WO2007118622A1

WO2007118622A1 - Cladding system for architectural structures fully or partially immersed in water

Info

Publication number: WO2007118622A1
Application number: PCT/EP2007/003106
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nicola Amenduni
Original assignee: Ferlat Acciai S.P.A.
Priority date: 2006-04-13
Filing date: 2007-04-05
Publication date: 2007-10-25
Also published as: EP2004915A1; ITMI20060748A1

Abstract

A cladding system (1) for architectural structures (2) made of concrete such as walls of buildings, pillars and the like, partially or completely immersed in water, comprising at least one plate-like protective element (10, 20) and connection means (11, 21, 30) adapted to fix the at least one protective element (10, 20) directly to the architectural structure (2), the at least one protective element (10, 20) being adapted to withstand both corrosion and mechanical erosion phenomena.

Description

CLADDING SYSTEM FOR ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURES FULLY OR PARTIALLY IMMERSED IN WATER Technical Field

The present invention relates to a cladding and/or protection system which is adapted to preserve the structures of buildings, bridges and the like against erosion phenomena caused by water. Background Art

As is known, water has a considerable ability to erode and corrode materials in general. In particular, water, in contact with any material, is capable of affecting such material both in static conditions, in which case one speaks of corrosion, and in dynamic conditions, in which case one speaks of erosion.

Corrosion in static conditions occurs first of all due to the chemical- physical characteristics of water. As is known, water is in fact an excellent solvent, capable of dissolving in itself most known substances. Further, the chemical structure of water molecules causes water to be an excellent electricity conductor, and therefore metallic materials of different kinds undergo extremely rapid galvanic corrosion if they are coupled in the presence of a humid environment, while the oxygen contained in water molecules accelerates metal oxidation phenomena.

When a mass of water, in contact with any other material, is also moving, the corrosion phenomena described above receive the addition of a purely mechanical erosion phenomenon, which is due both to the impact forces exchanged in the collision of the mass of water with said material and to the friction forces linked to the surface tension of the water.

Any material in contact with water therefore is affected by the phenomena described above. These phenomena are of course even more conspicuous if the material is submerged in water, and even more severe if such water is seawater. In this last case, in addition to the higher corrosion capacity of salt water with respect to fresh water, there can be the addition of a substantial phenomenon of mechanical erosion due to wave motion and to the forces associated with the vastness of the water masses involved.

Some structures such as buildings, bridges, roads in some cities of the world are constantly or frequently exposed to the action of water, or even completely submerged in water, as in the case of cities built proximate to or in the middle of the actual lagoons of salt water or proximate to strips of land which however are subject to being invaded by water due to tidal rise phenomena.

In all these cases, the problem arises of having to preserve the architectural structures against water. In particular, such structures are generally made of concrete, reinforced concrete or other material commonly used in the building sector. These materials, even when they are reinforced or covered with a further protective layer of concrete, as often occurs in these cases, are not adapted to resist for a long time immersed in water, and exhibit low resistance to mechanical erosion phenomena caused by water and increased by any wave motion.

In the case of cities such as Venice, which as is known is completely built on water and rich in navigable canals, wave motion is not only due to the conditions of the sea in itself but is often increased, especially in the navigable canals that cross the city, by the passage of watercraft. This wave motion exposes to the phenomenon of erosion any building or pillar or bridge that is in the vicinity of these canals. In lagoon cities, moreover, it is known that the level of the water is not constant and often varies through the year due to natural phenomena. Some systems to try to reduce erosion phenomena are known. Among these, a method is known in particular which consists in covering a wall of concrete with a corrosion-resistant layer of resin of glass fiber or epoxy resins; said layer is bonded with adhesive to the concrete structure during the construction of said structure. Other systems have been further improved to close temporarily doors or windows of buildings in case of sudden flooding or temporary rises in the level of the water. None of the systems described above, however, is adapted to be used permanently as a protective cladding barrier for protection against mechanical erosion phenomena. The requirements of known systems are in fact substantially the low cost of the materials used and the easy assembly and disassembly of temporary protections.

The problems linked to the scenario described above of building or architectural structures in general which have some parts constantly immersed in water and subject to wave motion are instead deeply different from the ones dealt with by known systems. The main unsolved problem of known systems, in particular, is the durability over time of the protective element and the applicability of the protective element even several years after the construction of the building to be protected.

Known systems in fact do not provide a solution which is adapted to resist over time when the element is constantly or in any case most of the time immersed in a highly aggressive environment, which entails, also on the protective system, a constant erosive and corrosive action.

