PREFABRICATED STRUCTURAL UNIT

Abstract: A prefabricated structural wall unit for houses, comprising a load-carrying reinforced concrete panel (2) and a rigid insulating material (4) in abutment against the broad face (3) and secured to said broad face (3) by means of thin bars (11) of thin galvanized sheet metal, said bars having flanges (14) in abutment against the face (13) of the insulating material (4) that is turned away from said broad face (3), and also anchoring members (15) which are embedded into the concrete of the panel (2) and extend transversely to and through the insulating material (4).

Description: PREFABRICATED STRUCTURAL UNIT The subject invention concerns a prefabricated structural unit for use in the construction of buildings, such as houses or similar structures, said structural unit having an essentially rectangular configuration and comprising a load-bearing panel of preferably reinforced concrete and a preferably rigid insulating material in abutting relationship with at least one of the broad faces of the panel and essentially covering said panel face. Structural units of this kind are used above all as load-bearing wall units for exterior walls or partition walls and/or as load-bearing units or as floor panels, the concrete of the panel or board being either conventional concrete or light weight concrete, depending on the intended application. In one prior-art structural unit of the kind defined above, the insulating material is attached to the broad face of the concrete panel during the manufacturing process proper by means of such methods as pounter- casting, glueing or the like. In many cases, these attachment measures are insufficient, for instance because in course of time the insulating material tends to separate from the concrete panel, and for this reason supplementary securing means are often used, such as wooden nailing battens which are applied to the insulating material face that is turned away from the broad face of the panel. These wooden battens are usually nailed through the insulating material and into the concrete panel by means of concrete nails or similar fasteners, which are applied manually or by gun. In order to be able to penetrate through the insulating material and a sufficient distance into the concrete panel to ensure safe anchoring of the wooden nailing battens -.he nails or fasteners must be compara¬ tively long and it is important that they are directed at right angles to the concrete panel when nailed into the latter. If directed obliquely, the nail will often fail to penetrate sufficiently far into the concrete panel, resulting in deficient anchoring of the wooden battens and/or the nail heads splitting the wooden battens which thus need to be replaced. In addition, the wooden nailing battens have a con¬ siderable thickness in themselves, usually about 20-40 mm. , which means that they project by the corresponding length outwards from the face of the insulating material that is turned away from the concrete panel broad side. One disadvantage of this arrangement is the detraction from the aesthetic appearance of the structural unit which therefore cannot be used with only the insulating material attached thereto to form e.g. interior walls in buildings. In order to cover the wooden nailing battens, additional wall covering therefore is required, e.g. in the form of building panels or gypsum wall boards. The main purpose of the subject invention is to suggest a prefabricated structural unit of the kind defined in the preamble, wherein the disadvantages and imperfections of prior-art structural units have been eliminated. This purpose is achieved in accordance with the invention in that the insulating material is securely anchored to the broad face of the concrete panel by means of bars of thin, preferably galvanized sheet metal, said bars formed with flanges positioned in abutment against the face of the insulating material that is turned away from said broad face of the panel, and also with anchoring members extending transversely with respect to the insulating material and being embedded in the concrete of the panel. The invention will be described in closer detail in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings depicting an at the moment preferred embodiment thereof. In the drawings: Fig. 1 illustrates a prefabricated structural unit in accordance with the invention in a perspective view as seen obliquely from the side, the unit being shortened lengthwise and some parts having been cut away in order to show details behind. Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views along lines II-II and III-III, respectively, in Fig. 1. The prefabricated structural unit in accordance with the invention, generally referred to by numeral 1, is intended for the erection of buildings such as houses and similar structures and in this application the unit may, as in the case illustrated, be used as a load-bearing structural wall panel for external walls. The same structural unit or a modified version thereof could also be used as a load-bearing structural wall unit for partition walls and/or as structural members or as floor/roof panels. The structural unit 1, which in the manner illus¬ trated has an essentially rectangular shape, comprises a load-bearing panel 2 and an insulating material 4 positioned in abutment against at least one of the broad faces 3 of the panel so as to essentially cover said face 3. The panel, or slab, 2 is made from concrete, either conventional concrete or light weight concrete or the like, and preferably it is reinforced by reinforcement means not shown in the drawings. In accordance with the embodiment in the drawings, the concrete panel 2 is formed along its two facing upper and lower lengthwise edges 5 and 6 with flanges 7 and 8 which are cast integrally with the edges 5, 6 and which at least partly cover the con¬ fronting edge faces 9 of the insulating material 4. In a manner known per se the insulating material 4 may be made from comparatively rigid sheets 10 of preferably cellular plastics and/or mineral wool. However, there is nothing to prevent the insulating material 4 from being made from some other material or even being foamed in situ. As appears from the drawing figures, the insulating material 4 is securely anchored to one 3 of the broad faces of the load-bearing concrete panel with the aid of bars, generally designated by 11. The bars 11 are made from thin sheet metal having a thickness of say 0.6 - 1.2 mm., preferably galvanized, but which obviously could be made corrosion-proof in some other way. The sheet metal bars 11 are positioned in the manner illustrated alongside the lengthwise edges 5, 6 as well as alongside the trans¬ verse edges 12 of the concrete panel 2, and also inter¬ mediate the oppositely positioned lengthwise, or as illustrated, transverse sheet metal bars. All sheet metal