WO2011027040A1

WO2011027040A1 - Mosaic tiles having hooking tabs

Info

Publication number: WO2011027040A1
Application number: PCT/FR2009/001064
Authority: WO
Inventors: Didier Cassini
Original assignee: Didier Cassini
Priority date: 2009-09-04
Filing date: 2009-09-04
Publication date: 2011-03-10
Also published as: SA109300602B1

Abstract

The invention relates to tiles (10) to be attached onto a mounting (20) using an adhesive (21) with a view to forming a mosaic, said tiles (10) having a top surface (11) that is visible on the mosaic and a bottom surface (12), as well as side edges (13). The invention is characterized in that said side edges (13) have, at the bottom portion thereof, at least one hooking tab (17), and in that the adhesive (21) forms a solidified retaining cluster (22) on top of said hooking tab (17) in the gap between the mosaic tiles (10). The invention can in particular, but not exclusively, be used in glass tile mosaics.

Description

MOSAIC TILES HANGING HEEL

The present invention relates to tiles intended to be fixed on a support by means of an adhesive in order to form a mosaic, said tiles having, on the one hand, an apparent top face of the mosaic, as well as a face of below, and, on the other hand, lateral edges. These tiles are tiles that may be formed of all types of materials, for example sandstone, ceramic, marble, stone, or glass, and whose songs are for example vertical or inclined.

In Figure 1, there is shown, in section, a tile 1 according to the prior art. Such a tile according to the prior art is, in this case, a glass tile, obtained by rolling or pressing, which has a lower face and an upper face. In the case where said tile has a sheet of metal such as for example a gold sheet 2, then this tile has a first lower layer 3 and a second upper layer 4. The thickness of the first layer 3 is substantially greater than that of the second layer 4. In one example, the thickness of the second layer 4 is of the order of 0.2 mm, while that of the first layer 3 is of the order of 4 mm. The metal sheet 2 is interposed between the upper and lower layers.

As shown in FIG. 2, such tiles 1 according to the prior art are capable of being fixed to a support 5 by means of an adhesive 6 in order to form a mosaic. The upper layer 4 of the tiles 1 forms the surface of the mosaic.

Taking the glue, for example, when it is an epoxy-based polymer glue, its polymerization, is accompanied by a slight shrinkage. Such a withdrawal is likely to cause detachments of tiles mosaic.

In addition, the mosaic is often subject to various external constraints and, in particular, temperature constraints. Such temperature constraints are particularly important during day / night cycles in so-called hot countries. Indeed, considering the combined effect of the sun's rays on the mosaic and the outside temperature, the temperature of a mosaic positioned in front of the sun's rays can reach, during the day, in a warm country, 70 ° C, while at night this temperature may fall below 0 ° C. These constraints are likely to cause expansion / contraction of the materials constituting the mosaic, namely glass tile, glue and joints, including the support 5. As a result, some tiles 1 are likely to separate from said support 5 and fall off, or get cracked. The presence of cracks 7 on the upper layer of the tiles 1 leads to significant appearance defects of the mosaic. A film coating of the upper layer can be generated: this layer disengages and falls. The gold leaf is damaged.

In addition, the V-shaped profile of such mosaic tiles, with oblique edges also allows a detachment of the mosaic.

Such detachment can thus have multiple origins such as, for example, removal of the adhesive during drying, improper application of the mosaic on the adhesive due to possible air gaps between the mosaic and the adhesive, swelling of the glue in the case of mortars glue or swelling of the support due to the expiration of the glue or a defect of 2009/001064 support structure, or at a dilatation of the support assembly, glue, seal and mosaic.

Falling or cracking tiles must be replaced, which is costly and sometimes difficult, especially when the mosaic is placed high.

Considering the state of the art thus exposed, a problem to be solved by the invention is to make mosaics whose tiles are not likely to dissociate from their support.

The solution of the invention to this problem relates to tiles intended to be fixed on a support by means of an adhesive to form a mosaic, said tiles having, on the one hand, an apparent top face of the mosaic, as well as a bottom face, and, on the other hand, lateral edges, characterized in that said lateral edges have, in their lower part, at least one hooked heel, and in that the glue forms a solidified retaining cluster above said hooked heel, in the interstice between the tiles of the mosaic.

