CA2005179C - Process and a device for manufacturing a composite building panel for use in a building structure cladding system - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT
A process and device for manufacturing a composite building panel of the type comprising a facing layer made from a plurality of facing elements, such as brick slices or stone slices for example, retained in a spaced apart relationship, and a magnetically attractive particulate material disposed between the facing elements to imitate mortar. A rigid backing layer is provided, spaced from the spacing layer, the space between the facing and backing layers being filled with an insulation/bonding layer. The device for use in manufacturing the building panel comprises a facing element holder in the form of a structure with a plurality of recesses for receiving therein facing elements, also including spacers between recesses in order to maintain the facing elements in a spaces apart relationship. Ceramic magnets are provided on the spacers for retaining temporarily thereto the particulate material against gravity, until the insulation/bonding layer is built which retains all the elements of the panel together.

Description

;~0051~9 BUILDING PANEL FOR USE IN A BUILDING STRUCTURE CLADDING
SYSTEH

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the general field of construction materials and more particularly to a method and an apparatus for fabricating a compos~ite building panel for use ln a building structure cladding system.

BACKGROUND OF_THE INVENTION

Claddlng systems for buildlng structures using composite building panels are an attractive alternative to conventlonal sheeting methods ~uch as bricking because such cladding systems have improved thermal lnsulatlon characterlstics and are very easy to erect.

Commerclally available cladding systems are constltuted by a set of building panels glued or attached with fasteners to the building structure. The panels are flat and comprise a rlgld backlng layer made of wood, a faclal layer formed by brick or stone slices to give the appearance of a brick or stone wall, and an insulation layer between the facial and backing layers which also act~ as a bonding medium retainlng the constituent ~& ' ~ .:

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elements of the panel together. The panel is manufactured by a molding technique where the facing and backing layers are malntained in a spaced apart relationship in a æpecial fixture, and plastlc materlal ln fluid state ls injected therebetween, forming the lnsulation/bondlng layer.

Thl3 type of building panels are particularly advantaqeous and easy to use for covering flat walls.
However, a problem arises when the panels must be joined at a corner of the building structure. The technique employed in thls case is to create a miter joint where each panel is beveled at 45 and ad~acent panels are bonded by means of an adhesive. Thls technique is not satisfactory because often the joint is aesthetically unacceptable and partially defeats the purpose of the cladding system where it is desired to imitate as close as posslble the appearance of conventional brick or stone walls. In additlon, the ~oint at the corner may fail due to deterioration of the adhesive material as a result of exposure to the elements, which will allow water to inflltrate the buildlng ~tructure causlng substantial damage.

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OBJECT AN~D STATEHENT OF_TH~ INVENTION

An ob~ect of this lnventlon i8 to provlde an lmproved method and a device for manufacturing bullding panels, preferably non-planar panels, for use on corners or other non-planar wall sections of a building structure.

In one aspect, the invention provides a flxture for use in manufacturing a co~posite buildlng panel of the i 10 type comprising a facing layer made from a plurality of facing elements, such as brlck sllces or stone slices for example, retalned in a spaced apart relationshlp, and a magnetically attractible particulate material disposed between the facing elements to imitate mortar. A rigld backing layer is providedr spaced from the facing layer, the space between the facing and backing layers being filled with an insulation/bonding layer, for example urethane foam.

The fixture for use in manufacturing this panel comprises a faclng elements holder in the form of a s~ructure with a plurality of recesses for receiving therein the facing elements, also including spacers between the recesses in order to maintain the facing elements in a spaced apart relationship. Means for generating a magnetic field in the vicinity of the spacing .',... . .

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elements ls provided in order to magnetically attract and retain the particulate materlal between ~he facing elements.

