GB2369628A

GB2369628A - Locking element for attaching facing panels to a support

Info

Publication number: GB2369628A
Application number: GB0124601A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Yves Suzor; Herve Beutin
Original assignee: Saint Gobain Isover SA France
Current assignee: Saint Gobain Isover SA France
Priority date: 2000-10-12
Filing date: 2001-10-12
Publication date: 2002-06-05
Also published as: PL202331B1; GB0124601D0; FR2815368B1; BR0104499A; PL350103A1; FR2815368A1; AR031402A1

Abstract

An element comprises a U-section 1, having a flat base 2, lateral walls 3, 4 and returns 5, 6, and a projection, preferably in the form of a detachable element 7. The U-shaped section 1 is fixed on a wall with the interior of the U-section 1 towards the wall. Detachable element 7 fits around lateral wall 4 and return 6 and can be snap fitted onto the U-section 1. The snap connection is produced by the passage of a boss on a folded portion 9 of detachable element 7 from the outer side to the inner side of return 6. When the detachable element 7 is snapped onto U-section 1 the detachable element 7 is locked with respect to the U-section 1. Alternatively the detachable element 7 can slide along U-section 1. Tongue and groove facing elements (13 fig. 2) are arranged against the external surface of the base 2 of the U-section 1 with a part 12 of detachable element 7 inserted in the groove of a first facing element along with the tongue of a second facing element below.

Description

Locking Element for a Facing, particularly Panelling The invention relates

to the mounting and locking of facings for various walls, particularly of buildings, both internal walls and those in contact with the external atmosphere.

Examples are the internal or external vertical faces of walls, the horizontal or inclined faces of roofs.

The facings generally comprise individual components in the form of sheets, strips or the like which are joined to one another. They may be made from various materials such as wood, metal, plastics material of the poly(vinyl chloride) type, plaster.

Frequently a heat-insulating and/or sound-insulating product is interposed between the wall and the facing. It is then appropriate to arrange that the insulating product is held in a constant position. Numerous systems are known for fixing insulating products. For example, patent publication FR-A1-2 557 901 describes a fixing system comprising fasteners consisting of elongate metal plates of which one end is in the form of a point in order to facilitate the attachment of the insulation. These fasteners are associated with plates or staples equipped with fins on which (profiled) metal rails can be fixed by clipping on and which form the framework necessary for the subsequent placing of the facing sheets such as sheets of plasterboard. This fixing system is generally very satisfactory and rapid but it does not permit adjustment of the distance separating the staple from the surface to be insulated once the fastener is fixed to the said surface, or even once the rail has been clipped on the staple, as this latter is no longer readily accessible.

Patent applications EP-A1-0 718 451, EP-A1-0 727 546 and FR-A1-2 754 002 propose to remedy this by means of an improved system for mounting and fixing of a lining, which system comprises a framework intended to receive a facing, enables this framework to be mounted easily and to be kept at an adjustable distance with respect to the surface to be lined, and which remains accessible after the placing of the framework for any adjustment of this distance or for dismantling if this should be necessary. According to these publications, the facing consisting of sheets of plaster or equivalent is placed on the flat base of U-shaped metal sections which have returns and form the framework. The aforementioned adjustment of the distance can be carried out substantially over a range corresponding to the internal depth of the sections. Moreover the facing is fixed at the bottom and at the top by fitting into rails fixed for example on the floor or respectively on

the ceiling. This specific supplementary operation of fixing the facile, proves not only necessary but relatively long and delicate.

Other types of fixing are employed for facings consisting of panelling of boards or the like.

that is to say in the form of panels or strips generally made from softwood and having thicknesses of the order of] 0 mm and widths of 6 to 14 cm approximately Each panel is then provided on its two opposing longitudinal edges with a groove and a tongue respectively. such that two adjacent panels can be assembled by interlocking of the tongue and groove.

