US3359699A

US3359699A - Edge lock for metal panels

Info

Publication number: US3359699A
Application number: US458933A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank A Jackson
Original assignee: Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co
Current assignee: PPG Industries Inc
Priority date: 1965-05-26
Filing date: 1965-05-26
Publication date: 1967-12-26
Anticipated expiration: 1984-12-26

Description

Dec. 26, 1967 F, A. JACKSQN 3,359,699

EDGE LOOK FOR METAL PANELS Filed May 26, 1965 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,359,699 EDGE LOCK FOR METAL PANELS Frank A. Jackson, Kokomo, Ind., assignor to Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed May 26, 1965, Ser. No. 458,933 2 Claims. (Cl. 52619) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A flush metal door assembly having unitary panel framing members joined into a frame, rigid core material filling the space within the frame, a pair of panels disposed on opposite sides of the frame and adhesively secured to the core material to thereby hold the door components in assembled relation, and an integral T- shaped flange on each panel framing member to provide longitudinally extending, opposed grooves that closely receive and securely lock the edges of the panels along the edge surfaces of the complete-d door assembly.

This invention relates to metal panel assemblies and, in particular, to metal panel assemblies that have a thin metallic face panel or skin covering a structural grid of panel framing members.

More specifically, this invention involves a novel panel framing member for use in the construction of prefabricated metal panels, such as flush metal doors or the like. The panel framing member of this invention has integrally formed thereon a unique skin or panel edge locking structure that securely retains and completely conceals the edges of the metallic skin along the edges of the composite panel assembly.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved flush metal door construction that will successfully withstand twisting forces without resulting in the edges of the metal skin becoming loose and moving away from the door framework perpendicularly to the door edge.

Another object of this invention is to provide a durable and economical metal panel assembly wherein the relatively expensive and appearance marring mechanical expedients of welding, drilling, tapping, riveting and the like are eliminated.

A further object of this invention is to provide an attractive and sturdy metal panel assembly wherein the edges of its metallic skin are completely concealed along the edges of the panel assembly.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an improved and inexpensive panel framing member that gives rigid structural support to a panel face member while securely retaining and completely concealing the edges of the panel.

Summary of the invention The panel assembly of this invention has particular application for use in connection with the construction of flush metal doors. In accordance with this invention, there is provided a laminated flush metal door assembly with smooth, seamless surfaces comprising a rectangular frame of unitary panel framing members, rigid core material filling the space within the frame, a pair of panels disposed on opposite sides of the frame and adhesively secured to the core material to thereby hold the door components in assembled relation, and an integral T- shaped flange on each panel framing member to provide longitudinally extending, opposed grooves that closely receive and securely lock the edges of the panels along the edge surfaces of the completed door assembly.

These and other objects, features and advantages of 3,359,699 Patented Dec. 26, 1967 the present invention will be better understood when reference is had to the accompanying drawings wherein similar parts are usually designated by the same numeral and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prefabricated flush metal door constructed in accordance with this invention and in which various parts of the door have been partly broken away to better illustrate its construction;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II--II of FIG. 1 and shows one preferred embodiment of the panel framing member of this invention; and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken through an alter nate preferred embodiment of the panel framing member of this invention.

The metal panel assembly shown in FIG. 1 and constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention is a prefabricated flush metal door. As illustrate-d, the door 10 has a rigid frame or grid of panel framing members having identical cross-sections and comprising

vertical stiles

12 and 14 and top and bottom rails 16 and 18. These panel framing members are preferably mitered and welded together at their extremities. Additional rigidity and/or support for hardware may be provided by means of suitable bracing members, such as those shown at 20, 22 and 24.

The door 10 is provided with front and back panel sheets or

skins

26 and 28 and an insulating core material 30, such as rigid polyurethane foam. A suitable adhesive material 32, such as an epoxy resin or nitrile rubber adhesive, is disposed between the

panel skins

26 and 28 and the insulating core material 30 to securely bond the panel assembly together.

The panel sheets or

skins

26 and 28 are of essentially uniform thickness throughout and have substantially right angled edge flanges 27 along the four marginal edge portions of the sheets. The edge flanges 27 are preferably formed by a bending operation, such as brake forming.

As aforesaid,

panel framing members

12, 14, 16 and 18 have identical cross-sections. Thus, when reference is made herein to specific details of the structure of one such panel framing members, it is to be understood that the same details apply equally well to the other panel framing members of the metal panel assembly.

