US3742667A - Architectural panel system - Google Patents

Abstract

An architectural panel system comprising a plurality of rectangular panels which position in side by side juxtaposed relation for enclosure purposes. Each panel is fabricated of relatively lightweight construction materials and is provided at its bottom edge with a plurality of spaced slots which are elongated in a direction parallel to the front and rear faces of the panel to permit limited longitudinal adjustment of each panel with respect to its bottom fastening at time of installation. The top end of each panel is provided with a plurality of spaced, threaded bolts which respectively position in a plurality of spaced receiving slots which are provided in the upper panel framing members for panel securing purposes. The receiving slots are transversely disposed with relation to the bottom panel slots and open rearwardly to receive the spaced bolts therein as each panel is pivoted to vertical position. The upper panel framing members secure to the building construction in bolted connections having longitudinal slots to thereby permit limited longitudinal adjustment of each framing member.

Description

United States Patent 1 Tofani, Jr.

[451 July 3, 1973 1 1 ARCHITECTURAL PANEL SYSTEM [76] Inventor: Arthur M. Tol'anl,Jr., 1801 Pine St.,

' Philadelphia. Pa. 19103 [22] Filed: Aug. 9, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 170,092

Primary Examiner-Price C. Faw, Jr. AltorneyLouis Necho l 5 7 1 ABSTRACT An architectural panel system comprising a plurality of rectangular panels which position' in side by side juxtaposed relation for enclosure purposes. Each panel is fabricated of relatively lightweight construction materi als and is provided at its bottom edge with a plurality of spaced slots which are elongated in a direction parallel to the front and rear faces of the panel to permit limited longitudinal adjustment of each panel with respect to its bottom fastening at time of installation. The top end of each panel is provided with a plurality of spaced, threaded bolts which respectively position in a plurality of spaced receiving slots which are provided in the upper panel framing members for panel securing purposes. The receiving slots are transversely disposed with relation to the bottom panel slots and open rear wardly to receive the spaced bolts therein as each panel is pivoted to vertical position. The upper panel framing members secure to the building construction in bolted connections having longitudinal slots to thereby permit limited longitudinal adjustment of each framing member.

2 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures ARCHITECTURAL PANEL SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to the field of building construction and more particularly is directed to prefabricated construction members suitable for space enclosing purposes which may be easily and permanently assembled on the job site.

The art of building construction has traditionally employed conventional construction materials such as brick, stone, wood, metal, concrete and various interior finishing materials such as plaster, gypsum wallboard and various types of moldings. A great fund of information and building technology has been developed by prior workers in the field relating to use of various previously available building materials. More recently, building codes and other construction control legislation have been promulgated and adopted by various regulatory agencies to regulate and supervise building practices within various communities. These codes and other legislation are generally directed to regulate various parameters of building construction such as size of buildings, location of buildings, design of buildings with regard to certain specified safety standards, materials of construction for both interior and exterior use, structural safety, safety from fire, and other such considerations.

Coupled with the greater interest in building construction materials, building designs and other regulatory practices, the actual cost of construction is of primary interest. Unique qualities are possessed by substantially every building and each structure must be individually designed by competent architects and engineers and individually crafted by workers highly skilled in their field. Because of the increasing awareness of architects, engineers, building officials, insurance carriers and others in safety practices and in suitable construction standards, the increasing complexity of design and construction coupled with increasing costs of building materials has resulted in steadily rising building construction costs. The cost of skilled labor has also increased accordingly, all of which have combined to rapidly increase building construction costs.

It has been found that the cost of skilled and unskilled construction labor has greatly out-distanced other increasing building costs and therefore, most prior workers engaged in the design of buildings have attempted to control construction costs by simplifying fabrication procedures and reducing material expenses to as great an extent as possible in order to minimize the actual time requirement during the building construction process. Prior workers have proceeded along several paths in various attempts to reduce construction labor costs. Such techniques have included the design of modular structures, prefabricating portions of the walls or other members, employing larger construction members to reduce field fabrication time, adapting heretofore unused materials within code limitations, etc. The larger construction members usually include quarried materials such as granite and marble, or castconcrete or stone shapes. Such members are costly in fabrication and because of their weight, present problems in handling and installation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the general field of fabricated building materials, and more particularly, is

directed to an architectural panel system incorporating a plurality of similar, readily fabricated and easily installed panels suitable for building enclosure purposes.

