GB2219322A - A prefabricated, internally reinforced, hollow box-type wall or floor panel - Google Patents

Abstract

A panel comprises two opposed faces, each composed of a plurality of tiles 10, held together by bridging members 11,12. The panel can be filled with concrete after erection. The panel is for forming walls or floors, or for retaining walls, bridge or dam construction or almost any type of building construction. <IMAGE>

Description

PREFINISHED PREFABRICATED INTERNALLY REINFQRCED HOLLOW BOX TYPE WALL OR FLOOR PANEL This invention on relates to a pre-finished, prefabricated, internally reinforced, hollow box-type wall or floor panel.

Wall and floor panels are presently constructed in a wide and varied manner. They may be prefabricated, partly prefabricated or wholly built on the building site where they are to remain, and are built of a wide variety of compositions and materials that are left in their natural state or covered and decorated to suit their individual purpose. Their function is to provide shelter and security to the inhabitants of the building that they form. The construction must be of sufficient strength to withstand the load pressures and forces that are encountered by buildings in their role as free-standing structures, or by partitions or ins ill panels, between or outside columns and beams.

Walls and floors are, however, relatively expensive. Moreover they require a wide variety of materials and work skills and are, in the main, constructed at the final site or supplied in partly finished panels; blocks, bricks and the like then involving a series of delays such as deliveries of various materials, weather, co-ordination of labour forces of skilled trades, pre-erection of formwork, scaffolds and the removal of same with associated cleaning up of waste and left-over materials, altogether resulting in a high cost, inefficiency and often an unsatisfactory product.

According to this invention there is provided a wall or floor panel assembly comprising, in combination, a bridging member composed of one or more joining strips, a plurality of opposed rigid tiles mounded side by side on said bridging member, each tile in combination with other tiles forming a mosaic of tiles and constituting one face of the wall or floor panel, the panel having an opposed face mounted on said bridging member spaced from said first face and parallel thereto, said opposed face also being constituted by a plurablity of tiles, the bridging member being perforated to allow other material to be inserted into the cavity between the faces after the panel has been placed in situ in a building construction.

Preferably such a panel is prefabricated, internally reinforced, hollow box-type wall or floor panel. It makes use of a hollow box-type construction to incorporate a wide variety and a degree of flexibility to encompass the many requirements and demands of the building industry. The hollow box can be varied from a simple two-tile piece, joined and separated round their perimeter by a joining piece to form a simple form of hollow box, or conversely, use three or more tiles to form a more complex hollow box, again being joined with the joining piece around their perimeter. To form a wall or floor panel the hollow boxes are now joined together, side by side, to form a line of blocks making a plank section, the plank section is then joined edge to edge, to make a panel section of infinite length or width as the project may require.In the joining-up phase of construction the joining piece may be of sufficient length to traverse the length or width of the panel and not confined merely to the length of only one hollow box section, thereby tying all the hollow boxes together, giving rigidity and strength to the cellular panel. Consequently the joining pieces traversing the other direction may be joined by whatever method to suit their construction, to form a matrix of joining pieces between the tiles within the panel, so forming a comparatively strong, lightweight, cellular building panel. The panel now constructed can be finished with any number of coatings, textures or decorative features, and but preferably a washable waterproof coating, to its outer surface, or left in its natural state as desired.

This finished panel is then transported to site or again fabricated into more complex room shapes in the factory, ready for transport to site as a room or building module.

One of the most important features of this invention is that once the wall is placed into final position, the cavity between the tiles can be filled with a concrete or other desired filling, the joining pieces then serving as reinforcing to the concrete section between the tiles and optional additional reinforcing can easily be placed between the tiles in the cavity, before filling, so as to strengthen the joints of the panels and provide any desired engineering design for a structural reinforced wall or floor system. There will be no need for separate formwork, moulds, scaffolding, bracing, strutting or the like. When the filling operation is complete nothing further, other than maybe hosing down any spilt materials, is needed to complete the structure. The job is complete.

A further feature of the invention is the flexibility of design that will allow for tiles to be curved or dished so that it is possible to form cylinders or spherically shaped, cellular panels and the joining pieces can also be varied to form tapered cavities. There is no restriction to parallel-sided cavities only.

Tiles of differing materials may also be incorporated where it is desired to have natural stone, slate, marble, glass etc. as a decorative feature on the outer face or faces of the panel.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: Figure 1 shows in perspective the panel incorporating tiles and joining strips in the simplest form.

Figure 2 shows in perspective the exploded view of the panel with separate tiles and joining strips.

Figure 3 shows a tile in its simplest form.

Figure 4 illustrtes a cut-out section of a complex cellular panel with fillings and services.

