U.S. patent application number 12/729966 was filed with the patent office on 2011-04-21 for support panel for masonry.
Invention is credited to John Cotton, John Tancredi.
Application Number | 20110088337 12/729966 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43878221 |
Filed Date | 2011-04-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110088337 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Tancredi; John ; et
al. |
April 21, 2011 |
SUPPORT PANEL FOR MASONRY
Abstract
A support panel for masonry objects that includes an inner
surface, an outer surface, at least one stiffening channel formed
longitudinally along the support panel, a plurality of
substantially c-shaped claws extending from the outer surface, the
claws being disposed in spaced apart relation to one another to
form a grid, wherein the claws are configured to contactingly
support at least a portion of a masonry object, and wherein the
support panel is attachable to a wall of a structure via at least
one fastener inserted into through the at least one stiffening
channel into the wall of the structure such that the panel is
spaced apart from the wall of the structure.
Inventors: |
Tancredi; John; (Wyomissing,
PA) ; Cotton; John; (Wyomissing, PA) |
Family ID: |
43878221 |
Appl. No.: |
12/729966 |
Filed: |
March 23, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61210758 |
Mar 23, 2009 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
52/127.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E04F 13/0862
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
52/127.3 |
International
Class: |
E04B 2/02 20060101
E04B002/02 |
Claims
1. A support panel for masonry objects, comprising: an inner
surface; an outer surface; at least one stiffening channel formed
longitudinally along the support panel; a plurality of
substantially c-shaped claws extending from the outer surface, the
claws being disposed in spaced apart relation to one another to
form a grid, wherein the claws are configured to contactingly
support at least a portion of a masonry object; and wherein the
support panel is attachable to a wall of a structure via at least
one fastener inserted into through the at least one stiffening
channel into the wall of the structure such that the panel is
spaced apart from the wall of the structure.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application Ser. No. 61/210,758, filed Mar. 23, 2009, entitled
"SUPPORT PANEL FOR MASONRY," which is hereby incorporated herein by
reference in its entirety, including all references cited
therein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to panels for supporting
masonry, such as brick or stone veneers.
[0004] 2. Background Art
[0005] Thin brick and stone have been around for thousands of
years. In the late 1700's, metal lathe was invented and used to
support masonry on buildings and other structures. The use of metal
lathe as a masonry support was introduced into the United States in
the mid 1800's. The metal lathe was anchored to a wall of a
building or structure, and then the cut brick or stone was bonded
to the lathe and wall using a cement. This method, although
reliable, was very labor intensive. Once the metal lathe was
attached to the wall, workers would trowel the cement to the lathe
and then lay the brick or stone into the cement. The lathe provided
no guidance as to the placement and spacing of the brick or stone,
and therefore, the workers would have to space every brick or stone
one by one. The workers would either "eyeball" the spacing, or use
implements for properly spacing the brick, such as pieces of wood,
lengths of rope (which may be pulled out between the spacing before
the cement sets) or even the worker's finger.
[0006] The metal lathe was in the form of a mesh or netting which
was affixed to the wall of the building. The mortar or cement which
was applied to this metal lathe mesh, with the brick or stone
placed on the mortar, formed a solid backing which never allowed
moisture to travel downwardly by gravity either between the wall
and the lathe or the brick and the mortar. This trapped any
moisture in pockets formed by gaps in troweling the mortar. This
moisture would freeze and thaw with variations in the temperature,
resulting in expansion and contraction, which would "pop" the brick
or stone, causing it to loosen and possibly fall from the wall of
the building or structure.
[0007] In the 1920's, the Klinglehut Corporation conceived the idea
of gluing brick to an asphalt soft board. This board is an asphalt
product, similar in some respect to a fiberboard, which is slightly
compressible (that is, not as hard as metal or plywood). This board
would be screwed onto the wall of the building or structure in
substitution for the metal lathe. The brick or stone was then
adhered to the board by using an adhesive. This adhesive would be
similar to a construction cement, such as what is used when
laminating plywood layers together or which is used for marine
applications, and provides a very strong bond between the soft
board and the brick or stone. Then, a mortar or cement is applied
between the brick or stone glued to the soft board. This system was
considered the first thin brick system, that is, using a brick
veneer, which is generally about one-half inch in depth. This
method was used for several decades.
