The present application claims priority from Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2011900189 filed on 21 Jan. 2011, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a panel member for use in the construction of buildings, walls and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a multi-purpose panel member formed in a manner and having sufficient strength and impact resistant properties for use across a variety of applications.
There exist a variety of pre-fabricated panels for use in building structures and the like. Most such pre-fabricated panels are made from concrete, cement sheeting, wood or the like, that are positioned during the construction of a structure and secured in place.
Many structures have walls, both interior and exterior, that have the potential to experience various degrees of impact, depending on the specific application for which the structure is used. Such impact may result from people, animals, vehicles, machinery and the like contacting the surfaces of the wall with varying degrees of force. Depending on the structure of the wall, sufficient impact forces can cause damage to the wall which can have a particular displeasing aesthetic effect on the building structure. Further, due to the rigid nature of most prefabricated walls used in building construction, any sufficient contact with the wall can cause damage or harm to the person, animal, vehicle or the like that may cause such impact.
In the field of animal management, in particular the handling of horses and the like, it is of considerable importance to accommodate a horse in a safe, controlled environment. This is particularly the case in the field of horse racing where horses are valuable commodities and are prepared and trained to high levels with significant care and expertise, and at significant cost. In such instances, horses are typically accommodated in stables whilst undergoing training to reduce injury and to control their feed intake and behaviour. Hence it is important that when a race horse is stabled, the likelihood of injury to the horse is reduced.
Typically, most stables constructed to accommodate race horses and the like employ timber or a combination of timber and steel sheeting, such as that sold under the trade mark Colorbond® by BluScope Steel Limited. As a result, the walls of such stables are relatively rigid and offer little in the way of impact absorption or impact resistance. As horses, in particular thoroughbred race horses, have a tendency to kick when in closed confines or when agitated, stable walls may be regularly damaged which can be costly in terms of replacing such walls and may result in the stable becoming aesthetically displeasing. Further, due to the rigid nature of the walls of most stables, should a horse kick with significant force, the horse may become injured due to the force of the impact, or due to the wall becoming damaged and cutting the animal. This could have serious detrimental impact on the career of a race horse.
As a result there is a need to provide a wall structure that can be employed in a variety of instances where impact load against the wall is likely. Such a wall structure provides significant resistance to damage occurring to the wall as well as provides a degree of impact absorption.
There is also a need to provide a panel member that has a structure and weight that is easy to install to form a wall in a quick and efficient manner.
The above references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not intended to be, and are not to be construed as, statements or admissions of common general knowledge in the art. In particular, the above prior art discussion does not relate to what is commonly or well known by the person skilled in the art, but assists in the understanding of the inventive step of the present invention of which the identification of pertinent prior art proposals is but one part.
The invention according to one or more aspects is as defined in the independent claims. Some optional and/or preferred features of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.
According to a first aspect, there is provided a panel member for a wall structure comprising:
In one embodiment, the male connector member and the female connector may extend substantially longitudinally along a length of the first end member and the second end member. The male connector member may be configured so as to be inserted into said female connector so as to engage therewith.
The male connector member may comprise at least one ridge member that projects laterally from at least one side thereof, the at least one ridge member may be configured to create an interference fit with an opening of the female connector to facilitate engagement therebetween. The engagement created between the opening of the female connector and the ridge member of the male connector member may substantially prevent withdrawal of the male connector member from the female connector upon the application of a lateral removal force applied transverse to the longitudinal length of the panel members.
The male connector member may comprise at least one wing member that projects laterally from at least one side thereof, the at least one ring member may be configured to create an interference fit with an opening of the female connector to facilitate engagement therebetween. The at least one wing member may be slidingly received within the opening of the female connector, such that the engagement between the at least one wing member and the opening of the female connector may substantially prevent withdrawal of the male connector member from the female connector upon the application of a lateral removal force applied transverse to the longitudinal length of the panel members.
