SUSPENDED SURFACES FOR THE APPLICATION OF PLASTERS

Abstract: Process and materials for the construction of suspended surfaces for plastering. The plasters are not attached or carried from the external surfaces of the walls (10) in the usual way but instead are suspended in parallel to the main wall surfaces so that a constant width gap (air space) (12) is formed between them. This process provides for the buildin ends of an appropriate system of overhang beams (2) on the perimeter of the buildings external wall surfaces at the higher level of each storey. On this beam the appropriate panels (3) of prefabricated reinforcement are hanged and fixed so that a final surface for the application of the plasters (13) is configurated. The panels (3) are capable of carrying the loads of the usual inorganic plasters (13) and the relevant wind and mechanical loads associated with the buildings external wall (10). The advantages of using the suspended plasters are the fast, easy, cost effective and quality solutions for the construction of the buildings twin-leaf walls, having external insulation (11), with an aerated or not aerated gap.

Description: The present invention relates to the construction of surfaces covering walls. Document WO-89/01550 discloses a method to construct a surface covering a wall using brackets, which are mounted in a dense arrangement on the wall. In particular fig. 15 of this document shows two rows of brackets 149 screwed in the wall, with insulating material 150 being suspended on the horizontal portion of the brackets. Subsequently beams are inserted into the hooks of the brackets to anchor the insulating material, and facade sheets 157 are attached by rivets on the outside of the beams in the way shown in fig. 10 of the WO-doc. With such a construction an air gap is formed between the insulating material and the facade sheet. It is noted that according to this method of construction the brackets transfer the loads which act on the panels, to the wall. Further, the depth of the air gap thus formed, depends on the dimension of the web of the beams (see Fig. 10 of WO-doc, beam 128) and subsequently the dimensions of the beams must be selected according to the thickness of the insulating material and the depth of the air gap. An object of the present invention is a method and the necessary means for the construction of panels covering the walls of the building, whereby the construction is on one hand simple and not time consuming and on the other hand the loads acting on the panels do not dangerously load the walls of the building. The invention is defined in claims 1 and 7. According to the invention supports are used to suspend the panels and stop means to maintain the panels at a distance from the wall. As the supports and the stop means are independent from each other, the supports are clamped to the load bearing elements of the structure, whereas the stop means forms an abutment between the wall and the panels. Thus only horizontal loads, as for example load arising from wind, could be transferred to the wall. The panels need only to be hung, so that neither time consuming nor complicated activities are necessary and the main loads acting on the panels are transferred to the load bearing structure of the building. This way of supporting the panels accounts also for their thermal expansion. Further it is noted that the depth of the stop means controls only the distance between the wall and the panel, and therefore a certain stop means can accommodate insulating material of various thickness. Other advantages of the invention, of which further embodiments are defined in the dependent claims, are the following : a) the air gap between the wall and the suspended panel is uninterrupted and extends throughout the height of the building; b) the suspended panels with the plaster applied on it loose easily the thermal energy collected during the day, because of their light mass and the circulation of air they allow. Thus overheating of the plaster is avoided; c) the construction of load bearing elements above openings such as windows and doors, which is necessary when a second brick wall is built to form a two-leaf wall with an air gap between the two leafs, is eliminated; d) the proposed construction is relatively cheap; e) the suspended panel with the plaster applied on it is lighter and thinner than regular two-leaf walls because of the omission of the second - exterior - brick wall and the reduction of the thickness of the air gap; f) foundations or any other supports necessary in the construction of regular exterior leaf of brick walls are not needed; g) suspended plasters suffer less damages than usual plasters in case of soil movements or in the case of earthquakes; h) a complete coverage of the building can be achieved without thermally bridging the wall with the suspended panels; and i) the insulating material is free from the load, which are applied on it when the heavy inorganic plaster is directly applied on it. One way of carrying out the invention is described in detail below with reference to drawings, which illustrate only one specific embodiment, in which Fig. 1: Shows the front face of a single panel which constitutes the suspended surface on which the plaster is going to be applied. Fig. 2: Shows the cross-section B-B of the panel (in different scale from that of fig. 1). Fig. 3: Shows the cross section A-A of the panel. Fig. 4: Shows the cross-section of a typical exterior wall which is consisted from the main wall, a layer of insulating material, an air gap, the suspended surface and the elements for the support and fastening of the latter. Fig. 5: Shows axonometrically the hanging of the panel on the beam which is supported on supports, and the gap retainers combs in parallel arrays. Fig. 6: Shows a part of the comb element that maintains fixed the gap width between the panel and the main wall. Fig. 7: Shows a support and the beam (broken line) that is inserted in the groove at the free end of it. A better description of the process can be presented in terms of the above mentioned figures 1-7. The panel (3) is hanged on the beam (2) which is supported on the free end of the support (1) which is built in the floor (15, Fig. 4) (10). Assemblage of the individual panel (3) will provide the final suspended surface on which the plaster (13) is going to be applied. Before the initial hanging of the panels (3) the comb elements (8) are placed by penetrating the insulation material (11) to protect the panels from wind or other mechanical pressures towards the wall (10). In order to protect the panels from outward pressures, they are fastened to the support elements (9) of the insulation material (11) in several points, with galvanized wire. The screen (6) is extended out of the one (long) side of the panel (3) to a narrow ribbon, that overlaps with the previous panel.This overlap area of each pair of panels (3) is stitched with a thin galvanized wire. The lower end of the panels in the case that a lower storey exist in the building, are fastened with galvanized wire to respective overhangs (1) and to the beam (2) which is there for the hanging of the panels for this storey. The basic components of the panel as shown in fig. 2 (cross section B-B) are the horizontal (4) and the vertical (5) reinforcement, the screen (6) attached to it and the panel plaster barrier (7).