bars 11 are formed with flanges 14 abutting against the side 13 of the insulating material 4 that is turned away from the broad face 3 of the concrete panel 2, and they are also formed with anchoring members 15 which are embedded in the concrete of the panel 2 and which extend transversely through the insulating material 4. In accordance with the embodiment shown the sheet metal bars 11 are essentially L-shaped alongside the lengthwise and transverse edges 5, 6 and 12, respectively, of the load-bearing concrete panel 2, with one flange or limb of the L-section forming the flange 14 abutting against the face 13 of the insulating material 4 that is turned away from the panel broad face 3. More precisely, the bar flange 14 is in planar position against and flush with said face 13 of the insulating material 4. The other flange or limb 16 of the L-section member is, as illus- trated, essentially flush with the lengthwise and trans¬ verse edges 5, 6 and 12, respectively, of the load- bearing concrete panel 2. Those sheet metal bars 11 that in accordance with the embodiment shown extend vertically intermediate the oppo- sitely positioned transverse sheet metal bars 11 are essentially configured as T-section members the limb of which that forms flange 14 likewise abutting in planar position against and being flush with the broad face 3 of the insulating material 4 that is turned way from the load-bearing concrete panel 1. The shank 17 of the T- section member preferably is doubled and extends into the joint 18 between neighbouring panels 10 of the insulating material 4, placed edge to edge. From the above description it should be clear that when the structural unit 1 serves as a load-carrying wall element, in the manner illustrated, the sheet metal bars 11 having the essentially L-section configuration along¬ side the lengthwise and transverse edges 5,6 and 12, respectively, of the concrete panel 2, serve as head and foot battens and end uprights, respectively whereas the sheet metal bars 11 of essentially T-section configuration serve as vertical intermediate uprights. The intermediate uprights could equally well extend horizontally instead of vertically. In either case at least the end and inter¬ mediate uprights could be apertured to allow passage- through of electrical tubes or the like and to form attachment means for securement of electrical boxes and the like. In accordance with the embodiment shown the fasteners or anchoring members 15 mentioned previously are made from sheet metal strips 19 and are welded, preferably spot- welded, to the sheet-metal bars 11 in spaced-apart positions and the strips are formed with an end portion 20 which extends at an oblique angle and which is embedded in the concrete of the panel 2. Preferably, the sheet metal strips 19 are made from the same sheet metal material as the sheet metal bars 11, i.e. they could be just as thin as the bars 11, and typically they have a width of 20 mm and a length of approximately 200 mm and more, depending on the thickness of the insulating material 4. The sheet metal strips 19 on the sheet metal bars 11 forming the the head and foot battens of essentially L-section configura¬ tion preferably are welded to the flanges 14 whereas the sheet metal strips 19 on the sheet metal bars 11 forming the end uprights and essentially having an L-section configuration preferably are welded to the flanges 16. In the case of the sheet metal bars 11 of essentially T- section configuration forming the intermediate uprights, the sheet metal strips 19 are welded to said bar in staggered positions on either side of the shank 17 in the manner appearing from Figs. 1 and 2. At least some of the sheet metal bars 11, in the embodiment illustrated the L-section bars 11 forming the head and foot battens and the end uprights, are formed with tongues 21 which are punched from the bar material and which have a dimension of approximately 30 x 20 mm and which are bent in over or into the insulating material 4 to be secured relatively to the latter. For stabilizing purposes and so as to form an edge lining the free longitudinal edges 22 of the flanges 14 and 16 of all sheet metal bars 11 are somewhat bent, in accordance with the shown embodiment, at an angle of say 10 - 30° towards the plane of the flange and consequently the face 13 of the insulating material that is turned away from the broad face 3 of the concrete panel 2, into engagement with said face 13, i.e. with the insulating material 4, and towards the lengthwise upper and lower flanges 7, 8 of the concrete panel 2, respectively. From the above appears that in accordance with the embodiment shown in the drawings, the concrete panel 2 forms the external side and the load-bearing structure of the structural unit 1. The primary object of the thin sheet metal bars 11 is to maintain the insulating material 4 in position, the latter material then forming the inner side of the structural unit 1. When the sheet metal bars 11 illus¬ trated have an aesthetic appearance they could advantageously be used together with e.g. mineral wool panels, the latter forming the insulating material, in applications where no other internal wall covering is needed. The advantages with this arrangement is to provide excellent noise absorption and fireproof properties. In cases when wall coverings in the form of e.g. building slabs or gypsum boards are preferred, such slabs or boards could easily be mounted by means of the sheet metal bars by being attached thereto by screwing, glueing or other means of securement. Since the concrete panel 2 constitutes the load-bearing part of the structural unit 1 a flexible centre distance (c/c) becomes possible between the sheet metal bars 11 which in this case form the end and intermediate uprights. For instance, when gypsum boards with cellular plastics as the insulating material are used, this centre distance could amount to 900 mm. The ergonomic advantages using gypsum boards having a width of 900 mm are considerable and the stability of the gypsum boards is not endangered since the face 13 of the insulating material 4 facing away from the broad face 3 of the concrete panel 2 are flush with the flanges 14 of the sheet metal bars 11. Back-up support of the gypsum boards then may be provided intermediate the sheet metal bars by means of e.g. spot glueing. Because of the highly reduced thickness of the metal of the bars 11, amounting only to about 0.6 - 1.2 mm as mentioned earlier, considerable insulating capacity is obtained with a comparatively thin structural unit, since the points which from an insulating point of view are the weakest ones are at the head and foot battens and the end uprights formed by the sheet metal bars and at the com¬ plementary sheet metal bars, configured in an equivalent manner to bars 11 as described and shown, that embrace doors, gates, windows and the like (not shown).