[0008] In the 1970's, it became popular to use a method of
attaching thin brick to foam panels using metal clips. The foam
panels were similar to insulation board, such as those made by Dow
Corning. With this method, the foam boards or panels were screwed
into the wall of the building or structure. The foam panels had
recessed channels formed horizontally in the outer surface of the
panels, the transverse width of each channel being slightly greater
than the width of the bricks. These channels are where the spaced
apart bricks would be placed in a horizontal row, thus providing
guidance for the bricklayer as to the placement of the brick on the
support foam panels. Metal clips were placed on the outer surface
of the foam panels and periodically spaced vertically and
horizontally on the panels. The clips were L-shaped brackets which
were about three inches wide by about two inches high. A vertical
leg portion of the clip had a hole in which a screw passed through
to fasten the foam board or panel to the wall of the building. A
horizontal leg portion of the clip extended from the vertical
portion outwardly from the outer surface of the foam panel. An
adhesive was applied in one continuous serpentine line within each
recessed channel of the foam boards, and the bricks were then
placed in a horizontal row within each channel to contact the
adhesive within the channel so that the brick bonded to the foam
panels by the adhesive. Then, the cement or mortar was applied to
the spacing between adjacent bricks both vertically and
horizontally. The outwardly extending leg of each clip held the
mortar in place after it had dried. The clips were spaced a
predetermined distance from each other, as each clip was designed
to support a certain square footage of mortar. The mortar, when
applied, would actually wrap around the leg portion of the clips
extending outwardly from the support panel, and this is what would
supposedly keep the mortar in place on the wall. Thus, the clips
were to interlock with the mortar, creating a mechanical support
system.
[0009] There were several disadvantages using the foam panel system
described above. The foam would ultimately deteriorate due to a
chemical reaction with the mortar. Furthermore, the way in which
the adhesive was applied, in a continuous serpentine line
horizontally within each channel, created a dam that prevented
moisture that collected behind the brick from flowing downwardly by
gravity. Since the water would now collect behind the bricks,
freezing and thawing of the water would cause the bricks to loosen.
Furthermore, the channels which are formed in the outer surface of
the foam panels in which horizontal rows of brick are placed create
additional dams that prevent water and moisture from flowing
downwardly by gravity between the foam panels and the bricks
mounted on the foam panels. Again, this moisture and water
collecting behind the bricks would freeze and expand, causing the
bricks to loosen.
[0010] In the 1980's, the same concept of attaching thin brick
described above but now using metal panels came into existence. The
metal panels would have continuous rails running horizontally
across the panels for supporting the bricks. The bricks were glued
to the outer surface of the metal panels, and mortar was applied
between bricks. This concept still had flaws. The continuous
horizontally disposed rails along the panel still trap the moisture
behind the brick, as the moisture and water could not flow
downwardly due to the rails, and this sometimes forced the brick to
loosen when a freeze/thaw cycle (when the temperature fluctuates
below and above freezing) occurred. Furthermore, with this system,
the panel laid flush on the wall of the building or structure, and
thus did not provide an air/vapor cavity. An air/vapor cavity is
important in order to allow moisture to escape and have an air flow
between the panel and the wall to prevent the wall from
deteriorating by rotting.
[0011] In the evolution of the masonry supporting system, the next
change was to eliminate the rails and include periodically
vertically and horizontally spaced apart, half moon-shaped tabs
extending outwardly from the outer surface of the support panels.
The tabs are spaced from each other, vertically, slightly greater
than the width of the bricks, and the bricks are received between
the vertically adjacent tabs. Each brick was attached to the outer
surface of the support panel using adhesive placed in the four
corners of the brick, and the brick was then positioned on the
outer face of the support panel between vertically adjacent half
moon-shaped tabs. Mortar was then applied to the vertical and
horizontal spaces between adjacent bricks. One of the problems with
this system was that the mortar never truly attached to the half
moon-shaped tabs, and thus never created a mechanical bond with the
panel. This system overcame some disadvantages of prior systems.
The adhesive, being placed in the four corners of the brick,
separated the brick from the panel a distance, such as one quarter
inch, that allowed moisture and water to flow by gravity downwardly
between the panels and the bricks mounted thereon, and through weep
holes formed at the base of the brick veneer.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a front view of a panel used for supporting
masonry, such as brick or stone, formed in accordance with the
present invention.
[0013] FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the support panel of the
present invention shown in FIG. 1.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a top view of a claw formed in accordance with the
present invention which extends outwardly from the outer surface of
the support panel of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and
2.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a front view of the claw formed on the support
panel of the present invention and shown in FIG. 3, with a
corresponding punched hole formed through the support panel being
illustrated by hatched lines.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a side view of a portion of the support panel,
building wall, bricks and mortar, and illustrating the claw formed
in accordance with the present invention and shown in FIGS. 3 and
4.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a top view of a portion of the support panel,
building wall and a brick, such as shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings,
and illustrating the claw formed in accordance with the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0018] In accordance with one form of the present invention, and as
shown in FIGS. 1-6 of the drawings, a panel for supporting masonry,
such as brick or stone veneers, is preferably made from a 27 gauge
architectural grade steel panel. The panel size is nominally 48
inches by 48 inches, although it is envisioned to be within the
scope of the present invention to form the steel panels with
different sizes and from different gauge steel.
