KR100482918B1 - Compressible structural panel - Google Patents

Abstract

A structural panel for use in building structures or in the formation, finish or decoration thereof includes an outer sheet and a connector sheet with a plurality of collapsible or compressible dividers therebetween. The panel in a rest condition is expanded and of a desired thickness for final use but can be compressed into a relatively thin thickness or profile for shipping purposes. The panel is very lightweight but structurally strong and can be selectively bent in one transverse direction if desired. The panel can be easily cut or formed into any predetermined size or shape.

Description

Compressible Structural Panel {COMPRESSIBLE STRUCTURAL PANEL}

Structural panels, used as ceiling panels or wall panels, are spaced in parallel with the outer sheet, which connects the outer sheet with a plurality of spaced dividers projecting from one side thereof and joins the dividers together along their side away from the outer sheet. Include a connection sheet, etc. The divider can be compressed for at least some time, for example for shipping purposes, if pressure is applied to reduce the thickness of the panel if necessary.

Structural panels used as finishing materials or decorative materials for building structures have various forms, ranging from drywall to decorative or acoustic ceiling panels. While these panels have distinctly different characteristics, they have had a number of disadvantages, such as the side of weight, the side of shipping, the lack of aesthetic or acoustic variety, and the like.

Some of these panels are used, for example, in drop ceiling systems, where the gridwork of the inverted T-shaped support members forms rectangular openings in which acoustic panels and the like are located. Such acoustic panels are generally rigid and slightly brittle. Therefore, it is difficult to be inserted into or removed from the support grid and in many cases is easily damaged during the process. In addition, the ceiling panels are relatively heavy and have a fixed thickness so that the shipping dimensions are the same as the dimensions at the time of installation. Due to this weight and volume at the time of shipment, the cost per square foot of the panel is relatively expensive.

Drywalls are also relatively heavy, difficult to work with, and the size at shipment is the same as the size at installation. Thus, shipping costs for drywall are also relatively expensive.

It will be appreciated that structural panels used in buildings, finishes and decorative materials of building structures have many of the disadvantages described above. Therefore, there is a need for a panel that can overcome this disadvantage.

1 is an isometric view of a panel formed in accordance with the present invention,

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a part of the drop ceiling of a building structure including the panel of FIG. 1 as viewed from above; FIG.

3 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2,

4 is a front elevational view of a strip of material from which the dividers of the panel of the present invention are made;

5 is a front elevation view of the strip of material shown in FIG. 4 corrugated to form a pre-fold line;

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the strip of material shown in FIG. 4 after being corrugated, as shown in FIG. 5;

7 is a front elevational view of the strip of material shown in FIG. 6 nested along a preformed fold line;

8 is a front elevational view of the compressed divider shown in FIG. 7, FIG.

8A is an enlarged view of the original region of FIG.

9 is a front elevational view similar to FIG. 8 with an adhesive layer shown by dotted lines above and below the divider;

FIG. 10 is a front elevational view similar to FIG. 9 with an outer sheet and connecting sheet above and below the adhesive layer; FIG.

11 is a front elevational view showing the composite illustrated in FIG. 10 heated and compressed between heating elements;

12 is a panel formed according to the present invention, a partial end elevation of the panel having a decorative layer of material bonded and fixed to an outer sheet of the panel;

FIG. 13 is a partial end elevational view of a compressed panel as shown in FIG. 12 between heated pressing elements;

14 is an end elevational view of the panel as shown in FIG. 12 with a divider with an asymmetric partition, fully expanded;

15 is an end elevation similar to FIG. 14 with the panel slightly compressed;

16 is an end elevation similar to FIG. 15 with the panel slightly compressed;

17 is an end elevation similar to FIG. 16 with the panel fully compressed;

18 is an isometric view of the panel as shown in FIG. 14,

19 is an enlarged isometric view of the area of the panel shown in FIG. 18;

20 is an isometric view of the panel shown in FIG. 18 in a fully compressed state;

FIG. 21 is an enlarged isometric view of a portion of the panel as shown in FIG. 20;

22 is an isometric view of a plurality of panels stacked together in a compressed state,

FIG. 23 is an isometric view of the panel shown in FIG. 22 in an expanded state;

24 is an enlarged partial end elevation view of the panel shown in FIG. 14 with an end support for the panel to prevent the panel from bending;

25 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line 25-25 of FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is a partially cut away isometric view showing an end support on one end of the panel and a second end support installed on the opposite end of the panel; FIG.

FIG. 27 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view taken through a portion of a panel illustrating an alternative embodiment of the divider, wherein the divider includes an inner layer of metallic foil; FIG.

FIG. 28 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view taken through a panel similar to FIG. 27 showing another alternative arrangement of dividers, wherein the metal foil is applied to the outer surface of the divider, FIG.

FIG. 29 is a cross sectional view taken through the panel as shown in FIG. 14 with the panel compressed at its top surface;

30 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 30-30 of FIG. 29,

FIG. 31 is an end elevation view of the panel shown in FIG. 14 with the panel curved concave upwards; FIG.

32 is an end elevation view of a panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein the partition of the divider is symmetrical rather than asymmetrical as shown in FIG. 31;

33 is an isometric view of a panel according to the invention, wherein the connecting means is an elongated strand or fiber that is secured to the divider away from the outer sheet;

FIG. 34 is an enlarged isometric view showing a portion of the panel illustrated in FIG. 33;

FIG. 35 is an isometric view of the panel shown in FIG. 33 with the panel bent or curved to concave upward;

36 is an end elevation view of a panel formed in accordance with the present invention, corresponding to the panel shown in FIG. 32;

37 is an end elevation view of the panel shown in FIG. 36 with the panel slightly compressed;

38 is an end elevation view of the panel shown in FIG. 37, fully compressed;

39 is an isometric view of the panel shown in FIG. 38, in a fully compressed state;

40 is an isometric view of the area of the panel shown in FIG. 36, in a fully inflated state;

41 is an isometric view of a plurality of panels of the type shown in FIG. 36 compressed and stacked together;

42 is an isometric view of a panel area of the kind shown in FIG. 36 stacked in a fully inflated state;

43 is a schematic end elevation view of a panel with an asymmetric divider illustrating the properties of its dimensions;

44 is a schematic end elevation view of a panel with a symmetric divider illustrating the properties of its dimensions;

45 is an enlarged end elevation view of a portion of the panel of FIG. 43 illustrating another dimension of the feature;

46 is an enlarged end elevation view of the area of the panel of FIG. 44 illustrating another dimension of the feature;

FIG. 47 is an end elevation similar to FIG. 45 showing the panel compressed with force F;

FIG. 48 is an end elevation similar to FIG. 46 showing a panel compressed with force F;

49 is an isometric view of another embodiment of a divider for use in the panel of the present invention;

50 is an end elevation view of the divider shown in FIG. 49;

51 is an end elevation view of a panel including a plurality of dividers shown in FIG. 49 in an expanded form;

FIG. 52 is a reduced end elevation view of the panel shown in FIG. 51, in a compressed form;

53 is an isometric view of another embodiment of a divider for use in the panel of the present invention;

54 is an end elevation view of the divider shown in FIG. 53;

55 is an end elevation view of a panel formed in accordance with the present invention using the divider of FIG. 53 with the panel in an expanded form;

56 is a reduced end elevation view of the panel of FIG. 55, in a compressed form;

57 is an isometric view of another embodiment of a divider for use in the panel of the present invention;

58 is an end elevation view of the divider shown in FIG. 57;

59 is an end elevation view of a panel using the divider of FIG. 57 with the panel shown in expanded form;

