Patent Publication Number: US-6339906-B1

Title: Frontage element with decorative facing

Description:
This application is filed under 35 USC §371 of international application No. PCT/FR97/01771 filed Oct. 6, 1997. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention concerns the frontages of buildings and elements for such frontages. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Frontage elements including a cellular material core and a plastics material facing panel supported by the core and visible from outside the building are known per se. Such elements are light in weight and produce a lightweight frontage. However, the material of the facing panel generally has a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than the core which makes it difficult to fix the panel to the core in a simple and reliable manner. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     One aim of the invention is to propose a frontage element in which the panel is fixed to its support in a simple and reliable manner. This aim is achieved in accordance with the invention by a frontage element including a support and a panel comprising at least two fixing parts fixed to the support and a generally plane wall extending between the two fixing parts, in which at least one of the fixing parts is set back from the plane of the wall and is deformable so that the wall is free to move parallel to itself relative to the support if the temperature of the panel is modified. 
     The deformation of the or each fixing part therefore enables the wall to expand in its own plane without threatening the quality of the fixing of the panel to the support. 
     The support advantageously includes a core having at least one lateral face extending in a general direction perpendicular to the wall of the panel, the support including means for fixing the or each fixing part facing and at a distance from the lateral wall of the core. 
     The fixing means are advantageously connected to a rear face of the core opposite the wall of the panel. 
     The fixing means are advantageously adapted to receive the fixing part upon movement of the support relative to the panel perpendicularly to the wall. 
     Accordingly, fixing the panel to the support is a simple matter. 
     The support advantageously includes a guide surface adapted to guide the fixing part as far as the fixing means from a position near the fixing means upon movement of the support relative to the panel perpendicularly to the wall. 
     This further simplifies fixing the panel to the support. 
     The guide surface is advantageously shaped so that the fixing parts move away from each other during movement of the support. 
     Accordingly, the fixing part is able to deform greatly when the wall expands. 
     The support advantageously includes first and second assembly parts constituting the fixing means, the first assembly part is advantageously fixed to the core and faces it and the second assembly part is advantageously outside the element and fixed to the first assembly part with a thermally insulative material interposed seal disposed between them. Accordingly, heat transfer from the second assembly part in direct contact with the surrounding air and the first assembly part adjacent the core. 
     The first assembly part is advantageously a section extending along a lateral face of the core. 
     Accordingly, the first assembly part constitutes a reinforcing part increasing the mechanical strength of the core. 
     The core advantageously comprises a cellular material. 
     A light frontage element is obtained in this way. 
     The panel advantageously comprises a solid plastics material. 
     Accordingly, the panel can have widely different appearances depending on the required aesthetic effect of the frontage. 
     The invention also consists in a system for constructing a frontage comprising two frontage elements in accordance with the invention and a connecting seal adapted to be fixed to the two frontage elements when they are disposed adjacent each other to prevent air passing between the two frontage elements in a direction perpendicular to the walls of the panels. 
     This limits heat exchange between the outside and the inside of the frontage. 
     Each frontage element advantageously includes a cover seal such that the cover seals of two adjacent frontage elements come into contact with each other to prevent water spray passing between the two frontage elements in a direction perpendicular to the walls of the panels. 
     The second assembly part is advantageously adapted to receive a fastener for the cover seal and/or the connecting seal. 
     This simplifies the assembly of the various parts of each frontage element. 
     The invention further consists in a frontage comprising frontage elements in accordance with the invention or a system in accordance with the invention. 
     Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge more clearly from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention given by way of non-limiting example. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a partial front view of the frontage in accordance with the invention, as seen from outside the building, 
     FIG. 2 is a view of the frontage in cross-section at the level of a first fixing member, 
     FIG. 3 is a top view of the first fixing member from FIG. 2 and a first frontage element in horizontal section, 
     FIG. 4 is a front view of a second fixing member connected to first and second frontage elements, 
     FIG. 5 is a top view of the second fixing member from FIG.  4  and first and second frontage elements in horizontal section, 
     FIG. 6 is a cut away partial view of a first frontage element in horizontal cross-section in a plane perpendicular to its large plane faces and to its lateral faces which are vertical in use, 
     FIG. 7 is a sectional view analogous to FIG. 6 showing the junction between adjacent first and second frontage elements, and 
     FIG. 8 shows a detail of the junction to a larger scale. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     This embodiment of the frontage in accordance with the invention is fixed to a building comprising a plurality of horizontal floors  2  constructed principally of concrete and extending at different levels, one above the other. Each floor  2  has a vertical rectilinear edge  4  and these edges are parallel to each other in a common vertical plane. The frontage lies against the edges  4 . Each floor  2  has plane horizontal top and bottom faces  5  and  6 . 