Thls arrangement is particularly advantageous for manufacturlng non-planular bullding panels, such as shaped at the right angle. In this lnstance, the facing elements holder is L-shaped, havlng two sections meeting at a rlght angle, one of the sections being orlented generally horlzontally and the other one extending vertlcally. The magnetic attraction retalns against gravity the particulate materlal in the vertical sectlon of the holder -- until the plastic core is in~ected for permanently bonding the panel elements together.
In a preferred embodlment, the fixture i8 also provided with a clamplng assembly for holding the backing - panel spaced apart from the facing elements in the holder.
The cavlty defined between the facing elements and the backing panel is used for receiving plastic material in fluid state forming the insulation/bonding layer.

In su~mary, the invention comprises in a general aspect a fixture for use in manufacturing a composlte ; 25 building panel of the type comprising~

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..;~' s, Z()0517~3 - a facinq layer lncludlng a plurallty oi' faclng elements in a spaced apart relationshlp, and a magnetlcally attractible particulate material dlsposed between the facing elements;
S - a relatively rigid backing layer spaced apart from the faclng layer; and - an lnsulation/bondlng layer between the facing layer and the backing layer, the flxture comprlsing, a) a facing elements holder including a plurality of recesses for receiving therein faclng elements, and spacing means between the recesses for maintalning the facing elements in a spaced apart relationshlp; and b~ means for generatlng a magnetic field in the vicinity of the spacing means for retalning thereto magnetlcally attractible partlculate material.

The invention also extends to a method for manufacturing a building panel of the type comprising.
- a facing layer including a plurallty of faclng elements in a spaced apart relationship, and a magnetically attractible partlculate material dlsposed between the facing element~;
- a relatively rigid baoking layer spaced apart from the facing layer~ and ' ' ,.,;~ ~ , 200517~1 - an insulatlon/bonding layer between the faclng layer and the backing layer, the method comprlslng the steps of.
a) placlng facing elements ln a faclng elements holder lncluding a plurality of recesses for recelvlng thereln facing elements, and spacing means between the recesses for maintainlng the faclng elements in a spaced : apart relatlonshlp b) generating a magnetic field ln the vicinity of the spa~ing means for retalnlng thereto magnetlcally attractlble partlculate materlal;
c) placlng a backing layer ln a spaced apart relatlonshlp to the facing elements in the faclng element~
holder; and d) flowlng plastlc materlal between the faclng and backlng layers to ~orm the insulation/bondlng layer.

BRIEF DFSCRIPTION OF THE DRAHINGS

- Flgure 1 ls a perspectlve vlew of a bulldlng panel shaped at a rlght angle, according to the present lnvention;

- Flgure 2 is a cross-sectlonal view taken along llnes 2-2 ln Flgure l;

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- Plgure 3 is a perspective vlew of a flxture for manufacturlng the panel shown ln Flgure l, the fixture belng shown in the opened position~

- Flgure 4 show~ the fixture of Elgure 3 ln the closed position and fllled wlth facinq elements;

- Figure 5 ls an enlarged partial view of the flxture of Flgure 3, lllustrating in ~ore detail the structure of the holder for the facing elements of the building panel;

- Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along llnes 6-6 in Figure 5~

- Figure 7 i8 a perspective of the fixture according to the invention, showing the fixture in a closed position with the backing panel installed~

- Figure 8 i8 a cross-sectional view taken along lines 8-8 of Pigure 7~ and ,~
- Flgure 9 ls an enlarged partly sectlonal view of a clamping device used in the fixture shown in Figures 3 to 8.

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DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EHBODIHE~T

A building panel constructed ln accordance wlth the present lnvention ls illustrated ln ~lgures 1 and 2 of the annexed drawin~s. The buildlng panel 10, the 80 called "brlck veneer" is employed ln a cladding system for a build~ng structure.

Claddlng systems using brlck veneer panels are old ln the art; Canadlan patents numbers 865,354 and 911,194 issued on March 9, 1971 and October 3, 1972 respectively, granted to Dupont of Canada Llmlted, descrlbe such systems whlch use only flat panels to cover a bulldlng structure.
Thls is a disadvantage because the ~olnts between ad~acent panels over a corner of the buildlng structure are difficult and tlme consumlng to make and aesthetlcally they may not be satisfactory.