[0019] As seen in FIG. 2 of the drawings, each panel has a
plurality of vertical stiffening channels which are spaced apart
parallelly from each other at preferably about a 4 inch spacing so
that a respective stiffening channel will be in alignment with a
vertical stud of the wall of the building or structure to which the
panel is mounted, such studs being spaced apart from each other
about 16 inches measured center-to-center, in accordance with
industry standards.
[0020] Preferably, the vertical stiffening channels are formed as
an integral part of the steel panel by deforming the steel panel to
form the stiffening channels. In effect, therefore, the vertical
stiffening channels are recessed portions of the outer surface of
the panel which extend outwardly from the opposite inner surface of
the panel a predetermined distance, such as one half inch. The
vertical stiffening channels are spaced apart horizontally from
each other another predetermined distance, such as about two
feet.
[0021] The vertical stiffening channels may include a plurality of
holes situated along the length thereof and formed through the
thickness of the panel, with adjacent holes spaced apart from each
other a predetermined distance. Such holes are provided to accept a
fastener, such as screws or nails, therethrough to mount the
support panel to a supporting structure, such as the vertical studs
of the building. Furthermore, the vertical stiffening channels
allow the support panel to be mounted away from the wall of the
building or structure and, therefore, provide an air/vapor cavity
between the wall and the support panel to allow air and moisture to
flow through this cavity. The vertical stiffening channels thus
keep the panel away from the wall and allow equalization of air
pressure behind the wall, thus guaranteeing constant air flow.
[0022] Another feature of the vertical stiffening channels, as its
name implies, is to stiffen the panel to minimize its bending
across the width and length thereof. Furthermore, since each
vertical stiffening channel is formed as a recessed portion of the
outer surface of the panel, the vertical stiffening channels
provide a path for moisture and water to flow from between the
outer surface of the panel and the inner surface of the bricks
attached thereto.
[0023] Preferably, each support panel has a G90 galvanization
rating accompanied by a two coat, thermo set, siliconized polyester
paint finish to minimize rusting. Furthermore, the outer surface
(and, if desired, the inner surface) of the support panel includes
a stucco-embossed texture having raised and lowered portions. This
texture serves two purposes. First, the texture adds more surface
area to which the adhesive used to attach the brick to the support
panel may bond. Second, the texture on the outer surface and the
inner surface of the support panel provides a path for moisture to
constantly travel downwardly, by gravity, between the brick and the
support panel, thereby preventing moisture from accumulating behind
the brick or stone mounted to the support panel, and provides a
path for moisture to travel downwardly on the inner surface of the
support panel which faces the building wall.
[0024] Preferably, an adhesive is used to bond the brick or stone
to the support panel. A small one quarter inch dab of adhesive is
placed at each corner of the brick on the rear surface thereof, and
the brick is then placed against the support panel between
vertically adjacent claws, as will be described in greater detail.
The adhesive maintains the spacing between the brick and the
support panel to allow moisture or water to flow downwardly by
gravity between the outer surface of the support panel and the
inner surface of the brick secured thereto.
[0025] FIGS. 4-6 illustrate the preferred form of each claw of the
plurality of claws situated on the outer surface of the support
panel. The claws are formed by a die punching through the thickness
of the support panel from the inner surface of the support panel to
the outer surface. Each claw includes a horizontal leg, and two
oppositely disposed lateral legs extending from and in front of the
horizontal leg, and joined to the front edge thereof near axial end
portions of the horizontal leg. The horizontal leg and lateral legs
preferably reside in the same plane and are formed from the same
partially punched-out portion of the support plate. Overall, each
claw has a semi-circular shape. Thus, each claw remains affixed to
the support panel, and is bent outwardly from the outer surface
thereof at a predetermined angle. The free ends of the lateral legs
are spaced apart from each other a predetermined distance
(preferably 0.1875 inches), and are positioned in front of the
outermost edge of the horizontal leg to define therebetween a
pocket or cavity for receiving mortar and to insure that the mortar
adheres to each claw formed on or mounted to the support panel.
