WO2005049932A1

WO2005049932A1 - A ceiling for covering a room

Info

Publication number: WO2005049932A1
Application number: PCT/DK2004/000800
Authority: WO
Inventors: Johnny Ostenfeldt
Original assignee: Dampa Aps
Priority date: 2003-11-20
Filing date: 2004-11-19
Publication date: 2005-06-02

Abstract

The invention relates to a ceiling (1) for covering a room and consisting of at least two essentially rectangular ceiling elements (10) that are carried by opposed carrier beams (50), wherein the ceiling elements (10) are, by means of the carrier beams (50), mounted a distance below a fixed ceiling in a building or a vessel, said ceiling elements (10) comprising an essentially plane metal plate (20) having upwardly oriented flanges (30, 40) along the sides and carrying, between flanges (30, 40), a plate (13) of an insulating material, and wherein the ceiling elements (10) are arranged side-by-side with respective flanges (40) oriented to face towards each other.The ceiling (1) also comprises a number of relatively rigid and elongate transverse beams (70) that comprise a heat-insulating material; and each of which is connected to two opposed carrier beams (50) in such a manner that moment can be transmitted, each of said transverse beams (70) extending along the area, where two ceiling elements (10) adjoin each other, in abutment against the top face of both ceiling elements (10); and the connection between the carrier beams (50) and the transverse beam (70) and the abutment against the ceiling elements (10) bringing about moment in the transverse beam (70), whereby the transverse beam (70) is kept pressed against the top face of both ceiling elements (10).

Description

A ceiling for covering a room

The present invention relates to a ceiling for covering a room and consisting of at least two essentially rectangular ceiling elements that are carried by oppositely arranged carrier beams, wherein the ceiling elements are mounted a distance below a fixed ceiling in a building or a vessel by means of the carrier beams. The ceiling elements comprise an essentially plane metal plate that has upwardly oriented flanges along its sides and carrying, between the flanges, a plate of an insulating material. The ceiling elements are arranged side-by-side with respective flanges oriented so as to face towards each other.

A ceiling of this type is usually known as a "suspended ceiling".

When designing suspended ceilings it is often difficult to ensure that the requirements of the fire authorities in respect of the maximal temperature above the ceiling during a fire in the subjacent room can be observed, and in respect of avoiding avoid as far as possible propagation of smoke from the subjacent room to a neighbouring room through the joints between the individual ceiling elements. Moreover in order for the suspended ceiling to be suitable for use onboard a ship it must be ensured that the vibrations of the ship will not give rise to noise problems occurring as a result of the ceiling elements vibrating.

By the invention a ceiling is provided that ensures both that the requirements made by the fire authorities are complied with to a wide extent and enables use of the ceiling onboard a ship. This is accomplished in that the ceiling also comprises a number of comparatively rigid and elongate transverse beams that comprise a heat insulating material and each of which is connected to two oppositely aligned carrier beams in such a manner that moment can be transmitted; each of said transverse beams extending along the area where two ceiling elements adjoin each other in abutment on the top face of both ceiling elements, and the connection between the carrier beams and the transverse beam - and the abutment against the ceiling elements - setting up moments in the transverse beam, whereby the transverse beam is kept pressed against the surface of both the adjoining ceiling elements. The term "moment" as used in this context is intended to designate moment perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the transverse beams.

By a particularly preferred embodiment, each end of the transverse beams is received in a respective groove in the carrier beams while forming a relatively rigid end restraint of the transverse beams in the carrier beams. The transverse beams, the carrier beams and the ceiling elements that partake in the ceiling may particularly advantageously each separately be manufactured by folding of a sheet element that was flat as a starting point.

Further advantageous embodiments will appear from the dependent claims.

The invention will now be explained in further detail with reference to a preferred embodiment.

