US2721731A

US2721731A - Combined radiant heat and acoustic tile unit structure

Info

Publication number: US2721731A
Application number: US204603A
Authority: US
Inventors: George M Rapp
Original assignee: Houdaille Hershey Corp
Current assignee: Houdaille Hershey Corp
Priority date: 1951-01-05
Filing date: 1951-01-05
Publication date: 1955-10-25
Anticipated expiration: 1972-10-25

Description

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[EVEJYL UT George/153020 0 G. M. RAPP COMBINED RADIANT HEAT AND ACOUSTIC TILE UNIT STRUCTURE Filed Jan. 5, 1951 Oct. 25, 1955 United States Patent COMBINED RADIANT HEAT AND ACOUSTIC TILE UNIT STRUCTURE George M. Rapp, Hamden, C0nn., assignor to Houdaiile- Hershey Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application January 5, 1951, Serial No. 204,603 2 Claims. 0!..257-124 The present invention relates to a combined radiant heating and acoustic tile unit and more particularly to a prefabricated tile unit adaptable for use as a ceiling structure possessing both sound absorption and radiant heating characteristics.

Those types of radiant panel heating systems heretofore proposed in the art have utilized heat elements embedded in plastered ceilings or otherwise incorporated in the ceiling structure. Various types of heating elements have been utilized including conduit coils embedded in the plaster, electrical resistance heating elements also embedded in the finished ceiling, etc. In addition to radiant panel heating in. the ceiling, sound absorption has been accomplished by the utilization of sound absorbent materials which are secured to the ceiling structures. However, there has not been provided in the art a single ceiling unit which provides both radiant panel heating and sound absorption. One difliculty heretofore encountered in any consideration of a combination of these two functions, has been the intrinsic thermal insulating properties of sound deadening materials, so that effective heat radiation from a sound deadening surface -has been generally believed to be impossible.

The. presentlinvention now provides an improved ceiling unit wherein both functions'of sound deadening and radiant heating are provided. By means of the present invention, the thermal insulating qualities of sound deadening material are actually advantageous in preventing heat losses through the ceiling, so that'a greater effective heat radiation is obtained. Further, the dual functions may be performed by tile-like units which are supplied in prefabricated, standardized modular units which may be readily adapted to any size or type of ceiling.

Generally, the structure of the present invention comprises a pan-like or tray-like unit formed of sheet metal or the like and carrying a heat transfer fluid conduit on the bottom wall thereof. Preferably, the unit pans are defined by a sheet metal structure having good thermal conductivity and which has its bottom Wall grooved to receive therein the heat transfer fluid conducting tubes of a plate and tube-type heat exchanger. The pan bottom wall, intermediate the tube grooves, is apertured and the pan or tray is filled with a sound deadening material.

Thus, the trays-or pans, when formed in standardized units, may be combined to define a complete ceiling structure for a habitable place. Preferably, a plurality of aligned pan units are spaced from the next group of units to provide a pipe chase therebetween, which chase is utilized for maintenance and repair of the adjacent units and for coupling the adjacent units to one another. A removable panel is provided for closing the pipe chase and for presenting a uniform appearance.

It is, therefore, an important object of the present invention to provide a combined radiant heating and acoustic tile unit.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a ceiling structure which combines the dual functions of sound absorption and radiant heating.

2,721,731 Patented Oct. 25, 1955 ice It is a further important object of the present invention to provide a prefabricated ceiling tile unit in the form of a relatively shallow tray formed of heat conductive material and bearing a fluid conduit for a heat transfer medium, the unit being substantially filled with sound absorbent material.

Yet another important object of the present invention is to provide an improved ceiling tile unit incorporating a plate and tube-type heat exchanger wherein the plate is formed as a relatively shallow tray containing sound deadening material, the tray being perforated at its exposed surface for effective sound deadening action.

It is a still further important object of the present invention to provide a combined radiant heating and acoustic tile unit comprising a shallow tray providing a heat exchanger-backing plate, a sinuous heat exchange fluid conduit secured to the tray in greater than semiperipheral contact therewith, and sound deadening material substantially filling the tray and overlying the heat transfer fluid conduit, the exposed surface of the tray being perforated intermediate the conduit reaches for effective sound deadening action.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying drawings.

On the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of a ceiling composed of combined radiant heating and acoustic tile units of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of a single tile unit of the present invention;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view, with parts shown in elevation, taken along the plane III-J11 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view, taken along the plane IV-IV of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Figure 4 illustrating a modified form of tile unit of the present invention.

As shown on the drawings:

In Figure 1, reference numeral 10 refers generally to a ceiling composed of tile units of the present invention. A single tile unit is illustrated in Figure 2 in which it will be seen that each unit 11 is composed of a perforated backing plate 12 having upturned longitudinal flanges 13 (Figure 4) defining a relatively shallow open topped tray or pan. The lower wall of the tray 12 is provided with a plurality of generally parallel longitudinally extending grooves 14 in which a heat transfer fluid-conveying conduit 15 is mounted. The conduit 15 preferably takes the form of a sinuous tube, the straight reaches of which are bottomed within the grooves 14, and the curved turning reaches 15a of which project laterally outwardly of the tray bottom. In this manner, the provision of a sinuous groove 14 is avoided and the straight tube portions only are bottomed within correspondingly straight grooves 14.

