US3864881A

US3864881A - Blowout panel system for building walls

Info

Publication number: US3864881A
Application number: US378528A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clarence P Wolf
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1973-07-12
Filing date: 1973-07-12
Publication date: 1975-02-11
Anticipated expiration: 1992-02-11

Abstract

Disclosed is a blowout panel system for building walls including a blowout opening, a panel filling and closing the opening which is displaceable out of but not into the opening and an emergency closure sheet stored in the interior of the building wall and mounted to be slid across the opening to close it temporarily to prevent rainwater damage.

Description

United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,864,881

Wolf 1 Feb. 11, 1975 [54] BLOWOUT PANEL SYSTEM FOR 3,363,376 1/1968 Wendel 52/1 3,386,215 6/1968 Wendel 52/1 BUILDING WALLS 3,392,489 7/1968 Johnson 52/1 [76] Inventor: Clarence P. Wolf, 1302 W1l1owwo d 3,462,890 8/1969 Blumenkranz 1. 52 1 Ct., Irving, Tex. 75060 3,521,546 7/1970 Day 52/ l 221 Filed: July 12, 1973 Primary Examiner-Frank L. Abbott PP N 378,528 Assistant Examiner-r11. E., Raduazo 1 Attorney, Agenn or Fifr'neClegg, Cantrell & Crisman [52] US. Cl. 52/1, 49/142, 52/173 I g {51] Int. Cl E051 /20 [57] ABSTRACT [58] Field of Search 52/1 173; 49/142 Disclosed is a blowout panel system for building walls mcludmg a blowout opening, a panel filling and closing the opening which is displaceable out of but not [56] Reerences cued into the opening and an emergency closure sheet UNITED STATES PATENTS stored in the interior of the building wall and mounted 2,100,124 11/1937 Gilpin 49/485 to be slid across the opening to close it temporarily to 3,112,535 12/1963 y 52/l prevent rainwater damage. 3,250,041 5/1966 Anger 49/501 3,332,175 7/1967 Hawes 52/1 7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 46 44 I40 22c 150 39 41 46 27c 40 42 '3 2m 43 I6 280 34a 24a 23a %26 250 45 250 PATENTED F551 sum 10F .2

II/IIIIIII/IIII/IIIIIIII FIG. 2

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the art of building construction, and is particularly concerned with a' blowout panel system for use in a building wall, and with novel blowout panels. While the invention is useful in a wide variety of building constructions, it finds particular utility in lightly constructed frame buildings such as mobile homes.

Mobile homes are factory built structures, whose advantages include portability and economy of construction. To obtain these advantages, the typical construction mode includes a wooden stud frame with aluminum sheathing for the exterior siding, and plywood paneling for the interior wall surfacing. Some mobile homes have quarter inch plywood sheets under the aluminum sheathing. Because if their light construction, mobile homes and similar buildings are far more susceptible than conventional construction to damage from severe wind storms, including tornadoes, hurricanes and severe thunder storms. Resistance to the high winds of such storms is usually provided by a system of tie-downs which secure the building to its foundation. But such measures do not overcome the problem presented by the fact that violent storms, and particularly tornadoes, are characterized by a rapid and extreme drop in barometric pressure. The rapid drop in atmospheric pressure results in a momentary pressure differential between the interior and the exterior of the building, with the higher pressure being inside. The magnitude of the pressure differential is on the order of two to five pounds per square inch. Buildings of heavy conventional construction can often withstand such pressures, but in a lightly constructed building the typical result is that it literally explodes. Such explosions of mobile homes; besides destroying them and the property within them, create great dangers to the lives of persons who may be in them.

Heretofore, no special steps have been routinely taken in the mobile home field to cure the problem of liability to explosion upon severe drops in barometric pressure. In other construction fields, special techniques have been developed for constructing buildings in which manufacturing operations susceptible to explosion are conducted (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,112,535, 3,150,749 and 3,332,175); rupturable panels for explosion damage control, both external and internal, have been proposed (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,358,143 and 2,679,467); and pivoted vent and/r window structures for rapid pressure relief have been proposed (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,204,585, 3,453,777 and 3,521,546).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION There is provided in accordance with the present invention a blowout panel system for use in a building wall, and a blowout panel forming part of the system, which are reliable in operation and simple and economical in construction. Economy of construction is particularly important in the mobile home applications of the invention, since such buildings, in addition to being light weight, are also low cost structures.