Advantageously, the tiles are glass tiles which comprise a first lower layer of glass, a second upper layer of glass, a metal sheet being interposed between said layers of glass, and the thickness of the first layer of glass being substantially greater than the thickness of the second glass layer; the height of the hooked heel is less than about one-third of the height of the lateral edges, and the width of said hooking heel is less than about 1 mm; - once the tiles are fixed on the support by means of an adhesive to form the mosaic, a seal is formed in the interstice between the tiles, vertically and above the solidified retaining cluster formed by the 001064 glue; the support is a composite support of the type comprising a polymeric resin, and the adhesive is an adhesive comprising a polymeric resin, capable of exhibiting a shrinkage during the polymerization of the resin; the support is a cement support, or supports made of fiberglass, glass, wood, ceramics, ferrous or non-ferrous metals and alloys or sandstone; the hooked heel is present on at least one lateral edge of the tile, but it may be present on the entire periphery of the lateral edges; the tiles comprise a plurality of hooked heels distributed along the periphery of the lateral edges so that the heels of a first tile are not located opposite a heel of a second tile placed adjacent to the first tile; in the mosaic; the tiles are substantially in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped with substantially vertical or slightly inclined edges, the top and bottom faces of which are 10 to 100 mm square, and the thickness of said tiles is between 2 and 12 mm; and - the tiles can have all geometric shapes.

The invention will be better understood on reading the nonlimiting description which follows, written with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

Figure 3 shows, in section, a tile according to the invention and details an embodiment of a hooked heel;

4A, 4B, 4C and 4D show, in section, different embodiments of hooked heels of tiles according to the invention;

FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D illustrate yet another embodiment of said tiles, said serrated heel; and FIG. 6 schematizes, in section, the principle according to the invention.

As is more particularly shown in FIG. 3, the tiles 10 according to the invention have, on the one hand, an apparent top face 11 of the mosaic, as well as a bottom face 12, and, on the other hand, side edges 13.

In one example, these tiles are glass tiles. In other examples, the tiles are tiles of sandstone, ceramic, marble, or stone, or any other materials commonly used for the manufacture of mosaics. In the case of glass tiles, the tiles preferably comprise a first lower glass layer 14 and a second upper glass layer 15. A metal sheet 16, in particular of gold, is interposed between the layers 14, 15 of glass. In this embodiment, the thickness of the first layer 14 is substantially less than the thickness of the second layer 15. In one example, the thickness of the first layer 14 is of the order of 0.2 mm, the thickness of the second layer 15 is of the order of 4 mm, and the thickness of the metal sheet 16 is a few microns or tens of microns.

Commonly, the tiles are substantially in the form of rectangular parallelepipeds with substantially vertical or slightly inclined edges whose top and bottom faces are square from 10 to 100 mm side. The thickness of said tiles is between 2 and 12 mm. However, in other exemplary embodiments, the dimensions of said tiles are likely to be relatively larger, or substantially smaller.

The lateral edges 13 of the tiles 10 according to the invention have, in their lower part, at least one hanging heel 17 projecting from said edges. The height of the hooked heel 17 is less than about one third of the height of the lateral edges 13, preferably of the order of a quarter of this height. The width of the hooked heel is less than about 1 mm. Such a hooked heel offers a mechanical catch between the tiles according to the invention.

In one embodiment of the invention, the hooking heels 17 are present over the entire periphery of the lateral edges 13. As is more particularly shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D, the profile of the hooked heels 17 can then be various. In Figure 4A, this profile is substantially U. In Figure 4B, the profile is of the dovetail type. In Figures 4C and 4D, the profile of the hooked heel 17 has a channel 17A. Of course, other profiles may be implemented, for example, V-shaped, square, or triangular.

In other embodiments, the side edges 13 have a plurality of hooking heels 17 distributed along the periphery of said edges 17 so that the heels of a first tile are not located with respect to a heel a second tile placed adjacent to the first tile in the mosaic. These tiles are said to have serrated heel. The serrated heel shape allows the laying of the mosaic in aligned joint and / or cross joint. In these other embodiments, the profile of the beads 17 may be various. In FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C and 5D, each lateral edge 17 has two hooking heels 17. These hooked heels have a substantially dovetail profile. As it appears more particularly in FIGS. 5B, 5C and 5D, the beads are arranged in such a way that the heels of a first tile are not located opposite a heel of a second tile placed adjacent to the FR2009 / 001064 first tile in the mosaic. Thus, the space between the tiles is minimized.

The tiles according to the invention are manufactured according to various techniques known to those skilled in the art. They can be manufactured by pressing, or by using cutting, rolling, molding or other means.

The tiles, once manufactured, are generally arranged on a grid, a step called the grid, the type of the grid 18 shown in Figure 5D. This grid 18 is provided with braces 19, which facilitate the positioning of the tiles 1, so that they are regularly spaced from each other. In the case where the tiles are glass tiles comprising an interlayered gold sheet, the top layer is arranged at the top on the grid.

In a subsequent step, an adhesive plastic film, or else a paper of the type glued kraft paper, is positioned on the tiles, more particularly on the upper face of the tiles. Plaques of tiles are then formed on a temporary support, which can be applied on a permanent support. This step facilitates subsequent handling and conditioning operations, the tiles being grouped into plates and no longer individually. It thus saves time when laying tiles compared to laying tile by tile.

