GB2144076A

GB2144076A - Laminar articles

Info

Publication number: GB2144076A
Application number: GB08320230A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Norman Lawrence
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1983-07-27
Filing date: 1983-07-27
Publication date: 1985-02-27
Also published as: GB8320230D0

Abstract

A method of construction of laminar articles comprises the steps of shaping a plurality of elongate member 10-15 having a thickness very much greater than the thickness of the finished laminar article assembling and securing elongate members 10-15 around an axial elongate member 19 to form a composite article and subsequently cutting or otherwise dividing the composite article along generally transverse planes relative to the longitudinal axis to form a plurality of laminar articles which may be used for any suitable purpose and in juxtaposed relationship as a surface covering. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Laminar articles and method of construction The present invention relates to the construction of thin generally laminar articles, the transverse dimension of its opposed major surfaces being very much greater than the thickness of the article.

Examples of such articles may comprise place mats for placing on top of a surface to support plates or dishes and so protect the surface from plates or dishes which may be hot, wall tiles, floor tiles, all being articles in which the dimensions defining the major surface are very much greater than the thickness.

Such articles will hereinafter be referred to for the sake of convenience as laminar articles of the kind specified.

The construction of laminar articles of the kind specified from some material causes no great problem, for example wall tiles are usually constructed from ceramics material which is then baked in an oven, floor tiles may be made out of plastics material, and place mats are conveniently made out of hardboard. The construction of these laminar articles from such materials have proved quite satisfactory.

However, problems occur if it is desired to make such laminar articles from other materials due to the shape of the laminar article and the material from which it is desired to be made.

A prime example of the material from which it is difficult to make satisfactory laminar articles is wood. Unless the wood used is plywood having the plies substantially planar to the major surface of the laminar article and the grain in adjacent plies is running in different directions then considerable problems arise.

If it is desired to make laminar articles from hardwood for example, it is found that, in use, the article not only may have insufficient strength in one direction depending on orientation of the grain of the wood, but, if subjected to slight differences in moisture content in the air or slight variations in ambient temperature such laminar articles are likely to warp thus making hardwoods unsatisfactory materials for the construction of such articles.

As mentioned above plywood may be suitable, however, since the laminar articles are often used for decorative purposes or at least the appearance thereof must be aesthetically pleasing to manufacture such objects out of plywood does not result in an article which is aesthetically pleasing hence does not overcome the problem.

British Patent Application No. 8121613 (Serial No. 2101523A) proposes a method of overcoming the above mentioned problems in which a laminar article is formed from dividing a hollow log formed from a plurality of elongate members secured to each other.

Such an arrangement enables a plurality of radial outwardly extending members to be joined together to form the log and by providing a hollow in the middle of the log avoids the problem associated with a joint of many different pieces of material in the centre.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new or improved method of forming laminar articles.

According to one aspect of the present invention I provide a method of construction of laminar articles of the kind specified comprising the steps shaping a plurality of elongate members each having a thickness very much greater than the thickness of the finished laminar article, assembling and securing said elongate members around an elongate axial member to form a composite article and cutting or otherwise dividing said composite article along generally transverse planes relative to the longitudinal axis thereof to form a plurality of said laminar articles.

Preferably said composite article is divided along planes substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis thereof.

The method of the present invention enables the manufacture of a composite laminar article devoid of any centre hole and overcomes the problem of an untidy joint in the centre of the laminar article.

Said axial member may be of any convenient form and may be polygonal in crosssection or circular. If the axial member is polygonal the number of sides may be determined by the number of elongate members to be secured thereto so that one elongate member adheres to one side of the polygonal member.

Alternatively, said elongate members may be shaped so that they are secured to a part of more than one side of said polygonal member.

If an axial member of circular cross-section is provided the very innermost surface of said elongate members will be radiussed to conform to the radius of the axial.

Either or both said axial member and said elongate members may be wood and conveniently they comprise a hardwood.

Each laminar article formed by the method of the present invention will thus have a major surface with a transverse dimension which can be very large compared with its thickness.

However, each laminar article will be made from a plurality of different members secured together. The dimension of the cross section of each member do not therefore have to be large and will depend on the desired major surface area of the laminar article and on the number of elongate members making up the composite member.

The elongate members and the axial member may be arranged, when formed from wood, so that the grain of the wood lies in many different directions but, since adjacent members are secured to each other a coherent bond is formed between adjacent members which minimises, if not entirely prevents, any subsequent deformation or warping of the laminar articles.

Not only is there a very strong stable structure provided when manufactured from wood but, depending on the shaping of the elongate members the finished laminar article can have an appearance which is aethetically pleasing.

Since many laminar articles may be cut or otherwise separated from the composite member so formed, each of the articles provided from the composite article will have a similar appearance to each other since the grain orientation of the wood for example will be the same, as will the natural colour of the woods used. The laminar article formed therefrom therefore renders itself highly suitable for covering members such as floor tiles, table mats, wall tiles and in the construction of other articles arranged to be used in a set or alongside each other.

