WO1996010119A1

WO1996010119A1 - A panel of extruded profile elements

Info

Publication number: WO1996010119A1
Application number: PCT/DK1995/000383
Authority: WO
Inventors: Henrik Hother Jensen
Original assignee: Plastmo A/S
Priority date: 1994-09-28
Filing date: 1995-09-27
Publication date: 1996-04-04
Also published as: GB2310225A; GB2310225B; DK111694A; AU3517595A; GB9705628D0

Abstract

The panel comprises extruded, hollow, four-sided profile elements (1) from plastics material, coupling members (10, 11) being provided on two opposite sides of each profile element (1), said coupling members making it possible to put the profile elements together to a continuous surface. A surface element (16) is provided on at least one side of the panel (2, 4), said surface element having engagement means (15) engaging other coupling members (14) on at least some of the profile elements (1).

Description

A PANEL OF EXTRUDED PROFILE ELEMENTS

The present invention relates to a panel of the type comprising extruded, hollow, four-sided profile elements from plastics material, coupling members being provided on two opposite sides of each profile element, said coupling members making it possible to put the profile elements together to a continuous surface.

Panels of this type is for instance known from GB-B-1 244 155, US-A-3 886 705 and from DK-B-137 505, SE-B-410 021 and DK-B-155 129. The first one of these publications relates to panels which are commonly used as building elements for instance for walls, ceilings, floors or roofs, possibly filled up with concrete, whereas the remaining publications relate to such panels which are particularly used for establishing a self-supporting roof structure. It should be noted in this connection that the four sides of the profile elements need not be plane, and that within the four sides a number of interior partition walls may be provided to impart to the profile elements the desired properties in respect of for instance strength, stability, sound insulation and thermal insulation.

From the somewhat older DK-C- 111 917 it is known to establish an insulating roofing element in form of several corrugated sheets which mutually spaced are connected by gluing, welding or by means of bolts.

It is in connection with said profile elements known to produce the elements with varying wall thickness at different places in the profile in order to minimize material consumption in relation to the strength of the profile. It is, however, a drawback in the known profile elements that it is difficult to provide a panel with special desired surface properties without a risk of the panel becoming disproportionately expensive on account of the material which would in that case have to be used in order to obtain the desired properties.

The object of the invention is to provide a panel, in which this drawback is eliminated.

This is obtained according to the invention thereby that a surface element is provided on at least one side of the panel, said surface element having engagement means engaging other coupling members on at least some of the profile elements. Hereby it becomes possible to independently optimize the strength and surface properties of the panel. This makes the panel according to the invention suited for many different purposes. In a preferred embodiment the width of the surface unit is an integer multiple or a fraction of the width of the profile elements, whereby for instance is achieved that the number of surface elements to be used for a specific job in relation to the number of profile elements may be limited by one surface element .for instance covering two or more profile elements. Another possibility is for instance to alternatingly use surface elements, the width of which is 1/3 and 2/3, respectively, of the width of the profile elements. In another embodiment the surface element is made from a different material than that of the profile elements, the profile element being for instance made from PVC or glass-fibre reinforced polyester to provide a cheap panel, whereas for the surface element polycarbonate or polyacryl may be used in order to obtain strong surface.

The engagement means and the other coupling members may be shaped like mutually corresponding guide means, adapted to slidable engagement in the longitudinal direc¬ tion of the profile elements and/or to snap engagement, and the surface elements may therefore at both its longitudinal side edges be provided with one half of an engagement means, whereby two halves of engagement means of two adjacent side edges of two adjacent surface elements together constitute a complete engagement means. Thereby an easy assembly of the surface elements and profile elements is obtained as well as an uncomplicated connection of adjacent side edges of adjacent surface elements. As mentioned above the panel according to the invention can be used for many purposes. As examples may be mentioned self-supporting roofs and walls as barriers for noise, light or heat, a wall having in different sections different properties, for instance some of the surface elements and some of the profile elements may be transparent, while other surface elements may be coloured and nontransparent.

The invention will be explained in detail in the following by means of an example of an embodiment with reference to the schematic drawing, in which

Fig. 1 is a sectional view through a part of a panel according to the invention,

Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged views of each end of the panel according to Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through another embodiment of a panel according to the invention, and

Figs. 5-8 are enlarged sections of views through preferred embodiments of engagement means and a second coupling member.

Fig. 1 shows the profile of a profile element 1 with four sides 2-5, which surround a hollow space which by means of two double partition walls 6 are divided into three partial hollow spaces 7-9. At two opposite sides 3, 5 the profile is provided with coupling members 10, 11 known per se, which will in the following be referred to as right coupling and left coupling. A right coupling and a left coupling of two adjacent profile elements may in a manner known per se be assembled sideways and locked by means of a strip-shaped locking means 12 which is inserted in the longitudinal direction from one end of the profile elements .