60 is a reduced end elevation view of the panel shown in FIG. 59, in a compressed form;

61 is an isometric view of another divider for use in the panel of the present invention;

62 is an end elevation view of the divider shown in FIG. 61;

63 is an end elevation view of a panel using the divider shown in FIG. 61 with the panel in an expanded form;

64 is a reduced end elevation view of the panel shown in FIG. 63, in a compressed form;

FIG. 65 is an isometric exploded view of a panel similar to the panel shown in FIG. 1, with an additional divider extending at right angles to the main divider at the end of the panel to give rigidity;

FIG. 66 is a side elevation view of the panel shown in FIG. 65;

67 is an end elevation view of the panel shown in FIG. 65;

68 is an end elevation view of another embodiment of the present invention in which the panel may be bent at a right angle;

69 is an isometric view of a panel formed as in FIG. 68 with the panel in a fully compressed state;

FIG. 70 is a side elevation view of the panel shown in FIG. 69;

71 is an end elevation similar to FIG. 68 with a slightly more expanded panel;

FIG. 72 is an isometric view of the panel of FIG. 68 with a fully inflated panel and bent along a right angle;

73 is an end elevation of the panel as shown in FIG. 72;

74 is a partial isometric view of the end of a panel with segments of the panel partially cut away;

FIG. 75 is a partial isometric view similar to FIG. 74 with a partially cut segment of a panel positioned to receive a compressed elongated clip;

FIG. 76 is a partial isometric view similar to FIGS. 74 and 75 showing a clip mounted on a compressed segment of the panel;

FIG. 77 is a partial isometric view similar to FIG. 76 wherein the clip mounted on the compressed segment of the panel is folded up;

FIG. 78 is a partial isometric view similar to FIG. 77 wherein the clip mounted on the compressed segment of the panel is folded at 90 ° to abut on the new end of the panel, FIG.

FIG. 79 is an enlarged partial cross sectional view taken along line 79-79 of FIG. 78;

80 is a partial isometric view of an alternative arrangement of the ceiling system, wherein the panel is suspended rather than supported by a support grid;

81 is an isometric view of a panel for use with the ceiling system shown in FIG. 80;

82 is a partial isometric view of the end of a clip member used in the panel of FIG. 81;

83 is a partial isometric view of the clip of FIG. 82 mounted on the longitudinal end of the panel shown in FIG. 81;

FIG. 84 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view in the longitudinal direction taken along line 84-84 in FIG. 80;

85 is an enlarged partial cross sectional view taken along line 85-85 of FIG. 80;

86 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 85 with the conventional acoustic tile removed from the relationship supported by the support member;

87 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view taken through the panel of FIG. 81 showing an outer sheet extending from the longitudinal side edge of the panel;

FIG. 88 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 87 with an extended outer sheet adhesively fixed and folded at the longitudinal end of the panel of FIG. 81;

89 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 88 with a slightly compressed panel;

90 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 89 with a more compressed panel;

FIG. 91 is a partial vertical section view similar to FIG. 90 with the panel substantially compressed;

FIG. 92 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view in the longitudinal direction showing an outer sheet extending longitudinally from one end of the panel of FIG. 81;

93 is a longitudinal partial cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 92 with a stiffener strip supported on the outer sheet extension;

94 is a partial vertical cross sectional view similar to FIG. 93 with a clip secured to an outer seat extension;

FIG. 95 is a longitudinal partial cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 94 with a clip folded upward to lie transversely to the longitudinal end of the panel;

92A-95A are the same as FIGS. 92-95, respectively, illustrating alternative systems for mounting clips to the ends of panels with the ends of panels compressed in a manner that replaces the reinforcing strips used in FIGS. 92-95; drawing,

FIG. 96 is an enlarged partial cross sectional view taken along line 96-96 of FIG. 81;

97 is a cross sectional view with the removed area showing one divider being removed so that the panel is easily folded;

FIG. 98 is a cross sectional view with the removed area similar to FIG. 97 showing the panel folded relative to the space from which the divider was removed as can be seen in FIG. 97;

99 is a graph illustrating a comparison of acoustic characteristics between panels in accordance with the present invention and other panels.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art who understands the present disclosure that the structural panel of the present invention can be used for various purposes. However, basically the panel will generally include an outer sheet of semi-rigid material having a plurality of dividers projecting from one side thereof. A connector or similar means in the form of a sheet is fixed to the edge of the distal end of the divider. The connecting material may take the form of sheets of another material, strands of connecting fibers, and the like.

Dividers can generally be folded and can take a variety of forms. In the above-described embodiment, the dividers are elongated cells having a face that is folded so that it can be folded thin when lateral or transverse pressure is applied to the cell in a predetermined direction. The divider may be formed by folding a strip of semi-rigid material such that when compressed laterally, the longitudinal side or partition is folded inward or outward. The divider is usually configured to take an expanded or expanded position of a predetermined form and is resilient to return to the form after being compressed. The divider is fixed to the outer sheet and the connecting member to hold it in place.

As can be seen, the panels thus formed usually take an expanded form in a stable state, but when pressure is applied to the outer sheet or connector, the divider is folded so that the entire panel has a very thin thickness or profile. Of course, this is very advantageous for shipping as it can load a much larger amount of panels in a container compared to conventional panels having a uniform thickness at the time of shipment or use. The panels are also very light, since they are mainly filled with air.

From the detailed description that follows, it can be better understood that the panels can be bent in at least one direction to facilitate installation in suspended ceilings or the like, but are usually elastic to restore their normal shape in a stable position. In addition, the panels do not break easily and are not easily damaged. In addition, they can be cut very simply into a predetermined size and / or shape.

The decorative sheet may be covered by the outer sheet, the connecting sheet and the like of the panel to give the panel a certain aesthetic appearance. For example, sheets of wood veneer, vinyl, patterned or contoured paper, colored paper, thin metal, polyester, other synthetic materials, woven fabrics, nonwoven fabrics, etc. may be covered so that the panel has a predetermined aesthetic in use. have. In addition, the panel may be lined with metal foil inside or outside to change the properties of the panel.

Further forms, features and details of the invention can be better understood with reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the appended claims, which are described below in conjunction with the drawings.

The compressible structural panel 50 of the present invention is best shown in FIGS. 1 and 12, with a plurality of parallel preferably extending parallel between the outer sheet 54 (not shown in FIG. 1) and the connecting sheet 56. A collapsible divider or beam 52. 1 and 12, the decorative sheet 58 may be provided so as to face the outer sheet 54 in a relation. As will be described in detail below, the panel is compressible in a fully folded or compressed state, as shown in FIG. 17 from the normal expanded state shown in FIGS. 1 and 12. The panel may also be bent in one transverse direction, as described in detail below, but may be rigid to prevent it from bending in any direction. The panel is also mostly air and therefore very light and easy to handle.

The panel 50 may be used in a building structure as a wall panel, a fixed ceiling panel, a suspended ceiling panel, and the like, for example. It will be apparent from the following description that the panels may be significantly larger than the conventional panels used in building structures, and may be made in various different sizes. For the purposes of this specification, panels have been illustrated in conventional sizes and are used in suspended ceilings, as shown in FIG.

In a typical suspended ceiling system, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the lattice of the elongated inverted T-shaped support member 60 is supported from the ceiling as if it is stuck in a plate, so that the rectangular opening 62 and the ceiling tile are supported. Or a circumferential support edge portion 64 around these openings in which the panel 50 can be located. Conventional ceiling panels that cannot be bent or pliable are difficult to insert into rectangular openings 62 and are often damaged or broken upon insertion due to the fact that they are prone to breakage. As can be appreciated in the following description, the panel of the present invention can be inherently bent to facilitate insertion into the rectangular openings of the suspended ceiling system and, once in place, regains the desired flat planar orientation.

