WO2015114569A1

WO2015114569A1 - Wooden floor and floor structure

Info

Publication number: WO2015114569A1
Application number: PCT/IB2015/050692
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andrea Cattaneo
Original assignee: BELINK SA
Current assignee: BELINK SA
Priority date: 2014-01-31
Filing date: 2015-01-29
Publication date: 2015-08-06
Anticipated expiration: 2016-07-31

Abstract

A wooden panel (2) comprises a wooden slat (3) and a layer of magnetic rubber (5) connected together with interposition of an intermediate layer (4) formed from a particle wood. The intermediate layer (4) comprises a plurality of grooves (6) that extend substantially for almost its entire thickness from the layer of magnetic rubber (5) towards the wooden slat (3), said grooves (6) of said plurality of grooves (6) being grooves (6) that are open towards the layer of magnetic rubber (5).

Description

"Wooden floor and f1

DESCRIPTION

The present invention refers to a wooden panel for flooring in accordance with the preamble of claim 1, as well as to a floor structure comprising such a panel .

The present description is made, in a non- limiting manner, also with specific reference to a raised floor structure for offices, whereby the invention can also refer to a non-raised floor structure to be positioned on the floor base of a building and/or a floor structure able to be used in different contexts like, for example, in a home, in a storage facility, in a production unit or outdoors.

In building, particularly office building, the constructive solution that foresees the use of raised floors, otherwise known as "floating floors", is very common .

The substantial adoption of raised floors is due to the simplicity with which it is installed and, above all, the ease with which interventions can be performed, even after the installation of the raised floor, to lay and run cables, pipes and whatever else is needed under the walking surface, without requiring the intervention of masonry work and the like. Basically, raised floor are essentially made up of panels of standard size, generally boards of 60x60 cm, and a metallic raising frame made up of bars and supports on which the panels are sustained resting on them.

The aforementioned panels, in turn, generally consist of three main elements:

- an upper coating or walking surface for example made from wood, porcelain stoneware, laminate, pvc, rubber, linoleum, granite and others;

an intermediate inner core that generally consists of high density particle wood or calcium sulphate and, preferably,

- a lower balancing layer, for example a sheet of aluminium, which also performs the role of a barrier against humidity.

Regardless of the type of floor, raised or not raised, currently there is a need to have a floor system that ensures :

- access to the underlying floor base in the case of conventional flooring or

- access to the underlying raising structure and to the space defined between it in the case of a raised floor,

in order to allow repair/maintenance interventions on the floor base or to allow cables, pipes and the like to be laid under the aforementioned walking surface.

Moreover, it is necessary for the laying of the panels that define the walking surface to be quick and simple.

Alongside these- requirements it is worth remembering that, generally, as a consequence of cost reduction, only the upper layer of the panel is made with valuable material, for example a wooden slat, whereas the intermediate portion is made with a low- cost material, like for example a particle wood.

In the case of wooden floor panels, i.e. having the upper layer wooden, for example defined by a wooden slat, the problem of fixing the panel to the underlying floor base poses greater problems than panels the upper layer of which consists of materials such as PVC, rubber, stoneware, marble and others. This depends on the fact that the wooden layer, by its very nature, is subject to big dimensional dilations as a result of varying temperature and/or humidity conditions. Such dimensional variations lead the panel itself to deform, for example warp, so that, if its fixing to the underlying floor base is not firm and uniformly distributed, undesired lifting of the floor occurs which requires it to be completely redone. It is only necessary to highlight that this problem does not occur if the coating material of the panel is not wood but a more stable material, like for example PVC, rubber, stoneware, marble and others.

Furthermore, it should be highlighted how the aforementioned problem becomes increasingly severe the greater the thickness of the upper wooden coating.

This is the reason why panels with wooden upper layer are generally glued onto the underlying sustaining structure or fixed to it through nailing or functionally similar techniques.

It is an objective fact that gluing or nailing to the underlying floor base of the panels, although functional, does not allow quick and easy removal/repositioning of the single panels from/on the floor base, so that the aforementioned requirements are not met .

According to a different flooring method, panels with wooden upper layer are laid dry on the floor base, possibly with interposition of a sheet of insulating material, exploiting a suitable matching mortise and tenon configuration of the opposite sides of the panels, so that the projection present on a first side of a panel inserts into the recess present on the opposite side of a similar adjacent panel. Also in this case the removal and repositioning of one or more panels of the floor is anything but easy, unless they are panels positioned at the perimeter edge of the floor.