Figure 1a shows the visible face of a ceiling according to the invention, seen from below and carried by beams that delimit a room;

Figure 1 b is a cross-sectional view along the line A-A in Figure 1a;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a section along the line B-B shown in Figure 1 a;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along the line C-C in Figure 1a; Figures 4a and 4b are cross-sectional views along lines D-D and E-E, respectively, in Figure 1a;

Figure 5a shows by laying of another ceiling that is particularly advantageous for use onboard a ship;

Figure 5b shows the ceiling shown in Figure 5a following laying and during positioning of a locking element to keep two adjoining ceiling elements together;

Figure 6a is a cross-sectional view along line A-A in Figure 5b, following positioning of the locking element according to a first embodiment;

Figure 6b is a cross-sectional view along the line A-A shown in Figure 5b, following positioning of the locking element according to a further embodiment; and

Figures 7a-7d are cross-sectional views through various embodiments of the ceiling element shown in Figure 5a, seen generally along the line B-B of Figure 5b.

In Figure 1a and seen from below, the reference numeral 1 is used to generally designate a ceiling that covers a room onboard a ship. The ceiling 1 according to the invention can also be used for rooms in houses, but its primary field of application are ships where particular measures are usually to be taken to avoid that the vibrations of the ship generate undesirable noise. Likewise, the fire-retardant advantages provided by the ceiling according to the invention are particularly significant onboard ships. Thus the ceiling 1 is a so-called "suspended ceiling", the ceiling 1 being mounted a distance below the steel deck of the ship or the floor structure of a house in order to thereby form the visible ceiling face of the room. The ceiling 1 is made up of a number of individual ceiling elements 10 that are arranged to adjoin each other to form the visible ceiling face of the room. Conventionally, the ceiling elements 10 preferably include a metal plate that is suitably shaped to impart the desired strength to the ceiling elements 10. Along two opposed sides the ceiling elements are supported by a system of particularly configured carrier beams that will be described in further detail below. The carrier beams can be secured to beams 2, 3 in the room as shown in Figure 1 b or to the walls that delimit the room.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a section along the line B-B in Figure 1 a, and it will appear that the ceiling elements 10 are rectangular and that the metal plate that partakes in the ceiling elements 10 is folded to produce a flange 40 along each of two opposed sides, while another flange 30 will appear along each of the two other opposed sides. Moreover, the ceiling elements 10 comprise a plate 13 of a heat-insulating material, preferably mineral wool, that rests on a plane area 20 of the metal plate between flanges 30, 40 and extends towards the flanges 30; a narrow, elongate area 43 without insulating material remaining between the flanges 30 and the plate 13 that provides space for mounting of the ceiling element 10.

Preferably the plate 13 is kept in place in that the flanges 40 of the ceiling element 10 comprises a first upwardly bent leg 44 that extends into a leg 46 that was bent downwards by more than 90° and abuts on the top face of the plate 13. It is the particular purpose of the plate 13 onboard a ship to delay the point in time when a fire in the room gives rise to such high temperatures at the superjacent steel deck of the ship that ignition occurs of combustible material elsewhere. Moreover it may also be generally desirable to prevent passage of smoke gasses from the subjacent room, and often this occurs by ensuring a relatively tight joining between adjoining ceiling elements 10, ie in the ,area where the one of each of the two flanges 40 of the shown ceiling elements 10 faces towards each other.

Said plane area 20 that forms the visible ceiling face of the room, seen from below, in that room, can optionally be provided with perforations in accordance with a given pattern in order to provide in a usual way particular acoustic conditions in the room. For instance, the ceiling elements 10 can have a width of 60 cm and a length along the flanges 40 of 90 cm and they have a relatively high rigidity whereby they largely maintain their appearance when suspended. Such dimensions enable the ceiling elements 10 to be used to form a suspended ceiling in eg a passageway of a width of 90 cm onboard a ship. Also in case of ceiling elements having a length of 150 cm, fire-technical tests have shown that favourable properties are accomplished.

Figure 2 also shows the carrier beams 50 that support the ceiling elements 10 along the flanges 30 as will also appear from Figure 3. The carrier beams 50 are elongate and are preferably made by folding/rolling of an elongate plate section.