The present invention incorporates a plurality of aesthetically pleasing, similar panels which may be easily fabricated by employing readily available construction materials including metal studs, insulation, metal lath and plaster. Each panel is fabricated with a peripheral metal stud frame which is provided with a plurality of spaced, elongate slots at the bottom thereof for positioning over co-operating sill-supported, spaced, vertical pins. The elongate slots permit limited longitudinal adjustment of each panel with relation to the fixed sill for adjustment purposes at time of installation. The upper end of each panel includes a plurality of spaced, upwardly projecting, threaded bolts which insert into a plurality of co-operating, spaced, elongated receiving openings provided in the upper panel framing construction. The panel receiving openings open rearwardly and are transversely disposed with regard to the said bottom elongate slots to receive the threaded bolts therein. It is an additional feature of the invention to mount the upper panel framing construction in a manner to permit limited longitudinal adjustment to facilitate panel alignment and installation.

The various panels arrange in horizontally juxtaposed position in edge to edge relation and respectively secure to the sill anchor pins and to the upper panel framing receiving openings. Each panel is similarly formed of readily available construction materials and is fabricated to rectangular configuration by employing 21 peripheral frame of wide flange metal studs which are cut to the desired size and spot welded. A plurality of spaced interior vertical studs extend between the top and bottom of each panel for strengthening purposes. Transverse bridging members connect the interior studs and the peripheral frame studs to form a strong, unitary panel construction that is unusually light in weight for its size. When it is desired to employ the panels for exterior use, the interior space defined by the peripheral frame can be insulated by applying batts of glass fibers or other similar insulating material in conventional manner. Metal lath is then applied over each side of the panel and is secured to the framing members in well-known manner such as by tack welding. The application of the metal lath further serves to strengthen the panel in addition to forming a surface for receipt of plaster or similar material in well-known manner. A finishing material then applies over the metal lath in conventional manner to provide a finished appearing, lightweight, relatively inexpensive, prefabricated structural panel. The finishing material applied over the metal lath may be of any suitable material such as cement plaster, gypsum plaster, or other substance suitable for application over lath. In this manner, it is contemplated that any particularly desired architectural finish may be directly applied to the panels to produce the desired architectural appearance of the system. It will be appreciated that various construction materials are now known and may be readily employed for this purpose. Additionally, should color or texture be a consideration, such color or texture may be readily built into the panels at time of fabrication by utilizing known techniques.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved, novel architectural panel system of the type set forth.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel architectural panel system incorporating a plurality of prefabricated, lightweight panels which may be employed in side by side relation to readily lend any desired architectural appearance to a wall system.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a novel architectural panel system incorporating a plurality of similar rectangular panels which may be easily prefabricated of readily available construction materials.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel architectural panel system incorporating a plurality of panels which securely fasten and lock into position in a manner requiring a minimum of field construction time.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel architectural panel system which includes a plurality of similar prefabricated panels, each panel being provided at the bottom thereof with a plurality of elongated slots and at the top thereof, a plurality of upwardly extending threaded bolts for panel-connection purposes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel architectural panel system including a plurality of identical panels, each of which is provided with bottom connecting means permitting limited longitudinal adjustment at time of installation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel architectural panel system including a plurality of similar prefabricated panels, each of which is provided with integral connecting means and each of which is further provided with insulating means and heating means to develop a self-contained, prefabricated, highly efficient exterior wall system.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel architectural panel system that is inexpensive in manufacture, simple in construction, and trouble-free when in use.

Other objects and a better understanding of the invention will be had by referring to the following description and claims thereof taken into conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, external, side elevational view of a building employing an architectural panel system in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along line 2 2 of FIG. 1, between adjacent panels, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, detailed view of Area 3 of FIG. 2, showing greater detail.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, detailed view of Area 4 of FIG. 2 showing greater detail.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, exploded, perspective view of the elements illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, exploded, perspective view of the elements shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, perspective, enlarged view of the connection between adjacent panels.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view taken along line 8 8 of FIG. 7, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of a single panel, partially broken away to show the details of interior construction.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along line 10 10 of FIG. 9 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along line 11 ll of FIG. 9, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged, fragmentary, exploded view showing the various elements of the panel of FIG. 13.

