WO2020210890A1

WO2020210890A1 - Insulated panel and methods of installation

Info

Publication number: WO2020210890A1
Application number: PCT/CA2019/050476
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Lam
Original assignee: Chipwall Inc.
Priority date: 2019-04-16
Filing date: 2019-04-16
Publication date: 2020-10-22

Abstract

An insulated panel is disclosed together with methods of installing the insulated panel to a building structure. The insulated panel includes an insulating core sandwiched by an exterior facing and an interior facing at front and rear surfaces of the insulating core, respectively. The insulating core is recessed at the top edge and at one side edge and projected at the bottom edge and other side edge providing a projection-to-recess coupling system to facilitate connection between the panel and an adjacent panel. Holes are cut near the top edge of the interior facing and slots are cut in the projection near the bottom edge of the insulating core. A shelf angle having openings is installed near the top recessed edge of the insulating core for attaching the insulated panel with fasteners to a building structure.

Description

TITLE: INSULATED PANEL AND METHODS OF INSTALLATION

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

[0001] The present disclosure relates to building construction. Certain examples provide an insulated panel, a precast concrete panel, and a wood panel, as well as methods of installation of said panels to a building structure.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Insulated panels, sometimes referred to as structural insulated panels or structural insulating panels or sandwich panels, are used as a building material and are generally formed as structured composites consisting of an insulating layer sandwiched between two layers of structural board. Insulated panels can be used in construction of walls, roofs, floors, and foundations, offering several advantages by combining functions of insulation, weather barriers, and structural support.

[0003] Insulated panels are typically prefabricated at a remote location, and then installed at a building site, offering benefits such as versatility, low weight, and good energy efficiency. To install an insulated panel according to a conventional approach, a bottom plate is fastened to the floor structure and then the insulated panel is tilted into position over the bottom plate and nailed into place. A spline or thin slat is positioned between each panel and nailed to each panel to ensure structural and weather (air and vapour) barrier continuity.

[0004] Conventional uses of insulated panels suffer from drawbacks including high costs, proper sealing and thermal bridging at building connection, structural integrity, loss of floorplate compared to a curtain wall system.

[0005] A curtain wall is a glazed wall system hung off a concrete slab using anchors. Curtain walls give a building's exterior the look of top to bottom glass but do not support any of the load of the building itself. Curtain walls are typically installed from the outside of a building using cranes or rigs. Curtain wall installation is a complex process and is typically more expensive than other systems. Furthermore, a typical building curtain wall, composed mainly of glass panels and metal beams, can be subject to rapid changes in temperature and is not very energy efficient.

[0006] There is a need for construction materials and techniques providing improved insulating and other properties. Improvements in insulated panels, precast concrete panels, and wood panels as well as methods for installation are desirable.

[0007] The preceding examples of the related art and limitations related to it are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a review of the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Examples are illustrated with reference to the attached drawings. It is intended that the examples and figures disclosed herein be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an insulated panel in accordance with a disclosed example of the present specification;

[0010] FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are a front perspective view and a rear perspective view, respectively, of a plurality of insulated panels, shown in various configurations, in

accordance with disclosed examples of the present specification;

[0011] FIG. 4 to FIG. 6 are perspective views of the insulated panel of FIG. 1 ;

[0012] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a plurality of insulated panels of FIG. 2, installed to a concrete slab; [0013] FIG. 8A is an interior perspective view of the installation of FIG. 7;

[0014] FIG. 8B is cross-sectional view of a concrete slab and a wedge insert, in

accordance with a disclosed example of the present specification;

[0015] FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the insulated panel of FIG. 1 , shown with a conduit contained within an insulating core of the insulated panel; [0016] FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B are a perspective view and a detailed perspective view, respectively, of a plurality of insulated panels, installed in a terrace configuration, in accordance with a disclosed example of the present specification;

[0017] FIG. 11 A, FIG. 11 B and FIG. 11C are a perspective view, and two detailed perspective views, respectively, of a plurality of insulated panels, installed in a balcony configuration, in accordance with a disclosed example of the present specification;

[0018] FIG. 12 is detailed perspective view of a plurality of insulated panels in accordance with a disclosed example of the present specification;

[0019] FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B are an exterior perspective view and an interior perspective view of a plurality of insulated panels installed at grade level with a basement, in

accordance with a disclosed example of the present specification;

[0020] FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 are perspective views of a plurality of insulated panels arranged in a first combination and a second combination, respectively, in accordance with disclosed examples of the present specification; [0021] FIG. 16 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of a top portion of the insulated panel of FIG. 1 , attached to an edge of a concrete slab, and FIG. 17 is the same view with another insulated panel disposed above said panel;