The panelling is put in place on a framework of wood made from lengths of 37 x 40 mm in section, for examples and having a direction conveniently perpendicular to that of the panels. These latter are nailed on each length of wood with headless tacks which are driven diagonally into the tongue. or they are fixed with adapted elements of which one part is inserted so as to engage in the groove and another part is nailed or stapled on the length of wood. The length of wood in its turn is fixed to the surface to be lined by means of elements of which the length is a function? as appropriate, of the dimensions of the heat insulation and/or sound insulation, or the thickness of the blanket of mineral wool located between the wall or the ceiling and the panelling. This manner of fixing, has drawbacks. In the first places the operation of nailing the panel on the length of wood is relatively long and complex and necessitates care and precision. On the other hand no system is known which pennits adaptation of the length of wood on a framework at an adjustable distance from the wall, such as is mentioned above. Finally the thickness of the length of wood represents a lost volume.

Consequently there is a need for a simplified fixing for a facing. particularly on a Framework at an adjustable distance from the wall, and avoiding fixing means \\hich create unwanted extra thicknesses. This need is now met by the invention.

To this end. the invention relates to an element for locking a facing characterised in that it comprises a substantially U-shaped section, on the base of which the facing is intended to be placed? the said section having at least one projection with respect to the said base for the locking of the facing.

Thus it is possible to achieve the fixing of the facing directly on the fiameworl; which is adjustable in distance from the wall, and therefore there is no loss of volume. Furthermore it is relatively easy to adapt the arrangement and the shape of the projections according to the invention in such a way that the interaction of the facing and the sections having the

projections is itself sufficient in order to fix the facing, that is to say that any supplementary step of nailing or the like is superfluous.

According to a first principal variant of the invention the projection is made from the same material as the section. In this case the projection may be formed bit moulding of a thermoplastic material, or using any known technique for shaping a thermosetting material reinforced with fibres, particularly glass fibres, or by pushing in a part which is pre- indented in the surface of the section.

According to a second principal variant, the projection is formed by a detachable element associated with a lateral edge of the section.

In this case this detachable element can advantageously be snapped onto this lateral edge.

This type of connection has in effect the double advantage of simplicity of implementation and reversibility; the difficulty of placing and of dismantling the facing, the risk of damaging the latter in the course of one or the other of the two operations, are minimal.

Furthermore, several successive operations of placing and dismantling the facing can then be achieved with the same detachable elements without these elements losing any of their functionality. Within the scope of the second variant the detachable element is also preferably capable of sliding on the lateral edge of the section when it is not in the situation of locking the facing.

Thus it can be exactly positioned in the junction zone of two individual components of the facing, for example it can be brought into abutment on a first one of the said components before assembly of the second of the said components both with the first component and with the projection forming part of the detachable element. This ability of the detachable element to slide also guarantees minimal damage to the facing when it is being put in place and when it is being dismantled.

The individual components of the facing are preferably of the type in which tongue and groove interlock, the said projection being of a shape adapted to be inserted simultaneously with a tongue into a groove. The interlocking of the said individual components has the effect of locking them in any possibility of movement in the plane flush with the U-shaped section, whilst the projections of the sections retain them in this plane, keeping them more or less bearing against the sections.

On the other hand, the facing is advantageously made from wood, a material particularly appropriate for producing boards or panels with tongue-and-groove joints of which the

thickness can be varied at will according to the desired function and tile environment and of which the aesthetic and warm appearance is appreciated. particularly the ability for it to be painted In this embodiment. for the facing a form of panellin ' is chosen most particularly which has a thickness of between 2 and 25 mm. preferably between and 20 mm and especially at most equal to 15 mm, there being 10 to 30 of the said projections, preferably 1 > to 25 per m2 of panellin.

The sections and their projections which respectively assume the functions of framework and of fixing, are of course made from materials which are essentially rigid. Examples of such materials are thermoplastic or thermosetting materials w hich may contain reinforcement such as glass fibres, or preferably a metal material.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following description of the accompanying drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a U-shaped section provided on one lateral edge with a detachable element projecting with respect to the base of the section; and - Figure 2 is a schematic representation in cross-section of panelling fixed by means of the assembly of the sections and its detachable element shown in Figure 1.

With reference to Figure 1, a metal section I comprises a flat base extended Oil each side by two lateral walls 3 and 4 whicl1 are themselves extended respectively by returns 5 and 6.

The section 1 is fixed on a wall, particularly by means of a device (not shown) which permits it to be adjusted to a certain extent in its distance from this walk this device having been mentioned previously. The interior of the section is oriented towards the wall.

