Wall structure

Abstract: A wall structure made of fire-resistant material(s) has spaced apart vertical stiffening elements (4) and a stiffening corrugated plate (2) extending between the or each pair of adjacent vertical stiffening elements (4). Metallic surface plate means (1) are rigidly secured to the vertical stiffening elements (4) and the corrugated plate (2) is glued to the surface plate means (1). The corrugation of the corrugated plate (2) have a height of no more than 20 mm and extend between adjacent vertical stiffening elements (4). The invention also covers a wall element for a wall structure.

Description: This invention relates to a wall element for a wall structure, the wall element being according to the preamble of claim 1 and as disclosed in FR-A-2552017. The invention also relates to a wall structure comprising a number of wall elements. In the ship building industry in particular, it is desirable to construct ships and the like having internal structures which are lightweight and uncomplicated in construction whilst having good fire-resisting and sound insulating properties. If the walls of cabins and like structures can be made relatively thin, the assembly work is facilitated and the weight of the structural elements is reduced. FR-A-2552017 discloses a panel having a pair of spaced apart facing sheets with a corrugated sheet bonded to, and sandwiched between, the facing sheets. Along edges of the panel are stiffening elements arranged between the facing sheets and having substantially the same thickness as the corrugated sheet. An object of the present invention is to provide a wall element for a wall structure which is thin and relatively lightweight, is sufficiently stiff vertically as well as horizontally and has good fire-resisting and sound-insulating properties. The fire-proof properties of the wall element should meet a high standard and the sound-insulation should be good, in particular be within the frequency range 100 to 200 Hz. According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a wall element as claimed in the ensuing claim 1. The corrugations of the corrugated plate extend at least substantially horizontally to provide the horizontal stiffening of the wall structure. In order to obtain sufficient vertical stiffening, the dimension of the vertical stiffening element(s) perpendicular to the plane of the surface plate means is considerably greater than the overall thickness of the corrugated plate. With such a construction a space is created between the vertical panel edges in which insulating material can easily be placed. Preferably the corrugated plate is attached to the vertical stiffening element(s) substantially only by virtue of being adhesively bonded to the surface plate means. In particular, the corrugated plate preferably has no direct connection with the vertical stiffening elements. The surface plate means is conveniently adhesively bonded to the vertical stiffening element(s), and this adhesive bonding should preferably be secured by means of screws or the like for maintaining the fire-resisting properties of the structure in the event of the glue being destroyed by the heat of a fire. A wall element including surface plate means rigidly secured to a vertical stiffening element and adhesively bonded to a horizontally stiffening corrugated plate can be made sufficiently stiff with a wall thickness between its vertical edges of only from 5 to 10 mm for many applications. Such a wall element can be provided with insulating means such as a glass or rock wool layer advantageously having a thickness of about 10 mm, and typically adhesively bonded or otherwise attached to the corrugated plate. The use of two or more superimposed insulating layers improves both the fire-resisting properties and the sound-insulating properties of the wall element. A wall element of this kind has proved to be highly advantageous to enable a wall structure to be erected at the building site or for use in prefabricated room units such as passenger cabins. Most favourably the invention enables the construction of a relatively thin wall. If a very strong wall with particularly good fire-resisting-properties is required, the total thickness of the corrugated plate may be up to 20 mm. Generally, however, it is not warranted to use a corrugated plate thicker than 15 mm. Normally, the height of the corrugations is no more than 8 mm, preferably no more than 6 mm. This gives the wall element a quite satisfactory stiffness if the surface plate means and corrugated panel are made of steel. At the same time good sound-insulation and good fire-resistance is obtained. A fire-proof insulation layer attached to the steel structure also further improves these properties. Rock wool is a reliable insulation material. The fire-resistance of glass wool, although adequate for some applications, is poorer because it melts at a considerably lower temperature than rock wool. A single layer soft rock wool mat or a stiffer panel-like rock wool unit is in general sufficient as an insulating layer although two or more superimposed insulating layers may be provided. The density of such an insulating layer is advantageously from 100 to 200 kg/m 3 , preferably from 150 to 200 kg/m 3 . Insulation having a higher density as a rule provides better fire insulation than an insulation of lower density. The panel-like element has the advantage that it is self-supporting and may therefore be easier to install. It is of advantage that the corrugated plate provides a sufficiently large gluing surface. Each ridge of the corrugations glued or bonded to the surface plate means is conveniently formed as a plane or flat surface having a width of at least some millimetres, preferably about 5 mm. This provides an extremely reliable and strong gluing attachment of the corrugated plate. The