Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04C—STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS; BUILDING MATERIALS
  • E04C2/00—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels
  • E04C2/02—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels characterised by specified materials
  • E04C2/26—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels characterised by specified materials composed of materials covered by two or more of groups E04C2/04, E04C2/08, E04C2/10 or of materials covered by one of these groups with a material not specified in one of the groups
  • E04C2/284—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels characterised by specified materials composed of materials covered by two or more of groups E04C2/04, E04C2/08, E04C2/10 or of materials covered by one of these groups with a material not specified in one of the groups at least one of the materials being insulating
  • E04C2/292—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels characterised by specified materials composed of materials covered by two or more of groups E04C2/04, E04C2/08, E04C2/10 or of materials covered by one of these groups with a material not specified in one of the groups at least one of the materials being insulating composed of insulating material and sheet metal
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04C—STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS; BUILDING MATERIALS
  • E04C2/00—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels
  • E04C2/30—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels characterised by the shape or structure
  • E04C2/34—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels characterised by the shape or structure composed of two or more spaced sheet-like parts
  • E04C2/36—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels characterised by the shape or structure composed of two or more spaced sheet-like parts spaced apart by transversely-placed strip material, e.g. honeycomb panels
  • E04C2/365—Building elements of relatively thin form for the construction of parts of buildings, e.g. sheet materials, slabs, or panels characterised by the shape or structure composed of two or more spaced sheet-like parts spaced apart by transversely-placed strip material, e.g. honeycomb panels by honeycomb structures

