FLOOR PANEL

Abstract: A floor panel (1) adapted for a floor such as has means under its panels for influencing the temperature of the space above. The panel is composed of layers or members (6, 7, 8) situated one above the other and mutually united. A lower first member (6) adapted for exposure to said means is a corrugated metal sheet joined to a second member (7) situated above it. The second member is a substantially planar metal sheet, the upper side of which carries and is joined to a third member (8) comprising a board of wood, wood-based material or material having stiffness and thermal resistance substantially corresponding to those of wood, e.g. paper-based phenol resin laminate.

Description: DESC IFJIOH loor panel (Technical Field The invention relates to a floor panel for a floor of the kind which has means under the panels for influencing the temperature of the space above the floor, e.g. water-heated pipe.coils or cased electrical elements. The panel is composed of mutually adhering layers of material. In this context the term "panel" particularly includes a tongued and grooved component with the character of such boarding as is usual in laying laminated parquet on battens or joists. Background Art Previously known heated floor structures having built- in heat sources are burdened with the disadvantage that their boarding component has great thermal resistance, often coupled with a large time lag in their heat control system caused by there being a large heat accumulating mass in the whole floor structure. * Disclosure of Invention The object of the invention is to provide a floor panel of the I Lnd described in the introduction, although better from the aspect of considerably reduced thermal ' resis.tance witho any dii-iinishing in its strength properties, ease of laying and working on it in a laid condition. In one embodiment the floor panel will also permit laying of heating coils or loops in the panels at the same time as the panels are laid. The intended result is obtained by providing the floor panel with the characterizing features apparent from the follow¬ ing claim 1 • Brief Description of Drawings Some embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail while referring to the appended drawings. Figure 1 illustrates in plan a portion of a floor with panels according to the first embodiment, where hot water pipe coils are placed in the floor insulation under the panels. Figure 2 is a partial section to a larger scale along II-II in Figure 1• Figure 3 is a partial section in the larger scale, along III-III in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a plan view of a floor with panels in accordance with a second embodiment, where hot water pipe coils a built into the panels. Figure 5 is a section to a larger scale along Y-V in Figure 4» Figure 6 is a partial view of a panel in accordance with the embodiment in Figures 4 and 5. Figure 7 is a partial section of a third embodiment with the ability of retaining heating pipes built into the panel. Best Kodc for Carrying Out the Invention * The floor panel 1 is shown as in use for a floor having a heat source under it, denoted in Figures 1 - 3 as heat coils or loops 2 and^in Figures 4 - 7 as heat coils or loops 3- According to Figures 1 - 5 the panels 1 are laid on battens 4 having conventional spacing, and may be a part of some optional flooring structure, e.g. battens in a pre-fabri- cated battened panel of cellular plastics in accordance with the patent specification 75 17276-9, or battens laid out with insulation 5 arranged between them. The panel 1 is composed of members 6, 7 and 8, described in detail below and having mutual adnesion distributed over the panel area. The first, bottom member 6, which is intended to be exposed to the heat source 2, 3. comprises a corrugated steel sheet, the peaks of which are disposed in the longitudinal direction of the panel. The profile of this sheet is substantial¬ ly like a square wave with the peaks and valleys mutually parallel and also parallel to the chief plane of the panel. The planar upper faces of the peeks thus engage directly against the bottom face of a planar sheet constituting the second member 7. Seam welds are suitably employed to form the union between the peaks of member 1 and member 7. The third member 8 engages in turn against the upper face of the member 7, and comprises a board of wood or wood-based material. This third member may comprise such as parquet flooring blocks, so that the whole panel corresponds, as far as laying is concerned, to a laminated board for laying on battens or joists, or it may be a chip- or fibreboard functioning as a base for the desired finished flooring. The members 7 and 8 are glued together. According to Figures 1 - 3, the panel 1 is formed with a fairly insignificant height of the corrugated sheet .forming member 6. The heating coils 2 are disposed in the insula¬ tion between the battens 4 under the panels 1, and have their chief extension parallel to the battens. In this case the panels 1 are oriented at right-angles to the heating coils 2. According to Figures 4.and 5» the panel 1 is formed with the corrugations of member 6 having greater pitch and height, thus obtaining the downwardly open troughs 9 for accommodating the so-called "soft tubes" of the heating coils3« In this case the coils have their chief extension at right angles to the battens 4> and their tubes are placed in some of the