The system of the invention includes a blowout opening formed in a building wall and having a frame which defines the opening. Generally such openings will be rectangular in configuration. A blowout panel is provided which includes an exterior sheet of the same general shape as the opening, but somewhat larger than it so that it will not pass through the opening; an interior core block shaped to fit into the opening and having a thickness about equal to the thickness of the wall; and an interior sheet which covers the opening but is not so large that it will not pass through the opening. The blowout panel is normally positioned in the opening and tits there snugly to form a weather tight part of the building wall. If desired it may be sealed into the opening with plastic sealing strips and/or with caulking material.

When a dangerous inside-to-outside pressure differential is created, as occurs when a tornado is in the vicinity, the excess pressure in the interior of the building forces the panel to be displaced outwardly from the opening, thus providing a flow path for air from the interior of the building to the outside, so that the pressure differential may quickly be dissipated before it causes structural damage to the building as a whole.

The kind of Windstorm against which the present invention provides protection is also often accompanied by severe rain. Therefore, in accordance with one form of the invention there is provided an emergency closure sheet which is normally positioned inside the building wall adjacent the blowout opening. When a blowout occurs and the blowout panel is displaced out of its opening, the emergency closure sheet becomes accessible and can be drawn. across the opening to provide a temporary substantially water tight closure. In this manner provision is made to protect the interior of the building from water damage caused by the storm.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a blowout panel and blowout panel system for use in a building wall to provide protection against structural damage during periods of severe low barometric pressure such as occur in the neighborhood of tornadoes and other violent storms.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a blowout panel and blowout panel system which is simple in construction, reliable in operation, and economical to build and install.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a blowout panel'system for use in a building wall which includes emergency closure means for protecting the building interior from water damage after the blowout panel has been displaced from the building wall.

The foregoing objects and purposes, together with other objects and purposes, may be best understood from a consideration of the detailed description which follows, together with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES FIG. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic cross-sectional plan view of a blowout panel system constructed in accordance with the invention, the section being taken on the line I l of FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 is an inside elevational view of the blowou panel system of FIG. I with parts broken away;

FIG. 3 is a somewhat diagrammatic isometric view of a mobile home having blowout panel systems constructed in accordance with the invention installed in the walls thereof;

FIG. 4 is a somewhat diagrammatic cross-sectional plan view of another embodiment of the invention, the section being taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 5 is an inside elevational view of the blowout panel system of FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Attention is first directed to FIG. 3, which illustrates a typical mobile home structure 10. Mobile home is provided with windows 11 and door 12. The walls 13 of building 10 are typically constructed of light vertical wooden studs with painted aluminum sheathing on the exterior thereof and plywood paneling on the interior. Fiberglass, rockwool or foamed plastic insulation is normally positioned in the spaces between the studs.

Mobile home 10 is equipped with a plurality of blowout panel systems designated generally as 14 at spaced locations in the walls 13. In a mobile home of typical size, at least six such panel systems are preferably employed. In larger buildings, more would be appropriate. The panel systems 14 shown in FIG. 3 are proportioned to fit between adjacent studs of wall 13; hence their configuration is that of upright rectangles. It should be understood, however, that interior layout or other considerations may make it convenient to arrange the panel systems as horizontally oriented rectangles or to make them in a shape other than rectangular. Similarly, the panel systems may extend vertically for only a portion of the height of the wall, as they are shown in FIG. 3, or they may extend for substantially the entire height of the wall.

The structure of the blowout panel system of the invention can best be understood by a consideration of FIGS. 1 and 2, from which it can be seen that the blowout panel system 14 includes a blowout panel designated l5 fitted into a blowout opening in walls 13. The vertical sides of the blowout opening are defined by

studs

16 and 17, and its horizontal ends are defined by

horizontal framing members

18 and 19.

FIG. 1 shows that the building wall 13 comprises, in addition to studs such as 16 and 17, exterior siding 20, which is commonly aluminum sheet, and internal paneling 21, which is commonly plywood with a decorative finish. Insulating material is normally positioned in the space between the exterior siding and the interior paneling, although it is omitted from the figures for clarity of illustration.

