U.S. patent application number 11/566962 was filed with the patent office on 2007-08-02 for wall panel and wall structure.
This patent application is currently assigned to Sol-U-Wall Systems Pty Limited. Invention is credited to Frederick M. Miniter.
Application Number | 20070175159 11/566962 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38326905 |
Filed Date | 2007-08-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070175159 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Miniter; Frederick M. |
August 2, 2007 |
WALL PANEL AND WALL STRUCTURE
Abstract
A lightweight concrete panel for use as an outer layer of a
dwelling wall, said panel made of concrete mix of cement, sand,
lightweight concrete aggregate such as polystyrene beads,
superplasticiser and water, said concrete mix having a nominal
density in the range of 500 to 1500 kg/m.sup.3. The panel
preferably has a backing sheet of polystyrene affixed thereto. The
panel is used as in a cladding and insulating veneer arrangement
for a load bearing subwall formed from studs or masonry. The panels
are loose fixed in vertical alignment in a horizontally and
vertically extending stack of panels and retained in position by
retaining clips without any bonding jointing material between the
panels. A method of forming such a cladding and insulating
arrangement is also disclosed.
Inventors: |
Miniter; Frederick M.;
(Gordon, AU) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CONNOLLY BOVE LODGE & HUTZ LLP
P.O. BOX 2207
WILMINGTON
DE
19899-2207
US
|
Assignee: |
Sol-U-Wall Systems Pty
Limited
Gordon
AU
2072
|
Family ID: |
38326905 |
Appl. No.: |
11/566962 |
Filed: |
December 5, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10727564 |
Dec 5, 2003 |
|
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|
11566962 |
Dec 5, 2006 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
52/585.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04C 2/044 20130101;
E04F 13/0889 20130101; E04F 13/141 20130101; E04F 13/0841
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
052/585.1 |
International
Class: |
E04B 2/00 20060101
E04B002/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 13, 2003 |
NZ |
528 803 |
Claims
1. A cladding and insulating veneer arrangement fixed to a load
bearing subwall, said arrangement comprising a vertically and
horizontally extending stack of substantially vertically aligned
panels which are loose fixed without bonding jointing material
between the panels, and retaining clips extending between said
panels and the subwall.
2. The arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein said load bearing
subwall comprises a framework of vertically extending studs.
3. The arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein said load bearing
subwall comprises a masonry wall.
4. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said panels have
tongue and groove inter-engagement means.
5. The arrangement as claimed in claim 4 wherein said retaining
clips each have a hook which mates with the tongue of said tongue
and groove inter-engagement means.
6. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said panels have
an inter-engagement means comprising a peripheral groove and a
sealing strip dimensioned to be retained in a cavity formed by
opposed grooves of abutting panels.
7. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said panel stack
does not include control joints and any thermal expansion or
contraction of said panels is accommodated by the loose fixing
thereof.
8. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said panels
comprise lightweight concrete.
9. The arrangement as claimed in claim 8 wherein said lightweight
concrete comprises cement, sand, lightweight aggregate,
superplasticiser and water.
10. The arrangement as claimed in claim 9 wherein said lightweight
aggregate comprises polystyrene beads.
11. The arrangement as claimed in claim 10 wherein said polystyrene
beads are uncoated.
12. The arrangement as claimed in claim 9 wherein the ratio of
water/cement is 0.30-0.35 or 0.30-0.40 by weight.
13. The arrangement as claimed in claim 9 wherein the proportion of
said superplasticiser comprises 0.5-1.5% of cement by weight.
14. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the density of
said panels is in the range of 500-1500 kg/m.sup.3.
15. A method of erecting a cladding and insulating veneer
arrangement for a load bearing subwall, said method comprising the
steps of: (i) positioning a plurality of substantially vertically
aligned panels in edge abutment to form a row, (ii) loose fixing
said panels without bonding jointing material between the panels,
(iii) utilizing retaining clips extending between said panels and
said subwall to retain said panels in said row, and (iv) repeating
step (i) for a vertically adjacent row.
16. The method as claimed in claim 15 including the step of: (v)
forming said subwall from a frame of vertically extending
studs.
17. The method as claimed in claim 16 including the step of: (vi)
securing plasterboard to that side of said studs to which said
panels are not secured.
18. The method as claimed in claim 15 including the step of: (vii)
forming said subwall from masonry.
19. A lightweight panel for use in the arrangement of claim 1, said
panel being formed substantially from concrete which comprises
cement, sand, lightweight aggregate, superplasticiser and water;
having a density in the range of 500-1500 kg/m.sup.3; and having an
inter-engagement means to enable said panel to be loose fixed with
a plurality of like panels in a vertically and horizontally
extending stack of said panels, and said inter-engagernent means
being shaped to permit engagement with a retaining clip which
permits said stack of panels to be retained adjacent a subwall from
which said retaining clip extends.
