U.S. patent number 3,845,544 [Application Number 05/290,583] was granted by the patent office on 1974-11-05 for method of producing a light room element.
Invention is credited to Paavo Henrikki Hammar, Matti Pekka Nurminen.
United States Patent |
3,845,544 |
Nurminen , et al. |
November 5, 1974 |
METHOD OF PRODUCING A LIGHT ROOM ELEMENT
Abstract
A method of producing a light bathroom element by using steel
cassettes with a U-formed section. The cassettes are formed out of
steel sheets which are first covered on one side with a plastics
material and then bent into a desired U-form such that the plastics
layer also appears on the seam surfaces between the cassettes. The
adjacent cassettes are joined together by heating the seam portions
so as to momentarily molten the plastics layers thereon and to
wedge them together in a water-tight manner.
Inventors: |
Nurminen; Matti Pekka (30100
Forssa, SF), Hammar; Paavo Henrikki (30100 Forssa,
SF) |
Family
ID: |
23116650 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/290,583 |
Filed: |
September 20, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
29/458; 52/841;
52/842; 156/71; 156/182; 156/272.2; 29/469.5; 52/309.14; 156/227;
29/527.1; 52/309.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B29C
65/00 (20130101); B29C 65/4815 (20130101); B29C
66/1122 (20130101); B29C 66/54 (20130101); Y10T
29/49906 (20150115); Y10T 29/49885 (20150115); Y10T
156/1051 (20150115); Y10T 29/4998 (20150115) |
Current International
Class: |
B29C
65/48 (20060101); B23p 003/00 (); B23p
025/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;156/219,220,227,272,275,71,309,69 ;29/477,458,475,527.1
;52/729,732 ;117/128.4 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Whitby; Edward G.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Ladas, Parry, Von Gehr, Goldsmith
& Deschamps
Claims
What we claim is:
1. A method of producing a light room element, e.g., a bathroom
element, including equipment and rising mains, out of steel
cassettes with a U-formed section, characterized in
coating steel sheets constituting the material of the steel
cassettes on one side with a plastics layer;
bending the steel sheets into a desired U-form that the plastics
layer also appears on the seam surfaces between the cassettes;
and
joining the cassettes by heating the seam portions of the cassettes
by means of the induction method such that the plastics layers
thereon are momentarily molten and wedged together in a water-tight
manner.
2. A method of producing a light room element, e.g., a bathroom
element, including equipment and rising mains, out of steel
cassettes with a U-formed section, characterized in
coating steel sheets constituting the material of the steel
cassettes on one side with a plastics layer;
bending the steel sheets into a desired U-form such that the
plastics layer also appears on the seam surfaces between the
cassettes; and
joining the cassettes by heating the seam portions of the cassettes
by means of the high frequency method such that the plastics layers
thereon are momentarily molten and wedged together in a watertight
manner.
3. A method of producing a light room element, e.g., a bathroom
element, including equipment and rising mains, out of steel
cassettes with a U-formed section, characterized in
coating steel sheets constituting the material of the steel
cassettes on one side with a plastics layer;
bending the steel sheets into a desired U-form such that the
plastics layer also appears on the seam surfaces between the
cassettes; and
joining the cassettes by heating the seam portions of the cassettes
by means of electric heating resistors such that the plastics
layers thereon are momentarily molten and wedged together in a
water-tight manner.
Description
This invention concerns a method of producing a light room element,
e.g., a bathroom element, including equipment and rising mains, out
of steel cassettes with a U-formed section.
The element may comprise the fixed equipment of a bathroom, the
electric installations, the pipe distributions, and the rising
mains from storey to storey.
When construction has been industrialized, main attention has been
directed to the skeleton components, and the other constructions,
such as sanitary rooms, have been given little consideration.
A light bathroom element has been intended for use both in precast
building skeletons and in building skeletons cast on the site. Into
building skeletons cast on the site, the element is introduced
after concreting of the skeleton but before installation of the
facades.
In aiming at industrial building, attempts have been made to reduce
the heavy concrete construction and to improve the internal
variability of the flats. Even the transport and lifting equipment
impose their restrictions on the weight of the element. On the
other hand, attempts are made to bring to the building site as
large and as extensively refined element units as possible. Out of
the above reasons, we have attempted to develop a light bathroom
element.
An industrial heavy concrete bathroom, as well as wood element and
plaster boards, are previously known. Light woodwork is, however,
to an unduly great extent "tailor's work." The suitability of
wooden constructions to moist rooms is also questionable. A
foam-plastics-filled construction made of plastics is also known,
but besides expensive rawmaterials this construction also has the
drawbacks of mould work required by the manufacturing and the high
inflammability of the rawmaterials to be used.
Some metallic bathroom constructions have appeared on the market,
too. It is, however, difficult to make these room units
corrosion-proof and water-proof, and the floor construction causes
either a high threshold from the other space into the bathroom or a
big hole in the intermediate-floor construction, which is
structurally inconvenient and hard to arrange satisfactorily from
the viewpoints of fire and sound technology.
In the bathroom, washing machines and centrifuges are often
located, and these machines have caused unpleasant vibration in the
constructions of a light bathroom.
The object of this invention is to avoid the above drawbacks. The
method according to the invention is mainly characterized by
COATING STEEL SHEETS CONSTITUTING THE MATERIAL OF THE STEEL
CASSETTES ON ONE SIDE WITH A PLASTICS LAYER;
BENDING THE STEEL SHEETS INTO A DESIRED U-form such that the
plastics layer also appears on the seam surfaces between the
cassettes; and
joining the cassettes by heating the seam portions of the cassettes
in such a way that the plastics layers thereon are momentarily
molten and wedged together in a water-tight manner.
