WO2008109969A1

WO2008109969A1 - Method for production of a wall part made of foam panels

Info

Publication number: WO2008109969A1
Application number: PCT/BE2008/000017
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter Penders; Herman Gomme
Original assignee: TACHE D'OR
Current assignee: TACHE D'OR
Priority date: 2007-03-15
Filing date: 2008-03-17
Publication date: 2008-09-18
Anticipated expiration: 2009-09-15
Also published as: EP2137363A1

Abstract

Method for production of a visible wall part (4) comprising panels (1) which are made at least partly from synthetic foam. The foam panels (1) have a front side, a peripheral edge, and along the peripheral edge on the front of the panels a chamfered edge zone (3) with a width (B) of at least 20 mm. The wall part (4) is formed by attaching the panels (1) made of synthetic foam in at least two rows adjoining each other such that where the panels (1) abut each other, the chamfered edge zones (3) of the panels (1) form a groove (7). To ensure a seamless transition between the foam panels (1), the groove (7) is filled with a jointing compound (9). Preferably this jointing compound (9) is skimmed off and after hardening sanded flat. To prevent cracking between the panels (1), first a reinforcement mesh (8) is arranged in the groove (7) such that this mesh (8) covers at least partly the two adjacent edge zones (3).

Description

METHOD FOR PRODUCTION OF A WALL PART MADE OF FOAM

PANELS

The present invention relates to a method for the production of a visible wall part comprising panels which are made at least partly from synthetic foam and which have a front intended to form a visible side of the wall part, a peripheral edge, and along the peripheral edge on the front of the panel a chamfered edge zone, in which method said visible wall part is formed by attaching the panels, which are made at least partly of synthetic foam, in at least two rows adjoining each other, so that where the panels join together the chamfered edge zones of the panels form a groove.

In the present text the term "wall part" refers not only to vertical or sloping walls or parts thereof but in particular also ceilings.

GB 1 116 760 discloses ceiling or wall tiles (panels) which are made of polystyrene foam and which have chamfered edges. After installation of these tiles the chamfered edges form V-shaped grooves. These are not normally filled and thus remain visible.

Panels are also known from practice for construction of suspended ceilings. These panels are laid on inverted T-shaped profiles such that the seams between the panels are covered by the profiles. The disadvantage of these systems is that it always remains apparent that the ceiling is made of tiles or panels.

To prevent this, in practice panels are also laid adjoining each other against an existing ceiling. The seams between these panels are then filled with glue. The entire assembly is then painted. A major disadvantage of such a system is that over the course of time, cracks form between the panels which again reveal that the wall part is made of panels. The object of the invention is a method for the production of a visible wall part comprising foam panels, wherein the transition between the panels can be made substantially invisible and wherein also the formation of cracks at the transition between the panels is hindered.

To this end the method according to the invention is characterised in that in the grooves between two adjacent panels is placed a reinforcement mesh which at least partly covers the two adjacent edge zones, and these grooves are filled with a jointing compound.

In particular on application of the jointing compound in the groove the jointing compound is skimmed off, allowed to set and then sanded flat in order to achieve a seamless transition between panels.

Such a method is already used in the construction of walls of gypsum plasterboard. The main advantage of the foam panels which are used in the method according to the present invention is that these are much lighter and can also ensure better acoustic and/or thermal insulation. Thanks to their low weight they can for example easily be attached to an existing wall, in particular an existing ceiling. Furthermore due to their low weight it is easier to use larger panels for faster working. Foam panels are furthermore less fragile than gypsum plasterboard. As a result they are easier to handle. This applies in particular in relation to curved panels (i.e. profile strips). Such profile strips are in practice also made of gypsum but are almost never used precisely because of delicate transport. Profile strips of synthetic foam however are often used not to produce wall parts but to produce decor strips on an existing wall. Such profile strips however do not have chamfered edges and have the significant disadvantage described above that cracks rapidly form between two adjacent profile strips. In the method according to the present invention, flat or curved foam panels are used which along their periphery have a chamfered edge zone such that grooves are formed between adjacent panels. To prevent cracking, in these grooves a reinforcement mesh is fitted after which they are filled with the jointing compound. Such a method is not obvious in view of the fact that a skilled person, to fill grooves between foam panels, always uses silicone paste or glue which is not suitable for filling larger grooves instead of small seams.

The invention also relates to panels which are intended to be used in the manner according to the invention and which are characterised in that they are made at least partly of synthetic foam and have a front side intended to form the visible side of the wall part, a peripheral edge and along the peripheral edge on the front of the panels a chamfered edge zone with a width which is greater than 20 mm and preferably greater than 30 mm.

