Joint construction between a partition and a floor
The invention relates to a joint construction between a partition, for example for a clean room and the like, and a floor on which the partition bears. Such a joint construction is known. In order to maintain the requisite degree of cleanliness, the partition and the floor must be fixed tightly sealed to one another so that no contaminants are able to penetrate. This is extremely important in the case of certain industrial processes, such as the manufacture of semiconductors for the electronics industry and the production of medical products, such as drugs and the like. In practice, when installing such partitions the problem arises that the required sealing is difficult to obtain as a consequence of the tolerances and differences that are found to occur in the dimensions and the smoothness of the floors of the rooms concerned. As a result chinks can still arise between the pre-manufactured partitions produced in accordance with precise tolerances and the floors. In such cases supplementary measures have to be taken to achieve the requisite sealing between the partitions and the floors, which is time-consuming and expensive. The aim of the invention is, therefore, to provide a joint construction with which any differences between the floors and the partitions can be compensated for easily and adequately. Said aim is achieved by a floor section fixed to the floor and a wall section fixed to the partition, as well as support means for supporting the wall section with respect to the floor section. Because the joint construction comprises two sections, one of which is joined to the floor and the other of which is joined to the partition, it is possible, on the one hand, to guarantee the desired seal and, on the other hand, nevertheless to take account of differences between the partition and the floor. To this end the support means are made adjustable for setting the distance between the floor section and the wall section. The sections can be made in many different ways. According to a preferred embodiment the floor section is essentially U-shaped and the wall section is at least partially accommodated in the floor section between the upright arms of the floor section. According to a variant the support means can comprise a support section that is accommodated between the upright arms of the floor section, the wall section bearing on said support section. The support means can, for example, comprise adjusting screws that are
accommodated in adjuster nuts that are fixed to the wall section or the support section, such that the free end of the adjusting screws bears on the floor section. Preferably, the wall section or the support section has flanges oriented away from one another that protrude with respect to the arms of the floor section, which flanges bear on the top edge of said arms when the wall section or support section is in a lowest position. It is true that during adjustment the flanges of the wall section or support section come some distance away from the arms of the floor section, but the seal nevertheless remains intact because the wall section or support section is accommodated in the floor section with a tight fit. If a support section is used, the wall section is accommodated in the support section with a tight fit. A room such as a clean room usually has a floor covering that continues upwards from the floor over the floor section. Such a floor covering, which, for example, can consist of sheet vinyl, also contributes to the sealing of the room. The floor covering continues as far as the underside of the associated protruding flange of the wall section. After the wall section has been adjusted to the desired extent, care can be taken that the floor covering extends fully as far as the protruding flange of the wall section. By this means as well, the desired sealing can be ensured in every adjustment position of the joint construction. In this context it is furthermore important that the partition has panels that likewise abut the associated protruding flange of the wall section, and specifically the top of said flange. Because both the floor covering and the wall panel then abut the flange, a very good seal is guaranteed. The invention also relates to a combination for use with the joint construction described above, comprising a floor section, a wall section and support means for supporting the wall section with respect to the floor section. In a particular embodiment said support means can comprise a support section. The invention will be further explained below with reference to an illustrative embodiment shown in the figures. Figure 1 shows a sectional perspective view of a joint construction according to the invention. Figure 2 shows a second perspective view of the joint construction in the adjusted position. Figure 3 shows a cross-section through the floor section of the joint construction according to Figs 1 and 2.
Figure 4 shows a cross-section through the wall section of the joint construction according to Figs 1 and 2. Figure 5 shows a horizontal section through a partition. Figure 6 shows a cross-section through a variant of the wall section. Figure 7 shows a cross-section through a variant of the floor section. Figure 8 shows an alternative joint construction. The joint construction 1 shown in Figure 1 supports a partition, indicated in its entirety by 2, that delimits an area 3, such as a clean room. The floor of this clean room is covered with a floor covering 4, for example a layer of sheet vinyl or something similar. The layer of sheet vinyl has a floor section 5 and continues on into a plinth section 6 that extends upwards over the joint construction 1 and thus closes off any chinks between the joint construction 1 and the floor. The joint construction 1 comprises two sections, i.e. the floor section 7, which is shown on an enlarged scale in Figure 3, and the wall section 8, which is shown on an enlarged scale in Figure 4. The floor section 7 is fixed to the floor 9, whilst the wall section 8 is fixed to the partition 2. This partition 2 consists, in a known manner, of two wall panels 10, 11 and uprights, constructed as sections 12, extending between the wall panels 10, 11 at regular intervals, as. shown in Figure 5. The wall panels are fixed to. the uprights 12 by means of a layer of adhesive 13 and are sealed with respect to one another by means of mastic joints 14. To compensate for differences in the floor 9, the wall section 8 and the floor section 7 are adjustable with respect to one another by means of the adjustment means 15. These adjustment means 15 each comprise a nut 16, which is fixed to the wall section 18, and a screw 17, the bottom end 18 of which bears on the base 19 of the floor section 7. By filming the head 20 of the screw 17 the wall section 8 can be adjusted as shown in Figure 2. The wall section 8 is accommodated between the arms 21 of the floor section 7 with a tight fit. As shown in Figure 4, the wall section 8 is constructed as a tubular section, the downward-oriented flanges 22 of which fit inside the arms 21 of the floor section 7 with a tight fit. Furthermore, the wall section has flanges 23 oriented outwards, the wall panels 10, 11 abutting the top of said flanges and the plinth section 6 of the floor covering 4 meeting the bottom of said flanges. What is important in this context is that, first of all, the wall section 8 is adjusted to the desired height thereof with respect to the floor section 7. The floor covering 4 is then
laid and the plinth section 6 thereof is continued until it is in direct contact with the underside of the flanges 23 protruding outwards. As a result a very good seal is obtained that is associated with the direct abutment of the panels 10, 11 on the top of said flanges 23 and the direct abutment of the upright edges 6 of the floor covering 4 on the underside of the same flanges 23. Another wall section 8', provided with flanges 23 oriented outwards to which apron strips 24 are fixed, is shown in Figure 6. These apron strips 24 are some distance away from the flanges 22 oriented downwards. Figure 7 shows a cross-section through the associated floor section 7'. The top edges 27 of the upright arms 21 of this floor section 7' are staggered inwards to some extent. They fit in the gap between, in each case, an apron strip 24 and downward-oriented flange 27 of the associated wall section 8'. Because the edges 27 are staggered inwards, the respective apron strip 24 is in the same plane as the remainder of the arm 21 of the floor section 7 As a result the plinth section of the floor covering can be fitted flat over said remainder 28 of the upright arm 21 and over the apron strip 24. In the variant in Figure 8 a floor section 7 is used as well as a wall section 8". This wall section 8" bears on the support section 25, which has flanges 23' oriented outwards. A nut 16, which interacts with the screw 17, 20, is fixed to the bottom 26 of the wwe-^sie) section 25. The bottom end 18 of the screw 17, 20 bears on the base 19 of the floor section 7.