GB2358881A

GB2358881A - Building component

Info

Publication number: GB2358881A
Application number: GB0001155A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Keith James Hunter Anderson
Original assignee: Instafibre Ltd
Current assignee: Instafibre Ltd
Priority date: 2000-01-18
Filing date: 2000-01-18
Publication date: 2001-08-08
Anticipated expiration: 2020-01-18
Also published as: GB0001155D0; GB2358881B

Abstract

The building component 10, for use in supporting floors, comprises a base 12 that has a surface 14 which has projecting portions 18 that define at least one seat for support battens. The opposite side of the base is formed with at least one blind aperture 20 that extends towards the first side of the base such that it extends into, or would extend into, a projecting portion. The projecting portions may have elements that extend into the seat to engage a batten. The base portion is formed from a resilient material, either rubber or rubber crumbs bound together by adhesive. Spacers may be placed between the base portion and the batten(s) and reinforcement members may be embedded in the base portion. A stacking component 50 in has one or more plugs 56 adapted to extend into the blind apertures. The plug members may be integral with the stacking component or separate, in which case the stacking component has suitable apertures for receiving them. The stacking component may have apertures 58 in the lower side for receiving plug members from another stacking element below it. Also described is a mould for producing the building component.

Description

2358881 1 - BUILDING COMPONENT The present invention relates to a building

component, and to a stacking component in combination with a building component, and in particular to such components for use in the formation of a floor, wall or ceiling, and to floors, walls or ceilings made using the components. The present invention also relates to moulds for manufacturing such building components.

In the past, the general method of laying a floor has been to first lay a number of floor supporting beams or battens and then to apply a flooring layer on top of the battens to form the floor surface. In modern constructions it is frequently the case that a basic concrete structure is provided over which it is desired to lay a floor spaced a short distance from the concrete. Some walls and ceilings are made in the same way and one can find many instances of false walls and ceilings which are spaced a short distance from an underlying sub structure. Suspended ceilings are a particularly wide spread example of this.

UK patent 2314351 describes a building component comprising a base element and a pair of mutually spaced side members which project from the base element to define a longitudinal channel for the receipt of a support batten to which a further surface layer may be secured. The base element is adapted to be positioned on a surface of a building structure and one or both of the side members are adapted to deform resiliently in a direction transverse to that of the channel. The building component described is preferably made in one piece as an integral structure from a resilient material such as rubber. The document describes how the building component may be formed of rubber crumbs which are bound together by a non-water soluble adhesive to form a matrix. Once the rubber crumbs and the adhesive have been mixed together, the building component may be formed in a mould under a nominal closing pressure in the region of 40kg.

one of the building components discussed in UK Patent 2314351 is provided with side members which are shaped so as to define not only a first longitudinal channel, but also a second transverse channel. In this way, the building component may be used to simultaneously receive two supporting battens which extend transversely of each other. This particular building component comprises a base element of square plan section provided with upwardly projecting side members -oositioned one at each corner of the base member. Each of the upwardly projecting side members is also of square plan cross section. While it would be convenient and inexpensive to manufacture the component from crumbed rubber in a mould with a relatively low closing pressure, such a manufacturing process may result in the formation of side members which are poorly formed or weak, and liable to break off when the building component is put into use. Similar problems may also arise when using any of a wide range of other suitable moulding methods or materials familiar to the person skilled in the art.

Furthermore, the moulded building components described in the prior art lack any provision for positive mechanical engagement with underlying structures.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an integrally moulded building component, the component comprising a base portion having opposing first and second base surfaces and a plurality of spaced projecting members which project from the first base surface to define at least one seat for the receipt of a support batten to which a further surface layer may be secured, the base - 3 portion being formed with at least one blind aperture in the second base surface, at least one blind aperture extending into the base portion in a direction that intersects, or if continued, would intersect an interface between the upper base surface and a projecting member.

The provision of the blind apertures advantageously provides two benefits at the same time: that of improving the moulded strength of the projecting members by better compressing the moulded material in the projecting members, and that of providing recesses in the base portion in which one or more plug members of an underlying stacking component may be engaged.