As best shown in FIG. 12, the divider 52 is formed from individual strips 66 (FIG. 4) of pre-pleated material and folded into a predetermined form to be incorporated into the panel 50. When necessary, the panels can be folded laterally to compress them. The divider is secured to the connecting sheet 56 along its top and secured to the outer sheet 54 along its bottom, preferably made of adhesive 68, but other systems for connecting the components. Will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The outer sheet is then secured facing the decorative sheet 58, which is adhesively or otherwise exposed to the interior of the building structure in which the panels are incorporated. The sheets may be formed of one or more materials that are engaged, glued, welded or bonded to each other to form a wider extension surface. The decorative sheet may be any material such as natural or synthetic wood, vinyl, patterned or contoured paper, foil, polyester, other synthetic materials, woven fabrics, nonwoven fabrics, and the like. Of course, this material is usually chosen as the required interior decoration of the room in which the ceiling panels are incorporated, but may also be chosen for its acoustic properties.

In the present embodiment, the outer sheet 54, the connecting sheet 56 and the divider 52 may be made of the same material, but need not be so. This material may be a fiberglass sheet composed of randomly oriented glass fibers bonded together in a resin. As described in detail below, the resin may be a thermosetting resin or a thermoplastic resin, depending on the desired panel characteristics. The adhesive 68 used to bond the various components of the panel may generally be a thermoset adhesive that bonds adjacent components when a preset temperature is reached. However, examples of suitable adhesives may include polyurethane resins, copolyester hot melts, hot melt polyurethane reaction adhesives, two part epoxy, two component urethanes and RTV silicones. have.

As best illustrated in the cross section of FIG. 12, the divider 52 can be formed in combination into one continuous strip of material, but in this embodiment each individual in the form of an elongated cell or tubular form. Dividers. Each divider is formed from a strip 66 of material, such as fiberglass, in a manner as shown in FIGS.

4, a front view of the flat strip 66 before passing through a creaser is illustrated. As shown in Fig. 5, in this corrugator, the material is formed by the rotary corrugation wheel 70 and the backup roller 72 such that the longitudinally extending corrugation 74 is formed in the material at a predetermined laterally spaced position. Pass through). In a preferred system, the corrugating wheel has an arcuate corrugated edge of approximately 1/32 "diameter, and the backup roller has a hardness of 90-durometer. With this device, the material is not cut to keep the spring force on the material. Without or with damage, an effective fold line is created without giving at least a lot of damage to the fiberglass As can be seen, starting from the left side of the strip of material as shown in Figure 5, the corrugation 74a is the top surface. Located near the left edge, another pleat 74b is located at the top surface at a slightly biased position to the left of the center, between the two positions pleat 74c is located at the bottom of the strip. Upon exiting the corrugator, the strip is placed on the right side of the strip such that six corrugations are formed therein, as illustrated in Figure 6. The strip 66 of material is flanked by the strip. The branches 76 are folded over the longitudinal corrugations and along the longitudinal corrugations as illustrated in Figs. 7, 8, 8A so that the branches 76 are at the central position of the top of the divider 52. In the material, the fibers The breaking diameter of is preferably less than the combined thickness of the folded material so that, if folded, there is minimal damage to the fiber, even if there is damage.When so formed, the divider has two ends inverted with respect to each other. Form a long tube or cell consisting of cut triangles 78 and 80. Lower triangle 78 has a wider base than upper triangle 80. The fiberglass material making the divider is bent along crease lines 74 and It can be folded, but semi-rigid so that it is substantially flat between these folded portions, as configured in Fig. 7, applying pressure to the cell in the vertical direction, the divider The components of the cell are folded so as to take the compressed form as shown in Figure 8. In the compressed form, thermosetting or thermoplastic adhesives are preferably applied in a variety of different ways, as will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art. Adhesive 68 may be applied over the top and bottom of the divider using.

As shown in FIG. 10, the divider 52 coated with the adhesive 68 on the upper and lower surfaces passes between the outer sheet 54 and the connecting sheet 56, and then, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the entire stack. The sieve is pressed between the heated plates 82 which actuates the adhesive 68 in the case of thermoplastic adhesives and acts as a catalyst in the case of thermosetting adhesives. If a thermoset adhesive is chosen, heat can be used subsequently to increase the curing rate of the thermoset adhesive.

When a thermosetting resin is used to bond the strip 66 of material and the glass fibers inside the sheets 54 and 56, the panel 50 is compressed and adhered to each other and then its preformed as shown in FIG. It expands naturally in state. If the resin adhering the glass fibers is a thermoplastic, it persists in a compressed state, but only needs to be reheated and the strip expands to its original properties when heated with a hair dryer, for example. In any case, the panel may be inflated to its original nature or selectively expanded to a predetermined height or thickness.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art to change the materials from which the divider 52, outer sheet 54 and connecting sheet 56 are made, but in practice, they may each be made of a different material for the purposes of this specification, The following materials are known to be sufficient for each outer sheet and connecting sheet as well as a divider.

JM type 8802-100GSM (Glass Mat from thermoplastic) or JM type MF5020GSM (Glass mat from thermosetting) were produced by Johns-Manville Corp. of Denver, Colorado; Or Ahlstrom formula 51 50 GSM (Glass Tissue of thermosetting resin) was produced in Ahlstrom, Karhula, Finland.

For example, there are other materials suitable for the outer sheet or connecting sheet, but not suitable for the divider, and conversely, there are some materials suitable for the divider, but not suitable for the outer sheet and connecting sheet. For example, the outer and connecting sheets may be one of several different sheet-like materials, such as paper, cardboard, metal, plastic, polyester, other synthetic materials, and the like. Since stability is given to panels by dividers, they do not even have to have structural stability. On the other hand, the divider is preferably made of fiberglass, but has a feature of having a predetermined modulus of elasticity similar to the specific materials described above, which can be folded and retain elasticity, some paper, cardboard, It may also be made of woven material, film, or a combination thereof. As described above in connection with the fiberglass material, in the case where the material is crimped to form a crease, it is important that the material maintain the modulus of elasticity after crimping, as well as the fiberglass or carbon fiber material do.

As shown in FIG. 13, a decorative sheet 58 is provided with an appropriate adhesive 66 therebetween, so that the decorative sheet 58 is bonded to the outer sheet 54 and the hot press 82 so as to adhere the decorative sheet to face the outer sheet. It may be located in between. Of course, the resulting panel is illustrated in FIG. 12. In adhering the decorative sheet to the outer sheet, in addition to the above-described alternatives, a porous decorative sheet can be used which is bonded to the cover sheet using an adhesive in a grid or printed dot pattern. This allows the stack to pass through or transmit sound more freely. In contrast, if a continuous layer of adhesive is used to attach the decorative sheet and cover sheet, the transmission of sound through the laminate will be reduced. Through lamination treatment, the result is a flat surface, possibly surpassing cover sheet impact resistance and puncture resistance, so that a relatively unstable decorative sheet can be made flat and stable. It will be appreciated that the acoustics of the panel can be altered by changing the outer sheet material, strip material, adhesive, connecting sheet, the spacing between the sheets, the manner in which the assemblies are bonded together and the like.