The tube straight portions are securely locked within the grooves 14 by deformation of the plate into greater than semi-peripheral contact with the tube. More specifically, the grooved poritons of the plate overlie, as at 16 (Figure 4), a median diameter of the tube in order that the tube is firmly interlocked with the plate in good heat transfer relationship and in extended surface contact therewith.

The plate intermediate the tube grooves 14 formed therein, is pierced or perforated as at 17. Preferably, the perforations are of the type known as pierced and drawndown, and this type of perforation is illustrated in the drawings. The plate is pierced and then the adjacent portions of the plate are drawn into a generally cylindrical miniature boss projecting into the tray.

The trays or pans 12 are filled with a solid acoustical or sound-absorbent material 18. This material is desirably cast-in-place and is preferably an inorganic, noncombustible, cementitious material having a porous or vesicular structure and the ability to chemically harden and make intimate and effective bond to the metal of the pan. The acoustical material may be any of those substances well known in the art which have acoustical characteristics. A desirable material having such acoustical properties is an indurated hydrous calcium silicate, described in U. S. Patent No. 1,932,971, and available under the trade name Microporite. Alternatively, acoustical material may be any fibrous, felted or loose, organic or inorganic material having proper acoustic properties, and it is not essential that the material be chemically bonded to the pans.

It will be seen from Figure 4 that the tops of the lateral flanges 13 are flush with the sound absorbent material 18 so that a continuous top surface is provided. This top surface is utilized for attaching the tile units to any type of overhead support, such as a ceiling sub-structure, and the utilization of conventional acoustic material cement is facilitated by the provision of a plane upper surface.

As shown in Figure 1, the tile units are preferably arranged in spaced series extending across one entire dimension of the habitable space within which they are utilized, with the space between rows of adjacent tile being filled with a pipe chase closure panel 20 (Figure 3). This panel closes the pipe chase spaces 21, the panel 20 being provided with upwardly extending flanges 22 which are frictionally engaged with corresponding sides of the op posed tile units, and the upstanding flanges are notched so as to fit about the conduit terminal portions b which extend into the pipe chases. The terminal portions 15b of the conduits are joined by suitable means, as by couplings 23 (Figures 1 and 3), and it will be seen that a continuous heat exchange fluid flow path is thus provided through each of the tile units providing the ceiling structure. In order to present a uniform appearance, the pipe chase closure panel is provided with apertures 24 corresponding in size and spacing with the apertures 17 of the pans 12.

A modified form of tile unit is shown in Figure 5 wherein it will be seen that the tile flanges extend upwardly beyond the acoustic material 18 and in this instance, the tile units may be hung on a system of prefabricated furring strips in accordance with well-known and conventional methods.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention thus provides an efficient combined radiant heating and acoustic tile unit which performs the dual functions of radiant heating and sound absorption. The efliciency of radiant heating by means of the tile unit is actually enhanced by the provision of the sound deadening material. This improved radiant heating efiiciency is made possible by the provision of the exposed radiant heat transfer plate having the acoustic material superimposed thereon. The acoustic material is an effective heat insulating material and heat loss through the superimposed ceiling structure is thereby prevented. A substantially continuous radiant panel surface is provided by the pan bottom, and it will be appreciated that an even heat distribution and radiation is thereby obtained. The effectiveness of the sound deadening material is enhanced by the provision of the apertures 17 formed in the pan bottom, the pan bottom also serving to retain the heat transfer fluid conduits 15 in extended surface engagement.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be elfected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A combined radiant heating and sound deadening ceiling structure comprising a plurality of aligned and spaced rows of prefabricated tile units; each of said units including a relatively shallow tray having a perforate bottom wall and substantially filled with sound deadening material, and heat exchange tubing positioned in said trays and in effective heat transfer relation with the bottom walls thereof; means between adjacent rows of tile units joining the heat exchange fluid tubes of corresponding untis of adjacent rows; and perforate dummy plates bridging the space between said adjacent rows and having upturned marginal flanges engaging the tile units of said adjacent rows, said upturned marginal flanges having openings through which said heat exchange tubing extends.

2. A combined radiant heating and sound deadening ceiling structure comprising a plurality of aligned and spaced rows of prefabricated tile units; each of said units including a relatively shallow tray having a perforate bottom wall, sound absorbent material substantially filling said trays, said bottom wallbeing provided with longitu dinal substantialy parallel grooves, a sinuous length of heat exchange fluid tubing having straight portions bottomed in said grooves and secured therein, and curved joining portions and straight end portions projecting beyond said bottom wall; means between adjacent rows of tile units joining the straight end portions of said sinuous lengths of heat exchange fluid tubing of corresponding units of adjacent rows; and dummy plates bridging the space between adjacent rows and having upturned marginal flanges engaging the tile units of said adjacent rows, said upturned marginal flanges having openings through which said curved joining portions and said straight end portions of said sinuous tubing extend.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,086,898 Crane Feb. 10, 1914 1,744,517 Barker Jan. 21, 1930 1,749,159 Respess Mar. 4, 1930 1,932,971 Hutteman et al. Oct. 31, 1933 2,271,871 Newport et a1. Feb. 3, 1942 2,382,340 Smith Aug. 14, 1945 2,486,563 Jorgensen Nov. 1, 1949 2,646,971 Raskin July 28, 1953 2,662,743 Frenger Dec. 15, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 274,664 Great Briatin July 28, 1927 OTHER REFERENCES Burgess-Manning Bulletin No. 185, A. I. A. File 30-c- 44, dated July 1950.