GB2320038A - Support structure for clayware wall cladding - Google Patents

Abstract

A support structure for clayware cladding plates or tiles (10) comprises a metal rail (50) and a plurality of metal support brackets (58) engaged with the rail (50) so as to prevent relative rotation but so as to permit sliding of each bracket (58) along the length of the rail, each bracket being apertured for the insertion of fixing screws and the rail (58) having a shape such that hanging nibs (14) of clayware tiles (10) may be located over it to hang a horizontal row of said tiles (10) on the rail (50).

Description

"CIAYWXRE WLL CLADDING" This invention relates to clayware wall cladding, by which is meant the construction of a screen of clayware plates or tiles to provide the outer, exposed leaf of a cavity wall. Such claiming may provide a rain screen for a new timber, metal or concrete frame or masonry structure or it may be applied as overcladding to an existing wall to provide an ornamental exterior effect, for example by stimulating brickwork, at the same tine enhancing weatherproofing and providing the insulating benefits of a cavity wall. European Patent Specification No. 0 278 842 exemplifies clayware wall cladding of the kind with which the present invention is concerned.

As described in that Specification, plates or tiles of clayware may be hung in horizontal rows upon respective wooden battens fixed in vertically spaced relation to an inner wall or like structure to be clad. In addition to a rearaardly-exLending nib by which it is hung each plate or tile also has a downwardly-opening female formation which will receive the upper edge of a similar plate or tile next below it, and in this way the plates or tiles making up each vertical row are interlocked.

The width of the cavity between the inner wall and the rain screen afforded by the clayware is determined by the widths of the battens (and any counter battens or like vertical supports) fixed to the inner wall. For some purposes this may be insufficient and in general it may be preferred not to use wooden battens as the supporting means for the clayware. Among the reasons is the fact that wooden battens require support at relatively short horizontal intervals. This requires that vertical supports for the battens should also be provided at relatively closely spaced horizontal intervals, giving rise to a relatively costly structure which is also labour intensive to create. Alternatives which have been proposed are simple metal rails or brackets, but rails present the problem that holes provided along the length of a rail for the reception of fixing screws may in practice not be conveniently aligned when the rail is presented to the wall to which it is to be fixed, whereas it is difficult to locate a number of individual brackets accurately in a horizontal row.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide solutions to the problems of prior art proposals.

In accordance with the invention a support structure for clayware cladding plates or tiles comprises a metal rail and a plurality of metal support brackets engaged with the rail so as to prevent relative rotation but so as to permit sliding of each bracket along the length of the rail, each bracket being apertured for the insertion of fixing screws or like members and the rail having a shape such that hanging nibs of clayware plates or tiles may be located over it to hang a horizontal row of said plates or tiles on the rail.

Preferably each bracket comprises on one side thereof a pair of vertically spaced upwardly-opening channels respectively slideably engageable by a pair of vertically spaced, downwardly directed flanges on one side of the rail.

Either or both the rail and each bracket may be of hollow, box-section.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the acconpanying Drawings by way of non-limitative example. In the Drawings, Figures 1-3 are similar, sectional elevations through the assembly of a clayware plate or tile, a rail and a bracket used for supporting the plate or tile.

The plate or tile 10 illustrated is of the kind described and illustrated in our other British Patent Application of today's date identified by the reference "LP00592" and reference is made to this for a fuller understanding of the present invention. Although not shown in the present Application, the rectangular plate or tile 10 has a downwardly-presented female formation which will accept the top edge 18 of the plate or tile innediately below it, so that a vertical row of plates or tiles 10 is interlocked. If a generally flat wall is to be created this female formation will be along the bottom edge of the plate or tile 10, but if the plates or tiles are to overlap it will be midway between the top and bottom edges of the plate or tile. For a better understanding of the construction of a wall or rain screen of this type reference is made to European Patent Specification No. 0 278 842.