Other materials may also cover or be laminated to the connecting sheet 56. For example, a film may cover the connecting sheet, or additional sheets of non-fiberglass material may be laminated on the connecting sheet. Glass fibers are abrasive and harmful to exposed skin, but such panels can be handled without protective gloves. In addition, the film or laminate for the connection sheet 56 may be printed with a measurement grid so as to easily cut the manufacturer's identification mark or panel to a predetermined size. Further, as described above with respect to the outer sheet 54, a porous laminate or film may be overlaid on the connecting sheet for acoustic purposes.

As mentioned above, although a number of materials can be applied to the present invention, it is preferable that the connecting sheet and the divider are made of the same material, and the material is a fiberglass mat manufactured by Johns-Manville Corporation, which mat is It can be No.5802 or N0.5803 named by Johns-Manville. The 5802 is a 120 g / m ² mat consisting of 10% PET / 65% 16 micron glass / 25% MF. The 5803 is a 100 g / m ² mat consisting of 12% PET / 68% 16 micron glass / 20% MF. MF is an abbreviation of melamine formaldehyde resin which shows the properties of thermosetting resin. PET stands for polyethylene terephthalate. The divider is made of one of the 5802 or 5803 materials with the ability to fold or collapse without any additional heat after being crimped or folded and fully compressed as described above. More detailed descriptions of Johns-Manville products and related products can be found in US Pat. Nos. 5,840,413, 5,942,288 and 5,972,434, which are also incorporated herein by reference.

Preferred outer sheets are composite laminates of aesthetic textile materials, laminated to a glass nonwoven base using a copolyester warm melt adhesive. Three different laminates are likewise preferred. The first laminate uses a base substrate having the property of thermal bond polyester non-woven having a basis weight in the range of 45 to 75 g / m ² , and is available from Hollingsworth and Vose of Floyd, West Virginia. Can be. The adhesive pattern used for the thermally bonded polyester fibers of the nonwoven base substrate becomes a visible pattern on the bottom surface of the outer sheet. When a small point bonding pattern with a bonding area of approximately 7% is used, the preferred polyester nonwoven material is named TR2315A-B from Hollingsworth and Vose. When a large point bonding pattern with a bond area of approximately 21% is used, the preferred material is TR2864C1 from Hollingsworth and Vose. Any of the nonwoven base substrate is screen coated using an acrylic binder / flame retardant coating having an additional weight of 15 to 25 g / m ² . The coating may be formulated to improve the durability of the nonwoven based substrate while adding a flame retardant. The polyester nonwoven based substrate is then made of, for example, a material to which a flame resistant copolyester adhesive made by EMS Chemie North America of Sumter, North Carolina, is to be coated on or on the surface of a polyester nonwoven base substrate. It may pass through a hot-melt roll coater / laminator applied to any one of the. The coating weight of this adhesive depends on the desired bond strength obtained between the polyester nonwoven base base layer and the glass nonwoven material. In general, adhesives having a basis weight in the range of 30 to 45 g / m ² are known to be preferred. Gravure rollers, preferably having a crosshatch 25x25 pattern thereon, are used to compress and laminate the glass nonwoven onto the polyester nonwoven base base layer. The depth engraved on the gravure roller is a major parameter related to the weight of the adhesive per area applied. According to the formulation of the adhesive obtained from EMS Chemie, two materials, designated Grilltex D1573G8 and Grilltex VP1692G, were mixed by EMS at 50:50. EMS Grilltex VP1692G contains an organic phosphorous flame retardant mixed at 25% loading. The 50:50 mixed product finally produces a flame retardant loading of approximately 13.5%. When the adhesive is applied to the surface of the polyester nonwoven, the adhesive remains molten until a nip of the roll coater / laminator joined with the glass nonwoven is reached. Glass nonwovens include 5802 (120 g / m ² ) matt, GFT-413G10-60-1300 (60 g / m ² ), as described above sold by Johns-Manville, or GFT-413G10-80- Ahlstrom nonwoven glass mats, designated 1300 (80 g / m ² ), are preferred. Composite laminates made of the materials described above are translucent in their inherent properties, combined with the ability of light to move below the length of a cell formed between the dividers of the finished panel, the properties of which are visible in the area where the two cells meet. To be able.

If desired, instead of the polyester nonwovens described above, an aesthetic material having silver, gray or black on its back side may be used to reduce the shade. The back side is where the hot melt adhesive is applied and subsequently laminated to a glass nonwoven mat. The coloring reduces the amount of light that can travel up and down the cell and through its surface, thereby reducing the shadowing effect.

Alternative aesthetic materials for the polyester nonwovens described above are knit materials with one side being silver, gray or black. In order to achieve this, knitted materials manufactured from Gilford technical textiles of Greenboro, North Carolina, have been used with knitted materials in which two different types of yarns consist of a single knitting structure. It is preferable that the yarns used are nylon and polyester. Mainly, nylon yarn is observed on one side of the mat and polyester yarn on the other side. Knit fabrics are " cross-dyed " with black dyes, which have affinity for nylon and leave the polyester white. Flame retardants and oil releases may be added to the dye bath formulations. Then, the knit is stabilized and melamine resin is added to reinforce the fabric. The knit material has a polyester fiber material and passes through a roll coater / laminator to laminate the knit material to the glass nonwoven material, as described above. The gravure roller pattern used in this case preferably has a computerized random dot pattern that is well known in commercial transactions. If the silver, gray or black side of the knit is laminated to the glass nonwoven material, the dark layer reduces the transmission of light through the laminate. The visible appearance of the surface is a unique form similar to that of a perforated metal ceiling panel. The white surface of the knitted material may be laminated on the glass nonwoven material. In doing so, the appearance of the knitted laminate is similar to that of the metal screen material, but the shadowing effect can also be eliminated.

Another way to reduce the shadows of reflected and transmitted light is to use black, gray or silver glass nonwoven materials. If colored black, gray or silver glass nonwovens are laminated to the polyester fiber mat or knitted mat described above, the shading effect can also be reduced.

It should be noted that, whether polyester fiber mats or knitted materials, the material can be printed or coated with colored pigments to achieve coloring of the aesthetic material. This will involve a secondary printing or coating step that may add cost. The use of colored or colored adhesives may be employed as an inexpensive solution for increased surface whiteness of shaded and / or aesthetic materials.

14-17 illustrate the assembled panel 50 in a progressively compressed state with FIG. 14 showing the panel in a fully inflated state and FIG. 17 in a fully folded or compressed state.

An isometric view of panel 50 is shown in FIG. 18, which is an enlarged view thereof. It will be appreciated that the dividers 52 extend parallel to one another in the longitudinal direction of the panel and are evenly spaced apart from one another. Of course, in FIGS. 18 and 19, the panel shown as fully compressed in the corresponding FIGS. 20 and 21, respectively, is fully inflated.

The problem with conventional ceiling panels is that they maintain the same size and thickness during shipping, installation and use. A preferred feature of the panel of the present invention is that when the panel is fully inflated, it has a predetermined stability thickness corresponding to the stability thickness of a conventional ceiling panel, while being compressed for shipment so that more panels can be filled in one container during shipment. As a result, shipping costs can be significantly reduced. When the panel is unloaded from the shipping container, the thermosetting resin can be inherently expanded when used as the fiberglass material and heated to expand if the thermoplastic resin is used. The panel can be expanded to any required thickness, and the preferred ceiling panel can have a thickness in the range of 12 mm to 26 mm, depending on the span of the panel when properly inflated, thicker or thinner depending on the application. It may have a thickness of approximately 3 mm to 4 mm when fully compressed.