[0022] FIG. 18 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of a top portion of the insulated panel of FIG. 1 , attached to a horizontal structural beam, and FIG. 19 is the same view with another insulated panel disposed above said panel;

[0023] FIG. 20 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of a top portion of the insulated panel of FIG. 1 , attached to a precast concrete slab, and FIG. 21 is the same view with another insulated panel disposed above said panel;

[0024] FIG. 22 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of a top portion of the insulated panel of FIG. 1 , attached to a wood header and a wood joist, and FIG. 23 is the same view with another insulated panel disposed above said panel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In the following detailed description, references are made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the description and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in accordance with the described embodiments. Although these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable one skilled in the art to practice the described embodiments, it is understood that these examples are not limiting; such that other embodiments may be used, and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the described embodiments. [0026] Exemplary insulated panels and methods of installation according to the present application are described in this section. These examples are being provided solely to add context and aid in the understanding of the described embodiments. It will thus be apparent to one skilled in the art that the described embodiments may be practiced without some or all these specific details. In other instances, well-known method steps have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the described embodiments. Other examples and methods are possible, such that the following examples should not be taken as limiting.

[0027] The disclosed examples of the present application contemplate an insulated panel including an insulating core sandwiched by an exterior facing and an interior facing at front and rear surfaces of the insulating core, respectively. According to one example, the insulating core is recessed at the top edge and at one side edge and projected at the bottom edge and other side edge providing a coupling system to facilitate connection between the panel and an adjacent panel. In this example, holes are cut in a spaced apart manner near the top edge of the interior facing and slots are cut near the bottom edge of the insulating core to allow a shelf angle having openings to be installed.

[0028] Examples of the present specification aim to provide an insulated panel system with improved sealing and structural characteristics, and an expanded floorplate compared to conventional techniques. Techniques of the present specification have been informed by the“Passive House” approach, an internationally recognized performance-based energy standard in construction. Constructing buildings in this way results in energy efficiencies that can reduce heating and cooling demand compared to conventional building stock. Some design criteria of“Passive House” techniques include providing superinsulation, minimizing thermal bridging, and improving airtightness. As well, reference is made to the Toronto Green Standard (TGS), a two-tier set of performance measures, with supporting guidelines for new development.

[0029] Referring now to FIG. 1 , there is shown a front perspective view of an insulated panel 10 in accordance with disclosed examples of the present specification. As shown in FIG. 1 (and in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 for cross-sectional views) insulated panel 10 includes an insulating core 12, an exterior facing 14 attached to a front surface of insulating core 12, and an interior facing 16 attached to a rear surface of insulating core 12. The insulating core 12 is recessed at a top edge and at a side edge and projected at a bottom edge and the other side edge to create a projection-to-recess configuration (or“tongue and groove” coupling system) to facilitate connection between the insulated panel 10 and an adjacent panel. In one example, this connection may be substantially air-tight. Holes are cut in a spaced manner in the recess near the top edge of the interior facing 16. Slots are cut at in the projection near the bottom edge of insulating core 12. Insulating core 12 may be made of expanded polystyrene or any other compressible insulation. The exterior facing 14 and the interior facing 16 may be manufactured of concrete with reinforcement. A cross support between the exterior facing 14 and the interior facing 16 (not shown) may optionally be installed to improve the strength of the insulated panel 10. According to one example, insulation 54, which can be rigid or foam, can be provided in the recess to improve the insulating properties of the insulated panel 10.

[0030] Turning now to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the insulated panel 10 can take on various configurations. Shown in these figures is a solid panel 10A, a panel with a window opening 10B, a panel with a patio door opening 10C (shown as opening 60), an outside corner panel 10D, and an inside corner panel 10E. Other configurations are intended to be within the scope of the present specification. [0031] FIG. 4 to FIG. 6 show perspective views of typical components of the insulated panel 10. For example, FIG. 4 illustrates a gasket 52 made of, for example, neoprene, casted in the exterior facing 14 at a top edge and a side edge to create a weather barrier. On the bottom edge and the other side edge, a recessed groove is casted to receive the gasket 52 of an adjacent panel. A channel is created in the insulating core 12 to direct moisture to be drained away from the insulated panel 10. The channel is best seen in FIG. 5, beneath the membrane 50. The membrane 50 can be any vapour impermeable membrane such as the self-adhesive thru-wall flashing membrane. A shelf angle and membrane assembly 62 (shown in FIG. 9) includes a drainage assembly 58 is oriented to drain out any water or liquid collected inside the panel within membrane 50 to outside of the gasket 52. The drainage assembly 58 can be made of metal or plastic and is used to funnel water in the panel sitting on the membrane 50 to drain outside of the gasket 52. The drainage assembly 58 can include a damper or baffle or valve so that only water can drain out but wind or liquid from the outside will not push in. [0032] FIG. 7, FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B depict how the insulated panel system is installed to a concrete slab 26 reinforced with rebar support members 24. A shelf angle 20 includes holes cut in a spaced manner at the front facing of shelf angle 20. In these drawings and in FIG. 1 , it will be appreciated a top portion of insulation panel 10 (referred to as a recess or groove in this specification) receives a shelf angle 20. The shelf angle 20 is attached to a vertical insert 22 (also referred to as a wedge insert) with reinforced rebar support members 24 cast in concrete slab 26 at slab edge using a fastener such as an askew head bolt 28, a nut 30, a washer 32, and shims 34. The shelf angle 20 and the fastener may be made of galvanized steel in one example.