In another embodiment, the first and second surfaces may be substantially planar and have a corrugation formed thereon defining a series of interconnected peaks and troughs.
The panel member may be made from an extrusion process. The panel member may be made from high density polyethylene (HPDE).
In a preferred embodiment, two channels are formed between the first surface and the second surface.
In one embodiment, the wall structure formed by two or more interconnecting panel members may form part of a building structure.
In another embodiment, the wall structure formed by two or more interconnecting panel members may be a retaining wall.
In yet another embodiment, the wall structure formed by two or more interconnecting panel members may be a water wall capable of receiving and retaining water in the at least two channels. The water wall may comprise a plurality of panel members fluidly interconnected to facilitate flow of water between the at least two channels of adjacent panel members. One or more of the panel members of the water wall may be configured to receive water from a water source. The water source may be a rainwater or wastewater collection reservoir.
Accordingly, in another aspect of the invention there is provided a panel member for a building structure comprising:
In a preferred embodiment, the panel is made from high density polyethylene (HPDE). The panel may alternatively made from any extrudable polymeric materials, including elastomeric materials.
According to one embodiment, the first and second substantially planar surfaces have a corrugation formed thereon defining a series of interconnected peaks and troughs across the surface thereof. The ribs may extend in a parallel manner across a width of the first and second planar surfaces and the corrugation may be formed on the surface of the first and second planar surfaces to extend perpendicular with respect to the ribs.
Each channel may have a substantially rectangular cross section formed between adjacent ribs and opposing inner surfaces of the first and second substantially planar surfaces. Each channel may extend between an upper end and a lower end of the panel member. The plurality of longitudinally extending channels may extend between opposing lateral edges of the panel member.
The opposing lateral edges of the panel member may be configured to facilitate engagement or connection with a corresponding lateral edge of an adjacent panel member. The opposing lateral edges of the panel member may be configured to facilitate interengagement between adjacent panel members to form a wall structure. The wall structure may form part of a building structure. Alternatively, the wall structure may be a retaining wall.
In one embodiment, the wall is a water wall capable of receiving and retaining water. The water wall may comprise a plurality of panel members fluidly interconnected to facilitate flow of water between panel members. One or more of the panel members of the water wall may be configured to receive water from a water source. The water source may be a rainwater or wastewater collection reservoir.
The invention may be better understood from the following non-limiting description of preferred embodiments, in which:
Preferred features of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it is to be understood that the features illustrated in and described with reference to the drawings are not to be construed as limiting on the scope of the invention.
The present invention will be described in relation to its application for use in horse stables to prevent injury to horses and damage to stable walls. However, it will be appreciated that the present invention has application to a variety of uses other than stables, such as horse floats and exterior walls for pens and corral, as well as other non-animal related applications as will be apparent by those skilled in the art.
Referring to
It will be appreciated that, when formed, the panel member 10 comprises a plurality of hollow channels 18 that extend in a parallel manner along the length of the panel 10 and resultant wall structure 5. Each rib 16 is separated a distance “X” from an adjacent rib 16 such that each channel 18 is substantially identical in form and structure when compared to an adjacent channel of the panel member 10. In a preferred form, the distance “X” is around 60 mm, however, other distances are also envisaged depending the specific application of use of the panel 10.
Each channel 18 is defined by an adjacent pair of ribs 16, each of which have a substantially straight or flat surface and a pair of opposed end walls 19, that each have a concave configuration with respect to the inner region of the channel 18. Due to the configuration of the end walls 19, the surfaces 12 and 14 of the panel member 10, and resultant wall structure 5, take on a substantially corrugated configuration defined by a series of peaks and troughs extending over the surfaces 12, 14 of the panel member 10, as is shown in
The width “Z” of the panel member 10 at the edges thereof is defined by the ribs 16. Due to the concave structure of the end walls 19 of each channel 18, the width of the panel member 10 changes across the breadth of the panel member 10 to a maximum width “Y” located at a central point of each channel 18, as is shown in
Each panel 10 is manufactured from an extrusion process to ensure that each panel 10 has a continuous, repeatable shape. In this regard, each panel 10 is made from high density polyethylene (HDPE) which is a material having good tensile strength and impact resistance and is low in cost. Such a material also enables extrusion, to ensure that the panels are able to adopt a continuous 2D profile. The material may be treated with fire retardant material to improve the fire rating of the wall thus constructed.