The

panel framing members

12, 14, 16 and 18, two of which are shown in FIG. 2, comprise relatively heavy metal shapes, preferably aluminum or metal alloy extrusions. These framing members comprise a generally channel-shape body portion having a web 34 and a pair of

flanges

36 and 38. An integral T-shaped metal flange 40 extends longitudinally and outwardly of the channel web 34 to provide therebetween a pair of longitudinally extending

opposed grooves

42 and 44 of substantially uniform width throughout their depth.

The width of the

grooves

42 and 44 is dimensioned to be approximately the same as the thickness of the panel sheets or

skins

26 and 28. The

grooves

42 and 44 open or face outwardly towards opposite sides of the panel framing member and the T-shaped flange 40 and

grooves

42 and 44, as shown in FIG. 2, are spaced substantially back from the

flanges

36 and 38 such that they are, in effect, located along the central longitudinal portion of the edge of the door frame and the finally assembled door.

The panel framing member shown in FIG. 3 has a similar cross-section to those shown in FIG. 2, except that a portion 46, intermediate the extremities of the channel web 34, is recessed inwardly of the adjacent extremities of the

channel flanges

36 and 38. This structural variation has been found to be useful where it is desired to place the panel edge flanges in slight tension. Placing the panel edge flanges in slight tension within the

grooves

42 and 44 will assist in preventing the panel edges from being released from these grooves when the panel assembly is subjected to severe use.

The illustrated metal panel assembly or door is assembled by first cutting and welding framing

members

12, 14, 16 and 18 to shape and thereafter providing additional rigidity and/ or support for hardware by means of welding thereto suitable bracing members, such as those identified at 29, 22 and 24. The previously welded grid of panel framing members is then filled with a rigid insulating core material 30 and a suitable adhesive 32 is applied directly to the core material. The front and

back skins

26 and 28 are then applied to the respective sides of the door frame, and the edge flanges 27, around the entire marginal edge portions of the skins, are inserted into the

grooves

42 and 44 of the grid of panel framing members. The entire panel assembly is then run through pressure rolls to laminate or positively bond the skins to the core material and to insure smooth flat surfaces.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the

grooves

42 and 44 are dimensioned to be approximately the same thickness as the flanges 27, thereby providing a relatively close fit therebetween, so that the flanges 27 may be readily positioned in the grooves for the rolling operation. Thus, when the skins are laminated to the door core material 30 during the rolling operation, the bent or rolled-over edge flanges 27 of the skins are received into

grooves

42 and 44 to substantially the full depth of these grooves. After lamination, the longitudinally extending T-shaped flange portion of the panel framing members conceals the marginal edge of each of the skins along the edge of the panel assembly and, in addition, locks the edge flanges against movement perpendicular to the panel framing members.

It is to be noted that the completed metal door of this invention is constructed to successfully withstand twisting forces without resulting in the edges of the metal skins becoming loose and moving away from the door framework perpendicularly to the door edge. Furthermore, it will be noted that the exterior of the door is completely flush with all exposed surfaces lying in a continuous un broken plane. Slam tests conducted on this door prove that it will withstand more than two million cycles with no change in its sturdy grid construction or smooth, seamless laminated surface. This is equal to more than twenty years of actual operation.

It will be clear to those skilled in the art that the structure as herein disclosed is comparatively inexpensive to manufacture and eliminates the apperance marring mechanical expedients of welding, drilling, tapping, riveting and the like. Also, the use of rigid core material gives the door unusual strength combined with sound deadening and insulation advantages, plus economy.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the specific details of certain embodiments, it is not intended that such details shall be regarded as limitations upon the scope of the invention, except insofar as included in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. A panel assembly comprising a unitary panel framing member having an elongated body portion with a longitudinally extending T-shape flange integrally formed thereon, said T-shape flange having a first portion extending outwardly of the body portion and a second portion extending transversely of the body portion and defining with said body portion a pair of longitudinally ex: tending opposed grooves, the inner surfaces of said grooves being disposed inwardly of the outermost edge surface of said body portion, the outer surfaces of said grooves being defined by the inner surfaces of said second portion of said flange, said second portion of said T- shape flange having an outer surface portion defining the outermost edge surface of the completed panel assembly, and a pair of substantially flat panel members each having an edge flange directed towards one of said grooves and closely received and secured therein by opposed walls thereof, said edge flanges being approximately the same thickness as the distance between opposed walls of said grooves, whereby the marginal edge of each of said panels is concealed along the edge of the panel assembly and the panel edge flanges are locked by the T-shaped flange against movement perpendicular to said panel framing member.