Claims: A method for the suspension of panels (3) from a building constructed from a load bearing structure (15, 15', 16) comprising floors (15, 15'), and a wall (10), whereby the wall (10) facing the panels (3) is covered by an insulating material (11) and an air gap (12) is formed between the wall (10) and the panels (3); the method comprising the following steps: a) clamping supports (1) made of non-rusting material along the edge of the floors (15, 15') or/and other elements (16) of the load bearing structure (15, 15', 16); b) bridging the supports (1) by at least one beam-member (2) made of non-rusting material, neither bonded nor screwed to the supports (1), so that the at least one beam-member (2) is allowed to undergo movements due to thermal loads; c) providing at least one comb element (8) having teeth (8'') connected to stop means (8'), and penetrating the insulating material (11) with the teeth (8'') to locate the comb element (8), so that the stop means (8') projects from the insulating material (11); d) hanging the panels (3, 3'), which are provided with hook means (5') along its one edge, on the at least one beam-member (2), the height of the panels (3, 3') being equal to the height between the at least one beam-member (2) and a terminal means (2'), the panels (3) being hung in such a way so that adjacent panels (3) overlap, whereby the stop means (8') form an abutment for the panels (3) to maintain them at a distance from the wall (10), the distance exceeding the thickness of the insulating material (11) so that the air gap (12) is formed; and e) fastening the panel hooks (5') on the at least one beam-member (2), the overlapping areas of the adjacent panels to each other with non-rusting wire, and the edge of the panels (3) opposite to the edge carrying the hook means (5'), to the terminal means (2'). The method of claim 1, whereby the panels (3, 3') are prefabricated panels, consisting of a main reinforcement made of rods (3,5), a secondary reinforcement screen (6) having an extension (6') to overlap the adjacent panels, and a plaster barrier (7), which cannot be penetrated by plaster. The method of claim 2, whereby the plaster barrier is formed by the second reinforcement screen (6). The method of any of the claims 1 to 3, whereby the supports have grooves (1') to receive and support the at least one beam-member (2). The method of any of the claims 1 to 4, whereby the stop means (8') of the comb element (8) is formed by an elongated rod and the teeth (8'') are soldered to the elongated rod. The method of any of the claims 1 to 5, whereby the panel (3, 3') are fastened to the elements (9) provided to support the insulating material to the wall. An assembly consisting of a set of prefabricated panels (3,3') and of means (1,2,8) to support the panels (3, 3') on the load bearing elements of a building, the means (1, 2, 8) to hang the panels comprising supports (1) made of non-rusting material and provided with means (1') for receiving at least one beam-member (2) made of non-rusting material, the beam-member (2) bridging the supports (1) in such a way that the beam-member (2) is not distorted as a result of temperature changes, and at least one stop means (8') connected to teeth (8''), whereby the stop means (8') acts as an abutment for the panels to maintain the panels at a distance from the building wall, the panels (3) consisting of a main reinforcement made of rods (4, 5), a secondary reinforcement screen (6) connected to the main reinforcement, a barrier (7) not allowing plaster applied on one surface of the panel to move through it, and hook means (5') connected to the main reinforcement (4, 5) to hang the panels on the at least one beam member (2), non rusting wires being further provided to fasten adjacent overlapping panels. The assembly of claim 7, whereby the stop means (8') is formed by an elongated rod and the teeth (8'') are soldered to the elongated rod.

Inventors: IOSIFIDES, MINAS
Applicants: IOSIFIDES, MINAS
Application year: 1990
Main classification: E04F13
IPC codes: E04F13