Figure 5 is a view in perspective of the joining strip matrix incorporating some inovations to aid assembly.

Figure 6 is a view in perspective of a complex tile, dished one side to reduce weight with saw cut edges to locate joining strips.

Figure 7 is a cross section of figure 6 along line A-A Referring to the drawing, the panel comprises of a tile, 10, and a joining piece 11,12, secured to the tile by adhesive, dowels and locating lugs 17, or suitable means. The tile and joining piece form a box section, shown in figure 2, in an exploded view 10,11,12 and 13.

The joining piece may also protrude above the surface of the panel to provide a means of fixing other panels of material at a later stage of construction if desired, 18.

In order to form a panel each box section is joined to another to make any desired wall or floor panel 10, and by the addition of other tiles to the box a series of cavities can be formed to suit any desired configuration figure 4, which allow for filling with any media. In the illustrated example, figure 4, the cavity, 20, is filled with insulating materials, another cavity is filled with concrete, 19, and extra reinforcing steel rods, 15.

If so desired the cavities are left without filling to form ducts for other services, 16, and in some cases there would be no requirement to fill the cavity or cavities as the case may be, if the panel already forfills the strength factor required of it in the unfilled state. It is also possible to use a service duct or unfilled cavity for air conditioning or hot air heating of the whole or part of the inner side of the panel, 26, eliminating special ducting.

Conversely, a cavity one or more tiles wide and the length or width of the panel may be filled during prefabrication stage with concrete and reinforcing rods or bars or pre-stressed steel cables or the like to form extra strength to the panel according to any number of engineering designs or requirements.

The illustration, figure 5, is one example of the matrix of joining strips 11, 12, shown without the tiles demonstrating only one of many ways that the joining strips and matrix is constructed. In the case illustrated the joining strips are made from pressed, punched and roll formed steel strip, having holes, 21, for access to the cavities for fillings, services, additional reinforcing and joining up activity, either in the factory assembly or on site.

At the edge of the joining strip one method of locating and positioning the tiles to the joining strip and adding additional grip is by use of lugs, 17, that can be located into a groove or saw cut along the edge of the tiles, 23.

Joining of the tiles is by means of an epoxy type or other suitable adhesive placed between the tiles, 10, and joining strip, 11, where they meet, 24, also filling the groove, 23.

Holes punched through the joining strip allow additional strength to the joint, 22.

Junctions of joining strips, 25, are welded, lugged or spot welded to add further strength to the matrix.

Claims (9)

1. A wall or floor assembly comprising, in combination, a bridging member composed of one or more joining strips, a plurablity of opposed rigid tiles mounded side by side on said bridging member, each tile in combination with other tiles forming a mosaic of tiles and constituting one face of the wall or floor panel, the panel having an opposed face mounted on said bridging member spaced from said first face and parallel thereto, said opposed face also being constituted by a plurablity of tiles, the bridging member being perforated to allow other material to be inserted into the cavity between the faces after the panel has been placed in situ in a building construction.

2. A wall assembly, according to claim 1, wherein the panel is prefabricated off site and transported in the finished state in relation to the outward appearance whereby additional joining up to other panels and filling of the cavity is the only major on-site operation.

3. A wall assembly, accordingly to claim 1, wherein the wall surface sheeting is in relatively small pieces, fitted between the framework, providing the strength required for hydraulic pressures, during filling operation, without the need for an additional support of outside frame forms or boxing, thereby forming a load bearing wall of any desired thickness.

4. A wall assembly, according to claim 1 and 3, wherein the tiles are sufficiently rigid and have the inbuilt strength to withstand internal hydraulic pressure, without deformation or fracturing.

5. A wall assembly, according to any preceding claim, is constructed off site and is light and strong enough to be transported and hoisted into position with conventional transport and hoisting equipment.

6. A wall assembly, according to any preceding claim, is flexible enough to be built to many specifications for cavity size and numbers for any number of subsequent fillings, and as long or wide, to be transported by conventional means of transport.

7. A wall panel, according to any previous claims, is constructed of permanent, lasting material that will not suffer damage from rain or water penetration and will be impervious to intrusion of vermin, insects, rising dampness, dry rot and provide a high security against burglary, containing no wood or other perishable materials.

8. A wall panel that can be adapted to off site room construction as well as being supplied only in wall or floor panels with sufficient strength to enable transportation.

9. A cavity according to claims 1 and 2 that can be filled with any desired media for extra strength or insulation, or unfilled to provide ducting for electric or other cable and piped services, such as hot or cold air ducts, thus becoming inbuilt radiator panels for heating or cooling the rooms they surround.