NL2027996B1

NL2027996B1 - Building panel

Info

Publication number: NL2027996B1
Application number: NL2027996A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Jan Hollaar Gerrit; Van De Groenendaal Michiel
Original assignee: West Neder Land Sandwich Panelen B V
Priority date: 2021-04-16
Filing date: 2021-04-16
Publication date: 2022-10-28

Abstract

Building panel comprising at least one coupling edge with a projection receivable with a tight fit in a matching recess of a coupling edge of an adjacent building panel. The building panel comprises a compressible seal with a backbone with one side engaging the projection and an opposite side with at least one fin.

Description

BUILDING PANEL The present disclosure relates to a building panels, comprising two cover sheets and a core of insulating material sandwiched between the two cover sheets with coupling edges profiled to form a tight fit interlock with a matching coupling edge of an adjacent building panel.

The disclosure also relates to a sealant for such building panels.

GB2324578 discloses an example of such a building panel.

These sandwich panels are designed as wall panels, with the coupling edges extending vertically.

If such building panels are used for roofing, the coupling edges are horizontal or inclined and exposed to ingress of rain water.

Therefore, the joints must be sealed to prevent leaking of rainwater or melting snow.

Usually, one or two parallel seals are applied, extending along the full length of the joint.

This requires large amounts of sealing compound.

The sealing must be applied after placing of the roofing, so the job is labour-intensive.

Sealing compounds must be applied under favourable weather conditions, which means that it must not be too cold or rainy.

It is an object of the invention to provide building panels, in particular for building a roof, which is less sensitive for water leakage.

The object of the invention is achieved with a building panel at least one coupling edge with a projection receivable with a tight fit in a matching recess of a coupling edge of an adjacent building panel.

The building panel comprises a compressible seal.

The seal comprises a backbone with one side engaging the projection and an opposite side with at least one fin or flexible rib.

When the coupling edge is mated with a matching coupling edge of an adjacent panel, the fins are pressed against the backbone of the seal.

The projection typically forms a tight and clamping fit in a recess of a matching coupling edge of an adjacent building panel. Clamped and compressed by the projection the seal provides a substantially leak tight sealing. The seal can very efficiently block leaking water and contribute to the clamping force between the two coupled edges.

The seal will typically be a longitudinal strip extending along at least a part of the length of the coupling edge of the building panel. The seal will typically have a substantially constant cross section, with the backbone and the one or more fins extending along the length of the coupling edge. The seal will typically be of an elastically compressible material, such as a rubber, a polyurethane foam or EPDM.

The one or more fins may for example be inclined toward a root section of the projection, to allow easy insertion of the projection carrying the seal into a matching recess during coupling, while minimizing shear forces that could tear the seal form the projection.

The seal can for example be attached to a side of the projection closest to an outer surface of the building panel.

Any water seeping through the coupling joint will effectively be trapped by the fins of the seal.

To further secure its position on the projection e.g., during coupling, the seal may further comprise a U- shaped or J-shaped head section at least partly covering the tip of the projection, with the fins pointing away from the U- shaped part.

Preferably, the fins are at a distance from a tail end of the backbone, the tail end being opposite to the head section. Hence, in cross section the backbone comprises a head section at one side of the fins, and a tail section extending at another side of the fins, the tail section engaging the projection. This ensures that all fins are pressed against the backbone after coupling of the building panels. Such a tail end increases the pressure exerted by the fin closest to the tail end during coupling. This results in further improved sealing.

In a specific embodiment, the seal may comprise three fins of different length, e.g., including a smaller fin closest to the head section and a larger fin closest to the tail end.

Optionally, the fins may be curved. This contributes to the resilient counter force when the seal is compressed during coupling.

The seal can for example be attached to the projection, e.g., by means of an adhesive.

The building panel may for example be a so-called sandwich panel, having two cover sheets and a core of insulating material, e.g., a foam, sandwiched between the two cover sheets. In such an embodiment, the projection carrying the seal will typically be part of a male-female coupling configuration and the projection will typically be formed by a bent sheet edge of one of the cover sheets and filled with the insulating foam. In such a case, the seal my for example have a U-shaped head section with a free end (viewed in cross section) extending into the foam layer. This can be achieved by a process comprising the following steps: - bending the sheet edges to form the desired profile including the projection; — then attaching the seal onto the projection with the U-shaped head section capping the tip of the projection; - applying the foam between the cover sheets, the foam embedding the free end of the U-shaped section of the seal.