Advantageously, at least one of the projecting members is formed with one or more batten engaging projections which extend into the at least one seat and are adapted to engage a support batten received therein.

At least one of the blind apertures may project into at least one of the projecting members.

Preferably, the building component is formed of a resilient material, such as rubber or a plurality of rubber crumbs which are bound together in a matrix by adhesive.

Advantageously, the building component may be provided in combination with one or more spacers adapted for positioning between the base portion and one or more battens received within the one or more seats.

Advantageously, the building component may comprise one or more frangible regions spaced at intervals along the building component.

Preferably, the first base surface of the building component is substantially square, and a projecting member is positioned at each corner of the first base surface.

4 - Advantageously, the building component may comprise one or more reinforcing members embedded in one or both of the base portion and the projecting members.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a stacking component in combination with a building component as described above, the stacking component comprising a stacking portion with opposing first and second stacking surfaces, and one or more plug members arranged to project from the first stacking surface, said plug members being further arranged to be received within one or more of the blind apertures of the base portion of the building component when the second base surface of the building component and the first stacking surface are brought into confrontation.

Advantageously, the plug members may be separate components arranged to be inserted into plug apertures provided in the first stacking surface.

Alternatively, the plug members may be formed integrally with the stacking component.

Preferably, the second stacking surface is provided with a plurality of stacking apertures, said stacking apertures being arranged to receive one or more plug members projecting from a further similar stacking component when the first stacking surface of the further stacking component is brought into confrontation with the second stacking surface of the stacking component.

If the plug members are separate components from the stacking component, the plug apertures may conveniently communicate with the stacking apertures. In this way, manufacture may be simplified.

Preferably, the stacking component is integrally formed of at least one of a resilient material, rubber, and a plurality of rubber crumbs which are bound together in a matrix by adhesive.

is Advantageously, the stacking component may comprise one or more frangible regions spaced at intervals along the component.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a floor, wall or ceiling comprising a plurality of building components of the type referred to above, the building components being positioned in a plurality of spaced rows over a surface of a building structure and longitudinally spaced within each row with at least some of the seats aligned to define a longitudinal batten path, with one or more supporting battens being disposed along said batten path, and one or more elements of a surface layer being secured to the supporting battens to form said floor, wall or ceiling.

Advantageously, the floor, wall or ceiling may further comprise a plurality of stacking components positioned between said plurality of building components and said surface of said building structure.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a mould for manufacturing a building component, the mould having at least two mould parts moveable between an open and a closed configuration, the mould parts defining, when in said closed configuration, a first wall with a plurality of spaced cavities extending therefrom, and a second wall opposing said first wall with at least one projecting portion extending therefrom, said projecting portion extending from the second wall in a direction that intersects, or if continued would intersect, an opening in the first wall from which one of said cavities extends.

The mould may be used in a conventional manner to shape and typically to compress a suitable moulding material such as rubber crumb mixed with adhesive to form a building component. During such use, the first 6 i 5 wall of the mould is operative in forming the first base surface of the building component from the moulding material, with the spaced cavities operative in forming the spaced projecting members. The second wall of the mould is operative in forming the second base surface of the building component, and the at least one projecting portion is operative in compressing the moulding material inside or close to or in the region of at least one of the spaced cavities. At the same time, the at least one projecting portion is also operative in forming the at least one blind aperture in the second base surface. The compressing action of the at least one projecting portion is thereby operative in strengthening at least one of the projecting members.

A number of embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a building component and a stacking component in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the building and stacking components of Figure 1, illustrated in use supporting a number of battens.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown a building component 10 and a stacking component 50. Although, in the description that follows, emphasis is placed on building and stacking components suitable for use in the construction of flooring systems, the same or similar principles and embodiments equally apply to the provision of walls, ceilings and other surfaces. References to particular orientations, surfaces and directions should be understood accordingly.