In accordance with the present invention, each horizontal row of plates or tiles 10 is mounted not on a wooden batten but on a box-section metal rail 50, 50A or 50B. An upper nib 14 of the plate or tile 10 engages over the rail 50, 50A or 50B to hang the plate or tile fran the rail with the interposition of a series of plastics lift-preventers 19 spaced along the rail so that one lift-preventer 19 supports adjacent lateral regions of two horizontally adjacent plates or tiles 10 on the rail. For a better understanding of the lift-preventer 19 and its manner of use reference is made to our said co-pending Patent Application under reference "LP00592".

The upper, forward edge 51 of the rail 50, 50A, 50B projects upward at an angle of approximately 25" to locate beneath the correspondingly-angled undersurface of the nib 14. The lower forward edge of the rail comprises a flange 52 which is snap-engaged by channel 33 of the lift-preventer.

Along the upper region of the rear side of the rail 50, 50A, 50B is a recess the upper wall of which has a downwardly-directed flange 54. The lower edge of the rear side of the rail is also provided with a downwardly- directed flange 55. The flanges 54 and 55 are respectively received in a pair of upwerdly-opening channels 56 and 57 provided in vertically spaced relation on a netal bracket 58, 58A or 58B. The arrangement is therefore such that the bracket 58, 58A or 58B can slide along the length of the rail 50, 50A, 50B but that relative movement between the rail and each bracket thereon in any other direction is restrained. In particular the rail 50, 50A, 50B cannot rotate relative to the brackets 58, 58A, 58B by which it is supported.

In use the plurality of brackets 58, 58A, 58B engaging a rail 50, 50A, 50B are slid along it to ritually spaced positions in which holes (not shown) for fixing screws or the like can be conveniently aligned with an inner wall 11, or with vertical supports (not shown) attached to it, which is to be overclad by the plates or tiles 10. As shown in Figure 1 the upper and lower edges of a bracket 58 may be located in a respective notches in a vertical strip in turn secured to the inner wall 11. As shown in Figure 2 the bracket 58B in camwxl with the rail 50B may be of hollow, box-section thereby increasing the cavity between the rain screen formed by the plates or tiles 10 and the inner wall 11 if this is desired. As shown in Figure 3 the bracket 58A may in turn be supported by a channel 59 of similar length secured to wall 11, the inner surfaces of the walls of the channel 59 and the outer surfaces of top and bottom plates 60 and 61 of the bracket being formed with ribs or grooves enabling adjustment of the position of bracket 58A relative to wall 11 after the channel 59 has been fixed to it.

A further advantage of the invention is that by selecting the width of the bracket 58, 58A, 58B, thereby supporting the rail 50, 50A, 50B over a lesser or greater width, the strength and possible span of various rails can be adjusted to suit the structural requirements of varying circumstances.

The invention enables economies to be achieved in the quantity of material necessary to be used in the rail 50, 50A, 50B. The concentrated forces needed to be transferred to the wall 11 by a screw or similar fixing are dispersed through the bracket 58, 58A, 58B and are transferred between the bracket and the rail 50, 50A, 50B over an extended area. The renaaal of point fixing areas from the rail enables thinner materials to be used in the construction of the rail.

Claims (4)

aAI:

1. A support structure for clayware cladding plates or tiles comprising a metal rail and a plurality of metal support brackets engaged with the rail so as to prevent relative rotation but so as to permit sliding of each bracket along the length of the rail, each bracket being apertured for the insertion of fixing screws or like members and the rail having a shape such that hanging nibs of clayware plates or tiles may be located over it to hang a horizontal row of said plates or tiles on the rail.

2. A support structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein each bracket comprises on one side thereof a pair of vertically spaced upwardly-opening channels respectively slideably engageable by a pair of vertically spaced, downwardly directed flanges on one side of the rail.

3. A support structure as claimed in either of the preceding claims, wherein either or both the rail and each bracket are of hollow, box-section.

4. A support structure for clayware cladding plates or tiles substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying Drawings.