     The frontage comprises first frontage elements (window piers)  8  and second frontage elements (filler elements)  10 . Each element is generally rectangular parallelepiped-shaped with a large front face  12  and a large rear face  14  that are generally plane and parallel to each other. 
     Each of the first and second frontage elements  8 ,  10  has a cellular, for example polyurethane foam, core  16 . The core  16  has a front face  15  and a rear face  17  that are parallel to each other and covered with respective metal films 0.05 mm thick. The core  16  has two vertical parallel plane rectilinear lateral faces  20 . Each lateral face  20  is associated with a rigid galvanized metal reinforcement section  22  which is 2.5 mm thick and covers the lateral face and part of the front and rear faces  15  and  17  of the core. The reinforcement  22  is fixed to the rear face  17  of the core  16  facing towards the floors  2  with the metal film between them, in surface-to-surface contact with the film. It extends the full height  17  of the core. 
     The filler elements  10  further include two horizontal rigid reinforcement sections  24  associated in the same manner with top and bottom horizontal plane rectilinear faces of the core  16 . 
     The first and second frontage elements  8 ,  10  each include a plastics materials, for example PVC, facing panel  25  which faces and is parallel to the front face  15  of the core  16  and conceals it from view from outside the building. The facing panel  25  is on the outside of the frontage element so that it can be seen from outside the building. It has a plane face  12  constituting the front face of the frontage element. 
     The frontage further includes components such as windows  26  or doors which are generally plane and rectangular when seen in elevation. 
     The first and second frontage elements  8 ,  10  and the components  26  are disposed side by side in a common plane adjacent the edges  4  of the floors  2 . 
     The first frontage elements  8  are fixed only to the floors  2  by first fixing members or brackets  30 . The first frontage element  8  are disposed in a plurality of spaced parallel vertical rows. The first frontage elements  8  in each row are adjacent each other and have their vertical lateral faces aligned. Each first frontage element  8  has a longitudinal dimension or height h in the vertical direction perpendicular to the floors  2 . The dimension h is equal to the distance d between the like faces (for example the top faces  5 ) of two floors  2  that are adjacent each other in the vertical direction. The distance d is the height of a story of the building. 
     Each first frontage element  8  is fixed to two adjacent floors  2  at different levels. It is fixed to each floor by two brackets  30  that also fix the next frontage element  8  in the row to the same floor  2 . 
     Each bracket  30  has first and second plates  32 ,  34  fixed to each other at a right angle. The first plate  32  has four orifices  44  through it for fixing each of two first frontage elements  8  to the bracket by means of two screws or rivets passing through two of the orifices  44 . The first plate  32  is vertical and parallel to the rear face  17  of the core and is fixed to each of the two first frontage elements  8  by means of two screws or rivets with axes  90 , for example. One of the rods passes completely through the thickness of the core  16  and is connected to one of the vertical rigid reinforcements  22  on either side of the core and the other rod passes through the reinforcement  22  and the core  16 . The second plate  34  is horizontal and is embedded in the floor  2 . The second plate  34  has three screw-threaded circular housings  38  passing through the thickness of the plate and disposed in a triangle. The bracket includes three grubscrews  40  engaged in the respective housings  38  to project from a face of the second plate  34  opposite the first plate  32 . 
     The bracket  30  is installed in the following manner. A horizontal concrete slab  36  is constructed to form the fabric of the floor  2 . A rebate in the slab adjacent the edge  4  of the floor has a generally horizontal plane face  37 . The bracket is placed with the first plate  32  directed vertically upwards near the edge  4  of the floor and with the ends of the three grubscrews  40  in contact with the plane face  37  of the rebate. The grubscrews  40  are then turned to adjust the angular position of the bracket  30  relative to the face  37  of the rebate in two mutually perpendicular horizontal directions, for example directions X and Y in FIG.  3 . The second plate  34  has two orifices  42 , an elongate orifice near the first plate  32  and a circular orifice far away from the first plate. Two attachment screws  39  are engaged in the respective orifices  42 . When the bracket is in the required angular position, the fixing screws  39  are screwed into the slab  36  to fix the bracket rigidly to the slab. A filler material such as mortar  41  is then poured into the rebate to fill the rebate completely and cover the horizontal second plate  34  without covering the vertical first plate  32 . When it has hardened this material immobilizes the bracket. After tightening the fastening screws  39 , one or more shims  43  can be placed between the horizontal second plate  34  and the top face  37  of the rebate. The dimensions of the brackets  30  are very much less than the dimensions of the first and second frontage elements  8 ,  10  in the horizontal and vertical directions, and in particular less than the greatest dimension of these elements. 