The building panel can be used for building an assembly of the building panel with at least a second building panel comprising a complementary coupling edge with a recess for receiving the projection, wherein the coupling edges are profiled to define a water discharge channel. Water still passing the seal, can be discharged via this water discharge channel, particularly if the seal is between the water discharge channel and an outer surface of the assembly. This is particularly relevant if the assembly is used as a roof assembly, e.g., with the coupling edges being inclined such that the water discharge channel extends between an upper side and a lower side, more particularly between a roof ridge and a gutter. A roof according to the present invention is substantially leak tight, also during heavy rainfall or with melting snow or ice on top of the roof.

The disclosure further pertains to the seal as such, more particularly, to a seal backbone comprising a J-shaped or U-shaped cross section with one end connecting to a backbone carrying a number of fins inclined towards a free end of the backbone, the free end being at a distance from the fins. The seal can for example be made of a rubber or an elastomer, such as EPDM.

The invention is further explained with reference to the accompanying drawings showing exemplary embodiments.

Figure 1A: shows a first embodiment of a coupling of two panels according to the invention after coupling; Figure 1B: shows the panels of Figure 1A before coupling; Figure 2: shows a seal of the panels of Figures 1A and 1B; Figure 3A: shows a second embodiment of a coupling of two panels according to the invention before coupling; Figure 3B: shows the panels of Figure 3A after coupling; Figure 4: shows a seal of the panels of Figures 3A and 3B;

Figure 5: shows an exemplary embodiment of a roof comprising panels according to the invention.

Figures 1A and 1B show a pair of building panels, in 5 particular roof panels 1, 2 with matching coupling edges 3, 4. The two panels 1, 2 comprise a core 5 of an insulating material sandwiched between an outer cover sheet 6 forming the exterior roof surface, and an inner cover sheet 7 facing the roofed interior space.

The coupling edge 3 of the panel 2 shown at the right side in the drawing is a female coupling edge, while the coupling edge 4 of the other panel 1 is a male coupling edge. The coupling edges 3, 4 are shown in cross section in Figures 1A and 1B. These cross sections are substantially constant over the length of the coupling edges.

The cover sheets 6, 7 of both panels 1, 2 have sheet edges at the coupling edges 3, 4, which are bent inwardly {(i.e., towards a center face X of the panels 1, 2) to form projections 8A, 8B, SA, 9B extending substantially parallel to the outer surfaces of the cover sheets 6, 7 of the panels 1,

2. The bent sheet edges forming the projection 8A, 8b of the female coupling edge 3 have free ends 12 bent inwardly to form a shoulder 10 and then bent back to pierce into the insulating material 5.

The female coupling edge 3 of the panel 2 comprises the two projections 8A, 8B and a coupling recess 11 between the two projections 8A, 8B. The coupling recess 11 comprises a compressible foam backbone 13 between the two projections 8A, 8B and extending over the full length of the female coupling edge 3. The projections 8A, 8B are flush with the rest of the respective cover sheets 6, 7.

The male coupling edge 4 of the other panel 2 comprises the projections 9A, 9B which are offset from the outer surface of the panel 1 so as to fit tightly within the coupling recess 11 of the female coupling edge 3. When the male coupling edge 4 is received in the female coupling edge 3, the outer cover sheets 7 of the two panels 1, 2 are flush with each other, just as the two inner cover sheets 6. The tips of the projections SA, SB of the male coupling edge 4 abut the shoulders 10 of the projections 8A, 8B in the coupling recess 11 of the female coupling edge 4. In the coupling recess 11 of the female coupling edge 3, the projection 8A has a substantially flat surface. The projection 8B has a concave or kinked surface to form a concavity 14 facing the projection 8A. When the two coupling edges 3, 4 are mated, this concavity 14 and the projection 9B of the male coupling edge 4 jointly enclose a water discharge channel 15 running along the length of the coupling edges 3,

4. The projection 9A extending from the outer cover sheet 6 of the male coupling edge 4 has a root section 13 and a receding tip 14. The root section 13 engages the tip of the projection 8A when mated while the receding tip 14 is spaced from the projection 8A of the female coupling edge 3. When mated, the receding tip 14 and the projection 8A jointly define a seal receiving recess 16. A seal 17 is received in the seal receiving recess 16. The projection 8A is slightly thinner than similar projections of the regular 40 mm sandwich building panels, in order to provide space for the seal 17. The seal 17 and the water discharge channel 13 jointly provide a substantially leak tight coupling of the two panels 1, 2. Rain water or melting snow seeping into the coupling is mainly blocked by the seal 17. Water that still passes the seal 17 is collected and discharged in the water discharge channel 15. The seal 17 is shown in more detail in Figure 2 in an unfolded, unstressed state, i.e. before coupling of the two panels 1, 2. The seal 17 comprises a main foil part or backbone 20 with one side face 21 attached to the projection 9A, and an opposite side face carrying a number of fins 22, 23, 24, In the shown embodiment, the seal 17 comprises three fins 22, 23, 24. The backbone 20 and the fins 22, 23, 24 of the seal 17 extend along the length of the coupling edge 4 with a substantially constant cross section.