[0033] FIG. 9 shows a conduit 18 and electrical outlet box 56 contained within the insulating core 12 of the insulated panel 10. Locating the conduit 18 in the insulating core ensures or improves airtightness of the insulated panel 10.

[0034] The insulated panel system permits installation in a terrace configuration, shown in FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B as well as a balcony configuration, shown in FIG. 11A, FIG. 11 B and FIG. 11C compared with a non-balcony configuration at FIG. 12. As shown in FIG. 10A, a smaller panel 10 can be inserted at the bottom of the floor above the concrete slab 26 with a metal angle welded to the underside of the slab to create a threshold. According to the methods disclosed herein, a panel 10 below the concrete slab 26 can be installed at the same floor by sliding into place, rather than typical installation from the floor above. As shown in FIG. 11A and FIG. 11 B, a filler piece 110 and a metal angle 112 can be welded to the underside of the slab 26 to create a threshold, permitting the insulating panel 10 below the balcony to be installed at the same floor sliding into place rather than typical installation from the floor above.

[0035] FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B show how the insulated panel system is installed at grade level. In the example with a basement shown in FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B, the insulated panel 10 is supported by a steel channel welded to a steel plate casted in the basement wall. The scope of the present specification is intended to cover any connection of the insulated panel 10 to a ground connection; variations are intended to be within the scope of the present specification. [0036] Advantageously, the use of techniques disclosed in the present specification permits the insulated panels 10 to be assembled in a wide variety of useful configurations such as those shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15. In large construction projects of mid to high- rise residential and commercial buildings, the speed of construction can be improved because the insulated panels 10 can be raised without requiring large cranes and work can be performed in parallel.

[0037] According to alternative examples, techniques of the present specification apply to timber construction and steel beam construction. For example, the shelf angle 20 and the fastener may be adapted to connect the insulated panel 10 to a horizontal structural beam 40 (shown in FIG. 18 and FIG. 19), to connect the insulated panel 10 to a precast concrete slab 42 (shown in FIG. 20 and FIG. 21 ) or to connect the insulated panel 10 to a wood header 44 and wood joist 46 (shown in FIG. 22 and FIG. 23). In FIG. 18 and FIG. 19, the shelf angle 20 is attached to a channel 36 with a wedge shim 38 attached to a horizontal structural beam 40 using fasteners comprising of an askew head bolt 28, a nut 30, a washer 32, and shims 34; the shelf angle 20 including galvanized steel; the fasteners comprising of an askew head bolt 28, a nut 30, a washer 32, and shims 34 including galvanized steel; the channel 36 and the wedge shim 38 including steel.

[0038] The insulated panel 10 may vary in height, width, or thickness in accordance with disclosed examples of the present specification. It has been discovered that panel heights ranging from 9 feet to 12 feet and insulation thickness of 6 to 8 inches may be especially suitable for construction of building structures. Other ranges and values can be employed without departing from the scope of the present specification.

[0039] Disclosed examples of the present specification provide insulated panel systems to promote energy-efficient building construction. [0040] Advantageously, in one example, the interior facing 16 can be substantially thin and hence not requiring a large amount of reinforcement to carry the load of the insulating panel 10 to the building structure. In this example, the load of the insulating panel 10 is transferred to the bottom of said panel carried by shelf angles 20 attached to the edges of the slab 26. [0041] Insulated panels according to disclosed examples can have splines to facilitate connection between adjacent panels.

[0042] Disclosed examples can also provide increased time-saving in installation.