     The two frontage elements  10  and the components  26  have the same horizontal dimension or length and are disposed in a plurality of spaced vertical rows alternating with the rows of first frontage elements  8 . The second frontage elements  10  and the components  26  alternate in each row and their vertical lateral faces are aligned with each other. The second frontage elements  10  have a vertical dimension or height f and the components  26  have a vertical dimension or height q. The sum of the height f and the height q is equal to the height h of the first frontage elements  8 . 
     Each second frontage element  10  is opposite two first frontage elements  8  of each adjacent row. Each second frontage element  10  is fixed only to these four first frontage elements  8 . Each component  26  is fixed only to a first frontage element  8  of each adjacent row. 
     The second frontage elements  10  are fixed by second fixing members such as horizontal elongate plane metal lugs  46  fixed to the vertical reinforcements  22  of the first frontage elements  8 . The lug  46  has six orifices  48  through it. Two of the orifices  48  receive fastenings such as screws or rivets with axes  95  passing through a vertical reinforcement  22  and the core  16  of the associated first frontage element  8 . A third orifice  48  receives a fastener with axis  96  passing through a vertical reinforcement  22  and the core  16  of the second frontage element  10 . Two other orifices  48  receive two fasteners with axes  97  passing through one of the horizontal reinforcements  24  of the second frontage element  10 . 
     The panels  25  of the first frontage elements  8  have a profile in vertical cross-section such that the panel has a top area  25   a  near the core  16  and a bottom area  25   b  far away from the core and covering the outside of the top area  25   a  of the adjacent first frontage element  8  in the row. This produces an overlapping tile-like arrangement which conceals the junctions between the horizontal faces of the first frontage elements  8 . 
     The frontage is therefore constructed by means of a system comprising first elements  8  having a cellular core  16  and adapted to be fixed to a building, second elements  10  and means  30  for fixing the second elements  10  to the first elements  8  with the first and second elements  8 ,  10  in the same plane. 
     Construction involves fixing the first elements  8  to the building, disposing the first elements  8  and the second elements  10  in a common vertical plane, and fixing the second elements  10  to the first elements  8 . 
     The frontage obtained in this way is light in weight. 
     The first and second frontage elements  8 ,  10  will now be described in more details with reference to FIGS. 6 to  8 . 
     FIG. 6 shows a first frontage element  8 . Each of the first and second frontage elements includes a generally rectangular parallelepiped-shaped core  16  having large plane parallel front and rear faces  15 ,  17 , two parallel plane lateral faces  20  which are perpendicular to the large faces  15  and  17  and vertical in use, and two parallel plane end faces which are perpendicular to the large faces  15  and  17  and horizontal in use. Each face  15 ,  17  is covered with a metal film. 
     The frontage element includes two metal reinforcing sections or first assembly parts  22 . Each reinforcement  22  has a generally U-shaped profile in cross-section with a base  50 , a front branch  52  and a rear branch  54 , the two branches being parallel to each other. The front and rear branches are separated from each by a distance that is slightly greater than the thickness of the core  16 , i.e. the distance between the large front face  15  and the large rear face  17  of the core. The reinforcement  22  has a length similar to that of the vertical lateral faces  20  of the core. Each reinforcement  22  is disposed to receive one lateral face  20  of the core, the front branch  52  facing the front face  15 , the rear branch  54  facing the rear face  17  and the base  50  facing the lateral face  20 . The rear branch  54  is in surface-to-surface contact with to the rear face  17  of the core and fixed to it through the metal film by two longitudinal ends of the reinforcement  22 . The front branch  52  is parallel to, spaced from and faces the front face  15  and the base  50  is at a distance from and faces the lateral face  20 . 
     The base  50  has an S-shaped profile from one of the two branches  52 ,  54  to the other. From the front branch  52  to the rear branch  54  the base  50  has a plane first portion  50   a  which is inclined and extends away from the lateral face  20 , followed by a median second portion  50   b  that converges with the lateral face  20  and a plane third portion  50   c  parallel to the lateral face  20 . 
     The frontage element includes two second assembly parts  60  associated with respective first assembly parts  22 . Each second assembly part  60  is an aluminum section and has a length equal to that of the first assembly part  22 . The second assembly part  60  has an S-shaped profile in cross-section similar to that of the branch  50  of the first assembly part  22 , with a first portion  60   a , a second portion  60   b  and a third portion  60   c.    
