GB2454003A

GB2454003A - Reinforced roofing or flooring tile

Info

Publication number: GB2454003A
Application number: GB0721024A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Parry
Original assignee: JPM Parry and Associates Ltd
Current assignee: JPM Parry and Associates Ltd
Priority date: 2007-10-26
Filing date: 2007-10-26
Publication date: 2009-04-29
Also published as: GB0721024D0

Abstract

The invention relates to a reinforced roofing or flooring element 10 comprising a strengthening member (12 figure 2) which extends lengthwise of the element. The element 10 is preferably made from a cementitious mixture using moulding apparatus (20 figure 3). The strengthening member (12 figure 2) is preferably a plastic mesh material manufactured by extrusion. A later embodiment relates to a method of manufacturing the element comprising the steps of applying a cementitious mixture to a preparation surface (24 figure 3), positioning one or more strengthening members (12 figure 2) on top of the cementitious mixture and applying a cementitious mixture on top of the strengthening member. A further embodiment relates to a kit of parts for manufacturing said roofing or flooring element.

Description

Title: Roofing or Flooring Element

Description of Invention

This invention relates to roofing and flooring elements such as tiles, particularly, but not exclusively, to ceramic roofing/flooring tiles.

Roofing and flooring tiles are used in nearly every country of the world and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The shape and size is chosen depending on the particular roofing/flooring structure desired to be constructed. Roofing tiles are laid on a framework of battens' and are usually fixed to the battens by appropriate fasteners, although often, no fasteners are used. The tiles are usually laid in parallel rows, with each row overlapping the row below it to ensure that rain flows over, and not in between, the tiles, and to �.._ I_,_I:__ 4L:I A..1. * 4I Oils IO3LI lI 3 I IUIUII 19 U I LIIO III rsILI I ICIU VIJ LI I stopped from flowing between the tiles by application of a mortar, e.g. a mix of ordinary Portland cement and sand.

The spacing between the battens used for the roof framework varies depending on the size of the tile to be used. When it is desired to construct a roof quickly, it is preferred to use large roofing tiles -as fewer tiles are required to be laid to complete the roof. As a result, the roofing tiles used are often so large that the battens onto which they are laid are spaced at 0.5 metres or more (typically 1 metre) from each other. Such a large spacing between the battens is potentially dangerous if a roofing tile breaks when a person is positioned on top of that tile, during manufacture/maintenance of the roof. The usual failure mechanism of a roofing tile is catastrophic -i.e. it shatters in a very short time period, because the roofing tile is manufactured from a ceramic material which is generally, by nature, brittle. Thus, a person of conventional build is likely to fall in between the battens when the tile shatters, which could result in severe injuries to that person.

When manufacturing a floor, flooring tiles are generally not laid on battens, but are instead supported by a plurality of column supports -a primary column support at each of the major corners of the floor and plurality of further column supports each supporting a corner of four adjacent floor files. Elongate metallic reinforcement members are then laid on top of the flooring tiles, e.g. in a crisscross fashion, and a cementitious material is then poured over the floor tiles and the reinforcement members. Once the cementitious material has cured, the plurality of further column supports are removed from beneath the floor, thus leaving a floor supported at its major corners by the primary column supports.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new rooting/flooring element which addresses the above problems, and a method of manufacture thereof.

According to a first aspect of the invention, we provide a roofing or flooring element including a strengthening member which extends lengthwise of the element.

Further features of the first aspect of the invention are set out in claims 2 to 11 appended hereto.

According to a second aspect of the invention, we provide a method of manufacturing a roofing or floonng element, including the steps of applying a cementitious mixture to a preparation surface, positioning one or more strengthening members on top of the cementitious mixture and applying a cementitious mixture on top of the strengthening member(s). * 3

Further features of the second aspect of the invention are set out in claims 12 to 17 appended hereto.

The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a roofing element in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention; Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the element shown in figure 1: Figure 3 is an enlarged perspective view of an apparatus used to manufacture the element of figure 1; and Hgure 4 is a plan view of components parts of the apparatus of figure 3.

Referring to figure 1 there is shown a roofing element 10 in accordance with the first aspect of the invention. The roofing element 10 is a ceramic roofing element made from three layers. This first, and lowermost, layer 11 is a cementitious mixture comprising the following ingredients; sand, fine gravel and cement. The second layer is a plastic webbing member 12 and the third layer 13 is a cementitious layer comprising the following ingredients; sand, fine gravel and cement. The webbing member 12 is sandwiched between the first layer 11 and third layer 13.

