GB2435054A

GB2435054A - Building panel form

Info

Publication number: GB2435054A
Application number: GB0602595A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Frank William Layzell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2006-02-09
Filing date: 2006-02-09
Publication date: 2007-08-15
Also published as: WO2007091088A2; GB0611961D0; WO2007091088A3; GB2436436A; GB0602595D0

Abstract

A building panel 1 comprises a core of foam blocks 2 between which are positioned trusses 4. The trusses 4 are connected to each other. The trusses 4 may each comprise at least a pair of parallel wires 4a, 4b connected by a plurality of interlinking wires 4c perpendicular to the parallel wires 4a, 4b. The trusses 4 may be welded. The trusses 4 may be connected to each other by welded wires 5. The panel 1 may be formed by stacking foam blocks 2 and trusses 4 in alternate sequence on a platform 12, clamping them in position and then welding the connecting wires 5 in place. The platform 12 may have a guide 30 having channels 32 to receive the trusses 4. A rotary welding machine may be used to weld the trusses 4 and a second welding machine may be used to weld the connecting wires 5 to the trusses 4. In use the panels 1 are positioned on foundations to form walls and once assembled are spray rendered to provide a finished surface.

Description

Title: SYSTEM AND METHOD OF ASSEMBLING BUILDiINU PANELS

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a method and system for assembling panels, in particular, but not exclusively to panels for use in construction or to building panels.

The construction of buildings from building panels comprising a low density core of a foamed plastics material supported in a wire reinforcing cage is known. For instance, such a building construction system is described in UK Patent number 2323404. UK Patent number 2323404 describes factory fabricated building panels consisting of a cage of welded wire trusses supporting a core of blocks of a foamed plastics material (typically phenolic foam) to which cement/plaster produced on site is applied to each side. Specifically, the cage comprises "zig-zag" warren trusses (positioned between each foam block) which are held together by strapping wires.

The width of the cage is typically of the order of 75mm whereas the width of the foam core is typically of the order of 50mm so that the cage extends approximately 10mm or so on either side of the foam core.

In essence, buildings are constructed by arranging the building panels adjacent one another on a foundation to which the panels are anchored to form walls.

Adjacent panels may be tied to one another by clipping each panel to a strip of reinforcing mesh. Once wall and roof panels have been erected, internal and outer surfaces of the panels are spray rendered to provide a finished surface. For instance, the external render may typically comprise Portland cement and Sharp sand mixed with a plaster. Alternatives, such as Gypsum plaster, might typically be used, particularly for rendering internal surfaces. The layer of the cement/plaster encases the wire mesh cage on either side of the foam core producing a rigid structure when dry. If desired, various waterproofing, anti-fungal and fibre reinforcing agents may be applied to the cement mixture or the dried surface.

Whilst the building panels described in UK patent number 2323404 are simple to manufacture, however they are time consuming to manufacture due to the numerous amount of welding. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of manufacturing a building panel.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a method of assembling a panel, the method comprising the steps of: a. forming a plurality of trusses, each truss having a plurality of interlinking wires connected to at least two parallel wires, the interlinking wires being positioned perpendicular to the at least two parallel wires; b. stacking a plurality of trusses and foam cores in an alternate sequence; c. holding the plurality of trusses and foam cores in a fixed position; and d. connecting the trusses together.

Preferably step a. comprises feeding the interlinking wires on the at least two parallel wires through a rotary welding machine to weld the interlinking wires to the at least two parallel wires.

Preferably step b. further comprises stacking or loading a plurality of trusses and foam cores on to a platform or framework. Preferably the platform or framework comprises at least one guide having a plurality of channels for receiving said trusses, wherein the channels are equidistantly spaced. Preferably the platform or framework is tiltable. Preferably the platform or framework is provided with castors or wheels.

Preferably step c. comprises providing at least one clamping mechanism on the platform or framework to hold the plurality of trusses and foam cores in position.

Preferably step d. comprises connecting the trusses together with a plurality of strapping wires, wherein each strapping wire is positioned normal to the trusses.

Preferably the strapping wires are applied to both sides of the panel. Preferably each strapping wire is welded to the trusses According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a system for assembling panels comprising: a first welding machine adapted to form a plurality of trusses; a platform or framework adapted to receive and align the plurality of trusses and foam cores in an alternate sequence; and a second welding machine adapted to receive said platform or framework having therein said plurality of trusses and foam cores and adapted to connect said trusses together.

