GB2574639A

GB2574639A - Decking board for use with a panel for holding a fluid circulation pipe

Info

Publication number: GB2574639A
Application number: GB1809691.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Champemowne Richard; Coster Peter; Oliver Heather; Halley Ben
Original assignee: NU HEAT UK Ltd
Current assignee: NU HEAT UK Ltd
Priority date: 2018-06-13
Filing date: 2018-06-13
Publication date: 2019-12-18
Also published as: GB201809691D0; GB2574729B; GB201908512D0; GB2574729A

Abstract

The decking boards comprise a top layer 29 containing fibres and a binder and a bottom layer 30 of heat-conductive material. The top layer is preferably bonded to the bottom layer. The top layer may be a fibre-cement mix containing mineral fibres. The top layer may be 5-25 millimeters thick, and preferably between 10-15 millimeters thick. The bottom layer is preferably formed of metal, and may contain aluminium. The board preferably has top tongues which form an unbroken continuation of the top face and bottom tongues which form an unbroken continuation of the bottom face, with the top tongues preferably being formed on two mutually adjacent edges and the bottom tongues on two mutually adjacent edges. The top and bottom tongues preferably extend along substantially the full length of the respective edges. Also claimed is a floor structure comprising a panel and the decking board.

Description

Nu-Heat UK Limited

DECKING BOARD FOR USE WITH A PANEL FOR HOLDING A FLUID CIRCULATION PIPE

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to decking boards for use with panels for holding fluid circulation pipes, as used in underfloor heating or cooling systems for example, and a floor structure which includes the decking boards and panels.

BACKGROUND

In the installation of underfloor heating or cooling systems in which water is circulated through pipes, various ways of holding the pipes may be used. In dry construction floors the pipes may be clipped into heat transfer plates which typically sit on a layer of thermal insulation. A suitable flooring material is then laid in contact with the plates, such as chipboard.

In wet construction floors it is known to lay the pipes using preformed panels which are laid side-by-side on a suitable sub-floor such as a concrete slab, timber deck, or thermal insulation board. Such known panels comprise a moulded

- 2 polymer sheet of generally uniform thickness. The sheet is profiled such that upper surface of the panel has an array of integrally formed castellations which, between the castellations, form channels to receive the underfloor heating pipe. The pipe may take a straight path across the panel between the castellations, but the pipe may also be bent through 90 degrees or turned through a full 180 degrees taking a suitable path around the castellations. In general, the castellations are used to guide the pipe along the desired path and they also hold the pipe in position when pressed into the channels. Each panel will normally hold several runs of pipe traveling along parallel pathways. Once the pipe has been laid, a screed can be applied directly over the panels to embed the heating pipes within the screed, permitting direct heat transfer between the screed and the fluid within the pipes.

Generally, the abutting edges of the panels are arranged to interlock so that pumped screed cannot penetrate between the panels and cause them to lift. In addition, the panels may also be secured to a suitable sub floor using staples.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

When viewed from one aspect the present invention proposes a decking board (20):

- a top layer (29) containing fibres and a binder; and

- a bottom layer (30) of heat-conductive material.

- 3 In an embodiment the top layer (29) is bonded to the bottom layer.

In an embodiment the top layer (29) is a fibre-cement mix.

In an embodiment the top layer (29) contains mineral fibres.

Generally the top layer (29) will be between 5 mm and 25 mm thick, and preferably between 10mm and 15mm thick. In one embodiment the top layer (29) is about 12 mm thick.

In an embodiment the bottom layer (30) is formed of metal.

In an embodiment the bottom layer (30) contains aluminium.

Generally the bottom layer (30) will be between 0.01 mm and 1.0 mm thick, and preferably between 0.05 mm and 0.5 mm thick. In one embodiment the bottom layer (30) is about 0.1 mm thick.

In an embodiment the decking board has four edges (21-24), a top face (31), and a bottom face (32).

In an embodiment the decking board has top tongues (25, 26) which form an unbroken continuation of the top face (31) and bottom tongues (27, 28) which form an unbroken continuation of the bottom face (32).

- 4 In an embodiment the top tongues (25, 26) are provided on two of the edges (21, 22) and the bottom tongues (27, 28) are provided on the other two edges (23, 24).

In an embodiment the top tongues (25, 26) are provided on two mutually adjacent edges (21, 22) and the bottom tongues (27, 28) are provided on two mutually adjacent edges (23, 24).

In an embodiment the top and bottom tongues (25, 26; 27, 28) extend continuously along substantially the full length of the respective edges (21, 22; 23, 24).

The invention also provides a floor structure:

- a panel (1) moulded of polymer material and integrally formed with an array of castellations (3) having a network of channels between the castellations to receive a flexible fluid circulation pipe (12); and

- the decking board.