The carrier beams 50 are configured with a central portion 52, whereby screws or the like can be used to secure the carrier beams 50 to the beams 2, 3 of the ship or the housing in a desired height above floor level. From the central part 52, legs 54, 58, 62, 64 extend that form two elongate open grooves 60, 61 that are oriented oppositely. If the carrier beam 50 to the left in Figure 3 is viewed, it will appear that the groove 60 is open in a direction towards the right, while the groove 61 is open in a direction towards the left. The groove 61 is configured to receive and support one of the flanges 30 on the ceiling elements 10 that are arranged in a side-by-side relationship along the carrier beam 50. To this end, both of the opposed flanges 30 of a ceiling element 10 are configured with a leg 32 that is bent perpendicularly upwards in relation to the plane area 20 and extends into a leg 34 and on into a locking leg 36 that are both situated interiorly of the ceiling element 10. When the ceiling element 10 is mounted on the carrier beam 50 the leg 34 rests on an upwardly bent locking leg 66 on the one leg 64 of the carrier beam 50. The locking legs 36, 66 serve to secure the ceiling element 10 to the carrier beam 50 against unintentional removal, since the ceiling element 10 can only be removed again by manipulation of the ceiling element 10 to the effect that the locking leg 36 can be conveyed above the locking leg 66.

The exact configuration of the flanges 30 of the ceiling elements 30 is not essential to the invention which concerns the elongate transverse beams 70 shown most clearly in Figure 2 that extend between opposed carrier beams 50 across the area, in which two ceiling elements 10 adjoin each other. The transverse beams 70 are configured as relatively rigid elongate structural elements that are secured at both ends; preferably by being rigidly restrained in the two opposed carrier beams 50 to the effect that free rotation of the ends is prevented, and providing an abutment force against the top face of the ceiling elements 10 in the area where the flanges 40 of two adjoining ceiling elements 10 abut against each other. The transverse beams 70 exhibit heat-insulating properties that are preferably comparable to the properties of the plate 13, since the transverse beams 70 may particularly advantageously comprise a relatively rigid metal profile with the shape of an inverted U, in which an elongate strip 78 of a heat-insulating material, preferably mineral wool, is embedded. More specifically, the metal profile comprises a body 72 with opposed flanges 74 that have inwardly bent wings 76 that serve to secure the strip 78 of the heat-insulating material. The transverse beams 70 have such width that each flange 74 extends upwards from a respective plate 13 at a given distance from the legs 46 of the flange 40, for instance at a distance of 10-50 mm.

In the shown embodiment, said abutment force between the lower face of the transverse beams 70 and the top face of the ceiling elements 10 arises from at least a portion of the top face of the ceiling elements 10 is, at the flanges 40, preferably both the top face of the insulating plate 13 and the transition 45 between the leg 44 and the leg 46, being located at a higher level than the leg 58 of the carrier beams 50, when the ceiling elements 10 are mounted correctly on the carrier beams. As mentioned the transverse beams 70 are maintained restrained within the carrier beams 50 and this is accomplished in the preferred embodiment in that the ends of the transverse beams 70 extend deeply into the open groove 60 with press-fitting in such a manner that moments can be transmitted between the transverse beams 70 and the carrier beams 50. As mentioned, the leg 58 defines the lower face of the groove 60 and since the top face of the ceiling element 10 is situated in a horizontal plane situated within the groove 60, said vertically oriented abutment force between the ceiling elements 10 and the transverse beams 70 will appear in the suspended state of the ceiling elements 10; the end restraint of the transverse beams 70 at the ends forcing the transverse beams 70 against the top face of the ceiling element. By suitable selection of the stiffness ratio of the transverse beams 70 to the ceiling elements 10, this abutment force will be provided across the entire distance between the flanges 30 of the ceiling elements 10.

Owing to the abutment force efficient sealing will be provided of the slot between the flanges 40 on the two adjoining ceiling elements 10 shown in Figure 2; the strip-shaped insulating material 78 preferably being pressed to be in intimate contact with the plate 13 which is preferably made of the same insulating material, preferably mineral wool, and the leg 46.

