Patent Description:
Wall anchoring systems of many kinds are well known, e.g. in relation to securing a brick or masonry outer wall to a substrate or inner wall of the cavity wall in a building structure. In this connection, it makes no difference whether the structural backup wall, i.e. the substrate or inner wall of the cavity is formed of brickwork, a timber frame, steel frame or concrete structure.

In a masonry cavity wall with an inner wall or brickwork and an outer brick wall, wall ties or wall anchors are used as point fixing to connect the inner and outer wall in order to provide the necessary structural integrity of the outer building wall. Wall ties or anchors are typically made of metal, plastic or a combination thereof and they may have different shapes, e.g. rod-like or flat plates. In other instances said fixing may comprise line objects, like e.g. holding tracks, or brackets (point fixing) as they are for example used in connection with ventilated façade claddings.

In the cavity, insulation boards are preferably provided. These insulation boards may be supported by the wall ties in the cavity. The wall ties or anchors may consist of transverse pins, e.g. wire pieces, which are fixed to the inner wall during its construction. The insulation boards are then positioned between these protruding wires or mounted by penetrating the wires through the insulation board. Either way, this has the disadvantage that the insulation boards are not accurately mounted, and may be dislocated when the wall ties are bended to fit between the brick layers of the outer wall. Furthermore, when mounting the insulation over the ties, the insulation may break apart, fall off or holes may be punched out causing thermal bridges.

Moreover, it is realised that a major disadvantage of these protruding wall ties is that construction workers risk getting hurt when working on a site where cavity walls are under construction. The wall ties often are quite numerous, typically <NUM>-<NUM> pieces per square meter, in order to provide the required strength in the construction to withstand the wind load. By bending the wall ties in order to make them fit with the outer wall construction, the strength of these wall ties is somewhat reduced and there is a risk of some wall ties breaking off. Building requirements generally prescribe a maximum elongation or compression of the wall anchors of <NUM> in the cavity wall. This calls for a high concentration of wall anchors per wall area. However, the wall ties also constitute thermal bridges in the thermally insulated cavity wall construction, and from this perspective, as few wall anchors as possible is preferred, just as fewer wall anchors reduces the building costs involved, and the installation time is shorter.

A masonry anchoring system with an anchoring rail for wall anchor ties is known from <CIT>. The anchoring rails are secured to the inner wall structure by fasteners and possibly accompanied by adhesive. Anchor ties are coupled to the anchoring rail as they bite into the slot formed in the anchoring rail. This system, however, has still the disadvantage that the wall anchor ties constitute thermal bridges in a thermally insulated cavity wall.

In <CIT> masonry coupling system, comprising an anchor for use in commercial and residential construction is disclosed. The anchor comprises a channel body connected to two walls. A second wall of the two walls has a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end being projected substantially perpendicular to the channel bottom and the distal end being projected toward the channel bottom.

In <CIT> a wall anchor is disclosed, which is made of a sheet material that is cut into a blank and mounting portions, i.e. the mounting flange and the insulation gripping projections are bent out of the plane. This wall anchor is mounted on the inner wall after it has been raised, preferably together with fitting the insulation slabs. The outer tip of the wall anchor is moulded into the mortar between the bricks during the raising of the outer wall.

<CIT> discloses a wall anchor made of a sheet material which is cut into a blank and the insulation gripping projections are bent out of the plane. This wall tie is moulded into the mortar between the bricks during the raising of the inner wall. Likewise the outer tip is moulded into the mortar between the bricks during the raising of the outer wall. This wall tie is only useable when the cavity wall includes an inner wall made of bricks that are stacked with an adhesive mortar in between. Moreover, when laying the outer wall, this wall tie must also be bended to fit into the mortar layer between two brick layers. This could cause the insulation boards to be bended or dislocated.

