GB2130615A - Floor panels - Google Patents

Abstract

A floor panel for use in an elevated flooring system, comprises a core (2) enclosed within an outer shell of galvanised steel which comprises a base tray (6) with upstanding side walls (10), and a slightly larger top plate (S) with downwardly dependent side walls (12) which fit over and around the side walls of the base tray. The side walls of the top plate are bent slightly inwardly so that their extreme edges abut against the outer surfaces of the side walls of the base tray. The core may be of chipboard and be bonded to the shell with an epoxy adhesive or neoprene. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Raised platform floor panels This invention relates to raised platform floor panels, that is to say to panels which are used to construct floors wich are supported a short distance above a sub-floor, usually on pedestals, so asto enablewiring and other services to be run beneath the floor.

Such floors have recently found increasing acceptance in office buildings, for example, where there is a requirementfor eiectrical power supply and communication systems, for example associated with computers, and where the routing of services such as cable may need to be changed quite frequently. In an office where there is no raised floor, this requirement can cause considerable problems.

Atypical raised platform floor generally comprises a series of square panels, common size being 600 mm square a 750 mm, supported on an array of pedestals, each pedestal having a support member at its upper end, which is adapted to receive the adjacent corners offourfloor panels. The floor panels are so constructed, that they are preferably sufficiently rig id to take the required loads withoutthe necessity for any grid of bridging support members or stringers between the pedestals, so that an entire floor can be constructed using only the pedestals and the floor panels themselves.

One common type offloor panel which is used in flooring systems ofthis kind consists of a core of high density chipboard about 25 mm thick, encased within a galvanized steel outer shell, the thickness ofthe steel usually being somewhat under 1 mm. The corners of the panel each rest on the support surface of one of the pedestals and abut against a raised cruciform structure which serves to locate the corner of each panel relative to those of the otherth ree adjacent panels.

Thus in orderthatthe upper edges of each panel will mate as closely as possible with that of the adjacent panel, it is necessaryto make the panels of a slightly smaller area on their undersides, than on their upper surfaces,sothatthepedestalscan be accommodated whilst still allowing the upper surface of each panel to mate closely with the upper surfaces ofthe adjacent panels. One conventional way in which this is achieved is by forming the steel shell in two parts, comprising a base tray with upwardly folded edges which extend aroundthe peripheral edges ofthe chipboard core, and a separate flat top plate, with each side wall of the base tray being slightly splayed outwards along its upper edge (for example by forming it with a slightly cranked cross-section).The top plate ofthe shell is made of such a size that it fits just within the area defined by the top edges of the four upstanding side walls of the base tray. Alternatively, the top plate may be made slightly smaller, and an edge trim may be introduced between each edge of the top plate, and the corresponding edge of the upstanding wall ofthe base tray.

However, this kind of construction suffers from a number of drawbacks, one being that the exact size of the finished panel is highly dependent upon the accuracy of cutting ofthe top plate, which may not always be under the direct control ofthe panel manufacturer, but may depend upon the accuracy of cutting bythe suppliers ofthe sheet metal. Another disadvantage of this kind of "butted" edge construction is that under heavy loads, the panel may easily become distorted, and a gap may open between the edge ofthe top plate and the corresponding edge of the base tray.

The present invention seeks to overcome these disadvantages, and accordingly provides a floor panel comprising a solid core of high density material, having a metal shell comprising a base tray with upstanding side walls which are substantially perpendiculartothe base ofthetray, and atop plate having downwardly depending side edges, the core, the base tray and the top panel all being of such a size relative to one another that the side walls ofthe base tray fit closely around the side edges ofthe core and the dependentsidewallsofthetop platefitoverand enclose the upper edges ofthe side walls ofthe base tray.

Preferably, the top plate is made slightly larger in plan, than would be required to fit exactiy over the core and base tray assembly, and the dependent side walls areturned slightly inwardly relative to the whole panel, so that the lower edge of each dependent side wall contacts the outer surface ofthe corresponding upstanding wall ofthe base tray. This provides a sufficient overhang along the upper edge ofthe assembled panel,to accommodate the cruciform structures on the support members, whilst ensuring that the upper surface of each panel abuts with the upper surface of the adjacent panel.

Thewholeassemblyis preferably bonded together in a known fashion, using proprietary adhesives whilst applying pressure to squeeze the components together.

One embodiment ofthe invention will now be described by way of example with referencetothe accompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa particularly broken away vertical cross-section through a floor panel according to the invention; Figure 2 is a partially broken away vertical cross sectionthroughthe base tray of the panel offigure 1; Figure3 is a partial view of one corner a sheet used to form the base tray of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a partially broken away vertical crosssection through the top plate portion of a floor panel according to Figure 1; and Figure 5 is a partial view of one corner of a sheet from which the plate of Figure4 formed.

