Patent Application
20080000176
Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
As can be seen in
Reference is made to
As shown, the panels 10, 11 are mounted onto a support structure 12, as will be discussed further below. In wall applications, continuous steel supports typically run horizontally on the wall, often spaced vertically at 5 feet to 15 feet. In roofing applications, the support structure 12 may be comprised of regularly spaced beams extending perpendicular to the width of the panels 10, 11.
Example embodiments of the insulated metal panels in accordance with the invention have a thickness (measured from interior skin to exterior skin) ranging from 2 inches to 6 inches, length L (measured along side edges) of 1 to 60 feet (or as limited by handling limitations) and widths measured from first side edge to second side edge of 24 inches, 30 inches, 36 inches, and 42 inches. It should be understood that other dimensions may be provided as part of this invention and these preceding dimensions are listed as examples only.
As shown in
Adjacent to the interior skin 16 is a flange 26 extending sidewardly from the first side edge portion. The protrusion 20 is positioned inwardly of the flange 26 to ensure proper sealing of the joint is achieved and to allow the flange to be secured to the support structure. In the embodiments shown, the flange 26 is adapted to mate with a corresponding mating groove 27 in the second side edge portion 102 of an adjacent panel. Groove 27 is defined in part by exteriorly positioned groove wall 27a of an exterior portion 29 of the second edge portion. The flange further includes a sidewardly extending tongue 32 which is adapted to mate with a corresponding groove 34 in the second edge portion 102 of second panel 11. Preferably the tongue 32 is positioned offset from the interior skin 16 such that the tongue may be enveloped on its interior and exterior side by the corresponding groove 34 of the second side portion 102. The second side edge portion 102 of second panel 11 may engage the first side edge portion 100 of first panel 10 by sliding the second panel 11 along the plane defined by support structure 12 such that the tongue 32 engages the groove 34 in a slide fit. The tongue 32 and groove 34 combination in part prevents the first panel 10 from disengaging the second panel 11 in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the support structure 12. In an example embodiment, a sealant 42 is applied between the tongue 32 and groove 34 to achieve additional water tightness. A sealant accepting region 43 may be defined between the tongue 32 and groove 34. The sealant 42 may be applied at the manufacturer site or on the building site. The tongue and groove are defined by the outer metal skin S which forms the exterior skin 14 and interior skin 16. In the embodiment shown, skin S defining groove 34 terminates with a skin lip 77s.
In the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
As shown in
The exterior skin 14 and interior skin 16 may be flat or near flat. In embodiments shown in some of the figures, the exterior skin 14 and interior skin 16 may be fluted or corrugated. Such fluting or corrugation may take to form of small grooves detailed in the panels skin 10, 11 extending parallel to side edges 100, 102. Such corrugated skin provides additional structural support to each panel. The corrugations may be further spaced apart such as is shown in
The skin 14, 16 may be formed of steel or galvanized steel with protective coatings such as zinc or aluminum and zinc. Paint may also be added for protection and appearance. The skin may also be formed of other suitable materials, such as for example stainless steel or aluminum or high density plastics.
The insulating foam core 18 may be any suitable rigid type insulation such as polyisocyanurate foam, polyurathane foam or such specific examples such as Owens Corning AF530/703, AF545/704, 705, Fibrex 1240, 1260, and/or Roxul RXL60, RXL80. The insulation should be of sufficient thickness to transfer gravity loads through the roof panel system to the support structure. In a particular embodiment, the panel has an R value of approximately 7.6 per inch.
A screw 28 secures the flange 26 of the first side edge portion to the support structure 12, at the fastening region 26F of the flange 26. A washer 28w is disposed between the head of the screw 28 and the flange 26. Although the screw 28 is shown in the present embodiment, it is envisaged that other fasteners or fastening means may be used for mounting the first panel 10 onto the support structure 12, for example a rivet, bolt, nail or the like.
After engagement of the second panel 11 with the first panel 10 in the slide fit as discussed above, the second panel 11 is then secured to the support structure at the first side edge portion thereof, by means flange 26 positioned at the first side edge portion of panel 11 in the manner discussed above.
In the embodiments discussed above tongues, such as tongue 32 extends from the first side edge portion with mating groove 34 positioned in the second side edge portion. It should be understood that the tongue 32 may be positioned on the second side edge portion with a mating groove on the first side edge portion
Although the invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art. All such changes and modifications are intended to be encompassed in the appended claims.