The fins 22, 23, 24 point away from the tip of the projection 9A covered by the seal 17, i.e., in a direction opposite to a flow direction of water seeping through the joint between the panels 1, 2. The fins 22, 23, 24 are at a side of the projection 9A closest to an outer surface of the building panel 1. The backbone 20 of the seal comprises a U-shaped head section 25 covering the tip of the projection 9A.

The fins 22, 23, 24 are at a distance from a terminal end or tail end 26 of the backbone of the seal 17. This tail end 26 enforces the resiliency of the fin 22 nearest to the tail end 26. The fins 22, 23, 24 are inclined towards the tail end 26 and slightly curved.

The fin 22 nearest to the tail end 26 and the middle fin 23 are curved towards the head section 25, while the fin 24 closest to the head section 25 is curved towards the tail end 26. These curvatures help to further increase the pressure exerted by the seal 17. The fin 22 nearest to the tail end 26 is longer than the other fins 23, 24, The fin 24 closest to the head section 25 is the shortest fin.

The U-shaped head section 25 is fixed to the tip of the projection 9A.

The seal 17 is applied to the projection SA before the foam core is applied between the inner and outer cover sheets 6, 7. As a result, the free end 27 of the U- shaped head section 25 - at the side of the projection 9A opposite to the side with the fins 22, 23, 24 - is embedded in the insulating material of the core 5.

When the panels 1, 2 are coupled and the male coupling edge 4 is received in the female coupling edge 4, the seal 17 is compressed and the projections 8A, 8B press the respective fins 22, 23, 24 against the backbone 20 of the seal 17 to form a leak tight sealing.

Figures 3A and 3B show an alternative embodiment comprising a pair of building panels, in particular roof panels 41, 42 with matching coupling edges 43, 44. The two panels 41, 42 comprise a core 45 of an insulating material sandwiched between an outer cover sheet 46 forming the exterior roof surface, and an inner cover sheet 47 facing the roofed interior space.

The coupling edge 43 of the panel 41 shown left in the drawing is a female coupling edge, while the coupling edge 44 of the other panel 42 is a male coupling edge. The cross section shown in Figures 3A and 3B is substantially constant over the length of the coupling edges 43, 44.

The cover sheets 46, 47 of both panels 41, 42 have sheet edges, which are bent inwardly (i.e., towards a centre face ¥X' of the panel 41, 42) to form projections 48A, 48B, 497, 49B extending substantially parallel to the outer surfaces of the cover sheets 46, 47 of the panels 41, 42.

The female coupling edge 43 of the left panel 41 comprises the two projections 48A, 48B and a coupling recess 51 between the two projections 48A, 48B. The coupling recess 51 comprises a compressible foam backbone 52 between the two projections 48A, 48B and extending over the full length of the coupling edge 43. The projections 48A, 48B are offset from the rest of the respective cover sheets 46, 47 to define receiving recesses 53, 54 for receiving the respective projections 49A, 49B of the male coupling edge 44, in such a manner that the outer coversheets 46 of the two panels 41, 42 are flush with each other, just as the inner cover sheets 47.

The male coupling edge 44 comprises the projections 497, 49B, a middle protrusion 55, a first recess 56 between the projection 49A and the middle protrusion 55, and a second recess 57 between the projection 49B and the middle protrusion

55. The first recess 56 is configured to receive the projection 48A of the female coupling edge 43. The second recess 57 is configured to receive the projection 48B of the female coupling edge 43. The middle protrusion 55 of the male coupling edge 43 forms a tight clamping fit with the coupling recess 51 of the female coupling edge 44.