As best shown in FIG. 31, the panel 50 is easily retracted or bent in the transverse direction, for example in the direction in which the elongated divider 52 extends, to facilitate insertion of the panel into the suspended ceiling support. Can lose. Indeed, the panel may be preformed in a bent form in a stable state when it is necessary to be a curved panel for several reasons. The panel is not easily shrunk or bent in the opposite direction, ie in the direction in which the divider extends, because the tubular shape of the divider prevents it. However, if necessary, the panel is positioned substantially along the opposite end of the panel to cover the open end 86 of the tubular or tongue divider, thereby substantially preventing the panel from bending in both transverse directions. It may be rigid. The support member 84 may be formed of a C-shaped channel member 88 (such as plastic, aluminum, etc.) in a rigid form, as illustrated in FIGS. 24 and 25, for example, in FIG. It may also be a strip of adhesive 90 attached to the end of the panel as illustrated. The strip of adhesive has some flexibility while, when incorporated into the end of the panel, it will have sufficient stiffness to essentially prevent the panel from bending in the transverse direction with respect to the divider's longitudinal direction. Plastic or vinyl tape is an example of a suitable adhesive strip. As another alternative, as shown in FIGS. 65-67, a divider 52a may be placed at each end of the panel to cover the open end of the parallel divider 52. The outer sheet 54 and the connecting sheet 56 extend to cover the divider 52a which serves to stiffen the panel in the cross direction.

The panel may also be rigidized in a cross direction by incorporating cross-dividers (not shown) at selected locations throughout the panel. The cross divider may be disposed perpendicular to the primary divider, and may be assumed to be the same as or different from the cross-sectional shape of the primary divider. Of course, the cross divider can be adhesively bonded to the panel in the same way as the primary divider. Regardless of whether it is a primary divider or a cross divider, the height of the divider can be varied over the width of the panel to produce various structural aesthetic effects.

In order to change the structural characteristics of the divider 52, another sheet material made of a slightly harder divider material, i.e., a metallic sheet material 92, is made of the outer and inner surfaces of the divider as illustrated in Figs. 28 and 27, respectively. Can be laminated with. The metallic sheet will affect the thermal properties of the panel. 27 shows a metallic sheet material on a panel provided with a support member 88, while FIG. 28 does not include a support member. Of course, in forming the divider, the lamination step is preferably performed immediately before pleating.

As can be seen in FIGS. 29 and 30, the panel formed according to the process is that the pressure exerted on one side of the panel at any one position merely presses the panel at that position and does not deform the opposite side of the panel. special. The panel supports several times its own weight without bending the opposite side of the panel. As an example, a panel formed according to the present invention has a 26 mm thickness upon inflation, is 24 inches wide by 48 inches wide, and weighs approximately 0.9 kg (1.98 pounds). The panel is capable of supporting loads of up to 2.9 kg (6.38 lbs) in the form of a 10 inch circular weight with minimal bending observed on the opposite side of the panel. Point loads of approximately 2 inches in diameter and 1 kg (2.2 pounds) are easily absorbed by the same panel without warping the bottom.

With reference to FIGS. 33-35, a second embodiment of panel 94 is illustrated, wherein connecting sheet 54 is replaced with a connecting member in the form of a plurality of elongated, flexible but not extensible strands or fibers 96. Can be. These strands or fibers may be plastic, nylon or other similar materials having the same or similar properties. The strands or fibers of the material extend transversely with respect to them, while the fibers are spaced apart from one another and can be adhered to the tubular divider 52 ', preferably parallel to one another, adhesively or otherwise. The panel 94 thus formed can be easily contracted or bent in the transverse direction with respect to the longitudinal direction of the divider, as in the panel described above, as shown in FIG.

In each of the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the divider has the same side partition 98 (FIGS. 12 and 34) with a longitudinal fold line 100 therein, when the panel is compressed, Fold inward Accordingly, the side partitions form upper and lower regions 98a and 98b, each rectangular in shape, but the upper region 98a is smaller in size than the lower region 98b. This arrangement can be considered an asymmetrical arrangement in that the top region of the divider is different from the size of the bottom region.

A third embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 36-42, in which panel 102 is shown in FIG. 12 except that partition 104 of divider 105 is symmetric in shape. Same as the old panel. In other words, the panel 102 includes an outer sheet 54 'and a connecting sheet 56' connected to each other by a partitioned divider and, if necessary, a decorative panel 58 'which lies over the outer sheet. You may. However, the fold line 106 is located along the partition 104 such that the upper rectangular area 104a of each partition has the same size as the lower rectangular area 104b. The panel 102 can be compressed again.

The compressed and expanded form of panel 102 shown in FIGS. 36-38 is illustrated dorsally in FIGS. 39 and 40, the panel being fully compressed to a depth or profile much smaller than its normal expanded state. I understand that.

As can be seen in FIGS. 41 and 42, when the panels are stacked, the panels can be compressed to save a significant amount of space and, of course, even more in one container compared to conventional ceiling panels at shipment. Since the panels can be compressed and shipped, significant costs are saved.

An advantage of panels using symmetric dividers is that they can inadvertently eliminate telegraphing which may be present in a compressed panel. Telegraphing is a phenomenon that can occur in a compressed panel of the type described herein when the sheet is compressed tightly against another component of the panel, such as a divider or partition. If the pressure is too high or the divider exerts too much resistance, a visible pattern can be seen through the seat where the partition is fixed or not.

Referring to FIG. 17, which illustrates a panel with an asymmetric divider, it can be seen that there are spaces between the dividers along its connection to the connection sheet, but using a symmetric divider as well shown in FIG. Almost never exist. Therefore, in the panel using the symmetric divider as can be seen in FIG. 38, telegraphing is substantially excluded regardless of the pressure applied to the panel. However, in the panel of the present invention with a symmetrical or asymmetrical divider, when the connecting sheet is forced downward relative to the divider, the divider does not resist the pressure but only compresses, so that the appropriate pressure to couple the connecting sheet to the divider is achieved by the telegram. It will be appreciated that less telegraphing occurs from the fact that it can be applied without creating a wrap.

By changing the position of the fold line 106 in each side partition of the divider 105, the resistance of the panel being compressed can be adjusted. For example, in the inflated position of the asymmetric panel 50 described as the first embodiment of the present invention and shown in FIGS. 43 and 45, the symmetrical panel as shown in FIG. An obtuse angle a larger than the angle d corresponding to the partition 104 is formed in the side partition 98. However, in the expanded form the height A of each panel is the same. While the lengths B and C of the respective upper and lower regions 98a and 98b of the side partitions of the asymmetric divider differ, in the symmetric divider illustrated in FIG. 46, the upper partition region 104a and the lower partition region 104b. It should be noted that the length (D) of Eq.

As illustrated in FIGS. 47 and 48, the greater the angle (a) or (d) of the side partition, the greater the resistance to panel compression. 47 and 48, the same force F is applied to the asymmetric divider panel 50 of FIG. 47 and the symmetric divider panel 102 of FIG. 48, and more symmetric dividers are compressed for the same force. have. This is because the angle of the side partition of the symmetric divider panel is smaller than the angle of the asymmetric divider panel.

In the panel formed according to the present invention, which is known to provide satisfactory performance, by way of example and not by way of limitation, the outersheet, connecting sheet and divider are all made of 100GSM Johns Manville # 8802 glass mat, FIGS. The parameters used in FIG. 46 are in the following ranges.