In Figure 6, there is shown a mosaic provided with tiles 10 according to the invention. As it appears in this figure, the tiles 10 are fixed glued to the support 20 by means of an adhesive 21. The lower face of the tiles and part of the edges is in contact with the glue. The support is for example a composite support of the type comprising a polymeric resin. In other examples, it is cement supports, or even 1064 supports made of fiberglass, glass, wood, ceramics, ferrous or non-ferrous metals and alloys or sandstone. The glue 21 is for example an adhesive comprising a polymeric resin, capable of exhibiting a shrinkage during the polymerization of the resin. The polymeric resin is for example an epoxy resin.

At the time of laying the tiles 10, the glue 21 will have flowed between the interstices of the tiles 10 and will have formed a solidified retaining cluster 22 above the hooked heels, in the gap between the lateral edges of said tiles. For example, a pressure of 50 to 100 g / cm ² is applied for 30 seconds on the top face of the tiles so as to guarantee adhesion during laying. Once fixed on the support by means of an adhesive to form the mosaic, and after drying the glue, for example 24 hours after its application, the temporary support is removed and the visible surface of the mosaic tiles is then cleaned with a damp sponge. A seal 23 is applied between the mosaics glued after drying the tiles, and is formed in the interstice between the tiles, vertically and above the solidified retaining clump formed by the glue. The drying time of the joint is on average 24 hours. The adhesive and the seal may be identical, for example an epoxy resin, or different, for example an adhesive mortar and a seal of different nature.

The slight shrinkage, which may occur during the polymerization of the adhesive will have the effect of further improving the attachment of the tiles to the support 20. The taking of the adhesive above the hooked heel and its eventual withdrawal thus results to mechanically strengthen the holding of mosaic tiles on the support. Moreover, the external constraints, in particular the temperature constraints, to which the mosaic would be subjected, and which lead to slight dilations / contractions of the materials constituting the mosaic, including the support 20, will not lead, in particular, to a 10. These remain retained by mechanical catch, by the retaining cluster 22 cooperating with the hooked heels 17.

In addition, when the tiles 10 are glass, and comprise a metal interlayer sheet, the thick top layer being disposed outside on the mosaic, the lower thin layer, the side of the support 20, is protected. The tiles do not suffer cracks. Indeed, the perfect homogeneity between the lower layer, the metal sheet and the upper layer provides only a tiny percentage of defective tiles and the thin layer of glass on the underside of the mosaic is trapped in the glue. No film coating is then possible and no glass residue or metal foil can become detached from the mosaic and fall from the support with tiles according to the invention.

Claims

Tiles (10) intended to be fixed on a support (20) by means of an adhesive (21) in order to form a mosaic, said tiles (10) having, on the one hand, a top face (11) ) of the mosaic, as well as a bottom face (12), and, on the other hand, lateral edges (13), characterized in that said lateral edges (13) have, in their lower part, at least a hooking heel (17), and in that the glue (21) forms a solidified holding mass (22) above said hooking heel (17), in the gap between the tiles (10) of Mosaic.

2. Tiles (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that they are glass tiles (10), which comprise a first lower layer (14) of glass, a second upper layer (15) of glass, a metal sheet (16) being interposed between said glass layers, and the thickness of the first glass layer (14) being substantially greater than the thickness of the second glass layer (15).

3. Tiles (10) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the height of the hooked heel (17) is less than a third about the height of the side edges (13), and in that the width of said hooking heel (17) is less than about 1 mm.

4. Tiles (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, once fixed on the support (20) by means of an adhesive (21) to form the mosaic, a seal (23) is formed in the interstice between the tiles (10), vertically and above the solidified holding mass (22) formed by the glue (21).

5. Tiles (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support (20) is a composite support of the type comprising a polymeric resin, and in that the adhesive (21) is an adhesive comprising a polymeric resin , likely to have a shrinkage during the polymerization of the resin.

6. Tiles (10) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the support (20) is a cement substrate, or supports fiberglass, glass, wood, ceramic, metal and ferrous or non-ferrous alloys, or sandstone.

7. Tiles (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hooked heel (17) is present on at least one side edge of the tile but it may be present on the entire periphery of the edges lateral (13).

8. Tiles (10) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that they comprise a plurality of hooked heels (17) distributed along the periphery of the side edges (13) so that the heels a first tile (10) are not located opposite a heel of a second tile (10) placed adjacent to the first tile in the mosaic.

9. Tiles (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that they are substantially in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped substantially vertical edges or slightly inclined wherein the top (11) and bottom (12) faces are 10 to 100 mm square, and the thickness of said tiles (10) is 2 to 12 mm.

10. Tiles (10) according to one of claims 1 to

8, characterized in that the tiles may have any geometric shapes.