At the male coupling edge 43, the sheet edge of the outer cover sheet is bent inwardly with a U-turn to form the projection 49A. At the root of this projection 49A, the sheet edge is again bent inward to define a broadest width of the first recess 56 which is larger than the width of the received projection 48A. Then, the sheet edge is bent back to an outer end of the middle protrusion 55 at an inclination angle such that the width of the first recess 56 between the tips of the middle protrusion 55 and the projection 49A is less than the broadest width. When the two panels 41, 42 are mated, the projection 48A fits in the narrower opening of the first recess 56, but at the broader part of the first recess 56 a first water discharge channel 58 is defined between the projection 48A of the female coupling edge 43 and the middle protrusion 55 of the male coupling edge 44.

The projection 48A extending from the outer cover sheet 46 of the female coupling edge 43 has a root section 58 and a receding tip 60. When mated, the root section 592 engages the tip of the projection 49A while the receding tip 60 is spaced from the projection 49A of the male coupling edge 44. In this position the receding tip 60 and the projection 49A Jointly define a seal receiving recess 61. A seal 62 is received in the seal receiving recess 61.

In the second recess 57 of the male coupling edge 43, the projection 48B has a substantially flat surface. The projection 49B has a concave or kinked surface facing the projection 48A to form a concavity 63. When the two coupling edges 43, 44 are mated, this concavity 63 and the projection 48B of the female coupling edge 44 jointly enclose a second water discharge channel 64 running along the length of the coupling edges 43, 44.

The seal 62 is shown in cross section in Figure 4 and is similar to the seal 17 shown in Figure 2, except that the head section 65 is J-shaped rather than U-shaped and covers the tip of the projection 48A only partly. The seal 62 is adhered to the projection 48A by means of an adhesive.

Rain water or melting snow seeping into the coupling is primarily blocked by the seal 62. Water that still passes the seal 62 is collected and discharged in the first water discharge channel 58. If part of the water still leaks through, it is collected and discharged via the second water discharge channel 64.

Figure 5 shows schematically a roof structure 70 comprising a roof 71 with a roof ridge 72 and inclined building panels 73, e.g., the building panels of Figure 1 or 2 or any other type of building panels according to the invention. Each of the building panels 73 extend from the roof ridge 72 downwards to a gutter 74 on a steel construction, usually steel columns. The building panels 73 have oppositely arranged inclined coupling edges 76 and substantially horizontal upper and lower edges 77, 78. The upper edges 78 connect to the roof ridge 72 and are sealed off by a foam body 79 protecting the insulating cores and closing off the top ends of the water discharge channels of the respective coupling edges 76. The foam body 79 of the roof ridge 72 is capped by a flashing 80. The lower edges 77 of the building panels 73 are also covered by a matching profile 81 connecting the building panels 73 to the gutter 74. The disclosure is not restricted to the above described embodiments which can be varied in a number of ways within the scope of the claims.

Claims

CONCLUSIONS

CLAIMS 1. Building panel comprising at least one coupling edge with a protrusion that can be snugly received in a suitable recess of a coupling edge of an adjacent building panel, characterized in that the building panel comprises a compressible seal with a backbone of which one side surface abuts the protrusion and an opposite side surface of which is provided with at least one fin or flexible rib.

The building panel of claim 1, wherein the fins face a root portion of the protrusion, the fins being on a side of the protrusion closest to an outer surface of the building panel.

A building panel according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the seal comprises a U-shaped or J-shaped head portion extending from one end of the spine, the head portion at least partially covering the tip of the projection, the fins of the face the main part.

A building panel according to claim 3, wherein the fins are spaced from a lower end of the spine, the lower end being opposite the head portion.

A building panel according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the seal comprises three fins of different lengths, e.g. a smaller fin closest to the head portion and a larger fin closest to the lower end.

A building panel according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the seal is attached to the protrusion by means of an adhesive.

7. Building panel as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, further comprising two cover plates and a core of insulating material, for instance a foam, sandwiched between the two cover plates.

8. Building panel as claimed in claim 9, wherein one end of the seal, for instance the head part, extends into the insulating material of the core.

9. Assembly comprising a first building panel according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the assembly further comprises a second building panel provided with a complementary coupling edge which can be coupled to the coupling edge of the first building panel and which is provided with a recess for receiving said protrusion of the coupling edge of the first building panel, the coupling edges being profiled to enclose a water drainage channel therebetween when the coupling edges are coupled.

An assembly according to claim 9, wherein the seal is located between the water discharge channel and an outer surface of the assembly.

Assembly as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein the assembly is a roof assembly and wherein the coupling edges are inclined so that the water discharge channel extends between an upper side and a lower side, in particular between a ridge and a gutter.

A seal for a building panel according to any one of claims 1-8.