The problem forming the basis of the present invention is to devise a wooden panel for a floor, as well as a floor structure comprising such wooden panels, with structural and functional characteristics such as to satisfy the aforementioned requirements, at the same time avoiding the aforementioned drawbacks with reference to the prior art.

Such a problem is solved by a wooden panel for a floor structure in accordance with claim 1.

According to a further aspect, the aforementioned problem is also solved by a floor structure in accordance with claim 14.

Further characteristics and advantages of the wooden panel according to the present invention for a floor structure, as well as of the floor structure comprising such a panel according to the present invention, will become clearer from the following description of some preferred example embodiments, given for indicating and not limiting purposes, with reference to the attached figures, in which:

- figure 1 represents a plan view of a floor structure according to the invention comprising a plurality of wooden panels;

figure 2 represents a schematic perspective view of a portion of a wooden panel of the floor structure of figure 1 and

- figure 3 represents a plan side view of the portion of wooden panel 2 of figure 2.

With reference to the attached figures, reference numeral 1 generically indicates a floor structure according to the invention.

The floor structure 1 comprises a plurality of wooden panels 2, otherwise identifiable as modules, tiles , etc ..

As highlighted above, in the floor structure 1 the panels 2 are intended to be positioned beside one another, preferably side-by-side, so that the upper side of such wooden panels 2 defines the continuous walking surface of the floor structure 1.

Each wooden panel 2 comprises:

- an upper layer 3 the outer upper side of which defines the walking surface of the floor structure 1;

- a lower layer 5 intended to constitute the sustaining portion of the panel 2 on the underlying sustaining structure (not illustrated) of the floor structure 1 and - an intermediate layer 4 comprised between the upper layer 3 and the lower layer 5.

The upper layer 3 of the panel is a wooden layer that preferably is formed by a wooden slat having a thickness greater than or equal to 2.5 mm and less than 30 mm, preferably the aforementioned wooden upper layer 3 defines a wooden slat having a thickness comprised between 3.5 mm and 5.5 mm, typically a wooden slat having a thickness of about 4 mm.

The intermediate layer 4 preferably consists of a particle wood and/or a multi-layer wooden panel.

The upper layer 3 and the lower layer 5 are applied to the intermediate layer 4 so as to be fixedly connected to it, preferably through direct gluing between the various layers .

For example, the upper layer 3 and the lower layer 5 of the panel 2 are glued to the intermediate layer 4 through a natural glue free from formaldehyde, preferably a soy-based natural glue.

Preferably, the wooden intermediate layer 4 is also formed by a layer of plywood glued, for example through a soy-based natural glue.

Advantageously, the lower layer 5:

- comprises at least one magnetic portion intended to adhere magnetically to an underlying ferromagnetic or magnetic sustaining structure of the floor structure 1 and, at the same time,

- the intermediate layer 4 comprises a plurality of grooves, or notches, 6 said grooves 6 substantially extending for almost the entire thickness of the intermediate layer 4 from the lower layer 5 and towards the upper layer 3.

The aforementioned grooves 6 stop in the thickness of the intermediate layer 4 before reaching the end, i.e. the side, of the intermediate layer 4 facing the upper layer 3 of the panel 2.

The grooves 6 of said plurality of grooves are grooves 6 that are open towards the lower layer 5.

In the present description, the term ferromagnetic is used to distinguish a material, like for example a soft steel, having characteristics such as to be able to be attracted by a permanent magnet, typically a conventional magnet, or by an electromagnet.

In accordance with the illustrated embodiment, the lower layer 5 consists of a layer of magnetic material extending over the entire surface of said panel 2.

Preferably, the aforementioned lower layer 5 consists of a layer of magnetic rubber, for example of the type produced through extrusion or calendaring of a mixture having a rubbery component and a ferritic component .

Preferably, the aforementioned grooves 6 of the intermediate layer 4 are grooves 6 that are parallel to each other, for example spaced apart by 6-12 cm.

Each groove 6 extends from a first side to an opposite side of the panel 2 for the entire distance between opposite sides of the panel 2.