Referring to Figure 1,thefloorpanelcomprisesa core 2 which in this example is 25 mm thick and 741 mm square for a panel with a finished size of 750 mm square. It will be noted that the side edges 4 of the core are cut perpendicularto the top and bottom surfaces so that the core itself is rectangular in cross-section.

The core is provided with an outer shell which in the example is hot dipped galvanized steel, and comprises a base tray 6, of material which is 0.8 to 0.9 mm thick, and a top plate 8 in which the material is 0.7 mm thick.Thesetwocomponents are shown separately in Figure 2 and 4. The material thickness will of course be selected in accordance with the required loading.

The base tray 6 is designed to have an overall size, in this example, of 745.5 (pIus zero, minus 0.5) mm, or "pro rata"for panels of 600 mm square or 500 mm square with upstanding sides 10 having a height of 22 mm. These sides are bent upwards from a flat sheet, whose corners are cut as illustrated in Figure 3, so as to be substantially perpendicular to the base of the tray. Thus the cutouts which are taken from the corners, as illustrated in Figure 3, are 22 mm square.

The finished overall size ofthe panel is fixed by the size of the top surface of the top plate 8, at750 mm square (plus 0, minus 0.5). As shown in Figure 4, the top panel has downwardly depending side walls 12 whose height in this case is designed to be 10 mm.

However, ratherthan being arranged perpendicularly to the plane ofthe surface of the panel, the side walls are bent inwardlyatan angle of about 54 Thus the top plate is formed from a flat sheet whose corners are first cut as illustrated in Figure 5, by removing a portion which is somewhat diamond shaped, so as to allowforthe inward bending ofthewalls 12.

The whole assembly is bonded together in a known fashion, epoxy adhesives, or Neoprene for example, using press tools or a press brake, and the resulting construction which results is found to be markedly stronger in use, than conventional constructions in which the top surface is the simple flat panel. This is believed to be due to the fact that the rigidity of the top plate is greatly increased by the addition ofthe dependent side walls, and also due to the fact that any tendency of the side walls of the base tray to splay outwards, when a load is applied to the top surface of the panel, is resisted by virtue ofthe inward pressure of the downwardly dependent side walls 12 ofthe top panel 8.

Another advantage of the construction that the overall size of the panel is fixed by the position of the bent edges ofthetop plate, ratherthan by any cut edges. Thus the size ofthe finished panel can be accuratelysetbythepanel manufacturer, even if the top plate is precut bythe supplier of the sheet metal.

The radius effect ofthe edges on the top plate will also facilitate the removal and installation of the panel relativeto adjacentfixed panels and preventthe edges binding together.

CLAIMS (Filed on 23/11/83) 1. Afloor panel comprising a solid core of high density material, having a metal shell comprising a base tray with upstanding side walls which are substantially perpendicularto the base ofthe tray, and atop plate having downwardly dependentsidewails, the core, the base tray and the top panel all being of such a size relative to one anotherthatthe side walls of the base tray fit closely around the side edges ofthe coreandthedependentsidewallsofthetop platefit over and enclose the upper edges of the side walls of the base tray.

2. Afloor panel according to claim 1 in which the top plate which is slightly larger in plan than the base tray, and the downwardly dependent side walls are turned slightly inwardly towards the upstanding side walls ofthe base tray so that the lower edge of each downwardly dependent side wall contacts the outer surface ofthe corresponding upstanding side wall of the base tray.

3. Afloor panel according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the metal shell comprises hot dipped galva nised steel.

4. Afloor panel according to any preceding claim in which the core comprises high density chipboard.

5. Afloor panel according to any preceding claim in which the shell and the core are bonded together with an epoxy adhesive or neoprene.

6. A method of manufacturing a floor panel for use with a flooring system ofthe raised platform type, the said method comprising the steps of: (a) forming a base tray from a square of sheet metal by removing smaller squares of equal size from each corner, and folding up the resulting flap members at right angles to the plane of the sheet to form upstanding side walls; (b) cutting a square of core material to suitable size to fit in the said tray; (c) forming a top plate having slightly larger dimensions in plan view, than the said tray, by cutting portionsofequal sizefrom each cornerofasquare sheet, and folding down the resulting flap members to form downwardly depending side walls whose edges define an area equal to the plan area ofthe base tray; and (d)fitting the said core into the said basetray and then fitting the top plate overthe assembled core and base tray and bonding the assembly together with adhesive and under pressure.

7. A method of manufacturing a floor panel,the said method being in accordance with claim 6, in which the portions cutfrom the corners of the sheet forming the top plate, are generally diamond-shaped so the resulting flap members can befoldeddown through slightly more than a right-angle, so that the edges ofthe resultant downwardly dependent side walls will abut againstthe outer surfaces of the side wails of the base tray when the panel is assembled.