Building component 10 comprises a base portion 12 with opposing and substantially parallel upper 14 and lower 16 base surfaces. The building component 10 is 7 provided with four projecting members 18 that project upwardly from the upper base surface 14 of the base portion 12. The lower base surface 16 of the base portion 12 is substantially square, while the upper base surface 14 would be the same size and shape if the projecting members were removed. The four upwardly projecting members 18, also substantially square in plan view, are located at the four corners of the upper base surface 14. The side walls of the upwardly projecting members 18 and the side walls of the base portion 12 are substantially vertical and perpendicular to the upper base surface 14, the lower base surface 16, and the upper surfaces of the upwardly projecting members 18.

The side walls of the upwardly projecting members 18 and the upper base surface 14 define four square edged U-shaped seats within which battens of rectangular cross section may be conveniently located.

Four blind apertures 20 are provided in the lower base surface 16 of the base portion 12. These apertures extend upwardly from the lower base surface 16 roughly along the central axes of the upwardly projecting members 18, penetrating some way into the projecting members.

Stacking component 50 comprises opposing upper 52 and lower 54 stacking surfaces that are roughly square and substantially parallel to each other. The shape and size of the lower base surface 16 of the base portion 12 and the upper stacking surface 52 of the stacking component 50 are about the same. The upper stacking surface 52 of the stacking component 50 is provided with four upwardly projecting plugs 56 which are shaped and arranged to be received snugly within the blind apertures 20 of the base portion 12 when the upper stacking surface 52 of the stacking component 50 and the lower base surface 16 of the base portion 12 are brought into aligned confrontation. The location of the plugs 56 in the blind apertures 20 thereby provide a positive mechanical engagement between the two components.

Four blind stacking apertures 58 are provided in the lower stacking surface 54 of the stacking component 50. These stacking apertures 58 are arranged to snugly receive the plug members 56 of a further similar stacking component.

Figure 2 illustrates the building component 10 and stacking component 50 in use. The lower stacking surface 54 of stacking component 50 is positioned against building structure surface 60. The building component 10 is positioned on top of stacking component 50, the plug members 56 being received within the blind apertures 20. A wooden flooring batten 70 of rectangular cross section is retained in contact with the upper base surface and in central alignment with the building component 10 by the four projecting members 18.

Two further wooden flooring battens 80 are aligned in a direction perpendicular to and with their ends abutting against the first flooring batten 70.

Each of --he two further flooring battens 80 are located in a seat structure defined by two of the upwardly projecting members 18 and the upper base surface 14. It can be seen that a number of building and stacking components may be positioned in a plurality of spaced rows over the surface 60 of a building structure and longitudinally spaced along each row so that the seats are aligned to define longitudinal and lateral batten paths. Floor3 1 -ng battens 70 and 80 may then be laid in engagement with the building components to provide a supporting structure to which surface panels may be fixed.

To provide a combination of cost effective manufacture, robustness and flexibility of use, a preferred embodiment of the building component 10 is 9 moulded as an integral unit from a resilient material. By using a sufficiently flexible material the building component 10 may accommodate battens 70,80 of slightly varying shape and size. In one currently preferred embodiment the building component 10 is formed of rubber crumbs each having a nominal diameter of between lmm and 4mm which are bound together by a non water soluble adhesive to form a matrix. This has the advantage that once the rubber crumb and the adhesive have been mixed together, the building component 10 may be formed in a mould under a nominal closing pressure of, say 40kg. Nevertheless, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a one piece building component may be formed of resilient material in a number of different ways and furthermore that those building components may have a variety of hardnesses depending on the applications in which they are to find use. For example, the building component may equally be formed of cork or polystyrene or indeed a mixture of one or both of these materials and rubber. Indeed, any suitable moulding material or mixture of materials may be used to manufacture the component by any suitable moulding process. The material need not even be resilient, as rigid or otherwise non- resilient materials may also be used.

When forming the building component 10 in a mould, a male mould part having four projections corresponding to the blind apertures 20 is used to simultaneously compress the moulding material and to form the blind apertures 20. Because the blind apertures are situated in the lower base surface 16 of the building component 10 in positions directly below the projecting members 18, the pressure exerted in forming the blind apertures 20 also serves to force the moulded material into the mould to better form the projecting members 18. The projecting members 18 are therefore made stronger and less liable to accidental breakage or manufacturing defect.