Further advantages and features of the invention will appear from the description below of a preferred embodiment of the method and of the foam panel according to the invention. This description is given merely as an example and is not intended to restrict the protective scope as determined by the claims. The reference numerals given in the description relate to the attached drawings in which:

Figure 1 forms a top view of a synthetic foam panel according to the invention;

Figure 2 shows a cross-section along line H-Il in figure 1 ;

Figure 3 on a larger scale illustrates the join between two foam panels;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the synthetic foam panel according to the invention, more specifically a curved synthetic foam panel; Figure 5 shows in cross-section a wall part made with a combination of synthetic foam panels and gypsum plasterboard;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the synthetic foam panel according to the invention; and Figure 7 is a cross-section along line VII-VII in figure 6.

The invention relates to a method for the production of a visible wall part comprising panels 1 which are made at least partly of synthetic foam.

Figure 1 shows a first possible embodiment of a foam panel 1 which can be used in this method. The foam panel 1 can be made completely of synthetic foam. Preferably however a cladding 2 is provided. In the embodiment according to figure 1 this cladding forms the complete front and rear side of the panel 1. The cladding 2 preferably comprises cardboard, more specifically the same cardboard which is used in the existing gypsum plasterboards. The cladding 2 can also comprise paper, glass fibre paper, aluminium foil, glass fleece or glass matting. Preferably cladding of paper, cardboard and/or glass fibre paper is used. In this way when the foam panels are used in combination with gypsum plasterboards, after painting of the wall part, structural or gloss differences are minimised or even avoided completely.

The synthetic foam of the panels is preferably a rigid foam. This foam can for example be a thermosetting foam such as a polyurethane foam or it can also be a thermosynthetic foam such as a polystyrene foam. The synthetic foam preferably has an average density which is less than 330 kg/m³, more preferably less than 300 kg/m³ and preferably less than 270 kg/m³. The average density of the synthetic foam is however preferably higher than 10 kg/m³, more preferably higher than 40 kg/m³. One advantage of use of a cladding is that even at relatively low foam densities, a good quality surface is achieved. Furthermore the cladding layers contribute to the structural rigidity of the panel. For the rigidity of the foam panel, where applicable reinforcements can be embedded in the foam.

In order to have to use as little material as possible and be as light as possible, the foam panels 1 have an average thickness D which is preferably less than 18 mm, more preferably less than 15 mm and preferably less than 12.5 mm or even less than 9.5 or 6.5 mm. The average thickness of the foam panels 1 should throughout be greater than

3 mm. The average thickness of a foam panel 1 can easily be determined by dividing the volume thereof by the area of the front side of the panel.

The foam panels 1 have a front side which is intended to form the visible side of the wall part to be constructed. An essential feature of the foam panels is that they have a chamfered edge zone 3 along their peripheral edge. This chamfered edge zone 3 preferably has a width B which is greater than 20 mm, preferably greater than 30 mm. The width B can for example be around 50 mm.

With the foam panels 1, a wall part 4 can easily be produced wherein a seamless transition can be achieved between the panels and wherein cracking between the panels can be avoided. For this at least two rows of foam panels 1 are attached to a frame 5 and/or an existing wall 6 (i.e. a wall or ceiling) so that the foam panels 1 abut each other. To construct the wall part 4 the panels adjoin each other in two directions. The term "adjoin each other" does not necessarily average that the panels actually make contact with each other. Where applicable a gap may remain between the panels.

Where the foam panels 1 adjoin each other, the chamfered edge zones 3 of the foam panels 1 form a groove 7. In order to prevent cracking between the foam panels 1, in the grooves 7 is placed a reinforcement mesh 8 which at least partly covers the two adjacent edge zones 3. The grooves 7 are then filled with a jointing compound 9.

The connection between the two foam panels 1 is shown in detail in figure 3. In the embodiment in this figure, the foam panels 1 are screwed at their edge zones 3 with screws 10 against a hollow frame 5. Between the foam panels 1 a seamless transition is achieved. For this the jointing compound 9 is skimmed off after application. After hardening, the jointing compound 9 is then sanded flat.

As jointing compound 9 various materials can be used, preferably a finishing plaster. Such a finishing plaster is already used on gypsum plasterboard. The seams between the foam panels according to the invention can thus be finished in the same manner as with the existing gypsum plasterboards, with the important advantage however that the foam panels are easier to handle and install and that it is much easier to use curved foam panels (i.e. profiles).

Figure 4 shows an example of a curved foam panel 1a according to the invention. These foam panels 1a form a corner profile 1a. In figure 5 the corner profile 1a is used to achieve the transition from a higher to a lower ceiling level. The highest ceiling part 12 consists of gypsum plasterboard

11 which is attached to an existing ceiling 6 and which along its complete peripheral edge has a chamfered edge zone 3. Where applicable this ceiling part can also be produced with the flat foam panels 1 shown in figure 1 , wherein these foam panels offer the advantage that they can easily be attached to the existing ceiling 6.

The wall part 4 which forms the transition between the higher and lower ceiling parts is made with foam panels 1a of figure 4 and with similar foam panels 1b which are curved in the opposite direction. The lower ceiling part 13 is then again made of gypsum plasterboard 11 (or where applicable foam panels 1). As clearly shown in figure 5, the chamfered edges at the point of the various connections between the panels (both foam panels 1 and gypsum plasterboards 11) form grooves 7 which as described above are filled with the jointing compound 9 and thus form a seamless transition.