[0026] Furthermore, and as can be more clearly seen in FIG. 5 of
the drawings, the horizontal leg and opposite lateral legs reside
at the straight bottom edge of a semi-circular opening through the
thickness of the support panel that is formed when the claw is
partially punched out therefrom and bent outwardly along the
straight bottom edge of the opening. The openings associated with
the claws are also provided to allow the mortar or cement to enter
therethrough and wrap around the steel support panel on the inner
surface thereof. Thus, with the particular configuration of the
claws of the present invention, the mortar will form a strong
mechanical bond to the claws of the steel panel to interlock
therewith.
[0027] Preferably, and as shown in FIG. 3 of the drawings, the
preferred dimensions of the various components of each claw is as
follows: The depth of the horizontal leg is preferably 0.125
inches; the width of the claw is preferably 0.8125 inches; the
width of the pocket defined by the horizontal leg and the opposite
lateral legs is preferably 0.4375 inches; the depth of the pocket
measured between the outermost edge of the horizontal leg and the
innermost edge of each lateral leg is preferably 0.125 inches; the
width of each lateral leg measured at its free end is preferably
0.125 inches; the width of each lateral leg measured in proximity
to the outer surface of the support panel is preferably 0.16531
inches; the distance which the lateral legs extend outwardly from
the outer surface of the support panel is preferably 0.375 inches;
and the spacing between the free ends of the opposite lateral legs
is preferably 0.1875 inches.
[0028] Furthermore, as can be seen in FIG. 5 of the drawings, the
horizontal leg and the lateral legs of the claw form an acute angle
with the outer surface of the panel of preferably 76 degrees. This
particular angle is chosen so that the lateral legs of each claw
can support the brick above it on the lower surface of the brick,
and yet provide a triangular area (in cross-section) defined by the
outer surface of the support panel, the lower surface of the brick
and the inner surface (facing the support panel) of the horizontal
leg and the lateral legs of the lower claw on which the brick may
rest to receive mortar to insure that the brick is secured not only
to the support panel but also to the mortar, and such that the
mortar surrounds each brick mounted on the support panel.
[0029] Preferably, the vertical spacing between claws on the
support panel is approximately 25/8 inches to allow a standard
sized brick (or brick veneer) to be placed between the lateral legs
of a lower claw and the lateral legs of an adjacent upper claw, as
shown in FIG. 5.
[0030] FIG. 6 shows a top view of the support panel and claws, with
a brick placed against the outer surface of the panel. It should be
noted from FIG. 6 that the horizontal spacing between adjacent
claws is selected such that a single, standard sized brick or brick
veneer is supported by, and extends across, several claws on the
support panel.
[0031] The masonry support panel of the present invention is
preferably used in the following manner. The support panel is
attached to the wall of the building or structure (covered
beforehand with a building wrap) by using fasteners placed through
the spaced apart holes formed in the vertical stiffening ribs.
Then, a dab of adhesive is placed in the four corners of the brick,
and the brick is positioned on and adheres to the outer surface of
the support panel between vertically adjacent claws and preferably
supported by and resting on the outermost edges of the lateral legs
of the claw or claws directly below it. One or more rows of bricks
are applied to the support panel in this manner. Then, mortar or
cement is added to the vertical spaces and the horizontal spaces
between adjacent bricks, that is, where the claws are also located.
Thus, the mortar not only forms a strong bond with the bricks, but
also mechanically interlocks with the claws of the support
panel.
[0032] The support panel of the present invention accomplishes
three primary goals and overcomes the disadvantages of prior
masonry support systems. First, the support panel of the present
invention, with its vertical stiffening channels, keeps the panel
away from the wall of the building or structure and thus provides a
cavity for air and moisture to flow between the wall and the
support panel. Second, the stucco-embossed texture, which may be
formed on either or both of the inner and outer surfaces of the
support panel, promotes moisture flow between the support panel and
the wall of the building or structure and the support panel and the
brick attached thereto. Third, the particular shape of the claws of
the support panel of the present invention promotes a strong
mechanical bond between the mortar and the support panel so that
the two strongly interlock with one another.
[0033] It should be realized, of course, that the particular
dimensions and spacing of the claws on the support panel may be
changed to accommodate bricks or stone, or different types of
masonry, of various sizes, and the spacing between the vertical
stiffening channels may also vary to permit attachment of the
support panel to a wall of a building or structure in order to
accommodate a different spacing between studs or other supporting
structure used in a building, or to address different stiffening
requirements. Also, the support panels may be formed of different
gauge steel than the preferred gauge disclosed herein to provide
sufficient strength and rigidity to support the masonry attached
thereto.
[0034] Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention
have been described herein with reference to the accompanying
drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited
to those precise embodiments, and that various other changes and
modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art
without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.
* * * * *