The provision of the blind apertures therefore conveniently provides two benefits at the same time: that of improving the strength of the upwardly projecting members 18 and that of providing recesses in which plug members 56 of stacking components 50 may be engaged.

Any number of stacking components 50 maybe used in conjunction with a single building component 10 in order to provide the desired space between the battens 70,80 and the underlying building structure surface 60. Furthermore, packing elements may be placed against the upper base surface 14 to provide further height adjustment of the overlying batten or battens. In this way, gross adjustments of batten height may be made by adding any number of stacking components, of any desired thickness, underneath the building component, while fine adjustments of batten height can be made using packing elements of the desired number and thickness. The provision of stacking components in combination with packing elements thereby provides a more flexible scheme of height adjustment.

Each projecting member 18 maybe provided with one or more laterally extending resilient projections or ribs specifically designed to engage and grip a supporting batten received within a seat defined by two projecting members 18 and the upper base surface 14.

In another embodiment, the building component 10 is formed with only two projecting members 18. Such a component would be useful in providing support for a single batten more cheaply than using the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2. The size and shape of the building component 10 and any required stacking components 50 may be adapted accordingly.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, a number of building components or stacking components is are moulded in a single unit with individual components separated by frangible regions. In this way, a large of number of components can be manufactured, stored and transported conveniently as single unit, yet can be easily sub divided into individual units shortly before installation.

Each stacking component may be made of a resilient deformable material such as by moulding crumbed rubber as described above. However, other suitable materials and methods of manufacture will be apparent to the person skilled in the art.

The stacking component illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 exhibits upper and lower stacking surfaces 52 and 54 which are substantially parallel. However, to accommodate a sloping surface of the underlying building structure, stacking components may be provided in which the upper stacking surface 52 and lower stacking surface 54 are not parallel. Furthermore, a number of stacking components of various thickness may be provided. In this way, a level floor may be laid on an underlying concrete surface of considerable unevenness and local slope.

In another embodiment, the upper and lower surfaces of the surfaces of the building component and stacking component are not square, but have rounded corners. This change in shape allows cables to be drawn easily around the components with reduced likelihood of snagging.

Although the present building component 10 and stacking component 50 have been described as being of a particular cross section and shape, it will be apparent those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the particular forms shown in the accompanying drawings. For example, the side walls of the base portion and projecting members need not be perpendicular to the upper and lower base surfaces 14 and 16. Nor need the upper surfaces of 12 the projecting members be parallel to the upper base surface 14. The blind apertures 20 and plug members 56 shown in Figure 1 as cylindrical in shape, could be equally formed with square cross section, of pyramidal form, of hexagonal section or of any other suitable shape, with corresponding alterations to the form of the stacking apertures 58. The blind apertures may penetrate into the projecting members 18, or may be too shallow to do so while still facilitating an improved moulding process.

other means for providing positive mechanical engagement between the stacking components and the building components will be apparent to the person skilled in the art. For example, instead of providing plugs 56 projecting upwardly from the upper surface 52 of the stacking component 54, blind apertures could be instead provided. Suitably formed pegs or plugs could then be inserted simultaneously into these blind apertures and the blind apertures 20 in the lower base surface 16 of the building component 10 to provide a positive mechanical engagement. Apertures communicating with both the upper 52 and lower 54 surfaces of the stacking component 50 could be used in place of blind apertures 58 and plugs 56, in conjunction with suitable, separately formed pegs, rods or other connectors. which may also be used to provide a positive mechanical engagement between two similar stacking components 50.

It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that it is not essential for each or any of the stacking components to be of the same size or shape in plan view as the building component. Nor need the various components be stacked as a simple vertical column. It may be appropriate, for example to provide a more stable base, for a pyramid in two or three dimensions, a cruciform, or some other suitable stacking scheme to be used. Consequently, the - 13 provision of mechanical engagement means such as interlocking portions, plugs and corresponding blind apertures, or apertures for accepting separate pegs, may be advantageous for connecting stacking components together horizontally as well as vertically.