2. A panel assembly comprising a rectangular frame of unitary panel framing members having an elongated body portion with a longitudinally extending flange integrally formed thereon, said elongated body portion being a substantially U-shaped channel having a web and a pair of flanges, said integral flange being T-shaped and extending from said web generally outwardly of the edge of said frame in a direction opposite to that of said pair of flanges of said channel, said T-shaped flange consisting of a first portion extending outwardly of the body portion and a second portion extending transversely of the body portion and defining with said body portion a pair of longitudinally extending, opposed grooves that are spaced from and open towards opposite sides of said frame, said first and second portions of said flange and the portions of the grooves defined thereby being spaced substantially back from the flanges of said channel such that said grooves and said T-shaped flange are located along the central longitudinal portion of the edge of said frame, insulating core material disposed within said frame, a pair of substantially flat panel members disposed on opposite sides of said frame, said pair of panel members each having an edge flange directed towards one of said grooves and closely received and secured therein by opposed Walls thereof, said edge flanges being approximately the same thickness as the distance between opposed walls of said grooves whereby the marginal edge of each of said panels is concealed along the edge of the panel assembly and the panel edge flanges are locked by the T-shaped flange against movement perpendicular to the edge of said panel framing members, and an ad hesive layer between said panel members and said core material bonding said frame, core material and panel members in assembled relation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,456,049 12/1948 Carrozza 52-731 X 2,796,959 6/1957 Toney 52619 3,001,614 9/1961 Shane 526l9 HENRY C. SUTHERLAND, Primary Examiner.

FRANK L. ABBOTI, Examiner.

G. W. HORNADAY, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

2. A PANEL ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A RECTANGULAR FRAME OF UNITARY PANEL FRAMING MEMBERS HAVING AN ELONGATED BODY PORTION WITH A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING FLANGE INTEGRALLY FORMED THEREON, SAID ELONGATED BODY PORTION BEING A SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED CHANNEL HAVING A WEB AND A PAIR OF FLANGES, SAID INTEGRAL FLANGE BEING T-SHAPED AND EXTENDING FROM SAID WEB GENERALLY OUTWARDLY OF THE EDGE OF SAID FRAME IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THAT OF SAID PAIR OF FLANGES OF SAID CHANNEL, SAID T-SHAPED FLANGE CONSISTING OF A FIRST PORTION EXTENDING OUTWARDLY OF THE BODY PORTION AND A SECOND PORTION EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE BODY PORTION AND DEFINING WITH SAID BODY PORTION A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING, OPPOSED GROOVES THAT ARE SPACED FROM AND OPEN TOWARDS OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID FRAME, SAID FIRST AND SECOND PORTIONS OF SAID FLANGE AND THE PORTIONS OF THE GROOVES DEFINED THEREBY BEING SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY BACK FROM THE FLANGES OF SAID CHANNEL SUCH THAT SAID GROOVES AND SAID T-SHAPED FLANGE ARE LOCATED ALONG THE CENTRAL LONGITUDINAL PORTION OF THE EDGE OF SAID FRAME, INSULATING CORE MATERIAL DISPOSED WITHIN SAID FRAME, A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT PANEL MEMBERS DISPOSED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID FRAME, SAID PAIR OF PANEL MEMBERS EACH HAVING AN EDGE FLANGE DIRECTED TOWARDS ONE OF SAID GROOVES AND CLOSELY RECEIVED AND SECURED THEREIN BY OPPOSED WALLS THEREOF, SAID EDGE FLANGES BEING APPROXIMATELY THE SAME THICKNESS AS THE DISTANCE BETWEEN OPPOSED WALLS OF SAID GROOVES WHEREBY THE MARGINAL EDGE OF EACH OF SAID PANELS IS CONCEALED ALONG THE EDGE OF THE PANEL ASSEMBLY AND THE PANEL EDGE FLANGES ARE LOCKED BY THE T-SHAPED FLANGE AGAINST MOVEMENT PERPENDICULAR TO THE EDGE OF SAID PANEL FRAMING MEMBERS, AND AN ADHESIVE LAYER BETWEEN SAID PANEL MEMBERS AND SAID CORE MATERIAL BONDING SAID FRAME, CORE MATERIAL AND PANEL MEMBERS IN ASSEMBLED RELATION.