corrugations of the corrugated plate may also be formed with sharp bends giving them a trapezoidal configuration. In this case the portions between ridge portions on opposite sides of the corrugated plate are generally linear. The angle between these linear portions and the surface plate means should not be made too large, because if the angle is too large it is more difficult to bore holes and apply screws through the wall. An angle of from 30° to 45°, preferably from 30° to 40°, is recommended. Coated steel is a suitable material for the corrugated plate and the surface plate means. In this context "coated" includes all kinds of coating or covering measures, such as painting, galvanizing, plastic covering etc. The surface plate means may be a 0.7 or 0.6 mm thick plate, e.g. a steel plate, having a coating of PVC on its surface facing away from corrugated plate and a paint coating on its surface facing toward the corrugated plate. The corrugated plate may be made of a galvanized steel plate having a material thickness of about 0.5 mm. The thickness of the surface plate means and the material thickness of the corrugated plate should be selected to obtain sufficient stiffness and fire-resistance. The stiffness is considerably influenced by the distance between the vertical stiffening elements in a wall structure erected from the wall elements. If a particularly light wall structure is required, aluminium plates may be used as surface plate means and/or corrugated plates, but such a structure is considerably more expensive than a steel structure. The vertical stiffening element(s) may with advantage be made of steel tubes of rectangular cross-section. However, stiffening elements of other profiles of steel or other metals can be used as well. According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a wall structure comprising a number of wall elements, each according to said one aspect of the present invention, connected to one another. A wall structure according to the invention can be assembled from wall elements attached to one another side by side and each having a different one of the vertical stiffening elements at one vertical edge. The surface plate means is attached, preferably by gluing, to the vertical stiffening element of each wall element and the surface plate means of the adjacent wall element is attached, during assembly, to the same vertical stiffening element, preferably by means of screws, rivets or the like. It is recommended that both vertical edges of the surface plate means are provided with bends coinciding with one side of the vertical stiffening element. These bends may also have a continuation in the form of a second bend more or less parallel to the wall plane. These bends have a stiffening influence on the wall elements and facilitate the joining together of the wall elements. The horizonal width of the wall elements in the wall plane may be selected to fit a modular system. If the wall elements are too broad they are difficult to handle. A width of from 80 to 150 cm, preferably from 85 to 100 cm, is recommended. In a preferred embodiment, the corrugated plates are fitted between a vertical stiffening element along one vertical edge of a wall element and a bent portion of the surface plate means at its remote vertical edge. It is of advantage that the horizontal length of the corrugated plate as close as possible corresponds to the horizontal dimension of the space provided for the corrugated plate. The clearance required for fitting in the corrugated plate is thus kept to a minimum achieving the best sound insulation and the best fire resistance. If the insulating means is in the form of one or more insulating panels, the or each panel may be somewhat over-sized relative to the space provided. Its unloaded horizontal dimension is then somewhat greater than the corresponding dimension of the corrugated plate. The insulating means may be adhesively bonded to the corrugated plate(s). The fire-resisting properties of the wall structure may be increased by additionally securing the insulating means against the corrugated plate(s) by means of heat-resisting attachment elements, typically screwed or riveted to the vertical stiffening elements. In particular, if two superimposed insulating layers are used, such attachment elements improve the wall's fire-resisting properties. A wall structure in accordance with the invention may be used as an exterior wall of a prefabricated cabin unit for installation in a passenqer ship. The surface plate means face the interior of the cabin and the corrugated plate (or the insulating means positioned thereagainst) faces a concealed space, such as a clearance between the adjacent cabin units. An embodiment of the invention will be described, by way of example only, with particular reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows, partly in section, a rear view from above and to one side of a wall structure comprising wall elements according to the invention; Fig. 2 shows horizontal sections of two wall elements according to the invention about to be joined together to form a wall structure; Fig. 3 shows the two wall elements of Fig. 2 joined together; and Fig. 4 shows, in a vertical section, part of a wall element according to the invention. The wall elements and wall structure shown in the drawings comprises a surface plate 1, a corrugated plate 2 adhesively bonded to the surface plate 1, an insulation layer 3 and a vertical stiffening element or stiffener 4. In the embodiment shown, the surface plate 1 is a 0.7 mm steel plate plated with PVC on its side away from the corrugated plate 2. The side of the plate 1 facing the corrugated plate 2 may be painted. The corrugated plate 2 is made of a 0.5 mm thinly galvanized steel plate. The galvanizing layer should not be too thick since it would impair the fire