The described building and stacking components have been discussed almost exclusively in connection with the provision of flooring surfaces. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that they may also find use in the construction of wall and ceiling surfaces in much the same way. In each case, what has been referred to as lower surfaces 16 or 54 are placed in contact structure of the wall by any suitable used with walls incorporate one or more reinforcing members, which could be made of metal, into each building component 10.

with the underlying building or ceiling and secured thereto Where the components are to be or ceilinas it mav be suitable to means 14

Claims

1. An integrally moulded building component, the component comprising a base portion having opposing first and second base surfaces and a plurality of spaced projecting members which project from the first base surface to define at least one seat for the receipt of a support batten to which a surface layer may be secured, the base portion being formed with at least one blind aperture in the second base surface, the at least one blind aperture extending into the base portion in a direction that intersects, or if continued would intersect, an interface between the upper base surface and a projecting member.

2. A building component as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of the p_rejecting members is formed with one or more batten engaging projections whL.ch extend into the at least one seat and are adapted to engage a support batten received therein.

3. A building component as cl-aimed in any preceding Cl-aim, wherein at least one of the blind apertures projects into at least one of the projecting members.

4. A building component as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the building component is formed of a resilient material.

5. A building component as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the building component is formed of rubber.

6. A building component as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the building component is formed of a plurality of rubber crumbs which are bound together in a matrix by adhesive.

cl

7. A building component as claimed in any preceding claim in combination with one or more spacers adapted for positioning between the base portion and one or more battens received within the one or more seats.

8. A building component as claimed in any preceding claim further comprising one or more frangible regions spaced at intervals along the building component.

9. A building component as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the first base surface is substantially square, and a projecting member is positioned at each corner of the first base surface.

10. A building component as claimed in any preceding claim and comprising one or more reinforcing members embedded in one or both of the base portion and the projecting members.

11. A building component substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

12. A stacking component in combination with a building component as described in any preceding claim, the stacking component comprising a stacking portion with opposing first and second stacking surfaces, and one or more plug members arranged to project from the first stacking surface, said plug members being further arranged to be received within one or more of the blind apertures of the base portion of the building component when the second base surface of the building component and the first stacking surface are brought into confrontation.

13. The combination of claim 12, wherein the plug members are separate components arranged to be inserted into plug apertures provided in the first stacking surface.

14. The combination of claim 12, wherein the plug members are formed integrally with the stacking component.

15. The combination of any of claims 12 to 14, wherein the second stacking surface is provided with a plurality of stacking apertures, said stacking apertures being arranged to receive one or more plug members projecting from a further similar stacking component when the first stacking surface of the further stacking component is brought into confrontation with the second stacking surface of the stacking component.

16. The combination of claim 15 when dependent on claim 13 wherein the plug apertures communicate with the stacking apertures.

17. The combination of any of claims 12 to 15, wherein the stacking component is integrally formed of at least one of a resilient material, rubber, and a plurality of rubber crumbs which are bound together in a matrix by adhesive.

18. The combination of any of claims 12 to 17 further comprising one or more frangible regions spaced at intervals along the stacking component.

19. A floor, wall or ceiling comprising a plurality of building components in accordance with any of claims 1 to 11, the building components being positioned in a plurality of spaced rows over a surface of a building structure and longitudinally spaced within each row with at least some of the seats - 17 aligned to define a longitudinal batten path, with one or more supporting battens being disposed along said batten path and one or more elements of a surface layer being secured to the support battens to form said floor, wall or ceiling.

20. A floor, wall or ceiling as claimed in claim 19, further comprising a plurality of stacking components according to any of claims 12 to 18 positioned between said plurality of building components and said surface of said building structure.

21. A mould for manufacturing a building component, the mould having at least two mould parts moveable between an open and a closed configuration, the mould parts defining, when in said closed configuration, a first wall with a plurality of spaced cavities extending therefrom, and a second wall opposing said first wall with at least one projecting portion extending therefrom, said projecting portion extending from the second wall in a direction that intersects, or if continued would intersect, an opening in the first wall from which one of said cavities extends.

22. A mould arranged for manufacturing the building component of any of claims 1 to 11.

23. A building component substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

24. A stacking component in combination with a building component substantially as herein described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.