Said sealing provides fire-technical advantages since tests have shown that a ceiling 1 like the one shown complies with the requirements made by the fire authorities inasmuch as the temperature above the ceiling elements 10 during a fire is concerned, and that propagation of smoke from the subjacent room to a neighbouring room is largely avoided. Moreover the abutment force provides the particular advantage onboard a ship that the vibrations of the ship do not give rise to the noise problems that frequently occur due to the ceiling elements vibrating.

When the ceiling elements 10 are to be mounted, it is assumed that the carrier beams 50 are already arranged as shown in Figure 1 b, ie in a fixed position relative to the steel deck of the ship, and that the transverse beams 70 are mounted correctly at the ends by narrow press-fitting into the groove 60 and optionally securing by means of screws. Then each ceiling element 10 is conveyed in a slanted position upwards towards a carrier profile 50 and the one flange 30 is hooked securely to the carrier beam 50 in that the locking leg 36 and the leg 34 are moved into the groove 61. Then the ceiling element 10 is tilted upwards towards the horizontal position; the fitter sensing resistance from the transverse beams 70 that abut on each of the two opposed flanges 40. In the mounted position of the ceiling element 10 the flanges 40 will be pressed slightly into the insulating material 78 and the wings 76 will be pressed slightly into the insulating material of the plate 13. Slight upwards lifting of the one side of the ceiling element enables the locking leg 36 on the flange 30 which is not yet secured by a carrier beam 50 to be lifted above the locking leg 36 on the carrier beam 50, following which the ceiling element 10 is shifted a trifle in the horizontal direction to accomplish securing of both flanges 30 as shown in Figure 3.

Figures 4a and 4b show sectional views along lines D and E in Figure 1a. In that context Figure 4b shows how a metal casing G for a lighting fitting can be mounted in a ceiling element of the type described above. The metal casing G carries a heat-insulating material E and is received in a cutout in the metal plate 20 of the ceiling element 10. The own weight of the metal casing G is carried by a fitting F that comprises a heat insulation and is connected to the transverse beams 70. Figure 5a shows the laying of another ceiling that can particularly advantageously be used onboard a ship - in particular for finishing a cabin element that may be pre-manufactured and comprises cabin walls 90. The ceiling shown in Figure 5a can be provided independently of the ceiling referred to above in the contexts of figures 1 -4.

Laying of the ceiling shown in Figure 5a takes its starting point in that the walls 90 of the cabin are arranged on a support, such as the steel deck of the ship, at the pre-determined mutual distance. To form the ceiling of the cabin, ie the ceiling face which is visible from the cabin interior, a number of rectangular ceiling elements are used that are designated in general by the reference numeral 100. The ceiling elements 100 have longitudinal sides that extend between walls 90 and transverse sides that extend in parallel with the walls 90. The ceiling elements 100 are configured as sandwich-elements which, as shown in Figure 6a, comprise an upper plate 110; an intermediate insulating plate 130, preferably of mineral wool; and a lower plate 120. The plates 110, 120, 130 are connected to each other, preferably by gluing. The upper 110 and the lower 120 plate are preferably made of metal and both comprise folded edges along the longitudinal sides of the ceiling element 100.

As will appear, the folding 125 of the lower plate 120 extends upwards; there being no contact, however, between the upper 110 and the lower 120 plates along the longitudinal sides. A portion of the plate 130 can thus be visible along the longitudinal sides of the ceiling element 100. This is due to the desire that, to the widest extent possible, there is no direct conduction of heat between the lower plate 120 and the upper plate 110 in case of fire in the cabin. The folding 125 imparts a certain strength to the ceiling element 100, which is necessary when the ceiling element 100 is to be transported, eg by means of a crane, to the walls 90. Moreover, the folding 125 defines the comer of the ceiling element which is visible from below and forms an abutment for the glue applied to the plates during joining by gluing.

