The present invention relates to a prefabricated wall panel and a structural system made with such panel, as well as a manufacturing method of the prefabricated panel.
In particular, the invention relates to a civil construction system, based on making and using prefabricated panels, composed of multiple layers, for making exterior and/or interior walls. The panel comprises multiple layers of different materials which simultaneously perform structural strength and/or anti-seismic, soundproofing and/or acoustic absorbing and heat-moisture protecting functions.
Multilayer wall panels are known, e.g. from CH69211A5, EP0921243A2, EP1273729A2, U.S. Pat. No. 6,625,948 B2, EP1892350A2. Furthermore, US2008/0022609A1 describes a mobile plant for prefabricating wall panels.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a prefabricated wall panel, a structural system comprising a plurality of wall panels and a method for prefabricating wall panels, having features so as to:
reduce construction time and costs, and/or
increase the heat-moisture protection performance of the wall panel and of the structural system casing, and/or
increase the versatility in the making of structural systems, in particular homes, with reference to size, number of stories and distribution of inner spaces, and/or
increase the standardization level of prefabrication and construction materials and equipment, and/or
facilitate the making of homes certified in compliance with seismic, sound and acoustic protection standards; and/or
increase the degree of industrialization and reduce the use of labor and lead times in the construction of homes, and/or
in a home, create one or two empty gaps adapted to guide an air flow from the outside towards the inside of the walls of the home, thereby eliminating moisture, foul air and gas, e.g. radon, which are the main cause of the lack of living comfort and deterioration of the structures of the known technique,
separate selected layers of the prefabricated panel or a wall of the structural system to form a gap inside them and thereby facilitate air circulation.
At least some of these objectives are achieved by means of a prefabricated wall panel according to claim 1. The dependent claims relate to advantageous and preferred embodiments.
According to an aspect of the invention, a prefabricated wall panel for making a structural system defines a panel plane and a peripheral edge and comprises:
A) a plurality of material layers parallel to the panel plane and superimposed on one another, comprising:
The prefabricated panel is structurally supporting and resistant, soundproofing and heat-insulating, and allows a natural and continuous circulation of air inside the wall. Furthermore, the prefabricated panel can be easily manufactured by manufacturing in parallel a first semi-finished panel comprising the protective layer and a second semi-finished panel comprising the load-bearing layer, and subsequently overlapping and connecting the first and second semi-finished panels to each other.
In order to better understand the invention and appreciate its advantages, the description of some non-limiting embodiments will be provided below with reference to the figures, in which:
With reference to the figures, a prefabricated wall panel 1 for making a structural system 2 for constructions, e.g. a building, defines a panel plane 3 and a peripheral edge 4 and comprises:
A) a plurality of material layers 5, 6, 7 parallel to the panel plane 3 and superimposed on one another, comprising:
The prefabricated panel 1 is structurally supporting and resistant, soundproofing and heat-insulating and allows a natural and continuous circulation of air inside the wall. Furthermore, the prefabricated panel 1 can be easily manufactured by manufacturing in parallel a first semi-finished panel 15 comprising the protective layer and spacer connectors 11 and a second semi-finished panel 14 comprising the load-bearing layer 5, and subsequently overlapping and connecting the first and second semi-finished panels to each other (
The prefabricated panel 1 is preferably flat and plate-shaped with the peripheral edge generally in a regular polygonal shape, e.g. substantially rectangular or square.
According to an embodiment (
The second anchoring end 13 forms a, e.g. conical, pointed insertion portion 13′ which is connected by means of a step 13″ or barb to the central portion 16. The pointed insertion portion 13′ facilitates the penetration of the second anchoring end 13 from the outside into the still pasty or liquid cement of the load-bearing layer 5 and makes it possible to avoid a reinforcing reinforcement 5′ of the load-bearing layer 5. The step 13″ or barb allows an effective transmission of the anchoring forces from the second anchoring end 13 to the reinforcement 5′ of the load-bearing layer 5, in particular extracting forces of the spacer-connector 11.
According to an embodiment (
According to an embodiment (
The load-bearing layer 5 is made of reinforced concrete, e.g. of thickness ranging from 18 cm to 24 cm, and performs a static and antiseismic bearing function. The air circulation gap 10 is directly delimited by the load-bearing layer 5 and by the protective layer 6.
The protective layer 6 (which can be seen as an inner wall of the home) comprises a reinforced concrete slab 24 (with reinforcement 24′) having a thickness smaller than the thickness of the load-bearing layer 5 and having a surface facing towards an inner side 8 of the prefabricated panel 1 and adapted to be painted or skimmed with indoor plaster 22. The air circulation gap 10 is fundamental for the circulation of air inside the prefabricated panel 1 and, therefore, the home which can be made.
According to an embodiment (
According to an embodiment (
According to an embodiment (
In this embodiment, the spacer-connectors 11 may comprise metal profiles, e.g. made of galvanized steel, e.g. “U”-shaped section bars anchored to both the load-bearing layer 5 and the protective layer 6, e.g. by means of screws or connectors which are already fixed when the concrete of load-bearing layer 5 is cast.
According to an embodiment (
Also in this embodiment, the spacer-connectors 11 may comprise metal profiles, e.g. made of galvanized steel, e.g. “U”-shaped section bars anchored to both the load-bearing layer 5 and the protective layer 6, e.g. by means of screws or connectors which are already fixed when the concrete of load-bearing layer 5 is cast.