The blowout panel is preferably made up of an exterior sheet 22, which is preferably formed of the same material, with the same finish, as the exterior siding 20 of wall 13. In this manner the blowout panel can be made to be very inconspicuous so that it does not detract from the aesthetic appearance of the building. Exterior sheet 22 generally conforms in shape to that of the blowout opening (in FIGS. 1 and 2 both are rectangular), but is larger than the opening in every dimension. Thus, sheet 22, and the panel 15 of which it is a part, are not capable of displacement inwardly through the blowout opening.

The next part of the blowout panel is core block 23. Core block 23 may be constructed in various manners, but in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention it is formed of foamed polystyrene. This material is preferred because it produces a lightweight panel having good insulative properties and can be readily formed as a unitary structure. Core block 23 is shaped and dimensioned to fit into the blowout opening in wall 13 and to fill that opening. From FIG. 1 it can be seen that block 23 has a thickness substantially equal to that of the wall 13. The core block 23 is attached to the exterior sheet 22 of the blowout panel by any convenient means, such as gluing. It is positioned on the sheet so that a peripheral margin of the sheet surrounds the core. Stated differently, the exterior sheet 22 and core 23 taken together form a structure having a peripheral flange larger than the blowout opening on the exterior side of the panel.

Blowout panel 15 also includes an interior sheet 24, which is shaped and dimensioned to cover the blowout opening but to be passable therethrough. Interior sheet 24 is attached to the inner face of core block 23, as by gluing, and may conveniently be formed of the same material as the interior paneling 21 of wall 13. In this manner the blowout panel system is made to be inconspicuous from the inside of the building.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that the blowout panel of the invention fits snugly into the blowout opening, and when in position, functions as part of the building wall. It is not capable of being displaced inwardly through the wall, because of the beforementioned peripheral external flange, but is capable of being pushed out of the opening toward the outside of the wall, upon application of sufficient force from the inside. It is this capability which provides protection to the building against dangerously high interior-toexterior pressure differentials.

For the purpose of improving the general weather tightness of this system, and for the additional purpose of adjusting with some precision the total force, or pressure differential, at which the blowout panel will separate from the building wall, sealing means are preferably employed. One form of the sealing means is the plastic (or metal) sealing strip 25, which as shows best in FIG. 1, is T-shaped in cross-section and is fitted between the edges of the opening and the panel around its periphery on the interior side of the panel. Another form of sealing means and break-away point adjusting means is the bead of caulking or sealing compound indicated at 26. The caulking or sealing compound employed should be one of the kind which remains relatively soft for extended periods of time so that it will break in shear upon application of the required force to the interior of the panel. If desired, both plastic sealing strips such as 25 and sealing compound such as 26 may be employed in a given panel system, as is shown in FIG. 1, or one or both of these sealing means may be omitted.

It is also possible, in accordance with the invention, to omit reliance upon friction forces (the snugness of fit of the panel, and the frictional fit of strips 25) and adhesive forces (the internal strength of sealing bead 26) for setting. the break-away point of the blowout panel, and to rely on mechanical means for this function. For example in FIG. 1 there is shown at 27 a pair of telescoping spring-loaded plastic shear pins positioned in facing holes in core 23 and

studs

16 and 17. Upon the application of sufficient force shear pins 27 will break and the panel will blowout from the building wall. Other equivalent devices may be used, such as spring loaded balls working in pockets or detents, or pairs of magnets.

Stud 16 is provided with a passageway 28 which extends therethrough. It is of a length substantially equal to the length of the blowout opening. Tracks 29 and 30 (see FIG. 2) are mounted in the building wall, preferably on

frame members

18 and 19, and on

horizontal members

31 and 32 so that they extend through the passageway 28 at each end thereof and extend along opposite sides of the blowout opening and interiorly of the building wall adjacent the opening for a distance which is substantially twice the width of the opening. If

desired the frame members 18, I9, 31 and 32 may be slotted to accomodate the track means. Structurally the track means may be channel shaped devices similar to those employed in patio door constructions or shower door constructions, and they may be formed of metal such as aluminum. If desired, they may be equipped with anti-friction rollers. Lower track 30 is preferably apertured on its side facing the exterior of the building in the portion thereof extending across the bottom of the blowout opening so that water accumulating in the track may drain out.

Emergency closure sheet 33 is slidably mounted on and supported by the track means and is moveable along the track means, from a position which is in the interior of wall 13, but adjacent the blowout opening, to a position across the blowout opening. As FIG. 1 is drawn, closure panel 33 is shown in its standby or storage position in the interior of the wall, and as FIG. 2 is drawn, the panel 33 is also shown in dotted lines drawn part way across the blowout opening.