Definitions

• This invention concerns panels, especially building panels for use in constructing walls and roofs.
• Building panels which comprise metal facing sheets and a core of polyurethane foam. Whilst having good insulation properties, these panels do have some disadvantages.
• One disadvantage is that they have a limit on their load bearing capacity even when made relatively thick because polyurethane foam is not particularly strong.
• Another disadvantage arises simply from the use of polyurethane foam which gives off toxic fumes in fire situations. Increasingly, therefore, there is a movement away from using such wall panels.
• An object of this invention is to provide useful panels.
• a panel comprising a pair of facing sheets and a core, wherein the core comprises an open cell structure having walls extending between the facing sheets and a foam filling.
• the facing sheets may be of metal, especially of steel, more especially of galvanised steel.
• One or both of the facing sheets may be profiled.
• Preferably outer faces of the or each facing sheet is covered or coated with a corrosion protection layer.
• Profiling is preferably in the form of longitudinal internal channels protruding from the outer face of a facing sheet of a panel.
• the channels are trapezoidal in section having a narrower base than open side.
• the profile channels will be filled with the foam material but the open cell structure will not necessarily extend thereinto. That means that in a fire situation, the profile channels can provide passages for escape of fumes from the foam unhindered by the open cell structure. The fumes can, therefore, be directed upwards out of top edges of panels and away from the interior of the building.
• the facing sheets may alternatively be made of non-metallic materials and as such are preferably rigid boards.
• suitable rigid boards for use in the invention include particle boards, cement particle boards, glass fibre reinforced cement boards, cellulose reinforced gypsum boards, crushed slate boards and resin boards.
• Wooden facing sheets or composite wooden facing sheets may also be used in forming panels of the invention, including, for example, plywood and chipboard.
• Preferably facing sheets used in the invention are able to offer some fire resistance due to their composition, the addition of fire resistant materials or coating thereof with fire resistant materials.
• the open cell structure forming part of the core of a panel according to the invention is preferably a honeycomb structure, wherein lengths of material are bonded together at intervals or are formed into a lattice by being interwoven.
• a honeycomb structure suitable as a core There are two principle ways of producing a honeycomb structure suitable as a core. The first way is the expansion process, in which sheets of material, having adhesive applied in strips, are cut and stacked on top of each other and then the adhesive is cured, usually under pressure and at elevated temperature. Slices are then cut to the required thickness and expanded to give the honeycomb structures.
• the other way of making honeycomb structures is to corrugate sheets of material, apply adhesive to nodes and stack the sheets in an oven to cure.
• the material used to form the open cell structure may be metallic or non-metallic. Aluminium is a preferred metal for forming the open cell structure. Suitable non-metallic materials for forming the open cell structure include paper and cardboard impregnated with a stiffening material, such as a resin, especially a phenolic resin, thermoplastic polyurethane sheets, fibreglass, carbon fibre in a resin, such as phenolic, epoxide or polyumide resin, and polypropylene or polyester sheets.
• a stiffening material such as a resin, especially a phenolic resin, thermoplastic polyurethane sheets, fibreglass, carbon fibre in a resin, such as phenolic, epoxide or polyumide resin, and polypropylene or polyester sheets.
• the honeycomb structure may be of a conventional hexagonal cell type or may be reinforced by flatsheets between each node to form trapezoidal cells.
• the foam filling for the core of panels of the invention is preferably a synthetic foam, suitable examples of which include polyurethane, polyisocyanate and phenolic foams.
• Opposed panel ends may be shaped or provided with complementary formations for engagement with ends of adjacent panels, such as in tongue and groove fashion or by provision of overlapping rebates.
• Panels according to the invention may be fabricated in the following manner. One facing sheet is laid out and the open cell structure laid out thereon. The foam filling is poured into the open cell structure in uncured or partially cured state and the other facing sheet laid on top. As the foam cures the foam bonds with the facing sheets to form a cohesive structure.
• Panels of the invention are suitable as building panels and as such may be used, for example, as wall panels, roof panels, floor panels (decking) and for making doors, especially fire doors or roller shutter doors.
• Figure 1 shows a first panel according to the invention
• Figure 2 shows a second panel according to the invention.
• Figure 3 shows a third panel according to the invention.
• a wall panel 10 comprises inner and outer facing sheets 12 and 14 respectively sandwiching a core 16.
• the outer facing sheet 12 is of embossed galvanised steel with spaced, parallel, alternate wide and narrow trapezoidal section profiles 18 and 20 respectively.
• the inner facing sheet 14 is also of embossed, galvanised steel. Both sheets 12 and 14 have on their outer faces coatings for protection against corrosion.
• the core 16 comprises a honeycomb structure 22 with its cells 24 bridging to the facing sheets and a filling 26 of polyurethane or polyisocyanate foam.
• the honeycomb structure 22 may be of aluminium or of phenolic resin impregnated paper.
• a wall panel 100 comprises inner and outer substantially flat facing sheets 102 and 104 respectively and a core 106. Ends of the facing sheets are bent and shaped to from at opposite ends of the panel tongue and groove jointing profiles 108 and 110 respectively for joining panels end to end.
• the core 106 comprises a honeycomb structure 112 of aluminium or phenolic resin impregnated paper and a polyurethane or polyisocyanate foam filling 114.
• One facing sheet is load down and the honeycomb structure load thereon.
• Uncured or partially cured polyurethane or polyisocyanate foam in flowable form is poured onto the honeycomb structure, the underlying facing sheet acting as a tray.
• the other facing sheet is laid on top and the foam cured. As the foam cures it bonds to the two facing sheets.
• a panel 200 comprises inner and outer flat facing sheets 202 and 204 of cement particle board and a core 206.
• Alternative materials for the facing sheets include particle boards, glass reinforced cement boards, cellulose reinforced gypsum boards, crushed slate boards and resin boards.
• the core 206 comprises a honeycomb structure 208 of aluminium or phenolic resin impregnated paper and a polyurethane or polyisocyanate foam filling 210.
• honeycomb structures used in each of the illustrated embodiments may, of course, be substituted by a honeycomb structure made of any other suitable material such as of sheets of polyurethane, fibreglass. carbon fibre, polypropylene or polyester.
• Panels of the invention may have several advantages over prior art panels.
• the open cell core provides strength enhancing load spanning
• the panels perform better in fire situations in the respects of structural integrity and control of spread of smoke.
• the open cell core structure can retain smoke and hence delay its
• Panels having an outer profiled facing sheet also provides a means for venting smoke to the exterior of a building upwards along the profiles.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Architecture (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Laminated Bodies (AREA)
• Building Environments (AREA)
• Panels For Use In Building Construction (AREA)
• Finishing Walls (AREA)

Priority Applications (6)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=26307991

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (7)

Cited By (2)

Families Citing this family (7)

Citations (3)

• 1996
  • 1996-10-24 DE DE69609981T patent/DE69609981T2/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1996-10-24 AT AT96935072T patent/ATE195781T1/de active
  • 1996-10-24 GB GB9808413A patent/GB2321482B/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1996-10-24 ES ES96935072T patent/ES2152046T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1996-10-24 WO PCT/GB1996/002598 patent/WO1997015736A1/en active IP Right Grant
  • 1996-10-24 EP EP99122668A patent/EP0980937A3/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1996-10-24 EP EP96935072A patent/EP0857244B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1996-10-24 AU AU73167/96A patent/AU7316796A/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (3)

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