The webbing member 12 in this example is a generally planer sheet of mesh which is manufactured from a plastics material. The mesh 12 could, for example, be manufactured from HDPE, LDPE or PP or any other appropriate polymer. In the present example the mesh 12 comprises a plurality of elongate plastic strengthening members aligned with each other in a first C 4 direction and a plurality of elongate plastic strengthening members aligned with each other in a second direction, which is substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The plastic strengthening members are connected to each other where they cross each other. The mesh 12 is manufactured using known manufacturing methods, e.g. extrusion. The physical properties of the mesh 12 can be varied by modifying the cross-sectional area of each elongate strengthening member and/or by reducing/increasing the number of elongate plastic strengthening members per square metre in one or both directions. It has been found that, for use in a roofing element measuring 600mm by 600mm, and having a thickness of 8 to 10mm, a mesh having the following dimensions is particularly beneficial; 3mm square apertures, with 1 mm strands of plastic.

The mesh 12 extends substantially throughout the entire element 10, both lengthwise of the element 10, i.e. in the direction of the spacing between battens on which the element 10 is to be laid, and transversely of the element 10.

The roofing element 10 is manufactured using an apparatus 20 as shown in figure 3. The apparatus 20 includes a support frame 22 which is preferably fixed to a floor surface. The support frame 22 supports an element preparation surface 24 which is substantially horizontal. Connected to one side of the frame 22 is a mould support 26 which in use supports a mould 28 which is inclined relative to the element preparation surface 24. The mould 28 is slidably supported by the mould support 26, such that the mould 28 can be engaged with and removed from the mould support 26 by a user in the direction of the arrow A'.

The apparatus 20 also includes an element preparation frame 30 (also shown in plan view in figure 4) which is hingeably connected to the support frame 22 at a side of the support frame 22 opposite the mould support 26. The preparation frame 30 is pivotally moveable about its hinged connection to the support frame 22 by a manually actuable mechanism 31 so that a remote end of the preparation frame 30 can be raised and lowered towards and away from the element preparation surface 24 in the direction of the arrow B'. The element preparation frame 30 defines the outer perimeter of the roofing element 10 to be made and includes formations 33 which provide nibs on an upper surface of the element 10. The apparatus 20 also includes vibrating means (not shown) which is configured to vibrate the element preparation surface 24.

In order to manufacture the roofing element 10, a flexible preparation sheet 32 is laid onto the preparation surface 24. The preparation sheet 32 in this example is a flexible rubber sheet, but any other appropriate flexible sheet could be used so long as it will not permanently adhere to the element 10 when the element 10 sets. The preparation frame 30 is then lowered on to the sheet 32; the sheet and the frame 30 thus define a volume for receipt of the cemerititious material for the element 10.

A cementitious mortar is then applied to the sheet 32. The cementitious mortar used in this example comprises sand, cement and water. The mesh 12 is then laid on top of the slurry and a cementitious mixture is applied on top of the mesh 12. In order to provide for even distribution of the cementitious mixture over the mesh 12, the apparatus is vibrated by the vibrating means.

This vibration causes the cementitious mixture to flow more easily, thus permitting it to spread evenly to the perimeter defined by the frame 30. The vibration also causes the cementitious mixture to flow through holes in the mesh 12, which provides for a good bond between the cementitious mixture and the cementitious slurry beneath the mesh 12. Once the cementitious mixture is evenly distributed over the mesh 12, the vibrating means is switched off and the frame 30 is pivoted upwardly by the manually actuable mechanism 31 so that a remote end of the frame 30 is raised away from the sheet 32. S 6

A user(s) then grasps the sheet 32 and slides it off of the surface 24 and on to the mould 28. The user(s) then positions the sheet 32 so that the edges of the cementitious mixture are correctly aligned on top of the mould 28. The mould 28 is then removed from the mould support 26 by sliding in the direction of the arrow A' and is then transported to an environment which permits the cementitious mixture to cure. That environment may be at room temperature or, if it is desired to cure the tile more quickly, at an elevated temperature.

Once the element 10 has cured, it can be lifted from the mould 28 and the sheet 32 removed from the underside of the element: the sheet 32 should peel off easily as it is made from a flexible rubber material which will not adhere to the element 10.

