WO2008068786A1

WO2008068786A1 - Prefabricated prefinished edge elements for the production of swimming pools

Info

Publication number: WO2008068786A1
Application number: PCT/IT2006/000843
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alessandro Bacco
Original assignee: Cemi Piscine Service Srl
Priority date: 2006-12-07
Filing date: 2006-12-07
Publication date: 2008-06-12

Abstract

The invention is a new prefabricated element for making overflow or raised edges of pools or swimming pools for sporting or leisure activities, above ground or in-ground, constructed by juxtaposing ribbed metal panels covered with a waterproof cloth, comprising a shaped section bar with modular length and with substantially flat front part, suited to be aligned and to be positioned substantially coplanar with said wall panels, and with the lower horizontal ribbed edge suited to overlap the upper horizontal ribbed edge of one or more of said wall panels and to be fixed to it, the edge of the waterproof cloth being interposed between said ribbed edges, and wherein covering elements are applied to part or to the whole of said front surface.

Description

TITLE

PREFABRICATED PREFINISHED EDGE ELEMENTS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF SWIMMING POOLS

DESCRIPTION The present invention concerns prefabricated swimming pools and in particular it concerns a new type of prefabricated and prefinished elements for dry assembly, suited to make edges of the overflow or raised type for swimming pools to be used for leisure and sporting activities. Various types of pools or swimming pools are known, either above ground or in-ground, mainly used for sports, leisure and therapeutic purposes in general.

In particular, for making in-ground swimming pools it is necessary to make an excavation in the ground and to carry out the successive levelling operations. The reinforced concrete bed is then carried out, on which the swimming pool will successively be laid or constructed.

The side walls and the bottom of the swimming pool may be made of reinforced concrete, successively treated with waterproof products and covered with ceramic elements. Swimming pools are also known that comprise walls made with prefabricated ribbed panels made of zinc-plated stainless steel or treated with resins and having the exposed surface covered with protective products. At least one cloth in heat welded PVC, covering both the side walls and the bottom of the swimming pool, guarantees the tightness of the swimming pool itself. Once the bed has been made and the walls and cloth have been laid, said swimming pools are subjected to finishing operations that include the application of ceramic elements that cover the edge and the inner walls of the swimming pool, particularly on their upper part, close to and along the upper edge of the swimming pool.

The finishing elements comprise also the anti-slip floors that end beyond the edge of the swimming pool. Usually, the coverings of the inner walls of the known swimming pools comprise said ceramic elements, like tiles or inserts, whose application requires the intervention of specialised personnel, the laying of said elements taking place on site and requiring a long time and high labour costs. The object of the present patent is a new type of edge elements for swimming pools for sporting and leisure activities in general, prefabricated, prefinished, suitable for dry assembly with the wall panels. The main object of the present invention is to quicken and simplify the process for making swimming pools for sporting and leisure activities, both above ground and in-ground, by using said new prefabricated and prefinished elements suitable for dry assembly with the wall panels.

Another aim of the present invention is to further quicken the process for finishing the swimming pool with said prefabricated prefinished elements provided with a finishing covering made of ceramic or other type of material. One of the advantages of the present invention lies in that it does not require specialised personnel for laying the ceramic covering and finishing elements, thus ensuring considerable time and money savings.

A further aim of the present invention is to ensure precision of assembly, since said elements can be easily aligned, independently of any irregular alignment of the underlying wall panels.

Another aim of the present invention is to guarantee that the elements are completely waterproof, thanks to the tight and waterproof connection of said prefabricated elements with the underlying wall panels, covered with thick waterproof PVC cloths.

One of the advantages of the present invention is represented by the fact that it limits the use of valuable materials to the visible part, since said prefabricated elements are preferably made of stainless steel and also comprise finishing elements, while the panels for making the walls can be made of zinc-plated steel.

Another important advantage offered by the present invention is the fact that it can be applied to swimming pools formed by wall panels of any type, having any shape and size.

These and other direct and complementary aims have been achieved through the construction of a new type of edge elements for swimming pools for sporting and leisure activities, prefabricated and prefinished, suitable for dry assembly with the underlying wall panels, and wherein each one of said prefabricated elements comprises at least a ribbed modular steel section bar made of a metallic material, preferably stainless steel, suited to be permanently fixed to the adjacent section bars and to the underlying panels forming the walls, and at least one finishing covering in ceramic and/or wood and/or plastic and/or other valuable material. The new prefabricated and prefinished edge elements are conveniently used for making overflow or raised edges of swimming pools for sporting or leisure activities in general, said swimming pools being made with prefabricated panels in ribbed steel and covered with at least one waterproof cloth, preferably made of thick PVC. Said heat welded cloth is arranged in such a way as to cover not only the walls but also the bottom, usually constructed on a reinforced concrete bed. Each one of said edge elements comprises at least one ribbed and shaped section bar, made of stainless steel, with modular length, for example in the order of 80- 120 cm.