In <CIT>, an innovative new insulating wall construction is disclosed, where columns made of high density mineral wool fibres are provided as load-carrying columns between which insulation panels are provided. This wall structure is advantageous as it is substantially thermal bridge free and provide excellent thermal insulation characteristics. Although an outer cladding can be mounted directly onto this wall structure, there may be circumstances where it is desired to use this wall structure in a cavity wall building construction, for instance with a masonry outer wall constituting the outer protective cover of the building. The columns of this wall construction does offer the possibility of mounting for instance wall ties directly onto the exterior facing mounting elements of the columns, but such mounting, in particular when an insulation layer is provided in the cavity of the cavity wall, may damage the wall ties as they become loaded and unloaded due to variations in wind pressure and wind suction forces acting on the outer wall and the softness or resilience properties of the mineral wool insulation material.

<CIT> relates to linings for building structures, such as walls, and provides means for attaching panels to a supporting wall surface or structural framework.

On this background, it is the object of the present invention to provide an anchoring rail and a plurality of fasteners, and a wall anchoring system suitable for being used in insulated outer building walls of various types, e.g. cavity walls of buildings, comprising a substrate or inner wall, an insulation layer and an outer wall constituting the outer protective cover or cladding layer of such insulated outer building wall, particularly a brick or masonry layer. Said wall anchoring system being easy and fast to install and providing very limited thermal bridges.

This object is achieved by an anchoring rail and a plurality of fasteners according to a first aspect of the invention. Further this object is also achieved by a second aspect of the invention, which is a wall anchoring system for an insulated outer building wall comprising.

The present invention is concerned with insulated outer building walls, e.g. cavity walls of buildings, comprising a substrate or inner wall, an insulation layer and an outer wall constituting the outer protective cover or cladding layer of such walls. By the invention there is provided an anchoring and insulation arrangement with an anchoring rail profile, e.g. from steel metal, fixing and securing the insulation in front of the substrate or inner wall of a building, and at the same time securing the outer wall via fixings that are locked in the anchoring rail profile. The anchoring rail profile according to the first aspect of the invention is made special in its shape, so that the rail profile fulfils two functions at the same time:.

As an alternative, in case of a line fixing, like e.g. holding tracks of a ventilated façade cladding, the fixing is fixed/secured by screws or similar means directly onto the anchoring rail profile, specifically its outer surface opposite the base portion. Preferably, the design of the line fixing is thus adopted to fit the special shape of the anchoring rail profile.

The wall anchoring system and the anchoring rail profile according to the invention is advantageous since by the invention it is made possible to provide a wall anchoring system which can be mounted directly onto the insulation, such as mineral wool fibrous insulation, of e.g. a cavity wall, although the insulation is flexible/compressible and not supporting the load-bearing capacity of the system as such. However, it is realized that at certain density ranges of higher level and thus raised strength mounting of the anchoring rail profile is supported by the insulation.

The anchoring rail profile according to the first aspect of the invention is made special in its shape, and in a first embodiment the side portions extending perpendicular to the wall plane of the base portion. Furthermore, preferably the anchoring rail profile is made of one strip of material, such as a metal or metal alloy, in particular steel or aluminium or their respective alloys, which is bent into shape. This allows for an easy and cost-effective manufacture of the anchoring rail profile. By the invention, it is found that the anchoring rail profile may advantageously be provided with a thickness of the material between <NUM>-<NUM>.

In one embodiment, the retention portions are inwardly bent clamping flanges on the distal sides of the side flanges opposite the base portion. Furthermore, intermediate flanges may be formed between inwardly bent clamping flanges and the distal sides of the side flanges opposite the base portion, said intermediate flanges being substantially parallel to the base portion. Hereby, a profile shape is achieved, which allows for the fastener head to click into the slot, and where the head is firmly clamped between the distal ends of the retention flanges and the base portion once the fastener head is fully inserted into the profile. The shape of the anchoring rail profile with a substantially C-shaped cross-section is also providing stiffness and prevents bending of the profile.

In a second embodiment, the anchoring profile may be formed with retention portions as inwardly projecting protrusions on the middle sections of the side flanges. This shape may be supplemented with outwardly projecting positioning flanges at the distal sides of the side flanges opposite the base portion, said outwardly projecting flanges being substantially parallel to the base portion. Other shapes of the anchoring rail profile according to the invention may also be provided.