Another drawback left unsolved by known types of system consists in poor operating versatility, since adaptability of the protective elements to the structures to be protected is not provided, privileging instead modular solutions which can be scarcely modeled on surfaces which are uneven and already exist and therefore cannot be modified. Disclosure of the Invention

The aim of the present invention is to provide a cladding or protection system which allows to overcome the drawbacks described above.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a cladding or protection system which is adapted to withstand both corrosion phenomena and erosion phenomena arising from permanence for a long time in a marine environment characterized by wave motion. Another object of the present invention is to provide a cladding and protection system which can be applied easily directly to any structure and to a plurality of materials.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cladding and protection system which can be preformed according to requirements. This aim and these and other objects, which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a cladding and/or protection system for architectural structures such as walls of buildings, pillars and the like, mainly made of concrete or similar building materials, partially or completely immersed in water, characterized in that it comprises at least one plate-like protective element and connecting means for directly fixing the protective element to the architectural structure to be protected, the protective element being adapted to withstand both corrosion and mechanical erosion phenomena, thus protecting the architectural structure on which it is installed. Advantageously, the cladding system is constituted by plate-like elements which can be applied directly to the surfaces to be protected, preferably by means of ties or nails which are fired, by means of adapted machines, through the surface of the cladding element. Brief Description of the Drawings Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description, given by way of non-limiting example and illustrated in the accompanying figures, wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a first application of the system according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of an element of the system according to the embodiment of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a second application of the system according to a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is a perspective view of an element of the system according to the embodiment of Figure 3. Ways of carrying out the Invention

According to a preferred embodiment, illustrated by way of example in the figures, a protection system 1 according to the present invention comprises one or more protective elements 10, 20, which are shaped like a plate or lamina. Such protective elements can be in the form of flat plates 10 or can be in the shape of plates 20 which are preformed so as to adapt in an optimum manner to the surface of the architectural structure 2 to be clad.

As shown for example in Figures 1 and 3, a plurality of cladding and protective elements can be arranged side by side in order to clad in an optimum manner the surface of the architectural structure exposed to the action of water. In particular, the flat plates 10 and the preformed plates 20 may have either a perimeter which is characterized by substantially straight sides which are therefore arranged simply side by side, or a perimeter characterized by non-straight sides, so that two adjacent plates have their facing sides characterized by complementary mating profiles, in this case also with the result that a plurality of protective elements 10, 20 can be arranged side by side, providing a continuous covering of the surface of the architectural structure 2 to be protected. The fixing of the protective elements 10, 20 to the architectural structure 2 to be protected can be provided by way of connection means, which comprise one or more ties 30 or bolts or similar means. According to a first preferred embodiment of the invention, the cladding elements 10, 20 are applied to the surface to be protected against mechanical erosion by applying a plurality of nails, which are fired directly through the elements 10, 20 by means of a suitable nail firing machine.

In a second embodiment, through holes 1 1, 21 are instead provided in the protective element 10, 20. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a plurality of through holes arranged in a substantially perimetric region of said protective elements or along the entire perimeter of said plate- like elements can accommodate a plurality of ties 30, which are inserted directly in the architectural structure 2.

In another embodiment, the through holes can of course be provided even if nails are used instead of ties. The nature of the building material of which the architectural structure is made does not limit in any way the present invention. Merely by way of example, it is noted that especially structures made of concrete or reinforced concrete, as well as of course ordinary brickwork, are subjected more conspicuously to the erosion caused by water in general and by running water or by wave motion in particular.

The protective elements or plates 10, 20 are made of metallic material. The material of which the plates are made is very important, since the properties of resistance to corrosion and erosion of said plate, which will be immersed constantly or frequently in seawater, depend mainly on the nature of the material .

The plates 10, 20 of the system according to the present invention are therefore made of a material which is adapted to resist in a marine environment, preferably steel known as marine steel, or austenitic steel with a high molybdenum content. Preferably, the material of which the protective elements according to the present invention are made is stainless steel according to the EN 1.4404 classification, particularly AISI 316 or AISI 316 L steel. These materials have excellent resistance to corrosion both in still seawater and in flowing seawater, thus ensuring optimum durability over time. Further, the mechanical resistance of steel to the impact forces associated with wave motion is known. The high surface hardness obtained by means of alloy steels ensures excellent resistance of the protective element against mechanical erosion phenomena, thus protecting effectively and durably the underlying structure. In order to avoid any possible galvanic corrosion phenomena, the ties 30 or nails must of course be made of a suitable material. In particular, said ties also can be conveniently made of the same material as the plates 10, 20. It has thus been shown that the present protective system achieves the intended aim and objects. In particular, it has been shown that the system according to the present invention provides a simple and effective system which is capable of solving the problem of erosion of architectural structures immersed in seawater, including moving seawater.