resistance of the wall structure. The corrugations of the plate 2 are generally horizontally orientated and typically have the form shown in Fig. 4. The vertical stiffeners are made of substantially rectangular 25 x 25 mm steel tubes. The insulation layer 3 conveniently comprises a rock wool mat of 10 mm thickness. Figs. 2 and 3 show how two wall elements 5 and 5a are joined together. Each wall element has a vertical stiffener 4 at one vertical edge and no vertical stiffener at its opposite vertical edge. The surface plate 1 is bent at the vertical edge of the wall element 5 containing the vertical element 4 into two right angle bends, a first bend 6 perpendicular to the plane of the wall and a second bend 7 parallel to the wall plane. In the embodiment shown, where each wall element has only one vertical stiffener 4, the vertical stiffener has two side surfaces 4a and 4b to which the surface plate 1 is glued. Between the back surface 4c of the vertical stiffener and the bend 7 of the surface plate there is a gap 8 of some millimetres to facilitate the assembly of the wall elements. The adjacent wall element 5a has, at its one vertical edge where there is no vertical stiffener, two right angle bends 6a and 7a. The bend 6a is so dimensioned that the bend 7a coincides with the bend 7, when the surface plates 1 of both the wall elements 5 and 5a are aligned. The wall elements 5 and 5a have a horizontal width of approximately 100 cm. Their joint is secured by means of several attachment screws (not shown) which are positioned at different heights at the position of the line 9. These screws secure the glued attachment of the surface plate 1 to the vertical stiffener 4. The small gaps 10 and 11 between the corrugated plate 2 and the bend 6a and the vertical stiffener 4, respectively, should be kept as small as possible. No such gaps are provided at the vertical edges of the insulation layer 3. On the contrary, the insulation layer is slightly in compression between the vertical stiffener 4 and the bend 6a. If two superimposed insulation layers are used, the second one of these is attached after the screws at line 9 are in their places. Fig. 1 shows how the glued attachment of the corrugated plate 2 and the insulation layer 3 may he additionally secured by, for example, metallic fastening elements 15. Only one such fastening element is shown, but preferably several of these are used at each vertical stiffener 4. It is also possible to increase the vertical size or dimension of these elements so that the elements 15 have more of a strip-like form. The elements 15 are used in particular if one or more additional insulation layer is placed over the insulation layer 3. The element 15 shown includes a central part 16 extending over the vertical stiffener 4 and the bends of the surface plates 1 and being U-shaped if necessary. At both sides of the central part 16 there is a relatively broad support flange 17 lightly pressing against the insulation layer or layers. The central part 16 is, at one or both of its sides, attached to the vertical stiffener 4 by means of one or several screws or rivets 18, if there is sufficient space. If there is not sufficient space the attachment is made at the back side 4c of the vertical stiffener 4. Fig. 4 shows a corrugated plate 2, in which the corrugations have been made by bending the plate so that, at both sides of the plate, a number of plane surfaces or flattened ridge portions 12 and 13 are formed. The flattened ridge portions lie substantially in one plane and the flattened ridge portions 13 lie substantially in a spaced apart parallel plane. Each ridge portion 13 has a width of almost 5 mm and is used for adhesively bonding the corrugated plate 2 to the surface plate 1. In addition, the insulating layer 3 may be glued to the flattened ridge portions 12. The ridge portions 12 and 13 may include small apertures, recesses or other unevennesses, by means of which a larger adhesion area is created for the glue. The use of an inorganic glue increases fire safety. However, this is not essential and, for example, polyurethane glues may be used in many cases. In the wall structure illustrated, the total thickness of the corrugated plate 2 is approximately 7 mm. The portions 14 of the corrugated plate between the ridge portions 12 and 13 are substantially flat and are at an angle of approximately 40 degrees to the wall plane. In the embodiment described, the corrugated plate 2 has no direct connection with the vertical stiffeners 4. The corrugated plate is attached to the vertical stiffeners substantially only by virtue of being adhesively bonded to the surface plate 1. The wall structure described above is favourable with respect to sound insulation properties because the lack of a direct connection between the vertical stiffeners and the corrugated plate means that vibrations, including sound, transmitted to the vertical stiffeners from the structure on which they are supported, such as an underlying deck or the like, or to which they may be attached, such as the floor and ceiling of the surrounding structure, are not easily transmitted to the corrugated plate. Because the surface plate is attached to the corrugated plate by adhesive bonding, which is more yielding than metallic contact, e.g. welding, vibrations, including sound, transmitted from the vertical stiffeners to the surface plate are effectively damped. Further, attaching the corrugated plate to the surface plate by adhesive bonding is relatively simple and inexpensive because it does not require skilled labour. The invention is not to be considered as being limited to the embodiment illustrated since several variations thereof are feasible including variations which have features equivalent to, but not necessarily literally within the meaning of, features in any of the following claims.