The present inventlon provides a method and an apparatus for constructing a non-planar bulldlnq panel such as the one lllustrated ln Figure l which is shaped at a right angle and is specifically adapted to fit a corner of a building structure where the walls ~eet at approximately 90. It will be appreclated that this is not a llmltatlon of the inventlon as the apparatus and the method may very well be used for manufacturing angular .,.

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~005~79 panels whlch are not shaped as a right anqle, as well as for fabricating curved panels.

The panel 10 iY a composite structure comprislng a backing layer 12 made of wooden material, a facing layer 14 and an insulation/bondlng layer 16 therebetween whose function is to retain together the constituent ele~ents of the panel 10 as well as to form a thermal barrler.

The faclng layer 14 of the panel ls made by an assembly of faclng elements, in this particular case, brlck slices 18, which are slightly ~paced from each other in order to glve the appearance of a brlck wall. The space~ between the brlck slices 18 is filled with magnetlcally attractible granular material 19 of the type commercialized by the ~M Company under the product codes CX140600562 or CX140616816~ having the appropriate mesh size for lm~tating mortar. Two different types of brick slices are used. The brick sllces that are remote from the corner of the panel, are flat and are approximately ~"
; thlck. Those on the corner itself have approxlmately the same thlckness and they are L-shaped.

The varlous layers of the panel 10 are not flush at the edgeg to form a positlve ~oint between ad~acent panels when the claddlng system ls erected. ~ore particularly, .
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the backlng layer 12 projecto wlth respect to the lnsulation~bonding layer 16 and to th~ facing layer 14, by a predetermined amount from the top edge of the panel, the backlng layer 12 being recessed by tbe same amount at the bottom edge of the panel to accomodate the pro~ecting part of an adjacent panel. In additlon, the lateral edges of the panels have recessed portions due to staqgered relationship between brick sllces 18 in adjacent rows.

The insulation/bonding layer 16 is preferably a urethane foam which is injeated in a fluid state between the faclng and backlng layers of the panel lO, and whlch when cured, forms a bonding medium retaining the various components of the panel together.

The apparatus for manufacturing the panel 10 is lllustrated in Figures 3 to 9. The apparatus 20 is a fixturè comprising a base plate 22 which constitutes a holder for the brick slices 18 and for the granular materlal 19, to which is mounted a clamping assembly 24 used to retain the backing layer and the facing elements of the panel in their respective positions while the bonding layer is being built therebetween. The base plate ; 22, shaped at a right angle, comprises elongated channel like recesses 26 separated from each other by elongated upwardly projecting elements 28 which establish the .'~;

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spacing between ad~acent rows of brlck sllces 18.
Transverse separators to space block sllces 18 ln the same row from one another have not been found necessary ln thls set-up because each row has only two brick slices that will assume automatically thelr positlon one relative to the other when the fixture is closed. However, for a larger panel where the number of brick slices per row increases, transverse separators may be required.

The portions of the separators 28 that are located on the vertlcally extendlng part of the base plate 22 are ceramic magnets ln order to create locally a magnetic field which will attract and retain thereto, against gravlty, the partlcles of the granular material 19 used to fill the gaps between the brick sllces 18. The remalning portion of the separators 28, located on the horizontally extending part of the base plate 22 are made of any other suitable material which does not generate a magnetic field because the gravity exerted on the granular material l9 does not tend to displace the particles from their proper positlon, as in the case of the vertical section of the base plate 20. However, for applications where neither seatlon of the base plate 22 is in a horlzontal position, the separators 28 may be entlrely made of magnetlc materlal, generating a suitable magnetic fleld attractlng and holdlng the granular materlal 19 in place. It should ' ; ~,' , ~ .
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Zl)05179 be appreclated that other means to generate a magnetic field than permanent magnets may be employed. For example, appropriately posltloned lnduction coils may be used to generate a powerful magnetic field whlch may be S interrupted when not required simply by opening the coil circults.

