FACING PANEL

Abstract: A wall element for a building, especially a lining element used as a facing panel, the front of which is formed of brick, ceramic or similar tiles (1), the joints of which are most advantageously filled with jointing compound. The panel body comprises vertical profiles (2) at a distance from each other and horizontal profiles (3, 8) at a distance from each other, forming a lattice when fixed together, and profiles (2, 3) furnished with guides (4, 5) to facilitate laying of tiles (1) on said profiles.

Description: FACING PANEL This invention relates to a plane element to be used as a facinα panel on the exterior surface in buildings. Previouslv known iε a facing panel (2) with a body of corrosion resistant sheet metal. By means of punching tools tiling guides have been made in the sheet which are tongues extracted from the sheet with the tool and bent off the sheet in the direction of the tiling. Guided by the tongues / the tiles are laid and iointed. To be transportable and mountable such a facing panel needs extra support. The back sheet must be stiff if used to provide handling strength to the panel. The panel will then be heavv and have a thickness of many millimetres. Known panels of this kind are, as matter of fact, facing panels with insulation, frame and inwall lining. Accordingly, on using thin sheet the panel reguires a separate supporting framework. Examples of such frameworks are constructions a.o. in US patent No. 4,334,394, in the Finnish application No. 884288 and in the publication print No. FI-58810. The panels are as thick as the whole wall and have a thin back plate for fixing of tiles, concrete or casting material. The obiect of this invention is to bring forth a facing panel sufficiently rigid upon handling and mounting and onto which especiallv tiles, e.g. lining bricks are easily fastened. The panel is fixed on a wall as a lining. This object is reached bv a means of facing panel according to the invention, character¬ ized in what is presented in the patent claims. A facing panel according to the invention is made sufficiently rigid bv means of a lattice structure, the vertical profiles of which are made of thin sheet metal. As to its use of material, the whole profile construction corresponds to the sheet metal that would be the panel back plate. With a framework of pro- files according to the invention the facing panel needs no other bearing frame and can therefore be handled and mounted independently as a facing panel on a wall. For laving the tiles or lining bricks and distribution of jointing compound there are necessary guides in the profiles for the tiles and bearing surfaces for jointing compound. In the following the invention is disclosed with reference to the enclosed drawing, where Fig. 1 is a front view of the facing panel. Fig. 2 is a vertical view of the facing panel. Fig. 3 is a horizontal view of the facing panel. Fig. 4 is a joint of tile and horizontal profile. Fig. 5 is another joint of tile and horizontal profile. Figure 1 shows the facing panel framed by a L-profile 6. Inside the frame a lattice of vertical and horizontal profiles is formed. The vertical profiles 2 are fixed at a pitch of half of the tile length from each other. The horizontal profiles 3 are fixed at a pitch of half of the tile width from each other. Most suitably the profiles are shaped of corrosion resistant thin metal sheet. The profiles are fixed together as a lattice for instance by spot welding in the intersections. Profiles 2 and 3 are then at different levels and, most advantageously, the vertical profiles are undermost. The vertical profiles 2 have brackets 5 in every second space between the horizontal profiles 3. Most advantageously the brackets are made punching them partly off profile with a tool to form tongues sticking out from the profile. The tile pattern shown in the ficrure is produced with guides 5 in every second space in the vertical profiles 2. The purpose of brackets 5 is to function as tiling guides and bearing surfaces for the jointing compound. As tiling guide and bearing surface for the jointing compound the surface of horizontal profile 3 can have an unbroken pro¬ file shape 4 similar to the bracket shown in figure 1. Naturally, on the surface of this profile 3 there can also be brackets partially punched out with a tool at a distance from each other. The profiles of the lattice can be fixed together also with a punching tool by percussing them partly through both profiles in the intersections and thus producing a joint locking the profiles together. Other known jointing methods are also possible. Figure 2 shows a vertical section of the facing panel, whereat a cross-section of horizontal profile 3 becomes visible. There are folds in the edges of profile 3 by means of which the pro¬ file can be easily connected, in different ways, to the criss¬ cross profile 2 underneath. Further, profile 3 has a protudrud- ing shape 4 hitting the joint space between the tiles. The width of the joint space is determined by profile 3 when the tiles are arranged as shown in figure 2, i.e. the tile edges are placed on the skirts of the edges of profile 3 . Figure 3 shows a horizontal section of the facing panel, where¬ at a cross-section of vertical profile 2 becomes visible. In thiε embodiment the vertical profile is a U channel, on the one side of which the horizontal profiles are fixed. On the same side the tongues 5 are also made. The facing panel is on only so much thicker than tiling as the width of profile 2. Depend¬ ing on the tiles, the thickness of tiling varies for instance from 8 to 30 mm and the width of the profile is for instance 30 