20. The panel as claimed in claim 19 wherein: said lightweight
aggregate comprises polystyrene beads, the ratio of water/cement is
0.30-0.35 or 0.30-0.40 by weight, and the proportion of said
superplasticiser comprises 0.5-1.5% of cement by weight.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a lightweight panel for use
as an outer layer of a dwelling wall and a dwelling wall
constructed using such lightweight panels.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Many conventional dwellings have brick veneer walls that
typically comprise a structural frame having an outer layer of
bricks and an inner layer of plasterboard liner. In recent years
such walls have been constructed with insulation foil disposed
therein. The use of the insulation foil increases the thermal
resistance of the dwelling wall and results in a far more energy
efficient home. Whilst many home builders and the general public at
large are becoming more aware of the advantages of energy efficient
homes, their cost of construction are still quite considerable,
particularly due to the labour and materials handling required.
[0003] The brick veneer is a form of cladding which covers the load
bearing wall and generally provides an aesthetically pleasing
exterior finish. Because of thermal expansion and contraction (and
indeed even expansion of bricks with age) about every 50 feet (15
meters) in a brick veneer wall it is necessary to provide a control
joint. This is a vertical gap in the bricks up to 15 mm in width
which is filled with a compressible sealing material. Between the
bricks themselves is a layer of mortar which bonds to the bricks
and thus binds all the bricks together. The cost of conventionally
laid bricks is relatively high because of the need for skilled (and
therefore highly paid) bricklayers and the need for mortar with its
inherent delays involved in mixing, laying and subsequent clean
up.
[0004] The genesis of the present invention is a desire to provide
a lightweight panel that can be used in the construction of a
dwelling wall that has a thermal resistance greater than that of a
brick veneer wall, and is relatively simple to construct.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0005] According to a first aspect the present invention there is
disclosed a cladding and insulating veneer arrangement fixed to a
load bearing subwall, said arrangement comprising a vertically and
horizontally extending stack of substantially vertically aligned
panels which are loose fixed without bonding jointing material
between the panels, and retaining clips extending between said
panels and the subwall.
[0006] According to a second aspect the present invention there is
disclosed a method of erecting a cladding and insulating veneer
arrangement for a load bearing subwall, said method comprising the
steps of:
(i) positioning a plurality of substantially vertically aligned
panels in edge abutment to form a row,
(ii) loose fixing said panels without bonding jointing material
between the panels,
(iii) utilizing retaining clips extending between said panels and
said subwall to retain said panels in said row, and
(iv) repeating step (i) for a vertically adjacent row.
[0007] According to a third aspect the present invention there is
disclosed a lightweight panel for use in the abovementioned
cladding and insulating arrangement, said panel being formed
substantially from concrete which comprises cement, sand,
lightweight aggregate, superplasticiser and water; having a density
in the range of 500-1500 kg/m.sup.3; and having an inter-engagement
means to enable said panel to be loose fixed with a plurality of
like panels in a vertically and horizontally extending stack of
said panels, and said inter-engagement means being shaped to permit
engagement with a retaining clip which permits said stack of panels
to be retained adjacent a subwall from which said retaining clip
extends.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective cut-away corner view of a first
embodiment of a dwelling wall in accordance with the present
invention.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the dwelling
wall shown in FIG. 1.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a standard lightweight
concrete panel used in the construction of the dwelling wall shown
in FIG. 1;
[0011] FIGS. 4a and 4b depict perspective views of corner
lightweight concrete panels used in the construction of the
dwelling wall shown in FIG. 1;
[0012] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a
panel clip used in the construction of the dwelling wall shown in
FIG. 1,
[0013] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a wall in accordance with a
second embodiment, and
[0014] FIG. 7 is a horizontal cross-sectional view through
adjoining panels of a third embodiment.
MODE OF CARRYING OUT INVENTION
[0015] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate, in a simplified schematic fashion,
the construction of a dwelling wall 1 having a structural frame
comprising of wooden studs 2 and noggings 3. In this embodiment the
studs 2 and noggings 3 are preferably 100 mm.times.50 mm (4.times.2
inches) pine, but in other embodiments may be of different size,
timber or material.
[0016] The inner layer of dwelling wall 1 comprises of conventional
plasterboard liner 4, which is typically about 13 mm thick,
attached to the structural frame of studs 2 and noggings 3.