troughs, where the pipes follow the direction of the troughs, and when their direction deviates from the trough they are sunk into the insulation 5» and in ecxeptional cases they are taken through floor battens. For simple mounting and retention of the pipes of the heat coils in the troughs 9, the square wave profile of the sheet can be modified as illustrated in Figure 7, this dovetail cross sectional shape of the troughs with its downwardly diminishing width, coupled with the elasticity of the sheet allows the tube to be pressed into the trough from below, and be retained there by a kind of snap action. Alternatively, the corrugated sheet with its profile substantially maintained as illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 may be locally deformed, at spaced intervals in the longitudinal direction of the troughs, so that the troughs are given constrictions (not shown here) capable of retaining the tube pushed into a trough. - B U EA In all embodiments, the-first member 6 has wall por¬ tions 6a extending substantially along the whole length of the panel 1, to form an angle with the chief plane of the panel, whereby the panel is given great stiffness in a direction t-snsverse the chief plane. The first layer 6 also has down¬ wardly acing support surfaces 6b, for supporting the panel 1 on any kind of sub—floor or floor structure, such as fixed floor battens, sand bed or cellular plastic slabs with set-in nailing strips. Since the member 6 is of metal and has a large surface exposed to the underlying heat source 2, 3» this member affords good heat absorption and thermal conductivity. sheet member 7 also affords effective distribution of supplied heat over the floor panel surface, due to its fixed union with the first- member 6 and its good heat conductivity. In the embodiments illustrated, this sheet, furthermore, affords and advantageous stabilizing of the corrugated sheet. The restriction of the heat flow, which the higher heat resistance in the third mgmber 8 provides, contributes further to uniform distribution of the heat flow over the floor surface. The magnitude of this heat resistance requires careful consideration however, since the greatest possible heat flow in an upward direction from the heat source 2, 3 is generally sought after, and the temperature under the floor should be limited. An advantageous heat resistance and improved heat distribution in the member itself is obtained 0. the third member 8 is formed by one or more layers of solid wood, which have been compressed to a thickness of at most 70 , suitably about 50 3 of its original thickness in naturally grown condi- tions. Material not based on wood, although having stiffness and heat resistance substantially corresponding to those of such material, is also utilizable, and an example of such material suitable for the purpose is paper-based phenol resin laminate. The intimate union of the second and third members, e.g. by gluing " , facilitates heat transport betv/een then and improves the strength of the floor panel. Λo is shown in Figure 6, the panel 1 can be made tongued and grooved with the aid of strips 10, having tongues and grooves, respectively, these strips being glued along the long edges of the panel, i.e. against an elongate surface of the first member 6 and an elongate surface of the second member 7. The strips are suitably made from wood or other nailable material, so that the panels 1 may be nailed to the battens 4 like ordinary boarding in a conventional way by means of nails 11 (Fig. 5). For fixing the short ends of the panels, each panel may be provided at one end with stubs 12 which are pushed to about half their length into the channels 13 formed between the troughs 9, and fixed there, the projecting portions of the stubs having a less width than that of the channels 13» These stubs are formed and disposed such that they do not hinder a panel from mating tightly with the one against which it has been thrust, i.e. they permit the tongue/groove on one strip 10 on a panel for laying to be fully complementary to the groove/tonguo on a strip on a laid panel, or vice versa, such that when a new panel is laid with ito channels 13 accommodating the stub3 12, there is sufficient transverse movement for adjusting the groove/tongue of the new panel to the tongue/groove of the one just laid, or vice versa. From Figures 5 and 6 it will be further seen that the members 7 and 8 terminate in the area above the tongued strip 10, and that at least the edge of the member 8 is under¬ cut to afford a groove-like grip on the member S of an adjacent panel, this member being formed complementally to the groove-like undercutting. In the shallower profile shown in Figures 1 - 3 > the joint can be carried out in a longitudinal direction with the aid of a separate strip 14 which is placed in a lateral slot defined by the corrugated sheet and member 7 for engage¬ ment in a corresponding slot on the next panel. Ir e transverse joints can be formed with stubs or pins with the corresponding function of the stubs 12 illustrated in Figure 6. o The panel 1 is normally dimensioned for support by battens or the like with conventional spacing. Hov/ever, it can also be made lighter for laying on a substructure v/hich supports it at shorter intervals or over its whole area. The stubs 12 can be massive, U-shaped or tubular or have any other form affording the necessary guidance in height and lateral movement.