The foldings of the upper plate 110 along each of the longitudinal sides each exhibits a rearwardly folded portion 115 that delimits an elongate groove along the longitudinal side of the ceiling element 100. That groove has a bottom defined by a portion 118 of the folding. The groove serves to absorb a leg 146 of a locking element 140 that serves to keep two adjoining ceiling elements 100 closely together such that it is also possible to reduce or prevent passage of smoke between the ceiling elements in case of fire.

A part of the locking element 140 that extends along the entire length of the ceiling elements 100 is shown in Figure 5b during positioning; it being understood that the locking element 140 is preferably arranged by being displaced across the ceiling elements 100 with the two locking legs of the locking element received in a respective groove as shown in Figure 6a. The locking element 140 is configured as a C and comprises a flange 142 with a folding 144 along each longitudinal edge that defines the locking leg 146 that extends fully into or a distance into the groove in each ceiling element 100. Figure 6b shows an alternative embodiment of the locking element 140 in which a strip 150 of insulating material is arranged, preferably mineral wool that contributes further to limit heat conduction between the top face and the bottom face of the ceiling element 100. The strip 150 can be secured by gluing while forming a slot between the bottom face and the locking leg 146 of the strip to enable the locking leg 46 to be shifted into the groove in the ceiling element 100.

Figures 7a-7d depict various embodiments of the ceiling element 100 along the transverse sides, and it will appear that the ceiling element 100 is configured with a smaller thickness along the transverse sides, whereby the ceiling element 100 is supported in a stable manner along the upper edge 92 of the walls 90. Preferably the ceiling elements 100 abut against the walls 90 via a folded portion 121 of the lowermost plate 120, said folded portion extending into a further portion 122 that abuts directly against the edge 92 and that may also be in contact with the uppermost plate 110 (Figure 7b), optionally via a thin insulating material (Figure 7a).

The ceiling element 100 can be secured to the walls 90 via securing means 95, such as screws. As shown in Figures 7c and 7d, both the uppermost plate 110 and optionally also the lowermost plate 120 may feature a further folded portion along the transverse sides, viz as shown by reference numerals 114 and 123, and the securing means 90 may extend through that folded portion.

Claims

C l a i m s

1. A ceiling (1) for covering a room and consisting of at least two essentially rectangular ceiling elements (10) that are carried by opposed carrier beams (50), wherein the ceiling elements (10) are mounted a distance below a fixed ceiling in a building or a vessel by means of the carrier beams (50), said ceiling elements (10) comprising an essentially plane metal plate (20) which has upwardly oriented flanges (30, 40) along the sides, and carrying between the flanges (30, 40) a plate (13) of an insulating material; and wherein the ceiling elements (10) are arranged side-by-side with respective flanges (40) oriented such that they face towards each other; characterised in that the ceiling (1 ) also comprises a number of relatively rigid and elongate transverse beams (70) that comprise a heat insulating material, and each of which is connected to two opposed carrier beams (50) in such a manner that moments can be transmitted, each of said transverse beams (70) extending along the area where two ceiling elements (10) adjoin each other, in abutment against the top face of both ceiling elements (10), and the connection between the carrier beam (50) and the transverse beam (70) and the abutment against the ceiling elements (10) bringing about moment in the transverse beam (70), whereby the transverse beam (70) is kept pressed against the top face of both ceiling elements (10).

2. A ceiling according to claim 1 , characterised in that the carrier beams (50) comprise longitudinal grooves (60).

3. A ceiling according to claim 2, characterised in that each end of the transverse beams (70) is received in a respective groove (60) while forming a relatively rigid end restraint of the transverse beams (70) in the carrier beams (50).

4. A ceiling according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the transverse beams (70) enclose a π-shaped metal profile with a web (72) and flanges (74), wherein, between said flanges (74), a strip-shaped heat-insulating material is provided, preferably mineral wool.

5. A ceiling according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the plates (13) of heat-insulating material is mineral wool; and that the flanges (74) are kept pressed into the plates (13).

6. A ceiling according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the carrier beams (50) also comprise a second groove (61 ) for receiving flanges (30) on the ceiling elements (10), said flanges (30) extending essentially perpendicular to the flanges (40) that are oriented to face each other.