[0043] The following describes an insulating core sandwiched between an exterior facing and an interior facing, and a coupling system defined in the insulated panel to facilitate connection to an adjacent panel. The coupling system includes a top recess of the insulating core extending along a top edge of the insulated panel and a bottom projection of the insulating core extending along a bottom edge of the insulated panel sized and shaped to correspond to the top recess; holes in the interior facing in the top recess accommodating a fastener for fastening the insulated panel to a concrete slab of a building structure; slots in the bottom projection that are sized and spaced to accommodate the fastener; a side recess of the insulating core extending along a side edge of the insulated panel; and a side projection of the insulating core extending along an opposite side edge of the insulated panel sized and shaped to correspond to the side recess.

[0044] The insulating core can include a rigid foam selected from one of expanded polystyrene, extruded polystyrene, polyisocyanurate, and urethane. [0045] The exterior and interior facings can be selected from one of: a concrete with reinforcement, a magnesium oxide board, a wood wool cement board, a wood strand cement board, a fiber reinforced cement board, an oriented strand board, a plywood, a wood composite, and a metal.

[0046] The panel can include an opening frame to install a fenestration. [0047] Methods of installing an insulated panel system include: installing the shelf angle into the top recess of the insulated panel; fastening the shelf angle and the insulated panel to one of the plurality of vertical inserts using the fastener comprising a bolt, a washer, and a shim; inserting an adjacent bottom projection of an adjacent panel into the top recess of the insulated panel and an adjacent side projection of the adjacent panel into the side recess of the insulated panel; and installing the adjacent panel.

[0048] The shelf angle can be selected from one of a metal and a fiber-reinforced composite.

[0049] The fasteners can be selected from one of a galvanized steel, a stainless steel, and a metal. [0050] While a number of exemplary aspects and examples have been discussed above, those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations thereof. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and

accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. The actual scope of the disclosed examples of the present specification is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art. 10051] It will be recognized that while certain features are described in terms of a specific sequence of steps of a method, these descriptions are only illustrative of the broader methods disclosed herein and may be modified as required by the particular application. Certain steps may be rendered unnecessary or optional under certain circumstances. Additionally, certain steps or functionality may be added to the disclosed examples or methods, or the order of performance of method steps may be changed. All such variations are considered to be encompassed within the disclosure and claimed herein.

[0052] The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific

nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the described examples. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the described examples. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific examples or embodiments are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the described examples to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings.

Claims

1. An insulated panel comprising:

an insulating core sandwiched between an exterior facing and an interior facing; a coupling system defined in the insulated panel to facilitate connection to an adjacent panel comprising:

a top recess of the insulating core extending along a top edge of the insulated panel;

a bottom projection of the insulating core extending along a bottom edge of the insulated panel sized and shaped to correspond to the top recess;

a plurality of holes in the interior facing in the top recess wherein the holes accommodate a fastener for fastening the insulated panel to a concrete slab of a building structure;

a plurality of slots in the bottom projection wherein the plurality of slots is sized and spaced to accommodate the fastener;

a side recess of the insulating core extending along a side edge of the insulated panel; and

a side projection of the insulating core extending along an opposite side edge of the insulated panel sized and shaped to correspond to the side recess.

2. The insulated panel of claim 1 wherein the insulating core comprises a rigid foam selected from one of: an expanded polystyrene, an extruded polystyrene, a polyisocyanurate, and a urethane.

3. The insulated panel of claim 1 wherein the exterior facing and the interior facing are selected from one of: a concrete with reinforcement, a magnesium oxide board, a wood wool cement board, a wood strand cement board, a fiber reinforced cement board, an oriented strand board, a plywood, a wood composite, and a metal.

4. The insulated panel of claim 1 further comprising a fenestration opening defined in the insulating core, the exterior facing, and the interior facing.

5. An insulated panel system comprising a plurality of insulated panels according to claim 1 and further comprising:

a plurality of rebar support members cast in the concrete slab;

a plurality of vertical inserts connected to the plurality of rebar support members comprising a connection point for the fastener to fasten the plurality of insulated panels to the building structure;

a shelf angle positioned in the top recess providing structural support for the plurality of insulated panels; and

a plurality of openings in the shelf angle wherein the plurality of openings is sized and spaced to accommodate the fastener.

6. A method of installing the insulated panel system of claim 5 comprising the steps of:

installing the shelf angle into the top recess of an insulated panel;

fastening the shelf angle and the insulated panel to one of the plurality of vertical inserts using the fastener comprising a bolt, a washer, and a shim;

inserting an adjacent bottom projection of an adjacent panel into the top recess of the insulated panel and an adjacent side projection of the adjacent panel into the side recess of the insulated panel; and

installing the adjacent panel.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein a projection-to-recess configuration of the insulating core provides substantial air-tightness.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the shelf angle is selected from one of: a metal shelf angle and a fiber reinforced composite shelf angle.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the fastener is selected from one of: a

galvanized steel fastener, a stainless-steel fastener and a metal fastener.