The mould 28 is configured such that two or more moulds 28 can be stacked on top of each other, whilst still permitting the element 10 supported on top of each mould 28 to cure.

It must be appreciated that the roofing element 10 could be made from any desired material and could be made to any desired shape and size. The roofing element 10 shown in figure 1 is therefore simply an example of a roofing element in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention.

The roofing element in accordance with the present invention is advantageous over known roofing elements, e.g. tiles, because it has an integral safety feature in the form of the strengthening member(s), which will increase the toughness of the concrete, i.e. the element will be more robust and will be less likely to fail catastrophically. Due to the modified failure mode of the element, a person positioned on top of the roofing element will have more time to move from on top of that element if the element shows signs of failure, before the element completely fails. S 7

Although the above example includes a plurality of strengthening members in the form of webbing 12, the roofing element could include only one strengthening member so long as it extended lengthwise of the roofing element. As an alternative to the web 12, the roofing element could include a plurality of elongate plastic strengthening members, each of which extends lengthwise of the element 10. In addition to those lengthwise strengthening members, further strengthening members may be provided which extend transversely across the roofing element. The transverse and lengthwise strengthening members may be woven with each other, or may simply be laid on top of each other. Any number of layers of lengthwise and/or transverse strengthening members may be used.

Preferably the strengthening member(s), whatever form it takes, extends far enough lengthwise at each end of the element so that when the element is supported on roofing battens, the remote ends of the strengthening member at least partially overlap the roofing battens. Preferably still, the strengthening member(s) extends substantially to the lengthwise ends of the roofing element.

As an alternative to providing the strengthening member (s) in between layers of cementitious mixture/slurry, the strengthening member(s) could be connected to an underside of the tile, e.g. by an adhesive.

Although the above example relates to a roofing element, the element could be used for constructing a floor. In such a case, it may be desired to modify the profile of the element, e.g. less undulating.

When used in this specification and claims, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included. The terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or components. * 8

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the following claims, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof. *

Claims

1. A roofing or flooring element including a strengthening member which extends lengthwise of the element.

2. A roofing or flooring element according to claim 1 including a plurality of strengthening members, each of which extends lengthwise of the element.

3. A roofing or flooring element according to claim 2 wherein the strengthening members are aligned substantially parallel to each other.

4. A roofing or flooring element according to any preceding claim including one or more further strengthening members, each of which extends transversely across the element.

5. A roofing or flooring element according to claim 4 wherein the transverse strengthening members are aligned substantially parallel to each other.

6. A roofing or flooring element according to any one of claims 2 to 5 wherein the strengthening members take the form of a webbing member.

7. A roofing or flooring element according to claim 6 wherein the webbing member is a net or mesh or the like.

8. A roofing or flooring element according to any preceding claim wherein the strengthening member(s) is/are sandwiched between cementitious layers.

9. A roofing or flooring element according to claim 8 wherein portions of the cementitious layers either side of the strengthening member(s) are connected to each other. S 10

10. A roofing or flooring element according to any preceding claim wherein the strengthening member(s) is/are connected to an underside of the element.

11. A roofing or flooring element according to any preceding claim wherein the strengthening member(s) is/are manufactured from a plastics material.

12. A method of manufacturing a roofing or flooring element, including the steps of applying a cementitious mixture to a preparation surface, positioning one or more strengthening members on top of the cementitious mixture and applying a cementitious mixture on top of the strengthening member(s).

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein the cementitious mixture applied to the mould surface is a cementitious mortar.

14. A mcthd ccdr k.' uini i3 wherein me cementitious mortar comprises sand, cement and water.

15. A method according to any one of claim 12 to 14 including the additional step of transferring the roofing or flooring element to a mould.

16. A method according to any one of claim 12 to 15 including the additional step of curing the element.

17. A method according to any one of claims 12 to 16 wherein the strengthening member(s) is/are in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 11.

18. A kit of parts for manufacturing a roofing or flooring element in accordance with any one of claims I to 11, the kit including an apparatus for performing the method of any one of claims 12 to 17, one or more S 11 strengthening members and ingredients for manufacturing a cementitious mixture.

19. A roofing or flooring element substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.

20. A method of manufacturing a roofing or flooring element substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.

21. Any novel feature or novel combination of features described herein with reference to and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.