Claims: C AIKS 1, A floor panel (l) adapted for a floor ouch as has means (2, 3) under its panels for influencing the tempera¬ ture of the space above, e.g. hot water pipe coils, said floor panel (l) being composed of a plurality of members (6, 7, 8) situated one above the other and mutually united, characterized in that -a lower first member (δ) adapted for exposure to said means is a corrugated metal sheet with peaks onits upper side joined to a second member (l) situated above it, said second member being a substantially planar metal sheet, the upper side of which in turn carries, and is joined to, a third member (δ) comprising a board of wood, wood- based material or material having stiffness and thermal resistan substantially corresponding to those of wood, e.g. paper-based phenol resin laminate. 2. Floor panel as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the corrugated sheet of the first member (6) has a profile substantially like a square wave. 3- Floor panel as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the downwardly open troughs (9) of the first member (o) firmed by the corrugated sheet are dimensioned to accommodate pipes (3) constituting said means. 4. Floor panel as claimed in claim 5» characterized in that the troughs (9) have downwardly decreasing widths for retaining the pipe (3) pushed into a trough (9). 5. Floor panel as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the troughs (9) are locally deformed at intervals in their longitudinal direction such that they have constrictions capable of retaining a pipe pushed into a trough. 6. Floor panel as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the third member, (δ) comprises at least one element of solid wood, which is compressed, before mounting on the second member (7), to a thickness of at most 70 $, sntably about 50 of the original thickness .i k d in its natural state. δ 7. A floor panel as claimed in any of claims 1 - 6, characterized in that it is made tongued and grooved with the aid of strips (lθ) of wood or other nailable material, said strips being provided with mating tongues and grooves on their respective long faces, with other long faces, preferably being glued to edge portions of the first and/or second member (6, 7). 8. Floor panel as claimed in any of claims 1 - 7, characterized in that stubs or pins (12) are adapted for mounting in one end of the panel (1,) v/here they thrust into the channels (13) facing upwards towards the planar sheet (7) and formed in the corrugated sheet (6), said stubs being made with less width than said channels, at least in their portions projecting out from the end of the floor panel, said portions being adapted for inserting in the corresponding channels (13) on the end of an adjacent floor panel, when . laying out a floor. \

Inventors: HELLGREN DAVID ALFRED, SUNDSTROEM BENGT ARVIDE TORSTE, HELLGREN, DAVID, ALFRED, SUNDSTROEM, BENGT, ARVIDE, TORSTEN
Applicants: HELLGREN DAVID ALFRED, KULLBERG ROSE MARIE LINNEA, SUNDSTROEM BENGT ARVIDE TORSTE, HELLGREN, DAVID, ALFRED, KULLBERG, ROSE-MARIE, LINNEA, SUNDSTROEM, BENGT, ARVIDE, TORSTEN
Application year: 1982
Main classification: E04F15
IPC codes: E04F15, F24D3, F24D13