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A prefabricated structural wall unit (1) for use in the construction of buildings, such as houses or similar structures, said structural unit (1) having an essentially rectangular configuration and comprising a load-carrying panel (2) of preferably reinforced concrete and a preferably rigid insulating material (4) in abutting relationship with at least one (3) of the broad faces of the concrete panel (2) and essentially covering said broad face (3) of the panel, said insulating material (4) being securely anchored to said broad face (3) of the concrete panel (2) by means of bars (11) of thin, preferably galvanized sheet metal, said bars (11) formed with flanges (14) in abutting relationship with the face (13) of the insulating material (4) that is turned away from said broad face (3), and also with anchoring members (15) extending transversely through the insulating material (4) and into the concrete panel (2) in which they are embedded, said concrete slab (2) having flanges (7, 8) which are cast integrally with said panel and which extend along the two oppositely positioned lengthwise panel edges (5, 6) so as to at least partly cover the edge faces (9) of the insulating material (4) that are turned towards said panel edges, the sheet metal bars (11) being positioned alongside the lengthwise and transverse edges (5, 6, 12) of the concrete panel (2) and also intermediate the oppositely positioned longitudinal or transverse bars ( 11 ) , c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that alongside the lengthwise and transverse edges (5, 6, 12) of the concrete panel (2) said sheet metal bars (11) form the head and bottom battens and end uprights, respectively, of the structural unit (1) and are configured essentially as L- section members one flange (14) of which is in planar position of abutment against and flush with the face (13) of the insulating material (4) that is turned away from the broad face (3) of the concrete slab (2) and the second flange (16) of which is flush with the lengthwise and transverse edges (5, 6, 12) of the concrete panel (2), in that intermediate said oppositely positioned lengthwise and transverse sheet metal bars (11) said bars (11) form intermediate uprights configured essentially as T-section members the crossbar (14) of which is in planar position of abutment against and flush with the face (13) of the insulating material (4) that is turned away from the broad face (3) of the concrete slab (2) and the shank (17) of which is doubled and extend into the joint (18) between neighbouring sheets (10), positioned edge to edge, of the insulating material (4), and in that the anchoring members (15) are formed by sheet metal strips (19) which are attached, preferably by welding, to the sheet metal bars (11) in spaced apart positions, said strips having end portions (20) extending at an angle to the strips and being embedded into the concrete of said panel (2). 2. A structural wall unit as claimed in claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that along the lengthwise edges (22) of the flanges (14, 16) on the bars (11) the latter are somewhat bent in the direction towards the face (13) of the insulating material (4) that is turned away from the broad side (3) of the concrete panel (2) so as to engage said face (13), as well as toward *-*.s the lengthwise flanges (7, 8) of the concrete panel (2) for stabilizing and edge-lining purposes. 3. A structural wall unit as claimed in claims 1 and 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that at least some of the sheet metal bars (11) have tongues (21) which are punched from the bar material and which are bent in over or into the insulating material (4) to be secured relatively thereto. 4. A structural wall unit as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that in a manner known per se the insulating material (4) is formed by sheets (10) of cellular plastics and/or mineral wool. 5. A structural wall unit as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the sheet metal bars (11) forming the end and intermediate uprights are provided with apertures for passage-through of electrical tubes or the like and forming attachments for electrical boxes and the like. 6. A structural wall unit as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that wall covering, preferably in the shape of building panels or gypsum boards, is mounted on the sheet metal bars (11), preferably by means of screws and/or glue, and in that the centre distance between the sheet metal bars (11) forming the end and intermediate uprights, is flexible and amounts to 900 mm. when gypsum bords and cellular plastics insula¬ tion is used.

Inventors: GUNNARSSON HELMER, GUNNARSSON KJELL, GUNNARSSON, HELMER, GUNNARSSON, KJELL
Applicants: GUNNARSSON HELMER, GUNNARSSON KJELL, KINDS CEMENTGJUTERI AB, AB KINDS CEMENTGJUTERI
Application year: 1993
Main classification: E04C2
IPC codes: E04C2