A bathroom element manufactured according to this method has,
despite its low weight, a sufficient weight as accommodated in the
floor slab, which absorbs the noises coming from the machine or
from steps.
The constructions can be made of entirely non-flammable materials,
whereby it is easy to satisfy the fire requirements of the
constructions even in objects with the highest requirements.
Neither do the sewer and pressure-water pipes of plastics to be
used cause any special fire protection operations.
Both in theory and in practice it can be proved that inside
moisture does not penetrate into the construction or cause
concentration of moisture inside the construction.
With the earlier methods it has been difficult to protect the
elements from moisture during transport and storage at the site,
but the construction of the present invention is totally
insensitive even to strong moisture.
The plastics seam between the cassettes also endures the
temperature differences required during transport, installation and
use and gives this cubic object a very high rigidity of
assembly.
Due to cellular wall construction, all electrical cables and water
pipes can be installed as sunken-in. Out of the same reason the
metallic noise can be effectively muffled, and in this way the
internal noise-insulation of the flat is improved.
The noise insulation between flats is also improved, because the
element is placed on flexible cushions as separate from carrying
structures.
In order to improve noise insulation, tightness and corrosion
resistance, the pipe ducts are fitted with rubber packings.
The construction may be accompanied by developed joints of
air-conditioning, sewer and water pipes and joint pieces delivered
together with the element so that joining work can be easily
accomplished on the site.
The element may also comprise the electricity center of the
dwelling, a box for supply conductors, installed inside and outside
electricity-consuming points of the bathroom, and a possibility of
connecting is provided for the other internal electricity-consuming
points of the dwelling.
A steel sheet has come to the market that is at the steel factory
fitted with a plastics surface of a desired colour or pattern and
that is delivered by the factory as having a desired width in rolls
of 2 to 5 tons.
The weight of an element manufactured according to the invention is
only about 20 per cent of the weight of a bathroom element of
concrete. The sheet cassette forms a rigidifying wall construction
by means of the outer lining and a mineral-wool board installed in
the cassette. The outer lining additionally functions as fire
insulation and the mineral-wool board as improver of the acoustic
properties and as obstacle of buckling. Since no pipes are needed
in the bottom slab of the element, the thickness of the floor
construction does not prevent easy access into the bathroom, and in
the intermediate floor only one opening is needed, required by the
rising mains. The floor is smooth underneath, for which reason no
grooves are required in the intermediate floor. As a complete
element, the bathroom is fully finished with inside surface
treatment, sanitary furnishings, all electrical equipment and
boxes, also on the outer surface of the element, with doors and all
conductors, the joining of which conductors is the only operation
to be carried out on the site.
The invention will now be described more in detail with reference
to the accompanying drawing.
FIG. 1 shows a front view of a steel sheet cassette.
FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the cassette according to FIG.
1.
FIG. 3 shows, on a larger scale, a cross-section of a seam between
two adjacent cassettes.
The floor of the bathroom element can be made of structural
light-aggregate concrete. By shaping a wood or metal joist or the
floor slab, a construction is obtained that, as surfaced, together
with the floor slab forms a water-tight though. The floor surface
may consist either of a plastics carpet or of ceramic tiles. If
necessary, floors with finished surfaces may be stored in a small
space on top of each other.
The wall construction is assembled out of steel-sheet cassettes 1
coated with a plastics layer 4 before bending, the bendings 2, 3 of
which act as rigidifiers of the skeleton. The edges have been bent
so that the sheets 1, 5 can be seamed as water-tight. The
water-tight seaming takes place so that the seam 8 is heated by
means of the induction method, high-frequency method or resistors.
At the top and bottom ends the cassette is bent in the same way so
that the cassette can also be positioned upside down. A
mineral-wool insulation, the fibres of which are perpendicular to
the outer lining, is installed inside the cassette. The insulation
acts as an additional rigidifier and improves the acoustic
properties of the element.
As additional rigidifier and transport protection, outside the
element, a hard fiber-glass board, asbestos-cement board, semihard
wood-fiber board, plaster board or similar is fastened.
In the top bendings of the cassettes there is a wooden or metallic
list, to which the wall and ceiling cassettes are fastened.
The ceiling has a construction identical with that of the
walls.
The element may comprise noise- and fire-insulated rising sewer
mains, rising cold-water, hot-water and circulating water mains,
ventilation ducts, and an electric panel of the flat and a common
rising main duct for electric cables. For the kitchen or any other
moist space there are connecting terminals.
All of these rising mains are installed through one opening in the
vault. The rising-mains system is suitable ofor the intermediate
floor solutions of the "BES" recommendation. Installation manholes
are included in the element.
One important feature according to the invention is that the steel
sheets 1 are plastics-covered before bending, whereby the plastics
surface 4 also covers the joining surfaces 2, 6 of the seam between
adjacent cassettes 1, 5 and, as fully finished, constitutes the
inside surface of the room element. The waterproof joining of the
cassettes 1, 5 takes place so that the plastics surfaces 4, 7 at
the seam 8 are molten together, whereby no metal welding is
required in the assembly. In the production, half-automatic or
fully automatic machines known per se can be used economically,
depending on the magnitude of the series.
The assembly work can be accomplished as an extensively
rationalized assembly-line work like in automobile and refrigerator
industry.
Variation of product size and other factors can be arranged
easily.
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