FIG. 13 is a side elevational view ofa modified panel, partially broken away to show details of internal construction.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along line 14 14 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing one grill in exploded relation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Although specific terms are used in the following description for the sake of clarity, these terms are in tended to refer only to the particular structure of my invention selected for illustration in the drawings, and are not intended to define or limit the scope of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, I show in FIG. 1 an architectural panel system generally designated 10 fabricated in accordance with the teachings of the present invention to form a wall of a building which may be an exterior wall. The architectural panel system 10 comprises a plurality of similar individual panels 12 which are all of the same type and which may be varied in width if necessary to fully complete the wall being constructed.

Each panel 12 includes a top 14, a bottom 16, a right side 18 and a left side 20 which all lie in the same vertical plane to define a rectangular panel means 12. The top 14 of each panel 12 is provided with a plurality of spaced, upwardly projecting, threaded bolts 22 which serve to secure each panel in position as hereinafter more fully set forth. The bottom 16 of each panel 12 is provided with a plurality of spaced elongated slots 24 which co-operate with the sill fixed anchor studs 26 to securely lock the panel bottom in the desired location in the manner hereinafter more fully set forth.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 5, the plurality of spaced, elongated bottom slot means 24 which are provided in the panel bottom 16, register above the plurality of spaced panel bottom securing means in form of anchor studs 26 which project upwardly from the permanent sill 28. When installing each panel 12, the elongated slots 24 position over the respective anchor studs 26 to allow limited longitudinal movement of the panel 12 with respect to the fixed sill means 28 for panel adjusting purposes. In accordance with well known principles of building construction, the anchor studs 26 and slots 24 are positioned apart a distance sufficient for panel securing purposes and are also positioned to permit adjacent panels to have their respective right and left sides 18, 20, in abutting relation to form a continuous solid wall construction. The anchor studs 26 may be affixed to the sill 28 in well known manner such as by welding or alternately, the anchor studs 26 may have a bottom extension 30 extend through the sill 28 for embedding into the concrete footing 32 which serves as the base for the entire architectural panel system.

As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 6, the top 14 of each individual panel 12 is provided with a plurality of projection means in the form of threaded bolts 22 which may be welded, bolted, or otherwise affixed to the top construction 14 in suitable manner to provide a firm connection therewith. The threaded bolts 22 project upwardly beyond the horizontal plane defined by the top 14 and serve to secure each panel 12 in assembled position in co-operation with the upper wall framing means 34. The upper wall framing means 34 is preferably formed of elongate angle iron and. secures to a portion of the building structural frame 36 by means of the cooperating angle frame member 38. The horizontal leg I 40 of the upper wall framing member 34 is rearwardly provided with a plurality of panel top securing means in the form of transversely extending slots 42 which open rearwardly to receive the spaced, threaded bolts 22 therein for panel securing purposes. By positioning the panel slots 24 over the sill affixed studs 26, each panel 12 may be rotated about the bottom connection until the threaded bolts 22 respectively enter the upper transverse slots 42. The limited relative movement between each panel 12 and the sill affixed anchor studs 26 permitted by the elongate slots 24 serves to permit limited longitudinal adjustment of the panel 12 to thereby facilitate aligning the threaded bolts 22 with the transverse slots 42.