Claims: A wall element for a wall structure, the wall element being made of fire-resistant material(s) and having horizontally spaced apart vertical edges, a vertical stiffening element (4) at one of said vertical edges, metallic surface plate means (1) rigidly secured to said vertical stiffening element (4) at said one vertical edge and extending horizontally across to said other vertical edge for rigid connection to another vertical stiffening element either of the wall element or of an adjacent wall element, and a horizontal stiffening element (2) extending between said vertical edges and adhesively bonded to the surface plate means (1), the horizontal stiffening element comprising a corrugated plate (2) having corrugations which extend in the direction between the said vertical edges, characterised in that the metallic surface plate means (1) is rigidly secured to the vertical stiffening element (4), in that the corrugations of the corrugated plate have a height of no more than 20 mm and in that the dimension of the vertical stiffening element (4) at right angles to the plane of the surface plate means (1) is substantially greater than the total thickness of the corrugated plate (2). A wall element according to claim 1, characterised in that said height of the corrugations is no more than 15 mm, preferably no more than 10 mm. A wall element according to claim 1, characterised in that said height of the corrugations is no more than 8 mm, preferably no more than 6 mm. A wall element according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said corrugated plate (2) has first ridge portions (13) on one side of the plate and second ridge portions (12) on the other side of the plate and in that the surface plate means (1) are adhesively bonded to said first ridge portions (13). A wall element according to claim 4, characterised in that each of said first ridge portions (13) is at least substantially flat and has a width, transverse to the direction of the corrugations, of several millimetres. A wall element according to claim 4 or 5, characterised in that interconnecting portions (14) of said corrugated plate (2) between said first and second ridge portions (13,12) are substantially linear and are oriented at an angle of from 30° to 45°, preferably from 30° to 40°, to the surface plate means (1). A wall element according to any of claims 4 to 6, characterised in that insulating means (3) are arranged against said other side of said corrugated plate (2) between said vertical stiffening element (4) at said one vertical edge and another vertical stiffening element either of the wall element or of an adjacent wall element. A wall element according to claim 7, characterised in that the insulating means (3) comprises at least one insulating layer, preferably of rock wool, in a state of compression between the vertical stiffening elements (4). A wall element according to claim 7, characterised in that the insulating means (3) comprises at least one insulating layer, preferably of rock wool, adhesively bonded to the said second ridge portions (12). A wall element according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the surface plate means (1) and the corrugated plate (2) are made of steel, preferably coated steel. A wall element according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that each vertical stiffening element (4) comprises a hollow steel member with a substantially rectangular cross-section. A wall element according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the surface plate means (1) are rigidly secured to said vertical fastening element (4) by adhesive bonding and/or mechanical fixing means. A wall element according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said corrugated plate (2) has no direct connection with said vertical stiffening element (4). A wall element according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the wall element has a horizontal width of from 80 to 150 cm, preferably from 85 to 100 cm. A wall structure comprising a number of wall elements (5, 5a), each as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, connected to one another. A wall structure according to claim 15 having wall elements each as claimed in any one of 7, 8 or 9, characterised in that the wall structure further comprises heat resistant fastening elements (15) attached to the vertical stiffening elements (4) by fire resistant means and securing, or additionally securing, the insulating means (3) against the corrugated plates. A wall structure according to claim 15 or 16, characterised in that the surface plate means (1) is bent at right angles at each vertical stiffening element (4) and in that , between each pair of adjacent vertical stiffening elements (4), the combined horizontal length of the corrugated plate (2) and the vertical stiffening elements (4) is only slightly smaller than the free distance between the right angle bends of the surface plate means (1).

Inventors: RUUSUNEN KARI, WACKER JARMO, RUUSUNEN, KARI, WACKER, JARMO
Applicants: KVAERNER MASA YARDS OY, KVAERNER MASA-YARDS OY
Application year: 1998
Main classification: B63B29
IPC codes: E04B2, E04B7, E04C2, B63B29, B63B3