In a preferred form, the width “W” of the walls of the ribs 16 and the surfaces 12 and 14 are substantially uniform, preferably around 5 mm, however other widths or thicknesses are also envisaged. It will be appreciated that the panel members 10 of the present invention may be made from any extrudable polymeric materials including elastomeric materials and still fall within the spirit of the present invention. Further, it will be appreciated that rather than the panel member 10 of the present invention being made from a single material, the panel member may be made from a plurality of materials by way of co-extrusion manufacturing techniques. In such an arrangement, the surfaces 12, 14 of the panel member 10 may be formed to have different material properties and may be made from materials with different colour characteristics. Alternatively a separate material may be coextruded over the surfaces 12, 14 of the panel member following or during formation of the panel member 10 to provide form a variety of purposes, such as additional UV protection. Other applications of such coextrusion practices envisage the extrusion of a small seal in a region of the panel member where panels join together to facilitate sealed connection of panels for such purposes as water storage and retention, as will be discussed in more detail below.
Referring to
The embodiment of the panel member 10 shown in
Such an arrangement has an ability to reduce the effects of impact injury to the horse as well as maintaining the structural integrity of the panel member 10. Further, the corrugated nature of the panel members resembles a more conventional corrugated sheeting surface that is typically used in horse stables and provides an aesthetic look that resembles conventional materials.
It will be appreciated that the panel members 10 may be formed to assume any desired sizes and dimensions. For instance, the panel members may be formed in a variety of standard sizes in accordance with their intended use. In this regard, the panel members 10 may be formed in sizes having widths ranging from 150 mm-2400 mm and heights or lengths ranging from 60 mm-2400 mm. It will be appreciated that due to the manufacturing method of extruding the panels, the sizes in which the panels 10 are formed can be varied quite simply.
Referring to
As is shown, in the structure 20, the panel members 10 are assembled to form a periphery of the structure. The structure 20 comprises a roof 21 that is supported atop four walls. The front wall comprises a door 22 that permits access to and from the interior of the structure 20. The upper region of the front wall may be typically formed in an open manner to facilitate access of light and air into the interior of the structure and may comprise open bars 23 as shown. The lower region of the front wall is formed from the panels 10 of the present invention. In this regard, the panels 10 are provided in the regions of the structure 20 where a horse may kick, should the horse become agitated or the like.
In this regard, the surfaces 12, 14 of the panels 10 form the inside surface and exterior surface of the structure respectively. It will be appreciated that the structure 20 may also be configured such that an external skin may be provided over the panels 10, depending upon aesthetic requirements and cost issues. In the instances where the panels 10 also function as the exterior surface of the structure 20, such as is shown in
As individual panel members 10 are constructed to have a common configuration, in order to join adjacent panel members 10 in a structure a simple H-beam system as shown in
It will also be appreciated that the extruded nature of the panel members 10 enables a variety of different options for interlocking the edges of adjacent panels 10. In
One particular arrangement for connecting adjacent panels 10 together is shown in
In the structure 20 of
When used in a building structure such as that shown in
As the panel member 10 is made from HDPE, the material yield strength is approximately 25 Mpa and whilst exceeding the yield strength of the material may result in some material deformation of the panel member, this typically manifests as bruising, whitening or denting of the material in the vicinity of the load application. Thus, even when the yield strength of the panel has been exceeded, there is a low likelihood of panel fracture or shattering as is commonly the case with more rigid and conventional building materials.