     The third portion  50   c  of the first assembly part and an area of the third portion  60   c  of the second assembly part are substantially the same shape with substantially the same dimensions. They are fixed to each other, for example by screws or rivets with axes  70  regularly spaced along the sections and passing through them. Throughout their length an interposed synthetic rubber seal  62  forms a thermal break between the two assembly parts  22  and  60 . 
     The median second portions  50   b  and  60   b  face each other. The two first portions  50   a  and  60   a  face each other and are parallel to each other. The median portion  60   a  of the second assembly part  60  is shorter than the median portion  50   a  of the first assembly part  22  and there are toothed-shaped raised portions  64  on one face of the median portion  60   a  facing towards the median portion  50   a.    
     The core  16  and the four assembly parts  22 ,  60  of the element constitute a support for the element. 
     The frontage element includes a panel  25  comprising a rectangular plane wall  66  having dimensions similar to those of the large faces  15 ,  17  of the core  16 . A front face  12  of that wall is intended to be visible from outside the frontage. The panel has four plane edges  68  extending from the sides of the rectangular wall  66  and opposite each other in pairs on respective opposite sides thereof. The edges  68  are generally perpendicular to the wall  66  and set back from its plane on the side opposite the visible face  12 . Each edge  68  is slightly inclined in the direction away from the facing edge  68 . 
     The two edges  6 , which are vertical in use, spaced from each other and at two ends of the panel, constitute two parts for fixing the panel  25  to the support. 
     The two assembly parts  22 ,  60  adjacent each edge  68  constitute means for fixing that edge to the support. The edge  68  is designed to be inserted between the two first portions  50   a  and  60   a  so that it is clamped between them and retained by the raised portions  64 . The first portion  50   a  of the first assembly part  22  is more steeply inclined to the lateral face  20  of the core than the associated edge  68 . It constitutes a guide surface adapted to guide the edge  68  as far as the fixing means from a position near the fixing means, the panel  25  being fixed to the support by moving the support relative to the panel  25  in a direction perpendicular to the wall  66  of the panel. When the panel  25  has been fixed to the support the wall  66  is parallel to and spaced from the front face  15  of the core, which it covers. During this movement the two edges  68  move apart. In this position the first assembly part  22  is inside the frontage element and the second assembly part  60  is outside the frontage element. 
     The fixing of the edges  68  to the fixing means can be strengthened by fixing each edge  68  and the first portions  50   a ,  60   a , for example by means of screws or rivets with axes  80  passing completely through them and regularly spaced along the sections. 
     Each frontage element includes a synthetic rubber cover seal section  72  fixed to the second assembly part  60  near the median portion  60   b  and has a generally plane lip parallel to the wall  66  and extending towards the outside of the frontage member. 
     The system further comprises a connecting seal section  74  having a V-shaped profile with each branch of the V-shape extending by a lateral lug  76  with a particular profile. When two frontage elements are disposed in the same plane and adjacent each other with their second assembly parts  60  facing each other and parallel to each other, the connecting seal  74  is adapted to be fixed to the two second assembly parts  60  by its two lateral lugs  76 , in the vicinity of their rear branches  54 . The apex of the V-shape then points in the direction towards the cover seals  72 . 
     In this position, the two cover seals  72  come into contact with each other and are pressed together to prevent water spray passing between the two frontage elements, from the front towards the rear, in a direction perpendicular to the walls  66  of the panels. The connecting seals  74  covers the gap between the two frontage elements and provides an air seal in the same direction. The interposed seals  62 , cover seals  72  and connecting seals  74  extend the full length of the assembly parts  22  and  60 . The second assembly part  60  is adapted to receive the interposed seal  62 , the cover seal  72  and the associated connecting seal  74  before it is fixed to the first assembly part  22 . 
     In this position, the two frontage elements are spaced from each other. The edges  68  are deformable so that the wall  66  is free to move parallel to itself relative to the associated support if the temperature of the panel  25  changes, in particular if the panel expands. The fixing of the panel to the support is not degraded by this deformation. 
     The first assembly part  22  is made of steel, for example, and is inside the frontage element and in contact with the brackets  30 . The second assembly part  60  is outside the frontage element and is in direct contact with the outside air. It is made of aluminum, for example. The seal  74  limits heat transfer from the second assembly part  60  to the first assembly part  22 . 
     The wall  66  of the panel  25  can have varied shapes, raised patterns and colors to suit the requirements of the frontage designer. The panel  25  is advantageously a thermoformed component.