GB2338967A

GB2338967A - Corrugated structural element

Info

Publication number: GB2338967A
Application number: GB9813285A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stan Pyatt
Original assignee: FILON PRODUCTS Ltd
Current assignee: FILON PRODUCTS Ltd
Priority date: 1998-06-22
Filing date: 1998-06-22
Publication date: 2000-01-12
Anticipated expiration: 2018-06-22
Also published as: GB9813285D0; GB2338967B

Description

2338967 Structural Elements This invention relates to structural elements

and to double-skin panels incorporating such structural elements.

It is known to construct a panel having first and second skins, spaced apart stiffening ribs of top-hat shaped cross section being disposed between and bonded to facing surfaces of the skins to provide a composite double skin panel. The skins may be of opaque or translucent material such as glass io reinforced plastics material, and the double skin panel being suitable for use in the construction of a roof lights for, typically, low pitched standing seam roofs; ridge applications; flat deck roof constructions or for internal use as a roof lining or as part of a ceiling system.

The skins of a composite panel may be either flat or curved and in either case may be profiled to improve rigidity. Skins which are not curved are fabricated into flat composite box units which may be used in suspended ceilings and over or under purlin linings.

'Barrel vault' roof lights, for example, may be constructed from composite curved double skin panels.

In such applications, amongst others, it is necessary that the composite panel should resist shattering under impact loading. Applicable safety regulations include "The HSE Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994 (CDM). An accepted test procedure has being described in the HSE Specialist Inspectors Report 30. To simulate a human body failing on to a roof, the test uses a 300mm diameter bag containing 45 kg of dry sand which is dropped from a height of 1200mm on to the centre of the roof element. If the roof light allows the bag to fall through it is classified as 'fragile'. If the bag is retained, even if the roof element is damaged it is classified as 'nonfragile.' The invention facilitates the production of non-fragile roof lights the structural elements of the invention being of greater strength and rigidity than conventional elements used hitherto for the purpose.

In one aspect this invention consists in an elongate structural element for connecting first and second skins of a composite panel, the element consisting of an elongate corrugated strip having a wave form in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the strip and an elongate reinforcing rib member io extending longitudinally along the strip and intersecting each successive corrugation between the peak and trough thereof to provide, in use, rigidity in the direction of the vertical axis of the corrugation the respective crests and troughs of the corrugations being substantially flat to provide extended contact surfaces for, respectively, the said first and second skins.

Preferably the rib member is located in a slot formed centrally and extending along the longitudinal axis of the strip.

The rib member may be in the form of an arc in the longitudinal direction which retains the elongate corrugated strip in a corresponding radius of curvature.

The rib is preferably adhesively bonded to the corrugated strip at the intersection with successive corrugations.

In a further aspect, this invention consists in a composite panel member comprising first and second skin members, a plurality of spaced apart, elongate structural elements retained between first and second skins each structural element consisting of:- (a) an elongate corrugated strip having a wave form extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the strip and 2 (b) an elongate rib member extending longitudinally of the strip and intersecting each successive corrugation between the peak and trough thereof to provide rigidity in the direction of the vertical axis of the corrugations (c) the crests and troughs of the corrugations being formed with substantially flat areas to provide contact surfaces for secure fixing, of respectively, the said first and second skins thereto.

In order that the invention may be more be more clearly understood one io embodiment will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figures 1 and 7 are side elevations of respectively first and second forms an elongated corrugated strip.

Figure 2 and 8 are sections along the line a-a of Figures 1 and the line a'-a' of Figure 7, respectively.

Figures 3 and 9 are side elevations of a flat rib section and an arcuately shaped rib section, respectively and generally of a thickness of 2mm or more.

Figures 4 and 10 are side elevations of, respectively, straight and arcuately formed structural elements according to this invention.

Figures 5 and 11 are, respectively, sections along the line b-b of Figure 4 and the line U-b' of Figure 10.

Figures 6 and 12 are sections through, respectively, flat and barrel vaulted panels according to this invention.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a section through an elongate corrugated strip 2 having a castellated wave form extending in the direction of 3 the longitudinal axis of the strip, the peaks and troughs of the castellated corrugations being substantially flat. Figure 7 is a similar view of an elongate corrugated strip 4 which is similar in all respects to the 2 strip except that the longitudinal axis is of arcuate form. As may be seen from Figures 2 and 6 a narrow slot 6 (slot 6a in Figure 8) is formed centrally along the longitudinal axis of the strip. The slot is formed through the trough of each castellated wave form and extends through the side walls to the region where the side walls approach the crests.

io A straight elongate rib 7 (Figure 3) which is relatively stiff in the vertical direction is located in the slot 6 and securely bonded to the elongate corrugated strip at the intersections between the rib and the strip to form a structural element 9 (Figure 4) in accordance with this invention.

A double skin panel may then be produced by bonding a first skin 11 to the flat crests12 of two or more spaced-apart structural elements 9 and a second skin 13 to the corresponding opposed flat troughs 14 of elements 9 The corrugated strips, and the ribs are conveniently fabricated from GRP sheet material silicone adhesive being employed to bond the ribs to the elongate corrugated strip. The first and second skins may also be of GRP sheet material to facilitate the production of flat and barrel vault nonfragile roof lights.

Structural elements of arcuate form are similarly made by adhesively bonding an arcuately shaped rib 8 (Figure 9) into the longitudinal slot 6a (Figure 8) to produce a structural element suitable for use in the production of a barrel vaulted panel (Figure'12).

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Claims

What we claim is

1. An elongate structural element for connecting first and second skins of a composite panel, the element consisting of an elongate corrugated strip having a wave form in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the strip and an elongate rib member extending longitudinally along the strip and intersecting successive corrugations between the peak and trough thereof to provide, in use, rigidity in the direction of the vertical axis of the wave form the respective crests and troughs of the corrugations being substantially flat to provide io extended contact surfaces for securing the said first and second skins thereto.

2 A structural element as claimed in Claim 1 in which the rib member is located in a slot formed centrally along the longitudinal axis of the strip.

3. 3. A structural element as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the rib member arcuately formed and which retains the corrugated strip at the same radius of curvature.

4. A structural element as claimed in claims 1, 2 or 3 in which the elongate corrugated strip is fabricated from a glass reinforced plastics material.

5. A structural element as claimed in any preceding claim in which the rib member is fabricated from glass reinforced plastics sheet material

6. A structural element as claimed in any preceding claim in which the rib member is adhesively bonded to successive corrugations of the elongate corrugated strip.

7. A composite panel member comprising first and second skin members, a plurality of spaced apart elongate structural elements retained between first and second skin members, each structural element consisting of:- (a) an elongate corrugated strip having a wave form extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the strip and (b) an elongate rib member extending longitudinally of the strip and intersecting successive corrugations between the peaks and troughs to provide rigidity in the direction of the vertical axis of the corrugations io (c) the crests and troughs being formed with substantially flat areas to provide contact surfaces for the secure fixing of respectively, the first and second skins thereto.

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