Once said starting clips are secured the tongue of the first or endmost panel is engaged into the sockets of these starting clips and tapped home if necessary to engage for example the locating spikes onto the end of the tongue. A number of similarly spaced apart securing clips are placed over the land adjacent the groove in the edge of this first panel (as earlier described) and again if necessary are tapped home. These securing clips are then attached to supporting structure.A second panel is taken and the tongue 5 of this panel engaged into the groove 6 of the first panel, but prior to doing this it may be necessary to remove material from the underside of the tongue of this second panel where the same will engage and lie adjacent the walls of the securing clips securing the grooved edge of the first panel 1 to the wall, if this material has not been removed during manufacture or if the preformed regions do not align with the clips in practice as may occur. The securing clips are then attached to the grooved edge of the second panel 1 and secured to the wall and further panels attached to the wall in a similar manner until the wall is completely clad. Where windows, doors or other breaks in the wall are encountered starting clips, or appropriate packing pieces of the same thickness as the base 20 of the said clips are utilised as appropriate.

Finally corner cappings, window flashings, soffits and the like are affixed as appropriate.

Having thus described the best mode of putting my invention into effect known to me I claim protection for the same as defined in the following claims.

Claims (9)

1. A panel for forming a cladding composed of a plurality of said panels, each panel having a front face, a rear face and two parallel edges each respectively adapted to engage an adjacent panel in a substantially vertical tongue and groove joint, characterised in that at least one said edge includes a recess extending longitudinally thereof to form a self draining weather cavity on engagement of said edge with the edge of the adjacent panel.

2. A panel as claimed in Claim 1, wherein each said longitudinal edge includes the said recess and wherein the recess on one said edge complements the recess on an edge of a contiguous panel to form said cavity upon engagement of the panels.

3. A panel as claimed in Claim 1, wherein one said edge of the panel includes a tongue and the other edge includes a complementary groove and wherein the said recesses are formed in the respective edges to provide upon engagement of two contiguous panels, the cavity which is situated between the tongue and the said front face of the panel.

4. A panel as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including a panel securing clip having a base and a socket which has a major axis substantially co-planar with said base, the said socket being adapted to engage over a flange extending from an edge of said panel, the base including means to enable the said clip to be mounted on a supporting surface.

5. The clip as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the socket is of a reclining U shape in relation to said base.

6. The clip as claimed in Claim 4, wherein locating means are incorporated within the said socket.

7. The clip as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the locating means is a spike which protrudes from a wall opposite the mouth of the socket.

8. The clip as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the locating means comprises a series of protruberances projecting from a wall opposite the mouth of the socket.

9. A panel for forming a cladding composed of a plurality of said panels substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 0. A clip substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.