8. Afloor panel substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings 9. A method of manufacturing a floor panel, the said method being substantially as herein described.

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

Claims (9)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. example is hot dipped galvanized steel, and comprises a base tray 6, of material which is 0.8 to 0.9 mm thick, and a top plate 8 in which the material is 0.7 mm thick.Thesetwocomponents are shown separately in Figure 2 and 4. The material thickness will of course be selected in accordance with the required loading. The base tray 6 is designed to have an overall size, in this example, of 745.5 (pIus zero, minus 0.5) mm, or "pro rata"for panels of 600 mm square or 500 mm square with upstanding sides 10 having a height of 22 mm. These sides are bent upwards from a flat sheet, whose corners are cut as illustrated in Figure 3, so as to be substantially perpendicular to the base of the tray. Thus the cutouts which are taken from the corners, as illustrated in Figure 3, are 22 mm square. The finished overall size ofthe panel is fixed by the size of the top surface of the top plate 8, at750 mm square (plus 0, minus 0.5). As shown in Figure 4, the top panel has downwardly depending side walls 12 whose height in this case is designed to be 10 mm. However, ratherthan being arranged perpendicularly to the plane ofthe surface of the panel, the side walls are bent inwardlyatan angle of about 54 Thus the top plate is formed from a flat sheet whose corners are first cut as illustrated in Figure 5, by removing a portion which is somewhat diamond shaped, so as to allowforthe inward bending ofthewalls 12. The whole assembly is bonded together in a known fashion, epoxy adhesives, or Neoprene for example, using press tools or a press brake, and the resulting construction which results is found to be markedly stronger in use, than conventional constructions in which the top surface is the simple flat panel. This is believed to be due to the fact that the rigidity of the top plate is greatly increased by the addition ofthe dependent side walls, and also due to the fact that any tendency of the side walls of the base tray to splay outwards, when a load is applied to the top surface of the panel, is resisted by virtue ofthe inward pressure of the downwardly dependent side walls 12 ofthe top panel 8. Another advantage of the construction that the overall size of the panel is fixed by the position of the bent edges ofthetop plate, ratherthan by any cut edges. Thus the size ofthe finished panel can be accuratelysetbythepanel manufacturer, even if the top plate is precut bythe supplier of the sheet metal. The radius effect ofthe edges on the top plate will also facilitate the removal and installation of the panel relativeto adjacentfixed panels and preventthe edges binding together. CLAIMS (Filed on 23/11/83)

1. Afloor panel comprising a solid core of high density material, having a metal shell comprising a base tray with upstanding side walls which are substantially perpendicularto the base ofthe tray, and atop plate having downwardly dependentsidewails, the core, the base tray and the top panel all being of such a size relative to one anotherthatthe side walls of the base tray fit closely around the side edges ofthe coreandthedependentsidewallsofthetop platefit over and enclose the upper edges of the side walls of the base tray.

2. Afloor panel according to claim 1 in which the top plate which is slightly larger in plan than the base tray, and the downwardly dependent side walls are turned slightly inwardly towards the upstanding side walls ofthe base tray so that the lower edge of each downwardly dependent side wall contacts the outer surface ofthe corresponding upstanding side wall of the base tray.

3. Afloor panel according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the metal shell comprises hot dipped galva nised steel.

4. Afloor panel according to any preceding claim in which the core comprises high density chipboard.

5. Afloor panel according to any preceding claim in which the shell and the core are bonded together with an epoxy adhesive or neoprene.

6. A method of manufacturing a floor panel for use with a flooring system ofthe raised platform type, the said method comprising the steps of: (a) forming a base tray from a square of sheet metal by removing smaller squares of equal size from each corner, and folding up the resulting flap members at right angles to the plane of the sheet to form upstanding side walls; (b) cutting a square of core material to suitable size to fit in the said tray; (c) forming a top plate having slightly larger dimensions in plan view, than the said tray, by cutting portionsofequal sizefrom each cornerofasquare sheet, and folding down the resulting flap members to form downwardly depending side walls whose edges define an area equal to the plan area ofthe base tray; and (d)fitting the said core into the said basetray and then fitting the top plate overthe assembled core and base tray and bonding the assembly together with adhesive and under pressure.

7. A method of manufacturing a floor panel,the said method being in accordance with claim 6, in which the portions cutfrom the corners of the sheet forming the top plate, are generally diamond-shaped so the resulting flap members can befoldeddown through slightly more than a right-angle, so that the edges ofthe resultant downwardly dependent side walls will abut againstthe outer surfaces of the side wails of the base tray when the panel is assembled.

8. Afloor panel substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings

9. A method of manufacturing a floor panel, the said method being substantially as herein described.