The laminar articles formed in accordance with the method of the present invention have particular application to a floor or wallcovering, since they may be made of any predetermined external configuration and hence can be made to a shape to enable juxtaposition of a plurality of laminar articles to provide a continuous covering.

The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is an exploded view of a plurality of elongate members and an axial member to be secured together; Figure 2 is a a perspective view of a composite member; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the composite member. Three laminar articles having been separated therefrom; Figure 4 is a plan view of a finished laminar article; and Figure 5 is a perspective view of laminar articles used a floorcovering.

Referring first to Fig. 1 six longitudinal members 10 to 15 are shaped to an approximate trapezoid form in cross-section and adhesive is applied on their surfaces with which they make contact with adjacent members and with an axial member 19. Each of the longitudinal members 10 to 15 has an inner radiussed face for example 1 0c cut so as to conform with the outer surface of axial member 19 and faces 1 0a and 1 Ob of a length the same as faces 11 a and 1 5b to enable assembly of a composite member the same as that shown in Fig. 2.

Once adhesive has been applied to all contacting surfaces of the elongate members, they are brought into contact with each other and pressure applied in order to form the composite member shown in Fig. 2.

After sufficient time has elapsed to enable the glue to have bonded all elongate members 10 to 15 to each other and to the axial member 19, laminar articles may be separated from the composite member by guillotine, sawing, cutting etc. Fig. 3 showing three such laminar articles having been separated from the composite members.

The laminar articles as cut from the composite member 18 may be left substantially as they are, or they may be sanded, polished or otherwise finished and may be arranged in juxtaposition to provide a floor covering that is both practical and decorative.

The composite log shown in Figs. 2 and 3 has been formed so as to have an hexagonal external appearance thus enabling the laminar articles divided therefrom to form floor tiles which may be arranged in juxtaposition without any additional filler material. Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 5. If required each of the floor tiles may be bonded to each other to prevent any relative movement and when the desired area has been completely covered with floor tiles the surface may be smoothed by sanding for example and treated with a protective seal, for example a sealant or varnish.

The method of construction of the present invention enables laminar articles made from wood to have the grain of the wood extending from one major surface of the laminar article to the other so that the floor tiles formed therefrom can have the grain extending substantially vertically. It is known that with most woods, end grain can support a greater load than if the grain is running parallel to the load supporting surface.

If desired the composite member can be made having a shape so that laminar articles when divided therefrom do not interfit in a manner to cover a surface completely and may leave small gaps which may be filled with decorative material. Such material may comprise plastics material which may be applied in liquid form and allowed to set or cure.

Such plastics material may not only provide a decorative finish but may also serve to bond together a plurality of the laminar articles provide a surface covering.

Preferably the composite member is divided in parallel planes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the member, but alternatively the member could be cut on oblique planes or even on non-parallel planes to form decorative plaques of non-uniform thickness.

Whilst, normally, the thickness of each laminar article formed by division of the composite member will be the thickness of the required finished article, two or more pieces could be laminated together for greater strength.

Claims

1. A method of construction of laminar articles of the kind specified comprising the steps of shaping a plurality of elongate members each having a thickness much greater than the thickness of the finished laminar article, assembling and securing said elongate members around an elongate axial member to form a composite article and cutting or otherwise dividing said composite article of generally transverse planes relative to the longitudinal axis thereof to form a plurality of said laminar articles.

2. A method of construction of laminar articles as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said composite article is divided along planes substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis thereof.

3. A method of construction of laminar articles as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein said axial member is circular in crosssection.

4. A method of construction of laminar articles as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein said axial member is polygonal.

5. A method of construction of laminar articles as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the number of elongate members is the same as the number of sides of said polygonal axial member, the arrangement being such that each elongate member adheres to a respective side of the polygonal member.

6. A method of construction of laminar articles as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said elongate members are wood.

7. A method of construction of laminar articles as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said axial member is wood.

8. A method of construction of laminar articles as claimed in Claim 6 or Claim 7 wherein either or both of said axial member or said elongate members are made from a hard wood.

9. A method of construction of laminar articles as claimed in Claim 6 wherein said elongate members are secured together in a manner so that the grain of the wood of each member lies in a different direction from the grain of the wood of adjacent elongate members to which it is secured.

10. A method of construction of laminar articles as claimed in Claim 6 wherein the elongate members are arranged such that the grain of the wood of at least some of the elongate members is parallel to the thickness of the laminar article after formation thereof.

11. A surface covering comprising a plurality of laminar articles constructed in accordance with the method of any one of Claims 1 to 10 said laminar articles being arranged in juxtaposed relationship.

12. A surface covering as claimed in Claim 11 wherein said surface covering comprises the upper surface of a floor.

13. A laminar article constructed in accordance with the method as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 10.

14. A method of construction of laminar articles substantially as hereinbefore descrivbed with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

15. A laminar article constructed in accordance with the method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

16. A surface covering comprising a plurality of laminar articles constructed in accordance with the method substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

17. A method of constructing laminar articles including any novel feature or novel combination of features as described herein and/ or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.