The heat-insulating layer 7 is directly adjacent to and in direct contact with load-bearing layer 5 and is made of heat insulating and soundproofing material, e.g. having a thickness in the range of 6 cm to 20 cm, with a moisture barrier layer 27 on the outer side 9 of the heat-insulating layer 7 opposite to the load-bearing layer 5. The moisture barrier layer 27 comprises, for example, aluminum paper.
The prefabricated panel 1 or the wall formed by a number of prefabricated panels 1 comprises a aesthetic outer wood layer 28, e.g. a vertical wooden framework 29 and a horizontal planking 30 formed by wooden slats with a minimum thickness of 3 cm. The aesthetic wood layer 28 is spaced from the heat-insulating layer 7, forming a second air gap 10′ between them, by means of autoclaved wooden beams fixed to the load-bearing layer 5 and placed, e.g. horizontally.
According to an embodiment (
Also in this embodiment, the spacer-connectors 11 may comprise metal profiles, e.g. made of galvanized steel, e.g. “U”-shaped section bars anchored to both the load-bearing layer 5 and the protective layer 6, e.g. by means of screws or connectors which are already fixed when the concrete of load-bearing layer 5 is cast.
The heat-insulating layer 7 is spaced from the load-bearing layer 5 and comprises a layer of heat-insulating and soundproofing material, e.g. of thickness in the range from 10 cm to 20 cm, and a reinforced concrete supporting layer 31, facing towards the load-bearing layer 5 and distanced from it, forming therebetween a second ventilation gap 10′, by means of a plurality of the aforesaid spacer-connectors, e.g. spacers 11 in the form of pins, as described in
Structural System 2
Figures from 7 to 11 show examples of embodiments of details of the structural system 2, in particular of a residential building, made using the above described prefabricated panels 1.
The tie-rods 17 are anchored to the vertical wall 36 at their anchoring ends 38 and extend parallel to the panel plane 3 through the load-bearing layer 5 of the prefabricated panels 1 and, possibly, through end portions (edges) of the floor elements 37 respectively interposed between two vertically adjacent prefabricated panels 1, and can be locked and/or tensioned or pretensioned, e.g. by means of a tensioning nut 38 screwed onto the threaded end of the tie-rod 17 and resting against the vertical wall 36, so as to hold it together.
The tie-rods 17 may comprise one or more steel ropes or steel rods threaded at the ends and having a length substantially corresponding to wall height 36. The diameter of the tie-rod 17 is chosen according to the required tensile strength, preferably equal to or greater than 24 mm.
In addition to the one or more vertical walls 36, the structural system 2 may also comprise one or more horizontal walls 37 connected to the vertical walls 36, as well as a number of horizontal tie-rods 39 anchored to the vertical wall 36 or to the horizontal wall 37 at their anchoring ends 40 and extending horizontally through the horizontal wall 37 and which may be locked and/or clamped or pretensioned, e.g. by means of a tensioning nut 41 screwed onto the threaded end of horizontal tie-rods 39 and resting against the horizontal wall 37, so as to hold the structural system 2 together horizontally.
According to an embodiment, the prefabricated panel 1 is made by means of the steps of:
manufacturing a first semi-finished panel 15 comprising the protective layer 6 and the spacer connectors 11 protruding from the protective layer 6, wherein the second anchoring ends 13 form free ends of the spacer connectors 11 (
manufacturing a second semi-finished panel 14 comprising the load-bearing layer 5, wherein the cement of the load-bearing layer 5 is not yet solidified and faces upwards (13A-13D),
overlapping the first semi-finished panel 15 from above, with the spacer connectors 11 protruding downwards, on the second semi-finished panel 14 and immersing the second anchoring ends 13 into the cement of the load-bearing layer 5 not yet solidified, keeping a clear distance between the protective layer 6 and the load-bearing layer 5 (
making the cement of the load-bearing layer 5 solidify (
According to an advantageous embodiment, the method comprises:
manufacturing the first semi-finished panel 15 in a first formwork 43 of a first manufacturing line, said first formwork 43 having a bottom wall with a plurality of connector seats 44 adapted to accommodate the spacer connectors 11 with the first anchoring ends 12 protruding at least partially out of the bottom wall,
manufacturing the second semi-finished panel 14 in a second formwork 42 of a second manufacturing line. This is done advantageously after the first semi-finished panel 15 has been manufactured, preferably the next day,
lifting the first semi-finished panel 15 out of the first formwork 43 and lowering it onto the second formwork 42 containing the second semi-finished panel 14 with the cement of the load-bearing layer 5 not yet solidified,
during the immersion of the second anchoring ends 13 into the cement of the load-bearing layer 5 which has not yet solidified, placing the protective layer 6 of the first semi-finished panel 15 on a spacer device 45 (movable or removable) of the second formwork 42 which keeps said clear distance between the protective layer 6 and the load-bearing layer 5,
after the cement in the load-bearing layer 5 has solidified, lifting the prefabricated panel 1 out from the second formwork 42.
By way of example, it took 2.67 hours to make experimental models of the prefabricated panel 1, e.g. to produce the panel in
The prefabricated panel 1 and the structural system 2, as well as the manufacturing method described hereto, are economically viable, combine the advantages of traditional and industrialized building constructions and improve construction quality and living comfort.
A person skilled in art can made further changes and variants all contained within the scope of protection defined by the claims in order to satisfy contingent, specific needs.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/IB2018/058161 | 10/19/2018 | WO | 00 |