In an embodiment the panel (1) incorporates pipe supports (16) configured to resiliently support the pipe within the network of channels.

In an embodiment a flexible fluid circulation pipe (12) is resiliently supported within the network of channels in contact with the bottom layer (30) of the decking board.

- 5 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following description and the accompanying drawings referred to therein are included by way of non-limiting example in order to illustrate how the invention may be put into practice. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top view of a panel for holding a fluid circulation pipe;

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the panel;

Figure 3 is a first enlarged portion of section C-C of Fig. 1;

Figure 4 is the enlarged detail A of Fig. 1;

Figure 5 is a second enlarged portion of section C-C of Fig. 1;

Figure 6 is an enlarged portion of the section E-E of Fig. 1;

Figure 7 is an enlarged edge view of the panel showing an edge clip;

- 6 Figure 8 shows two of the panels connected side-by-side;

Figure 9 is a further top view of the panel showing two possible pipe runs;

Figure 10 is another top view showing another configuration of pipe run;

Figure 11 is a top view of a decking board for use with the panels; and

Figure 12 is a section through the decking board.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring firstly to Fig.s 1 and 2, the panel 1 is intended to hold a flexible fluid circulation pipe as used in an underfloor heating installation. The panel is typically formed from a suitable polymer as a single injection moulding, and includes a generally square or rectangular base plate 2 of generally uniform thickness. The panel has an array of castellations 3 which are upstanding from the base plate 2 forming an interconnected network of channels between the castellations.

The castellations are arranged with a regular pattern on a grid formed by two perpendicularly intersecting sets of equally-spaced

- 7 parallel lines, X and Y. The castellations on the lines X are equally spaced along the lines, with the same pitch as the distance between the lines. The castellations on the lines Y, which extend perpendicular to the lines X, are again equally spaced along the lines at the same pitch as the line spacing, but the castellations are positioned such that each castellation is located at the centre of four castellations on lines X.

In plan view each of the castellations 3 has four sides which extend generally parallel to the lines X and Y. As can be seen in the sectional view of Fig. 3, the castellations 3 have flat tops 5 but they also contain a recessed central fixing hole 6 through which a screw can be inserted to fix the panel to a suspended timber sub-floor for example.

Turning to the detailed view of Fig. 4, four castellations 3 are grouped around each of the points of intersection between lines X and Y, four pipe clips 8 are formed alongside the four castellations

3. As shown in the sectional detail of Fig. 5, each pipe clip comprises a pair of opposed spring arms 9 and 10 which are located adjacent to, but separate from, one of the castellations 3. The arms 9 and 10 are spaced along the respective line, X or Y, and both have inturned projections 11 to retain a fluid circulation pipe 12 with the axis of the pipe extending parallel to the intersecting line Y or X respectively. The opposing inner faces of the arms 9 and 10 also diverge slightly towards the base plate 2 so that the arms tend to exert a slight downward pull on the pipe 12.

- 8 It will be noted that grooves 14 are formed in the top surface of the base plate 2, running parallel to the lines X and Y, each extending alongside the castellations 3 through the centre of a pipe clip 8. These indicate the direction of the pipe runs along the channels between the castellations 3.

A resilient pipe support 16 is formed between the adjacent corners of each pair of castellations 3. The pipe support is shown in sectional detail in Fig. 6. The pipe support has a platform 17 which is held above the base plate 2 between a pair of flexible end connectors 18 and 19, the longitudinal side edges of the platform being unconnected to the base plate 2. The supports 16 resiliently support the flexible pipe, acting against the slight downward pull exerted by the pipe clips 8, with the result that the top of the pipe is held slightly above the flat tops 5 of the castellations 3 (see Fig. 5). As shown in Fig. 4, the pipe supports 16 are positioned at the intersection of each pair of mutually perpendicular pipe runs indicated by the grooves 14, but since the pipe supports are inclined at an angle to both pipe runs (and to the lines X and Y) they can support the pipes equally irrespective of the direction of the pipe.

When laying the panels 1 they can be clipped together by means of edge clips 40 which extend along two adjacent edges of each panel - see Fig.l. As seen in Fig. 7, the clips 40 comprise upstanding lugs over which an edge of the adjacent panel is fictionally engaged. The edge details of the panels are arranged to marry up when the panels are laid, as shown in Fig. 8, so that

- 9 the pattern of castellations, as described above, is continuous.