[0017] The outer layer of dwelling wall 1 comprises of a plurality
of lightweight concrete panels 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d and 5e. Each standard
panel 5a and corner panel 5b is about 600 mm.times.300 mm.times.50
mm, whilst smaller corner panel 5c is about 300 mm.times.300
mm.times.50 mm, however this size is not critical. What is of
substantial economic importance is that each panel is of a size
equivalent in wall surface area to many bricks and can be much more
quickly and conventionally lifted, handled and placed in position
than the many bricks of equivalent wall surface area.
[0018] All panels 5a-c have a tongue 6a along their upper
horizontal extent and a groove 7a extending along their lower
horizontal extent, for horizontal stacked engagement in tongue and
groove relationship with other like panels 5a-c. The standard
panels 5a also have a tongue 6b and groove 7b disposed oppositely
to each other along their vertical edges, for vertical abutment in
tongue and groove relationship with other like panels 5a-c.
[0019] The corner panels 5b and 5c vary on the vertical edges, in
that the groove 7b is replaced by a flat face 7c. It should be
noted that in FIGS. 4a and 4b the corner panels shown are for
starting at left and travelling right, however, corner panels
starting at right and travelling left 5d and 5e, vary from panel 5a
by replacing the tongue 6b by a flat face.
[0020] Panel clips 8 secured to studs 2 at 450-600 mm spacing by
nail or screw fasteners, are used to secure panels 5a-c to the
structural frame. Each panel clip 8 has a back portion 9 adapted to
sit flush against the stud 2 to which it is secured. The ledge
portion 10 which projects from back portion 9, is adapted to engage
with adjacent lightweight panels 5a-c at the junction of their
substantially horizontal respective tongue 6a and groove 7a.
[0021] In this way the panels are able to be stacked horizontally
in a row and vertically with one row above another. As each panel
is placed in position it is kept in place by means of one of the
clips 8 until the next row of panels is positioned above the
previous row. In this way no skilled labour such as a bricklayer is
required. Furthermore, the clips 8 are hidden from view and thus
provide a concealed temporary fixing.
[0022] Furthermore, the inter-engagement of the tongues 6 and
grooves 7 provides an overlap between adjacent panels 5 which is
sufficient to seal against the ingress of wind and/or moisture.
Since the panels 5 are loose fitted in the stack the panels 5 can
move relative to each other and the clips 8 to accommodate thermal
expansion and contraction. This is to be contrasted with
conventional brick veneer construction where a bonding jointing
compound such as mortar actually binds each brick to its adjacent
bricks. It follows that because of this loose fitting of the panels
5 no control joints are required.
[0023] Concertina (or zig-zag) foil batts 11 are preferably
disposed within the structural frame between the inner layer of
plasterboard liner 4 and outer layer lightweight concrete panels
5a-e. One suitable type of batt 11 is the commercially available
RENFOIL aluminium concertina batt.
[0024] Also a second layer of foil sheet 12, as shown in FIG. 2,
but omitted for purposes of clarity from FIG. 1, is preferably
attached to the studs 2 of the structural frame, and also
preferably dished a minimum of 25 mm. A suitable type of foil sheet
12 is the commercially available RENFOIL aluminium foil sheet.
[0025] The lower portion of wall 1 has an apron 14 which extends
downwardly from a 100 mm.times.75 mm hardwood plate 15. The apron
14 does not extend to the ground line. A mesh 17, preferably of
stainless steel covers the gap between apron 14 and the ground, and
is affixed to a pine fixing plate 18. A flashing 16 is placed
between the bottom row of panels 5 and the plate 15.
[0026] The lightweight panels 5a-c are manufactured by moulding and
in this embodiment are preferably moulded to a thickness of about
50 mm. Once the panels are moulded, if desired they each can have a
polystyrene sheet 13 of about 8-12 mm adhered to their back.
However, this is not essential and in many circumstances
undesirable since the panels with the polystyrene sheet 13 are much
less robust and are more difficult to handle than the panels 5
without the polystyrene sheet 13. The panels are then cured in
racks. The resulting thickness of the panels in this embodiment is
about 60 mm. In an alternative embodiment, the polystyrene sheet 13
may be affixed to the panel during moulding/casting.
[0027] The concrete mix used to make the panels 5a-c is extremely
lightweight. Generally speaking, "lightweight" is typically
regarded as low-density concrete of less than 2100 kg/m.sup.3 using
lightweight aggregate (for example scoria) or (polystyrene beads)
which are preferably uncoated with any chemicals.
[0028] In the present invention the concrete mix used to make the
panels has a density substantially less than 2100 kg/m.sup.3 and
preferably in the range of 500-1500 kg/m.sup.3. More preferably the
density of the concrete mix is in the range 700-1200 kg/m.sup.3. A
density of 1100 kg/m.sup.3 is particularly preferred. The concrete
mix comprises cement, sand, lightweight concrete aggregate, a high
range superplasticiser and water.