X = 5mm to 10mm

S = 20mm to 40mm

A = 15 mm to 26 mm

B = 8 mm to 10 mm

C = 13.5 mm to 17 mm

D = 13.5mm to 15mm

a = 100 ° to 120 °

b = 100 ° to 120 °

In another alternative embodiment 108 of the panel according to the invention shown in FIGS. 51 and 52, the connecting sheet of the above described embodiment is removed by the use of a unique divider 110. As can be seen in FIGS. 49 and 50, the divider 110 generally forms two truncated triangular regions 112, 114 that are inverted upside down relative to one another, similar to the first embodiment of the present invention. Although in the form of an hourglass, the top of the divider has an elongated horizontal leg adapted to cover the adjacent divider, and has a segmented connecting sheet 116 composed of a plurality of interconnecting strips formed by the horizontal top leg of the divider. . Although the divider 110 looks asymmetrical, it can actually be assumed to be a symmetrical form similar to that shown in the third embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the divider has a base 118, a left partition 120 and a right partition 122 having horizontal legs 124, 126 on top of each side partition. Both side partitions have crease lines 128 such that when pressure is applied to the top or bottom of the divider, the side partitions collapse. The horizontal top leg 126 of the right partition is approximately one third of the width of the divider top, but the horizontal leg 124 of the left divider rests horizontally on the horizontal top leg 122 of the right divider or covers the horizontal leg. Slightly longer than the base 118.

As can be seen in FIG. 51, when the plurality of dividers 110 are positioned immediately next to each other or in a side-by-side relationship, the top horizontal leg 124 of the left partition 120 extends beyond the right partition 122 to the right. It extends to the relationship with the top horizontal leg 124 of the left partition 120 of the adjacent next partition. Accordingly, the overlapped horizontal top legs 124 of the left partition are segmented but combined to form an integrated connection sheet. Of course, the top horizontal leg 124 of the left partition of each divider is adhesively fixed to the top horizontal leg 126 of the right partition and also to the top horizontal leg 124 of the left partition of the divider immediately to its right. The coversheet 130 is secured to each divider's base 118 to interconnect the dividers along its base, and, of course, if necessary, a decorative sheet (not shown) may also be attached to the underside of the outer sheet or segmental connection sheet. Can be fixed.

Another embodiment 132 of a panel formed in accordance with the present invention is shown in FIGS. 53-55, in which the divider 134 is not a cell in itself, but rather a strip folded in a zigzag pattern. It is a material and is fixed between the outer sheet 136 and the connecting sheet 138 to form a compressible cell-shaped panel. First, referring to FIGS. 53 and 54, the divider 134 is formed from a strip of material having a pair of outer parallel lines 140 and inner parallel lines 142, while the outer lines are folded inwards. Inner fold lines are folded outwards. Accordingly, a pair of attachment surfaces or edge zones 144 and 146 are formed between the outer fold lines 140 and the side edges 148 of the strip, which can be secured in an appropriate manner to the outer sheet and the connecting sheet, respectively. Between these edge zones of the divider, the middle portion 150 of the divider has two inner wrinkles so that the strip collapses when transverse pressure is applied to one of the edge zones. The panels 132 formed of the dividers 134 of FIGS. 53 and 54 are shown in FIGS. 55 and 56, respectively, in an expanded and compressed state.

Another divider 152 used in the panel 154 shown in FIGS. 59 and 60, respectively, in an expanded and folded state, is shown in FIGS. 57 and 58. As can be seen in FIGS. 57 and 58, the divider 152 is a pair of parallel outer wrinkle lines 156 that are folded in the same direction spaced inward from the side edge 158 of the strip of material from which the divider is formed. And a third intermediate wrinkle line 160 between the parallel outer wrinkle lines. The upper edge region 162 is formed between one edge of the strip of material and one of the outer wrinkle lines, and the slightly larger second lower edge region 164 divides between the associated edge of the strip of material and the adjacent crease lines. It is formed along the bottom of the. As shown in FIG. 8, the fold in the opposite direction is provided in the middle fold line 160 so that the divider has upper and lower edge regions of differing widths all projecting to the right from adjacent fold lines 156. The upper edge region 162 of each divider is secured to the connecting sheet 166 at parallel and equally spaced positions, while the lower edge region 164 extends to the right, covering a small area of the next divider adjacent to the right. It is supposed to be. The lower edge regions to be covered are fixed to each other to form an integrated segmented outer sheet 168 formed from the plurality of lower edge regions of each divider. Of course, decorative sheets (not shown) may be laid over the interconnected lower edge regions or connecting sheets to provide variety to the aesthetics of the panel.

Similar embodiments 170 of the dividers are shown in FIGS. 61-64, where the strip of material also has upper and lower edge regions formed between them, between the edge 180 of the strip and the outer pleat lines 172. A pair of outer pleated lines 172 and middle fold lines 174 with 176 and 178 are provided. The fold of the outer crease 172 is folded in the opposite direction to the fold along the middle crease 174 such that both the outer and lower edge regions project horizontally to the right, as shown in FIG. 62. As can be seen, both horizontal regions extend horizontally beyond the midline 174, and the dividers are mutually in a suitable manner to form a panel shown as expanded in FIG. 63 and compressed in FIG. It is intended to cover them so that they can be fixed to the upper and lower edge regions of the dividers adjacent to the right side.

As can be seen in FIGS. 68-73, in another embodiment 182 of a panel made in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the panel also extends between the outer sheet 54, the connecting sheet 56, and between them. It has a plurality of dividers 184. Perhaps best seen in Figures 68-71, the divider 184a has a Z-shaped cross section in some of the panels, while the divider 184b has an inverted Z-shaped cross section in the rest of the panels. At the position 186 where the direction of the divider changes, the panel is at right angles, for example, to fit the right-angled contour of the building component on which the panel is mounted, as can be seen in FIGS. 72 and 73. Can be bent. For example, the panels can be wrapped around rectangular ductwork of the kind that can be used in buildings to deliver forced air and the like.

68 and 71, the upper horizontal leg 188 extending to the left, the lower horizontal leg 190 extending to the right, and the diagonal leg 192 connecting the right edge of the upper leg to the left edge of the lower leg. It will be appreciated that the divider 184a has a Z-shaped cross section in the right region of the panel to form. Of course, the Z-shaped divider 184a is formed similar to that described above by placing a crease line on a strip of material from which the divider is made and then folding the strip of material along the crease line. Of course, the reverse Z-shaped divider 184b on the left side of the panel extends to the right edge of the lower leg from the upper horizontal leg 194 extending to the right, the lower horizontal leg 196 extending to the left and the left edge of the upper leg. It has a diagonal leg 198.

As can be seen in FIGS. 68 and 71-73, at the position 186 (in the illustrated panel, near its center) where the divider's orientation changes, the panel can be folded at a right angle. The panel can then be fully inflated to form a square cell, as the legs of the divider are perpendicular to each other, as shown in FIGS. 72 and 73.

68 and 69, it can be seen that the panel can be compressed as in the above-described embodiment of the panel made in accordance with the present invention.

The panel is likely to be rigid in the cross direction in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 74 to 79. A segment of the panel near its end may be cut through the connecting sheet 56 and the divider 52 and partially cut at 89 (transverse to the length of the divider), but the outer sheet 54 may be cut off. It can be seen that it cannot be cut. This cut forms a small band 91 of material that can be compressed independently to receive the rigid clip 93, as illustrated in FIG. The rigid clip in this embodiment has a long side 95, a spaced parallel short side 97, and opposite edges from the connecting wall 99 and the connecting wall 99 which correspond to each other in correspondence with the edges of the long and short sides. It has a substantially J-shaped cross section with a lip 101 hanging along its long side. This clip is mounted to a compressed band of material to keep the material compressed. The clip and compressed material may then be folded upwards, as shown in FIGS. 77 and 78 to form a rigid portion along the end of the panel. Of course, the rigid band of material can be folded up and adhesively fixed in place, if necessary, as illustrated in FIGS. 78 and 79.