Further, the system according to the present invention is capable of resisting for a long time immersed completely or partially in seawater, even moving seawater, without being affected by corrosion or erosion phenomena.

Further, it has been shown that the object has been achieved of providing a protective system which is easy to apply and can be provided if necessary as a modular system which can be applied to architectural structures of any shape and of any material.

Moreover, a further object achieved by the system according to the present invention is that said system can be constituted by preformed elements, so that they can adapt in an optimum manner to the surface of the architectural structure on which they are applied.

Numerous modifications can be made by the person skilled in the art without abandoning the scope of the protection of the appended claims.

The scope of the protection of the claims, therefore, must not be limited by the illustrations or preferred embodiments shown in the description by way of example, but rather the claims must comprise all the characteristics of patentable novelty that can be deduced from the present invention, including all the characteristics that would be treated as equivalent by the person skilled in the art.

The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. MI2006A000748 from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A cladding system (1) for architectural structures (2) made of concrete such as walls of buildings, pillars and the like, partially or completely immersed in water, characterized in that it comprises at least one plate-like protective element (10, 20) and connection means (1 1, 21, 30) adapted to fix said at least one protective element (10, 20) directly to said architectural structure (2), said at least one protective element (10, 20) being adapted to withstand both corrosion and mechanical erosion phenomena.

2. The cladding system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one protective element (10, 20) is constituted by a plate made of a metallic material for the aquatic environment.

3. The cladding system (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that said at least one protective element is constituted by a flat metal plate (10).

4. The cladding system (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that said at least one protective element is constituted by a metal plate (20) which is preformed so as to adapt to the surface of the architectural structure (2) to which it is to be connected.

5. The cladding system (1) according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that said plate (10, 20) is made of marine steel.

6. The cladding system (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that said plate (10, 20) is made of austenitic stainless steel with a high molybdenum content.

7. The cladding system (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that said plate (10, 20) is made of stainless steel according to the EN 1.4404 standard.

8. The cladding system (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that said plate (10, 20) is made of AISI 316 or AISI 316 L stainless steel.

9. The cladding system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said connection means comprise at least one tie (30) which is adapted to be inserted in said architectural structure (2).

10. The cladding system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that said connection means comprise one or more nails.

11. The cladding system (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that said connection means further comprise at least one through hole (1 1, 21) which is formed in said at least one protective element (10, 20) and is adapted to accommodate said at least one tie (30), so that said at least one tie (30) can be inserted directly in the architectural structure (2), providing the connection of said at least one protective element (10, 20) to the architectural structure (2).

12. The cladding system (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that said connection means further comprise at least one through hole (11, 21) which is formed in said at least one protective element (10, 20) and is adapted to accommodate said at least one nail, so that said at least one nail can be inserted directly in the architectural structure (2), providing the connection of said at least one protective element (10, 20) to the architectural structure (2).

13. The cladding system (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that said connection means comprise a plurality of ties (30) and a plurality of through holes (11, 21) formed in said at least one protective element (10, 20).

14. The cladding system (1) according to claim 13, characterized in that said plurality of through holes (11, 21) are formed in the substantially perimetric region of said protective element ( 10, 20).

15. The cladding system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of said protective elements (10, 20) which are arranged mutually side by side.

16. The cladding system (1) according to claim 15, characterized in that each of said protective elements (10, 20) is constituted by a plate which has straight perimetric sides, so that it can be arranged side by side with respect to a similar adjacent plate, so as to clad without discontinuities said U architectural structure (2).

17. The cladding system (1) according to claim 16, characterized in that each of said protective elements is constituted by a plate which has at least one perimetric side which is adapted to partially interpenetrate one side of an adjacent plate whose profile is complementary to the first plate, so that they can be arranged side by side so as to clad without discontinuities said architectural structure in a modular structure.

18. The cladding system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said tension elements (30) are made of the same material of which said plate-like protective elements (10, 20) are made.

19. The cladding system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one protective element (10, 20) is applied to said structures (2) by way of ties which are fired through said protective element.