At a convenient point on stud 16 a cut-out 34 is made, and at the same relative position a handhold 35 is cut into the edge of closure sheet 33. In this manner provision is made for a user of the panel system to grasp the sheet and pull it across the opening after the panel has been blown out of the opening. Stud 17 is provided with a groove 36 into which the edge of closure sheet 33 fits when it is drawn across the blowout opening. A cut-out 37 is formed in stud 17 to provide access to the handhold 35 so that the closure sheet can be withdrawn from its closed position when it is desired to do so.

When closure sheet 33, which may conveniently be formed of relatively heavy guage aluminum, is drawn across the blowout opening, it seals it from the weather relatively well and permits little or no rain water to enter the building through the opening. Closure sheet 33, of course, is not a suitable permanent closure for the blowout opening because of its lack of total weather tightness and good insulative properties, but it is adequate to serve its emergency function well.

The blowout panel system illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is vertically oriented, and the emergency closure sheet 33 is stored in the interior of the wall beside the opening. When a horizontally oriented blowout panel system is employed, there may be sufficient headroom above the opening for storage of the closure sheet above the opening in the interior of the wall. Under this arrangement, gravity may be relied upon to automatically close the opening with the sheet, but those skilled in the art will appreciate that sufficient friction should be provided by the track means, or by sash weights or the like to insure that the closure sheet does not move across the blowout opening until sufficient time has elapsed to permit the blowout panel system of the invention to function to equalize the internal and external atmospheric pressures.

When the blowout panel 15 is displaced outwardly from the blowout opening in the course of a violent storm, it may be carried a considerable distance by the wind, inasmuch as it is a light structure. If desired, a tether may be provided in the form of a coiled cable attached to the building foundation and to a convenient point on the exterior of panel 15 to keep the displaced panel in the general vicinity of the building after it has blown out.

The alternate embodiment of the blowout panel system of theinvention illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 contains many elements which are substantially identical in structure and/or function to those discussed above in connection with the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2. For that reason, the same or similar elements in FIGS. 4 and 5 have been given the same reference characters with the subscript a added. This discussion will concentrate on those aspects of the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5 which differ from the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2.

The blowout panel system 14a of FIGS. 4 and 5 is especially suited for construction as a module which can readily be installed in mobile homes under construction, or, in the field, in mobile homes which were originally built without blowout panel systems in them. From FIG. 5 it can be seen that the blowout panel system 14a extends substantially from floor to ceiling, and in this respect differs from that shown in FIG. 2. FIGS. 4 and 5 both show that the modular width of the blowout panel system 14a is substantially equal to the spacing between three studs, the left hand most stud being designated 38, and the right hand most stud being designated 17a. The intermediate stud is conveniently" formed by a pair of vertical pieces both of which are designated 16a in FIGS. 4 and 5. As a practical matter these may be pieces of 2 by 4 lumber positioned in the wall of module at right angles to the normal stud positioning. There is thereby formed between them a slot 28a, without the necessity of a sawing operation. (In this connection it should be noted that the thickness of the wall in FIG. 4 is somewhat exaggerated for clarity of illustration).

From FIG. 4 it can be seen that wall 13a of the mobile home is one of the kind in which a plywood sheet 39 is employed beneath the outer aluminum sheathing 20a. Furthermore, the internal paneling of wall 13a is in two layers including the decorative layer 21a and a backing layer 40. In the interior of the wall to the left of the blowout opening, a channel is formed for the emergency closure 33a by

sheets

41 and 42, which may conveniently be formed of pressed wood, such as that sold under the trade name Masonite. The provision of

sheets

41 and 42 makes it convenient to include fiberglass insulation 43 in the interior of the wall, since the sheets prevent such insulation from interfering with movement of the closure sheet 33a.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the outer sheathing 22a of the blowout panel 15a is backed with a layer of plywood 44. Blowout panel l5a also differs from that in the embodiments of- FIGS. 1 and 2 in that the foamed core 23a is encased in a light plywood frame 45. Such a frame provides protection to the core against abrasion and the like.

The embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5 also includes a vapor seal bead 46 between the flange of the panel and the adjacent exterior wall surface. Such a seal does not materially affect tha above discussed break-away properties of the panel. It should also be noted that the sealing strips 250 are indicated in FIG. 4 as being attachable to the blowout panel by light screws. In this connection it may be observed that theexterior flange of the panel may also be attached to the wall with light weight screws. Neither of these screw attachments materially affect the break-away properties of the blowout panel.

From the foregoing it can be seen that there is provided, in accordance with the present invention, a blowout panel and blowout panel system which is simple in construction, reliable in operation and which, in its preferred form, provides emergency protection against rainwater damage to the interior of the building as well as protecting the building against explosive pressure differentials between the inside and the outside.

What is claimed is:

l. A blowout panel system for use in a building wall comprising:

frame members defining a blowout opening in said wall;

a blowout panel shaped and dimensioned to fill said opening, said panel having means establishing a peripheral flange larger than said opening on the exterior side of the panel, whereby to prevent displacement of the panel inwardly through said opening but permit displacement thereof outwardly from said opening;

a passageway extending from said opening through one of said frame members, said passageway being of a length substantially equal to the distance said opening extends along said frame member;

track means extending through said passageway at each end thereof, said track means extending along opposite sides of said opening and interiorly of said building wall adjacent said opening for a distance substantially twice the dimension of said opening in g the direction of extension of said track means;

and an emergency closure sheet slidably mounted on and supported by said track means, said sheet being moveable along said track means from a position in the interior of said building wall adjacent said opening when said blowout panel is positioned in said opening to a position across said opening, thereby closing it, when said panel is displaced from said opening. 2. A blowout panel system in accordance with claim 1 and further comprising a slot in the frame member located opposite the frame member having said passageway therein, said slot being positioned and proportioned to receive an edge of said emergency closure sheet when it is positioned across said opening.

3. A blowout panel system in accordance with claim 1 in which said emergency closure sheet is positionable in the interior of said wall above said opening and is downwardly moveable across said opening, whereby to effect gravity induced closing of the opening by the sheet upon displacement of the panel from the opening. 4. A blowout panel system in accordance with claim 1 and further comprising sealing means between said frame members and said panel.

5. A blowout panel system in accordance with claim 4 in which said sealing means include a caulking rupturable in shear upon application of an outward force on said panel equivalent to a preselected pressure dif' ferential between the interior and exterior of the building of which said wall is a part.

6. A blowout panel system in accordance with claim 1 and further including means connecting said panel to said wall rupturable upon application of an outward force on said panel equivalent to a preselected pressure differential between the interior and exterior of the building of which said wall is a part.

7. A blowout panel system in accordance with claim 1 and further including means connecting said panel to said wall releasable upon application of an outward force on said panel equivalent to a preselected pressure differential between the interior and exterior of the building of which said wall is a part.

Claims

1. A blowout panel system for use in a building wall comprising: frame members defining a blowout opening in said wall; a blowout panel shaped and dimensioned to fill said opening, said panel having means establishing a peripheral flange larger than said opening on the exterior side of the panel, whereby to prevent displacement of the panel inwardly through said opening but permit displacement thereof outwardly from said opening; a passageway extending from said opening through one of said frame members, said passageway being of a length substantially equal to the distance said opening extends along said frame member; track means extending through said passageway at each end thereof, said track means extending along opposite sides of said opening and interiorly of said building wall adjacent said opening for a distance substantially twice the dimension of said opening in the direction of extension of said track means; and an emergency closure sheet slidably mounted on and supported by said track means, said sheet being moveable along said track means from a position in the interior of said building wall adjacent said opening when said blowout panel is positioned in said opening to a position across said opening, thereby closing it, when said panel is displaced from said opening.

2. A blowout panel system in accordance with claim 1 and further comprising a slot in the frame member located opposite the frame member having said passageway therein, said slot being positioned and proportioned to receive an edge of said emergency closure sheet when it is positioned across said opening.

3. A blowout panel system in accordance with claim 1 in which said emergency closure sheet is positionable in the interior of saiD wall above said opening and is downwardly moveable across said opening, whereby to effect gravity induced closing of the opening by the sheet upon displacement of the panel from the opening.

4. A blowout panel system in accordance with claim 1 and further comprising sealing means between said frame members and said panel.

5. A blowout panel system in accordance with claim 4 in which said sealing means include a caulking rupturable in shear upon application of an outward force on said panel equivalent to a preselected pressure differential between the interior and exterior of the building of which said wall is a part.