In the wall anchoring system of the invention the insulation layer preferably comprises mineral wool fibrous panels, preferably with a density of <NUM>-<NUM>/m<NUM>, more preferably of <NUM>-<NUM>/m<NUM>. Thus, since the anchoring rail profile is fixed in position and cannot axially move on the screw shaft, e.g. as might be caused by wind suction or wind pressure forces, the wall anchoring system may be used in connection with normal types of insulation, such as the mineral wool with densities within this range.

In the wall anchoring system of the invention, the at least one anchoring rail is preferably provided in a groove on the exterior side of the insulation layer, said groove preferably being machined into the surface of the insulation layer. Hereby, the anchoring system does not take up additional space and the cavity wall thickness can be reduced.

In the preferred embodiments of the invention, the anchoring rail is provided with a vertical orientation. However, it is realised that other orientations may be chosen if circumstances favour such other orientations.

In the preferred embodiments of the wall anchoring system of the invention, the fastener is a screw. However, other types of fasteners may also be used.

In yet another preferred embodiment of the wall anchoring system according to the invention, the fixing has a gripping end and an outer wall mounting end, where the gripping end is preferably provided with T-shape so that the fixing is adapted for being introduced into the slot of the anchoring rail and locked therein by turned the fixing after introduction. Hereby a simple mounting of the fixing is achieved as the groove of the anchoring rail is used both for locking the fastener head and for locking the fixing. This fixing arrangement is moreover advantageous as the fixing can be mounted at any level in the anchoring rail profile, in particular in case of point fixings. Preferably, the fixing is a wall tie and made of plastic so that thermal bridging as well as corrosion in the wall anchoring system are avoided.

In the following, the invention is described with reference to embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:.

In <FIG>, a cavity wall is shown, which has a substrate <NUM> and an outer wall <NUM> with an insulation layer <NUM> there between. In the example shown in <FIG> of the cavity wall, an additional insulation is comprised in the inner wall <NUM>, which is made of load-bearing columns <NUM> having insulation slabs <NUM> between the columns <NUM> in accordance with the insulating wall system described in <CIT>, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

At each column <NUM> there is mounted an anchoring rail profile <NUM> on the outer side of the insulation layer <NUM>, respectively the insulation spacer element <NUM> being part of the insulation layer. The anchoring rail profile <NUM> is accommodated in a groove <NUM> provided in the insulation spacer element <NUM> of the column <NUM> (similar to the groove <NUM> shown in more detail in <FIG>). The anchoring rail profile <NUM> is fixed to the innermost element of the column <NUM> which serves as a substrate1 by a number of fasteners <NUM> along the length of the profile <NUM> (in the figures only one fastener <NUM> is shown).

The fasteners <NUM> are provided with fastener heads <NUM> and inserted into a groove <NUM> in the anchoring profile <NUM> and through the base portion <NUM> of the profile <NUM> (<FIG>). The fasteners <NUM> further extend through the insulation and into the substrate <NUM>. In the anchoring rail profile <NUM> one or more fixings, such as wall ties <NUM> are mounted. These wall ties <NUM> extend into the outer wall <NUM> and are secured in the outer wall, e.g. in the mortar between the bricks of which the outer wall <NUM> may be built. The anchoring rail profile <NUM> is shaped such that the fastener head <NUM> is clamped into a fixed position in the profile <NUM>. In a first embodiment (see <FIG>), inwardly bent flanges <NUM> lock the screw heads <NUM> of the fastening screws <NUM> that secure the anchoring rail profile <NUM> to the building substrate <NUM> as well as the base portion <NUM> of the wall ties <NUM>. In this way the anchoring rail profile <NUM> is fixed in position and the anchoring rail profile <NUM> cannot axially move on the screw shaft <NUM>, e.g. as might be caused by wind suction or wind pressure forces.

In <FIG>, another embodiment of a cavity wall is shown, where the inner wall <NUM> is a brick wall. The inner wall <NUM> is provided with an insulation layer <NUM>, and the fastener <NUM> is secured to the inner wall and retains the profile <NUM> in a groove <NUM> of the insulation layer <NUM>.