Associated with the lateral wall 4 and its return 6 is a detachable metal element 7 consisting of rectangular or square parts 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 connected successively, to one another with each pair forming a right angle. The detachable element 7 can be snapped onto the section 1 due to the fact that a boss which is not apparent in the drawing has been produced on the part 9, this boss being directed towards the lateral wall 4 and. in the position shown in Figure 1, situated just below the return 6. Thus when the detachable element 7 is coupled to the section 1 by pivoting a snap connection is produced, corresponding to the passage of the boss from above to below the retune 6. The section 1 has a certain resilience, such that the return 6 and the lateral wall 4 which extends it are capable of moving apart when the boss is in contact with the edge of the return 6. In the position shown in the drawing? the detachable element 7 is perfectly locked with respect to

the section I due to the abutment of the part 8 on the internal surface of the lateral wall 4, of the part 10 on the return 6 and of the edge of the part I 1 on the external surface of the lateral wall 4. The detachable element 7 is disengaged from the section I by release of the snap connection resulting from the interaction of the boss and the edge of the return 6 in the opposite direction to the steps described above.

The part 12 and the end of the part 11 in the immediate extension of the part 12 are then projecting with respect to the base 2 of the section 1; they form a right angle, the part 12 being intended to be inserted into the groove of a component of the facing such as a panel or equivalent placed so that it bears on the external surface of the base 2.

With reference to Figure 2, the panelling boards 13, such as defined previously, made from soft wood are fixed by means of the device according to Figure 1, comprising the section 1 and detachable elements 7. The panels 13 have a tongue 14 and a groove 15 on their opposing longitudinal edges, adjacent panels being engaged with one another by interlocking of the tongue and groove. Moreover, each groove receives, in addition to the tongue of the adjacent panel, the part 12 of a detachable element 7, the two panels thus being held so that they bear against the section 1.

Considering the direction in which the various elements are shown in Figure 2, the fixing of the panels is carried out from the bottom upwards. The detachable element 7 positioned just above the panel 13, of which only the lower longitudinal edge is fixed, is guided by sliding on the section I into abutment against the upper edge of this panel. The panel immediately above is then position in such a way that the tongue of the lower panel and the part 12 of the aforementioned detachable element 7 become inserted in its groove. A certain traction is then capable of being exerted, depending upon the dimensions of the section 1, of the detachable element 7 and of the panels 13, on the detachable element 7 in such a way that any possibility of the latter sliding on the section I can be eliminated.

The element for locking of a facing according to the invention as described above is advantageous in that it permits fixing of the facing on a framework of the type which is adjustable in its distance from the wall without loss of volume due to the dimensions of the fixing means, and is perfectly reversible in the sense that the facing, which has not been in any way affected by the operations of fixing and then of dismantling, can be reused several times.

Claims

1. Element for locking a facing, characterised in that the element comprises a substantially U-shaped section having a base on which the lacing is intended to be placed.

the said section having at least one projection with respect to the said base for locking of the facing.

2. Locking element as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the said projection is made from the same material as the section.

3. Locking element as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the said projection is formed by a detachable element associated with a lateral edge of the section.

4. Locking element as claimed in Claim 3, characterised in that the said detachable element can advantageously be snapped onto the said lateral edge.

5. Loclcing element as claimed in Claim 3 or 4, characterised in that the detachable element is preferably capable of sliding on the said lateral edge when it is not in the situation of locking the facing.

6. Locking element as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the individual components of the said facing are of the type in which tongue and groove interlock. the said projection being of a shape adapted to be inserted simultaneously with a tongue into a groove.

7. Locking element as claimed in any one of the preceding claims characterised in that the said facing is a panelling which has a thickness of between 2 and 5 mm.

8. Locking element as claimed in claim 7 characterised in that the said facing is a panelling which has a thickness of between 5 and 20 mm.

9. Locking element as claimed in claim 8, characterised in that the said facing is a panelling which has a thickness of 15 mm.

10. Locking element as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9, characterised in that said facing is made from wood.

1 1. Locking element according to any one of claims 7 to 10- characterised in that there are 10 to 30 projections per m2 of panelling.

12. Locking element according to claim 10, characterized in that there are 15 to 25 projections per m2 of panelling.

13. Locking element as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the said section and the said projection are metal.

14. Locking element substantially as described herein and with reference to Figures 1 and 2.