As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, it will be observed that the co-operating frame member 38 immovably affixes to the structural building system 36 by means of the bolted connection 44. The upper wall framing member 34 has limited longitudinal movement with respect to the co-operating frame member 38 by providing elongated slots 46 in the vertical leg 52 of the upper wall framing member 34. The threaded studs 48 affix to the vertical leg 50 of the co-operating frame member 38 and insert through the elongated slots 46 which are formed in the vertical leg 52 of the upper wall framing member. In this manner, limited longitudinal adjustment between the fixed co-operating frame member 38 and the upper wall framing member 34 may be readily provided. When it has been determined that the transverse slots 42 are properly aligned with the threaded bolts 22 of the panel section 12, the upper wall framing member 34 may be secured in the proper respective position to the co-operating frame member 38 by utilizing nuts 54 which are threadedly engaged upon the studs 48 in well known manner.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 8, the junction 56 between adjacent panels 12, 12a, preferably is fabricated by employing strips of weathertight material such as elongate strips of polyfoam gasket 58 which position near the interior panel surface 60 and the exterior panel surface 62. The inwardly facing edge of the junction 56 preferably is additionally sealed by employing a suitable construction sealant 64 which may be applied in well known manner such as by a calking-gun to completely fill the junction interiorly of the polyfoam gasket material 58. On the exterior panel surface side 62, a permanent junction may be conveniently provided by employinga sheet metal filler 66 which securely connects to the panel construction by means of a plurality of vertically spaced metal fasteners 68. When desired for decorative purposes, a decorative cover 70 may be employed to fill the entire area between the exterior plastered surfaces 72 of the adjacent panels 12, 12a. The decorative cover 70 may be affixed to the panels 12, 12a, by employing any suitable hidden fastening technique which is well known in the art, such as adhesives. In this manner, a completely finished panel wall construction can be readily provided which requires no additional expenditures for finishing processes such as painting or other exterior decorative techniques. In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the space 74 defined by the decorative cover 70, the adjacent panel exterior plaster surfaces 72 and the sheet metal filler 66 may be utilized as a vertical chase for running electrical conduit 71, small pipes, or other similar construction materials in a manner to completely conceal them from view.

Referring now to FIGS. 9, 10, and 11, an individual panel 12 is illustrated which is preferably rectangular in configuration and which may be prefabricated by employing readily available construction materials. The panel 12 is defined by a peripheral frame comprising a top 14, a panel bottom 16, a right side 18, and a left side 20. The peripheral frame is preferably fabricated of six inch wide flange metal stud material of conventional design of the type usually employed for interior metal stud wall systems, such as sixteen gauge, galvanized steel. The junctions at the corners 76 may be spot-welded or otherwise made in conventional manner to form a unitary structure. A plurality of vertical interior studs 78 extend between the top 14 and the bottom 16 and connect thereto in the usual manner. Preferably, the interior studs 78 are formed of six inch standard galvanized steel studs of eighteen gauge stock. Cross bracing 80 as may be required for strengthening purposes, connects between adjacent interior studs 78 and the right and left sides 18, 20, to form a sturdy, rigid panel construction. Metal lath 82 which may be Milcor smalmesh lath, is tack welded to the interior and exterior surfaces of the panel framing members 14, l6, 18, 20, 78, and 80, to receive a plaster or similar finish in conventional manner.

During the panel fabrication process, the threaded bolts 22 are affixed to the panel top member 14 and project upwardly therefrom. The panel bottom 16 is drilled or otherwise treated to provide a plurality of elongated slots 24 as hereinbefore described. When the structural studs 78, 80, are assembled and the metal lath 82 is positioned, the interior and exterior finishing materials 84, 86, can then be applied. If necessary for heating purposes, an insulating material 88, such as double-thick batts of glass fibers insulation, is applied within the space defined between the metal lath layers 82. The interior and exterior finishing materials 84, 86, may be of any desired texture to meet the needs of a particular job requirement. Additionally, the material could be colored in well known manner if so desired. For example, the exterior surface 86 could be a cement plaster finish and the interior finish material 84 could be a plasticized stucco finish. It will be appreciated that various finishing materials may be troweled on or otherwise applied to the metal lath 82 to form a weather resistant, aesthetically pleasing, and structurally sound architectural panel.