In <FIG>, a ventilated façade building wall is shown. The inner wall <NUM> is a concrete wall. The inner wall <NUM> is provided with an insulation layer <NUM>, and the anchoring rail profile <NUM> is secured by fasteners <NUM>, which similar to the embodiment shown in <FIG> is secured to the inner wall <NUM>. In the anchoring rail profile <NUM> a plurality of fixings <NUM> are provided. These fixings <NUM> are constituted by mounting brackets to which is mounted a holding member <NUM>. Onto this holding member <NUM> the outer façade cladding <NUM> is mounted. The holding member <NUM> will typically be an elongated holding track <NUM> mounted in parallel to the anchoring rail <NUM> and thereby providing a fixing base for the outer building screen or façade cladding <NUM>.

As mentioned above, the anchoring rail profile <NUM> is shaped such that the fastener head <NUM> is clamped into a fixed position in the profile <NUM>. In <FIG> a first embodiment of such a shape of the anchoring rail <NUM> is shown. The anchoring rail profile <NUM> is formed from a strip of metal, such as steel, which is bent into its shape, preferably with a symmetry line along the profile length. The profile has a base portion <NUM> with orthogonally oriented side portions <NUM>, i.e. α<NUM> = <NUM>° (see <FIG>). An inwardly bent intermediate portion <NUM> is provided at the top of the side portions <NUM> opposite the base portion <NUM>. These intermediate portions <NUM> are preferably substantially parallel to the base portion <NUM>, i.e. α<NUM> = <NUM>° (see <FIG>). Extending inwardly from the intermediate portions <NUM>, inclined retention portions <NUM> are formed. These retention portions <NUM> are bent in an angle α<NUM> which is a blunt angle, preferably α<NUM> = <NUM>°, and forming a groove <NUM> which at the tips of the retention portions <NUM> has a width which is slightly less than the diameter of the fastener head <NUM> and which tips of the retention portions <NUM> are provided at a level or distance above the base portion <NUM> which is the same or a little less than the height of the fastener head <NUM>.

By this shape, the anchoring rail profile <NUM> is provided with spring-back properties so that the retention portions <NUM> (and possibly also the side portions <NUM>) will elastically bend further as the fastener head <NUM> is advanced into the groove <NUM>. The profile <NUM> is dimensioned such that as soon as the fastener head <NUM> reaches the base portion <NUM>, the retention portions <NUM> (and the side portions <NUM>) spring back and lock the head inside the profile <NUM>.

Besides being designed for receiving and firmly gripping the fastener heads <NUM>, the groove <NUM> of the anchoring rail profile <NUM> is also designed for receiving the fixing <NUM>, e.g. a wall tie. As shown in <FIG>, a wall tie is provided with a T-shaped base portion <NUM> at the gripping end of the wall tie <NUM>. This T-shape means that the wall tie <NUM> has a traverse element at the end. This traverse element has a length which nearly corresponds to the inner dimension of the base portion of the profile <NUM>. The T-shaped base portion <NUM> of the wall tie <NUM> is inserted into the groove <NUM> of the anchoring rail profile <NUM> with the traverse element parallel to the direction of the groove <NUM> and then turned approx. <NUM>° whereby the traverse element becomes clamped and locked in the anchoring rail profile <NUM>.

In the same plane as the traverse element at the base end <NUM> the wall tie also is formed with an outer wall mounting end <NUM> in the form of a loop, eye or similar suitable shapes for firmly retaining a wall tie <NUM> in the mortar between bricks of the outer wall <NUM>. This loop end <NUM> becomes oriented perpendicular to the orientation of the anchoring rail profile <NUM>, which preferably is vertical so that the wall ties are aligned with the bricks in the outer wall <NUM>.

In <FIG> a second embodiment of the anchoring rail profile is shown. In this embodiment, the profile <NUM> is also symmetrical about the base portion <NUM>. On each side of the base portion side portions <NUM> are provided. On the side portions <NUM> inwardly protruding retention portions <NUM> are formed. On the top of the side portions exterior portions <NUM> are formed which can rest on the exterior side of the insulation layer. The exterior portions may be ended in a gripping flange <NUM> for better fixation of the anchoring profile <NUM> in the insulation. The retention portions <NUM> are formed on the side flanges <NUM> so that the side flanges <NUM> give way as the fastener head <NUM> is advanced into the groove <NUM>, but as soon as the head <NUM> has reached the base portion <NUM>, the side portions <NUM> snap back and the retention portions <NUM> then firmly grip and lock the fastener head <NUM> in the profile <NUM>.