Preferably the first welding machine is a rotary welding machine adapted to weld interlinking wires on to at least two parallel wires to form each truss. Preferably the rotary welding machine comprises upper and lower rotating drums, wherein one of the drum is provided with a positive voltage supply, whilst the other drum is provided with a negative voltage supply. Preferably each drum is mounted on springs.

Preferably the framework or platform comprises a frame adapted to receive the plurality of trusses and foam cores in an alternating sequence. Preferably the platform is mounted on castors or wheels. Preferably the platform is provided with clamping means for securing said plurality of trusses and foam cores in said alternating sequence. Preferably the platform or framework is provided with at least one guide having a plurality of channels for receiving said trusses, wherein the chaimels are equidistantly spaced. Preferably the platform or framework is tiltable.

Preferably the second welding machine is provided with at least one welding station. Preferably the second welding machine is provided with a conveyor adapted to receive and to convey the platform having therein said plurality of trusses and foam cores through the second welding machine. Preferably second welding machine is provided with at least two wire feeders per welding station adapted to supply a series of strapping wires on both sides of the trusses. Preferably each welding station is provided with at least one row of welding electrodes on each side of said panel adapted to weld the strapping wires to the trusses to form said panel. Preferably the conveyor is adapted to convey the platform having therein the plurality of trusses and foam cores through the at least one welding station in stages so that a plurality of strapping wires are welded along the entire length on both sides of said panel.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompany drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective schematic illustration of a portion of a first building panel according to preferred invention; Figure 2 is a side view of a section of the wire mesh cage of the building panel ofFigurel; Figure 3 is a plan view of a section of the panel of Figure 1 subsequent to rendering; Figure 4a is a side view of a rotary welding machine; Figure 4b is a plan view of a rotary welding machine; Figure 5 is a side view of a platform/framework for receiving and retaining said panel; Figure 6 is a cross sectional view of the platformlframework through line A-A on Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a side view of a panel welding machine.

Figure 8a is a front view of the panel welding machine.

Figure 8b is a front view of the panel welding machine.

Figure 9 is a simplified graphical representation of the panel welding machine.

Referring first to Figure 1, this is a perspective schematic illustration of a portion of a first building panel in accordance with our co-pending UK patent application GB 0515474.5. The panel 1 comprises a core of foam blocks 2 supported within a wire mesh cage 3. The cage 3 comprises an array of "ladder" trusses 4 which are strapped together by strapping wires 5. Each truss 4 comprises at least two parallel wires 4a, 4b, wherein the parallel wires 4a, 4b are connected to each other by a plurality of interlinking wires 4c. As shown in Figure 1, the interlinking wires 4c are positioned substantially perpendicular to the parallel wires 4a, 4b. Once the interlinking wires 4c are in position, they are welded to the parallel wires 4a, 4b to from the "ladder" truss 4.

The panel 1 described above has several advantages over the prior art panel mentioned in the introduction to this specification. The use of ladder trusses 4 rather than zig-zag trusses is advantageous both when cutting the cages 3 to size and when loading them into a suitable machine for inserting the foam blocks 2. A problem with the conventional zig-zag truss is that there is a certain amount of spring tension in the truss so that if the zig-zag wire of the truss is cut it can spring outwards effectively extending the dimension of the panel I beyond that intended. With the ladder trusses 4 of the panel according to the present invention this problem does not exist and the panel can be cut to desired dimensions with greater accuracy.

Secondly, the simple ladder truss structure is easier to manufacture than the zig-zag truss since no bending of the wire is required. Thus, whilst on the face of it, it might appear that a zig-zag trust would have more structural rigidity through the triangular configuration, the adoption of a ladder truss in fact enables the use of thicker gauge wire that cannot easily be bent in conventional machinery. The use of a thicker gauge wire can more than compensate for the apparently weaker structure, enabling the construction of trusses with significantly increased structural rigidity.

Figures 2 and 3 show side and end views respectively of the cage of the panel of Figure 1; in Figure 2 the cage is shown with the foam blocks absent and in Figure 3 the panel is shown subsequent to rendering 6.