Whilst the panel members 10 of the present invention have a specific application for impact resistant wall surfaces as described above, due to the structure and nature of the panel members 10, they are also applicable for use in a variety of alternative applications.
One alternative application is shown in
The panels 10 are assembled together in the manner described previously such that they abut together and are connected between vertical supports 34. The vertical supports 34 are in the form of I-beams; however other support members are also envisaged.
The upper and lower ends of each panel is sealed by a cap member 32 as shown. The cap member 32 is configured to fit over the ends of the channels 18 of the panel members to provide a seal thereon. The cap members 32 also provide a common fluid rail connecting each of the channels 18 at a lower and an upper region thereof to facilitate flow of water between adjacent panel members 10 and between adjacent channels 18 in each panel member 10. It will be appreciated that additional materials such as lip seals, sealing beads, and the like may be employed to seal the joints between panels.
Each cap member 32 has a hole or recess 31 formed at an end thereof to receive a connector 33 that provides a sealed connection with a recess 10 on an adjacent cap member 32. In this regard, an end panel 10 of the wall 30 may be connected to a water source, such as a stormwater drain or water connection system to receive water after which it is distributed between the panel members 10 of the wall system 30 via the interconnecting cap members 32.
In the embodiment as shown in
Referring to
The retaining wall 40 comprises a plurality of supports 44, such as I-beams between which individual panel members 10 are supported in the manner as shown in relation to
To provide additional structural support to the wall 40, one or more stake members 46 may be inserted through the channels 18 of the panels to project beyond the lower surface of the panels to engage with a ground surface. The number of stake members 46 used to support the wall 40 can be adjusted depending upon the specific application of the wall 40 and the forces that the wall may experience in use.
Referring to
In
Formed along opposing ends or longitudinal edges of the panel member 110 is an end member 120 having a male connector 150 and an end member 122 having a female connector 152, which are depicted more clearly in
Referring to
A wall structure 105 employing multiple panel members 110 is shown in
As depicted in
It will be appreciated that due to the interlocking nature of the panel members 10, 110 and the complimentary size and shape of the panel members 10, 110, the wall structure 5, 105 can be used for a variety of purposes other than as a building wall or a retaining wall. In this regard, the wall structure could be assembled as a temporary wall for large events such as concerts, sporting events, and the like, where the ease or erecting and dismantling the wall offers significant advantages. Further, the wall may be used as a levee bank or wall for flood regions, where the interlocking nature of the panel members provides a sealed wall that prevents water from passing therethrough. In this regard, the wall may be supported solely by stake members to extend along a perimeter of a region to be protected.
Due to the hollow nature of the panel members 10, 110, the wall structure created therefrom can also enable the panel members 10, 110 to be filed with concrete, cement, sand, soil and other types of material to provide additional support and structure to the wall. The open ends of the channels may also be filled with soil for use as planter boxes and the like, to add additional functionality to a building construction.
It will be appreciated that the simple structure of the panel members 10 of the present invention enable them to be employed in a variety of situations and applications where temporary or permanent wall structures are required. As the panel members can be readily manufactured to snugly fit together in a sealed arrangement and are hollow, they have specific application to applications associated with handling water and other fluid environments.
Throughout the specification and claims the word “comprise” and its derivatives are intended to have an inclusive rather than exclusive meaning unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise. That is, the word “comprise” and its derivatives will be taken to indicate the inclusion of not only the listed components, steps or features that it directly references, but also other components, steps or features not specifically listed, unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise.
Orientational terms used in the specification and claims such as vertical, horizontal, top, bottom, upper and lower are to be interpreted as relational and are based on the premise that the component, item, article, apparatus, device or instrument will usually be considered in a particular orientation, typically with the panel member uppermost.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made to the methods of the invention described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2011900189 | Jan 2011 | AU | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/AU2012/000049 | 1/23/2012 | WO | 00 | 9/30/2013 |