In <FIG> a third embodiment of the anchoring rail <NUM> is shown. This profile shape is somewhat similar to the shape of the first embodiment but without the intermediate portions. Instead the upright standing side portions <NUM> are bend into inwardly retention flanges <NUM> at the side opposite the base portion <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, the anchoring rail profile <NUM> may preferably be accommodated in a groove <NUM> machined in the exterior side of the insulation layer <NUM>. The groove <NUM> is preferably provided with a shape congruent to the exterior shape of the anchoring rail profile <NUM> to ensure a snugly fit of the rail profile <NUM> in the groove <NUM>.

In <FIG> two embodiments are illustrated comprising a line fixing providing a holding track <NUM> for the ventilated façade application. The elongated holding track <NUM> is directly applied to the anchoring rail <NUM> and connected with screws <NUM>. The elongated holding track <NUM> is provided with a ridge 11a, which fits into the groove <NUM> of the anchoring rail profile <NUM>. The holding track <NUM> is generally flat and adapted to receive the outer building screen or façade cladding <NUM> (see <FIG>). The anchoring rail profile <NUM> is raised out of the plane of the insulation layer <NUM>. In <FIG> there is shown an embodiment, where a spacer element <NUM> extends out of the outer plane of the insulation layer <NUM>. The anchoring rail profile <NUM> is mounted in a groove <NUM> of this spacer element <NUM> by fasteners <NUM> where the fastener heads <NUM> are 'clicked' into position as explained above in relation to e.g. <FIG> and <FIG>.

In <FIG> an alternative embodiment of the ventilated façade application is shown. In this embodiment, there is a different positioning of the anchoring rail profile <NUM> which is also provided with a different shape comprising support wings <NUM> adapted to rest on the outside surface of the insulation layer <NUM> and due to the height of the anchoring rail profile <NUM> creating a respective ventilation channel <NUM>. The outer façade cladding <NUM>, such as a rainscreen is mounted directly onto the holding track <NUM>, similar to the mounting indicated in <FIG>, which may be a standard rainscreen cladding system of the prior art.

Claim 1:
An anchoring rail (<NUM>) and a plurality of fasteners (<NUM>) for a wall anchoring system, said anchoring rail (<NUM>) being adapted for receiving at least one fixing (<NUM>) for tying walls (<NUM>), and adapted for being secured to a substrate (<NUM>) or inner wall (<NUM>) by the plurality of fasteners (<NUM>), the anchoring rail (<NUM>) comprising:
an anchoring rail profile (<NUM>) defining a rail longitudinal direction; said anchoring rail profile (<NUM>) comprising
a base portion (<NUM>) extending in a wall plane and in the rail longitudinal direction with openings for receiving the anchoring rail fasteners (<NUM>) of the type having fastener heads (<NUM>) with a fastener head height and a fastener head width and a fastener shaft (<NUM>), and
two longitudinal side flanges (<NUM>) disposed opposite each other on each side of said base portion (<NUM>), said side portions (<NUM>) extending the rail longitudinal direction and out of the wall plane of the base portion (<NUM>), said side flanges (<NUM>) having a first side facing away from the base portion (<NUM>);
a retention portion (<NUM>) is provided on each of the side flanges (<NUM>) so that the two retention portions (<NUM>) on the side flanges are projecting toward one another defining a profile slot (<NUM>) between each other, said slot (<NUM>) having a predetermined width, said retention portions (<NUM>) being provided at a first distance from the base portion (<NUM>) and the slot (<NUM>) is adapted to receive said at least one fixing (<NUM>) for tying walls (<NUM>),
characterised in that
the retention portions (<NUM>) are configured to bend elastically towards the base portion (<NUM>) if at least one of said fastener heads (<NUM>), having a fastener head width greater than the width of the slot (<NUM>) and a fastener head height being the same as the first distance, is advanced into the profile slot (<NUM>), such that the retention portions (<NUM>) spring back and lock the fastener head (<NUM>) in the anchoring rail profile (<NUM>) such that the anchoring rail profile (<NUM>) cannot axially move on the fastener shaft (<NUM>).