Preferably, the wooden panel 2 has a quadrilateral shape in plan and the grooves 6 extend for the entire distance between opposite sides of the panel 2.

In the case of a rectangular wooden panel extending along a main axial direction, the aforementioned grooves 6 can be advantageously oriented so as to extend between the two opposite longer sides of the panel and therefore be orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the panel itself.

In accordance with the embodiment illustrated in figures 1 and 2, the lower layer 5 is a continuous layer that extends without interruptions below the intermediate layer 4, also at the grooves 6 of the intermediate layer 4, as illustrated in figures 1 and 2.

In order to allow effective adjacent arrangement of the wooden panels 2, as well as to make it possible to remove/reposition a wooden panel 2 from the floor structure 1 without having to interfere with the nearby wooden panels 2, the sides of each panel 2 do not have projections, undercuts or other opposite male-female elements capable of engaging the side of one panel with the side of the adjacent panel by shape coupling of the mortise and tenon type and the like.

Moreover, in order to facilitate the extraction or reinsertion of a wooden panel 2 from the floor structure 1, the sides of each panel 2 are tapered by a predetermined draft angle, preferably comprised between 3° and 7°, indicatively 5°, so that the section in plan of each panel reduces going from the upper layer 3 towards the lower layer 5.

Preferably, the sides of the panel 2 are closed by a glued side closing edge, which allows the integrity of the panel 2 to be preserved, avoiding possible infiltrations of water/humidity being able to compromise its structure, as well as preserving the integrity of the panel, in particular of its edges, when a panel 2 has to be positioned or a panel 2 that is already positioned has to be removed/lifted. Therefore, the aforementioned side edge covers the entire perimeter band of the panel 2, for its entire thickness or, alternatively, for a height smaller than its thickness.

The wooden upper layer of the panels 2 can advantageously be made with a valuable wood, since the upper side of such a layer will be the only visible side of the floor structure 1.

Differently, in the floor structure 1 the intermediate layer 4 is not visible, so that such an intermediate layer can be advantageously made with a more cost-effective material than the upper layer 3 provided that it is suitable for ensuring:

- a correct support for the upper layer 3;

a sufficient dimensional stability as the temperature and humidity conditions of the environment change, as well as

- a sufficient resistance to compression and to loads in order not to cause structural yielding in the floor structure 1 for the foreseen conditions of use.

Purely as an indication, the aforementioned intermediate layer 4 can comprise a particle wood, a multi-layer wooden panel and/or a steel box, the latter being mainly intended to be used for raised floor structures intended to support heavy loads. The floor structure 1 according to the invention comprises a sustaining structure (not illustrated) on which a plurality of wooden panels 2 is supported, resting on it and adjacent to one another, as illustrated and described earlier, to define a substantially coplanar walking surface.

In the floor structure 1 the aforementioned sustaining structure on which the panels 2 rest comprises a layer of ferromagnetic material, typically a sheet of steel, or magnetic material that interacts with the magnetic portion of the lower layer 5 of the wooden panels 2.

The magnetic attraction force between the lower layer 5 of the wooden panels 2 and the layer of ferromagnetic or magnetic material of the sustaining structure of the floor structure 1 ensures a firm positioning of the wooden panels 2 resting on the sustaining structure.

Preferably, the aforementioned sustaining structure of the floor structure 1 comprises a sheet of ferromagnetic steel or a layer of resin doped with ferromagnetic particles against which the magnetic lower side of the wooden panels 2 rests.

Preferably, the aforementioned sheet of ferromagnetic steel or said layer of resin doped with ferromagnetic particles extends for the entire extension of the lower layer 5 of the panel 2, so as to ensure an effective and uniform magnetic holding action over the entire lower surface of the panel 2.

In accordance with an embodiment that is not illustrated, in the case of a raised floor structure, the aforementioned sustaining structure of the floor structure comprises an upper frame suitable for defining a raised framework for the positioning of the wooden panels 2 side-by-side and end-to-end, said upper frame defining, in plan, a grid having a quadrilateral structure formed from bars and beams, above which the aforementioned sheet of ferromagnetic steel or the aforementioned layer of resin doped with ferromagnetic particles advantageously lies.