mm. Accordingly, the width of the facing panel amounts only to appr. 60 mm. The outer dimensions of a typical facing panel are 1 m x 2,7 m Figure 4 shows another embodiment of this invention, where there is a groove 7 in the tile 1 edge. Further, the shape of the edge of vertical profile 3 differs from the shape in figure 2 because it is bent inward. For the jointing compound a nest is formed because of the vertical profile 3 and the groove in tile 1. The nest has the effect to bind tile 1 to the profiles if it has been made sure during jointing that the nest is filled with jointing compound. The nest can be on one side of nest and have an uninterruped shape or it is produced in form of pits pressed in profile 3 at a certain distance from each other. In tiles as per the figures the grooves 7 are, for instance, on the long sides of the tiles. The nest can be also formed between tile 1 with groove 7 and a vertical profile 3 as shown in figure 2 so that there is on one side of the vertical profile holes made at distance from each other, which hit the groove 7, whereby the jointing compound extrudes through the holes partly to the inside of profile 3. In this manner a corresponding locking effect is reached. The groove in the edge of tile 1 can be replaced by pits or with a uninterrupted or interrupted bulge. Further, a tongue 5 partly punched off from profile 3 is also illustrated in figure 4. Such tongues are used at a distance from each other to function as bearing surface for the jointing compoun . Figure 5 shows tiles 1 furnished with still deeper grooves 9 and a horizontal profile 8 still comprising bracket shapes in both directions designed so that the bracket wings hit grooves 9 in tile 1 to keep the tiles mechanically fastened by profiles 8 even without any jointing compound. Also in this embodiment the intention is to add also jointing compound between the tiles. This construction is of such a kind that the tiles and the next horizontal profile 8 are laid and mounted in turns. A solution may also be pushing the tiles sidewards to their place if the horizontal profiles 8 are mounted in the vertical pro¬ files. Guides (5) have to be bent up later in thiε case. The lattice offers sufficient rigidity and most characteristic¬ ally it is made of steel sheet band with a thickness of 0,5 mm. The shape of profile is made most advantageously by rolling the sheet band. The use of material corresponds to the material used in a compact back board. The facing panel can be easily made more rigid and fixing of tiles improved by spraying adhesive onto the back of the facing panel, for instance glass fibre resin together with or without reinforcing fibres. The facing element becomes rigid and corner fixings or fixing means close to the corners with counter parts on the wall, are sufficient for mounting the panel on a wall. It is possible to make various facing panel shapes needed due to deviations caused by window and door openings. Likewise, as a corner element a facing panel can be used with its sides in a 90° angel to each other. For each facing panel size the latice shall be built with proper spaces between profiles so that guides and bonds fall in the joint space. Tiling ist most advantageously carried out with a facing panel in vertical position while jointing is carried out simultaneously. The body material of profiles can be aluminium, polymer plastic or even carbon fibre in addition to corrosion protected sheet metal profile. The facing panel is well applicable also to fences, for instance shielding fences alongside roads, inwalls and floor levels.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A plane element for building of fences, for floors and use as a lining element, especially a facing panel with its front dressed with brick, ceramic or similar tiles (1), the joints of which are, most advantageously, filled with jointing com¬ pound, wherein the frame of the element comprises vertical profiles (2) at a distance from each other and horizontal pro¬ files (3) ,(8) at a distance from each other forming a lattice when fixed together, characterized in that the horizontal profiles (3) ,(8) locate on the vertical profiles (2) and the tiles (1) are mounted essentially on the surface of the ver¬ tical profiles (2) while the horizontal profiles (3), (8) locate essentially wholly in the jointing space between the tiles and both frame profiles (2) and (3), (8) have protruding guides (4,5) which locate in the jointing spaces. 2. A facing panel according to patent claim 1 characterized in that the profiles function as mounting bolster for the jointing compound. 3. A facing panel according to patent claims 1 and 2 charact¬ erized in that guides (5) have the shape of protruding tongues as a result of punching the profile (2). . A facing panel according to patent claims 1 and 2 charact¬ erized in that guide (4) is a shape belonging to profile (3) and protruding in the profile direction. 5. A facing panel according to any of the patent claimε 1 - 4 characterized in that most advantageously a layer of adhesive is sprayed on the back of the facing panel for more effective fixation of tiles or similar on the profiles. 6. A facing panel according to any of the patent claims 1 - 6 characterized in that the edge of tile (1) on profile (3), (8) is furnished with a groove (7) ,(9), pits or bulges in order to im p rove the adhesive effect of jointing compound or to secure the tile in profile (8).

Inventors: POUTANEN TUOMO, TIIROLA TUOMO, POUTANEN, TUOMO, TIIROLA, TUOMO
Applicants: POUTANEN TUOMO, STONEL OY, TIIROLA TUOMO, POUTANEN, TUOMO, TIIROLA, TUOMO
Application year: 1996
Main classification: E04F13
IPC codes: E04C2, E04F13