Referring now to FIGS. l2, l3, and 14, I show a modified architectural panel 90 which is generally fabricated similarly to the individual panels 12 by employing a panel top 14, a panel bottom 16, and the interconnecting right side, left side, panel sections 18, 20. The top panel 14 is provided with a plurality of spaced threaded bolts 22 in the manner hereinbefore set forth, and the bottom panel section is provided with the plurality of longitudinally extending, spaced slots 24 for panel installation purposes. A plurality of vertically arranged interior studs 78 position in'teriorly of the panel and define a plurality of longitudinal channels 92 therebetween for air movement purposes. Insulating material 88 is employed within the panel beneath the exterior finish material 86 for insulation against exterior environmental conditions. The vertical channels 92 position adjacent the interior finish material 86 and permit the panels 90 be employed for heating purposes.

A length of tubing 94 pierces the right and left panel sides 18, 20, above the panel bottom 16 for conveying a heating medium such as hot water or steam in well known manner. Preferably, a plurality of fins 96 affix to the tubing 94 in well known manner to provide extended heating surfaces such as commonly employed in finned tube radiation systems. A lower grill 98 inserts through the interior finish material 84 and is provided with a plurality of vertical and horizontal grill bars 100 in well known manner to readilypermit heat from the heating components 94, 96, to pass therethrough. Similarly, an upper opening 102 is provided in the interior finish material 84 beneath the panel top member 14 to receive the upper grill 104 therein in conventional manner. The vertical channels 94 which are defined between the vertical interior studs 78 communicate between the upper grill 104 and the lower grill 98 and encourage air circulation therebetween to thus provide a relatively efficient finned tube heating system. The right and left ends 106, 108, of the heating tubing 94 preferably are finished in a joint such as a slip joint to permit easy, leakproof connection with the heating tubing of the adjacent panels in conventional manner to thus permit the heating system to be fabricated at the same time the architectural panel system is being assembled.

What I claim is:

1. In an architectural panel system employing a plurality of similarly formed panels'for fabricating a wall construction, the combination of A. sill means defining the bottom of the said wall construction,

1. said sill means incorporating panel bottom securing means,

2. said panel bottom securing means including a plurality of anchor studs, the said studs projecting upwardly;

B. upper wall framing means in registry above the sill means .and defining the top of the said wall construction 1. said upper wall framing means including panel top securing means,

2. said panel top securing means including a plurality of slotted openings,

a. said slotted openings being elongated and extending transversely to the longitudinal extension of the wall construction;

C. panel means extending between the sill means and the upper wall framing means,

1. said panel means having bottom slot means cooperating with the said panel bottom securing means,

a. said bottom slot means including a plurality of openings,

b. said studs projecting into the openings for panel securing purposes,

0. said openings being elongated slots, the slots extending in a direction parallel to the wall construction whereby each panel is rendered longitudinally adjustable with respect to the sill.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the upper wall framing means is provided with space above the said slotted, elongated openings whereby securing nuts may be threadedly engaged upon the projecting means above the said panels.

Claims (4)

1. In an architectural panel system employing a plurality of similarly formed panels for fabricating a wall construction, the combination of A. sill means defining the bottom of the said wall construction, 1. said sill means incorporating panel bottom securing means, 2. said panel bottom securing means including a plurality of anchor studs, the said studs projecting upwardly; B. upper wall framing means in registry above the sill means and defining the top of the said wall construction 1. said upper wall framing means including panel top securing means, 2. said panel top securing means including a plurality of slotted openings, a. said slotted openings being elongated and extending transversely to the longitudinal extension of the wall construction; C. panel means extending between the sill means and the upper wall framing means, 1. said panel means having bottom slot means cooperating with the said panel bottom securing means, a. said bottom slot means including a plurality of openings, b. said studs projecting into the openings for panel securing purposes, c. said openings being elongated slots, the slots extending in a direction parallel to the wall construction whereby each panel is rendered longitudinally adjustable with respect to the sill.

2. said panel bottom securing means including a plurality of anchor studs, the said studs projecting upwardly; B. upper wall framing means in registry above the sill means and defining the top of the said wall construction

2. said panel top securing means including a plurality of slotted openings, a. said slotted openings being elongated and extending transversely to the longitudinal extension of the wall construction; C. panel means extending between the sill means and the upper wall framing means,

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the upper wall framing means is provided with space above the said slotted, elongated openings whereby securing nuts may be threadedly engaged upon the projecting means above the said panels.

Images