In particular, the section of said section bar is parallelepiped or generically in the shape of an upturned L and is laid with one wall, preferably the larger one, suited to be fixed in a position substantially aligned with the underlying wall panel and forming the upper edge of the swimming pool, and with a substantially horizontal or inclined wall that forms the horizontal edge of the swimming pool.

The finishing covering, consisting for example of ceramic elements having various shapes and sizes, is integrally applied to said vertical wall or side, where it faces the inside of the, swimming pool.

In general, it is possible to use any type of finishing covering, having characteristics suitable for the intended use, said covering being applied in advance to said section bar. According to the invention, the finishing element serving also as edge covering and anti-slip gripping element is applied to said horizontal wall of the section bar.

The connection between each wall panel and each edge section bar is carried out by aligning said vertical wall of the section bar with said wall panel, in such a way as to make the lower horizontal ribbed edge of the section bar overlap the upper horizontal ribbed edge of the vertical wall panel.

The perimetral edge of the waterproof cloth that covers said wall panels is interposed and held between said ribbed edges of the section bar and of the wall panel. Suitable fixing means, generically nuts, bolts and screws, and a sealing agent suited to waterproof the connection and prevent the infiltration of water are then applied. Analogously, the joint between adjacent section bars is carried out by juxtaposing the opposite vertical edges and interposing a sealing agent, said edges being connected to each other using suitable fixing means.

The main advantage of the present invention is represented by the dry assembly of said prefabricated elements, which guarantees also complete tightness, since the waterproof cloths are permanently fixed between wall panels and section bars.

Besides, further successive operations are not necessary for the application of the covering, for example in ceramic, since said edge elements already comprise all the covering and outside finishing elements.

Said edge elements allow application of all the accessories that are necessary for constructing the swimming pool, in order to guarantee the correct water flow into and out of the swimming pool.

It is also possible to provide for some of said new prefabricated edge elements to comprise also the accessories that are necessary for constructing the swimming pool, for example drain channel and overflow grille, inlets and outlets, gripping edges, lighting elements, etc.

Through the application of the new edge elements it is thus possible to make the desired edge, independently of the configuration, shape and size of the wall panels that may have various heights, said edge being complete with the necessary accessories and already finished on the outside.

The new edge elements can thus be used for making swimming pools of any kind, for sporting, leisure and therapeutic activities.

The new prefabricated and prefinished elements can be assembled on site to form the edge of the swimming pool, that is, they can be applied individually, one by one, to the underlying wall panels of the swimming pool. Alternatively, said prefabricated and prefinished elements can be preassembled, that is, placed one near the other to make the whole or part of the perfectly aligned edge of one wall and successively applied and fixed to the vertical wall panels, not necessarily perfectly aligned. In this way the linearity of the edge is ensured, which is necessary for aesthetic reasons and is obtained by juxtaposing and aligning said section bars with precision, independently of any difformity in the alignment of the underlying wall panels, thus guaranteeing an optimal result. The use of the new edge element therefore allows the swimming pool to be constructed more quickly, thus ensuring also a reduction in labour costs.

The use of the invention also allows the overall cost of materials to be reduced, since owing to the waterproof cloth, which is permanently fixed to the sealed joints between edge elements and wall panels, completely insulating the latter, it is possible to make said panels in zinc-plated steel. The characteristics of the invention will be highlighted in greater detail in the following description, with reference to the drawings attached as non- limiting examples.

Figures 1, 2, 3 show vertical sections of two possible embodiments of swimming pools for sporting and leisure activities, on reinforced concrete bed (4), with wall panels (2) covered with a waterproof PVC cloth (3) for making walls and the new prefabricated elements (1) for making the upper edge, of the raised or overflow type, respectively.

Figures 4, 5, 6 respectively show in detail 3D views of the new elements (1) for making the upper edge of the swimming pools shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3.

Figure 4a is an exploded view of Figure 4, where there is the new element comprising a section bar (1.1) with parallelepiped section, equipped with finishing elements (5, 5.1).

Figure 7 shows a detail of the joint between a section bar (1.1) of a prefabricated element and the' underlying panel (2) for making the walls of the swimming pool, with interposed waterproof cloth (3). Figure 8 shows a detail of the joint between adjacent section bars (1.1).

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, swimming pools are known that are constructed with ribbed panels (2), for example made of zinc-plated steel and covered with a cloth (3), preferably in thick PVC, and wherein the cloth (3) covers not only the walls but also the bottom, usually laid on a reinforced concrete bed (4).