At the two sides 2, 4, which by assembly of several profile elements will be positioned side by side to other corresponding sides to form a coherent surface, other coupling members or side couplings 14 are provided. These are in the embodiment shown provided on both sides of the profile element 1, but might be provided on only one side. The side couplings, which in the embodiment shown are generally C-shaped, are adapted to receive engagement means 15 of a surface element which in the embodiment shown is constituted by a sheet 16. The engagement means 15 are inserted on assembly in the side couplings 14 from one end of the profile element 1. Alternatively, the side couplings 14 may be made so flexible that the engagement means 15 due to their oblique surfaces and those of the side couplings 14 may be pressed into engagement in the same ways as by snap locking.

The sheet 16 may have a width corresponding to a profile element or it may have a width which in the embodiment shown corresponds to several profile elements. The sheet 16 comprises at its side edges one half of an engagement means 15' , the two sheets 16 adjoining side edge to side edge thus forming a complete engagement means 15. The panel shown in Fig. 1 ends at its side edges with a left and a right side profile moulding 17 and 18, respectively, which are shown enlarged in Figs. 2 and 3, respectively. The side profile moulding 17 is provided with a coupling member, which fits the left coupling 1 of the profile elements 1, and the side profile moulding 18 has a coupling means fitting the right coupling of the profile elements 1. Moreover, the side profile mouldings comprise a half side coupling 14' for receiving one half of an engagement means at the side edge of a sheet 16, partly one half of an engagement means 25' to be received together with another half of an engagement means 15' of a sheet 16 in a side coupling 14 of the profile element 1, on which the side profile moulding 17, 18 is mounted.

Fig. 4 shows like Fig. 1 two coupled profile elements, but in another embodiment, as in this case there are only sheets 16 on one of the sides. Moreover, Fig. 4 shows in the three circles enlarged details in the coupling between profile elements mutually and profile elements/side profile mouldings, respectively. Figs. 5-7 show preferred embodiments of engagement means on the surface elements or the sheets 16. Thus Fig. 5 shows an engagement means in the middle of a sheet 16 comprising two ribs 20 with extroverted cams 21 for snap engagement with a side coupling 14. Fig. 6 shows an engagement means at a side edge of a plate 16 comprising two ribs 20' with extroverted cams 21. The ribs 20* are more closely spaced than the ribs 20, because they are adapted to co-operate with an engagement means of the type shown in Fig. 7 in order by snap engagement to fasten the side edges of two adjacent sheets 16 for a side coupling 14 as shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 7 shows an engagement means at another (seen in relation to Fig. 6) side edge of a sheet 16. This engagement means comprises a rib 22 which at the side facing the middle of the sheet 16 is provided with a cam 21 and at its opposite side has a recess 23 for receiving a cam 21 of a rib 20' as will be seen in Fig. 8. The rib 22 has moreover a flap 24 forming an acute angle with the rest of the rib 22, whereby a groove or a ditch 25 extending along the side edge of the sheet 16 is created. This ditch 25 is intended for collecting for instance water which might penetrate between the adjacent edges of two sheets 16 and for leading it to the end of the profile element, whereby the ditch 25 acts like a kind of sealing. Although the invention has been described by way of a concrete embodiment, it should be understood that it may vary within the scope of the succeeding patent claims. For instance surface elements may be used together with the profile elements shown in the drawing, the width of which is an arbitrary number of thirds of the width of the profile element, and the individual surface elements need not have the same width. Furthermore, the surface elements may be made from a sheet 16 of a material like for instance glass or metal, and be equipped with engagement means 15 of a different material, for instance plastics.

Claims

C A I M S

! . A panel of the type comprising extruded, hollow, four-sided profile elements (1) from plastics material, coupling members (10, 11) being provided on two opposite sides of each profile element (1) , said coupling members making it possible to put the profile elements together to a continuous surface, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that a surface element (16) is provided on at least one side of the panel (2, 4) , said surface element having engagement means (15) engaging other coupling members (14) on at least some of the profile elements (1) .

2. A panel according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the width of the surface element is an integer multiple or a fraction of the width of the profile elements (1) .

3. A panel according to claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the surface element (16) is made from a different material than that from which the profile elements (1) are made.

4. A panel according to claims 1-3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the engagement means

(15) and the other coupling members (14) have the shape of mutually corresponding guide means which are adapted to slidable engagement in the longitudinal direction of the profile elements (1) .

5. A panel according to claims 1-4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the engagement means (15) and the other coupling members (14) are adapted for snap engagement.

6. A panel according to claim 4 or 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the surface element

(16) at both its longitudinal side edges is provided with a partial engaging means (15' ,* 20', 22) , whereby two partial engaging means (15'; 20', 22) of two adjacent side edges of two adjacent surface elements (16) together form the profile of the parts of a complete engagement means which are adapted for engagement with the other coupling members (14) .

7. A panel according to claim 6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the partial engaging means (22) at one side of a surface element (16) is provided with a portion (24) which forms a groove or ditch (25) below the gap between said surface element (16) and an adjacent surface element (16) .

8. A panel according to claims 1-7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the surface element comprises a surface part equipped with engagement means.

9. A panel according to claims 1-8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in comprising at least one side profile moulding (17, 18) comprising those of the following elements: coupling member (10, 11), engagement means (15) , partial engaging means (15' , 20' , 22) and a whole or a half second coupling member (24, 14') which makes the side profile moulding (17, 18) suited as a lateral end of the panel.