As can be appreciated from what has been described, the wooden panels according to the invention and the floor structure comprising such panels make it possible to satisfy the aforementioned requirements and at the same time to overcome the drawbacks referred to in the introductory part of the present description with reference to the prior art. Indeed, the magnetic attraction that is obtained between the bottom of the wooden panels and the underlying sustaining structure allows each panel 2 to be fixedly attached in the exact position in which it was arranged without it being able to move laterally with respect to the sustaining structure. Regarding this, it should be noted that the use of a magnetic rubber as material for making the magnetic layer of the wooden panels, as well as the magnetic function also makes it possible to increase the adherence between the bottom of the panels and the sustaining structure, as well as to identify an effective insulating barrier, suitable both as heat insulation and to counteract the possible rise in the wooden panel of humidity from the floor base.

By acting with suitable gripping tools, for example suction grippers, each wooden panel can be selectively extracted vertically from the floor structure provided that a sufficient force is used to overcome the magnetic attraction between the lower layer of the panel and the sustaining structure. Advantageously, the extraction of one or more panels, even from a central position of the floor structure according to the invention, can be achieved without the correct positioning of the surrounding panels with respect to the sustaining plane being compromised.

It is worth highlighting that the presence of the grooves, in particular of the grooves parallel to one another, in the intermediate layer allows the intermediate layer of each wooden panel to be sufficiently flexible and deformable in its structure to follow the deformations of the wooden upper layer without such deformations affecting the magnetic lower layer. This makes it possible to avoid even minimal detachment of the magnetic lower layer of the panel itself even when there is limited warping of the wooden upper layer, for example caused by the thermal dilations of the wooden upper layer.

Concerning this, it should be specified that the magnetic attraction force that is achieved between the bottom of the wooden panels and the underlying flat sustaining structure would not be able to counteract possible deformations and warping of the panel, even considering the fact that an excessive distance or the presence of a gap cause a substantial drop in magnetic attraction between panel and sustaining structure. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid even just a portion of each panel being able to lift up from the underlying sustaining structure. According to the invention, such a problem is totally solved thanks to the aforementioned grooves present in the intermediate layer, by virtue of which the upper portion of the intermediate layer itself is allowed to deform to follow the deformations of the wooden upper layer without such deformations propagating onto the lower part of the intermediate layer that is in contact with the magnetic lower layer.

Moreover, it is very important that the lower layer of the panel is a magnetic lower layer extending continuously over the entire surface of the panel and at the same time that the aforementioned sustaining structure comprises a sheet of continuous ferromagnetic steel or a continuous layer of resin doped with ferromagnetic particles extending beneath the panel over the entire extension of the panel itself. Indeed, this makes it possible to ensure a stable positioning of the wooden panel according to the invention on the underlying sustaining structure, without even only partial lifting or detachment of the panel occurring in environments where the temperature and the degree of humidity are not controlled and/or do not fall within the limits foreseen for correct installation of wooden floors. This is ensured also in the case in which the wooden upper layer has a substantial thickness according to the values indicated earlier.

From experimental tests carried out, it has indeed been demonstrated how the presence of the parallel grooves of the intermediate layer is more than decisive in preventing the dimensional deformations of the wooden upper layer of the panels as a result of variations in temperature and/or humidity from being able to cause undesired detachments of the panels from the underlying sustaining structure.

Furthermore, it is worth highlighting how the presence of the aforementioned parallel grooves in the intermediate layer allows the latter to be sufficiently flexible to be able to adapt to the underlying sustaining plane that, due to possible irregularities in the floor base, is never perfectly linear. The aforementioned flexibility of the intermediate layer therefore allows possible irregularities of the underlying sustaining plane to be compensated.

Of course, a man skilled in the art can bring numerous modifications and variants to the panel and to the floor structure described above, in order to satisfy contingent and specific requirements, all of which are in any case covered by the scope of protection of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Thus, for example, differently from what is described, it is possible for the lower layer of the wooden panel to be made with only ferromagnetic material, foreseeing instead to make, only in the sustaining structure, magnetic portions or, preferably, an entire magnetic layer on which to rest the ferromagnetic lower layer of the wooden panel. This is an embodiment that is constructively rather onerous but equally effective in terms of the correct support and fixing of the wooden panels to the underlying sustaining structure, in any case respecting the teaching forming the basis of the present invention of exploiting magnetic attraction to fixedly attach the single wooden panels to the sustaining structure of the floor structure and of foreseeing grooves in the intermediate layer.