The new elements (1) are used for making the upper edge of the swimming pool and each one of them comprises at least one modular shaped section bar (1.1) with finishing elements (5, 5.1, 5.2) integral with it. According to a first embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1 and 4, said section bar (1.1) has a substantially box-shaped section and is laid with a substantially vertical or inclined wall (1.2), suited to be aligned with and fixed to the underlying wall panel (T) and forming the side or upper edge of the swimming pool, and with one substantially horizontal or inclined wall (1.3) forming the horizontal edge of the swimming pool. The joint between the wall panels (2) and each one of said section bars (1.1), shown in detail in Figure 7, is carried out by making the lower horizontal ribbed edge (1.21) of the vertical wall (1.2) of the section bar (1.1) overlap the upper horizontal ribbed edge (2.1) of the vertical wall panel (2), and by applying suitable fixing means (1.4) and a sealing agent. The perimeter edge (3.1) of the waterproof cloth (3) is interposed and held between said ribbed edges (1.21) and (2.1). As shown in Figure 4, said edge (3.1) of said cloth (3) is then positioned in such a way as to cover and waterproof also part of a drain channel (7.1) with covering grille (7.2) positioned behind said section bar (1.1), the whole supported by a bearing structure (7).

Said channel (7.1) can also be waterproofed by laying a further cloth (3.2) covering at least the rear part of said section bar (1.1) and the bottom of said channel (7.1).

The joint between adjacent section bars (1.1) is carried out by juxtaposing the vertical opposite edges (1.5), if necessary interposing a sealing agent, wherein said edges (1.5) are connected to each other using suitable fixing means (1.6).

According to a further embodiment of the invention, shown for example in Figures 2 and 5, said section bar has substantially the shape of an upturned L (1.11) and is laid with said wall (1.2) substantially vertical or inclined, suited to be aligned with and fixed to the underlying wall panel (2), and with said wall (1.3) substantially horizontal or inclined, forming the horizontal edge of the swimming pool.

At least one of said L-shaped section bars (1.11) also comprises one or more openings (1.7) for making water inlets or outlets for the swimming pool. According to a further embodiment of the invention, shown for example in Figures 3 and 6, said section- bar (1.12) has substantially the shape of an horizontal S, in such a way as to obtain said substantially vertical front wall (1.2), said substantially horizontal wall (1.3) and a channel (6) for draining water. Said section bar (1.12) is also shaped in such a way as to house overflow grilles (6.1) that cover the channel (6), for example of the known type in rigid plastic material. The finishing covering that in the examples shown in the figures can consist of ceramic elements having various shapes and sizes, like traditional tiles

(5) or inserts or mosaic tesserae, is integrally applied at least to said vertical wall (1.2) or side of each one of said section bars (1.1, 1.11, 1.12).

According to the invention said covering ceramic elements (5) are applied to said vertical wall (1.2) leaving only a few millimetres from the vertical margin of the section bar (1.1, 1.11, 1.12), so that the joint and sealing can be carried out precisely and effectively, the joint between adjacent section bars being finished successively.

According to the invention, a finishing element (5.1, 5.2), for example in plastic, ceramic, stoneware or other material, serving as edge cover, for example with gripping element and rough surface (5.1) is applied to said horizontal wall (1.3) of the section bar (1.1, 1.11, 1.12).

Therefore, with reference to the above description and the attached drawings, the following claims are expressed.

Claims

1. New prefabricated element for making overflow or raised edges of pools or swimming pools for sporting or leisure activities, above ground or in-ground, constructed by juxtaposing ribbed metal panels covered with a waterproof cloth, characterized in that it comprises at least one shaped section bar with modular lenght and substantially flat front part, suited to be aligned and to be positioned substantially coplanar with said wall panels, and with the lower horizontal ribbed edge suited to overlap the upper horizontal ribbed edge of one or more of said wall panels, the perimeter edge of the waterproof cloth being interposed between said ribbed edges, and wherein said edges are integrally connected to each other through fixing means, and wherein finishing covering elements are applied to part or to the whole of the front surface of said section bar, totally or partially immersed in water.

2. New prefabricated element according to claim 1, characterized in that each one of said section bars is connected to the adjacent section bar through the juxtaposition of the vertical opposite ribbed edges connected to each other through fixing means.

3. New prefabricated element according to claims 1, 2, characterized in that the joints between said adjacent section bars and/or between each section bar and the underlying wall panel are sealed by interposing and applying a sealing and waterproofing material.

4. New prefabricated element according to claims 1, 2, 3, characterized in that said section bar has the shape of an upturned L and is suited to be laid with at least one substantially vertical or inclined part, aligned with and fixed to said wall panels, and with at least one substantially horizontal part suited to form the horizontal edge of the swimming pool, and wherein finishing covering elements are applied to part or to the whole of said vertical part and/or to said horizontal part.

5. New prefabricated element according to claim 4, characterized in that one or more covering elements, like tiles or ceramic inserts, are pre-applied to said vertical part.

6. New prefabricated element according to claim 4, characterized in that one or more edge covering elements, with anti-slip and/or gripping function are pre-applied to said horizontal part.

7. New prefabricated element according to the previous claims, characterized in that said section bar at the rear is integral with a water drain channel.

8. New prefabricated element according to the previous claim, characterized in that it comprises one or more overflow grilles that are applied in such a way as to cover said channel.