Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
  • E01C—CONSTRUCTION OF, OR SURFACES FOR, ROADS, SPORTS GROUNDS, OR THE LIKE; MACHINES OR AUXILIARY TOOLS FOR CONSTRUCTION OR REPAIR
  • E01C5/00—Pavings made of prefabricated single units
  • E01C5/22—Pavings made of prefabricated single units made of units composed of a mixture of materials covered by two or more of groups E01C5/008, E01C5/02 - E01C5/20 except embedded reinforcing materials
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04F—FINISHING WORK ON BUILDINGS, e.g. STAIRS, FLOORS
  • E04F15/00—Flooring
  • E04F15/02—Flooring or floor layers composed of a number of similar elements
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04F—FINISHING WORK ON BUILDINGS, e.g. STAIRS, FLOORS
  • E04F15/00—Flooring
  • E04F15/02—Flooring or floor layers composed of a number of similar elements
  • E04F15/08—Flooring or floor layers composed of a number of similar elements only of stone or stone-like material, e.g. ceramics, concrete; of glass or with a top layer of stone or stone-like material, e.g. ceramics, concrete or glass

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a self-laying modular element for paving and flooring, particularly made of stone-like material or the like.
• Fixed-laying materials such as marbles, granites, tiles, wood blocks for parquetry and the like, or self-laying removable materials are currently used for the paving or flooring of outdoor and indoor spaces.
• the most widely used types comprise layers made of moquette or layers made of rubber or PVC, and flexible materials in general.
• Such products in fact have a very limited dimensional stability due to their low relative density and to some chemical-physical particularities of the materials that compose them.
• Layers made of PVC or rubber have the known phenomenon of "dog ears", which corresponds to the lifting of the corner portions of the square panels.
• more rigid materials also termed “stone-like” materials
• marbles, granites, stoneware, ceramics et cetera have been studied.
• the rigidity of the matrix of the product made of these materials prevents displacements, size variations (except for some isolated cases of materials containing iron salts and/or carbonates, which in any case can be kept under control in various manners), and local deformations.
• one way to avoid these problems is to use gaps between the panels, so as to compensate for expansions and for any size differences among panels.
• the aim of the present invention is to provide a self -laying modular element for flooring and paving, particularly made of stone-like material or the like, that solves the problems mentioned above in self-laying modular elements for flooring and paving.
• an object of the present invention is to provide a self- laying modular element for flooring and paving, particularly made of stonelike material or the like, that is sufficiently rigid and withstands both impacts between modular elements arranged side by side and vertical impacts.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a self-laying modular element for flooring and paving, particularly made of stone-like material or the like, that is tough during installation.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a self-laying modular element for flooring and paving, particularly made of stone-like material or the like, that is not affected by thermal expansions of the site where it is used.
• a self-laying modular element for flooring and paving particularly made of stone-like material or the like, characterized in that it comprises a self-supporting slab on the lower surface of which at least one element for separation from the ground/floor on which said modular element rests is fixed monolithically, protective elements being monolithically fixed, at least in portions, on the lateral edges of said slab.
• Figure 1 is a plan view of the modular element according to the invention
• Figure 2 is a sectional front view of the modular element according to the invention
• Figure 3 is a perspective view of a plurality of modular elements according to the invention, arranged side by side and installed. Ways of carrying out the Invention
• a self-laying modular element for flooring and paving according to the invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10.
• a flooring or paving 10a provided by means of this invention is formed by a plurality of modular elements arranged side by side.
• the element 10 comprises a squared quadrangular slab 11 made of substantially rigid material which is self-supporting, such as for example ceramic material (stoneware, single-fired tile, clinker), natural material
• a separation element 14 is monolithically fixed to a lower surface 12, to be directed toward a ground/floor 13, of the slab 11.
• the separation element 14 substantially has the plan dimensions of the slab 11.
• the separation element 14 is fixed to the slab 11 by means of epoxy-polyurethane adhesive and is further made of a material that has sound-absorbing properties, antislip properties and is capable of absorbing impact energy, such as for example the material known by the trade-name Tarkolay 52007, manufactured by the company Tarkett Sommer (glass fiber stabilizing lamina).
• the separation element can be constituted by a layer of polyurethane resin catalyzed by way of heating means, such as for example an infrared oven or an ultraviolet lamp.
• the polyurethane resin can be, for example, the one known by the trade-name Sikaflex 352 HC, manufactured by the company Sika Italia.
• the function of the separation element 14 is to provide acoustic comfort in the enclosed space in which it is arranged (sound-absorbing properties), to contrast the horizontal thrusts produced by walking and by the movement of furniture (antislip properties) and to absorb the energy due to the impacts of objects on the slab (ability to absorb impact energy).
• Protective elements 16 are rigidly fixed, at least in portions, to lateral edges 15 of the slab 11 and are constituted, in this embodiment, by four impact-resistant bands 17, which are fixed to the four edges 15 by means of hot-melt adhesive, such as for example the one known by the trade-name
• the bands 17 lie so as to cover completely the edges 15 both longitudinally and transversely, although a segmented arrangement is possible.
• the function of the impact-resistant bands 17 is threefold.
• the bands protect the slabs against the impacts generated during transport of the modular element and during its installation; secondly, they absorb any lateral and friction-related impacts after installation; and thirdly, they allow to compensate for any structural expansions or contractions.
• Bevels 18 to prevent chipping are formed between the lateral edges 15 and the upper surface of the plate 11 and run along the entire perimeter of the slab 11.
• the anti-chipping bevels 18 are designed to prevent the edges of the slab 11, which are generally fragile, from being chipped during handling or during installation or during expansions of the modular element, thus spoiling the finish of said modular element.
• the lateral protective bands are then mounted on the edges of the slab by way of a border fitting machine and by using hot-melt adhesive, which allows optimum retention.
• the separation element is obtained from a sheet of a material that has chemical and physical properties of interest and is bonded onto the lower surface of the slab by means of adhesives.
• polyurethane-based resins are applied by means of a roller-type spreading machine and the resin is then catalyzed by irradiation in an infrared oven or by irradiation with an ultraviolet lamp.
• the invention thus described solves the problems noted in known types of paving or flooring element; in particular, the present invention provides a self-laying modular element for paving or flooring.
• the present invention provides a self-laying modular element for paving or flooring, particularly made of stone-like material, that is sufficiently rigid and withstands both impacts between laterally adjacent modular elements and vertical impacts caused by objects falling onto said element or by walking.
• the present invention provides a self-laying modular element for paving or flooring, particularly made of stone-like material, that withstands installation without damage.
• the present invention provides a self-laying modular element for paving or flooring, particularly made of stone-like material, that is not affected by thermal expansions of the site where it is used.
• the present invention provides a self -laying modular element for paving or flooring, particularly made of stone-like material, that has optimum acoustic characteristics.
• the invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims; all the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.
• the materials employed may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Architecture (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
• Road Paving Structures (AREA)
• Floor Finish (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=32051242

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (1)

Citations (5)

• 2002
  • 2002-10-01 IT ITPD20020249 patent/ITPD20020249A1/it unknown
• 2003
  • 2003-09-23 WO PCT/EP2003/010571 patent/WO2004031485A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2003-09-23 AU AU2003267399A patent/AU2003267399A1/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (5)

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