[0029] Examples of suitable mixes are shown in the table below.
TABLE-US-00001 Nominal Density Materials 1200 kg/m.sup.3 800
kg/m.sup.3 700 kg/m.sup.3 Type GP Cement 40 kg 40 kg 40 kg Fine
sand 55 kg 24 kg 20 kg Polystyrene beads 70 litres 110 litres 120
litres Superplasticiser 295 ml 295 ml 295 ml Water 13.0 litres 13.0
litres 13.0 litres
[0030] Whilst in the abovementioned examples the cement used is
General Purpose Cement (Type GP), other types of cement such as
High Early Strength Cement (Type HE), or blended cements including
slag or fly ash blends may be used.
[0031] In the abovementioned examples, the sand weights are
measured as "saturated, surface dry".
[0032] In the abovementioned examples the preferred proportion of
superplasticiser is 0.8% of cement by weight, but may vary from
0.5% to 1.5%. The preferred proportion of 0.8% is based on using
the commercially available Sika ViscoCrete.RTM.-5 superplasticiser.
In other embodiments other brands of superplasticiser may be used.
Carbosylic ether polymer is also a suitable superplasticiser.
[0033] In the abovementioned examples water quantity is designed to
achieve a water/cement ratio in the range of 0.30-0.35 or 0.3-0.4
by weight of cement. This low water/cement ratio is used to
optimise concrete strengths and to suit compaction of the
concrete.
[0034] One advantage of constructing a dwelling wall utilising
lightweight concrete panels as described above, is that the wall
will have a thermal resistance at least twice that of a
conventional brick veneer wall incorporating foil insulation,
thereby making the dwelling more energy efficient. A further
advantage of the dwelling wall utilising such lightweight panels is
that its weight/mass is considerably less than a brick veneer wall
and may be constructed faster and with less skilled labour than a
brick veneer wall, thereby reducing the overall cost for
constructing the dwelling.
[0035] A further advantage is that the concrete panels as described
above have suitable aesthetic appeal and look somewhat like a
sandstone finish. This is achieved by placing sand in the bottom of
the mould (not illustrated) in which the panels 5 are cast. This
bottom surface becomes the front face of the panel and the sand
bonds with the concrete as the concrete sets. The panels thus
formed also have a high impact resistance and good moisture
resistance.
[0036] Turning now to FIG. 6, in a second embodiment of a wall 100
the panels 5 are substantially as before but the load bearing
subwall which is to be cladded and insulated is a brick or masonry
wall 102. No air gap or other insulation such as aluminium foil is
provided between the subwall 102 and the panels 5. Each panel is
loose stacked in a horizontally extending row 110 with adjacent
rows located one above the other. Each panel 5 is positioned in its
intended position and temporarily held in place by means of a clip
108 (only one of which is illustrated in FIG. 7).
[0037] The clip 108 has a hook shaped tip which mates with the
horizontally extending groove 6a of the panel 5. The vertical base
of the clip 108 is secured to the subwall 102 in any convenient
fashion using power nails, adhesives, or the like.
[0038] It is not essential that the panels 5 be provided with a
tongue and groove jointing arrangement. Instead the panels 5 can be
provided with a groove 107 that extends entirely around the edge of
the panel. As seen in FIG. 7, two adjacent panels 5 in a row of
panels will have the vertical grooves 107 form a vertically
extending cavity. This cavity receives a sealing strip 109 which
loosely occupies the cavity and seals the vertically extending gap
120 between the horizontally adjacent panels 5. In the embodiment
of FIG. 7 the panels 5 abut studs 2 as in FIGS. 1 and 2 which have
an interior surface formed by plasterboard 4.
[0039] The panels 5 of FIG. 7 also have horizontally extending
grooves 107 on their upper and lower edges which form similar
horizontally extending cavities between vertically adjacent panels
5. These horizontally extending cavities can be sealed with a
length of sealing strip 109 which is approximately the length of
the panels 5. Thus the short lengths of horizontally extending
sealing strip extend between the long lengths of vertically
extending sealing strip. Naturally, this arrangement can be
reversed, if desired, with the short lengths extending vertically
and the long lengths extending horizontally. In a still further
variation, long lengths can be used both vertically and
horizontally with the sealing strips being crossed at each panel
corner. The panels of FIG. 7 utilize the clip 108 of FIG. 6 with
the hook thereof reversed to engage the groove 107.
[0040] The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the present
invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the
building arts, can be made thereto without departing from the scope
of the present invention.
[0041] The term "comprising" and its grammatical variations as used
herein is used in the inclusive sense of "having" or "including"
and not in the exhaustive sense of "consisting of".
* * * * *