As shown in the Figures 2 and 3, the foam cores 2 are sandwiched between the trusses 4. In addition, the cores are narrower than the width of the trusses 4 to leave a space within the cage 3 on either side of each foam block 2 to receive cement/plaster render 6 which is applied to the panels 1 once they have been erected to complete the structure, and which is then effectively reinforced by the portions of the cage 3 it encases (see Figure 3).

As shown in Figures 4a and 4b, the trusses 4 are formed by feeding the two parallel wires 4a, 4b and the interlinking wires 4c through a rotary welding machine 100. The rotary welding machine 100 comprises upper and lower rotating drums 104 and 106, wherein the upper drum 104 is fed with a negative voltage whilst the lower drum 106 is fed with a positive voltage. The rotating drums 104, 106 are spring mounted. Referring to Figure 4a, the lower drum 106 contacts the lower surface of the parallel wires 4a, 4b, whilst the upper drum 104 does not contact the upper surface of the parallel wires 4a, 4c. As the parallel wires 4a, 4b and the interlinking wire 4c are feed through the rotary welding machine 100, the upper drum 104 contacts the interlinking wires 4c and a connection is made between the upper and lower drum 104, 106. Thus the connection closes the circuit and welds the interlinking wires 4c to the parallel wires 4a, 4b.

In one embodiment, the interlinking wires 4c are held in position by two clamps running parallel to the rotary welding machine 100 on a conveyor (not shown), and a cog moves the interlinking wires 4c with the parallel wires 4a, 4b through the truss machine 100. Alternatively, in another embodiment the interlinking wires 4c are held in position by a plurality of magnets (not shown) that move the interlinking wires 4c with the parallel wires 4a, 4b through the truss machine 100. As the each interlinking wire 4c are welded to the parallel wires 4a, 4b, the magnets are removed. Alternatively, in this embodiment the magnets may be electromagnets.

Referring to Figures 1 and 5, once the trusses 4 are formed, the foam cores 2 are sandwiched between adjacent trusses 4 in an alternating sequence on a stacking platform or framework 10. The platform 10 comprises a frame 12 mounted on castors 14. The platform 10 is provided with a master clamping mechanism 16 and two lateral clamping mechanisms 22. The master clamping mechanism 16 holds the panel 1 from above and the two lateral clamping mechanisms 22 hold the panel I from the sides. Each clamping mechanism 16, 22 comprises guides 18, 24 adapted to be slideable within said frame 12, and are attached to the frame 12 by a series of expandable vices 20, 26. As shown in Figures 1 and 5, once the panel 1 has reached its required size, the clamps 16, 22 are provided to secure the foam cores 2 and trusses 4 in position. Although the drwaings only show a limited layers of foam cores 2 and trusses 4, however it is anticipated that there could be multiple layers of foam cores 2 and trusses 4, and the number of layers are dependant upon the required size of the panel. The amount of trusses that are required is n + 1, wherein n is a number of layers of foam core 2.

The castors 14 allow the platform 10 to be transported around. In another embodiment, the platform 10 may be tilted to prevent the panel I from toppling over prior to activating the clamping mechanisms 16, 22.

In a further embodiment and as shown on Figure 6, the platform 10 is provided with a guide 30, wherein the guide 30 comprises a plurality of channels 32 adapted to receive the trusses 4, and a plurality of a faces 34. The faces 34 allow the foam cores 2 to sit relatively central on the trusses 4. The chaimels 32 are equidistantly spaced, and the distance between each channel 32 is substantially similar to the height of each foam core 2.

Referring to Figures 7 and 8, once the platform 10 is loaded with the foam cores 2 and the trusses 4, the platform 10 is fed through a second welding machine 40 via conveying means 42. The conveying means 42 draws the platform 10 towards a welding station 44. As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the welding station 44 comprises two wire feeders 50 and a row of welding electrodes 48 provided on each side of the panel 1. The wire feeders 50 feed the strapping wires 5 down both sides of the panel 1. Once the strapping wires 5 are in position, the welding electrodes 48 contact the strapping wires 5 and weld the strapping wires 5 onto the trusses 4 of said panel 1.

The welding electrodes 48 are equidistantly spaced, and each welding electrode 48 corresponds to their respective truss 4 in the panel 1. Referring to Figure 10, once the wires 5 are welding to the panel 1, the strapping wires 5 are severed from the wire feeder 50. In this embodiment the conveying means 42 feed the panel 1 through the welding station 44 in stages to allow a series of strapping wires 5 to applied along the entire length of the panel. Once the strapping wires 5 are welded onto the panel 1, panel I is then removed from the platform 10.