Claims

1. Wooden panel (2) for a floor structure comprising an underlying sustaining structure on which a plurality of wooden panels (2) are positioned, arranged beside one another so as to define a walking surface, said wooden panel (2) comprising:

an upper layer (3) intended to define the walking surface of said floor structure;

a lower layer (5) intended to constitute sustaining portion del panel (2) on said underlying sustaining structure of said floor structure and

an intermediate layer (4) comprised between said upper layer (3) and said lower layer (5);

wherein :

- said upper layer (3) of the panel (2) defines a wooden layer and

- said upper layer (3) and said lower layer (5) are applied to said intermediate layer (4) so as to be fixedly connected to it,

characterised in that:

- said lower layer (5) comprises at least one magnetic portion intended to adhere magnetically to an underlying ferromagnetic or magnetic sustaining structure of the floor structure and

- said intermediate layer (4) comprises a plurality of grooves (6) that extend substantially for almost its entire thickness from said lower layer (5) towards said upper layer (3) and

- said grooves (6) of said plurality of grooves (6) are grooves (6) that are open towards said lower layer ( 5 ) .

2. Panel (2) according to claim 1, wherein said grooves (6) stop in the thickness of said intermediate layer (4) before reaching the end of said intermediate layer (4) facing said upper layer (3) of the panel (2) .

3. Panel (2) according to claims 1 or 2, wherein said grooves (6) of said intermediate layer (4) are grooves (6) that are parallel to one another, each of which extends from a first side towards an opposite side of said panel (2) .

4. Panel (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said grooves (6) extend for the entire distance between opposite sides of said panel (2).

5. Panel (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said magnetic portion of said lower layer (5) comprises a layer of magnetic material.

6. Panel (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said lower layer (5) is a magnetic layer extending over the entire surface of said panel (2) .

7. Panel (2) according to claim 6, wherein said lower layer (5) is a layer of magnetic rubber.

8. Panel (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said upper layer (3) and said lower layer (5) are glued to said intermediate layer (4) .

9. Panel (2) according to claim 8, wherein:

- said upper layer (3) and said lower layer (5) are glued to said intermediate layer (4) through a natural glue free from formaldehyde, preferably a soy- based natural glue and

- said wooden intermediate layer (4) is glued through a soy-based natural glue.

10. Panel (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the sides of said panel (2) are tapered with a predetermined draft angle, preferably comprised between 3° and 7°, so that the section in plan of said panel (2) reduces going from the upper layer (3) towards the lower layer (5) .

11. Panel (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, said wooden upper layer (3) defines a wooden slat having a thickness greater than or equal to 2.5 mm and less than 30 mm, preferably said wooden upper layer (3) defines a wooden slat having a thickness comprised between 3.5 mm and 5.5 mm more preferably a thickness of about 4 mm.

12. Panel (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein said intermediate layer (4) comprises a particle wood and/or a multi-layer wooden panel.

13. Panel (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the sides of said panel (2) are closed by a glued side closing edge.

14. Floor structure comprising a sustaining structure and a plurality of panels supported resting on said sustaining structure beside one another to define a substantially coplanar walking surface, characterised in that:

- said plurality of panels is made up of panels (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 13 and

- said sustaining structure comprises a layer of ferromagnetic or magnetic material interacting with the magnetic portion of said lower layer (5) of said panels ( 2 ) ,

the magnetic attraction force between said lower layer (5) of said panels (2) and said layer of ferromagnetic or magnetic material of said sustaining structure ensuring a firm positioning of said panels (2) resting on said sustaining structure.

15. Floor structure according to claim 14, wherein said sustaining structure comprises a sheet of ferromagnetic steel or a layer of resin doped with ferromagnetic particles.

16. Floor structure according to claim 15, wherein said sheet of ferromagnetic steel or said layer of resin doped with ferromagnetic particles extends for the entire extension of said lower layer (5) of the panel ( 2 ) .

17. Floor structure according to claim 14, 15 or 16, wherein said sustaining structure comprises an upper frame suitable for defining a raised framework for the positioning of said panels (2) side-by-side and end-to-end, said upper frame defining, in plan, a grid having a quadrilateral structure formed from bars and beams.