In use the panels are laid onto a suitable sub floor and the fluid conducting pipe 12 is pressed into the channels between the castellations in a suitable configuration, following the grooves 14. The pipe is held by the pipe clips 8 and resiliently supported by the pipe supports 16. Fig. 9 shows the path which may be taken by a straight pipe run 12.1, and a pipe run 12.2 incorporating a 90° bend. The minimum bend radius is achieved by encircling two castellations for a 90° bend, or three castellations for a 180° bend, as indicated by the pipe run 12.3 in Fig. 10.

The panel is intended to be used in conjunction with specially provided decking boards, shown in Fig. 11. The decking boards 20 each have four edges 21-24, a top face 31 and a bottom face 32 (Fig. 12). Two adjacent edges 21 and 22 have bottom recesses to form top tongues 25 and 26 which extend continuously along the full length ofthe respective edges, forming an unbroken continuation of the top face 31. The other two edges 23 and 24 have top recesses to form corresponding bottom tongues 27 and 28 which also extend continuously along the full length of the respective edges, forming an unbroken continuation of the bottom face 32. When the boards are laid edge-to-edge the tongues form half lap joints so that the top and bottom surfaces 31 and 32 of the boards are co-planar with no intervening gaps between the boards. In cross-section, Fig. 12, the boards can be seen to comprise a top layer 29 which provides the top face 31 and forms a thermal mass, typically 12 mm thick. The top layer is

- 10 formed of a binder reinforced with fibres, e.g. mineral fibres, such as a fibre-cement mix. A thin heat-conductive layer 30, typically 100 microns thick, e.g. of aluminium or other heat-conducting metal, is bonded to the underside of the top layer to provide the bottom face 32.

When the decking boards 20 are laid on top of the panels 1 they are supported directly on the top faces of the castellations 3. The integral pipe clips 8 and the resilient pipe supports 16 ensure that the pipe is firmly held in contact with the heat-conducting aluminium layer 30, ensuring good thermal transfer between the pipe 12 and the decking boards.

A conventional floor finish such as ceramic tiles can be laid directly onto the decking boards. Unlike conventional pipe-laying panels, the arrangement of panels and decking boards ensures excellent thermal transfer to the overlying floor surface but without the inconvenience and delay of laying a wet screed.

The resilient supports ensure that the pipe is supported at the optimum position for maximum heat transfer while the resilient clips ensure that the pipe is held securely, independently of the castellations.

Whilst the above description places emphasis on the areas which are believed to be new and addresses specific problems which have been identified, it is intended that the features disclosed herein may be used in any combination which is capable of

- 11 providing a new and useful advance in the art.

Claims

1. A decking board (20):

- a top layer (29) containing fibres and a binder; and

- a bottom layer (30) of heat-conductive material.

2. A decking board according to claim 1 in which the top layer (29) is bonded to the bottom layer.

3. A decking board according to claim 1 or 2 in which the top layer (29) is a fibre-cement mix.

4. A decking board according to claim 3 in which the top layer (29) contains mineral fibres.

5. A decking board according to any preceding claim in which the top layer (29) is between 5 and 25 mm thick.

6. A decking board according to any preceding claim in which the top layer (29) is between 10 and 15 mm thick.

7. A decking board according to any preceding claim in which the bottom layer (30) is formed of metal.

8. A decking board according to claim 7 in which the bottom layer (30) contains aluminium.

9. A decking board according to any preceding claim in which the bottom layer (30) is between 0.01 mm and 1.0 mm thick.

10. A decking board according to any preceding claim in which the bottom layer (30) is between 0.05 mm and 0.5 mm thick.

11. A decking board according to any preceding claim in which the decking board has four edges (21-24), a top face (31) provided by the top layer (29), and a bottom face (32) provided by the bottom layer (30).

12. A decking board according to claim 11 in which the edges (21-24) have top tongues (25, 26) which form an unbroken continuation of the top face (31) and bottom tongues (27, 28) which form an unbroken continuation of the bottom face (32).

13. A decking board according to claim 11 or 12 in which the top tongues (25, 26) are provided on two of the edges (21, 22) and the bottom tongues (27, 28) are provided on the other two edges (23, 24).

14. A decking board according to claim 13 in which the top tongues (25, 26) are provided on two mutually adjacent edges (21 22) and the bottom tongues (27, 28) are provided on two mutually adjacent edges (23, 24).

15. A decking board according to claim 13 or 14 in which the top and bottom tongues (25, 26; 27, 28) extend continuously along substantially the full length of the respective edges (21, 22; 23, 24).

16. A floor structure:

- a decking board according to any preceding claim.

17. A floor structure according to claim 16 in which the panel (1) incorporates pipe supports (16) configured to resiliently support the pipe within the network of channels.

18. A floor structure according to claim 17 in which a flexible fluid circulation pipe (12) is resiliently supported within the network of channels in contact with the bottom layer (30) of the decking board.