In a further embodiment, the second welding machine 40 may be provided with a second welding station (not shown) to speed up the process of applying and welding the strapping wires 5 on to the panel 1. In this embodiment the second welding station (not shown) is provided with further wire feeders for feeding the strapping wires 5.

Claims

Claims 1. A method of assembling a panel, the method comprising the

steps of: a. forming a plurality of trusses, each truss having a plurality of interlinking wires connected to at least two, parallel wires, the interlinking wires are positioned perpendicular to the at least two parallel wires; b. stacking a plurality of trusses and foam cores in an alternate sequence; c. holding the plurality of trusses and foam cores in a fixed position; and d. connecting the trusses together.

2. A method of assembling a panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein step a.

comprises feeding the interlinking wires on the at least two parallel wires through a rotary welding machine to weld the interlinking wires to the at least two parallel wires.

3. A method of assembling a panel as claimed in claims 1 or 2, wherein step b.

comprises stacking or loading a plurality of trusses and foam cores on to a platform or framework.

4. A method of assembling a panel as claimed in claim 3, wherein providing the platform or framework with at least one guide having a plurality of chatmels for receiving said trusses, and the channels are equidistantly spaced.

5. A method of assembling a panel as claimed in claims 3 or 4, wherein tilting to platform or framework to prevent the panel from toppling over.

6. A method of assembling a panel as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein providing the platform or framework with castors or wheels.

7. A method of assembling a panel as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein step b comprises providing at least one clamping mechanism on the platform or framework to hold the plurality of trusses and foam cores in position.

8. A method of assembling a panel as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein step d. comprises welding the trusses together with a plurality of strapping wires, each strapping wire is positioned normal to the trusses.

9. A method of assembling a panel as claimed in claim 8, wherein the strapping wires are applied to both sides of the panel.

10. A method of assembling a panel as claimed in claims 8 or 9, wherein each strapping wire is welded to the trusses.

11. A system for assembling panels comprising: a first welding machine adapted to form a plurality of trusses; a platforni or framework adapted to receive and align a plurality of trusses and foam cores in an alternate sequence; and a second welding machine adapted to receive said platform or framework having therein said plurality of trusses and foam cores and adapted to connect said trusses together.

12. A system for assembling panels as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first welding machine is a rotary welding machine adapted to weld interlinking wires on to at least two parallel wires to form each truss.

13. A system for assembling panels as claimed in claim 12, wherein the rotary welding machine comprises upper and lower rotating drums, and one of the drum is provided with a positive voltage supply whilst the other drum is provided with a negative voltage supply.

14. A system for assembling panels as claimed in claim 13, wherein each drum is mounted springs.

15. A system for assembling panels as claimed in claims II to 14 wherein the platform or framework comprises a frame adapted to receive the plurality of trusses and foam cores in an alternate sequence.

16. A system for assembling panels as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the platform or framework is mounted on castors or wheels.

17. A system for assembling panels as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein the platform or framework is provided with clamping means for securing said plurality of trusses and foam cores in an alternating sequence.

1 8. A system for assembling panels as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein the platform or framework is provided with at least one guide having a plurality of channels for receiving said trusses, and channels are equidistantly spaced.

19. A system for assembling panels as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein the platform or framework is tiltable 20. A system for assembling panels as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein the second welding machine is provided with at least one welding station.

21. A system for assembling panels as claimed in claim 20, wherein the second welding machine is provided with at least two wire feeders per welding station adapted to supply a series of strapping wires on both sides of said panel.

22. A system for assembling panels as claimed in claim 21, wherein each welding station is provided with at least one row of welding electrodes on each side of said adapted to weld the strapping wires to the trusses to form said panel.

23. A system for assembling panels as claimed in claim 22, wherein the second welding machine is provided with a conveyor adapted to receive and to convey the platform having therein the plurality of trusses and foam cores in an alternate sequence through the second welding machine.

24. A system for assembling panels as claimed in claim 23, wherein the conveyor is adapted to convey the platform having therein the plurality of trusses and foam cores in an alternate sequence through each welding station in stages so that a plurality of strapping wires are welded along the entire length on both sides of said panel.

25. A system for assembling panels substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

26. A method of assembling a panel substantially as hereinbef'ore described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.