Those skilled in the art will have the pending patent application filed April 10, 2000 entitled "A Cladding System and Panel for Use in Such System," which the clip is co-owned with the present invention. It will be clearly understood that it may also be used as a mounting clip for suspending a panel to a ceiling support member (not shown), such as the type described in 08 / 752,957. This application is incorporated herein by reference.

Through the various embodiments of the present invention described above, it will be better understood that the dividers each have unique features that can be combined with other embodiments. By way of example only, the top and bottom of the wall separating the top and bottom or top and bottom edge regions of the side partitions of the various dividers can have the same or different dimensions to form symmetrical and asymmetrical dividers. Furthermore, simply changing the angle of the divider's side partitions can make the panel more compressible than others. Similarly, separating the dividers at wider intervals would allow the panel to bend more easily laterally relative to the divider. Since the depth of the divider affects the strength of the panel (assuming other parameters do not change), the length and width of the panel can be increased by simply increasing the depth of the divider without changing the strength or bonding properties of the panel. (Ie, span) can be significantly increased. In addition, as described above, various aesthetic and acoustic properties can be made by stacking different kinds of decorative sheets on the outer sheet of the panel so that different colors, patterns, textures, etc. can be produced for the interior of the room in which the panel is used. .

It will be better understood from the above description that the material from which the outer sheet, connecting sheet or divider can be varied in order to obtain different properties for the panel. For example, the material can be changed to obtain different acoustic properties for the panel, or to obtain different light transmission properties. The material may also be flame retardant to prevent fire spreading in buildings in which panels are used. For example, different materials may be used in a panel having a coversheet or connecting sheet made of the same or different material and a divider made of the same or different material as the material of one of the coversheet or connecting sheet. The divider itself may be made of different materials in a single panel. For example, some dividers may be provided to obtain the elasticity and compressibility of the panel, while other dividers may be provided to change the acoustic, phototransmitting, or flame retardant capacity of the panel. In addition, the panels may be stacked in building structures to change the acoustic or phototransmittance of the panels.

The panel described above has been described primarily as a replacement for conventional acoustic tiles supported on a T-shaped support member of a suspended ceiling grid, but the panel may be modified slightly to suspend the same T-shaped support member. As can be seen, by suspending the panel of the present invention to the T-shaped support member 60, it is possible to replace the existing ceiling system without removing or removing the acoustic tile located or supported on the top surface of the T-shaped support member 60 Panels can be used to update.

The panel 200 modified to be suspended from the T-shaped support member 60 or supported by the T-shaped support member 60 is installed below the existing acoustic panel 202 supported on the support member 60. It is shown in FIGS. 80-96 with a plurality of panels shown in FIG. As can be seen, each panel 200 is a general type of the type described above, and as shown in Figs. 84 to 86, the outer sheet 204, the connecting sheet 206 and a plurality of parallel cell type dividers therebetween. Has 208. As mentioned above, the cell-shaped divider is preferably compressible and is formed of strips of individual materials that are crimped or folded to form elongated tubes having two triangular portions 210 and 212 cut one another. 87 to 91 as shown well. The divider 208 has sidewalls as shown in FIGS. 89-91 according to various conditions including the type of binder used in the fiberglass mat material from which the divider is made and the treatment of the heated and cooled divider described below in more detail. It has a foldable intermediate sidewall 214 with fold lines 216 that are folded inwards or that expand outwards as shown in FIGS. 87 and 88.

At each end of panel 200 along the open end of cell-shaped divider 208, a unique clip 218 is secured to the panel, as shown in FIGS. 81-86. The clip is thin and long, preferably a member formed of a rigid material such as aluminum, plastic, or the like, and usually has an inverted J-shape as well shown in FIG. Thus, they have a bottom protrusion 222 from the bottom edge of the body to form a vertical flat body 220. The lower open upper hook channel 224 extends from the upper edge of the body. In addition, a horizontally open second hook-shaped channel 226 is formed which protrudes from the body in the opposite direction to the lip 222 along the upper edge. The oblique protruding rib 228 extends downwardly from the upper edge of the body below the horizontally open channel 226.

92 to 95, as described above, notching the end of the panel such that the outer sheet 204 protrudes longitudinally from the opposite end of the panel, or the outer sheet slightly less than the rest of the panel. To make it longer and wider, as shown in FIGS. 87 and 92, the outer sheet naturally protrudes from opposite ends and opposite sides, such that the outer sheet longitudinal extension 230 and the outer sheet lateral extension By forming 232, the clip 218 is fixed to the end of the panel 200. An elongated straight reinforcement strip 234, which may be made of plastic, aluminum, cardboard, or the like, is shown in FIG. 94 after it is adhesively bonded to the top of the outer sheet longitudinal extension 230 protruding from the end of the panel. As shown, the stiffener strip and the outer sheet longitudinal extension are inserted into the downwardly open J-shaped channel 224 adjacent the body with the lip 222 engaging the innermost edge of the stiffener, thereby extending the outer sheet longitudinally. The clip is placed over the extension and the reinforcement. This position of the clip allows the outer sheet longitudinal extension (at the opposite end of the panel) to be received between the horizontally open J-shaped channel 226 and the oblique lip 228 of the clip. 230, reinforcement 234 and clip 218 may be folded upward as shown in FIG. 95. Then, the backside of the J-shaped channel 226 that is horizontally open to hold the clip in the position illustrated in FIG. 95 may be secured to the connecting sheet 206 adhesively or otherwise.

The oblique lip 228 of each clip protrudes down the connecting sheet 206 to keep the panel in the fully inflated position. Applying the same procedure to each longitudinal end of the panel, each panel has a clip thereon and is horizontally open to be secured to the flange of the T-shaped support member 60 as shown in FIGS. 84 and 85. It can be seen that the J-shaped channel 226 is located.

An alternative method of securing a J-shaped clip at the end of the panel is shown in FIGS. 92A-95A. In an alternative system, at the open longitudinal end of the panel, as shown in FIG. 92A, a cut or a slit is made downward through the open end of the connection sheet 206 and the divider 208 to form a connection sheet. And forming a gap between the cut portion of the divider and the remaining portion of the panel. Then, after the connecting sheet and the divider are tightly compressed downward relative to the outer sheet 204, the lip 222 of the clip is caught by the innermost edge of the compressed material, as shown in FIG. 94A. This compressed material is inserted into the J-shaped channel 224 which opens to the bottom of the clip. The clip with the compressed material defined therein is then folded upwards and preferably secured in place as shown in FIG. 95A to form the longitudinal end of the panel.

As illustrated in FIG. 83, the end of the horizontally open J-shaped channel 226 is adapted to receive a T-shaped support member 60 extending perpendicular to the T-shaped support member 60 to which the clip is fixed. Spaced inward from the opposite longitudinal end of the clip 218. In this way, the panel can be supported by a conventional grid of T-shaped support members in a suspended manner rather than with or without another set of acoustic tiles supported by the grid. In other words, the panel 200 with the clip 218 fixed therein can be used for an existing grid or for a new grid in exactly the same way. As can be seen, the clips of adjacent longitudinally aligned panels can abut each other (FIG. 85), so that the ends of the outer sheets of the panels actually hide the lattice from which the panels are suspended, but only slightly so that the ceiling has a substantially continuous appearance. Are spaced apart. Also, due to the fact that the clip keeps the panels in the fully inflated position, the bottom sheet of each panel, i.e. the outer sheet 204, is flush with the outer sheet of adjacent panels so that the ceiling formed of such panels has a smooth and uniform appearance. Sorted by. With reference to FIGS. 87-91, the outersheet lateral extension 232 is folded in engagement with the adjacent sidewall 214 of the outermost divider and secured with a suitable adhesive such that the panel has a finished shape along its side edges. Can be.