The curved foam panels 1a and 1b, like the flat foam panels in figure 1 , along their complete peripheral edge have a chamfered edge zone 3. As a result these can be used in a surface in which several panels 1 adjoin each other in both directions . In some cases however it is not required that the panels 1 are fitted with a chamfered edge zone 3 along their complete peripheral edge, for example if only two rows of panels must be mounted or at the outer rows. However the foam panel 1 can also have such a form that one side thereof need not be connected seamlessly against another panel. One example of this is the curved foam panel 1 shown in figures 6 and 7. This panel 1 has a chamfered edge zone 3 only on three of the four sides, so that the panels 1 in their own row adjoin each other seamlessly and also against a row lying below or next to this and made for example of flat foam panels 1 according to figure 1. The foam panels should therefore be fitted with a chamfered edge zone 3 only at those points on their peripheral edge which are intended to be adjoin other panels with chamfered edge zones 3.

The curved foam panel 1 according to figures 6 and 7 can for example be used against a ceiling to form an edge behind which curtains are to be hung from the ceiling. Where applicable they can also be used against a vertical wall. If the free end 14 of the foam panel 1 is made shorter, an opening is created between the wall and the foam panel 1. In this case a light source can be mounted behind the foam panel 1 to create indirect lighting.

Claims

1. Method for production of a visible wall part (4) comprising panels (1) which are at least partly made of synthetic foam and which have a front side intended to form the visible side of the wall part (4), a peripheral edge, and along the peripheral edge on the front of the panels a chamfered edge zone (3), in which method said visible wall part (4) is formed by attaching the panels (1), which are made at least partly of synthetic foam, in at least two rows adjoining each other such that where the panels (1 ) abut each other the chamfered edge zones (3) of the panels (1) form a groove (7), characterised in that in said groove (7) is fitted a reinforcement mesh (8) such that the two adjacent edge zones (3) are at least partly covered and the groove (7) is filled with a jointing compound (9).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that on application of the jointing compound (9) to the groove (7), this jointing compound (9) is skimmed away, the jointing compound (9) is allowed to harden and the jointing compound (9) is then sanded flat in order to form a seamless transition between the panels (1).

3. Method according to claims 1 or 2, characterised in that as a jointing compound (9) a finishing plaster is used.

4. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the chamfered edge zones (3) of the panels (1) have a width (B) which is greater than 20 mm and preferably greater than 30 mm.

5. Method according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that at least part of the front of said panels (1), in particular said edge zones (3) thereof and preferably almost the complete front side of the panels (1), is formed by a cladding (2).

6. Method according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that at least part of the back of said panels (1) and preferably almost the complete back of these panels (1) is formed by a cladding (2).

7. Method according to claim 5 or 6, characterised in that said cladding (2) comprises at least one of the materials selected from the group comprising paper, cardboard, glass fibre paper, aluminium foil, glass fleece and glass matting, where the cladding (2) preferably comprises paper, cardboard and/or glass fibre paper.

8. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that said panels (1) are made almost completely of synthetic foam.

9. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that said synthetic foam is a thermosetting polyurethane foam or a thermosynthetic foam, in particular a polystyrene foam.

10. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that said synthetic foam has a average density which is less than 330 kg/m³, preferably less than 300 kg/m³ and more preferably less than 270 kg/m³, wherein the average density of the synthetic foam is preferably greater than 10 kg/m³, more preferably higher than 40 kg/m³.

11. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the panels have a average thickness (D) which is between 3 and 18 mm, in particular a average thickness (D) which is less than 15,

12.5, 9.5 or 6.5 mm.

12. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 , characterised in that said panels (1) are glued with their back against an existing wall (6).

13. Method according to any of claims 1 to 12, characterised in that said panels (1) are screwed with their back on a frame (5) using screws (10), where preferably at least a number of said screws (10) are attached in said edge zone.

14. Method according to any of claims 1 to 13, characterised in that next to said wall part (4), a further wall part (12, 13) adjacent thereto is made using gypsum plasterboards (11) which along their periphery are also fitted with a chamfered edge zone (3), wherein the gypsum plasterboards (11) adjoin the panels (1) made at least partly of synthetic foam of said wall part (4) to form further grooves

(7) in which is also arranged a reinforcement mesh (8) which at least partly covers the two adjacent edge zones (3) of the gypsum plasterboard (11) and the panels (1) made of synthetic foam, and wherein these further grooves (7) are also filled with a jointing compound (9).

15. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterised in that said panels comprise flat panels (1).

16. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterised in that said panels comprise curved panels (1a, 1b).

17. Panels for use in a method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterised in that the panels (1) are made at least partly of synthetic foam and have a front side intended to form the visible side of the wall part (4), a peripheral edge, and along the peripheral edge on the front of the panels (1) a chamfered edge zone (3) with a width (B) which is greater than 20 mm and preferably greater than 30 mm.