The clamplng assembly 24 comprlses a flxed L-shaped abutment 30 which extends along one end recess 26 of the group of recesses 26. Opposite the fixed abutment 30 is mounted a movable L-shaped abutment 32 whlch extends along the other end recess 26 of the group. The movable abutment 32 is retained by means of hinges 34 to the horlzontal sectlon of the base plate 22. It will be appreciated that the abutment 32 is movable between an opened posltion, as æhown in F~gure 3 to a closed position, lllustrated in Flgure 4, and vice-versa. A
locklng mechanlsm, not illustrated ln the drawings, is provided to retain the abutment 32 in the closed posltion.

The clamping assembly 24 further comprlses abutment/core assemblles 36 and 38 associated wlth the vertical and the horizontal sectlons of the base plate 22, respectlvely. The abutment/core assembly 36 comprises a supportlng plate element 40 whose bottom section is shaped to conform to a lateral edge of the panel 10. More X()1)517~3 particularly, the bottom soctlon of the plate 40 deflne~
three generally rectangular pro~ectlons 41 spaced from one another by a distance corresponding approxlmately to the width of a brick slice.

On the plate 40 is mounted by means of hlnges 42 a core assembly 44 comprising a supporting strlp llke element 46 from which extend downwardly three core members 4~. At the ~unction between the cores members 48 and the strip-like element 46 is defined an L-shaped seat 50 whose functlon wlll become clear as the descrlption proceeds.
When the mold is in the closed position, the cores 48 are generally in register with the pro~ections 41 on the plate-llke member 40, there being a slight offset as best shown in Figure 5. As a result of the sllght misalignment existing betweeen the cores 48 and the projections 41, recesses and corresponding pro~ections wlll be formed ln the bonding layer 16 which will allow to create a positive joint between adjacent panels 10. It should be appreciated that this feature is secondary to the invention as the type of ~oint to be formed will depend upon the specific application. Varlous types of ~oints have been developed by the past for building panels and it i8 within the reach of a man skilled in the art to adapt ; 25 the apparatus and the method ~ccording to the lnventlon to the type of joint desired.

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()5179 The structure of the abutment/core asse~bly 38 ls identlcal to the assembly 36 de-4crlbed above.

The assemblies 36 and 38 are movable toward and away the corner defined by the base plate 22 by means of a mechanlcal system whlch is not descrlbed ln detall as lt ls not deemed to be essentlal to the invention. Sufflce it to say that the assemblies 36 and 38 are connected to respective actuator rods 52 and 54 extending along the back of the plate 22, by means of fasteners extending through slots 56 (only one being shown in Figures 3 and 5) allowing the assemblies 36 and 38 to move as a result of a movement of the respectlve actuator rods. The assemblles 36 and 38 move in unlson along perpendlcular directlons toward the corner of the base plate 22 to reach the closed positlon as illuætrated in Flgure 4, and also they are moved ln opposite dlrections to open the mold as shown ln Flgure 3. The assembly 36 is shown in full lines in Flgure 9 in the closed posltion, the core assembly 44 belng lifted up. In the same Flgure, the assembly 36 ls shown in dashed llnes in the opened position.

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The base plate 22 also comprises two manually operated clamps 56 and 58 for locklng in place the backing layer 12 during the manufacture of the panel 10.

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The operatlon of the ~lxture 20 wlll be descrlbed in con~unctlon wlth process for manu~acturing the panel 10.
Assuming that the flxture 20 has been adequately cleancd and the clamplng assembly 24 ls in the opened positlon, the flrst step of the operation is to place the brlck sllces 18 in the recesses 26 of the base plate 22. When all the recesses have been fllled, magnetically attractable granular materlal 19 is dispersed over the separators 28. Due to the magnetic fleld generated by the sectlons of the separators 28 on the vertically extending portion of the base plate 22, the granular materlal will be retained thereto against the effect of gravity. When a sufficient amount of granular material 19 has been provided so that it comes flush with the brick slices 18, the abutment clamping assemblies 36 and 38 are brought to the closed position by the respectlve actuator rods 52 and 54, and the core assemblies 44 are pivoted down, as shown by the arrow 55 ln Figure 5. A backing panel 12 is seated on these assemblles, as best illustrated ln Figure 7. It will be appreciated that two opposite edqes of the panel are located ln the seats 50. In this posltion, the backing panel 12 ls located at a certain dlstance from the brlck slices 18, this distance defining the thlckness of the bondlng layer 16 to be bullt.