Occasionally, it may be desirable to fold or form a panel around a corner. Using the panel of the present invention, such folds or corners can be made in an aesthetically pleasing manner as illustrated in FIGS. 97 and 98. In FIG. 97, the divider 208, including the connecting sheet 206, may be cut from its rest to the top of the panel, leaving the outer sheet 204 at a position that needs to be folded or bent in the panel. . The remaining portions of the panel are illustrated as illustrated in FIG. 98 such that the outer sheet 204 extends perpendicularly around the bend, with the outer sheet 204 extending continuously around the bend such that the remaining portion of the panel forms a fully finished corner with respect to the panel. , Can be folded in one direction or the other. Such folding in the panel may be necessary, for example, in a skylight that is raised above the ceiling height by carrying out the procedure shown in FIGS. 97 and 98 with the window retracted upwards, the panel or panels being It can be folded to extend from the normal ceiling height to be higher than the retracted area of the skylight.

As mentioned above, preferred materials from which the divider is made include glass fibers and mixtures of thermosetting and thermoplastic resins. The material thus formed attempts to remain in a flat planar orientation even after being corrugated and folded as described above in the form of a divider as illustrated in FIGS. 89-91. With the side walls 214 of each divider folded inwards, in order to maintain the folded shape, the panel 200 needs to be kept at least in some compressed state over a long time, otherwise the folded side walls return to a flat plane orientation. It will be folded outwards. Of course, the dividers are fixed to the outer sheet 204 and the connecting sheet 206 along the top and bottom, so that they cannot be returned to a flat planar orientation, but if they do not remain compressed, the side walls may not be straightened over a long time. This changes from the inwardly folded orientation of FIG. 89 to the outwardly folded orientation of FIG. 88, where the sidewalls contact each other with the adjacent divider's sidewalls, thereby reinforcing and stiffening the panel to virtually compress the panel. It becomes impossible. The panel in a state that cannot be substantially compressed is illustrated in FIG. 96. In other words, in order to maintain the compressibility of the finished panel, the side walls need to be folded inward, as shown in FIGS. 89 to 91.

The strips of material from which the divider 208 is made are folded in an unheated environment and a hot melt adhesive is applied to the strip or outer sheet 204 and the connecting sheet 206 before they are laminated to each other. As discussed above, if the panel 200 is not kept in a compressed form as illustrated in FIGS. 89-91, they may expand over time in the form of FIG. 88 in which the panel can no longer be compressed. will be. The period of time it takes for the divider to deform from the form of FIGS. 89 to 91 to the form of FIG. 88 is applied to the material while the resin and divider used in the material from which the divider is made are in the compressed form of FIGS. 89 to 91. It depends on several factors, including whether or not you lose it. If heat is applied to the divider while they are compressed, the time taken to expand in the form of FIG. 88 becomes long. In addition, increasing the percentage of thermoplastics used to make the material from which the divider is made can increase the time it takes for the divider to deform from the shape of FIG. 89 to the shape of FIG. 88. By way of example, the time at which deformation takes place may vary from approximately 15 minutes to 32 hours.

Thus, when the panel 200 is formed and shipped, a relatively large number of, in particular, compared to conventional acoustic tiles having a fixed depth, i.e., a depth similar to the fully expanded depth of the panel 200 according to the invention. It is desirable that the panels be shipped in a compressed state so that the panels can be packed and shipped in a relatively small container. However, once the panels are unloaded from the shipping container, they expand directly from the form shown in FIG. 91 to the form shown in FIG. 89, from the form shown in FIG. The divider is maintained in the form of FIG. 89 for the time period described above, and the divider is deformed to the form shown in FIG. 88 where the panel cannot be compressed. During this period, the panel may be installed in the supporting grid system before it is cut into a predetermined shape or the panel is substantially unable to be compressed. Thus, if they are inserted before they cannot be compressed, they can be bent enough to be easily inserted into openings formed between the support members of the support grid system.

As described above, the panel formed according to the present invention has a predetermined acoustic characteristic and can be changed according to various parameters. Comparing an embodiment of the present invention with a conventional acoustic tile, the acoustic benefit obtained from the panel formed according to the present invention can be seen. FIG. 99 shows a graph comparing the panel of FIG. 14 according to the present invention with conventional acoustic tiles. The X axis represents the frequency in Hz, while the Y axis represents the noise reduction coefficient. The three panels compared to the panels formed according to FIG. 14 of the present invention are hard mineral acoustic tile panels manufactured under the trademark "Cirrus" by Armstrong, 2 inches thick manufactured under the trademark "Focus" by Ecophon, Sweden. 0.7 mm metal panel with fiberglass tiles and perforated and non-woven lining overlay sheet manufactured under the trademark Luxalon 300C by Holland, Rotterdam.

As can be seen, the acoustic panel of FIG. 14 has superior performance compared to the three panels compared not only at quite high frequencies but also at low frequencies, and comparable at intermediate frequencies.

The present invention has been described in some embodiments so far, but those skilled in the art have written the present invention by way of example, and in the details and structure without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It can be appreciated that changes can be made.

Claims (20)

In the compressible structural panel, At least one outer sheet of material having an inner surface and an outer surface; A plurality of compressible dividers expanded in a stable state and fixed to the inner surface and protruding from the inner surface; And And a connecting means for flexibly fixing the dividers together at a position away from the outer sheet. The method of claim 1, And the divider is thin and long and extends in parallel with each other. The method according to claim 1 or 2, And the divider is made of a semi-rigid material. The method of claim 3, And said dividers are independent of each other. The method of claim 4, wherein And the divider can be folded and compressed. The method of claim 4, wherein And the divider is biased in a stable state. The method of claim 6, The divider is made of an independent sheet of semi-rigid but foldable material, the sheet being folded so that it can be fixed to the outer sheet and the connecting means; And a pair of foldable partitions extending between the outer sheet and the connecting sheet. The method of claim 7, wherein And said partition being a substantially elongated flat plate having a longitudinally extending fold line which, when in the compressed state, causes said partition to fold facing said vane. The method of claim 7, wherein And said sheet is made of fiberglass comprising a plurality of glass fibers bonded together with a resin. The method of claim 9, The resin is a compressive structural panel, characterized in that the thermosetting. The method of claim 9, The resin is a compressive structural panel, characterized in that the thermoplastic. The method of claim 9, The outer sheet is a compressive structural panel, characterized in that the fiberglass. The method of claim 12, And said connecting means is a sheet-shaped material. The method of claim 13, The connecting means is a compressive structural panel, characterized in that the fiberglass sheet. The method of claim 12, And said connecting means comprise a plurality of flexible but not stretchable fibers connected to said divider. The method according to claim 1 or 7, And said panel is a ceiling panel. The method of claim 7, wherein And said partition comprises a longitudinal fold line forming a pair of partition portions. The method of claim 17, And the panel portion has the same size. The method of claim 17, And said panel portion having different sizes. The method of claim 1, Compressive structural panel further comprises a decorative sheet fixed to the outer surface of the outer sheet.