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ZO()5179 The closure of the clampln~ assembly 24 18 completed by closing the movable abutment ~2 whlch ls then locked ln place. The manually operated clamps 56 and 58 are operated ln order to press the backing board 12 downwardly so that it remalns in po~ltion during the in~ection of the bondlng layer 16.

Plastic material in fluld state is in~ected through an openlng in the backing board 12 in order to fill the cavity in the flxture 20. The composition of the plastic material will vary according to the application. However, a certain number of properties must at all times be retained, such as the capabillty to adequately retain all the constituent elements of the panel 10 together and also lt must have good inæulatlon propertles. It has been found that urethane foam is partlcularly advantageous in this regard.

As the plastic materlal cures, the brlck sllces 18, the particulate material therebetween and the backlng board 12 wlll all be bounded together and it suffices to open the fixture ln order to remove the panel 10.

The above description of a preferred embodiment ~hould not be lnterpreted in any limiting manner slnce it is provided only at a possible form that the invention can ', ' ! ,, ... ;~.'~ .
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take. This example may be reflned and varled ln several respects without departlng from the splrlt of the lnvention.

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Claims (10)

1. A fixture for use in manufacturing a composite building panel of the type comprising:
- a facing layer including a plurality of facing elements in a spaced apart relationship, and magnetically attractable particulate material disposed between said facing elements;
- a relatively rigid backing layer spaced apart from said facing layer;
- an insulation layer between said facing and backing layers, said insulation layer constituting a bonding medium for retaining said layers together, said fixture comprising:
a) a facing elements holder including a plurality of recesses for receiving therein facing elements, and spacing means between said recesses for maintaining the facing elements in a spaced apart relationship; and b) means for producing a magnetic field in the vicinity of the spacing means for retaining thereto magnetically attractible particulate material.

2. A fixture as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for retaining a backing layer in a spaced apart relationship to said facing elements holder allowing an insulation layer to be built therebetween.

3. A fixture as defined in claim 1, wherein said facing elements holder comprises a projecting rib forming said spacer means.

4. A fixture as defined in claim 3, wherein said projecting rib comprises a permanent magnet.

5. A fixture as defined in claim 1, wherein said facing elements holder comprises two generally planar portions at a certain angle one with respect to the other, generally parallel ribs extending along said portions, said ribs comprising permanent magnets.

6. A fixture as defined in claim 5, wherein said portions are at a right angle one with respect to the other.

7. A fixture as defined in claim 6, wherein one of said portions is generally vertical, the other of said portions is generally horizontal, the horizontal portion being free of means to generate a magnetic field.

8. A fixture as defined in claim 4, wherein said permanent magnet is a ceramic magnet.

9. A fixture as defined in claim 2, wherein said means for retaining a backing layer is movable between a closed and an opened position.

10. A method for manufacturing a composite building panel of the type comprising:
- a facing layer including a plurality of facing elements in a spaced apart relationship, and magnetically attractible particulate material disposed between said facing elements;
- a relatively rigid backing layer spaced apart from said facing layer; and - an insulation layer between said facing and backing layers, said insulation layer constituting a bonding medium for retaining together said layers, said method comprising the steps of:
a) placing facing elements in a facing elements holder including a plurality of recesses for receiving therein facing elements, and spacing means between said recesses for maintaining said facing elements in a spaced apart relationship;
b) generating a magnetic field in the vicinity of said spacing means for retaining thereto magnetically attractible particulate material;
c) placing a backing layer in a spaced apart relationship to said facing elements in said facing elements holder; and d) flowing plastic material between said facing elements and said backing layer for building an insulation layer.